Chocolatey Goodness Brownies!

This weekend we had some friends over for a good old-fashioned BBQ. After all, it was Memorial Day in the states and nothing says summer kick off like grilling! So while we don’t celebrate Memorial Day here in Hong Kong, it was nice to have a little taste of home.

We kept it simple with a green salad, grilled zucchini and burgers with all the fixins.

For dessert, I was craving a simple chocolatey treat and so I attempted my first Hong Kong baking and made Alton Brown’s brownies. 

The prep was ridiculously easy, calling for only a handful of ingredients that I already had in my cabinet. This is a great recipe to have on hand for a last minute dessert emergency (as if you don’t have those often!).

The brownies turned out to have a nice, crisp top to them but were all chew and goo on the inside. They boast deep and sweet chocolate notes without being too rich. One-bite brownie? No way. Be prepared to go back for seconds.

Recipe adapted from The Food Network

What You’ll Need:

4 large eggs

1 C Sugar

1 C brow sugar

8 Oz butter, melted + square of butter for greasing pan

1 ¼ C cocoa powder, unsweetened

2 tsp vanilla extract

½ C flour + extra for dusting the pan

2 pinches kosher salt

What To Do:

Grease an 8x8 pan with butter and dust with flour. Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.

Using an electric whisk, beat the eggs on medium until light and fluffy. Add both sugars and mix. Add butter, cocoa, vanilla, flour and salt. Mix all ingredients until batter is well combined.

Pour batter into greased pan. Bake at 300 for 45-55 minutes. To test, insert a toothpick in the center – when it comes out clean, your brownies are done.  Let brownies cool. Cut and serve.  Enjoy!

Say What??

Today I graduated from Beginner 1 Cantonese!

After two weeks of daily classes I can finally say That dog is small and expensive! No really, I do know how to say that. Although I can't tell you why I would ever need to say that!

I can also say Please, come in! Have some tea! Of course, that too, I will use all the time when I invite strangers in for tea.

Also in my repertoire: My name is Gillian. I am American. I am a student. I would like a cup of ice coffee, please. Excuse me. I am sorry. That is too expensive! Is that a Japanese car? Does your boss wear nice clothes? Do you like German food? Is your book thick or thin? Yesterday I ate 6 apples. The rickshaw is slow. There are no rickshaws in Hong Kong but there is a tram. Thank you!


Of course, Cantonese is quite hard! (Oh, I can say that, too). It takes me a while to understand what the teacher is asking me and even longer to spit out a sentence. And, even then, it's a great moment if I get it right!  But, after only 2 weeks, I can pick up words that I hear on the street and use greetings when talking to my neighbors. Those small things go a long way.

And, of course, if we're ever in the market to buy a big, lazy cow, I'll know how to ask for that too!

Inch by inch, row by row...

When Pat and I found an apartment with a rooftop, I decided that I was going to test out my green thumb.  In my head was a vision of a glorious rooftop garden. So urban! So green!

Because I really know nothing about gardening, I enlisted one of my Foon Ying moms to take me to the flower market in Kowloon. The flower market is about 8 blocks lined with flower shops filled with plants, trees, fresh flowers, exotic flowers, and countless orchids of all colors, shapes and sizes.

After a few hours on the first trip we settled on an orange tree for the roof. If all works out, Pat and I should have sweet oranges ready to eat by September! Right now they look like limes on the tree. (I must point out that the woman who sold me the plant didn't speak a word of English. I wouldn't be surprised if come September we learned that we were growing grapefruits or lemons!)

I went back for a second trip and bought basil, peppermint, tomato, rosemary and a pepper plant. I also bought three planters and filled them with cheery flowers!

Once everything was set up on the roof it was time to start tending to my plants. I’ve really become obsessed and am out there night and day scoping the progress of the “garden.”  I’ve been reading up on blogs and diagnosing my plants as they progress (or, sadly, die) - dead-heading, pruning, monitoring bugs (do I have mealy bugs? – yuck!), spraying home remedies for some ants (which in turn killed my basil!), there may or may not be spider mites on my rosemary and I’m figuring out just the right amount of water to keep the orange tree healthy.

Of course, living in HK we contend with a different climate – lots of heat and constant humidity. My plants are a fun experiment and I am learning as I go, but admittedly I have a lot to learn before my garden looks like Ina Garten’s. Or, perhaps I’m truly just a city girl. And you know what they say…you can take the girl out of New York….

Spicing things up with pots of peppers!

Not a bad day to be a flower! These really add some cheer to our roof.

Got any garden tips or tricks? Send ‘em my way!

