Gastronomy Blog by Cathy Chaplin

Recipe

11 Dec 2010

Sugared Cranberries

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I first admired these sugared cranberries on the front cover of this month’s Cooking Light magazine. They were used to garnish a festive holiday cheesecake, and though they shimmered quite prettily, I doubted that they would taste as good as they looked.

As luck would have it, one of The Astronomer’s colleagues brought these jewel-like fruits to our Sunday brunch a few weeks back. I was seated next to the tub and couldn’t keep my paws off them the entire meal. Whereas cranberries are usually much too tart to eat straight up, these sugared ones, which were soaked in simple syrup and dusted in superfine sugar, were balanced and delicious. The sweet bath and even sweeter coating improved upon the fruit without taking away any of its freshness or characteristic punch.

I made this batch of sugared cranberries soon after The Astronomer and I polished off the ones left behind from brunch. I didn’t have superfine or turbinado sugar in my pantry, but found that granulated sugar made a fine substitute. Sugared cranberries are fantastic eaten straight from the bowl like candy or used as an adorable garnish atop cakes and cupcakes. ‘Tis the season for sparkly fruit!

1 cup water
1 cup fresh cranberries
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup superfine sugar or turbinado sugar

Rinse the cranberries under running water. Remove any bruised or mushy fruit and discard. Set aside.

Combine 1 cup of granulated sugar and 1 cup of water in a small heavy saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Bring to a simmer; remove from heat.

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Restaurant Review

09 Dec 2010

Lotus of Siam – Las Vegas

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The Astronomer and I made an impromptu trip to Sin City this past October in search of food and fun to satisfy my wander-lusty ways and insatiable appetite. Vegas makes a great getaway because it is only four short hours away and hotel rooms are practically free! Since I am as risk adverse as they come in all manners of gambling, The Astronomer and I spent our days exploring food destinations on and off the strip and wandering the casinos people watching. We even fit in a Cirque du Soleil show at The Mirage—LOVE.

We arrived in town late Thursday night, but didn’t eat our first meal until Friday afternoon. The number one restaurant on my list of places to try was Lotus of Siam.

I can’t recall when I first heard about this off-the-strip gem, but the buzz surrounding the place continues to be immense and intense. Upon walking into the restaurant, we were greeted by a wall of press clippings, including the August 2000 issue of Gourmet where Jonathan Gold proclaimed Lotus of Siam the “single best Thai restaurant in North America.” Pretty impressive for a joint located in a desolate and dusty Vegas strip mall, wouldn’t you say?

Lotus of Siam serves Northern Thai cuisine, which according to its website is “generally milder than those of Central and Northeastern Thailand.” It is influenced by neighboring countries including Myanmar, Laos, and China.

A Thai meal isn’t complete without a tall glass of sweet and milky iced tea to sip on.

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Restaurant Review

08 Dec 2010

Old Country Cafe – Alhambra

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I’ve mentioned my friend Sharon once or twice on the site, but she deserves more than a brief sentence in passing. You see, she’s my SGV guru. Sharon grew up in Alhambra, one block north of Valley Boulevard to be exact, and has had a lifetime of meals in the area under her belt. Try as I might to learn the lay of the land, I’ve barely made a dent in the scene during my two years of delectable explorations.

Lucky for me, Sharon happily takes me to her favorite haunts whenever she flies in from North Carolina, where she currently resides. On our most recent outing, we headed to Old Country Cafe to satisfy her serious hankering for Taiwanese-style fried chicken.

Old Country Cafe, one of the oldest Taiwanese restaurants in the San Gabriel Valley, is a charming hole-in-the-wall tucked inside a not-so-charming office-plex. The tiny space is heavy on the Formica and looks like it hasn’t been updated since its first day of business—I love places like these! We grabbed two stools along the counter and settled in with sweet drinks: salty plum for me and passion fruit for her.

We started off with a dish of snappy and chilled “flavored cucumber” ($2.25) at Sharon’s urging. She adored the vegetable’s garlicky undertones and salty kick. I admired its jagged edges and irregular shapes; it was as if the cucumber was hacked by a clawed animal.

We may or may not have ordered the bean curd ($2.50) that followed, but we were very happy to eat them nevertheless. Lightly marinated in sesame oil and soy sauce, the bean curd was savory and characteristically toothsome.

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