Saturday, February 26, 2011

Basic Breakfast Waffles

1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon butter (melted)
1/2 cup milk

1 Heat a waffle iron.
2 Mix the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar using a whisk to combine well.
3 Meanwhile, melt the butter in the microwave.
4 Beat the egg yolk with a fork till fluffy, then add the milk and butter to mix.
5 Combine the milk mixture with the dry ingredients.
6 Using a hand mixer, beat the egg white to stiff peaks.
7 Carefully fold the egg whites into the batter (a plastic scraper works well for this).
8 Cook immediately on hot iron.

Thursday, February 24, 2011

At home Sushi (rice)!

Ive made california rolls several times at home and the only thing hard about it is getting the rice perfect. So heres my favorite minimalist Mark Bittman's recipe for it:
Time: 30 to 40 minutes, plus at least 2 hours’ resting

1 cup rice vinegar

3/8 cup sugar

2 tablespoons salt, plus a pinch

1 piece konbu (kelp), about 3 or 4 inches square

2 cups short-grain white rice

1 teaspoon sake, optional.



1. Combine vinegar, sugar and 2 tablespoons salt in a container and shake or stir until dissolved. Add konbu and let sit about 30 minutes before removing konbu and covering container. Let sit for at least 2 hours and up to several days. (Room temperature is fine.)

2. Wash rice in several changes of water until water runs clear. Combine with sake, a pinch of salt, and 2 1/2 cups water (if you’re using a rice cooker) or 3 cups water (if you’re cooking it on stovetop). Cook until water is absorbed, 38 minutes in a rice cooker, about 25 minutes in a covered pot over medium-low heat.

3. Turn rice into a large bowl, preferably wooden, and let cool for 15 minutes.

4. Using a rubber spatula, a wooden paddle or spoon, gently fold sweetened vinegar into rice, a little at a time. You will probably need about 1/2 cup for this amount of rice, but a little bit less or more is fine. Rice should be glistening and moist but not wet, and sweet but not overly so. Use immediately with sushi toppings of your choice.

Yield: Enough rice for 4 generous or 6 small portions of sushi.

and then go creative with it, but heres some direction:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/05/dining/05mini.html

Heres a slideshow (very helpful) of how to go about making sushi:
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2010/05/04/dining/20100505-sushi-slideshow.html

Baked Meat-Filled Empanadas (Empanadas al Horno)!!

How I have ALWAYS wanted to make baked ones!

Dough
Adapted from “El Vino Perfecto Para Cada Comida,” by Héctor Vergara (Planeta Vino, 2005)

Time: 15 minutes, plus chilling


3 1/2 ounces lard

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

3 cups flour, more for work surface.


1. Melt lard in a small saucepan over low heat. Immediately mix with salt and 2/3 cup very warm water. Place flour in a food processor. Turn machine on and pour half the liquid through feed tube. Stop machine, turn it to pulse and add half the remaining liquid. Keep pulsing and add rest of liquid.

2. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, knead briefly until smooth, form into a disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate until cool, at least 30 minutes.

Yield: Dough for 10 6-inch or 24 3-inch empanadas.


Baking Directions:
Adapted from “El Vino Perfecto Para Cada Comida,” by Héctor Vergara (Planeta Vino, 2005)

Adapted from “El Vino Perfecto Para Cada Comida,” by Héctor Vergara (Planeta Vino, 2005)

Time: 1 hour


1 1/2 tablespoons lard

1 cup fine-chopped onion

1/2 pound lean beef, minced

Salt and fresh black pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

Tabasco or other hot sauce to taste

Empanada dough (see recipe)

2 hard-cooked eggs, sliced

12 pitted cured black olives, sliced

30 raisins

1 large egg, lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon water.



1. Melt lard in a 10- to 12-inch skillet. Add onion and sauté on medium until it barely starts to color. Add beef. Cook until ingredients are lightly browned. Add salt and pepper to taste, cumin, paprika and hot sauce. Set aside. Heat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Roll dough as thin as possible. Cut 6-inch circles. Scraps can be re-rolled one time. Place some meat mixture on one half of each circle, leaving a 1/2-inch border around filling. Top with a slice of egg, some olive pieces and a few raisins. Brush egg on empty side of circle, fold dough over to make a half-circle and crimp edges. Traditional squared empanadas can be made by folding an inch or so of each of the pointed ends of the half-circle over to make straight sides, then folding up the rounded bottom to square off the empanada.

3. Arrange empanadas on a baking sheet. Squared empanadas should be placed with folded side down. Bake 10 minutes. Turn empanadas over, bake 5 minutes longer, until lightly browned on both sides. Allow to cool briefly before serving.

Yield: 8 to 10 large empanadas.

Scallion Meatballs With Soy-Ginger Glaze

Time: 1 hour


FOR THE SAUCE:

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1/2 cup soy sauce, preferably Japanese or reduced sodium

1/2 cup mirin (sweet rice wine), or 1/2 cup sake with 1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup chopped peeled ginger

1 teaspoon ground coriander

4 whole black peppercorns

FOR THE MEATBALLS:

1 pound ground turkey

4 large or 6 small scallions, finely chopped

1 bunch cilantro, finely chopped (about 1 cup)

1 egg, lightly beaten

2 tablespoons sesame oil

2 tablespoons soy sauce

Freshly ground black pepper

Vegetable oil.


