Latinos at Margaritaville Island Reserve

Dinner last night we ate at Latino which is a latin/asian fusion restaurant.  Some standout dishes. 

The Latin Sushi Bowl was my favorite. Chunks of fresh salmon along with avocado, cucumber, coriander and a sweet and savory chipotle ponzu. So tasty!!  It does have thin sliced serrano peppers which are easy to avoid if you don't want extra heat. Or just ask them to not include.  

The Crab Capacha was a corn crepe, stuffed with sweet crabmeat and cheese.  Very tasty although it needed some heat or acid to break up the sweetness. 

The Poke Bowl was the equivalent of a chopped salad at a steakhouse. Very fresh and crispy greens along with carrots, jicama and cucumbers.  There was a tiny bit of tuna.  It needed more. The dressing was a Pina colada vinaigrette.  A very imaginative recipe.  I think I would have liked it more if so many of the other dishes hadn't been sweet.  It needed more acid to balance out the flavors.  I loved all the textures in the salad.  

Another great dish was Beef Bao-Jitas.  This was a very clever take in a traditional bao bun, but treating it like a fajita.  Juicy, well seasoned flank steak came in a sizzling platter with onions and peppers.  And on the side was a bao bun so you could make a sandwich using the spicy salsa.  A well composed and tasty dish.

The Yellow Chicken Curry Arepa was another clever dish.  It was essentially a pulled curry chicken sandwich served in a tasty corn bun. While it had good curry flavor, it needed to be punched up a little for my taste since the corn bun along with the Asian slaw was very sweet.

I also had the Catch of the Day which was Red Snapper.  This was a very well cooked piece of fish. Flaky and buttery. Served in some Mexican rice along with some fried plantains.  

Not so successful was the Lobster and Vegetable Crispy Spring Roll.  The flavor was okay, but the outside was soggy instead of crisp.  Maybe it has been cooked earlier and only heated up for serving.  I would not order that again. 

Overall some great dishes.  Will be back to get the Bao-Jitas and Sushi Bowl again. They also have some ribs that sound good.  And an interesting Apple Crumble dessert with rice pudding ice cream.

Rita's Taco House - Margaritaville Island Reserve

After checking into Margaritaville Island Reserve resort in Puerto Morelos at 4PM, we needed a quick bite.  Rita's Taco House was the perfect spot.  We arrived at 4:45 and they were set to close at 5:00.  So we had to make some quick decisions.  I ordered two fish tacos, two carnitas tacos and, perhaps because it was Margaritaville, I had to get a Cheeseburger in Paradise!!  My wife ordered.two shrimp tacos and one suckling pig 

The first thing we were brought was a plate of chips and an assortment of sauces.  

While our server had said he would explain the difference salsas, he never did. He did manage to tell us that the two in the middle had the most heat - and he was correct.  The chips were not that crispy, perhaps because we were there near closing time.  And also we are in a hot, humid climate.  Not ideal for foods that should be crispy. The refried beans with cojita cheese were very good.  The green salsa (probably serrano) had good heat and some flavor.  

As for the tacos, they really delivered.  

The fish tacos had a small piece of white fish that was crusted in what seems like cornmeal batter.  Super crunchy and flavorful.  It had some crunchy cabbage as well as what most restaurants call special sauce. We all know it is just some combination of mayo and ketchup.  The carnitas had a great slow simmered flavor, topped with grated onion.  

The shrimp tacos were the best bite.  I expected them to have fried shrimp. Instead the well cooked shrimp were in a sauce that was similar to a new Orleans gumbo.  The suckling pig taco had such rich pork flavor, greatly assisted by the pickled red onions.

The cheeseburger checked all the boxes for a basic burger.  Juicy patty.  A decent bun to meat ratio.  Melted American cheese. And that special sauce. The fries were also served hot and had been dusted with some spices, most likely a Mexican version of Lawry's Season Salt - or the type you see at Steak and Shake.  

QUICK BITE: Dolly Parton's Strawberry Pretzel Pie Ice Cream

There has been recent internet sensation about an ice cream from Jeni's that was made especially for Dolly Parton.  It has limited availability and apparently was getting high bids on EBay.   Jeni's was out of stock on this flavor for months hit recently made more and had a one day sale.  My wife was lucky enough to purchase some and we tried it to tonight. 

It has a cream cheese base so does taste a lot like cheesecake.   The pretzel streusel adds a nice crunch.   The strawberry sauce was good but needed a more pronounced strawberry flavor.

Would I get this again?  Yes.  Although it still seems like it is going to be a hard item to order.  

QUICK BITE: Elevated Brownies

Who says you can't elevate brownies?   Not me.  

Add a dollop of Marshmallow Fluff, brulee it and add a mini Midnight Milky Way.   Great combination of flavors!!

Baking During The Pandemic

When I was growing up, my mother was always baking something.  Delicious flaky pies or tarts.  Rhubarb was  always my favorite with apple being a close second.   Banana muffins.  Zucchini bread.  Lots of good things.  When I became an adult I started to enjoy cooking because it allows you to embrace your creative side. You can find a recipe and decide whether you want to tweak it a little but adding or removing an ingredient.  Or changing the cooking method.  Or even more interesting for me was to see what ingredients were on hand in the cupboard and come up with something that would taste delicious.  Or at least make a valiant attempt.

What I disliked about baking was that it was all about science.  You just can't decide to mix some flour and water together and put in in a pan to bake.  I guess you could, but the result would be an awful mess.  Baking requires precision, patience and planning.  And I never felt I had enough time for all three.

Then along came 2020.  I had retired in June of 2019 and my wife and I did almost non-stop travel through the end of 2019 and through March of 2020.  In fact, we were sailing on the last cruise ship to dock in Saint Maarten before all sailing was suspended.    We had lots of other trips in 2020 and beyond that got cancelled.  So whereas 2020 was expected to be another year of exciting travel, that wasn't going to be possible.  We'd be home, staying safe.  Was the universe giving me a sign that I would finally have the time to try my hand at baking?  The answer was "yes".  

I dabbled in lots of baking projects throughout 2020.  Many of which I have posted before on this blog. Soft pretzels.  Shortening biscuits. Four types of cornbread.  Fried donuts.  My grandmothers' chocolate cupcakes. Chocolate torte.  Many more.  And perhaps most surprising?   I was really enjoying it. Where I thought I would be frustrated by the science part of baking, I actually embrace it.  Learning more about how baking soda and baking powder behave differently.  Or how important a proper rise is for a yeasty dough (such as for pretzels).  

By the way, the main difference between baking soda and baking powder is all about acidity. Both are used to create rising in baking.  Do you remember from science class when you may have mixed baking soda and vinegar to create a volcano?  In the proper proportions, that is what these both do in baking.

Baking soda requires an acid and liquid in the recipe to be activated and help with the rise.  So you will often see it used in recipes with buttermilk, lemon juice, honey or vinegar which are all acidic.  

Baking powder is made with baking soda, cream of tartar and sometimes corn starch.  It already has the acid so it only needs a liquid to be activated.  You will usually see baking powder listed as "double acting".  This means that the rising action takes first when you add the liquid to make the dough or batter and then a second time when it is baking or being griddled such as a pancake or waffle.  

Sometimes recipes will call for both.  But enough about that discussion.  On to my latest baking project:  English Muffins.

English Muffins were always a staple  when I was growing up.  There were probably other brands, but I only recall my mother buying the Thomas' brand.  And their claims of "nooks and crannies".  Great marketing that truly described the end result fresh from the toaster or griddle.   Perfect with butter and strawberry jam.  Or peanut butter.  Or peanut butter and jelly.  Or as a hamburger bun.  So versatile and delicious.

During the pandemic we have been having regular video chats with many of our friends.  I think everyone has been doing that.  During one of these chats about two months ago our friend had mentioned she was making english muffins with her son since he had been very excited about baking.  These were something I had never considered making - never even made it to any list. But they were such a fond memory of childhood that I knew they had to make it to the top of my list.  So I researched and found a recipe.  

To make them the "proper" way (and you may need to say that in an English accent), the dough needs to be made about three days before you want to have muffins.  So this isn't a spur of the moment, "Let's Make Cornbread" recipe.  It takes some planning.  

I had to make a starter which is a term often used for making sourdough bread but really is for any simple mixture of flour, water and leavening (usually yeast) that you let ferment for several hours.  It is the starter which helps give the muffins their yeasty flavor and unique crumb.

The main dough consists of the starter plus your typical dough ingredients including some granulated sugar which helps the second addition of yeast.  It is a very sticky dough which you knead a few times before letting it chill out in your fridge in a covered oiled bowl for 24 - 72 hours.

I had made the dough on a Sunday and Wednesday was going to be Muffin Morning.  I divided the dough into 12 pieces and rolled our each into a ball.  And then each was placed on a parchment lined sheet pan dusted with corn meal.  I have read you can also use semolina.  You also dust the tops.  This gives that some extra crunch.  And then they had to rise for about two hours

This is after the rise.  You can see they have gotten puffy.  You know they are proofed properly when they bounce back when you press your finger.  If it doesn't spring back, you have probably overproofed.

