Vietnamese Grilled Beef

I have to say that when it comes to grilled meat, nothing beats the flavours of Southeast Asia. Since my mother is terrible with recipes and explaining things to me in general, I had to turn to the net and found this.

Ingredients (all measurements approximate):
2 lbs sirloin tip, partially frozen for easier slicing.
2 stalks green onions, minced/thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbs sugar
3 tbs fish sauce


Method:
Slice the beef against the grain, about 2mm thickness if you can manage. 5mm is probably more realistic.
Using a meat pounder, pound meat to thin and tenderize it. Be careful not to beat it to the point that it breaks apart.
In a bowl, mix together onions, garlic, sugar and fish sauce.
Eyeball the sauce with the amount of meat to ensure you have enough sauce to coat the meat slices. Adjust accordingly.
Coat each slice of meat in sauce and place in a bowl. If you have extra sauce, pour it in.
Cover and let stand for 30 minutes at room temperature.
If using wooden skewers, soak about 12 long ones in water for 30 minutes, to prevent burning.
Thread meat onto skewers and grill until cooked (~8 minutes), turning once.
Serve with vermicelli/rice.



Comments:
The recipe that I saw had oil brushed on the meat. We didn't, because that would've kicked up flames and caused excess charring. If that's your thing, then by all means.

Cutting against the grain helps for easier chewing, since the meat is more likely to come apart. Super important if you don't want to look like a cow, or choke on meat that won't sever.

Be careful not to overload the skewers. Folding makes it difficult to cook the meat evenly.

Holy F! The skewers were hot!

The picture's crummy. I took it as I was putting away leftovers.



Verdict:
Thumbs up!

Mango Cheesecake

I was debating what to make for dessert for Vietnamese/ a friend's birthday gathering, and decided to go with cheesecake. With frozen mango chunks sitting in my freezer and taking up precious space (we've got many pounds of raw dog food in there for Chester), the internet came to my rescue for this fairly simple, if time-consuming recipe.

This needs to be made a day in advance, and it takes a good three hours from start to putting it in the fridge. I made the mistake of starting at at 10, and didn't get to bed till 1.


Ingredients:
Crust:
1.5 cups honey graham cracker crumbs
6 tbs unsalted butter


Filling:
2 cups mango puree
3 (8oz) packages cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 large eggs


Serve with whipped cream and mango puree.



Method:
Crust:
Preheat oven to 325F.
Lightly butter a 9-inch springform pan with at least 2.75" high sides.
Stir crumbs with melted butter until evenly moistened.
Press mixture onto bottom of pan.
Bake until crust is set, about 12 minutes.
Turn off oven.
Remove from oven and cool completely.


Filling:
Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla in a large bowls until smooth.
Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.
Add the mango puree and beat until well blended.
Pour into pan, over crust.

Bake at 325F for about 1h 25 minutes, until set and puffed and golden around edges (centre will move slightly when gently shaken.
Cool 1 hour.
Refridgerate uncovered overnight.
Run a small toothpick or skewer between caked and side of pan to loosen and remove pan.
Serve with whipped cream and more mango puree and enjoy!



Comments:
The flavour of the cake is quite subtle, and the mango will cause it to have a grainier texture.

Make sure the cream cheese is soft, or it will fly everywhere when you turn on the beater.
Since I used frozen mangoes, I had to add liquid to get the blender going to puree the fruit. I used mango juice/nectar, and that kept the mango taste from diluting.

I whipped cream with some hazelnut syrup, and it was a hit.

Graham crackers will crumble very easily in a ziploc bac and rolled with a rolling pin. I tried to crumble in my magic bullet, and it turned into a very fine powder (probably not advisable).

I am terrible at remembering to take photos. Gomen!



Verdict:
It's a keeper! (Just make sure you have company; it's a lot)

Apple Custard Pie

We have 3 apples here, and I was going to make an apple pie, but all the recipes I've looked at called for double the amount, plus I only had one pie crust in the freezer. I figured there's a reason for apple pies to have a top, and came across this tart recipe instead. It looked promising, and after reading the directions on the back of the box for the pie crust, I simplified the recipe.

