A Spoonful of Spice

Stuffed Baked Tomatoes

2011-07-04T18:09:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:
3-4 large tomatoes
1 cup of fresh ricotta
thyme
salt and pepper
crushed pine nuts
flax

Slice tomatoes in half, scoop out insides, fill with ricotta stuffing, and sprinkle with pine nut/flax mixture
Bake in the oven at 350 for 20 min

Cornbread

2011-03-05T13:30:00.000-08:00

We're having a beer-tasting party tonight for our two batches of brew--a ginger brown and a cinnamon brown ale. So, I thought that a earthy cornbread would pair nicely with our beers. This is one of those awesome recipes that you can usually make with whatever you have on hand in your pantry. Most recipes use some variant of what I describe below. This recipe is a bit different because I decided to use brown sugar for a more molasses flavor, yogurt because I like the tang it gives, and cake flour since I wanted a bit more volume.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
2 eggs
1 cup cornmeal
1 1/2 cup cake flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup yogurt (or milk)
1 can of whole corn kernels

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400F, butter a round cake pan.
Combine butter, brown sugar, honey, and eggs in mixer
Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl.
Add dry ingredients to the mixer slowly.
Add can of corn and yogurt last.
Pour into buttered cake pan and bake for 37 minutes.

Lahmacun

2011-02-26T23:37:00.000-08:00

This is a variation on lahmacun--a flat bread with meat topping--a common street food in Turkey. In this case, I add some chard and a fried egg, and a few different ingredients to the mince.

Mince Meat
1. toast 1/2 cup millet
2. add olive oil and saute
3. add 3 cups water and 2 tbsp coffee paste
4. Add 1 lb ground beef and simmer w/lid on
5. Add 1/2 onion, black olives, chopped mushroom and broccoli stems
6. boil until dry

Flat Bread
3 cups bread flour
Mix in 1/3 cup olive oil
Mix in yeast mixture (first with fork, then knead for 10 min until smooth and shiny)
coat with olive oil, wrap with saran wrap, and let rest in warm place until doubled in size (oven)

Yeast, luke warm water, honey (rest for 10 min in warm place until foamy)

Divide into 6 dough balls and roll out thinly. Brush with egg white; crack egg into a bowl retaining just a little white in the egg (use this for the egg wash). Bake blind for 10 minutes and then bake for another 15 minutes with meat mixture on top.

Add fresh arugula, chard, or other greens
Fry up the egg, and lay on top.

Coffee-almond paste:
almond butter
turkish coffee
soy sauce

February Cook for a Cause: Coffee

2011-02-10T20:44:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,

Thanks so much to everyone who participated in January! Hopefully those of you who didn't get a chance to participate, may be able to this month. The next Cook for a Cause will be February 20, and will be hosted by Jenn and Tim. Last month Caleb was our winner and chose to donate to Ethiopia Arise. We are very excited to learn about the programs or causes you care about and help support them!

The challenge will be the same as before--7-courses, each having its own beer or wine pairing.

When: Sun. Feb. 20; 7:30pm

Participants: 14-16: 7 courses, 7 drink pairings, and a host.

Hosts: Jenn and Tim

44 Elizabeth Street, SF

Secret Ingredient: Coffee

Chefs and Bakers: 7

Choose among the many coffee varietals and come up with a recipe savory or sweet to "wow" people. When you decide what you're cooking, post so others can see and adjust accordingly. Cohesiveness within the menu will be part of the judging. There will be four categories dishes are judged on:

(1) Use of secret ingredient, (2) Taste, (3) Originality, and (4) Menu Cohesiveness

Drinks: 7

Provide drinks that you feel will pair well with coffee or you can pick a particular dish that you think is going to win to pair with as a strategy. The goal here is to get the majority of voters to pair your drink with the winning dish.

Judging: All participants will be given score cards to mark points on all dishes except their own, and pick the drink that pairs best with each dish.

The dish that scores the most points wins, and if there is about 80% consensus on the drink that pairs best with the winning dish, the winnings are doubled.

Winner: $40 donated to charity of choice (provided by hosts).

*other donations welcome; winnings may vary from month to month.

Sweet and Savory Popcorn

2011-02-05T17:13:00.000-08:00

Popping Corn
Ingredients
Canola oil
Sesame oil
S&P

*heat until you can pop a kernel, then pour 1/2 cup of kernels into the pot and shake a bit. Keep the lid on but slightly ajar to release the steam.

Coconut-lime Caramel corn
Ingredients
2 cups of brown sugar
pinch of salt
1 cup of butter

lime juice

coconut milk

black sesame seeds
popcorn

*Melt butter and brown sugar and stir until boiling. Turn down the heat to medium and add the coconut milk, and lime juice. Stir continuously until it reaches the soft ball stage. Stir in black sesame seeds.
*pour popped popcorn into pot and stir to coat with caramel.

Lemon-thyme popcorn
Stir together quality olive oil, thyme, and lemon juice.
Coat popcorn with oil and herb mixture.

Maple-bacon caramel corn
heat leaf lard with kernels until popped
caramel -- heat sugar, lard, 2 tbsp butter, maple syrup until boiling, turn down heat and let sit until color turns brown
pour caramel over popcorn and stir quickly.

Cook for a Cause: Citrus Winner

2011-02-05T17:01:00.000-08:00

Our Citrus winner was Caleb!! He chose to make his own ice cream, and had two flavors--

Ginger-Lime-Tequila Sorbet and orange ice cream. The orange ice cream was the big hit!

Orange Ice Cream
(adapted from "Salted Caramel Ice Cream" -
http://www.lifeofafoodie.com/2009/09/14/guar-gum/)
1.25 c sugar
0.5 c orange juice
2 c heavy cream
1 c whole milk
3 egg yolks
0.25 c Triple Sec
Pinch of salt
1/4 tsp black pepper oil
1 tsp orange flavor
pinch salt
1/4 tsp xanthan gum

Directions:
1. Dissolve sugar in orange juice in saucepan. Brown if caramel flavor
is desired (keep temperature below 180 deg F, and around 170 F).
2. Add 1.25 c cream and orange flavor and cook.
3. Bring milk, remaining cream and 0.25 c sugar to boil in another saucepan.
4. Whisk egg yolks and slowly add half of milk mixture, whisking
constantly. Poor egg yolks back into milk mixture and bring to 170 F
(don't boil!). Custard will coat the back of a spoon.
5. Pour custard through a "fine-mesh sieve" into a bowl with
sugar-orange-cream. Add black pepper oil.
6. Chill overnight.
7. Add Triple Sec and xanthan gum. (should this actually be done earlier?)
8. Spin in ice cream maker for 1 hr.
9. Freeze for at least 2 hrs.

Ginger-lime tequila sorbet
(Adapted from http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/lemon-sorbet/Detail.aspx
and http://www.newdiets.com/Desserts/Homemade_Sorbet.shtml)

1 (10 oz = 1.25 c) bottle lime juice
1 (12 oz = 1.5 c) bottle Reed's Extra Ginger Brew
0.25 c Tequila
1 c water
3/4 c sugar
1/4 tsp xanthan gum

Directions:
1. Boil water and lime juice. Dissolve sugar and xanthan gum.
2. Add cold ginger beer and tequila to mixture and blend.
3. Turn in ice cream maker for 1 hr.
4. Freeze (-20 deg. C) for at least 2 hrs.

Serve with spelt pie crust and orange-caramel sauce
You can make your own or, as Caleb did in this case, buy pie crust (Spelt), brush
with a mixture of 1/2 c butter (melted in the microwave), 1/c brown
sugar, and a teaspoon of orange extract.

Chosen Cause
Caleb chose to donate the $40 prize to Ethiopia Arise (http://ethio-arise.org/), an NGO in Addis
Ababa, Ethiopia. Check out their website here; they help provide care and education to street children as well as continuing education to impoverished women, including financial training. This organization has even more meaning to Caleb, as it is run by his Aunt and Uncle (Ruth and Klaus Betz). Check out how you can help this organization continue to grow and spread education and self-sufficiency in Ethiopia.

Congratulations Caleb! Can't wait to see what you do next time.

Sesame Tuna Ceviche

2011-01-23T21:31:00.000-08:00

For the January Cook for a Cause: Citrus Challenge I chose to try doing ceviche. I used sushi grade ahi tuna and a sesame-lemon marinade, and served it on a sweet potato chip.

Amazing looking maguro, from the local meat market.

Slices of sweet potato about to be fried into chips

The finished product: sesame tuna ceviche served on a sweet potato chip.

Sesame Tuna Ceviche
1 pound of maguro, diced
1 squeezed lemon and a bit of lemon zest
2 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tbsp rice vinegar
mint
diced jalepeno pepper
*toss diced maguro and marinate and coat with black and white sesame. Only let it marinate for 15 minutes.