1. Make sauce: Bring sugar and 1/2 cup water to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar melts completely. Reduce heat to medium-low and add soy sauce, mirin, ginger, coriander and peppercorns. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced by half, about 30 minutes. Strain through a sieve. (Can be made up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated.)

2. Make meatballs: mix turkey, scallions, cilantro, egg, sesame oil, soy sauce and several grindings of pepper in a bowl. Roll tablespoons of mixture into balls.

3. In a skillet over medium-high heat, generously cover bottom of pan with vegetable oil. Working in batches to avoid crowding, place meatballs in pan and cook, turning, until browned all over and cooked inside, about 8 minutes per batch. Arrange on a heated platter, spoon a little sauce over each meatball, and serve with toothpicks. If desired, keep warm in a 200-degree oven until ready to serve.

Yield: About two dozen.

Adapted from Canal House Cooking, vol. 3, by Melissa Hamilton and Christopher Hirsheimer

Small Latkes, Large Toppings

To make party-size latkes, use your favorite recipe but fry them in 1 1/2-inch cakes (use a heaping tablespoon of potato). Drain on paper towels or a paper bag. When cool enough to handle, top with any of the following:

CRÉME FRAÎCHE, BLACK PEPPER AND PEAR BUTTER Add a dollop of crème fraîche, grind some pepper and top with a spoonful of pear butter — store-bought or put up. Pumpkin and apple butter work well here, too.

SMOKED SALMON CREAM CHEESE AND SALMON CAVIAR Spoon the cream cheese over the latke, topping with beads of salmon caviar.

SMOKED TROUT MOUSSE Whip some heavy cream until peaks form, and fold in horseradish, chopped chives and black pepper. Then stir in flaked pieces of smoked trout.

GORGONZOLA AND BRANDIED FIGS Cover chopped figs with just enough brandy to reach halfway up the sides of a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer, stirring and tossing the fruit, then turn off the heat and cover the pot; let sit for an hour. Drain figs and use them to garnish gorgonzola-sprinkled latkes.

POMEGRANATE SEEDS AND GREEK YOGURT Whisk thick Greek yogurt with a little honey. Spoon atop the latke, crowning with pomegranate seeds.

Savory Cheddar Biscotti

Time: About 1 hour

2 eggs

1 cup grated Cheddar cheese

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more as needed

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cayenne, or to taste.



1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Put the eggs and cheese in a food processor and process until yellow and thick, about a minute. Add the flour, baking powder, salt and cayenne and pulse three or four times, just to integrate the dry ingredients; you don’t want to overwork the gluten in the flour.

2. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead it until it holds together — it may be a bit crumbly at first. Shape the dough into an 8- to 10-inch log, transfer to the prepared baking sheet and gently flatten.

3. Bake until the log begins to color and is firm to the touch, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool for about 10 minutes, then cut on the bias into half-inch slices. Lay the biscotti flat on the baking sheet and bake until crisp and toasted, 15 minutes; turn and toast the second side for another 10 to 15 minutes. Cool completely before serving.

Yield: About 16 biscotti.

101 Simple Appetizers in 20 Minutes or Less

photo slideshow:
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2007/12/18/dining/1219-MINI_index.html

Read it from here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/19/dining/19mini.html

Shrimp and Cilantro Shu Mai

I've already made this (see my dumplings recipe) but here is a more formalized recipe.

Time: About 30 minutes


1/2 cup soy sauce

1 tablespoon rice wine

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

1/2 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/2 to 3/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves

1/4 cup roughly chopped scallions, white parts only

10 to 12 round dumpling skins

Juice of 1 lime.



1. Combine the soy sauce, rice wine, sesame oil and ginger in a bowl. Put half the shrimp, half the cilantro and all the scallions in a food processor and pulse; add just enough of the soy mixture to create a smooth paste, about 1 to 2 tablespoons. Transfer to a bowl. Roughly chop the remaining shrimp and cilantro, add them to the bowl and stir to combine.

2. Place a dumpling skin on a work surface, moisten the edges with water, and put 1 teaspoon of the filling in the center. Gather the edges of the wrapper up around the filling, squeezing gently, to pleat the sides; some of the filling should remain exposed. Repeat with the remaining dumpling skins and filling, keeping the dumpling wrappers and dumplings covered with damp towels while you work.

3. Rig a steamer in a large pot over an inch of water; bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Meanwhile, add the lime juice to the remaining soy mixture to make a dipping sauce.

4. Put as many dumplings in the steamer as you can fit in a single layer and cover the pot. Cook until the exposed filling turns pink and the wrappers are tender, 4 to 6 minutes, then transfer the dumplings to a serving platter. Repeat with the remaining dumplings. Serve with the dipping sauce.

Yield: 10 to 12 dumplings.

