tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16169018829428273752024-02-20T00:07:29.636-08:00culinarymeJohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935071351212259032noreply@blogger.comBlogger200125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1616901882942827375.post-35925997267421865002013-05-15T11:41:00.000-07:002013-05-15T11:43:11.318-07:00culinaryme: a cookbook<a href="http://www.blurb.com/b/4311762-culinaryme-a-cookbook"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8742237322/" title="cover by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7282/8742237322_2092a553ab.jpg" width="500" height="415" alt="cover"></a></a>
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It's been three months of hard work - writing down recipes, grouping recipes by shared ingredients, grocery shopping, measuring, cooking, plating, photographing, editing, with repeated steps sometimes.
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And finally, after a text formatting nightmare with the ebook, I have finally completed my cookbook. It is available in <a href="http://www.blurb.com/b/4311762-culinaryme-a-cookbook">hardcover</a>, <a href="http://www.blurb.com/b/4311762-culinaryme-a-cookbook">softcover</a> and in <a href="http://store.blurb.com/ebooks/388550-culinaryme-a-cookbook">ebook</a> format. I have copies of each, so I can honestly say that everything turned out well. The photos are pretty, the text is clear, and a friend paid me a great compliment by saying simply that she could see herself making a lot of the recipes in the book.
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The sections are named after the different sections/classes I took at school - Cafeteria, PCR, Latin Quarter (which I renamed Asian Quarter to feature some of the things I ate growing up), Advanced Baking & Pastry, and Garde Manger. Some of the recipes have already been posted on the blog, but they were selected for being the best of what I've made.
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<a href="http://www.blurb.com/books/4311762-culinaryme-a-cookbook">This link</a> has a preview of the book, so you can see what some of the pages look like.
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I know that for a cookbook, it's a little bit pricey, but that's because the books you order are printed individually and not as part of a bulk order. If I ordered a thousand copies and sold them, it'd be cheaper and I could probably stand to profit, but then I'd have a physical inventory to contend with. So I choosing not to profit and just to offer them at Blurb prices.
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To cushion the blow, I'm offering anyone who buys a book the option of getting the <a href="http://store.blurb.com/ebooks/388550-culinaryme-a-cookbook">ebook</a> for free! Just let me know that you've purchased one by dropping me a comment.
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Thank you for having followed me in my culinary school journey, the book is really dedicated to you all.
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As for next steps... I am moving (back) to New York for a full-time job. It's not cooking related, but hunger related, so you know I will still be involved in food. If I cook anything of note, I will still include it here. But for now, good bye and good luck!Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935071351212259032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1616901882942827375.post-51707193042470442802013-04-21T09:46:00.000-07:002013-04-21T09:51:26.171-07:00boba cakeMy sister Jenny came up from Southern California for spring break. It was a drop-in visit, so I scrambled to make a cake since I wouldn't be seeing her for her birthday.
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Since she loves pearl milk tea (known as boba in SoCal), I decided to make her a cake that looked like the drink.
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First I started with Betty Crocker boxed yellow cake mix. Yes, it was given to me, and no, don't judge.
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So despite it being boxed cake mix, I applied learned techniques to make it. First, have the eggs at room temperature and whip them in the kitchenaid mixer. Eggs will beat fluffier if at room temperature (you can cheat by microwaving them for <i>about ten seconds</i>). While it's mixing I sift the dry mixture so it is airy and lump-free. Then I alternate pouring the dry mix and the wet mix (water and oil) into the mixer until everything is just incorporated. Then it goes into lightly-oiled round pans and straight into the oven.
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Once the cake rounds were baked I allowed the pan to cool, then took the rounds out by running a knife around the edge. Since I don't have a cooling rack, I just inverted the rounds onto an upside-down muffin tin.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8665851729/" title="cake rounds by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8256/8665851729_dcc6ec1b82.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="cake rounds"></a>
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When the cake rounds cooled to room temperature, I leveled them and punched different sizes rounds out of them using metal cutters.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8666953376/" title="cake rounds stacked by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8264/8666953376_eda0922ca5.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="cake rounds stacked"></a>
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These were stacked one on top of the other, from smallest to largest. The bottom round was anchored to the plate with the help of some melted chocolate (chocolate chips in the microwave in 15 second intervals, stirred in between). Then the other rounds were anchored with the help of a boba straw.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8665852203/" title="cake frosted by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8257/8665852203_b23c2eae48.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="cake frosted"></a>
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Two 8" cake rounds were enough to make two boba cake "towers". I frosted them with apricot whipped cream. Usually I put fruit between cake layers, but it would have compromised stability in this case, so I put it in the whipped cream instead (basically canned apricot pureed and mixed into whipped cream). The only unfortunate part was that it made the whipped cream less smooth and spreadable.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8665852263/" title="cake decorated by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8253/8665852263_d8e4e82f78.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="cake decorated"></a>
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The last-minute addition was of boba pearls. You can cook your own, which I tried, but it took more time than I had so the pearls were too hard. So I ended up using pearls plucked out of a boba drink. Unfortunately they were really slippery and wouldn't stay "glued" to the towers. If I had more time, I would have cut the pearls in half - think that would have made them stick a lot better.
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The good thing is, we were able to surprise Jenny with the cake, so that allowed the cake's flaws to be overlooked a bit. When in doubt about your creation, surprise the recipient with it! I'm only half-kidding. She liked it a lot though.Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935071351212259032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1616901882942827375.post-55499663005539519312013-04-21T09:27:00.000-07:002013-04-21T09:27:23.706-07:00spiced potato wedgesThese are kind of similar to the semi-homemade <a href="http://culinaryme.blogspot.com/2013/02/garlic-parmesan-parsley-fries.html">garlic parmesan parsley fries</a> from awhile back, except these are entirely homemade and cheaper.
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First, start with 2 or 3 potatoes. Scrub them well and cut them in half lengthwise, then into wedges.
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Then, toss them with oil and spices - I used my standard italian herbs, garlic powder, cayenne, salt & pepper. In terms of quantity, it's just enough so that every wedge gets some on both sides. You can put all the ingredients into a bowl and just toss.
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Then I laid them on a oiled sheet tray and into the 350F oven for maybe 10 minutes on each side.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8666953980/" title="potato wedges by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8255/8666953980_71bc094f13.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="potato wedges"></a>
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After they're nicely golden and almost brown, I slide them onto a plate and sprinkle parmesan cheese, then put the plate back into the turned-off-but-still-warm oven for a minute so the cheese melts.
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On top I sprinkled scallions, which is what I had at the time, but you can use any herb garnish. And then for dipping I had my favorite ranch and sriracha-spiked ketchup. Addicting.Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935071351212259032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1616901882942827375.post-87430093700929659182013-03-06T12:59:00.003-08:002013-03-09T18:09:22.348-08:00rice soggies krispiesSo in the month that I didn't blog, I mentioned trying things out and not having them work out. Rice krispies was one of those things.
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Even though I'd never made them before I assumed I could, like other things, just make them. Well I was wrong. Apparently mastering the finer points of pastry does not exempt one from krispie fail.
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In rice krispie attempt #1, I browned butter and added nutella to the mix and then topped it all with smoked almonds and chocolate syrup. I wanted the syrup to harden so I put the pan in the fridge, which I thought must have been a mistake, because the rice krispies became rice soggies (or just softies).
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So then in rice krispie attempt #2 I made sure to keep the pan far away from the fridge. The kripies were crispy for like 10 triumphant seconds (okay maybe minutes) but eventually became soggy. Another fail.
