Sunday I went to the Ranch 99 in Arcadia to pick up items missing from my pantry. I must say that using a grocery list is a good way to not spend too much and to keep yourself focused on specific dishes you want to create. I only deviated by a half dozen items that weren't on my list. I don't buy these all the time. With each trip and usually my shopping list will have an entry that just says "fish", and whatever is picked up is whatever looks the freshest.
Shitake mushrooms (fresh or dried) and fresh ginger are two ingredients that I can't not have in my pantry. This trip was prompted by a lack of dried shitake mushrooms.
The list: shitake mushrooms, fresh ($3/lb) and dried ($2.50-$3.00 per package)
freshly beheaded shrimp ($4/lb, on sale)
fresh whole fish ($2-3/fish, tilapia, striped bass, or trout)
2-lb packs of frozen shelled clams ($5/each, never on sale but cheaper than restaurants)
vegetables (on choy, bok choy, napa cabage, green onion)
garlic and ginger (slightly cheaper but fresher)
lite soy sauce ($3/litre)
2-3 pkg spicy Shimun ramen (I use the spice packet in other dishes)
dried udon noodles
red rice wine
dried seaweed (kombu, wakame, or other variety, for soups)
1/2 gallon soy milk
tofu (fried, soft, or hard)
taro root (peeled & packaged)
A Chinese supermarket that services a local population of 100k+ residents is usually a good benchmark for prices of what to expect for the usual items. The aforementioned prices reflect what's available in southern California.
Two noticeably particular things happened on this shopping trip. As I was headed to the checkout line, my shopping cart looked awfully familiar.. like it had the same composition of food stuffs my folks have when they go Chinese grocery store shopping. And, other shoppers moved away from the line I was in because they simply didn't want to wait that long for me to check out. I didn't buy that much, really! My bill came to about $50.
I see good eats ahead for this week. Mmm..
Chocolate Chunk Cookies
I hate nuts in cookies. Nuts just don't belong in cookies, breads, or cakes. If I really wanted texture, I'd add more chocolate or oatmeal. I found that slaying a block of chocolate with a hammer and 1" blade chisel was very therapeutic during this recipe adventure.
In this batch, three types of chocolate were used: Ghirardelli dark chocolate, organic unsweetened cocoa, and a dark European chocolate.
1/2 c. unsalted butter (2 sticks, softened)
1 c. light brown sugar
1/4 c. organic cane sugar
1 large egg
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 c. unbleached white flour
1/4 c. organic cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 1/2 c. dark chocolate, chopped
Preheat oven oven to 375 degrees.
Bowl #1: Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg together.
Bowl #2: Cream butter, sugars together. Add eggs and vanilla extract. Mix well.Mix dry with wet, until just combined. Stir in chocolate chunks.
Line baking pan with parchment paper and drop by rounded teaspoonfuls about an inch apart.
Bake for 8-10 minutes. Cool cookies on a wire rack.
In this batch, three types of chocolate were used: Ghirardelli dark chocolate, organic unsweetened cocoa, and a dark European chocolate.
1/2 c. unsalted butter (2 sticks, softened)
1 c. light brown sugar
1/4 c. organic cane sugar
1 large egg
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 c. unbleached white flour
1/4 c. organic cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 1/2 c. dark chocolate, chopped
Preheat oven oven to 375 degrees.
Bowl #1: Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg together.
Bowl #2: Cream butter, sugars together. Add eggs and vanilla extract. Mix well.Mix dry with wet, until just combined. Stir in chocolate chunks.
Line baking pan with parchment paper and drop by rounded teaspoonfuls about an inch apart.
Bake for 8-10 minutes. Cool cookies on a wire rack.
Chocolate Bundt Cake
I'd taken a few liberties with the basic bundt cake recipe for lack of ingredients in my pantry. I didn't have heavy cream nor buttermilk, so substitutions were used to some degree of success. This produces a dense, yet moist chocolate cake. I used Dutch-processed (contains alkali) cocoa; it doesn't make much of a difference in taste.
