Eat Real Festival - Jack London Square, Oakland, California

Chairman Bao. Abodo Hobo. The Creme Brulee Cart. Curry Up Now. Seoul on Wheels.

These are places serve tasty food? They sound more like bedtime stories that Alton Brown and Julia Child were read by their foodie-minded guardians.

My senses were overwhelmed this past Friday and Saturday as I joined thousands of other foodies at the Eat Real Festival in Jack London Square in Oakland. This food fest was created to celebrate real, wholesome food. It's as simple as that; there was a special emphasis in street food, local and sustainable foods, and urban homesteading.

I went on Friday with my parents and it was great but we found out that another section would be opening on Saturday. So, I returned again, this time with my friends Kim and Matt.

The festival had some guidelines. Each vendor had to feature ingredients that were locally grown or organic and each item had to stay below 5 bucks. This means I could take my time and figure out what plates I wanted to indulge my taste buds in, while eating wholesome, eco-friendly food. That's a win, win for me, the foodie, and the world.

 I guess the word had gotten out about the festival. By noon Saturday, it was packed like a sardine can. One of the huge hits was by Gerad's Paella.

We waited in a 45 minute line to get the Spainish, saffron-infused rice, too bad we didn't have a fast pass.

I think that swimming pool of a pan was enough of a crowd pleaser, but then add in the wafts of simmering seafood, and chicken and you got a foodie magnet.

 Can I just say how obsessed I am with food trucks? I really love 'em. Not only do they have great food but I really like the idea behind them. Take a whole restaurant complete with chefs, wait staff, management, industrial sized kitchen, tables, chairs, plates and who knows what else? And scale that down to a movable truck with a 16 foot kitchen which can drive straight to the customers. Because there is no physical building with rent, wait staff, tables and chairs,  food can be more reasonably priced without cutting food costs. 

Chefs still had the culinary creativity but sometimes lacked the monetary means of having a full on restaurant, instead they put all their ideas and means into a movable, personable food truck. They used the best tools to advertise too. Food trucks take advantage of  Facebook, Yelp, and Twitter to build their clientèle.

Let's take Curtis Kimball, for example. The former carpenter started to make creme brulee and sell them out of the back of his bike basket in San Francisco. By word of mouth, the secret of fresh, tasty and reasonable creme brulee got out. He posted where he was on Twitter and the rest is history. Over 13,000 people are following him and are obsessed with his burnt sugar desserts. Now that is a cool way to use technology. His creme brulee was creamy, the perfect consistency with a nice crunchy layer of caramel on top.

The food truck featuring my theme of the day

All things food trendy were present of course. This cart dappled in the up and rising trend of molecular gastronomy- the science dealing with the chemical properties and physical traits of the ingredients that occur during cooking. They were making ice cream via liquid nitrogen. It freezes the cream, sugar and milk into particles that are much smaller than a conventional machine. This yields a creamier texture and they fat to liquid ratio can be reduced. Oh good.

Now, what else did I have to eat? Those of you who know me, know that I am horrible at decisions. I have over 100 vendors to choose from. Great. Well, here's some of the things that we tried.

Higos Figs from Whole Foods. Grilled farm fresh figs served with a balsamic reduction, goat cheese, and Marcona almonds. This was the perfect dessert for a hot summer night. The cheese and balsamic played off the sweet, seedy figs and the whole dessert was brought together with the crunch of the roasted almonds.

Nun Chuk Chicken Taco from King Fu Tacos. Marinated grilled Chicken, cilantro, onions, hoisin sauce and spicy carrot salsa. The flavors complimented each other perfectly. I wanted more and more and more.

Vegan vegetable samosa from Curry Up Now. To be honest, I prefer their Chicken Tikka Burrito. These were a little too greasy. However, the mint chutney was refreshing, cooling and bursting at the seams with flavor.

Korean chicken Taco from Seoul on Wheels. This was ok but I still prefer the Kung Fu tacos. Maybe more meat and less lettuce next time.

Look at all the flavors of creme brulee. mmmmm. These weren't from the creme brulee cart, mentioned earlier, but still great none-the-less.

This was the grand marnier version (Orange liquor). It was creamy, crunchy and had a power orange punch. I love the fact that they serve them in jars. I wonder instead of a ban marie they cook them stacked like jam jars. Genius, perhaps? I asked my mom to finish the last bite and she said "I can't I'll start to wheeze." I guess I got the allergic to alcohol trait from her.

I also had many samples of gelatos and ice creams, a perfect, not-too-sweet pecan pie, power, zesty pesto, chicken adobo which was a no-go, and more delicious food that if I mentioned my stomach would kill me. 

I am content with the food today, what a whirlwind of flavors. This is definitely a new tradition. Time to take a food coma.

