Summer Cookout: City slickers at Paisley Farm, Rhinebeck,NY

Summer barbeque time.

Working with Mike and Jan Kokas at Upstate Farm (PaisleyFarm).

A beautiful weekend of planting soy beans and string beans, picking the ever blooming Zinnias along with 20 other city slickers with a full day of roasting 85Lb of pig.

Some of us in the kitchen prepared freshly picked vegetable and created Burmese okra with dried shrimp, roast corn just picked from the farm, baby eggplant and squashes with mixed herbs.

My friend Jade made side dishes to complement the roast pork, cucumber with ginger, bitter melon with slivers of lotus and amazing cheese cakes with summer berries...Joyce made cherry clafoutis and Chazz with her childhood recipe of chocolate coffee cake to end the feast.

Fundraiser: Here's to Summer Cocktails!

It’s my favorite time of the year!  But when the heat is sweltering, there’s nothing better than a nice, cool cocktail by the pool.  Serve these summery Saffron59 favorites at your next BBQ or just for yourself!

At a recent Cetana fundraiser to raise money for the educational future of Burma, our Burma Rise cocktail was a hit:

Recipe: Burma Rise

Ingredients:

½ cup vodka

¼ cup lime juice

¼ cup ginger infused simple syrup

¼ cup pomegranate juice

½ cup club soda

Muddled Thai basil leaves

Instructions:
Mix all ingredients except club soda and Thai Basil into a pitcher and stir to mix.  To serve, pour into glass of ice and add 3-4 leaves per glass of Thai Basil and top off with club soda.

Blood Orange Sangria

Weddings: Global Cuisine

With everyone in the world connecting and interacting with each other, it is only natural that our cuisines do too. Asian food is still a huge trend and global cuisine is in high demand - resulting in healthier, flavorful food with different textures; as seen with food trucks in major cities.  Being that we have such a diverse and international kitchen crew, many clients get a taste of our global menus.   

At a recent gala, we showcased the event with a tempting menu with cuisine from around the world.  Dishes like Ethiopian Doro Wat Chicken with Berbere curry, Salad with slivers of Lotus root, Braised Pork Belly with baked Arepas and many more were served; along with Dhoonya Dancers and live performances by the legendary Aaron Neville.

Ethiopian Doro Wat Chicken with Berbere Spice

Classic Fish Recipes From Cambodia and Myanmar

I would like to share two simple classic fish dishes from Cambodia and Myanmar. It is an all-time favorite of mine and created for my previous restaurant Road to Mandalay.  You can substitute the white fish (the firmer, the better) with large shrimp or any seafood you have on hand.

Si Byan (Burmese Fish) in 15 minutes

Makes: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

2 lbs cod fillet or halibut, sea bass, etc - into 1-inch chunks

1-inch chunk ginger

2 tsp turmeric powder

¼ cup of vegetable oil

3 med. tomatoes, small chunks

3 med. onions, minced

5 cloves of garlic, minced

1 1/2 inch of ginger, minced

2 tbsp sweet paprika 1 tsp hot paprika or 2 fresh chili peppers

 1 1/2 tbsp fish sauce

¼ cup of vegetable or fish stock

½ cup cilantro leaves (reserve some for garnish)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a mixing bowl, marinade the fish with salt, pepper and turmeric for five minutes.

2. In a frying pan, heat the oil and mix in the onion till lightly brown and add in ginger, chili (if not using paprika) and garlic till fragrant.  Add in the paprika then immediately the fish and let it seared then stir in tomatoes, liquid stock and cook for five minutes.

3. Lower the heat and add fish sauce, coriander and simmer for another

2 minutes.  Garnish with cilantro leaves and serve hot with steamed jasmine rice.

Amok Fish Steamed in Coconut Shell

Cambodian Fish Amok 

Makes: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

1lb White Fish Fillets, e.g. (Catfish, Cod, Haddock, Sole, etc)
1 Garlic Clove, chopped

1 Red Onion, chopped

Travel: Cambodia, Siem Reap, Phnom Penh: Beaches & Pepper Crabs

It was back in 1997 that I first went to Cambodia.  There were only a handful of small hotels that were family run and Raffle Chain Hotel was the hotel to stay at.  Then, only small, hut-like vendors were open and only for a few hours, providing very few Khmer dishes.  The seaside was not safe and walks along the beach were unheard of back them. Now, there are over 300 hotels on the popular strip in the city Siem Reap; from Starckish to affordable boutique inns.

