Crab Salad Eggs Benedict

Posted on June 8, 2013 by theyumproject

Breakfast is served! Now that I am back in the United States I am attempting as best as I can to get back on the healthy eating bandwagon. My experiences in Italy and all over Europe were amazing and I will continue to share my stories but I definitely paid the price of gluttonously enjoying all of the delicious dishes that each country had to offer me. I have made it a summer goal to get back into a healthy lifestyle by way of exercise and choosing healthy food options. Last summer I experimented with an alternative health diet that eliminated most animal products and emphasized the consumption of an abundance of fruits, vegetables, nuts and fish. I never felt better by the end of the summer; I had unlimited amounts of energy, my skin glowed, I slept better, and felt much stronger.

I’ve figured out a few keys to keeping up with a healthy diet. First of all, it is really important to pack each dish with as much flavor as possible. Since I try not to use a lot of the usual flavorings such as salt, butter and oil, I opt instead to use a lot of spices and herbs. Next, it is important to have variety, everyone gets sick of eating the same foods over and over. A common issue that most people have with dieting is that they are constantly hungry because they do not get to eat enough volume to keep them full and satisfied. This has to do with the types of foods they are choosing. Pack your meals with low- calorie, high fiber vegetables to supplement some of the more calorie dense foods such as proteins or grains. Lastly, everyone has to indulge. I don’t know anyone in the world who is worse than me when it comes to cravings, so when a craving hits me I just try to figure out a way to make a healthier version of the dish. For example, this week I have been craving seafood.

I began with my healthy eating regimen just as all people should, by making a delicious and nutritious breakfast. Last week I saw a crab salad for sale in a supermarket and have not been able to get the idea out of my head. Therefore, I decided to make my own version for breakfast this morning. The meal was simple, filling, and very tasty. The colorful crab salad also looked quite appealing sitting neatly on top of a piece of whole-wheat toast and garnished with a delicate poached egg. There is nothing more satisfying than cutting into a soft poached egg and watching the rich golden yolk trickle down onto the plate, only to be sopped up by a piece of crisp and crunchy toast.

Ingredients

Whole-wheat Toast
One Poached Egg
Sliced Avocado
Imitation Crab Meat
Light Mayonnaise
Old Bay Seasoning
Lemon Juice
Dijon Mustard
Chopped Red Bell Peppers

Daily Dish-Fish

Posted on May 29, 2013 by theyumproject

Throughout the entire semester, I was most excited for the lesson plan of fish and seafood. On this day, we were not only to learn about the different kinds of fish and how to tell if they were fresh at the market or the different methods of cooking, but also about how to gut and fillet the fish. How exciting! I see this as an invaluable life skill to have in case I ever find myself in an apocalyptic situation where my only means of sustenance relies on a nearby unspoiled body of water or the fruits of the ocean.

When buying fish, make sure that the eyes are clear and convex as opposed to concave. At the touch, the flesh should bounce back and should have a slightly slimy film. There should be no fishy odor. The gills should also be bright red or pink. It is best if the fish is still in a state of rigor mortis, because then it is certain to be very fresh. I was told never to buy a fish without its head because that is the first body part to go bad, however I don’t expect everyone to go around gutting fish themselves.

Gutting a fish- first scale the fish by taking a butter knife and scraping alongside the skin in the opposite direction of the scales. Next, go along the underside of the belly and slice from the butt to the gills. It is a little more tricky to slice along the top, you need to feel as you go in order to avoid the spine but not waste the flesh. Slice the fillet off and away from the head and then if desired, slice the skin off from the fish.Voila.

Branzino Ai Finocchi- Sea bass with fresh fennel. There are two types of fish, round fish and flat fish. This is the round fish that we practiced on. We cooked the sea bass using two methods, on the left is baked sea bass that is filleted and served with a fennel puree and a drizzle of olive oil. On the right is a seared sea bass that we scaled and served with thinly sliced grilled fennel. The dish was very refreshing. I preferred the baked sea bass in terms of flavor but think that the seared sea bass has a better visual appeal. By the way, it is possible to eat the skin.