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I was beginning to feel like I couldn't make anything when I decided to forgo the whole making-my-own-homemade-marshamallow part and just <i>succumbing</i> to KRAFT jet-puffed marshmallows.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8530709222/" title="browned butter + marshmallows by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8516/8530709222_8dd343cd6d.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="browned butter + marshmallows"></a>
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So I browned 2 tablespoons of butter and melted 26 marshmallows into it. Stirred with a silicone spatula until the marshmallows were fully melted.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8529597325/" title="melted marshallow + rice krispies by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8249/8529597325_06d6153d27.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="melted marshallow + rice krispies"></a>
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Then I poured the mixture into 4 cups of rice krispie cereal (with some dried cranberries and almonds thrown in for kicks).
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8530711048/" title="marshmallow pull by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8377/8530711048_a49ca19f62.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="marshmallow pull"></a>
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And lo and behold, something about the manufactured corn syrup-ness of it all meant that the marshmallow mixture didn't seep into the cereal but simply adhered to the cereal like spider silk. Crazy. Took an hour or so to set and stop being like pulling taffy.
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And a day later, it still tastes great. Makes you wonder...Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935071351212259032noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1616901882942827375.post-20822717316954104702013-03-06T12:46:00.003-08:002013-03-06T12:46:41.766-08:00loaded baked potato<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8530706972/" title="baked potato by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8090/8530706972_c6a2c0fe8b.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="baked potato"></a>
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Oftentimes I get hungry right before bed, which is always a dilemma because they say you shouldn't eat before you go to sleep and yet an empty stomach keeps me up.
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So to preempt the problem I had a late night (but not too late night) snack of a baked potato. It was wrapped in aluminum foil and placed in the oven while I baked other things, for about an hour.
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The texture was very smooth, almost like it was boiled. I guess since it was wrapped in foil it was actually steamed.
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I topped it with creme fraiche, parsley, salt and pepper, cayenne, and some gherkins/cornichons on the side. Could always do cheese or bacon bits! With toppings it's like the more the merrier :)Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935071351212259032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1616901882942827375.post-12424021775793907472013-02-27T22:22:00.002-08:002013-02-27T22:22:38.932-08:00farro salad soup<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8515380256/" title="farro salad soup by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8506/8515380256_2142610e4d.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="farro salad soup"></a>
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Today I came home from class craving soup.
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No soup in the fridge. No soup in the freezer. No soup in cans. No cup of noodles even, it was at work.
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What to do??? In situations like these I tend to pace about from pantry to fridge, fridge to pantry, in hope for some vain substitute. It rarely ever works.
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Cris had brought over some <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farro">farro</a> salad he made earlier today. I'm not sure if I've ever eaten farro (it's like twins with barley, and I guess I've eaten that). Anyway. It was sitting in my fridge. I stared at it, willing it to be soup.
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Then I thought - why not <i>turn it</i> into soup???
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I couldn't even wait to thaw out some turkey stock from the fridge. I took some water, spooned some <a href="http://www.superiortouch.com/retail/products/better-than-bouillon/premium-bases/31/chicken-base">chicken base</a> into it, dumped the farro salad in (farro, lamb, olives, carrots, cucumber, apple), then brought the mixture to a boil. While it simmered, I drizzled a little cornstarch slurry to thicken. A few minutes later I poured it into a bowl, dropped in some parsley leaves, and <i>I had soup</i>.
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There's nothing like satisfying a craving.Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935071351212259032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1616901882942827375.post-67254261193560512462013-02-27T21:32:00.004-08:002013-02-27T21:32:47.266-08:00turkey pattiesSince I mentioned turkey burgers in my previous <a href="http://culinaryme.blogspot.com/2013/02/cooking-matters.html">Cooking Matters</a> post, I had to make them for y'all.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8515278948/" title="turkey patty ingredients by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8519/8515278948_f9c24af1ec.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="turkey patty ingredients"></a>
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Started with 1.25 lb of ground turkey, 1 egg white, 1/4 cup of breadcrumbs, 1/4 cup of chopped parsley, 1/4 cup of finely diced onion, a couple cloves of minced garlic, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8515279268/" title="turkey patties formed by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8238/8515279268_0b16b0e83b.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="turkey patties formed"></a>
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Mixed everything by hand and formed little palm-sized patties.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8515279532/" title="turkey patties seared by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8233/8515279532_397a8cb621.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="turkey patties seared"></a>
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In a hot pan with oil, I laid the patties down. Flipped them over once they browned. Then covered the pan with a lid so the insides would cook. A few minutes later they were done! (The egg whites help in this case because you'll see the little cooked bits starting to seep out.)
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8514165753/" title="turkey patties by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8234/8514165753_bd16dc8b74.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="turkey patties"></a>
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And behold, one of the best food photos I've taken as of late.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8515280058/" title="turkey patties & quinoa by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8225/8515280058_209d9339bd.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="turkey patties & quinoa"></a>
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I ate the patties atop some quinoa pilaf (dried cranberries, feta cheese, crushed almonds, minced parsley and orange zest). The patties are just the right amount of meaty. I think ground turkey might just become my protein of choice!Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935071351212259032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1616901882942827375.post-745091530930348622013-02-27T21:22:00.002-08:002013-02-27T22:26:46.778-08:00garlic parmesan parsley fries<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8515278726/" title="parsley garlic parmesean fries by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8236/8515278726_7835f5e5bf.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="parsley garlic parmesean fries"></a>
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One day after work I was craving fries, so I stopped by the local grease burger drive-up joint and ordered a bag of fries. They came piping hot, like presents I all too eagerly unwrapped into a soon-to-be scalding mouth.
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Rather than go through the entire bag like that, I decided to jazz up the fries by sauteeing some minced garlic and parsley together with the fries, then sprinkling some pre-packaged parmesan cheese on top.
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For dipping, I had the joint-requested ranch along with some sriracha ketchup I whipped up. Deeelicious. Nothing like satisfying a craving.Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935071351212259032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1616901882942827375.post-28216664164907636062013-02-22T14:29:00.001-08:002013-02-25T11:30:09.812-08:00cooking mattersFor the past six weeks I've been volunteering with an organization called Three Squares - so named for their belief that everyone should have three square meals a day.
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A cornerstone of the work they do is teaching Cooking Matters classes in community centers all over the Bay Area. They have classes for children, teens, adults, and some are even in Spanish!
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YIkBxQuPkys/USfuNdjHuRI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/VvmK7-DR__0/s1600/ORIG9659.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YIkBxQuPkys/USfuNdjHuRI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/VvmK7-DR__0/s320/ORIG9659.JPG" width="500"/></a>
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I volunteered to be the Chef Instructor for one of their teen classes. The goal was to teach healthy cooking and eating. And I have to admit, I learned quite a few things myself, including some healthy delicious recipes that are now part of my repertoire. They include the <a href="http://www.nokidhungry.org/images/cm-study/baked-flake-chicken.pdf">baked flaked chicken</a> pictured above (paired with baked kale) as well as turkey burgers (like <a href="http://allrecipes.com/recipe/actually-delicious-turkey-burgers/">these</a>) and pita pizzas (like <a href="http://mideastfood.about.com/od/appetizerssnacks/r/pitapizza.htm">these</a>).
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It was challenging teaching to teens with busy schedules - a lot of the students didn't attend regularly or had to leave early. Many of them had trouble sitting still and letting others talk without interruption. But when it came to cooking they generally became very focused. Hands-on learning was a big hit, and luckily for me that was the portion I taught.
