WEATHER REPORT
from a
birthday fête
incredibly
DELICIOUS
 |
| Under the Arbor |
It was a whirlwind 5 days in California, to celebrate Dad's, Aunt Sandy's, Hui Shu's, and Olivia's birthdays.
There was a lot shopping, a lot of traffic ( the 405 to the 101, the worst ever) arranging, preparing, cooking, talking, laughing, eating and drinking and fighting of course....it's the family.
Late * afternoon
DINNER
by the
pool
MOMOFUKU BO SSAM
SMOKED WILD KING SALMON
HEIRLOOM TOMATOES WITH MOZZARELLA AND BASIL
CHINESE RICE WITH SAUTEED VEGETABLES
SALAD
PEACH AND BLUEBERRY CRUMBLE
home grown
FIGS, GRAPES, PEACHES, APPLES
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| Peter doing the honors with his pork |
Bo Ssam with Ssam Sauce and Garlic-Scallion Sauce
(Momofuku, via The New York Times)
(we doubled this for our crowd of 22)
1 whole bone-in pork butt (8 to 10 pounds)
1 cup white sugar
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon kosher salt
7 tablespoons brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon kosher salt
7 tablespoons brown sugar
Place the pork in a large, shallow bowl.
Mix the white sugar and 1cup of the salt together, and rub all over
the meat.
Cover it with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for
at least 6 hours, or overnight.
When you’re ready to cook, heat oven to 300.
Remove any juices and place the pork in a roasting pan
and set in the oven
Baste hourly after the first hour with pan juices and
cook for approximately 6 hours, ( we did 8) until the meat pulls away easily with a fork
remove the
meat from the oven and allow it to rest for up to an hour.
meanwhile, make the sauces.
Garlic-Scallion Sauce
2½ cups thinly sliced scallions, both green and white parts
½ cup peeled, minced fresh ginger
¼ cup neutral oil (like grapeseed)
1½ teaspoons light soy sauce
1 scant teaspoon sherry vinegar
½ teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
Ssam Sauce
2 tablespoons fermented bean-and- chili paste (ssamjang, available in many Asian markets, and online)
1 tablespoon chili paste (kochujang, available in many Asian markets, and online)
½ cup sherry vinegar
½ cup neutral oil (like grapeseed)
In a large bowl, combine
the scallions with the rest of the ingredients. Mix well and taste,
adding salt if needed.
In a medium bowl, combine the chili pastes with the vinegar and oil, and mix well.
When your accompaniments are prepared and you are ready to serve the
food, turn oven to 500.
In a small bowl, stir together the remaining
tablespoon of salt with the brown sugar. Rub this mixture all over the
cooked pork.
Place in oven for approximately 10 to 15 minutes, or until a
dark caramel crust has developed on the meat.
Serve hot, with the
accompaniments.
Caramelization!
the pork was the best thing ever, unbelievably tender, with that sweet/salty crust and super for a crowd
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| Hui Shu's tomatoes |
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| my blueberry peach crumble with homemade whipped cream |
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| from the backyard orchards |
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| arbor grapes |
It was a beautiful party, family came from LA, DC, Detroit, NYC and Philly to celebrate with Dad. Peter and Hui Shu out did themselves, everyone visited, fêted and feasted
and was happy
*
and the next day it was drizzling
icing on the proverbial cake for every Californian
