Fresh From Cate's Kitchen: Thailand Edition

A Friendly Reminder

2009-06-16T18:26:00.005+07:00

I think I may have lost some readers when I moved my blog to Wordpress (or maybe it's because I was on the road, so there weren't any new recipes being posted). But, if you haven't seen the NEW (well, it's not even that new anymore) Cate's World Kitchen, I suggest you check it out!

I've got recipes, like Grilled Eggplant Salad and Mu Shu Tofu (which was on FoodGawker!)

I sometimes post about new things I'm seeing and doing now that I live in South Korea, but the main focus is on good, simple food. I hope you'll visit (and update your bookmarks/reader/etc)!

Update your Reader!

2009-03-06T08:06:00.000+07:00

Since my life has undergone a huge transformation as of late, I figured my blog should too. Fresh From Cate's Kitchen made sense as a title when I was cooking things every day, but now that I'm traveling the world, my kitchen time is extremely limited. I temporarily re-named the blog to "Cate In Thailand," but that isn't going to work for the long haul.

I decided Cate's World Kitchen makes more sense for the kinds of posts I'm doing these days, and I'm excited to make a new header for each new place I visit. I'll be in Vietnam in about 10 days, so you'll see a new header then with pictures of Vietnamese food. After that, I'll be in Cambodia and the header will change accordingly. I hope you'll keep checking back to read about my food-centered world exploration!

I moved my blog to Wordpress because I like the format better...but this one will still be around (plus you'll find all my old posts on the new site too!)

Please update your Google Reader (or whatever site you use to keep track of blogs) to http://cateskitchen.wordpress.com

Thanks for reading!

The Perfect Thai Iced Coffee

2009-03-05T17:27:00.000+07:00

I pretty much stick to four main food groups here in Thailand: Iced Coffee, Fruit, Noodles, and Food On A Stick. Every day, I eat something from each group. I've made it my personal mission to find the best in each of these groups, and today I'm going to show you the best iced coffee in Chiang Mai. Don't try and argue - I've tried DOZENS of places and this one wins, hands down. It's also the cheapest place in the neighborhood!

I stop by this stand every day, and after about four days, the woman who works there started to recognize me. Now she starts on my coffee as she sees me approaching. Here's how the perfect beverage is concocted:

First, she puts a spoon full of sugar and a spoon full of creamer into a small glass.

Then, she pours Thai coffee into the glass. A lot of places make their iced coffee with regular brewed coffee, or worse, Nescafe, but this is the real stuff. It's made from oliang powder, which is coffee mixed with a little bit of sesame and corn, poured through a muslin filter.

Once the coffee is in the glass, she stirs it well to dissolve the sugar and creamer. Then she adds a generous spoonful of sweetened condensed milk and stirs.
She fills a tall plastic cup with ice, and pours some evaporated milk over the top.
Then, she pours the coffee mixture into the plastic cup that has the ice and evaporated milk.
And there it is...the perfect Thai Iced Coffee!

Thai Cooking Class: Part 2

2009-03-04T18:39:00.001+07:00

Of course the best part of the cooking class was the actual cooking! It was kind of a challenge to get good pictures because it was a little dark in the kitchen...but here are the highlights!

We started off with Tom Yam - the popular and delicious hot and sour soup of Thailand. In order to be called Tom Yam, it MUST have Kaffir lime leaves, galangal, and lemongrass. After that, it's pretty much up to you, but without those three things, it's a different soup. I also have some chiles in mine...

Add the vegetables (you can add whatever you want; I used Chinese kale, Napa cabbage, baby corn, mushrooms, carrot, and tomato)
Stir in some Tom Yam paste (which is made from chiles, lemongrass, cilantro, sugar, lime leaves, and galangal). You can make the past or buy it pre-made in a jar.
That's all it takes for basic tom yam. You can also stir in just a tablespoon of coconut milk, and it changes it into a creamier, heartier soup.

Delicious!
Next, we made vegetable stir fry with cashews. It was just a basic vegetable stir fry, flavored with a little sugar, golden mountain sauce, and soy sauce, and we added toasted cashews at the end.
Massaman curry is my absolute favorite. It has red curry paste and curry powder, so it's a fusion of Thai and Indian flavors. It's often made with beef and potatoes, but since this was a vegetarian class, we just used the potatoes and some tofu.
We made a lot of food and took a lot of notes!
Green curry with sweet potato. This steamed up my camera lens!
Fresh spring rolls. I love these! The wrappers were basically huge squares of noodles - just not cut up. They were much easier to work with than the dry wrappers I usually get. We also made a fabulous peanut sauce to dip these in (with coconut milk, red curry paste, tomatoes, and ground peanuts - it was some of the best peanut sauce I've ever had, and I've tried MANY recipes!)
My beloved Som Tham! First, you crush up some garlic, fresh hot chiles, peanuts, lime juice, and sugar in this HUGE mortar and pestle.
Then you add some pieces of long bean and slices of tomato and pound some more.
Finally, you add shredded carrot and shredded green papaya, stir it all up, put it on a plate, and top with peanuts!
I am VERY excited to make some of these dishes in my own kitchen, whenever I end up living in a place that has one!

Cooking Schools In Chiang Mai

2009-03-02T18:15:00.004+07:00

Taking a cooking class is an incredibly popular activity in Chiang Mai. Every tourist office (where you can book tickets, excursions, classes, etc) has advertisements for cooking schools, and there are probably 20 cooking schools in town.

If you're looking for a great class, skip the tourist offices and contact schools directly. They are easy to find on Google, and a lot of them distribute brochures to guest houses and restaurants around the city.
Ask them who will be teaching the class and the experience they have, how many students are typically in the class, and how many different recipes you'll be making. Steer clear of classes with more than about 5 students. I've seen HUGE classes go to the markets, and it doesn't look like you learn much of anything.

The girl I was meeting suggested May Kaidee's, because she's vegetarian and loves the restaurant (there are branches in Chiang Mai and Bangkok). The class was a little bit more expensive than some of the others, but we got to make 12 different dishes, and because there were only 3 people in the class, we could all ask a bunch of questions and have them answered. I enjoyed the class, but unfortunately don't have anything to compare it to.
If I were going to take another class, I would seriously consider A Lot of Thai because I've heard great things about it.

Thai Cooking Class: Part 1

2009-03-01T09:14:00.001+07:00

When you travel, the world seems to get a lot smaller. It's amazing how common it is to bump into acquaintances or friends of friends, even in far-flung locales thousands of miles from home. It turned out that a friend of a friend from college was going to Thailand right around the same time I was. She ended up in the south, and I ended up in the north, but this week she happened to be traveling around Chiang Mai, and we took a cooking class together.

I have been complaining about our lack of a kitchen since the day we got here, so I was overjoyed to be cooking again. I got to spend about 5 hours learning how to make all sorts of great Thai dishes! The class was great because there were only three students, so we got plenty of individual attention from the teacher, a fun and energetic woman named Duan.

The first hour of the class was spent walking around the market, where we were introduced to different ingredients. First, we got a look at the different chiles and learned about what they are used for. The larger ones are mild and are common in stir fries. The smaller ones are much spicier and are used in sauces and curry paste.

These are fresh wheat noodles, which are used in my beloved Khow Soi
This is hand-pressed tofu. It's nice and firm, and I wish I could find stuff like this in California! The yellow tofu is colored with turmeric.
We bought a bunch of vegetables to use in the class:
Here, Duan explains different rices. White basmati rice is most common, but there are also brown and red varieties. Sticky rice can be either black or white. A lot of people buy sticky rice in Thailand and don't understand why it doesn't work when they try to cook it. Apparently it has to soak overnight first.
Tons of spices!
Green papaya, jackfruit, and banana flowers (the big purple things). Green papaya gets shredded for som tham, jackfruit is commonly used in desserts, and banana flowers are thinly sliced and used in soup or stir fry.
Thai shallots (on the left) are much smaller than the ones typically available in the US.
Their garlic (on the right) is much smaller too. Fried garlic is a common garnish, and they don't peel the cloves first.
A comparison of galangal and ginger:
There are a few different kinds of eggplant, and they're all green: long thin ones, small green and white golf-ball sized ones (that are commonly found in green curry and some stir fries), and tiny pea-sized ones that are crunchy and incredibly bitter).
The markets usually have big tubs of live fish...

and a lot of them end up stuffed with lemongrass and grilled.
Check back for another post on all the things we made!

Beverage Love

2009-02-28T11:57:00.001+07:00

Thais are serious about beverages (and with good reason - it is so hot that if you're not drinking all day long, you'll end up severely dehydrated). Along the main street in our neighborhood there are at least a dozen little stands that make coffee, tea, and other delightful drinks. Look at all the fun, colorful options here!

This one has some coffee and a lot of tea, with Nestea being the substance of choice. I think I'll pass on that (but this stand is Mike's favorite).

You can tell by the cans of Carnation milk that this stand's main focus is coffee. I don't know how many cans of evaporated and sweetened condensed milk are consumed in this country on a daily basis, but it's a huge number. I almost never see people drinking black coffee; it always has lots of milk and sugar!

Before we came here, I didn't really pay attention drinks other than water (OK, and coffee, and beer - just the essentials). To me, they were a waste of calories and I would rather have something I could chew on. But then I fell in love with Thai iced coffee, and after that I figured I should give all the other drinks a chance too. Now I probably spend as much on drinks each day as I do on food (two or three dollars).

Thai iced tea with milk has a nice pretty orange color and tastes like tea with an infusion of wheat. It doesn't sound particularly pleasant, but trust me, it's good. It's really creamy and not too sweet - very refreshing on hot, humid afternoons.

Check out my mansion!

2009-02-25T06:07:00.002+07:00

Before we came over here, I didn't really think too much about where we would live. I was sure we'd just find an apartment or something, but I didn't really have any idea what to expect.

When Mike signed up for the TEFL course, the school recommended a hotel that rents rooms by the month. It's comfortable and close to campus, plus it has AC - what more do you need? This is a little peek at where I currently call home!

There is clearly no equivalent to the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) here. The elevator only has buttons for floors 1, 3 and 5, even though there are six floors in the building. Plus, it stops on landings between floors, so wherever you get off, you have to walk up or down a half-flight of stairs to get to a floor.
I don't have any pictures of our room because it's a mess...but it has two twin beds shoved together to make a king, a TV (with a couple English channels!), a desk, and a wardrobe. The bathroom has hot water and a Western toilet (yay!) but the shower head just sticks out of the wall so you the entire bathroom gets soaked when you take a shower.

My favorite part is the view off our balcony.

This makes me feel like I'm living in the Swiss Family Robinson treehouse! (Which, by the way, I still can't believe they switched to Tarzan's Tree House...lame, Disney, very lame)
It's really nature-y out there! So nature-y, in fact, that we hear the most bizarre bird calls and songs I've ever heard in my entire life. There's one that sounds like one of those squeaky dog toys, and another that sounds like a rusty gate closing. There are also dozens of roosters. It doesn't matter if it's 2 AM, they feel the need to serenade the world all night long!

We recently discovered that the place across the street costs half as much per month, so we're moving very soon. Fortunately, we're not leaving the neighborhood because I've completely fallen in love with it!

More Noodles I Can't Live Without

2009-02-22T18:09:00.004+07:00

I saw a cart on our street ladling out steaming bowls of bright pinkish-red noodle soup, and asked the lady making them (in Thai!) what it was. ("What's this?" might be one of the most useful phrases I've picked up so far).

The answer, it turned out, was Yen Ta Fo.

The unique color comes from the sauce that is stirred into the soup. It is slightly sweet and slightly tangy, and can vary in color from natural looking tomato-sauce red to almost flourescent hot pink.

The soup itself has rice noodles, kale, slices of fish cake, fish balls, fried garlic, and fried wontons. It's a nice, filling lunch but it isn't too heavy. I've been trying this whenever I see a cart that makes it, and while some versions can be a little bland, I really like all the different components that are mixed in.

My new favorite noodles!

2009-02-20T05:37:00.002+07:00

Thai restaurants in America are keeping a secret from you, and you deserve to know what it is. This is a dish that recently replaced Pad Thai as my I-must-eat-this-at-least-once-a-day-or-I-will-suffer-painful-withdrawals meal. It’s that good.
The shocking thing is, I never knew it existed. I never tried it during my previous visit to Thailand, I have never seen it on a Thai menu in the states, and I cannot figure out why it’s not served everywhere. It’s Khow Soi: a delicious, coconut-based noodle soup.

   Yes, there are a lot of coconut based Thai soups you have probably tried, but this one is special. First of all, the noodles are soft, yellow wheat noodles, not all that different from fettuccini. The soup features soft tangles of these, PLUS (this is where it gets good) some crispy fried ones on top: a perfect yin and yang of textures. The broth has a red curry base, so it’s a little spicy, but nothing overwhelming. The coconut milk makes it creamy and slightly sweet, and the cilantro garnish gives a nice burst of freshness.

   When it is served, it comes with a plate of highly unappetizing looking shriveled greens, shallots, and lime. I was definitely taken aback the first time I saw the garnishes. Shallots and lime, I can handle, but the greens had no appeal. However, when it comes to eating, I want to do what the locals do, and they put everything into the soup. So with hesitation, I did too. Trust me on this – regardless of how those greens look, they are essential! They are pickled cabbage and they add a vital tanginess to the flavor mix in the soup. You will not be disappointed!
   The reason I love it so much is because, like the best dishes here, it combines salty, sweet, sour, and hot flavors with a mix of textures. Each bite features these in different proportions, so you never have that “okay, this soup is nice but I’m getting bored” phenomenon that often comes with, say, canned tomato soup.
   Next time you a) go out for Thai food or b) come to Chiang Mai (whichever comes first), try to hunt down a bowl of this!

Fun snacks

2009-02-17T03:00:00.001+07:00

WARNING: There are photos of insect consumption in this post. If you have a weak stomach, move on!

I probably mention in every post that I love all the food options here - the carts are plentiful and cheap, and there are always new things to try.

When I saw the insect stand at the market, I was excited. I'd already been initiated into the bug-eating club with those grubs the other day, so the only tough part here was narrowing down which to try next.

Like these:

Or these (by the way, I thought mackerel was fish...):
Or these:

Oh hello there, grasshopper! I decided on these, because the Japanese man who was next in line told me they were his favorite. He looked like someone who knew his (edible) insects, so I trusted his judgement.
The grasshoppers were nice and crunchy - excellent sprinkled with a dash of soy sauce. The only tricky part is their hind legs. They have little spikes on them that can get caught in your throat if you don't chew them completely.
I think next time, I'm going to try the crickets!

Happy Valentines Day!

2009-02-14T04:00:00.001+07:00

I'm not sure how Thai people feel about Valentines Day, or if they celebrate it much, but I do know that 7-11 has had a little Valentine's display up for a few weeks with various cards and candy and hideous plush roses. Although I'm usually not a huge fan of the holiday, I couldn't resist picking up a little gift for Mike.

This card was wrapped in plastic and had a label that was entirely written in Thai, so I assumed that the writing on the card would be in Thai. I was kind of excited about that, but when I got it home and opened it up to write inside, I realized it was in English. Kind of a letdown, but I still think it's adorable.

I love the sentiment on this chocolate heart, but I'm not quite sure what meaning they're going for. Is it a "pick which one you mean and circle it" kind of thing? An "I love you because we're married and I don't really have a choice anymore but it's your lucky day because I like you too" message? A clarification "I love you, but I'm too scared to say it, so I tell you I like you very much but I love you is actually what I mean"? Whatever it is, I love it I like it very much!

Sunday grazing

2009-02-12T17:04:00.002+07:00

Sundays, when I don't have to work and Mike doesn't have class, are great days to wander around the city. We usually run across things we've never seen before, which is always fun. And because of our obsession with things food-related, we often end up grazing on street food all day long.

On this particular Sunday, we found a Market near the mall. There was some great looking food I'd never seen before.
On the left are some delightful little creamy custards with corn, and on the right are sweet little coconut-coverd mochi balls (I'm not sure if it really is mochi, but that's what it reminds me of).

Here's a better look at the corn dessert. It comes in a cute little banana leaf cup:

Really brightly colored desserts - I was intrigued but didn't try any...maybe next time!

Waffles are a huge deal here. In Bangkok, there's a waffle stand in every SkyTrain station. On our street, there's a cart that sells all different flavors. These come in all sorts of flavors...taro, pumpkin, shredded pork, coconut...
I love these cute little banana leaf boats filled with egg and other mix-ins.
Our random wandering also took us to the main stage of the Flower festival, where we saw some great dancers.

I think the best way to see a city is just to start walking and see where you end up! What have you been surprised to find on a walk during your travels?

Same Blog, New Look

2009-02-11T20:09:00.002+07:00

I made a new banner for the blog, because I'm not excatly baking chocolate chip cookies or sauteeing carrots these days. All my old recipes are still here, though!

My Walk Home

2009-02-08T18:42:00.001+07:00

5:30 PM on a Friday night is when this our street starts to feel really alive. I love my walk home from work, because I get to see some beautiful aspects of life in this city that I've come to love.

Food carts start setting up around 4:30 PM, and by dinner time the entire street is lined with them. They sell all sorts of amazing food - noodles, mean on skewers, traditional Thai desserts, steamed buns, fried chicken... all for incredibly cheap!

Sunset tai chi in the park. I love it when I see this.
There's a surprising amount of sushi around, but it doesn't seem like it's refrigerated. Thanks but no thanks! I do not like my raw fish with a side of bacteria.
Food on sticks is everywhere! This stand has a few kinds of sausages, fish balls, and whole squid. Still haven't tried the squid...
I love the color of the monks' robes.
The scooter. A perfect family vehicle...great for grocery shopping... and I'm actually shocked at how many people are wearing helmets in this picture!
Fruit. So much divine fruit. Convenient little bags of watermelon, guava, pineapple, papaya and cantaloupe... for about 30 cents!

Soup, Iced Coffee, and Nanobots

2009-02-06T18:06:00.001+07:00

I said I would branch out from Phad Thai...and I guess posting that for the world (or my handful of readers) to see made me follow through! In fact, I haven't had it in at least 48 hours!

Last night, I got a call from my boss.

"Catherine, we have a 13 year old boy who wants to learn science. You know science, right?"

