Our Dessert Stand

On a somewhat food-related topic, Brent and I painted our own dessert stand the other weekend.  It takes a week for the company to glaze and fire, so we just got it back on Sunday.  Wow! We did such a terrible job; one side is red and the other pink (because we didn't put enough coats).  To our defense, we were working with some child-proof paints and brushes, we worked on the same piece together, and we were a bit rushed because my mentee was with us and was getting bored fairly quickly once she finished her project and we still had half more to paint.  At any rate, we had fun and it will be a part of our holiday tables for years to come.

Sweet and Spicy Pecans (Failure)

Our friend Johnny is allergic to nuts and puppies. It's a pretty sad life he has - not really, but I think Brent would seriously dump me if I were allergic to Beagle puppies.  Anyhow, partly because I need to finish some dishes during my evenings (keep in mind Thanksgiving is 3 days away!) and mainly because of Johnny's food allergies, I prepared the pecans today. Well they turned out to be a failure: a bit salty (and I only used 2/3) and burnt.  Another good reason to start the cooking process early, gives you time to find another recipe and start over.  For now I'll be soaking my baking sheets to get the burnt-sugary-pecan mess off of them. 

SWEET AND SPICY PECANS
-Adapted from Parade (November 16, 2008) magazine
-Serves 8

Ingredients:
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon salt (I only used 1 teaspoon)
1 1/2 teaspoon chili powder (I only used 1 teaspoon)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch cayenne
1 egg white
2 cups pecan halves

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F and spray a nonstick baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. Mix the sugar and spices together in a small bowl, set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, beat the egg white lightly with a fork.  Toss in the pecans and stir to coat. 
4. Coat each pecan half one by one evenly with spice mixture.
5. Transfer coated pecan to a baking sheet, separating them as best you can.
6. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes.
7. Cool for 5 minutes.
8. Transfer pecans to another baking sheet, breaking pecans apart as necessary, let cool completely.
9. Keep covered in a dry place.

Pecans will stay fresh for 5 days in an airtight container.

Emeril's Mashed Potatoes

***I HAVE NOT STARTED PREPARING THIS DISH. RECIPE IS AS PRINTED.***

EMERIL'S MASHED POTATOES
-Makes 6 to 8 Servings
-Recipe from Emeril Lagasse, 2000

Ingredients:
2 1bs. potatoes, peeled and diced
1 stick chilled butter, cubed
1/2 to 3/4 cup heavy cream
Salt and white pepper to taste

Directions:
Place the potatoes in a pot of salted water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook the potatoes until fork tender, about 12 to 15 minutes. Remove the pan from teh heat and drain. Place the potatoes back in teh pot and reutrn to the heat. Stir the potatoes, constantly, for 2 to 3 minutes to dehydrate the potatoes. Remove the potatoes from teh heat.  Add the butter. Using a hand-held masher, mash the butter into the potatoes.  Add enough cream until desired smoothness is achieved.  The potatoes should still be sort of lumpy. Season the potatoes with salt and pepper.

Homemade Whole Cranberry Sauce

 

HOMEMADE WHOLE CRANBERRY SAUCE
-A blend of several recipes and suggestions

Ingredients:
1/2 to 3/4 cup sugar (depends on sweetness preference)
1/2 cup water + 1/2 cup orange juice + 1/8 cup lemon juice
12 oz. fresh cranberries, rinsed, drained and sorted through (remove any stems or deflated berries)
1/2 teaspoon orange peel or zest
Few squeezes of orange juice

Steps:

1. Combine water mixture and sugar in a medium saucepan.  Bring to boil. 
2. Add cranberries and orange zest.  Return to Boil. 
3. Reduce the heat and boil gently for 10-14 minutes, stirring occasionally.  
4. Add a few squeezes of fresh orange juice.  
5. Cover and cool completely at room temperature.  
6. Refrigerate until serving time.

Keep refrigerated. Sauce can be stored in refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Orange Spice Pumpkin Pie

This dessert combines two classics in one: the all-American cream pie and the traditional spiced pumpkin pie.  Orange peel is added for a slight citrus hint that blends well with the spices.

ORANGE SPICE PUMPKIN PIE
-Adapted from Cooking Pleasures (Oct./Nov.07)
-8 servings

Pie Ingredients:
Dough for 1 (9-inch) pie crust
2/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
15 oz. can pure pumpkin
3 eggs
3/4 cup whipping cream
1 tablespoon dark rum, if desired
1 1/2 teaspoons grated orange peel

Topping Ingredients:
1 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Steps:

1. Heat oven to 425 degrees F.  Line 9-inch pie pan with dough. Whisk sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg in small bowl.
2. Whisk pumpkin and eggs in large bowl until well-blended. Whisk in spice mixture. Slowly whisk in 3/4 cup cream until combined. Whisk in rum and orange peel. Pour into pie crust.
3. Bake 10 minutes.  Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F; bake an additional 40-45 minutes or until slightly puffed around edge and toothpick in center comes out clean.  Cool on wire rack 2 to 3 hours.
4. Before serving, beat all topping ingredients in medium bowl at medium-high speed until stiff but dry peaks do not form. Serve with pie or pipe decoratively over pie using star tip.  Store in refrigerator.
   

