There are three chain ethic supermarkets in southern California near where I live: Ranch 99, Vallarta, and Jons. Meats, seafood, spices, seasonal fruits, and odd-things-to-try-out, etc., are very inexpensive here. At the latter two places I can buy a lot of whole tilapia for a very good price. The following is a relatively generic, but simple way to steam tilapia. I'd imagine that this preparation style is common to asian households.
Ingredients:
1 whole tilapia, thawed and cleaned
2 stalks green onions, sliced
1-2 slices of peeled ginger, thinly sliced
1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine (red or white, doesn't matter)
Before the fish is steamed, you need to make two slits on each side of the fish (through the flesh to the bone but not cutting through the fish, this helps it steam evenly and cook faster). Pour the wine over the fish and place the ginger and green onions on top.
The average whole tilapia will be under a pound, total cooking time is about 20 minutes. This seems like a long time, especially for fish, but I skip the process where you let a steamer come up to temperature then put the fish in. The flesh of the fish should be of a white-ish color when fully cooked. Promptly remove from heat and serve.
Whole fish pairs with steamed rice (brown, white, or "wild"). It goes pleasantly with a dry riesling wine, like Columbia Crest (which you can usually get from Trader Joe's).
I eat this with a sauce that has equal parts rice wine vinegar and light soy sauce.
Pastelitos de guayaba y queso
This dessert goes by different names (pasteles de guayaba, pastelitos de guayaba y queso, guava and cheese strudel) depending on who you ask. I don't see why it wouldn't be more popular among bakers. It is an easy recipe that doesn't involve working with filo dough. Mine came out lighter in color because I don't use egg washes when baking. The recipe comes from the cookbook, In a Cuban Kitchen
by Alex Garcia. I "halved" the recipe because this was a first run, and while I like experimental cooking, I don't like to waste ingredients. It is possible that it's not a popular dessert because the dough requires a chilling step before it is rolled out, then cut into squares.
When I went shopping for guava paste at Vallarta's, I couldn't find any that didn't have red food coloring in it. I picked up a seemingly harmless brick of guava paste. When these bricks are packaged and shipped, the sugar in the paste crystalizes and forms a crusty outer edge around the brick. I sliced off the crystalized sugar part and am saving it for other uses.
I have a third of my "half" dough mixture leftover which I will combine with a new batch tonight. This batch (minus that third) made 11 pastries, 7 cheese pocket-shaped (take a square, put paste in the center, take the corners of two of the opposing edges and fold them to the center) and 4 rugelach shaped (need a rectangle, put guava paste in the center, fold over the edges so that it looks like a small bundle, crimp edges). Tonight I'll make them turnover-shaped (take a square, fill it with guava paste, fold it in half diagonally, and crimp the edges). Finished product looked like this: pic1 and pic2.
Ingredients
8 oz cream cheese, softened
2 c. unbleached white flour
2 sticks butter, softened
guava paste
Directions
1. Blend cream cheese, flour, and butter together. Wrap it in plastic (or put it into a lidded pot) and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes).
2. After the dough has been chilled, roll it out once. This keeps the gluten in the flour from being all worked up.
3. Add 1 tsp or so of guava paste to a random danish pastry shape.
4. If the pastry shape requires edge crimping, use fork tines to do this or squeeze the edges together with the back edge of a knife.
5. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes, or until lightly browned.
The guava paste didn't melt like all the pictures that I've seen of this dessert. I may have to work with the brick to see if I can reconstitute it into a jam-like consistency. The dough came out quite nice, flaky enough to be crisp and has a little bit of weight because as the dough starts to sweat (need to roll it out while it is very cold), it became rather hard to get it rolled out to the 1/4-inch thickness that the pastry shell requires.
Since it is just a pastry method, I expect that both savory and sweet fillings can be used.
by Alex Garcia. I "halved" the recipe because this was a first run, and while I like experimental cooking, I don't like to waste ingredients. It is possible that it's not a popular dessert because the dough requires a chilling step before it is rolled out, then cut into squares.When I went shopping for guava paste at Vallarta's, I couldn't find any that didn't have red food coloring in it. I picked up a seemingly harmless brick of guava paste. When these bricks are packaged and shipped, the sugar in the paste crystalizes and forms a crusty outer edge around the brick. I sliced off the crystalized sugar part and am saving it for other uses.
I have a third of my "half" dough mixture leftover which I will combine with a new batch tonight. This batch (minus that third) made 11 pastries, 7 cheese pocket-shaped (take a square, put paste in the center, take the corners of two of the opposing edges and fold them to the center) and 4 rugelach shaped (need a rectangle, put guava paste in the center, fold over the edges so that it looks like a small bundle, crimp edges). Tonight I'll make them turnover-shaped (take a square, fill it with guava paste, fold it in half diagonally, and crimp the edges). Finished product looked like this: pic1 and pic2.
Ingredients
8 oz cream cheese, softened
2 c. unbleached white flour
2 sticks butter, softened
guava paste
Directions
1. Blend cream cheese, flour, and butter together. Wrap it in plastic (or put it into a lidded pot) and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes).
2. After the dough has been chilled, roll it out once. This keeps the gluten in the flour from being all worked up.
3. Add 1 tsp or so of guava paste to a random danish pastry shape.
4. If the pastry shape requires edge crimping, use fork tines to do this or squeeze the edges together with the back edge of a knife.
5. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes, or until lightly browned.
The guava paste didn't melt like all the pictures that I've seen of this dessert. I may have to work with the brick to see if I can reconstitute it into a jam-like consistency. The dough came out quite nice, flaky enough to be crisp and has a little bit of weight because as the dough starts to sweat (need to roll it out while it is very cold), it became rather hard to get it rolled out to the 1/4-inch thickness that the pastry shell requires.
Since it is just a pastry method, I expect that both savory and sweet fillings can be used.
Sautéed shrimp with lime and smoked chipotle sauce
This is the second time I've made this dish, and it tastes pretty good. The portions of spices are whatever you feel comfortable eating. :)
Ingredients
juice of 1/2 lime
1 tsp smoked chipotle sauce
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1-2 tsp peeled ginger, thinly sliced
1/4 tsp sugar
2 tbsp olive oil, for frying
1/2 lb raw shrimp, cleaned (with shells on)
1. In a small bowl, combine lime juice, smoked chipotle sauce, and sugar. Set aside.
2. Heat oil in a skillet, add garlic and ginger. Stir until the garlic is lightly browned.
3. Add shrimp and sauté until shrimp curls and turns a light orange color, or well, that color shrimp turns when it is cooked
4. Add lime juice mix and stir around until the shrimp is coated.
5. Remove from heat and serve.
Looks a lot like this.. (click for pic)
Ingredients
juice of 1/2 lime
1 tsp smoked chipotle sauce
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1-2 tsp peeled ginger, thinly sliced
1/4 tsp sugar
2 tbsp olive oil, for frying
1/2 lb raw shrimp, cleaned (with shells on)
1. In a small bowl, combine lime juice, smoked chipotle sauce, and sugar. Set aside.
2. Heat oil in a skillet, add garlic and ginger. Stir until the garlic is lightly browned.
3. Add shrimp and sauté until shrimp curls and turns a light orange color, or well, that color shrimp turns when it is cooked
4. Add lime juice mix and stir around until the shrimp is coated.
5. Remove from heat and serve.
Looks a lot like this.. (click for pic)
Khinkali, a Georgian meat pastry
My small town certainly has a lot of ethnic grocery stores within walking distance. I found a fairly larger grocery store right up the next block last weekend. The store carries the same assortment of packaged spices, like ground sumac and seven-spice blend, as the Burbank shop I buy my spices from. One of the freezer aisle items were packages of khinkali. It looked like it was worth a try.
As it turns out, the Russian/Georgian pastry was much saltier than expected. The filling was tough, but edible. I don't think any amount of boiling or steaming could make tender. It closely resembles the Chinese xiaolóngbao, but by appearances only. Unless I can get my hands on a sampling of freshly-made khinkalis, I think I'll have to stay away from this freezer item.
I did find a recipe, but I don't have any mindshare on what a good khinkali tastes like.
Dark chocolate chunk cookies
This recipe isn't my own, but it is very good. I've used all types of dark chocolate in this recipe and sometimes I add chunks of milk chocolate into it. You could always just use a bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips but what's the fun in that? I prefer hacking apart the Ghirardelli chocolate wedges with a hammer and chisel. It's very relaxing. If I wanted the chunks to look pretty, I'd use a santoku.
