United States Chef
Vivien Profile
Eclectic epicure
CookEatShare Points
About me
My gastronomic adventures started at home with Philippine cuisine influenced by Spanish and Chinese cooking. My mother, a superb cook, did not bother to measure ingredients and relied upon her frequent sampling of the dish to adjust the flavors. I did not learn to cook until I moved away from home. My culinary bible was The Joy of Cooking. Unlike Mom, I religiously followed the recipes to the letter the first time I prepared them and would do my variations only with subsequent attempts. It was marvelous to explore various cuisines, although I am partial to Italian, French, and more recently, Vietnamese cuisine.
To my fellow foodies, a toast to cook, eat, and share--may our community grow!
Vivien
Cooking Influences
Irma Rombauer, Lidia Bastianich, Alain Senderens, Jacques Pepin
Recommendations
Favorite Cookbooks
- Cooking the Nouvelle Cuisine in America (Michele Urvater )
- Superb cookbook with easy to follow recipes for small dinner parties
- Lidia's Italian Table (Lidia Matticchio Bastianich)
- Simple yet delicious
- Cooking Know-How (Weinstein B, Scarborough M.)
- Wonderful manual with tips, tricks, and Options!
Chefs I recommend
- Gary Danko (San Francisco, CA)
- Mouth watering progression of dishes
Restaurants I Recommend
- Gary Danko (San Francisco, CA)
- Superb service and cuisine. Reservations a must. Pricey but worth it.
- Fuki Sushi (Palo Alto, CA)
- Love their prawns and scallops in a sake butter sauce. Reservations a must or you will have a long wait.
- Vung Tao II (Milpitas, CA)
- Wonderful claypot catfish.(ca kho tu). Come for the food. Service is prompt. Prices are reasonable but very basic dining area. Arrive early as parking is awful during dinner time. Located in a strip mall.
Comments
- February 4, 2012Hi, Vivien! I am so happy to connect with you here. Your Chocolate Decadence Torte with Raspberry Sauce is a winner! I will review that one in the near future - although it really needs no review for those who read the recipe. I hope we can remain in touch and that you will let me know what you think of a couple of my postings, as well. Wishing you all the best in 2012! regards, Amos1 reply
- February 12, 2012Amos,
Greetings from sunny California. It is a pleasure and an honor to have you as a culinary friend and mentor. Your pear and fig relish would be delicious with roast pork or as a topping for brie or a warm biscuit. Good luck with your farm and marketing your creations. I look forward to reading more of your recipes.
Regards,
Vivien