"Uhhh, I guess so. What does he want to learn?"

"Don't worry, he'll bring his book. It's for two hours, tomorrow from 2 to 4. Is that OK?"

Not one to turn down A) a challenge or B) money, I agreed to give it a shot.

WHAT AM I DOING!?!? I thought after I hung up the phone.

Fast forward to today. Ohhh my, what am I going to do with a 13 year old boy, who may or may not speak decent English, who wants to learn science (I mean, I do work for a language school, so I couldn't help but assume he needed assistance in that department).

About an hour and a half before I had to go to the school, I walked to one of my favorite restaurants (aka one with an English menu) and ordered this soup.

Wide rice noodles in a slightly thickened broth flavored with a hint of golden mountain sauce. Chunks of tender chicken and plenty of Chinese broccoli (I'm still not sure what the vegetable actually is, but that's my best guess).

When it arrives, I immediately cover it with red chili flakes (I no longer have any interest in food that isn't so spicy it almost makes my cry. My digestive system is still fighting me on this new development, but I won't back down).

That fresh baby corn... nobody should live without the pleasure of it in their lives.

After lunch I still had a little while so I went to my favorite cafe. It's popular with college students reading Manga, teenage girls gossiping and text messaging, and aging American expatriates, which is a weird mix but I still love it.

I ordered what I always do, a Thai Iced Coffee. I will NEVER tire of this beverage. And I used to drink my coffee black!

I soon realized it was time to get to school for this science lesson. The boy, it turns out, is half Thai, half Japanese, goes to the best International school in the area, speaks impeccable English and is pretty much a genius. He didn't end up bringing a book, so I asked him what interested him.

"Nanobots" he said.

"Riiiight. Those are....?" He's probably thinking wow, my parents are wasting their money!

"Microscopic robots. They are still being invented. I want to develop one that goes into the body and selectively exterminates cells infected with the HIV virus." Of course you do! Why wouldn't you?

Fortunately, I have a decent understanding of how the HIV virus works (thank you, Cal Poly biology department).

So, we figured out what the nanorobot would need to do by watching videos about HIV replication on YouTube. Then he decided he would disguise his nanorobot so it looked just like a red blood cell and the body wouldn't attack it.

You know, just your average 13 year old boy Friday afternoon activity.

Beer, Thai Style

2009-02-04T22:49:00.002+07:00

I think the liquor license situation is a little more relaxed here than in California. And by a little, I mean I think there's really no licensing at all, or if there is, it's not enforced.

There's a little convenience store on our street with a few tables out front, and there are almost always people sitting there drinking beer. You can just grab whatever you like out of the refrigerated case and bring it to your table. In moments, a bucket of ice with tongs and a glass will appear.

That's right...they drink their beer with ice cubes here. I guess it makes sense considering how hot it usually is, but I just can't get behind the concept of watering down my beer and I think I'd rather just chug it cold than keep it cool with ice cubes, but I guess I can't really say that with authority until I've actually tried it. That's on my to-do list...

Those beers with the ice cubes aren't mine...they belong to two university students who hang out at the tables in front of the store all the time. Basically any hour of the day, there are a few Thai students and a few Western students (taking the 4-week TEFL course at the university) practicing English and Thai with each other. It's amazing how much Thai I've picked up just by sitting at those tables. Just buy the guys beer and you're guaranteed to get help with your pronunciation for hours!

I may have a problem

2009-02-02T22:38:00.001+07:00

Phad thai. I can't stop myself from ordering at least once a day. At 30 baht (less than a dollar) at least it's a cheap vice.

We have a favorite restaurant just a few blocks from our apartment that seems to be the favorite of a huge percentage of the university students, because it's almost always packed. And they have a menu in English! Score! (Except, they also have a menu in Thai that is much longer, and I'm trying really hard to figure out what is on it because I totally feel like I'm missing out.)

I swore I would not be the typical tourist. I would learn how to order all the local specialties in Thai, I would branch out and try new dishes every day. I would eat at every restaurant on the street before choosing a favorite.

And then about 10 days ago I found this restaurant, and I had their phad thai, and I realized that all the Thai regulars were also eating it, so it was obviously pretty decent (I mean, I know it's good, but that was the extra validation I needed). And it comes with this delightful dish of bean sprouts, green onions, and lime so you can make it personalized and wonderful. I've been eating it ever since.

You would do it too! I know you would. Those delightfully smooth and sweet noodles with the little morsels of fried egg, and the occasional muted crunch of dried shrimp. The pile of ground peanuts and sliced green onions that comes on the side of your plate just waiting to be all mixed up with the noodles, creating the perfect balance of flavors and textures. Delightful.

Tomorrow, I really will try something new. For lunch. And then for dinner, I'll be back at my usual spot, happily slurping up phad thai.

Scenes from Chiang Mai

2009-01-29T08:04:00.001+07:00

I am having all kinds of weird emotions and thoughts right now. On the one hand, I think it is absolutely awesome that I'm living here, in Chaing Mai. It just sounds so exotic!

On the other hand, sometimes I just want some normal good old greasy American food, and my nice little car, and to go for a run that doesn't involve some combination of twisting my ankle on incredibly uneven sidewalks, almost being runover by 20998 motor-bikes, inhaling unhealthy quantities of carbon monoxide and god knows what else from said motor-bikes, and feeling like I'm going to pass out because it is so hot.

But, in all, I think this is worth it and I love my newly adopted city. Let me show you around.

When I want to go somewhere and not turn into a sweaty mess, I take one of these handy red trucks. I still haven't figured out exactly what they are called...something like songthaew? Anyway, there are always hundreds of them all over the place, going in every direction, and a ride is about 75 cents unless you are going really far, then it's a dollar.
Yep, the back is always open, and theoretically you could fall out at any second. They don't have quite the same liability issues here. And the ceilings are padded. It's a nice touch because the shocks on these...not so good.

One thing that never ceases to crack me up is the obsession with putting clothes on animals. Every day on my way to work I see dogs in pretty pink tutus or furry leopard print coats. Doesn't this cat look absolutely thrilled to be wearing this soccer shirt? Yeah, he'd probably be much happier with a Chelsea shirt.
I still love seeing wats everywhere I go. Wats and monks...you never forget how important Buddhism is here, and I like that.
The markets have their share of interesting foods. Like these sausages. I think somebody needs to tell the vendors that they will fly off the shelves a little more quickly if they weren't shaped like something so unbelievably unappetizing.
I'm sorry this picture is so bad, but I just could not resist. It's a plastic bag, obviously, full of LIVE FISH. I can't speak enough Thai to figure out what the purpose of these is, so if you have an idea, let me know. I don't think they are for eating (I hope...) and I'm not sure they are to keep as pets. It's a conundrum I must get to the bottom of.

Som Tham and a drink in a bag

2009-01-25T20:16:00.001+07:00

Restaurants here aren't like ours. Usually there is a glass case featuring prominent ingredients (which may be vegetables, fried chicken, roasted duck, or cartons of eggs), and a couple huge cooking pans (that look like woks) on burners off to the side. If you're lucky, there will be a sign in English (of course, then you're probably in a touristy area and the prices will be twice what they should be). Otherwise, you just have to point to what you want.

Anytime I see a glass case shredded green papaya and tomatoes, I know I'm in the right place for one of my favorite Thai dishes of all time... Som Tham (or Papaya Salad).

The peanuts sprinkled on top were beautifully toasted and made this salad PERFECT. A delicious mix of salty, tangy and spicy, with the tomatoes to provide cool, juicy contrast to the crunchy green papaya.

The man I ordered it from on this particular occasion spoke some English.
"Spicy ok?" he asked skeptically.
"Yes! I love spicy food!" I enthusiastically replied.

He just kind of looked at me with glimmer of doubt in his eyes. I'm sure countless white people before me have declared the same thing, only to take one bite and protest, tears streaming, that it's too hot.
But since I've been "practicing" eating spicy food for months in preparation for this trip, I thought the level of spiciness was perfect. Of course, he probably toned it way down for me...but I still felt hardcore.

I loved the plate of vegetables that was served on the side of the salad. I'm not sure what I was supposed to do, but I basically just tore them all into bite-sized pieces with my hands and stirred them into the salad. It was delicious.

A few days ago I posted about ordering an iced coffee and being served the cup in a bag. Well this time, at one of the markets in Chiang Mai, I ordered an iced coffee and the person behind the counter scooped ice into a bag, poured coffee and milk over it, and handed it to me with a straw!

The Train and Chiang Mai

2009-01-23T17:01:00.001+07:00

The train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai takes about 14 hours - from 7:35 pm to about 9:30 AM. We went in second class, which means we paid $25 each to sleep in a car lined with bunk beds on each side. The chairs in the picture turn into a lower bed, and another bed pulls down from the ceiling.

The "train attendant" (I don't know what the word for it is - the train equivalent of a flight attendant) was a lady-boy who wanted to be called Natalie and he was an absolute crack up. Sooo over the top femenine and animated! If you've never been to Thailand before, the lady-boy culture can be a little shocking, but you just get used to seeing guys dressed up and acting like women, and it is widely accepted. The best is watching a group of college-aged European tourists checking out a group of who they think are hot girls...only to realize a few minutes later that they are actually lady-boys. The reaction is priceless!

We bought some snacks for the train, including these delightful Nori Seaweed flavored Lays. They have a great variety of flavors here, including Shrimp and Mayonaise, and I plan on trying them all!
We found a market over by our new apartment that had piles of these. Yes, they are what you think they are, and of course we had to try them! Once you get past the fact that you are eating deep-fried grubs, they're really good! Light and crisp, with a delicate barbecue flavor. I have to say I recommend them, even if it's only for the shock value when you tell your friends you ate them.

Chiang Mai is a beautiful city absolutely full of wats (Bhuddist temples). They are everywhere you look - including right next to our hotel. I opened the curtains to see this impressive roof line. Bhuddism is everywhere here - shrines in front of every house and business, wats around almost every corner, and monks in bright orange robes walking all over the city.

I love this city, which is great, because I just got a job for 6 months! I will be working part time for a language school, teaching small group lessons in English conversation and helping prepare high school students for the TOEFL exam (required to get into American universities). I'm very excited!

More Chinatown

2009-01-21T16:03:00.000+07:00

In order to get to Pahurat from our hostel, we had to take the subway, then walk about a mile through Chinatown. It was a great chance to take some more pictures!

There were dozens of people painting gold symbols on red paper for Chinese New Year...
then hanging them up to dry.
Stall after stall had decorations...
And of course, the usual food vendors were lining the streets. More plastic bags!
Dozens of men had numerous different talismans on display. Shoppers would stop and get into very serious conversations about which they should buy.
There was durian - which smells absolutely horrendous but actually tastes pretty good.

The big prickly green fruits are pretty intimidating. The vendor cuts them open with a machete, and pulls out the big fruit-covered sees. Those are the yellow things on the styrofoam trays in the front.
Box after box of dried mushrooms...

Even a whole table full of dried squid!

I passed on the squid.

Pahurat - Bangkok's Little India

2009-01-18T17:50:00.000+07:00

There is a Hindu temple right down the street from our hostel, and it is surrounded by a few Indian restaurants. Last night, we had such a good meal that we decided to try and figure out where there were more Indian restaurants in the city.

A google search led me to Pahurat, which is a collection of Indian businesses and a market centered around a Sikh temple. We made our way there today and were not disappointed!

We had some naan, okra and potatoes, channa dal, and a salty lassi at a vegetarian restaurant. Almost every restaurant we came across in the area was vegetarian.

Then we stopped by Punjab Sweets, which had an amazing glass case filled with all sorts of delicious little treats.

This little turnover was filled with nuts and tasted a lot like baklava.
A view of the inside:
This was a tender cake soaked in rose water, and filled with frosting
I bought a bag of candy-coated fennel seeds. I love these! They are like tiny little Good N Plenties!
They were from New Delhi!
We were commenting on how we always seek out Indian restaurants - we've eaten Indian food in a bunch of places in the states, plus Rome, Dublin, Bangkok, Chiang Mai... we just have to try it everywhere!

Chinatown

2009-01-18T05:59:00.001+07:00

After my sample lesson this morning, we didn't have any plans for the rest of the day, so we headed to Chinatown for some food.

Chinatown in Bangkok is intense. Huge, crowded with people and packed with stores selling everything imaginable. The vendors are arranged by what they are selling, so one narrow alley will have 50 stalls selling wholesale shoes, the next will have all electronics, and another will have stall after stall filled to the top with bolts of every texture and color of fabric imaginable.

My favorite section is clearly the one with all the food!

This man was hacking away at giant fish with an ancient cleaver:

This stand was making fried pastries with meat and cabbage inside:

The filling was wrapped up in two circles of dough which were pinched together, then fried
The end result was like a savory doughnut filled with vegetables. Super greasy, but it was pretty good!

There were tons of stacks of Chinese longevity buns, which are shaped and colored to resemble peaches - the fruit associated with longevity. These are common for celebrating birthdays of the elderly.

There are cats and dogs all over the city, and even though I'm not a cat person, these cats were too cute not to take a picture of:

We got our lunch from this cart, which makes duck noodle soup. You can tell the carts that make this by the cooked whole duck hanging in the glass case.

Some vegetables and noodles are put in a little basket then submerged in a big pot of boiling broth. After about a minute, they are poured into a bowl with a few ladles of broth. This is topped with some duck meat, and possibly a cube of liver.
This big bowl of soup is 40 baht...or about $1.15
Continuing with the trend of all things being put in plastic bags: I got an iced coffee today, and the lady put a straw in the cup, then put the cup in a plastic bag.

Also, later, I bought some watermelon, which was put into a little cellophane sack. Then that was put into a slightly bigger plastic bag with handles. I just don't understand the plastic bag thing, but I am going to be more aggressive about taking what I buy without the bag, because I already feel horrible about my plastic consumption.

Change of plans...

2009-01-16T11:30:00.001+07:00

The other day we spent some time wandering around the fanciest mall in the city and came across this awesome Treasure-Island themed display, made entirely out of balloons. Kids were super excited about this!
Outside the mall there were a bunch of displays about recycling, including a giant pyramid made out of Coke cans, and this tree made out of CDs:

This city is so much fun. I can understand why some tourists hate it because the air pollution is horrendous and it's just so crowded, but I thrive on chaos so I feel right at home!

One thing I love about the city is that you are never more than a few steps away from a food cart. They are everywhere, and they offer a huge variety of foods - served to you in a plastic bag.

Grilled chicken? Off the grill, into the bag. And the chili sauce comes in it's own little bag too!

Fresh pineapple? Cut into chunks, put into a bag, with a skewer to eat the pieces.

Soup to go? Into a plastic bag! I need to get a picture of this one - but it's quite a common occurrence.

This is my favorite soup ever. I could eat it every day, and that is actually my plan. I haven't had it out of a bag yet, but there's time! It's rice noodles in a rich, meaty broth, with thin pieces of pork and pork balls. I'm not sure what the green vegetable is, but I'm guessing it's something like choy sum.

When they hand the bowl to you, you top it with a handful of Thai basil, a spoon full of sugar, a spoon full of some sort of soaking liquid full of fresh red chilis, red pepper flakes, and a little fish sauce. It's HEAVEN!

And now for our change of plans: We have decided to take a stab at living in Chiang Mai! It's our favorite city in Thailand (that we've seen so far), and Mike talked to the guy in charge of the TEFL course at Chiang Mai University. With my American credential and the fact that I'm female (apparently there's a shortage of female teachers here), he said it should be pretty easy for me to find a job while Mike takes the course. We are really excited about this! We're taking the train up early next week to scope out a place to live.

Day One

2009-01-15T07:23:00.002+07:00

We wasted no time at all settling into our room... As you can see it is pretty small, but it has bright red bunk beds, a desk, and a nice big window. The bathroom is down the hall. I LOVE this hostel, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for safe, cheap accomodation in Bangkok. It's my first hostel experience, and it has been amazing so far. It's really close to the train, and it's on a fun shopping street with tons of restaurants. I'm not even being paid for this: Lub-D. Take a look!

The great thing about the fact that we've been here before is that we don't feel obligated to see the sights, because we've already seen them. We went straight to the mall for our first meal, because the food court there is amazing (and clean!) Don't worry - we'll be eating like locals really soon.

I got a stack of multi-colored rice:
A trio of dishes - Green curry chicken, Tom Yum Gai (Hot and sour coconut chicken soup), and a beef stir fry that had baby corn in it. But FRESH baby corn. I didn't even know it existed. I had only ever had the canned variety. But now I'm completely hooked on fresh baby corn and I need some more! It's crunchy and sweet, and if I ever have to eat the canned stuff again I'll probably cry.
One of my favorite things ever: Fresh Salad rolls!

A little irony for you from the bathroom at the mall. The sign is indicating that you should do your part to reduce global warming by using less toilet paper. Great in concept, but the minute you walk outside and see the hazy brown sky due to the million motorbikes and tuk tuks, you realize there might need to be a little more effort put into reducing global warming than just taking a few fewer squares of toilet paper.

But I guess it's the thought that counts...

Today I'm off to two interviews... keep your fingers crossed for me!

Airplane food

2009-01-14T06:49:00.001+07:00

The beginning of the trip

Back story: A few months ago, my husband and I decided that while life in California was fabulous, we needed some more excitement in our lives. After reading some blogs and books about long-term travel, we decided to sell or pack away most of our belongings, put what we wanted into backpacks, and set out for an international adventure. The timeline for this is still up in the air... we want to have kids sometime before I turn 30 (in 6 years), but in the meantime, we plan to bounce around and see as much of the world as we can. We saved a good chunk of cash, but are also planning on working as we go.

To begin, we bought one-way tickets to Thailand. Now that we are here, we are going to look for jobs (teaching English) and an apartment. I'm not sure how long we'll be here before we set out to explore the rest of SE Asia (and then make our way to New Zealand, hopefully), but it's an adventure I am looking forward to immensely!

I'm still in shock that we actually took the plunge and did it! It's one thing to talk about wanting to do something like this, but it's kind of a shock to wake up in Bangkok and realize how much your life is about to change! I can't wait!

