About

VANILLA LATTE is a blog dedicated to food & travel with occasional random stuff thrown in. It is managed and written by me, Maggie Ha.


{read more}

CATEGORIES

RECENT POSTS

Dark Chocolate Ganache Tart with Toasted Pistachios 23Jun11

Dark Chocolate Ganache Tart with Toasted Pistachios

So this is how it happened: I was out shopping for some boxes to organize all the stuff I have in my apartment. It started raining – I can’t buy cardboard boxes in the rain, that would just be silly. Across the street is Sur La Table. It is raining, did I mention that already? So I had to go in for some cover. They happened to have a sale. Two giant bags of baking toys later, I had to rush home to start making my tarts!

This dish has been on my mind for a while. Dark chocolate ganache tart with toasted pistachios and a pinch of sea salt on top. I’ve been on a pistachio kick lately and I think it goes really well with a dark bitter chocolate. I played around with several different crusts… yes I now have several different tart trays to work with… and the best tasting with this filling is “the great unshrinkable sweet tart shell” from Smitten Kitchen. Although mine definitely shrank. Graham cracker just did not taste right with this and neither did my chocolate biscuit crust, maybe too much chocolate with the dark chocolate filling.

Now this dish sounds pretty easy but it does take a lot of time. Please allow for time to chill the dough for the crust, bake it and let it cool (all in all about 4 hours). Then the ganache part will need another 2 hours to set so you’re talking some serious time commitment when making this. But it is totally worth it.

(more…)

Garlic Ginger Fried Rice with a Fried Egg 22Jun11

Garlic Ginger Fried Rice with a Fried Egg

I had elaborate plans to make a fancy dinner tonight. I was thinking maybe a creamy pasta dish with sun dried tomatoes, or roast veggies with artichokes and eggplant, or maybe a moroccan stew with cous cous… they were all very good candidates. Somewhere between 3pm and 8pm I completely lost track of time. Guess those dishes will have to wait for another day!

So what’s a good dish that’s quick yet hearty and also jam packed with flavor? It can only mean one thing … fried rice night! We always seem to have leftover rice in the fridge and it’s best to use day old rice for making fried rice. Fresh rice is too moist and will clump together.

My mom used to make me a million different variations of fried rice when I was a kid. Usually as a last minute dinner when I’d get home late after dance classes, practice or guitar lessons. She got a little creative at times but this one is one of my favorites. Garlic, ginger, a little touch of tomato paste and soy sauce. Sounds weird, but it’s delicious! Enjoy!

(more…)

Summer Tomato & Basil Salad 11Jun11

Tomato Basil Salad

Summer is most definitely upon us. It’s been excruciatingly hot in NY the last few days. When it’s super hot out I can only think of cool refreshing dishes… like gazpacho soup and cucumber salads with drinks like lemonade, ice teas, mint juleps and mimosas! It’s so hot, I’d be happy with just a bucket of ice!

Today I made a quick snack that I just had to share, a very refreshing (and super simple) tomato salad with fresh basil. It’s so simple, you can’t mess it up. It’s a caprese without mozzarella. The key ingredient is really delicious tomatoes. When buying tomatoes, buy the ones on the vine still. And always store them room temp and not in the fridge. You can put them in the fridge if you know you’re going to eat them immediately, like a few hours before this salad!
(more…)

Pasta with Roasted Red Pepper, Fresh Basil & Parmesan 7Jun11

Pasta with Roasted Red Pepper, Fresh Basil and Parmesan

I know… I’m getting “where have you been?!” from everyone. Well, it’s been a while but I’m finally back with another post. I’ve been travelling a lot lately so it’s been tough finding time to cook and write about it. But I’m back at home now and the first thing I wanted was some home cooked comfort food. For me, comfort food can mean many things. Usually it’s inspired by what I saw last on TV or what image I saw last, or a dish I’ve been craving for weeks. This time, all I wanted was a simple pasta dish with some fresh basil.

This dish is incredibly easy to make and super quick. Perfect for whipping up a fast dinner after a long day of work. It has very little sauce, but lots of flavor. Theres nothing better than a simple home cooked meal.. mmm! So happy to be home!
(more…)

Latest Latte

Ground Support

My local favorite is currently Ground Support in SOHO. I go there almost every day for a smooth creamy soy cappuccino or if it’s hot out an iced soy latte. When I’m not in a hurry to run out, I try to take a few extra minutes to enjoy the coffee in the shop… you know, chat with the staff, catch up on some calls and best of all… people watch. Always some interesting characters in NYC!


{read more}

  • Inspiration

  • Yummy