PA Food Society: Volume 3, Issue 1

PA FOOD SOCIETY a phillips academy food magazine

fall 23 novelty & new beginnings

PA FOOD SOCIETY volume 3, issue 1

Dear Reader,

Courtesy of Alice He

Welcome to the Fall 2023 issue of PA Food Society’s magazine! In spirit with our new 2023-2024 board, this issue’s theme is Novelty & New Beginnings, where we bring to you a delightful combination of our well-loved Flavors of Family recipes and the more unusual, unexpected, and unpredictable of food commentary. Through both these heart-warming tales of childhood memories and eye-opening food suggestions, we hope you find something special to hold onto for the winter season as the colder weather and shorter days can make it just a little bit harder to see the light at the end of the tunnel. You got this!

Once again, we’d like to take the time that we have here to issue our thanks for the people who have helped make our dreams for this magazine a reality. PA Food Society is made possible in part by a grant from the Abbot Academy Fund, continuing Abbot’s tradition of boldness, innovation, and caring. Our club is extremely appreciative of the opportunities that this generous fund will allow us to accomplish — so please stay tuned as we plan for collaborations, festivals, and open kitchens in the future! Secondly, this issue could not have been possible without the help of our new faculty advisor, Mr. Ciobanu; we appreciate his kindness in extending his support to our club as we navigate yet another year of food-filled adventures and magazine magic.

Thank you for your interest in the PA Food Society, and we hope everyone enjoys reading this issue as much as we had fun making it. Bon Appetit!

—Alice He, Editor-in-Chief

in this issue

masthead Editor-in-Chief Alice He editorial board

Managing Editor Bailey Xu Opinions Staff Addison Deng Eliza Francis Reviews Staff Morgan Hsu Copy Staff Claire Cheng

Flavors of Family

Creative Director Leilani Glace

pg. 4-11

Cookie Press Cookies The Ultimate Omelet 순두부 Spicy Korean Soondubu 卤牛腩牛腱子 Braised Beef

digital board

Digital Editor Claire Wang Sophia You Abby Zhu Website Manager Kendra Tomala

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Dipped in Ice Cream

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FOOD society

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How to Brunch in New York, Toronto, and Hong Kong

Social Media Manager Akari Imai

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pg. 12-15

Food For Fun

management

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RECIPES

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by Eliza Francis

C ookies have long been a tradition, altering their shape and decorations with

press, or Grammy’s cookie press to me, is at minimum three times my age. This prolonged amount of time, though, is only indicative of many cookie batches and many more laughs. Yes, family is exemplified through my inherited auburn hair of my Aunt Susan and the high-pitched laugh too closely resemblant to my mom’s. But family is eulogized in the traditions passed down. Just as Grammy created beautiful cookies in her kitchen with my once young mom clinging to her leg, I learned from the best—or at least a student of the best. I, of course, was taught in a particular manner though part of the wonders of a cookie press stems from the array of options and possibilities. Food coloring, shape, icing, flavoring, and decorations are all up to you; I encourage you to play as baking is rarely an experiment in perfection.

each passing season. By nature of their recurrence, they cannot be deemed novel in the basic sense of being new. Novelty, however, carries many connotations; one, being someone or something that is original. While the medium of a cookie is not original, the manner in which these cookies are constructed certainly is: a cookie press. A cookie press is less of a useful kitchen appliance and more of a knickknack you would glaze past while Christmas shopping with your grandma.

With a pamphlet filled with numerous stencils, it is at the baker’s discretion to choose the appropriate design for each cookie. In my family’s case, the appropriate design is almost always a Christmas tree.

This stencil, paired with green food coloring and multicolored sprinkles makes for a festive dessert that seems to rapidly vanish I invite you to make your own cookie from four dozen to a singular cookie—my press cookies—a nugget of sweetness, an extended family members anticipating who abundance of familial love. gets the pleasure of taking the last one.

The taste of the food is only a minuscule part of the story when defining the essence of baking or cooking. My grandma’s cookie 4

Cream

the shortening and sugar well.

Beat

in egg and almond extract.