Sweet potato chip
Slice 1/8 in sweet potato slices
soak in lemon water
dry, and fry in oil and sesame oil mixture at 350 degrees for 1 min each side, sprinkle with salt and pepper

January Cook for a Cause: Citrus

2010-12-23T21:25:00.000-08:00

This month we had a refreshing variety of small plates. We had a menu planned by Marcelle, Jung Hee, Anna, Mindy&James, Yen, Caleb, and John, paired with amazing drinks from Jordan, Derek, Cory, Jenny, Denny, and Tony, and hosted by Ryan and Denise. Thanks everyone for a delightful spread!

January Citrus

Menu

Mint-Citrus Fruit Salad

Mixed Greens w/ Citrus and Goat Cheese

Sesame-Tuna Ceviche, served on top of sweet potato chip

lemon-butter shrimp

Sliced flank steak with pomegranate

Ginger-lime sorbet w/pie crust

Tangerine-pepper ice cream w/ pie crust

Key Lime Pie

Drinks

Blood orange lemon drop

lemon drop

Franziskaner

Cider

Pinot Noir

Sauvignon blanc

Rose

An amazing meal, but the dish that won was...
-------------------------
Hi Everyone,
Thanks so much to everyone who participated in November! Hopefully those of you who didn't get a chance to participate, may be able to this month. The next Cook for a Cause will be in January and will be hosted by Ryan and Denise. Last month Denise was our winner and chose to donate to the Sudan Hospital Fund. We are very excited to learn about the programs or causes you care about and help support them!
If you want to add to the winnings that are being donated this month by our hosts, you can click on the PayPal button on my website to donate more (please indicate it's for January Cook for a Cause). The challenge will be the same as before--7-courses, each having its own beer or wine pairing.
When: Sat. Jan 22; 7:30pm
Participants: 14-16: 7 courses, 7 drink pairings, and a host.
Hosts: Ryan and Denise

*other hosts are welcome to volunteer for upcoming months
Secret Ingredient: Citrus

Chefs and Bakers: 7
Choose among the many varieties of citrus that are in season in January--oranges, clementines, lemons, limes, etc...and come up with a recipe savory or sweet to "wow" people. When you decide what you're cooking, post so others can see and adjust accordingly. Cohesiveness within the menu will be part of the judging. There will be four categories dishes are judged on:

(1) Use of secret ingredient, (2) Taste, (3) Originality, and (4) Menu Cohesiveness

Drinks: 7

Provide drinks--e.g., wine/beer that you feel will pair well with citrus or you can pick a particular dish that you think is going to win to pair with as a strategy. The goal here is to get the majority of voters to pair your drink with the winning dish.

Judging: All participants will be given score cards to mark points on all dishes except their own, and pick the wine/beer that pairs best with each dish.

The dish that scores the most points wins, and if there is about 80% consensus on the drink that pairs best with the winning dish, the winnings are doubled.

Winner: $40 donated to charity of choice (provided by hosts).

*other donations welcome; winnings may vary from month to month.

November Cook for a Cause: Battle Apple

2010-11-22T20:49:00.000-08:00

Thanks everyone for an amazing first Cook for a Cause! This month Christine, Jessica, Jung Hee, Marcelle, Ryan,Tony, and Yen provided drinks, and Amy, Denise, Jarrod, Jenn, Tim, and Tishia

provided entrees.

Drinks
Robert Mondavi Chardonnay
Loose Bros 2009 Riesling
Neige Apple Ice Wine
Poet's Leap Riesling
Domain Favarot
Porter
Warm honey wine

Menu

Starters

Fuji & Granny Smith Apples

w/ Point Reyes Blue Cheese and Abbayede Belloc

Apple-Pancetta Pizza w/ Arugula-chestnut pesto

Soup

Butternut squash-apple soup with blue cheese cream

Main

Fried Catfish with sweet and spicy apples

Sides

Italian-apple sausage stuffing

Desserts

Apple tarts

Apple bread pudding

bread pudding and apple tarts (top, left) flatbread (right), stuffing (bottom, left)

Voting: Everyone had to score each dish on four different categories: use of secret ingredient, taste, originality, and cohesiveness of the menu, and choose the best wine pairing for each dish. The most challenging part of the scoring seemed to be matching each dish with the right wine. Although a few different strategies were attempted, the most successful seemed to be this: take a small portion of each dish and a small pour of the first wine; taste the wine/beer, and follow it with a bite of one dish. Continue this until you have cycled through each dish; then, fill your wine glass with another small pour of the next wine selection, and repeat until you have decided upon the best wine pairing for each dish.

The Winner: Apple Bread Pudding! The scores for the dishes were all very close, but the top three were apple bread pudding, butternut squash-apple soup, and catfish and apples. The bread pudding, an original recipe by Denise, won 3/4 categories, and also was the only dish to have a majority consensus on a wine pairing--honey wine, provided by Jessica--(9/12 people)! Because a wine was also chosen for the winning dish, the winnings are doubled! Denise's recipe is provided here, but also check out her blog for more delicious desserts. http://denisedoesdessert.wordpress.com/

Apple Bread Pudding

1 16-ounce loaf of challah bread, cut into ¾ inch squres (about 10 cups)

4 eggs, 1 egg yolk

¾ cup light brown sugar

4 teaspoons of vanilla extract

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon cinnamon

2 ½ cups heavy cream

1 cup apple juice

1 cup dried apple

1 Granny Smith apple, cored and cubed (about 1 cup)

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1. Adjust oven racks to middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to

325 degrees.

2. Spread bread cubes in single layer on 2 rimmed baking sheets. Bake, tossing

occasionally, until just dry, about 15 minutes, switching trays from top to

bottom racks halfway through. Cool bread cubes about 15 minutes; set aside

2 cups.

3. Whisk eggs and yolk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk

in cream and juice. Add remaining 8 cups of bread cubes and fresh and dried

apples. Toss mixture to coat bread and apples in custard. Transfer mixture

to a 13 x 9-inch baking dish and let stand, occasionally pressing bread cubes

into custard, until cubes are thoroughly saturated, about 30 minutes to an

hour.

4. Spread reserved bread cubes evenly over top of soaked bread mixture and

gently press into custard. Using pastry brush, dab melted butter over top

of unsoaked bread pieces. Place bread pudding on rimmed baking sheet

and bake on middle rack until custard has just set – about 45 to 50 minutes.

(Done when pressing on center of pudding with finger reveals no runny

liquid). Transfer to wire rack and cool until pudding is set and just warm –

about 45 minutes. Serve.

Congratulations Denise! The organization she has chosen to donate her $80 prize to is The Sudan Hospital Fund.

The Sudan Hospital Fund is an exciting new project dedicated to building a hospital in Southern Sudan, located in Yei. Medical care and facilities are few and far between in Southern Sudan, making it challenging for people to receive the care they need. City church has been sending a medical team to Sudan for the last few years to host a clinic, and is now partnering with Harvesters to help build a healthcare facility. Find out more about this exciting new development that is supported by Harvesters and City Church SF by watching this video about this year's medical team, or visit http://cityhopesf.com/.

Sudan 2010 from City Church San Francisco on Vimeo.

November: Cook for a Cause

2010-10-09T15:40:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

I want to start a sustainable cooking competition/dinner party, where we can get together and have an amazing 7 course food and wine pairing and at the same time give back to the community by donating money to the winner's organization of choice.

Here's what I'm thinking for November:

When: Sat. Nov 20; 7:30pm (feel free to come over early if you need to do any prep)

Participants: 14-16--so that we can have a total of 7 courses and 7 wine pairings, and a host.

Secret Ingredient: Apples

Chefs and Bakers: 7

Choose seasonal apples available at the Farmer's Market and create a dish--savory or sweet--that showcases the distinct character of the apple. Post what you want to cook as a comment to this post so others can see and adjust accordingly. Cohesiveness among the dishes will be part of the judging.

There will be four categories dishes are judged on--(1) Intelligent use of secret ingredient, (2) taste, (3) cohesiveness with other courses, (4) originality.

Sommeliers: 7

Provide drinks--e.g., bottle of wine/beer that accents the flavors of a particular dish.

Judging: All participants will be given score cards to mark points on all dishes except their own, and pick the wine/beer that pairs best with each dish.

The dish that scores the most points wins, and if there is a 80% consensus on the drink that pairs best with the winning dish, the winnings are doubled.

Hosts: Anna and Christine

*other hosts are welcome to volunteer as well.

Winner: $40 donated to charity of choice (provided by hosts).

*other donations welcome; winnings may vary from month to month.

Stuffed Dates, Ricotta Gnocchi, Chocolate Angel Food Cake

2010-09-12T15:13:00.001-07:00

Happy birthday Jessica!

Stuffed Dates

-cut off the top of the medjool

-cut out the pit

-stuff it with feta

-paint the top with honey

-dip it in crushed pistachios to seal

*Caitlyn approved!

Caprese Salad

-slice up bufala mozzarella

-pick fresh basil leaves and tomatoes

-Slice up tomato

-layer cheese, basil and tomato to plate

-sprinkle sea salt and pepper over top

*optional: drizzle high-quality olive oil over top.