Grilled Artichokes

My family went to Monterey and Big Sur for the weekend. Northern California beaches have so much character to them. They are much rockier and colder than their southern counterparts. There are always tide pools to be found, chalk full of hermit crabs, anemones, sea stars and sculpins. Ok, the sand might not be as soft or the sun not as hot...or even out at all, but the beaches of northern California has this adventurous spirit about them that I find appealing.

On our way home, we took a stop in Castroville, the Artichoke Capital of the World. Now, that is a huge claim to fame. They take this member of the thistle family very seriously. They even have an artichoke queen; the first one was none other than Marilyn Monroe. I told you, serious.

We grabbed a couple dozen and headed to a family barbecue in Redwood City. We had so much food: delicious ribs (my Uncle Nelson's specialty, the best I've ever had), tri tip, corn bread, classic potato salad, grilled eggplant, portobellos, and peppers, and corn rice. It was one of those times where I wish I had several extra stomachs and a plate the size of a trashcan lid.

I made some grilled artichokes which I hoped were on par with the rest of the food.

The Ingredients

5 medium sized artichokes

2 lemons

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons olive oil

salt

pepper

The Method

First thing is to prep the artichokes. First, pull off the bottom leaves. Then, cut the stem and top 1/4 of the artichoke off with a sharp knife.

With kitchen shears, cut the remaining thorns of the leaves. This is all done to make the artichoke easier to eat.

Steam the artichokes to par cook them for about 10-15 minutes until they are almost done. If you want steamed artichokes which is the more normal way of eating them, let them steam for about 20-45 minutes depending on size. If they are done, a knife will slide in and out of the heart pretty easily.

To make grilled artichokes, take them out early and quarter them. Scrape out the inedible choke with a spoon and set the quarters aside.

Squeeze the lemon juice into a bowl; mix in the minced garlic, olive oil, and some salt and pepper. Whisk this lemony vinaigrette together.

Toss in the artichokes and let them marinade for about 10 minutes if you can.

Place on the grill to finish cooking for about 4-5 minutes. You can also broil them in the oven to finish them if you would like to.

Eat them as you would a normal artichoke, scrape the fleshy part of the leaf with your teeth discard the leaf, and then eat the heart. This will serve around 8-10 people.

If you are making the steamed artichokes, remember to scrape out the choke with a spoon.Feel free to cut them in half or eat whole.

My favorite dipping sauce is mayonnaise or lemon juice and olive oil.

Recipe by Spencer Huey

Loaded Mash Potatoes

World, please meet Bethany. Bethany, the world.

Bethany is one of the most selfless people that I know; she is always willing to help others out in a pinch. She is a very wise person and I can always go to talk to her. Bethany goes to Indiana Wesleyan University which is a quick 37 hour trip away...depending on traffic. Some of her favorite things are chocolate and lots of it, jotting down random and funny quotes from people, following Jesus Christ and showing His love to all those around her and lastly, spuds, which brings us to today's post: Loaded Mash Potatoes.

Now some of you maybe asking what the heck are loaded mash potatoes? Imagine with me, creamy mashed potatoes with caramelized onions, flavorful leeks, and smoky, thick cut bacon. Starting to get hungry? Try this for dinner.

The Ingredients
4 pounds of red potatoes
1/2 pound of thick sliced bacon, cut into small strips
1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
3 small leeks (or 1 large), cut into thin half moons
6 cloves of garlic, minced
4 stalks of green onion, sliced
1/3 cup sour cream
1/2 stick of butter
1.5 cups milk
olive oil
salt and pepper






The Method
This is kinda like a family reunion of the Allium family: the leeks, the onion, the garlic, and the green onions. They blend so well with the creamy potatoes and we are using them in different forms. Like most families, they all bring different flavors to the party.

A note about the leeks if you have never used them before. Instead of forming a bulb like onions do; leeks form leaf layers and they taste like a refreshing mild onion. Since they grow up through sand, they are often pretty dirty. Slice off the bottom, and dark green leaves (these are too woody and tough). Make longitudinal slice so that you can wash the dirt out of the layers. Slice into thin half moons and you are good to go.

Set a large pot on medium high heat and throw in the potatoes. Pour in enough water just to barely cover them and sprinkle in some salt. Bring to a boil and then let them simmer until fork tender- around 30-40 minutes. Drain the potatoes but reserve about a cup of the cooking liquid and throw it back with the potatoes.

Meanwhile, as the potatoes are simmering, take a pan on medium heat and caramelize the onions with some olive oil and a pinch of salt. This will take about 25 minutes. Remember flavor equals color. When the onions are done, set them aside in a bowl.

