Blazing Hot Wok

Hasta luego, peeps!

noreply@blogger.com (dp) — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 04:24:00 +0000

In less than 12 hours we'll be on a plane headed down south for a much need family vacation. Obviously I won't be posting. Or checking email. Or answering my phone. Instead, I'll be basking by a pool with my Kindle and the occasional cocktail. I'll probably eat a taco or two as well.

See you in July!

Berry Crumble

noreply@blogger.com (dp) — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 05:00:00 +0000

I love this time of year. Not just because the weather warms up significantly. Our summer doesn't normally start before July 4th, but it has been unusually warm for the past month. Maybe Mother Nature decided to give us a break after the cold, snowy winter (another unusual phenomenon). I'm totally not complaining.

Hand in hand with the warm weather comes sugar sweet berries and fruit. Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, marionberries, cherries. I just can't eat enough of them. In fact, I always buy a ton of whatever is available with the intention of making jams, syrups, pies, ice cream, but instead I just end up gobbling them down. (Note to self: don't eat an extra-large bowl of cherries before a night on the town!)

I finally did manage to throw together some berry crumbles (for the first time) and all I can say is WOW! I've never been a big fan of crumbles because they are usually served with a pile of fruit and just a sprinkling of topping. I like there to be a good amount of crusty topping in every bite. Making the dessert in ramekins works perfect to give the right amount of topping to fruit. Plus they look super cute, don't they?

Making a crumble is so easy, easier than making a pie because there aren't any crusts to roll out. For the topping, I used Ina Garten's recipe. For the filling, I used my berry pie filling, but any pie filling would work.

Berry Crumble
Makes 1 large pie-sized or 6 ramekins
For the filling:
1 ½ lbs (4 to 5 cups) berries (I used raspberries and blueberries)
¾ oz (3 tbs) cornstarch
5 ½ oz (2/3 cup) granulated sugar
2 tbs lemon juice

For the topping:
4 ½ oz (1 cup) all purpose flour
2 3/8 oz (1/3 cup) granulated sugar
2 1/8 oz (1/3 cup packed) brown sugar
pinch of salt
8 oz (1 stick) cold butter, diced
1 5/8 oz (½ cup) quick-cooking or regular rolled oats
1 5/8 oz (1/2 cup) sliced almonds

Begin by making the topping. In a food processor, pulse the flour, sugar, brown sugar, salt and butter until you get a coarse mixture. I like to add the oats and pulse a couple of times to break them up a little. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and add the almonds. Mix in the almonds making clumps (although it will still be pretty loose).

In another large bowl, combine the granulated sugar and cornstarch and mix until all the cornstarch is mixed in with the sugar. Add the fruit and lemon juice and carefully mix, trying not to mash the fruit. Transfer the fruit into a large baking dish (or ramekins) and press the topping on. I like to make sure the fruit is completely covered. Bake in a 350F oven (on a sheet pan to catch the juices) until bubbly and the topping is golden.

Serve warm, with a scoop of ice cream.

Here's a tip: if you use ramekins, the dessert can be wrapped and easily reheated. They'll keep in the fridge, well wrapped, for about a week. I bake the crumbles until they are just golden and then reheat them under a broiler to crisp them up and warm the filling.

Korean Spiced Tofu

noreply@blogger.com (dp) — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 21:10:00 +0000

I know what you’re thinking. Tofu?! Ugh!

Why does tofu get a bad wrap? I love it. I love the different textures it can assume. I love the way it absorbs flavors like a sponge. And apparently, it can give you an orgasm in your mouth. (Click on the link to see a hilariously compelling advertisement my neighbor stumbled upon; you won’t be disappointed!) ☺

This simple Korean dish is one of my favorite ways to eat tofu. The tofu is first lightly fried then simmered in a soy sauce spiked with garlic, green onions, sesame and Korean chili flakes. It absorbs the sauce beautifully and has a texture a little like steamed eggs. Totally easy and tasty.

One important thing to note is the use of Korean chili flakes (gochugaru), which are different from the chili flakes we like on our pizza or in pasta dishes. The Korean version doesn't really have seeds so it doesn't pack the same heat. However there are spicy versions, which would be indicated on the packaging. I don't think the two taste a like, so substituting the regular red pepper flakes will not give the same result to the dish. I think it's worth it to take a trip to your local Korean or Japanese grocery to pick up a bag.

Korean red pepper flakes (left) vs. regular red chili flakes.

Tubu Choerim (Fried spiced tofu)
Adapted from The Korean Kitchen

1 block firm (not extra firm) tofu, sliced into ½ inch rectangles
3 tbs soy sauce (I used low sodium tamari) mixed with an equal volume water
2 tsp Korean chili flakes (or more to taste)
½ tbs toasted sesame oil
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped into a paste
1 tsp sugar
5 to 8 scallions, cut into 2-inch segments
1 tbs toasted sesame seeds

Lay the sliced tofu out on paper towels and lightly sprinkle with salt. Allow to sit for about 10 minutes. This will draw out some of the excess water. Blot the slices with a paper towel before frying.

Make the sauce by combining the soy, chili flakes, sesame oil, garlic and sugar in a small bowl.

In a hot frying pan (something that is non-stick; I used well seasoned cast iron), fry the tofu slices in about 2 tbs oil for about 3 minutes on each side. The goal is not to get a crispy crust, just cook the tofu so it’s not raw. Add the scallions and fry for another minute. Add the sauce and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Simmer until most of the liquid evaporates, flipping the tofu slices at least once during the process. We like it a bit saucy, so I don’t let the liquid evaporate all the way down. Throw in the sesame seeds and remove the tofu to a serving platter. Ladle the sauce over. Serve warm or at room temp.

This makes a wonderful side dish in a multicourse meal, but it’s just as filling when eaten alone with steamed short-grain rice and a few fresh cucumber slices (or tomato slices) or Korean pickles.

This is my submission to Regional Recipes, where the spotlight is on Korean food. The host this round is Wandering Chopsticks. If you’d like to participate, send your submission to wanderingchopsticks(at)gmail(dot)com by midnight, June 15th.

Lemon-Mint Tart

noreply@blogger.com (dp) — Mon, 25 May 2009 04:23:00 +0000

I never was a lemon person. Whenever I needed fresh citrus for cooking, I used limes. In fact, we could go months without ever buying a lemon. My taste buds must be changing, though, because I’ve started to appreciate the taste of lemon, particularly in sweet (but not too sweet!) incarnations.

The whipped cream tempers the tartness of the custard. The marionberry syrup, which I got at the farmers' market, gives this dessert a nice tang.

The local supermarket was having a special on lemons, 2 lb bags for $1.88. What a deal, huh? I picked up 3 bags. Mostly I’ve been making lemonade and refreshing cocktails, but Hubby suggested making a dessert. Never made a lemon tart before, so I thought I’d give that a try. I found a recipe on Food Network, courtesy of Francois Payard, that seemed pretty straightforward, but it wasn’t. I only blame myself for messing around with a recipe from a world-famous pattisier. However, everything worked out fine in the end and we all lived happily ever after, as you can tell from the picture.

Lemon-mint tart
adapted from Francois Payard’s recipe on Food Network

½ cup packed mint leaves (stems okay too), roughly chopped
½ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice (about 3 or 4 lemons)
zest from lemons
½ cup granulated sugar (about 4 oz)
4 to 5 eggs
3 tbs unsalted butter, cut into chunks

Sweet tart dough

1 cup + 1 tbs confectioners’ sugar
1 ¾ cup all purpose flour
pinch salt
9 tbs unsalted butter, softened
1 large egg

In a mortar, grind the mint leaves with the lemon zest and a little of the sugar. When you get a rough paste, transfer it to a plastic or glass container. Add the lemon juice and the rest of the sugar. Mix well and allow the mixture to sit overnight in the fridge. This will help extract more of the mint flavor.

