We're headed over to Abe's for New Year's Eve. Originally, it was to be an after-dinner party, so that's why I made cookies. I made a batch of chocolate chip cookies, in case these experimental ones don't go over so well.
Ingredients:
0.5 tsp baking soda
0.25 tsp salt
1.5 cups flour
0.5 cup unsalted butter, softened
0.5 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup white chocolate chips
0.5 cup dried cranberries
Method:
In a bowl, whisk together salt, flour and baking soda to mix.
In another bowl, cream together sugar and butter.
Beat in egg and vanilla.
Mix in flour mixture.
Mix in chocolate and cranberries.
Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet.
Bake at 350F for 17-20 minutes, until golden brown.
Comments:
The basic recipe is from the chocolate chip ones I'd been making. I was afraid that I should've cut down on the sugar, since both white chocolate and cranberries are sweet, but it turned out fine.
Verdict:
Good, but I still like the chocolate chips with pecans better.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Friday, December 25, 2009
Turkey and Gravy
Making turkey with all the trimmings was a first for me, but I took it on, mostly to have full control over dinner. When I'd first sent out the invite to my friends for dinner here on Christmas Eve, the idea of my making the turkey and their bringing the sides was bandied about, but in the end, I figured if I made everything, the chances of having a massive amount of leftovers would be greatly lessened.
And I was right. (Yay! ^^) The only thing left in great quantities is the mashed potato, but that's due more to my poor spatial skills than anything else. I can also blame Eddie for having such a late lunch so as to eat like a bird when he got here. I'll forgive him, though, since he's always so nice about my cooking.
Ingredients (Serves 8-12):
14lb turkey
celery tops leftover from the stuffing
rosemary
parsley
sage
olive oil
salt
pepper
Method:
Preheat oven to 325F.
Rinse the turkey and pat dry, inside and out.
Drizzle on olive oil and spread around the skin.
Season generously inside and out.
Set the bird breast up on a roasting rack in a pan.
Place celery leaves and herbs inside the cavity.
Put some lukewarm water into the pan.
Bake for 3 hours.
Check the meat temperature. If it is almost at 165F, broil at 450F to crisp the skin (if it isn't already).
Remove from oven and let rest for 20-30 minutes before carving.
Gravy:
Use drippings, anything from the cavity of the bird and the crusty brown stuff scraped off the bottom of the pan.
Simmer together with giblets and leftover stock from the stuffing for as long as you can. Depending on the quantity of gravy needed, you may need to simmer with more water.
Remove from heat.
To reduce the amount of fat in the gravy, use a baster to pipe out the liquid under the layer of fat, into the gravy container.
Season to taste.
Whisk in flour until the right consistency.
Comments:
If I had an onion, I would've stuffed it into the bird for extra flavour.
I added water to the pan in hopes that it would help keep the bird from drying out. I am not sure how well it worked. Some people tent the bird in foil, but I try not to use disposable things if I don't have to.
I read that some people roast it breast down. The reasoning was that the juices would drip into the breast, rather than away. I'm a bit skeptical about this. I noticed that juices collected in the cavity. Had I roasted it breast down, it would've gone directly to the pan.
There was considerably less liquid in the cavity after resting, prior to getting drippings for the gravy. Whether this was due to evaporation, or re-uptake by the meat is unknown. I should've covered the turkey while it was resting.
I generally try to do things in as few steps and with as few items to wash as possible, so I skipped the brining. (We didn't have a container large enough, anyway). The turkey, while not too dry, was not juicy, either. I do admit to losing track of the bake time, so it could very well have been fine had it not been in the oven as long.
Verdict:
Yummy with the cranberry sauce!
Turkey Stuffing
So apparently, stuffing that isn't stuffed into a bird is called dressing, but dressing, in my mind is for salad, so hence the title.
After looking at a couple of stovetop recipes, and most calling to cook for a while, I decided to save myself a bit of grief and make it in the crockpot, though truth be told, there's a lot of cooking happening out of the crock first. At least I wouldn't have to worry about burning.