Anyhow, the original recipe. And, have I ever mentioned how wrong it is to put nuts into desserts, especially cookies? If I wanted texture, I'd add more chocolate.. Here's my version, and a pic of the 5/17/07 batch:
Ingredients
1 c. unsalted butter, softened but not melted
1 c. light brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 c. unbleached cane sugar
1 egg
Blend these together until creamy in bowl #1.
1 1/2 c. unbleached white flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 c. cocoa powder
Sift these together in bowl #2 before blending them with bowl #1. Don't over mix. Blend until just combined.
Refrigerate the cookie dough for 1+ hours, or overnight.
Preheat yer oven to 350 degrees. Bake as usual.
Anyhow, the original recipe. And, have I ever mentioned how wrong it is to put nuts into desserts, especially cookies? If I wanted texture, I'd add more chocolate.. Here's my version, and a pic of the 5/17/07 batch:
Ingredients
1 c. unsalted butter, softened but not melted
1 c. light brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 c. unbleached cane sugar
1 egg
Blend these together until creamy in bowl #1.
1 1/2 c. unbleached white flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 c. cocoa powder
Sift these together in bowl #2 before blending them with bowl #1. Don't over mix. Blend until just combined.
Refrigerate the cookie dough for 1+ hours, or overnight.
Preheat yer oven to 350 degrees. Bake as usual.
Dark chocolate pistachio bark
So, last night I tried the JoC recipe for making dark chocolate truffles. Except, here's the thing. The book told me to chill the ganache for 3-4 hours then use a melon baller or pastry bag to pipe out the truffles. Uhh. After an hour in my fridge the ganache was rock hard and I couldn't even spoon it out.
Ingredients:
8 oz dark chocolate, chopped
1/2 c. heavy cream
1/4 c. - 1/2 c. lightly toasted pistachios, whole or chopped
JoC ganache directions:
1. In a small saucepan, scald the cream.
2. Put the chopped choclate in a heatproof bowl. Pour the cream onto the chocolate and stir until the chocolate has melted (glossy and shiny) and the cream is entirely encorporated.
3. Let cool to room temperature, then cover with plastic wrap.
I'd say that if you're going to make truffles, don't refrigerate the ganache. But, you won't be able to make truffles while the ganache is still liquidy. Yeah, I suppose I could always read what other people have done when making this confection but what'd be the point of experimenting? The universe would be a really boring place if everything came pre-explained.
Let's say that you managed to not follow the JoC instuctions through the refrigeration stage and you have a bowl of warm ganache.
Chocolate bark directions:
Line a baking sheet with parchment (or silpat, if you prefer) and pour the ganache onto the parchment. If you don't have an off-set spatula, use the back of a spoon to smooth out the surface so that the chocolate is evenly distributed.
Next, add your whole or chopped nuts. I used pistachios because I had them on hand and you really don't see chocolate pistachio bark at the store. Just about any type of nut can be used, raw or lightly toasted.
Now you can refrigerate the chocolate bark so that it sets in a few hours. The confection is done once the parchment paper peels off cleanly from the bark. Chop it into squares, trianges, or other shapes, or break it apart roughly.
In the ganache step 1, if you wanted add a unique flavor to the chocolate, you can add spices to this step. Just strain out the hard bits before you add the cream to the chopped chocolate.
Ingredients:
8 oz dark chocolate, chopped
1/2 c. heavy cream
1/4 c. - 1/2 c. lightly toasted pistachios, whole or chopped
JoC ganache directions:
1. In a small saucepan, scald the cream.
2. Put the chopped choclate in a heatproof bowl. Pour the cream onto the chocolate and stir until the chocolate has melted (glossy and shiny) and the cream is entirely encorporated.
3. Let cool to room temperature, then cover with plastic wrap.
I'd say that if you're going to make truffles, don't refrigerate the ganache. But, you won't be able to make truffles while the ganache is still liquidy. Yeah, I suppose I could always read what other people have done when making this confection but what'd be the point of experimenting? The universe would be a really boring place if everything came pre-explained.
Let's say that you managed to not follow the JoC instuctions through the refrigeration stage and you have a bowl of warm ganache.
Chocolate bark directions:
Line a baking sheet with parchment (or silpat, if you prefer) and pour the ganache onto the parchment. If you don't have an off-set spatula, use the back of a spoon to smooth out the surface so that the chocolate is evenly distributed.
Next, add your whole or chopped nuts. I used pistachios because I had them on hand and you really don't see chocolate pistachio bark at the store. Just about any type of nut can be used, raw or lightly toasted.
Now you can refrigerate the chocolate bark so that it sets in a few hours. The confection is done once the parchment paper peels off cleanly from the bark. Chop it into squares, trianges, or other shapes, or break it apart roughly.
In the ganache step 1, if you wanted add a unique flavor to the chocolate, you can add spices to this step. Just strain out the hard bits before you add the cream to the chopped chocolate.
The spice pantry
Because I'm culinarily bored with my own cooking, I've recently acquired the following spices:
garam masala
allspice
a random curry
chipotle chili powder
ground cardamom
I will do something with these soon, maybe torment some hacked apart chicken body parts and appendages.
Spices are pretty cheap if you don't buy them from a national or regional supermarket chain. Depending on where you live, you're much better off buying spices from a local ethnic market. They'll be fresher and less expensive. Ralphs grocery store, for example, sells cardamom powder for $16/spice bottle. It's not really a high traffic spice like cinnamon or allspice. So it's priced so that it never makes it off the shelf, or whatever. At an ethnic market you can find ground cardamom for about $3-4, and the quantity will be more than enough.
If you don't live near a dense ethnic (non-white) area, the next best places to shop for spice are Whole Foods market and Cost Plus World market.
KItchen Notes: Mmm, that sauce packet
I'm pretty close taste-wise to deconstructing the ingredient ratio for Annie Chun's udon soup (sold at Trader Joe's). Ok, so what's in the soup is printed on the container which reads: naturally brewed soy sauce, shitake mushroom, sea vegetable, evaporated cane juice, rice wine, and yeast extract. When you pour it out of its packet, it's a dark liquid with no dangly bits and isn't murky. So, the sea vegetable is probably a standard grade seaweed like kelp or kombu; both of which are common to asian soups.
I suppose I really don't have a reason for doing this other than it's a personal quest this year to make homemade udon noodles and a good soup base to go with it. Sea vegetable and shitake mushroom exists in the Annie Chun recipe as a dashi. The yeast extract won't make it into my soup base recipe since it's pretty much MSG.
A basic dashi recipe is that you take a dried ingredient and rehydrate it with water, usually by boiling it until the ingredient softens. The reserve liquid is the dashi and is used in soups and sauces.
A lot of meat/vegetable/potsticker dipping sauces will call for a 2:1:1 ratio of soy sauce, vinegar/wine, water.
This might be as easy as:
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp rice wine
1 tbsp dashi.
Adding sugar to a sauce is generally to taste by its maker, so this recipe would probably include no more than 1 tsp of unbleached cane sugar.
This might be as easy as:
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp rice wine
1 tbsp dashi.
Adding sugar to a sauce is generally to taste by its maker, so this recipe would probably include no more than 1 tsp of unbleached cane sugar.
Float me
The original recipe comes from Alton Brown. I didn't have peach preserves so I might just have to make another batch to see what it tastes like. I'd imagine it'd be slightly sweeter. Last weekend it was pretty warm. I think southern California pretty much skipped spring and hopped along into early summer. I thought I'd make a rootbeer float, except I didn't have any ice cream.. ooh, but I did have the ingredients (half and half, heavy cream, sugar, vanilla bean) and an ice cream maker.
It's a rather easy recipe:
2 cups half and half
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup sugar, minus 2 tbsp
1 vanilla bean, halved with seeds scooped out
In a heavy bottomed saucepan, combine all ingredients and cook to simmer (do not boil).
I don't have a cooking thermometer to tell me when the mixture has reached 170 degrees F, so another way to tell that it's done cooking is to see if it coats the back of a spoon like a thick creamed soup. When it does, turn the heat off.
Strain it into a container and refrigerate for at least 10-12 hours. Alton says that the mixture won't set in an ice cream maker, and that part is pretty much true. There aren't any coagulants like cornstarch in the mixture to help it set or thicken. Anyhow.
Once the ice cream gets to the soft serve stage, scoop it all out to a clean container that can hold 1 qt of liquid and freeze it until firm. It seems like a rather long process just to make a rootbeer float, but it's well worth it and very tasty. I'm not sure I would have liked the peach preserves flavor in my rootbeer float.
Hehe. That's an experiment for another day.