This dough recipe makes enough for two tarts, but the filling is only enough for one. Don’t ask me why; I’m just the chump who tried out the recipe. I used mini-tart pans and got 9 of them using half the dough. You may freeze the other half, well wrapped, for a couple of months or use it for another tart.

The easiest way to make the crust is with a food processor. Add all the ingredients, except the egg, and pulse until they are uniform. Add the egg and pulse just until the dough comes together. Turn out the dough. It will be sticky. REALLY, VERY, TOTALLY STICKY! I wish I would have known that in advance so I could adequately flour my counter. Divide the dough in half and wrap each half in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. You definitely don’t want to skip this part. You want the dough to be chilled through when you roll it out, otherwise you will just have a terrible sticky mess. (Make sure you have plenty of flour handy when you roll out the dough because you’ll need to lightly sprinkle flour on after every couple of passes. And work fast because the dough warms up pretty quickly. It was a bit annoying since I’d never worked with such a sticky dough before, but well worth it.) Pre-bake the crust at 350F for about 8 to 10 minutes, or until the crust starts to turn golden. Don’t let it get too brown because you’ll be giving it another 10 minutes when the custard bakes.

The following day, strain the mixture into a glass or other non-reactive bowl. Don’t be alarmed if the mixture looks a bit murky. As you can see from my picture, it brightens up after adding the remaining ingredients. Add the eggs and beat well. Add the butter and set the bowl over a pot of simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water. According to the original instructions, we’re supposed to whisk constantly until the butter melts and the mixture is smooth, but by that point my mixture was still quite thin and wasn’t really cooked. Luckily I have some experience making custard-based desserts, so I decided to continue cooking and whisking. As the mixture started to warm up, it did start to thicken a bit, but I was still afraid it would be too thin, so I added another egg. It thickened up quite quickly, but it may have done that if I just cooked it long enough. Basically it should be able to coat the back of a spoon. Set the mixture aside (off the water) to cool for a few minutes.

Pour the slightly cooled mixture into the pre-baked shell, and bake in a 325F oven (don’t go higher or the custard may curdle) just until the center sets, about 10 to 12 minutes. Cool on a rack, then in the fridge until completely chilled. Serve with whipped cream.

I'm submitting this to Weekend Wokking (before the deadline!), where the theme ingredient this month is, you guessed it, LEMONS! The host is Wandering Chopsticks. If you have a lemon recipe to submit, please send entries to wanderingchopsticks(at)gmail(dot)com by 11:59 May 31.

Regional Recipes Roud-up: Turkey!!

noreply@blogger.com (dp) — Thu, 21 May 2009 04:30:00 +0000

I think this was the best round of Regional Recipes yet. The participants did such a great job at showcasing the flavors and textures of Turkish cuisine. Every one of these submissions have been added to my must-try-soon list. I think you'll enjoy them too.

Hamsi Tava (crispy fried anchovies) submitted by Momgateway. I love anchovies in all forms, but fried anchovies are icing on the cake!

Cerez Tavugu (Circassian chicken) submitted by Mary of One Perfect Bite. Mary says Circassian chicken is like a western chicken salad, only more flavorful and nutritious. It’s a dish everyone should make at least once before they die. Now that's a strong endorsement!

Nohut salatasi (Turkish chickpea salad) submitted by Wandering Chopsticks. All our favorite ingredients—chickpeas, olives, onions, tomatoes—tossed with a zingy lemon dressing.

Lamb Kebab submitted by yours truly. Grilled lamb patties rolled in flatbread with a cool yogurt sauce. Hits the spot at 3AM after a night of merrymaking.

Hunkar Begendi (beef stew with eggplant puree) submitted by Joanne of Eats Well with Others. The surprise in this dish is the eggplant puree. It’s made by combining roasted, mashed eggplant with a smooth béchamel. That’s a new combination I’ll definitely be trying soon.

And last, but definitely not least, [eatingclub]vancouver showed their culinary prowess by submitting not one, but 5 dishes! Talk about Turkish extravaganza!

Let’s start with the borek with beef filling. Phyllo dough stuffed with ground beef and baked to a golden brown. They get bonus points for the beautiful, rustic presenation ☺

Etli biber dolmasi (stuffed peppers with groundmeat). A filling, familiar favorite.

Turkish bulgur kofte. Dense dumplings served with a garlicky yogurt sauce.

Mualle (eggplant and lentil stew with pomegranate molasses). Creamy eggplant, earthy lentils and a subtle punch courtesy of pomegranate molasses—an exotically delicious dish!

Kisir (Turkish bulgur tabbouleh). Take note guys, this is a dish that can cause a little excitement with the ladies.

Now aren't these submissions impressive? I hope you'll click through and check out the posts. You may learn something. I certainly did!

For our next region, I choose Korea!

Wandering Chopsticks will be hosting the next round. If you'd like to participate, please read the guidelines, then send submissions, with a photo, to wanderingchopsticks(at)gmail(dot)com. by June 15th.

Regional Recipes Turkey: Lamb Kebab

noreply@blogger.com (dp) — Thu, 14 May 2009 04:30:00 +0000

[eatingclub] vancouver has chosen Turkey as the spotlight region for this month's Regional Recipes, and while I’ve never been to Turkey (but it’s high on the list!) to experience the food firsthand, I did live in Denmark, which might be the 2nd best thing. Confused? Let me explain...

Many people may not know there is a sizeable Turkish immigrant population in Denmark (as well as other Western European countries). The first wave came over as guest workers during the labor shortage in the 60’s and decided to stay. The guest workers subsequently brought over their families, their religion, their customs and, of course, their food. Of all the things these guest workers brought with them, it’s the food that seems to have been absorbed most readily into Danish society.

Nothing says "eat me!" like a picture of a kebab sandwich in your face, except maybe a real kebab sandwich in your face.

The interesting thing about Turkish (and other Middle Eastern) cuisine in Denmark is that it’s usually offered as quick food—things like sharwarma or kebab—and it is very popular. In Copenhagen you didn’t have to look very hard for a sharwarma joint, even at 3 AM after a night of pub crawling (the best time to eat kebab IMO). Our favorite place was located on StrØget, the pedestrian shopping street. They boasted the best sharwarma in the city and that their secret was a spice combination consisting of an outlandish number of spices. The number that keeps coming to mind is 65, but that just can’t be right. Maybe the place is still there and still popular? I’ll have to try to squeeze in a visit the next trip to DK.

So what’s the difference between a sharwarma and a kebab? Honestly, I’m not really sure. I always thought sharwarma consisted of sliced meat that was compressed into a big hunk and slow cooked on a vertical spit. When you order, a little meat is shaved off, quickly browned then rolled in a flatbread with some dressing and maybe some tomato. Kebabs always bring to mind seasoned meat (chunks or minced) grilled on a skewer then rolled in flatbread or served with a rice pilaf. That’s just my understanding, but people seem to use the terms interchangeably, so how's a girl supposed to know? If you have any insight, do chime in!

Since I didn’t have an occasion or the equipment to slow cook a hunk of compressed lamb on a spit, I went for the easy route and made minced meat kebab sandwiches. Can’t really go wrong with anything comprised of well-seasoned minced meat on a stick, now can you? The only thing was missing the rinky-dink-hole-in-the-wall-everyone-around-me-is-half-drunk ambiance. You know how some things just taste better when eaten in a particular context? Going to have to figure out how to achieve that in my backyard.☺

Lamb kebabs

1 pound ground lamb
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp paprika or cayenne
1 tsp ground cumin or coriander
½ tsp ground nutmeg or cinnamon
1 to 2 tbs toasted sesame seeds
1 tsp kosher salt (I use Diamond brand)
1 egg beaten with 1 tbs all-purpose flour

Mix everything well, form onto skewers (pre-soaked if using wood), then grill until done. Can’t get much easier than that.