(Almond extract can be substituted with vanilla extract, peppermint extract, and more) Gradually blend in dry ingredients that have been sifted together and tint the dough with a few drops of food coloring.

Mix well.

Fill the press.

Form cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet.

! e k Ba

Cool!

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Enjoy!

Enjoy!

Flavors of Family:

The Ultimate Omelet

BY MORGAN HSU

A

s December arrives, one recipe comes to mind—my Christmas omelet. When you think of Christmas breakfast, I am sure a giant, ten-egg omelet is not the first thing to come to mind. However, for the past four Christmas mornings, I have made this omelet for my family—and they have loved it every time.

It all started when I took an introductory cooking class in sixth grade. It was my last class of the day and we just finished making our omelets. I climbed onto the school bus, hugging my freshly made— albeit slightly deformed—omelet, and eagerly ran up the steps to my home to show my family. They claimed it was the best omelet they had ever tasted, with my mom even suggesting I make it for Christmas breakfast as a new tradition I instantly said I would do it and ran back to my room to start writing down the recipe I had just conceived in my middle school classroom. Growing up, my parents constantly reminded me about the importance of sharing food, so the omelet that my family approved of was a great source of pride for me.

Although I have made small tweaks to the recipe after each Christmas, the methods remain the same. My family never makes omelets at any other time of the year, which makes the giant dish an iconic annual event for us.

Even if omelets are not as important to your family as it is to mine, I hope you try this recipe!

illustrations by sophia you

INGREDIENTS

• • • • • • •

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1 slice of butter 10 eggs 1 block of shredded mozzarella cheese 1 block of shredded cheddar cheese 1 box of cooked spinach 20 cooked mushrooms (portabella, button, or shiitake will do) 20 thinly sliced pieces of ham, cut into fingernail-sized pieces

DIRECTIONS

1. Crack 10 eggs into a large bowl.

Place bowl to the side.

2. Use just enough butter to coat the bottom of a large, non-stick pan.

Turn on heat to low temperature.

3. Tilt bowl with the eggs at a slight angle and whisk in a continuous circular motion using a fork or chopsticks until eggs are an even yellow color.

4. Once the butter has melted, immediately pour egg mixture into pan to minimize loss of air bubbles formed by whisking (this is what makes them fluffy).

Use a spatula and ‘disrupt’ the eggs in the pan by drawing tiny, fast circles in different places. (This traps even more air into the eggs, making them extra fluffy.) Scrape sides of omelet and pan occasionally to prevent sticking.

5. After one minute of ‘disrupting’ the eggs, turn to medium heat and continue scraping at the sides intermittently.

6. In between scraping motions, microwave ham, pre-cooked spinach, and mushrooms for 35 seconds. (You can add any ingredients you want—or none at all, but these are the ones I use!)

7. Continue cooking eggs until only top half-centimeter of surface remains in liquid state. Add the pre-cooked mushrooms and spinach, scattering the vegetables in a straight vertical line across the middle of the omelet. Use just enough to cover the omelet end-to-end, four fingers wide.

8. Scatter the ham and cheddar cheese along the entire surface of the omelet. (The cheese will melt, so you may want to add more than you think is sufficient.)

9. Once around three millimeters below the surface of the eggs is solid, use the spatula to lift one side of the omelet. Think of the omelet as three sections: the left third, the middle third where the spinach and mushrooms are, and the right third. If you are right-handed, lift the right third, then fold and press it across the middle section. If you are left-handed, lift the left third, then fold and press it across the middle section.

10. Use the spatula to maneuver the omelet so the side that has been folded is pushed against the side of the pan.

11. You may need an additional spatula. Tilt the pan toward yourself so the omelet is almost completely resting along the side of the pan, and dig the spatula below the omelet. In one move, flip the omelet so it folds itself over the final third of the eggs and return the pan to the stove.

12. Turn the stove off and slide the omelet onto a serving dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and any other additional toppings you may desire.

13. If you have any remaining ingredients, you can microwave them and serve on the side.

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순두부 flavors of family:

Spicy korean soondubu

BY SIONA CHAN

spicy Korean dish is packed full of flavor and is great for the Thiswinter months. My family has our own recipe that we follow.