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dn9MLOn17S8/USu64O_AmNI/AAAAAAAAAEg/S8qbWzlTPg0/s1600/photo+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dn9MLOn17S8/USu64O_AmNI/AAAAAAAAAEg/S8qbWzlTPg0/s320/photo+3.JPG" width="375"/></a>
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In one of the classes I taught the teens how to make brown rice & veggie sushi. Two of the students had never even tasted sushi before. They each made their own roll and ate it with dipping sauce (soy sauce + vinegar), and all seemed to like it. It was very gratifying for me to have introduced them to something new.
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Of course, I would encourage you to <a href="http://threesquaremeals.org/cookingmatters/volunteer/">volunteer</a>!Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935071351212259032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1616901882942827375.post-29919583928107848712013-02-18T17:50:00.000-08:002013-02-18T18:00:27.357-08:00buttermilk mac & cheeseThis recipe started out with a surplus of buttermilk. I'd originally purchased some to use for cornbread (something that didn't make it onto this blog because I've yet to find a recipe for my ideal cornbread, which is cake-like yet robust and just slightly sweet) but there was a lot leftover.
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So when I was hankering for some mac & cheese it occurred to me that I needn't resign myself to Organic Annie's box but that I could Google buttermilk mac and cheese for ideas. <a href="http://www.sixcoursedinner.com/2009/04/buttermilk-mac-n-cheee.html">This</a> came up and looked delicious.
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Started with a roux of 2 Tb butter and 2 Tb flour. I let the butter go a little too long, so it got browned (but all the better for flavor it turns out). To the browned butter dark roux I added 1 1/2 cups of grated sharp cheddar cheese and 1 cup buttermilk.
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Then, in went the cooked Annie's macaroni shells (6 oz), 1 cup ground turkey sauteed with garlic, 1/2 cup diced tomato, a sprinkle of sliced scallion, and salt and pepper to taste.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8484811534/" title="mac n cheese casserole by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8230/8484811534_a714358cf5.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="mac n cheese casserole"></a>
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I poured the cooked mixture into one of those giant ramekin-like souffle dishes. On top I sprinkled another 1/2 cup of cheddar, 1/4 cup of breadcrumbs and some herbs and cayenne. This was covered with aluminum foil and baked in a 350F oven for about 20 minutes. For the last couple of minutes I actually took the foil off so the crust could brown some and get more crust-like.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8484812292/" title="mac n cheese dinner by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8368/8484812292_7e5fc7f6df.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="mac n cheese dinner"></a>
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It turned out even better than I had hoped. Cheesy crust, gooey savory oh-so-comforting inside - with some sauteed mushrooms and green beans to go alongside. I'm going to be making this one again and it might even make it into the cookbook!Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935071351212259032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1616901882942827375.post-79551796136201866082013-02-18T17:28:00.002-08:002013-02-18T17:29:11.724-08:00vegetable quicheSince graduating culinary school I have been cooking at home. Some of it's stuff I photographed and meant to put up, except the recipe didn't turn out right or I didn't like how the results tasted, so nothing's come up here yet.
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Never fear, however. I will continue blogging sporadically while I attempt to write my very own <i>culinaryme</i> cookbook.
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This vegetable quiche will be one of the included recipes - the first time I made this marked my discovery of fontina cheese as the perfect quiche cheese. The vegetables were just what I had on time at the time, but it turned out great so I decided to make it again. You can surely add meat but you won't miss it if you don't.
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First, the crust. I looked around at quiche crust recipes but defaulted to a French classic, pâte brisée, or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shortcrust_pastry">shortcrust pastry</a>.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8484808788/" title="pate brisee ingredients by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8230/8484808788_c77fd61979.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="pate brisee ingredients"></a>
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That's 1 and 3/4 cup all purpose flour (APF), 1 stick unsalted butter, 1 egg, 1 tsp crème fraîche (to make it more French) and 1/2 tsp salt.
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The flour is sifted with the salt and the butter is cold/hard and grated with a cheese grater to render the butter into bits. (If you have a food processor there's that option too.)
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8484809200/" title="pate brisee mix by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8528/8484809200_4b756c9595.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="pate brisee mix"></a>
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Beat the egg and pour it into a well in the flour. Incorporate the egg into the flour, then add the crème fraîche and knead. Refrigerate for an hour or so before you roll it out.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8484809562/" title="quiche crust by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8231/8484809562_cdb353176e.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="quiche crust"></a>
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Here is the crust rolled out and into a 8" cake pan. I poked holes with a fork so the crust wouldn't inflate from butter steam. This went into a 325F oven for about 5 minutes, until it got golden.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8483715629/" title="quiche vegetables by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8527/8483715629_0db281137f.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="quiche vegetables"></a>
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For the filling, I had thyme, 1 shallot (minced), 1 zucchini (diced), 1 box mushrooms (sliced) and half a bag of spinach. These were sauteed with a little oil - shallot first, then mushroom and thyme, then zucchini, and spinach last.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8484810418/" title="quiche filling by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8373/8484810418_a26f75073c.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="quiche filling"></a>
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Besides the vegetables the filling consisted of 1 cup heavy cream, 4 eggs, 8 oz fontina cheese, 2 oz jalapeno havarti (or some other spicy white cheese), 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper and 1/2 tsp nutmeg.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8484810690/" title="quiche filled by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8380/8484810690_02f4132aa5.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="quiche filled"></a>
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Everything was mixed and poured into the quiche crust, which was returned to the oven and baked for another ~45 minutes.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8483716769/" title="quiche baked by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8386/8483716769_ecd5bae589.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="quiche baked"></a>
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I took it out when it got golden brown on top but was still a little gooey inside. If you prefer it firmer, you can cover it with aluminum foil and bake it a bit longer. Satisfying either way!Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935071351212259032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1616901882942827375.post-38688440487185077652013-01-15T15:34:00.001-08:002013-01-15T15:42:26.260-08:00macarons finallyI've made macarons before, both at school and at internship. But making it at home was a whole other deal. Thanks to recipes and detailed explanations from <a href="http://ovenloven.wordpress.com/category/macarons-2/">this blog</a>, I was finally able to make them successfully at home.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8384119809/" title="stiff peak meringue by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8079/8384119809_96f3f47b94.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="stiff peak meringue"></a>
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Here are the key ingredients: almost-stiff peak meringue (mine was a little too stiff) and sifted almond meal + powdered sugar.
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The meringue was made with the swiss meringue technique: cooked over a double boiler. 105g of egg whites (roughly 3 eggs worth) and 110g of sugar heated to 110F, then whisked with the kitchenaid.
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The sifted dry mixture was 140g of almond meal (Trader Joe's!) 90g of powdered sugar.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8385204544/" title="macaron "dough" by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8044/8385204544_9ea2057afd.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="macaron "dough""></a>
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The dry mix was carefully folded into the meringue with a couple drops of red food coloring. The resulting dough is supposed to be a little more liquid than this, since my meringue was a little too stiff. But it's better to err on the side of too stiff than too soft with this.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8384120955/" title="macarons piped by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8094/8384120955_1467387f60.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="macarons piped"></a>
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Piped the macarons with a pastry bag fitted with a round tip. Then left them on the counter for half an hour to develop a "skin" (basically when you touch the rounds and nothing sticks to your finger).
