My wanderings around my world this week started with…
SO MUCH RAIN!!!
And rainbows!
Melting chocolate.
To make homemade samoas!
Yes, I know they’re ugly AF.
Burger date!
I was so chilled to the bone after walking home late at night that I went and sat on top of the heater vent in order to warm up.
Just like I used to when I was a kid.
It still works wonderfully.
Getting my food styling on.
These mini berry tartlets were tasty.
Recipe coming soon(ish)!
Happy Lunar New Year!
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Being a nice girl vs. a kind woman.
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Where are you wandering this week?
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After a bit of wandering, we found a cute little restaurant called 7éme Vin near our hotel.
Being so close to the Eiffel Tower, they were obviously used to catering to tourists, and spoke impeccable English. Although we had no reservation, they were kind enough to tell us, “Come back in an hour and we will have a table for you.”
We left and walked around the area, scoping out the neighborhood. An hour later, we returned, and true to their word we were seated within minutes.
It’s a fairly small restaurant, so seating can be a bit cramped. We were seated right next to another foreign couple, with the wine menu squished between us.
But despite the cramped quarters, and regardless of any concerns that this might have been an overly touristy restaurant due to its close proximity to the Eiffel Tower, the food was excellent.
We started with “Terrine de Foie-Gras et ses Toasts”.
This is where we discovered we’re huge fans of foie gras.
Next, we had the “Escargots de Bourgogne”.
I already knew I adored escargots, but by the end of the meal we were totally regretting only ordering 6 instead of 12. They were SO GOOD.
Let’s be honest, I’m pretty sure I ate more than my share of the escargots. We usually share everything 50/50, but Son could tell I really liked these.
For our main entrée, we shared “Magret de Canard Landais au Miel et Gingembre” – roasted duck breast with a honey ginger sauce. I wasn’t quite as much of a fan, but Son really enjoyed this.
Then it was time for dessert!
If there’s créme brulée on a menu, it’s a pretty safe guess to assume Son will get it.
And, wanting to try something we hadn’t had before, we also ordered their soft meringues with caramel sauce and custard (“floating islands”).
I was a huge fan of the floating islands, and Son couldn’t stop raving about the créme brulée.
All in all, we are happy to report that our first real meal in Paris (that is, if you ignore that awful crêpe) was a rousing success!
We loved it so much, we seriously considered going back the next day – if not for our short time in Paris, and desire to try as many different places as possible, we might have!
It was 11pm when we made our way back to the hotel. Off to sleep, before another day around Paris!
Who’s ready for the New Year?
The Lunar New Year, that is. This year, it falls on January 28th – the end of the year of the monkey, as we usher in the year of the rooster!
While my family doesn’t celebrate (we go crazy on January 1st), this is a big holiday for Son’s family. And as his parents get older, some of the cooking responsibilities are being passed on to me.
This bitter melon soup is a must for his celebration. It was a favorite of his grandmother, so we make it every year for her spirit to enjoy on the New Year.
I was a bit nervous the first time I made it, because bitter melon is… well… bitter.
(Who’d have ever guessed?)
However, the blanching mellows it significantly, and the pairing with pork always works wonderfully.
If you’re celebrating the Lunar New Year, this is a tasty addition to your table!
Recipe from The Ravenous Couple.
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb ground pork
- 1 tsp fish sauce
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp ground pepper (we prefer white pepper, but black pepper works just fine as well)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 shallot, minced
- 1/4 cup dried wood ear mushrooms
- 1/2 cup bean thread noodles
- 2 8-12″ bitter melons
- 6 cups of chicken broth
- 1 green onion, thinly chopped
- cilantro, chopped
- salt
Cooking Directions
- In two separate small bowls, soak the dried wood ear mushrooms and the bean thread noodles in warm water for about 10 minutes. Drain, then slice the wood ear mushrooms thinly, and cut the bean thread noodles into 2-3″ lengths.
- In a large bowl, mix together the pork, fish sauce, sugar, pepper, salt, shallot, wood ear mushrooms, and bean thread noodles, and mix well. Set aside.
- Quickly blanch the bitter melons in boiling water for about 1 minute – the color should turn a dark green. Remove and let cool. When cool enough to handle, slice bitter melons cross-wise into 1-1.5″ slices. Using a spoon or knife, carve out the center white pith and seeds with a circular motion.
- Bring the chicken stock to a boil. Meanwhile, stuff the bitter melon slices with the pork stuffing. When the stock is boiling, gently drop in the stuffed bitter melons. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and cook for about 15 minutes or until the center of the pork is done. Season with salt to taste. Transfer to soup bowls and garnish with chopped green onions and cilantro. Serve with jasmine rice.
This weekend is the Lunar New Year! From the year of the monkey (a good bit of monkey business certainly did happen last year), we’re moving on to the year of the rooster.
In our family, the new year is the perfect excuse for a feast. Ever since the majority of the cooking responsibilities have been passed on to me, I’m always looking for fun new dishes to try in addition to our traditional standbys.
Since our users have shared so many recipes on Fridgg in the last few years, I thought it would be fun to see what our top Lunar/Chinese New Year posts are.
Every new year needs a countdown, right?
TEN!
Our Lunar New Year feast often includes fish, and this steamed version with black bean sauce that Maggie from Omnivore’s Cookbook posted sounds so easy to make.
NINE!
