i've always tried to be open about trying out new types of food no matter how weird it sounds.

ever heard of BLT cupcake?

no? well, now you have.

when i first told some of my friends of it, they went, "ewwww...."

i don't blame 'em. in fact when i first heard about BLT cupcake, i was like.. "whoah...wait... what??????!" but it was followed by excitement and huge curiosity. what would it taste like? i know that bacon pairs well with chocolate and i was wondering how this cupcake bakery would execute this intriguing morsel. i need to try this for myself.

before i go on and on about the BLT cupcake (i'm already halfway there), the bakery that does these interesting concoctions of cupcakes is more cupcakes. no really, the name of the bakery is more cupcakes. located in the gold coast area at the intersection of delaware and state streets, more cupcakes is a petite and swanky shop owned by patty rothman. it caters for mostly cupcakes on the go since there isn't any chairs if you were hoping to sit around to enjoy these confections.

as you enter, there is a display of cupcakes on the right. and on the left are some of the accolades that more cupcakes have received including 'best of chicago - reader's pick for cupcakes'. and i thought, hmm.. this is promising.

they offer a lot of cupcakes with interesting combination of flavors. i gotta try me some of these:

01| blt cupcake ($4.25)

the cupcake i've been talking about - the BLT cupcake.

so did curiosity kill the cat? fortunately, no. 

the first thing i did was sniff the cupcake (hey, it's not a conventional cupcake..) and the first smell that hit me was something garlic-y. the cake tastes like sweet corn bread in a cupcake form paired with the saltiness of bacon bits. the cake itself is somewhat moist and has an interesting flavor. it actually tasted pretty good. wasn't too excited about the ranch frosting which reminded me of sour cream & onion flavored lays potato chips. the frosting itself was overwhelming and salty and i had to discard most of it. i do like the cherry tomatoes that give the cupcake some freshness and sweetness the cupcake needs.

overall, i guess the best word to describe this cupcake is umm... different. would i get it again? hmmm...not too sure. well, probably not... just because when someone says cupcakes, i think of sweet and not so much savory.

more also offers a few more bacon selections such as bacon, bacon, bacon and bacon maple.

02| red velvet cupcake ($3.50)

besides those interesting combinations, they also have a lot of classic flavors.  one of them being red velvet. the cake itself is somewhat moist but dense and it has a distinct cocoa flavor which i really like. is it more moist than the one i get from sprinkles? no but it's close. the cream cheese frosting is tart and somewhat reminds me more of cheesecake instead of frosting hence not a huge fan of it. do i like cupcake? yes. but i prefer it without the frosting which is a shame.

03| salted caramel cupcake ($3.50)

i read on yelp and a lot of people raved about the salted caramel cupcake so i was pretty excited to get it. sweet and salty is an awesome combination. maybe because i had such high expectations for this cupcake, i was kinda bummed out that although it was a yummy cupcake, it wasn't as outstanding as i hoped it would be. the caramel filling may have pushed the cupcake to be a lil too sweet for my liking (well, i don't like things too sweet though) which i should expect because it IS caramel. i skipped out on the frosting because the cupcake itself was sweet enough but as it is called salted caramel cupcake i was looking for the salty aspect of it which happens to be in the frosting.  to be fair though, this cupcake is one day old so it might not be as fresh as it could have been.

i would probably go back and give this cupcake another try but this time fresh and with a lil bit of frosting.