It was easy for us to see that we didn't have much keeping us in the states - no kids, no mortgage, and no long-term careers (I was finishing up my teaching credential, and Mike was working in property development with his dad). We knew that it was pretty much now or never!

I haven't decided what I'm going to do about the blog...I may eventually start a new blog about our travels, but for now I'm going to just keep focusing on food in this one, while providing a little information about our new life over here.

But onto the point of this post: the food!

If you ever have the chance to fly Asiana airlines, do it! The service is amazing and the planes are nice and new.

From Seattle to Seoul, we were served two meals. For the first, we were given a choice between Korean (bibimbap, which I love), and Western (beef stroganoff). I took the bibimbap, and loved the fact that it came with a handy little description (and pictures) of how to eat it, for those who may not know! It consists of various vegetables (bean sprouts, spinach, cucumber slices... and something that seemed to me to be ground beef), served in a bowl. There was also a container of rice, which the pamphlet instructed was to be stirred into the vegetables ("mixing and harmonizing"). The toothpaste-like tube of red pepper paste (like a mild and sweetened version of Siracha) was to be added at the diner's discretion. Also on the tray was some kimchi, brothy fish soup, and steamed squash.

It was better than the usual airplane food, I can say that. And the hot towel before eating was a fantastic touch, too!

Moussaka

2009-01-13T09:58:00.000+07:00

Note: I'm currently in Seoul, waiting for my flight to Bangkok! I will post updates soon, but in the meantime... Moussaka!

For some reason, midway through the day, I decided I wanted to make Moussaka for dinner. I don't know why, but it seemed like a reasonable thing to try and piece together, making a recipe that is my own. (Well, as "my own" as it can be, since there are so many variations already out there).

I looked at dozens of Moussaka recipes, trying to get a feel for the basic components. I discovered that it consists of slices of eggplant layered with meat and tomato sauce, baked with a bechamel sauce on top. That is all fine and good but I wanted to make a vegetarian variety, and I wanted something a little lighter than bechamel sauce (which is full of butter and eggs, two things I frankly don't need any more of right now).

In addition to eggplant, I used some potato and artichoke hearts, and I pureed some lowfat cottage cheese with a little reduced-fat sour cream and a pinch of nutmeg to make a significantly lightened sauce for the top. It won't brown like bechamel would, but it still tastes nice and is a great counterpoint to the tomato sauce.

This is a great recipe for using the mandoline, since the potatoes and eggplant need to be thinly sliced, but it would also be the perfect opportunity to work on your knife skills. Win-win!

My potatoes were still a little firm, so next time I might try boiling them for about 10 minutes before I put them into the dish.

Vegetables

2 8 oz red potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

2 large globe eggplants, thinly sliced (I didn't peel mine, but you can if you want to)

a few generous pinches salt

14 oz can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

Place a layer of eggplant slices on a wire rack set over a baking sheet and sprinkle evenly with salt. Place another layer on top of that, and sprinkle with some more salt. Repeat with remaining eggplant slices, salting each layer. Let sit about 30 minutes. Water will bead up on the slices.

To keep the potatoes from browning, put in a bowl of water with a pinch or two of salt until needed.

Tomato Sauce

2 tbsp olive oil

2 yellow onions, thinly sliced

4 garlic cloves, chopped

1 28 ounce can plus 1 15 oz can diced tomatoes

2 tbsp tomato paste

1/4 cup red wine

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp cloves

1/2 tsp sugar

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium.

Add the onions and cook, stirring often, for about 10 minutes, or until the onions are nicely yellowed and very soft.

Add the garlic and stir for another minute or two.

Stir in the tomatoes and remaining ingredients, adjusting to taste.

Simmer for about 15 minutes over low.

White Sauce

1 1/2 cups lowfat cottage cheese

2 tbsp reduced fat sour cream

1/8 tsp nutmeg

Combine cottage cheese and sour cream in a bowl. Puree with an immersion blender (or you could use a standing blender or food processor) until smooth. Stir in nutmeg.

For assembly

1/4 cup bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Lightly grease the bottom and sides of a 13 x 9 glass baking pan and sprinkle evenly with bread crumbs.

Pat the top layer of eggplant slices dry.

Put a layer of slightly-overlapping eggplant slices over the bread crumbs, then top with a few ladle-fulls of tomato sauce (spread evenly).

Continue patting the eggplant slices dry as you use them.

Lay the potato slices in a single layer over the sauce, then top with some more sauce.

Sprinkle the artichoke hearts over that sauce, then continue alternating eggplant with tomato sauce until you have filled the pan (ending with tomato sauce).

Carefully spread the white sauce evenly over the top of the tomato sauce, cover with foil, and bake for 60 minutes.

Remove the foil and bake for 10-15 minutes more. (A fork should go through all layers easily)

Put the pan on a rack to stand for about 10 minutes before serving.

Cut into squares to serve.

Chewy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

2009-01-10T22:00:00.000+07:00

I may still be suffering from holiday treat overload, but my family hinted that they would enjoy some cookies, and my husband asked specifically for oatmeal chocolate chip. I made a batch of these and using my New Years will power, only ate one! Everything is fine in moderation, right?

The title of the recipe pretty much says it all: these are chocolate chip cookies with a little oatmeal, crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside. I didn't even bother dirtying the stand mixer, because these are so easy to mix together by hand.

1 1/2 sticks butter, softened

2/3 cup sugar

2/3 cup dark brown sugar

2 tsp vanilla

1 egg

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup old-fashioned oats

1 12 oz bag chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 F

Beat the butter with a wooden spoon until smooth and creamy.

Add both sugars and beat until homogeneous.

Stir in vanilla and egg and mix well.

Add flour, baking soda, and salt, and give the bowl a few good stirs.

Add the oats and chocolate chips, and mix until well-distributed.

Bake on silpat-lined baking sheets until just set and browning on the edges, about 10-12 minutes.

Let cool on the baking sheets for about 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks

Coconut Curry Noodle Soup

2009-01-09T21:57:00.000+07:00

This is my kind of comfort food! It combines some traditional Thai flavors with somen noodles and tofu for protein. I cook the tofu in a frying pan to crisp it up a little, and it contrasts really nicely with the soft wheat noodles. Udon noodles, which are a little thicker, would work as well. Although rice sticks would be more authentic, I like the heartiness of the wheat noodles.

I scaled down the spiciness considerably - I only used 1 tsp of red curry paste, and it was pretty mild - but if you like spicy food, use a full tablespoon. I used Thai Kitchen brand, and I'm not sure how that compares with other brands in terms of spiciness.

(adapted from Super Natural Cooking by Heidi Swanson)

9.5 oz somen noodles

1 tbsp peanut oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 tbsp chopped garlic

1 tbsp chopped ginger

3 cups broth (vegetable or chicken - your choice)

1 tbsp turmeric

1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp red curry paste

1 tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tbsp lime juice

20 ounces extra firm tofu, drained and cut into 1 cm cubes

1 can (13.5 oz) light coconut milk

1/3 cup roughly chopped cilantro

3 tbsp chopped roasted peanuts

2 tbsp thinly sliced shallot

Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil and cook somen noodles according to package directions. Set aside.

Heat the peanut oil in a large saucepan or soup pot, until you can clearly smell the peanut aroma (that's how you'll know it's hot!)

Add the onion, garlic, and ginger, and cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes.

Add the broth, turmeric, soy sauce, curry paste, sugar, salt, and lime juice, and whisk to combine.

Turn heat to low and allow broth mixture to simmer.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high. Add tofu and cook, shaking pan and flipping the tofu cubes until they are golden and slightly crisp on the outside.

Put the tofu into a large serving bowl or soup tureen.

Add the noodles and coconut milk to the broth mixture and cook for a few minutes. The noodles may be stuck together, but just give them a nice stir. When the soup is heated through, pour over the tofu and stir well.

Top with cilantro, peanuts, and shallots to serve.

Red Curry Shrimp

2009-01-08T22:00:00.000+07:00

These are incredibly simple appetizers that look fancy, but don't take much effort. I used Thai Kitchen brand curry paste, and it made them really spicy, so if you don't have a high tolerance for hot food, cut back on that a little bit! (My husband and I didn't think they were spicy at all because we've been putting hot sauce on EVERYTHING - in preparation for the food in Thailand -- but my sister said they were way too spicy!)

I found some fresh Thai basil in our local Asian market, but regular basil would be fine too.

The medium shrimp I used is 26-30 count per pound.

(from Gourmet Magazine, December 2008)

24 uncooked medium shrimp (peeled, tails on)

2 tbsp vegetable oil

2 tbsp red curry paste

24 large Thai basil leaves

Preheat the broiler.

Stir together vegetable oil and curry paste in a large bowl, then stir in shrimp and coat well.

Arrange shrimp on a baking pan and put under the boiler for 2-3 minutes, until just cooked.

Thread onto wood skewers with a basil leaf.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Broccoli-Potato Frittata

2009-01-07T22:46:00.000+07:00

Continuing my quest to eat minimally processed foods, I made this frittata with nothing more than eggs, a little olive oil, and some vegetables. Frittata is one of those wonderful foods you can adapt to whatever is in your kitchen, and I'm sure this variety would be divine with some sharp cheddar cheese and diced ham or bacon.

Make sure you have a large nonstick frying pan or skillet that can go from the stove to the oven. It will make this dish a lot simpler to prepare.

3 large red potatoes (about 1 1/2 lbs total)

4 tbsp olive oil, divided

1 large head broccoli, cut into florets

3 oz baby spinach

1 onion, thinly sliced

4 eggs

4 egg whites

1 tsp salt, divided

freshly ground black pepper

Dice the potatoes into 1/2" cubes (leave the skins on for fiber), and toss with 1/2 tsp salt and 2 tbsp olive oil.

Spread on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake at 425 F for about 25 minutes, or until easy to pierce with a fork.

While potatoes are baking, fit a steamer basket over a pot of simmering water and steam the broccoli until very tender, about 12 mintutes. Transfer to a bowl and smash with a fork.

Remove potatoes from oven and set aside. Turn oven down to 375 F.

Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large nonstick skillet (about 12" is the size I used), and add the onion. Cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes, or until onion is soft and beginning to turn golden.

Add the potatoes, broccoli, and spinach and stir well.

Turn off the burner and put a lid on the skillet. This will trap the heat and help the spinach wilt slightly.

Whisk the eggs and whites together with a few grinds of pepper and 1/2 tsp salt.

Remove the lid from the skillet, add the eggs, and stir well.

Bake in the oven (uncovered) for about 25 minutes, or until the eggs are set.

Remove, and cut into wedges for serving.

This is great with Siracha, if you like spicy food!

Quinoa-Stuffed Bell Peppers

2009-01-05T21:42:00.000+07:00

My jeans are telling me that it's time to stop eating so much refined sugar, white flour, and red meat. And when they tell me things like that, I listen.

Our move to Thailand was pushed back a week because my husband got really sick, so for our last week in the US I'm loading up on whole grains, good fats, and vegetables. This recipe fits the bill perfectly. Quinoa is my favorite whole grain because it's versatile and cooks quickly. A little feta is thrown in for good measure and great flavor. And stuffed peppers just look so nice and well-presented!

(Adapted from Delicious Living)

3 medium bell peppers (any color works - but red is my favorite)
1 cup quinoa, well rinsed and drained
2 cups water
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 small zucchini, chopped
a nice handful of spinach leaves, sliced thinly
2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
4 ounces crumbled feta cheese

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

Cut the peppers in half lengthwise and remove the seeds and veins

When water boils, submerge bell peppers and simmer for about 5 minutes. Drain in a large colander, or set upside down on paper towels.

Combine quinoa and water in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.
In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat.

Add onion and garlic; stir for 5 minutes.

Add pine nuts and cumin and stir for 1 minute, then add zucchini, spinach, oregano, and salt. Stir for 3 minutes, then remove from heat and add cooked quinoa and feta cheese.

Preheat oven to 425°.

Set peppers in a large rectangular baking dish coated with cooking spray or lined with parchment paper.
Fill each pepper with quinoa mixture.

Bake for 20 minutes.

Serve warm.

Herb Dip

2009-01-03T22:37:00.000+07:00

This is a great, fresh-tasting dip that I served with carrots, cucumbers, cauliflower, and broccoli. I have discovered that broccoli and cauliflower are a whole lot more enjoyable as crudites when you submerge them in boiling water for about 30 seconds, then dip in cold water and drain.

I would love to try some variations with cilantro, garlic, or dill, but this is a great base recipe to play around with.

2 cups lowfat sour cream

2 tbsp lime juice

1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley

2 tbsp chopped fresh tarragon

5 green onions (green parts only), thinly sliced

pinch sea salt

Combine all ingredients and puree with an immersion blender or in a food processor. Serve with assorted vegetables.

Amazing Stuffed Mushrooms

2009-01-01T23:24:00.000+07:00

The minute I saw these on Annie's blog, I knew I had to make them. I added some toasted bread crumbs to the top and I think they added a nice crunchy contrast to the cream cheese. They were a huge hit at the holiday party, and I definitely recommend them!

(adapted from AllRecipes)

24 whole fresh mushrooms
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 1/2 tsp butter
1/3 cup bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Spray a baking sheet or glass casserole dish with cooking spray.
Clean mushrooms with a damp paper towel.
Carefully break off stems.
Chop stems extremely fine, discarding tough end of stems.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
Add garlic and chopped mushroom stems to the skillet.
Fry until any moisture has disappeared, taking care not to burn garlic.
Set aside to cool.
While cooling, melt the butter in a small saucepan.
Add the bread crumbs and cook, stirring, until the bread crumbs are golden brown.
When garlic and mushroom mixture is no longer hot, stir in cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, black pepper, onion powder and cayenne pepper.
Mixture should be very thick. Using a little spoon, fill each mushroom cap with a generous amount of stuffing.
Arrange the mushroom caps on prepared cookie sheet, and sprinkle with bread crumbs
Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the mushrooms are piping hot and liquid starts to form under caps.

Macadamia Coconut Cake

2008-12-31T23:21:00.000+07:00

Don't mind the legs sticking out of the cake slice...it's just the design on the plate.

This was a wonderful dessert for our Hawaiian-inspired dinner. It includes macadamias and coconut (two very rich things), white cake, and fluffy meringue icing (very light). They balance each other out perfectly!

I was a little nervous about cutting a single cake into 3 layers, but it is firm enough that it wasn't a problem at all. Just use a good serrated knife and take your time.

(adapted from Epicurious)

Cake:
3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large egg whites

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line bottom of a buttered 9-by-2 inch round cake or springform pan with a round of wax paper and butter paper. Dust pan with flour, knocking out excess.

In a bowl with an electric mixer cream butter with 2/3 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Onto a sheet of wax paper sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir flour into butter mixture alternately with milk in batches, beginning and ending with flour. Stir in vanilla and blend batter until just combined well.

In another bowl with clean beaters beat egg whites until they hold soft peaks. Beat in remaining 1/3 cup sugar gradually and beat meringue until it holds stiff peaks. Stir one fourth meringue into batter to lighten and fold in remaining meringue gently but thoroughly.

Spread batter evenly in prepared pan and bake in middle of oven 30 to 35 minutes, or until cake begins to pull away from side of pan and a tester comes out clean. Cool cake in pan on a rack 10 minutes. Invert cake onto rack and cool completely. Cake may be made 1 day ahead and kept at room temperature, tightly wrapped.

Filling:
1/3 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar
3/4 cup macadamia nuts
3 large egg yolks
3/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup chilled heavy cream

In a dry heavy skillet cook 1/3 cup sugar over moderate heat, undisturbed, until it begins to melt. Cook, stirring with a fork, until melted completely and a light caramel. Add macadamia nuts and cook, stirring, until nuts are coated well and caramel is deep golden. Pour praline onto a sheet of foil and cool completely. Break praline into pieces and in a food processor grind fine. (Do not purée to a paste.)

In a small saucepan whisk together remaining 3 tablespoons sugar, egg yolks, milk, and cornstarch. Bring pastry cream to a boil over moderate heat, whisking, and cook over low heat, whisking constantly, 2 minutes. Whisk in vanilla. Transfer pastry cream to a bowl and chill until cold, its surface covered with plastic wrap. (Pastry cream will be very stiff.)

In a bowl beat heavy cream until it just holds stiff peaks. Whisk pastry cream to loosen and whisk in praline. Fold in whipped cream and chill while making frosting.

Frosting:
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
2 large egg whites
1/4 teaspoon salt

Make frosting:
In a metal bowl set over a pan of simmering water whisk together frosting ingredients until mixture is warm and sugar is dissolved. With a portable electric mixer on high beat frosting 6 to 7 minutes, or until thick and fluffy. Remove bowl from heat and beat frosting until cooled slightly.

1 cup sweetened shredded coconut for coating cake
macadamia nuts brushed with honey for garnish

With a long serrated knife cut cake horizontally into 3 layers. Spread filling between layers on a cake plate and spread cake with frosting. Press coconut onto sides of cake.

Garnish with macadamia nuts.

Kalua Pig

2008-12-30T21:03:00.000+07:00

Typically, this Hawaiian dish is cooked in an underground pit - but since that's not the most convenient method available to me, I found this recipe that uses an oven. You can use Hawaiian smoked salt, which my parents brought me from Hawaii when they went in April, or a combination of sea salt and liquid smoke.

I found banana leaves in the freezer section of my local Asian market.

(adapted from Epicurious)

1 large banana leaf
6-lb boneless pork shoulder Boston roast (Boston butt), cut across grain into 6 pieces
2 tablespoons Hawaiian smoke salt (or 2 tbsp sea salt plus 2 tbsp liquid smoke)

Preheat oven to 500°F.

Lay 2 sheets of foil (each about 1 feet long) on a work surface with long sides overlapping by about 4 inches.

Cut 2 (12-inch) lengths from banana leaf and center 1 on foil.

Put pork on banana leaf and sprinkle with salt.

Cover top of pork with other 12-inch length of banana leaf and 2 overlapping sheets of foil (each about 1 1/2 feet long).

Crimp edges of foil tightly to form a packet and put in a large roasting pan. Add 2 inches of water and cover pan tightly with more foil.
Bake pork in middle of oven 3 1/2 hours.

If necessary, replenish water in the pan while cooking.

