I worked from home on Monday due to the remnants of the Snowpocalypse, and I couldn’t resist cooking some soup for warmth and comfort. A survey of the ingredients on hand led me down the road to Tom Ka Gai, or Thai Coconut Chicken Soup.

The result was very satisfying, with creamy coconut and earthy mushrooms providing rich, comforting flavors while the lime and lemon zest sent off an irresistible aroma. I took the easy way out and prepared this soup in the slow cooker, simmering the chicken, stock, mushrooms, garlic, and ginger at a low, slow setting before adding the remaining ingredients.

Enjoy.

Thai Chicken-Coconut Soup

4 ounces cellophane noodles
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1–2 red Thai (or jalapeño) peppers, seeded and finely chopped (plus slices for garnish)
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon grated ginger
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon grated lime zest
1/4 cup fresh lemon (or lime) juice
4 tablespoons Thai fish sauce, divided
1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms, sliced (3 cups)
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 5 ounces each), cut into 2 1/2-inch-long by 1/4-inch-wide strips
1 cup regular or light coconut milk
2 cups baby spinach
2 tablespoon chopped cilantro (plus sprigs for garnish)

Place noodles in a bowl; add enough warm water to cover and let sit until soft, about 15 minutes. Drain. Combine broth, pepper, garlic, ginger, lemon zest, lime zest, lemon juice and 3 tablespoon fish sauce in a medium saucepan. Season with salt. Bring to a simmer, add noodles and cook 3 minutes more. Using tongs, transfer noodles to a bowl and cover with foil to keep warm. Add mushrooms to broth; season with salt, if desired; simmer 3 minutes more. Add chicken and coconut milk and simmer, stirring, until chicken is just cooked, about 3 minutes. Stir in spinach until it begins to wilt, about 1 minute. Add chopped cilantro and season with remaining 1 tablespoon fish sauce. Using tongs, divide noodles among 4 bowls. Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with sprigs of cilantro and slices of pepper.

J&G Steakhouse is a well-appointed restaurant in the W Hotel serving beautiful, flavor-filled dishes beyond just cuts of beef.

I sampled the offerings at J&G during Restaurant Week, helping bring the price down to a level as palatable as the food. Fortunately, the presence of RW didn’t seem to diminish the quality of food or level of service provided, a phenomenon that I’ve encountered at other establishments during this event. (Of course, this being my first visit to J&G, I draw this conclusion without a frame of reference.)

Atmosphere:

Small, star-like lights dot the ceiling, casting dim light that sets a mood without hiding the beauty of the food or one’s date. The tables down the center of the restaurant abut on one side large, sofa-like, mauve benches. So large, in fact, that when combined with the room’s high ceilings and tall windows, one feels though he has started to shrink. I was pleasantly reassured when my feet still were able to reach the floor.

J&G Steakhouse and its large sofa seating

Food:

The dishes enjoyed off the RW menu included, with comments appended:

First course:

Salmon tartare, ginger dressing, fresh radish (a better dish than any salmon sushi I’ve eaten)
Rice cracker crusted tuna, citrus-chili sauce (very nice tuna, although I’d prefer without the crust)

Main course:

Roasted golden tilefish, glazed mushrooms, poblano and dill (my first tilefish, I was impressed with the intense, seared crust obtained; a rich mix of mushrooms was more satisfying than the typical buttons)
Seared cod, scallion-chili sauce, basil and celery (had just a bite of this; firm and buttery)

Dessert:

Pot de crème, liquid caramel (heaven in a pot; my favorite desserts are, like this, simple in presentation but rich in flavor)
Green apple crisp, cinnamon ice cream (dining partner: “possibly the best crisp I’ve ever had.”)

My overall impression of the food is excellent. The ingredients are high quality; the dishes provide interesting flavor combinations that are balanced, not off the wall; the preparation is careful; the plating is attractive; and result is success.

Service:

Attentive. (Sometimes excessively so. I had to keep one eye on my half-eaten first course to prevent it from being whisked away while I was absorbed in conversation.)

Conclusion:

I recommend J&G for a fine dining experience that provides an upscale yet comfortable setting and that serves high-quality, attractive food without being haughty. I will certainly return. And I’ll try the steak.

For expert reviews, look here:  Washington Post Full Review by Tom Sietsema and Washington Post 2009 Fall Dining Guide.

