Author: reggiesoang

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Recipes

Pizza!

(Pizza, with Habanero Peppers, and Kale Pesto, by Reggie Soang)

We worked hard over the weekend cooking! We’ve made tomato sauce, kale pesto, and learned how to bake…now let’s put it all together!

For the latest COVID – 19 Home Cooking Series, I present you:

Pizza

Ingredients:
For the Pizza Dough
500g AP Flour
10g Salt
5g Yeast
2 Tablespoon EVOO
350g water
More EVOO for Greasing the Baking Pan

For the Toppings:
Shredded Mozzarella, as much as you like to put on
2 pcs Habanero Peppers ( or Scotch Bonnet), thinly sliced
1 Cups/8 oz. Tomato Sauce
Kale Pesto, as much as you like to put on

*Give yourself at least 4 to 6 hours for the dough to proof.

  1. Mix AP Flour, salt, and yeast. Add Water and 2 Tablespoon EVOO to the dry goods. Mix to combine. You don’t have to knead the dough at all! Just leave it on the counter at room temp, and then it will proof nicely.
  2. After 4 to 6 hours, turn your oven to 450F.
  3. Grease up your baking vessel with generous amount of EVOO to cover. The oil will help creating a crust.
  4. Once the dough is proofed, gently fold it over few times to smooth out surface. Lay the dough into the baking pan (deep dish cast iron, or any dish that conducts and holds the heat well) and let rest for another 45 minutes.
  5. Use your fingers (WASH YOUR HANDS FIRST) to stretch the dough to the edge, and then add your toppings.
  6. I started with tomato sauce, and then followed by adding cheese, and sprinkled on thinly sliced habanero peppers.
  7. Bake your pizza in the oven for 20 minutes at 450F oven. Let rest and cut into slices.
  8. Spoon on some of the kale pesto that we made over the weekend…Bon Appetit!
Categories
Recipes

Buttermilk Pancakes

(Buttermilk Pancake, by Reggie Soang)

This is the recipe I use to feed my staff at work. We love this recipe and it works every time!

For the latest COVID – 19 Home Cooking Series, I present you :

Buttermilk Pancake

Ingredients:
2 Cup (275g) AP Flour
2 teaspoon (6g) Baking Powder
1 teaspoon (4.5g) Baking Soda
1 teaspoon (4g) Salt
4 Tablespoon (50g) Sugar
2 Large Eggs
2 Cups (410g) Buttermilk
2 Tablespoon Butter, Melted
More butter for cooking!

  1. Add the dried ingredients together
  2. Whisk eggs and buttermilk together in a separate bowl. Slowly drizzle in butter and whisk to combine
  3. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir to combine. Let rest for 15 minutes, and the lumps will start to disappear.
  4. Heat a non-stick skillet at medium high heat and melt some butter.
  5. Ladle your batter into skillet and cook the first side until you see the bubbles on top are set. Gently flip pancake over to the other side and cook until it feels a little bouncy when you press the middle.
  6. Do this for rest of the batter. To keep pancakes warm, cover pancakes with paper towel and leave them in the oven on the lowest setting (usually 200F).
    When pancakes are ready…sky is the limit on how you serve it! Bon Appetit!
Categories
Blog Recipes

Poached Eggs and English Muffins


(Poached Eggs, English Muffins, Taylor Ham, Spicy Tomato Sauce, and Kale Pesto, by Reggie Soang)

A simple brunch egg dish to start off your weekend right!

For the latest on COVID – 19 Home Cooking Series, I present you:

Poached Eggs and English Muffins, w/ Spicy Tomato Sauce and Kale Pesto

Ingredients:

Tomato Sauce:
1 Can (28 oz.) Canned Tomatoes
(You’d be able to use this sauce for other meals)
1/2 of a medium size onions, diced
12 Cloves fresh garlic
Salt, to Taste
1 Tablespoon of dried chili (personal heat preference)
1/2 Cup EVOO

Kale Pesto:
1/4 Cup Pine Nuts
2 cloves Fresh Garlic
1 Cup EVOO
7g Salt, just less than 1 Tablespoon
1 Bunch of Kale
1 & 1/2 Cup Grated Parmesan