Remove foil covering, and transfer foil to a flat surface.

Remove the meat from the foil and banana leaf packet, place in a bowl, and shred with forks.

Serve warm.

Holiday Appetizer Party

2008-12-29T23:40:00.000+07:00

My parents started having a holiday open house party for the neighbors when my sister and I were really young. As we grew up, the party evolved from just cookies to appetizers as well. I still come home to my parents house every Christmas, so the holiday party has become a great way for me to try out some appetizer recipes and catch up with all the neighbors. I might even love cooking all day even more than I love the party itself!

I had a blast making these appetizers, and definitely loved using my dad's Nikon D60 to take pictures. If he's not careful, it might just happen to go to Thailand with me!

Here's what we had:

Crudites with Herb Dip

Stuffed Mushrooms

Crostini with Fig Marmalade and Goat Cheese
Bacon-wrapped dates stuffed with almonds
Red curry shrimp with basil leaves

Tofu-Mushroom Spring Rolls with Black Tea Mango Chutney

Deviled Eggs

Assorted Cookies

It was a wonderful party! I'll be posting some of the recipes soon.

Ahi Poke in Lettuce Cups

2008-12-29T01:39:00.001+07:00

I fell in love with poke in Hawaii. It came with some plate lunches, and I could not get enough! There are many variations - I love the really spicy stuff with little flecks of nori in it. However, I made this for a family dinner that included people who have almost no tolerance for spicy food, so I took it in another direction. The bright flavor of green onions and ginger mingle with the buttery-smooth ahi and the crunch of the iceberg lettuce is a perfect contrast.

1 head iceberg lettuce

3/4 lb sashimi-grade ahi

1 tbsp sesame oil

3 tbsp soy sauce

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 green onions, minced

2-4 tsp minced fresh ginger (depending on how much you like ginger!)

pinch sea salt

Pull apart the leaves of lettuce and find the crisp parts that will work well as lettuce cups.

Cut the ahi into 1/2"-3/4" cubes. Toss with sesame oil, soy sauce, garlic, green onions, and ginger.

Cover and refrigerate one hour.

Arrange the lettuce on serving trays and scoop a few cubes of fish into each.

Hawaii-Inspired Dinner Menu

2008-12-28T14:48:00.000+07:00

We had so much fun in Hawaii last week that I wanted to re-create some of the foods of the islands even though weather is cold and snowy here in Portland. I knew I had to make Kalua Pork, because it was my favorite foods from the trip. I also wanted to give making poke a try, and fortunately we have an amazing fish counter at a local Asian grocery store, so I was able to pick up some beautiful sashimi-grade ahi. For dessert, I found a recipe for a light white cake filled with macadamia pastry cream and coated with coconut. A perfect finish for this dinner!

Recipes will be posted soon!

My sister and husband put together some great drinks using POG (Pineapple-Orange-Guava juice), pineapple-orange-banana juice, freshly-squeezed lime juice, and rum. They complemented the menu perfectly!

Menu:

Ahi Poke in lettuce cups

Kalua Pork

Saimin

Steamed white rice

Sliced fresh papaya and pineapple

Coconut-Macadamia Cake

Bûche de Noël

2008-12-26T04:18:00.001+07:00

My mom always used to make Buche de Noel for Christmas, and this year she passed the torch to me. I am glad I made a rolled cake this summer - it made this recipe a lot less intimidating. There are quite a few components to put together, but just tackle it one step at a time, and it's not overwhelming. I made the syrup first, then the filling, chilled it, then baked the cake, and while it was cooling, made the buttercream. Last, I put together the mushrooms and dusted the whole thing with cocoa powder. Make sure you start the recipe a few hours in advance, as the components all take time, and the roll must chill for 4 hours before being frosted.

My dad just bought a Nikon D60, and he graciously let me borrow it to take pictures of this dessert. The difference between his and my little old camera is striking!

(adapted from Jacques Torres's A Year In Chocolate by Jacques Torres, seen on Serious Eats)

First, make the syrup:
-makes 1 1/2 cups-
Ingredients
1 1/4 cups water
2/3 cup sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons Kahlua

Procedure
1. In a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the water and sugar, place over medium-high heat, and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. When the sugar has dissolved completely, remove the pan from the heat. Transfer to a heatproof bowl and let cool completely.
2. Stir the liqueur into the cooled syrup. Use immediately, or store, tightly covered, in the refrigerator almost indefinitely.

Next, make the Chocolate Pastry Cream:
-makes about 2 cups-
Ingredients
4 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
1 cup whole milk
1/2 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise
3 1/2 ounces semisweet chocolate

Procedure
1. Sift together 2 tablespoons of the sugar and the cornstarch in a bowl. Whisk in the egg yolks until well blended, thick, and smooth.
2. In a heavy-bottomed nonreactive saucepan, combine the milk with the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Using the edge of a small, sharp knife, scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the milk and then add the bean. Place over medium heat and bring to a boil, whisking occasionally. Remove from the heat.
3. Whisking constantly, whisk about one-third of the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture. Pour the combined mixtures into the hot milk mixture, whisk to combine, and return to medium-low heat. Cook, whisking constantly to keep the mixture from sticking and burning. Just before the mixture comes to a boil, it should thicken enough to coat the back of a spoon. As soon as the mixture boils, lower the heat slightly and continue to whisk for another 2 minutes to cook out the raw taste of the cornstarch and allow the flavors to mellow.
4. Remove from the heat and strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl. Cover with plastic film, pressing it directly on the surface to keep a skin from forming, and let cool to room temperature.
5. Place the chocolate in the top half of a double boiler. Place over (not touching) gently simmering water in the bottom pan and heat, stirring occasionally, until completely melted. Using a rubber spatula, fold the hot chocolate into the cooled pastry cream. Cover with a piece of plastic film until ready to use. If not using immediately, refrigerate for up to 24 hours.

Third, make the Cake:
Ingredients
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons whole milk
2 large egg whites, at room temperature
1/3 cup cake flour
1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar

Procedure
1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a 15 1/2–by—10 1/2—by 1—inch baking sheet (jelly-roll or quarter sheet pan) with parchment paper and grease it.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whip, combine the whole eggs, egg yolks, 1/3 cup of the sugar, and the milk and beat on medium-high speed for about 6 minutes, or until the mixture is very light and has tripled in volume.
3. Place the egg whites in a bowl and, using a handheld mixer, whip on medium speed until foamy. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar a tablespoon at a time and continue to beat. When the sugar has been incorporated, raise the speed to medium-high and whip for about 5 minutes, or until stiff, but not dry, peaks form.
4. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold about half of the whole egg mixture into the egg whites. When almost incorporated, fold in the remaining half, taking care not do deflate the batter.
5. Place the flour in a fine-mesh sieve and, tapping on the side of the sieve, sift the flour over the meringue batter. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the flour into the batter, making sure the spatula reaches to the bottom of the bowl to ensure an even mixture.
6. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, and use an offset spatula to spread it evenly. Don’t press down too hard, or the pressure will cause the batter to deflate.
7. Place the confections’ sugar in a fine-mesh sieve and, tapping on the side of the sieve, sift the sugar evenly over the surface of the batter.
8. Bake for about 5 minutes, or until the cake just begins to brown on the edges. Remove from the oven and immediately run a paring knife around the inside edge of the pan to loosen the cake sides. Place a sheet of parchment paper over the top of the cake, and then invert a cookie sheet over the parchment. Immediately invert the cake and the cookie sheet together, then lift off the baking sheet. Peel the parchment paper off the cake. Let cool completely.

While the cake cools, make the Coffee Buttercream:
-makes about 3 cups-
Ingredients
3 large egg yolks, at room temperature
1 large whole egg, at room temperature
Scant 1 cup sugar
1/3 cup water

1 tbsp instant espresso
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks), at room temperature, cubed

Procedure
1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whip, combine the egg yolks and whole egg and beat on medium-high speed for about 7 minutes, or until tripled in volume and very thick, light, and airy.
2. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the sugar and water. Clip a thermometer to the side of the pan, place the pan over medium-high heat, and bring to a boil. Boil for about 12 minutes, or until the mixture registers 250 degrees F. When the sugar syrup is ready, remove it from the heat. With the mixer on low speed, carefully pour the hot syrup between the ship and the side of the bowl, taking care not to hit the whip as you pour, or the hot syrup will spatter and burn you. Add the instant espresso. Beat on medium-high speed for about 3 minutes, or until the outside of the bowl is warm but not hot and the mixture is slightly cool.
3. Add the butter and continue to whip on medium speed for a couple of minutes, or until the butter is incorporated. Raise the speed to medium-high and beat for about 10 minutes, or until thick, smooth, and shiny, and well emulsified. Be careful not to overbeat, or the buttercream will be grainy.
4. Use immediately, or cover tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

To make the mushrooms, you will need about 3 ounces of almond paste or marzipan, and a few teaspoons of cocoa powder. Roll a few pieces of marzipan into a ball, then press a small indentation into one side (this will be the mushroom cap). Roll a few other pieces into cylinders for the stems. Press the stem into the indentation, then dust with cocoa powder. Repeat for as many mushrooms as desired.

To put it all together:
1. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Place the cake on a clean, flat work surface with a long side facing you.
2. Drizzle the Kahlua syrup evenly over the cake, using just enough to moisten but not soak the cake.
3. Spoon the pastry cream on top of the cake and, using an offset spatula, carefully spread the cream evenly over the cake, taking care to spread it evenly up to the edges.
4. Starting at the long end farthest from you, slip your fingers between the parchment and the cake and begin rolling the cake toward you, up and over the pastry cream, until you have a firm log shape, or roulade.
5. Carefully transfer the roulade, seam side down, to the prepared cookie sheet. Cover with plastic film and refrigerate for at least 4 hours to allow the roulade to set.
6. Transfer the roulade to a serving platter. Using a serrated knife, cut a 1 1/2—inch—thick slice from one ends of the roll. This will be used to form a “gnarl” on the finished log. If your log is too long to fit on your platter, cut a 5" pice on a diagonal, and use it to form a branch off the longer piece.
7. Using an offset spatula, generously coat the entire log with all but about 1 cup of the buttercream, spreading from left to right in long streaks. Place the reserved slice on top of the log, a little off center. Pull a fork or cake comb through the buttercream on the cake so that it resembles tree bark. Place in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes to allow the buttercream to set.
8. Remove the cake from the refrigerator. Dust the cake with a little cocoa powder. Arrange the mushrooms around the cake.

Matteson Squares

2008-12-25T08:23:00.001+07:00

Here it is: the holy grail of Christmas cookies. Fudgy brownies topped with a layer of mint buttercream and a hard chocolate shell on top.

For as long as I can remember, these have been everyone's favorite. When my mom's family gets together, these cookies are in high demand and we almost always devour them within minutes of the tray being set out.

I'm sure our family isn't the only one to make these, but the recipe I use is written in my grandmother's handwriting on an index card titled "Matteson Squares" (her maiden name). I always make some with red food coloring and some with green (although in our family, green is more traditional). Don't be deterred by the unsweetened chocolate in the topping. It is a perfect counterpoint to the sweet, creamy mint frosting.

Merry Christmas!

makes 1 13x9 pan

Brownie layer:

4 oz unsweetened chocolate

2 sticks butter (1 cup)

4 eggs

2 cups sugar

1 cup flour

pinch salt

Melt together the chocolate and butter. Set aside to cool.

Beat the eggs and sugar together. Add the flour and salt, stir, and then add the chocolate.

Pour into a greased 13 x 9 pan (I line the bottom with parchment too), and bake for about 20 minutes at 350 F.

Remove pan from oven and cool on a wire rack.

Mint layer:

3 cups powdered sugar

6 tbsp soft butter

4 tbsp milk

1 tsp mint extract

a few drops of food coloring

Beat in the bowl of a stand mixer until creamy. Spread on cooled brownies and chill.

Chocolate layer:

4 oz unsweetened chocolate

2 tbsp butter

Melt together chocolate and butter. Pour over mint layer and spread to distribute evenly. Chill until firm.

Before cutting into squares, bring the pan to room temperature so chocolate doesn't shatter.

Recipe Exchange: French Chocolates

2008-12-24T08:43:00.000+07:00

I have no idea what makes these French...but they are a ridiculously simple holiday treat! This recipe has TWO ingredients (plus whatever you want to use to roll them in or decorate them with). If you need to whip up some holiday treats at the last minute, look no further!

1 bag (12 oz) semisweet chocolate chips

1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk

powdered sugar/cocoa powder/sprinkles

Melt chocolate chips in the microwave (heat for 30 seconds, stir, repeat until smooth). Stir in sweetened condensed milk and mix well. Chill for at least 4 hours, or until firm. Roll into bite-sized balls, then roll in powdered sugar or sprinkles. Store in the refrigerator

Hawaii: Seared Ahi With Pineapple Salsa

2008-12-16T02:24:00.000+07:00

We are in Hawaii! That means beautiful sunsets, lounging monk seals, and great ingredients to cook with!
We spent our first day getting settled into our condo on Poipu beach in Kauai, and headed to the grocery store, where we found some beautiful ahi steaks and fresh pineapple.
about 2 pounds of ahi steaks (count on 1/4 - 1/3 pound per person)

1/2 fresh pineapple

1/2 cucumber, seeded

1/2 red onion, diced, soaked for 20 minutes in cold water, and drained

juice of one lime

a few pinches of salt

To prepare the salsa:

Cut the pineapple into 1/4" dice.

Cut the cucumber into 1/4" dice.

Stir the pineapple, cucumber, and red onion together and stir in the lime juice and salt. Adjust seasoning to taste. Let sit at room temperature so flavors can combine while you prepare the fish.

To prepare the fish:

Heat grill on high for about 10 minutes.

Cook the steaks about 3 minutes on each side (it will be very red inside - cook a little longer if you want it more fully cooked)

Serve topped with salsa.

Chili-Garlic Pork Tenderloin

2008-12-11T10:52:00.000+07:00

Back story: We are moving out of our apartment on Friday. We will be driving to Oregon, spending the holidays with my family, and moving to Thailand on January 6. We've been gradually packing, but I had two pork tenderloins in the freezer I couldn't bear to toss (or give away before we moved). So, with the kitchen completely empty except for a skillet and some bare cooking essentials, I created this - our last dinner in our beloved San Luis Obispo apartment.

2 pork tenderloins (1 1/2 - 2 lbs)

2 tsp chili powder

3 cloves garlic, finely minced

salt

pepper

2 tbsp olive oil

Sprinkle pork with a little salt and pepper.

Mix together the chili and garlic. Rub all over the pork, then rub in the olive oil. Cover and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 450.

Heat a skillet over high, then add the tenderloins and brown on all sides (about 4 minutes each side)

Transfer the pan to the oven and cook for 20-30 minutes, or until the internal temperature is 155 or 160 F (depending on how paranoid you are!).

Slice and enjoy!

If you are like us, and all your utensils are packed, it's perfectly acceptable to use your fingers.

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

2008-12-05T21:00:00.000+07:00

I had a lot of things to do to get ready for Thanksgiving...pie and tart crusts to make, bread to make and cut for stuffing, an apartment to clean and mounds of dishes to wash. But what did I decide to do before all that? Make pesto and pumpkin bread. But not just any pumpkin bread. Pumpkin bread with CHOCOLATE CHIPS. Because really, chocolate chips make almost everything better. Especially pumpkin bread!

(adapted from Joy of Cooking)

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice (which I normally wouldn't use, but I was feeling lazy - see below for actual spicing)

1/3 cup milk

1/2 tsp vanilla

6 tbsp butter, softened

1 cup white sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease a 9 x 5 loaf pan.

Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter with the sugars until fluffy.

Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then mix in the pumpkin.

Stir together the milk and vanilla in a small bowl.

Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in three parts, alternating with milk.

Fold in the chocolate chips, then pour into the loaf pan and bake for about 5o minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

French Apple Tart

2008-12-03T21:09:00.000+07:00

This is one of my favorite desserts to make because it looks so fancy, and yet it takes no artistic skill whatsoever. My cakes always come out a little lopsided, but this tart looks beautiful no matter what! It just takes some patience to cut and arrange a whole bunch of little thin apple slices. (And really, those apples didn't taste as burnt as they look). It was a great Thanksgiving dessert - a nice change from the usual apple pie.

(Adapted from Baking with Julia, seen at Once Upon a Cakestand)

Tart shell
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, cut in small pieces
about 1/4 cup ice water

Stir together flour and salt.

Cut butter into small pieces and add to flour mixture.

Using a pastry blender, mix the flour and butter until it is in small crumbs.

Stir in half the water gently, mixing just until a dough forms. Add the remaining water only if needed.

Pat into a disk and refrigerate.

Filling
2 pounds Golden Delicious apples
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon flour
a large pinch of cinnamon
1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs
juice of one lemon

Peel and core the apples. Cut into thin slices.

Put in a large saucepan and drizzle with lemon juice.

Add sugar, flour, cinnamon and breadcrumbs.

Add a tablespoon of water and put on medium heat.

Cook, stirring occasionally, until apples are easy to mash with a potato masher.

Mash apples until nearly smooth.

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Roll the tart dough out to 1/8" thickness and press into a 9" tart pan. Line with parchment and pie weights and bake for about 20 minutes, or until edges are golden brown.

Remover from the oven and turn the heat down to 375 F.

When the tart shell is cool, spoon the apple puree into it and smooth evenly.

Topping
2 Granny Smith apples
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1-2 tablespoons of butter, melted
1 tablespoon of sugar

Peel and core the apples and finely slice them.

Drizzle lemon juice over them to prevent them from browning.

Arrange the apples in a circle over the purée. The slices should overlap each other slightly.

Cut a round piece from one slice to go in the center.

Once all the apple slices are arranged, brush with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake the tart for about 30 minutes. When the edges of the apples have started to brown, take it out of the oven and transfer to a cooling rack.

Island Pork Tenderloin Salad

2008-12-01T20:28:00.000+07:00

My parents and in-laws came over for a simple supper the other night, and this salad was the perfect thing to serve. Not too heavy, the flavors are bright and interesting, and the fruits and vegetables provide great textural contrasts (and not to mention, lots of fiber and vitamins!) The pork with the rub and sauce is delicious - I think any leftovers would make a great sandwich.

