And the nominees are...

*drum roll*...

I was excited to stumble across the Bon Appétit post yesterday about the James Beard Award Nominations.  For those of you who do not know, these are the Oscars of the food world.  I'm still learning a lot about this world, so this nominee list is really cool to see.

http://eater.com/archives/2012/03/19/here-are-the-2012-james-beard-awards-finalists.php

My food journey has really become more extensive over the past few years.  When I've traveled, I've really tried to find some gems.  I've also really connected to a few media outlets, chefs, food personalities, and restaurants who have taught me a ton and sparked some passion in me.



1. Christina Tosi - The Pastry Chef behind David Chang's Momofuku chain in NYC.  Her branch: Milk Bar.  I discovered this via a fall 2011 Bon Appétit issue that featured some of her mind-blowing creations. I went to New York later that year and fell in love with the pastry shop.  I couldn't get any of the treats here in Nashville, so any time I visited, I made sure to stop and pickup some Corn Cookies or Cake Truffles.  She realized the Milk Bar cook book this past fall, and it has been the most influential cook book I've ever owned.  She causes you to think drastically outside the box (pre-packaged cake mix, anyone?) - and I've realized that rules are meant to be broken!  Her story is very cool in how she made her journey to where she's at now.  Very inspiring.  I was very proud to see her name on the list of nominees for the James Beard Rising Star Chef of the Year award.  I, personally, think that her cookbook should've been listed in one of the categories, and that Milk Bar should've been featured in a handful of other categories.

2. Joanne Chang - the Harvard grad turned baker / pastry chef and owner of Flour Bakery in Boston.  I first saw her on a Throwdown episode with Bobby Flay.  She kicked his ass with her sticky buns.  I've been craving them ever since.  I then was searching around for an old fashioned banana bread recipe - one like my grandma used to make.  I found Joanne's.  Her's was all I'd imagined - and more.  I think the secret ingredient is crème fraîche - and her technique of creaming eggs and sugar together for a ridiculously long amount of time.  She's nominated for Outstanding Pastry Chef.

I love cooking all types of food, but I think I light up most when it comes to baking and pastry work.  Maybe it's the reward from the extra time it takes.  It's a little bit more of an art form.  Layering a cake, icing it, making sure it's perfect - it's almost like sculpting.  I think this is why I'm drawn to Tosi and Chang so much.  Additionally, I think they express intelligence and humor in their work.  You can't go to Milk Bar and not crack a smile at all the playful tricks used to recreate child favorites like Cereal Milk.  And the fact that Joanne Chang is a Harvard grad is bad ass.  Period.

3. Bon Appétit Magazine - I look forward to pulling the new copy out of the mailbox each month.  I'm constantly inspired to recreate recipes, incorporate new techniques and ideas into my own cooking, and to grow on my own path in the food world.  I would love to work at Bon Appétit someday.  We'll see.  They're in 4 categories.  VERY much deserved.

4. Wolfgang Puck - Enough said.  Nominated for the Lifetime Achievement Award.  I just can't help but like him.  He was the ORIGINAL food celebrity.  He's paved the way for many.

5. Frasca - Boulder, Colorado.  I'm partial to this amazing Friulian-inspired restaurant only 45 minutes away from my hometown.  The folks here serve fantastic food in a fantastic town.  I also was inspired here to shape my butter into a quenelle.  They made the list for Outstanding Wine Program.  They did, in fact, have a great wine list when I was there.

6. PTD - New York.  Stands for Please Don't Tell.  I've tried on two separate occasions to get into this place on two separate trips to New York.  It's a secret speakeasy, and you enter through the phone booth of an old hot dog joint.  No joke.

7. Thomas McNaughton - Flour + Water - San Francisco.  I don't really follow Thomas McNaughton, but I  had the pleasure of dining at Flour + Water last year, and it was one of the best meals I've ever had.  We waited two hours to get in, and it was more than worth every minute.  Not to mention, the Mission neighborhood is a fantastic place in SF to stand out side and chat with with friends on a warm evening.  Thomas is nominated for Rising Star Chef of the Year.

8. Ted Allen - Nominated for TV Food Personality/Host.  Some of you might remember him from the hit show Queer Eye.  Anyone?!  I never watched that, but I absolutely love this guy.  He's super smart, he's a great host on Chopped, and he really has a lot of insight in the food world.

