No to Bottled Water and Sodas!

Lemon Verbena with lemon and zests by Irene Khin Wong

One of my favorite ways to quench my thirst this summer is creating refreshing cold iced tea or flavored water. In my own home, I picked Lemon Verbena sprigs from my window sill, add zests of one lemon and lemon slices into a pitcher of water. It keeps up to 5 days in fridge. Coming in from the scorching heat with a pitcher of cold refreshing infused water waiting, it is big relief. Also it is great to make few batches to greet unexpected guests or entertain large summer parties.

At recent bat mitzvah, the host was very grateful that we prepared pitchers of the cucumber basil water ready before the ceremony. Their guests were able to help themselves throughout the afternoon, and easy on the environment with plastic bottles.

Passionfruit Spritzer by Saffron 59

Here is the recipe for the refreshing

Cucumber Basil Drink

Ingredients:

• 10 shots spring water
• 1 shot fresh lime juice
• 6 small sprigs of basil (plus 2 for garnish)
• 6 slices of fresh cucumber (plus 4 for garnish
• 2 slices of fresh lime (plus 2 for garnish)

Instructions:

1. Add the  basil, cucumber, and lime slices to the shaker.
2. Muddle the ingredients in the bottom of the shaker until thoroughly crushed.
3. Add the spring water, lime juice, and ice to above the level of the liquid and shake vigorously for 10 seconds.
4. Strain the mixture into tall glasses containing large cubes of ice and garnish with remaining basil, cucumber, or lime slices. You can substitute with Prosecco or Chardonnay wine in lieu of water.

I like to hear from you what your favorite summer drinks you have been making.

Summer Bouillabaisse

This is the season for serving fish and shellfish for your summer gathering.

Get your cookware ready and put together fresh ingredients along with these nutritious and light gems from the sea from your local fish mongers.

This delicious dish can be cooked ahead so that you can enjoy your day.  Your guests won't have to wait too long for this flavorful dish, and they can sip the summer cocktails such as Riesling Sangria with lychee to start.

Green Curry Bouillabaise using local and fresh seafood

Bouillabaise with Green Curry Paste
(yield 6 servings)

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 lb fish (skate wings filet) or white fish such as bass, cod
• 1 lb shrimp #18-21 count
• 12 pieces little neck clams, optional
• 2 lb mussels, cleaned
• 2 lb sea scallops
• 2 tablespoons garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons minced ginger
• 1/4 cup oil
• 3 tablespoons green curry paste
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 1/2 lb shallot,  minced
• 2 cans coconut milk
• 2 teaspoons turmeric
• 2 teaspoons  paprika
• 3 cups vegetable stock
• 3 pieces of kaffir lime leaves, slivered, optional

Instructions:

1. Brown the shallot and add garlic and ginger with 1/8 cup oil. Stir in green curry paste and coconut milk and bring to simmer. Add 2 cups vegetable stock and let it simmer for additional 10 mins and add fish sauce, salt and pepper to taste and put aside.
2. Marinate the fish, shrimp and scallops with garlic, ginger, salt and pepper.
3. In a large frying pan, heat the rest of the oil, sear the fish and shrimp separately by adding turmeric, paprika and kaffir lime leaves. Set aside.
4. In a separate pot, bring 1 cup of vegetable stock to a boil and add in mussels and rest of shell fish and stir for a few minutes in high heat till the shells opens, discard the unopened ones, add the green curry broth in.In a deep pasta bowl arrange nicely with the mussels and fish at bottom of the bowl and put the shrimp and scallops on the top along with a ladle full of hot broth.

Serve hot along with steamed Jasmine rice.

Behind the Scene: Wedding Planning 101

Planning your wedding should be fun and intimate with your loved ones and should not be breaking your bank.  Here are some of the suggestions from 12 years of wedding planning I have been producing.

Bang for Your Buck

Approximately fifty percent of total budget should go to the reception and the rest for flowers, photo/video, and entertainment/music. Compile all your notes, images and ideas from magazine cut outs that you want to discuss with your vendors. You should be able to be hands to hands with the vendors from the day you book with them till the day of your wedding.

During this process, your caterer and planner should be your most-trusted experts (friends), they will assist you in making thorough lists of crucial priorities.

Drop Dead Red, Peacock Blue, Imperial Gold are colors of this year!

Simple and elegant table top accent with red

Color Scheme

Your wedding décor can be gorgeous and festive without putting a dent in your pocket. By choosing the right color scheme, as cotton linen comes in different colors; so why not make it festive and save money instead of large floral arrangements?