(adapted from Epicurious)

For pork
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 pork tenderloins (2 1/4 to 2 1/2 pounds total)
2 tablespoons olive oil

For glaze
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
2 teaspoons Tabasco

For vinaigrette
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon curry powder, toasted
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup olive oil

For salad
3 navel oranges
5 ounces baby spinach, trimmed (6 cups leaves)
2 cups thinly sliced cabbage
1 red bell pepper, cut lengthwise into thin strips
1 firm-ripe California avocado

Prepare pork:
Stir together salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, and cinnamon, then coat pork with spice rub. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350 F
Heat oil in an ovenproof 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until just beginning to smoke, then brown pork, turning, about 4 minutes total. Leave pork in skillet.

Make glaze and roast pork:
Stir together brown sugar, garlic, and Tabasco and pat onto top of each tenderloin. Roast in middle of oven until thermometer inserted diagonally in center of each tenderloin registers 150°F, about 20 minutes. Let pork stand in skillet at room temperature 10 minutes. (Temperature will rise to about 160°F while standing.)

Make vinaigrette while pork roasts:
Whisk together juices, mustard, curry powder, salt, and pepper, then add oil in a stream, whisking until emulsified.

Prepare salad ingredients while pork stands:
Cut peel, including white pith, from oranges with a sharp knife, then cut oranges crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Cut the slices into quarters.

Toss spinach, cabbage, bell pepper, and oranges in a large bowl with about 1/4 cup vinaigrette. Halve, pit, and peel avocados, then cut diagonally into 1/4-inch-thick slices.

Assemble salad:
Cut pork into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Line a large platter with dressed salad and arrange sliced pork and avocado in rows on top. Drizzle some vinaigrette over avocados. Pour any juices from skillet over pork.

Pesto Swirl Bread

2008-11-30T23:00:00.000+07:00

I love baking bread on the weekends, when I'm not doing too much and have plenty of time to wait for it to rise. I stumbled upon the fantastic Joy of Cooking recipe for basic white bread and made a few loaves to cut up for stuffing on Thanksgiving. I liked it so much I wanted to make some to eat with dinner tonight, but with a twist. I put some of the pesto from a few days ago on a flattened-out piece of dough and rolled it up. It was a nice dressed-up version of regular white bread and a perfect accompaniment to a simple dinner of pasta and salad. I will definitely be making this again!

(adapted from Joy of Cooking)

2 tbsp warm water (about 11o F)

1 tsp active dry yeast

1/2 cup milk

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp sugar

1 1/2 tsp salt

2-3 cup bread flour

about 1/4 cup pesto

Dissolve the yeast in the water and set aside.

Heat the milk, butter, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan, until it's about 105 degrees.

Pour the yeast and the milk mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer and stir together.

Using a wooden spoon, stir in about 2 cups of flour and mix until a dough forms. Switch to the dough hook and turn the mixer on to low speed (2). Mix for about 8 minutes, adding flour a tablespoon at a time if dough seems especially sticky.

When the dough is smooth and elastic, form into a ball and place in a bowl covered with plastic wrap.

Let rise until doubled in size, about one hour.

Punch down, then let rise again for about an hour.

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Grease a 5 x 9 loaf pan.

After the dough has risen, flatten it into a rectangle about 9" by 9"

Spread the pesto evenly over the dough, then carefully roll it up.

Pinch together the seam and place the loaf seam-side down in the loaf pan

Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped.

Set on a wire rack to cool.

Pulled pork

2008-11-28T22:00:00.000+07:00

After my last triathlon, we went to a great barbecue place in town. I had pulled pork with coleslaw for the first time, and it was pretty much a transcendental experience for me. I immediately added pulled pork to my list of things to make, but didn't get around to it for a few months. For some reason, the idea of committing to buying a 4 pound piece of pork just kind of stressed me out. But then I decided to make char siu..., and that required 2 pounds of meat. I took the plunge, bought a 4 pound pork butt, and froze half for this very recipe. Weeks went by until I decided to retrieve the frozen chunk of meat to make pulled pork.

WHY did I wait so long ?!??! I don't know...but now I want to make it again, and soon. Sweet, smoky, tangy - this is what barbecue should be. The best part? It just sits in the slow cooker all day, so when you get home from work, the smell will make you will drool instantly upon opening the door.

Marinade:

2 lbs boneless pork butt

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

1 tbsp worchestershire sauce

1 tbsp hot sauce (I like Red Rooster)

Sauce:

3/4 cup ketchup

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp smoke-flavored salt (my parents brought me some from Hawaii and it is awesome...if you don't have this, kosher salt is fine too, and if you want to, you can add a couple drops of liquid smoke)

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Cut the piece of pork into 2 or 3 equal-sized pieces.

Whisk together the ingredients for the marinade, and rub into the pork.

Let sit in the marinade overnight.

In the morning, mix together the ingredients for the sauce, adjusting amounts of sugar and vinegar depending on your preference for sweet or tangy sauce.

Put the pork and marinade in the slow cooker and pour the sauce over it.

Cook on low for about 8 hours, then shred with two forks and cook another hour.

Serve with coleslaw.

Pesto

2008-11-27T11:03:00.000+07:00

I had the wonderful opportunity to cook during daylight hours today, something that doesn't happen nearly enough in my life. As a result, I went a little photo-happy while I made some pesto. Why did I make pesto the day before Thanksgiving when I had plenty of other things to do in the kitchen? Good question. I guess because I had some sad-looking basil in the fridge that I didn't want to let go to waste.
And because pesto is great.

2 cups roughly chopped fresh basil
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
a few pinches of salt

Chop up your basil like this:

It doesn't have to be finely or evenly chopped at all.
Put it in a bowl. Add the chopped garlic. I like 4 cloves, because I like garlic. You can adjust the amount to your preference.

Add some pine nuts. If you don't have pine nuts, you can always use walnuts.

Pour the olive oil over the whole thing. I ran out of my cheap everyday olive oil so I had to add a little of the good stuff. And man is this stuff good...

Today, for the very first time, I realized I didn't have to dirty all 209340 pieces of my food processor. Instead, I could use an immersion blender, and I'd only have to wash TWO things! (The bowl, and the blender). Since I am without a dishwasher, this was an excellent discovery.

Look what a great job the immersion blender does!

Next, add about 1/2 cup shredded parmesan. You could use Romano instead...up to you.
Stir that in, then taste a little. It will need some salt. Add a few pinches and stir well. Taste again. Keep adding salt, pinch by pinch, and stirring, until it tastes like pesto. Trust your taste buds! You'll know when you've added enough.

And there you have it: Home-made pesto!

Braised Chicken with Mushrooms and Bacon

2008-11-25T21:49:00.000+07:00

As I try to become a better cook, I look for recipes with techniques I haven't tried. This one called for braising, which I had never done, and included bacon, mushrooms, red wine, and pearl onions. I love all of those things! The dish has amazing flavor, and is a perfect hearty dinner for chilly fall nights. You'll dirty a few dishes, but it's definitely worth it!

Since you can make this in a braising pan as well, I'm submitting it to the November Tasty Tools at Joelen's Culinary Adventures.

(adapted from A New Way to Cook by Sally Schneider)

Mushrooms:

8 ounces button mushrooms, quartered

1 small shallot, finely chopped

1 small garlic clove, crushed and chopped

1 sprig fresh thyme

2 tbsp dry white wine

1 tsp olive oil

1/8 tsp salt

black pepper

Chicken:

20 pearl onions, peeled

2 thick slices bacon, diced

3 tbsp flour

1 3-lb chicken, skinned and cut into 8 pieces

1 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

1/2 cup port

1 1/2 cups dry red wine

To make the mushrooms:

Heat the oil in a skillet until hot. Add the mushrooms, shallot, garlic, and thyme, and saute for about 3 minutes. Turn the heat down to medium-low, add the wine, salt, and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 or 15 minutes.

To make the chicken:

Cook the bacon in a small skillet over low heat, for about 8 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Reserve the bacon grease.

Sprinkle the chicken pieces with salt and pepper

Spread the flour on a plate and dip each piece of chicken in it, shaking off any excess.

Heat the bacon grease over medium-high in a dutch oven or other large, heavy pan. Saute the chicken in batches until golden, about 3 minutes on each side. Transfer to a platter.

Add the port and wine and cook for about 10 minutes, until reduced slightly.

Turn the heat to medium-low.

Stir in the bacon and pearl onions and add a few pinches of salt.

Add the chicken pieces and cook, partially covered, for 20-30 minutes.

Remove the chicken pieces to a serving dish and keep warm. Simmer the sauce until thickened slightly, about 10 minutes. Add the mushrooms during the last 3 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary.

Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve.

Banana Cake with Milk Chocolate Frosting

2008-11-24T23:09:00.001+07:00

I have been baking like crazy lately, and the more I bake, the more I want to bake. It's a good thing I don't have to teach all week - more time to experiment in the kitchen! This weekend, I remembered a cake I loved from childhood - banana cake with chocolate chips and chocolate frosting - and wanted to recreate it. I baked it in a 13 x 9 pan so it was very low-maintenance: No need to assemble layers or turn it out of the pan to cool. Easy to cut into squares of any size, this cake is simple and delicious. Without frosting it would probably be great for breakfast.

Cake:

(adapted from How to be a Domestic Goddess by Nigella Lawson)

1/2 cup butter, melted

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

3 ripe bananas

4 tbsp yogurt or sour cream

2 large eggs

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

2 cups flour

1 cup milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Grease a 13 x 9 baking dish.

Combine the butter, sugar and vanilla in a stand mixer and mix well.

Mash bananas and add to butter mixture.

Stir in yogurt and eggs, mixing well.

Whisk together the dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then add to the batter, stirring until blended.

Fold in chocolate chips.

Bake for about 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Set pan on a wire rack to cool.

Frosting:

1 cup milk chocolate chips

1/4 cup butter

1 cup powdered sugar

2 tsp (or more!) milk

Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave or the top of a double boiler and cool slightly.

Place butter and chocolate in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat for 2 minutes on medium-high speed.

Add powdered sugar and continue mixing.

Add the milk about 1/2 tsp at a time until the frosting is a spreadable consistency.

Pecan Pie

2008-11-22T23:33:00.000+07:00

This has been the month of revisiting foods that were difficult to make in the past. Although I've never used this recipe before, the last time I made pecan pie, the top burned and the inside was a liquid mess. However, since my husband had never had a real pecan pie, I decided to make another attempt. Although I may have let this bake a tiny bit too long (the crust got fairly brown and so did the nuts - but nothing turned black), it was still delicious and the inside wasn't runny at all. Another keeper from Pioneer Woman!

I like to use Dorie's crust recipe, which you can find in this post.

(from The Pioneer Woman)

1 unbaked pie crust
1 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup corn syrup
1/3 cup melted butter (regular, salted)
3 eggs, beaten
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 heaping cup chopped pecans

Mix sugar, brown sugar, salt, corn syrup, butter, eggs, and vanilla together in a bowl. Pour chopped pecans in the bottom of the pie shell. Pour syrup mixture over the top. Bake pie at 350 degrees for 50 minutes, being careful not to burn pecans and crust.
Allow to cool for several hours or overnight. Serve in thin slivers.

Spiced Pumpkin Cheesecake

2008-11-22T22:29:00.001+07:00

I have had an irrational fear of making cheesecake for some time. I made one in high school that ended up cracking in the middle, which of course bothered me far more than it bothered my friends, who inhaled it.

For a big Thanksgiving dinner with friends, I contemplated attempting another cheesecake. I knew I wanted to make something with pumpkin, and this seemed like a great opportunity to conquer my fear. I dutifully wrapped my springform pan in foil, carefully mixed the ingredients for the exact times given in the recipe, and anxiously waited as the cheesecake baked. When in came time to remove the cake from the oven, and later, the water bath, I realized in horror that my foil had leaked - the pan was dripping with water. Yes, the top was crack-free, but I thought for sure I had ruined my cheesecake.

Before dumping the whole thing in the trash (I over-react sometimes, can you tell?), I decided to check the boards at chowhound to see if anyone else had had this problem. A couple people said theirs filled with water but the cheesecake turned out fine, they just let it dry out on a rack for a few hours. Extremely relieved, I did just that.

Everyone loved it, and nobody knew that it had been dripping with water the night before! So if you are not adept at foil-wrapping your pan, do not fear! This recipe is fantastic, water-soaked or not.

(from America's Test Kitchen, seen at Good Things Catered)
ATK notes: Depending on the oven and the temperature of the ingredients, the cheesecake may bake about 15 minutes faster or slower than the instructions indicate; it is therefore best to check the cake 11/4 hours into baking. Although the cheesecake can be made up to three days in advance, the crust will begin to lose its crispness after only one day. To make slicing the cheesecake easy and neat, use a knife with a narrow blade, such as a carving knife; between cuts, dip the blade into a pitcher of hot water and wipe it clean with paper towels.

Crust:
5 oz graham crackers (9 whole crackers), broken into large pieces
3 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Cheesecake
1 1/3 c. sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp salt
1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin
1 1/2 lb cream cheese, cut into 1-inch chunks and left to soften at room temperature, about 30 minutes
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp juice from 1 lemon
5 large eggs, left at room temperature, about 30 minutes
1 c. heavy cream

Directions:
- For the crust: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees.
-Spray bottom and sides of 9-inch springform pan evenly with nonstick cooking spray.
-Pulse crackers, sugar, and spices in food processor until evenly and finely ground, about fifteen 2-second pulses.
-Transfer crumbs to medium bowl, drizzle melted butter over, and mix with rubber spatula until evenly moistened.
-Turn crumbs into prepared springform pan and, using hand, spread crumbs into even layer.
-Using flat-bottomed ramekin or drinking glass, press crumbs evenly into pan bottom, then use soup spoon to press and smooth crumbs into edges of pan.
-Bake until fragrant and browned about the edges, about 15 minutes.
-Cool on wire rack while making filling.
-For the filling: Bring about 4 quarts water to a simmer.
-Whisk sugar, spices, and salt in small bowl; set aside.
-In standing mixer fitted with flat beater, beat cream cheese at medium speed to break up and soften slightly, about 1 minute.
-Scrape beater and bottom and sides of bowl well with rubber spatula.
-Add about one third of sugar mixture and beat at medium-low speed until combined, about 1 minute; scrape bowl and add remaining sugar in two additions, scraping bowl after each addition.
-Add pumpkin, vanilla, and lemon juice and beat at medium speed until combined, about 45 seconds; scrape bowl.
-Add 3 eggs and beat at medium-low until incorporated, about 1 minute; scrape bowl.
-Add remaining 2 eggs and beat at medium-low until incorporated, about 45 seconds; scrape bowl.
-Add heavy cream and beat at low speed until combined, about 45 seconds.
-Using rubber spatula, scrape bottom and sides of bowl and give final stir by hand.
-Set springform pan with cooled crust on 18-inch-square doubled layer heavy-duty foil and wrap bottom and sides with foil; set wrapped pan in roasting pan.
-Pour filling into springform pan and smooth surface; set roasting pan in oven and pour in simmering water to come about halfway up side of springform pan.
-Bake until center of cake is slightly wobbly when pan is shaken and center of cake registers 145 to 150 degrees on instant-read thermometer, about 11/2 hours (see note).
-Run paring knife around cake to loosen.
-Set roasting pan on wire rack and cool until water is just warm, about 45 minutes.
-Remove springform pan from water bath, discard foil and remove sides of pan, and set on wire rack; continue to cool until barely warm, about 3 hours.
-Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, at least 4 hours or up to 3 days.
-To serve: Slide thin metal spatula between crust and pan bottom to loosen, then slide cake onto serving platter.
-Let cheesecake stand at room temperature about 30 minutes, then cut into wedges and serve.

Black Bean Burgers with Avocado Sauce

2008-11-21T20:55:00.000+07:00

I found this recipe in one of my cookbooks and it is awesome. My only issue was that the burgers never really firmed up in the middle, so I'm not sure if I need to tweak the recipe a little or just keep cooking them longer. The flavor is great though!

The sauce that does with them is basically like a thinner guacamole, with a little green bell pepper thrown in. Serve them with these fries, and you will have yourself quite a tasty dinner!

(adapted from The Healthy Hedonist by Myra Kornfeld)

Burgers:

1/2 cup unsalted pumpkin seeds

2 tbsp olive oil

1 cup diced onion

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce, chopped

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1 15 oz can black beans, drained

2/3 cup water

3/4 cup bread crumbs

Toast the pumpkin seeds in a frying pan until they begin to pop. Grind in a food processor and set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low. Add the onions and 1/2 tsp salt, and saute until soft, about 8 minutes.

Add the garlic, chipotle, cumin, and oregano, and cook, stirring, for one minute.

Add about a third of the beans and 1/3 cup water, and mast the beans with a potato masher or fork. When the liquid is absorbed, continue with another third of the beans and the remaining 1/3 cup water.

Mash the beans well, then add the remaining beans and continue mashing until the mixture is mostly smooth.

Cook, stirring, until the liquid is all absorbed.

Remove from heat and let cool 15 minutes. Stir in the pumpkin seeds and 1/4 cup bread crumbs.

Spread the rest of the crumbs on a plate. Shape the bean mixture into 4" patties, coating on both sides with the crumbs.

Place on a plate, cover with plastic wrap, and chill 30 minutes.

To cook, heat a little olive oil in a skillet over medium heat until hot. Add the patties and cook 2-3 minutes on each side.

Sauce

1 tbsp olive oil

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions

salt

1/4 cup water

2 tbsp fresh lime juice

1 jalapeno pepper, chopped

1 ripe avocado

1 cup fresh chopped cilantro

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium, until hot. Add the bell peppers and saute until soft, 5-7 minutes. Add the green onions and cook an additional minute. Transfer to a blender, add a generous pinch of salt, and add the remaining ingredients. Blend until smooth.

Classic Coleslaw

2008-11-21T04:04:00.000+07:00

Just a basic but delicious coleslaw. I love it on pulled pork sandwiches, alongside a variety of different main dishes, and as an afternoon snack. The sweetened onions and vinegar give it an extra burst of flavor, while the mayo keeps it creamy.

