Shakin' n' Bakin'

My Dear MTL Kitchen Diary,

I made us some Shake n' Bake back on Thursday for dinner. It's a typical weeknight dinner for most families but it wasn't for me until not too long ago.

If I think about it, I've only tried the real Kraft Shake n' Bake a handful of times. Actually, less than the fingers on one hand. It wasn't until two years ago that I've tried it for the very first time. My chef was pretty surprised realizing I got 30+ years under my belt and never tried such a dinner staple in most North American homes. Well, that's the thing. My geographical location wasn't North America until I was 10. Even then, I can only imagine what it tastes like from the television commercials. The reason being my mom insisted on cooking what she knows and mainly she thought it was too pricey for a box of seasoning. 

I didn't think much of it and I never really had any urges to try it. I figure it will probably be similar to fried chicken. I soon realized I didn't miss out too much when my chef finally made me a dinner with it. My very first bite of chicken done in the real shake and bake style tasted rather similar to Japanese Pork Katsu. They both had that crumbly texture on the surface and had very similar fried orangy colour. There are two distinction between the two though. Pork Katsu is dredged in flour and dipped in egg before coated by panko crumbs. This ensures the batter doesn't peel off like skin which I've noticed the shake and bake coat peels off or even falls off from the chicken. Shake n' Bake got this flavour from the spices, making the Pork Katsu rather bland in comparison. 

I was having a slight craving for both Pork Katsu and Shake n' Bake the last while and thought it would be fun to combine the two. I know I want to use Pork for sure and give it the paner à l'anglaise treatment. To get the katsu style, I used Panko crumbs instead of regular bread crumbs obviously. But to achieve similar spices and scent as Shake n' Bake, I found out from the blog Kitchen Simplicity that paprika, sage, and parsley are used. Those I got but I don't have the onion or garlic powder as the recipe suggested. I also don't have any freezer bags to do the shaking in. 

So instead, I used what I got in the pantry and did this. Three pork chops dredged in flour, dipped in egg and then thrown into a mixing bowl with lid along with the following:

1/2 cup Panko Crumbs
1 tbsp. parsley
2 tsp. sage
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. celery salt
1/4 tsp. onion salt
1/4 tsp. garlic salt
1 tbsp. steak spice

I closed the lid. I shook and I baked (400 F/20 mins). The pork chops were fragrant and tasted great. I think next time I will test out other variations like an Italian style with basil and oregano, maybe even a Chinese style with five spice. 

xo
slice/chop

Exhibitionist or Voyeur

My Dear MTL Kitchen Diary,

I really don't know how to compete with all the other food blogs out there. They all look so pretty and polished. 

Their beautiful pictures capturing the mouth-watering moments before the first bite. I thought about doing that too. I have a camera and I have tried. But the thought of the hot, ready-to-be eaten dishes I prepare each night staring back at me on the other side of the camera lens breaks my heart. Night after night each dish begs to be eaten before it loses their temp* (temperature/temperament). Each of them questioning why my greasy hands are grabbing the camera and when I can truly experience their scent, taste and texture. They each question my motive... Am I a foodie who act on her gastronomic pleasures? Or am I a foodie who likes to look, a voyeur, a food pornographer?

I have tried out different positions. After three plus years in my relationship with the kitchen and all the heat and indulgences we've allowed each other, we've both agreed our playground does not have room for the camera. It is clear the old adage "Two is company, but three's a crowd" definitely rings true for us. But how can I be an exhibitionist if I don't document it and show my gastronomic deeds to the world? In this case, it seems like one cannot be an exhibitionist without being a voyeur, and vice versa.

Two years ago, my own food porn addiction have led me to take action, testing recipes and playing with food. Understanding taking sexy food pictures isn't my style, I began to keep a notebook of all my gastronomic escapades. Initially, these were detailed accounts of what I did to each ingredient I bring into the kitchen. I soon realized I am a very different kind of player. I write recipes but I question the traditional way of expressing them. Sometimes it isn't much about what I do or which order, but I focus on the colours and energy that will end up on our plates when different ingredients are combined.

It's been the multitude of hues, textures, combinations of ingredients I describe in my notebook that keeps my gastrorgasm coming over and over and over again. While the pictures are important, the food porn I see on other blogs are only foreplay before I work my magic in the kitchen. In such case, maybe I've been wrong all along. But if I don't take pictures like everyone else, what is my game then?

xo
slice/chop