Serve with a nice rice pilaf and fresh sliced tomato and cucumber. Or in a flatbread of your choice with tomato and yogurt dressing (Greek-style yogurt + chopped fresh mint and/or cilantro, squeeze of lemon, finely chopped garlic and salt).

This is my submission to Regional Recipes. I'm hosting this month and will take submissions up until May 20th. Send them, along with a picture that is approximately 250x250 pix to blazinghotwok(at)gmail(dot)com.

Related posts you may enjoy:
Falafel

Green Papaya Salad with Chicken

noreply@blogger.com (dp) — Wed, 06 May 2009 20:55:00 +0000

Do you have a food that you eat the same way every time you have it? And the thought of trying it any other way just doesn't sound appealing? I'll admit, I'm guilty of this type of rigidity.

The thought of eating green papaya in any form other than som tom never sounded right to me. I know that other SE Asian cuisines use green papaya too, typically in a salad of some form or another. I know I'm going to get blasted by a certain someone whose initials are WC for saying this, but let's be honest, none of them compare to som tom.☺

But in the interest of exploration, I decided to try something different. Okay, maybe it's not that different. I didn't stir-fry it or anything. It's still a salad, but the flavors are quite different due to the addition of fresh herbs and chicken (or pork or shrimp). I was pleasantly surprised by how good it tasted and would definitely make this again.

As with any salad, there's no real recipe. It's all to taste. The only important thing here is to use green papaya and not the typical ripe papayas you can get at your local supermarket. If you've never had green papaya, you may expect it tastes sour like a green mango, but it's actually quite mild. The flesh is a bit rubbery yet still has a bite, a little bit like a carrot that's lost its crunch, which, now that I think about it, doesn't sound too appealing. Hard to describe. You'll just have to try it and see. For the herbs, I recommend mint and cilantro, and feel free to use as much as you like. My first choice of protein would be shrimp (either grilled or poached), but leftover shredded chicken or shredded roasted pork would be fine too.

Green papaya salad with chicken and fresh herbs:
serves 2

1/2 medium-sized green papaya, shredded (about 2-3 cups)
cilantro and mint (about 1 to 2 tbs chopped of each)
handful dry-roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
cooked shrimp, shredded chicken or shredded roasted pork (about 1 cup)
2 medium cloves garlic, chopped
2 to 3 scallions, whites only, chopped
chilies, to taste, chopped
1 large tomato, cut into wedges (or a generous handful sweet cherry tomatoes)
juice of 1 large lime
fish sauce to taste
sugar, to taste
1/2 tbs finely chopped dried shrimp or 1/8 tsp fermented shrimp paste (optional)

If you've never handled a green papaya, here's a little explanation. It goes without saying, wash it first! Cut it in half and remove the seeds. I find it's easier to remove the skin with a paring knife rather than a vegetable peeler because the skin can be thick (like mango skin). To shred, I recommend using the Kiwi shredder with ridges (industry name= pro-slice wavy edged tool). Some genius Thai person invented it especially for this task (okay, I made that up, but it is made in Thailand). It makes quick work of the flesh and ensures the optimal thickness and length of the strands. You should be able to find it at your Asian market ($2.99 to $4.99) or order it online ($8.99 + shipping!).

Ideally you have a mortar and pestle so you can pound the garlic, chilies, scallions and tomato together to make a chunky "paste". If not, throw the garlic, chilies and scallions into your food processor and give them a good go around to chop them well. Add your tomatoes and pulse a couple of times. You don't want to make gazpacho; you should have a chunky paste. Remove your paste to a mixing bowl and add in the lime juice, fish sauce, sugar and shrimp paste to taste.

Last thing to do is to toss everything together. Adjust the seasonings one last time, then enjoy!

You know what? I actually have something to submit to Weekend Herb Blogging! Yay! I keep saying I'm going to submit, then I forget or something just comes up. The host this week is Mele Cotte.

Crispy Risotto Rice Cakes

noreply@blogger.com (dp) — Tue, 05 May 2009 04:47:00 +0000

Risotto is my Achilles’ heel. As much as I love rice, you'd think I'd be able to bang out a decent risotto, right?

Well, it's been known to happen, but I usually end up overcooking it. To make up for my shameful failures, I am pretty good at turning a bowl of leftover (sometimes mushy) risotto into crispy rice cakes.

Smoked salmon and peas risotto cakes served with a peppery mesclun dressed with a simple lemon-honey dressing.

These rice cakes couldn't be easier to make. Just take about 2 ½ to 3 cups cold, leftover risotto and add 1 egg to bind it all together. Form into paddies (they'll be sticky!) and drop them into a frying pan with enough oil for shallow frying. The trick to keeping the cakes from falling apart is to get a nice crust before flipping them. People have a tendency to want to move things around in the pan. If I've just described you, simply walk away as they are cooking. I gave my patties about 4 or 5 uninterrupted minutes on each side (over medium heat). Once they are done, remove them to a rack until you're ready to serve (or keep warm in a low oven if necessary).

Serve warm.

Related posts: Homemade smoked salmon

Enjoying the fruits of my labor

noreply@blogger.com (dp) — Sat, 02 May 2009 23:34:00 +0000

For brunch we had creamy scrambled eggs with my DIY smoked salmon. The bread is a dense German-style rye I picked up at the PSU market from Fressen Artisan Bakery. It's a little bit dryer than the Danish-style rye we like, but still went beautifully with the creamy eggs.

While I'm here, I'll remind the other NE PDX'ers (not that they need reminding) that the Hollywood and the King farmers' markets kick off this weekend. I'm going to hit up the King market tomorrow to see what's available. That is, if Mother Nature doesn't decide to pummel us with another hellacious downpour!

Smoke 'em if you got 'em!

noreply@blogger.com (dp) — Sat, 02 May 2009 05:32:00 +0000

I know, I know. I'm corny but I really couldn’t help myself. Forgive me.

Anyhow, the weather here in Portland has started to warm up and I think Spring might actually be here. Today reached a comfortable 70F, and, more importantly, it was dry, which means I finally got the opportunity to use my new smoker*. I’ve been itching to smoke something, anything, but Mother Nature and I haven’t really been on the same schedule. I won’t even mention all the other distractions, which I like to lovingly call Real Life. Then everything just fell into place. I found myself with a whole Alaskan Sockeye, I had the time and Mother Nature was cooperating.

I used the brine recipe (scaled down for 2 pounds of fish) and smoke technique from Ed’s Kasilof Seafoods, for no other reason than that it looked easy. I’m pretty pleased with this first attempt. Even though there’s a lot of sugar in the brine, the result is not at all sweet, which is fine with me because I’m not a fan of salmon candy. If you’re looking for a sweeter flavor, you’ll need to play around with the salt-sugar ratio. I’m going to experiment a bit and see what interesting spice combinations I can come up with. Or maybe you have a favorite way to smoke salmon? Do share! I’m also hoping to share some of the ways I use smoked salmon in the next few posts, but I want to know how you enjoy it. Feel free to leave links to your favorite recipes in the comments.

*For those of you who have been following my gas vs. coal saga, I finally nixed the gas idea and bought a smoker instead. Technically it’s not new because I bought it at the end of the summer, but this is the first time I’ve used it for smoking, and I love it!

Garden Update and Shout Out to my FIL

noreply@blogger.com (dp) — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 06:46:00 +0000

My in-laws left yesterday after a 10 day visit and we’re sad they had to go. They’re very easy-going people and self-sufficient guests. I never feel like I have to entertain them. Sonny always has such a great time with them too. When Hubby and I had a date night, they did breakfast-for-dinner night, complete with pancakes, bacon and scrambled eggs. Sonny’s friend was over that evening and he actually said," I wish I had grandparents like yours."