Ingredients:
1 pie crust

Custard:
1/4 cup flour
1/3 cup sugar
2 large eggs
3/4 cup half and half cream (10-14% fat)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbs apple brandy (optional)

Apples:
1.5 lbs apples (any firm textured apples will do)
1-4 tbs sugar
2 tbs unsalted butter

Cinnamon Sugar:
Whisk together 1 tbs sugar with 1 tsp cinnamon



Method:
Custard:
In a bowl, whisk flour and sugar together.
Mix in eggs and stir to make a smooth paste.
Do not let this mixture sit too long, as it will form a crust.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium heat, heat the cream until it just starts to boil and foams.
Remove from heat and gradually whisk into the egg mixture, stirring constantly.
Whisk in vanilla and apple brandy, if using.
Set aside while you prepare the apples.


Apples:
Peel, core and slice into 1/4 inch thick slices (5mm).
Melt 2 tbs butter in a large skillet over medium heat and stir in the sugar.
Add apples and saute until they begin to soften (~5-10 min).
Set aside.


Assemble Tart:
Preheat oven to 350F, middle rack.
Place tart on a baking sheet.
Arrange the apple wedges in circles into the shell (it's easier to start from the outer ring).
Pour the custard over the apples. You might have some leftover.
Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, until custard has set.


Comments:
I cut out a few steps from the original recipe. Partially because I wasn't using a tart shell, and so sogginess is not a big deal. Also, after taking out the pie, I looked at it and decided I didn't really need to create a browned/caramelized top.

Confession: I only arranged the top outer edge nicely. The bottom layer of apples was just poured in.


Verdict:
It smells good! Will update when it's cooled.

Lemon Bars

Cindy's mentioned on a few occasions that she'd be interested in a lemon squares recipe. (I love the ones from Blenz). The last time I attempted to make them, it turned out to be more like lemon cheesecake; good, but didn't quite hit the spot.

I came across this recipe, again from seasaltwithfood (she's totally awesome, by the way. I love that she's from Vancouver, and so you know we can get all the required ingredients).

Ingredients:
Shortbread crust:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup confectioner's sugar
1 cup flour
1/8 tsp salt


Lemon Filling
3/4 cup sugar (Use 1 cup if you like it more sweet than tart)
2 large eggs
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (~ 2 lemons)
1 tbs lemon zest
2 tbs flour



Method:
Preheat oven to 350F. Center rack.
Grease a 8x8 inch pan

Crust:
With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Mix in flour and salt and beat until the dough just comes together.
Press on the bottom of the pan and bake for 18-20 minutes, or until lightly brown.
Remove from oven and cool on a rack while you make the filling.


Filling:
With an electric mixer, beat sugar and eggs until smooth.
Add lemon juice and zest and stir to combine.
Fold in flour.
Pour filling over the crust and bake for 20 minutes, or until filling has set.
Cool on a rack.


Cut into squares and dust with confectioner's sugar.
Best eaten on the same day and can be covered and stored in the fridge for 2 days.



Comments:
So the picture tells that this didn't quite go the way it was supposed to, and I am pretty sure I know exactly why.

First the dough. Mine was super crumbly. I stopped mixing when it started to look like cheese curds (which is when you usually stop cutting butter into the flour in a hand-mix recipe). I should've then kneaded the dough into a ball and then pressed it into the pan. Instead, I just poured the dough bits into the pan and pressed.

Then, I didn't actually measure the lemon juice. I think there might've been slightly more than 1/3 cup. Which meant that I should've compensated by adding more flour.

Now, I don't know if this is the way it's supposed to be, but I didn't know how to fold in the flour to the filling, so I just mixed it in with the electric mixer. The top of the baked product was like a cake skin.

Totally irrelevant, but Will was able to list off all the ingredients. I am suitably impressed.

Verdict:
Easy, and yummy ^^

Moussaka

I absolutely love this dish, and will almost always order it at a Greek restaurant (kinda predictable that way). With the Killarney crew coming over, and Will otherwise engaged, I can make dishes to my heart's conent. (He doesn't like eggplant. Tragic, I know).