Tasting

When considering style of service whether buffet or plated, both will cost equally since you will still need some number of staff to man the buffet station and guests come back for more tastings. Why not consider a few tastings stations using smaller plates?

Mother Nature

Weather is very unpredictable, you should listen to Mother Nature especially if you plan to do outdoor wedding. However, if you are considering less costly, planning a winter white wedding can save you 20 percent. When planning to set up, it will put you at ease to make sure there is ample time to get to the venue. For larger wedding, we recommend setting up the day before.

It's Your Day

There seems to be little time and so much to do, so delegating your close friends or family members is best option. They should attend every meetings so they are familiar with the wedding. Remember, let everyone work for you! It’s your wedding day. Wedding cake may tumble, your maid of honor missed her flight, you are simply going to have a good time.

Food Talk: The Other Incredible Nut, Coconut

After visiting many Asian and Latin countries over the past years, I see how essential coconuts are in tropical culture. With many purposes, this marvelous fruit has many various stages of growth.

Coconut Flowers found by the rain forest in Colombia

Milk of the coconut is the key in making delicious curries and enhancing many dishes and soups. The creamy texture brings its thickness and richness in flavors. There's coconut meat and its milk in Beef Rendang, which has been one of my signature dishes that I cook often, one of main ingredients of the 26 for this rich flavorful dish.

Classic Cambodian Fish Dish with Coconut Cream, served in Coconut Shell

Growing up in Burma (Myanmar), natural coconut oil in shampoo gives a nice sheen on the long  beautiful hair of Burmese ladies and also as a home made natural sunscreen - saving our skin from sunburn. In the spring time, farmers use the processed coconut husk and the fiber as part of the soil mixture for sowing seeds. The dried coconut husk is used to stuff mattresses at an orphanage that I have been supporting for over ten years now to supplement their income. In homes, many also use it as fuel.

The bed frame I recently purchased is made with coconut trunks which is sustainable alternative to wood.

On one of my visits to Vietnam on a scorching hot afternoon in Ho Chi Minh City, the coconut vendor on the street was a life saver. The cold coconut water was a quick thirst quencher, a refreshing  and nutritional energy boost. I also noticed coconut is a popular key ingredient in everything from energy bars to the Greek yogurt that I consumed on my recent trekking trip in Colombia.  

Coconut has so many benefits — it is rich in protein, contains enormous fiber and is high in Vitamin E — that I am sure there will be more products with coconut appearing soon in the market.

Click here to view the delicious Amok Fish recipe.

Food & Travel: 2014 Darjeeling First Flush Is In!

I am an aficionado of great tea. When I found out my good friend Sebastian, who is a tea connoisseur, just returned with the first flush of Darjeeling, I just had to walk over for a tasting; luckily his tasting room is not too far from my studio. I have been on several trips with Mr. Beckwith and tasted some remarkable tea. Here is the recent newsletter he published.

Picking tea leaves at the estate

It’s one of the season’s most anticipated harvests: Darjeeling First Flush has arrived! This mountainous region in West Bengal, India, has been producing this heralded spring delight since the mid-1800s. One of the lightest-bodied styles of black tea, first flushes are the initial picking of the year, and are sought out for their refreshing balance of floral and vegetal flavors.

Tea pickers leaving after a day’s work

Our 2014 Darjeeling First Flush, Goomtee Estate has beautiful notes of balsam and marigold; try steeping in a vessel like our side-handled glass pot to watch the liquor deepen to a rich golden infusion. Enjoy this limited lot while it lasts!

Travel: Coffee Plantations and More

Because of the media hype about Burma this winter -and the huge influx of tourists- I decided to take a detour and spend three weeks in Colombia. Spending some time at my father's teak plantations in Taungoo, Myanmar; during school breaks as a child, I've always fascinated by the plantation lifestyle and enjoy the subtropical climate.

More of Tropical Shots at our flickr page

Four winding hours from Medellin, through carpets of guavas, avocados and bananas, lies Quindio, the highlight of my trip. We rented a house by the emerald green mountain of Los Nevados, within an avocado plantation, only a stone's throw from the quaint colonial town of Salento.

Green Coffee at Sacha Mama organic coffee plantation

An early morning hike in the breathtaking Valel de Cocora brought palm trees ten stories high; the wax palm, indigenous to the high-altitude Andes. We continued to enjoy the region's flora and fauna as we hiked through the Acaime until dusk, humming birds buzzing around us, stopping for a spectacular views of the valley. I could have easily stayed another week.