Instead of seafood, this soondubu has pork and kimchi. For the base of the soup, we use dashida (다시다), which is traditionally a beef flavored stock. My grandmother handmakes the dashida we use at home. It is made with baked and dried anchovies, shrimp, and mushrooms that have been blended. Dashida can be added to many different soups for a nutritious and delicious meal.

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• • • • • • • • • • •

INGREDIENTS

DIRECTIONS

4 teaspoons red pepper flakes 2 teaspoons sesame oil 2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic 2 teaspoons salt 9 oz soft Korean tofu About 6 oz sliced pork ½ teaspoon dashida (beef flavored soup stock) Kimchi to taste (About 2-4 oz) 1 cup of water 1 egg 2 oz sliced scallions

1. Mix the red pepper flakes and the sesame oil in the pot and heat over medium high heat.

2. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds until fragrant, then add the pork.

Cook the pork until it is done.

3. Add the kimchi and let it cook for about one minute.

4. Pour the water in and then put in the dashida. Bring to a boil.

5. When it has started boiling, add in the tofu and the egg. Let it continue boiling for about 1-2 minutes.

6. Turn off the stove and top with the scallions. Serve immediately.

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flavors of family:

卤牛腩牛腱子 (Braised Beef Flank and Shank)

by Addison Deng

INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

Beef and Seasoning: • 2 lb of beef flank (牛腩) • 2 lb of beef shank (牛腱子) • One bottle of Shao Hsing cooking wine (绍兴 料酒) • One bottle of light soy sauce (生抽) • One bottle of dark soy sauce (老抽) • Yellow lump raw cane sugar (黄冰糖) • Ginger slices (姜片) • Dried chili peppers (干辣椒)

1. Place beef flank and beef shank in a large pot and fill it with room temperature water until the beef is submerged.

2. Starting from the top of the pot and roughly tracing along its circumference, pour six quick revolutions of cooking wine. The water should be tinted yellow.

3. Let the beef sit in the water for an hour to allow the blood to drain. The water will become slightly red.

4. Drain beef from pot and cut flank into bitesized pieces.

5. Place beef into pressure cooker and add water until the beef is just barely submerged.

6. Add ten quick revolutions of light soy sauce, three quick revolutions of dark soy sauce, and two quick revolutions of cooking wine.

7. Add one handful of yellow lump raw cane sugar, one handful of ginger slices, and a handful of dried chili peppers (measurements can be altered to accommodate personal tastes).

8. Add a little under 2 handfuls of each spice to personal taste (no specific ratio) OR add all 6 packets of the prepackaged spice mix.

9. Distribute spices around to make sure flavor is evenly spread.

10. Place beef into a high-pressure cooker for 45 minutes.

11. Using tongs, remove and dry the beef shank.

Slice into thin pieces, and then serve on a plate with soy sauce for dipping.

12. Transfer beef flank and remaining broth from pressure cooker into a large serving pot.

13. Prepare to battle for a taste of this dish because it will be gone before you can blink!

Spices for Marinating: • Star anise (八角) • Cinnamomum cassia (桂皮) • Clove (丁香) • 2 pitted black cardamoms (草果) • Sichuan peppercorn (花椒) • Dried tangerine peel (陈皮) OR as an alternative • 6 packs of prepackaged spice mix (卤菜香料 卤包) Required appliances: • High-pressure cooker

Serves: 4-5 people

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T

腱 牛 子 卤牛腩 卤牛腩

here’s a wonder in Chinese cuisine: the lack of specific ingredient measurements. The recipe and steps may occasionally provide estimates of the amount that should be added; however, with every interpretation of “pour six revolutions of soy sauce around the pot” or “spoon cooking wine until the water is tinged yellow,” there comes an infinite spectrum of what that could mean to you, what that could taste like for you, and what that could feel like for you.