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8385205706/" title="chocolate for ganache by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8215/8385205706_9706b11e91.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="chocolate for ganache"></a>
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While the piped macarons were sitting, I made the ganache filling. Melted 4oz dark chocolate, 1/4 cup of nutella (can be omitted) and 2 Tb of butter in a double boiler.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8385206316/" title="cream for ganache by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8236/8385206316_ec8bde2d42.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="cream for ganache"></a>
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Then whisked 1/2 cup of heated cream into the chocolate mixture. The ganache mixture was left to cool and solidify a bit. I popped it in the fridge to speed up the process.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8384122719/" title="macarons baked by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8079/8384122719_390162fec4.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="macarons baked"></a>
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Once the macarons were ready, I baked them in a 275F oven for 15-20 minutes. They're ready when they are hard, almost-golden and come off the parchment nicely.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8384123297/" title="macarons with filling by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8044/8384123297_277e01af9e.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="macarons with filling"></a>
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I paired the macarons based on matching size, then piped the chocolate ganache onto half of the pairs.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8385207916/" title="macarons finished by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8501/8385207916_3d25eb14be.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="macarons finished"></a>
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Now that I've successfully made macarons, it's time to experiments with colors and flavors!Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935071351212259032noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1616901882942827375.post-34644601328187996072012-12-25T09:53:00.002-08:002012-12-25T09:55:10.170-08:00holiday cookiesOne of the last things I did at my internship was decorate holiday cookies. It got me in the mood to make some of my own, and I did it just like they did at internship, using a sweet dough recipe normally used for tarts. I never thought you could have a multipurpose dough - for tarts and for cookies. It's very similar to shortbread, although more flavorful, with just enough crumble and snap.
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The recipe (makes about 50 cookies):
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soft butter 250g<br>
sugar 175g<br>
almond powder 40g<br>
yolk 1<br>
eggs 1<br>
flour 400g<br>
baking powder 3g<br>
orange zest 2-3<br>
cold water 12g<br><br>
1) Cream butter and sugar for a few minutes using the paddle attachment.
2) Mix in the other ingredients in one by one in the order listed (although yolks and eggs can be mixed together first, as with the flour and baking powder). As soon as the cold water is mixed in and the dough comes together, stop mixing.
3) Take the dough out and spread it flat in a casserole dish or other pan. It should be thicker than you want your cookies to be. Refrigerate the dough for a few hours, or overnight.
4) Roll out the dough to the desired thickness. Cut and bake for 15 minutes or until golden and firm-looking. Then cool and decorate!
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Here are some of my decorations:
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Classic-looking
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8304218369/" title="holiday cookies 1 by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8217/8304218369_6ccb6a7b82.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="holiday cookies 1"></a>
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Playful
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8305292676/" title="holiday cookies 4 by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8082/8305292676_4a40827109.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="holiday cookies 4"></a>
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Untraditional (since I didn't buy any holiday-specific cutters)
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8305267036/" title="holiday cookies 2 by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8079/8305267036_f87239ab4f.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="holiday cookies 2"></a>
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And I also made gingerbread cookies using <a href="http://www.food.com/recipe/the-most-wonderful-gingerbread-cookies-80156">this recipe</a>. Substituted maple syrup for molasses. It turned out well, just softer than the cookies I prefer. The fun cutters were <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fred-Friends-Ninjabread-Cookie-Cutters/dp/B003YUBQHO">ninja gingerbread men</a>, on loan from my friend Kim.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8305281512/" title="holiday cookies 3 by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8361/8305281512_c2f2f0cda9.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="holiday cookies 3"></a>
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Happy holidays everyone!Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935071351212259032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1616901882942827375.post-86561946493060078742012-12-15T09:35:00.001-08:002012-12-15T13:51:21.298-08:00graduationI can't believe the past two years have gone by so quickly. The culinary department graduation ceremony took place last weekend and I had been chosen by my peers as a speaker. I wanted to share my speech, so here is the full text.
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GH7dtk7okDM/UMzwlKm4knI/AAAAAAAAADk/ZYNi4RoW3PU/s1600/16053_4561023896609_1198924602_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="375" width="500" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GH7dtk7okDM/UMzwlKm4knI/AAAAAAAAADk/ZYNi4RoW3PU/s400/16053_4561023896609_1198924602_n.jpg" /></a></div>
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<i>
Good morning friends, family, teachers, classmates, chefs, administrators. It is an honor to speak before you today.
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So the only reason I was able to finish this speech was because I was starving. I’ve known for a good two months that I needed to write this, but it wasn’t until a couple of days ago, where I made myself sit at my desk and literally did not allow myself to eat until this speech was finished that it actually got written.
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Starving reminds me of the past two years here – especially in the beginning, when I had just moved here from New York. I had almost run out of savings, was taking class in eight-hour blocks. It wasn’t uncommon for me to skip meals. And it was always ironic to me, going to culinary school – cooking food for goodness sake, and starving at the same time.
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But I didn’t mind – that much. Before I came here I was starving in a different sort of way. I was mentally, creatively starved. Working in a square box of a room, staring at a computer screen and filling out forms all day. I’m sure many of you career-changers came here to leave that kind of life, and I’m sure most of you are here because you want to avoid that kind of life.
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But beyond that, I wanted to work with my hands. Actually make things that another human being could touch and be fed by. And here, I got to do that. Every day we would make food, that was sold in the cafeteria or the Latin Quarter (now Café Med) or the Pierre Coste (PCR) Dining Room and people ate it (for whatever reason, probably because they too were starving).
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Anyway, in those past two years I have learned so much. Not just about how to make food, or how to work with people, but about how to work hard. For me it meant working, usually two part-time jobs, so I could actually feed myself while going to school. I’ve watched so many of my peers work full-time jobs, only to squeeze in a couple of hours of shut-eye before waking up at the crack of dawn and tackling a full day of school just to go to work and do it all over again.
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And it wasn’t just the schedule that was hard but the work itself. When they say blood sweat and tears, let me tell you, I didn’t know I could sweat so much. I had to learn to be okay with it. Some days, it seemed like all we did was sweat. Flipping omelettes with the broiler, frying mounds of potatoes on the flat-top, baking loaves upon loaves of bread in the rack oven, stirring soup with a paddle the size of an oar in the steam kettle, packing the convection oven with ten pound roasts, trying to keep track of all the tickets in PCR, taking down the endless cafeteria lines that were always a blur of people, faces, steam, food on plate after plate after plate.
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Besides sweating, culinary school was also a place where I got to work out some of the regrets I had in life. Like with scholarships for example. When I went to college before for my bachelors, it was straight out of high school and I didn’t apply to any scholarships because I was afraid I wasn’t good enough, that I couldn’t possibly be chosen so why bother trying. But when I came here and was starving and working two jobs and barely making ends meet and on top of it all, sweating every day, my “fear” didn’t really matter any more. I had nothing to lose, and I applied to every single scholarship I could get my hands on, and I ended up being accepted to a few. Enough to allow me to attend Chef Mark’s summer in Oaxaca program, which was amazing. But the most gratifying thing was being able to cross that regret off my list.
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Another thing I got over? My inability to start a blog. When I used to work for the Red Cross, I would often think to myself: “Hey, wouldn’t it be great if I wrote about my disaster relief experience? I’m sure people would be curious to know how the operations actually work and where the money actually gets spent.” But for the life of me, I could never start. There was never enough time, or I was always too tired, or the things that I wanted to say were said already. But when I came to culinary school, I knew it was another one of those intensive life-altering things that I wasn’t going to do again, and I didn’t want it to go by undocumented. So I did it, I started a blog and kept it up through these two years. Maybe when regrets pile high enough they avalanche and... I started a blog, Ms. Reinhertz starts a blog, everybody starts a blog! Just kidding. Point is, when regret piles up and avalanches, something happens.
