
Double Hazelnut Bread
Sunday has become my bread day. After years of trial and error, I finally start to feel the chi of bread making. The key to make a nice fluffy bread lies in two steps - one is start a simple yeast paste on the side and let it rise while making the main dough and mix the two later. This way, whatever I do wrong with the main dough is not going to ruin the rising. The other trick I learn is using gluton to improve the texture. I'll have to write them down in more detail another

Saigon Crepe with foie gras
Saigon Crepe is a Vietnamese pancake that I fell in love with after trying it at a local Vietnamese restaurant years ago. The traditional one is super crispy and has shrimp and vegetables filled inside. This one is certainly anything but traditional, and perhaps not even authentic (actually I'm pretty sure of that). It started in my head as I was rummaging my pantry to look for things that would go with the duck foie gras I bought for the weekend. It was against my better jud

Steamed Scallion Bread (花卷)
Believe it or not, oven is not a popular kitchen item in China where I am from. One of the most used cooking method is to steam. The water bath essentially made the food moist and according to the yins and yans of our belief, healthier to the body. You may have heard of bun which is getting popular here in the states and you can even get it in stop n shop nowadays. But steamed scallion bread might just be your favorite chinese dimsum after you try this recipe as my friend Lin

Remember St. Maarten
This is a trip we took 4 years ago. What attracted me was its reputation as the "culinary capital" of the Caribbeans. How could I resist?! Not only that, it is quite different from many of the other islands we've been to - half of the island is Dutch and the other half French which means we can visit two countries in a day! We stayed at the beautiful Flemingo Resort on the Dutch side. The price was right and it came with an ocean view right outside of the balcony. The best w

Where to Eat in CT (1)
Having lived in the state for over a dacade, I did my best to try as many restaurants as I could. There are certainly a lot very solid food places, but my stochmach goes for ones with both flavor and creativity. Here are two places that I would feel excited when I think of where to eat locally. On20 This might be the best kept secret of Hartford. It situates on the 20th floor (thus its name) of the Steam Boiler Building in downtown Hartford, overlooking the city. Its deco is