Saturday, October 31, 2009
Candlelight dinner
It's Halloween, not a festival that we particularly enjoy. We do everything to stay away from trick-or-treaters, who sometimes take advantage of the festival to vandalize the neighborhood. After sunset, we turn off all the lights at the front side of the house. When dinner is ready, we find ourselves having to make do eating in the dark. But wait! We have a large candle sitting on our kitchen counter. Lets bring it over and set the food around it. What intended to be a Halloween hideaway turns into a romantic candlelight dinner.
Upside down egg tart
Not every cooking experiment is a first-time success. Behind every successful dish, there are at least a handful of failures. Why should the failures be hidden from light, especially when they make life so fun!
I wanted to try baking sweets. So I got a recipe from a friend for graham cracker crust that looked like this:
Recipe of a Graham cracker crust for 9-inch pie
Ingredients:
- 1+1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 1/3 cup butter melted
- 3 tablespoon sugar
Procedure:
Mix all ingredients. Press mixture firmly against bottom and side of pie plate of 9"x1+1/4". Bake at 350F for 10 minutes or as directed.
I thought that was simple, except that the portion size was too big. I decided to bake only part of the mixture with a mini baking dish. Then, I beat an egg with a little milk and sugar, poured it onto the crust and let it bake at 350F. After 5 minutes, the tart looked done. I couldn't wait to try a bite. As it turned out, the crumbs had floated on top of the egg mixture, and formed an upside-down crust covering the custard!
Even then, it tasted really good. So I had a great laugh eating away the upside-down egg tart while musing on what happened. Perhaps I did not press the crumbs firmly enough. Or perhaps the crust should be baked separately. The tough part of my learning from recipes alone is that I lack "common sense". How big are the "crumbs"? How "mixed" is mixed? How "firm" is firm? Do I bake it with filling or without? The second time was better. The egg mixture blended in somewhat with the crust, but the crust stayed to the bottom.
Still have a long way to go. But success won't be too far away. A 1-person tart is much easier to experiment than a 9" pie.
I wanted to try baking sweets. So I got a recipe from a friend for graham cracker crust that looked like this:
Recipe of a Graham cracker crust for 9-inch pie
Ingredients:
- 1+1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 1/3 cup butter melted
- 3 tablespoon sugar
Procedure:
Mix all ingredients. Press mixture firmly against bottom and side of pie plate of 9"x1+1/4". Bake at 350F for 10 minutes or as directed.
I thought that was simple, except that the portion size was too big. I decided to bake only part of the mixture with a mini baking dish. Then, I beat an egg with a little milk and sugar, poured it onto the crust and let it bake at 350F. After 5 minutes, the tart looked done. I couldn't wait to try a bite. As it turned out, the crumbs had floated on top of the egg mixture, and formed an upside-down crust covering the custard!
Even then, it tasted really good. So I had a great laugh eating away the upside-down egg tart while musing on what happened. Perhaps I did not press the crumbs firmly enough. Or perhaps the crust should be baked separately. The tough part of my learning from recipes alone is that I lack "common sense". How big are the "crumbs"? How "mixed" is mixed? How "firm" is firm? Do I bake it with filling or without? The second time was better. The egg mixture blended in somewhat with the crust, but the crust stayed to the bottom.
Still have a long way to go. But success won't be too far away. A 1-person tart is much easier to experiment than a 9" pie.
The luxury of a simple lamb chop
Few things in life can compare with the joy of sharing simple treasures. Lamb chop makes a special dinner treat for us, reserved for weekend evenings when my husband's mind is free from work.
Recipe: Pan-fried lamb chop for 2
Ingredients:
- 2 lamb chops < 1/2" thick, total about 1 lb
- 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon hoisin sauce
Procedure:
Fry lamb chop on a flat non-stick pan on medium heat. Let sizzle in its own fat and juice (about 10 minutes). When one side is cooked and detached from pan, flip and fry the other side (about 8 minutes). When both sides are done, mix worcestershire sauce with hoison sauce. Pour onto meat. Flip meat to coat both sides with the sauce. Serve hot. It goes well with green vegetables like asparagus and green beans.
