Sunny Cove Chef
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Recipes
    • Appetizers
    • Cakes
    • Cookies
    • Desserts
    • German Food
    • Holiday Cooking
    • Ice Cream
    • Jam
    • Main Dish
    • Miscellaneous
    • Party Favorites
    • Pasta
    • Salad
    • Sauces
    • Seafood
    • Seasonal Cooking
    • Side Dishes
    • Soup
    • Vegan
    • Vegetables
    • Vegetarian
  • Food Philosophy
    • About
  • Wanderlust
    • Austria
    • Canada
    • France
    • Germany
    • Italy
    • Morocco
    • Sweden
    • Switzerland
    • USA

Vanilla  Sauce

9/28/2016

0 Comments

 
It's fall and I should be posting my pear tart recipe. Instead, I bought three beautiful baskets of delicious strawberries from my friend Ronald at the local farmer's market. They are so good that we ate half of them while listening to music during our weekly get-together at the market. Each Sunday when I am in town, I meet with some friends over lunch with at the market. It has become a lovely and relaxing Sunday ritual that I really enjoy.
Picture
The strawberries from Ronald are sweet with an earthy flavor. They are good just by themselves, but I thought I fancy them up a little with vanilla sauce. It is a simple and straightforward recipe, yet so delicious – and a healthy ending to any meal. My husband decided to grill a steak since the temperature reached over 90 degrees here on the Pacific coast. After a foggy and cold summer, this was a welcome respite.
Picture
Picture
Sunny Cove Beach
Vanilla sauce brings back memories from my childhood days. Almost every Sunday, we would have pudding for our Sunday lunch (which was dinner served at noon). We ate bread and spreads in the evening and called it Abenbrot, which literally means “the bread for the evening.” Our favorite pudding was Götterspeise  (translates as “the meal of the gods”) known as Jello here in the US. Jello is also called Wackelpudding, meaning that the pudding will wobble when touched or moved. Another favorite dessert of mine is rote Grütze (red fruit Jello). My mom  always would serve these puddings with vanilla sauce. I apologize for boring you with all of of this, but trust me, I have not thought of them for years. Maybe that’s why I like blogging, because it brings back so many memories. My sweet dad loved these puddings. He has been gone for so long, but I believe that chocolate pudding with vanilla sauce was his favorite. He was such a sweet and kind man.
Picture
Back to the sauce! It is light, healthy, easy to make with a velvety texture and creamy flavor. It will elevate any fresh fruit– strawberries, raspberries or simple puddings–to another level. You can make it in no time and be creative by serving a cookie on the side, some ice cream or whatever tickles your fancy. This time, I just sliced the strawberries and added some of the sauce. Enjoy!
Just in case you are longing for some apple or pear cakes, here is my well loved apple strudel cake, as well as a delicious chunky pear nut cake flavored with spices and juicy pears. Click on the  picture to get the recipe.
Picture
Picture
The sauce is made in about 15 minutes. There is only one trick to it: Do not let it come to a boil because it will curdle and ruin your sauce. The sauce was plenty sweet enough for me, but you could add another tablespoon of sugar for those who have a sweet tooth. This sauce is thick and creamy, resembling a runny custard.
Print Recipe
Ingredients​

3 egg yolks
4 TBS sugar
1 TBS corn starch 
2 ½ cups of milk 
1 vanilla pod
Directions

Mix the egg yolks, sugar and cornstarch with a metal whisk in a heavy medium-sized pot. Cut the vanilla pod in half and scrape the seeds out and add it all to the mixture. Slowly add the milk, whisking the sauce most of the time over medium heat, until the mixture thickens. Turn off the heat and continue to cool in the pot, whisking occasionally. Remove the vanilla pod and put the sauce into a container in the fridge until ready to serve. 
​
​