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So when people tell you to live life without regrets, maybe they’re being idealistic, overly simplistic. Because I’ve found that regret is a powerful motivator. And when people tell you not to sweat the small stuff, or “don’t sweat it”, whatever “it” is, maybe that’s not so right either. Because sweating is literally your effort visualized. And when you’re motivated, and putting in all the effort, that’s when things change. Life changes. You change.
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So to you I say: sweat it, and yes, sometimes, regret it. Starve, for this thing, and the next. Go out there and make this world yours – I've worked with you guys, I believe it.
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Congratulations to all of you. It’s been a honor.
</i>Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935071351212259032noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1616901882942827375.post-53847540546376667642012-12-15T09:33:00.000-08:002012-12-15T09:33:17.375-08:00kombuchaAwhile ago, my Food & Fitness instructor brought her kombucha culture to class. It was massive. She divided the scoby (symbiotic culture of bacteria & yeast) into pieces so anyone who wanted to make their own kombucha could have a piece.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8264720713/" title="scoby by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8481/8264720713_9327ba1cc8.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="scoby"></a>
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I took a scoby piece home for kicks. The scoby needed something to feed on, so I brewed black tea (roughly 8 cups water, 4-5 tea bags) and sweetened it with sugar (3/4 cup).
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8264720971/" title="brewing tea by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8072/8264720971_e84e524126.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="brewing tea"></a>
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After brewing, I waited till the tea cooled down to room temperature, then poured it into a clean jar (formerly of pickles) with the scoby and about a cup of its original liquid.
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The jar was covered with a clean towel and left to undergo the aerobic (oxygen included) first fermentation. During that time the scoby grows thicker, the tea turns slightly sour and the whole thing starts to smell like apple cider vinegar.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8264721177/" title="first fermentation by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8352/8264721177_059351e9c8.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="first fermentation"></a>
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10 days later I pour most of the liquid into a second jar, this time with a tight-fitting lid for the anaerobic (no oxygen) second fermentation. You can flavor your kombucha at this point - so far I have tried a capful of elderberry syrup (floral/fragrant and very pleasant), agave nectar (slightly spicy/smoky sweet) and honey lemon (still fermenting). You can use a variety of fruit purees or nectars to flavor.
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Meanwhile I brew a new batch of tea to accompany the leftover scoby/liquid for another first fermentation.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8264721427/" title="second fermentation by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8221/8264721427_e52f818ca3.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="second fermentation"></a>
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5 days later I move the second fermentation to the refrigerator, to slow it down so it doesn't get too sour and fizzy on me. The fermentation lengths are something you can play with, both for the first and second fermentation. It's recommended to taste the liquid every day so you can see how you like it - the longer it goes the less sweet and more sour it gets.
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If you're here in San Francisco, I'd be happy to give you a piece of my scoby. If you're not though, here's a good <a href="http://www.foodrenegade.com/how-to-grow-a-kombucha-scoby/">article </a>to get you started with your own. Happy fermenting!Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935071351212259032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1616901882942827375.post-72148622558304770432012-12-02T19:11:00.004-08:002012-12-02T19:12:29.743-08:00crème caramelMy co-worker Virgie had birthday this week and I couldn't make her a cake because I ran out of flour (Thanksgiving cleaned me out). So I had to brainstorm options. The flan/pudding I recently ate from <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/irving-cafe-and-deli-san-francisco">Irving Cafe</a> reminded me that I had yet to make a proper flan. So I looked at dozens of recipes, most of which called for whole milk and/or heavy cream, neither of which I had. I was about to settle for one of the recipes utilizing low-fat milk and/or sweetened condensed milk when I decided to search creme caramel, or French flan.
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And that brought me to Julia Child's <a href="http://gratineeblog.com/2009/08/creme-caramel-caramel-custard/">recipe</a>. I had never made any Julia Child anything, so it was time.
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First, caramelizing sugar: 2/3 cup sugar and 1/3 cup water heated until the mixture *just* starts to brown (the color will deepen after you turn off the heat). Pour the caramelized sugar to coat the bottom of the desired ramekins (I used two medium sized ones). Don't worry if you didn't pour the sugar evenly - it'll even out during baking.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8228702106/" title="caramel bottom by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8348/8228702106_35f2d2952f.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="caramel bottom"></a>
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Next, bring 2 1/2 cups of milk (yes, I used low-fat) to a simmer. While that is going, whisk 3 eggs, 3 egg yolks and 1/2 cup of sugar together.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8228702340/" title="eggs & sugar by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8070/8228702340_0c52cdef33.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="eggs & sugar"></a>
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Once the milk is simmering, slowly pour it into the whisking egg/sugar mixture. Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8228702568/" title="simmered milk by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8068/8228702568_8c417d3721.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="simmered milk"></a>
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Then strain the mixture into the waiting ramekin(s).
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8228702798/" title="strained into ramekins by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8344/8228702798_72fe41d57f.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="strained into ramekins"></a>
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Bake at 325F for 40 minutes, or until the creme caramel looks firm but is still wobbly and almost liquidy in the center. Pull it out to cool.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8227636329/" title="baked flan by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8197/8227636329_626df7ff49.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="baked flan"></a>
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I recommend serving it warm. You can run a knife around the edge and unmold it after it spends 10 minutes sitting in cold water. (Otherwise you can always cool it in the fridge overnight and serve cold the next day.)
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8228703226/" title="unmolded flan by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8209/8228703226_ca84962492.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="unmolded flan"></a>
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The creme caramel was exactly what I wanted flan to be: light and silky smooth. A little bit too sweet for my taste - next time I'll be sure to cut down on the amount of sugar.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8227636681/" title="eaten flan by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8343/8227636681_3f0faa3612.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="eaten flan"></a>
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But really, now I am a believer in Julia Childs. Wonder which recipe of hers I'll take on next!Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935071351212259032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1616901882942827375.post-69441265099676549222012-12-02T18:47:00.001-08:002012-12-02T18:47:10.180-08:00dashi & misoA couple of months ago I came across this recipe for <a href="http://www.gilttaste.com/stories/6102-dashi-the-better-easier-stock">dashi</a>, or the mother broth of all Japanese cooking. I had a package of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katsuobushi">bonito flakes</a> sitting in my pantry (an impulse buy from Daiso, the Japanese 99 cent store) but it wasn't until recently that I got my act together and bought some <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kombu">kombu</a> (seaweed).
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And so finally I had the two ingredients necessary for making dashi.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8228700436/" title="kombu & bonito flakes by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8202/8228700436_7623e035b7.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="kombu & bonito flakes"></a>
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Okay, so the seaweed wasn't actually Japanese, it was Chinese. But it was all that was available at my favorite ethnic grocery store. So anyway, I took a 6 quart part, ripped up enough seaweed to cover the bottom, and added 9 cups of water (enough to submerge the seaweed) and allowed the seaweed to soak for 20 minutes.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8228700690/" title="kombu soaking by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8338/8228700690_1ea88b0498.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="kombu soaking"></a>
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After that I turned on the heat and brought the water to a simmer (watch for the small bubbles on the side!). Once that happened I turned the heat off and added the bonito flakes (2-3 cups worth).