It's a rather easy recipe:
2 cups half and half
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup sugar, minus 2 tbsp
1 vanilla bean, halved with seeds scooped out
In a heavy bottomed saucepan, combine all ingredients and cook to simmer (do not boil).
I don't have a cooking thermometer to tell me when the mixture has reached 170 degrees F, so another way to tell that it's done cooking is to see if it coats the back of a spoon like a thick creamed soup. When it does, turn the heat off.
Strain it into a container and refrigerate for at least 10-12 hours. Alton says that the mixture won't set in an ice cream maker, and that part is pretty much true. There aren't any coagulants like cornstarch in the mixture to help it set or thicken. Anyhow.
Once the ice cream gets to the soft serve stage, scoop it all out to a clean container that can hold 1 qt of liquid and freeze it until firm. It seems like a rather long process just to make a rootbeer float, but it's well worth it and very tasty. I'm not sure I would have liked the peach preserves flavor in my rootbeer float.
Hehe. That's an experiment for another day.
A tofu trick
Ever not have deep fried tofu around? Well, here's tofu you can keep in your freezer until it's needed. Buy a "firm" package of tofu, preferably the one that doesn't come in a vacuum seal. Any brand will do. Put it in your freezer until it freezes. Then thaw it out, drain all the water and squeeze out as much water as you can from the tofu without breaking it. Slice the tofu brick into 4 equal portions. Each portion is about a serving for one person. I am usually cooking for one, so put the rest of the portions into a ziplock bag and back into the freezer.
The portion that remains, slice that into smaller pieces. Put those pieces into your soup. This tofu will soak up much of the flavor in your soup and be very tasty.
The portion that remains, slice that into smaller pieces. Put those pieces into your soup. This tofu will soak up much of the flavor in your soup and be very tasty.
Dark chocolate brownies
Probably the most expensive ingredient for this dessert is the butter or the chocolate that's used; but it's still a fairly inexpensive dessert to make for work--depending on the quality of ingredients. Of the three times I've made chocolate brownies in my lifetime, this is the first batch that didn't come out badly; and by badly, I mean to say nearly inedible.
I made a few edits to the original recipe, but not many. Instead of 1 1/2 cups of sugar, I used 1 cup; and instead of 6 oz of butter, I used 4 oz (1 stick). The order of operations is the same.
Ingredients
6 oz dark chocolate, chopped
1 stick of unsalted butter, sliced into 1 tbsp chunks
3 eggs
1 c. flour
1 c. sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
This batch makes very short brownies if baked in a 9 x 13 baking dish. Instead of relying on the lightly buttered and floured baking dish method, I used silicone-treated parchment paper. No mess there and when the brownies cool, they remove easily without the bottoms sticking to the pan or the paper.
Directions
1. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs and vanilla extract together. Set aside.
2. Using a double boiler method, whisk together the chocolate and butter until the chocolate is melted and glossy.
3. Turn off the heat, but leave the mixing bowl where it is (assuming you used the double boiler method to melt the chocolate). Whisk in the sugar, a little at a time until it is all incorporated.
4. Whisk in the egg mixture, a little at a time so it doesn't curdle or get scrambled.
5. Sift and whisk in the flour until it's blended in.
6. Pour the chocolate mixture into a prepared 9 x 13 baking pan.
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until a toothpick tester comes out clean from the center.
8. Cut into bars when completely cooled.
This is one of the reasons why my co-workers aren't losing weight with their diets. :)
I made a few edits to the original recipe, but not many. Instead of 1 1/2 cups of sugar, I used 1 cup; and instead of 6 oz of butter, I used 4 oz (1 stick). The order of operations is the same.
Ingredients
6 oz dark chocolate, chopped
1 stick of unsalted butter, sliced into 1 tbsp chunks
3 eggs
1 c. flour
1 c. sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
This batch makes very short brownies if baked in a 9 x 13 baking dish. Instead of relying on the lightly buttered and floured baking dish method, I used silicone-treated parchment paper. No mess there and when the brownies cool, they remove easily without the bottoms sticking to the pan or the paper.
Directions
1. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs and vanilla extract together. Set aside.
2. Using a double boiler method, whisk together the chocolate and butter until the chocolate is melted and glossy.
3. Turn off the heat, but leave the mixing bowl where it is (assuming you used the double boiler method to melt the chocolate). Whisk in the sugar, a little at a time until it is all incorporated.
4. Whisk in the egg mixture, a little at a time so it doesn't curdle or get scrambled.
5. Sift and whisk in the flour until it's blended in.
6. Pour the chocolate mixture into a prepared 9 x 13 baking pan.
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until a toothpick tester comes out clean from the center.
8. Cut into bars when completely cooled.
This is one of the reasons why my co-workers aren't losing weight with their diets. :)
A good chai latte
You'd think it would be easy to find loose leaf decaf black tea (or green tea) in any non-asian grocery store, but it's much harder than one would think. I have yet to find a local supply of good quality decaf loose leaf black tea. I may just have to order it or make a special trip to that hole-in-a-wall tea shop on Garvey Avenue in Monterey Park, the one that's across the street from T.S. Emporium. Although, to ask for decaf black tea would be really insulting most tea connoiseurs, so I'll probably just get what I need from the emporium.
I started from this recipe, and have since then been trying to replicate the chai spice blend of an instant chai latte mix (of Middle Eastern origins) to something that isn't overly pungent (too much cloves) and has an overall warming effect (from the spices used, e.g., ground ginger, ground cinnamon, etc). I used 2 cups of filtered water and 2 cups of organic whole milk for the tea base. The original recipe was fair and mildly spicy, but it didn't really encourage me to brew the concoction again. It lacked depth.
The current blend I'm using is about right, but not quite. There is something still missing but I can't quite figure out what. I'm inclined to say that it's the lack of allspice, an ingredient missing from my spice rack. I've seen allspice used in chai recipes and haven't used it in mine yet.
The spice ratio:
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 cinnamon stick
6 cloves
1 teabag (per person) worth of black tea or green tea
Any sweetners (sugar, honey, stevia, etc.) used should be placed in the cup.
In my experiments, I can recommend that you not use whole cloves and ground cloves together in the same chai recipe. There is a pungent aftertaste and it doesn't taste very good at all.
Since I lack plain black tea, I used a Bigelow teabag called "Constant Comment" which imparts an orange citrus flavor to the tea. I suspect the "sweet spices" noted on the bag's ingredients are probably nutmeg, cardamom, mace, and perhaps allspice.
I really have no memory map as to what allspice distinctly tastes like, only that it is a key spice in the pumpkin pie spice blend.
(Update: 2/27/2008) I have found the "depth" I was seeking in the taste of the chai tea. It's from a combination of honey and the ratio of milk to water. More milk than water and certainly not a half-and-half ratio like noted above. Also, evaporated milk really brought out a little bit of the creaminess I was seeking but it didn't overpower the taste of the tea. Powdered milk (organic and regular) seemed to have little impact on the depth. The next ratio experiment would be to replicate the milk content of evaporated milk with powdered milk seeing how I don't quite have any fresh milk on hand at the moment.
Chocolate stout cupcakes
Sure, I probably could have asked friends for guidance on stout since I don't drink beer or any of its derivatives, but then my head would have been swimming with the intricacies of the types of stout and what they taste like. Fortunately, Trader Joe's made it easy and I went for the only stout that said, "buy me." The chocolate stout. Contrary to Wikipedia's definition of chocolate stout merely being named that way for the rich dark brown color of the brew, the Young's Double Chocolate Stout I used contains dark chocolate and chocolate malt.
The cupcakes taste fine although they do have a slight alcoholic twist. I have a lot of cream cheese sour cream frosting leftover. Maybe I'll use the other half of the bottle to make a chocolate stout cake, but I probably don't have enough stout if the recipe calls for more than a cup.
Ingredients/Directions:
(bowl #1) Whisk together:
1 cup chocolate stout
1 cup milk*
3/4 c. organic sour cream
1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil
3 eggs (add one at a time)
(bowl #2) Sift together:
2 1/2 c. unbleached white flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 c. organic cane sugar
3/4 c. cocoa powder
(bowl #3) The frosting (blend until smooth):
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1 1/4 c. sour cream
1 tbsp vanilla extract
Enough powdered sugar for sweetness
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. If you're going to use those paper cupcake liners, use two instead of one.