Anyhoo. How convenient that I'd recently gotten a new pyrex dish: 9x13, that was absolutely perfect for my last batch of lasagne ^^. I got this recipe here, and made a couple of changes. Hopefully, it'll still be ok.



Ingredients:
~1 lb potatoes
~ 4lbs eggplant
4 slices of bread, processed into crumbs
8 egg whites

4 cups ground beef
2 onions, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup red wine
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 can (14 oz) crushed tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste

1 cup grated cheese


Bechamel Sauce:
1 cup salted butter
1 cup flour
4 cups milk, warmed
8 egg yolks, lightly beaten
1 tsp cinnamon



Method:
Peel and boil the potatoes until they are just done. Drain, let cool in the pot and slice into 5mm thickness.

Peel the eggplants so there are alternating strips of peel left on them. Slice to 5mm thickness. (I just used the thick slice insert of the v-slicer)

Preheat oven to 400F.
Line baking sheet with foil and lightly grease.
Add a splash of water to egg whites and lightly beat with a fork.
Dip eggplant slices in the egg whites, then coat with bread crumbs.
Bake in batches for 15 minutes on each side.
Remove from oven and lower temperature to 350F.


Meat Sauce:
In a large pot or pan, brown the beef.
Add onion and saute until translucent.
Add garlic and cook until fragrant.
Add wine and allow it to simmer and reduce a bit.
Add cinnamon and crushed tomatoes.
Simmer uncovered to reduce. (~15 minutes) to a thick sauce. 
Season to taste with salt and pepper.


Bechamel Sauce:
In a double boiler, or metal bowl over simmering water, melt butter. Add salt if using unsalted butter to taste.
Using a whisk, add flour, whisking continuously to make a smooth paste. Cook for a minute, but do not brown.
Add warmed milk in a steady stream, whisking continuously.
Simmer until it thickens a bit, but does not boil.
Remove from heat and stir in beaten egg yolks and pinch of nutmeg.
Return to heat and stir until sauce thickens.


Assemble moussaka:
Lightly grease a baking pan. (I used a 9x13 and a 8x8). Layer like so:
- potatoes
- eggplant
- meat sauce, reamaining egg whites
- cheese
- eggplant

Pour bechamel sauce over the eggplant.

Bake at 350F for 45 minutes or until bechamel is golden brown.
Cool for 15-20 minutes before slicing and serving.


Comments:
You can make this ahead of time and refridgerate. Just make the bechamel sauce when you're about to bake it.

Make sure the cinnamon you have is fragrant. I personally think the cinnamon makes the dish, so use more if the cinnamon is not coming through.

We had red wine on hand (a leftover bottle of a mix that wasn't very good for drinking), but if you don't have it, I don't think it'd be a huge deal; just make sure to add some sugar. Wine generally helps to bring out flavours and make it fuller bodied.

The original recipe just called for the bechamel sauce to be heated over low heat. I went with double boiler to be safe, as it is more forgiving of momentary lapses.


Verdict:
Good, if I do say so myself ^^

Chocolate Pudding

I can't remember where I got this recipe from, but I really botched it up the first time. It was too sweet and runny. However, I've been craving pudding, so no time like my currently unemployed present to tweak it to my liking.


Ingredients:
1/4 cup sugar (less than the original recipe, but I still think it could be cut down to 2 tbs)
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/8 tsp salt
2.5 cups whole milk (I used milk powder (1/2 cup + 3 tbs) mixed with 2.5 cups water)
1.5 cups chopped chocolate (I used just under 2 cups of semi-sweet baking wafers)
1 tsp vanilla


Method:
In a double boiler, (I used a metal bowl set atop a pot with an inch of simmering water), combine sugar, cornstarch and salt.
Slowly add in milk. (I just made sure to stir while pouring it in, impatience and all that)
Heat until the mixture thickens to the consistency of condensed milk, or stirred yogurt (10-20 minutes). Whisk occasionally at the beginning, and almost constantly near the end to prevent lumps.
Remove from heat and stir in chocolate. Stir in vanilla and mix thoroughly.
Pour through a seive to remove lumps.
Cover and chill. If you don't want a skin forming on top, cover with saran wrap touching the pudding.
Enjoy!