I have to give a big shout out to my FIL. He built me another planter box. A large planter box. One that holds 1 cubic yard of soil. I planned to have the soil delivered, but when I told him they couldn’t do it until later this week, he offered to go pick it up. He shoveled a cubic yard of soil into 17 bags, loaded them all into my Highlander (and they said it wouldn’t fit but he showed them!), then emptied it all into the box just so I could get my plants into the ground over the weekend. He also mowed our lawn, front and back. Didn't I tell you the man has skilz?!

My brand-spanking new planter box!!

This weekend was nothing short of perfect—warm and sunny. I got my vegetables and herbs in the ground on Saturday, and I swear they have already grown an inch or two! Here’s what I’ve got going so far: several varieties of tomatoes, Chinese cabbage, sugar snap peas, cilantro (2 varieties), basil (3 varieties, including Thai sweet basil!), thyme, mint, fennel, peppers (3 varieties), cucumber, baby lettuce, and carrots. I can barely wait!

African basil

Thai Basil. I have mixed luck starting from seed, but they had starts at the nursery! Yay!

Vietnamese cilantro. Tastes similar to regular cilantro, but I thought I'd try growing something different.

Cilantro. I actually have several of these going because I use the whole plant, including the roots.

Mint. Mojitos here I come!

Thai hot pepper. As if I wouldn't grow chili peppers!

Sugar snap peas. One of the easiest and best yielding crops I've ever grown. They like the cold so I stick the seeds in the ground around early March. Sooner or later they pop up.

So tell me, what are you growing?

Real American Food

noreply@blogger.com (dp) — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 05:00:00 +0000

No, I'm not being patriotic or nationalistic, just cheeky.

When Wandering Chopsticks picked America as the next region for Regional Recipes, I was really interested to see what people would come up with. I asked my husband and in-laws (who are Danish) what comes to mind when they think of American food and the unanimous answer was burgers. Not surprising, considering McD0n@ld’s global empire and their quest for total world domination. It's just sad that, to the rest of the world, this company is the face of American food.

Since the rest of the world seems to think all we eat here in America are burgers (and big steaks), I thought I'd do a little post on burgers. I know what you're thinking: Who wants to read a post about making burgers? Yawn. Do bear with me though. I might be able to spark a little interest yet.

At the last PDX Women Chefs and Restaurateurs meeting, I met the lovely Bev who, with her husband Steve, own Powell Butte Bison Ranch. We had only a little time to chit-chat before the meeting, but before I left I took several pages of information about the ranch, the animals and the owners. As I was reading Steve’s statement explaining why he decided to pursue his dream of having a bison ranch, I was struck by a phrase he used: America’s original red meat…

Something about that phrase just struck me. America's original red meat. In other words, a truly American food. Yet, I'd never even tasted bison before!

The bison raised at Powell Butte Bison Ranch are 100% grass-fed. The meat is also USDA inspected, which insures you are getting a safe, properly handled product.

Until very recently, I knew nothing of bison, except that it sustained Native Americans during a time when both they and the animals lived freely across North America. But that seemed like a long-gone era. I’d never considered bison a modern day food. I guess I should have been paying more attention because bison is making a comeback. After doing a little research and sampling the meat, I’m a believer. Not only does it have a robust flavor not completely different from beef, but it’s healthier. For starters, it’s a lot leaner and has less cholesterol. Since bison are almost always grass-fed (or primarily grass-fed then finished on grain), the meat is packed with nutrients from its green diet. Naturally raising these animals also means no hormones or antibiotics often found in conventionally raised cattle.

And did I mention it’s got a wonderful flavor? I don’t know why I expected it would taste gamey, but it didn’t at all. Because bison is lean, I was afraid the burgers would be dry, but they weren't. There were some suggestions about adding in some extra fat by mixing in some cheese or additional oil into the ground meat. While these are good suggestions, I’m pretty much a purist when it comes to burger preparation. All I ever add is salt (don’t be skimpy!), pepper and a few healthy splashes of Lea and Perrins, then grill or fry until medium. That’s it. I’ve found this minimalist approach makes the simplest, most delicious burgers, whether beef, lamb or bison.

If you’re interested in purchasing 100% grass-fed bison raised right here in Oregon , I encourage you to contact Powell Butte Bison Ranch at powellbuttebison@gmail.com. They will gladly give you more information about their bison, how they sell it (quantity, pricing, time of year, etc) and the other products they offer.

I'm submitting this post to Regional Recipes, where the spotlight is on American food. The hosts this time are the girls behind [eatingclub]vancouver. Check their blog on the 20th of this month for the round-up. It will be interesting to see the different submissions, although I wouldn't be surprised if there are more than a couple burgers :-)

Almond Cracker Cake

noreply@blogger.com (dp) — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 00:00:00 +0000

A few weeks ago, Bedstefar (my FIL) sent me a recipe for a cake that sounded really interesting. Instead of being made with flour, it’s made with crushed TUC crackers and hazelnuts (which I guess means it’s technically a torte?). The directions were pretty barebones so I figured I better work out the kinks before their visit in April. ☺

TUC crackers were nowhere to be found here in Portland, so I substituted Club crackers and it worked out perfectly fine. I suppose you could even use unseasoned bread crumbs or panko. The only thing I recommend is to use fine crumbs. Same for the almonds—the finer the better to insure a nice uniform texture. And yes, I do recommend you grind the almonds if possible. Buying almond meal is a waste of money. It costs about $10 a bag and you may end up with a stale bag.

The texture was dense and moist. Perfect.

Almond Cracker Cake

3 ½ oz Club House crackers, finely crushed/ground
4 oz raw shelled almonds, dried and finely ground
1 ½ tsp baking powder
1 to 2 tsp vanilla extract
5 ½ to 6 oz sugar
5 egg whites

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

In a large bowl, beat the egg whites with the sugar until well mixed. The mixture should be thick and the sugar should appear to be largely dissolved. Add all the dry ingredients and vanilla extract and mix well. The batter will be thick. Bake in a well-greased pan of your choice (tap the pan on the counter a little to spread the batter and release air bubbles). Any regular cake pan or square brownie pan will do. Mini-spring forms allow you to make taller specimens, which can be cut into layers and assembled into an elegant layered cake. I’ve even spread some batter into a shallow mold to get thin disks. This batter is pretty versatile. The cake is done when the center is set and springs back when you press it lightly, about 20 minutes for a regular sized cake pan.

So now you have this delicious cake, how to serve it? If you’re a chocoholic then maybe top with a rich chocolate ganache. For something lighter (in appearance, not calories!) try making a layer cake with whipped cream and fresh fruit. When I baked up the disks I spread a light layer of chocolate ganache on them and pressed some crushed See’s Victoria Toffee on top. Those were really, really delicious and lasted about all of 2 minutes. This time we did cardamom ice cream with a drizzling of dark chocolate sauce. Highly recommend the chocolate sauce. So easy with a rich chocolate taste.

Topped with Victoria Toffee.

As I was taking the pictures, Sonny was hovering around, blocking the light, as the ice cream was melting, spoon in hand, ready to dig in. After each click, he asked, Now? Are you done now?

Good things come to those who wait.

What You Think?

noreply@blogger.com (dp) — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 07:37:00 +0000

I'm working on updating the site. It was feeling like 2002 rather than 2009. It's not quite there yet, but almost. I'm planning to purge some of the ancient posts because really, who needs another recipe for tomato sauce? I'll also start working on the Categories links as well. I haven't been as diligent about organizing my posts. Maybe I can figure out how to get a proper widget install instead of the hack solution I've got going.

Any suggestions? I'm open to constructive feedback.

Meat on a Stick: Panang Cocktail Meatballs!

noreply@blogger.com (dp) — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 05:00:00 +0000

I just had a very fun night with an awesome bunch of women—all affiliated with Portland’s vibrant food scene! When my neighbor asked me to join them, I felt a little intimidated because I was going to be in the company of café owners, restaurant owners, caterers, chefs and photographers—you know, professionals. Women who know their stuff. I have to say, though, I was put at easy very quickly. Everyone was so friendly and it was fascinating to hear their stories. I came away with a lot of great information. Thank you so much to my neighbor for inviting me!

