Busy as a Bee

Jen's Fromage Blanc Tart and Apple Pecan Turnover for a home taste test.

It has been a few weeks since I've had a chance to sit down and post an entry. My apologies.

It's been on the menu for almost a week now, but Jen introduced a Fromage Blanc Tart with Concord Grapes and Crème Fraîche Swirl Sorbet, which pushed out both the Fig Tart and Jen's short lived Tapioca dessert. The new tart incorporates halved concord grapes that have been tossed in a port reduction on top of fromage blanc, a fresh cow cheese almost like ricotta but less grainy, from Cow Girl Creamery. As if that flavor combo wasn't enough, Jen also serves the tart with a Crème Fraîche Swirl Sorbet that is Crème Fraîche sorbet and grape sorbet swirled together for a heavenly pairing. Jen's even admitted that after tasting sweets all day she is pretty much over eating anymore dessert except for the swirl sorbet. IT KICKS ASS!

Also, new on Jen's menu is a Warm Apple Pecan Turnover with Rum Raisin Ice Cream and Cinnamon Butterscotch as well as a Fresh Apple Salad for color. True to form, Jen's Rum Raisin Ice Cream is really rummy for you fans that have a little Captain in you. The Apple Salad is served along side the dessert in matchstick form, lightly dressed in lemon and honey with a few pecans.

From the picture above, you can guess that I got to taste both the cheese tart and the turnover and WOW! were they yummy. I will be envious of those of who got to try them in all their warm glory with their sauces, sides, and accompanying ice creams. :) Go get your taste today!

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Culinary Word of the Day: Crème Fraîche
Crème Fraîche is a matured, thickened cream with a slightly tangy, nutty flavor and velvety rich texture. The thickness of crème fraîche can range from that of commercial sour cream to almost as solid as room-temperature margarine. In France, where crème fraîche is a specialty, the cream is unpasteurized and therefore contains the bacteria necessary to thicken it naturally. In America, where all commercial cream is pasteurized, the fermenting agents necessary for crème fraîche can be obtained by adding buttermilk or sour cream. Crème Fraîche is ideal addition for sauces or soups because it can be boiled without curdling. It's delicious spooned over fresh fruit or other desserts such as warm cobblers or puddings. Source: Food Lover's Companion

She's only asian by injection

WARNING! WARNING! The following NEW dessert from famed pastry chef Jen Kenny Nguyen seems Asian. But... Just like how Jen's name sounds Asian but she herself is not, this dish sounds Asian but has a flavor profile that matches quite well with the usual Salt House fair. She calls it Coconut Tapioca Pudding with Watermelon and Thai Basil syrup. A refreshing dessert for the tail end of summer fruits.

On another note, my laptop formerly known as "the Baby" is no longer. As of Thursday, September 6, 2007, I was stumbling around in the dark and knocked over a glass of water all over the former Baby. This was my invincible work laptop that I've had for 4.5 years but still was the computing powerhouse that powered much of life's work. (Ok... I sound overly dramatic but if you know me, you know how much that thing meant to my livelihood.) I was able to recover some bits and pieces of data but did lose a big chunk of my programming work. ARG! All weekend long I've been massaging my head with happy thoughts to forget about that event, and the iPhone has helped immensely. Can you avid readers out their figure out what the new "Baby" is?

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Culinary Word of the Day: Tapioca
Tapioca is basically a root starch derived from the cassava, or yuca plant. It's often used to thicken soups and sweeten the flavor of baked goods, and it makes a dandy pudding. We suggest you don't try making your own tapioca at home. Cassava roots have traces of cyanide in them! The ever-resourceful Mayans figured out how to extract this poison for their blow darts, leaving the uncontaminated roots free for eating. Source: Ask Yahoo!

I ♥ my iPhone!

I finally got it. My cheap ass got the boost it needed from Jen after she kicked me into forking out my credit card when I was still hesitant after the price drop. For those of you who didn't hear (what rock have you been sleeping under?), Stevie J announced a new line of iPods on Wednesday and also a huge $200 drop on the iPhone. The day I heard about it I was giddy as a girl seeing a pony for the first time. I tried subtly hinting to Jen in hopes to get it as a Christmas gift, but what all I learned was to not suggest gifts because I suck at it. The suggestion led to an argument about not listening and hurt feelings. Completely not worth the breath we wasted on it. However, it prompted Jen into action to get me to an AT&T store and buy the darn thing.

Many of you guys probably know, I'm a frugal guy. Case in point is my whole Apple stock scheme. At its peak, I actually made over $800 profit, enough to buy an iPhone and all the accessories when it still cost $600. However, I got so worried about capital gains that I just let it sit all the while I am without the iPhone and my poor Treo was dying by the minute. Oh the Treo, you must know I got the Treo for used and for free from my cousin. First, the audio electronics died, and I had to do some circuit board surgery to revive it. Second, my speaker died, so no more speakerphone or ringing at all. Then, my vibration motor died, which didn't leave many ways to know I was receiving a call. The only way I could tell without staring at my screen all the time was to listen to my bluetooth headset, but I would have a tendency to leave it in my pocket, instead of looking like a dork and wearing it all the time, which left my callers very frustrated because my headset would pick up leaving me unaware I was on a phone call and they could not reach my voicemail. Then, this week they announced the $200 price drop, an instant 33% savings on the hottest gadget in the world. Despite the Treo problems, the profit from the Apple stock, and a huge price break, I still couldn't bring myself to buy the Jesus Phone and even contemplated I wait until Christmas to get it as a gift. Leave me a comment if you can top that story for the Crown of Cheapest Cheap Ass.

Although Jen provided the necessary motivation, I walked away with a smile because I figured out a scheme to get a deal out it all. If I was going to buy a $400 phone, Jen better be getting free sh*t. We first headed out to the AT&T store on Geary Blvd. The salesman was cordial and did have the iPhone in stock, but the way the store worked there was not a single free phone in the store with the cheapest still ringing in at $30 after a $30 rebate. This meant we'd have to pay $60 + taxes out of pocket for Jen's POS phone when we are already paying for a family plan, data package, and the iPhone from them. With the Apple store and them being the only places in town to get an iPhone, I went ahead and just purchased it there. We then headed over to Impact Communications on Irving St. where we got a great deal on two new Samsung Sync phones for $100 + tax with a $50 rebate for each and a family plan for Jen and I. I then simply came home and activated my iPhone with my new plan and added on a data package. In the end, we ended up with 2 Samsung Sync Phones, 1 iPhone, a family plan, and a data package that's a better phone model and an extra phone than what was available from the AT&T store for the cost of taxes and stamps for rebates over the AT&T store price.

Well, I can say now I'm extremely happy with my iPhone. It has so many features I'm still discovering and then some. In fact, I wrote some of this post with its beautiful web browser.

Enjoy my silent (I don't know what happened to the sound) video of my unboxing of the Jesus Phone.