Monk Going For Offering

Siem Reap

Hotels

Amansara
A 5-star luxurious private home with secluded ambiance.

Hotel De La Paix
Another centrally located 5-star boutique hotel with a stunning architectural fusion of ancient Khmer with contemporary art exhibits.

The One Hotel
The Passage, Old Market Area
With only one suite available, you literally have the whole hotel to yourself.

Travel: Visit of the Year: Myanmar/Burma, Yangon

This year my trip takes me to an ancient city of Cambodia, as a guest of His Excellency Roland Eng for a week of Royal visit to his homeland followed by a detour visit to sleepy fishing village of Ngwe Saung by the Bay of Bengal in Myanmar.

Another week in Yangon (Rangoon), this city is the gateway to Myanmar. The century-old buildings are maintaining the heritage landscape in the midst of the city's cosmopolitan life that is rapidly growing. Always green with lush tropical trees, shady parks and beautiful lakes, Yangon is known as the Garden City of the East.  Besides visiting the magnificent Shwedagon Pagoda here are a few of my own personal favorites.

A vendor at the bay

Travel: Asia Trip 2011-2012

Holiday Greetings!  Please follow me on Twitter & Facebook for the next three weeks for travel updates for my Asia trip this year.

In mean while, I have been busy this past month with holiday events at Saffron 59 as well as being my own travel agent; planning (numerous) connecting flights, itineraries, meeting with acquaintances and booking my old friends for breakfast on Chao Praya or dinner along the Mekong riverside.

I have not been to Cambodia since 1998. My main plan is to visit  the Angkor Hospital for Children to get a private tour from William, the Executive Director. I have been on their committee for over a decade. This hospital started as a small children’s hospital.  Today, they have treated over a million patients with a visitor’s center for those who travel from the far away villages. Last time I was in Siem Reap, there were only three hotels to open and some home inns.   Since then, there are now spas, French restaurants and trendy boutiques.

Angkor Hospital for Children Photo: Daniel C. Rothenberg, www.photoasia.org

And of course a stop in Burma to visit the orphanage in Yangon that I am involved in with my parents.

Weekend Trip: Farm Fresh in November

Fresh produce for dinner in November is always a treat this time of the year.

For my four days off during Thanksgiving, I paid a surprise visit to my friends Mike and Jan Kokas of Upstate Farms two hours away from NYC in Tivoli, NY in the Hudson Valley.  With such fertile rich soil; they have been one of our purveyors for many years. Upstate Farms supplies quality produce to fine restaurants such as Eleven Madison and Daniel NYC.

 

Picking Tokoyo Turnips

Recipe: Seasonal Eats: Vegetable “Ratatouille”

This time of the year the chill is in the air and the need for comfort food never fails to satisfy our creaturely comforts.  This year’s harvest is abundant of cauliflower or Romesco broccoli.  With so many people increasingly aware of seasonal ingredients and quality produce, this is the perfect easy and flavorful recipe for vegetarian lovers and meat lovers alike.  Adjust portions to serve as a side or full entrée. 

Saffron59 “Ratatouille”

Click through for the recipe to this beautiful dish.

Travel: Harvest Time at Tokaj, Hungary

With the approach of fall and the expert guidance of Carolyn Banfalvi about where to visit, I couldn’t have timed my trip to Tokaj, Hungary better.  It was time to harvest the grapes in this historical wine region. We visited a few wineries to sample the area that is as famous in wine production as it is rich in its varied history.

Amidst beautiful rolling hills dotted with grape vines at the center of the Tokaj wine region, we stayed at the beautiful Grof Degenfeld Castle Hotel.  Receiving royal treatment with a late night tour and wine tasting by  General Manager Gabor Banyal.  The property is famous for being the only castle that comes with its own vineyard. There, we tasted an outstanding Tokaj Aszu 1999 and others, followed by an incredible dinner with perfectly seared foi gras and poached apple with aged balsamic as a starter.

Degenfeld Vineyard

1999 Aszueszencia  VS 2007    Harslevelu (Linden)

One organic winery we visited was the Erzsebet Pince (Elizabeth Cellar) in Tokaj.  The history of the vineyard is as fascinating as the family itself.