Recipe edits: The original recipe called for 2 cups sugar, but I dropped it by 1/2 a cup because the cocoa I used was Ghirardelli's sweet ground cocoa powder. I didn't have milk, so I used 1/2 cup heavy cream plus 1/2 cup soy milk. On the frosting, I didn't measure the powdered sugar. I may have used three handfuls. What can I say.. I was baking after slogging through a 12-hour workday. I just wanted to eat something sweet and chocolatey for dinner.
The cupcakes taste fine although they do have a slight alcoholic twist. I have a lot of cream cheese sour cream frosting leftover. Maybe I'll use the other half of the bottle to make a chocolate stout cake, but I probably don't have enough stout if the recipe calls for more than a cup.
Ingredients/Directions:
(bowl #1) Whisk together:
1 cup chocolate stout
1 cup milk*
3/4 c. organic sour cream
1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil
3 eggs (add one at a time)
(bowl #2) Sift together:
2 1/2 c. unbleached white flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 c. organic cane sugar
3/4 c. cocoa powder
(bowl #3) The frosting (blend until smooth):
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1 1/4 c. sour cream
1 tbsp vanilla extract
Enough powdered sugar for sweetness
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. If you're going to use those paper cupcake liners, use two instead of one.
Recipe edits: The original recipe called for 2 cups sugar, but I dropped it by 1/2 a cup because the cocoa I used was Ghirardelli's sweet ground cocoa powder. I didn't have milk, so I used 1/2 cup heavy cream plus 1/2 cup soy milk. On the frosting, I didn't measure the powdered sugar. I may have used three handfuls. What can I say.. I was baking after slogging through a 12-hour workday. I just wanted to eat something sweet and chocolatey for dinner.
Lemony lemon bars
So, I started with this basic recipe, and ended up with a more-tangy-than-sweet product in the end. Lemon drop makers would be proud to eat this creation. Juice and grated rind of 5 lemons might just be overkill and needs to be washed down with a cup of mildly hot tea. Alas, I took no pics of the process, but it has less than 1-hour prep/cook time.
Ingredient/method adaptations:
Crust: 1 1/2 sticks of butter (instead of 2 sticks); sifted unbleached white flour and powdered sugar together, then added melted butter and mixed by hand.
The filling: juice of 5 small lemons, grated rind of 5 lemons, 1 1/2 cups granulated organic sugar (instead of 2 cups), 4 eggs. Blended with a hand mixer.
I cut the bars after they cooled, then dusted the batch with sifted powdered sugar before taking them into work. The crust is definitely tasty. The filling is a wee bit too tart for me and needs less lemon juice
Ingredient/method adaptations:
Crust: 1 1/2 sticks of butter (instead of 2 sticks); sifted unbleached white flour and powdered sugar together, then added melted butter and mixed by hand.
The filling: juice of 5 small lemons, grated rind of 5 lemons, 1 1/2 cups granulated organic sugar (instead of 2 cups), 4 eggs. Blended with a hand mixer.
I cut the bars after they cooled, then dusted the batch with sifted powdered sugar before taking them into work. The crust is definitely tasty. The filling is a wee bit too tart for me and needs less lemon juice
Food gathering, asian style
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..
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.
Pumpkin Bread (with tofu)
This is a pretty good dessert to bring into one's workplace. People always like eating healthy things, mostly.
Dry ingredients:
3 c. whole wheat flour
1 tsp. each cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, salt
2 tsp baking soda
2 c. granulated sugar
Wet ingredients:
2 c. pumpkin flesh, mashed
One 10.25 oz pkg. soft tofu, any brand
2/3 c. milk
4 eggs, beaten
Directions
1. Mix wet with wet. In a separate bowl, mix dry with dry. Gradually add dry to wet and mix until blended thoroughly.
2. Grease bread pan with olive oil and dust lightly with flour. Fill bread pan with mixture and bake at 350 F for 1 hour.
3. Let cool on rack before emptying the pan.
Makes 2 loaves.
Dry ingredients:
3 c. whole wheat flour
1 tsp. each cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, salt
2 tsp baking soda
2 c. granulated sugar
Wet ingredients:
2 c. pumpkin flesh, mashed
One 10.25 oz pkg. soft tofu, any brand
2/3 c. milk
4 eggs, beaten
Directions
1. Mix wet with wet. In a separate bowl, mix dry with dry. Gradually add dry to wet and mix until blended thoroughly.
2. Grease bread pan with olive oil and dust lightly with flour. Fill bread pan with mixture and bake at 350 F for 1 hour.
3. Let cool on rack before emptying the pan.
Makes 2 loaves.
Peach Cobbler
This is a basic cobbler recipe with biscuit-shaped dough baked on top of the peaches. It is good for anyone with at least one peach tree in their backyard. I've tried using store-bought fruit with this recipe but just doesn't have the same taste.
Peach mix:
10 ripe peaches, pitted and sliced
1/4 c. cornstarch
2 tbsp. dark brown sugar
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
Dough mix:
1/4 c. granulated sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
6 tbsp. cold unsalted butter
1 large egg
2/3 c. heavy cream
1. Heat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Put peaches, cornstarch, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Toss until well combined. Pour mixture into an 8 1/2" by 11 1/2" baking dish.
3. In another bowl, combine flour, 1/4 c. granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles a coarse meal.
4. Whisk together egg and cream in a liquid measuring cup. Slowly add this mixture to dry ingredients. Mix with a fork until dough just comes together. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured board and roughly shape a log. Using a knife, cut log into 12 equal portions.
5. Place rough balls of dough on top of peach mixture. Sprinkle remaining 2 tbsp. of granulated sugar on top of the dough. 6. Bake until golden brown, about 40-45 minutes.
Peach mix:
10 ripe peaches, pitted and sliced
1/4 c. cornstarch
2 tbsp. dark brown sugar
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
Dough mix:
1/4 c. granulated sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
6 tbsp. cold unsalted butter
1 large egg
2/3 c. heavy cream
1. Heat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Put peaches, cornstarch, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Toss until well combined. Pour mixture into an 8 1/2" by 11 1/2" baking dish.
3. In another bowl, combine flour, 1/4 c. granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles a coarse meal.
4. Whisk together egg and cream in a liquid measuring cup. Slowly add this mixture to dry ingredients. Mix with a fork until dough just comes together. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured board and roughly shape a log. Using a knife, cut log into 12 equal portions.
5. Place rough balls of dough on top of peach mixture. Sprinkle remaining 2 tbsp. of granulated sugar on top of the dough. 6. Bake until golden brown, about 40-45 minutes.
Asian Pear Bundt Cake
This is recipe was conceived on paper and born of a need to use several homegrown Asian pears. Our pears aren't that large and in a good season might even grow to be as large as your fist. Well, that is, if you're able to pick the fruit as its peak ripeness before the birds peck it to death. You don't see Asian pears in recipes that often and certainly not for cakes or breads because the flesh is quite dense with lots of water and fiber. There aren't that many bundt recipes calling for apples either. This experiment came out pretty well.
About 1 quart Asian pear slices, cut into 1/3-inch pieces
3 tbsp. plus 1 c. sugar
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
2 tsp. almond extract
3 large eggs
1 c. light olive oil
1/4 c. orange juice
3 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. saltpowdered sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Oil and flour a 12-cup Bundt pan if it's not a non-stick pan.
1. Bowl #1: Mix apple slices, 3 tbsp sugar, ground cinnamon and nutmeg.
2. Bowl #2: Combine sugar, olive oil, orange juice, and almond extract. Whisk to blend.
3. Stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients and combine.
4. Form a thin layer of batter in the bottom of the Bundt pan.
5. (Optional) Can use any other baking fruit (peach or pear slices) for the bottom fruit layer.
6. Spoon some batter on top of the 1st fruit layer.
7. Fill with Asian pear slices. Put remainder of batter on top.Basically it should be: batter, peach/pear slices, batter, Asian pear slices, batter, etc. until all the batter and fruit is used up.
In a bundt pan, what you put on the bottom will end up at the top when you invert the pan to take the cake out.
Bake cake until top is brown and tester inserted near the center comes out with moist crumbs attached, about 50 minutes. Cool cake in pan on rack 15 minutes. Run knife around sides of pan to loosen. Turn cake out onto rack. Cool at least 30 minutes. Dust with powdered sugar. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.
Makes 8 to 10 servings.
About 1 quart Asian pear slices, cut into 1/3-inch pieces
3 tbsp. plus 1 c. sugar
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
2 tsp. almond extract
3 large eggs
1 c. light olive oil
1/4 c. orange juice
3 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. saltpowdered sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Oil and flour a 12-cup Bundt pan if it's not a non-stick pan.