Guten Appetit!
recipe©Sunnycovechef
0 Comments

Six Days In New York

9/19/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
Several decades ago when I first immigrated to the United States, I spent my first night in New York City. I was afraid of and fascinated by this amazing metropolis. While living on the East Coast, I visited a couple of more times but never stayed overnight. My first real visit was in 2002, when my husband and I stayed for a week. The wounds of September 11 were wide open and the city was slowly recovering.  After that, there were several more visits. ​​
Picture
The view from our window on the 48th floor of our hotel
We arrived after a 5-hour flight from San Francisco. The flight was not pleasant, but I managed to get through it by reading Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali. Our book club chose this fascinating book for our next meeting. After checking into our hotel, we found a small French restaurant in our neighborhood and had a pleasant meal. It was nice to watch the locals and tourists alike.
Picture
Washington Square
Day 2
​

I packed this day full of outdoor walking activities because there was a tropical storm warning for New York. We took the subway to have a cronut at Dominique Ansel Bakery in Soho. Imagine a marriage between a croissant and a donut.  If you like to learn more, click here. The lines were not long and we walked out with our boxes of goodies 10 minutes later. Of course, I had to add a salty caramel eclair to my bag. The cronuts only made it to the next bench in a little park, where my husband and I inhaled them. They were delicious.  
Picture
Picture
The cronut at Dominique Amsel's Bakery
Picture
Having to walk off some extra calories, we continued walking to Washington Square and then took a taxi to Eataly where we had lunch. Eataly is a foodie's paradise. If you want Italian crafted eats, you will find it all: fresh house made pasta, cookbooks, homemade gelato, great prosciutto and a strong cup of Lavazza expresso. There are several restaurants to choose from. We had lunch at the fish counter. I had a tasty octopus salad and my hubby had the best little flatbread ever (they called it a pizza). It was divine, filled with mozzarella and then topped with clams. The couple next to us ordered delicious looking grilled razor clams and oysters. ​
In the afternoon, we walked the High Line, a linear urban park built atop a mile-and-half-long stretch of abandoned railroad track. This is a great walk where you can catch a glimpse into the private lives of the New Yorkers from above. We had dinner at Rue 57, a restaurant with memories for us, as we have eaten here on every visit. This time we enjoyed an outside table, where we ate a small meal.
Picture
A walk on the High Line
Day 3
​

I went to Brooklyn to visit my blogger friend, Suzanne. She has a wonderful blog called a ”apuginthekitchen.com". We had a nice lunch in one of Brooklyn's neighborhood cafes  and then went to the local flea market. It was fun to feel like a local. Thank you, Suzanne, for the lovely tour. For dinner that night, I made a reservation at Daniel's Boulud Bistro BD Moderne:www.dbbistro.com/nyc/”  It was the best meal we had in New York. The service, the attention to detail, and the food was all outstanding. I didn't take any photos. because I wanted to enjoy this wonderful meal. For a starter, I had beets whipped with goat cheese, gooseberries and pickled shallots. For the main courses, my husband had duck confit with creamy polenta and I had braised Spanish octopus. It was the most tender octopus I have ever had. It was a perfect 10 as far as I am concerned. Our dessert was a molten chocolate fondant and the restaurant surprised us with a complimentary raspberry tarte. The whole meal was a real treat. I hope to go to more of Daniel Boulud’s restaurants in the future.
Picture
The Guggenheim
Day 4
​

It was Sunday, and with no rain or tropical storm in the forecast, we walked through Central Park and up Madison Avenue with all its fancy store fronts to the Guggenheim Museum. I love the layout of this museum and the collection of impressionist and post-impressionist art. I am sorry I didn’t make it to the new Whitney. We walked back to our hotel through a street fair and I had a German hot dog. It was good, but I have had better.  In the evening, we went to the Broadway show The Book of Mormon.  We both enjoyed it.
Picture
Central Park
Picture
Picture
Picture
Walking across the Brooklyn Bridge
Day 5 

It was Labor Day and we decided to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge on the pedestrian walkway. It is a wonderful stroll with awesome views of lower Manhattan and the New York Harbor. While walking to Brooklyn, I was thinking of lunch at the River Cafe. But because it was a holiday, they had finished the brunch menu and we couldn't get in. We took the ferry back to Manhattan and walked along Wall Street. We decided not to go to the 911 Memorial because they were too many people. Instead, we took the subway to the Chelsea Market. Being a holiday, it was so crowded that my husband and I could not enjoy it. We had a late lunch (or early dinner) at the Spotted Pig. We ate at the bar sharing a hamburger and french fries, which were delicious. For dessert, we walked to the BIG Gay Ice Cream shop to have a sundae. This is a very trendy place and the line was long. In the evening, we went to another Broadway show. We saw Aladdin, which is a fabulous Disney production. Disney remodeled the New Amsterdam Theater back to the days of the Ziegfeld Girls with its unique architecture and art nouveau style. I truly enjoyed my evening.
Picture
The Spotted Pig
Picture
Picture
Oyster Bar&Restaurant at Grand Central Station
Day 6
​

