Hey there Florida Foodie friends,
Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? Thomas Mates knows!
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It has been too long since we last spoke. I am sorry about that.
As I told you before, I am the Streaming Executive Producer here at News 6 now and it has taken me a couple of weeks to get my ducks in a row. Now that all of my waterfowl are neatly organized, I have made my triumphant return.
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I won’t dilly or dally here too much. I just want to remind everyone that we will be going back to putting out new Florida Foodie episodes and newsletters every two weeks.
In the meantime, you can find every episode of Florida Foodie on YouTube.
Family traditions meet modern cuisine🥢
Yao’s Modern Kitchen is all about family. Three siblings run the business using updated takes on their family recipes.
The trio grew up in Central Florida and the flavors of the Sunshine State are also a big influence on the menu.
I got to try some of the food when they came in to talk with Candace Campos and I can tell you, it is really great. The dumplings are fantastic and the orange chicken is unlike anything you’d find at a typical Chinese take-out spot.
>Listen to the whole conversation here<
Small bites🌽
In a pickle🥒: A popular spot to eat at Disneyland has now landed at Disney World. Blue Ribbon Corn Dogs is now open to guests with offerings such as a pickle corn dog, which is exactly what it sounds like. Read more about it here.
Goth cocktails🕸️: A traveling Edgar Allan Poe-themed cocktail bar is set to make several stops in Central Florida. Click here to find out where.
Heading west🍔: Friend of the pod Alex Diaz is closing up his Casselberry restaurant, Alex’s Fresh Kitchen, and moving it out of state. He is heading to Arizona, where he plans to reopen in a new location. You can read more about the closure here.
Something to try at home 🍽️
Many years ago, I worked in a fancy burger bar in Philadelphia called PYT. What does PYT stand for? No one ever knew and the owner would make up something different every time you asked him.
In any case, I still use some of the recipes from that restaurant in my day-to-day cooking. My favorite is probably the signature PYT sauce, which was put on just about every burger.
It is very rich and savory and now I am going to teach all of you how to make it.
Ingredients
- 1 white onion, julienned
- 1 shallot, minced
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 cup of mayo
- salt & pepper
- 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard (optional)
- oil
- 1 tablespoon of butter
Directions
- Put a saute pan over low heat. Add your butter and enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Once the butter is completely melted, add your onions and lightly salt them.
- Stir your onions every five minutes or so. If you notice them burning, stir them more often and bring the heat down a little. You want them to carmelize. You will probably notice a build-up of brown stuff on the bottom of the pan periodically. This is called fond and it is full of flavor. Add a little water to the pan, about a tablespoon, and scrape it all off the bottom of the pan.
- Once your onions take on a light caramel color, add your shallot and garlic. Then continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions take on a deep brown color.
- Add your hot onion mixture to your mayo and stir it through. Add salt and pepper to taste. This is also when you would add your Dijon. It is not necessary, but I think it adds a good depth of flavor.
That’s it. It is a great spread for burgers or fried chicken. It’s also a pretty good dip for chips.
That’s all for today.
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Send me your recipes so I can share them with everyone. My email is tmates@wkmg.com.
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