Enough with the Holiday Food Already!

I finally used the last of the Christmas ham. And let me just say if I have to eat one more bite of turkey or ham before November 2008, I'm going to barf. I'm even tired of prime rib (can it be true??)!

Anyways, I made pasta with caramelized onions in a Gorgonzola sauce and threw in the ham. You could just as well add leftover roasted chicken or pork tenderloin. If you prefer vegetables, peas, cooked or roughly chopped fresh spinach, broccoli or sautéed mushrooms work well. Served with a nice salad, it made a very filling and delicious meal.

This pasta needs no embellishing, but I added some diced honey ham. The sweetness of the ham and caramelized onions complements the saltiness of the Gorgonzola.

Rigatoni with Caramelized Onions in Gorgonzola Sauce
Serves 3 to 4 (recipe can be doubled)

• 3/4 cups heavy cream
• 4 oz hard Gorgonzola, crumbled
  
• 2 large onions, sliced
• optional embellishments: diced honey ham, cooked chicken or pork tenderloin, peas, broccoli, sauteed mushrooms, cooked (drained) spinach
  
• 1/2 pound rigatoni (or other pasta of your choice)
  
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Put a pot of water on for the pasta. Cook the pasta for about 2-3 minutes less than indicated on the package instructions. You want the pasta undercooked because you’ll finish cooking it in the sauce.

In a frying pan over medium-high heat, add some oil and sautee the onions until they caramelize. This could take 20 minutes or more. Adjust the heat if necessary to keep the onions from burning.

In a saucepan, heat the cream over medium-low heat. Add the cheese and stir to melt. If the sauce is simmering too vigorously, turn down the heat. You want to slowly melt the cheese. Don’t worry if the sauce is not thick. It will thicken when you cook it with the pasta. Keep over low heat until the pasta and onions are ready.

Once the pasta is done, drain it (don’t rinse it) and return it to the pot. Put the pot over medium-low heat. Add the sauce (and optional embellishments, if using) and stir gently but thoroughly to mix. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes, or until until the pasta is done to your liking. By then, the sauce should have thickened up from the starch in the pasta. Add the caramelized onions and mix well. Serve immediately.



And lastly...if you're looking for a sweet fix, I want to point you to Sugar High Friday to check out the round-up. It's all about pudding and all the entries look so yummy!

What's Your Christmas Dessert?

I made out like a bandit this Christmas! But I feel kind of bad because I only got Hubby a book. We agreed we weren’t going to do anything big, so I didn’t. He got me a gift certificate to my favorite clothing store, this awesome stainless steel roasting pan and Morimoto’s AWESOME new book (click the thumbnail in the sidebar to check it out). From my mom I got McCormick & Schimick’s Seafood Restaurant Cookbook, slippers, gloves and a scarf. My Danish in-laws got me an ice cream machine!!! Brother-in-law- wrote me a cookbook. Just joking. He sent me the cookbook he wrote and published showcasing seasonal Danish ingredients. It’s a modern take on classic Northern European ingredients. The presentations look delicious. Between the cookbooks and ice cream making, I expect I’m going to be busy in the kitchen in 2008.

Sonny made out too!

After a leisurely morning of opening presents and watching the snow fall, we had a leisurely brunch with Girlfriend M and family. Did I ever mention she’s an amazing baker? She is the one who taught me to make the world’s most awesome chocolate cake (I promise to post the recipe one day). Today she made monkey bread, which is kind of like one big sticky bun sans nuts but oozing with caramel and cinnamon. She baked it in a ceramic mold. When she flipped and un-molded it, I almost passed out. It looked and smelled that delicious. She says it can be made in a regular bundt pan, so I will definitely have to try.

I have no idea why they call this monkey bread. If anyone knows, please chime in. Don't it look yummy?

My contribution to the dessert table was a Thai tea crème brulee. If you like green tea ice cream and crème brulee, you will definitely like this dessert. I like it so much, I've made it twice in less than a week! It’s quite easy to make and you can use any other tea that you would add milk and sugar to. I’ve used green chai tea and I imagine it would be great with chamomile tea or Earl Grey.

I used tea bags, but you could use loose tea as well. But be careful because loose Thai tea can be very fine. A regular tea infuser won't hold it. You'll need to use fillable teabags or filter the cream through a clean kitchen towel. I think even cheesecloth will be too porous.

Thai Tea Crème Brulee

• 1 egg
• 5 egg yolks
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 4 to 5 Thai tea bags
• 3 cups heavy cream
• 1 vanilla bean

Preheat the oven to 300°.

Using a small knife, split the vanilla bean. Scrape out the inside and put it in a saucepan along with the pod, heavy cream and tea bags. Bring to just boiling. Turn off the heat. Cover and allow the tea to steep for about 5 minutes.

In the meantime, whisk the egg, yolks and sugar together in a large mixing bowl.

After the tea has steeped, remove the bags (squeeze out all the liquid from the bags) and vanilla pod. If necessary strain the cream mixture into a large bowl to remove any remnants of the pod.

Using a large wooden spoon (or the like), stir the egg mixture quickly while slowly (!!) adding the hot cream. Pour the mixture into individual ramekins (it’s enough for 8 ½-cup ramekins) or a shallow 1½ quart ovenproof dish (which is what I did this time). Bake in a water bath until the center is set, about 35 minutes for ramekins and 55 minutes for the large dish. When done, allow the custard to come to room temperature before covering with plastic wrap and chilling in the fridge. For the large dish, it will take at least 4 hours.