We decided to take it easy on our last day. We did a little shopping and my husband got to pick a restaurant for lunch. We had a huge lunch at the Grand Central Oyster Bar & Restaurant. This historic seafood place is located in the lower level of the Grand Central Terminal and has arched tile ceilings in a vintage setting. The restaurant serves two million bivalves a year.  I love to watch the oyster stew being cooked. I am sharing a recipe for the oyster stew from Ruth Reichl’s blog on my home page.
Picture
Picture
My girlfriend's son Max prepared a list of his favorite restaurants in New York. Thank you Max, this  list got a lot of approval from locals. ​
Ippudo Ramen
Momofuku
Momoya 
Joe’s Shanghai
Edie and the Wolf
Currywurst NYC
Big Gay Ice Cream
Le Gigot
Uncle Boons Thai
Frank NYC
Dominique Amsel Bakery
Eataly 
Xian Famous Foods
Babbo
River Cafe
Cafe Boulud
Grammy Tavern
The Spotted Pig
DBGB
Ai Fiori
Rouge et Blanc
Mission Chinese Vince Giordano at the Iguana Club every Monday and Tuesday night
0 Comments

Six Days in New York

9/19/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
New York  to me is quintessentially American. It is a vibrant city with many different cultures, life styles, and a rhythm of its own. As far as I can tell, there is nothing like it on our planet. Some people call it the Big Apple or the City that Never Sleeps. It has many different names and means different things for different people. We all have seen movies that have shown us the city like King Kong climbing the Empire State Building. My very favorite movie is "When Harry Met Sally" and Meg Ryan is moaning in Katz’s Deli. My claim to fame is seeing Robert De Niro in the River Cafe under the Brooklyn Bridge 14 years ago.
Picture
I spent six beautiful days in New York, exploring the city. I ate, I walked and I ate again.  Find out  about my adventure on my Wanderlust blog, Click here .
Ruth Reichl, the former editor of Gourmet magazine and a native New Yorker, posted a recipe of the oyster stew served at the Grand Central Oyster Bar & Restaurant in New York on her blog. We had lunch there on my last day in New York. Click here for the recipe.
0 Comments

A German-American Potato Salad

9/2/2016

0 Comments

 
​Perfect for Picnics & Parties
​

This potato salad is one of my favorite recipes—I created every bite of it myself. So, if you don't like it, you have only me to blame. I have used this recipe for decades, and it’s perfect for picnics, large parties or any small gathering. There is no mayonnaise, so it won't go bad if left out on the table for awhile. When I have a large summer party, I usually make this salad (or my Chinese noodle salad), both go well with salmon, chicken or any other protein. It makes a stunning presentation.
Picture
This salad has several components. I use small white potatoes that I steam, and then add some steamed green beens and radishes. Pickled onions or pickled carrots are delicious as well. You can let your imagination and taste buds run wild. Shortly before serving, I arrange everything on a large bed of mixed lettuce. Many moons ago, when I was snooping around kitchens in Germany, a farm woman told me to slowly heat up the vinaigrette—and that's what I've been doing ever since. ​
If you make this, I hope you enjoy it as much as my friends and family have. ​
German-American Potato Salad Recipe
All these ingredients are approximate. I made my last batch using fingerling potatoes. Other small potatoes are also good (especially when you feed a large crowd) because fingerlings can be expensive. When I use larger potatoes, I use Yellow Finns  or German Butterballs which I did a couple of weeks ago. More dressing is needed when using larger potatoes.