Recipe: Pan-fried lamb chop for 2
Ingredients:
- 2 lamb chops < 1/2" thick, total about 1 lb
- 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon hoisin sauce
Procedure:
Fry lamb chop on a flat non-stick pan on medium heat. Let sizzle in its own fat and juice (about 10 minutes). When one side is cooked and detached from pan, flip and fry the other side (about 8 minutes). When both sides are done, mix worcestershire sauce with hoison sauce. Pour onto meat. Flip meat to coat both sides with the sauce. Serve hot. It goes well with green vegetables like asparagus and green beans.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Bringing forth the best of a rye cracker
I bought a pack of plain rye cracker without knowing what it was. After one bite, I told myself there must be some delightful way to break the boredom of plain fiber. I decided to paint a galaxy of tastes and textures on this rye canvas.
Recipe of a delightful snack of prosciutto, cheese and rye cracker
Ingredients:
- 2 small slices of prosciutto, about 1 oz
- 1 TB cream cheese
- 2 plain rye crackers
- small pieces of orange sweet pepper
- a few leaves of chinese or italian parsley
Procedure:
Spread cream cheese thinly on rye crackers. Trim prosciutto of fat. Roll into cone and put on top of cheese. Garnish with sweet pepper and parsley leaves. Serve chilled, especially great as an appetizer for a husband that just comes home from work.
After trying this combination, I realized that nothing could make the base of this snack half as well as plain rye. Other crackers simply bring in too much of themselves.
Recipe of a delightful snack of prosciutto, cheese and rye cracker
Ingredients:
- 2 small slices of prosciutto, about 1 oz
- 1 TB cream cheese
- 2 plain rye crackers
- small pieces of orange sweet pepper
- a few leaves of chinese or italian parsley
Procedure:
Spread cream cheese thinly on rye crackers. Trim prosciutto of fat. Roll into cone and put on top of cheese. Garnish with sweet pepper and parsley leaves. Serve chilled, especially great as an appetizer for a husband that just comes home from work.
After trying this combination, I realized that nothing could make the base of this snack half as well as plain rye. Other crackers simply bring in too much of themselves.
An acquired love for bitter melon
I never liked bitter melon as a kid, simply because it's bitter. My father said it's an acquired taste that I'd come to like with the maturity of my taste buds. Now I like it so much, it finds its way into soup, stuffed vegetable, pan-fry, and tea.
Recipe 1: Bitter melon soup for 2
In this simple soup, the bitterness of the melon complements the flavor of meat. It's a wonderful prelude to a good dinner.
Ingredients:
- 1 small bitter melon, about 1/4 lb
- 1/2 link of beef sausage, about 1.2 oz, sliced to 1/2" thick
- 1 oz lean pork meat, cut into 1/2" cubes
- small amount of spring onions, finely chopped
- 6 cups water (3 for blanching, 3 for the soup)
- dash of salt and pepper
Procedure:
1. Cut the bitter melon in half. Remove seeds and chop into 1/2" strips. Blanch in 3 cups of boiling water for 2 minutes to reduce the bitter taste.
2. Boil beef sausage and lean pork meat in 3 cups water until meat is cooked (about 10 minutes). Add bitter melon to soup, boil for 1/2 minute. Serve hot in bowl. Sprinkle spring onions on top. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Recipe 2: Stuffed bittermelon
This is a dish for someone who really loves the flavor of bitterness in meat.
Ingredients:
- 1 medium bitter melon
- 1/4 lb minced beef or pork (best with at least 80% leanness)
- 3 tablespoon (TB) onion finely chopped
- 2 TB bread crumbs
- 1 TB olive oil
- 2 teaspoon (tp) cornstarch in 1 TB water
- 1/2 to 1 tp salt (to taste)
- 1/2 tp sugar
- dash of pepper
- small amount of water
Procedure:
1. Cut bitter melon into half. Scrub clean of seeds and white parts.
2. Mix meat with chopped onion, bread crumbs, and all the seasonings. Knead until smooth and soft. Add some water if too dry. Stuff the bitter melon with the mixture.
3. Bake in oven at 350F for 20 minutes or until meat is cooked.
Along with stuffing the bitter melon, I happened to have a yellow squash on the same day. So I breaded it and baked along. They went well together as a side dish.