2 1/4 c. unbleached white flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg (optional)
1/2 tsp allspice (optional)
3/4 c. unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp instant coffee (or decaf)
3/4 c. hot water
1 1/2 c. organic cane sugar
1/3 c. extra virgin olive oil
2 large egg whites1 large egg
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup soft tofu (optional, or use 1/2 c. buttermilk)
1. Preheat oven to 350°. Grease 12-cup Bundt pan.
2. Mixing bowl #1: sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and allspice
3. In a 2-cup measuring cup: whisk together cocoa, instant coffee, and hot water until blended; set aside.
4. Mixing bowl #2: Blend on low speed--sugar, oil, egg whites, and whole egg. Increase speed to high; beat until creamy, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to low; beat in cocoa mixture, chocolate, and vanilla. Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat just until combined, scraping bowl occasionally with rubber spatula.
5. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 45-60 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack 10 minutes. Loosen cake from side of pan; invert onto wire rack. Cool completely.
6. Serve with chocolate rum sauce.
2 1/4 c. unbleached white flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg (optional)
1/2 tsp allspice (optional)
3/4 c. unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp instant coffee (or decaf)
3/4 c. hot water
1 1/2 c. organic cane sugar
1/3 c. extra virgin olive oil
2 large egg whites1 large egg
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup soft tofu (optional, or use 1/2 c. buttermilk)
1. Preheat oven to 350°. Grease 12-cup Bundt pan.
2. Mixing bowl #1: sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and allspice
3. In a 2-cup measuring cup: whisk together cocoa, instant coffee, and hot water until blended; set aside.
4. Mixing bowl #2: Blend on low speed--sugar, oil, egg whites, and whole egg. Increase speed to high; beat until creamy, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to low; beat in cocoa mixture, chocolate, and vanilla. Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat just until combined, scraping bowl occasionally with rubber spatula.
5. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 45-60 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack 10 minutes. Loosen cake from side of pan; invert onto wire rack. Cool completely.
6. Serve with chocolate rum sauce.
Chocolate Pudding
1 c. heavy cream
1 c. whole milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 c. sugar
2 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tbsp. cornstarch
1/8 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
3 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
1. In a medium saucepan, whisk cream, milk, and egg.
2. In a medium bowl: whisk sugar, cocoa, cornstarch, and salt. Add to saucepan mixture.
3. Bring to a boil over med-high heat, whisking constantly.
4. Strain the pudding in a glass baking dish. Stir in butter and chocolate until melted.
5. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until chilled.
Note: The color will be off from what you're used to. It is ok. This is how it is supposed to look like without any of those unnatural artificial colors. Also, if you don't want a "skin" to form on top of the pudding, you may place parchment paper on top of the pudding as it chills.
1 c. whole milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 c. sugar
2 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tbsp. cornstarch
1/8 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
3 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
1. In a medium saucepan, whisk cream, milk, and egg.
2. In a medium bowl: whisk sugar, cocoa, cornstarch, and salt. Add to saucepan mixture.
3. Bring to a boil over med-high heat, whisking constantly.
4. Strain the pudding in a glass baking dish. Stir in butter and chocolate until melted.
5. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until chilled.
Note: The color will be off from what you're used to. It is ok. This is how it is supposed to look like without any of those unnatural artificial colors. Also, if you don't want a "skin" to form on top of the pudding, you may place parchment paper on top of the pudding as it chills.
Egg Custard
This one recipe that I actually wrote onto an index card before ever trying it. The idea was to create a dough that would be moist enough to withstand being rolled out more than once. The "hockey puck" consistency is one I often encounter when making pastry-like desserts such as this. #1 reason is from overworked dough. This recipe, however, does not yield the flaky crust from using shortening or lard. Believe it or not, I came across this crust from making cranberry bread (a total flop!). It makes a great base for tartlets.
Crust:
3/4 stick butter, softened
1 egg
1 c. unbleached white flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 c. sugar
Filling:
2 eggs
1/3 c. water
1/4 c. sugar
1. Boil water and sugar together until sugar dissolves.
2. Whisk sugar syrup into eggs. Strain.
3. Press crust dough into tartlet tins to form an even layer and up the sides of the tin.
4. Fill tartlet shell with filling 1/2 to 3/4 full.
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes on a baking sheet until light golden brown on top.
7. Remove and serve.
Makes 8 tartlets.
I used 10cm loose bottom tartlet tins for this recipe. The removable center makes it easier to unmold the tartlets.
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