04| flight: favorites

more offers flights which contains six moresels each. they are mini cupcakes which you can probably finish in a bite or two. the prices range from $9.50 - $12 depending on which type you are getting. i decided on the "favorite" flight which has three flavors: chocolate hazelnut, valrhona and cookies&cream.

varlhona cupcake is a dark chocolate cupcake with dark chocolate frosting and a small surprise in the middle - the chocolate ganache. this is my favorite cupcake from more and i would walk several blocks just for another one of these. it's moist, chocolate-y and just the right amount of sweetness. mad loveee! <3 each bite is heavenly :)

flight 02 | cookies&cream cupcake

when i first looked at the cookies&cream cupcake, i wanted to dig into this cos it looked so good. however, this was probably my least favorite cupcake. the cookies&cream aspect of it was mostly in the frosting and the cake with the crushed chocolate graham cookie layer at the bottom was dry and almost crumbly.

flight 03 | chocolate hazelnut cupcake


the chocolate hazelnut cupcake has a good balance of chocolate and hazelnut flavors. it's a chocolate cupcake topped with chocolate frosting enhanced by the chocolate hazelnut filling. this is garnished with a crunchy hazelnut brittle. this is a moist cupcake without it being overly sweet and if you like the pairing of hazelnut and chocolate this is the cupcake for you :) i'd say this is my second favorite cupcake after the valrhona.


flights are the way to go if you would like to try a lot more variety of cupcakes. if you are too lazy to drive/walk/get there,  more cupcakes offers home delivery with the minimum order of $24.

if you would like to try classic or not-so-conventional cupcakes, definitely keep more cupcakes in mind :)

disclaimer this is written based on my personal experience and opinion. experiences and taste buds may vary for others

"legend has it that if a pig drinks red wine, it will turn purple"

bon appétit's the restaurant issue recently named the purple pig as one of the top ten best new restaurants. the magazine explains the origins of this mediterranean - inspired restaurant's rather interesting and odd name: "the owners must have known they were going to sell a lot of pork and wine. legend has it that if a pig drinks red wine, it will turn purple." hence, the purple pig was born.

a friend of mine who also loves food recommended this place to me several weeks ago but it didn't really have a chance to go until very recently. i was super excited to go and couldn't wait for my first visit to this place. the time was a monday afternoon just minutes after they opened at 11:30am.

located at magnificient mile (at the intersection of north michigan and illinois ave), the purple pig has a very inviting and cozy atmosphere. it is tastefully decorated with the warm hue of beige and yellow, accented by wooden cabinets and floors adorned with blue patterned tiles and black&white photos on the wall. and of course the occasional pig statues you can find around the restaurant. communal tables filled the restaurant but there are some non communal ones that line the wall to the right as you enter the place.

there are also outdoor seating available where you can enjoy some of chicago's skyline.

we've had a pretty good idea of what we were going to get since we've done some research on yelp. similar to tapas restaurants, the whole idea is to share the small plates with your dining companion(s) hence more variety. our server was friendly and she suggested that we ordered two plates per person. there were some of the dishes that we wanted that weren't available but  purple pig has quite the selection of food to choose from. ryan also wanted a glass of red wine to go with the meal but didn't really know what to get so he asked our server a recommendation for a glass of full bodied red wine without the expensive price tag. and she managed to do a great job finding one.

we ordered two dishes from the fried items, one from antipasti and another from a la pancha category.

fried item | chorizo stuffed olives

crispy breadcrumbs encase warm green olives stuffed with a small amount of chorizo. ryan and i had somewhat different opinions about this dish. perhaps it's the way we ate it. i halved the olives and take a bite which allowed me to taste the brininess from the olives enhanced by the saltiness of the chorizo. this is  followed by the crispiness of the outer layer which came as a pleasant surprise coupled with the creaminess of the mayo (not sure what is in that) which cut the saltiness a tad.

A sharp hit of salt which was all ryan could taste whenever he pops a whole one in his mouth. but overall i guess it might have been a tad too salty for both of us (which i anticipated) but it was indeed an interesting combination.

fried item | pig's ear with crispy kale, pickled cherry peppers & fried egg

the one thing i was nervous about trying - pig's ear. i wasn't sure if i had pig's ear before but one thing i knew was ryan was quite nervous about trying too. when the plate came, i almost squealed with delight. it's a piggy bowllll - so cute! :) the triple fried threat - fried pig's ear, the sunny side up and crispy kale make this dish look so good. each of the strip of pig's ear was fried to crispy perfection without it being too oily and i loved it with the crispy kale with small amounts of the sliced pickled cherry peppers.

