Back from Asia!

March was a bit of a bust on the blog - sorry about that! Jamie and I took a two-week trip to Southeast Asia to visit friends in Bangkok and Hong Kong and also stopped at the beach in Railay and in Cambodia. It was amazing! We ate so well and had the best time exploring. I promise I'll be better at posting, and I have some garden info coming later this week. For now, below are some of the pictures from our trip.

Cocktails at Sirocco our first night in Bangkok - amazing view! 

Chez Wong, Lima

Chez Wong is an amazing restaurant in Lima. If anyone is going to Lima, or knows someone who is, make a reservation here! You'll have to speak Spanish and make the res about a month in advance. It's in the middle of no where in Lima at an unmarked door. The decor is very simple - mostly clips about the chef, Javier Wong. He is so cool. He comes out in his hat and just starts to filet flounder after flounder and making fresh ceviche. 

Peru!!!

Jamie and I fly out to Peru tonight! I cannot wait. I've wanted to go to Machu Picchu ever since I did a report on the "Incredible Incas" in 4th grade. We'll be spending the next week wandering around Cusco, hiking up to Machu Picchu, and eating everything in Lima (we're going to three restaurants that are supposed to be amazing - Astrid y Gaston, Maido, and Chez Wong). This does mean I will be taking a hiatus next week, but I'll be back June 2.

Happy Memorial Day!

Tokara

Is that not the prettiest salad you've ever seen? That was my appetizer at Tokara in Stellenbosch outside of Cape Town. I already knew their wine was amazing (my favorite is the Director's Reserve Red), but the food was fab too.

This is a shot from the Vinotec (wine library)

And the incredible view

Cape Town Bound!

I am off to one of my very favorite places in the world - Cape Town! I cannot wait. Posts will be on hold for a week or so while I am staying at the lovely One&Only and visiting wineries and eating at the best restaurants and stopping by old haunts (Forries).

Fresh Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

I was lucky enough to visit the stunning One&Only Palmilla for work a few weeks ago. It's such a beautiful spot, and the food is really incredible. We peeked into the kitchen at Market one afternoon and saw Sean, the pastry chef, create this beautiful dessert that consisted of mint ice cream, made that morning with mint picked in the herb garden, topped with dehydrated chocolate mousse, these pretty flowers, and some chocolate shavings. Basically, the fanciest mint chocolate chip ice cream around. It was amazing.

I've been dreaming about it. It inspired me to make my own fresh mint chocolate chip ice cream. I used this recipe from Isaac Mizrahi on Epicurious. Yum! It has a completely different flavor than store bought mint chocolate chip ice cream, more akin to a mojito. It's such a treat, and if you have an ice cream maker, I highly recommend it. Also, the chocolate chunks can be as big and as good a brand of chocolate as you want.

Ingredients:

6 lark egg yolks

3/4 cups sugar

2 cups whole milk

2 cups fresh mint leaves, loosely packed

1 cup heavy cream

4 oz semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

4 oz bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (I used Cote d'Or 86% - I looove Cote d'Or)

Back!

We got back from India early Saturday morning after a looong flight. What an incredible trip! After 16 days, we never got sick of the food and I now love Indian food even more than before. It was so fun to try all of the new dishes and the difference between north and south was huge. Heavy curries in the north and lots of fresh, grilled seafood and coconut in the south. Yum!

We took a cooking class in Kerala with this great woman, Nimmy, so I will definitely be making some of those dishes soon!

Meanwhile, here are some pictures of food just to make everyone jealous and hungry...

 Fish mongers in Cochin

Restaurant that cooks the fish across from the fish mongers, so good!!

Greece

Greece was SO much fun. I had the best, best time. To excuse my break in blogging, please find some fun pictures below! Hope everyone else has some great summer travels in the works...

 Cliff jumping

 Dinner at Drakos Fish Taverna in Ios

 4th of July fun

Happy March!

Sorry for the lack of posts recently - Jamie and I were in Hawaii for our friends Bryce and Maria's wedding. It was so much fun and beautiful.

And for a little foodie bit, if anyone's ever in Oahu you've got to stop at Leonard's for Malasadas (a delicious, sugar covered donut) and stop at Romy's on the North Shore for some garlic butter shrimp - yum!

Leonard's Malasadas - thanks Rachel!!

 Romy's in Kahuku

Cisco Brewery

I was in Nantucket two weekends ago and stopped at Cisco Brewery - a local brewery on the island (which is also a distillery and a vineyard). It's out by Bartlett Farms and is surrounded by farmland. It was a sunny May day and all the locals were there with their dogs. We did the beer tasting - so much fun. We tried 10 different beers, all served in mini beer steins. My favorites were the Whale Tail Pale Ale and the Grey Lady wheat beer. (Whale Tail Pale Ale is now available in a lot of Whole Foods.) I knew Jamie would like the Bailey's Blonde Ale - a really hoppy variety - so I brought him home a growler as a souvenir. Some people did the wine tasting which was cool too with creative blends like Pinot Gris with cranberry. If you find yourself in Nantucket, this is a great way to spend an afternoon! (Also, stay at the White Elephant Cottages! I'm biased, but they're super cute and right near town.)