Wedding: 632 Hudson

A wedding is essentially a personal romantic affair and 632 on Hudson is just one of the great venues in the city for bride and groom who like to keep their celebration intimate. With their gorgeous vintage furnished rooms, creating warm and gracious atmosphere, it is a townhouse beauty. Thus certainly we were glad to be part of the memorable evening. 

The acoustic violin players were nicely comforting the guests before and after the ceremony by the old-style fire place. With the summer weather, the welcoming lemonade made by Paul, our bartender, was soothing the heat from outside. It was ideal to decorate the dinner table that went with the rustic classic ambiance of the space.

Photo by 3 Photographers

 

Events: Tol Party at the Beach

This summer not only we have been catering wedding and BBQ outdoor functions, a couple from Vermont (Korean and Jewish) who also has a beach house in Long Island, New York. It was the first time our staff has experienced this type of first birthday celebration (Tol Party).

On this beautiful sunny afternoon, we set up three large tubs chilled with beer, wine, juice and soft drinks for kids and teenagers. Afternoon activities were softball game and biking by the beach. Chef Simon grilled chicken marinated with lemongrass and herbs, with assorted vegetables from local market such as baby eggplant, summer squash, Portobello mushrooms..

Two Additions to our Saffron 59 Family

Lile Maria with Aunty Irene

Cute Son of Momoko (our pastry chef)

Seasonal Flowers

Flowers do wonders for the soul, especially for your special day or just a great pick-me-up.  We always have fresh-cut flowers in our offices that never fail to put a smile on our faces. For the most bang for your buck, use fresh seasonal flowers when they're at their prime blooming season. Great fragrant blooms available now are bursting Peonies, delicate Sweet Peas, tissue-layered Ranunculus, hyacinth and many more.

Pink Peony in Springtime

Even better still, seasonal flowers come in any profusion of color, no matter what the season.  You can coordinate your flowers for your wedding or special event with any color, theme or even symbolic flowers.  Here are a few examples:

Stephanotis: Good-luck flower for the bride

Pimpernel: Change & innocence.

Calla Lily: Rebirth.

Forget-me-nots: True love.

Ivy: Friendship, fidelity, and matrimony.

Mixed Bouquet

This is also a great time of the year to enjoy growing your own fresh seasonal herbs.  You can always freeze or dry your herbs to enjoy all year long.  They will taste better than anything you buy in a bottle! Mojitos, anyone?!

Not Just Weddings!

Summer is finally here and so is the wedding season. We do a lot of weddings in the summer but we also plan and cater many Bat/Bar Mitzvah and birthday parties as well. Last weekend, we did a Bat Mitzvah Party for the lovely Abigail Poteshman at Midtown Loft. The weather was perfect for an outdoor cocktail reception. Upon arrival, guests headed up to the rooftop to enjoy cocktails and Hors D’Oeuvres, then a buffet style lunch was served down on the main floor.

Abby's Friends

We were very lucky to have Mr. Dan Hurley, the creator of 60-Second Novelist join us to entertain the guests. Dan brought his own manual typewriter, mingled in the crowd and asked guests a few questions about their lives to get the sense of who they are. He would then make up an imaginative and funny short life story about the guest, typed it out so the guests could take it home. This is such a great way to get people to start up a conversation, share their amusing life stories and get to know each other better.

60-Second Novelist: Dan Hurley types out guest's life story in 60 seconds

In a small corner, a red carpet photo booth was set up so that Abby and her friends could

How To: Preserving Wedding Photos

This post is for all of you, the newlyweds.
Over the past years I have received so many of your compliments for the weddings we have worked on along with the memorable wedding pictures that now reminds me how we all can preserve the collections in various ways.

Here in our studio  at Saffron59,  my parents and their siblings pictures in black and white of their travels and weddings. I treasure  them immensely  as its hung by the dinning room and classic to have these pictures showing the contrast from the modern ones.
 
Recently with my new apartment, I like to have something new and something old.  Alexa worked on my long narrow hallway wall with collage.  She scanned and archived these old pictures and touch up with Photo Shop...which has enable for me to have a wall full of these memorable pictures of our us growing up in Burma in black and white....and a colorful collage wall with my nieces and nephews....

Alexa in our studio, touch up with photo shop

  Irene's Aunty Jen's wedding

  Irene's Mom

Cooking Workshop Party

Hosting a Cooking Party is one unique way that can spice up special celebrations.  Instead of seated dinner or cocktails, you and your guests can casually prepare fun, fabulous meals and enjoy the party; it will also bring more closeness between friends and strengthen bonds and team efforts amongst colleagues in a more informal way. 