Fruit Vendor in Botero Square in Medellin, Colombia

I know some of you have been to Colombia pre and post Escobar era, I love to hear about your trip.

Sites and trips in Quindio:
Eje Cafetero
Finca Sacha Mama
Kasaguada Natural Reserve
Los Nevados National Park
Recuca Coffee Plantation

Celebration: Seven-Course Dinner at MOCA NY

Here are some of the behind the scene pictures for the $888 plate dinner for Museum of Chinese in America in New  York this past Monday.

Irene K. Wong with Pichet Ong

Hey one of guests of honor is Ang Lee!

Chefs talk before event starts

MENU

• Seared Chicken with Sesame and Jumbo Prawns in a taro basket (with caramelized walnuts and snow peas)  
• Grilled Aged Rib Eye Steak — charred — topped with parsley garlic  pesto  
• Shanghai Baby Bok Choy with  Xiao Sing Rice Wine and  How See — Dried Oyster (large Chinese mushroom)
• Maine Lobster Laced with Ginger and Scallions (bedded with Fun See -glass noodle)
• Steamed Stripe bass with sesame oil and Enoki Mushroom (wilted spring onion)
• E-Fu Noodles with Black Mushroom burnt yellow chive (Longevity egg noodle with Choy Sum vegetable)
• Double Happiness Fried Rice with baby corn and English peas (with Shallot Crisp)

Celebration: Chinese New Year 2014

Fish ready for steamed with herbs and vegetables

As the Lunar New Year approaching, my family and friends are already anxious in planning for the feast.  Since I was a little girl, that means choosing and getting new outfits to wear and place sweet offerings to the "kitchen god" so that sweet reports get to heaven what my family has done throughout the year.

Since Chinese Americans came from different regions of China and other parts of Asia too such as Korea, Indonesia, Vietnam, Philippines, the traditional feast during Chinese New Year in America for most of us is unique and varied to each group.

Symbolic dishes such as longevity noodles and fresh whole fish represent long life and prosperity. Dumplings are served representing abundance of "golden nuggets".  For this year, the festivities will start on January 31st.  My circle of friends will mark the celebrating for 15 days, feasting with Asian Tapas style — inspired with ingredients such as Kalamansi, Xaoshing wine, Gojuchang  are just some of many treats which will be made to welcome the “year of the horse.”

Gift with Double Happiness envelopes with lucky money

Heritage: Memory of My Grand Father's Duck Noodle

An email from a good friend:

Irene,

What's so special about your dish, Street Market Noodles with Duck, is how it triggers so many memories-my own fondness for the dish, nostalgia for your restaurant, The Road to Mandalay. Our friendship which goes back to the days of the restaurant, and most touchingly, your memories of food and family in Myanmar. It's a trip down sense memory lane.

Larry

My grandfather's famous noodle with roast duck, fried garlic, dash of salt

Recently a dear friend from the days of my first restaurant in New York, The Road to Mandalay, finally tied the knot after being together for 25 years. They asked me to make food for their wedding reception. Among the 7 dishes they requested was my grandfather's Street Market Noodles with Duck, a dish my grandfather cooked at the night market in Yangon, Myanmar.

It was sold as supper after 9pm. People would stroll into the market and either sit on wooden stools to eat it or have him tie the noodles up into a bundle like a tamale with  banana leaf as a take-out snack. I was only a few years old when I first tasted the dish. A garlicky noodle dish as simple as could be, it is seared with duck fat, garlic oil, fresh egg noodles, sliced duck, minced spring onion and crispy fried garlic.

Growing up I remember how my family and friends would rave about these noodles. It was always a special treat on the day when the aroma of garlic would permeate the house, and you could hear noodles sauteing on the wok. When I opened my restaurant, Road to Mandalay, I introduced the dish to New York. I got the same reaction from my customers, people like the rocker, Lenny Kravits and the Persian filmmaker and artist, Shirin Neshat, as I did from my family in Myanmar.

When I closed Road to Mandalay I took a sabbatical in Asia, and then came back and launched Saffron 59. As part of my comprehensive menu I offered an array of noodle dishes but never Street Market Noodles with Duck — until a few days ago. After receiving rave reviews from the wedding party guests, I realized it was time to consider adding my grandfather's celebrated noodle dish to the menu.