Unlike other muffins, english muffins need to be griddled.  One of my favorite appliances is the Cuisinart Griddler.  It serves as a great flattop for pancakes, sliders and hopefully english muffins.

Using medium heat, I griddled six at a time, flipping them about about every five minutes so they didn't burn.  They griddled for about twelve minutes total

When I have made breads before, one of the hardest things is to know when the inside is baked through.  No one wants to eat raw dough.  Your best friend is an instant read thermometer.  Most yeasty breads are done when the internal temperature is between 190 and 200 degrees Fahrenheit although recipes will vary.  Once the muffins had enough color on both sides, I had an oven preheated to 350 standing by.  I put them on a sheet pan with a Silpat sheet and baked until they reached 200.  I did the same with the second batch.  

 

And you may be wondering where that twelvth muffin went?  Well I had to try one.  All for science.  Properly buttered and showcasing the nooks and crannies that Thomas spoke about all those years ago.  And or course with a side of strawberry preserves.  These also freeze very well.  Four of them are sitting in our freezer now, probably awaiting a perfectly poached eggs and hollandaise for some upcoming Sunday Brunch.

What will be my next baking project?  I may try some macarons.  Or try more experimenting with gluten free baking.  Whatever it is, the universe has still not reopened travel completely, I still will have plenty of time to practice my patience, precision and planning.

Momofuku Delivered to Our Door

We ordered the Bo Ssam from Goldbelly and made it tonight.  There are only a few meals where I can say that the food made my whole body happy.  This was one of them.  Such flavorful pork by itself and with the glaze.  But it is really the thoughtful well composed sides that complimented that delicious pork.  I expected to love the kimchi (and I did).  However that ginger scallion relish was so good.  Have never had anything like it.  

The kit came packed in dry ice and included a cooked pork shoulder in plastic wrap along with kimchi, korean chili sauce and a ginger scallion sauce.  This is what the pork looked like when it was unwrapped.    We needed to wrap it in foil and let it completely dethaw.   A temperature probe confirmed it was 32 degrees Farenheit.

These are all the sauces.

The roast then went in the over at 325 degrees and needed to reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees.  Once that was reached, it was time to add the glaze which was molasses and soy based.  This went on and the oven temperature was raised to 425.  I needed to baste the roast several times which helped with the carmelazation.  This is after the first glaze.  I then removed the rack and the roast was so tender it just fell apart - which is exactly what you want to happen.

I then pulled the pork into medium sized pieces and moved to a platter.  There was enough pork to easily feed six people.  This is only about 25% of the pork.

Finally it was sandwich time!!  We have pillowy soft potato rolls to serve it on. Both had the korean chili sauce.  One has the kimchi and the other has the ginger scallion sauce.  

The sauces by themselves tasted fine.  But it was how they were able to elevate the pork which was amazing.  The ginger scallion sauce didn't have an overpowering flavor of either ginger or scallion but you could taste both.  And added to the pork and the chili sauce, it made your whole body happy.  An example where the whole is much more than the sum of the parts.  Each ingredient  tasted fine on its own, but not that remarkable.  But when combined together, that is when you really appreciated that thought behind the dish.  When we go to a restaurant for a meal, we often focus on how much it would cost to make that meal at home.   Not thinking about the skill, training and patience of the chef who managed to come up with the concept for the dish.  Could you make something similar at home?  Yes.  But there are times when we just have to agree that a trained palate adds level of flavor that a home chef never can.  I hope to be able to visit Momofuku some day.  Until then, we will order this again from Goldbelly.

The package from Momofuku also included the ingredients to make fried rice for the next day.  For that, you heated a pan, heated up the ginger scallion sauce and then coated the jasmine rice until warmed through.  Then you added scrambled eggs.  I added some green beans for color and also because having a vegetable seemed appropriate given all the meat we had been eating.

Cupboard Challenge

The Cupboard Challenge is on.  What can Glenn make with these ingredients from the pantry?    

What would you make?

And the results of the Cupboard Challenge?  Ramen Noodle Chickpea patties with a side.of.tzatziki sauce. 

After draining the chickpeas, I pulsed them several times in the food processor until almost like sand.  Then added to a bowl along with the ramen seasoning packet, two teaspoons of cumin and a pinch of kosher salt.  Then mixed in a beaten egg until combined.  Formed into four patties.   Fried in a nonstick pan about four to five minutes a side until golden brown. Don't be tempted to flip them too soon or they might break apart.  The noodles on the edges get nice and crispy.

Next time I would bump up the seasoning a bit. Probably add some red pepper flakes or hot sauce.