*serve with sliced baguette and olive oil and vinegar

*serve with marinated olives

Ricotta gnocchi with lemon artichoke sauce

*I used the recipe from A16 for the ricotta gnocchi, and made use of my homemade ricotta for the base. I also used the Greek olive oil from katakolon that I brought back with me, which gave it a grassy, crisp flavor and the lemon in the fresh ricotta paired nicely with the lemon artichoke sauce. On top I scattered sauteed cherry tomatoes and garnished with parmesan.

*Roll out dough dusting with lots of flour into 1/4 in thick logs, and cut at about 1 in. logs with bench scraper. Do this on a baking sheet and place in freezer if not immediately boiling pasta. After frozen, you can pack and store gnocchi for later.

*The gnocchi turned out very light and fluffy; altogether, this dish was highly successful!

*Caitlyn has a very refined palette, and strong opinions--already a foodie.

Angel food cake with chocolate-lavender glaze.

Angel Food

Whip up 16 egg whites: at frothy, put in lemon juice; at soft peaks, add 3/4 cup sugar, whip till stiff peaks form

Mix one cup of stiff egg whites into chocolate mixture (1/4 cup cocoa powder, 1/4 boiling water, chopped lavender)

sprinkle flour mixture (1 cup cake flour, 1/4 salt, 1 cup sugar) over top egg whites and gently fold in.

fold in the chocolate mixture until uniform in color

pour into 2 spring form pans or one large angel food cake pan.

Bake at 350 for 40 minutes

Glaze

Melt butter and chocolate over double-boiler: 1 to 1 ratio

Mix in freshly chopped lavender

pour glaze over cake layers and tilt cake back and forth to get a smooth glaze.

Garnish

Thinly slice strawberries and paste slices to the side of the cake, while glaze is still sticky

Refrigerate. Stack the glazed layers, and decorate with powdered sugar.

Ddukbokki, Bulgogi, Japchae

2010-09-01T19:25:00.000-07:00

Thanks for inspiring me Jung Hee!

Ingredients:

Tubes of rice cake

10 anchovies, with intestines and heads removed

4 cups of water

5 tbsp gochu jang

1tbsp sugar

1 tbsp hot pepper flakes

2 bunches of green onions, cut 2 in. long.

*Boil anchovies in water to create the stock. Remove anchovies, and add the spicy paste, sugar, pepper. Stir until combined. Add the rice cakes and green onions, and stir until the sauce becomes thick.

10/9/10 Substitution--Lotus root Ddukbokki (add rice noodles if carbs are necessary)

Bulgogi and perilla leaves

1-1.5 lbs. of thinly sliced rib-eye steak (Bulgogi)

1/3 cup soy sauce

3 tbsp white sugar

1 tbsp sesame oil

3 cloves of garlic

1/4 of a medium onion, halved, and sliced into moon shaped slivers

1 bunch of green onions, diced

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

black pepper to taste

3 tsp grated ginger

2 Tbl toasted black sesame seeds

*Dip each slice of bulgogi into the marinade; cover and let rest for 1-2 days.

*Serve with perilla leaves and dipping sauces

Vinegar Soy Sauce (Cho Ganjang)
2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
2 Tbsp Rice Vinegar
1 Tbsp Sesame Oil
1 Tbsp Toasted Sesame Seeds
1 tsp Black Pepper

Dipping Sauce for Bulgogi

2 garlic clove, crushed with salt
3 tbsp grated fresh ginger

2 tbspfinely minced scallion
1/2 tbsp gochu jang
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
2 tbsp rice wine (or rice vinegar)
1/2 cup soy sauce

Japchae

3 carrots, julienned

mushrooms sliced

1/2 onion, halved, and sliced

*bok choy

1 bunch dangmyeon

3-4 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil

Saute vegetables in sesame oil and soy sauce; boil dangmyeon for 10 min and combine with stir fry in pan.

Peach Pale Ale

2010-08-22T15:40:00.000-07:00

1. Fill a 5 gallon stainless steel or enamel pot 2/3 of the way to the top (3 gallons).

2. Add grains to cheesecloth and place in cold water

3. Heat pot of water and grains to the point where you see steam rising from the surface (145 - 165 degrees)

4. Turn off stove and cover pot with lid; place a heavy towel on top of the pot and let stand for 40 minutes

5. After 40 minutes, open pot and slowly dip grain bag in and out of pot 7 to 10 times slowly. Throw away grains.

6. Remove grains and discard them. (This is grain tea)

7. Heat wort at high temperature until close to a boil.

8. Remove pot from burner.

9. Add all of the malt extract (liquid or dry) and first addition of hops. Stir until well mixed.

10. Return wort to burner, and bring to a full burner.

*a foam will develop on surface; watch so that it does not overflow and make a mess. Foam will disappear.

7. Achieve a strong, rolling boil with as much agitation as possible.

8. Boil vigorously for 60 min total, adding adding hops at the following intervals:

-0 minutes: 1 oz. Liberty

-30 minutes: 1/2 oz. Liberty

-15 minutes: 1/2 oz. Liberty

9. At end of boil, turn off heat and cover pot with lid.

10. Place covered pot on ice and water bath (sink) for 45 minutes. This will be added to 2.5 gallons of cool water which will further reduce the temperature

11. Place 2.5 gallons of cool water in your primary fermenter. Pour 1/3 of cooled wort into fermenter with water. Add yeast.

12. Vigorously pour other 2/3 of cooled wort into fermenter over yeast.

13. Place lid on fermenter, tightly, without airlock

14. Place fermenter in place with stead temperature (+/- 2 degrees in 24 hours). Ales should be fermented at 65 to 75 degrees, lagers at 45 to 65 degrees depending on yeast.

15. Put a small amount of water in the airlock and insert airlock into the rubber stopper on top of the fermenter.

16. In 12 to 15 hrs. it begins to ferment, indicated by the bubbling in he airlock. Leave primary for no more than 6 days.

Secondary Fermentation:

1. Place primary fermenter on a table. Let stand for 1 to 2 hours.

2. Take the largest diameter plastic tube and attach it to the end of the spout and place the other end in the secondary fermenter (glass carboy or bucket) and open the spigot and drain the beer into the second fermenter.

3. Place a clean airlock and rubber stopper on fermenter.

4. At this point, beer will be hazy. It will begin to clarify from top to bottom of fermenter. When haze has dropped completely to the bottom (6-12 days, sometimes longer) it is read to bottle.

Sanitizing Bottles:

Rinse bottles out (bottles are most easily sanitized by dry heat). Remember that 140 degrees is pasteurization temperature, which is fully sanitizing. Place in dishwasher and spin dial to drying cycle. Bottles can also be wet sanitized.

Bring 2 cups of water to boil in a small saucepan, turn off heat and throw in bottle caps.

Bottling

1. Take 3/4 to 1 cup of water to a boil in a small saucepan. Turn off heat, and dump in all the dextrose (normally pre-measured in the kit to 4.5 oz) in the hot water, making a simple syrup. 2. Dump hot syrup directly into second fermenter.

3. Place sanitized bottling outfit 2/3 of the way down fermenter

4. stir gently and slowly for 2 min with a racking cane (carboy cap is flexible). Let settle.

Siphoning:

1. The tip of the bottle of the bottle filler must be depressed to fill with water.

2. Loosen the carboy cap

3. Take a large bottle or pitcher and empty the water from the bottling outfit

when beer reaches bottle filler, start filling your bottles. Fill to the very top

4. Removal of the bottle filler from the bottle displace about 3/4 in of beer.

5. Let bottles sit uncapped for a short period of time to allow for some co2 production which protects beer from oxidation.

6.After all bottles are filled, then begin capping

7.After capping, put bottles at room temperature for 2 weeks.

World Cup Day --Orange-sesame cake

2010-07-11T16:10:00.000-07:00

Since today is the World Cup faceoff between NED and ESP, I felt it appropriate to make use of my oranges---go NED! I am also leaving for the Mediterranean tomorrow and need some sort of sustenance for the 10hr plane flight to Venice, since they don't feed you gratis anymore. This is it, the beginning of 3 weeks of pure Mediterranean bliss!

Modified from The Silver Palate Cookbook

Wet mixture

1 stick sweet butter, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

grated rind of 6 oranges

2 egg yolks (separate the white for the yolk, and toss the yolk in while sugar and butter are blending)

Dry mixture:

1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 1/2 t. baking powder

1/4 t. baking soda

pinch of salt

1/2 cup toasted black sesame seeds

1. Alternate adding the dry mixture and part of the fresh orange juice to the wet mixture.

1/2 cup fresh orange juice

2. Fold in stiff egg whites to the dough (do 1/3 first, then follow with the rest)

1 tsp lime juice

2 egg whites (whipped until stiff peaks form; add a 1 tsp lime juice after whites become frothy)

Chocolate-Hazelnut and Coconut-Rum Cupcakes

2010-07-02T20:55:00.000-07:00

Chocolate-Hazelnut cupcakes

I used the Thomas Keller recipe for white cupcakes, and filled the inside with hazelnut butter, and added a dollop of chocolate buttercream icing on top.

Coconut Rum cupcakes

I heated the sugar and rum to the softball stage and dipped the cupcake into the mixture to coat. It created and donut like texture; slightly crispy. Awesome!