Recipe 3: Bitter melon stir-fry with Chinese fermented black bean sauce (douchi)
After various experiments with stir-frying this melon, I still like it best with douchi.
Ingredients:
- 1 bitter melon
- 1 tablespoon (TB) vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon douchi sauce
- 2 TB water
Procedure:
Cut bitter melon to half. Remove seeds and chop into 1/4" strips. Fry in vegetable oil on medium heat. Let cook without water until melon brightens in green. Mix douchi sauce with water. Add sprinkle sauce on melon. Stir and let sizzle for 1/2 minute. Serve.
Italian pesto sauce can be used in place of douchi sauce. Its fine mash of garlic, salt, olive oil and basil makes a great complement to the bitterness, too. When fried with pesto sauce, do not mix pesto with water. Instead, just add pesto at the end and stir until the aroma comes out. Note that pesto sauce has more oil than douchi sauce.
Recipe 1: Bitter melon soup for 2
In this simple soup, the bitterness of the melon complements the flavor of meat. It's a wonderful prelude to a good dinner.
Ingredients:
- 1 small bitter melon, about 1/4 lb
- 1/2 link of beef sausage, about 1.2 oz, sliced to 1/2" thick
- 1 oz lean pork meat, cut into 1/2" cubes
- small amount of spring onions, finely chopped
- 6 cups water (3 for blanching, 3 for the soup)
- dash of salt and pepper
Procedure:
1. Cut the bitter melon in half. Remove seeds and chop into 1/2" strips. Blanch in 3 cups of boiling water for 2 minutes to reduce the bitter taste.
2. Boil beef sausage and lean pork meat in 3 cups water until meat is cooked (about 10 minutes). Add bitter melon to soup, boil for 1/2 minute. Serve hot in bowl. Sprinkle spring onions on top. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Recipe 2: Stuffed bittermelon
This is a dish for someone who really loves the flavor of bitterness in meat.
Ingredients:
- 1 medium bitter melon
- 1/4 lb minced beef or pork (best with at least 80% leanness)
- 3 tablespoon (TB) onion finely chopped
- 2 TB bread crumbs
- 1 TB olive oil
- 2 teaspoon (tp) cornstarch in 1 TB water
- 1/2 to 1 tp salt (to taste)
- 1/2 tp sugar
- dash of pepper
- small amount of water
Procedure:
1. Cut bitter melon into half. Scrub clean of seeds and white parts.
2. Mix meat with chopped onion, bread crumbs, and all the seasonings. Knead until smooth and soft. Add some water if too dry. Stuff the bitter melon with the mixture.
3. Bake in oven at 350F for 20 minutes or until meat is cooked.
Along with stuffing the bitter melon, I happened to have a yellow squash on the same day. So I breaded it and baked along. They went well together as a side dish.
Recipe 3: Bitter melon stir-fry with Chinese fermented black bean sauce (douchi)
After various experiments with stir-frying this melon, I still like it best with douchi.
Ingredients:
- 1 bitter melon
- 1 tablespoon (TB) vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon douchi sauce
- 2 TB water
Procedure:
Cut bitter melon to half. Remove seeds and chop into 1/4" strips. Fry in vegetable oil on medium heat. Let cook without water until melon brightens in green. Mix douchi sauce with water. Add sprinkle sauce on melon. Stir and let sizzle for 1/2 minute. Serve.
A theoretical onion soup
This is one of my funniest cooking experiments that came out of a friendship in graduate school. My friend was from Serbia. She had traveled a lot, and was a walking encyclopedia. We both were living in Italy then, and away from home. I was struggling with daily life without knowing an Italian word. She became my translator. Soon I found myself digging into the magazine Cucina Italiana, and kept asking her to help me understand the recipes. With her broad knowledge, she knew all about cooking, but never cooked. I knew nothing about European cooking, but I loved the kitchen. So we formed a perfect cooking team of a theorist (she, a mathematician) and a practitioner (me, a computer scientist). She became my "cooking professor", and I became her "kitchen technician".