There was another reason I was feeling intimidated. Two words: appetizer potluck. What does a food enthusiast (=amateur) bring to a potluck for a bunch of women who know their stuff? What else but meat on a stick and dipping sauce, of course! Because professionals or no, everyone likes meat on a stick. And what's the fun of eating meat on a stick if you can't dip it in something?

Panang Cocktail Meatballs
serves a crowd (8 to 10)

2 lbs ground beef
¼ cup panang curry paste
2 eggs
3 tbs cornstarch
1 to 2 tbs fish sauce
½ to 1 tbs sugar
5 to 10 kaffir lime leaves, finely chopped
Thai cucumber relish or sweet chili sauce for serving

To begin, set a large pot of water to boil. You may be wondering why? Because you are going to boil these meatballs. Boil meatballs!? Yes! And then you’ll stir-fry fry them. Sounds convoluted, I know, but trust me on this. When have I lead you astray?

You may cook the curry paste by frying it over low-medium heat in about a tablespoon of oil for about 5 minutes. This is not necessary, but it helps to enhance the flavor of the curry paste.

In a large bowl, scramble the eggs, then slowly add in the cornstarch and whisk until it’s well incorporated. Add in the curry paste, fish sauce, sugar and chopped lime leaves. Mix until you get a uniform mass. Mix in the ground beef and make sure it’s thoroughly incorporated. Form into mini-meatballs and plop them into the boiling water. They conveniently float to the top when they are cooked. Fish them out, drain them and let them cool, at least until they stop steaming.

One last step before you’re done! In an ideal world, I would grill these babies over low heat, but trying to start a fire in the rain is just stupid. The second best option is to stir-fry the meatballs to get a nice caramelized outside, while the inside remains moist. During the last minute of stir-frying, I drizzled in some sweet-sour glaze (simple syrup + rice vinegar, to taste) and chopped Thai basil (optional). Alternatively, you could use Thai sweet chili sauce. If you don’t feel like stir-frying you could just as easily stick them under a broiler for a few minutes, turning every so often, until they start to brown.

Serve stuck on skewers with accompanying dipping sauce.

Pad Panang

noreply@blogger.com (dp) — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 02:00:00 +0000

Panang curry is unlike your typical red or green curry. It’s not like a stew, but a stir-fry, hence the name pad (=stir-fry) panang. I’ve also seen it called gang panang, even though the word gang brings to mind something soupy. Traditionally, it is made with beef, which is generally not a common protein found in Thai cooking. Of course, you can choose the protein of your choice. Flavorwise, panang is generally sweeter and less spicy than red or green curries, so for those of you who can’t tolerate heat, this one is for you. Also, panang should have peanuts in the paste, but I’ve noticed that not all brands include this (the popular Mae Ploy brand doesn't). In that case, you may decide to add in some toasted, ground peanuts to your paste.

Something else you may notice--there is nothing but beef in this dish. In general, Thai curries have very few ingredients, usually just a meat and maybe a vegetable. At some Thai restaurants curries will come jam packed with vegetables. Sometimes I find that annoying because there are too many distracting flavors and textures. Anyhow, if you want to serve this curry with something green, you may try making ajad, which is the cucumber relish often served with fish cakes, satay or massaman curry. Or just serve with sliced fresh vegetables, such as cucumber, tomato and/or sliced carrots.

Lastly, let me touch on the cooking method, because that’s an important factor in the success of this dish. I’ve already discussed the need to fry the curry paste with the coconut cream. If you are unfamiliar with the method, you can read about it in my previous post and see a couple pictures of what it looks like. Of equal importance is the stir-frying bit. Every recipe I’ve come across calls for stir-frying the beef in the curry paste and then adding the coconut milk, allowing it to thicken a bit and adjusting the seasonings. After all the cooking and adjusting, the total cooking time may be 10 minutes or more, which I think is far too long. I have not had much luck stir-frying beef if it has to be in a hot wok for more than about 5 minutes. So here’s my solution: make the curry sauce first, stir-fry the beef and then add the sauce toward the end. Doing it this way allows me to get a good sear on the beef and cuts down the cooking time so the meat won’t overcook.

I know it may seem like a lot of information, but hopefully it has been helpful. Now, on to the recipe!

Pad Panang
Adapted from The Food of Thailand (see right sidebar)
Feeds 2 t0 3

¾ pound beef, sliced for stir-frying
7 kaffir lime leaves (2 will be finely sliced and used for garnishing)
5 oz coconut cream + 10 oz can lite coconut milk (NOT TJ's brand!!) or just one can of regular coconut milk, cream and milk separated
2 to 3 tbs panang curry paste
sugar (palm sugar if you can find it), to taste
fish sauce, to taste

In a large frying pan (nonstick not recommend) over medium heat, cook the coconut cream with the curry paste and kaffir lime leaves until the oil begins to separate out. Stir frequently and watch the heat to prevent burning. When the oil has separated out, the mixture will change in texture and move more as a mass. Be patient, as this may take a few minutes. Then slowly add the coconut milk and stir well. Allow to simmer until thickened slightly. Add sugar and fish sauce to taste. Don’t be too shy about it because the flavor will have to hold up when you add it to the beef. Set the sauce aside until needed. Also, you probably won’t need this entire portion. I think I used only half of it. Freeze the rest to use at another time.

Heat a wok over high heat. When it’s really (really!) hot, add couple tablespoons of oil and swirl to coat. Add the beef and let it sear. This means don’t move it around for 20 to 30 seconds, then move it around only occasionally. When the beef is just about done, drizzle about half of the curry sauce down the sides of the wok. This will further caramelize the sauce, concentrating the flavors. Add more sauce if it seems too dry. Toss the meat in the sauce and quickly taste, adjusting if required. Once the meat is done, remove to a serving dish and garnish with sliced lime leaves.

Serve with steamed jasmine rice.

This is my submission to Weekend Wokking, a blogging event created by Wandering Chopsticks that focuses on a theme ingredient and the different ways to prepare it. This month we’re doing beef and the host is Palachinka. If you want to play along, send your submissions to palachinkablog(at)gmail(dot)com by March 29th.

Healthier Peanut Curry Sauce

noreply@blogger.com (dp) — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 06:00:00 +0000

Last week I had lunch at one those trendy cafes that touts fresh, healthy meals. You know the kind. Most of the meals are vegetarian and organic. The menu is comprised of salads, wraps, burritos and brown rice bowls. Everything is grilled or steamed; nothing is fried. The staff is heavily tattooed and/or pierced, with dreadlocks to complete the dirty hippy look. Don't get me wrong. I've got nothing against dirty hippies and steamed vegetables, as long as they taste good. The vegetables, not the hippies.

One of the menu offerings was steamed vegetables and brown rice with Thai peanut curry sauce. I'm no purist. I am always drawn to Thai curry, even if it’s not served in a traditional way. Well, traditional it was not. I expected something spicy and savory-sweet with a little coconut milk and peanut, but what I got didn't resemble anything Thai. It tasted like curry powder and peanut butter in yogurt or sour cream or some other tangy base. Yuck.

Anyhow, the whole episode got me thinking about Thai food, particularly curries, and what’s considered healthy. If there is any doubt, let me tell you that Thai curries would be close to the bottom of the “good for you” list. Blame it on the coconut milk. Lite coconut milk will cut out some of the fat, but I have a hard time enjoying curries made with the lite milk. To me the curries taste and feel too diluted. I crave the artery-clogging richness of regular coconut milk. However, in the interest of proving that healthy can be tasty, I wanted to try making a curry sauce using lite coconut milk. I can imagine mom rolling her eyes at that one.

