The last Test Kitchen ingredient we had was a jar of champagne mustard that one of Duc's friends had brought back to us from France. Naturally, we had to explore what it meant to be champagne mustard and upon that learning, we thought it appropriate to use it in a slightly different but still mustard-y way. One traditional way to incorporate mustard into savory dishes is via mustard cream sauce but to change it up a bit, I added some sake for an extra oomph to the scent. The mustard really highlights the chicken I paired this with, and the creamy factor makes it more acceptable to get some tang onto your plate!

2337 E Burnside St, Portland, OR 97214 (Neighborhood: Kerns)
Pricing - $/$$ | Dining - Casual | Cuisine - Breakfast/Brunch, Southern
www.screendoorrestaurant.com

There are few restaurants that I find worth the long wait, especially when I am hungry. Luckily for Screen Door in Portland, it is one of those that proved itself justifiably busy. Our friend had suggested this spot for a good brunch but apparently the whole of Portland knows this to be a true as well. We put our name down and anticipated an hour wait, expected once we saw just how many people were milling about outside (and inside) waiting for their names to be called. The food is Southern-style and superb. Never mind how crowded it gets inside nor the aggressive quickness with which the staff moves. Once you get a bite of their well-known chicken and waffles, you'll know why they find themselves packed before they even open.

I didn't know what pâté chaud (bánh patê sô) was called when I was growing up; I always just called it the "hat pie" because the ones my mom purchased looked like little hats. There was the mound which is where the fatty meatball resided and then the flared outer crust. I liked the taste of it but never ate too many because they were unwavering in their greasiness. These Vietnamese snacks can be found in plenty of the bakeries and banh mi shops as flaky pastries full of savory meat. Once I finally learned the real name for them, I decided that I'd have to make some one day. It appeared difficult until I learned what working with puff pastry was like - easy! Bánh patê sô just so happens to also be one of Duc's favorite things to eat growing up (and even now!) so he was very much encouraging me to venture in this direction. From memory of what the filling was like, I put together my own interpretation of the snack and though they don't look like hats, they sure are tasty!

One of the reasons that this website is not just a chronicle of food and what we think about it is because we are more interested in the story behind the dishes. Food is not just a representation of the ingredients coming together but also an extension of the chef's personality and history. When I was approached to hear more about Chef Pete Lee's story, I was intrigued by his background both in the culinary and personal realms. A promising and established chef who had gone through working in places such as Spago in Maui, Momo's Bistro in Los Angeles, Rubicon in San Francisco, and Maki Maki in Irvine, Chef Pete was surprised one day in 2011 with a stage-3 colon cancer diagnosis. After months of chemotherapy (the last injection of which caused nerve damage that took nearly a year to recover from), he found himself on a different path to continuing his passion for cooking by starting up his own catering business. Eventually, a restaurant will be the goal but for now, we learned his story of how he got to Chef Pete's Catering and exactly why he developed a passion for the culinary arts.

2528 S. Figueroa St. Los Angeles, CA 90007 (Neighborhood: University Park)
Pricing - $ | Dining - Casual, To-Go | Cuisine - Hot Dog
www.dirtdogLA.com

One of the iconic food items of Los Angeles when it comes to street food is the bacon-wrapped hot dog, a meal that has wound its way through the communities to even appear on television as the indulgent, underground meal of choice. Bacon lover? Why wouldn't you want that extra touch to your hot dog? There are plenty of other street food options found in the carts that move around LA too, and one spot that recently opened in University Park is looking to be home to those dishes. Dirt Dog is a newly opened eatery that focuses on the "dirt dog," the creators' own name for the bacon-wrapped dog, and the occasional sides (only "dirtified"). We decided to stop in one evening to check out how they spun the typically-on-the-street food into restaurant fare.

Spicy, sour, nutty, and savory - how could these not sound good? How about together? We had picked up a bag of chili lemon almonds from a farmers' market to snack on but they got me thinking about what we could incorporate them into. You're likely to see these tasty nuts sold in several places - they are the tangy, chili-coated ones that make your mouth water when you think about them (my mouth is going right now!). With a little bit of crushing, they became perfect to cook with and paired off with shrimp, they shone. To complement the spiciness that was added to the shrimp, I put together a lime-cilantro rice. Try out this recipe!

203 C Pier 39, San Francisco, CA 94133 (Neighborhood: Fisherman's Wharf)
Pricing - $$/$$$ | Dining - Casual | Cuisine - Seafood
www.crabhouse39.com

San Francisco, San Francisco - I dream of you and your dungeness crab often. When I had my first taste of that sweet sea-meat, I fell in love with the crustacean and could not find another crab to compare. Therefore, when I knew I was returning to San Francisco this summer, I actively sought someplace that would have great crab. My other mission was to expose myself to cioppino again, a San Francisco-born dish that I had had once before by FIsherman's Wharf but wanted a different opinion. Searching online resulted in this gem on the tourist-filled Pier 39, and my friend and I were quite pleased with the visit.