One day, I asked her about the French onion soup. She gave me a recipe off the fly:
Recipe of "A theoretical French onion soup"
Ingredients:
- a few onions
- 1 egg yolk
- the crust of some hard cheese
- a little olive oil for browning onion
- a pot of water
Procedure:
Slice onions and fry in olive oil until brown. Add water and boil until soft. Add crust of cheese and boil some more. When soup is done, beat one egg yolk in a bowl. Add soup slowly. Serve hot.
I loved this recipe. It was so simple. The next day, I bought 1 kilogram of onions and invited her to come over to my home to try out the recipe. She wasn't too excited, especially since she did not like onion smell at all. But I needed her badly to guide me through. I needed to figure out precisely how many onions qualified to be "a few", and whether "a little" oil meant a tablespoon or half a cup. Above all, I had never seen how onion soup looked like when it's done. So I needed her there to tell me when "done" happened.
As it turned out, my friend made her lifetime discovery that browning 3 onions needed more than 1 drop of oil. Perhaps 2 tablespoons would do. It took us a few hours to discover that "when done" meant the onions had caramelized after hours of cooking, yielding a sweet and gentle flavor, which was heightened by the melted cheese crest. A good cheese would melt well and not stick to the bottom, leaving behind the hardest part of its crest.
That evening's cooking was long. It was past 10pm when we sat down and ate. But we had the most satisfying experience ever with our onion soup. It was smooth and almost creamy. I liked it greatly. Even she liked it so much that she finished a whole bowl.
One day, I asked her about the French onion soup. She gave me a recipe off the fly:
Recipe of "A theoretical French onion soup"
Ingredients:
- a few onions
- 1 egg yolk
- the crust of some hard cheese
- a little olive oil for browning onion
- a pot of water
Procedure:
Slice onions and fry in olive oil until brown. Add water and boil until soft. Add crust of cheese and boil some more. When soup is done, beat one egg yolk in a bowl. Add soup slowly. Serve hot.
I loved this recipe. It was so simple. The next day, I bought 1 kilogram of onions and invited her to come over to my home to try out the recipe. She wasn't too excited, especially since she did not like onion smell at all. But I needed her badly to guide me through. I needed to figure out precisely how many onions qualified to be "a few", and whether "a little" oil meant a tablespoon or half a cup. Above all, I had never seen how onion soup looked like when it's done. So I needed her there to tell me when "done" happened.
As it turned out, my friend made her lifetime discovery that browning 3 onions needed more than 1 drop of oil. Perhaps 2 tablespoons would do. It took us a few hours to discover that "when done" meant the onions had caramelized after hours of cooking, yielding a sweet and gentle flavor, which was heightened by the melted cheese crest. A good cheese would melt well and not stick to the bottom, leaving behind the hardest part of its crest.
That evening's cooking was long. It was past 10pm when we sat down and ate. But we had the most satisfying experience ever with our onion soup. It was smooth and almost creamy. I liked it greatly. Even she liked it so much that she finished a whole bowl.
The downside of cooking onion soup is that the smell could stay in the house for a week. For this very reason, I don't plan to cook it again, no matter how satisfying it tastes.
Wings to a man's heart
When I started dating, my husband (then my boyfriend) invited me to visit his home on a saturday. I promised to let him taste my cooking when I visited. This was the dish I cooked. True enough, "the way to a man's heart is through his stomach."
Recipe: Pan-fried party wings
Ingredients:
- around 12 fresh party wings, wrapped dry with paper towel
- 3 tablespoon (TB) light soy sauce
- 2 TB dark soy sauce
- 1 TB sugar
- 1 glass white wine
- 1 glass water
Procedure:
1. Start a non-stick frying pan on medium heat. Lay wings flat on pan. Let them brown slowly until brown. Flip and brown the other side. It may take about 20-30 minutes. Lower heat to med-low if pan is too hot. (Wings will appear done but the bones aren't fully cooked yet.) Drain fat.
2. Add light and dark soy sauces on wings. Continue frying on medium heat as the liquid sizzles. Once the liquid starts to dry up a little, add wine. At this point, beware of kitchen intruders, such as: a sweetheart hugging you from behind, or kids crowding around the stove. They are simply attracted by the sudden explosion of aromas.
3. When the aromas have diffused a little, sprinkle sugar on wings. Add water (if necessary) to keep the wings half-immersed. Cover lid and simmer on med-high heat for 10-15 minutes. Allow the sauce to slowly thicken but not dry up. Meanwhile let the rest of the household dwell on their anticipation. Don't forget to turn the wings occasionally.