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8227634117/" title="with bonito simmered by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8477/8227634117_a6d900b3a1.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="with bonito simmered"></a>
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I allowed the mixture to sit for 10 minutes, then poured it through a strainer. The strained broth has a nice clear golden color.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8228701254/" title="broth strained by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8061/8228701254_f5937122ef.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="broth strained"></a>
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Side note: I tried to make a second round of broth just by adding water and re-simmering, but the taste was very faint. I'm sure you could find a use for the second broth though - I mixed it with some of the first broth to make miso soup.
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So to turn dashi into miso soup, you'll need miso paste and good quality soy sauce. And other ingredients depending on your taste - I had tofu and scallions but you could easily use bits of seaweed, mushrooms, etc.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8228701500/" title="miso ingredients by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8482/8228701500_464358e8cf.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="miso ingredients"></a>
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I made 4 servings of soup (~6 cups) using roughly 2 tablespoons each of miso paste and soy sauce. Soup was delicious.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8228701714/" title="miso soup by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8348/8228701714_15268bc531.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="miso soup"></a>
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Cris made sushi from scratch to accompany the soup.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8228701928/" title="sushi accompaniment by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8343/8228701928_97c8d5a07a.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="sushi accompaniment"></a>
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Good news is I still have leftover dashi - will probably use it to make ramen, but you never know...Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935071351212259032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1616901882942827375.post-43576235965714885392012-11-24T10:17:00.000-08:002012-11-24T10:17:02.077-08:00poached pear deluxeFor my birthday in September, my friend Daniel gifted me a bottle of dessert wine. I hoped to make a dessert with it (or to go with it), and since Daniel's birthday was this month I decided to use his gift to me and make a gift for him.
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Being that I've been so busy/overwhelmed lately, I decided to keep things simple and do wine-poached pears. I've poached pears <a href="http://culinaryme.blogspot.com/2012/04/iron-chef-testing.html">before</a>, and I've poached mushrooms in white wine before, but this was the first time with pears and red wine. Had to dilute the wine with a bit of water so I'd have enough liquid to cover the pears. Also added a cinnamon stick and bay leaf for flavor. Brought the mixture to a boil and let it simmer for a little bit over an hour, until knife tender.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8211433415/" title="wine & pears poached by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8199/8211433415_4b0a184107.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="wine & pears poached"></a>
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Decided the keep the whole pear intact because I thought it would be more dramatic. For toppings, I had caramel sauce and sweetened creme fraiche (tied in little ziplock baggies as makeshift mini piping bags), powdered sugar, and poaching liquid reduced and sweetened with agave syrup.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8211433711/" title="poached pear accoutrements by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8209/8211433711_6e06cf1740.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="poached pear accoutrements"></a>
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Spooned the reduced poaching liquid on first, then creme fraiche, caramel sauce, and the dusting of powdered sugar (through the mesh colandar) last. It looks pretty dramatic if I do say so myself.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8211433953/" title="poached pear deluxe by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8490/8211433953_948eb2fde7.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="poached pear deluxe"></a>
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And it wasn't too sweet, because I didn't poach it with sugar. And Daniel liked it too. A warm and satisfying treat.Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935071351212259032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1616901882942827375.post-65264240416165309872012-11-24T09:47:00.001-08:002012-11-24T09:47:54.733-08:00five+ spice turkeyLast year was the first year my family had a big turkey for Thanksgiving. My mom was the one who cooked it, and she was so worried it wouldn't turn out well. Except it exceeded all of our expectations. Besides being moist and flavorful, she also made a unique sticky rice & shiitake mushroom stuffing.
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This year I wanted to tackle the turkey-making. As it was my first time, I was pretty worried too. I wanted to keep the sticky rice stuffing tradition going, so I thought the turkey should be flavored with Chinese <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five-spice_powder">five spice</a> to be complementary. Cris found me <a href="http://www.well.com/conf/cooking/recipes/5spice-turkey.html">this </a>five-spice turkey recipe, which lays things out from start to finish. True to "me" form, I made some modifications to the recipe.
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Started out with a 15-pound Butterball turkey. Took the neck out to make stock with later. Checked all of the cavities (or so I thought), but it wasn't till <i>after</i> the turkey was roasted and carved did the plastic sack of giblets turn out. So don't let that happen to you!
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8212522628/" title="naked turkey by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8060/8212522628_23f72a55db.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="naked turkey"></a>
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Anyway, cooked the brine with 5+ spices. Roughly 2.5 gallons of water (two of these pots), 1.5 cups of salt, handful of each of the following: cinnamon stick, clove, star anise, fennel seed, lemongrass, black peppercorn. Brought the mixture to a boil and let it cool (with some ice cubes to speed the process up).
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8211434645/" title="brine & spices by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8486/8211434645_b938c8f7ae.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="brine & spices"></a>
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Once the mixture cooled to about room temperature, it was poured over the turkey in double oven bags. The last minute addition of orange zest made it all the more fragrant. Tied the bags and put it inside an extra trash bag just in case. Then the whole thing went into the fridge.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8212523288/" title="turkey in brine by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8202/8212523288_c997c89b4a.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="turkey in brine"></a>
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The turkey sat in brine for a good 24 hours, after which I dumped the brine, rinsed the turkey, and patted the turkey dry. Saved the spices though, and shoved them under the turkey skin wherever I could.
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After overnight stay in the fridge to further dry out (to facilitate the skin being crispy when roasted), it was time to roast. First set the oven at 400F and roasted the breast side up for 45 min so the skin would brown. Then lowered the temperature to 350F and rotated the turkey every 30 min so it would cook evenly.
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The soaked and stir-fried sticky rice was stuffed into the turkey at some point. Except it doesn't really cook in the cavity so I had to scoop it out and cook it in the rice cooker.
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The turkey was pulled when the internal temperature was 155F. It came out glorious - skin crispy, super fragrant. And once carved, it was the moistest turkey I've ever had.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8211435237/" title="roasted turkey by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8205/8211435237_801caea51e.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="roasted turkey"></a>
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Megan said the spices reminded her of the Chinese duck she likes to get. Very flavorful.
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The only downside was that the bottom of the turkey was a little underdone. I think it's because I didn't roast the turkey breast side down, for fear the crispy skin would get soaked. Or maybe I should have let it roast for longer and pulled it out after the internal temperature reached 160F.
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Not a loss though, because I used the bones and all the underdone parts to make turkey porridge, not unlike the <a href="http://culinaryme.blogspot.com/2012/02/chinese-chicken-porridge.html">chicken porridge</a> I've made before. And that was delicious too. Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935071351212259032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1616901882942827375.post-66513995566188892352012-11-18T09:27:00.000-08:002012-11-18T09:27:06.064-08:00cake popsFor my roommate Megan's birthday I thought about making <a href="http://www.pillsburybaking.com/products/details/1297">funfetti </a>cake, since funfetti mix is her favorite. However, when I stumbled upon a <a href="http://www.pillsburybaking.com/products/details/1279">funfetti cake pops</a> box, I knew I had to get that instead.
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I've never made cake pops before, and as with anything I've never made before there was a bit of mystery attached. Like how do you get the cake pop to be round? Or the stick to stick?
