Tuesday, August 30, 2005

TKO

I love salmon. I think I've perfected a certain rendition of it here.

two salmon fillets (I have been using them with skin off, but it's your call).

slather fillets with olive oil, wait five minutes, then drip plenty of fresh squeezed lime. Wait a few minutes, then turn to make sure they're covered. Next, salt (fresh ground sea salt) and pepper (fresh cracked is the best) to taste. Cover generously with Dill. Finish off with a nice dose of ground garlic. Let these fillets sit out for about 20 minutes (slightly above room temp), turning them often to spead the flavor. Turn the grill on high.

Meanwhile, slice Romaine lettuce, thin slivers of green bell pepper, and thick slivers of mango. Organize on plate, then top with thin sliced red onion, small tomatoes and gorgonzola (also use toasted pine nuts if you have them). Grind fresh pepper on top. Place in the fridge to cool.

Meanwhile, bake two large potatoes in the microwave for about 8 - 10 minutes (make sure to poke holes in them, and turn them once at about 7 minutes). Take them out, slice them in half lengthwise. Take a small spoon, and remove the inner part of the potatoe, leaving just the skin intact. Place all the insides in a large bowl. Add a tablespoon of butter, a 1/2 cup grated cheese, sliced green onions, salt, pepper and garlic, and mash, mash, mash. Spoon the stuff back into the potatoe skins. Arrange the potatoes in a baking dish (you should coat the dish with butter or olive oil first), then grate cheese on top of the concoction. Turn the oven on broil and put the potatoes in.

Now, the fish should be ready to hit the grill. I like a hot grill, which burns the fish a bit, but not too much. Lay them down and close the lid. Time for about 3 minutes. Come back out, flip and time another 2-3 minutes. Note that timing is key with fish. Too long and it will burn and dry. Too short and it will be sushi. You will probably need to experiment, but 5-6 minutes is usually good for a 1 1/2 inch thick salmon fillet. Overcooked fish sucks, so leave it a bit moist and colored inside. Take the fish from the grill and arrange on two plates.

Bring inside. Top the salmon with thin sliced red onions, my pinot-blueberry glaze, then gorgonzola. Add two halves of the potatoe (which should be browned by now).

Serve the salad and fish at the same time. Enjoy!

~ Brock

Don't Waste My Wine

As you know, Jason and I recently cracked open a (actually two bottles) Kali Hart Pinot. We were both impressed with it. Well, my wife doesn't drink wine, so when I open a bottle, it usually takes a couple of days to finish it off. By the fourth day, my Kali Hart was dead, but I didn't want to waste it. Hmmmmm? What to do? I know, I'll use it to top grilled salmon!

This was an experiment, of course, but a great one. I made a Pinot-Blueberry-Shallot sauce to top my salmon and here's how I did it.

Heat a tablespoon of olive oil and a tablespoon of butter in a small pot. Once the butter sizzles, add the thinly sliced shallots (about two teaspoons). Fry up until light brown.

Add 1/4 cup of fresh (or frozen) blueberries. Fry up until soft, then mash with fork.

Add 1 - 2 cups Kali Hart Pinot. Bring to a boil, then reduce. Simmer until reduced to about 1/2 or less. It will start to thicken (I let my concoction simmer for about 40 minutes).

Your done! Serve it warm.

I think this sauce works well with red onions and gorgonzola cheese (see following post).

Don't be afraid to use your leftover wine for something interesting. My next experiment will be dessert related.

~ Brock

Monday, August 29, 2005

Sharon Osbourne...The Real Iron Maiden?

Classic stuff from America's family.

Jason

Thursday, August 25, 2005

Wednesday, August 24, 2005

Picking Fruits

Some fruits are easy to pick. They look good, smell good, and seem ripe to the touch. Others, such as melons, are a little more difficult. Since I love melons, here are a few tips I picked up for picking good ones:

1. Look at the yellow or brown spot where it was on the ground. Assuming it's not completely flat, a nice, large yellow spot indicates that the melon has been on the vine for some time and is probably more ripe than a melon without a yellow patch or with a white or pale patch.

2. look where the vine connected to the melon. If it's green and fresh at the break, the melon may have been harvested prematurely. If it's completely dried out and shriveled, that may indicate an overripe melon. Look for one that is slightly dried, but not dead dried.

3. Look for melons that seem heavy for their size. This is often an indication of good liquid retention, rendering a jucier melon.

4. Look for firm melons (haha). If it's spongy, it's not good.

Happy hunting.