1. Bowl #1: Mix apple slices, 3 tbsp sugar, ground cinnamon and nutmeg.
2. Bowl #2: Combine sugar, olive oil, orange juice, and almond extract. Whisk to blend.
3. Stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients and combine.
4. Form a thin layer of batter in the bottom of the Bundt pan.
5. (Optional) Can use any other baking fruit (peach or pear slices) for the bottom fruit layer.
6. Spoon some batter on top of the 1st fruit layer.
7. Fill with Asian pear slices. Put remainder of batter on top.Basically it should be: batter, peach/pear slices, batter, Asian pear slices, batter, etc. until all the batter and fruit is used up.
In a bundt pan, what you put on the bottom will end up at the top when you invert the pan to take the cake out.
Bake cake until top is brown and tester inserted near the center comes out with moist crumbs attached, about 50 minutes. Cool cake in pan on rack 15 minutes. Run knife around sides of pan to loosen. Turn cake out onto rack. Cool at least 30 minutes. Dust with powdered sugar. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.
Makes 8 to 10 servings.
Zucchini Bread
Almond extract isn't a necessary component to this recipe, but I like it because it enhances the sweetness of the apple and adds a hint of an unexpected flavor.
2 eggs
3/4 c. unbleached cane sugar
1/3 c. olive oil
2/3 c. plain (or vanilla) yogurt
2 c. all purpose unbleached flour
1 c. grated zucchini (2 medium zucchini)
1 large apple, grated (optional, can also use 1/4 c. apple sauce)
1 tsp. almond extract
1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
a dash of nutmeg, optional
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Bowl #1: Beat together eggs, sugar, oil, yogurt, and almond extract
3. Bowl #2: Mix flour, spices, baking soda, salt, and baking powder together.
4. Combine dry ingredients (#2) into wet ingredients (#1). Fold in grated zucchini and grated apple. (You can also add grated carrots for color).
5. Pour into 2 lightly buttered loaf pans and bake for 45 minutes.
6. Cook in pans for 10 minutes then cool on rack.
[update: 9/16/2009] - If you are using mini loaf pans, fill the loaf pan until it is no more than 3/4 full and bake for 35 minutes. Let cool on a rack before removing from pan(s).
Photo below is of a mini-loaf:
2 eggs
3/4 c. unbleached cane sugar
1/3 c. olive oil
2/3 c. plain (or vanilla) yogurt
2 c. all purpose unbleached flour
1 c. grated zucchini (2 medium zucchini)
1 large apple, grated (optional, can also use 1/4 c. apple sauce)
1 tsp. almond extract
1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
a dash of nutmeg, optional
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Bowl #1: Beat together eggs, sugar, oil, yogurt, and almond extract
3. Bowl #2: Mix flour, spices, baking soda, salt, and baking powder together.
4. Combine dry ingredients (#2) into wet ingredients (#1). Fold in grated zucchini and grated apple. (You can also add grated carrots for color).
5. Pour into 2 lightly buttered loaf pans and bake for 45 minutes.
6. Cook in pans for 10 minutes then cool on rack.
[update: 9/16/2009] - If you are using mini loaf pans, fill the loaf pan until it is no more than 3/4 full and bake for 35 minutes. Let cool on a rack before removing from pan(s).
Photo below is of a mini-loaf:
Oatmeal Cookies
Dry ingredients:
1 1/2 c. unbleached white flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. each: sea salt, nutmeg, ground cloves
1 c. brown sugar
2 c. rolled organic oats, coarsely ground in blender
Wet ingredients:
2 medium eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 c. butter
1 c. raisins or currants (optional)
1. Mix dry ingredients together. Add eggs. Stir. Add butter. Stir. Add raisins, then mix. Add vanilla extract. Mix thoroughly, but don't overwork the dough.
2. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto a cookie sheet.
3. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes, or until golden but not brown.
1 1/2 c. unbleached white flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. each: sea salt, nutmeg, ground cloves
1 c. brown sugar
2 c. rolled organic oats, coarsely ground in blender
Wet ingredients:
2 medium eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 c. butter
1 c. raisins or currants (optional)
1. Mix dry ingredients together. Add eggs. Stir. Add butter. Stir. Add raisins, then mix. Add vanilla extract. Mix thoroughly, but don't overwork the dough.
2. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto a cookie sheet.
3. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes, or until golden but not brown.
Chocolate Rum Sauce
2 tbsp butter can accommodate up to 8 oz dark chocolate and 3/4 c. of any liquid; the sugar added is merely for sweetness and most chocolate sauce recipes will call for 2 tbsp, regardless if dark or bittersweet chocolate is used.
1/4 c. half 'n' half1 tbsp organic cane sugar
2 tbsp unsalted butter
4 oz dark chocolate, chopped
1/4 c. dark rum
1. In a heavy saucepan, bring half 'n' half, sugar, and butter to a boil.
2. Add chopped chocolate and whisk until smooth.
3. Remove from heat, and when entirely melted, whisk in rum.
4. Pour over dessert, serve, or whatever.
Basil Vinaigrette
Though basil isn't on my list of frequently used herbs, it does make certain sauces taste really good. This can be poured on top of sliced avocados, eaten with a leafy green salad, or served up with toasted slices of bread.
Ingredients
1 c. basil leaves, washed, drained, with stems removed
2 large garlic cloves, sliced
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1/8 c. balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp sugar
3 tbsp water
1 c. olive oil
dash of salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper
Directions
Pureé all in a food processor until smooth. Makes about 1 cup. Goes well with tossed salad greens.
Ingredients
1 c. basil leaves, washed, drained, with stems removed
2 large garlic cloves, sliced
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1/8 c. balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp sugar
3 tbsp water
1 c. olive oil
dash of salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper
Directions
Pureé all in a food processor until smooth. Makes about 1 cup. Goes well with tossed salad greens.
Grilled Polenta
Polenta by itself is just awful. Grilled polenta is even worse if it isn't served up with a tasty sauce. This recipe exists as a reminder why I never want to make it again.
1 c. medium-coarse stone ground organic cornmeal
3 1/2 c. water
1 1/2 tbsp. unsalted butter
salt, freshly ground pepper to taste
olive oil for brushing
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an ovenproof pan.
2. Add cornmeal, water, 1 tbsp. butter, 1 tsp. salt and stir well.
3. Bake polenta uncovered for 45 minutes. Stir polenta and bake for 25 minutes more.
4. Remove polenta from oven. Stir in remaining 1/2 tbsp. butter and season with salt and pepper. Let stand for 5 minutes.
5. Pour polenta into an 8-inch loaf pan. Let cool. Cover and refrigerate until firm.
6. Heat a grill pan. Unmold polenta onto work surface and cut the loaf crosswise into 8 slices. Lightly brush slices with olive oil and grill over low heat to crisp slowly, turning once. About 15 minutes per side. Makes 4 servings.
Sweet Herbed Rolls
Ever try a recipe printed on the back a yeast packet? This is one of them. It's pretty tasty, though much softer than the texture of a French dinner roll with a crusty exterior.
3 c. bread flour
1 package active dry yeast
3/4 c. milk
1/4 c. butter (1/2 stick)
1/8 c. sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 large eggs
3 tbsp. butter, melted
Herbs: 1 tsp. each, dried basil, dried oregano, crushed -or- 2-3 tbsp. fresh rosemary, chopped
1. In a large mixing bowl combine 1 cup of the flour, yeast, sugar, salt, and herbs; set aside.
2. Heat milk to boiling (120 to 130 degree F) and stir in butter until it almost melts.
3. Combine dry mix and milk/butter combo in a mixing bowl. Beat 2-3 minutes on medium speed. Add eggs. Beat 1 min.
4. Stir in enough remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time. Knead dough on floured surface 5-7 minutes or until smooth and elastic. For knot rolls, use greased muffin tin.
5. Bake in 350 F preheated oven, 10-15 minutes or until light golden brown. 6. Lightly brush with melted butter.
3 c. bread flour
1 package active dry yeast
3/4 c. milk
1/4 c. butter (1/2 stick)
1/8 c. sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 large eggs
3 tbsp. butter, melted
Herbs: 1 tsp. each, dried basil, dried oregano, crushed -or- 2-3 tbsp. fresh rosemary, chopped
1. In a large mixing bowl combine 1 cup of the flour, yeast, sugar, salt, and herbs; set aside.
2. Heat milk to boiling (120 to 130 degree F) and stir in butter until it almost melts.
3. Combine dry mix and milk/butter combo in a mixing bowl. Beat 2-3 minutes on medium speed. Add eggs. Beat 1 min.
4. Stir in enough remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time. Knead dough on floured surface 5-7 minutes or until smooth and elastic. For knot rolls, use greased muffin tin.