Ingredients (serves 10-14)
3 cups turkey stock (simmer giblets for 1 hour with a bit of salt)
1 loaf day-old french bread, cut into 3/4" cubes
butter
2 cups chopped onion
2 cups chopped celery
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and chopped
1 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
dried sage, rosemary, parsley to taste
salt and pepper to taste
Method
Prepare the crockpot with a bit of non-stick spray.
In a large pan, melt some butter. Toss bread in and toast in the pan. Transfer to crock. Repeat as necessary.
Sautee the onions, celery, apples until onions are cooked.
Add walnuts and season to taste.
Transfer to crock and mix with bread.
Drizzle in turkey stock and mix.
Cook on low for 4-5 hours.
Comments:
I had started with one cup of stock, as that's what the recipe called for. Over the course of the day, I noticed that it was a bit dry, so I added stock a couple times (and I seasoned then, too). I think it was just shy of 3 cups in the end. Whether you should add the stock in increments or all right at the beginning is something I'm not sure of.
I recommend cooking in the crock, as it completely filled up my 6-quart pot and reduced down to about half of that. Making it on the stovetop would've been an hour of anxiety, as we don't have that large a heavy-bottomed pot. Plus, the slow cooker keeps it nice and hot up until serving.
Verdict:
My friends liked it, Eddie especially. I'm on the fence on whether or not it's worth all that work. I do like knowing what exactly goes into my food, so making stuffing from scratch has that merit. Hmm...
After looking at a couple of stovetop recipes, and most calling to cook for a while, I decided to save myself a bit of grief and make it in the crockpot, though truth be told, there's a lot of cooking happening out of the crock first. At least I wouldn't have to worry about burning.
Ingredients (serves 10-14)
3 cups turkey stock (simmer giblets for 1 hour with a bit of salt)
1 loaf day-old french bread, cut into 3/4" cubes
butter
2 cups chopped onion
2 cups chopped celery
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and chopped
1 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
dried sage, rosemary, parsley to taste
salt and pepper to taste
Method
Prepare the crockpot with a bit of non-stick spray.
In a large pan, melt some butter. Toss bread in and toast in the pan. Transfer to crock. Repeat as necessary.
Sautee the onions, celery, apples until onions are cooked.
Add walnuts and season to taste.
Transfer to crock and mix with bread.
Drizzle in turkey stock and mix.
Cook on low for 4-5 hours.
Comments:
I had started with one cup of stock, as that's what the recipe called for. Over the course of the day, I noticed that it was a bit dry, so I added stock a couple times (and I seasoned then, too). I think it was just shy of 3 cups in the end. Whether you should add the stock in increments or all right at the beginning is something I'm not sure of.
I recommend cooking in the crock, as it completely filled up my 6-quart pot and reduced down to about half of that. Making it on the stovetop would've been an hour of anxiety, as we don't have that large a heavy-bottomed pot. Plus, the slow cooker keeps it nice and hot up until serving.
Verdict:
My friends liked it, Eddie especially. I'm on the fence on whether or not it's worth all that work. I do like knowing what exactly goes into my food, so making stuffing from scratch has that merit. Hmm...
Cranberry Sauce
Ange said in her blog that it was super easy, so I bought a package of fresh cranberries, and waddaya know, there's a recipe right on the back!
Ingredients
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
3 cups fresh cranberries (1 pkg)
Method:
Bring water to boil, and dissolve sugar.
Add cranberries and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and let simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Cool at room temperature, then chill if desired.
Comments:
Such a beautiful red!
It is kinda odd to have your food hiss while it cooks.
It also has a bite. The bursting fruit got me a couple times.
Verdict:
Definitely better than the canned stuff. Easy to make, and the price is comparable. I think I'll experiment more next year =)
Ingredients
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
3 cups fresh cranberries (1 pkg)
Method:
Bring water to boil, and dissolve sugar.