1 English muffins, split in 2, buttered
2 pcs Taylor Ham
2 Eggs
White Vinegar

  1. In a medium pot, gently cook your onions and garlic with olive oil until soft. Add canned tomatoes and simmer until thickens (this could be done well ahead, or just use any red pasta sauce you have on hand)
  2. To make Kale Pesto, use a food processor to blitz pine nuts and garlic first until fine, add kale and pulse until the greens have been finely chopped. Slowly drizzle olive oil into the food processor with motor running. Adjust the amount of oil for consistency.
  3. Add grated parmesan and salt for seasoning.
  4. To cook taylor ham, use a non-stick skillet and turn the heat up to medium. Slash few cuts around the ham to help cook evenly. Cook taylor ham until crispy on the edge. Remove and set them on paper towel to drain off excess fat.
  5. Maintain the heat at medium, put the buttered side of English muffin down in the skillet and toast until fragrant and browned.
  6. To poach your eggs, maintain your pot of water at simmer (in between 80 to 90 Celsius if you have a thermometer). Add a splash of vinegar to help egg whites coagulate. Use a whisk to create a gentle tornado in the center of the water and drop your eggs in. Set a timer for 3 minutes.
  7. To check doneness of poached eggs, gently poke around the edge of the yolks; if the whites are little bouncy, then the eggs are done. (3 to 3 minutes and 15 seconds cooking time is usually my sweet spot)
  8. To Serve, put Taylor hams on toasts, scoop some tomato sauce onto hams, and put the eggs on top. Spoon some kale pesto onto eggs and sprinkle some black pepper if you’d like. Drizzle some olive oil around, and voila. Bon Appetit!
Categories
Blog Recipes

Orange Flourless Chocolate Cake…Saving AP Flour for Pancakes

(Orange Flourless Chocolate Cake, Pomegranate, White Chocolate Ice Cream, and Brown Butter Solids, by Reggie Soang)

I need my chocolate…and to prolong my indulgence in Chocolate, I made it into a cake without flour, how about that gluten free diet? This one is for you!

For the latest on COVID – 19 Home Cooking Series, I present you:

Orange Flourless Chocolate Cake
Serves your family

Ingredients:
170g (1 & 1/2 Stick) Unsalted Butter
170g Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
220g (1 Cup + 2 Tablespoons) Sugar
Zest of 1 Orange
4 Eggs
2 Yolks (save the whites for Macarons!)
55g (1/2 cup)Cocoa Powder

  1. Preheat your oven at 350F and get out your 10-inch cake pan. (You could absolutely use other baking pan, mine was 13″ by 9″, so I doubled the recipe)
  2. Butter your baking pan, and lay a piece of parchment paper on it. Butter and flour your parchment paper.
  3. Set up a double boiler, and melt chocolate and butter in it. Whisk to combine.
  4. Once the chocolate and butter are melted, add sugar and orange zest. Whisk to combine. Take it off the heat.
  5. Combine your eggs and whisk. Now…carefully adding 1 ladle at a time (about 2 oz.) of warm chocolate to your eggs and whisk to combine. Do this few times until your eggs are lukewarm. You will use about half of the chocolate mixture. We call this technique TEMPERING, which is to bring up the temperature of the eggs so they won’t scramble when combined with hotter liquid.
  6. Once your eggs are warmed up, add them back to the chocolate mixture. Whisk to combine.
  7. Sift cocoa powder into the chocolate and stir to combine with a rubber spatula.
  8. Pour your batter into the cake pan and place your cake inside a water bath. To set up a water bath, use a pan large enough to fit your cake pan and pour hot water until water level reaches half way to the cake pan. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, and check for doneness.
  9. To check for doneness, insert a skewer. You should hear a crack at the surface, and there will be some chocolate clinging to your skewer…THIS IS NOT THE USUAL CLEAN-SKEWER TEST.
  10. Let cool, and use your knife to run around the pan to release the cake. Put a tray that is big enough to cover the cake pan and flip the cake over. Do this again with a cutting board. Now you are ready to slice.
  11. Run your knife under hot water to help you slice through the fudge-like flourless chocolate cake.
  12. Now…sky is the limit on how you’d like to serve it!
Categories
Recipes

Puttanesca…because I Have Olives

(Puttanesca w/ Shaved Broccoli, Kale, and Boquerones, by Reggie Soang)

Isn’t there an “olive theory” going on in romance? Well…let’s put that to rest…make puttanesca with it. Just kidding…but for real, olives and anchovies, sounds like a winner!

For the latest on COVID – 19 Homecooking Series, I present you:

Puttanesaca with Shave Broccoli, Kale, and Boquerones
Serves: 2

Ingredients:
200 g AP Flour ( about 1 and 1/2 Cup)
* You could absolutely use dried pasta. As matter of fact, the more traditional dish is made with spaghetti. 
2 Eggs
1/8 Cup EVOO
10 pcs Fresh Garlic Cloves
1 can Anchovies (comes in 2 oz. usually)
1 can (14 oz) Tomato Sauce
1 & 1/2 Cup Chopped Olives (I used cocktail olives)
4 pcs B&G Pickled Hot Cherry Peppers (buy one jar now! incredibly useful!)
1 good handful of fresh oregano (you could substitute with basil, parsley, or tarragon)
1/4 Cup red wine (optional)
1/2 Cup Kale, chopped
1/4 Cup Broccoli, shaved
2 pcs Boquerones (white anchovies)

  1. To make fresh pasta, make a well with flour on your kitchen table and put two eggs in the middle. Slowly bring together the flour and eggs with your forefinger and middle finger, whichever hand you prefer. 
  2. When the flour and eggs are combined, start kneading the dough in north-south direction. Fold, and knead…fold and knead. Once you have a smooth pasta dough, let rest for 30 minutes.
  3. Slice your garlic thin. Cut olives into halves or quarters. Seed and mince cherry peppers.
  4. Turn the stove to medium high and set up a medium pot. Add olive oil and wait until oil starts to shimmer. Add your garlic and turn your heat down to medium. Once garlic gets a little brown, add your anchovies. 
  5. Cook your anchovies until dissolved. Add oregano and cook until fragrant. Deglaze your pot with red wine, optional.
  6. Add the rest of the ingredients and bring everything to a boil, and then simmer until the sauce thickens. The sauce should be able to cling to your noodles. 
  7. To dress kale, sprinkle 1/8  teaspoon of salt and drizzle 1 Tablespoon of olive oil over kale. Wash your hands, and then crush kale with your hands until softened.
  8. Use your knife, cut broccoli into thin slices. Don’t throw away the crumbs, they could be mixed in with the noodles. Toss shaved broccoli with drizzles of olive oil.
  9. To finish the dish, roll your pasta out to second to last setting (my preference) and cut it into the width that you prefer. Cook your pasta until nice and chewy, drain, and mix in kale and puttanesca sauce. 
  10. Garnish your pasta with shaved broccoli and couple pieces of white anchovies if you fancy. (white anchovies, also called Boquerones, usually come in a plastic container rather than in a can. These anchovies are not salted, but marinated in flavored olive oil. They could be found in most of the supermarket near charcuterie section). 

Categories
Blog

Last 48 Hours

(My brother, sister-in-law, and two cute nephews, who’ve become naughty kids!)

I won’t repeat what is on the news…I will get to the point.

– Job creation has been on my mind for the last 48 hours. In 2020, I might be too late to the game. But after doing some readings, there have been 5, including COVID – 19, pandemics since 2002, starting with Coronavirus – SARS. These pandemics have happened 3.4 years apart on average. I am thinking our lives will be tested even more rigorously in the future if we don’t look ahead.

– What’s up with “not taking your life too seriously”?…now I might have finally understood it. There is a big…huge…ginormous (haha!) difference between caring and taking my life too seriously. I care about everything I do. But I have lived a good chunk of my life by taking it too seriously; my tunnel vision was from my own insecurity, ego, competitiveness, and loneliness. What good is it if what I learn, do, and speak can’t make me and you happy? When it’s all said and done, my health or livelihood is just as fragile as the person I either choose to love or hate.

– Be accountable…be accountable…and be accountable. If I can’t be accountable to my own health and happiness, who else is there to do it? I have found myself doing a few more probability problems since you know…the shit show; What’s my probability of getting sick if I were going out for a run ?(not too high). what’s my probability of getting up on time in the morning if I were to indulge in few more whiskeys than I should at night? (not high…I try to keep my alcohol consumption to minimal). What’s the probability of me getting others sick? (unknown…therefore, I need to be accountable in everything I do).

– Be responsible…be responsible…and be responsible. Know my personal finance in and out. I am only spending money on: groceries, books (might become an expandable purchase, but hopefully not), medicine, transportation, rent, and utilities.

– Staying connected. Be transparent with myself and my closest friends and family. I believe my family and friends should know about my health, as I’d like to know about theirs. I leave nothing to chance.

– Dig deep…real deep. For the ones who still have jobs…stay relevant. I dig deep into my experiences and think of as many ways as I could to prepare myself to get back to work. Work will be strenuous, recovery will be taxing, and the best way to prepare myself for long days ahead is to have all the arsenal ready within my reach.

– I am not ready to die, but I am not scared of death. I am doing everything I possibly could to continuously live a normal life. I know this world is a function of each individual, all 7.6 billions of us. If I do my part, then I have lived.