Maple Pumpkin Butter

 
 MAPLE PUMPKIN BUTTER
-Adapted from Parade (November 16, 2008) magazine.
-Makes 1 1/2 pints.

Ingredients:
- 29 oz. unsweetened pumpkin puree
- 3/4 cup sugar
-3/4 cup apple cider
-3/4 cup maple syrup
-1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
-1 1/2 teaspoon ginger

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 
2. Put all ingredients in a large, heavy, ovenproof casserole and stir to blend. 
3. Place the pan over medium-low heat and bring to a boil, stirring all the while.  
4. Lower the heat, and still stirring, cook 5 minutes more.
5. Slide the casserole into the oven and cook, stirring every 15 minutes, until the pumpkin butter has thickened and there is no liquid around the sides of the pan. (1 1/2 to 2 hours)
6. Cool the pumpkin butter, then cover and chill.

Packed airtight, it will keep for a week in the refrigerator.

Cardamom Sugar Stars and Autumn Leaves

... and one Gnome and Bear for Brent.

 
 CARDAMOM SUGAR STARS AND AUTUMN LEAVES
-Adapted from Cooking Pleasures (Dec.07/Jan08) magazine
-Makes about 35 cookies (depends on thickness and size of cookies)

Cookies
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 egg
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract (optional)

Spice Mixture
1/8 cup sugar or sparkling sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 dash salt

Steps:

1. Whisk flour, baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt in medium bowl.
2. Beat 1 cup sugar, butter and 1 teaspoon cardamom in large mixing bowl at medium speed 3 to 4 minutes or until light and fluffy.
3. Beat in egg and vanilla. 
4. At low speed, beat in flour mixture just until blended.
5. Knead dough just until smooth.  (I didn't need to knead the dough as it was fairly well combined.  I just gathered the dough.) Divide dough into 2 pieces; shape each into flat round discs. Cover and refridgerate until firm enough to roll, overnight or up to 2 days.
6. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Clear enough space in refrigerator for baking sheets.
   
7. Combine all spice mixture ingredients in small bowl and set aside.
   
8. Remove both dough pieces from the refrigerator; let stand at room temperature until able to roll but still firm.  (The dough softens fairly quickly and continues to soften once you start rolling it out.  I didn't have to wait for the dough to warm up before rolling.)
9. Roll between two pieces of parchment paper (or one piece folded in half) to 1/8-inch thickness.  Turn dough over once or twice while rolling to check for deep wrinkles; if necessary, peel off and smooth paper over dough before continuing to roll.) (Rolling dough between sheets of parchment paper or plastic wrap eliminates the need to use extra flour, ensuring perfectly crisp but tender cookies, and it keeps you kitchen surfaces flour-free.)
10. Using cookie cutters of your choice, cut out dough.  (Dip cookie cutters in flour as necessary to prevent sticking.) 
11. Place cut-out dough on baking sheet (on top of lined parchment paper) and refrigerate for at least 5 minutes. 
12. Remove scraps of dough between cookies with point of knife. (If dough gets too soft at any time, refrigerate until firm.) Press dough scraps together gently and reroll.
13. Repeat with rest of dough.
    
14. Once cut-out dough has been chilled, sprinkle spice mixture liberally over cookies. (You do not need to remove the cookies from the parchment paper or baking sheet.)
15. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until pale golden brown at edges.  (My cookies took exactly 8 minutes each time.)  
16. Slide cookies with parchment paper onto wire racks, waiting a minute or two if necessary to let cookies firm up before moving. (If you do not have a wire rack, after waiting two minutes for cookies to firm, flip cookies face down to cool.) Let cookies cool completely.

Cookies can be made 1 month ahead.  Store in an airtight container.

What's for Thanksgiving Dinner 2009

After a long hiatus from the kitchen (and Seattle for that matter), I'm back just in time for Thanksgiving preparations.  Today starts day 1 of the turkey-thawing process. I had Brent place the bird in our refrigerator, because I had forgotten to do so before I met my friends for brunch and the bird really needs to begin thawing today if it's going to be marinated and ready for Thanksgiving (T minus five days). (Thank you Brent for that, even though you have already stated that Thanksgiving for men means sports and eating; no involvement in the cooking process whatsoever.)