Add cranberries and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and let simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Cool at room temperature, then chill if desired.
Comments:
Such a beautiful red!
It is kinda odd to have your food hiss while it cooks.
It also has a bite. The bursting fruit got me a couple times.
Verdict:
Definitely better than the canned stuff. Easy to make, and the price is comparable. I think I'll experiment more next year =)
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Baked Salted Chicken
Chicken legs were on sale at Save-On, something like $1.30/lb, so we bought a tray of 5. It was originally intended for the Chinese-style baked chicken with crispy skin, but I was too lazy to go out and get the 5-spice mix. Instead, I rubbed it liberally with seasoning salt (the can being from goodness knows when), put a bit of water in the baking pan to keep the meat moist, and threw it into a preheated oven @ 375F for 1hr15min.
Badabing, dinner was ready with some rice.
The skin was crispy, so I am happy with that. The only thing was all that liquid that came with the chicken when I took it off the pan. If I had a rack, like a smaller version of the ones on a barbeque grill, I would've used it to allow the drippings to separate from the chicken.
Badabing, dinner was ready with some rice.
The skin was crispy, so I am happy with that. The only thing was all that liquid that came with the chicken when I took it off the pan. If I had a rack, like a smaller version of the ones on a barbeque grill, I would've used it to allow the drippings to separate from the chicken.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Borscht - HK Style
With half a head of cabbage just sitting in my fridge, and cubed beef from the beef stew possibly in danger of freezer burn, it occured to me that borscht would be a great way of using it up. Hot soup during the winter sounds mighty good to me!
Since I had Russian borscht not too long ago, I went with this. (It's also cheaper)
Ingredients (fits 8qt pot):
2 onions, cut into 1" squares
4 tomatoes, diced
2lb beef bones
1lb beef
Maggi seasoning or soy sauce
2 russet potatoes, 1" cubes
half a head of cabbage, cut into 2" squares
1 small can tomato paste
salt
hot sauce
pepper
Method:
Marinate the beef with some Maggi.
In a pot, boil the bones in about 4L of water. Skim off the foam as it appears. When the foam formation has slowed, add beef. Continue to skim off fat and foam while it boils. Remove from heat when the foam formation slows considerably.
In a larger pot, sautee the onions and tomatoes until cooked. This is the soup pot.
Transfer the beef bones to the soup pot, taking care not to transfer cooked blood and crud.
Mix, so most of the bones are on the bottom of the pot.
Strain the beef broth into the soup pot.
Take the beef, rinse with water and cut into 1" cubes. Add to pot.
Add all other ingredients except for salt, hot sauce and pepper.
Bring to a boil and then simmer for at least 2 hours.
Taste and season.
Comments:
The 2lbs of bones is a guesstimate. We had some leftover from when I made pho.
You could make the soup stock ahead of time.
You could cook the beef bones with all ingredients, but it'll look rather nasty.
I put the bones back into the soup, but it's not necessary. I just don't think you can get all the flavour with just a quick 10-minute boil.
Some people like to rinse the bones before putting them into the soup pot. Entirely up to you. I don't do it because it means washing yet another bowl.
I season at the end because the cooking/simmering process often reduces the soup, and therefore increases the concentration of the seasonings.
Other veggies often seen in this are celery and carrots. I was so fixated on the amount of cabbage we had that I forgot about them.
Verdict:
Good, and much better the next day.
Since I had Russian borscht not too long ago, I went with this. (It's also cheaper)
Ingredients (fits 8qt pot):
2 onions, cut into 1" squares
4 tomatoes, diced
2lb beef bones
1lb beef
Maggi seasoning or soy sauce
2 russet potatoes, 1" cubes
half a head of cabbage, cut into 2" squares
1 small can tomato paste
salt
hot sauce
pepper
Method:
Marinate the beef with some Maggi.
In a pot, boil the bones in about 4L of water. Skim off the foam as it appears. When the foam formation has slowed, add beef. Continue to skim off fat and foam while it boils. Remove from heat when the foam formation slows considerably.