the sunny side up egg offered the textural difference that dish needed with some of the richness of the yolk. i have to admit that we could do a lot less of the pickled peppers. i am quite unsure what i think of this dish just because i haven't really had much of pig's ears to compare it with. i thought the fried strips of pig's ears could be anything though because it didn't have much of a distinct tastes of its own imo. but i did enjoy the combined flavors of the dishes.

a la plancha | milk braised pork shoulder with mashed potatoes

the pork shoulder was fork tender (literally) and so moist - cooked to perfection. one of our favorites. it sits on a bed of creamy and yummy mashed potatoes. the meat itself is flavorful and seasoned just right so each bite with or without the gravy still tasted divine. but it is the best when we have each element of in a single bite - the pork & the mashed potates coated with the gravy.

antipasti | salt-roasted beets with whipped goat cheese & pistachio vinaigrette

i was definitely saving the best for last. this was the biggest highlight of our lunch.  what i loved about it was the natural sweetness of the beets is kissed by the creaminess, tartness and slight saltiness of the whipped goat cheese and paired with the nuttiness and earthiness of the pistachio. an amazing flavor combination. on top of that, the textural difference of each ingredient entices your taste buds that make you want more with each bite you take. definitely a HUGE favorite of ours. to be honest, i would just go back to the purple pig just for this single dish. very much recommended.

we passed on dessert because we were pretty full but i've heard the buttersotch pudding is good. there's just so many more things i want to try here! there were a few people ordering a cheese and cured meats platter which we are very much interested trying sometime soon :) oh and if u wanted to get some bread to go with your small plates, just request your waiter for some.

and for those who would like to try a hand at cooking some of their dishes, the purple pig also feature a recipe of the month on their website on any one of their dishes that they serve and this month is the milk braised pork shoulder. <3

the purple pig lives up to its name : cheese, wine and swine. and they do an awesome job with all three categories. i just can't wait for my return visit.

disclaimer this is written based on my personal experience and opinion. experiences and taste buds may vary for others

i was very nervous when i checked my email last thursday cos i knew the results for project food blog (pfb) were announced that day. but boy, was i super happy and excited to know that i got through! :) a very big thank you <3 to those who voted for me. i am very glad that you liked my first post and i hope this next entry will not disappoint.

challenge #2 pick an ethnic classic that is outside your comfort zone or are not as familiar with.

first thought that came to mind, "omigosh, something japanese!"

in the past months, i've been very much interested in almost everything japanese - the culture, the language, the country itself and the cherry blossoms. hehe...i have even started saving money in my 'trip-to-japan-hopefully-sometime-in-the-near-future' fund and am planning to register for japanese language class next year.  i blame it on my fascination with manga (japanese comics) and the fact that i love japanese food because it's different from other asian food and yet familiar at the same time. i've always said that the best way to learn a country's culture is through its food and this is a great way to start.

typically the cuisine that people commonly associate with japanese food is sushi... but i wanted to make something different. something less common.

so i decided to make chawanmushi.

wait...what?

yup, chawanmushi...lemme share a short background of what this traditional japanese dish is.

chawanmushi is a savory egg custard flavored with dashi that contains small morsels of shiitake mushrooms, chicken, ginkgo nuts and seafood served in a teacup shaped, lidded dish. it is a dish native to japan that is most commonly served as a part of a traditional japanese multi-course haute cuisine called kaiseki ryori under the mushimono (steamed dish) category. traditionally, it is eaten hot in the winter and chilled in the summer as an appetizer or a side dish. surprisingly, chawanmushi is not a common dish served at japanese restaurants here in the US.

so, the story of coming up with the idea to make this dish goes like this. recently, my friend was telling me that her boyfriend made chawanmushi and i thought it would be a neat dish to make. coincidentally, i went shopping at the japanese grocery store last weekend and bought most of the ingredients i needed. (i raided and borrowed the rest of the ingredients including the teacup dishes from my friend's kitchen..thanks christina!) however, i think one of the biggest reasons why i chose chawanmushi is that my parents are not huge fans of japanese food mainly because of the raw fish (think sushi) but i figured this is a dish that my parents might enjoy. :) 

before we get started on the chawanmushi, there is one important ingredient to make - the dashi.