Rather than how savory the beef was or how fragrant the spices were, when reminiscing on the flavor, I only distinctly hear the incessant peanut-cracking and laughter of my family gathered around the television screen. I feel the slight shudders and crackles of the spiraling fireworks the younger ones were setting outside. The truth is, each time the dish is cooked, its unspecific measurements always make it different, and despite it still being pleasant to eat, this difference makes the taste forgettable. But if there is one thing I will never forget, it is how this dish makes me feel. My love for this dish isn’t because of its flavor. It was never because of its flavor, but because this dish signaled the commencement of joy, company, family, and the carefreeness of childhood.

The rough recipe provided above gives us a fragrant meaty dish my grandmother would make at every familial gathering, and I’ve seen generous plates and pots filled with the recipe rotating across the crystal, unbudging Lazy Susan for as long as I was strong enough to spin it myself.

I could count how many times I’ve eaten the dish as it equates to how many holidays have passed in China since I was five; however, if asked now to describe the taste of grandmother’s flank slices, I could probably say no more than “it was just really good.”

This recipe provided above isn’t meant to replicate what my grandmother made or the perfect ratioed dish she didn’t make, but it is meant to capture her touch and sprinkle of love and remembrance that’s now left in the past.

photo courtesy of addison deng

So, wrapped within this recipe in each chaotic, risky, novel step, I present to you what keeps me cuddled under the crimson autumn foliage: my 卤牛腩牛腱子.

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How to Brunch In New York, Toronto, and Hong Kong

by Morgan Hsu

According to Merriam-Webster, brunch is “a meal usually taken late in the morning that

combines a late breakfast and an early lunch.” If you were to ask me, I would add another part to this definition. Brunch: a meal usually taken late in the morning that combines a late breakfast and an early lunch, including a charming interior design and comfortable conversation.

Last year, I found my three favorite brunch places. So, in case you are planning to visit New York, Toronto, or Hong Kong, here is a mini-guide on how to brunch in their best restaurants—according to me.

New York La Grande Boucherie is located at 145 West 53rd Street. It opens at 8 a.m. and has a beautiful interior that accentuates the natural light that flows from the roof. So, depending on the season, pick a time when the daylight is abundant, and book a reservation in advance because it really is as popular. There are multiple seating options, including bar seating, table seating in the expansive hallway right under the colored glass roof, or tables in a section with less natural light but beautiful decor. I recommend the table seating, brunch is the conversation (and perhaps a bit of innocent

gossip), which is better done face-to-face across a table. The tables and chairs are a bit petite, however, so bringing a small bag or no bag at all will be helpful for your own comfort.

My favorite item on the menu is Le Croque Madame. It comes almost piping hot with gruyère dripping down the crisp, light edges of the sourdough bread. The egg is soft and runny, which when sliced open, makes a wonderful dipping sauce for the sandwich.

Additionally, the ham is sweet and salty and combines with the cheese like a dream.

La Grande Boucherie is comfortable and beautiful, and the food tastes like it was prepared with purpose and warmth. If you have to choose between visiting the iconic places in New York such as the Empire State Building, or brunching at La Grande Boucherie, just know that I have been to both, and you will regret not going to brunch at La Grande Boucherie. I can promise you that.

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However, with a trained ear, talking is still possible.

Toronto Sisters and Co. sits on 887 Dundas Street West. It has an extremely Instagrammable, slightly millennial interior. This brunch place not only executes normal brunch dishes perfectly but also delicately combines them with Asian flavors. Some examples of their Asian brunch dishes include gochujang chicken and waffles, and char sui or bulgogi eggs benedict.

Hong Kong Barista by Givrés is on 7 Staunton Street in Central. It usually requires a bit of a walk along the winding ramps and stairs in Central to get there, but I do not hesitate to say that every step is worth it. The interior is a normal size compared to other places in Hong Kong, but it may seem slightly cramped for non-locals. Barista offers many drink options, from coffees to hojicha and matcha, and there is also a gelato bar located at the front. They use a scooping method to create beautiful rose shapes on cones, which makes the cooling summer treat almost too pretty to eat. As for their brunch options, on Saturdays and Sundays they are usually packed full to the brim. Like a true Hong Konger, do not be afraid to fight for a seat.