In a larger pot, sautee the onions and tomatoes until cooked. This is the soup pot.
Transfer the beef bones to the soup pot, taking care not to transfer cooked blood and crud.
Mix, so most of the bones are on the bottom of the pot.
Strain the beef broth into the soup pot.
Take the beef, rinse with water and cut into 1" cubes. Add to pot.
Add all other ingredients except for salt, hot sauce and pepper.
Bring to a boil and then simmer for at least 2 hours.
Taste and season.
Comments:
The 2lbs of bones is a guesstimate. We had some leftover from when I made pho.
You could make the soup stock ahead of time.
You could cook the beef bones with all ingredients, but it'll look rather nasty.
I put the bones back into the soup, but it's not necessary. I just don't think you can get all the flavour with just a quick 10-minute boil.
Some people like to rinse the bones before putting them into the soup pot. Entirely up to you. I don't do it because it means washing yet another bowl.
I season at the end because the cooking/simmering process often reduces the soup, and therefore increases the concentration of the seasonings.
Other veggies often seen in this are celery and carrots. I was so fixated on the amount of cabbage we had that I forgot about them.
Verdict:
Good, and much better the next day.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Fish Sticks with Corn Sauce
There are always days when we just won't feel like cooking or trekking out to a restaurant, so what do we do? As Will would call it: Man Cooking--Fire and Forget.
We had some fish sticks in the freezer, so we threw that into the oven; put some rice in the cooker; warmed up a can of cream-style corn thinned with a bit of water and voila! Dinner that takes 5 minutes to prep and is ready in 30 minutes. We had some veggies already, or we probably would've used some frozen stuff.
We had some fish sticks in the freezer, so we threw that into the oven; put some rice in the cooker; warmed up a can of cream-style corn thinned with a bit of water and voila! Dinner that takes 5 minutes to prep and is ready in 30 minutes. We had some veggies already, or we probably would've used some frozen stuff.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Watercress Soup
This is one of those soups that I'm sure everyone has had in one form or another. Soups are a huge part of the Chinese diet for its nutritional value. Watercress is 'cool'; apricot kernels help relieve coughs; the luo han guo helps to remove phlegm, while preventing dry throats and lungs, and has also been found to be an anti-oxidant. My mother also claims that luo han guo is good for getting rid of bad breath.
T&T has a soup package for this, but I find that it's not enough flavour, and the price tag puts me off.
More about the fruit at ChinatownConnection and The Chinese Soup Lady
Ingredients (fits an 8L pot):
2 lbs pork bones
1 small luo han guo 羅漢果 , halved
1 tbs apricot kernels 南北杏
1 jumbo carrot, thickly sliced
watercress 西洋菜
Method:
Fill the pot with enough water to cover the bones.
When the water comes to a boil, blanch the bones for 5 minutes.
Drain the water and rinse the bones with water. Quickly scrub the pot to remove residue.
Replace the bones into the pot.
Fill the pot to 3/4 full with water, add the luo han guo, apricot kernels and carrot.
Boil for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat and simmer for at least an hour.
Before serving, add the watercress and bring to a boil.
Add salt as needed.
Comments:
The 2lbs of bones is a guesstimate. We had bones on hand, so I just used it.
It is not necessary to blanch the bones, but it improves the taste and appearance of the soup by removing excess fat, blood and bone shards. Often, crud will float to the top of soups, and you'd want to skim it off. By parboiling, you end up with a clear-looking, clean-tasting soup. Some argue that you lose some of the pork flavour, so it's up to you.
I am not sure how long you need to boil the soup for, but too many raw apricot kernels is potentially toxic. It doesn't matter if you don't eat the kernels, but I do, in large quantities if it happens to be there.
If you're going to make a smaller batch of soup, consider using only half the luo han guo. It's quite sweet.
I didn't give a quantity for the watercress because we probably use a lot more than most people since both Will and I like to eat the choi.