Dining in Style: The China Club

Last week Pat and I got to experience a very special  treat - dinner at The China Club. You have to be a member to dine here and so we were honored to be asked to a dinner with some exceptional company.

The China Club is located in the old Bank of China building and has a 1930s style to it.  The club boasts an extensive art collection and impeccable food and service with Peking duck carved table side, homemade noodles and a giant Lazy Susan in the center of our table (a personal favorite)! There's even local entertainment: a cabaret singer and jazz band, a performance by a man who has mastered the art of pouring tea (wait and see - this is truly an art form!) and a traditional noodle maker, who started with a ball of dough on a table and without using a single utensil (other than his magic hands), finished minutes later with an armful of gorgeous, perfectly formed noodles.  Where's the cooking school to teach me that?

It's worth checking out, if you can get in, of course...

Check out this great photo of the live music from the evening! This was taken by Liam Fitzpatrick on his iphone. Absolutely impressive!

Live music at The China Club. Photograph courtesy of Liam Fitzpatrick.

Celebratory Ceviche

This week I finally got around to making our celebratory “first meal in the apartment” dinner. Just one week after moving in – not too bad. On the menu was a scallop ceviche. Okay, not quite Asian, but I pulled this one out of my “special occasion” bag of tricks and I’d say it did the trick (as in…while you were at work all day I mastered this impressive restaurant-quality scallop ceviche!)

This meal wins the prettiest presentation award and so I have to give proper thanks where thanks are due. So a shout out to....unemployment! My day started by hitting the markets around 10am. I then spent a leisurely day looking for ingredients and wandering through streets of Hong Kong. I finally was back in the late afternoon to start prep work and make sure that all of my ingredients were nicely washed, chopped, diced and spiced. I even was able to take the time to plate my dishes and have everything ready by time Pat got home.  It was a rare occurrence in my kitchen: a perfectly timed and orchestrated symphony of shop, prep, cook, serve.  While I had the better part of the day to spend in the kitchen, the true beauty of this dish is that you really don’t need more than 1 hour to create this ceviche.

This scallop ceviche dates back to my recipe book started in 2004. It’s a tear-out from Hamptons magazine and is a dish from an east end restaurant. It’s light and refreshing with flavorful bursts of citrus and a rich avocado topping. And while it's simple to make, it looks quite impressive (if I do say so myself)!

Enjoy this with a side salad for your main or with a crostini or crunchy bread for an app.  Serves 6.

What you’ll need:

1 lb raw scallops, cleaned and finely chopped

3 limes, juiced

2 lemons, juiced

1 orange, juiced

salt

white pepper

cayenne pepper

1 tbs olive oil           

zest of 1 lime

1 lb tomatoes, seeded and diced

2 tbs tarragon, chopped

1 tbs aged sherry vinegar

4 avocados, mashed

zest of 1 orange

2 tbs orange juice

Tobasco sauce

What to Do:

In a glass bowl (or other non-reactive bowl) combine lime juice, lemon juice and orange juice. Macerate scallops in all of the juices. Make sure all of the scallop pieces are coated, cover and refrigerate for 45 minutes (or longer).  When ready, drain scallops and combine with lime zest, olive oil, pinch of salt, pinch of pepper and pinch of cayenne pepper. Set aside. Seed and chop tomatoes. Combine with tarragon, vinegar. Set aside.  Mash avocados with orange juice, orange zest and tobasco sauce, to taste.  Set aside. When ready to serve, layer all ingredients starting with your scallop at the bottom, then tomato and top with avocado.

Island Hopping: Tai O, Lantau Island

Yesterday I had a breakthrough. This may sound strange, but yesterday was the first day I actually realized I was living in Asia.

It is true. I have been here almost 7 (gasp!) weeks now.  And you would think that living in a city where the majority of people on the streets are Chinese and are speaking (aka yelling) Chinese, I would have realized this a lot sooner. But the truth about Hong Kong is that it is a world city. It is incredibly international and modern and you’d be hard pressed to walk through downtown Hong Kong without passing a Cartier or a Louis Vuitton while sipping your Starbucks soy latte and feeling just like you’re on 5^th Avenue.

Mangroves and mountains in Tai O.

My breakthrough happened on my third and final Foon Ying trip to Tai O, an old fishing village on the northwest coast of Lantau Island. From Hong Kong Island, Tai O is a 30-minute ferry ride to Mui Wo and then a 45 minute bus ride. The bus ride was beautiful, taking us along the coastline, winding around foggy mountains, and even stopping as cattle crossed the roads.