For those who care, I believe I have finalized my Thanksgiving day menu (at least the part that I'm preparing). So here it is:

1. Roasted Turkey prepared in a mix between Zuni Cafe's (San Francisco) and Julia Childs's recipe
2. Southwestern Corn on the Cob - Try-Foods International
   
3. Orange Spice Pumpkin Pie - Cooking Pleasures (Oct./Nov.07)
   
4. Apple Pie
   
5. Maple Pumpkin Butter - Parade (Nov. 16, 2008)
   
6. Sweet and Spicy Pecans - Parade (Nov. 16, 2008)
   
7. Scalloped Potatoes with Cheese
8. Green Bean Casserole
9. Mashed Potatoes
10. Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies - Martha Stewart's The Original Classics (2007)
    
11. Cardamom Sugar Cookies - Cooking Pleasures (Dec.07/Jan.08)
    
12. Homemade Whole Cranberry Sauce

So it's time to start Thanksgiving Dinner preparations.  This means preparing pie crusts, cranberry sauce and cookies.  Why so early? If you're asking me this, you must have never prepared a turkey-related holiday meal from scratch before with no help.  Trust me it's time to start the prep work.  And if you've got a frozen turkey to thaw and season, put the bird in the fridge today, else scrap the frozen bird altogether and get a fresh one. I'm going to post full recipes for items and update them as I'm making them, just in case you (whoever you are) feel the urge to include this in your to-make list.

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes (Whiskey, Guinness, Baileys Cream)

Today's Brent's 30th birthday.  Last year, I made Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake, (http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/08/chocolate-peanut-butter-cake/), for those who need to have that recipe NOW.  This year I wanted to make something he would love equally if not more than the Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake.  That's a tall order.  I started surfing the internet, and it would be Smitten Kitchen again that saves the day: Chocolate Whiskey and Beer Cupcakes. I looked through our cupboards and fridge and we happened to have 1 can of Guinness stout, Jack Daniel's whiskey, and Baileys Cream, all the main ingredients for the cupcakes.  This was going to be a great surprise.

I headed over to Walgreen's and Safeway to pick up some butter and other breakfast items and snacks for the weekend since Brent's having some friends over to play miniature fantasy board games. While I was at Safeway, I decided to get this year's flu vaccination.  I wasn't going to do so this year; however, since I volunteer at the nearby food bank and thus am in close contact with our local homeless population I decided I better get the vaccination this year for my sake as well as everyone else I'll see this October.  With the vaccination, I got 10% off my groceries, so of course I piled up on all sorts of items like Spiced Apple Cider, liquid detergent, milk, peanut butter...all the heavy stuff.  Oh yeah, did I mention I was walking home!!! So the journey home begins, with me carrying way too much, about $100 worth of groceries.  After many stops to readjust the bags or just to shift the weight around, I finally make it home only to find that somewhere between home and Walgreen's and Safeway I lost my keys.  Argh! I guess at this point I should mention that I had left my cellphone at home because it was supposed to be a quick trip to the market. What a mistake. So I'm standing outside my building with bags and bags of groceries, mostly perishable items, and no way inside.  I buzz all my neighbors, no answer...great. So I'm sitting outside for about an hour until some lady finally exits the building (why the hell didn't she answer when I buzzed?).  I'm in.  I carry all the items up our three flights of stairs and leave them outside my apartment door and head back outside, knowing full well that I won't have a way to get back into the building again.

Retracing my steps around town with no luck.  I finally give up on ever relocating my lost keys.  I get change for a dollar for the pay phone.  I still can't believe the pay phone exists.  Two calls later and a dollar spent, I learn that I do not know Brent's phone number.  Last resort, I have to go to downtown to Brent's office and get his key set.  I considered hailing a cab, but as I was leaving Walgreen's a bus arrives.  I hop on the bus and of course I do not have my ID.  Luckily, I happen to have some money on me from the other day when I had to pay my $1 library fine.  The bus slowly crawls into town, being delayed by draw bridge traffic and just your normal 2:00pm crazy ridership.  I make it to Brent's office, standing outside until somebody's willing to let me inside.  Brent of course is not surprised my ridiculous luck.

I get the keys and make my way back to catch the next bus.  Who knew that the next bus would be over 40 minutes later.  I guess with my luck that day I shouldn't have been surprised.  I finally do make it home around 4:00pm.  Nothing was spoiled except for my birthday surprise. Brent arrived home around 5:00pm and helped me make his birthday cupcakes and posed for a picture with his birthday present, Penn State gear.  The company made a mistake and sent us two navy and one white shirt instead of the one navy, white and gray that I ordered (and the hooded sweatshirt pullover and sweatpants I ordered).  I was a bit disappointed by this, but Brent didn't mind.

IRISH CAR BOMB CUPCAKES (WHISKEY, GUINNESS, BAILEYS CREAM)
Makes about 20 to 24 cupcakes

Recipe from Smitten Kitchen (http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/01/car-bomb-cupcakes/)
**I didn't alter this recipe at all, with the exception of using only a grapefruit spoon to core the cupcakes.  Below is the recipe from Smitten Kitchen.**

While the Guinness in the cake gets mostly baked out, the Baileys is fresh and potent, so if you’re making this for people who don’t drink — ahem, nobody I know, but I hear such people exist — you’ll probably want to swap it with milk.

The Baileys frosting recipe makes a smallish amount of frosting — enough to just cover the cupcakes. Because they were so rich and this frosting so sweet, I felt it only needed a little. Double it if you want more of a towering effect.