~ Brock

Friday, August 19, 2005

Eating Out Versus Eating In

I want to cook at home more often than I do, but convenience usually gets the best of me. I crave a meal, I find I have the ingredients to make it, then I get lazy. I opt for my default: Chinese. Each time I make the decision, I consider the cost.

For me, an average meal costs about $16.00 - $30.00 (excluding spices) to prepare. Here's an example: Salmon fillets $10.00; two limes $1.00; red onion $.80; gorgonzola cheese $2.50; shrimp (bag) $9.00. Yes, I'll have some leftover ingredients, but that's the basic cost for a basic meal = $23.00+. Or, here's a cheaper one: rigatoni $2.00; heavy cream $1.50; butter $1.00; white wine $6.00; chicken breasts $5.00. Now that's much better = $15.50. Either way, making meals at home is not cheap.

Then I consider eating Chinese in Rowland Heights. Noodles $4.00; onion pancake $2.50; rice dish $5.00. Total = $11.50. Or, here's another: dumplings $3.50; two cold dishes $3.00. Total = $6.50. Big difference.

By the way, the numbers don't line up when you consider an American meal like Claim Jumper or CPK. There, the prices are usually higher. Italian is ALWAYS higher.

So that's why I don't always cook at home. I'm not one of those people that goes out to eat and orders high priced plates, soda and wine, salad and appetizer. I share meals with my wife. We never order soda or wine. We never order appetizers. Our bill is rarely over $16.00. It's not because I can't, but because I won't.

Cooking must be a joy, because it's not a convenience, and it's not - contrary to popular belief - always cheap!

~ Brock

Pre-Event Eating

I'm not big on diets. I'm not big on "cutting out ____" (insert drug of choice, i.e., sugar, chocolate, etc.). I like to eat and I like to eat a lot.

I'm training for a triathlon on October 9. I swim, run and/or bike almost every day. I also drink boba 3 or 5 times a week, eat chocolate, fried foods and drink wine quite often.

Is it possible to do both? I'll keep you posted as the race gets closer. Will I drop weight? Will I gain weight? Will I do well or suck on race day? I'll let you know.

~ Brock

Wednesday, August 17, 2005

Sometimes Meals Suck

I wasn't sure whether a post like this would serve a purpose, but I think it will. Sometimes we experiment in cooking, combining various ingredients and elements in hopes of creating a dish worth eating. Recently, I tried and failed.

I love noodles. And, there is a particular dish that I truly enjoy that is a dark, dry Chinese noodle (something like Ja Ja Mien). It has cooked soup noodles, some type of brown sauce with dried tofu and pork. I've had it many times at many different restaurants, but never as a home cooked meal. I thought I would give it a try.

First mistake - I bought Vietnamese thin rice noodles. These are about 24 inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide and paper thin. I don't think they're made for such a dish, but I didn't know.

Second mistate - I thought the brown sauce might be a soybean sauce. I first tried a small portion of the noodles with straight, store-bought bean sauce. That was like eating a can of salt with beans. Wrong.

Next, I tried thinning the brown sauce with chicken broth. Got closer, but still not quite.

Then, I took 4 pork cutlets and chopped them until they were practically ground. I fried this up with small chunks of baked tofu, using a small amount of Sesame oil.

Once that was cooked, I added a small amount of the thinned sauce, mixed it, then poured it over the cold noodles. I then added thin slices of cucumber and fresh jalapeno pepper.

My wife almost gagged. My brother-in-law smiled and took it down. Me, well, I probably won't make that one again, although it did give me some ideas for other dishes.

Happy Cooking!

~ Brock

Wine Review


2003 Excelsior Cabernet Sauvignon (South Africa)

Here is a young, new world Cabernet Sauvignon to look out for. I paid 7 bucks for this South African wine and I was impressed. It’s a “drink now” wine. Despite my general opinion that Cabs, even lower end early drinkers, are not very food friendly, this wine would match up with tons of dishes. In fact, I had half the bottle the next day, with a pasta in a sauce of white wine and serrano chiles (lots of chiles). The wine still tasted great.

The Excelsior 2003 Cab comes fit with a synthetic cork so no need to even lay it down if you are doing some short term cellaring. Its color was a dark plummy purple. Complex grapey aromas mixed with blueberry cream and a slight touch of petroleum jelly. Almost Shiraz like. The flavors showed a lot of dark fruit with just a touch of oak. So many cabs in this price range are slathered in oak.

I had this over two nights. On the second night, the fruit was toned down and the wine was delicious but slightly flabby in that the acids and tannin were gone.