Here are some important things to remember :
​

Use firm white potatoes (russet potatoes are not good for this). 
When you use larger potatoes, you need more dressing because these kind of potatoes absorb more dressing.
Steaming the potatoes and beans makes for a better salad.
The amount of vinaigrette depends on the texture of the potatoes. Sometimes, I double the vinaigrette so that I have some extra if needed. You will have quite a bit of leftover vinaigrette if do this. Extra vinaigrette will keep in the fridge and is good for different salads.
I keep everything in separate bowls and assemble the salad before serving. 
I use different grainy mustards
Print Recipe
Ingredients


2 lbs. yellow potatoes
1 lb. green beans (the skinnier the better)
2 cups mixed greens
3-4 TBS chopped cornichons (small pickles)
2 TBS chopped chives
sweet peppers and radishes for garnish
coarse sea salt 


Vinaigrette


½ cup olive oil
1/3 cup red wine vinegar 
1 cup finely chopped red onions
1 ½ tsp. mustard
½ tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp fresh ground pepper
1+ TBS cornichons (pickle) juice
Directions


While the potatoes are steaming, put the oil, vinegar and mustard in a small, heavy pot. Mix well and add the onions. Very slowly, warm the vinaigrette until it is hot (but not boiling). Add sugar, salt and pepper while the vinaigrette is heating up.

Wash and steam the potatoes in a covered pot for 20-30 minutes, depending on the size of the potatoes. Test for doneness with a sharp paring knife. Do not overcook the potatoes. Peel the potatoes while they bare still hot. Use a fork to hold the potatoes, while peeling them with a paring knife. Put the potatoes in a bowl and pour 3/4 of the vinaigrette over the potatoes. Mix gently so that all potatoes are covered with the vinaigrette. You might have to add some extra. Cover the bowl and keep it room temperature. 

I have kept marinated potatoes refrigerated for a day or longer. Steam the washed and trimmed green beans in a covered pot for 3-4 minutes. I love my beans al dente. When finished steaming, put the beans in a bowl of ice water. This way they will keep their nice, shiny green color. Dry them with a paper towel, put in a bowl and add some of the vinaigrette to the beans. Cover the bowl, and keep at room temperature if you are serving it the same day. Otherwise, refrigerate the beans. Before plating, taste the potato salad and add extra vinaigrette, salt and pepper if needed. Mix in the cornichons, juice and chives.


To assemble, put the lettuce on a large plate. Mound the potatoes in the middle of the plate, adding the beans around them. Decorate with radishes and sweet small peppers. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt. 




Guten Appetit!
recipe © Sunnycovechef
0 Comments
    Picture

    WELCOME TO SUNNY COVE CHEF

    Thank you for visiting my blog.  My two passions are cooking and traveling. Traveling exposes me to a wide variety of food and experiences. I walk around cities looking for markets, restaurants, bakeries, shops, you name it, and if it is related to food you will find me there, tasting, smelling, talking to vendors, and having a great time.

    ​
    If you  have tried any of my recipes, snap a photo and tag me @sunnycovechef I'd love to see your creations!​


      ​STAY UPDATED!

      Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.
    Subscribe

    Categories

    All
    Appetizers
    Austria
    Cakes
    Canada
    Cookies
    Desserts
    France
    German Food
    Germany
    Holiday Cooking
    Ice Cream
    Italy
    Jam
    Main Dish
    Miscellaneous
    Morrocco
    Party Favorites
    Pasta
    Salad
    Sauces
    Seafoods
    Seasonal Cooking
    Soup
    Stories
    Sweden
    Switzerland
    USA
    Vegan
    Vegetables
    Vegetarian
    Wanderlust

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    August 2022
    July 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    April 2013

     
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Recipes
    • Appetizers
    • Cakes
    • Cookies
    • Desserts
    • German Food
    • Holiday Cooking
    • Ice Cream
    • Jam
    • Main Dish
    • Miscellaneous
    • Party Favorites
    • Pasta
    • Salad
    • Sauces
    • Seafood
    • Seasonal Cooking
    • Side Dishes
    • Soup
    • Vegan
    • Vegetables
    • Vegetarian
  • Food Philosophy
    • About
  • Wanderlust
    • Austria
    • Canada
    • France
    • Germany
    • Italy
    • Morocco
    • Sweden
    • Switzerland
    • USA