whoah... what's dashi?

it is a seaweed and fish flavored soup stock that is the base of many japanese dishes. it consists of three ingredients: kombu, katsuobushi and water.

kombu is an edible kelp that is harvested and dried in the sun. katsuobushi aka bonito flakes (you can sometimes watch chef morimoto use this on iron chef america) are made by shaving wispy thin flakes with a special tool from a dried, fermented and smoked skipjack tuna. it's pretty easy to make the dashi. it involves soaking the kombu in water for about three hours, then bringing it close to a boil, removing the kombu, then adding the bonito flakes to soak for about fifteen minutes, strain and there you have it: ichiban dashi or "first sea stock". you can find the recipe at the end of the entry...

tip | remove kombu immediately when small bubbles appear at the bottom or side because cooking it for too long discolors the dashi and makes it bitter.

an easier and quicker way to make dashi: use the instant dashi powder and add water. i decided to make it from scratch to make the overall dish as authentic as possible but instant dashi powder is always an option if you happen to feel a lil lazy.

next step was to make the main star of the day. the three eggs which are lightly beaten are combined with the cooled dashi, sugar, soy sauce and some salt. i left out the sake because i didn't have any :( the mixture is then strained through a mesh strainer to give a smoother custard.

the fun part is just beginning: layering the ingredients in the teacup shaped dishes (aren't they so adorable!) in whichever way you want to. the cool thing about making this dish is that you can add whatever ingredients to your egg custard. my choices were shiitake mushrooms, ginkgo nuts, and two types of japanese fish cakes - kamaboko and gobo tenpura.

all i have to do is place them in a steamer at low to medium-low heat and wait patiently as it cooks. patience is key here. i did a test run with one just to make sure the temperature was right.

tip | wrap the lid of your steamer with paper towels so that the steam droplets do not get into your chawanmushi as you steam it.

tip | to check if your dish is done, use a bamboo stick to poke it and if the broth is clear, you're good to go.

i had two friends over at my apartment to be my guinea pigs for my first attempt at chawanmushi... christina who is half japanese (she's the one who suggested chawanmushi and let me borrow her stuff for this experiment) and her boyfriend :) i love how food brings people together! my first chawanmushi looks good but it has some small craters on the surface of the custard. and apparently i overcooked it a tad.. boo! (sad face) but good news is not only did it taste right, it tasted delish with the exception of the texture.

have no fear. i have two more filled cups ready to go. hence, attempt #2 at lower temperature and longer cook time.

verdict | much better than the first one. the egg custard is smooth on the surface and looks soo yummy. garnish the dish with cilantro to make it look pretty and it's ready to serve.

my first bite was warm and silky, savory egg custard. the subsequent bites are the layers of flavors: the earthiness of the shiitake mushroom with its umami echoing the dashi base flavors paired with the slight sweetness of the shrimp and the fish cakes. this is accompanied by the slight nuttiness of the ginkgo nuts coupled with their soft texture. i think i was being overly generous with the amount of filling i stuffed into the dish so it would probably be better to go easy on the ingredients to get a better egg custard and filling ratio. (and remind myself to cut them into bite size pieces!) although i could see the steam emerging as i dug deeper into the dish, every bite was at the right warm temprature. mmm... it felt so warm and comforting with every bite i took.

winter is just around the corner and i think i've found a perfect dish to warm up those chilly days. :) and yes, i think my parents will like this dish too!

if you are interested in making this tiny bundle of silky yumminess, the recipes are found as linked:

dashi broth | chawanmushi

o-shokuji wo tanoshinde kudasai!*

*note | it means "please enjoy your meal!"
note2 | please send a vote my way here if you enjoyed this entry :) thanks <3