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Ingredients for my grandfather's famous duck noodle, a photo by Saffron 59 on Flickr.

Duck Noodle

Ingredients:

• 5 lb Duck Breast scored strips (or from your local butcher)
• 4 bulbs of garlic, peeled and minced
• Salt and black pepper
• 1 cup soy sauce
• 3 lb fresh egg noodles
• 8 bunches of spring onions, minced
• 1-1/2 cups of oil

Method:

1. Fry the garlic in 1 1/2 cups of oil til the garlic get medium brown and separate on paper towel, save the oil.
2. Sear the duck, skin down til medium rare and sliced into strips, reserved the oil.
3. Fill up wok with water and bring to a boil.
4. Add the noodles and cook for 5 minutes til the pasta surfaced.
5. Drain well and toss with a drizzle of garlic oil.
6. Heat the wok and add garlic oil, duck fat, add the spring onions and toss in the noodle and duck meat.
7. Toss some soy sauce, salt and black pepper to taste.
8. Stir fry for a minute or two til all the ingredients are incorporated and add the fried garlic chips.
9. Garnish with some more fried garlic and spring onions.

Yield: 30 guests
*we recommend to wok seared the noodle in batches

Have a happy holiday to you and to your loved ones!

Behind The Scenes: 3 Days, 13 Guests and 13 Dishes in 3 hours

One might think that a small party would be less work than a large one, but the required amount of preparation is similar, whether there are 13 guests or 130. A recent event was a party for an executive of a world-famous high-fashion brand, 13 guests only, and many tasting dishes were selected. So, needless to say, we planned and executed this complex meal to suit clients with exceptional taste.

Packing the right ware at our studio

Menu planning and selection is a priority, as well as choosing exotic drinks to match. This is done in collaboration with the clients by email and phone and involves a lot of work to get things just right. Choose the right color napkins for the silverware. Create bite-size Asian snacks. Figure out the main courses, which in this case included Charred Argentinian Steak Chimicurri (with Korean Red Paste) and Pan-Seared Fatty Black Cod glazed with miso tamari, always a huge hit.

When the menu is finalized, one of our crew pays a visit to the site; evaluating the kitchen and facilities is necessary so that we can prepare a schematic to help us execute the dinner in a timely fashion. Then we begin our foraging phase, heading to the greenmarket and our rooftop garden for hand-picked fresh sprigs of holy basil and ripened Roma tomatoes for roasting. Lines of communication are opened with our purveyors, using our 10-year strong relationships to garner the freshest seafood, be it Louisiana shrimp or Maine lobsters.

After three days of non-stop work, the party went off without a hitch.

Food Talk: Rijsttafel

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Our Signature Freshly Baked Mini Caneles

This year, I am featuring Rijsttafel for the holiday season for my friends and family gatherings and I hope for you too. It is the Dutch interpretation of exotic Indonesian cuisine eaten in a communal dinning.  Laced with unique, distinctive flavors including Asian herbs and spices, with beautiful presentation.

I spent a significant portion of a four year sabbatical in Asia searching Indonesia for old textiles with my Dutch godmother. Many times over the course of that search I sat down to delicious Rijsttafel meals in Java and one of the most memorable experiences was having multiple dishes in Bali and cooking with ingredients such as lemongrass, galangal, candle nuts, and palm sugar.

When I returned from my sabbatical I was asked to cater a big 50th birthday bash in Holland, where I discovered that Rijsttafel is found everywhere, from the smallest hamlet to the largest city. Since my Indonesian Rijsttafel experiences were fresh in my mind, I was able to create a wonderful, authentic feast for the celebration.

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Various Dishes from our Rijsttafel "Rice Table" Holiday Party

 Fresh Prawns with Habanero Chili Dipping Sauce  

From our kitchen to your table:

• Heirloom Squash / Pumpkin Ravioli with Coconut Kashmiri red curry dip
• Lump Crabmeat Slaw with Mint Chutney and Mustard Seeds
• Mekong Style Meatballs with coriander roots and minced spring onion
• Indonesian origin Beef Rendang with spicy slow cooked beef stew
• Roast Lemongrass Chicken with Caramelized Onion
• Vegetable Ratatouille as featured on The Occasional Vegetarian
• Our Signature Panthay Noodle with Vegetables  and red onion relish

Holiday: Diwali, a Festival of Lights

Preparation first day of Diwali / Photo by Irene K. Wong

Happy (almost) Diwali! Our Saffron 59 kitchen is busy with our own Diwali-fest with Indian inspired bites like Chicken Pakora with Bengali Style Chatni (Tender fritters served with coriander and green chili dip). So, meet our guest writer of the week; the fabulous Jay Dehejia!