Congratulations to my good friends Jenn and Tim! These were Jenn's bridal shower cupcakes, which were enjoyed on the grassy lawn of Kline, an accompaniment to a lovely spread of sandwiches and pasta salad with goat cheese. Fantastic!

Mezze of Dukkah, Muhammara, and Teradot

2010-06-25T23:27:00.000-07:00

I've been trying to get ready for the Mediterranean by preparing some of the different characteristic dishes of the region--even more than normal :). I want to pinpoint the spices and herbs that are a must taste in the regions we are going, and ones that I may want to take home with me from the markets.

I find it impractical most of the time to cook precisely from recipes because I never have all the ingredients needed. One of the road blocks to following recipes precisely is that it's often expensive if you like to cook a variety of dishes. Also, to have the kind of pantry needed to do some of these recipes on the fly is just about impossible--I mean, I live in San Francisco in a tiny apartment.

The dream: No more feeling guilted into cooking in order to "use up" something. I will finally be free to cook with a variety of different grains each week or a variety of nuts or flours, or any fruit or vegetable--to have variety and not waste anything!

The mission: To one day reduce my pantry to the bare essentials and buy only what I need from bulk bins. I have been on a mission to do just this for several months now. The problem is that I keep wanting to cook new dishes and thus buying more specialty items I cannot use up right away. I will at least try to put a stop to this vicious cycle by only buying from Rainbow Grocery's bulk bin section so that at least I do not accumulate more pantry items while on a mission to reduce.

Here are a few Middle Eastern mezze that are part of my vacation prep. Enjoy!

Dukkah

1 cup sesame seeds

1 cup hazelnuts

1 3/4 cup coriander seeds

2/3 cup cumin seeds

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 pepper

*use with olive oil

Muhammara

1 1/4 cups shelled walnuts

2 tbsp tomato paste

1 slice toasted pita

1/2 olive oil

2 tbsp pomegranate molasses

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp cumin

salt

*pairs fantastically with celery sticks

Teradot

1 cup walnuts

2 cloves garlic

salt

3 tbsp tahina paste

juice of 2 lemons

4 tbsp basil (or flat leaf parsley)

*For all three recipes--blend in a food processor to coarse grind.

*Adapted from Claudia Roden's The Book of Middle Eastern Food.

Rose-Tea Oat Bars

2010-06-07T23:15:00.001-07:00

My typical breakfast is Greek yogurt topped with rose sugar, cinnamon, and oats. When I have almonds on hand I sometimes substitute them for the oats, and sometimes I use honey rather than the rose sugar. So, when I saw this amazing looking recipe for lavender oat bars, http://www.mytartelette.com/2008/09/breakfast-thoughts-lavender-oatmeal.html, that used most of the ingredients of my typical breakfast, I thought why not turn my typical breakfast into something I can take with me to work when there's not enough time in the morning. So here's my adaptation:

Rose-Tea Oat Bars
1/2 cup spelt flour
1 1/4 cup oats
1 cup whole almonds
1 tsp rose bud tea
1 egg
1/4 cup yogurt
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a food processor, combine the flour, oats, almonds, cinnamon and rosebud tea. Blend. In a smaller bowl whisk together the egg, yogurt, honey and vanilla extract. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and pulse until the dough comes together.
Pat the dough into a squares directly on the parchment paper, and bake for 10-12 minutes.

Ricotta Ice cream with Rose, Pistachio, and Cardamom

2010-05-29T23:24:00.000-07:00

I love making ice cream. It's the perfect blank canvas to go crazy with different flavor combinations. Not too crazy of course, not fish flavored ice cream or any meat really--hands down the worst Iron Chef choice I've ever seen. I used to make ice cream all the time, especially for dinner parties; it's so easy and always a crowd-pleaser. I don't why but when I moved into my studio, my ice cream maker stopped working. It's pretty pathetic when you're mixture just sits there and doesn't freeze. I suppose the freezer must not have been cold enough or something. These multiple failures to make ice cream made me nervous that I would again be left with a sad watery mixture, instead of frozen, creamy goodness. But apparently the freezer in my new apt. works much better--the ice cream making is back in business. So, I'll be posting more frozen desserts in the future.

I'm actually not crazy about super-rich creamy ice cream, which tastes like it has a layer of fat, so I've been trying out a few different bases other than cream. Yogurt is my favorite, but this time I tried fresh ricotta. I might be a little obsessed with ricotta these days. But it's so easy, especially now that I have a lemon tree in the backyard, to make and is quite versatile. Using ricotta as a base for the ice cream was amazing! I even heard, comments like "wow, this is so rich", which was a little shocking. It's much healthier than the egg and cream-laden ice creams that are everywhere these days, and although it is rich, the texture is light and fluffy. The flavor base was lemon ricotta, and I used my favorite middle eastern flavors: rose, cardamom, and pistachio. Try it yourself--hope you enjoy.

3 cups fresh ricotta

1 cup sugar

2 tbsp honey

cardamom

pistachios

Create simple syrup

1 cup sugar

1//2 cup rose water

1/2 cup water

Cannoli Round 2: honey pistachio shells w/fresh ricotta filling

2010-05-16T23:41:00.000-07:00

Cannoli Round 2: It's amazing how a pasta maker and cannoli molds can transform your cannoli from little mutants, bubbling out in random places into crispy pieces of perfection. I love the color and texture that adding a little bit of honey and pistachio on the end lends to the look. Plus the flavors pair nicely with the lemon ricotta filling. I volunteered to make dessert for a fundraiser to support a Sudanese orphanage and hospital that many of my good friends have or are going to volunteer their medical expertise during the summers. I suppose it was fortunate that it was Italian themed, though pulling together 100 of these little pieces in a day was extremely challenging. Some people may think I have too many kitchen toys, but I'm telling you, I feel like I'm always missing something. This time I had molds to work with, but only 4, which is not enough when you are making 100 of these little shells. I also quickly realized that these little guys sink right to the bottom of your pot of boiling oil and burn--in fact, it was easier just to hold them one at a time to fry them rather than trying to turn them in the bottom so they don't burn. This was really one of the most time-intensive projects ever to come from my scrappy little kitchen. And since the shells get soggy if you put the filling in too early, I had to wait till the last minute to fill them all with the ricotta. Anyhow, it was down to the wire as usual, but I made it on time to the fundraiser thanks to my lovely fellow missionista who rescued me from certain catastrophe had I tried to drive myself. I've never been so relieved and happy to be done. They were hit at the fundraiser, which makes it all worth it! Hooray for cannoli--I think they even converted a few skeptics who had unfortunately eaten some inauthentic cannoli.

Miso-Mushroom Barley Risotto

2010-01-31T19:15:00.000-08:00

1 1/4 cups barley

5 cups (1 + 4) of water

1 tbsp white miso paste

2 tbsp white miso paste

1 bunch of green onions

olive oil

dried mushrooms

lemon zest

salt and pepper

Method:

Saute green onions and barley in olive oil.

pour the 1:1 mixture of miso and water into the mixture, and simmer until absorbed.

Pour 1 cup of miso broth into the barley and stir till absorbed.

Rinse the dried mushrooms in hot water, and then add to barley mixture.

Add lemon zest and season to taste.

*should take about 40 min. to cook barley.

Salad with Spiced Shrimp and Mango

2010-01-30T19:58:00.000-08:00

1/2 red onion

lime juice

spinach

1 large mango

shrimp

salt

cayenne pepper

olive oil

cilantro

Pumpkin Cannoli

2009-11-22T23:48:00.000-08:00

The November 2009 Daring Bakers Challenge was chosen and hosted by Lisa Michele ofParsley, Sage, Desserts and Line Drives. She chose the Italian Pastry, Cannolo (Cannoli is plural), using the cookbooks Lidia’s Italian-American Kitchen by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and The Sopranos Family Cookbook by Allen Rucker; recipes by Michelle Scicolone, as ingredient/direction guides. She added her own modifications/changes, so the recipe is not 100% verbatim from either book

This week I leave for Las Vegas to visit my brother and see my family for Thanksgiving. I have a variety of ingredients in my fridge that I want to use up before I leave, including pumpkin from the pumpkin pies made a couple days ago. I wanted to make sure to complete my baking challenge for the month, since I missed last month due to travel plans, but I certainly can't bake for myself--that is simply tragic. The best part of baking is seeing the joy it brings to others, so it must be shared. I have to have people taste test whatever I bake. So, our Sunday night dinners seemed like the perfect time to share these cannoli with friends. This was the first time I fried something that turned out good! I've tried to do crabcakes before, but sadly that is one thing I cannot seem to master. But this challenge has restored my confidence in trying to fry things. My whole house smells like a cinnamon donut. Cinnamon donut plus fresh pumpkin ricotta is ridiculously good. Thanks for this challenge!!

Rolling out the cannoli dough. You need a little strength to roll out this dough.

After frying the shaped cannoli
Stuffed the cannoli with fresh pumpkin-ricotta filling
Cannoli ready to be presented to the critics
The critics approve. Just look at those faces, and declarations of joy and surprise. Hooray! What a success!

