Fall’s harvest, pecans

Autumn nuts accent buns and pies at It’s CrispyPecans are harvested in America during fall, making them an autumn delicacy, and in the U.S., where a majority of the world’s supply of these nuts is grown, the big cinnamon buns and namesake pies that use them to great effect are also commonly enjoyed this time of year. There is something infinitely comforting about waking up in the morning, brewing up a hot mug of coffee and enjoying it with a massive, sticky pecan-studded bun, or gathering around

Nov. 4, 2011

Sinseollo (Royal casserole)

Sinseollo is a casserole containing different types of meats, fish and vegetables in broth. The ingredients are placed around the pot according to color. Nuts and other delicacies accompany the meat, fish and vegetables in one pot. It provides an array of flavors and nutrients.Ingredients ● Broth: 200g beef (brisket, shank), 100g radish, 8 cups water ● Seasoning sauce ① : 1 tsp clear soy sauce, 1/2 tsp minced green onion, 1/4 tsp minced garlic, 1 tsp clear soy sauce, 1/2 tbsp salt ● 100g beef (t

Nov. 4, 2011

Canadian Dream introduces sweet ice wines

The impression of Canada is that it is a cold country that also happens to produce wine. So nothing says Canada more than a bottle of ice wine.The Canadian Embassy recently held an event to introduce new labels from Pillitteri Winery in the Niagara region of Canada. One label they recently introduced, Canadian Dream, was made exclusively for the Korean market and is currently available at Emart stores. “The difference between this one is that it is above average quality but not as excellent as o

Nov. 4, 2011

Wine of the Week: 2008 Bodegas Avanthia Godello Valdeorras

What a rich, beautiful white from Galicia in the northwestern corner of Spain. It’s got everything going for it ― definition, minerality, good acidity and a touch of oak. Complex? This bottle could hold its own against a Meursault or a top California Chardonnay.The grape is Godello, and the grapes come from two old vineyards, 70 and 85 years old respectively. The winery is a project of the Gil family of Jumila, Bodegas Godeval and Spanish wine importer Jorge Ordonez, who, more and more, is getti

Nov. 4, 2011

Italian chef to show how simple pizza can be

Italian-born Massimo Mele, executive chef of the Hugos Group in Sydney, said he will show how easy and simple making pizza should be in his upcoming cooking class at the Banyan Tree Club & Spa Seoul.Mele is in Seoul for a week as a guest chef for the Italian promotion “Festa Italiana” which runs through Tuesday at the hotel’s European restaurant The Festa Bistro and Bar.“I’m gonna show people how simple pizza should be. Pizza classes are really good because you can do it with your kids,” Mele to

Nov. 3, 2011

Insamcha (Ginseng tea)

Insamcha is tea made with ginseng. It has a strong fragrance and taste. Ginseng is a special product of Korea, and is thought to be good for physical strength. Certain studies have found that saponin in ginseng has anti-cancer properties. Korean ginseng has been identified as having the highest saponin content.Ingredients ● 100 g ginseng (fresh wet ginseng) ● 10 jujube ● 7 cups water ● 1 tsp pine nuts ●2 tbsp honey 1. Trim and wash ginseng thoroughly, remove the top. 2. Clean the jujube.3. Remov

Oct. 28, 2011

Wine of the Week: 2004 Weingut Brndlmayer St. Laurent ‘Ried Ladner’

When I invited a new friend to dinner last week and asked her to bring a wine, she asked about the menu. And evidently she listened, because she came up with the most brilliant match for the Hungarian goulash: this St. Laurent, a close relative of Pinot Noir, from one of Austria’s best wine estates. Soft and earthy, with a brilliant cherry color and just the slightest hint of strawberries and plums in the nose, it held its own against the smoky paprika in the sauce. It’s hard to find a red this

Oct. 28, 2011

Carnivore’s paradise

Self-selected prime cuts for a bargain at Majang-dong’s butcher-restaurantWhat if you could pick the cut, the grade and the exact quantity of meat you wanted to eat at a restaurant? At the Meat Village Butcher Shop in Majang Meat Market, patrons can browse the stalls and select prime beef and pork before bringing their purchases over to the restaurant where a pan grill and sides are provided at 4,000 won per person. The perks are clear. Customers can choose from a diverse range of butchers, snou

Oct. 28, 2011

Culinary wizards to experiment with Korean food

Seoul Gourmet 2011 also offers master classes, gala dinners by Korean chefsSix international star chefs ― four of them running Michelin star restaurants ― will visit Korea next week to discover the essence of Korean ingredients and use them in their creative dishes. Seoul Gourmet 2011, a premier culinary festival coming into its third year, will be held from Oct. 31 to Nov. 4 at four luxury hotels in Seoul, inviting both international and local star chefs to share flavors of international and Ko

Oct. 25, 2011

Port wine keeps its past, looks for future

PINHAO, Portugal (AP) ― When Dominic Symington looks out from his shady hillside garden across the vineyards of Portugal’s majestic Douro Valley, he sees centuries of family and European history.British families like the Symingtons have been at the heart of this northern Portuguese region’s port wine trade for generations. Dominic Symington, one of seven in the family wine business, has an ancestor ― Walter Maynard ― who shipped port to Britain in 1652.Port, Symington says in an impeccable Briti

Oct. 24, 2011

Some like it really hot

IMPHAL, India ― Mexican jalapenos, Sichuan mala peppers, African kambuzi ― mere child’s play.Although many places claim to have the maddest, baddest chile this side of Hades, northeast India’s “ghost chile” is scientifically recognized as the hottest commercial chile pepper on the planet, 200 times

Oct. 21, 2011

Bindaetteok (mung bean pancakes)

Bindaetteok is a savory pancake made of ground mung beans, meat, vegetables and kimchi. It was originally used as the supporter for the fried meat on a large dining table. Later, it became a delicious-looking food for a binja (pauper), so it was named “binjatteok” (pauper’s cake). Bindaetteok (Insti

Oct. 21, 2011

Warm patjuk for a crisp autumn

Red bean porridge, sweet or savory, steps outside winter for a fall outingPatjuk, that comforting pottage of red beans, is often pigeonholed as a winter specialty, reserved, as turkey is for Thanksgiving, to be eaten on Dongji, the shortest day of the year. According to Lee Hyo-gee’s “Korean Cuisine

Oct. 21, 2011

Wine of the Week: 2010 Trajarinho Vinho Verde

The 2010 Trajarinho Vinho Verde is a bottling well worth seeking out. Look for the characteristic tall slope-shouldered shape and the distinctive Trajarinho label. (Los Angeles Time/MCT)In Porto, I remember eating sardines grilled outside a little restaurant near the sea accompanied by gulps of chil

Oct. 14, 2011

Food trucks often a gateway to opening a restaurant

LOS ANGELES ― The food truck revolution is moving indoors.The owners of some of the most successful trucks are using the knowledge, fame and bankability gained from operating their mobile eateries to start sit-down restaurants.“To grow a restaurant from the ground up is impossible,” said Eric Tjahya

Oct. 14, 2011

Seolleongtang (Ox-bone Soup)

Seolleongtang (Institute of Traditional Korean Food)Seolleongtang is a soup made by simmering ox bones, intestines and shank for a long time. The name of the soup comes from a story in which the king held a memorial service at the seonnongdan (an altar) with his officers, and offered an ox as a sacr

Oct. 14, 2011