To serve, caramelize some granulated or turbinado sugar on top with a kitchen torch or under the broiler. If you do it under the broiler, I recommend freezing the custard for about 30 minutes beforehand to keep it from getting too warm in the oven.

The crust should be warm and crackly while the custard stays chilled.

Have a happy Christmas and eat some prime rib!

Did I ever mention I love my neighbors? Yesterday our neighbor across the street hosted a neighborhood (+ family friends) holiday potluck party. As always, it was all good times. It was too much of a good time for Hubby and he paid for it today…at work. HEHE!

Originally I was going to bring some kind of appetizer/finger food, but when I found out my local grocery store was having a sale (to the tune of $4/pound!!) on prime rib roast, I couldn’t resist. I’ve always wanted to try fixing one, but was nervous to pay $50+ to experiment on a beautiful cut of meat. Well, it turned out to be super easy thanks to my $6 meat thermometer.

I've started new tradition this year--rib roast for Christmas dinner!

If you do a little research on how to make a standing rib roast, there are a few different ways. I like searing the meat at high heat, then going low until it’s done. This requires a little more roasting time, but I think that allows for better browning of the exterior without the threat of burning.

About the seasonings...I think you can choose just about any seasoning combination you like and the roast will still taste fantastic. All that’s required is plenty of kosher salt and cracked black pepper. Everything else is a bonus. I used garlic and since I had some thyme, I threw that in too. Get creative. Try toasted and roughly ground cumin and coriander seeds for a Caribbean flavor or dry mustard for a more traditional English taste.

Ain't it a beaut?

Standing Rib Roast

• 8 to 10 pound rib eye roast, with bones
• 1 head garlic
• 1 to 2 tbs chopped herbs, such as thyme or rosemary
• 1 tbs oil
• kosher salt (at least 2 to 3 tbs)
• fresh cracked black pepper
• 1 portion Gorgonzola sauce (recipe follows)

special equipment: reliable meat thermometer and kitchen twine

Peel the garlic and mash it in a mortar with the chopped herbs. Add the oil to the paste and rub the seasonings over the meat. Push the spices into any little crannies and crevices. Using the kitchen twine, tie the roast at regular intervals. This will prevent any of the crusty parts from peeling off during cooking. Leave the roast on the counter for a couple of hours to bring to room temperature. I know some people may be freaked out by the thought of leaving meat out for so long. Trust me, it won’t get warm. It won’t even really come to room temperature. You just want to be sure to take the chill off so it will sear more efficiently and reduce the total cooking time.

Preheat the oven to 450°. Put the roast in a shallow roasting pan, rib side down, and rub the roast with plenty of salt and pepper (don't be shy!). Roast for 20 minutes. Resist the urge to open the oven no matter what you hear or smell (unless it’s an oven fire, of course). Turn down the heat to 300° and continue roasting for about 1 hour.

After that first hour, rotate the roasting pan to promote even browning. I have a convection oven, but I still find it’s helpful to rotate if I’m doing a lengthy roast. This is also a good time to check the temperature. Don’t expect the roast to be close to done, but it’s still good to get an idea. Insert your thermometer into the thickest portion of the meat. Be sure to push far enough into the roast to get an accurate reading. If you only go an inch in, the reading will be deceptively high. Go in a little farther and the temperature will drop. My magic number is 130, but anywhere from 125° to 130° will give you a nice medium-rare roast. For an 8 pounder, expect it to take at least 2 hours, so shut the oven and don’t open it again until the next hour. After the second hour, you’ll probably be close, so you’ll want to check every 15 minutes (or less if it makes you feel better).

Once the roast is done, move it to a platter immediately. Let it rest for at least 30 minutes before carving. It will release juices, which can be used as a simple sauce. You can also make a simple Gorgonzola sauce, which tastes fantastic with beef.

For the perfect roast, cook until the internal temperature reaches between 125° and 130°, but not one degree more.

Easy Gorgonzola Sauce

• ¾ cup heavy cream
• 4 oz crumbly Gorgonzola
• 2-3 tbs mayonnaise

In a saucepan over low heat, melt the Gorgonzola with the heavy cream. Stir occasionally to promote even melting. When the cheese has melted, continue to simmer for an additional 5 minutes. Allow the sauce to cool to room temperature before adding in enough of the mayonnaise to thicken the sauce a little. Pour the sauce into a container and chill it in the fridge. Take it out about a half hour to an hour before serving. Using a fork or whisk, quickly whip the sauce to homogenize. It will have the consistency of sour cream.

Hope everyone has a happy Christmas!!! It's just the three of us this year. We are having some friends over for brunch, but otherwise it will be a quiet holiday. I wanna know, how are you celebrating??

This picture was taken at Hubby's company party earlier this month. Note to self: take family photo before face painting.

Give the Gift of Banana Bread (Yes, I'm Serious)

I’m not a baker. I freely admit that I’m not very good at it. I can bake three things with confidence: banana bread, classic brownies and chocolate cake. Anything else is a crap shoot.

But there is something about the holiday season that puts me in the mood (to bake!). I can’t explain why I woke up one morning and decided I was going to give my neighbors and coworkers the gift of homemade baked goods. Luckily for everyone I stuck to the banana bread and brownies. I also added truffles to the list. Since they were made from the brownie scraps, I was reasonably confident they would turn out okay (and they did). So if you are thinking about giving home-baked gifts this year here is a recipe that is foolproof.

Who doesn't like brownies?