90 Points! and an A+ for QPR (Quality to Price Ratio)

www.excelsior.co.za

Enjoy,

Jason

Sunday, August 14, 2005

Where's The Wonderbread?

In one of the first Scrutiny posts, I mentioned a sandwich shop in Westwood that was awesome...combining various asian dishes on french bread, these are a must eat!! I forgot the name and location, but here it is. Don't go to LA without stopping by East West Sandwich!

Indie Labels Sell Out?

The above link is to an LA Times article about Indie Labels and their relationship with the Majors. Short but interesting. Typical Indie Label bullshit about how they care about the artists. Oh well, that’s what people want to believe. Why not tell the truth and talk about being an avenue to get to the Majors. In that respect, they are a shinning light.

Jason

P.S. You may have to register at the site.

Saturday, August 13, 2005

Snobs Of Lido Island

On this tiny part of Newport Beach, California, lies an area known as Lido Island. Filled with yatchs, multi-million dollar homes, silicon and other expensive crap, is a "secret" restaurant known as the Sabatino's Sausage Company. I heard of it through some close friends who had heard about it through some family members who are apparently notorious for finding hidden eating gems. My wife, son and I joined our friends with great anticipation.

True, it's quite hidden. In fact, it's in the middle of what appears to be a professional office complex. I had mostly outdoor seating, and there were at least 50 or so people waiting to get it. The aroma of sausage filled the air. "Yummy," I thought.

The first sign of something wrong was the waitress. She smiled and blinked repeatedly through those Botox-filled areas of her face, while I ordered water. "Water? That's all." She said. A quick frown, then a generous smile to our friends, who were drinking wine and needed more.

The charade continued shortly, then went to all out rudeness, since we apparently didn't order enough. She semi-rolled her eyes with each request - which, of course, she ignored.

Then the food came. Now, understand that I love sausage. And, Sabatino's sausage was good! BUT, and this is a big BUT, everything else was horrible. My pasta had at least 2 cups of oil (it was more like an oil soup with pasta in it). My friend ordered Oso Buco, which was 80% bone, 15% fat, and 5% meat. The meals were bland, overpriced and not worth it.

So, next time you think you've found a gem, simply because people don't know about it, consider two things: 1) if it's in Lido Island, it probably isn't a gem; and 2) if you pay $10.00 for soup, it's probably crap.

And, if you're going to ignore my advice and try it anyway, don't forget your Sperry Topsiders, khaki shorts and Tommy Bahama's silk shirt - otherwise, you'll feel out of place ;).

~ Brock

Kung Fu Hustle Wins

Kung Fu Hustle is a must see. It's entertaining, funny, actors do well, characters are done well, action, everything. Yes, it's somewhat predicatable and yes, it conveys stereotypes, but it's worth enduring all that.

~ Brock

Bride & Prejudice Loses

I admit, I've never read or watched any other variation of Pride and Prejudice. So, when I rented Bride & Prejudice, the rendition of it set in India (mostly) and with Indian characters (mostly), I figured it would be interesting. This was particularly true since more than a few people told me it was great and, as an limited-release film junkie, I had high expectations.

Bride & Prejudice sucked. The stroy was choppy and weak, the acters were so-so, the signing and dancing was annoying, not funny, and it was predicitable.

Foregoing the value of The Scrutiny movie breakdown - No need to rent it.

~ Brock

Thursday, August 11, 2005

Ten Ren Rules

According to one newspaper report, Ten Ren is the Starbucks of boba teas. Now you already know that I love boba...in fact, I drink it 2-3 times a week. Now I've found a new love.

Ten Ren on Fullerton Road in Industry has boba and a cafe, so I can eat great food while I drink my tea. I suggest the salt and pepper chicken or the fried pork chop.

~ Brock

Wednesday, August 10, 2005

More On "Sideways" and Pinot Noir

So is it a trend or is Pinot Noir truly the greatest grape, from which we get Burgundy, Champagne and…..ummm…Pinot Noir. Here is a new USA Today article.

Note that Americans now drink more wine than beer!

Jason

Tuesday, August 09, 2005

Salmon, Shrimp and Figs Are Great

Ok, so I don't have any pictures of this meal yet, but it was easy to make and I'd make it again anytime for lunch or dinner.

You start with a salmon fillet (recently I've bought my salmon from Costco; it's not bad). You marinate it 1/2 hour with olive oil and lime, and cover it with salt, pepper, garlic and dill. Let it warm up on the counter a bit before grilling.