Sogliola Alle Mandorle- Sole in an almond crust. Sole is a flat fish, thus we learned the different methods for filleting a flat fish in addition to round fish. We prepared the fillets and then lined them on a baking sheet and topped them with a mixture of milk, butter, almond flour, salt and pepper. A garnish of sliced almonds added the finishing touch. This was tasty but I thought that the buttery crust added a heaviness that is undesirable for a fish dish.

Mussels with White Wine-I love mussels! This was one of my favorite meals of the semester. It was very easy to prepare and only took a few minutes to cook. First we had to clean and de-beard the mussels, discarding any that were already opened. (This means that the organism has died.) Some mussels were opened but not dead, you can tell the difference by giving the mollusk a squeeze, if it closes up again then all is well. To prepare the dish, we simply sauteed some garlic and pepperoncini in oil, added white wine and sliced tomatoes, and then steamed the mussels under a lid for a few minutes until the shells opened. At the end we added some chopped parsley for freshness. The mussels were very tender, with a touch of spice in the delicate broth. Serve with a crostini to sop up the extra bits and juices.

Beerfest In Germany

Posted on May 25, 2013 by theyumproject

There is a popular phrase that goes as follows- “It’s five o’clock somewhere”. It was absolutely necessary for this to be our motto during the weekend of fruhlingsfest as we needed to arrive at the beer tents as early as possible in order to avoid ridiculous lines and guarantee a seat. Even though my friends and I arrived at the Augusteener tent at about one pm, we were still unable to get seats together until hours later, at which point we cheerily squeezed two people to a seat along the crowded benches.

Before heading into the tents, we had a little appetizer. I began with a fat and juicy bratwurst covered in onions and followed it with a little dessert due to my discovery of a stand that sold all varieties of fruit under the sun served on skewers and covered in chocolate. I opted for a selection of grapes, strawberries, bananas and pineapples covered in white chocolate.

Finally we made it into the tent. It was as if we stepped into something from Alice in Wonderland, the small tent entrance outside gave way to an enormous room with high ceilings, decorated with blue and white banners and Augusteener logos. The room was filled with rows of long tables with benches and every single one of them was packed with people. Between the aisles ran servers, all dressed in dirndls or lederhosen for their respective genders and each server carried at least three steins of beer in each hand; very impressive. There were two rules- number one, do not stand on the tables; however it is perfectly acceptable to stand on the benches. Number two, if you stand on the benches and attempt to chug your drink, you better be prepared to finish the entire thing, or else you will be boo-ed and “Germans don’t forget”. My friends were forced to split up but that was all right, one of the great aspects of Beerfest is the opportunity to get to know strangers from all over the world who all share a common interest- beer. That being said, this day was not merely about drinking for me. As usual, I had a mission. That is, me and my partner in crime, fellow foodie and culinary student, Ms. Rian from South Carolina. She is one after my own heart and together we endeavored to sample as many German dishes as possible in that day. We squeezed ourselves onto a table with a few very nice gentlemen who had just graduated from Harvard and had moved to Europe to play on an international sports league. Let the games begin. With each stein of beer, we ordered a meal to share. I was bent on ordering a plate of pork knuckle and with the help of some pantomiming to a German stranger, I was able to figure out which dish to order from the foreign menu. The meat came with a side of sauerkraut and a large polenta ball, similar to mashed potatoes in flavor but more gelatinous in texture. Next came the roast chicken. All around us, people swayed and sang arm in arm to the oohm-pa-pa music while Rian and I gorged ourselves on the crispy skinned chicken, ripping it apart with our fingers. Everyone seemed to be amazed at us, one of the boys turned to us and exclaimed in awe “Wow, you two eat chicken the way it looks like it is supposed to be eaten. And you like beer! And your pretty! You’re like….marriage material” Ha, yeah man. That’s right, take note ladies.