The five-day festival of lights will be celebrated in early November this year. This celebration takes different forms in different parts of India.  In my community of Gujaratis, we would spend evenings getting dressed up in colorful clothes and organize folk dances.  This year, we will celebrate Diwali with friends and family on November 3rd. This autumn festival brings back such wonderful childhood memories for me.

Diwali, for me started with ‘Dhanteras’, the 13th day of the waning moon. The day is dedicated to Goddess Lakshmi to provide for the well being and prosperity for the family. That is the day we would light hundreds of oil lamps all around the house and the garden.

Diwali Festival of Lights, Christchurch New Zealand. Photo by Geof Wilson (October 17, 2010)

As a young boy, during the week leading up to Diwali day, my mother would help my brother and me draw a new ‘rangoli’ each day in front of our house. “Rangoli’ is a form of folk art made from rice flour, colored sand, and flower petals.  Each day, we would come up with a different design and make it as colorful as we could. My mother would also bring flowers, mostly marigolds, which we would string together and make garlands. These would then be strung along the front door.

I always enjoyed the anticipation of the big day leading up to Diwali.  I would save the noisiest and the biggest firecrackers (crackles; bottle rockets; ‘flower pots’; and lots of sparklers) for the evening of Diwali.  All of our family would take turns lighting the oil lamps and sparklers to light the firecrackers.  What fun and so much excitement!

No Indian festival is complete without exotic food; with lots of different types of sweets on the table with abundance of dishes from aromatic Chicken Masala to marinated BBQ Stuffed Lamb with fresh roasted spices. Diwali comes only once a year and the excitement and delicious foods is just irresistible.

For Gujaratis, November 4th is the start of Vikram Samvat year 2070. Let us take time to enjoy being with our family and friends, and wish for a festive and successful year.

Jay Dehejia is a “FOS” (Fan of Saffron 59). Jay and his wife, Vidya, splits their time between Goa, India and the UWS, New York.

East Meets West: From BBQ Short Ribs to Mohinga

From time to time, I invite others to write guest posts on my blog.  Here's one from my brother, Ron, about our annual Pre-Labor Day BBQ celebration.

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Marinated Charred Short Ribs

Thanks to Po's afternoon milk tea, I find myself still awake at 3am, so I decided to write about our fantastic backyard family and friends summer gathering that was inspired by Burmese food vendors serving traditional dishes at a Nibban Zay fundraising event held at a Burmese Temple in Manalapan, N.J. Back in early August, friends of mine, Mark Pochaw and Jenny Chin, forwarded a menu of Burmese foods that were going to be offered at the temple. It sounded delicious, so we decided to attend. After having eaten traditional Burmese foods, I decided to serve traditional Mohinga (Burmese Lemongrass Fish Soup), fried fritters, Lat Thoke vegetarian noodles paired with BBQ ribs, flank steak and curry yogurt chicken at our family event.

Mark's cousin Vera, one of the temple vendors, was kind enough to prepare the Mohinga fish soup, which we decided to pair with Pae Kyaw fritters from another vendor. Aunty Vera and Mark threw themselves into gathering and preparing the Mohinga ingredients, an endeavor that took on a life of its own. They used as many of the traditional Mohinga ingredients as possible including lemongrass, catfish, and rare young banana stem bark which is not available in New York. It was flown from Florida to Albany on Wednesday, transported to Queens, cooked all day Saturday, and on Sunday found itself in the stomachs of friends and family in Short Hills, NJ, people with backgrounds from the US, Brazil, China, Great Britain, Saint-Tropez, France, Thailand and Vietnam, among others.

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Banana Bark for Cooking Mohinga (Burmese Lemongrass Fish Soup)

We truly enjoyed Vera's Mohinga, which was amazingly, soulfully delicious and brought back memories of sitting on wooden stools eating the fish soup on street corners in Yangon, Burma. With a full stomach and a touch of insomnia, I'd like to thank my friends and family for coming to this memorable summer backyard gathering. Also again, thanks to Mark, Aunty Vera, Jenny Chin, my sister-in-law Yin Yin,  Pae Kyaw Fritter vendor Daw Si Si Cho and U Michael.