Recipe

CANNOLI SHELLS
2 cups (250 grams/16 ounces) all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons(28 grams/1 ounce) sugar
1 teaspoon (5 grams/0.06 ounces) unsweetened baking cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon (1.15 grams/0.04 ounces) ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon (approx. 3 grams/0.11 ounces) salt
3 tablespoons (42 grams/1.5 ounces) vegetable or olive oil
1 teaspoon (5 grams/0.18 ounces) white wine vinegar (I used red wine vinegar)
Approximately 1/2 cup (approx. 59 grams/approx. 4 fluid ounces/approx. 125 ml) sweet Marsala or any white or red wine you have on hand ( used sangria)
1 large egg, separated (you will need the egg white but not the yolk)
Vegetable or any neutral oil for frying – about 2 quarts (8 cups/approx. 2 litres)
1/2 cup (approx. 62 grams/2 ounces) toasted, chopped pistachio nuts, mini chocolate chips/grated chocolate and/or candied or plain zests, fruits etc.. for garnish
Confectioners' sugar
Note - If you want a chocolate cannoli dough, substitute a few tablespoons of the flour (about 25%) with a few tablespoons of dark, unsweetened cocoa powder (Dutch process) and a little more wine until you have a workable dough
CANNOLI FILLING
2 lbs (approx. 3.5 cups/approx. 1 kg/32 ounces) ricotta cheese, drained
1 2/3 cups cup (160 grams/6 ounces) confectioner’s sugar, (more or less, depending on how sweet you want it), sifted
1/2 teaspoon (1.15 grams/0.04 ounces) ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon (4 grams/0.15 ounces) pure vanilla extract or the beans from one vanilla bean
2 cups of pumpkin puree
Note - If you want chocolate ricotta filling, add a few tablespoons of dark, unsweetened cocoa powder to the above recipe, and thin it out with a few drops of warm water if too thick to pipe.
DIRECTIONS FOR SHELLS:
1. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer or food processor, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in the oil, vinegar, and enough of the wine to make a soft dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and well blended, about 2 minutes. Shape the dough into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest in the fridge from 2 hours to overnight.
2 Cut the dough into two pieces. Keep the remaining dough covered while you work. Lightly flour a large cutting or pastry board and roll the dough until super thin, about 1/16 to 1/8” thick (An area of about 13 inches by 18 inches should give you that). Cut out 3 to 5-inch circles (3-inch – small/medium; 4-inch – medium/large; 5-inch;- large. Your choice). Roll the cut out circle into an oval, rolling it larger and thinner if it’s shrunk a little.
3 Oil the outside of the cannoli tubes (You only have to do this once, as the oil from the deep fry will keep them well, uhh, oiled..lol). Roll a dough oval from the long side (If square, position like a diamond, and place tube/form on the corner closest to you, then roll) around each tube/form and dab a little egg white on the dough where the edges overlap. (Avoid getting egg white on the tube, or the pastry will stick to it.) Press well to seal. Set aside to let the egg white seal dry a little.
4. In a deep heavy saucepan, pour enough oil to reach a depth of 3 inches, or if using an electric deep-fryer, follow the manufacturer's directions. Heat the oil to 375°F (190 °C) on a deep fry thermometer, or until a small piece of the dough or bread cube placed in the oil sizzles and browns in 1 minute. Have ready a tray or sheet pan lined with paper towels or paper bags.
5. Carefully lower a few of the cannoli tubes into the hot oil. Do not crowd the pan. Fry the shells until golden, about 2 minutes, turning them so that they brown evenly.
8. Lift a cannoli tube with a wire skimmer or large slotted spoon, out of the oil. Using tongs, grasp the cannoli tube at one end. Very carefully remove the cannoli tube with the open sides straight up and down so that the oil flows back into the pan. Place the tube on paper towels or bags to drain. Repeat with the remaining tubes. While they are still hot, grasp the tubes with a potholder and pull the cannoli shells off the tubes with a pair of tongs, or with your hand protected by an oven mitt or towel. Let the shells cool completely on the paper towels. Place shells on cooling rack until ready to fill.
9. Repeat making and frying the shells with the remaining dough. If you are reusing the cannoli tubes, let them cool before wrapping them in the dough.

Battle Pumpkin Pie: Fresh vs Canned Puree

2009-11-19T23:26:00.000-08:00

As a test run for Thanksgiving, my friend Doreen and I baked two pumpkin pies: one using store bought filling and one using fresh pureed pumpkin. Both pumpkin pies underwent the scrutiny of our weekly Thursday-night food critics. The majority of votes went to the fresh pumpkin filling, which seemed to be spicier and had a thicker texture (because the water was reduced by heating the puree). I wonder if the canned puree would have been just as good if we burned off some of the water as well, to give it a thicker texture. For now, fresh pumpkin has conquered, but battle pumpkin pie must continue until the perfect recipe is had. If you think you have the perfect pumpkin pie recipe, and it can stand the heat of competition, let me know; I'd love to test it out and have the critics provide feedback!

Fresh out of the oven. Shaped pie pans work wonders; this was the first time I used mine, and the crust came out shapely and golden.
This one needed a little edge decoration since I only had one fancy pie pan. This one got the short end of the stick--the pie tin. But it still came out the winner in the end.
Rolling out the dough into a 1/8 inch thick disk
Mixing the spiced sugar into the puree.
Ingredients: From Tartine Recipe book.

Pumpkin Puree

2 cups pumpkin puree

*fresh: cut pumpkin in half, scoop out seeds, lay each half face down on a baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 45-55 minutes. Test to see if fork goes easily through flesh and skin can separate easily. Scoop out insides and puree in a food processor or blender. Heat puree in pot over flame, and stir constantly until mixture begins to peel away from pot.

3 large whole eggs

1 large egg yolk

1 cup cream

2 tbsp brandy (substituted maple syrup this time)

*combine above ingredients with fresh pumpkin puree and a bowl

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

1/8 tsp cloves

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp black pepper

1 tsp salt

*Whisk together sugar and spices in a separate bowl

*Whisk sugar mixture into pumpkin mixture.

Flaky Tart Dough:

1 tsp salt

2/3 cup water, very cold

3 cups, 2 tbsp flour

1 cup, 3 tbsp butter, very cold

In a small bowl, add salt to the water and stir. Refrigerate.

Put flour into the workbowl of the food processor

Cut butter into one inch squares and add to the workbowl.

Pulse a few times until the butter is the size of peas

Add water and salt mixture to the bowl, and pulse several times until the mixture comes together into a ball (still rough texture though)

On a lightly floured surface, shape the dough into 2 balls and flatten into a 1 in disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hrs or up to overnight

Roll out dough into a 1/8 in thick disk on floured surface, turned and lift with each roll, and roll from center to the edge.

Shape to pie pan.

You can create fun edges using a fork

*Pour pumpkin puree into crust and chill for an hour. bake for 1 hr at 325.

Iron Chef CG: Roasted Red Pepper and Butternut Squash Soup

2009-11-17T21:18:00.000-08:00

This was the appetizer we chose for Iron Chef CG: Butternut Squash. It turned out fantastic! I think it's the best butternut squash soup recipe I've made. The secret is the roasted red peppers. It adds a smoky sweet flavor to the soup, which gives it several levels of flavor. It certainly won't bore you. Also, I like to leave a few chunks in the soup when blending, to give a bit more texture and a rustic quality. If you have time, garnish with just a bit of chicken. Because of the time crunch of Iron Chef, the vegetables (butternut squash, celery, onions, and garlic) were sauteed instead of roasted. I made the roasted version and tonight and left out the cream to be a little healthier. This also turned out great, but I think sauteing in butter lends a more savory, flavorful taste. If you're looking to go all out on flavor, don't skimp on the butter or roasted red pepper. Although, the healthier option is really just as tasty and a better option for your weekday meal.

1 butternut squash

2 celery stalks

1 medium onion

roasted red peppers

4 cups of chicken broth

thyme

Add 2 teaspoons cumin,

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon chili powder

Salt and pepper

Garlic

1 cup heavy cream

Peel, scoop out seeds of 1 butternut squash, and cut into 1 inch cubes

Cut two stalks of celery into thin slices

Cut medium onion into a very large dice

Mince garlic (2 cloves)

Saute in butter celery and onion until soft (6-7 min), add in garlic sauté 1 min. more. Add in squash cubes coat in butter and add thyme, smoked paprika, chili powder, and cumin, cook 1 min.

Add broth, and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until squash is tender, about 12 to 15 minutes. Put in roasted red peppers.

Remove from heat and puree with an immersion blender until smooth. Season with salt, to taste.

Taste and add salt if needed – added about a teaspoon of kosher salt. Bring up to a slow simmer and cook about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, boil chicken and shred

Slowly whisk in 1 cup of heavy cream (measure out while squash is baking) and cook another minute. Allow to cool slightly before serving, and top with shredded chicken in the middle as a garnish.