As the day wore on, the tent became more lively, quite obviously as a result of the drinking. Because of this, the room got louder, hotter, and much more jolly. The traditional German music was swapped out for 1980’s and 1990’s pop music, and people started busting out their dance moves. Eventually my friends and I decided to get some fresh air and go on some of the rides. My mood could only have been described as euphoric as I gleefully spun around on gigantic swing sets and barreled down the pinnacle of miniature roller coasters. I snacked on a delicious treat called a “currywurst”, which is essentially a sliced bratwurst covered in curry sauce. As the fair was shutting down I managed to grab one last thing in the form of a corn on the cob dipped in garlic butter. The fresh corn was delicious but my hands smelled strongly of pungent garlic for the entire night afterwards, a fact that nobody would let me forget. I can take solace in the fact that after describing my career goals and some of my culinary creations to a new male friend, he informed me that even if my hands smelled like garlic for the rest of my life he would still marry me.

Fruhlingsfest: Drinking Beer In Munich

Posted on May 21, 2013 by theyumproject

This April I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to attend the mother of all drinking events for beer aficionados- that’s right, Beerfest in Munich, Germany! I call this the mother of all events because it differs slightly from Oktoberfest, the significantly larger festival that occurs each fall. While Oktoberfest hosts millions of people, Springfest operates on a much smaller scale with only tens of thousands of beer enthusiasts in attendance. I find that statistic rather laughable, before my trip I had a hard time imagining what it must be like to stand in a room full of thousands of inebriated, red faced, singing and swaying individuals in full traditional German garb, let alone millions. I went into this adventure and embarked upon the ten hour long bus ride to Munich with an open mind and no expectations. The trip turned out to be an enormous success filled with new friendships, delicious food, and copious amounts of fresh, ice-cold beer.

The weekend began bright and early Friday morning with a very unique walking tour of the city- unique because the tour group was accompanied by four kegs on wheels. Our group was urged to go on the tour in order to get an introduction to the city in addition to having a smashing good time playing various drinking games along the way. This was when I had my first taste of the Augusteener beer, a light German beer that took the spotlight of the festival. The tour was led by a loud and aggressive man who was knowledgeable about the city but who mostly took pride and joy in enforcing the strict rules of his many drinking games. By the end of the tour, we had reached the famed eatery “Hoffbrau house” and the tour group had spiraled into anarchy of tipsy twenty-somethings who no longer feared the guide’s rule of “interrupt me and you chug!’ At this moment, many went off to the beer tents or back to the hostel for a nap. Obviously, I did not fall into either of these two categories as I made my way directly into the restaurant for a hearty meal.

I realize now that I had many preconceived notions about Fruhlinger, most of which turned out to be false. Before the trip, I had not been all too excited for the food of Germany, but that changed at the Hoffbrau house. I had imagined nothing but noodles with sausage or potatoes, I turned out to be quite mistaken. I gazed at the four-page German menu in utter confusion but was lucky enough to have a friend experienced in German cuisine. She suggested the pork knuckle but I opted instead for the beef roast. My food was delicious but I was an idiot not to heed her advice. I got to sample each of my friend’s choices- suckling pig, warm pretzels, a roast chicken, and the PORK KNUCKLE. The meat is like a cross between a turkey leg and a beef stew. I cannot say enough about this mysterious connective tissue but can only urge you to try the tender and flavorful dish if ever you get the chance. Naturally, I devoured my entire meal and then went in for the leftovers of all my friend’s meals. I washed down the food with a stein of beer. All day I had seen waiters serving gigantic mugs of Augusteener and had heard that one “stein” was in fact one liter of beer. I never thought I would get through even just one of these massive drinks, but I guess you should never say never.