Making a Thai curry, whether it be a traditional red curry or a trendy peanut curry sauce, requires a special first step. All it entails is cooking the coconut cream with the curry paste until the oil begins to separate out. Can you skip this step? Sure, but the curry will never be as good as it can be. And therein lies the problem with using lite coconut milk. There generally isn’t enough cream and the milk is too watery to achieve that separation.

To settle it once and for all, I did a side-by-side comparison of 3 lite milks as well as a half-and-half mixture. The three lite brands were A Taste of Thai, Thai Kitchen and Trader Joe’s. My favorite as far as taste and texture was the Thai Kitchen brand. None of the three had the characteristic solidified cream, but Thai Kitchen had a distinct thickness the other two lacked. I put all three in the fridge before using them and I was able to scoop two or three tablespoons of thick milk from Thai Kitchen. That’s just enough for this recipe. The worst of the three was Trader Joe’s in both taste and texture. It tasted and felt like poor quality coconut flavored water. I recommend that you not use TJ’s lite coconut milk for anything. Ever.

The other alternative, and one I found to be a good middle ground in both taste and texture, is to use a mix of the regular and lite coconut milk. For this recipe, use about 3 or 4 oz of the solidified cream from regular coconut milk and one 14oz can of lite milk. Conveniently, Asian markets sell small cans (about 6 oz) of coconut milk and almost the entire can is solidified cream. Some regular supermarkets may also sell them. If you can't find any in the Asian foods section, try the Hispanic foods. Just make sure there aren't any added sweeteners. Any unused cream can be frozen.

Thai Peanut Curry Sauce
Makes about 1 1/4 cup

1 oz smooth peanut butter or chopped peanuts (to taste) if you're into chunky stuff (optional)
1 to 2 oz panang or massaman curry paste (use less for less heat)
14 oz can lite coconut milk, "cream" and milk separated (recommend Thai Kitchen brand)
sugar (palm sugar if you can find it!), to taste
fish sauce to taste
tamarind paste or lime juice, to taste (optional, if you want a sour component)

In a small bowl, mix the peanut butter, curry paste and coconut cream to a uniform mixture. ( If you put the can of coconut milk in the fridge a few hours before, it will be easier to scoop the thick stuff off the top.) Pour the mixture into a wok or skillet over medium heat. Cook , stirring frequently, until the oil starts to separate out of the mixture.

You’ll start to notice the texture of the mixture change, pictured below. Be sure to watch the heat because it will burn.

At this point, slowly add the coconut milk while stirring to get a uniform sauce (you may want to switch to a whisk). Add sugar and fish sauce to taste. Add the lime juice or tamarind puree here too, if using. Allow the sauce to cook a little to thicken, about 10 or 15 minutes. The sauce will also thicken a little as it cools.

That’s it! Easy, right?

How could you use this sauce? How about drizzled atop vegetables and brown rice? Or as a dipping sauce for tasty fried things. Or for dipping raw carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, if you’re more health conscious.

Here are some other (relatively) healthy Thai dishes you may enjoy:
laab (ground pork or chicken with fresh herbs)
som tom (spicy papaya salad)
tom yum soup (hot and sour soup)
Thai beef salad
Spicy shrimp and pomelo salad

Go check it out!

noreply@blogger.com (dp) — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 19:42:00 +0000

The Regional Recipes Mexico round-up is now up and you should check it out. Really you should. There's lots of inspiration to be had.

Thanks to Wandering Chopsticks for hosting and to all the participants for their submissions. It's the best RR round-up yet.

WC has chosen America as the next region. This should be interesting. I'm particularly interested to see what our overseas friends come up with. If you'd like to participate, check out the guidelines and send submissions to [eatingclub] vancouver at email(at)eatingclubvancouver(dot)com by April 15th.

BTW, if you've participated in past RR and would like to host, please let me know!

Will Blog for Free Toffee

noreply@blogger.com (dp) — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 07:30:00 +0000

A week or so ago, I was contacted by a marketer from See’s Candies asking if I’d like to receive a free sample of my choice to use in a dessert. In return, they asked that I mention their Easter candy is now available. I know that some bloggers may feel uncomfortable with this type of solicitation, but I’m not having a hard time with this one. My policy is if I like the product or find it useful I will put it out there. I’ve always done this, even though, up till now, I never got anything in exchange.

I have to say, it’s pretty funny that a chocolate candy company would offer to send me a free sample. To use in a dessert, no less. I’m not much of a chocolate fan and I tend to stay out of the sweet kitchen. So I guess it shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone that I chose the Victoria Toffee. When I got it, the first thing I did was crush some up to sprinkle on top of homemade vanilla ice cream. Not quite the most creative way to use it, but it tasted simply fantastic. I am planning on using some of it in a cake/torte of some type. And if the stars line up right, I’ll be able to post about that soon.

Got any other good ideas? They sent me a pound of the toffee, so I've got a bit to work with. Let me know quick, because I have a feeling that I won’t be able to keep the candy monsters away for very long.

Mexican Adobo Braised Beef

noreply@blogger.com (dp) — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 05:30:00 +0000

If there’s one thing I miss about living in California it’s the Mexican food. And the Indian food. And the Chinese food. And the sunny weather. Okay, that’s 4 things, but other than those, I love it here in Portland!

May not look fancy, but it's totally satisfying!

In San Francisco, our apartment was only a couple of blocks from the vibrant Mission district (where it was ALWAYS sunny, even if the rest of the city was cloudy or covered in fog). Whenever we had a hankering for Mexican, we’d just walk down the street and pick up anything our hearts desired. Like a plate of chicken mole with rice. Or a fat juicy burrito stuffed with carnitas, beans and extra hot salsa. If we weren’t in the mood for the 2-block walk, we could just go across the street to the taco truck and score $1.50 pork al pastor tacos. Those were the days!

It’s not like there isn’t Mexican food here in the Portland metro area. It’s just not anything to write home about. I’d just as soon make it myself and one ingredient I love using are the Mexican dried chilies. For years I walked past them at the grocery store, never really noticing they where even there. But now that we regularly make Mexican food, various dried chilies have become a staple in my pantry.

A simple and straightforward way to use Mexican dried chilies is to make an adobo sauce, which I like to use for stewing or braising meat. Mexican-style adobo is easy to make and will impart a complex flavor to the meat, especially if a combination of chilies are used. I always throw in chipotles, because I love the subtle smoky flavor they impart. Feel free to use your favorite type of chili and tailor the flavor after your own tastes.

Basic adobo:
Makes about 2 cups

2 oz dried Mexican dried chilies (if possible use a combination, including chipotle)
1 onion, diced
5 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
½ can tomato paste (about 3 oz)
2 tsp cumin seeds, toasted
2 to 3 tbs cider vinegar or lime juice
1 tsp kosher salt

To make the adobo, remove the seeds from the chilies if less heat is desired, and rehydrate the chilies by letting them steep in boiled water until soft. Once the chilies are soft enough, add them to a blender or food processor with the other ingredients and about ½ cup of water. I don’t like to use the chili soaking liquid because it’s sometimes too bitter. Process until you get a smooth mixture. It’s always nice to let the paste sit for a little time to allow the flavors to meld, but it’s not necessary. If you taste the mixture, it will taste raw. Don’t worry, it changes during the cooking process.

Mexican adobo braised beef
Serves 3

1.5 to 2 lbs beef chuck, cut for stewing
half portion basic adobo (about 1 cup, freezer the remainder for another time!)
1 cinnamon stick
2 bay leaves
a few springs fresh oregano
salt, pepper and sugar (or agave nectar) to taste

Season the beef well with salt and pepper. In a heavy bottom pot with a lid, brown the beef, in batches if necessary. Remove and set aside. Add the adobo to the pot and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent the paste from sticking to the pot (lower the heat a bit if necessary). Add the beef back in and turn to coat. Add about 1 ½ cups of water to thin it out a bit (like the consistency of spaghetti sauce). Add the cinnamon stick, bay leaves and oregano. Bring it up to a boil, lower the heat to barely a simmer, cover and cook until the beef is tender. This is probably a good time to taste it and add some salt and sugar, if desired. It may still taste a bit weak, but the flavor will enhance once it’s cooked with the beef. Alternatively, you could braise in the oven at 300° until tender.