For the Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes
1 cup stout (such as Guinness)
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process)
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sour cream

Ganache Filling
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1 to 2 teaspoons Irish whiskey (optional)

Baileys Frosting
3 to 4 cups confections sugar
1 stick (1/2 cup or 4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperatue
3 to 4 tablespoons Baileys (or milk, or heavy cream, or a combination thereof)
Special equipment: 1-inch round cookie cutter or an apple corer and a piping bag (though a plastic bag with the corner snipped off will also work)

Make the cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 24 cupcake cups with liners. Bring 1 cup stout and 1 cup butter to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.

Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and 3/4 teaspoon salt in large bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend. Add stout-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat just to combine. Add flour mixture and beat briefly on slow speed. Using rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined. Divide batter among cupcake liners, filling them 2/3 to 3/4 of the way. Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, rotating them once front to back if your oven bakes unevenly, about 17 minutes. Cool cupcakes on a rack completely.

Make the filling:

Chop the chocolate and transfer it to a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream until simmering and pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for one minute and then stir until smooth. (If this has not sufficiently melted the chocolate, you can return it to a double-boiler to gently melt what remains. 20 seconds in the microwave, watching carefully, will also work.) Add the butter and whiskey (if you’re using it) and stir until combined.

Fill the cupcakes:

Let the ganache cool until thick but still soft enough to be piped (the fridge will speed this along but you must stir it every 10 minutes). Meanwhile, using your 1-inch round cookie cutter or an apple corer, cut the centers out of the cooled cupcakes. You want to go most of the way down the cupcake but not cut through the bottom — aim for 2/3 of the way. A slim spoon or grapefruit knife will help you get the center out. Those are your “tasters”. Put the ganache into a piping bag with a wide tip and fill the holes in each cupcake to the top.

Make the frosting:

Whip the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, for several minutes. You want to get it very light and fluffy. Slowly add the powdered sugar, a few tablespoons at a time.

[This is a fantastic trick I picked up while working on the cupcakes article for Martha Stewart Living; the test kitchen chefs had found that when they added the sugar slowly, quick buttercream frostings got less grainy, and tended to require less sugar to thicken them up.]

When the frosting looks thick enough to spread, drizzle in the Baileys (or milk) and whip it until combined. If this has made the frosting too thin (it shouldn’t, but just in case) beat in another spoonful or two of powdered sugar.

Ice and decorate the cupcakes. [I used a star tip and made little "poofs" everywhere and sprinkled it with various colors of sanding sugar to keep it looking festive for New Years. I bet shaved dark and white chocolates would look gorgeous as well.]

Do ahead:

You can bake the cupcakes a week or two in advance and store them, well wrapped, in the freezer. You can also fill them before you freeze them. They also keep filled — or filled and frosted — in the fridge for a day. (Longer, they will start to get stale.)

Cherry Pistachio Crisp (for two)

I'm a bit behind on my posts, partly because the photos for this dish were on Brent's iphone but mainly because of sheer laziness on my part.  Last weekend Brent and I went to a whopping 5 grocery stores (Trader Joes, Safeway, Ballard Market, Ranch 99, Grocery Outlet) searching for certain ingredients.  After all that running around we had finally purchased everything to make shui mai, our favorite dim sum dish.  In the process, we managed to stock our fridge and freezer full of miscellaneous goodies that were either on sale or just difficult to find, including frozen SOFT-SHELL CRABS and LIVE LOUISIANA BLUE CRABS!  A blog on soft-shell crab po-boys will definitely be coming soon.  We also came home with pistachios and sweet Rainier cherries.  While out and about, we stopped by Ross, because it happens to be next door to Grocery Outlet where I found a set of 6 creme brulee dishes for $4.  What's great about this trip is that I now had all the ingredients for a Cherry Pistachio Crisp and a reason to use my new dishes.

Cherry crisps are much better using sour cherries, but because that's not what I had in the fridge I didn't use them.  Also, while this recipe makes servings for 8, you can definitely reduce it by a factor of 4, making it a serving for two. 

SOUR CHERRY-PISTACHIO CRISP

- adapted from Martha Stewart's The New Classics Cookbook

- serves 8

Ingredients:

* 2 3/4 pounds pitted fresh or frozen sour cherries (I used sweet Rainier cherries)

* 1/4 cup chopped unsalted shelled pistachios  (If using salted ones, rinse with water and dry them before chopping) 

* 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

* 1/3 cup old-fashioned rolled oats

* 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

* 1/4 teaspoon plus a pinch salt

* 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

* 3 tablespoons packed light-brown sugar (dark brown sugar can be used, it will just be a bit difficult to tell when the crisp is ready to be removed from the oven)

* 3/4 cup granulated sugar (or Splenda)

* 2 teaspoons cornstarch

* Pinch of ground cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  
2. If using frozen cherries, spread them in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet.  Let stand at room temperature until cherries have thawed almost completely but still hold their shape, about 30 minutes.  Drain off any accumulated liquid.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the pistachios, flour, oats, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
4. In a large mixing bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed mix the butter, brown sugar, and 1/4 cup of granulated sugar until creamy.
5. Stir (with a spoon) the pistachio mixture into the butter mixture until just combined.  (Careful not to over-stir).  Work the mixture through your fingers until it forms coarse crumbs ranging in size from small peas to gumballs, set topping aside.
6. In a medium bowl, stir together the cherries, remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt.
7. Transfer the cherry mixture to an 8-in. square baking dish, or into 8 individual oven-safe dishes (creme brulee dishes).
8. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the cherry mixture.
9. Bake until the topping turns golden and the juices are bubbling, 50 minutes to 1 hour.
10. Let cool on a wire rack 1 hour before serving.
11. Serve with a side of ice cream.
    