Later, we finally made our way to the festival. We never ended up making it into the beer tent that night due to heavy crowds and cold, rainy weather, but we did explore the fairgrounds. My group began by jumping onto what can only be described as a merry-go-round bar. I have no idea what crazy person ever thought it would be a good idea to combine a carousal with alcohol, but nevertheless the concept does exist. Imagine the children’s ride but with a dispenser of Jagermeister instead of painted horses. My friends and I had a round on the merry-go-round and then decided to explore. Again, I was surprised to find that a family friendly fair with amusement park rides was put on in conjunction with drinking festivities. As we were heading towards the taxi for our hostel, my friend Rian and I happened to pass by a vendor labeled “meter long bratwursts”. No words were exchanged between us as we locked eyes and headed towards the stand. There’s no way to end a night like splitting a steaming hot, meter long hot dog, piled high with every topping offered, while singing and dancing through the rain.

Daily Dish-Beef

Posted on May 3, 2013 by theyumproject

I have learned how to make some absolutely amazing meals during my semester studying abroad in Florence at Apicius International school of Hospitality. Each day in class we have a focus and make three to four different dishes to go along with the daily theme. The other students and I always clamber over each other to take photos of our beautiful finished products before practically licking the plates clean. Over time, I have accumulated so many photos that I decided why not share these creations on the yum project! This will give you an idea of what I have been up to in the last four months.

Minute steak Dijonaise- my favorite dish of the entire semester by far. The meal is very simple to prepare and is sure to be a crowd pleaser- saute onions in a pan, coat one side of the steak in a thin layer of dijon mustard and the other side in whole grain mustard. Once the onions are softened, grill the steak on each side for just a minute or two. (hence the name) After removing the meat from the pan, add a dash of cream to the remaining bits to create a flavorful sauce.

Tagliata con rucola e parmigiano- Florentines like their meat very rare, something I am working to get used to. This large steak was grilled and sliced thinly before being laid over a bed of arugula and topped with shaved parmesan and pepper.

Beef stew with olive oil and rosemary potatoes- A classic dish. Chuck steak slowly simmered in beef stock and red wine with onions. The potatoes were a nice addition, they were blended with olive oil and fresh herbs instead of cr

Paris: Adventure, Intrigue And Gluttony

Posted on May 1, 2013 by theyumproject

Our last day in Paris was a quest to accomplish as much as possible in an inconceivably small amount of time. The day started bright and early at seven am, at which point I was woken up to jump in a taxi to Notre Dame for Easter morning Mass. It was a wonderful experience to the Easter service in such a historical location. After mass, my friends and I navigated our way through the hoards of people and eventually wandered many miles to the Eifel tower. We had the ambitious goal of making it to the top so that we could see the amazing city views, however we were very dismayed to find an intimidating line that would have taken all day long to get through. We opted instead to have a nice little brunch and then spend some time sprawled out on the grass in front of the tower.

Throughout the entire trip, I was determined have a croque madame. The sandwich is one of my favorite meals back in America so I knew that I had to try one in France for a comparison! The croque madame is a simple sandwich, with creamy béchamel, ham and gruyere cheese usually served open-faced on a baguette and broiled in an oven until the cheese bubbles up and crisps. The Final touch is a fried egg thrown on top. I like to dig in with a fork and knife and make the perfect bite of doughy bread with salty ham and gobs of stringy melted cheese soaked up in runny egg yolk. The restaurant we chose to eat in was a small café at the base of the Eifel tower. While the sandwich was good, I have to admit that the dry toast and flavorless filling was woefully disappointing.