I only filled the pot 3/4 full to mitigate the risk of the soup boiling over.
Verdict:
Pretty hard to screw up, so it definitely gets my stamp of approval.
T&T has a soup package for this, but I find that it's not enough flavour, and the price tag puts me off.
More about the fruit at ChinatownConnection and The Chinese Soup Lady
Ingredients (fits an 8L pot):
2 lbs pork bones
1 small luo han guo 羅漢果 , halved
1 tbs apricot kernels 南北杏
1 jumbo carrot, thickly sliced
watercress 西洋菜
Method:
Fill the pot with enough water to cover the bones.
When the water comes to a boil, blanch the bones for 5 minutes.
Drain the water and rinse the bones with water. Quickly scrub the pot to remove residue.
Replace the bones into the pot.
Fill the pot to 3/4 full with water, add the luo han guo, apricot kernels and carrot.
Boil for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat and simmer for at least an hour.
Before serving, add the watercress and bring to a boil.
Add salt as needed.
Comments:
The 2lbs of bones is a guesstimate. We had bones on hand, so I just used it.
It is not necessary to blanch the bones, but it improves the taste and appearance of the soup by removing excess fat, blood and bone shards. Often, crud will float to the top of soups, and you'd want to skim it off. By parboiling, you end up with a clear-looking, clean-tasting soup. Some argue that you lose some of the pork flavour, so it's up to you.
I am not sure how long you need to boil the soup for, but too many raw apricot kernels is potentially toxic. It doesn't matter if you don't eat the kernels, but I do, in large quantities if it happens to be there.
If you're going to make a smaller batch of soup, consider using only half the luo han guo. It's quite sweet.
I didn't give a quantity for the watercress because we probably use a lot more than most people since both Will and I like to eat the choi.
I only filled the pot 3/4 full to mitigate the risk of the soup boiling over.
Verdict:
Pretty hard to screw up, so it definitely gets my stamp of approval.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Coleslaw with Rice Vinegar
I try to have some sort of veggie with every dinner, and coleslaw is often mention with pulled pork, so I went a hunting for recipes. I usually like coleslaw with mayo, but since the amount needed is ridiculously small, it wasn't worth it for me to make a batch. (Neither Will nor I would use it for anything else). Found this recipe here, which has both a mayo and non-mayo version.
Ingredients (6-8 side portions):
0.5 medium head of cabbage, shredded
1 medium green pepper, thinly sliced
1 jumbo carrot, coarsely shredded
2 tbs sugar
0.25 tsp salt
0.25 cups rice vinegar
2 tbs white vinegar
ground pepper
Method:
In a bowl, combine the sugar, salt and vinegars. Adjust to taste. Add water if needed to dissolve the sugar.
In a large bowl, toss veggies together.
Add dressing and toss.
Sprinkle pepper on top.
Cover and chill until serving.
Verdict:
Subtle flavour, which is what I like. Will added copious amounts of white vinegar to his.
Ingredients (6-8 side portions):
0.5 medium head of cabbage, shredded
1 medium green pepper, thinly sliced
1 jumbo carrot, coarsely shredded
2 tbs sugar
0.25 tsp salt
0.25 cups rice vinegar
2 tbs white vinegar
ground pepper
Method:
In a bowl, combine the sugar, salt and vinegars. Adjust to taste. Add water if needed to dissolve the sugar.
In a large bowl, toss veggies together.
Add dressing and toss.
Sprinkle pepper on top.
Cover and chill until serving.
Verdict:
Subtle flavour, which is what I like. Will added copious amounts of white vinegar to his.
Cornbread
I like preparing a meal with a theme in mind, so with pulled pork naturally comes cornbread. I remembered making cornbread in highschool, but I couldn't be bothered to dig out the recipe, which I am certain is somewhere in one of my binders, so again, the internet comes to the rescue! The original is here.