Italian Strawberry Rum Cake

So Brent and I started our long holiday weekend off with a trip to Bellevue to try the dim sum at Top Gun.  While the food was tasty, my favorite dim sum restaurant remains to be Harbor City in the International District. Am I another online restaurant critic? No, but I thought for this blog I should tell you about what led to my making this particular cake.  So after brunch, we headed to Factoria Mall, which is really not a mall by any standards, but it was nearby and I'm always up for hunting for a deal.  Anyhow, so we end up at T.J. Maxx, where I purchase my first sifter ever!!! among other baking pans and supplies.  We arrived home, new sifter-in-hand, and I remembered that I had purchased strawberries last week at Trader Joe's.  What is better way to get rid of some strawberries than to make strawberry cake?  

If you read my first post about Chocolate Florentine Cookies you would know that the strawberry cake at Angelo Brocato's is a mouthful of perfection.  What you wouldn't know is that it is soaked in rum (and I believe amaretto).  I just happened to have some rum in our liquor cabinet but no amaretto.  Even without the amaretto, still a delicious cake overall.  I almost always bake/cook with a half splenda / half natural sugar; however, next time for this cake I would stick with straight sugar.

****DIFFICULTY LEVEL:  This cake is fairly difficult to make so follow the instructions carefully.  Also, this cake takes about 3 hours to prepare with an additional 4 hours of chilling time needed in between.  If you attempt to make this, consider preparing the pasticciera cream the night before.****

ITALIAN STRAWBERRY RUM CAKE
- adapted from Recipezaar No. 65363
- makes one 9" double-layer cake
- takes about 6-7 hours to make

Ingredients:
Italian Sponge Cake Pan di Spagna
* 5 egg yolks
* 5 egg whites
* 1 1/2 cups sugar
* 1 1/4 cups cake flour, sifted
* 1 tablespoon vanilla

Italian Pastry Cream Pasticciera Cream  (Filling)
* 3 tablespoons sugar
* 3 egg yolks
* 3 tablespoons flour
* 1 tablespoon vanilla
* 2 cups milk (I used fat-free, but whole is preferred)
* Sliced strawberries for filling

Rum Syrup
* 1/4 cup dark rum (or light rum)
* 1/3 cup water
* 1/2 cup sugar
* A pastry brush will come in handy, but is not necessary.

Stabilized Whipped Cream
* 2 cups heavy cream
* 1 teaspoon vanilla
* 2 teaspoons light corn syrup

DIRECTIONS:
Pastry (Pasticciera) Cream

1. Place sugar, egg yolks, flour, and vanilla in a sauce pan and mix well together. (Do not place over heat yet)
   
2. In a separate sauce pan, scald milk.
3. Very slowly pour milk in a thin stream over egg yolk mixture while beating the egg yolk mixture constantly.
4. Cook mixture on low heat for 4 minutes while stirring CONSTANTLY.
5. Remove pan from heat.  Add butter and mix well. (Burner can be turned off now).
   
6. Pour into a bowl (preferably a metal or glass bowl) and let cool, stir occasionally to prevent skin from forming over the top.
7. Chill in refridgerator until mixture is very thick with plastic wrap pressed onto the surface of mixture to prevent a skin from forming.  This takes about 3-4 hours.

Italian Sponge Cake (Pan di Spagna)

1. Place egg yolks and sugar in a large mixing bowl and beat with a mixer for about 15-25 minutes until very thick and lemon colored.  (The mixture should be at least double in volume and thick like frosting).
2. Add sifted flour in a little at a time by gently folding it in until well blended.  (Do not use a power mixer). 
3. Fold in vanilla. ***Mixture should stay a thick mixture, but not doughy. If mixture becomes doughy, add a splash of rum.  Mix with a power mixture.  Continue until mixture is the desired consistency.***
4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
   
5. In a separate mixing bowl, beat egg whites until stiff but not dry (this will take about 15-20 minutes) and fold into the cake mixture.  ***Fold the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture and not the other way around.***
6. Grease the bottom and sides of two 9 inch pans and line bottoms with parchment paper.  Pour prepared cake batter evenly into the two pans.  
7. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  (about 15 minutes)
8. Remove cake from oven and let cool.  (Oven can be turned off now).

Rum Syrup

1. Mix together the rum, water and sugar in small pot.
2. Bring to a boil and stir until the sugar is dissolved.
3. Remove from heat and cool before using.