Daring Cooks: Vietnamese Chicken Pho

2009-10-14T23:27:00.000-07:00

The October 2009 Daring Cooks’ challenge was brought to us by Jaden of the blog Steamy Kitchen. The recipes are from her new cookbook, The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook.

I completed this challenge with about 20 min. till deadline--slightly faster than the last baking challenge. But, it was easier than I expected and filled my apt. with spicy smells! This is also the first time I've cooked chicken in years, and I am very pleased with the results. Lately, my daily cooking challenge is to use up all the pantry items I have that have been around too long. I've been doing pastas and legumes and this challenge finally allowed to use up the rice noodles. Woohoo! Great challenge--I love vietnamese food!

Toast the spices until fragrant: mmm...the cloves smell amazing, and the star anise and coriander are lovely too.
Chop up half an onion, 3 in. of ginger for the broth.
The finished product!!

Ingredients:
For the Chicken Pho Broth:
2 tbsp. whole coriander seeds
4 whole cloves
2 whole star anise
2 quarts (2 liters/8 cups/64 fluid ounces) store-bought or homemade chicken stock
1 whole chicken breast (bone in or boneless)
½ onion
1 3-inch (7.5 cm) chunk of ginger, sliced and smashed with side of knife
1 to 2 tbsps. sugar
1 to 2 tbsps. fish sauce
1 lb. (500 grams/16 ounces) dried rice noodles (about ¼ inch/6 mm wide)
Accompaniments:
2 cups (200 grams/7 ounces) bean sprouts, washed and tails pinched off
Fresh cilantro (coriander) tops (leaves and tender stems)
½ cup (50 grams/approx. 2 ounces) shaved red onions
½ lime, cut into 4 wedges
Sriracha chili sauce
Hoisin sauce
Sliced fresh chili peppers of your choice
Directions:
To make the Chicken Pho Broth: heat a frying pan over medium heat. Add the coriander seeds, cloves and star anise and toast until fragrant, about 3-4 minutes. Immediately spoon out the spices to avoid burning.
In a large pot, add all the ingredients (including the toasted spices) and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and let simmer for 20 minutes, skimming the surface frequently.
Use tongs to remove the chicken breasts and shred the meat with your fingers, discarding the bone if you have used bone-in breasts.
Taste the broth and add more fish sauce or sugar, if needed. Strain the broth and discard the solids.
Prepare the noodles as per directions on the package.
Ladle the broth into bowls. Then divide the shredded chicken breast and the soft noodles evenly into each bowl.
Have the accompaniments spread out on the table. Each person can customize their own bowl with these ingredients.

Yen's Cake: Balsamic caramel cream cake with mascarpone custard filling

2009-09-30T00:27:00.000-07:00

Yellow Cake

*From the Modern Baker

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cup all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1.5 sticks of butter

1 cup sugar

2 tsp vanilla

3 large eggs

1/2 cup milk

Method:

1. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in small bowl

2. In mixing bowl, whip butter sugar, and vanilla

3. Mix in one egg at a time

4. Mix in 1/2 flour mixture

5. Mix in milk

6. Mix in the rest of the flour mixture

*It should divide into two pans, but it doesn't. If I had to do it again, I would use the Chiffon cake from Tartine, like I normally do.

Custard:

Ingredients:

1 cup of mascarpone or soy cream cheese

1/3 cup sugar

2 eggs

rose water

cinnamon

Method:

1. Whip together in mixer

2. pour into round casserole dish

3. Place the casserole dish in a roasting pan filled half-way up with water

4. Bake at 325 F for 1 hr. or until set

5. Cover and refrigerate

Caramel Whipped cream:

Ingredients:

1 cup heavy cream

2 tbsp powdered sugar

1/2 cup caramel

1/2 cup sugar

2 tbsp rose water

1 cup balsamic vinegar

Method:

1. Whip heavy cream and powdered sugar, until medium peaks appear

2. Add 1/2 caramel and fold into the whipped cream

Caramel method:

1. On low heat dissolve sugar and water together.

2. Raise to medium heat and simmer without stirring until it turns brown and begin smoking

3. Add vinegar.

4. return to medium heat and simmer for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally

Assemble

Add custard to the first cake layer, add sliced pears, add a thin layer of the caramel whipped, cream, add next layer, cove the cake with the caramel whipped cream and shape.

Daring Bakers' Challenge: Vols-au-Vent

2009-09-27T23:32:00.000-07:00

The September 2009 Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Steph of A Whisk and a Spoon. She chose the French treat, Vols-au-Vent based on the Puff Pastry recipe by Michel Richard from the cookbook Baking With Julia by Dorie Greenspan.

This is my first Daring Bakers' challenge, and it turned out amazing! Thanks Steph for such an awesome recipe. I decided to fill my vols-au-vent with the coconut dal listed in my previous entry. The puff pastry is so light and buttery. Delicious!

Coconut Dal

2009-09-14T22:33:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to clean out my fridge before I leave for the weekend, and spend as little money as possible this week. This means the slow-cooker is seeing some action finally. Yesterday, I cooked up those lavender-thyme white beans, and tonight, the lentils will meet their end, soaking in a savory bath of coconut milk, tomatoes, and broth.

Ingredients:

4 cups of sprouted green lentils

1 cup of coconut milk

1 cup vegetable broth

2 cups of water

1 tomato

1 can of tomato sauce

2 tsp turmeric

red onion

2 dried red chilies

olive oil

Method:

Saute 1 red onion with 2 dried red chilies. Combine with other ingredients in slow cooker. Cook for 6 hrs.

Thyme-Lavender White Beans

2009-09-13T17:12:00.000-07:00

I was inspired to cook white beans from a bunch of Italian recipes I've been looking at, and it's a good way to stretch limited resources. I was feeling the flavors of thyme and lavender, which are typical of the northern region, so this is what I came up with. This thick bean sauce is so good! Just pour it over some basmati rice and enjoy.

Ingredients:

3 cups of white beans

2 tbsp. lavender salt

lavender buds

1 tbsp. thyme

olive oil

1 red onion

2 carrots

Method:

Soak white beans overnight and peel off skin. Bring white beans to a boil in water or vegetable broth, then transfer to slow-cooker.

Saute red onion, carrot, and thyme in olive oil, then add to beans and broth.

Add lavender buds, lavender salt, and more thyme to taste

Cook on high for 4 hours.

Sicilian Spaghetti with Squid

2009-09-08T20:48:00.000-07:00

Today I came home absolutely starving, and not knowing what to cook. I stopped for some tomatoes and pine nuts at the store, and raided my pantry for the rest of the items in this dish. It has some classic southern Italian flavors, and is very easy to make. It turned out extremely good! It was much more flavorful than I imagined it would be as I was throwing all these things together.

Ingredients:

Spaghetti
squid
lemon
1 red onion
2 large tomatoes
fennel
parsley
pepper
salt
capers
pine nuts
pecorino

Method: boil water and heat spaghetti till tender; remove and pour cold water over to stop the cooking process. Meanwhile, chop onion and large tomatoes. Saute in olive oil. Add fennel, pepper, and parsley. Simmer for 15-20 minutes, then add in salt and capers. In a separate pan, saute squid and add in lemon juice. Combine pasta, sauce, and squid, and mix together on low heat. Serve and garnish with pine nuts and pecorino.

September Daring Cooks' Challenge: Indian Dosas

2009-08-29T14:57:00.000-07:00

This is my first Daring Cooks' challenge! The September challenge--Indian Dosas-- was hosted by Debyi from http://www.healthyvegankitchen.com.

This is one of the few vegan recipes I've tried, and it turned out fantastic! It is very flavorful, and quite filling. There are 4 parts to this recipe: the dosa, the filling, the sauce, and the garnish. Because I was going to host people for dinner, I decided to prepare the filling and sauce ahead of time. I figured it wouldn't take much time for the dosas, but they were a bit challenging and took longer to master than I imagined. Thank goodness my hungry friends were also patient. I had two versions of the dosa: a thicker one and a thinner one. Both turned out good; one was a bit fluffier and the other more crispy. Tip: the pan shouldn't be too hot when you put the batter in, otherwise it won't spread easily.

My taste testers all really liked the combination of the refreshing cucumber and the spicy sauce. They were all happy after 1 or 2 dosas; they were more filling than I expected. Excellent recipe! Thanks Debyi for such a flavorful first challenge!

Heating up the sauce and filling that I made the day before, and about to flip one of the dosas.

Spreading around the dosa batter in my pan

Working on presentation while cooking the other dosas.

Contented taste testers + Robin, photo journalist extraordinaire

Recipe for September challenge: Indian Dosas

Indian Dosas
This recipe comes in 3 parts, the dosas, the filling and the sauce. It does take awhile to make, but the filling and sauce can be made ahead and frozen if need be. You can serve them as a main course with rice and veggies, or as an appetizer. This does take a little planning ahead, so make sure you read the recipe through before starting (I forgot & didn't start making the rice until everything was ready, oops).