Best, Ron

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What food adventures have you had lately? Send us your pics or recipes!

Food Talk: Holy Basil!

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Private VIP Lounge of Q Bar

I often get my brain picked on for my expertise with exotic drinks from various Asian regions; whether with modern-global touches or with traditional roots. This time, I asked two renowned bars and their mixologists for their favorite herbal concoctions.

One of my favorite spots when I am in Bangkok is the Q Bar. This recipe is courtesy of “Travelin Matt”.

Thai Basil by Travelin Matt

Ingredients:

• 4 lime wedges
• 2 teaspoons brown sugar
• 2 oz vodka
• Fresh watermelon
• Fresh Basil (4-5 Leaves)
• Ice Cubes
• Sprite to top off

Instructions:

1. Muddle Brown Sugar and lime first
2. Muddle watermelon
3. Add basil leaves (no muddle)
4. Add vodka
5. Add ice cubes
6. Top off with sprite or 7-up
7. Stir strongly (Mojito Style)
8. Garnish with basil leaf and watermelon wedge
9. ENJOY!

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Green with envy, the Green Delilah

Here is another recipe using Thai Basil recommended by our friend, Pauline Nguyen hailed from her much celebrated Lily Cocktail Bar, in New South Wales, Australia. 

Green Delilah by Dee Stewart of Lily Cocktail Bar

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 ounce vodka
• 1 ounce apple liqueur
• small bar spoon of lime marmalade
• 8-10 basil leaves
• 1/2 ounce lemon juice
• 1/2 ounce pineapple juice

Instructions:

1. Muddle leaves in marmies (marmalade)
2. Add everything else
3. Shake it like a polaroid
4. Strain into a martini glass
5. Garnish with a spring of Thai basil

For an art benefit of 250 guests in the Hamptons,  we made one of our simple signature drinks, the Rangoon Cooler.

Rangoon Cooler

Ingredients:

• 5 holy basil or thai basil leaves 
• Juice of medium lime
• 1/2 ounce simple syrup
• 2-1/2 ounces vodka

Instructions:

1. Place five basil leaves in a mixing glass.
2. Squeeze the lime into the glass.
3. Press down on the leaves with a muddler and twist 4 to 5 times.
4. Fill glass three-quarters of the way with ice cubes.
5. Add the simple syrup and vodka.
6. Give the glass a good shake and strain into a cocktail glass.
7. Float a piece of the muddled basil leaf on the top as a garnish.

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How do you like to use basil or your favorite herb? Let us know!

Food Talk: Away from the Big Apple; From Farm to Table

When my friend Alan Adelson invited me to his house in the Catskills for dinner to talk about his new documentary film project, we didn't hesitate.    

Gallery and Art Studio of Turquoise barn

Thursday night after work on MTA train to Poughkeepsie takes me and my partner to the heart of the Hudson Valley, where we picked up a rental car. 

For the next three days, we had enjoyed very much being vegan with the abundance of fresh farm grown vegetables to varieties of melons in the rolling hills by the Hudson Valley. 

We stayed at an organic vegan B&B in the western Catskills.  Early morning breakfast consists of tofu "scrambled eggs" with corn and freshly picked berries and a glass of kale smoothie, with granola and blueberries.  One morning our aromatic tea concoction was a blend of purple sage, mint and calendula

. 

Fresh picked August plums and peaches

More in the area:

Graham and Co 
Organic and vegan dish with thin crust pizza on weekends.

Table Onten
Newly opened this year with 20 rooms and swimming pool to cool off.

Fieldstone Farm (4236 County Highway 18, Delhi, N.Y.)
The Rama family operated The Cattle Exchange-breeding, buying and selling cattle. Fieldstone Farm Black Angus beef brings their expertise and love of great-tasting beef together. 

Autumn Cafe (244 Main St, Oneonta, N.Y. 13820)

Rich Farm (13075 County Highway 18, Hobart, N.Y.)
Fresh, Cage-Free eggs available year round. 

On The Left Bank (4845 County Highway 18, Delhi, N.Y.)
Seasonal varieties of produce for your table, nurtured riverside on the Delaware's West Branch. 

Maplewood Farm (5700 County Highway 18, Bloomville, N.Y.)

Pure Maple Products
Share with us! What are your weekend trips and tips? 