Stabilized Whipped Cream

1.  In a large chilled bowl, beat cold cream until it just starts to thicken.
2. Add corn syrup and vanilla from the side of the bowl, and beat until soft peaks form.

Assembly

1. On one side (the inner side) of each cake layer, brush rum syrup (about 1/8 of mixture) into the cake.   Wait 5 minutes for rum to soak before brushing another coating of rum syrup.  ***Do not brush too much at once; otherwise, the cake will become too soggy.***
2. Repeat until there is no remaining rum syrup.
   
3. Spread a layer of pasticciera cream on the first sponge layer, directly on the rum-coated side.
4. Spread a layer of stabilized whipped cream over the pasticciera cream layer.
5. Spread a layer of sliced strawberries.
6. Spread a layer of pasticciera cream over the strawberry layer.
7. Spread a layer of stabilized whipped cream over the strawberry layer.
8. Place the top cake layer on top, rum-coated side down.
9. Frost the cake with remaining stabilized whipped cream.
10. Cover and refridgerate for 1 hour before serving.
11. Refridgerate any leftovers.

Thit Kho ("teet caw")

 

This takes me back to my childhood.  When I'm home I usually request this dish (among many) be prepared.  Since Brent couldn't resist the sale on pork tenderloin, I now had a pound of pork in my fridge likely to go to waste.  And then I found this recipe.

THIT KHO

-3 to 4 servings

-adapted from Gastronomer (gastronomyblog.com)

Ingredients:

* 1 lb of pork legs with skin (I used pork tenderloin)

* 4 hard-boiled eggs, shelled

* 1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar

* 2 tablespoons fish sauce

* Ground black pepper to taste

* 12 oz coconut juice (not milk) or water

* Cooked white rice

Directions:

1. Cut pork into 1" x 2" pieces and set aside.
2. In a thick-walled 1.5 to 2 qt pan on medium-high heat, add sugar and stir until it melts, browns, and caramelizes.  (This step will take a few minutes).
3. Quickly add pork and briskly stir for 3 to 5 minutes until pork is golden but not cooked through.
4. Add pepper and fish sauce.  Turn heat to low and stir for 5 minutes. 
5. Add coconut juice or water and eggs. Bring to a boil.
6. Cover and cook on medium-heat for 35 to 45 minutes.  Extend cooking time for softer meat.
7. Serve over warm white rice.
   

Red Beans and Rice

 

Somewhere it must be Monday because I'm having red beans and rice. (Red beans and rice is a dish traditionally prepared on Mondays because the beans can stew for hours unattended while the preparer tended to household chores.)  This is my quintessential dish: southern with rice.

RED BEANS AND RICE

- Adapted from recipe by Emeril Lagasse

- 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients:

* 1 lb dried small red beans (soaked overnight, drained, sorted)

* 1 lb cooked bacon (with bacon grease set aside)

* 1 large yellow onion

* Tony's seasoning to taste

* Cayenne pepper to taste

* 3 bay leaves

* 2 tablespoons parsley (dried or fresh)

* 2 teaspoons thyme (dried or fresh)

* 1 lb of smoked sausage (half-lengthwise and cut into 1-in. pieces)

* 3 tablespoons chopped garlic

* 10 cups chicken stock or water (or 1/2 stock and 1/2 water)

* 8 oz. tomato sauce

* Worcestershire sauce to taste

* 1/4 cup chopped ham (optional)

* 1 lb smoked ham hocks (optional)

* 1/4 cup chopped green onions, garnish (optional)

* 3/4 cup chopped celery (optional)

* 3/4 cup chopped green bell peppers (optional)

* 4 cups cooked long grain white rice.

* A side of cornbread is a must for me.

Directions:

1. In a large pot, heat the bacon grease over medium-high heat.
2. Add the ham bits and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.  
3. Add the onions, celery and bell peppers.  Season with Tony's seasoning and cayenne pepper.  Cook, stirring until vegetables are soft (about 4 minutes). 
4. Add the bay leaves, parsley, thyme, sausage, and ham hocks.  Cook, stirring to brown the sausage and ham hocks (about 4 minutes).
5. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
6. Add the beans, bacon, stock/water, tomato sauce, and Worcestershire sauce.  Stir well and bring to a boil.  
7. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the beans are tender and starting to thicken (about 2 hours).  ***Should the beans become too thick and dry, add more water, about 1/4 cup at a time.***
8. Remove from the heat.  Remove the bay leaves and bacon from pot. (This step may require separating the liquid from solids temporarily.)
9. With the back of a heavy spoon mash about 1/4 of the beans against the side of the pot.  Return the liquids back into the pot.  Add less liquid parts per solid for a creamier consistency.
10. Continue to cook until the beans are tender and creamy (approx. 15 to 20 minutes). 
11. Remove from heat and serve over rice.
12. Garnish with green onions.

Cinnamon Rolls

 

I love cinnamon rolls, particularly the glorified cinnamon roll known in Louisiana as the king cake. While this is not a king cake recipe, it's close.  What I like most about this recipe - besides the aroma - is the incorporated cleaning breaks.  When you have a tiny alley kitchen like I do, baking can become a HUGE mess.  So thanks Paula Deen, I now have a clean kitchen and a dozen gooey delicious buns.