Depending on the guest count and theme, food can be from specific regions or distinctive cooking style; your party can be a demonstration style or the 'hands-on' that require guests participation. Whether small intimate group of bridal shower with light hors d'oeuvres or birthday party learning to prepare nice juicy rib eye steak with Korean red bean marinate to tasting great Rhone wines.  

It is important to plan ahead the ingredients and the cooking utensils. Don’t forget to clear clutter in your kitchen for an adequate space for everyone to prep; and assemble your finished dishes.

I like having a Polaroid camera that prints instantly the capture the moments ..

Double Espresso Chocolate Mousse with logo

JWT Office Cooking Party

Grilled Steak Argentinian Style with Chimicurri Sauce

testing the rare Steak

Roof Gardening: Spring starts in March at Saffron59 Kitchen

Cleaning up the tool shed, sowing the seeds and watching the crocus sprouts are the sign of spring as we get the last frost bite. Here at Saffron59, we started germinated the seeds from last year’s favorite black prince heirloom tomatoes to lemon basil.  Celery, rutabaga and purple beets are planted in 4” deep soil and first crop of radishes are ready to be dug out for our kitchen in two weeks.

                                           Germinating Seeds Indoor
If you have an urban garden like ours, with at least six hours of sunlight, you can germinate the seeds near your window then transfer to the rooftop. Hungarian peppers and cilantro plants can take a few weeks to sprout. If you plant tomatoes, put seeds 1/4″ deep indoors, six to eight weeks before last frost, transplant into garden one to two weeks after last frost or when soil reaches 65 degrees F. As for Peppers you can plant the seeds indoors 1/4″ deep 10 to 12 weeks before last frost.

                                                     Transferring Sage plant into larger pot before Summer
Parsley need to start seeds 1/4″ deep indoors 10 to 12 weeks before last frost, transplant seedlings into garden. (Our kitchen crew can’t get enough parsley for all the pesto sauce for the popular juicy thick Rib Eye Steak Chimichurri we feature here at Saffron59).

Once you see a shoot, transfer into a pot and can be exposed outdoor once the freezing temperature disappears.

                                                                     evergreens and heather plants for outdoor
Yes, we all agree it has been dark, cold, brutal winter. Perk your environment by refreshing it and be ahead of the weather by staging hardy heather plants in your living room or entrance. A bunch of pink cherry braanches or bright colorful red camellias can even bring and transform your room into a summery mood.

So go to your local green garden center and see what a plant can boost you.

Recipe: Happy Lunar New Year: Gong Xi Fa Choi!

Double Happiness Bowls

Growing up in Myanmar, we celebrated Chú Xī, commonly known as Lunar New Year. Along with my parents, brother and sister, I would go to the night market and shop for the New Years decorations and sweets. My parents bought new outfits for all of us, and I would help my mom to stuff the red envelopes to give away, while she prepared feasts for the start of the New Year.

This year, I thought I'd ask my friend Grace Young, author of Stir-Frying to the Sky's Edge (the James Beard’s award winning author) what she and her family cook for the New Year.

According to her:

The New Year’s Eve dinner is the most important meal of the two week New Year’s celebration and of the entire year. Today many people choose to go to a restaurant because it’s more convenient but my family always gathered for dinner at home. Every family’s meal is slightly different while still being designed around meaning-laden foods.

Travel: Nicaragua: Trip to the Land of Lakes and Volcanoes

The past few weeks was just the right time to be in Central America; Nicaragua, although only the size of Colorado, has 28 volcanoes, 14 of which are active. One of the treasured destinations in Nicaragua is the Ometepe Islands where the famous twin volcanoes are located: Vulcan Concepcion and Maderas.

The weather is perfect for hiking and enjoying the peaceful scenery of the lakes and craters and of course discovering the authentic local cuisine.

Nicaragua is rich with tropical birds, howler monkeys, high pitched cicadas, pin sized frogs, and countless marvelous native species.

Papusa with cornmeal, pepper, onion with braised meat

One of the typical traditional dish of the country is papusa; a banana leaf wrapping, generally stuffed with pork or chicken with cornmeal, sliced onion and pepper,wonderfully comforting even in this snowy cold weather here in New York. 

 San Jorge Ferry Port, to Ometepe Island

Juicy Fresh Star Fruits dropped in front of our cabins