Travel: Top 5 Favorite Hotels From My Traveling Years

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Haggling at a market in Baños, Equador

Luna Runtun (Ecuador)

Located at the entrance to the Amazon. The rooms are on a bluff seemingly floating in the cloud banks. Waking up to the sounds of Toucans and parrots in misty rainforest surroundings. After a 10-hour bus ride from Quito, this is a real treat.

Gorgeous view from the top

In Le Princess (Myanmar)

The magical serene surrounding here is one that you must be present to fully experience the charm and beauty of this place.  With magnificent views of the blue mountain ranges, stunning swathes of floating vegetation and awakening up to the sound of fish fluttering was not a bad place to spend my 40th birthday.

Hotel Maya (Malaysia)

The best breakfast ever! It simply blew me away.  The buffet selection had Eastern and Western treats; offering most of my favorite snacks such as mini curry puffs, pancake rolls with coconut palm filings and kayan with Pandan layer cakes.  They were all bite-sized so I can still watch my girlie figure.  The hotel spa’s hydrotherapy pools with water jets were a blessing after 22-hour flight.  The rooms were great and comfortable with views over looking the Petronas Towers and the vibrant skyline of the city.

Lush welcoming at the Hotel Maya

Uma by COMO Hotel (Paro, Bhutan)

No wonder they call Bhutan “The Small Kingdom Country”.  It is the Switzerland if the east with impeccable service that you wouldn’t want to leave.  The private villas offer spectacular breathtaking 360-degree views of the Himalayas.  The villas themselves are built with handmade wooden carving and textiles from local artisans mix in the traditional with the modern.

Taktsang Monastery (Tiger’s Nest) — Taktsang Trail, Paro, Bhutan

Mas de Torrent (Costa Brava, Spain)

A leisurely drive from the Northeast of Barcelona; Girona is one of most gastronomical city in the Catalan region; tastings of wild guinea fowl with chestnut and bacon to morsels of local mushrooms with garlic octopus, marinated sardines with olive oil and fresh anchovy montaditos. Mas de Torrent is a fully restored 18th century property with spacious room over looking the gorgeous beautiful gardens.

Recipe: Pickle Time!

From beets to okras, summer is the time to pickle your vegetables. Simply slice the vegetables paper thin, in shoe string sizes or in wedges which works well with cucumbers. Just add kosher salt, spices to any of these abundant vegetables – caraway to beets; and to carrots, chili; and cumin to cauliflower marries well. Within a few hours, the pickling process benefited from time in the brine - especially vegetables such as radishes, cucumbers and daikons. 

These pickled vegetables are a great treat on a hot summer after noon or served as hors d’oeuvres. They are delicious on a porchetta sandwich or with a sardine salad; it's a quick and easy way to make vegetables part of your lunch.  Not to mentioned bringing summer to your table on a cold winter day.

Calvin's Mustard Green Pickle

On a Burmese Lacquer Tray

One of my all time favorite is the easy green mango chutney recipe that my friend the late Copeland Marks wrote from his book on the Himalayan Rim. 

One of my childhood pickled recipes hail from Shan State in Myanmar is the Mustard Green Pickle that my cousin Calvin recently posted it on Facebook.  It is common in that part of the country to use pickle mustard greens to enhance hot noodle soup with pork broth and stir fry dishes. 

First, wash the mustard greens, approximately 2 lbs (the one with yellow flowers). Drain then chop to about 2-inch pieces. Then add half a cup of coarse sea salt. Mix well and let it sit for an hour. Then squeeze all the liquid out. Then mix half a cup of vinegar, mustard seeds, sesame seeds, fennel seeds and chili peppers. Stored in a glass jar or airtight container, it's good for a few months.

My good friend Eugenia Bone has a great recipe below from her new book, The Kitchen Ecosystem (Clarkson Potter 2014) coming soon!

Pickled Radishes

Makes 1 half-pint

Ingredients:

• 6 radishes, sliced very thin (1 heaping cup)
• 1 large shallot cut into eighths
• ½ cup vinegar
• ½ cup sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Place the vinegar, sugar, and salt in a small pot and heat over a medium low heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
2. Add the radishes and shallots.
3. Heat until the vinegar just begins to boil, and then remove from heat to cool.
4. Pack the radishes into the jar and refrigerate.
5. Allow the radishes to cure one week before serving. They hold for a few months in the fridge.

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Travel: My Top 5 Restaurants from Around the World

I have been traveling since I was 21 and I have always enjoyed eating the local cuisine wherever I visited.  I've had a lot of delightful and memorable meals; I only wish they were not always a continent away!