Who knew that tarts could be so simple to make? I've never worked with puff pastry before but after making these apple tarts, methinks I ought to use the magic sheets more often. This dessert/pastry came from the brainstorming all of you did over our Test Kitchen ingredient of pumpkin butter. Shari B. suggested on Facebook to use the delicious stuff in an apple tart; we thought it was a fine idea and thank her for the inspiration! These lovelies use the pumpkin butter a base and seasoning for the apples atop the flaky crust, and topping everything off with honeyed pecans just added a little more pizzazz to the whole thing. Since I'm not suggesting you make the crust from scratch, this recipe will take just 30 minutes of your time which is not really that long! Make a few and force people to love you once you had them a tasty tart.

The allure of Laguna Beach is often too strong to deny for visitors to Orange County and even residents who seek breathtaking sunsets and iconic southern California. It is also a city rife with art galleries and interspersed with culinary destinations; the restaurants here are typically phenomenal (or at least that's what I hear). Sapphire Laguna is no exception. I had visited once before with a few other people and was thoroughly impressed but upon invitation to explore the summer menu, I realized that the global cuisine by passionate Chef Azmin Ghahreman does not falter in any season. Though my first visit was in the spring, I had enjoyed my visit then and still did with the season's change. The internationally inspired cuisine fits right into Chef Azmin’s motto: “When you travel through the world’s markets with your palate, you don’t need a passport.”  We certainly got a taste of that during our lunch visit.

Your dinner does not need to be "gourmet" to be good. It just need to have elements you enjoy and give you pleasure while preparing it! This potato and sausage rigatoni takes a step a little out of some people's comfort zone by adding potato to pasta. I, however, made sure that these were small dices and crisped on every side, giving an interesting texture to the whole dish. Of course, the sausage was the star of the pasta because it was a basil pepper type but you can choose your hero yourself. This recipe is an easy way to find a balance with different food groups and make something delicious in practically no time at all!

1421 W Macarthur Blvd, Unit G, Santa Ana, CA 92704
Pricing - $$ | Dining - Casual | Cuisine - Cajun/Creole
www.rittersskc.com

I feel as if I will be lambasted for the comments I am about to make in this post or even if people do not read them, they will look at the 2.5 star rating out of a possible 5 and seethe at me. Why is that? Well, all that I have heard from everyone that has been to Ritter's is the highest of praise for the food. They wax on about their favorite dishes and how flavorful everything is but yet, our experience there was much different. Finally tackling this restaurant from our list of places we *had* to try, Duc and I came in right at the opening one weekend, hoping to catch some good attention due to a smaller crowd. We had heard that it gets quite busy inside the spacious restaurant and wanted to beat any rush. We also figured that less chaos in the kitchen would hopefully yield a more thought-out product.

Any frequent reader of Much Ado About Fooding knows that I am not one to veer towards sweets. They rarely catch my fancy, and I especially do not flock to the hottest saccharine trend for the month. I am, however, open to the right ones to come around and change my mind, the ones that achieve a balance between flavor and cavity-inducers, the ones that highlight culinary aptitude. When I am able to close my eyes, take a bite out of any one of your sweet products, and immediately can distinguish what flavors are in each without my feeling a twinge of pain in my teeth from a high sugar content, you just might be onto something. Perhaps it is because you take great care in producing something you are proud of and from quality ingredients. We discovered that when we came upon the Honey & Butter macarons in Costa Mesa. Each flavor can be identified because the ingredients are hand-ground, -jammed, -piped, etc with a focus on also sourcing locally. How can we say no to that? We got a chance to meet with the owners and chat with them about what brought them into the world of delicate French treats.

For the longest time, I never even knew that gingerbread was something more than those decorated brown man-shaped cookies or a flavor used during the holiday season to spice up hot drinks and cocktails. It seems as if the denomination was reserved just for those desserts or dessert flavors. However, you can make it in cake form because ultimately, gingerbread just refers to a flavor of food. In England, calling something gingerbread would bring up the image of a cake form of the taste but here in the US, I have to make sure to say it's gingerbread cake so you don't think about the "Gingerbread Man" and his gingerbread holiday houses (typically hardened versions). So here's my recipe for that cake that uses less sugar than I've seen other recipes use. It will make a gingerbread that will tempt you way too easily if you leave it on your desk because of its strong aroma...trust me, I know.

It is not often that one comes across a restaurant that serves Indian cuisine in a fine dining setting. Often presented cafeteria or buffet style in Orange County, Indian food is a stranger in these parts to the white cloth napkins and waiter service of other cuisines. I can name just a few approaching it this way, and one would be Tamarind of London. I had first heard of Tamarind when they won a Golden Foodie Award a few years ago and then seen them upon visiting Sweet & Saucy Shop in the Crystal Cover Promenade. A sister restaurant to the Tamarind of Mayfair in London, a Michelin-star restaurant, Tamarind of London follows the same philosophy to fuse together authenticity with accessibility. The menu is varied with strong focus on hitting multiple regions of India to demonstrate the diversity of the regions' styles. We were invited in one afternoon to get a glimpse at what this artfully decorated and laid-out restaurant was all about.

It may feel like it's blazing hot outside but soon enough, the autumnal chill will be upon us (if it isn't already for you). Better prepare yourself with some recipes up your sleeve for those cooler nights. Our last Test Kitchen ingredient was whole cloves so there were a handful of options to think about. When someone suggested clove orange tea, I wondered what other drinks incorporated the fragrant dried flower bud. We decided to go with some mulled cranberry cider which gives a very seasonal feel and takes little of your time. Give it a try yourself and cozy on up with a good book once autumn and winter hit!