Serves 4

Equipment needed:
large bowl
whisk
griddle or skillet
ladle (or large spoon)
spatula
vegetable peeler &/or knife
large saucepan
food processor or bean masher

Dosa Pancakes
1 cup (120gm/8oz) spelt flour (or all-purpose, gluten free flour)
½ tsp (2½ gm) salt
½ tsp (2½ gm) baking powder
½ tsp (2½ gm) curry powder
½ cup (125ml/4oz) almond milk (or soy, or rice, etc.)
¾ cup (175ml/6oz) water
cooking spray, if needed

Dosa Filling
1 batch Curried Garbanzo Filling (see below), heated

Dosa Toppings
1 batch Coconut Curry Sauce (see below), heated
¼ cup (125gm) grated coconut
¼ cucumber, sliced

Dosa Pancakes
1.Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl, slowly adding the almond milk and water, whisking until smooth.
2.Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Spray your pan with a thin layer of cooking spray, if needed.
3.Ladle 2 tablespoons of batter into the center of your pan in a circular motion until it is a thin, round pancake. When bubbles appear on the surface and it no longer looks wet, flip it over and cook for a few seconds. Remove from heat and repeat with remaining batter. Makes 8 pancakes.

Curried Garbanzo Filling
This filling works great as a rice bowl topping or as a wrap too, so don't be afraid to make a full batch.

5 cloves garlic
1 onion, peeled and finely diced
1 carrot, peeled and finely diced
1 green pepper, finely diced (red, yellow or orange are fine too)
2 medium hot banana chilies, minced
2 TBSP (16gm) cumin, ground
1 TBSP (8gm) oregano
1 TBSP (8gm) sea salt (coarse)
1 TBSP (8gm) turmeric
4 cups (850gm/30oz) cooked or canned chick peas (about 2 cans)
½ cup (125gm/4oz) tomato paste

1.Heat a large saucepan over medium to low heat. Add the garlic, veggies, and spices, cooking until soft, stirring occasionally.
2.Mash the chickpeas by hand, or in a food processor. Add the chickpeas and tomato paste to the saucepan, stirring until heated through.

Coconut Curry Sauce
This makes a great sauce to just pour over rice as well. This does freeze well, but the texture will be a little different. The flavor is still the same though. My picture of this sauce is one that I had made, had to freeze, then thaw to use. It tastes great, but the texture is a little runnier, not quite as thick as it was before freezing.

1 onion, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic
½ (2½ gm) tsp cumin, ground
¾ (3¾ gm) tsp sea salt (coarse)
3 TBSP (30gm) curry powder
3 TBSP (30gm) spelt flour (or all-purpose GF flour)
3 cups (750ml/24oz) vegetable broth
2 cups (500ml/24oz) coconut milk
3 large tomatoes, diced

1.Heat a saucepan over medium heat, add the onion and garlic, cooking for 5 minutes, or until soft.
2.Add the spices, cooking for 1 minutes more. Add the flour and cook for 1 additional minute.
3.Gradually stir in the vegetable broth to prevent lumps. Once the flour has been incorporated, add the coconut milk and tomatoes, stirring occasionally.
4.Let it simmer for half an hour.

Moroccan Sprouted Lentils with Cucumber-Mint Yogurt

2009-08-26T22:32:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

6 cups of sprouted lentils

1 red onion

3 cloves of garlic

moroccan curry

olive oil

Method:

Saute onion, garlic, and curry for a couple minutes

Add in 2 cups of water

Add in 6 cups of lentils

Bring to a simmer and cover

Steam for 15-20 min.

Sauce:

Greek Yogurt

minced fresh mint

minced garlic

lemon juice

diced cucumber

Fresh Ricotta Cheese Torta

2009-08-25T19:45:00.000-07:00

I decided last night to make some more ricotta cheese since I had a gallon of milk that was nearing expiration. But this time, I really want to do some recipes that require baking. This torta is perfect for lunch or dinner if you have a side dish.

*adapted from Martha Stewart Living Cookbook: The New Classics

*makes four servings

Ingredients:

2-3 tbsp bread crumbs

3 large eggs

1/4 cup parsley

1 tbsp thyme

1 tbsp mint

3 cups fresh ricotta

3/4 salt

pepper

pecorino romano

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F

2. Lightly coat springform pan with butter

3. Spread breadcrumbs evenly

4. In medium bowl, combine eggs, parsley, thyme, mint

5. Add ricotta, salt, pepper and stir to combine

6. Pour into prepared pan

7. Bake 1 hour until brown on top

D & D's Engagement Party Cake

2009-08-17T00:31:00.000-07:00

This weekend, I celebrated an engagement party for my good friends Diana and Derek. I love baking unique cakes for the special people in my life. And since it was an engagement party, I wanted it to be beautiful as well as flavorful. After considering a couple flavor options, I decided to go with flavors that were refreshing and interesting: lime and lavender. I wanted a combination that was slightly exotic but not overwhelming in flavor or richness.

I've also been exploring Italian cheeses in cooking and baking, and wanted to incorporate mascarpone and ricotta into the icing and filling. My favorite cake base is a Chiffon Cake (I usually use the recipe from Tartine); the whipped egg whites give it such a light, fluffy texture. I came up with a 4-layer Lime Chiffon Cake w/lime-lavender ricotta cream filling, topped with a white chocolate mascarpone icing underneath buttercream fondant. Here's the recipe: enjoy!

1. Make the chiffon cake first

Chiffon Recipe:

All purpose flour: 2.5 cups

Baking powder 2 tsp

sugar 1.5 cups

Salt 3/4 tsp

*Whisk together dry ingredients in a large bowl.

vegetable oil: 1/2 cup

large egg yolks: 6

water 3/4 cup

vanilla extract 2 tsp

lime zest 1.5 tsp (I used lime this time, since it is a lime chiffon)

*Whisk together in small bowl

*Create a well in the middle of the dry ingredients, and pour mixture into the center; whisk together till smooth (1 min).

Large egg whites: 10

cream of tartar 1/4 tsp

*Using a mixer, beat egg whites on medium till frothy

*add cream of tartar and beat on medium high till the whites hold soft peaks

*Slowly add 1/4 cup of sugar till whites hold firm, shiny peaks.

*Fold 1/3 of egg whites into batter. Then continue to fold in the remaining egg whites a little at a time.

Bake:

Line two 10-in springform pans with parchment, and pour batter evenly into each pan.

Bake for 45-55 min at 325 degrees F.

When cool, cut each in half to make 4 layers

Lavender Syrup

Bring water, sugar and fresh lavender buds to a boil and stir till sugar dissolves.

*use amounts to taste (2 cups water, 1 cup sugar, handful of lavender buds)

2. brush this onto each layer of cake.

Lime-lavender ricotta filling:

*Make fresh ricotta using limes instead of lemons in this case (see Ricotta Fresca recipe)

3 cups fresh ricotta

3 cups heavy cream

*combine ricotta and 1/2 cup cream

*whip 2.5 cups cream till it holds soft peaks

*fold into ricotta and egg mixture last

water

sugar

lavender buds

*combine and bring to a boil till sugar is dissolved

8 egg yolks

*combine egg yolks and sugar syrup in a double boiler and whisk till mixture begins to thicken and reachs 180 degrees F

4.5 tsp gelatin

*sprinkle over 1/4 cup water to soften; remove from water and add to the egg yolk mixture; whisk continuously as yolk mixture bathes in an ice bath. (mix to avoid gelatin from clumping)

*when cool, fold into ricotta mixture, and add...

lime zest

*if desired

3. Evenly distribute filling amongst the 3 lower layers

White Chocolate Mascarpone Icing

4. Apply a thin layer of icing on the cake so that the fondant will adhere.

11 ounces white chocolate

*melt over double boiler

2 and 2 tbsp butter

17 ounces mascarpone

*mix mascarpone, add in butter slowly to combine. Then, slowly mix in white chocolate when cooled

Buttercream Fondant

1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup shortening
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
2 pounds powdered sugar
*combine first four ingredients in a large bowl or mixer; knead in powdered sugar either by hand or with the hook attachment.
*Can be stored in the refrigerator in airtight container

5. Roll out on large flat surface that has been dusted with powdered sugar to 1/8 in. Continue to shake loose the fondant as you roll. Flip fondant over onto cake when ready.
6. Use fondant smoother to aid the fondant in adhering to the cake.
7. Decorate cake: you can dye the fondant by kneading in dyes.
*do not use water, since it will dissolve fondant; if cracks form continue to knead it, add powdered sugar, or if cracks form after it's on the cake, apply small amount of crisco.

Ricotta Fresco and Crema di Ricotta

2009-08-01T21:58:00.000-07:00

For my first day of Italian cooking, I figure a good place to start is to learn how to make the fresh ingredients that I will need to have on hand for several other dishes. Cheese is a key ingredient for most Italian dishes, and knowing how to describe the appropriate flavor of cheese to accent a particular main ingredient will help me ask for and buy the right cheeses and also find my favorites. Parmigiano-Reggiano, grana Padano, pecorino, stravecchio, burrata, mozzarella di bufala, fiore di latte, ricotta salata, and ricotta are the celebrities of Italian cheese. While I'll be tasting varieties of hard cheeses for particular flavors, the only cheese I'll attempt to make is ricotta. Once you've tasted fresh ricotta, there's no going back to the store-bought, processed kind. And, it's easy to make and cheaper!