All in all, it’s been a shit show. But I ate, slept, ran, spoke to my friends and family, and made templates for work.

Categories
Bookshelf

2020 Books Read

The Shock Doctrine, by Naomi Klein
All the Presidents’ Pastries, by Roland Mesnier
Shoe Dog, by Phil Knight
The Calloway Way – Results & Integrity, by Charlie Field
Range, by David Epstein
Normal People, by Sally Rooney
Ego Is The Enemy, by Ryan Holiday
The Force, by Don Winslow
The Fifth Risk, by Michael Lewis
Bad Blood, by John Carreyrou
Pachinko, by Min Jin Lee
Just Mercy, by Bryan Stevenson
Go Set a Watchman, by Harper Lee
How to Be an Anti-Racist, by Ibram X. Kendi
To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
Omnivore’s Dilemma, by Michael Pollan
Home Game, by Michael Lewis
Free Food For Millionaires, by Min Jin Lee
Liar’s Poker, by Michael Lewis
Pelosi, by Molly Ball
Norwegian Wood, by Haruki Murakami
Stories of Your Life, by Ted Chiang
Eat a Peach, by David Chang
My Own Words, by Ruth Bader Ginsburg

 

 

Categories
Blog

Why Did You Choose to Become a Chef


(Scrambled Eggs, Shittake Mushroom, White Anchovies by Reggie Soang)

I am often asked about my reasons for choosing to work in the restaurant industry, and my answer has been the same and consistent…because I love cooking, and I have found the calling to become a cook because I wanted to learn how to do it better. However, I’ve never managed to reflect on my choice in depth because my job has consumed me, and I am also scared to find out if my choice had been unfitting…or worse, wrong.

I remember after watching a video on Gordon Ramsay making scrambled eggs, I thought to myself…I’d like to do that for my future wife and kids every Sunday, and most of the New Yorkers on Saturday Morning (I actually enjoy working a brunch shift…an inside joke for my fellow cooks and chefs). My sheer passion for cooking led me to put on a suit and headed into NYC for a job interview. 

Around the same time when I grew to be obsessed with all the Gordon Ramsay videos, I traced his work back to working for a chef, named Marco Pierre White. Chefs and cooks idolize Marco Pierre White because of his immaculate craftsmanship and relentless pursuit for Michelin stars. I was quickly drawn to an industry where aesthetic and taste of the food would be judged. In addition, growing up as an immigrant, I’ve battled identity crisis; therefore, it was easy for me to choose a job that could point me in the right direction and give me an identity…a chef, perhaps. 

I’ve also been drawn to work in the kitchen because I see the similarity of cooking and playing on a team sport. I liken prep to a practice, and service to a game. Every cook in the kitchen needs to participate in the prep, as players to a practice, and then executes, as the players to any game or match. A great kitchen works in sync to deliver delicious food in a timely fashion, as a great team plays with harmony with discipline. I’ve likened my job to being a professional athlete, who practices repetitively in order to perfect a scheme or move, as in my case, a menu or cooking technique. 

In addition, cooking allows me to stay connected to my closest friends. My closest friends helped me pave ways to start my own business. Though defunct, I’ve never deemed my business entirely a failure; I had my closest friends critiqued me and gave me fresh perspective on my food and services, and I believe I had learned valuable lessons on running a business from their support. 

My obsession with Gordon Ramsay’s videos had led me to work in the restaurant industry. For over a decade, my love for cooking hasn’t waned. Cooking is soul searching. Cooking is a team sport. Cooking develops leadership skills. Cooking helps me stay connected. However, the restaurant industry has drastically changed over the course of my career, and I’ve contemplated if my desire to cook in a restaurant has slowly diminished. Regardless, I came to work in the restaurant industry because I love eggs, I love team sports, and I love my friends.

Categories
Bookshelf

2017 Books Read

*Sunset Park by Paul Auster
Invisible by Paul Auster
*Moon Palace by Paul Auster
The Still Life of Woodpecker by Tom Robbins
*One Small Step Can Change Your Life; the Kaizen Way by Robert Maurer, Ph.D
The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen
*Man in the Dark by Paul Auster
Sophie and the Rising Sun by Augusta Trobaugh
*High Output Management – Story of Intel by Andrew S. Grove
*Thanks for the Feedback – Douglas Stone & Sheila Heen
*Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan
This is How You Lose Her by Junot Diaz
*The Letting Go E-book by Leo Babauta
*Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell
Travels in the Scriptorium by Paul Auster
Oracle Night by Paul Auster
Leviathan by Paul Auster
DotComSecret by Russell Brunson
The Time Machine by H. G. Wells
The Undoing Project by Michael Lewis
Drown by Junot Diaz
Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie
*Trevor Noah – Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
To Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway
Mr. Vertigo by Paul Auster
*Blink by Malcom Gladwell
Exactly What to Say by Phil M. Jones
*Memoirs of Geisha by Arthur Golden
*The Art of Eating In by Cathy Erway
*The Devil in the Kitchen by Marco Pierre White

*-books are highly recommended.

