Wednesday, June 30, 2010

friends and tiramisu

It all started with Tiramisu. Well, almost. The truth is, the Italian cake was only one of the many things that forged our friendship… I still can remember the moment: I was amazed by the biggest Tiramisu I’ve ever laid eyes on, a masterpiece created by my friend and“celebrity” (in his own right) pastry chef, Ed.

Ed and wife Vicky are pastry chefs. Both have worked at Walt Disney World Resorts.  Our paths crossed through my sister who met the adorable couple in a serendipitous manner. At the time, my sister Marvie and her husband Benedict recently moved to Orlando and exchanged pleasantries with Ed and Vicky in a restaurant. They swapped contact numbers only to find out  later  that one of Ed’s friends visiting from London is Benedict’s cousin. A year later, Benedict’s cousin and his family migrated to Orlando. That‘s how our group of friends was formed… We had a lot of fun during those nights of playing poker and charades while enjoying good food and wonderful company. And it was only through, as I’ve said, a fortuitous meeting in a hole-in-the-wall joint. Serendipity!

So what makes friends click? It’s just chemistry, sharing things in common, and enjoying each other’s company. What was initially a casual meeting turned into a deeper friendship, sharing similar values, interests, our passion for good food, and yes our love for tiramisu!

We would meet up almost every weekend until Ed and Vicky moved across the country to Seattle. A few months later, we moved to San Diego, but the bonds of friendship we formed in Florida have outlasted the distance and time…

So let’s fast forward. Four years later.

I got a call from Ed saying that they were visiting San Diego. Again, what impeccable timing as my sister’s family was scheduled to arrive the same week for my daughter’s graduation… and so last weekend we had a chance to revisit what we had before in Orlando. We got together like the good old days… We laughed as we recited the names of who were the best (and worst) players in charades, the songs we loved to sing, as we talked about how our kids have grown so fast, and yes, how we would want all this again… We may not be able to do it as often but we will schedule it for next year, hopefully in Seattle.

Ed will always be the “leader of the band" as he loves to organize our parties… the random movie titles he would give that were impossible to get in charades, our theme parties he would come up with that were always fun, and of course the delicious dessert that he and Vicky always prepared. I asked him what the theme of my menu for his visit should be, he said nothing but healthy food... My a-ha moment came... as I thought out loud “SEAFOOD”. The recipe in this post is one of the dishes  I prepared that night..

Yes having chefs as close friends has its benefits but on the other hand having them come to dinner is quite intimidating... but  that night  Ed and Vicky gave me a rating of 5 star (***** wink wink)... yeah that's what friends are for.



Shrimp with Tofu
This dish is so simple and light. And it’s easy to prepare.



Ingredients:

2 blocks of tofu, sliced thinly
“Less sodium” soup stock
2carrots, cubed
Quail eggs, boiled and shelled
2 celery stalks, sliced
1 egg white
1 tsp sesame oil
2 lbs. shrimp

Directions:
In a saucepan, pour the soup stock. Drop the tofu slices. Let it boil. Set aside the tofu when done.

In the same broth, put the carrots, celery and quail eggs. Let it simmer. Add the shrimps. Cook until shrimps turn bright pink. Do not overcook the shrimp (cooks in a few minutes, usually no more than seven minutes if thawed). You may add 2 tsp of cornstarch dispersed in water  to slightly thicken the sauce, and add a few drops of sesame oil.

It's that easy and to think that this was one of the favorite dishes of the night.
Cheers!







10 comments:

  1. I found this link on Ed's facebook and I'm glad I clicked it. For you have captured who Ed is. When he left NYC our get-togethers stopped. He is good at bringing friends together, always fun to be with.
    Your Shrimp with Tofu is something that I want to try. Maybe when I go visit Ed.

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  2. Thanks for the warm friendship story, and interesting to see your text is shifting from tiramisu to seafood :) The photos are giving me the reason why you got 5 stars!!

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  3. hi there! im thrilled to know that you know ed just like i do. i know what you mean because our charades stopped as soon as they left orlando. thanks for dropping by.

    TLC: I should put a disclaimer in the first sentence that this post is not about tiramisu hahahah.
    so nice to see you again. take care and hope to see tokyo sometime soon!

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  4. I love tiramisu but I don't really mind if the recipe you shared here is shrimp with tofu...yum!

    I agree with you great friends make life beautiful. Enjoy your friends!

    Mary

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  5. Malou!

    This post made me miss you... great friends find you because you are a great person.

    miss you,

    Jen

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  6. I have to say I got excited when I saw the word tiramisu because it's one of my favorite desserts but I also love shrimps. Love the pics- the shrimps looks so nice and juicy.

    I'd say you're a lucky girl for having those kinds of friends and they're pastry chefs too!

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  7. looks wonderful and you can't beat good friends lol

    have a fun weekend

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  8. What good friends. I loved this post and your story and your recipe. I think that makes a triple play :-). Have a great weekend. Blessings...Mary

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  9. Mary: heya what a surprise! i thought you were kidding when you said you read my blog hahah.
    so this is a proof! hehehe!

    Jen: I miss you too. Come over to SD so we could re-bond!

    Cookies and Cream: yeah i should have written a disclaimer for peeps like you. Sorry for misleading you? hahah did not intend to./

    Rebecca: hello great to see you! THanks for stopping by

    Mary: Im so glad that you loved this post. Ejoy the 4th of July.

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  10. The shrimp looks amazing! I love the blue table cover you used to bring out the colors of the dish.

    Love the pictures :)

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Thank you for stopping by and oh I would be thrilled even more if you could leave a comment... :) Cheers!

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