Ingredients:
2 cups cornmeal
0.75 cups flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tbs sugar, or as desired
1.5 cups milk
2 large eggs
0.25 cups butter, melted
Method:
Grease a 9" square baking pan.
Heat oven to 400F (375 if using Pyrex)
In a large bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.
In another bowl, whisk together eggs, milk and butter.
Add wet mixture to dry and stir until blended.
Pour into the pan and bake for 25 mintues.
The toothpick test is your friend.
Comments:
I originally used 1tbs of sugar, and it was definitely not sweet enough, so I changed the recipe to 2.
I did not grease my non-stick pan, but it's probably a good idea to do so.
This was a bit dry, so be careful not to inhale with this in your mouth, or you will end up with crumbs down the wrong pipe.
Verdict:
Not bad. I think I like my cornbread a bit more cakey.
Ingredients:
2 cups cornmeal
0.75 cups flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tbs sugar, or as desired
1.5 cups milk
2 large eggs
0.25 cups butter, melted
Method:
Grease a 9" square baking pan.
Heat oven to 400F (375 if using Pyrex)
In a large bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.
In another bowl, whisk together eggs, milk and butter.
Add wet mixture to dry and stir until blended.
Pour into the pan and bake for 25 mintues.
The toothpick test is your friend.
Comments:
I originally used 1tbs of sugar, and it was definitely not sweet enough, so I changed the recipe to 2.
I did not grease my non-stick pan, but it's probably a good idea to do so.
This was a bit dry, so be careful not to inhale with this in your mouth, or you will end up with crumbs down the wrong pipe.
Verdict:
Not bad. I think I like my cornbread a bit more cakey.
Pulled Pork
I'd been hearing lots of good things about pulled pork, especially how easy it was to make in the slow cooker, so I decided to try it. After looking at various recipes, my lightbulb moment came when I remembered the blog, A Year of Slow Cooking.
Here is her recipe
I made a few changes according to the finicky nature of my crockpot and what I had on hand.
Ingredients (serves 6-10):
4 lbs boneless pork
2 onions, sliced in rings
3 cups ketchup
1 cup warm water
0.5 cups apple vinegar
0.5 cups brown sugar
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp Tabasco sauce
Method:
In a 6-qt crockpot, mix together ketchup, water, vinegar, sugar, tabasco sauce, and Worcestershire in the crockpot. Taste and adjust. Mix in the onions.
Trim meat and place into the crock. Coat it in the sauce.
Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours, until meat shreds easily with a fork.
Comments:
I used the v-slicer to thinly slice the onions.
It turned out really watery, so I put it into the oven uncovered on 350F for about an hour, which was great, because it browned the top a bit, lending more flavour.
Verdict:
Yum! So says Eddie, Michelle and Cindy ^^
Here is her recipe
I made a few changes according to the finicky nature of my crockpot and what I had on hand.
Ingredients (serves 6-10):
4 lbs boneless pork
2 onions, sliced in rings
3 cups ketchup
1 cup warm water
0.5 cups apple vinegar
0.5 cups brown sugar
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp Tabasco sauce
Method:
In a 6-qt crockpot, mix together ketchup, water, vinegar, sugar, tabasco sauce, and Worcestershire in the crockpot. Taste and adjust. Mix in the onions.
Trim meat and place into the crock. Coat it in the sauce.
Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours, until meat shreds easily with a fork.
Comments:
I used the v-slicer to thinly slice the onions.
It turned out really watery, so I put it into the oven uncovered on 350F for about an hour, which was great, because it browned the top a bit, lending more flavour.
Verdict:
Yum! So says Eddie, Michelle and Cindy ^^
Friday, December 4, 2009
Menya (Broadway just East of Cambie)
Finally got a chance to try out this place.
Nice feel to it, and service was prompt and friendly.
To drink, we had the Asahi Black. It had a nutty finish, but was not as full bodied as some of the other stouts. I think I like Asahi Super Dry more.