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Turns out you start with actual cake. Which is crumbled and moistened with frosting. While this cake mix and frosting were included in the box, you can easily substitute your favorite cake recipe and whip up an easy powdered sugar + milk (or water) frosting.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8192351924/" title="crumbled cake & frosting by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8483/8192351924_ef64d4ab06.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="crumbled cake & frosting"></a>
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Then you portion out the crumbly cake mixture and form them into ball-shape with your palms. Apply lots of pressure so the cake balls get firm and dense and don't fall apart on you.
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Melt some chocolate in the microwave (at 15 to 30 second intervals so it doesn't burn). Dip one end of the cake pop stick into the melted chocolate and stick it into the cake ball. If you don't have cake pop or lollipop sticks, you can break up disposable chopsticks and sand the ends down with a nail file. That's what I did because the box was missing a stick.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8192352106/" title="cake balls & couverture by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8340/8192352106_2691f7fe95.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="cake balls & couverture"></a>
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Put the naked cake pops into the fridge to chill. Or if you're impatient like me, stick them in the freezer.
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In the meantime, prepare more melted chocolate and sprinkles/decoration. Once the cake pops are thoroughly chilled, roll them each in chocolate, cover them in sprinkles, and stand them up to dry/set in a container full of sugar (dense enough to hold them up).
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8192352344/" title="dip & sprinkle by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8340/8192352344_a6e514be68.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="dip & sprinkle"></a>
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Rather than give Megan just a cup full of cake pops, I made her favorite <a href="http://www.generalmills.com/ColorBoxImage.aspx?ImageId={182ECB5C-0727-4E5E-B60D-9ECED159FDA1}&Width=668&Height=481">yellow cake</a> to use as a cushion.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8191266067/" title="cake pop cake by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8058/8191266067_e5ec3c03eb.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="cake pop cake"></a>
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Although the cake was frosted with whipped cream, it didn't look too nice because I didn't have my offset spatula. So I covered the cake with cake crumbs, which worked out because it made the cake look more like a cushion.
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And despite the yellow cake mix being a boxed one, I ended up enjoying the super moist crumbly texture a lot. So I'm going to reverse engineer my own yellow cake mix based on the ingredients on the box. Will report back once I have some findings!Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935071351212259032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1616901882942827375.post-36683177567886375782012-11-11T09:38:00.000-08:002012-11-11T09:38:04.862-08:00citrus fennel chickenThis was the last Sauces class of the year, so Chef Morse set up our final to be kind of Iron Chef-style. Each team got to pick from three proteins: beef, chicken or fish. Our team picked chicken and fish, and I was in charge of the chicken.
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<a href="http://www.purewow.com/ecs/4142.htm?sid=942715">This </a>recipe was emailed to my inbox not too long ago, and I decided to adapt it. Instead of clementines I used segmented oranges.
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This is me segmenting oranges, one of the first things I ever learned to do in culinary school. And it was taught by Chef Morse too.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8160209739/" title="segmenting oranges by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7271/8160209739_d716c44d99.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="segmenting oranges"></a>
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After that I cut up fennel in segments too.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8160245248/" title="cutting fennel by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8343/8160245248_e4421c2cc6.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="cutting fennel"></a>
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Frank helped me marinate them in olive oil, orange juice, lemon juice, mustard, brown sugar, salt and pepper.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8160245472/" title="marinating orange & fennel by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7273/8160245472_66d9b55850.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="marinating orange & fennel"></a>
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Meanwhile I prepared the other seasonings in the dish: butter, lemon, toasted almond slices, toasted fennel seed, thyme, parsley (chopped and whole leaf) and fennel frond.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8160210359/" title="seasonings by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8198/8160210359_9a4d13a110.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="seasonings"></a>
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Scott seared off the chicken breasts, seasoned with cayenne, salt and pepper.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8160211225/" title="seared chicken by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8206/8160211225_f5c7131301.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="seared chicken"></a>
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Jen contributed a delicious Israeli couscous, made with chicken stock and seasoned with cucumber, fennel frond and feta cheese (the feta changed everything).
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8160210579/" title="couscous with cucumber & feta by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7133/8160210579_eb55ca5dee.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="couscous with cucumber & feta"></a>
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After all this we still had some time to kill, so Jen and I candied some orange peel, to further play on the citrus theme and to provide a different textural element.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8160210837/" title="candying orange peel by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7270/8160210837_5615aa2265.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="candying orange peel"></a>
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Once it got close to plating time, I started on the sauce. I took the pan that the chicken had been seared off in, and mounted the pan with some butter.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8160219309/" title="butter & chicken fond by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8057/8160219309_65fef36d6d.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="butter & chicken fond"></a>
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Then I threw in the marinated orange & fennel, along with some marinade, and cooked that off.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8160254804/" title="sauteeing orange & fennel by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7123/8160254804_2c91095d10.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="sauteeing orange & fennel"></a>
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In went the other seasonings I had prepared: lemon juice, toasted almond slices, toasted fennel seed, thyme and chopped parsley.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8160255030/" title="adding all the seasonings by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7249/8160255030_ccbc46750f.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="adding all the seasonings"></a>
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Cooked everything until the sauce was the consistency I wanted.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8160219973/" title="orange fennel sauce by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7267/8160219973_4a39e90c05.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="orange fennel sauce"></a>
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Then came plating. Or rather, some contem(plating), haha.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8160255454/" title="contem plating by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7264/8160255454_fb68ae92d1.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="contem plating"></a>
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Bed of couscous first, then chicken, then sauce.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8160220397/" title="actually plating by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7107/8160220397_9f07d44113.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="actually plating"></a>
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We garnished with parsley leaf, fennel frond, slivers of orange peel, and an orange segment.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8160255988/" title="the plate by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7274/8160255988_bc4abeb952.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="the plate"></a>
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Besides the chicken being a little dry from finishing too long in the oven, everything tasted pretty good. Citrus + fennel + chicken = good combination.Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935071351212259032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1616901882942827375.post-13527301453046642052012-10-28T09:42:00.000-07:002012-10-28T09:42:34.834-07:00vegan chocolate mousse (and cake)For Food & Fitness class we had to do a project on a healthy cookbook of our choice. I chose <a href="http://www.amazon.com/500-Vegan-Recipes-Delicious-Casseroles/dp/1592334032">500 Vegan Recipes</a> because they had a recipe for chocolate mousse that I found intriguing.
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It involved avocado (ripe, 1), tofu (firm, 1 pound) and agave syrup (1/4 cup).
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8126762926/" title="vegan chocolate mousse ingredients by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8476/8126762926_3603137067.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="vegan chocolate mousse ingredients"></a>
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I pureed the tofu and agave syrup first, then added melted chocolate (dark, 2 cups). It was a little grainy, but I think it would've worked if the tofu was the soft kind. I wanted to try without avocado because Whole Food's vegan chocolate mousse is really good and all it is is chocolate, tofu and brown rice syrup.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8126737103/" title="pureed tofu by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8324/8126737103_cfdeae5e54.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="pureed tofu"></a>
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After I added the avocado the mixture became smoother/creamier.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8126763352/" title="pureed chocolate mousse by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8183/8126763352_f914d76fca.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="pureed chocolate mousse"></a>
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I wanted to serve samples to the class, so I made a vegan chocolate cake to accompany the mousse. This was my first foray into vegan baking and I had no idea to expect. The cake came out dark and dense, like bread almost. Besides having no egg, no dairy, it also didn't have sugar. The only sweetness was from the non-dairy yogurt and applesauce that I put in.