Comments:
The last time I did this, I don't think I heated the milk long enough, and so it was totally runny.

I had also followed the recipe in terms of sugar, forgetting that I was using milk chocolate, and therefore was way too sweet. Even with the quick taste test just now, it seemed on the sweet side. However, it might seem so because it's warm; it might be just right once it's chilled.

The use of powdered milk is because I have some leftover from a while back, when I made gulab jamun (not posted here). I figured milk, no matter what form, probably has a limited shelf life, so I used it.

I don't have ramekins, and even if I did, I don't think I would've used them, since I likely wouldn't have covers. (I don't like to use disposable things if I don't have to) I can appreciate that it'd probably be more aesthetically pleasing, though.

If you have bar stools, I suggest pulling one up to the stove while you wait for the mixture to thicken =P


Verdict:
Lovely texture, but still too sweet. No pictures, as it really isn't that pretty =P

Strawberry Cream Cake

I took this shamelessly from seasaltwithfood. Her blog is seriously amazing, with gorgeous pictures.

So, with my cousins coming over for a bbq, and having had requests for dessert (tiramisu went over really well the last time they were here), I thought I'd challenge myself to make cake. Bear in mind that I've never really mastered the art of baking, especially not with something that requires delicate moisture balance, like cakes. My back up plan was fondue, where all I had to do was cut up some fruit, and melt some chocolate.

Anyways,

Ingredients:
Cake:
1.25 cups flour
1.5 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
5 large eggs, separated
1 cup sugar
5 tbsp boiling water
1.5 tsp vanilla extract
grated zest of 2 lemons


Filling:
2 cups strawberries, thinly sliced (I actually used 2 boxes of strawberries, picking out the most pretty for the top and slicing the rest.)
1 tsp lemon juice
4-6 tbsp sugar
2 cups creme fraiche
2/3 cup whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla extract


Strawberries for garnish
Confectioners' sugar for dusting


Method:
Line the bottom of a 9-inch spring form pan with parchment paper.

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

With a whisk attachment of an electric mixer, whip egg whites on medium-low speed until frothy. Increase speed to medium-high and whip until thick and smooth. The mixture should not look dry.

Preheat oven to 350 F (180C).

In another bowl, whip egg yolks and sugar on high until thick. The mixture will be grainy. Reduce speed to medium-low and add boiling water. Turn off mixer, scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl and increase speed to high and whisk until thick, like a batter/milkshake.

Stir in vanill extract and lemon zest. Stir in dry ingredients.

Fold the egg whites into the batter, half at a time.

Gently spread the batter in the pan. Bake about 25 minutes, until a wooden skewer inserted into the centre of the cake somes out clean.

Remove from oven and let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Invert the cake, remove the base of the pan and peel off the parchment. Let cool completely. If serving the next day, stop here.

Prior to serving, cut the cake into 3 horizontal layers, using a serrated knife.

Filling:
Place the sliced strawberries in a bowl. Stir in lemon juice and 2 tbsp sugar. Add sugar to taste.

Using a mixer with the whisk attachment, combine creme fraiche, cream, vanilla and 2 tbsp sugar. Whip on medium-high until soft peaks form and the cream holds its shape.

Place 1 cake layer on a cake stand or serving plate. Arrange 1/2 of the strawberries and juice over the cake. Spread 1/3 cream over the berries. Repeat the layering process: cake, berries, cream. The top layer will have cake and cream only.

Dust the top of the cake with confectioners' sugar and garnish with berries cut in half. Cut the cake with a serrated knife.



Comments:
Have I mentioned that I'm not much of a baker? I find what happens is that I don't really understand the instructions. Here are the various places where I think I might've gotten it wrong.