If you are not a fan of the Asian flavors, however, there are also other delicious dishes such as the avocado benedict, breakfast sandwiches, french toast, avocado toast, citrus mascarpone waffles and more. My favorite items are the earl grey pancakes, bulgogi eggs benedict, and iced matcha latte. Luckily, this brunch place is not usually as busy as La Grande Boucherie, so eating in without a reservation is possible.

Barista’s best dish is definitely the ‘everything toast,’ which has smoked salmon shaped like a rose, cream cheese, avocado, beetroot hum- I hope to find my favorite brunch places in mus and pistachio. Conversation is a bit chal- more countries and cities, but for now, these lenging at Barista since Central is a bustling remain my top three. If you decide to take my place, constantly filled with horns beeping advice, they might just become yours, too. and loud talking.

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Dippiceedcream IN

Y

ears ago, under Shanghai’s summer sun, I walked through the parking lot of some mall with a McDonald’s soft serve leaking through the finger crevices of my right hand and a small salted bag of fries pinched in my left. I pulled the handles to my mom’s car with bare pinkies and, after nudging open the door, carefully shuffled my body into the backseat followed by my feet yanking the door shut. As I sat down an impulsive thought hit me. Not too long after I witnessed my cake cone tip upside down enveloping each fry in the bag. As many of you have already experienced by now, the novel embrace of silky ice cream and crispy fries upon the tongue leaves unexpected harmony; however, despite its pleasantness, the combination still remains unusual due to the conventional food rules we implement. We are creatures of habits and con-

trol; thus, we hold beliefs as to how certain foods should be eaten, cooked, and paired.

While this habit sometimes protects us from putrid flavors, I would argue it does more harm than good. It inhibits us from expanding the culture of food

and exploring further wonders beyond these fries dipped in ice cream. This ice cream stands as a challenge against such restrictions and boundaries; I encourage you to begin dipping one recipe into another, no matter how frowned upon it may be.

The food society is a progressing, developing culture that should embrace novelty 14

by Addison Deng

and explore the unexpected.

In the same way, fries and ice cream contested what is regular and fueled the favored engagement of when savory meets sweet, any innovations upon a dish or a certain cooking method that people may want but lack the support to try, become a push against the food norms, a movement: “dipped in ice cream.” A few weeks later, in my grandmother’s crowded, humid kitchen, my McDonald’s excursion inspired me, and with an encrypted smile, I offered to take hold of her spatula while she was busy. She remained hesitant to receive culinary assistance from an 11-year-old; however, still having to set the table in time for dinner, she surrendered to her inhibitions and asked me to watch what was currently over the fire: tomato fried eggs. The simmering broth in the pot was dyed brown from the soy sauce on the counter that sat next to

another salt dispenser, and with a frown, I turned my head around to our tea tray and a bottle of honey with which I squirted a three by four grid into the frying pan.

Now, a typically savory dish in my household merged with the touch of sweet, sweet honey. We have never gone back ever since.

illustrations by sophia you

Concerns may be raised about remaining true to traditional cooking; however, by altering and adding to these older recipes, rather than disregarding their cultural significance, we are renewing and reintroducing them in increasingly accessible ways to the modern community. These new combinations are not meant to forget the past. It is meant to honor. It is meant to make the dish relevant once more. This is especially shown through one of Xi’an’s and China’s staple dishes: the Chinese Hamburger or 肉夹馍 (rou jia mo). 肉夹馍, originating in the Qin dynasty, is a dish that featured marinated pork between two pieces of 白吉馍 (bai ji mo) that had a similar texture to a slightly dry, stale bagel due to agricultural and culinary restrictions in the past. Nowadays, due to 15

our access to more palatable alternatives, the most common bread used are these crispy and flaky rounds with oil-layer skin that breaks like the crusts of puff pastries, well-beloved by the public.

Thus, what began as a McDonald’s trip motivated me to find more and taste more beyond my habit of sticking to society’s laughable food rules. Stigmas and assumptions should not prevent you from seeking surprises because, in each unusual bite, we are not just savoring an eccentric combination; we are joining a culinary challenge—a movement that celebrates the joy of defying the expected and embracing the delectable possibilities that arise when something is dipped in ice cream. So just dip it. I dare you.