1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup sugar
4 cups shredded cabbage
1/3 cup reduced fat mayonaise
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar (or more, to taste)
salt and pepper

Put the onions in a mesh strainer and rinse well with cold water. Drain completely, then put in a large bowl with the sugar. Let stand 20 minutes.
Add the cabbage, mayonaise, and vinegar, and mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste

Mexican Oven Fries

2008-11-19T09:10:00.000+07:00

I love potatoes in pretty much all forms, and these are no exception. They are very versatile (use whatever spice you like!) and incredibly simple. I made these to go with some black bean burgers and my husband and I basically inhaled the whole batch before the rest of dinner was even ready.

4 red potatoes, scrubbed and dried

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp salt

2 tsp Mexican seasoning (or really any seasoning you'd like)

Preheat oven to 400 F

Cut the potatoes lengthwise into 8 wedges each.

Toss in a large bowl with the oil, salt, and seasoning.

Arrange in a single layer in a shallow baking dish lined with foil.

Cook for 20-30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until golden brown and easily pierced with a fork.

(Note - I used McCormicks Mexcian seasoning, which includes chili powder, cumin, garlic, and onion)

Winter Vegetable Gratin

2008-11-17T21:06:00.000+07:00

This is a perfect side dish for fall or winter. Sweet potato, purple potato, and carrot, all baked together with shallots, green onions, and a topping of bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Next time I think I might throw some parsnips into the mix too!

(adapted from Super Natural Cooking by Heidi Swanson)

3 tbsp olive oil

4 small shallots, quartered

4 small purple potatoes, thinly sliced

1 yam, thinly sliced

3 carrots, cut into 1/2" slices

4 green onions, cut into 1" lengths

salt and pepper

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1/3 cup parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 375.

Heat the oil in a large flame and oven-proof pan. Add the shallots potatoes, yam, and carrots and cook, stirring, for 15 minutes, until they start to brown a bit.

Remove from the heat, season with salt and pepper, and stir in green onions.

Sprinkle with bread crumbs and about half the cheese.

Bake for about 40 minutes, stirring halfway through.

When the vegetables are nicely caramelized, remove from the oven and sprinkle on the rest of the cheese.

German Chocolate Cake

2008-11-16T12:25:00.000+07:00

This has been on my list of things to attempt for quite awhile, and tonight I finally got around to making it. It was not exactly quick and easy, but the time and effort were definitely worth it. It takes awhile to get all the components ready to go. I love the smooth, shiny look of the chocolate glaze, and the filling is sweet with the warm flavors of toasted coconut and pecans.

(from epicurious.com)

For cake layers:
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup whole milk
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon almond extract
3/4 cup boiling-hot water

For filling:
7 ounces sweetened flaked coconut
4 ounces coarsely chopped pecans (1 cup)
14-ounces can sweetened condensed milk
1 tablespoon vanilla

For glaze:
2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
10 ounces fine-quality semisweet chocolate
3 tablespoons light corn syrup

Special equipment: 3 (9-inch) round cake pans

Make cake layers:
Preheat oven to 350°F and oil cake pans.

Line bottoms of pans with rounds of parchment or wax paper.

Sift together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl. Whisk together whole milk, butter, whole egg, yolk, vanilla, and almond extract in another large bowl until just combined.

Beat egg mixture into flour mixture with an electric mixer on low speed, then beat on high speed 1 minute.

Reduce speed to low and beat in water until just combined (batter will be thin).

Divide batter among cake pans (about 1 1/2 cups per pan) and bake in upper and lower thirds of oven, switching position of pans and rotating them 180 degrees halfway through baking, until a tester comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes total.
Cool layers in pans on racks 15 minutes.

Run a thin knife around edges of pans and invert layers onto racks.

Carefully remove parchment or wax paper and cool layers completely.

Make filling:
Reduce oven temperature to 325°F.
Spread coconut in a large shallow baking pan and pecans in another. Bake pecans in upper third of oven and coconut in lower third, stirring occasionally, until golden, 12 to 18 minutes. Remove pans from oven.

Turn oven up to 425 F.
Pour condensed milk into a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate and cover tightly with foil.

Bake milk in a water bath in middle of oven 45 minutes.

Refill baking pan with water to reach halfway up pie plate and bake milk until thick and brown, about 45 minutes more.

Remove pie plate from water bath.
Stir in coconut, pecans, and vanilla and keep warm, covered with foil.

Make glaze while milk is baking:
Melt butter in a 3-quart saucepan. Remove pan from heat and add chocolate and corn syrup, whisking until chocolate is melted. Transfer 1 cup glaze to a bowl, reserving remaining glaze at room temperature in pan. Chill glaze in bowl, stirring occasionally, until thickened and spreadable, about 1 hour.

Assemble cake:
Put 1 cake layer on a cardboard round, and place on a rack set over a baking pan (to catch excess glaze). Drop half of coconut filling by spoonfuls evenly over layer and gently spread with a wet spatula. Top with another cake layer and spread with remaining filling in same manner.

Top with remaining cake layer and spread chilled glaze evenly over top and side of cake. Heat reserved glaze in pan over low heat, stirring, until glossy and pourable, about 1 minute. Pour glaze evenly over top of cake, making sure it coats sides. Shake rack gently to smooth glaze.

Chill cake until firm, about 1 hour. Transfer cake to a plate.

Fish in Green Curry Sauce

2008-11-15T22:10:00.000+07:00

My mother instilled an envioronmental conscience in me when I was very young and it really effects the way I buy groceries. For a few weeks, my grocery store only carried oranges from Australia, which is ridiculous because I know for a fact there are oranges growing all over this state. I didn't buy them because of the ridiculous amount of pollution caused by transporting the fruit all the way here from Australia.

I buy local foods when I can, shop in bulk to minimize packaging waste, and look for sustainable fish and seafood. Which is where this recipe comes in. I needed just some basic white fish. I remembered from this handy guide that Atlantic cod and halibut, as well as red snapper were on the avoid list, but as I browsed through the case, the only white fish I didn't know about was Orange Roughy.

I made this dinner, which I thoroughly enjoyed, then had an eye-opening chat with my neighbor, who has a broader knowledge of seafood sustainability than I do. Not only is this fish dangerously high in mercury, it is from Australia, wildly overfished, and takes 20 years to reach sexual maturity, making it very difficult for the population to rebound.

I consider this a lesson learned, and will not be shopping without my Seafood Watch Guide again! But for the record, I highly recommend you make this with Pacific cod, Pacific halibut, or US farmed Tilapia. And print yourself off a guide at the link above so you can shop sustainably as well!

(adapted from A New Way to Cook by Sally Schneider)

about 1 pound of white-fleshed fish fillets

1 small shallot, minced

1/4 cup dry white wine

2 tsp butter

2 tsp - 2 tbsp Thai green curry paste (depending on your tastes - it can be very spicy!)

1 tbsp fish sauce

2/3 cup light coconut milk

chopped cilantro for garnish

Preheat the oven to 400 F and spray a baking dish with nonstick spray.

Sprinkle the shallot in the bottom of the pan, then lay the fillets on top.

Spray a piece of foil with nonstick spray and lay it, sprayed side down, on top of the fish.

Bake for about 10 minutes, or until a fork inserted into the fillet meets no resistance.

Meanwhile, bring the wine and butter to a simmer and cook until all the alcohol has cooked out.

Stir in the green curry paste and coconut milk and simmer for about 3 minutes. Stir in the fish sauce and cook for one minute more.

When the fish is done, pour the curry sauce over it, then garnish with cilantro.

Pumpkin-White Chocolate Blondies

2008-11-13T21:11:00.001+07:00

Yesterday was, for no good reason, a stressful day. I have those sometimes, where nothing goes wrong and yet I feel anxious all day. The prescription for days like that? Baking and a run. It works every time!

I came home from student teaching, needing to get into the kitchen but unsure of what I wanted to bake. Remembering the can of pumpkin and bag of white chocolate chips in one of my drawers, I did a little Google searching and found this fantastic recipe. I adore the combination of pumpkin and white chocolate, and the added pumpkin pie spice makes this, I think, my favorite pumpkin recipe so far this fall! (Of course, I've probably said that about every pumpkin recipe I've made...)

(adapted from Martha Stewart)

2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1 tablespoon pumpkin-pie spice
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 package (12 ounces) white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with foil, leaving an overhang on all sides.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, pie spice, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar on medium-high speed until smooth; beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Beat in pumpkin puree (mixture may appear curdled). Reduce speed to low, and mix in dry ingredients until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips.
Spread batter evenly in prepared pan. Bake until edges begin to pull away from sides of pan and a toothpick inserted in center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached, 30 to 40 minutes. Cool completely in pan.
Lift cake from pan (using foil as an aid). Peel off foil, and use a serrated knife to cut into squares.

Syrian Lamb Pizza

2008-11-12T11:33:00.001+07:00

One of my favorite ways to figure out what to have for dinner when I'm doing my weekly meal planning is to peruse my cookbook shelf and pull out a couple cookbooks I haven't used in a few months. Tonight, I happened upon this recipe from "The Essential Mediterranean" by Nancy Harmon Jenkins.

This "pizza" is unusual, in that you mix raw ground lamb with vegetables and spices, then spread it all over a thinly rolled piece of dough. You bake it for about 10 minutes, and the lamb cooks while the dough crisps up. It's a little messy to eat - you can use a knife and fork, or fold it and half and eat it like a taco. Either way, it's really satisfying, and has a unique flavor somewhat reminiscent of shawarma.

(adapted from The Essential Mediterranean by Nancy Harmon Jenkins)

makes 5 8" pizzas

Dough:

1/2 tsp active dry yeast

1/2 cup warm water

1 cup unbleached all purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 tsp salt

Dissolve the yeast in warm water.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, stir together the flours and salt. With the dough hook, turn the mixer on medium-low speed and gradually pour in the water-yeast mixture. Mix for about 5 minutes, adding more flour or water as necessary, until you have a smooth, soft dough that does not stick to the sides of the bowl.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise for about one hour.

Topping:

1/2 cup pine nuts

4 tsp olive oil, divided

1 cup chopped fresh tomatoes (seeds removed)

1/4 red bell pepper, finely chopped

1/2 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

1 tbsp pomegranate molasses

2 tsp ground sumac

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp red chile flakes

black pepper

1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped

1 pound lean ground lamb

Combine the pine nuts with 1 tsp olive oil in a medium frying pan. Heat over low, just until the pine nuts are golden brown. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.

Put the remaining oil in the pan and add the onion. Cook over medium-low, stirring occasionally, for about 8 minutes, or until onions are soft but not brown. Remove from heat.

In a large bowl, combine the lamb, onion, pine nuts, and all remaining topping ingredients and mix well. Set aside

Preheat oven to 450 F.

To assemble the pizzas, punch down the dough and knead for a few minutes. Divide into 5 golf-ball sized pieces. Working with one piece at a time, roll out on a lightly floured surface until you have a very thin 8" disk. Place on a Silpat-lined baking sheet, and top with 1/5 of the topping. Be sure to spread it evenly all the way to the edges. Repeat with remaining pizzas.

Bake for about 10 minutes, or until lamb is cooked and dough is beginning to turn golden.

Remove from the oven and let stand 5 to 10 minutes before eating.

Blueberries and Cream Ice Cream

2008-11-11T22:10:00.000+07:00

I wanted to bring back a little bit of summer by making blueberry ice cream. I picked up a bag of frozen blueberries at the store decided to try coming up with a recipe on my own. I'm calling it blueberries and cream because you definitely taste the sweet cream flavor along with the blueberries. I left the whole berries in because I just love chunks of fruit in my ice cream.

2 cups blueberries (frozen is fine)
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup sugar, divided
2 eggs
2 cups half and half

In a medium saucepan, combine the blueberries, sugar, and water, and simmer for about 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, and wash out the pan.
In another bowl, whisk together the eggs and remaining 1/2 cup sugar.
In the clean pan, heat the half and half just to a simmer, then whisk gradually into the egg mixture. Transfer it all back into the pan and cook over medium, stirring constantly, until it coats the back of a spoon.
Stir into the blueberries, then set in an ice bath or refrigerate for a few hours.
When cool, transfer to an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturers instructions.

Corn bread muffins

2008-11-11T11:24:00.001+07:00

My husband loves it when I make very simple dinners. That's great, but sometimes I really WANT to spend 6 hours in the kitchen preparing an elaborate feast. We compromise by having more traditional basics on the week days and more intricately-crafted dinners on weekends (when I'm not too exhausted from marathon training runs).
On election night I knew I would be glued to the TV for most of the night, so I threw a chicken in the oven, tossed together some coleslaw, and whipped up these beautiful cornbread muffins. So simple, and yet extremely satisfying. The recipe comes from Culinary Concoctions by Peabody, a favorite resource for all things baking-related.
My favorite thing about them is the real corn kernels peppered throughout, with their surprising burst of flavor and juiciness in every bite!

(adapted from Culinary Concoctions by Peabody)

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup yellow corn meal
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 TBSP baking powder
1 cup fresh or frozen(thawed) corn
2 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup applesauce

Preaheat oven to 400F.
Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
Combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar and baking powder in a large bowl.
In a small bowl, combine the egg, milk, oil, applesauce and corn. Beat well to blend.
Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture, stirring just enough to blend. Do not beat.
Fill the muffing tins, and bake 20-25 minutes, until golden brown.
Cool pan on a rack for a few minutes, then turn muffins out onto a rack and finish cooling.
Makes 12 muffins.

White Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

2008-11-07T21:02:00.000+07:00

These cookies are perfect for the days that are getting shorter, when Thanksgiving is not too far off. A little break from pumpkin, but still festive. Of course I would also make them throughout the year, but cranberry is reminiscent of the holiday season.

Cranberry and white chocolate contrast each other so perfectly - white chocolate is smooth and sweet, while dried cranberries are chewy and more tart. Put them together in an oatmeal cookie and you have yourself one enjoyable cookie!

(adapted from RecipeZaar)

1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats (not instant)
3/4 cup dried cranberries
6 ounces white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 and line two baking sheets with silpats

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter with the sugars until fluffy.

Add egg and vanilla and mix well.

Stir in oats, flour mixture, white chocolate, and cranberries and mix until combined.

Drop by heaping tablespoonfuls onto cookie sheets and bake for about 10 minutes, until just beginning to get a little color.

Steamed Pork Buns (Bao)

2008-11-05T11:50:00.000+07:00

They may not look like much from the outside, but these soft buns filled with smoky-sweet barbecued pork are one of my favorite foods. I fell in love with them in Singapore 12 years ago and have been a huge fan ever since.

When we go to dim sum, I always eat far too many of these, and I'm so happy I now know how to make them at home!

(adapted from The Chinese Kitchen by Eileen Yin-Fei Lo)

Sauce:

1 tbsp oyster sauce

1 1/2 tsp soy sauce

2 tsp ketchup

2 tsp sugar

pinch white pepper

2 tsp corn starch

1/4 cup chicken stock

Filling:

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1/2 cup diced onion

3/4 cup char siu pork, cut into 1/4" pieces
2 tsp Chinese rice wine

1/2 tsp sesame oil

dough:

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1/2 cup sugar

6 tbsp milk

3 tbsp water

1 tbsp vegetable oil

Combine sauce ingredients and mix well. Set aside.

To make the filling: heat the vegetable oil on high in a large saucepan and spread to coat the pan thinly. Add the onion, lower heat to medium, and cook for about 5 minutes until the onion is light brown. Add the pork and cook for about 3 minutes. Add the rice wine and mix well. Stir the sauce, pour into the pan, and cook for about 2 minutes, or until the sauce thickens. Remove from heat, and stir in sesame oil. Set aside, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate until needed.

To make the dough: Mix the flour, baking powder, and sugar together in a medium bowl. Make a well in the center, and add milk and water. Stir until liquid is absorbed, then add the oil.

Knead for about 15 minutes, adding a little water if too dry or flour if too wet.

Once the dough is smooth and elastic, return to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to rest for one hour.

To assemble: Roll the dough into a cylinder about 12" long and cut into 12 equal pieces. Keeping the unused dough covered with a damp cloth, work with one piece at a time. Flatten slightly, spoon about 1 1/2 tbsp into the middle, and pinch the dough together to enclose the filling. Set onto a small square of wax paper, and repeat with remaining dough.

Bring a medium saucepan filled with water to a boil. Place a bamboo steamer on top and arrange the buns so they have room to expand (leave at least 1 1/2" between them). Steam for 15-20 minutes, then turn off the heat, and serve.

Char Siu Pork

2008-11-04T21:12:00.000+07:00

Char siu pork was like an exciting new taste discovery to me when I was just beginning to cook. I needed some for a recipe, so we went to the Asian grocery store and bought some. I was intrigued by the appearance of the bright red meat, and also by the sweet, smoky flavor. I continued buying Char siu to use in recipes until this weekend. I discovered that my favorite Chinese cookbook had a recipe, and it didn't look too difficult.

I bought the wrong kind of pork (butt instead of loin), sliced it much more thinly than usual, and it was still absolutely wonderful. I don't think I'll ever be able to go back to store bought!

(adapted from The Chinese Kitchen by Eileen Yin-Fei Lo)

About 2 pounds of pork butt or pork loin

4 tsp soy sauce

1/3 cup honey

1/4 tsp salt

4 tsp oyster sauce

1 tbsp Chinese rice wine

4 tsp hoisin sauce

1/8 tsp ground white pepper

Cut the pork into slices about 1/2" to 1" thick.

Prick all over both sides with a fork.

Line a roasting pan with foil. Place the pork in a single layer in the bottom of the pan.

In a small bowl, whisk together all remaining ingredients and pour over the meat. Cover with plastic wrap and let marinate 2 to 4 hours.

Heat the oven to 450 F. Place the roasting pan on a rack in the middle and roast for about 25 minutes. Turn the meat over and baste every 5 to 6 minutes. If the sauce dries out, add some boiling water to the pan. Some of the sauce may burn in the pan, but the meat should be fine. Check for doneness by removing one piece of pork and slicing in the middle to see if it is cooked through.

Remove from the pan to cool.

Strawberry Jam Swiss Roll

2008-11-03T11:53:00.001+07:00

My first rolled cake!

