Meh.

Sometimes, I wish I was a eunuch.

Apple Pie [and a story, perhaps]

Alright, this post is going to be quick because I still have homework to do, so I'm assuming whoever reads this already has a basic pie crust recipe and knows what they're doing with said crust. And don't use premade crusts. Please.

[Hmm... I probably should've waited some more on my china posts (even though they were about 4 months ago) and posted this as my first actual recipe post. I mean, this recipe is part of my blog title and comes along with a sappy/sad/childish/oy vey Nick, type story]

Nick's Hopefully Makes You Feel Warm and Fuzzy Inside Apple Pie

aka. Nick's HMYFWFI Apple Pie

[compiled from years of research, multiple blog contributions, and hours spent pondering]

Ingredients:

• basic crust for a two layer pie (maybe a post to come on this later, depends on if anyone needs guidance)
• a bunch of apples, mixed varieties preferably (for better flavor. I say a bunch because some people like to pile their pies very high)
• cinnamon to taste
• 1/4tsp salt
• 1tbsp+ of corn starch
• 3/4c of granulated sugar
• 1 lemon
• butter and egg

1. Roll out both of your pie crusts, try to make them circular and matched up as possible. Fit the bottom crust to your pie pan, fold your top crust into quarters and wrap them up if you're going to refrigerate - they dry up otherwise and become much less pliable

2. Peel, core, and slice apples to your liking. I do 1/4in.

3. Toss well with lemon juice, salt, 1/2 cup sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg if you have it (I don't). LET SIT FOR 30MIN - 3HOURS. (this idea's from Joy of Joy the Baker. Great blog). Then, take the liquid (I only let mine sit for 30minutes and it was already a ton of liquid), mix in cornstarch, remaining 1/4c of sugar, and gently simmer in a saucepan. Or if you're like me, accidentally make it turn into a boiling pot of brown goop in 30 seconds. (The cornstarch really works) Simmer until you feel like the liquid has thickened/ the cornstarch kicked in.

4. Drop 1/4in cubes of butter of apples after placing them in pie. Pour over post-simmered brown goop. Close up top crust, vent, and crimp. Wash top with beaten egg and liberally sprinkle over sugar. (I used butter instead of egg on this pie -> BAD IDEA. Not nearly as pretty. So go with the egg)

5. Bake for 10 minutes on lowest rack @ 450. Then, get scared that you're baking at too high a heat, lower to 300, and move to middle rack for 30 minutes. Finally, get impatient, put it under the broiler at 400 for 3 minutes, realize it browns really quickly, and you're done!

T'was good. I've made ... this is my 6th apple pie over the years. It comes with a story that kinda epitomizes my life. So needless to say, I've had plenty of experience with apple pies. If you ever need tips or pointers, just leave me a comment, fb me, email me, etc.

happy fall, and happy apple picking!

~nick.

[p.s- more pictures can be found at my flickr:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/40115406@N05/]

[p.p.s- just submitted to tastespotting.com, wish me luck!]

HK: Wonderland Seafood Restaurant

We arrived in HK on thursday, July 23rd [I said these posts were overdue, no?] and promptly had dinner at Wonderland Seafood Restaurant around 10:00pm. They sure do it late in HK. Go figure.

Interesting Dishes:

Course #1 - Suckling Pig

I've had suckling pig before, and never really realized how good it was. The skin was perfectly taut and crisp, while the 1:1 ratio of fat to meat made for a succulent bite that practically required some licking to capture the piggy juices that kinda oozed all over your lips... Great dish to start off my China trip '09. Very much food porn, hehe

Course #2 - Pepper Battered Fried Tofu

I've always been kinda iffy on fried tofu dishes, because the outside is so nice and flavorful but when you get into the center, it's always just bland in comparison. The crust to this was very aromatic, definitely had peppercorns group in and the szechuan (si chuan, for those real chinese speakers here) pepper brought some nice heat too. Yielded to a very tender and moist interior.

Course #8 - Blue Crab and Rice Soup

[I'm naming this blue crab because of the little flippers; someone told me blue crabs have them?] This was a soup of very typical chinese flavors to me, ginger, scallion, fresh seafood. The rice in the bottom was a pleasant surprise. Unfortunately, the rice didn't really soak up the flavor, it was kinda just waterlogged. It's the difference between cooking the rice in the broth and cooking the rice and then putting it into the broth, I think.

Course #9 - Eel Over Tofu

At first, I was really surprised by how firm the eel was. I thought it was overcooked, my sister C said that's just the way eel is. But it was pretty hard for a fish. Anyways, the eel flavor was still pretty fresh, the juices mixing with the sweet soy sauce made for a good tofu sauce.

Course #10 - Abalone in Soy and Scallions

This was one of the major lowlights (highlights->lowlights?) of the meal. Abalone, in itself, is a pretty expensive piece of meat and this preparation kinda screwed it over. The abalone was tough, rubbery, you couldn't taste the light sweetness that is its distinctive flavor.

Course #12 - Two Whole Steamed Fish

This will probably be my only time talking about this preparation of fish in China, it's just so ubiquitous. Very fresh fish, steamed to perfection, lightly doused in sweet soy sauce with shreds of scallion and ginger on top. Absolutely delicious. Common, but nevertheless, delicious. (I also will almost never have the name of the fish, seeing as how they were all in chinese -.-)

Other Courses included:

-pumpkin and taro stew (commonly done, this one was done poorly, not tender enough, flavors didn't meld completely, probably a rush job)

-snap pea, cashew, and chicken stirfry (nothing special)

-water spinach with fermented tofu (done so often, it's hard to screw up)

-shrimp in japanese mayo (kinda random, the mayo was gloppy and kinda nasty)

-chicken, bell pepper, pineapple in sweet and sour (okay, you can find it in the USA pretty easily though

-Chinese "BBQ" chicken (it was an organic, "walking chicken". That's what they call chickens that aren't raised using methods like abusive american poultry producers.)

All in all, a decent meal. A good way to start off China '09. Some good ol' favorites with family after a 16 hour flight - that's good enough for me.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

WONDERLAND SEAFOOD RESTAURANT:

MO YIN LAI - RECEPTION SUPERVISOR

MEI CHOI HOUSE, NAM CHEONG ST., SHEK KIP MEI, KOWLOON.

TEL: 2778 0278, TEL: 2778 0622, FAX 2776 3891

[More China to come later!]

Back From China!/ We've Moved!/ First Post!

Alright guys, I got back from China on the 6th of this month and was going to start blogging, but then wordpress was being a b*tch about templates so I've moved to blogger. And this is my first post here.

Seeing as how I've been gorging on plenty of delicious food in China, the next few months worth of posts will be 3 weeks worth of eating with some random present tidbits occuring.

In short, China was delicious.

[currently resizing and touching up photos from first meal in HK, post to come]