Jamonera

After attending Philly Magazine's Philly Cooks Event in February, I couldn't wait to eat at Jamonera. I went last night for my birthday, and I'm still dreaming about it. It was dark in the restaurant, so the pictures did not come out that well, and some of the dishes I couldn't get pictures of at all. I will not use my flash in a dark restaurant- can't, won't.

They first brought to the table a bowl of olives and nuts, which was pretty tasty. I took a picture because some of the olives were the tiniest ones I've ever seen, and I was laughing a little.

Basically, you tell them all the things you want on the menu, and then they course them out for you, bring one at a time. First, we got the SPANISH BREAKFAST BITE, which is house made duck sausage, fried quail eggs, caramelized onions, zamorano cheese shredded on top. Here is my attempt at a photo:

This was a very large bite, and the best part of the meal. The duck sausage was spicy which added a nice kick, and the little egg on top was perfectly runny. The bread was toasted to perfection, thick enough to hold the toppings, but not thick enough to take away from the dish.

Next up, we had the LANCASTER PIG EGG, deviled farm egg, romesco, crispy pig belly.

I love a good deviled egg, and these did not disappoint. It was your standard deviled egg but with delicious pork belly on top that tasted like thick bacon. I don't know exactly what the red sauce underneath was, but it was sweet and I’m pretty sure there was some sort of nut in it?

We needed to get the jamon iberico, so we went with the chef's board, which includes two meats, two cheeses, and accompaniments (never necessary, but we ate them). 

We chose the Jamon Iberico, Chorizo, a goat cheese, and a cow's milk cheese (not sure of the names). The chorizo wasn't very spicy, but it was good. The Jamon Iberico had the saltiness of a Serano, but absolutely melted in your mouth.

Next up, the ALBONDIGAS, which were house ground pork  and beef meatballs, ibores cheese, 4 hour tomato-jamon sauce, grilled garlic bread. I can only describe these as your typical meatballs, but with so much more flavor and moisture. The sauce was excellent, chunky, flavorful, delicious. 

Last, we got the Paella Mixta. I was so full at this point, but it was still worth getting. You usually have to wait a while for paella and we did, but this time we had all the other bites to eat while waiting. The paella included squid (not too chewy or dry, but could have used more), mussels (cooked perfectly, not chewy, sandy, or dry), Spanish sausage (not spicy, crisp on the edges), pork belly (so crisp yet melted in your mouth, so good I almost cried), and a quarter chicken (so moist, and the outside SO crisp). The rice underneath was cooked perfectly, with a nice crunch on the bottom. 

All I can say is, go here. 

La Marqueza- Mole Poblano Burrito

After passing La Marqueza food truck every day for four years, and staring at it longingly, I started following them on Facebook. Every so often they post their specials for the day, and this was one of today's.

I was curious because I love a good mole poblano, and I've never even dreamt of having it in burrito form. I can certainly understand how you might have to bring this Mexican specialty to a burrito for it to really sell in the Fairmount area.
  
Per usual, the burrito weighed 80 pounds, but also came with a mini bag of homemade chips and salsa. The salsa was unique- almost creamy, but had a nice bite (that means spicy).

The thing presented like a normal burrito, with most of the usual stuff inside (rice, beans, sour cream, cheese). And of course, the mole poblano.

It was made with dark meat chicken (importantly specified on the menu), which was really moist and delicious. The mole sauce was pretty good! It was ever so slightly sweeter than the average mole, but over all it was good. I enjoyed having so many flavors (spices, bitter chocolate, etc...) inside a burrito. One more point I must make- the cheese. I'm not sure what type it was exactly, but melted it almost reminded me of Oaxaca Cheese...just saying.

Such an interesting combination, but I liked it.

The Life Changing Cheese Plate

Obviously, I have had countless cheese plates, but this one I dream about. On most plates there is usually one I don’t love, and kind of wish wasn’t there, but each cheese on this plate was perfect. Each one unique, yet went together well. I was also pleased they didn't waste time and space with BS like spiced nuts and crackers.