Truffles made with scraps of the brownies, finely chopped pecans and chocolate ganache rolled in toasted coconut or chopped pecans

What’s so special about banana bread you ask? Normally I’d say nothing. Every banana bread recipe I ever tried turned out dry, until I found this one. Of course I had to change some stuff around. I’m not a nuts-in-baked-goods kind of person, so I nixed the nuts and added shredded coconut instead. I also reduced the sugar because I’m a mean old witch. These little details are inconsequential because it’s the 1 ½ sticks of butter that is the key. Mess with that and you’re asking for a dry-ass banana bread. I think whipping the bananas into a cream also helps keep the bread moist.


Banana Bread with Coconut and Chocolate Ganache

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 4 very ripe bananas
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 ½ sticks butter, melted and cooled
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ cup shredded coconut (I prefer unsweetened, but sweetened is fine)
• optional: chocolate chips or chopped nuts like pecans or walnuts
• chocolate ganache (recipe follows)
• optional: toasted shredded coconut for sprinkling on top

Pre-heat the oven to 350°.

Sift together the flour, salt and baking soda and set aside.

Mash 2 of the bananas with a fork and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, whip the remaining bananas and the sugar with an electric mixer until light and frothy. This will take a couple of minutes. Add the cooled butter, eggs and vanilla and mix well. Add in the dry ingredients a little at a time, until it’s all just incorporated. Fold in the mashed bananas, shredded coconut, chocolate chips or nuts if using.

This bread makes enough for a 9”x5” loaf pan or 3 or 4 mini pans. Make sure the pans are greased. Bake the large loaf for at least 1 hour, but probably closer to 1 hour 10 minutes. Use the toothpick test to check if it’s done. The loaf will crack, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s done. Don’t worry; it’ll still be moist. The mini pans get about 35 to 45 minutes. Check after 35 and go from there.

When the bread is done, take it out and let it cool in the pan for a few minutes before turning it out and cooling it on a rack. It needs to be completely cooled when you frost it with the ganache.

Chocolate Ganache

• ½ cup heavy cream
• 4 oz of your favorite chocolate, broken into chunks (yes, chips will work too)

The traditional way to make this frosting is on the stovetop in a double boiler. Being as lazy as I am, I use the microwave. Use a Pyrex or other microwave-safe bowl. Microwave the cream and chocolate on half power until the chocolate is melted. After each minute, stir to promote even melting. Once the chocolate is melted, whip it with a whisk to get a uniform sauce (don’t worry, it will set after a few hours).

Before topping the banana bread, make sure it’s cooled to room temperature. Place the loaf on a sheet of parchment or foil. Drizzle the ganache over the loaf, making a decorative pattern or completely covering the top of the loaf. Allow to set at room temp for 2 or 3 hours.

Quiche, quiche, quiche and more quiche

One of the things I’ve come to look forward to each holiday season is the company potluck. No sign-up sheet. Just a notice telling us to bring whatever we’d like to share with our colleagues. With a good mix of cultures represented, this open invitation leads to an interesting and tasty mix of food. This year there was honey glazed ham, smoked albacore tuna dip, sushi, cold buckwheat noodles, Brazilian black bean and meat stew, teriyaki chicken thighs, pigs in a blanket, Buffalo wings, bean dip, and Shepard’s pie, just to name a few. I brought three different kinds of quiche: spinach and smoked Gouda, caramelized onion and mozzarella, and honey ham and extra sharp cheddar.

Spinach and smoked Gouda. The smokiness of the cheese compliments the spinach very well. Smoked cheeses can be too smoky for some people. You may want to use half smoked cheese and half mild cheese, like mozzarella or havarti.

Quiche is one of those foods I like to fall back on when I need something to bring to a potluck. It can be made a day or two in advance, it can be served hot or cold, and it’s easy to transport. The recipe I use is so easy (found on Food Network years ago) and even if you over-bake it a bit, the result is still smooth and delicious. I’ve tried this with many different fillings and everything has worked, so I encourage you to experiment. And it’s scalable; no need to make each quiche separately.

Caramelized onion and mozzarella quiche. This is my favorite filling. The sweetness of the onions goes so well with creaminess of the eggs.

Basic Quiche

• 4 eggs
• ½ cup mayonnaise
• 1 cup half and half (evaporated milk or even whole milk is okay)
• 2 tbs flour
• ½ tsp salt (more or less to taste depending on your filling)
• shredded cheese (as little as 1 large handful to 4 oz)
• filling of your choice (well-drained cooked spinach, caramelized onions, sautéed leeks, sautéed and drained kale, ham, sautéed mushrooms, etc)
• 1 unbaked piecrust, recipe below (or store-bought is fine)

In a large bowl, beat the eggs with the mayonnaise, half and half, flour and salt until nice and creamy.

In the unbaked piecrust, lay your filling and most of the cheese. Make sure the filling is well drained. Pour the egg mixture over the filling and top with the remaining cheese. Bake in a 350° oven for about 35 to 45 minutes, or until the center is set. I have two pan sizes and the smaller one takes exactly 35 minutes and the larger exactly 45. Don’t worry if the quiche puffs up; it will deflate as it cools. If you see a small crack or two, it’s probably done and will be fine.

Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

This basic piecrust is good for sweet or savory pies. This recipe makes enough for two crusts. If you just want to use one, the other can be frozen. If possible, roll out the crust and place in the pie pan to freeze. Then when you need to use it, just fill it and pop it in the oven. If that’s not possible, freeze it as a flatten ball and thaw in the fridge before rolling it out.