Queso Fundido With Chorizo, Jalapeño and Cilantro

Time: 25 minutes


7 ounces dried chorizo, diced small

1 jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

2 scallions, finely chopped

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 pound Monterey Jack cheese, grated

Sliced bread, if serving as sandwiches

Extra virgin olive oil, if serving as sandwiches

Tortilla chips, if serving as dip

Lime wedges, if serving as dip.




1. Heat a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chorizo and cook, stirring, until browned, 4 to 5 minutes.

2. In a medium bowl, mix the jalapeño, cilantro, scallions and salt. Add the cheese and toss well.

3. If serving as dip, skip to Step 4. If serving as sandwiches: drizzle slices of bread with oil and brown in a toaster oven. Top with chorizo, then the cheese mixture. Return to toaster oven and toast until bubbling.

4. If serving as dip: heat the broiler. Combine the chorizo and cheese mixture and pour into a shallow baking or gratin dish. Broil until melted and bubbling, about 4 to 5 minutes. Serve with the chips and lime wedges on the side.

Yield: 4 sandwiches or 8 hors d’oeuvres servings.

Cheese Straws With Pimentón

Time: About 30 minutes


1 1/4 cups finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

2 sheets puff pastry (preferably all butter), defrosted but not unfolded

1/2 teaspoon pimenton (Spanish smoked paprika, hot or sweet).



1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Sprinkle about 1/4 cup cheese on a clean work surface. Place pastry on top and sprinkle with another 1/4 cup cheese. Use a rolling pin to roll into a rectangle about

1/8-inch thick, dusting with more cheese if necessary.

2. Using tip of a sharp knife, cut pastry into 1/2-inch-wide strips. Lift up one end, twist a few times, and transfer to prepared pan. Repeat with remaining pastry and cheese. Dust twists with pimentón.

3. Bake until puffed and golden, about 10 minutes. Let cool to room temperature before peeling off paper. Store between layers of parchment paper in an airtight container up to 2 days.

Yield: About 36.

Adapted from Canal House Cooking, vol. 2, by Melissa Hamilton and Christopher Hirsheimer

Appetizers Unlimited

If you havent noticed already, I am a HUGE fan of appetizers :) - and so when I saw this:

http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2010/12/10/dining/20101210-dips-slideshow.html

on NYTimes today, I just had to make sure to save it. ALL the recipes are simple, appropriate and not at all time consuming so I'll have to make sure to take the time to try them sometime soon. I'm quite scared though that they will take away the link sometime and so I'll try to jaut down some of the extra special ones in the next few posts.

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Crispy Banana Waffles

For breakfast todayy!

with whipped cream and maple syrup :))

(4 servings)

1 cup all-purpose flour
2 Tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs - separated
1 cup milk
1 cup banana - mashed
6 Tablespoons butter - softened
In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.

In a seperate bowl, beat the egg yolks with the milk.

Add the milk mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until just blended. Fold in the mashed banana and melted butter. Mix well.

In a seperate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.

Fold egg whites into the batter.

Bake according to waffle maker instructions.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Vietnamese Spring Rolls!


6 sheets rice paper
2 large leaves of green lettuce, cut into small pieces
3 ounces rice vermicelli, cooked
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
12 mint leaves
9 large shrimps, cooked, peeled, deveined and cut in halfs
(Be creative, you can add more protein to your diet by using boiled pork, crab, or any other meat you have in mind)

For the Dipping Sauce
1 tablespoons fish sauce
3 tablespoons warm water
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
3/4 clove garlic, minced
1 1/4 tablespoons white sugar
1/3 teaspoon garlic chili sauce (Chirashi)
2 3/4 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 teaspoon finely chopped peanuts

•Leave in rice vermiccilli in warm water for a few minutes until limp, drain and store in drige.
•Dip the rice paper in a large bow of warm water so it will become soft (10 seconds in near boiling water)
•Place the rice paper on a flat area, then stack small amount of lettuce, rice noddles, cilantro, mint leaves, and 3 haft shrimps
•Roll the rice paper

•In a small bow, mix the fish sauce, water, lime juice, garlic, sugar and chili sauce together. Another bow, mix hoisin sauce, peanuts, and chilli sauce. Serve the rolls with these two sauce.
•Good luck and have fun while cooking

All i have to say is, nom nom nom.

Sesame Shrimp with Cilantro-Lime Sauce Recipe

24 medium uncooked shrimp (about 1 pound), peeled and deveined
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons white sesame seeds, toasted
24 small metal skewers or wooden toothpicks (if using toothpicks, soak them in water for 30 minutes beforehand so they don’t burn in the oven)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon powdered cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon light sesame oil
2 scallions, cleaned and finely chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro

Preheat oven to 400°F. Toss shrimp with vegetable oil, salt, and pepper. Dip one side of each shrimp in toasted sesame seeds. Skewer with a toothpick. When oven is heated, place skewered shrimp (sesame seeds on top) on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake 5 to 7 minutes, until shrimp are firm to the touch.
For the dipping sauce, put remaining ingredients into a bowl and mix until blended. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with the warm shrimp.


Will try it this weekend and upload photos :D.