Dinner was a much more satisfying experience than lunch. In the evening, my friends and I took a nighttime tour of the city by boat. In an effort to experience the views to their fullest potential, we decided to sit outdoors on top of the boat rather than sit below deck, behind windows in a cramped room. The sacrifice in this was that the weather was frigid and as usual, I had miscalculated when packing my suitcase. By the time we had finished the two-hour tour, I could no longer feel my fingers or toes and was shivering to the bone. We stumbled from the dock up to the main street and rushed into the first restaurant we could find- a steakhouse, bingo. That night, we all ordered the exact same meal, a highly anticipated steak frites with béarnaise sauce. This time I was not disappointed and I savored every last bite of medium rare filet. However, while the steak was delicious, it is the appetizer that has stayed in my memory. That night I tried frog legs for the first time in my life. I had heard descriptions that frog legs “taste like fishy chicken”, a seemingly unappealing description, so I was not expecting to fall in love. However, I was surprised and delighted to find that the dish was amazing! The frog legs were lightly battered and came with a refreshing lemon aioli for dipping. Frog legs are indeed very similar to chicken wings, but they are more delicate, with smaller bones and a light flesh. The only comparison I drew between fish and frog legs was the tender, flaky texture of the meat.

My adventure in France was short-lived but memorable. I had a fantastic time and I feel lucky that I was able to see so many beautiful and historic sights. I feel lucky that I was able to sample several famed French culinary dishes. I feel lucky that I was able to explore and learn. However, none of these experiences would have been half as good without the people that I was with. I mostly feel lucky that I got to explore this city the way it should be done, with friends who are as crazy about eating as I am.

Paris: A Day Of Exploration

Posted on April 4, 2013 by theyumproject

On our first full day in Paris, we had a light breakfast of croissants with jam before heading out to the Louvre museum. After many overwhelming hours indoors, we decided to embark upon a journey searching for the famed patisserie, Laduree. I had never tried a macaroon before and was eagerly anticipating the much-hyped experience of eating a fresh Parisian macaroon. We found the shop and impatiently waited in line for a half hour before seeing the list of options and then spending another ten minutes agonizing of which flavors to purchase. I opted for one each of vanilla, coffee, coconut, rose, salted caramel, pistachio, and- Marie Antoinette. Marie Antoinette was described as a black tea macaroon with citrus and rose petal. This blue colored macaroon was to be my first sample and it was a good one at that. Who would have thought that the dry, hard looking little cookie could be so light and creamy inside!

When I reached the cashier, I was shocked to find that my mere seven macaroons came to a price of seventeen Euros. The cashier explained that the ornately decorated gift box costs five Euros in itself. As I was on a budget, I annoyingly asked to switch out the box for a bag. Frustrated, the cashier handed my box to the woman who had helped me and began my refund transaction. All of the sudden, someone urgently grabbed my arm with much more strength than needed. I turned and was surprised to see the woman who had helped me standing right there to hand me the Laduree bag. She smiled and walked away quickly. As I walked out of the store I peered into the bag to see that the elaborate gift box was still sitting inside the bag, packaged beautifully for me to rip apart and devour its contents later. I turned at the last moment and we exchanged one more glance. Kindness in France.

That afternoon, we stopped for a snack and coffee at a small café. This is where I got to try Foie Gras for the first time. The dish came with a side of crisp country bread and a bowl of fig jam. I was surprised to find the Foie Gras hard like butter and lacking in flavor. My friends informed me that it is usually much better and that they have most often eaten it served warm. I was pretty disappointed, but the jam was delicious. Next, I went for a classic and one of my favorite comfort foods, French onion soup. The soup was salty and warm with globs of melted gruyere dripping from every spoonful. It was the perfect compliment to the cold, windy day outside and it warmed my friends and I more than the thin leather coats that we packed after misjudging the weather.

That evening was a splurge. We had a late dinner at ten thirty in a trendy bar/restaurant and dined mostly on seafood and cheese platters. I myself ordered a half dozen oysters for twenty Euros. The steep price was worth it to me since I have spent inordinate amounts of time researching the subtle variances of flavor, shape and size of the different species of oysters around the world. I would have paid ten Euros for one oyster. I was not disappointed, though the flavor was not as different from those of the east coast as I had expected. We washed the meal down with a bottle of brut champagne and I later ended the night by having my first ever “jager bomb”, in which the bartender dropped shots of jagermeister into a beer pints, lit the bar on fire, and informed us to chug the drink before the flames died down.

The Yum Project