Depending on my mood, I will shred the beef or leave it in chunks to serve. Either way, I like fish the beef out of the braising liquid and reduce the liquid to concentrate the flavors a bit and adjust the seasonings. I really recommend this step. It doesn’t take more than 15 extra minutes. Sometimes, if I’m feeling particularly ambitious, I’ll fry the beef in my cast-iron skillet to get bits of crispiness (a la carnitas) before returning it to the sauce. Serve with rice, tortillas, or tortilla chips, a healthy serving of beans and whatever other accompaniments you’d like.

If you like this dish, you may also like chicken mole, made with a combination of Mexican dried chilies and chocolate.

This is my submission to Regional Recipes, the blogging event that spotlights a regional/national cuisine. We've gone to Mexico this time. There's still time to get in on the action! Send your submissions to Wandering Chopsticks at wanderingchopsticks(at)gmail(dot)com by March 15th.

Weekend Wokking Round-up: the almond challenge!

noreply@blogger.com (dp) — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 19:38:00 +0000

As usual, this round of Weekend Wokking proved to be a challenge. Almonds were the theme ingredient, and I would guess they're not something most of use regularly in our cooking and baking. Kudos to the participants; they did a good job showing the versatility of this ingredient. There's a little bit of sweet, a little bit of savory and even a little bit of savory and sweet together. Enjoy!

Chocolate Almond Crunch submitted by Rita of Pink Bites in Seattle. I can't believe I forgot to include these tasties when I posted the round-up! My apologies to Rita. Can you guess what gives these chocolate almond clusters their crunch? It's not the almonds. You'll just have to click over to Rita's post to see her secret.

Almond Eggplant “Bisteeya” (Bastilla) submitted by [eatingclub] vancouver. Don’t let these girls fool you. They’re industrious and creative. They wanted to use almonds in its various forms , and they did just that with a result that was “ savory-sweet-eggy-nutty.”

Almond Coated Chicken Filet submitted by Pepsi’s life journal 1-2-3 in Norway. A great alternative to bread crumbs. I bet the almonds give a better texture to the crust as well as an extra layer of flavor.

Green Tea Soba Noodles with Almond Butter submitted by Wandering Chopsticks. It's quick, colorful and high in protein. Perfect match for miso-glazed salmon.

Cebollada con Almendras (Andalusian Onion and Almond Soup) submitted by Kits Chow in Vancouver. This is a savory soup with cumin, almond milk, and a touch of cinnamon. Based on a recipe that dates back to the 16th century and served to royalty!

Almond Stuffed Dates submitted by Yasmeen of Health Nut in Cleveland. Sweet Medjool dates stuffed with an almond paste cooked with a pinch of saffron. These tasty treats are a favored snack across the Middle East, but now you can make them at home no matter where you live!

Almond Orange Chicken and Veggies submitted by MomGateway. Chicken coated with finely chopped almonds tossed with seasonal vegetables in a soy-citrus sauce. Just give me a bowl of rice and a bottle of Sriracha and I'm ready for dinner!

Napoleonshatte with homemade marzipan submitted by me. Sugar cookies stuffed with marzipan and dipped in chocolate. This one was Hubby’s idea and I’m so glad he suggested it. The marzipan took less effort than I expected and the results were spectacular!

Again, thank you to the participants for the inspiration!

For the next secret ingredient, I choose BEEF! I went in on a quarter beef with a friend and we've got an assload of it, especially ground. So I'm looking for your best beef recipes. The host this time is Marija of Palachinka.(If you haven't checked out her blog, do head over there. It's got gorgeous photos and there's a recent whimsy post she did featuring Alice in Wonderland). Please read over the submission guidelines and send your submissions to palachinkablog(at)gmail(dot)com by Sunday, March 29th.

Homemade Marzipan and Napoleonshatte

noreply@blogger.com (dp) — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 18:00:00 +0000

It’s rare that Hubby asks me to make a particular food, so when he requested Napoleonshatte, I couldn’t very well turn him down, could I? Never mind that I’m a mediocre baker at best and baking anything besides brownies or banana bread can be a risky venture.

Napoleonshatte are cookies (that look like Napoleon’s hat!) filled with marzipan and dipped in chocolate. I don’t think I’ve ever seen them offered here in the States, but every respectable pastry shop in Denmark carries them. So simple a creation, but looks can be a bit deceiving. I wouldn’t say they are hard to make, but for a beginner the shape can be difficult to achieve. At least it was for me. Halfway through, I switched to making Napoleon’s logs :P Surprisingly the marzipan filling was not as difficult as I expected. It just required a little patience.

If I actually knew anything about baking and pastries, I could be more specific about the cookie dough. The only thing I can say is the perfect specimen is made with a dough that is slightly crumbly, but also chewy, maybe some kind of cross between a sugar cookie and a pate brisee (likely made with some almond flour), if that makes any sense at all. There are a few recipes out there, but the one I chose seemed easy and straightforward. However I’m not going to link to it because 1) it’s in Danish and 2) the recipe didn’t give me the texture I’m looking for. Don’t get me wrong, they were fine, resembling sugar cookies, but I wanted more of the chewiness. I've got a couple recipes I want to try, but if you have a killer recipe, do let me know. When I do find that perfect recipe, I will definitely post the link.

I have 2 logs of marzipan left, totaling a little over 1/2 lb. Any ideas what I should do with them?

I do, however, have a link for the marzipan. It’s from Sara Moulton, one of my all time favorite chefs. She’s just got a down-to-earthness about her that is often missing in the new generation of chefs. The recipe is fantastic. Hubby, the marzipan expert in this house, raved about the result. The only thing I did differently was use 1 tsp almond extract instead of 4 tsp vanilla because I didn’t want any competing flavors. The grinding was a bit taxing on the nerves because the almonds have to be ground to a fine powder. That’s hard to do with most home spice grinders. I had to walk away a couple of times so my grinder could cool down. Count on it taking at least 1 hour (not 15 minutes as stated in the recipe) with the blanching, chopping, grinding, sifting and mixing. Other than that, it’s a perfect recipe. Not too sweet, which is often the case with store-bought, mediocre marzipan.

Lastly, the chocolate ganache. I just melted 8 oz (by weight) dark, semi-sweet Belgian chocolate in ½ cup heavy cream. I did this in the microwave on 50% power, stirring every 2 minutes until the chocolate was melted and uniform. Some people add a pat of butter (but I never do). The ganache takes a few hours to set up. Don’t be tempted to put the cookies in the freezer to speed up this process. You’ll just end up with condensation or something that affects the texture of the coating. The fridge might be okay after a couple of hours. Traditionally the cookies are only coated on one side, but I completely coated a few of the logs, thinking I was doing my chocoholic husband a favor. I stopped when Sonny commented that they looked like turds. Don’t you just love the unbridled honesty?

This is my entry to Weekend Wokking, a blogging event created by Wandering Chopsticks that highlights a different theme ingredient every month. This time it's almonds. If you want to get in on the action, send your submissions to me, blazinghotwok(at)gmail(dot)com, by Sunday, March 1st. Guidelines about the event can be found by clicking the link, and be sure to check back for the round-up on the March 4th.

A few words...

noreply@blogger.com (dp) — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 03:55:00 +0000

I almost peed my pants when I came to my site earlier and saw it was gone. Apparently Hubby forgot to renew the hosting service. Oops. But everything's up and running smoothly again. Yay!

