People Are Like Food

People are just like food. They all come with different tastes. It sounds kind of bizzare...I know. But let's just start with people we all know. For example, Jack Black, to me, he is like pop candies. You know, the kind of candies are red, so small that it's almost powder like. You can feel the exploding sensation. It is fun! Another example, George Cloony, he is like a bottle of fine wine, perhaps a bottle of Chateau neuf du Pape, dark and deep, very tasty, if you keep on drinking, it gets you drunk.

When I look at people around me, my mom is like a cup of tea, the taste is understated and elegant. It gives you comfort and calms you down. My dad is like... fermented black beans with melted chocolate chips and grated ginger. When you taste it, you wonder, what the hell is that?! He is kind of difficult to understand. My older sister J is like hot and sweet peppers. Younger sister J is like oysters. It takes a little while to open up, but one cannot deny the wonderful taste of oysters. The taste of it has depth and the sweet aftertaste lingers. My baby sister Y, she is like marinated strawberries with whipped cream. There are a few of my friends are like pop candies, made me laugh non-stop. There are some like hard liquor. You can have couple shots of them, it's fun, but you'll be done quickly. Some of them are like tofu. They are good for you, but the taste is a bit too subtle, in another word, a bit too blend. Some of them are like green veggies. Healthy food that I can eat everyday.

How about R? He might be thinking, "what's up with that? Fantasizing George Clooney?" But the truth is, I love fine wine, but I cannot drink it every night. My doctor said that I'm a light weight. To me, R is like an egg. Egg is extremely versatile. It tastes good on its own, either poached, soft boiled, or scrambled. You can use it to make cake, pasta, ice-cream, quiche, lemon curd, souffle....it is endless. It can be paired with a lot of different food, just like a pair of shoes which can go with all of your outfits, either jeans or dresses, can be casual or elegant.

For me, I don't know. Of course I wish I am a piece of filet mignon or rib eye steak. Juicy and sinfully delicious.

Recipes

Raw Oysters On Half Shell (such as Kumamoto or Malpeque)



Scrub Oysters with a stiff brush to remove dirt. Find a durable thick cloth and fold it over several times to create a square; This will steady the oysters as you shuck them and also protect your hand. Using the towel as a mitt, place the oyster, cup-side down in the palm of your towel-covered hand with the hinge facing you.Insert the tip of an oyster knife or dull butter knife as far into the hinge as it will go. Gently twist the knife back and forth to pry the shell open. Using the knife, cut the muscle away from the top shell, bend the shell back, and discard it. Run the knife underneath the oyster to detach it completely, but leave it in its shell. Serves with fresh lemon or lime juice, tabasco and horseradish.

Scrambled eggs



Heat 2 tbsp of butter in a non-stick omelette pan in medium heat. Crack 2 eggs into pan. Use a spatula to keep stirring the egg mixture. Turn heat to simmer. Remove pan from the heat if eggs get cooked too quickly, and keep stirring. It should still be a little bit runny when it is done. Salt and Pepper to taste. It is very important to add salt at the end of the cooking process, otherwise eggs can be watery. Stir in cream fraiche or heavy cream if desire. Garnish with fresh chives.


Hot and Sweet Pepper Pizza (serves 2)



1 12 inch thin crust pizza dough
1 red pepper, roasted, sliced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeds discarded, sliced
4 ounce goat cheese
a small handful of fresh basil leaves
olive oil

At least 30 mins before cooking, preheat oven 500 (the highest setting) with pizza stone inside on the lowest rack.

Slice jalapeno pepper in half lengthwise, discard seeds (be careful not to rub your eyes. If you wear contacts, wear gloves). Thinly julienne jalapeno pepper.

In a mixing bowl, add red pepper and jalapeno pepper, add olive oil to coat and toss.

Dust rimless baking sheet with flour and carefully transfer dough to it. Jerk baking sheet once or twice. If dough is sticky, lift dough and sprinkle flour underneath it, reshaping dough if necessary. Working quickly.

Brush top dough with olive oil, leave about 1/2 inch border, arrange roasted red pepper, jalapeno pepper and goat cheese on pizza dough. Line up far edge of baking sheet with far edge of stone and tilt baking sheet, jerking it gently to start pizza moving. Once edge of pizza touches stone or tiles, carefully pull back peel or baking sheet, completely transferring pizza to stone or tiles (do not move pizza). Bake pizza 8 to 9 minutes, or until dough is crisp and browned, and transfer with a metal spatula to a cutting board. Garnish with whole basil leaves and serves

Marinated Strawberries with Whipped Cream (serves 2 - 4)



Ingredients

1 small pint of strawberries, sliced in half or quarters
juice of 1 lemon
zest of 1 lemon
2 tbsp brown sugar (depends on the sweetness of the strawberries, adjust accordingly)
1/4 tsp cinnamon
4 tbsp cognac
1/2 cup heavy cream
fresh mint for garnish

Combine strawberries, lemon juice, lemon zest, brown sugar, cinnamon, cognac in a mixing bowl, toss and covered. Put it in a fridge for 4 hours or over night.

To serve, divide strawberries into cups, whip heavy cream, add cream into each up, and garnish with mint leaves.