5. Bake in 350 F preheated oven, 10-15 minutes or until light golden brown. 6. Lightly brush with melted butter.
Green Onion Pancakes
This recipe also goes by the name of "spring onion crepes", "lotus pad pancakes", or "scallion pancakes". They are pancakes because of their shape and size, although mine tend to come out quite square and oblong in shape.
1 1/2 c. unbleached white flour
3 oz. boiling water
up to 1/4 c. cold water
2 stalks green onions, finely minced or sliced
2 tbsp. olive oil
1. In a bowl, combine flour and 3 oz. of boiling water. Let cool 5 minutes. Add 1/8 c. cold water. Mix until just combined.
2. Turn flour mixture out onto a floured board. Knead gently until the dough sticks together. Roll into a log and cut into equal portions, about 8 pieces.
3. In a small bowl, combine green onion and olive oil. This is the "filling" of the pancake.
4. Roll out a piece and place about a 1/2 tsp. of green onion in the center. Fold in half and then in half again. Set aside on a plate until all the flour sections have green onion folded in them.
5. Now for the layering. Take one of the double folded pieces and roll it out (with a rolling pin). Spread a thin layer of oil on its surface and fold it in half and in half again. Roll it out a second time. It should be no more than 1/4" thick. Set aside for frying.
6. Repeat with the remaining pieces of flour. Take care that you do not overwork the dough or the end result will not be a soft pancake.
7. Heat a skillet on medium. If you use a cast-iron pan, you shouldn't need to add any oil to the pan. Air bubbles are likely to form. The pancake needs to be lightly browned on both sides. Restaurant quality green onion pancakes have several layers and are extremely tasty because lard is used. For this recipe I have substituted olive oil for lard.
This recipe comes from a book on Chinese appetizers. When I find the book, I'll upate this post with its details.
Spicy Dipping Sauce
A tasty sauce that is good warm or cold, for hot or cold appetizers. This sauce is typically used with a Chinese chicken recipe called Bai-zhan gi (or cut white chicken).
Ingredients
2 stalks green onions, finely chopped
3 slices of ginger, peeled and minced
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 small dried hot pepper with seeds removed
2 tbsp red wine or rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp water dash of salt (optional)
1 tbsp sesame oil
Directions
1. In a small sauce pan, heat oil until it just begins to pop. Add ginger, garlic, green onions, and hot pepper. Stir until lightly browned. Simmer on low-medium. Do not let the ingredients burn.
2. In a small bowl combine vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, and water. Add this combination to the sauce pan.
3. Add sesame oil and bring to a boil. Remove from heat.
Ingredients
2 stalks green onions, finely chopped
3 slices of ginger, peeled and minced
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 small dried hot pepper with seeds removed
2 tbsp red wine or rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp water dash of salt (optional)
1 tbsp sesame oil
Directions
1. In a small sauce pan, heat oil until it just begins to pop. Add ginger, garlic, green onions, and hot pepper. Stir until lightly browned. Simmer on low-medium. Do not let the ingredients burn.
2. In a small bowl combine vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, and water. Add this combination to the sauce pan.
3. Add sesame oil and bring to a boil. Remove from heat.
Deep-Fried Stuffed Taro Balls
I have only done this recipe once in my lifetime. It is one of the hardest recipes in my collection, but it's a good appetizer to impress the guests with. There is a reason why this dish is expensive at a restaurant. Give yourself a few hours for the prep work on this recipe, plus another hour for frying.
Depending on how large you make the taro balls, this recipe yields about 18-24 taro balls.
Filling Ingredients
1/2 lb. ground pork
3 shitake mushrooms, finely chopped
1 tsp. rice wine
2 tbsp. vegetable oil (for frying)
1 lb. peeled taro (can be bought from an Asian supermarket)
Seasoning
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 tbsp. light soy sauce
1 tsp. sesame oil
1 slice ginger, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
Cornstarch or potato starch
Enough vegetable oil for deep frying
Directions
1. Heat 2 tbsp. oil in frying pan. Add ginger and garlic and stir until lightly browned. Add ground pork and fry until lightly browned. Add remainder of filling ingredients and seasoning. Stir-fry until combined. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
2. Cut taro root into 1"-2" sized chunks. Put in pot and with enough water to cover the taro. Boil until taro is soft, about 40 minutes. Remove from heat and drain (you may reserve the liquid the taro boiled in to make a sweet dessert soup).
3. In a large bowl, mash the taro into a paste. Add salt and sugar. Mix well. Add cornstarch (or flour) until the mixture is smooth and workable. It will be sticky regardless of how much you try to fight with it.
4. Use a tablespoon to scoop out the taro paste onto your hand. I'd suggest putting a bit of flour in your hand first. Flatten the taro paste into a circular mass, enough to accommodate about 1 tsp. of the filling. It will look a lot like mashed potatoes.
5. Fold and pinch the edges together to form a ball of some sort. You want it in such a way so that none of the filling is showing. Set aside and work through the remainder of the taro paste and filling.
6. You may lightly coat each ball with some flour or cornstarch to keep it from sticking to the plate, your fingers, or other taro balls. It may or may not work depending on how much moisture is in your taro paste.
7. Heat frying oil on medium heat. Deep fry taro balls until golden brown. Remove taro balls from oil and let drain on paper towels. Serve hot.
8. Taro balls can be reheated by frying in fairly hot oil for about 30-45 seconds.
This recipe does come from a Chinese cuisine cookbook called China the Beautiful cookbook.
Depending on how large you make the taro balls, this recipe yields about 18-24 taro balls.
Filling Ingredients
1/2 lb. ground pork
3 shitake mushrooms, finely chopped
1 tsp. rice wine
2 tbsp. vegetable oil (for frying)
1 lb. peeled taro (can be bought from an Asian supermarket)
Seasoning
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 tbsp. light soy sauce
1 tsp. sesame oil
1 slice ginger, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
Cornstarch or potato starch
Enough vegetable oil for deep frying
Directions
1. Heat 2 tbsp. oil in frying pan. Add ginger and garlic and stir until lightly browned. Add ground pork and fry until lightly browned. Add remainder of filling ingredients and seasoning. Stir-fry until combined. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
2. Cut taro root into 1"-2" sized chunks. Put in pot and with enough water to cover the taro. Boil until taro is soft, about 40 minutes. Remove from heat and drain (you may reserve the liquid the taro boiled in to make a sweet dessert soup).
3. In a large bowl, mash the taro into a paste. Add salt and sugar. Mix well. Add cornstarch (or flour) until the mixture is smooth and workable. It will be sticky regardless of how much you try to fight with it.
4. Use a tablespoon to scoop out the taro paste onto your hand. I'd suggest putting a bit of flour in your hand first. Flatten the taro paste into a circular mass, enough to accommodate about 1 tsp. of the filling. It will look a lot like mashed potatoes.
5. Fold and pinch the edges together to form a ball of some sort. You want it in such a way so that none of the filling is showing. Set aside and work through the remainder of the taro paste and filling.
6. You may lightly coat each ball with some flour or cornstarch to keep it from sticking to the plate, your fingers, or other taro balls. It may or may not work depending on how much moisture is in your taro paste.
7. Heat frying oil on medium heat. Deep fry taro balls until golden brown. Remove taro balls from oil and let drain on paper towels. Serve hot.
8. Taro balls can be reheated by frying in fairly hot oil for about 30-45 seconds.
This recipe does come from a Chinese cuisine cookbook called China the Beautiful cookbook.
Basic Wontons
This is a family recipe and can be used as a soup, an appetizer, or as an entire meal. Where my parents learned it, I don’t know. But I do know that I have been using this recipe and variants of it for the past N or so years. The recipe originally calls for ground pork; this one is modified so that it can accommodate ground turkey (which fries drier than pork).
Ingredients:
1 pkg. Gyoza skins (round or square)
1/2 c. minced fresh chives (optional)
1 lb. ground turkey (or pork)
1 pkg. chopped spinach
2 tbsp. kelp granules (optional)
1 tbsp. sesame oil
1 1/2 tbsp. lite soy sauce (or regular, if you like salt)
1/4 c. chicken broth or water (omit if using pork)
Oil for frying (grape seed or canola works best)
1. In a large bowl, mix turkey, spinach, and chives until well mixed. Add sesame oil, soy sauce, and kelp granules. Mix. Add chicken broth until the mixture looks a little mushy, but not runny. If there is too much liquid in the mix, they won’t hold up well when you fry the wontons.