I never assumed that filming cooking shows was easy, but this article gives some idea of all the preparation that is required before filming can begin. And it turns out that the TV chefs have little people on their shoulders giving them cooking advice the whole time!

Excerpt:

One of the most surprising behind-the-scenes facts is the tiny earphone worn by many of the cooking show hosts. “Cooking on TV is a hard job,” Novatt says. “You need to really actually cook while listening to the culinary producer whispering in your ear telling you to smile and to move your hand because it's blocking the celery, all while you also have to pay attention to the studio director on the floor who is pointing to which camera you have to face.”

“What's great about the Food Network studio environment,” says Sunny Anderson, star of “Cooking for Real,” “is having a team where, if I miss an ingredient in the rush or forget how much time I have left, a gentle voice chimes in my ear to keep me on track.”

via Behind the scenes on Food Network – latimes.com.

The dish is tostadas with mango pomegranate guacamole, black beans, cotija, and cabbage slaw. Here’s a photo:

I was able to pick up all the ingredients at Lily’s Mexican Market in Columbia, MD near the office. It’s a wonderful little Mexican grocery with a kitchen in the back, and I’m always the only gringo there. They make fresh tortillas every day, and they also have a meat counter (carniceria), produce, and baked goods (panaderia).

As you’d guess, the guacamole is complimented with fresh mango and pomegranate seeds. Next comes cilantro-lime black beans, followed by crumbly, salty, irresistible cotija chese. The cabbage slaw (ensalada de repollo in Spanish, translates to cabbage salad) is in a cilantro/lime/garlic/chipotle dressing with radish. This was all layered on either crispy tostadas or tender tortillas made the same day. Me gusta.

Recipes:

Mango Pomegranate Guacamole
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/350568

4 ripe avocados (2 pounds total) 
1 cup finely chopped white onion
2 fresh serrano chiles, finely chopped (2 tablespoons), including seeds
1/4 cup fresh lime juice, or to taste
3/4 cup pomegranate seeds (from 1 pomegranate)
3/4 cup diced peeled mango 
1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Accompaniment: plantain chips
Garnish: lime wedges

Halve, pit, and peel avocados. Coarsely mash in a bowl. Stir in onion, chiles, 1/4 cup lime juice, and 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, then fold in pomegranate seeds, mango, and cilantro. Season with salt and additional lime juice.

Cooks’ note: 
Guacamole can be made 4 hours ahead and chilled, its surface covered with parchment paper or plastic wrap. Bring to room temperature and stir before serving.

Gourmet
November 2008
by Lillian Chou

Mexican Cabbage Slaw (Ensalada de Repollo)

1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon ancho chili paste or adobo sauce (from a can of chipotles in adobo)
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1/4 cup oil
2 cups finely shredded green or red cabbage
1 bunch radishes (about 6), julienned
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt

Whisk the garlic, chili paste, lime juice, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Slowly whisk in oil to make a dressing. Add the cabbage, radish, and cilantro and toss.

The terminology Poundstone uses seems roughly analogous to that employed by other businesses in portfolio planning, the BCG Growth-Share Matrix.

From the New York article:

Puzzles, anchors, stars, and plowhorses; those are a few of the terms consultants now use when assembling a menu (which is as much an advertisement as anything else). “A star is a popular, high-profit item-in other words, an item for which customers are willing to pay a good deal more than it costs to make,” Poundstone explains. “A puzzle is high-profit but unpopular; a plowhorse is the opposite, popular yet unprofitable. Consultants try to turn puzzles into stars, nudge customers away from plowhorses, and convince everyone that the prices on the menu are more reasonable than they look.”

Instead of puzzles, anchors, stars, and plowhorses charted based on popularity and profit margin, the BCG matrix uses stars, cash cows, dogs, and question marks organized by market growth rate and relative market share. So, the tools are similar in their mechanism but analyze slightly different marketing situations.

While a cash cow sounds like an expensive filet mignon, I can see why Poundstone wouldn’t want to label any restaurant dish with “dog”. These are both simple but powerful tools that can be used in strategic planning exercises to illuminate options for improving future profitability.

Another indispensible but deliciously simple strategy tool? SWOT.

Via Tyler Cowen’s Ethnic Dining Guide via Marginal Revolution via New York Magazine.

Wright Brand bacon and its sexy new packaging

Wright and Interbrand have done their part in advancing bacon branding from an art into a science, as they finished a recent multi-stage, two-year bacon marketing project. You have to read some of the impressive marketing-speak stuffed in this press release:

… reposition Wright Brand so it could … become more emotionally relevant to consumers.