CINNAMON ROLLS 

- Adapted from Paula Deen's recipe

- Makes approx. 12 rolls

Ingredients:

Dough

* 1/4 oz. package of active dry yeast

* 1/2 cup warm water (important that water is WARM)

* 1/2 cup scalded milk

* 1/4 cup granulated sugar

* 1/3 cup melted butter

* 1 teaspoon salt

* 1 egg

* 3.5 to 4 cups all-purpose flour

Filing

* 1/2 cup melted butter (and a little more for greasing pan)       

* 3/4 cup dark brown sugar 

* 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

* Optional: 3/4 cup raisins, crushed pecans, or crushed walnuts

Glaze

* 4 tablespoons butter

* 2 cups powdered sugar

* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

* 3 to 6 tablespoons hot water

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, mix yeast with warm water and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, with a wooden spoon mix butter, milk, egg, salt, and sugar.  
3. Add 2 cups of flour and mix until smooth. 
4. Add yeast mixture. 
5. Mix in the remaining flour until dough is easy to handle. 
6. Knead dough for 5 to 10 minutes (at least 5 minutes) on a lightly floured surface.  
7. Place dough in a well-greased bowl and cover and let dough rise until it doubles in size (about 1.5 hours)
8. When doubled in size, punch dough down.
9. Roll out the dough into a 9"x15" rectangle on a lightly floured surface. 
10. Spread melted butter all over rolled dough.
11. Mix sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.
12. Sprinkle sugar mixture all over buttered dough.
13. Sprinkle with nuts or raisins if desired.
14. Grease the bottom of the baking pan. 
15. Beginning at the 15" side, roll up dough and pinch edge together to seal.  Cut into 12 or 15 (approx. 1" in thickness).
16. Place cinnamon roll slices close together and let rise for about 45 minutes.
17. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
18. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned.
19. ***Glaze*** I used packaged frosting instead, but here's the posted recipe for the more ambitious: Mix butter, powdered sugar and vanilla. Add hot water one tablespoon as a time until glaze reaches the desired consistency. Spread over slightly cooled buns.

Red Wine Mustard Seed Vinaigrette Dressing

** For this salad, I substituted the sugar with light sweet vidalia onion dressing because we're trying to get rid of the onion dressing.  The onion dressing substitution creates a creamy texture.**

This is another incredibly easy recipe; I'm not sure where I originally came across it.  It has been a long time favorite and is simply a sure-to-please dressing.

RED WINE MUSTARD SEED VINAIGRETTE DRESSING

Ingredients:

                                                     

* 1/3 cup olive oil

* 3 tablespoons white sugar (or sweet vidalia onion dressing)

* 1 and 1/2 teaspoons prepared dijon mustard

* 1 clove garlic, chopped

* 1/2 teaspoon salt

* Crumbled blue cheese (if desired)

Directions:

Combine and serve.

Homemade Wasabi Mustard Mayonnaise

This is so incredibly easy to make - all you need is a food processor.

HOMEMADE WASABI MUSTARD MAYONNAISE
- Adapted from Viet World Kitchen. 
- Makes about 1 cup of prepared spread.

Ingredients:

* 2 egg yolds
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon Wasabi mustard (or dijon mustard) - Optional
* 1 tablespoon lemon juice (fresh or concentrate)
* 2 teaspoons rice vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
* 1 cup canola oil

Directions:

1. Put the egg yolks, salt, mustard, lemon juice and vinegar in the food processor. Pulse 4 or 5 times to combine well.
2. Remove the feed tube, if it is still in place. Run the machine and pour the oil SLOWLY (the slower the better) through the feed tube in a thin (less than 1/4 inch wide), steady stream until completely incorporated. The mixture will thicken as the oil gets worked in, and the sputtering will diminish by the time the sauce becomes super thick and creamy. It should take 3 to 5 minutes to add the oil.
3. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to a week.
   

If the mayonnaise seems overly stiff, work in water by the teaspoon. Taste and adjust the flavor for extra salt and mustard, pulsing the machine to blend the ingredients.

Shrimp Po-Boy (With a Vietnamese Twist)

A few days ago I was reading one of Brent's back-issues of Maxim and I came across an article about a gastronomical pilgrimage to New Orleans, more specifically about soft-shell crab po-boys. I was salivating at the thought of such a perfect combination and kicking myself for having never had one. So a few days later and still day-dreaming about these po-boys, I sought out to find some soft-shell crabs, never mind that it's August and they're out-of-season. Two grocery stores later and a bit disappointed, I decided to make the second best po-boy...Shrimp Po-Boys.

Being me (a bit picky that is) I prefer lightly-battered shrimp. I find that the asian tempura mixes do just that. To top it off, while I was out searching for those crabs I came across freshly baked sourdough french loaves.



SHRIMP PO-BOY (WITH A VIETNAMESE TWIST)
- Makes about 2 servings.