Will had the tonkotsu miso ramen. As you can see, we're new to this taking pictures of our food; we had already mixed the onions and corn. The soup's richer than I'm used to, and it's decent, but I swear Kintaro is better.
I had the ramen salad. Absolutely delish! The ramen was a thinner variety, and the dressing was like a creamy sesame vinaigrette. There were spring greens, red & yellow pepper, red onions, beets, tomatoes, shredded egg and cucumber.There were also a couple slices of oranges to finish it off. Wow, so good, and look at how colourful and pretty it is! The set comes with 4 gyoza and a mushroom onigri. I really liked the onigiri.
Nice feel to it, and service was prompt and friendly.
To drink, we had the Asahi Black. It had a nutty finish, but was not as full bodied as some of the other stouts. I think I like Asahi Super Dry more.
I had the ramen salad. Absolutely delish! The ramen was a thinner variety, and the dressing was like a creamy sesame vinaigrette. There were spring greens, red & yellow pepper, red onions, beets, tomatoes, shredded egg and cucumber.There were also a couple slices of oranges to finish it off. Wow, so good, and look at how colourful and pretty it is! The set comes with 4 gyoza and a mushroom onigri. I really liked the onigiri.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Honey Dijon Salmon
I took a look into the freezer last night and realised we had a filet of salmon from some time ago. Not wanting a repeat of the freezer-burned beef, I decided to make this super simple dish. It also helped that we had about SIX POUNDS of potatoes from the stew venture a couple weeks ago.
Ingredients:
1 part honey
1 part Dijon mustard with seeds
about 1 tsp lemon juice per 100mL of sauce
salmon
pepper
Method:
Preheat oven 325F
Mix honey, mustard and lemon juice together.
Place salmon in a baking pan or dish.
Cover with sauce.
Season with pepper.
Bake for 20 minutes until salmon flakes off with a fork.
Comments:
It is not necessary to have the mustard seeds. I just prefer it.
I used a shallow pan with aluminum foil last time because it was to serve 6 or 8, and it was hard to conserve the sauce. This time, I used a pyrex dish (the same one used for the tiramisu), and it worked well.
Verdict!
So easy, yet quite good! Great for a mid-week dinner (though the potatoes took a bit of work). With rice, it's one of the laziest dinners, without resorting to instant stuff ^^
Ingredients:
1 part honey
1 part Dijon mustard with seeds
about 1 tsp lemon juice per 100mL of sauce
salmon
pepper
Method:
Preheat oven 325F
Mix honey, mustard and lemon juice together.
Place salmon in a baking pan or dish.
Cover with sauce.
Season with pepper.
Bake for 20 minutes until salmon flakes off with a fork.
Comments:
It is not necessary to have the mustard seeds. I just prefer it.
I used a shallow pan with aluminum foil last time because it was to serve 6 or 8, and it was hard to conserve the sauce. This time, I used a pyrex dish (the same one used for the tiramisu), and it worked well.
Verdict!
So easy, yet quite good! Great for a mid-week dinner (though the potatoes took a bit of work). With rice, it's one of the laziest dinners, without resorting to instant stuff ^^
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Lemon Curd in Shortbread Tarts
I am taking a break from work-related stuff. (Really, there is only so much I can prep without knowing what, exactly, to prep for)
Not the best picture, but this was before I decided to blog.
Ingredients (18 mini tarts):
Tart Shells:
0.5 cups unsalted butter, softened
0.25 cups sifted confectioner's sugar
0.5 tsp vanilla
0.75 cups sifted flour
1 tbs cornstarch or rice flour
pinch of salt (~1/16 tsp)
Lemon Curd:
3 large eggs
0.75 cups sugar
0.33 cups fresh lemon juice (from 2-3 lemons)
4 tbs unsalted butter, softened and cut into pieces
1 tbs finely shredded lemon zest
Method:
Tart Shells:
Cream butter and sugar together.
Beat in vanilla.
Add flour, cornstarch and salt.
Mix until just incorporated and knead until dough forms.