Secondly, I want to remind my readers here in Oregon that this is the last week of Blog for Food, a fundraising campaign sponsored by Oregon Food Bank. Just to sweeten the deal, through Feb. 28th, Gilt Club is offering a free appetizer to anyone who brings in a donation to the Oregon Food Bank. All they ask is that you keep it to "one per party per visit" and don't abuse the offer, since it is for charity. Very sweet deal, if you ask me. Gilt Club is an excellent establishment, and if you don't believe me, read the reviews yourself.

In addition, until the end of the month food donations can be made at the following locations:
-Saraveza in North Portland (1004 N Killingsworth)
-Vino in Sellwood (1226 SE Lexington)

Regional Recipes India Round-up!

noreply@blogger.com (dp) — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 04:55:00 +0000

We are fans of Indian food in this house, so when Susan of Open Mouth, Insert Fork announced India as the next stop for Regional Recipes, I got excited. Really excited.

I distinctly remember my first encounter with Indian food. During my sophmore year in high school, a friend and I spent spring break with my crazy cousin, who lived in Santa Monica. One evening she took us to dinner at a shabby Indian-Irish pub near UCLA called McGinty’s. I recall my friend and I were not enthused since we'd never had Indian food before, but Mom raised me not to complain when someone is being hospitable. And Crazy Cousin convinced us there’d be a lot of cute college boys there. That sealed the deal.

Since I had no idea what the heck to order, I left that to Crazy Cousin. She ordered saag paneer and eggplant curry. My friend ordered a French fry sandwich (for reals--French fries on white bread with ketchup!). When the food came, I was still feeling unsure, especially because it looked like nothing I'd ever eaten before, but that dissipated pretty quickly after tasting it. I have been a believer since that first time and McGinty's became a tradition. Whenever I was in LA, I ate at McGinty’s.

Shortly after Hubby and I were married we visited Crazy Cousin. I was so excited to take him to McGinty’s. I talked it up, built up the anticipation. And guess what? It had closed down! Oh, the disappointment! Years later and I still get a pang of disappointment thinking about it. I've had a lot of good Indian food over the years, but nothing will ever beat McGinty's.

Enough nostalgia. On to the submissions. Shall we start with a drink?

Chai Black Tea submitted by Wandering Chopsticks. Why bother buying Chai teabags or the premixed concentrate when you can make a superb one yourself? It’s as simple as using a good quality black tea and adding your own cardamom and cinnamon.

Chicken Biryani submitted by Sidewalk Shoes. You know what I love? When people put their doubts aside and try something new. Pam decided to give Indian food another try and found something she loved! Yay! If you’re having doubts about Indian cuisine, perhaps her chicken biryani will make you a believer.

Samosa Cups with Mango Chutney submitted by sauced. Love samosas? Hate standing over a pot of hot oil frying them? Then these little lovelies are the perfect thing. Samosa filling inside baked wonton cups. I might need to throw a cocktail party just to serve these!

Pasanda Kabab (aka Beef Ribbon Kebab) with Cilantro Chutney submitted by [eatingclub] vancouver. Tender beef grilled on a stick served with cool cilantro chutney? Yes, please! Man, I can’t wait until the weather warms up here because this is at the top of my list! Click on the link to see more food porn!

Malwani Chicken Hirwa Masala (aka Chicken in fresh green masala) submitted by Kits Chow. I love love love (love!) cilantro and this fresh green masala is made with a cup of it! Now that is my kind of seasoning!

Indian Beet Salad submitted by Open Mouth, Insert Fork. Beets are one of my favorite vegetables, not only for their wonderful earthy taste, but who doesn’t like the vibrant red color? Seasoned with fennel, cilantro and chilies then tossed with yogurt, this sounds like a wonderfully spicy-cool side dish.

Goan-style Shrimp Curry submitted by Eat.Drink.Think. Looking for a weeknight dinner packed with fiery flavor? Look no further. This shrimp curry can be done in one pot and it’s fast and flavorful. I’m all over this one.

Fried Egg Curry submitted by yours truly. Once upon a time, Hubby and I used to actually cooked together. We weren't particularly good at it, but we enjoyed trying out new things and this is the first Indian recipe we ever tried out of the first cookbook we bought together. Sweet, no?

Thank you to all the participants! They made this a great round-up. There is a nice variety so I’m sure there’s something here for everyone. If you aren’t sure how you feel about Indian food, I encourage you to give any of these entries a try. I know you won't be disappointed.

I have to announce the next region, don’t I? Where to go? Where to go? I think it needs to be somewhere warm because I AM SO OVER WINTER! A place where I can sit on a beach, with a cocktail in hand. Pack your swimsuits and sandals (or shorts and hiking shoes), we’re going to MEXICO!

Interested in participating? Read the guidelines here. The host next time will be Wandering Chopsticks. Please send submissions (with a photo approx 200x200 pixels) to wanderingchopsticks(at)gmail(dot)com by March 15th.

When Pigs Fly

noreply@blogger.com (dp) — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 07:41:00 +0000

I made licorice ice cream.

Sounds like a pretty neutral statement, but if you know me, you’d be looking outside to see if pigs had truly learned to fly.

Black licorice is one of my least favorite flavors in the whole wide world. I can’t really describe why I don’t like it, except to say it’s too strong of a flavor. Believe me, I have tried to like it. Candy, ice cream, custard, vodka shots--nothing can change my mind. Hubby, on the other hand, loves it. Of course he does! He’s Danish! The Danes are gaga over black licorice. It’s a cultural phenomenon I can’t even begin to understand.

As a general rule, I don’t like to prepare foods I’m not going to eat. I mean, why put in the work if you don't get to enjoy the fruits of your labor? But what am I supposed to do when my kid says he wants to make licorice ice cream to surprise his Bedstefar, who traveled all the way from Denmark to pay us a visit? Besides, I was feeling a bit guilty because it took the tooth fairy 5 days to visit our house. Sonny was afraid she wasn’t going to come at all, so he wrote her a short note:

Now if that doesn't tug at your heartstrings, you've got a heart of ice.

Licorice ice cream comes in many flavors, if you will. The color and strength of the ice cream will depend on your starting material. I’ve seen it sold as black ice cream bars (marketed as Batman ice cream in DK) or tubs. To make a black ice cream, I think you have to use licorice candy to infuse the cream. Hard candy is probably best. Hubby has used this method to infuse vodka for licorice flavored vodka shots. In Italy we found licorice gelato that was probably flavored with an extract because the color was white. To me the white ice cream is more appealing, but I couldn’t find the extract. However, I did find dried licorice root in the bulk spice section of Whole Foods and that worked well.

Truth be told, the ice cream base was not bad (that’s right, I said it and it’s probably the only time you’ll hear it from me!). I infused the cream for half and hour, which was enough to get a robust licorice flavor. Sonny asked me to throw in some of the soft candy, which I chopped up into bits the size of mini chips. If you like the flavor of licorice, then definitely try this ice cream.

Licorice ice cream
Makes about 1 generous quart

3 cups cream
1.5 oz dried licorice root, chopped or broken into bits
8 egg yolks
¾ cup sugar
1 cup whole milk
½ cup (or more to taste) chopped soft licorice candy (optional)

Start by infusing the cream with the licorice root in a medium pot. Bring the cream just to its boiling point, remove it from the heat and let it sit, covered, for 30 minutes. After that time, taste the cream to see if the licorice flavor is to your liking. Keep in mind that you will be adding some sugar and another cup of liquid (later) to dilute it down. Once you achieve the desired strength, add the sugar and bring the cream back up just to the boiling point. Stir to help dissolve the sugar. Strain the cream into a clean pot.

In the meantime, whisk the egg yolks until they are pale and thick. Add the hot cream slowly while whisking to prevent the eggs from cooking. Return the custard to the pot and cook it, stirring constantly, until the temperature reaches about 175°F. Remove from heat and add the cup of milk, then pour through a strainer into large clean bowl. Chill thoroughly before churning. Add the candy bits during the last 3 minutes of churning.