2. Take one Gyoza skin and place a teaspoon of the mixture in the center. Moisten half the edge of the skin on one side with water. Fold in half. At this stage, you don’t need to worry about aesthetics or style. Repeat until you have enough to cover the area of a frying pan; or until there is no more mix or skins.
Frying method:
Ideally, you’d want to place them in a non-stick frying pan or use a cast iron pan; actually any frying pan with a lid that covers the entire pan will work just as well. About 1 to 2 tablespoons of oil should be enough per batch. Spread the oil so it evenly covers the pan. Heat pan on a medium setting. When the bottom of the wontons are brown, turn wontons over. Cover with lid. Wait a few moments. Add about 1/8 cup water or less to wontons. Cover with lid. When all the water has either evaporated or absorbed, they’re done! Total cook time should be no more than 6 minutes on a medium heat setting.
Soup method:
When the soup comes to a boil, drop prepared wontons in. Simmer until the wontons float to the surface. Add 1/2 cup cold water, then bring up to boil again. Voila! Soup is done.
Dipping sauce:
Basic sauce that tastes good can be as simple as just vinegar; or vinegar and soy sauce. Equal parts of vinegar to soy sauce. Everything else (kelp, ginger, scallions) are in whatever quantity you want.
#1: rice vinegar, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, kelp granules
#2: balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, minced ginger
#3: apple cider vinegar, soy sauce, finely sliced scallions
End notes:
Gyoza (Japanese) or wonton (Chinese) skins can be picked up in the refrigerated section of any supermarket. Kelp granules from the Whole Foods market or similar health food store.
Ingredients:
1 pkg. Gyoza skins (round or square)
1/2 c. minced fresh chives (optional)
1 lb. ground turkey (or pork)
1 pkg. chopped spinach
2 tbsp. kelp granules (optional)
1 tbsp. sesame oil
1 1/2 tbsp. lite soy sauce (or regular, if you like salt)
1/4 c. chicken broth or water (omit if using pork)
Oil for frying (grape seed or canola works best)
1. In a large bowl, mix turkey, spinach, and chives until well mixed. Add sesame oil, soy sauce, and kelp granules. Mix. Add chicken broth until the mixture looks a little mushy, but not runny. If there is too much liquid in the mix, they won’t hold up well when you fry the wontons.
2. Take one Gyoza skin and place a teaspoon of the mixture in the center. Moisten half the edge of the skin on one side with water. Fold in half. At this stage, you don’t need to worry about aesthetics or style. Repeat until you have enough to cover the area of a frying pan; or until there is no more mix or skins.
Frying method:
Ideally, you’d want to place them in a non-stick frying pan or use a cast iron pan; actually any frying pan with a lid that covers the entire pan will work just as well. About 1 to 2 tablespoons of oil should be enough per batch. Spread the oil so it evenly covers the pan. Heat pan on a medium setting. When the bottom of the wontons are brown, turn wontons over. Cover with lid. Wait a few moments. Add about 1/8 cup water or less to wontons. Cover with lid. When all the water has either evaporated or absorbed, they’re done! Total cook time should be no more than 6 minutes on a medium heat setting.
Soup method:
When the soup comes to a boil, drop prepared wontons in. Simmer until the wontons float to the surface. Add 1/2 cup cold water, then bring up to boil again. Voila! Soup is done.
Dipping sauce:
Basic sauce that tastes good can be as simple as just vinegar; or vinegar and soy sauce. Equal parts of vinegar to soy sauce. Everything else (kelp, ginger, scallions) are in whatever quantity you want.
#1: rice vinegar, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, kelp granules
#2: balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, minced ginger
#3: apple cider vinegar, soy sauce, finely sliced scallions
End notes:
Gyoza (Japanese) or wonton (Chinese) skins can be picked up in the refrigerated section of any supermarket. Kelp granules from the Whole Foods market or similar health food store.
Pesto-Tomato Clams
Clams are my favorite seafood and I rarely hesitate to order it off the menu when they're in season. If I were to be responsible for wiping out a species, it'd be the clam. They're so tasty!!
Pesto:
2 large garlic cloves, crushed
2 oz. Parmigiano-Romano cheese, coarsely grated
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
3 c. loosely packed basil leaves
1/2 c. virgin olive oil
Food processor: all pesto ingredients, with oil last to blend.
Clams:
2 lbs. littleneck clams
1 c. dry white wine (or 1/2 c. broth and 1/4 c. rice wine)
3 garlic cloves minced
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
2-3 red tomatoes, diced
1 c. pesto
1. Bring wine, garlic, and crushed red pepper to boil. Add clams.
2. Cook until clams open. Transfer clams only to 4 large bowls.
3. Stir tomatoes and pesto in pan and bring to a simmer.
4. Ladle pesto broth over clams and serve.
Pesto:
2 large garlic cloves, crushed
2 oz. Parmigiano-Romano cheese, coarsely grated
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
3 c. loosely packed basil leaves
1/2 c. virgin olive oil
Food processor: all pesto ingredients, with oil last to blend.
Clams:
2 lbs. littleneck clams
1 c. dry white wine (or 1/2 c. broth and 1/4 c. rice wine)
3 garlic cloves minced
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
2-3 red tomatoes, diced
1 c. pesto
1. Bring wine, garlic, and crushed red pepper to boil. Add clams.
2. Cook until clams open. Transfer clams only to 4 large bowls.
3. Stir tomatoes and pesto in pan and bring to a simmer.
4. Ladle pesto broth over clams and serve.
New England Clam Chowder
I have only made this once, and have yet to procure enough fresh in-season clams to try this again. While this recipe makes quite a large batch of soup, it was entirely devoured the same weekend it was made by three ravenous adults.
1/2 brown onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbsp clarified butter or EVO oil
1/2 c. celery, chopped
1 tsp dried thyme
1/4 c. unbleached white flour
3 c. water
1 1/2 c. rose potatoes, peeled, cubed
2 c. half 'n' half
2 pounds fresh clams
1-2 slices fresh ginger, thinly sliced
2 tbsp white wine
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
One 16-oz can chopped clams (wash and pick out the shells before adding to soup)
1 c. white wine
freshly chopped parsley (optional)
/soup base/
1. Put onion, garlic, and clarified butter in a large heavy pot. Sauté on low heat for 2 minutes.
2. Add celery and thyme. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle flour on top of vegetables.
3. Pour the water in slowly and use a whisk to breakup the chunks of flour.
4. Add potatoes and turn heat to medium-high until mixture comes to a boil. Turn down the heat after 10 minutes.
5. Add half 'n' half and simmer covered for 20 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.
/the clams/
1. Soak clams in cold water until ready to use.
2. Scrub the shells clean before steaming.
3. Put clams, sliced ginger, and two tablespoons white wine in a separate lidded pot
4. Steam until shells open, about 10 minutes.
5. Reserve cooking liquid, strain and add to soup base.
6. Remove clams from shells, setting aside a few to garnish each bowl.
/the aftermath/
1. Add clam meat to soup base
2. Add cayenne pepper and freshly ground black pepper
3. Add chopped clams
4. Add white wine
5. Simmer to combine flavors.
6. Serve with reserved clams and/or freshly chopped parsley as garnish.
1/2 brown onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbsp clarified butter or EVO oil
1/2 c. celery, chopped
1 tsp dried thyme
1/4 c. unbleached white flour
3 c. water
1 1/2 c. rose potatoes, peeled, cubed
2 c. half 'n' half
2 pounds fresh clams
1-2 slices fresh ginger, thinly sliced
2 tbsp white wine
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
One 16-oz can chopped clams (wash and pick out the shells before adding to soup)
1 c. white wine
freshly chopped parsley (optional)
/soup base/
1. Put onion, garlic, and clarified butter in a large heavy pot. Sauté on low heat for 2 minutes.
2. Add celery and thyme. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle flour on top of vegetables.
3. Pour the water in slowly and use a whisk to breakup the chunks of flour.
4. Add potatoes and turn heat to medium-high until mixture comes to a boil. Turn down the heat after 10 minutes.
5. Add half 'n' half and simmer covered for 20 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.
/the clams/
1. Soak clams in cold water until ready to use.
2. Scrub the shells clean before steaming.
3. Put clams, sliced ginger, and two tablespoons white wine in a separate lidded pot
4. Steam until shells open, about 10 minutes.
5. Reserve cooking liquid, strain and add to soup base.
6. Remove clams from shells, setting aside a few to garnish each bowl.
/the aftermath/
1. Add clam meat to soup base
2. Add cayenne pepper and freshly ground black pepper
3. Add chopped clams
4. Add white wine
5. Simmer to combine flavors.
6. Serve with reserved clams and/or freshly chopped parsley as garnish.
Bai-zhan gi (white cut chicken)
This is a generational recipe, one passed down in my family. I've added the thermometer step because prodding the chicken with a knife to see if it still bleeds is an inefficient way to check if the chicken is thoroughly cooked.