Tai O is known for its stilt-houses (pang uk in Cantonese) and all along there are hundreds of homes sitting high above the water. I’ve heard this town referred to as the Venice of Hong Kong, but I’ll let you be the judge of that! It was amazing walking through the community and peering into the home’s open doors, where you would see men playing mahjong or napping and elderly women sitting on the stoop, laying shrimp on baskets to dry in the sun.  Because this is a fishing village, the streets are lined with market stalls selling both fresh and dried fish and the town’s popular shrimp paste.

I’ve heard that Cambodia and Thailand have areas that feel very similar and I can’t wait to start traveling to check them out. But yesterday, just an hour and a half after eating my imported Greek yogurt in my air conditioning, there I was in this amazing village. I could have been a million miles from home. But I wasn’t. I was in Hong Kong. Where I live. Amazing.

In case you were worried that my awe would inspire me become a Buddhist nun, fear not. We finished up the day with a glass of wine at the brand new Tai O Heritage Hotel, Tai O’s refurbished police station. The hotel has only nine rooms and is truly spectacular, boasting beautiful architecture, stunning views and an absolutely tranquil environment. I’ll be putting my name down on the wait list for a room but rumor has it the wait list is 2 years long!  So for now I’ll have to settle for a day trip now and then. I think I can handle that.

Check out the bamboo scaffolding used for construction.

Chop to it!

One of Shanghai Street's many kitchen supply shops.

So we’re setting up shop. Our apartment, while it came furnished, was missing a few key things – pots and pans, utensils, plates and all of the little touches that turn an apartment into a home. 

This week has been full of running around. Ikea one morning. And then back that night. Checking out the plates at one store and the wine glasses at another while hunting for the best deals and also the best styles. (Is it just me, or are other shoppers out there equally neurotic?) It’s funny setting up a home in such a transient place, and without knowing how long we’ll be here or where and when we’ll go next, it means that our shopping mentality is totally different.

Yesterday I went on an excursion to Shanghai Street in Kowloon. It’s a small street lined with about 15 restaurant supply style stores. (Think Bowery Restaurant Supply in NYC.)   You can find everything there from large commercial size machinery to chopsticks and porcelain teacups and you can't beat the prices.

I can’t tell you how many times yesterday I said “I had this at home! I should have brought it with me!” C’est la vie! After pulling the trigger and making my first purchase, I was finally ready to dive in and commit to a basket full of kitchenware. I bought a mix of knives and assorted essential kitchen tools (can opener, wooden spoon, peeler, grater/zester, skewers for the bbq, etc – you get the picture!). I also bought an assortment of tupperware which is crucial in Hong Kong because the humidity causes mold and open items to go stale very quickly.

And thanks to my shopping partner (my long lost friend from nursery school) who was able to bargain with the shop owner and get the price down by 5%. He did such a good job that she even complimented his bargaining skills!

So after almost one week, my kitchen is almost there! What else am I missing? What’s your favorite, can’t live without, kitchen tool?

Keeping watch on Shanghai Street.

Making a Home in HK

Today Pat and I left our service apartment in Sheung Wan and moved into our very own Hong Kong rental apartment. I’m pretty sure that’s a milestone of some sort and means we’re legit Hong Kongers now.

Sheung Wan was awesome – and while I won’t miss our small service apartment and living out of duffel bags, I will miss the great neighborhood. We’ve dubbed it the Williamsburg of Hong Kong. It’s chock full of art galleries, independent and funky stores, hipster restaurants and coffee shops that have made a science out of brewing beans.

But off we go to Wan Chai, where we found a great apartment in a totally gritty, magenta pink, building. You may know Wan Chai as the area with all the strip clubs – yes that’s the right neighborhood – but we’re a few blocks away from there :)

Luckily today is a public holiday in HK (happy Labour Day!) and so Pat was able to spend some time away from the office helping schlep the bags over. The bad news is the elevator in the building smells like urine. The good news is our apartment is nice and clean!

We spent the morning settling in and unpacking (and fighting with the internet router) and the afternoon at a small department store buying pots and pans, pillows, hangers, etc. We still have a bunch of stuff to get, but because we found a furnished apartment, most of it can be done at our leisure.

There’s a lot to explore in Wan Chai and soon after unpacking our bags I’ll be hitting the streets to check out the local shops and hot spots.

And now that we’re finally settling into our place, conveniently located across one of HK’s famous wet (produce) markets – I’ll be cooking up a storm in our new kitchen. Tomorrow I will cook a celebratory meal in honor of our new digs. Any suggestions for what I should make?? Something with an Asian twist, I suppose.  Leave me your recipe ideas!