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The cake by itself didn't taste very good, although it did have the texture/chewiness of a regular chocolate cake.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8126762736/" title="vegan chocolate cake by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8195/8126762736_624410f0e6.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="vegan chocolate cake"></a>
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Thankfully it tasted better with the mousse. I cut the cake into little squares and placed them in little sample cups, then piped mousse over.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8126763558/" title="chocolate mousse cups by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8190/8126763558_8fc86b4ea2.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="chocolate mousse cups"></a>
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The mousse actually set at room temperature, to a ganache-like consistency. Definitely didn't expect that. Also the dark chocolate taste was too strong (and I'm speaking as someone who loves dark chocolate). If I were to make this again I would use a milk/dark chocolate mixture, and/or cut down the amount of chocolate in the recipe.
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If anyone has any vegan dessert recipes to share, please let me know! I'd love to try other stuff.Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935071351212259032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1616901882942827375.post-65053954177793692362012-10-28T09:39:00.002-07:002012-10-28T09:42:21.719-07:00fusion cabbage rollsThis is a fusion comfort food dish I dreamed up. It started with albondigas, or Latin meatballs. I've made regular/Italian meatballs and Chinese dumpling before, but never albondigas. I figured it was time to try, but I didn't want to just do meatballs, so I thought about using it as a filling for cabbage rolls.
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So here is the filling: 1 pound ground beef, 1 cup cooked rice, 2 eggs (beaten), 5 cloves garlic (minced), 1/2 onion & 1 carrot (small dice), cumin, oregano, salt and pepper. Testing the taste/spice level meant microwaving small bits at a time and tasting/adjusting accordingly.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8126735417/" title="meat filling by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8192/8126735417_d0ab271ecb.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="meat filling"></a>
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For the cabbage part I chose to use napa cabbage - it's crunchier and I was curious how it would taste. Boiled the leaves in chicken broth until they softened.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8126761840/" title="filling & cabbage by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8323/8126761840_bf85817c52.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="filling & cabbage"></a>
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Filling was spooned on was the leaves rolled up. Then the rolls went into the oven to cook, for about half hour or so until the meat was done.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8126762090/" title="cabbage rolling by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8049/8126762090_8e6315b34e.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="cabbage rolling"></a>
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To serve, I didn't want to do rice because there was already rice in the filling. So I decided to do orzo, which is like rice-shaped pasta. The marinara was kind of a lazy man's marinara: cooked mirepoix in chicken broth, pureed it, then added tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, bay leaf, salt & pepper.
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The chicken on top is optional - the dish is good with or without it. But together the whole thing is very comfort food. The cabbage rolls are great though - juicy and crunchy and filling. You could easily make this a soup dish too, more like traditional albondigas, and it'd be just as filling probably, with some tortillas.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8126736155/" title="cabbage rolls with marinara & orzo by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8473/8126736155_ef1108eb92.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="cabbage rolls with marinara & orzo"></a>
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There was leftover filling, so I added finely chopped cabbage and scallions and converted it to dumpling filling. Nothing went to waste :)
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8126762518/" title="leftover filling for dumplings by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8474/8126762518_2d40fcbd75.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="leftover filling for dumplings"></a>Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935071351212259032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1616901882942827375.post-53672937512234225702012-10-28T09:26:00.002-07:002012-10-28T09:26:36.679-07:00yummy granola barsThe most yummy thing that we've made in Food & Fitness class to date has been these granola bars. I made them at home with the recipe modified to my liking.
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First, the wet mixture: 1/2 cup butter, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/3 cup honey, 1/4 cup flour, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8092261897/" title="granola wet by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8332/8092261897_fb42bab9cf.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="granola wet"></a>
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Then the dry mixture: 2 cups <a href="http://www.traderjoes.com/fearless-flyer/article.asp?article_id=759">puffed wheat cereal</a>, 2 cups rolled oats, 1 cup dried apricot (chopped), 1/2 cup salted almonds, 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8092268660/" title="granola dry by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8324/8092268660_07e3787883.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="granola dry"></a>
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Combine the two mixtures and drop into a greased 9 x 13 pan. To press the mixture down without getting your hands all sticky, use a greased piece of parchment paper.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8092269144/" title="granola bars by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8046/8092269144_b3fe1daa05.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="granola bars"></a>
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Bake in a 350F oven for 20 minutes or until golden. Then let cool for at least an hour before attempting to cut it. Mine didn't cut very well but you might be able to avoid that problem with either a little more honey, or a little more hardcore cooling (in the fridge or freezer).
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Feel free to substitute with your own favorite puffed cereal, dried fruits, nuts/seeds, etc!Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935071351212259032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1616901882942827375.post-14298945072121320282012-10-28T09:18:00.000-07:002012-10-28T09:18:24.461-07:00thai red curry pasteIn Sauces class we deviated from the classic cream/butter sauces to do something herb/spicy (the other mode of getting flavor). Specifically, Thai red curry paste!
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I've only made Thai curry a handful of times, and always with packaged pastes. So making this from scratch was really exciting.
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I started out with the dried spices - 1 tablespoon coriander seeds, 2 cardamom pods, 1/2 tsp black peppercorns, 1/2 tsp salt.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8092265917/" title="curry paste dry by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8044/8092265917_43240da1df.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="curry paste dry"></a>
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Ground all of that with the mortar & pestle until it was powder.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8092273688/" title="grinding dry ingredients by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8053/8092273688_ed2999e3fb.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="grinding dry ingredients"></a>
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Next were some ingredients I haven't worked with before: galangal (similar to ginger), lemongrass, what is supposed to be <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaffir_lime">kaffir lime</a> (but was actually just regular lime), and what is supposed to be coriander/cilantro root (actually just the stems and leaves). Even in culinary school we have to do Americanized substitutions, haha.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8092266189/" title="curry paste fresh by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8323/8092266189_6eeb74f75a.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="curry paste fresh"></a>
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We did get authentic shrimp paste though. This stuff is potent.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8092272940/" title="shrimp paste by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8196/8092272940_17cd836c2e.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="shrimp paste"></a>
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The recipe called for 10 dried chilies and 10 fresh chilies (I assume red <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bird's_eye_chili">bird's eye</a> chili), but we made do with what we had. From left to right, I used 10 dried guajillos, 1 fresh fresno and 3 green bird's eye chilies.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8092273162/" title="chillies by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8326/8092273162_35472be66c.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="chillies"></a>
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Then there was a lot of mincing of the fresh ingredients. Clockwise from the top: 2 teaspoons lemongrass (lower portion), 1 teaspoon lime peel, fresh green chili, fresh red chili, 3 tablespoons shallots, 3 tablespoons garlic, 1 teaspoon galangal, 1 tablespoon cilantro stem, and 1 teaspoon shrimp paste in the middle.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8092274318/" title="fresh ingredients by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8330/8092274318_d88f8a39e6.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="fresh ingredients"></a>
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Everything went in the mortar and pestle and was ground up. The dried chilies had to be soaked in water, de-seeded and pureed before it could go in though. All in all the yield was about 5 tablespoons.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8092274820/" title="curry paste by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8332/8092274820_290d2acf5b.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="curry paste"></a>
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For each tablespoon, you sautee it with some oil, add 1/2 cup coconut milk, then a dash of palm (or brown) sugar and fish sauce. We cooked chicken with red bell pepper, basil and kaffir lime leaves. It was delicious.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/stargoddessxo/8092268657/" title="thai red curry by stargoddessxo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8185/8092268657_82b56c0bc1.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="thai red curry"></a>Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935071351212259032noreply@blogger.com0