One whole fresh chicken
Fresh ginger slices, julienned
A pot large enough to boil a whole chicken
1. Bring pot of water to boil. Add ginger.
2. Place chicken in pot, breast-side down.
3. Cook on medium heat 20 minutes with cover on pot.
4. Turn off heat. Let chicken cook for 20 minutes.
5. Meat thermometer should read 160-180 degrees F. Do not overcook chicken.
6. Remove chicken from pot and let cool. Carve. Chill.
7. Serve with spicy dipping sauce.
Reserve the cooking liquid as a soup base. This is enough stock for 10-12 servings.
One whole fresh chicken
Fresh ginger slices, julienned
A pot large enough to boil a whole chicken
1. Bring pot of water to boil. Add ginger.
2. Place chicken in pot, breast-side down.
3. Cook on medium heat 20 minutes with cover on pot.
4. Turn off heat. Let chicken cook for 20 minutes.
5. Meat thermometer should read 160-180 degrees F. Do not overcook chicken.
6. Remove chicken from pot and let cool. Carve. Chill.
7. Serve with spicy dipping sauce.
Reserve the cooking liquid as a soup base. This is enough stock for 10-12 servings.
Homemade pancakes
Ever look on a store brand box of pancake mix? Look at what they ask you to add: an egg, some oil, some water or milk. So, do you know what you are really buying? A box of pre-packaged, pre-mixed flour, baking soda, and baking powder. The material requirements to make your own pancakes is extremely inexpensive, compared to the $4 most people dish out for a box of mix. Plus, what happens if you're left with a small amount of mix? You could go out and buy another box, but with this method you can make what you want.
This recipe feeds 3 somewhat hungry people or 2 very hungry people.
1 c. unbleached white flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 tbsp. unbleached cane sugar
2 eggs
2/3 c. organic milk
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/4 c. dried blueberries (optional)
1. Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices together in a large bowl.
2. Whip eggs together in a small bowl. Add vanilla extract, olive oil and sugar. Beat until combined.
3. Combine egg mixture into flour mixture. Mix while adding milk. Beat until not lumpy.
This recipe feeds 3 somewhat hungry people or 2 very hungry people.
1 c. unbleached white flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 tbsp. unbleached cane sugar
2 eggs
2/3 c. organic milk
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/4 c. dried blueberries (optional)
1. Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices together in a large bowl.
2. Whip eggs together in a small bowl. Add vanilla extract, olive oil and sugar. Beat until combined.
3. Combine egg mixture into flour mixture. Mix while adding milk. Beat until not lumpy.
Pan-Fried Fish Fillets
Drowning a fish in any sauce is just to cover up the not-so-fresh feeling the fish has. The whole wheat flour gives texture and some crunch. How to tell when the fish is done? Well, if it can be easily stabbed through with the edge of a spatula, it should be done.
The idea here is to prepare the toppings in a sauté pan and set aside. Topping #1 strangely tastes like pizza sauce and when I made it the first time it was eaten faster than the fish.
Note to self: make more topping next time. Because salt is one of those spices that to just want to hint at in a fish dish, I add it after the fish is done cooking, sprinkling it on the top of the finished product.
3 tilapia fillets or 2 catfish fillets
2 tbsp. whole wheat flour
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. grape seed oil or butter
Topping #1:
6-8 large black olives, finely chopped
1 stalk green onion, sliced thinly
1 tbsp. organic red vinegar
1 tbsp. light soy sauce
Topping #2:
2-3 sundried tomatos, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
thin slices of ginger
Butter gives great flavor to fish. Grape seed oil will not burn at higher temperatures. It's a good oil to work with for an amateur cook, but it does not taste good raw (for salads and marinades stick with olive oil).
Do not use frozen fillets for this recipe. Thaw first!
1. Rinse fillets and pat dry. Coat fillets with flour on both sides.
2. Heat oil on skillet on medium heat. Add fillets, if they both fit. If they do not, then cook one at a time and adjust for oil.
3. Average cooking time is about 5-7 minutes per side on a medium fire. The thicker the fillet, the longer the cooking time. Do not exceed 10 minutes per side, you'll get a rubbery tasting fish regardless of fillet thickness.
4. Arrange neatly on a clean plate. Put topping on top of fish. Enjoy.
Topping preparation:
1. Heat a small skillet. Add oil. Add green onions (topping #1) or garlic and ginger (topping #2).
The idea here is to flavor the oil. Add the remaining ingredients. Stir fry. Remove from heat and set aside until fish is done.
The idea here is to prepare the toppings in a sauté pan and set aside. Topping #1 strangely tastes like pizza sauce and when I made it the first time it was eaten faster than the fish.
Note to self: make more topping next time. Because salt is one of those spices that to just want to hint at in a fish dish, I add it after the fish is done cooking, sprinkling it on the top of the finished product.
3 tilapia fillets or 2 catfish fillets
2 tbsp. whole wheat flour
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. grape seed oil or butter
Topping #1:
6-8 large black olives, finely chopped
1 stalk green onion, sliced thinly
1 tbsp. organic red vinegar
1 tbsp. light soy sauce
Topping #2:
2-3 sundried tomatos, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
thin slices of ginger
Butter gives great flavor to fish. Grape seed oil will not burn at higher temperatures. It's a good oil to work with for an amateur cook, but it does not taste good raw (for salads and marinades stick with olive oil).
Do not use frozen fillets for this recipe. Thaw first!
1. Rinse fillets and pat dry. Coat fillets with flour on both sides.
2. Heat oil on skillet on medium heat. Add fillets, if they both fit. If they do not, then cook one at a time and adjust for oil.
3. Average cooking time is about 5-7 minutes per side on a medium fire. The thicker the fillet, the longer the cooking time. Do not exceed 10 minutes per side, you'll get a rubbery tasting fish regardless of fillet thickness.
4. Arrange neatly on a clean plate. Put topping on top of fish. Enjoy.
Topping preparation:
1. Heat a small skillet. Add oil. Add green onions (topping #1) or garlic and ginger (topping #2).
The idea here is to flavor the oil. Add the remaining ingredients. Stir fry. Remove from heat and set aside until fish is done.
Balsamic Eggplant and Peppers
Most eggplant recipes you see are for baked, roasted, deep-fried, or steamed eggplant. Why is this? Because it generally takes a long time to cook, even if you're patient. This method involves frying, but with a covered lid. As long as the eggplant doesn't dry out, it should cook thoroughly.
3-5 Japanese eggplants, sliced in 3/4" diagonal cut pieces
1 red bell pepper, 1/4" lengthwise slices
1 green bell pepper, 1/4" lengthwise slices
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 tbsp. olive oil
1/4 c. chicken/vegetable/beef broth or water
slivers of green onion for garnish (optional)
dash of salt, to taste
Sauce:
3 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. sugar
1. Stir-fry red and green bell peppers with the oil and the garlic about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
2. Stir-fry eggplant until lightly browned. Turn heat down to medium and simmer with 1/4 c. broth covered until eggplant is soft. About 30 minutes.
3. Mix sauce ingredients in a small bowl until the sugar has dissolved.
4. Once the eggplant is just about done, add the sauce and stir until the eggplant is coated. Add the peppers back in and fry for 1-2 more minutes.
5. Remove from heat. Garnish with slivers of green onion.
3-5 Japanese eggplants, sliced in 3/4" diagonal cut pieces
1 red bell pepper, 1/4" lengthwise slices
1 green bell pepper, 1/4" lengthwise slices
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 tbsp. olive oil
1/4 c. chicken/vegetable/beef broth or water
slivers of green onion for garnish (optional)
dash of salt, to taste
Sauce:
3 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. sugar
1. Stir-fry red and green bell peppers with the oil and the garlic about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
2. Stir-fry eggplant until lightly browned. Turn heat down to medium and simmer with 1/4 c. broth covered until eggplant is soft. About 30 minutes.
3. Mix sauce ingredients in a small bowl until the sugar has dissolved.
4. Once the eggplant is just about done, add the sauce and stir until the eggplant is coated. Add the peppers back in and fry for 1-2 more minutes.
5. Remove from heat. Garnish with slivers of green onion.
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