Ingredients:

* Tempura batter mix (I use Hime-brand, only because it happened to be in my cupboard)
* 1 lb of 21/25 shrimp (thawed, peeled, and deveined)
* Vegetable oil (enough to cover frying pan 2 inches)
* French bread loaf (sourdough variety if desired)
* Mayonnaise (homemade recipe - separate post)
* Sriracha hot chili sauce
* Tony Chacere's original creole seasoning (or similar)
* Sliced fresh tomatoes (if desired)

Directions:

1. Prepare homemade mayonaise at this time if not using prepared mayonaise.
   
2. Pat dry shrimp until they are reasonably dry.
3. Prepare tempura batter mix as directed on box with a bit of Tony Chacere's seasoning as desired.
   
4. Heat frying pan with oil on medium heat until oil begins to bubble.
   
5. Place shrimp into batter one at a time, making sure to avoid any splatter as oil is very HOT.
6. Fry, turing occasionally, until light golden brown.
7. Drain tempura shrimp on paper towels.
8. Optional: I like my bread lightly toasted and warm. For this, preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Cut bread in sandwich size portions and then slice bread in halves to create sandwich. Place cut bread onto a baking tray in oven. Turn off the oven and let bread warm.
9. Once bread is toasted to one's desire, spread mayonnaise on inside of each half. Place as many shrimp onto bun as possible. Drizzle hot chili sauce onto shrimp. Top off with some tomato slices.

Chocolate Florentine Cookies

Among the many jobs I've had over the years, I once worked at an Italian bakery in New Orleans. They had some of the most delicious pastries; I even promised myself that I would arrange my future wedding date around the availability of their addictive strawberry cake, which is only prepared during Louisiana's strawberry season. Besides from their mouth-watering cakes, one of my favorite cookies is their Chocolate Florentines. By far the world's perfect cookie: wafer thin lace almond cookies, sandwiched with chocolate filling and then drizzled with more chocolate and EASY to make. What could be more perfect than that?!



CHOCOLATE FLORENTINE COOKIES
- Adapted from Group Recipes - 28845
- Makes about 24 sandwiched cookies.

Ingredients

* 1 and 3/4 cups sliced or crushed, blanched almonds
* 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* Finely grated zest of one orange
* 1/4 teaspoon of salt
* 3/4 cups sugar
* 2 tablespoons heavy cream
* 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (smart balance buttery spread will work)
* 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
* Chocolate topping, optional
* 2 to 4 ounces of semisweet chocolate chopped
* Water for boiling (need for melting chocolate topping)

Supplies

* Parchment paper or silicone mat
* Food processor (hand mixer will not do the trick on this recipe)
* 2 baking sheet trays
* Pastry bag or disposable zip-loc bag
* Saucepan with bowl (for melting chocolate topping)

Directions

1. Measure and stir together the nuts, flour, zest and salt in a large bowl.
2. Pulse the almonds in a food processor until finely chopped, but not pasty.
3. Put the sugar, cream, corn syrup and butter in a small sauce pan.
4. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture comes to a rolling boil and sugar is completely dissolved. Continue to boil for 1 minute.
5. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla, then pour mixture into almond mixture and stir just to combine.
6. Set aside until cool enough to handle, approx. 30 minutes.
7. In the meantime, line baking sheets with silicone mat or parchment paper.
8. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.
9. Once the batter mix is cool enough to handle, transfer the batter mix into a pastry bag or zip-loc bag (cut a very small hole in the corner tip of the bag).
10. Squeeze a small amounts of batter onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 3 to 4 inches between each cookie since they spread. (About 12 cookies per baking sheet.)
11. Bake one pan at a time, until the cookies are thin and an even golden brown color (approx. 10 minutes) throughout, rotating pans halfway through baking time (at 5 minutes).
12. If you were impatient as I usually am and have placed the too many cookies on one sheet and they've now joined in places you're in luck, the cookies can be easily separated when they are still warm from the oven. Just take a knife and gently separate the cookies from one another; you can also mold the cookies to reform a circular shape if you so desire.
13. For rolled cookies: Roll the cookies while they're still warm.
    
14. Cool on baking sheet for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a plate or rack to cool. The cookies should easily peel off the mat or parchment paper. Repeat with remaining batter.
15. Optional chocolate topping: Put the chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl.
    
16. Bring a saucepan filled wit 1 inch or so of water to a boil and then to a very low simmer. Set the bowl over, but not touching, the water.
    
17. Stir the chocolate until melted and smooth. Stir and continue to heat until completely melted.
18. For sandwiched cookies: Drop about 1/2 teaspoon chocolate onto the flat side of one cookie and then press together with another cookie. Return to rack and let chocolate set.
19. For chocolate drizzle decor: Drizzle melted chocolate over Florentines as desired. Set aside at room temperature until chocolate is set.
20. Store baked cookies carefully, separated by parchment or waxed paper in an air-tight container for up to 3 days.
    

******Note: While still delicious, I found the cookies to be a bit nutty for my liking. In the future I might try using a half finely grated almond and half crumbled almond paste. I will let you know how that turns out.*******