Chilean King Crab Ceviche Salad with Andes Corn

Here are my five favorite restaurants from the 50+ countries I have traveled to:

Aldea (Puerto Natales, Chile)

After traveling for 3 weeks and eating various fish stews (Chile’s National Dish); this unique restaurant blends the delicious flavors of the Mediterranean spices with great Chilean wine to pairs with.  You won’t easily find a place like this anywhere in the world.

Irene at Aldea Restuarant in Chile

L'Auberge de l'Ill (Illhaeusern, France)

Start with an aperitif in the garden with a peak abundance of roses and lilies then onto the dining room with its beautiful setting where dinner is best paired with Alsatian wine.  Their foie gras was orgasmic!  It’s a definitely like a 3-Michelin star restaurant to me.

Nyonyan and Baba (Singapore)

This restaurant was up the block from where I used to live for a few months in an old restored colonial house on the Emerald Hill Road and is full of ambiance with a real fusion of Asian cuisine.  Now in a new location.

Harmonique (Bangkok, Thailand)

This is one of my all time favorite restaurants, even though I have been to Bangkok a dozen times.  It is a traditional home restaurant situated near the river and is owned by three sisters.  My favorite dish is the steamed striped bass with chili and lime juice.  It’s fresh and deliciously simple amongst other Thai curries.

Yung Kee Restaurant (Central, Hong Kong)

The most amazing Roast Goose you will ever have that has been around for generations.  Don’t be surprised if you bump into your friends there; I do so every time I have lunch there.

King of Flowers

What I love about the month of May, besides it being the month of my birthday; are all the blooming plants and flowers.There are lots of exciting cheerful blossoms starting to show, as April showers bring May flowers!  My favorite May flowers are Peonies.  As spring approaches, I love watching the shoots sprout in my garden and always it amazes me when their delicate petals are in full bloom.

Orchid and Peony Bouquet by Saffron59

Just a hop on the subway or a train ride can put you in the feeling of a country side as the Brooklyn Botanical Garden or another outing favorite of mine that we do annually is to go to the Chanticleer Garden in Pa.  Our weekend trips to the Berkshires is botanical garden with full of different shapes and shades of peonies - from striking velvety burgundy to soft petal pink blossoms that just lift everyone’s spirits.  I love to create bridal bouquets with peonies, since this exquisite flower is a
symbol for nobility; and widely known in the imperial palaces of China as the “King of Flowers”.  I learned to know the name “Mao Dhan”, rather than Peony as a child growing up with my paternal grandmother, who is very traditional Chinese and shares the love of this gem of a flower with me.

Here are other great places to visit:

Duke Farms (Hillsborough, NJ) With free admission, this living habitat is privately owned by the Duke family who felt that New Jersey was too industrial and sought to build a refuge for nature by purchasing land and creating Duke Farms.

Hollister House Garden (Washington, CT) This beautiful garden will transport you to the English country-side, complete with Ivy-adorned cottages and hedges.  They also host events such as Rare Plant Sales.

Lovely Statue at Duke Farm

Holiday: Water Festival, Biggest Water Fight of the Year!

Did you know that every year around April, there’s a different New Year’s celebration known as The Water Festival?  Southeast Asian countries such as Burma, Cambodia, Laos, India, Thailand as well as Yunnan, China celebrate this multi-day holiday.  In Burma, (where I’m from) the New Year’s celebration is called Thingyan; for Thailand, Songkran; for Cambodia, Chaul Chnam Thmey.  Depending on which country they’re from the festival dates vary, but they all have one thing in common-The Water Festival.

  Irene Being Doused with Water in Her Home Town

Everyone take part in the festivities with traditional water-throwing activities; going to pagodas or temples for worship and blessings; and sharing communal meals. Water is a symbol of not only cleanliness but also auspiciousness.  A belief that the celebration of the
water festival will wash away evils and sins accumulated in the old one and prepare for the new one, bringing the people into a happy and peaceful new year.

   Water Festival - Yangon, Myanmar

No one is safe from a good drenching since this occurs during one of the hottest time of the year!  In their celebratory moods, strangers will splash or pour water at each other.  Also, during this time of the year, one of the activities will be the cooking of vast amounts of sticky rice with roasted coconut and toasted sesame over an open fire.  It is a strenuous task where the sticky rice must be soaked over night and the ingredients has to be stirred continuously.  It is a community affair; where all the people in the village will get pitch in and make offerings to monks and visitors alike.