Our next post, also from Maggie (because Maggie is awesome and posts alllll the tasty Chinese recipes) is dumplings. Because really, who doesn’t like dumplings?
EIGHT!
While fortune cookies might not be the most traditional New Year’s food, these homemade ones from What Charlotte Baked would make a fun addition to your New Year’s table, especially with some fun, personalized fortunes!
SEVEN!
Also not-so-traditional, but these cheesy shrimp baked spring rolls would make a tasty appetizer!
SIX!
Seriously, I wasn’t kidding when I said Maggie has all the Chinese recipes. Our sixth most popular post is another one from her – Chinese Walnut Cookies!
FIVE!
If you’re feeling ambitious, these duck pancakes – yep, another recipe from Maggie – would make an AMAZING addition to your New Year’s table.
FOUR!
Jen, from Use Real Butter, is another of our more prolific posters, who shares quite a few Asian recipes as well. These spicy Sichuan pork wontons would be an excellent addition to your New Year’s table.
THREE!
If you’re looking for something simpler, this egg drop soup from Maggie is super easy to make, and uses ingredients you probably already have at home.
TWO!
Our second most popular Lunar New Year post on Fridgg is one of my favorite things to make and eat for the Lunar New Year – egg tarts!
ONE!
Drumroll please… our number one, very most popular Lunar New Year post on Fridgg is… red-cooked pork belly, from Cheryl of Black Girl Chef’s Whites!
Now, I can’t very well tell you that the pork belly is our best Lunar New Year recipe without trying it out myself, now could I?
(I mean, I could, but then I wouldn’t have had the perfect excuse to make it at home!)
Despite possibly not actually getting pork belly…
(The Korean supermarket labeled the package “pork belly” but I don’t know… does that look right to you?)
… and spending ten minutes staring at all the different soy sauces before giving up and just deciding to use the Kikkoman shoyu I have at home (which miiiight be why my pork belly isn’t exactly red?)…
… and not realizing until I re-read the recipe several days later that, “Oh shoot! I totally forgot the cinnamon!”…
… it turned out amazingly! So good. Falling apart, succulent, perfect over a bowl of white rice. (And, if I do say so myself, those yellow takuan pickles were a genius addition, they were wonderful with the pork belly.)
So good, I have pork belly on my shopping list just so I can make it again soon!
So good… you should definitely include this on your Lunar New Year menu!
Red-Cooked Pork Belly
Recipe from Black Girl Chef’s Whites.
Ingredients
- 3 qt water
- 1 cup mirin
- 1 cup dark soy sauce
- 1 cup light soy sauce
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 bunch green onions, sliced
- 1 cup sliced ginger
- 6 cloves garlic
- 2 sticks cinnamon
- 1 tbsp five spice powder
- 1 tbsp Szechuan peppercorns
- 2 lbs pork belly
Cooking Directions
- In a large pot over medium-high heat, combine all the ingredients except for the pork belly.
- Bring the cooking sauce to a boil, and let cook for about five minutes.
- Add the pork belly, cover, and reduce to a simmer.
- Cook the pork belly for two to two and a half hours, until very tender.
- Remove the pork belly from the liquid, and slice to serve.
- Serve over white rice.
- Enjoy!
After landing in Paris, we were too tired to deal with figuring out a new transportation system, so we took a taxi to our hotel – Hotel Relais Bosquet, in the 7th Arrondissement.
Having traveled to Vietnam before, it was striking – but not very surprising – just how much Paris felt like we were in downtown Saigon.
The French rule of Vietnam from the late 1800s up until the 1950s definitely had a huge impact on the architecture and layout of the streets in Saigon, but you don’t necessarily realize how weirdly similar they are until you’ve had a chance to visit both countries.
After checking into the hotel, smooshing ourselves and our luggage into the tiny hotel elevator, and checking out our tiny hotel room, we made our way back down the narrow stairs and headed out to wander.
It wasn’t long before we found the Eiffel Tower – after all, our hotel was only a block away from the park.
We made our way through the park, across the street, and beneath the huge structure.
… and decided that we absolutely, positively were not going to waste time in the crazy lines to go up into the Eiffel Tower.
Besides, after an uninspiring lunch and nothing else to eat all day, I was starving.
We sat a little in a nearby park, got some cool views of the Eiffel Tower through the trees, and tried to find somewhere to eat.
You’d think that’d be easy in Paris, BUT NOPE. Maybe it was the hunger clouding our brains, but we found it impossible to find anything online telling us somewhere nearby where we could find food.
Preferably something that wasn’t an insanely expensive tourist trap.
So off we went walking again, in hopes of finding easy food somewhere.
We found a food faire by the Seine, but unfortunately only sweets were to be found.
After a bit more wandering…
We found food!
Unfortunately, I think we found the crappiest crêpe in all of Paris. And the rudest shopowners.
Whatever. It was food, and it was enough that we could get on with enjoying Paris.
(But my gosh, seriously the worst crêpe I’ve ever had. And sadly, the only crêpe we had in our entire Paris trip!)
After eating, we took a walk down the Seine, to see what sights we could see.
It wasn’t long before we turned around, and headed back to our side of the river.
We were tempted to try this Vietnamese restaurant, but 1. it was pricey, 2. we were afraid we’d be sorely disappointed, and 3. we’re supposed to be in Paris for French food!
Once we got back to the 7th Arrondissement, it was time to search for dinner – and finally, some real (and delicious!) French food!
You’ll get to see all the delicious things we ate… next post!