This is so easy and so pretty I'm not sure why I don't make it more often. A simple vanilla chiffon cake spread with strawberry jam, rolled up, and dusted with powdered sugar. It looks nice and elegant, but won't take hours of your time. Next time I'll make an impressive filling, but today this was just right!

(from Baking From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan)

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

4 large eggs, separated

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup water

2 tbsp vanilla extract

2 large egg whites

1/2 cup jam of your choice

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Line a 17 1/2 by 12 1/2 inch jelly roll pan with parchment and spray well with nonstick spray.

Sift together 1 cup of sugar, the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda onto a pice of waxed paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together the yolks, oil, water, and vanilla. Whisk in the dry ingredients gradually and set aside.

Beat the 6 egg whites with the whisk attachment of a stand mixer on medium until very soft peaks form. Gradually add the sugar, and turn up to high. Beat until the peaks are stiff and shiny.

Fold about a third of the whipped whites into the yolk mixture, then transfer all the batter into the whites and fold thoroughly (but gently).

Pour into the pan and spread evenly. Bake for about 12 minutes, or until it pulls away from the sides and is just turning golden.

Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack.

When cool, dust the cake with powdered sugar, cover with wax paper, and put the back of a sheet pan on top. Flip over, and remove the parchment from the cake. Then invert the jelly roll pan on the cake and flip over again, so the cake is on the inverted jelly roll pan with wax paper on the bottom.

Trim the edges, and turn the cake so that a long side is facing you.

Spread with jam and roll up, using the wax paper to help. Lift the cake by the paper and place on a tray. Chill for about 30 minutes.

Dust with powdered sugar before serving.

Maple Bacon Ice Cream

2008-11-02T08:04:00.000+07:00

When I first saw candied bacon ice cream, I knew I had to try it. However, reading over the recipe, it seemed like it was missing something. Like maple flavor! I always love it when I have pancakes and bacon on the same plat, and the bacon gets coated with maple syrup.
So, I candied some bacon the way David Lebovitz instructs, then I mixed up some maple ice cream. Mix them together and what do you get? A surprisingly tasty ice cream!
As a side note - I didn't cut the bacon up into small enough pieces, so some of them were a little chewy in the ice cream. I also think I could have left the bacon in the oven just a little longer to make it more crisp, but I was paranoid about the sugar burning.

For the bacon, go here
For the ice cream:
2 eggs
3 tbsp sugar
2 cups half and half
3/4 cup pure maple syrup
pinch salt

Bring the half and half and maple syrup to a simmer in a medium saucepan.
Whisk the eggs and sugar together in a medium bowl.
Whisking constantly, pour about half the heated half and half mixture into the eggs, then transfer everything back into the saucepan. Add a pinch of salt.
Continue whisking as you cook the mixture over medium-low. Remove from heat when it has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Chill in the refrigerator, or set in an ice bath and cool, stirring occasionally. Once cool, transfer to an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturers instructions.
Just before you are ready to stop the ice cream maker, mix in the bacon.
Transfer the ice cream to a container and put in the freezer to chill completely.

NOTE: After a night in the freezer, the bacon flavor kind of overwhelmed the maple...so I will try only 2 or 3 pieces of bacon, chopped fine, in my next batch.

Chapatis

2008-11-01T21:10:00.000+07:00

I make Indian food probably once a week, and I'll usually whip up a batch of these chapatis to go along with it. Another recipe from the brilliant Neela Paniz, they are easy to make and work really well for scooping up dal and other Indian dishes. You'll need to find atta flour (also marked Chapati Flour)... which may require either a search online or a trip to your nearest Indian grocery store. I always choose the latter, and when we are in the Bay Area, I cannot leave without stopping by an Indian grocery store to pick up dal or flour or whole spices like fenugreek seeds or cardamom pods.

But about the chapati... it's excellent!

(from Bombay Cafe)

2 cups atta flour

3/4 to 1 cup warm water

ghee (optional)

Mix the atta flour and 3/4 cups warm water until you have a uniform dough that is not sticky.

Knead for about 15 minutes, adding water as necessary, until the dough is soft and elastic.

Cover with a damp kitchen towel for 30 minutes.

To shape the breads, sprinkle your work surface with flour.

Break off a one inch chunk of dough and flatten in the palm of your hand.

On the floured surface, roll the dough out to a flat circle about 5-6" in diameter.

Heat a skillet over medium.

Place the chapati in the pan and turn it when you see small bubbles on the surface, about 1 minute.

Cook the other side for about 30 seconds.

With tongs, remove the chapati from the pan and place over an open gas flame for about 15 seconds, or until it puffs up. Then do the same on the other side.

Remove from the flame, brush with some ghee if you like, and set aside while you repeat the process with the remaining dough.

Chipotle Rice and Beans

2008-10-31T12:07:00.001+07:00

This is a perfect simple and hearty meal. The combination of rice and beans offers a complete protein, and who doesn't love chipotle peppers?

(adapted from Veganomicon)

2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained

2 yellow onions, peeled

1 tbsp olive oil

2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, plus about 2 tbsp of sauce

salt

2 cups cooked rice (any variety)

Put the beans in a large saucepan with 3 cups of water and one of the onions, halved.

Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, chop the other onion, and heat the oil over medium in a large skillet.

Saute the onion until very soft, about 10 minutes.

Chop the chopotle peppers, and add them to the onions with the sauce.

Cook for an additional minute or two, then turn off the heat.

Just before the beans are done, taste and season with about 1/2 - 1 tsp salt.

Stir in the onion mixture, and heat through.

Serve ladled over rice.

Mushroom-Miso Soba Bowls

2008-10-30T19:30:00.000+07:00

For me, comfort food takes many forms. I will happily dig into a huge bowl of macaroni and cheese, or I could just as easily be delighted with a bowl of miso soup. This dinner is a nice compromise, with the hearty soba noodles, earthy flavor of miso and shiitake mushrooms, and freshness of green onions and bok choy. It's simple, vegetarian, and perfect for a crisp Fall evening.

(adapted from The Healthy Headonist by Myra Kornfeld)

a handful of dried shiitake mushrooms (use more if you want a stronger mushroom flavor)

3 cups boiling water

2 tbsp dark miso

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 tbsp minced fresh ginger

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 pound brown button mushrooms, thinly sliced

2 tbsp soy sauce

6 ounces soba noodles

3 bunches baby bok choy, thinly sliced

1/2 cup cooked, shelled edamame

1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions

1 sheet nori, toasted and cut into thin strips

Pour boiling water over mushrooms and let sit for at least half an hour.

Drain mushrooms and reserve all the soaking liquid. Chop the mushrooms.

Mix 1/2 cup mushroom liquid with the miso in a small bowl and set aside.

Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil, and cook the soba noodles. Drain and set aside.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan or wok and add the ginger and garlic.

Stir-fry one minute, then add the bok choy and both fresh and soaked mushrooms. Pour in the soy sauce and cook, stirring, for about 3 minutes.

Add the bok choy, edamame, and mushroom liquid to the skillet. Cook for about 4 minutes.

Add the soba and miso mixture and cook for another 3 minutes.

Put noodles into bowls, ladle some broth over them, and garnish with green onions and nori.

Banana Nut Muffins

2008-10-29T03:07:00.000+07:00

Three bananas sat on the kitchen counter for far too long. Actually I bought an extra large bunch on purpose so I would be "forced" to make banana bread. But as I started to peel them, I realized I didn't want to make banana bread again (I mean there's nothing wrong with it, but sometimes you have to mix things up), I wanted to make muffins. Banana-walnut muffins, to be precise.

Thanks to Joy of Cooking (where would I be without this tome?), I had these muffins in and out of the oven in about 30 minutes. I dusted them with powdered sugar because they were looking a little plain, and they are quite tasty. The addition of whole wheat flour makes them a little heartier than your average muffin. I can't wait to warm one up for breakfast in the morning!

(from Joy of Cooking)

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp nutmeg

2/3 cup chopped walnuts

1 large egg

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 1/3 cup mashed bananas (2 or 3)

1/3 cup vegetable oil (or applesauce, if you prefer)

1 tsp vanilla

powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 375 and line a 12-muffin pan with paper liners.

Whisk together flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg, and set aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, brown sugar, bananas, oil, and vanilla.

Gently stir in the dry ingredients and walnuts, mixing just until combined.

Bake for 14-16 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Cool on a wire rack, and dust with powdered sugar.

Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies

2008-10-28T08:31:00.001+07:00

I did not feel great after work today, so when there was a knock on my door not long after coming home, I didn't really want to deal with it. However, when I saw that it was my baking buddy from down the hall, I had to answer the door.
"Hi! So, my friend is kind of being a jerk right now. Can we bake something?"
I hestitated for a moment; my head was pounding and my unfolded laundry was screaming at me from the couch.
"Of COURSE! I have to warn you though, I'm out of chocolate chips," I told him.
"That's ok! Remember those REALLY good peanut butter cookies you made that one time? I was thinking we could make those." That was like 4 months ago...steel trap memory, that one has. And actually, I'm thinking he might be telepathic, because I had some leftover peanut butter frosting in the fridge I wasn't totally sure what to do with...these cookies would be perfect.
So, we baked. And he is quite the baker. Ever so carefully measuring out all the ingredients, he spilled a little baking soda and apologized profusely.
In addition to having impeccable manners, the kid is quite the story-teller. I heard all about Halloweens past, his spoiled friend with the half-pipe in the backyard, and rockets he made out of soda bottles.

The cookies turned out great, and he even got to master a new skill: piping frosting out of a bag. As the cookies came out of the oven, my headache was gone and I was in much better spirits. Thanks, baking buddy!

(adapted from Mrs. Fields Best Cookie Book Ever)

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 cup quick oats

1 cup light brown sugar

1 stick butter, softened

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla

Whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and oats in a medium bowl.

In a separate bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar until fluffy.

Beat in vanilla and egg, then stir in dry ingredients until just combined.

Roll about 2 tsp of dough into a ball, then flatten and press onto a Silpat-lined baking sheet.

Repeat with remaining dough.

Bake at 350 for 8-12 minutes (closer to 8 for softer cookies, closer to 12 for crisper cookies).

Cool on a wire rack.

Filling

You could use any peanut butter frosting...or this (but you will likely have some left over)

3/4 cup creamy peanut butter

1/4 cup butter, softened

2 tbsp half and half

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Beat all ingredients together in the bowl of an electric mixer until smooth.

When cookies are cool, pipe or spread frosting on one and press another on top to make a sandwich.

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Blondies

2008-10-27T20:07:00.000+07:00

My friend Jessica turned 30 this weekend, and we drove up to Santa Cruz for the day to hang out on the beach and celebrate. I wanted to bring some sort of dessert that would travel well, and unfortunately I don't have any boxes to put cakes in (a serious problem that needs to be remedied!) I was browsing some blogs when I came across these at Smitten Kitchen. I immediately knew they were the perfect option, #1 because who doesn't like chocolate and peanut butter? and #2 I could decorate them and not worry about frosting sliding around or melting off or somehow getting ruined over the course of the 2 1/2 hour drive.

So I made them, unfortunately slightly over-baked them, and people still loved them. That thick layer of chocolate ganache really made up for my inability to set a timer. I used a little peanut butter frosting to decorate.

(Adapted from Gourmet, October 2007, seen at Smitten Kitchen)

Makes 32 small blondies
For blondies
2 sticks (1/2 pound) unsalted butter, softened
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter
2 large eggs plus 1 large yolk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (9 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon salt, see note

For ganache
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (9 ounces)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened

Make blondies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F with rack in middle. Butter a 13- by 9- by 2-inch baking pan.
Beat together butter and sugar with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until mixture is light and fluffy, then add peanut butter and beat until incorporated. Beat in whole eggs, egg yolk, and vanilla. Reduce mixer sped to low, then mix in flour until just combined.
Mix in chocolate chips (1 1/2 cups) then spread batter in baking pan, smoothing top. (It will be thick, almost like cookie batter.)
Bake until blondies are deep golden, puffed on top and a wooden pick inserted in center come out with some crumbs adhering, 40 to 45 minutes.
Cool completely in pan on a rack, about 1 1/2 hours.

Make ganache: Put chocolate chips (1 1/2 cups) in a heatproof bowl.
Bring cream to a boil in a small saucepan, then pour over chocolate chips and let mixture stand for one minute.
Gently whisk in butter until it is incorporated, chocolate is melted, and a smooth mixture forms.
Spread ganache on cooled brownies and let stand until set, about 15 minutes.

Hot Artichoke Dip

2008-10-27T01:19:00.001+07:00

If you consider yourself a health-conscious eater, you may as well stop reading now. While this dip might be a heart attack waiting to happen, it is so addictive and so good that it's totally worth it! As long as you don't eat it every day, that is.

The jalapenos make it just spicy enough, and on a chilly fall afternoon, this is a perfect snack! I got the recipe from my friend Jessica, who got it from a co-worker, and it is definitely staying in my personal collection!

2 15-oz cans artichoke hearts

1 small can diced jalapenos

1 cup mayonaise (yep, this is why it might be best not to eat this on a daily basis)

1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese, divided

Drain and chop the artichoke hearts.

In a bowl, combine them with the jalapenos, mayonaise, and 1/4 cup of parmesan.

Mix well, and spread in an 8" square pan.

Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes, or until bubbly.

Serve with crackers, chips, or small pieces of French bread.

Apple Hand Pies

2008-10-25T12:11:00.001+07:00

We were having dinner with friends and I offered to make dessert...without thinking about what I was going to make. Since we are right in the middle of apple season, apple pie seemed like a natural choice. But I wanted something a little different...something I've never made before. As I usually do when I need inspiration, I turned to Good Things Catered, and came across the hand pie recipe. Switching the strawberries out for apple pie filling, I had a perfect dessert!

(adapted from Good Things Catered)

makes 6 hand pies

Pastry:

1 1/4 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp lemon zest
1 sticks (1/2 c.) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4 in pieces
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
3-4 Tbsp cold buttermilk (whole milk with a dash of fresh lemon juice can be subbed)
powdered sugar for dusting

1 egg, lightly beaten

Combine the flour, sugar, salt, and lemon zest in a food processor, and pulse until combined.

Add the butter, and pulse until the butter is in pea-sized pieces.

Add 3 tbsp of buttermilk, and pulse until the dough comes together (about 30 seconds), adding the last tablespoon if needed.

Turn dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap, shape into a disk, and wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour.

Filling:

2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and diced (2 cups cubes)

3 tbsp sugar

juice of 1/2 lemon

1 1/2 tsp minute tapioca

1/4 tsp cinnamon

Toss all ingredients together.

To prepare:

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Lightly dust a work surface with powdered sugar.

Work with half the dough at a time.

Roll out to 1/8" thickness, and cut into a 5-6" circle.

Put 2-3 tbsp filling in the middle, fold the dough over and pinch closed.

Repeat with remaining dough.

Place hand pies on a Silpat- lined baking sheet, and brush with some of the beaten egg.

Cut a slit in the top so the steam can escape.

Repeat with remaining dough.

Bake for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

Transfer to a wire rack to cool for a few minutes before eating.

Recipe Exchange: Black Bean Pumpkin Chili

2008-10-24T10:58:00.000+07:00

I have to be completely honest. I was reluctant to try this recipe. I wasn't sure about the combination of pumpkin and black beans, and I really didn't want to be disappointed. But, following the rules of the recipe exchange, I made it, and it was delicious! My one complaint is that it was a little too liquid for my taste, but my husband easily remedied that by mixing his with rice.

I cheated a tiny bit - I left out the chicken broth and turkey in the original recipe because we are not eating meat this week (big overdose last weekend in San Francisco - totally delicious, but we need some recovery time).

I really couldn't taste the pumpkin, but the spicing was good and it was quite an enjoyable bowl of chili, topped with a nice dollop of sour cream.

(from Taste of Home)
1 med onion, chopped
1 med yellow bell pepper, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cans (15oz each) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (15-oz)solid pack pumpkin
1 can (14.5 oz)diced tomatoes undrained
2 tbsp chopped parsley
2 tsp chili powder
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt

(I added about 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper for a little spiciness)

In large skillet saute onion, pepper, and garlic in the olive oil until tender. Transfer to 5 qt slow cooker, stir in remaining ingredients.
Cover cook on low for 4-5 hrs or until heated through.

Cappuccino Cheesecake Brownies

2008-10-22T10:12:00.000+07:00

Cappuccino cheesecake swirled with an incredibly rich brownie studded with chocolate chips? How could you say no? These are phenomenally good brownies. I will be making them again and again. My husband and I ate a LOT of them in an embarassingly short period of time...and I'm not even going to feel guilty about it!

(adapted from Bakingblonde's Weblog )

Brownies
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla
1/2 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup cocoa powder
2/3 cup unsifted flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350.
Line 8×8 pan with foil and spray with nonstick spray.
In bowl, stir together the eggs, sugar and vanilla. Add butter.
Sift Cocoa powder, flour, baking powder and salt. Stir into egg mixture.
Stir in chips.
Spread 2/3 of the brownie batter into the pan, then top with cheesecake layer:

Cheesecake layer:
7 oz cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup sugar
2 Tbsp flour
2 Tbsp instant espresso powder
1 tsp pure Vanilla
1 egg

In bowl combine cream cheese, sugar, flour and vanilla beat until smooth. Add egg and beat just until combined.
Pour over the brownie batter, then put the remaining batter on top of the cheesecake layer and swirl together.
Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Bean Thread Salad

2008-10-18T11:10:00.001+07:00

I found a huge package of bean threads for ridiculously cheap at a market in San Francisco, and knew there would be many of these salads in my future. Tonight I found everything I needed to create this recipe already in my refrigerator, so this was easy to throw together. It's a beautiful mix of colors and has the quintessential Thai flavors I love so much: fish sauce, lime, mint, cilantro, and peanuts. YUM!

4 oz bean threads

1 small carrot

1 red bell pepper

a few handfuls of lettuce, cut into thin strips

1 tbsp thinly sliced green onions

1 tbsp chopped cilantro

2 tsp chopped fresh mint

2 tbsp chopped peanuts

4 tbsp lime juice

2 tbsp fish sauce

1 tbsp sugar

Drop the bean threads into boiling water for about 40 seconds, then drain and rinse with cold water.