Wipe out the pan, and set it back on the heat, cook the bacon until it just starts to get brown and crispy. Pour out most of the fat. Just think, all of that is NOT going into the potatoes. Throw in the chopped leeks and sweat them until they soften. Add the garlic and cook for another couple minutes.

Mash the hot potatoes with the sour cream, milk, butter, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, a tablespoon or so of salt and some freshly cracked pepper. Taste and season accordingly. Fold in the green onions, caramelized onions, leeks, bacon and garlic mixture and serve.

This makes a great side for family dinners and will serve around 8-10 spud lovers.Thanks Christine for taking pictures today.

French Onion Soup

Today I went to my best friend Nick's house.

We share the same passion for food; I usually just do more of the cooking but it doesn't bother me. I have known Nick since we were 12 and we became instantly attached at the hip. Nick is one of the most creative people that I know. Currently, he is studying film at Biola University which I visit so frequently that it's basically my second college...if that term exists. Speaking of college, one of his favorite dishes is French Onion Soup. The soup has few ingredients but has such a deep, rich flavor. This is not your quick and easy soup; it does take some time to caramelize the onions but your patience will be rewarded. I promise.

The Ingredients

8-9 large onions (combination of sweet, yellow and/or white)

3 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

1 cup white wine

4 cups beef broth

3 cups water

3 springs thyme

1 bay leaf

salt and pepper

The Method

I know exactly what you're thinking. "Golly Gee, that's a lot of onions!" You're right, there are a ton of onions. But I've found the more onions the more complex and the more rich the soup tastes.

The first step is to prep and slice all the onions. Start with a heavy chef's knife and slice off the top and bottom of the onion. Then slice the onion in half longitudinally. Peel the onion skin off and set the cut side down on the cutting board. Do this to all the onions. Prepare yourself to cry; it's equal to the amount of tears shed when Simba cries out to murdered Mufasa. Thinly slice the onions, they should be almost translucent.

I've heard all kinds of ways to stop the crying from onions from holding bread in your mouth to cutting by candlelight. Most have not really worked for me to be honest. The one solution I have found is that if you cut the onions underneath the hood from your stove it takes all the onions fumes up, up, and away from your eyes.

Melt the butter in a large pot on medium heat.

When the butter is melted, throw the onions in with a good sprinkling of salt. If there are too many onions for one pot, you can use two. Caramelize the onions until they are a dark brown. This will take about an hour and twenty minutes. They will greatly reduce in size and the flavors will intensify. You do not have to be constantly stirring but do keep a close eye on them and stir occasionally, especially when they start to turn brown. Brown is very close to black which means a charred onion soup.

Add the flour to the onions and cook for a few minutes. This will thicken the soup. Next add the white wine, broth, water, bay leaf and thyme.

Simmer the soup for about 20 minutes and serve.

Traditionally, this soup is served in crocks with a toasted Gruyere crouton. This time I took slices of bread and toasted them with Romano cheese. Nick and I were happy.

Red Velvet Truffles

Let me introduce to you my friend, Chelsea.

First, she is one of my best friends and I am so blessed to have her in my life. She is one of the most godly people I know; she strives to put Christ first in all she does. Second, she LOVES chocolate. The most important things to her in life are "God, then chocolate, then friends and family"; her words not mine. I would say that she is on par with my roommate, Kevin, who also share this passion for the stuff. One of my friends, Anna, told me about red velvet truffles and so we decided to make them. They are really easy to make and satisfied her craving for chocolate...well at least for the next hour.

The Ingredients

1 red velvet cake

8 oz. block of cream cheese

1/4 cup butter (half a stick)

1 cup powdered sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1lb semisweet chocolate

4 tablespoons milk

The Method

I know, I know. I hate processed food, too. I confess that I used a boxed cake mix. Honestly, I didn't want to make a red velvet from scratch only to smash the whole thing up. It saved a lot of time by using the box but feel free to make your own.

Let the cake cool until room temperature. With a fork, crumb the cake into, well, crumbs.

Next, make the cream cheese frosting which will act as the binder for the cake crumbs. Place the butter and cream cheese in another bowl. Use a mixer to cream the ingredients together. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and mix on low speed, otherwise your whole kitchen will have a layer of sweet snow all over it.

Mix the frosting in with the cake crumbs until it forms a dough.

Form golf ball sized balls and place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Chill them in the freezer for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, pour the chocolate and milk together in a bowl and melt it in a double boiler. The milk will prevent the chocolate from seizing up and getting grainy. Pull the red velvet truffles out of the freezer and dip them in the chocolate.

Let them sit in the fridge for about 10 minutes to allow the chocolate to harden.

Make sure you have a tall glass of milk on hand when you are ready to consume them.

This will make around 2.5 dozen red velvet truffles.