Emotionally relevant bacon? I guess that’s not implausible. I do occasionally turn to bacon for comfort when I’ve had a bad day.

… recommended brand position of “More of what you love about bacon”

Bacon is what I love about bacon. Are you selling free bacon?

… the strategic foundation for the updated brand mark and packaging system …

A plastic bag is now referred to as a “packaging system”?

… rooted in understanding and delighting the target market of bacon enthusiasts who love bacon …

I now have another item to add to my list of hobbies on my Facebook profile: “bacon enthusiast.”

via Package Design eSolutions #61, May 29, 2009.

The answer is 145 miles. In other words, you’re never more than 2 1/2 hours from a Big Mac.

Excerpt:

“For maximum McSparseness, we look westward, towards the deepest, darkest holes in our map. There, in a patch of rolling grassland, loosely hemmed in by Bismarck, Dickinson, Pierre, and the greater Rapid City-Spearfish-Sturgis metropolitan area, we find our answer. Between the tiny Dakotan hamlets of Meadow and Glad Valley lies the McFarthest Spot: 107 miles distant from the nearest McDonald’s, as the crow flies, and 145 miles by car!”

via Infographic of the Day: McDonald’s Heat Wave | Designage | Fast Company.

Excerpt:

AFTERMATH

Once the true brews were revealed, the tasters were – as Schultz predicted – surprised and delighted by Starbucks VIA, which was just as good (if not better) than some upscale coffee drinks. Nobody made immediate plans to switch their morning routine, since the idea of instant coffee remained “kind of gross.”

But one taster saw potential: “This is dangerous news for us café junkies,” she joked. “It’s the coffee equivalent of carrying around a needle.”

via Starbucks Instant Coffee: Our Be-All, End-All Taste Test | Popwise | Fast Company.

1 c sugar
3 1/2 T corn starch
2 T white corn syrup
1 c water
1 pinch salt
3 T peach Jello (1/2 package)
Peaches (peeled, sliced, enough to fill the crust)

Add all ingredients except Jello mix and peaches to a saucepan and boil until clear. Remove from heat and add Jello. Stir. Let filling cool a bit at room temperature.

Pour over peaches in pie crust. Cool pie in refrigerator to sit. Top with whipped cream.

Easy no-rolling-pin crust:

1 1/2 flour
2 T powdered sugar (or granulated in a pinch)
1/2 t salt
1/2 c oil
2 T milk

Mix all ingredients and press into pie pan. Bake at 325 for 30 minutes.

PSFK recently posted (via Edible Brooklyn) about a nascent young farmers movement and its emerging name, Greenhorns.

Growing up in Iowa, I was surrounded by farming most of my life. At the same time, I was not raised in a farming family myself. So, my knowledge and understanding of the modern farming lifestyle falls somewhere in the middle between a concrete-imprisoned New Yorker and a dirt-under-the-nails Iowan farmer.

I haven’t seen The Greenhorns documentary yet, but I have already sensed the critical factor that will determine the success of this movement.

Will small farms, selling their products locally to the surrounding community, be hip enough to be sustainable?

Farming is hard work. The only guarantee is uncertainty. What will the weather be this year? Too wet to plant? Too dry to grow?

Future young farmers won’t be drawing to the profession by promises of fame or fortune. So what will they receive?

They will need to feel respected. They will need to feel valued. They will need to feel like others care.They will need to feel hip.

Besides, consumption of local produce is up against some innate obstacles today. It often costs more and/or requires more effort to obtain local produce than it does to jot down to the cheap mega-super-hyper-big-box grocery mart. Plus, eating locally leads to inevitable sacrifices. Can one ever buy a local orange in Iowa? Can a local banana be bought anywhere in the US?

Assuming that one’s decision to eat locally is voluntary, not mandated by, say, extreme carbon taxes, a serious change in behavior is required. This won’t be easy.

The Spendid Table radio show organized a group of people whom spent one year eating locally called the Locavore Nation. Such a task isn’t easy – it requires serious commitment and a drastic change of lifestyle just to find dinner on short notice. Imagine driving down the interstate at 11pm. McDonalds, Wendy’s, Subway, 7-Eleven, In-N-Out. Where’s the local food? Sorry, you’re eating long-distance or you’re going hungry tonight.

Unless you’re into foraging for edible greens in the median.

[via PSFK]