Cut the bell pepper into thin strips and put into a serving bowl with the lettuce.

Using a vegetable peeler, create 2" long curls of carrot, and put these in the serving bowl as well.

Stir together the lime juice, fish sauce, and sugar.

Put the bean threads in their own bowl and add about half the lime juice mixture. Toss well.

Put the noodles on top of the vegetables and sprinkle the green onions, mint, cilantro, and peanuts over them. Add a little more dressing and toss well. Taste, and add the rest of the dressing if desired.

NOTE: Bean threads look like thin white noodles. Here is an example of what they look like:
photo from Amazon.com

Halloween Sugar Cookies

2008-10-16T07:30:00.000+07:00

Yes, Mike is doing situps with a pumpkin. He has decided this is how he is going to counteract all the Halloween baking I've been doing (that, and running 4 miles a day). I think it's a pretty brilliant plan.

So...my most recent Halloween Baking? Sugar Cookies! Decorated with Royal Icing! My neighbor Brigitte and I had a lot of fun decorating these bats, pumpkins, and ghosts. She's WAY more creative than I am...I absolutely love her pumpkin with the spider on it!

I didn't use my typical sugar cookie recipe for these. I wanted to try the version in How to Be a Domestic Goddess instead. I liked them, but they overbake really easily, so make sure you take them out of the oven before they have any brown on them at all! Royal icing is great for decorating, because it hardens completely. I like to pipe an outline around the shape, then thin it out and spread the thinned icing inside the outline so it looks smooth.

Sugar Cookies

(from How to Be a Domestic Goddess by Nigella Lawson)

3/4 cup softened butter

3/4 cup suar

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 2/3 cup flour, plus more if needed

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350

Cream the butter and sugar together until pale, then beat in eggs and vanilla.

In another bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.

Add the dry ingredients to the butter and eggs and mix gently.

If the dough seems too sticky to be rolled out, add a little more flour.

Divide the dough in half, flatten each half into a disk, and refrigerate for one hour.

Sprinkle you work surface with flour, then roll out dough to about 1/4" thick.

Cut with cookie cutters and place the cookies on lined baking sheets.

Bake for 8-12 minutes, then cool on a wire rack.

Royal icing

(from Joy of Baking)

2 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 tbsp meringue powder
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4-1/2 cup warm water
gel food coloring

Stir together the meringue powder and powdered sugar.

Add the water and vanilla extract and beat on medium to high speed until very glossy and stiff peaks form (5 to 7 minutes).

If necessary, to get the right consistency, add more powdered sugar or water.

Mix in gel coloring as desired
The icing needs to be used immediately or transferred to an airtight container as royal icing hardens when exposed to air. Cover with plastic wrap when not in use.

Chicken Peanut Stew and Injera

2008-10-15T11:00:00.000+07:00

I have wanted to make this recipe for awhile, and it definitely did not disappoint! While the cookbook says to serve it over rice, I really wanted to make injera. For those not familiar with Ethiopian food, Injera is a large, spongy flatbread used to scoop up stew.

This injera recipe is quick and good, but the product is not identical to what you find in Ethiopian restaurants. It uses buckwheat flour instead of teff, and isn't as sour. However, it still works really well and is a nice stand-in for the real thing

Chicken Peanut Stew

(adapted from Discovery of a Continent by Marcus Samuelsson)

1 medium white onion, sliced

1 carrot, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

2 jalapenos

1 2" piece ginger, peeled and sliced

1 by leaf

a few pinches white pepper

2 cups water

6 boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 4 pieces

1 cup unsalted peanuts

1 tbsp olive oil

1 baking potato, peeled and cut into 1" cubes

1 15 oz can diced tomatoes

1/2 tsp salt

10 oz spinach, washed well and stems removed

Combine the onion, carrot, jalapenos, ginger, bay leaf, white pepper, and water in a medium pot and bring to a boil over high heat.

Reduce the heat to medium, add the chicken thighs, and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes.

Add the chicken and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

While the chicken is simmering, toast the peanuts in a small frying pan over medium heat until golden brown. Let cool, then grind 1/2 cup of them in a blender to make a smooth paste. Set aside.

Using tongs, remove the chicken from the cooking liquid and set aside.

Transfer the vegetables into a food processor (remove the bay leaf) and puree until smooth. Set the broth aside.

Heat the oil in a medium frying pan. Add the potatoes and saute until they are golden brown (about 15 minutes). Add the chicken pieces and brown them on all sides.

Stir the vegetable puree into the broth and bring it to a boil. Add the peanut paste and the remaining whole peanuts and stir to combine well. Add the tomatoes, chicken, potatoes, and salt, and simmer about 5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings, then stir in the spinach until it is wilted.

Serve over rice or with Injera

Injera

(from Recipezaar.com)

1 cup buckwheat flour

1/2 cup white flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2-2 cups club soda

Combine flours and baking soda in a medium bowl.

Add club soda, and stir to form a thin batter.

Heat a large well-seasoned skillet until hot, then brush lightly with oil.

Using a ladle, pour a circle around the edge of the pan and tilt to cover the middle.

Cook for about 2 minutes, until the surface is covered with bubbles and no longer looks wet. Do not flip - just slide off onto a plate and repeat with remaining batter.

And...just because this is an African dish... here are two of my favorite pictures from when I was in Uganda in 2007:

Crispy Yogurt Chicken

2008-10-15T01:02:00.000+07:00

The rumors are true! Pioneer Woman's Crispy Yogurt Chicken is awesome. Beyond awesome. Someone, please help me find a new adjective. My sixth graders so gently reminded me today that you have to vary the adjectives you use, and I overuse that one.

Anyway, about this chicken. I loved it. Mike loved it. It was simple, it was really delicious, and it photographs surprisingly well, which is always a bonus.

I used plain bread crumbs instead of panko because I had them on hand. I also skipped the butter on top (forgive me!) because it honestly seemed like overkill... and fortunately it was still plenty crispy without it. Served with roasted broccoli and cheesy grits (you know, because I left the butter off the chicken), this was a nice hearty dinner.

(adapted from Pioneer Woman)

about 8 drumsticks

2 cups plain yogurt

3 garlic cloves, chopped

3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

juice of one lemon

salt

pepper

about 1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs

Preheat the oven to 350 F

Spray a glass baking dish with nonstick spray.

Mix together the yogurt, garlic, and parsley.

Sprinkle the salt and pepper liberally over the drumsticks.

Dip each drumstick in the yogurt, then breadcrumbs, coating well.

Place in the baking dish, cover with foil, and put in the oven.

After 45 minutes, remove the foil and continue baking for 15 to 20 minutes, until nice and golden brown.

Tipsy Apricot Chocolate Cake

2008-10-13T09:32:00.000+07:00

My husband is pretty much obsessed with Ireland and all things Irish. He has a collection of Irish cookbooks, and one of them is from an Irish pub in Florida. We've made some recipes from it before, and they all turned out well. The other night we were having some friends over for dinner and I wanted to make the Tipsy Apricot Chocolate Cake. The premise of the recipe sounded great - chocolate cake with some whiskey, apricot jam, whipped cream, and whiskey-spiked chocolate frosting.

However, here is the recipe for the chocolate cake:

2 eggs

2/3 cup self-rising flour

1/3 cup cocoa powder

Sift dry ingredients together. Beat eggs until thick, fold flour mixture into eggs, then stir in 2 tbsp water. Pour into pan and bake.

Does anything look wrong with that? Oh I don't know, like the fact that there is NO sugar? NO butter or oil? Yeah...My husband swore his sister made it and it worked, but...NO.

So I slightly modified a brilliant Nigella Lawson recipe...it worked VERY nicely.

Oh and I HATE whiskey in real life, but in this cake, I didn't even notice it (but my husband could taste it...he loves whiskey). So don't be deterred if you aren't a whiskey-lover.

Chocolate Cake:

(adapted from this recipe)

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup best-quality cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/4 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2/3 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup chilled water

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and line the bottom of an 8-inch cake pan.
In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, sugars, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
In another bowl or wide-necked measuring cup whisk together the eggs, sour cream and vanilla until blended.
Using a standing or handheld electric mixer, beat together the oil and water.
Add the dry ingredients all at once and mix together on a slow speed.
Add the egg mixture, and mix again until everything is blended and then pour into the prepared pan.
Bake the cake for 35-40 minutes, or until a cake-tester comes out clean.
Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes, and then turn out on the rack to cool completely.

Finishing the Cake:

(adapted from the McGuire's Irish Pub Cookbook)

3 tbsp whiskey, divided

1/2 cup apricot jam

3/4 cup heavy cream (plus 1 tbsp)

2 tbsp powdered sugar

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1 tbsp unsalted butter, softened

1 egg

When the cake is completely cool, use a serrated knife to cut it in half horizontally.

Place the bottom layer on a plate and sprinkle with 1 tbsp whiskey.

Spread the jam over the whiskey.

Whip 3/4 cup cream and sugar until soft peaks form. Spread over the jam.

Place the other layer on top of the whipped cream.

Chill while you prepare the frosting.

Melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler.

Remove from heat and stir in 2 tbsp whiskey.

Transfer to a stand mixer and beat in the egg, 1 tbsp cream, and the butter.

Spread evenly over the top and sides of cake (I just put a thick layer on the top because I like the rustic look. And I was in a hurry.)

Soft Pretzels

2008-10-12T20:57:00.001+07:00

These have been on my to-make list for awhile, but it wasn't until I was standing in my kitchen, thinking about making some bread, that I realized I had all the ingredients and plenty of time to make pretzels. I'm so happy I did, because these were HIGHLY addictive. Like, so addictive I probably won't make them again for a few months because they were gone way too fast.

They are best right out of the oven (with plenty of mustard, of course), but as my husband discovered, cold ones are easy to reheat in the toaster.

(adapted from Home Baking by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid)

1 cup milk, scalded and cooled to lukewarm

1 envelope active dry yeast

1 tbsp honey

1 cup bread flour

1 1/4 to 2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened

1/4 cup baking soda

1 egg yolk

2 tsp milk

kosher salt

Place the scalded milk in the bowl of a stand mixer, and stir the yeast in until dissolved.

Add the honey and one bread flour, and stir until smooth.

Sprinkle on the salt, add the butter, and stir well to incorporate.

Add 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour, and mix with the dough hook for about 5 minutes, until dough is smooth. Add a little more flour if the dough is too sticky.

Transfer to a clean bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 1/5 hours.

Preheat the oven to 450 F.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and cut into 8 equal pieces.

Roll each piece out into a long skinny rope, 24-30" long. Pick up the ends, twist, and press into a typical pretzel shape.

Let the pretzels rise for about 10 minutes under a clean kitchen towel while you boil 1 cup of water with the baking soda in a small saucepan (make sure one pretzel at a time will fit in the pan!)

Mix together the egg yolk and milk.

Carefully lift a pretzel with a spatula and place in the boiling water. After 20 seconds, remove and shake off the water. Place on a Silpat or parchment-lined baking sheet and repeat with the remaining pretzels.

Brush the egg yolk-milk mixture over the pretzels, then sprinkle with kosher salt.

Bake for about 12 minutes, or until deeply golden brown, then cool on a wire rack.

Simple Marinara

2008-10-12T20:36:00.000+07:00

With a half marathon in the morning, I needed my usual pre-race dinner: spaghetti. I've been eating spaghetti the night before a race (from 5K to Half-Ironman) for over 10 years, and I see no reason to change it up now. I know it won't upset my stomach, I know it will give me some carbs to fuel my muscles during the race, and just having that routine gets me into race mode easily. I'm not a front-of the pack runner or anything, but I always try and get a PR, so the more I can do to set myself up for that, the better.

My usual protocol for making pasta sauce includes dumping a 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes and random odds and ends into a sauce pan, heating it for about 10 minutes, then pouring it over pasta. It always turned out good enough - why bother with a recipe? However, when I saw That Girl's recipe I decided to give it a go. I just made a few changes - using fresh basil because I happened to have some on hand, adding about 1/2 tsp of sugar to balance the acidity of the tomatoes, and tripling the garlic because we can't get enough around here. It was really good, and definitely got me in the mood to go out and run 13.1 miles!

(adapted from Paved With Good Intentions)
1 small onion, chopped
3 clove garlic, chopped
1 Tbsp canola oil
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
1 can tomato paste
1/4 cup white wine
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
1/2 tsp sugar
1 Tbsp salt

Heat oil in saucepan over medium high heat. Add garlic and onion and cook until onion is lightly browned.
Stir in remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook 30-45 minutes.
Remove cover and cook 15 more minutes.
Serve over spaghetti with a dusting of Parmesan cheese

Cumin-roasted Pumpkin Seeds

2008-10-12T01:51:00.000+07:00

The absolute best part about carving pumpkins is saving all the seeds and roasting them! I got the basics of how to do this on Simply Recipes, and added some cumin to spice them up a little.
They are salty, crunchy, and extremely addictive! I loved the flavor the cumin added, but you could always try a different spice or just go with salt alone!

2 cups pumpkin seeds
4 cups water
2 tsp salt, plus extra for roasting
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp ground cumin

Preheat the oven to 375 F.
Remove all the stringy pulp from the seeds.
Place the water and salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil.
Turn the heat down to medium-low, add the pumpkin seeds, and simmer 10 minutes.
Pour the olive oil into a metal sheet pan.
Drain the pumpkin seeds, and add to the oil. Using a spatula or just by shaking the pan, mix the seeds so they are evenly coated.
Sprinkle with salt and cumin, mix once again, and bake for about 15 minutes, or until seeds are golden brown.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

2008-10-11T10:22:00.000+07:00

We had some friends over to carve pumpkins, and of course I just had to make some pumpkin chocolate chip cookies for the occasion. The problem was, I didn't have a recipe. I checked out Annie's blog, because she always has such fantastic recipes. I found this one, took out the raisins and nuts and replaced them with chocolate chips, opted not to do the glaze (because I didn't have the time and it just seemed like overkill with chocolate), and changed up some of the spices.

The verdict:
"So soft and fluffy!" says Meghan. "This cookie makes me wish pumpkin could be used year-round." (I think it should be!)
"Mmmmmmmm" says Brigitte.
Simon says "this is delicious."
Ian declares "I love these cookies!"
"They're damn good!" says Dana. "They taste like pumpkin!"
And my husband is speechless.

So there you go... pumpkin carvers agree - you gotta have these cookies!
And for the record I will make the original recipe from Annie's blog soon because it looks amazing!
(adapted from Annie's Eats, originally from Williams Sonoma)

2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 1/2 sticks butter (3/4 cup), softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 F.
Stir together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg with a fork. Set aside.
In a stand mixer, beat the butter on medium-high speed for about 1 minute.
Add the sugars and mix on medium until fluffy, about 3 minutes.
Add the egg, vanilla, and pumpkin and mix until incorporated.
Stir in the flour mixture, and mix on low until the flour disappears.
Add the chocolate chips, mixing on low until they are evenly distributed.
Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto a Silpat lined baking sheet, and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until set.
Cool on a wire rack.

Risotto with Lemon and Scallions

2008-10-09T20:01:00.000+07:00

I think I have found my new favorite risotto recipe! The flavors are so bright and fresh and it is deliciously creamy, like any good risotto should be. When the days are short and the weather is cold I'm definitely coming back to this recipe. I think it would be DIVINE served aside some grilled salmon, but I just served it with a green salad. Either way, it's quite tasty.

(adapted from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison)

4 bunches scallions (yes, 4 - just the white part and an inch or two of green)

1 tbsp plus 1 tsp olive oil

salt and pepper

5-6 cups broth or stock (I used chicken, the original recipe called for vegetable)

1/3 cup finely diced shallot

1 1/2 cups arborio rice

1/2 cup white wine

1/2 cup chopped parsley

8 basil leaves

zest of one lemon

1/3 cup grated Parmesan

Slice the scallions thinly. Cook them in 1 tsp of olive oil until soft, about 3 or 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Put the stock in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Keep it simmering as you use it.

Chiffonade the basil leaves and set aside.

Put the remaining tablespoon of oil in a wide pan. Add the shallot and cook over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add the rice, stir to coat the grains, and cook for 1 minute.

Add the wine and simmer until it's absorbed.

Add 2 cups stock, cover, and cook until absorbed.

Remove the cover, and add the stock 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly, and waiting until the liquid is absorbed before the next addition.

When the rice is almost finished cooking, add salt and pepper to taste, stir in the scallions, and cook for one more minute.

Remove from the heat, stir in the basil, parsley, and lemon zest, and sprinkle with parmesan before serving.

Thai Red Curry with Shrimp and Kabocha Squash

2008-10-08T10:24:00.000+07:00

Squash is such a perfect Fall food. I LOVE butternut and acorn squash, and figured if I like those, I should branch out and explore other squash varieties. I've been seeing some recipes with kabocha squash floating around various blogs for awhile, but decided to turn to a great cookbook for my first experience with it.

Kabocha pairs amazingly well with Thai red curry, and the shrimp complements the two really nicely. In all honesty, I thought the peas were kind of a weird inclusion in the recipe. If you like them, use them, but I think I'm going to leave them out next time.

(adapted from Asian Vegetables by Sara Deseran)

1 small kabocha squash (about 2 pounds)

1 14 oz can light coconut milk

2 tbsp Thai red curry paste

2 tsp sugar

3 tbsp fish sauce

1 cup chicken broth

2 lemongrass stalks, bottom 8" only, cut into 2" lengths

8 oz flat rice noodles

1/2 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/2 cup frozen peas (or not...)

4 roma tomatoes, quartered lengthwise

Cut the squash in quarters using a sturdy knife or cleaver. Scoop out the seeds and cut off the peel. Cut into 1" cubes

Heat the coconut milk and curry paste in a large saucepan over medium-high, stirring well for about 3 minutes.

Turn the heat to low. Add the sugar, fish sauce, chicken broth, lemongrass, and squash. Stir well, cover, and cook for about 20 minutes, or until the squash is tender when pierced with a fork.

While that is cooking, prepare the noodles according to package directions.

When the squash is tender, stir in the noodles, shrimp, peas, and tomatoes and cook for a few minutes, until heated through.