Ingredients:

1 quart low-fat milk

1 cup heavy cream

juice of 3 lemons

zest of 3 lemons

1 tsp. sugar

1 tsp. salt

Method:

1. Stir milk and cream together and bring to a boil, while stirring continuously. Immediately remove from heat once it begins to boil.

Add 1tsp. salt, 1tsp. sugar, juice of 3 lemons, zest of 3 lemons.

Stir together. Let rest at room temperature for 20 minutes.

Place cheese cloth over a sieve that fits within a large pot.

Pour mixture into cheese cloth, and let sit for 2 hours.
Initial mixture looks like slightly curdled milk.
Mixture after 1 hour.
Mixture after 2 hours. When mixture begins to pull away from

cheese cloth, it's ready
Crema di Ricotta:

Add 1/2 cup mascarpone,

1/2 cup sugar, and 1 cup ricotta.

Fresh fruit, such as plums which are in season now, go especially well with the crema di ricotta.

This little set up also packs up well in a tupperware if you need to transport it to a party.

Ricotta / Crema di Ricotta

Agosto-Deciembre: Osteria del amato

2009-07-25T21:43:00.000-07:00

One of my fondest childhood memories is the smell of tomato sauce, cheeses, and herbs melting together as lasagna bakes in the oven. This smell, more than any other, is my idea of home. It is the dish that was and still is requested for birthdays and homecomings and even holidays.

Holidays such as Christmas Eve were traditionally spent at Grandma Amato's house eating lasagna, opening presents, and playing with her dog Princess. While leading up to the festivities, we would go to the Italian store, which was always bustling with people waiting in line to pick out their holiday meats and sausages, cheeses, and breads. I would wander the aisles of shelves, happy that everything was at eye level, looking at the canned tomatoes and olives, before returning to stare at biscotti or wander up to the counter to look at the fresh cream puffs, eclairs, and baklava. We've always called this "Our Italian Christmas".

In the same way that a second lasagna is always baked for later or given to some of us visitors to take back, allowing the memory to linger a bit longer, I want that warm aroma of home to consistently fill my little SF apt. While no lasagna recipe can match the Amato recipe, there are many other new flavors and dishes I am eager to try cooking.

To help me on my way, I am invoking the spirit of Mario Batali and the lingering memory of eating at L' Osteria Mozza--possibly the longest I've ever taken to eat a meal because I simply did not want it to end. My second muse has to be the A16 cookbook because I live in San Francisco, and it presents the best of southern Italian cooking and wine pairings, as well as a roadmap to fresh, local ingredients. And finally, because I couldn't stop reading Marc Vetri's commentary in il viaggio de vetri, from Ten Speed Press, and was inspired by his experience living and cooking in Bergamo and his vision, I'll be cooking recipes from his book to get a taste of northern Italy.

Showbiz Salad

2009-07-25T17:42:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

Spinach

Feta

Sliced plums

lemon zest

drizzle of olive oil

drizzle of balsamic vinegar

black pepper

*I named this one "Showbiz," after a beautiful rose, which has the same characteristic yellow center

Sat. Morning Farmers Market

2009-07-25T09:17:00.000-07:00

I am planning to run to the Ferry Bldg farmer's market this morning; I'm excited to see what is new and fresh on the market, and get inspired. My fridge is still full of all the fresh plums, lemons, and tomatoes I picked out of my mom's garden the other day, so I must be careful not to frivolously buy all the fruits and vegetables that stare longingly at me as I walk through all the stalls. If I can't cook or eat them and my other fresh produce before decomposition sets in, I will certainly regret it--this would be tragic! A true failure to innovate with and understand my ingredients, as well as so wasteful! Okay, off to the Ferry Bldg.--be strong and choose carefully...

...Well, I tasted a variety of stonefruits that are in season right now. Although all were very good, I was only inspired to buy the sierra rich peaches. They were irresistibly juicy and sweet.

Lavender-Date Baklava

2009-07-23T22:35:00.001-07:00

Ingredients

Syrup

3/4 cup sugar

1 cup water

2 tbsp lemon juice

3/4 cup lavender honey

Filling (bottom two layers)

1/4 cup sugar

4 cups nuts (pistachios)

basket of medjool dates

lavender honey

Filling (top two layers)

1/4 cup sugar

4 cups nuts (pistachios)

15 Phyllo dough sheets

*Phyllo sheets dry out quickly and will crack, so keep a moist towel over them.

Clarified butter

Method

Prepare layers:

1. combine ingredients for syrup

2. combine ingredients for top-layer filling

3. combine ingredients for bottom-layer filling

4. clarify butter (heat and discard all but clear liquid)

Put layers together:

1. brush 9 x 13 baking pan with clarified butter

2. lay down 1 phyllo sheet

3. brush clarified butter onto phyllo sheet

4. repeat steps 2 and 3 twice more (3 phyllo sheets on the bottom)

5. add 1/2 of the bottom-layer filling

6. repeat steps 2-3 (2 phyllo sheets)

7. add 1/2 of the bottom-layer filling

8. repeat steps 2-3 (2 phyllo sheets)

9. add 1/2 of the top-layer filling

10. repeat steps 2-3 (2 phyllo sheets)

11. add 1/2 of the top-layer filling

12. repeat steps 2-3 (3 phyllo sheets)

Bake:

1. heat oven to 325 degrees

2. cut top phyllo layer diagonally before baking

3. bake 35-40 min

4. cut through all layers and pour around syrup evenly

Cardamom-Rose Marshmallows

2009-07-23T22:08:00.000-07:00

These are delicious by themselves, in hot chocolate, or as smores.

Ingredients:

3 packages unflavored gelatin

1 cup ice cold water

1 1/2 cup sugar

1 cup light corn syrup

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

1 tbsp. rose water

1/4 powdered sugar

1/4 cornstarch

2 tsp cardamom

Method:

1. Place gelatin in mixing bowl along with 1/2 cup water

2. Combine 1/2 cup water sugar, corn syrup, rose water, salt, and 1 tsp. cardamom

3. Place over medium high heat, cover, and cook for 3-4 minutes

4. Uncover and cook for 7-8 minutes (immediately remove from heat)

5. Mix gelatin and water at low speed, and slowly pour sugar mixture into the bowl

6. Turn mixer to high speed and beat for 15 minutes, until fluffy

7. Combine cornstarch, powdered sugar, and 1 tsp. cardamom

8. Dust 9 x 13 pan with dry sugar combination

9. Use a lightly oiled spatula to spread marshmallow mixture around the pan evenly

10. Using more of the dry sugar combination, coat the top of the marshmallow, and (sprinkles)

11. Leave to rest uncovered for 4-8 hours

12. Dust a knife and fingers with dry sugar combo and cut marshmallows into squares

13. Roll marshmallow through dry sugar combo to coat all sides

Spicy eggs and lavash crisps

2009-07-23T17:52:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

Fresh spinach

2 eggs

soy chorizo

lavash

Bake lavash at 400 degrees F till crispy, break into small pieces.

Saute spinach in olive oil, add in chorizo, and saute a couple more minutes.

Beat together eggs, and add to the spinach and chorizo, cook on low heat

(or scramble eggs separately, using double boiler).

Garnish with a spoonful of salsa.

Place scramble in a dish and scoop out with baked lavash pieces.

Fresh plums and ricotta cream

2009-07-23T17:45:00.000-07:00

Ricotta Cream
1 cup whole-milk fresh ricotta cheese
1/3 cup mascarpone cheese
3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel

Slice fresh plums and arrange on top

Garnish with a sprig of mint

Soy-Ginger Salmon & Vermicelli w/Citrus Tapenade

2009-07-22T20:33:00.000-07:00

Salmon

Glaze: olive oil, soy sauce, and ginger

Bake Salmon at 400 degrees F

Add crushed almonds

Tapenade

1 cup Kalamata olives

1.5 tbsp capers

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp fresh squeezed orange juice

1/2 tsp orange peel

tsp 1/2 lemon juice

1/2 tsp lemon peel

season with salt and pepper

*blend in food processor

Cook vermicelli, mix in tapenade, and lay Salmon on top

Orange-Fennel Salad

2009-07-22T20:22:00.000-07:00

*This is a refreshing, healthy side dish to have along with the baked polenta with mushroom cream sauce

Ingredients

Spinach

orange slices

fennel

pinenuts

Dressing

Mix together olive oil, vinegar, and orange juice

Baked polenta w/ mushroom cream sauce

2009-07-22T19:54:00.000-07:00

Baked Polenta

Boil water or vegetable broth, add in polenta, stir till it thickens, pour into ramekins, and refrigerate overnight. Bake polenta at 350 degrees for 30 min.

Cream Sauce

Saute mushrooms

add mascarpone

add fresh chopped basil

season sauce

spoon mushroom cream sauce over baked polenta, drizzle raw olive oil over top.