Basic Pie Crust
makes 2 crusts

• 2 cups flour
• ½ tsp salt
• 2/3 cups cold butter, cut into smallish squares
• up to 1/3 cup cold water

If you can make this in a food processor, it will come together much faster, but if you don’t have a food processor, good old elbow grease will do. Pulse the flour, salt and butter until you get a course, but uniform mixture. Slowly add the water, one tablespoon at a time while pulsing until the dough comes together. Don’t over process. It should hold together well without being sticky to your hands or the work surface. As soon as it comes together dump it onto a work surface and knead it 3 or 4 times. Divide it in half, wrap each half in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 30 minutes to chill the dough. Once it’s chilled, roll it out until it fits your pie pan. Trim the excess or make a decorative border.

Ode to the Coconut: Vanilla Coconut Custard

I have something to admit, but I know if I admit it, people will think I'm strange: when it comes to chocolate, I could take it or leave it (except chocolate cake, and even that has to be a specific chocolate cake). Don’t misunderstand; I don’t hate chocolate. Not at all. But if you gave me a choice of something chocolate (even chocolate cake) or any Thai candy or dessert, I’d pick the Thai stuff every time.

I know, I know. I'm strange, right?

If you need to blame someone for my apathy towards chocolate, I would point the finger at my mom. She didn’t allow us to eat chocolate (or other sweets) very often. She never baked, so we didn’t get brownies or chocolate cake (unless it was our birthday). The only form of chocolate we got with any regularity was Ovaltine. So please don’t blame me, the victim.

Instead of chocolate sweets, I’m a big fan of sweets that contain coconut (milk, flakes, rum). Just about everyone who enjoys Thai food has tried sticky rice with mango in coconut sauce and liked it. However, most people haven’t tried the dozens of other Thai desserts containing coconut because they usually don't serve them at restaurants here in the US. To find them you need to frequent a Thai-Viet market. Many of these markets sell stuff made by women in their home kitchens local producers.

These are the types of sweets I grew up on. They contain coconut, sugar, and tapioca flour in some combination. The red one is dusted with finely shredded coconut and filled with something that tastes like mochi. The green and yellow one is a layered candy that tastes like coconut and is sticky and gummy. It was my favorite. The cake-like one also tastes like coconut and has a texture like a brownie.

Making my childhood sweets may be a little ambitious for me right now, but there are still dozens of desserts to be made using coconut. I’ve been wanting to try to make a coconut crème brulee-type dessert for a while. I tried once and it didn’t set. Then I thought I’d try using a regular crème brulee recipe and experimenting until I came up with something I liked. Luckily it took only one trial! Click here to see my inspiration recipe (FYI, you should download or print it now because they say it’s only going to be available for a limited time).

Coconut Crème Brulee
Serves 8

• 1 egg
• 5 egg yolks
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 ½ cups coconut milk (not lite)
• 1 ½ cups heavy cream
• 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped (use the pod for something else)
• 1 tbs fresh lime juice
• ¼ tsp kosher salt

In a large bowl or a KitchenAid mixer with a paddle attachment, mix the egg, egg yolks and sugar until combined.

In a saucepan, heat the coconut milk, cream and vanilla just to the boiling point. If there are extra large flecks of vanilla or some of the pod bark, strain the mixture through a mesh sieve. Then add the cream mixture to the egg mix, stirring (or paddling) slowly but thoroughly. Don’t add the cream too fast, or you may get scrambled eggs. I don’t recommend using a whisk because bubbles will form and when you bake the custard, the top won’t be smooth. After you have added all the cream mixture, add the lime juice and salt.

Pour or ladle the mixture into ramekins or other oven-safe glass/ceramic bowl (volume capacity about 1/3 to ½ cup). Bake the ramekins in a water bath in a 300° oven for 35 to 45 minutes. You’ll know the custard is done if you give the pan a little shake and the centers of the custards are set. ( Getting a sense for what “set” means takes a lot of practice. Since I don’t dabble in the sweet kitchen very often, it took me a long time to learn. Basically if the custard is somewhat giggly but not liquid, it’s set.) Take out of the oven and cool to room temperature before chilling in the fridge. I recommend chilling overnight, covered with plastic wrap.

To get a smooth top when you bake, don't use a whisk to mix the cream mixture with the eggs. If only I knew then...

Fill the pan with boiling water to about half way up the cups.

These custards should be served chilled. No need to embellish but sprinkling with a little toasted coconut or serving crème brulee-style, with burnt sugar on top, gives it a finished look. If you want to go the creme brulee route, I recommend putting the ramekins in the freezer for about 15 to 30 minute before torching. This will keep the custard chilled after you torch the top.

For creme brulee, I always use washed raw sugar, also known as turbinado sugar. I'm sure regular ol' granulated sugar works just fine.

If you go the creme brulee route, you'll get the best results with a kitchen torch. I used my broiler but I took it out a little early so as not to warm the custard too much. The custard should be chilled while the top barely warm and crackly.

Edited to add: I'm going to submit this to Sugar High Friday being hosted by Kochtopf. Why not?

Crash Course on Thai Sticky Rice

A few months ago, a friend asked me if Thai sticky rice was similar to Japanese-style rice. I didn’t realize that there might be some confusion. I guess if you didn’t grow up eating it, you might not know. Being that my mom’s family is from the Northeastern part of Thailand where sticky rice is very commonplace, we ate a lot of it. But to answer the question, no, Thai sticky rice is not similar to Japanese rice.

I know nothing about the nutritional qualities of sticky rice. You can probably find out more about that here, but I’ll tell you what I do know.