 I know I just wrote about Cafe L'Aube but it deserves another look. Here's the menu:

Now, Bucheron has been a long time favorite of mine, so I was most excited to see that on there. I compare it to goat cheese in the middle and brie on the outside. I felt like they had this at the right temperature so that it was soft and creamy. The cheese was sprinkled with some spices and had some pear slices on the side.

Next, the Morbier. I had never actually had it before, but I like a good ash line in my cheese. Sometimes the ash can be a little bitter and harsh, but this one was perfect. The cheese was on the softer, milder side, but was perfectly paired with preserves.

Third, my favorite of the plate, Fourme D'Ambert. I love love blue cheese anyway, but this was had a fudgy quality to it. The texture was perfect, and it was not too harsh and stinky. They drizzled honey on it for the perfect flavor combination.

Last, let's talk about the vessel- homemade bread. They brought it out lightly toasted and still warm. It's a grain based bread, which is soft and chewy. For an extra level of perfection, they drizzled olive oil, salt and pepper on top. To say it complimented the cheeses perfectly would be an understatement.

I went with my sister, and we just grinned the whole time...like two little fat kids. I will be back for you, cheese plate from heaven.

Homemade Pork and Chive Dumplings

I've made these a couple times now, and they are quite delicious, even by my Chinese boyfriend's standards. The way I make the dumplings is based on this recipe I found on Pintrest.

Get these things at the store, in your cupboard, from a neighbor, etc...

1 lb ground pork
1 c chives, chopped into small pieces (I've used scallions instead also)
48 wonton wrappers (Found in most Asian markets. I go with the small yellow round ones)
2Tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
4 tsp corn flour (cornstarch)
1 tsp chicken powder (bouillon powder, cubes won't work)
1 tsp of Chinese cooking wine (or any cooking white wine)
2 shakes of sesame oil
2 shakes of white pepper

Get everything measured out and in a mixing bowl, except the wrappers, obviously. Mix it up really well with your hands, or a spoon if you're a wimp. Make sure everything is mixed thoroughly, because who wants to get a huge mouthful of one of the ingredients listed above? No one, that's who.

Put the mixing bowl in the fridge for about a half hour, and count out 48 wrappers (if you let them sit out in the air too long, the edges will dry up). You can wrap up (air tight) the extras and freeze them for later.

You want 48 even pieces of the meat mixture, so I like to make a huge ball and cut it in half (each half will make 24). Keep cutting the halves in half, until you are left with 48 even balls of meat. Get a small dish of water to seal the wrappers around the meat. Put each ball of meat in the middle of one wrapper and wet the outer edges. Seal the dumplings according to this video.

Just get all the dumplings on a tray or a plate until they are all done. If you don't want to eat all 48 dumplings at once, you can freeze the rest. I just throw them in a ziplock bag. Be careful that they aren't touching too much while freezing, so they won't rip when you thaw them.

Next you'll want to cook them, because you really shouldn't be eating raw pork that you purchased for $1.79/lb. Heat some oil in a frying pan, and place the dumplings in. Let them fry until the bottoms are brown and a little crispy.

Then, you'll want to pour about 1/4 cup of water into the pan, and cover with a top so they can steam. When the water is all gone, then they are done and ready to eat.

I personally like to dip them in this particular dumpling sauce (available in Asian markets or online).

 WARNING: Once you start, don't even try to stop.

Cafe L'Aube

At the corner of 17th and Wallace (Philadelphia)

I've been going here for a while for a nice French cup of coffee, baguette with preserves, croissants, etc...I never got around to actually eating. I have their menu on my desk at work with the intent to go there for lunch. Sometimes I have to stop reading it because it looks so good.

The weather was finally nice today, so I went up to grab lunch. I chose Le Hollandaise crepe, which has French ham, gouda and sundried tomatoes.

It's hard to get a good picture of a crepe because they can look kind of plain from the outside, but thought I'd try to give an idea of what it looked like.

This is one of those things I will be dreaming about until the next time I get one. It was that breathtaking. Tangy, salty, creamy, sweat. I can't even... Best crepe I've had in Philly.

Next up on my list to try (maybe tomorrow):

Le Malin: Camembert, turkey, honey and roasted almonds
Croque Monsieur De Luxe: French ham, swiss, bechemel and bacon

They also have sweet crepes, but I'm not really into sweet when I can get savory.