Take peeled large shrimp (I used Trader Joe's brand) and marinate 1/2 hour with sake, lime, salt, pepper, chili flakes, cayenne pepper. Slide the shrimp on skewers. Let them warm up a bit.

Take fresh figs and slice in half; set aside.

Heat the grill to high (some like the fish on a medium heat with no charring. I like my fish slightly charred). Cook salmon with lid closed for about 3 minutes. The fish should lift from the grill without breaking apart. Once the fish is to this point, flip it.

When you've flipped the fish, add the shrimp skewers. Grill them a bit on one side, then flip them. Make sure they are not thoroughly white, which means they are overcooked. They should be pink colored with a slight translucent appearance - and still plump.

Place the figs on the grill to heat thoroughly.

By the time the shrimp is done (2-3 minutes), the fish and figs should be done.

Arrange everything on a plate and top fish with thinly sliced red onions and bits of gorgonzola. Enjoy!

~ Brock

Monday, August 08, 2005

A Few Ingredients


In some recent posts, I've mentioned some ingredients that you may not know how to find. Here are some pictures to help you locate them at 99 Ranch Store:

1. Chinese BBQ sauce:








2: Sesame Paste:

Saturday, August 06, 2005

THE ISLAND (PG13) starring Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johansson

The Scrutiny says, “Maybe On A Plane Or In A Hotel” "75.5" out of 100 Points.
For The Scrutniny rating system click HERE

"J"s Review: Acting: 8/10, Ensemble: 9/10, Cinematography: 7/10, Story: 5/10, Soundtrack: 8/10, Overall: 43/50

Total: 80/100

By the skin of its teeth, this movie made it to being a renter for me. The downfall was the story. Solid acting by great actors that worked well together. Visually it was nice, although completely unoriginal. But the story is a benchmark of unoriginality. As a movie, it was confused as to whether it was going to be sci-fi or action. As a Sci-Fi film it was entertaining but as an action film it was the usual drivel of CG shite (the use of “shite” is in honor of Ewan McGregor, one of my favorite actors). Overall I was entertained but you must check your intellect at the door.

80 Points: "Keep Your Blockbuster Card And Rent It"

~Jason


"B"s Review: Acting: 7/10, Ensemble: 8/10, Cinematography: 7/10, Story: 4/10, Soundtrack: 5/10, Overall: 40/50

Total: 71/100

I was confused and disappointed. If you’ve watched Gattaca , The Truman Show and Blade Runner, then you’ve watched The Island. If you’ve ever watched two news crews covering the same story, then you’ll understand this film retelling the same story, again. I wanted something more; different. I had high hopes. The acting was great, and I was impressed with Ewan McGregor’s boyish innocence - until he escapes, then suddenly he becomes streetwise. Typical Michael Bay – big, bold and choppy. I usually enjoy nearly all movies, but I found myself checking my watch frequently. Enjoyable, but done.

71 Points: "Watch It On A Plane Or In A Hotel Room"

~Brock

"The Scrutiny" Movie Rating System

We here at The Scrutiny feel we have devised the finest and most unique system ever created to give you the knowledge you will need before opening your wallet to pay for a movie. It is based on a 100 point scale and covers six categories. They are as follows.

The first five categories each carry a possible 10 points for a total of 50. They are Acting, Ensemble, Cinematography, Story and Soundtrack. The final category carries 50 points and is Overall.

Once the points have been tallied, we will give the following ratings.

100-95 “Go Pay Full Price And Pre-Order The DVD”

94-90 “Get Your Popcorn And Go”

89-80 “Keep Your Blockbuster Card And Rent It…Okay, Use Netflix”

79-70 “Watch It On A Plane Or In A Hotel”

69-0 “Hire An Attorney And Sue The Filmmakers”

Friday, August 05, 2005

JR To The Kings!!!

As always he is good for some fun quotes, like, “Does Anaheim even have a city? Are there buildings there? I love Costa Mesa, there are buildings there, but Anaheim? Now here in L.A. we have lots of big buildings. We’re a city”, or “I can see them trying to do a lot of good things in Anaheim, I still think we’ll kick their ass.”

And there you have it. Anaheim can keep their lame goalie that is nothing more than a set of pads. We have JR!!! Next stop, we scrape into the playoffs and are eliminated in the second round. At least we have buildings!

My friend from LTA seems to think Anaheim has made a better deal, signing Scott Niedermayer, but I think he is reading too many sports columns by writers that don’t know jack about hockey. They will continue on with their boring existence.

Jason