9. Lastly, Mr. David Chang.  I actually didn't know much about this guy until I first discovered his incredible pastry chef Christina Tosi (my number one inspiration).  I later found out that David is one of those guys who revolutionized the food world in NYC, using techniques like sous vide cooking and adding whacky ingredients into traditional dishes for an off-the-wall experience.  I can see why Tosi and Chang are such a good match.  He's up for Outstanding Chef.  Go team Momofuku!

Epic Pad Thai & How to Save $50

I've had some sort of Pad Thai obsession ever since I realized that carbs are not the devil and you can eat them without getting fat (balance).  I happen to live within walking distance of Siam Cuisine, a 2 minute drive from Golden Thai, and about 10 minutes from the best Thai in Nashville, Thai Phooket.  This is very convenient, but it's been depleting my bank account a good fit as of recent.

After work about two weeks ago, I decided to order Siam's Pad Thai and pick it up on my way home.  I realized that by making the call just as I was walking out to my car, it was piping hot and ready to go as soon as I pulled into Siam.  One week and $50 later, I realized it might be a good idea to at least attempt to make Pad Thai.  Plus, I thought it'd be fun to dabble in Asian cuisine - something I had not done a lot of.

Initially, I think complex Asian dishes just seemed a bit intimidating to me.  Now that I got my feet wet, I will say that it just takes "going for it".  There are some weird ingredients, and some of the prep can be somewhat time consuming, but it's also therapeutic.  The cooking process, itself, is simple, fast, and the end result, if executed properly, is well worth your time.

So, how do I go about finding a recipe when I'm making a new dish?  I feel like the search is crucial.  I scour my favorite recipe sites: bon appetit, food network.com, and epicurious.  January's bon appetit issue actually had a very legit article and menu on Thai by a guy named Andy Ricker.  He included his Pad Thai recipe, which may have sub consciously started the gears turning in my mind earlier this year.  This was his take:

"This Pad Thai is not the dish from the neighborhood take-out joint. "It ain't made with chicken," says Ricker, whose traditional take—pleasantly funky with fish sauce and preserved radish and a touch sour from tamarind—is meant to be eaten in the evening as a stand-alone dish."

Link http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2012/01/pad-thai

On epicurious, it had 3.5 forks out of 4... or something.  I kept noodling around, and moved over to the food network site.  I knew Alton Brown had done a Pad Thai dish at some point, and his recipes are usually fantastic.  He had 4 out of 5 stars.  Some folks said it wasn't authentic, and he added a few odd ingredients, not typical to Pad Thai.  

Then I found the recipe that looked promising.  5 stars and 48 user reviews:  The Kuay Tiaw Pad Thai recipe from an episode of Throwdown with Bobby Flay.  Bobby did not win ;).  I have to say, don't screw with a dish like this, trying to add all kinds of unique extras - bells and whistles.  Traditional is best.  

Recipe Link:  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/kuay-tiaw-pad-thai-recipe/index.html

Because Whole Foods, let alone any ther standard grocery store in town, doesn't carry some of the true Asian ingredients for this recipe, I headed over to K&S World Market... two blocks away!  I gathered palm sugar, fish sauce, tamarind water, preserved radish, dried shrimp, bean sprouts, garlic chives, and hot dried chilies ~ "These are not like crush red chili at pizza place.  Those not very hot.  These hot!" ~clerk at Asian market.

I made the Pad Thai sauce to the t.It stank up the house.  But, the end result was fantastic.  Sweet, salty; it had depth.  I guess this is the coveted "umami" flavor.  Then I prepped the veggies, and ground some peanuts with my mortar & pestle

I gathered all of my ingredients next to my electric wok and fired it up.  This is when things went quick.  I made a flow chart for my modified version of this recipe, so I could glance up and see which step was next, without rereading the entire paragraph again.

GARLIC -> SHRIMP, set aside -> NOODLES, water -> SAUCE -> return shrimp

move aside, EGGS, noodles on top -> stir -> add CHILES, PEANUTS, CHIVES, SPROUTS

I thew it on a plate, garnished it, and enjoyed some of the best Thai food I've ever had.  This Pad Thai dish was EPIC.  I think I'll be making it at home a lot more instead of ordering out.  I remade it again tonight, and it was even better, as I kicked the heat factor up a notch this time.  

Here's mine: