RICHART Hot Chocolate

If you have never tried RICHART's gourmet French chocolates, then you are missing out! There chocolate comes in 7 different flavor families, including Balsamic, Roasted, Fruity, Citrus, Herbal, Floral, and Spiced. They also are very artfully decorated and come in a modernistic white box. You can order them online at http://www.richart-chocolates.com/. Or if you live in the Bay Area, they have a shop on Sutter Street near Union Square.

Their chocolates definitely are pricier than your average Hershey bar. But comparing the two is like comparing filet mignon to hamburgers. It's two opposite ends of the price scale. Both are good, but sometimes it's nice to splurge.

A while ago, I was on the South Beach diet and was trying to reduce my sugar and carb intake. Their "Cacao Pur" which is French for "pure cocoa" and makes a very rich cup of hot chocolate. I bought a bag of it in the store earlier this year, but I haven't seen in available online. Here's one of the recipes that satisfied my sweet tooth and kept me sane while I was on the diet. Trust me, it tastes like you are being bad, but you are actually being good. And it's as easy as 1-2-3.

RICHART HOT CHOCOLATE

1 cup reduced fat milk
2 teaspoons of RICHART "Cacao Pur"
3 packets of Splenda

1) Microwave the milk in a microwave-safe mug for about 2 minutes on high power. If it's not warm enough for you, then nuke it for a bit more.

2) Mix in the cocoa and Splenda. Stir until dissolved.

3) Enjoy!

Makes one serving.

Ed's 1st Note: I use a BONJOUR Caffe Froth Turbo (one of those little handheld frothers) to help mix the cocoa into the milk. It's very handy for breaking up the clumps of cocoa as well as giving the hot chocolate a nice, bubbly surface.

Josh's Spicy Chicken Marinade

Back in college, I sang in a co-ed acappella group. Over the years, I've kept in touch with many of the folks from the group, including my friend Josh who lives in Los Angeles.

Josh sent me this recipe a few days ago. Like me, he is originally from Texas so his taste buds crave spicy stuff.

I tried out his recipe tonight, and I loved it! Josh's recipe calls for the chicken to be grilled. But, unfortunately, I don't have a grill so I pan-fried the chicken and finished it off in the oven.

I'll include Josh's original grilling recipe as well as my variation for those of you who don't have a grill. Thanks, Josh!

Josh's Spicy Chicken Marinade

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tablespoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
pinch of cayenne

1) Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2) In small bowl, mix the paprika, garlic powder, crushed red pepper, and cayenne.

3) Sprinkle mixture across both sides of all the chicken breasts.

4) Place chicken in a lightly greased casserole dish. Bake at 325 degrees for 10 minutes.

5) Grill the chicken for about 6 - 8 minutes per side (depending on your grill).

Josh's Note: "I like to melt some swiss cheese over it and serve it on a lightly toasted bun...would probably taste really good with lettuce and tomato, but I get too impatient and eat it before I can put anything else on it!"

Ed's Note: Jf you don't have a grill, you can pan-fry the chicken over medium heat in an oven-proof skillet for about 5 minutes per side. Transfer skillet to the oven, and bake at 325 degrees for 10 minutes.

Parmesan-Topped Roasted Vegetables

Here's another recipe from my friend Alyssa's birthday dinner. This is a really simple side-dish to make. All you basically have to do is prep the vegetables and pop them in the oven. Despite this dish's simplicity, the rainbow of colors make this a very visually appetizing addition to your next dinner. The original recipe is from Linda Fraser's "Vegetarian" and calls for baby vegetables. We weren't able to find baby vegetables, but our version turned out just fine with adult vegetables.

PARMESAN-TOPPED ROASTED VEGETABLES

2.5 lbs of roasting vegetables (e.g. eggplant, mushroons, onion, zucchini, squash, carrots, bell pepper)
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tablespoons basil infused olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs (e.g. parsley, oregano, thyme)
8 oz cherry tomatoes
4 oz grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

1) Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2) Cut the roasting vegetables into similar sized chunks (about 1 inch). Place roasting vegetables and garlic in a shallow baking dish.

3) Salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle with olive oil. Use your hands to toss the vegetables and ensure they are well-coated with the oil.

4) Bake vegetables for 10 minutes. Stir. Continue baking until the vegetables turn brown at the edges (about an additional 10 minutes).

5) Stir in the herbs and cherry tomatoes. Sprinkle grated parmesan chees across the top. Bake an additional 10-15 minutes or until the cheese has developed a nice crust.

Serves 6 as a side dish.

Ed's 1st Note: If you have one, you can also use a kitchen torch to brown the vegetables and cheese even more.

Ed's 2nd Note: The original recipe also suggest garnishing with black olives.

Spam Musubi

If you ever go to Honolulu, then you must have dinner at 3660 On The Rise ( http://3660ontherise.com). Their ahi katsu ("sashimi-grade ahi wrapped in nori and deep fried medium rare with wasabi-ginger sauce") is absolutely inspired.

Of course, those of you who know me know that my palate ranges from four-star to fast food. Thus, one of the other foods I must have when I goto Hawai'i is Spam Musubi. It's basically a sushi that uses Spam instead of raw fish.

I had the opportunity to meet Tamlyn Tomita (yes! Waverly from Joy Luck Club) a few years ago when she helped judge the GAPA Runway pageant. In person, she is stunning, but what stunned me is that she is sooo sweet! I'm not sure how we got on to the topic, but we started comparing Spam musubi recipes. And according to Ms. Tomita, the secret to great Spam musubi is to add sugar. My friend Xuan-Lan gave me this recipe and indeed it calls for sugar.

SPAM MUSUBI

5 cups cooked sushi rice
5 sheets of nori*, cut in half
1 can of Spam
6 tablespoons Lite Soy Sauce
4 tablespoons mirin**
4 tablespoons sugar
Furikake***

* Nori are sheets of dried seaweed.
** Japanese wine made from rice
*** A Japanese seasoning that often contains dried seaweed and sesame seeds

All three of these products can be found not only in Asian grocery stores but in many supermarkets that have an Asian food aisle.

1) Cut Spam in 10 slices. Pan fry over medium heat until slightly cripy and remove to plate.

2) Wipe out pan with paper towel and return to heat. Add soy sauce, mirin, and sugar. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Add Spam slices to this mixture and coat.

3) Place one sheet of nori on a cutting board. Pack 1/2 cup of rice onto the lower third of the nori. Sprinkle with furikake. Top with a slice of spam and press down.

4) Roll the nori sheet around the Spam and rice. Moisten nori end to seal it.

5) Repeat with the 9 remaining nori sheets and Spam slices.

Makes 10 Spam Musubi.

Ed's 1st Note: It's easier to make this recipe if you have a musubi maker. It's a plastic mold that helps you form and shape the rice into a tight rectangle.

Ed's 2nd Note: If you don't have a musubi maker, you can also use an empty Spam can that you've cut the bottom off of.

Lentils in Red Wine

My friend Alyssa turned "25 again" last week. I known Alyssa since we were 7 years old, and we've shared many memories over the years (including our Homecoming Dance double date back in high school). She's definitely the closest thing I have to a big sister.

In honor of her special occasion, we held a small cooking party. The dinner menu included:

Acme Herb Slab with Dipping Sauce
Lentils with Red Wine
Roasted Vegetables
Grilled Salmon
Baskin Robbins Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Cake

I'm not a big lentil fan, but I ate more than my share that night. This recipe is originally from Deborah Madison's "The Savory Way." The red wine gives the lentils a completely different flavor!

LENTILS IN RED WINE

1 cup lentils
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 bay leaves
pinch of dried thyme
pinch of dried marjoram
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon tomato paste
2 cups of red wine
1 1/2 cups water
salt
red wine vinegar

1) Rinse lentils. Place lentils in mixing bowl and cover with hot water. Set aside and procede with the rest of the recipe.

2) Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet. Add olive oil. Add onion, garlic, bay leaves, dried thyme, dried marjoram, and half of the fresh parsley.

3) Cook mixture over medium heat, stirring occassionally. When the onions begin to caramelize, mix in the tomato paste.

4) Add the wine, bring to a boil, and cook for 1 minute.

5) Drain the lentils and add them to the wine mixture. Add in 1 1/2 cups water and salt.

6) Bring back to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, and cover. Simmer for about 40 minutes or until the lentils are tender.

7) When the lentils are cooked, add additional salt if needed. Add a few dashes of red-wine vinegar.

8) Stir in 1 tablespoon of butter. Add pepper to taste. Sprinkle remaining fresh parsley across the top to garnish.

Serves 4 as a side dish.

Baby Brie Quiche

Here's another recipe from the Gateways cookbook. I received this cookbook as a housewarming gift when I moved in to a high-rise apartment complex in St. Louis back in the mid-90s. But I didn't try out any recipes from the cookbook until years later. (Don't you have cookbooks like that?)

This quiche recipe is a bit more involved than my other quiche recipe because you have to beat the yolks and egg whites seperately. But if you like Brie, then you'll love the this version.

The first time I made this quiche was for Valentine's Day a few years ago. I was trying to impress a guy that I had just started dating. He didn't last long, but this recipe did.

Another time I tried this recipe, I made the mistake of using a black-bottomed aluminum cake pan. My quiche also ended up with a black bottom because the pie crust burned before the egg mixture set. Oops!

BABY BRIE QUICHE

4 eggs, yolks and whites in seperate mixing bowls
1/2 cup of half and half
1 lb of baby brie cheese, mashed
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 egg whites
1 Pillsbury refrigerated pie crust
sour cream (optional)
caviar (optional)

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2) In a mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks together with the half and half. Add in the brie and the salt. Mix together well.

3) In a seperate mixing bowl, beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Stir 1/3 of the egg whites into the Brie mixture.

4) Carefully fold in the remaining egg whites.

5) Unfold the pie crust and place in an pie pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

6) Pour quiche mixture into partially baked pie crust. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until knife inserted into center comes out clean.

7) Serve with sour cream and caviar (optional).

This recipe will yield 8-10 servings as an appetizer.

Ed's 1st Note: This recipe is very rich. The sour cream and the caviar actually help to balance out the richness. You don't have to use expensive caviar. Black lumpfish caviar tastes just fine with this quiche.

Ed's 2nd Note: The original recipe doesn't specifically call for baby brie versus regular brie. But I find that I like flavor better using baby brie. You could probably also experiment with some of the various flavored bries that are available in many supermarkets.

It's My Birthday...

Today is my birthday, but it's been hard to celebrate knowing the impact that Hurricane Katrina has had along the Gulf Coast. And yet I know that today is no different from any other day. On any given day, there are many people around the world who are struggling to survive - be it from a natural distaster, socio-economics, oppresion, war...

But I guess this time the images and stories hit very close to home. I think about my friends who live in New Orleans who I have not heard from, and I pray that they are safe. I remember back to the hurricanes that my family and I weathered in Texas. I also remember the great Mississippi flood that took place when I lived in St. Louis and the mass destruction it caused. I think about the images from the tsunami that wiped out entire communities across Asia. I wonder what would happen should the Bay Area be hit by "the big one". How prepared would be to deal with a catastrophe of similar magnitude?

So as I blew out the birthday candles on my cake tonight, I had one simple wish: that those who are in need find help.

My friend Alyssa (www.vacationtime.blogspot.com) posted the following article from Charity Navigator (www.charitynavigator.org/katrina.htm). It offers suggestions for those of us who would like to contribute to support the efforts to help the survivors of Hurricane Katrina.