Divide dough into 18 pieces and roll into balls.
Place one ball in each muffin tin.
Press the dough up the sides to form the shell.
Place in the freezer for 10 minutes until shortbread becomes firm.
Preheat the oven to 325F, middle rack.
Bake 18-20 minutes, until lightly browned. About halfway through the bake time, check to see if the dough has puffed. If so, prick with a fork to release the air, and press the dough back into the tin. Check again in 5 minutes and press again if necessary.
Let cool, then carefully remove the shells from the tin. Store until ready for serving.
Lemon Curd:
In a double boiler, or a stainless steel bowl place over a saucepan of simmering water, whisk together eggs, sugar and lemon juice until blended.
Cook, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens to the consistency of sour cream or hollandaise. ~10 minutes.
Remove from heat and pour through a fine strainer to remove lumps.
Whisk butter into mixture.
Add lemon zest.
Cover immediately so skin does not form and let cool.
Can be refridgerated for up to a week.
Just before serving, fill each shell with lemon curd.
Comments:
The addition of the rice flour or cornstarch will make a more delicate shortbread.
Sifting the flour prior to measuring helps to ensure that there will be enough butter to hold the tarts together.
You could make larger tarts, but I find that the ratio of filling to shell is too big in larger tarts.
The lemon zest and juice should be fresh. RealLemon is just plain wrong. (Besides, you need lemons for the zest.)
I have yet to find an energy efficient way to make the tart shells, since my muffin tin only makes 12 at a time. The site that I found the recipe from said that you could freeze them for later use, but I have yet to try it.
Verdict:
SO GOOD!
Not the best picture, but this was before I decided to blog.
Ingredients (18 mini tarts):
Tart Shells:
0.5 cups unsalted butter, softened
0.25 cups sifted confectioner's sugar
0.5 tsp vanilla
0.75 cups sifted flour
1 tbs cornstarch or rice flour
pinch of salt (~1/16 tsp)
Lemon Curd:
3 large eggs
0.75 cups sugar
0.33 cups fresh lemon juice (from 2-3 lemons)
4 tbs unsalted butter, softened and cut into pieces
1 tbs finely shredded lemon zest
Method:
Tart Shells:
Cream butter and sugar together.
Beat in vanilla.
Add flour, cornstarch and salt.
Mix until just incorporated and knead until dough forms.
Divide dough into 18 pieces and roll into balls.
Place one ball in each muffin tin.
Press the dough up the sides to form the shell.
Place in the freezer for 10 minutes until shortbread becomes firm.
Preheat the oven to 325F, middle rack.
Bake 18-20 minutes, until lightly browned. About halfway through the bake time, check to see if the dough has puffed. If so, prick with a fork to release the air, and press the dough back into the tin. Check again in 5 minutes and press again if necessary.
Let cool, then carefully remove the shells from the tin. Store until ready for serving.
Lemon Curd:
In a double boiler, or a stainless steel bowl place over a saucepan of simmering water, whisk together eggs, sugar and lemon juice until blended.
Cook, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens to the consistency of sour cream or hollandaise. ~10 minutes.
Remove from heat and pour through a fine strainer to remove lumps.
Whisk butter into mixture.
Add lemon zest.
Cover immediately so skin does not form and let cool.
Can be refridgerated for up to a week.
Just before serving, fill each shell with lemon curd.
Comments:
The addition of the rice flour or cornstarch will make a more delicate shortbread.
Sifting the flour prior to measuring helps to ensure that there will be enough butter to hold the tarts together.
You could make larger tarts, but I find that the ratio of filling to shell is too big in larger tarts.
The lemon zest and juice should be fresh. RealLemon is just plain wrong. (Besides, you need lemons for the zest.)
I have yet to find an energy efficient way to make the tart shells, since my muffin tin only makes 12 at a time. The site that I found the recipe from said that you could freeze them for later use, but I have yet to try it.
Verdict:
SO GOOD!
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