Comparing Thai with Japanese sticky rice, you'll see the grains are quite different. Thai sticky rice is whiter while the Japanese rice is more opaque. The Japanese version is just a little bit shorter too. Unlike most kinds of rice, Thai sticky rice is not boiled. It’s steamed and truly sticky (which means less clean up after your kids eat!). The grains stick together very well, but when cooked properly, should not stick to your hands. And yes, it’s meant to be shaped into small balls and eaten with your hands. I always chuckle when I go to a Thai restaurant and see people eating sticky rice with a fork. On the flipside, people probably think I have bad manners because I eat it with my hands??

Clockwise from left: Thai sticky rice, Japanese short grain rice, Thai jasmine rice.When buying sticky rice, you'll know you're on the right track if you see the word Thai in the name. It may be called Thai sticky rice, Thai glutinous rice (don’t worry, it doesn’t contain gluten), or Thai sweet rice.

Before you even think of steaming it, the rice needs to be soaked for about 8 hours. Ignore the packaging if it says it only needs to be soaked for 3 hours. What I normally do is get it soaking before I leave for work so all I have to do is steam it when I get home. Just put it in a large bowl, add enough water so that the water level is 2 inches above the rice and leave it on your counter. I never measure it out, but I would guess about ½ to 2/3 cup of uncooked rice per person should be enough. Remember, this kind of rice is quite heavy and you probably won’t eat as much of it as you would basmati rice. (It should be noted that this kind of rice doesn't expand much at all, so what you see after soaking is approximately what you get.)

If you want to try making Thai sticky rice, you’ll need a steamer. Of course, the best steamer is the kind especially made for steaming sticky rice (see picture below). This setup can be found at any Thai-Viet grocer and shouldn’t cost you more than $10. If you can’t find it, you could use a regular Chinese-style bamboo steamer. You’ll need to line it with cheesecloth so the grains don’t fall through. After soaking the rice, drain it, put it in the steaming basket and set the basket over the pot, which should have about 2 inches of water in it. Put a lid on it (any lid will do, as long as it keeps the steam from escaping). Turn the heat to medium. Once the water boils, it shouldn’t take long to steam the rice, maybe 10 to 15 minutes. The rice will turn opaque and lose it whiteness. Halfway through cooking, try “flipping” the rice by removing the lid and taking the steaming basket off the pot then gently shaking the basket up and down until the rice begins to turn. I know this is hard to imagine, but you’ll understand completely once you do this. If you are using a regular bamboo steamer, you may not need to do this because the rice will be more level in the steamer, thus allowing the rice at the top to cook.

This steamer is made specifically for steaming sticky rice.

uncooked sticky rice

To test whether the rice is done, taste it! But be careful because it will be hot. The rice should be tender, but not mushy. Once it's done, take it off the heat and plop it into a bowl and drape it with a kitchen towel. If you want to get the full authentic effect, pick up a sticky rice keeper thing, which can also be found at your Thai-Viet store. I like to line mine with plastic, because I hate cleaning out dried rice from the bottom. Just leave the lid off for a couple of minutes for the steam to escape.

After the rice is steamed, it will lose its whiteness. It should be tender but not mushy.

What to eat with Thai sticky rice? Even though this rice is very sticky, it will fall apart if it becomes wet. That means it's good for eating with things that are not saucy. I don’t think I’ve ever eaten sticky rice with a stir-fry because it's not good at soaking up sauces and it's just heavy compared to jasmine or basmati rice. You can eat it with soups and curries, but don’t ladle the sauce on top. Eat the curry or soup with a spoon and pop a rice ball in your mouth. My favorite things to eat with sticky rice are red and green curries, Asian-style omelets with a side of naam prik phao, hot and sour soup, satay, laab, som tom, Thai BBQ chicken, Isaan-style sausages (or just about any other sausage for that matter), over-medium eggs with fish sauce, Thai fish cakes or crispy fried salted fish.

Feel free to leave any questions in the comments. I’m sure I made it all sound far more complicated than it is. But once you do it once, you’ll see how easy it is.

There's Nothing Like a Sunday Family Dinner

Last month, at our Girlfriends Only retreat, one of the Girlfriends threw out the idea for a monthly family dinner. We’d rotate homes and get the kids together to play while the mamas and papas socialize. For those of you who don’t have small children, I’m using the term socialize very loosely. Potlucks can be quite chaotic and stressful. What we’d really be doing is chasing the kids around, trying not to spill our cocktails. Nevertheless, the idea of Second Sunday was born.

Yesterday was our first monthly Second Sunday Family Potluck. We had 5 families in attendance and one Dan Marino (not of the Miami Dolphins fame, but no less fun and charming). Our hostess was Girlfriend L, who has the perfect home for entertaining. Besides being tastefully decorated, it has a TV room where we set up the Wii for the kids and papas. Virtual bowing, tennis, baseball and boxing. At one point, I walked into the room and heard a papa cheer, “Hit him in the stomach!”

[Here’s where I throw out some free advertising: the Wii is a requirement for any gathering where there are kids to entertain, regardless of whether they are aged 4 or 40. As Girlfriend L remarked, “I hardly noticed the kids were here at all!” Thank you, Nintendo.]

The theme this time was Mexican food. Can you guess what I brought? Carnitas, of course. I also brought homemade crema, roasted tomato and chipotle salsa and sugar cookies, which we let the kids decorate.

As if a sugar cookie didn't have enough sugar. It seemed like a great idea until the kids were bouncing off the walls. Click here for the easiest sugar cookie recipe in the world. I mean, even I didn't screw them up.