Categories
Blog

A Real Rock Star

 Mother Nature is a true rock star; it never ceases to inspire and teaches humility

With prominent leaders and chefs accused of sexual harassment, our restaurant industry is confronted with harsh reality of sexism and discrimination. To the chefs who have committed and condoned such wrongful behaviors (to that extent, what were you thinking?), you guys have got it all wrong when you became rock stars; a rock star’s got perspective, a rock star’s got respect for his craft and would do anything to protect it, last but not least, a rock star’s got to inspire the future generation, and you guys have failed in each of the category.

I worked in The Spotted Pig at the very early stage of my career. My culinary path was rather unusual in the beginning; I am a self-taught cook and I was trained in English and Italian cuisine, a somewhat overlooked style of schooling compared to the more popular French haute cuisine training. I consider myself to be fortunate to have worked with Chef April Bloomfield; she held high standard and her work ethic inspired me to work relentlessly; she was one of the rare celebrities who devoted herself to the restaurant entirely even after reaching stardom status. Unfortunately, The Spotted Pig has become a brewing ground for male industry leaders to harass female workers, as was told by several news articles.

Chef April’s apology for wrongful behaviors occurred in her restaurant have received wide range of responses; some accused her lack compassion and insincere in her statement, and some stood by her and showed sympathy for the unwanted attention that came with Ken Friendman’s negligence and abusive behaviors. As I took a hard look at myself in the mirror and reflected on being on the receiving end of scolding and humiliation in the kitchen, I realized that Chef April might have been blindsided and desensitized by the supposed rock star chef culture when she was cooking her way to the top. The culture of rock star chef stemmed from the 80’s when Marco Pierre White, arguably the very first celebrity chef, stormed the culinary scene as the youngest British chef to achieve 3-Michelin Stars. Marco’s style of leadership was often the center of the controversy because he was brutal and ruthless towards his cooks. His abrasive style of leadership was adapted throughout the industry. However, most of the chefs have failed to interpret and reflect on his legacy; Marco Pierre White did not condone sexism. Marco’s militaristic style of coaching was to push to refine dining experiences, and his trailblazing kitchen had no room for amateur bullying culture. Marco paved the way for future chefs to get inspired and work hard, and we have failed as a group to preserve his legacy of a rock star chef.

After working at The Spotted Pig, I got a job at the renown WD~50, where great female leadership further shaped my way of becoming a chef. Great leader shows courage. Great leader is responsible and accountable. Great leader also shows great humility. Great leader is as focused as a rock star to further refine his or her craft. Samantha Henderson, our Chef de Cuisine, was a WD~50 rock star. Sam’s food was an extension of herself, the perfect marriage of wit and grace. With a string of wrongful behaviors brought to the eyes of public, we chefs, as a group, have failed to inspire others as Chef Sam had inspired me. Working towards becoming a chef is no longer frowned upon as it was few decades ago. Number of people working in hospitality soared and businesses flourished because of the rise of mainstream rock star chef culture. However, with the money and fame, chefs often lose sight of what is truly important in becoming a rock star chef – nurturing young talents, pushing to be innovative, and continuously create jobs and opportunities for the next generations. To abuse stardom status and suppress others, rock star chefs have only become a bunch of narcissists and not leaders, and lastly, those rock stars have betrayed mother nature, who has been blindly faithful in giving us the resource to be creative.

From working under female chefs, I have witnessed resilience, compassion, and great intelligence. We should embrace our differences in gender, and to also mutually understand our strengths to support each other. Being a chef is a privilege; we often start our journey because of our love for food, and through the long and winding journey of grind and tear, we often meet incredible people and develop long lasting friendship. We are resilient, compassionate, and smart as a group, or how else could we have justified the time and energy spent on refining our craft. We are also rock stars; we enjoy entertaining our customers. But let’s not forget rock stars need to inspire and have perspective, and most importantly, real rock stars have humility and respect humanity.