I really shouldn't've whipped the egg whites first. The rationale was that I would have a clean whisk. Creating a meringue-type thing is hard if yolks get into the mix. The problem was that there was so much time between beating the egg whites and folding them in that it had started to collapse. My resulting cake was rather flat. This is supposed to be thick enough to cut into 4 layers; I only managed 3.

The next thing is that I really wasn't sure at what point the mixtures were thick enough. There is no benchmark.

Then, I wasn't sure if I was supposed to stir in the dry ingredients by hand or machine. I went with machine, and I think I might've overdone it, again, resulting in the increased density. AND it was messy. Flour was flying.

I did not have all the ingredients pre-measured and ready to add in at a moment's notice. (I'd actually grated the zest directly into the bowl of batter). I can't remember if it's baking soda or baking powder that requires it to be cooked soon in order for the leavening to happen. If it's baking powder, well, the extra wait time whilst I grated really didn't help make a fluffy cake.

I have a glass-bottomed pan, so 25 minutes was adequate bake time (possibly even too much). Regular metal pans could probably use an extra 5 minutes.



Verdict:
None yet, as we have not yet eaten. But it looks good ^^

Hash Brown

I'd never really thought to make this, but have always loved it. Potatoes are totally awesome! Will's made hash brown before, so I left it up to him.


Ingredients:
Potatoes, about 1-1.5 per serving.
Seasonings to taste.


Method:
Boil potatoes until just barely cooked.
Drain, let cool completely and peel.
Coarsely grate and pan fry.
Enjoy with condiments!


Comments:
Using a non-stick pan is not so good, because you don't get the super heat transfer that allows the outside to crisp. So, just use a regular pan with some oil. I am almost certain that a wok would be awesome for this.

We didn't have spring onions, but I think lightly frying some up with the potatoes would add loads of flavour, too.

The pictures turned out really crummy, so sorry!


Verdict:
Easy peasy and yum! I love breakfast for dinner ^^

Yogurt Potato Salad

We were having a couple friends over for bbq, and Will suggested potato salad as our carbs. I've had more than my share of store-bought stuff (2 or 4 times this season--yelch), and so off I went to find a recipe. There's a totally awesome sounding dijon potato salad (LOVE dijon mustard), but it required mayo. Since my bamix broke, and neither of us use mayo, I decided to try yogurt instead of buying mayo and letting the rest of it go to waste. It's not earth-shattering or anything; lots of people use yogurt when a recipe calls for a creamy smooth texture.



Ingredients:
3 lbs potatoes, peeled (Yukon or red would work better than russet)
1.5 cups plain yougurt
Fresh dill, chopped
1 cucumber, diced
1 small red onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, diced
3 tbs dijon mustard
sugar to taste
salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste


Method:
In a large bowl, combine all ingredient except the potatoes.

Put potatoes in a pot and cover with water by 1 inch. Bring to a boil and cook just until tender when pierced with a fork, about 25 minutes.

Drain and leave in warm pot, uncovered. Letting cool in the warm pot helps get rid of excess water.

When cool, cut into 1-inch cubes and mix into dressing.

Enjoy!


Comments:
The orginal recipe said that refridgeration causes the potatoes to lose some of their creamy texture, so you might want to plan it so that you make this only a couple hours before serving. I'm sure it'll still be good, but I love potatoes, so that might be a biased opinion.

I honestly don't know what the proportions should be, since I took a portion of potatoes from a large bag.

The onion we had was way too young. It was super sharp, and I actually picked out the pieces. I think the onion could be optional, or it might be a good idea to soak them in a bit of vinegar or something to take the edge out. It was also a large amount of onion to potato.


Verdict:
Ok. I'd probably like it a lot more without the onion. I loved the cucumber-yougurt-dill, and probably could've happily eaten a cucumber salad.

Fire up the barbie!

Many thanks to Cindy for her brother's cast-off barbie grill. It works, and we're ready for the end of summer!

You guys can expect an invite sometime after the PNE ends ^^

Today we had rib eye, which was on sale, with some hickory sauce. YUM! Beats pan frying anyday.