Normally when I make carnitas during the week, I throw it into my crock pot before work so when I get home, all I have to do is brown it in a skillet. Since I had plenty of time, I did it in the oven, just like this oven-roasted picnic pork shoulder. This time I used a 4.5 pound Boston butt rubbed with 1 head of mashed garlic, fresh thyme, coriander, cumin, salt and pepper. When it was done, I just wrapped it in foil and a couple of layers of kitchen towels to let it rest, and it was still warm over an hour later when we arrived at the potluck. To serve, we shredded it into a pre-warmed serving bowl and garnished with cilantro and onions. It was sooooo good.

Tender pork with crunchy brown bits...yummmmm

Girlfriend M brought a delicious chicken chili verde.

If you don’t know what crema is, it’s the Mexican equivalent to crème fraiche or sour cream. Unlike crème fraiche, it’s not really stiff but since it's made with heavy cream, it's still deliciously rich. Obviously it is great on a taco or any other Mexican dish, but I like to use it atop a slice of sweet berry pie to cut some of the sugar. You can buy crema in any well-stocked grocery store, but it’s easy enough to make at home.

Mexican Crema

• 1 pint heavy cream
• ¼ to 1/3 cup buttermilk, depending on the level of sourness you like
• fresh lime juice, to taste depending on the level of sourness (but you probably won’t need more than 1 lime)
• salt, to taste

In a medium to large bowl, stir together the cream and buttermilk. Drape it with a paper towel or clean kitchen towel and leave it on the counter overnight. In the morning, it should be thick. Add lime juice and salt to taste. Store it in the fridge in an airtight container until ready to use. It’s probably good for 3 or 4 days.

Before overnight "incubation" at room temperature.

As Sonny would say: it's magic!

Making homemade salsa is also very easy. I like using fire-roasted tomatoes, and will do it myself when I have access to sweet summertime tomatoes. During the winter, I just use a canned brand like Muir Glenn. Hunt’s makes them now too. Both are fine, and your choice might depend more on organic vs. non-organic (guess which is non-organic?).

Fire-roasted tomato and chipotle salsa

• 1 14oz can fire-roasted tomatoes, drained (reserve juices)
• ¼ large sweet or purple onion, confetti diced
• half bunch of cilantro, roughly chopped
• ½ to 1 chipotle in adobo sauce*, minced
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/8 to ¼ tsp sugar to cut sourness of tomatoes (completely optional)

I like to process my tomatoes a little so they aren’t so chunky, but this is up to you. Add the other ingredients and mix well. If you want the salsa to be more juicy, add back some of the reserved juice.



*I hate the thought of wasting a can of chipotles just to use one or two of them. What I do is freeze them. Lay them out on a cookie sheet or plate and stick them into the freezer overnight. This will keep them separate so you can take one or two whenever you need it. When frozen, throw them into a Ziploc freezer bag.

We ended with the cookies the kids decorated and Dan Marino's dulce de leche made from goat's milk. It was so good with wedges of tart Granny Smith apples. (He also made a delicious tomatilla salsa, which I must get the recipe for. Do you hear me Dan Marino?)

White fish in Chili Black Bean Sauce

I’ve always loved fish. We ate it regularly when I was growing up and I could never understand why so many of my friends didn’t like it. I don’t want Sonny to be one of those kids that grows up hating fish, so I try to make it at least once a week.

Tonight I threw together this Chinese-style fish in 30 minutes. I used orange roughy, but any other firm white fish, such as cod, will do. You could also bake or steam the fish, if you prefer. Just omit the flour.

White fish with chili black bean sauce

• 1 pound white fish
• 1 tbs lime juice
• flour for dusting
• 1/2 to 1 tbs grated ginger
• 2 bunches scallions, greens and whites separated, finely sliced on the diagonal
• 1 tbs Chinese chili black bean paste
  
• 1 tbs black soy sauce
• 1 tbs Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
• ½ to 1 tsp sugar, depending on taste
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• ¼ to 1/3 cup water to de-glaze

Rub lime juice on the fish and let it sit for a couple of minutes. Pat dry and dust with flour. Pan fry in a skillet over medium-high heat. You only have to use enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan. When done, put it to the side and keep it warm.

While the fish is cooking, combine the chili black bean paste, soy sauce, rice wine, sugar and sesame oil in a small bowl. Whisk well to dissolve the sugar.

Chili black bean paste can be found at Asian markets.

In a wok over high heat, add a tablespoon or two of oil. Fry the ginger for about 20 seconds, until it’s fragrant and browning a little (don’t let it burn!). Add the whites of the green onions and stir-fry for about a minute or two. Don’t over-stir them; give them a few seconds to brown between stirs. Add the sauce mix. It should caramelize and get a little thicker quite quickly. Add the remaining green onions and ¼ to 1/3 cup of water to deglaze the wok (drizzle the water down the sides of the wok). Quickly check the seasonings, and if you’re happy, spoon the sauce over the fish. Serve immediately with steamed white rice.

Let's Talk about Me

I'm sombebody! I've been tagged by Manggy!

I love memes. I love hearing about how people became interested in food, what food means to them, etc. I especially love to read about stories where people tell of their food awakenings because I can so identify with that. I didn't eat a variety of foods growing up. We only ate Thai food, and specifically Issan-style Thai food. It wasn't until I left home that I was exposed to different foods. Imagine, I never tasted Blue cheese or carnitas or sushi until I was an adult.

So without further delay...

What were you cooking/baking 10 years ago?
Ten years ago I didn’t cook much. I was only 22. I was just transitioning from being a college student into a trophy wife married life. We ate out a lot. If I did cook it was easy stuff like spaghetti or ramen.

What were you cooking/baking one year ago?
One year ago I was cooking pretty much like I do now. If you want to see what that was, take a gander at my previous posts.

Five snacks you enjoy (in no particular order):
Trader Joe’s reduced sodium roasted cashews mixed with dried cranberries
fresh fruit, whatever is in season
cuttlefish jerky (hey, don’t knock it until you try it!)
shrimp chips (yes, I know they are bad for me, but I grew up on them)
pork rinds (yes, I know they are even worse for me than shrimp chips)

Five recipes you know by heart:
Marinara sauce
Fried rice
basic quiche
som tom
carnitas

Five culinary luxuries you would indulge in if you were a millionaire:
For some reason, I find this question hard! I could only think of 3 off the top of my head.
a new kitchen
a personal chef
a small piece of land to grow a lot of my own food (as it is, I've only got a 2'x8' raised bed on a city lot!)

Five foods you love to cook/bake:
Thai food
Mexican food
Indian food
Chinese food
chocolate cake

Five foods you cannot/will not eat:
sea urchin
raw eggs
insects and the like, including snails, crickets, grasshoppers, ants, etc
chicken feet
raw mackrel

Five favorite culinary toys:
cast iron wok
cast iron skillet
mortar and pestle
stove top espresso maker
salad spinner

Five dishes on your "last meal" menu:
Pad Thai
Thai BBQ chicken with accompanying dipping sauce and sticky rice
Thai green curry with chicken
carnitas tacos
chocolate cake

Five happy food memories:
Eating with my relatives during my visits to Thailand. If it wasn’t raining we ate al fresco out in front of khun yai’s (grandma) house. Otherwise we’d eat inside on mats spread out on the floor even though there was a perfectly usable dining table at our disposal.

Taking my in-laws and Hubby’s friends to House of Nanking in SF for the first time. I think they were a little skeptical that such a ratty looking hole-in-the-wall could have such tasty food. Hubby’s friend Peter had a spoon in one hand and fork in the other and was literally shoveling the food into his mouth.

Making chocolate brownies with Sonny about a month ago. He was upset when he saw I put eggs in the batter, but had no problems licking the bowl when we were done.

The look on Sonny’s face when he saw I baked him a birthday cake with Sonic the Hedgehog on it. I got the cake decal on eBay. It’s true, you really can find anything on eBay!

The time Hubby accidently used Chinese sausage to make spaghetti. How anyone could mistake Chinese sausage for Italian sausage is beyond me. I chuckle every time I think of it.

I'm tagging: Citymama and Miche Mache.

Thinking About Doing a Pork Roast this Holiday?

The latest issue of Saveur is really worth picking up. I’ve had it for a week and I’ve already been inspired by it twice. First I made these sweet potato cakes. This time I tried the Crisp Roast Pork using pork picnic shoulder. It turned out phenomenal, even though I didn’t cook it the way they recommended (to 160º internal temperature in a 325º oven).

I am a firm believer in the “slow” and “low” method when it comes to large pork roasts. By slow I mean 1 ½ to 2 hours per pound of meat and low means a 250º to 275º oven. I know it seems extreme, but I promise you’ll be rewarded with a succulent tasty pork roast. So tasty that you’ll dream about it and want to tell anyone who will listen what you ate for dinner.

Don't be alarmed if the meat becomes a little discolored by the citrus juices. It won't affect the results. Roasting is best done in a shallow roasting pan. I used a cast iron skillet, which worked wonderfully to caramelize the underside.

Carribean-Inspired Roast Pork

• 2 tbs cumin seeds
• 1 tbs black peppercorns
• 1 tbs dried oregano
• ½ tsp cayenne
• 12 cloves garlic
• 1 tbs kosher salt + extra for seasoning to taste
• 1 cup fresh orange juice
• ½ cup fresh lime juice
• 4 to 6 pound pork picnic shoulder (Boston butt will also do)

Look at this beautiful pork picnic shoulder! This one has been de-boned but the fat layer was left on. You may choose to trim it before roasting, but I like the way it gets crunchy in the oven.

Toast the cumin seeds and peppercorns on a dry skillet until fragrant.

In a food processor, add the toasted spices, oregano, cayenne, garlic and 1 tbs kosher salt and process into a paste. Alternatively you can pound everything in a mortar, which is what I did. I find the flavors blend better when you pound the hell out of them.

Rub the paste all over the roast, pressing into any and every crevice. Tie it up, transfer to a large Ziploc bag and add the orange juice and lime juice. Refrigerate, turning occasionally for 18 to 24 hours.

Since this roast was de-boned, it was basically cut in half. If yours still has a bone, make slits in the meat so you can rub the seasonings in. Get the spices into all the crevices.

Up to two hours before roasting, remove the pork from the fridge to bring to room temperature. If you can drain the roast on a rack set over a roasting pan, that will help drain the excess liquid. Season the pork with a little more salt, set in a roasting pan (not on a rack) and roast in a 275º preheated oven until the internal temperature reaches between 195º to 205º (if you’re pressed for time, just go to 185º). Allow 1 ½ to 2 hours per pound for it to reach this temperature range.

The original recipe calls for basting the roast every 30 minutes, but I’m not a baster. I don’t believe in opening an oven to let the heat out. Basting may help poultry skin get crisper (although I’m not convinced), but I don’t find it does much to roasting pork. Try, try, try not to open the oven for any reason whatsoever until at least halfway through the cooking time. Once you reach the halfway mark, turn the roast over.

This roast is only halfway done. If your roasting pan becomes dry, you can add a cup of water to it.

Once done, allow the roast to rest for at least 30 minutes to allow the juices to re-distribute. This roast is so succulent, you don't need a pan sauce. A simple salsa will do. I also served it with cilantro rice and sauteed corn.

The Danish Cousin to the Swedish Meatball

As promised, here’s the recipe for Danish frikadeller, the cousin to Swedish meatballs. Using a food processor, they are insanely easy to throw together. Cooking them takes all of twenty minutes if you do it in the oven. The only real work is weighing out the portions and working with the mixture, which is annoyingly sticky (but makes for a moist meatball).

I promise, your fellow potluckers will love these.

Frikadeller
makes approx. 30 frikadeller (2oz each)

• 3 slices bread, torn into pieces
• ½ cup milk
• 1 onion, roughly chopped
• 1½ tsp kosher salt
• 3 pounds ground pork (or mix of pork and veal or turkey)
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp ground allspice

Put the bread in a small bowl with the milk. It will only take a couple of minutes to soak up the milk.

In a food processor, puree the bread, onions, spices and eggs to a uniform mixture. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and add the ground meat(s). Mix well. It’s easiest to use your (clean!) hands, but don’t squeeze the meat. The mixture will be very sticky.

Using a food processor produces a nice batter to mix with the ground meat.

Traditionally pork and veal are used, but here I used pork and turkey. Don't be alarmed if the mixture is very sticky.

This recipe makes a lot of meatballs, and it would take you a long time to fry up. I like to cook mine in the oven on a rimmed, greased cookie sheet. For 2oz meatballs, it takes about 20 minutes in my convection oven at 375º. Don’t be alarmed if a lot of liquid runs out, the finished product will still be moist. Allow them to cool slightly before removing them with a spatula. Don’t serve these piping hot; they taste best warm or at room temperature.

Trust me, you don't want to spend half the day frying these babies up. Baking them is quick and painless.

The traditional way to eat these are with Danish rye bread or potatoes and pickled beets or pickled red cabbage. However, for a more seasonal and festive dish, you can serve them with cranberry chutney or tomato jam.

If you don’t have a potluck to attend, no worries. These bad boys are well suited for freezing. Place them on a cookie sheet in the freezer overnight, then throw them into two layers of Ziploc freezer bags. To reheat, they can go straight from the freezer into a 350º oven. Or you can thaw them in the fridge overnight and fry them in a skillet over medium-low heat until heated through.

I prefer reheating them in a skillet because they will form a nice crust (see picture below).

When fried on a skillet, they form nice crusts. Yum.

Still delicious when oven-baked.

Yummy Sweet Potato Cakes

Yesterday was supposed to be the last day of my clean-out-the-freezer challenge, but I had to work and we had a Christmas party to attend so today is the finale. Hooray!

Today’s freezer item was the black bean soup I made back in September. Before adding the chorizo, I took a portion to freeze. This time we had it just as it was, without chorizo, and it was still a hearty and delicious lunch.

Black bean soup with cumin

I’m supposed to start the pantry challenge today, but I’ve been thinking that it might be more relevant to do some posts about foods to bring to holiday potlucks. Besides, I don’t think I could handle it if I had to post something for another 7 days in a row. I give props to ya’ll that did it for the entire month of November.

Back to potluck foods…I was flipping through the latest issue of Saveur and was inspired by a recipe for latkes. Instead of using regular potatoes and chives, I thought it would be interesting to use sweet potatoes and cilantro. I was surprised at how delicious they were. I'm not a big potato eater, but I will definitely be making these again soon. When you bite into the cakes, the outsides are crispy and the insides are soft, like a good hash brown. The cilantro gives them a fresh taste. And they are a very good potluck food: very transportable and can be served at room temp.

Sweet potato cakes with cilantro and chili-sour cream sauce

Sweet potato pancakes
makes about 25 appetizer-sized cakes

• 2 ½ pounds sweet potatoes, grated
• 1 onion, grated
• 3 tbs fine plain bread crumbs or finely ground plain cracker crumbs
• ½ to 1 bunch cilantro, finely chopped
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 2 tsp salt
• freshly ground black pepper to taste
• oil for frying

Combine the grated sweet potatoes and onion in a large bowl. Using a cheese cloth or very clean kitchen towel, squeeze as much of the liquid out as humanly possible (it’s more effective if you work in small batches). Reserve the liquid in a medium-sized bowl.

When you have squeezed out all the liquid from the sweet potatoes, set them aside until needed. Let the liquid sit for about 10 minutes to allow the starch to settle then carefully pour off the liquid.

To the bowl with the sweet potatoes and onion, add the bread crumbs, cilantro, eggs, salt, pepper and reserved starch. Mix well.

The mixture will appear dry, but don't worry, the cakes won't fall apart when you cook them.

When forming the cakes, don’t make them too thick, maybe about 1/4 to 1/2 inch. Fry the cakes in a skillet in about ¼ inch of oil over medium heat. You may have to play with the heat to keep the cakes from browning too quickly, otherwise the inside will be raw (if you find the cakes aren’t cooked through, throw them into a 350º oven for about 10 minutes or until they’re done). Drain on paper towels or on a rack placed above a cookie sheet.

Unless you've got all day, you may want to bust out more than one frying pan.

These sweet potato cakes are good on their own or with a dollop of sour cream. If you want a little more spice, trying combining 2 tbs sour cream with 1 tbs mayo, a tsp chili-garlic sauce, a squeeze of lime and a little salt to taste.