4. When the sauce starts to caramelize (which happens within 30 seconds), turn heat to very low and carefully turn wings to coat with the sauce. The smell of caramelization usually triggers off a second round of excitement in the house. Take wings out before the pan dries out. Otherwise, it may burn and spoil the mood of the whole household. Serve hot.
Recipe: Pan-fried party wings
Ingredients:
- around 12 fresh party wings, wrapped dry with paper towel
- 3 tablespoon (TB) light soy sauce
- 2 TB dark soy sauce
- 1 TB sugar
- 1 glass white wine
- 1 glass water
Procedure:
1. Start a non-stick frying pan on medium heat. Lay wings flat on pan. Let them brown slowly until brown. Flip and brown the other side. It may take about 20-30 minutes. Lower heat to med-low if pan is too hot. (Wings will appear done but the bones aren't fully cooked yet.) Drain fat.
2. Add light and dark soy sauces on wings. Continue frying on medium heat as the liquid sizzles. Once the liquid starts to dry up a little, add wine. At this point, beware of kitchen intruders, such as: a sweetheart hugging you from behind, or kids crowding around the stove. They are simply attracted by the sudden explosion of aromas.
3. When the aromas have diffused a little, sprinkle sugar on wings. Add water (if necessary) to keep the wings half-immersed. Cover lid and simmer on med-high heat for 10-15 minutes. Allow the sauce to slowly thicken but not dry up. Meanwhile let the rest of the household dwell on their anticipation. Don't forget to turn the wings occasionally.
4. When the sauce starts to caramelize (which happens within 30 seconds), turn heat to very low and carefully turn wings to coat with the sauce. The smell of caramelization usually triggers off a second round of excitement in the house. Take wings out before the pan dries out. Otherwise, it may burn and spoil the mood of the whole household. Serve hot.
This is one of those dishes that fill my home with heightened joy both during the cooking and the eating.
Baking shark
It's quite a challenge to cook out new dishes every day. Sometimes, I use rare ingredients. Sometimes, I start out with one successful dish and toy with variations from there. Here are two variations of a basic shark dinner for two. (Note that shark tends to have high mercury content and should not be eaten more than twice a month. Pregnant women should avoid it altogether.)
Recipe 1. Shark baked in Chinese fermented black bean paste (a.k.a. douchi; 蒜蓉豆豉酱)
Note: the so-called "black bean" is actually fermented soybean. The paste is made with fermented soybean, garlic, light soy sauce and very little sugar. It has a distinctive aroma when heated up.
Ingredients:
- 2 fresh shark steaks (about 1/2 lb), trimmed and washed
- 1 tablespoon (TB) Chinese fermented black bean paste
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 TB olive oil
- 1 teaspoon (tp) sesame oil
- 1 spring onion, sliced to 2" strips, separate the white from the green
Procedure:
1. Cut shark steaks into large chucks about 2" cube and place in a baking pan that fits (7"x7"x2" does well for me).
2. Rub all sides of fish evenly with black bean paste, olive oil, sesame oil, and minced garlic. Sprinkle white part of sliced spring onion on top. Cover with foil. Let set for 10 minutes.
3. Bake in oven at 350F for 30 minutes or until the aroma of black bean paste comes out of the oven.
4. Sprinkle remaining spring onion greens on top. Serve hot with steamed jasmine rice.
Recipe 2. Shark baked in hot cherry pepper preserve
Note: hot cherry pepper preserve is available in latino market. It is very spicy and very sour, and goes very well with white wine.
Ingredients:
Procedure:
Place shark steaks into small baking pan. Mix well with olive oil, white wine and cherry pepper preserve. Top with chopped onion. Cover with foil. Bake at 350F for 35 minutes or until the aroma of white wine diffuses out. Serve hot by itself.
Unlike other fishes, shark meat is less fatty and more muscular. So it tolerates more cooking. Generally, prolonged cooking let the seasoning go into the meat, while light cooking keeps the meat juicy.
Recipe 1. Shark baked in Chinese fermented black bean paste (a.k.a. douchi; 蒜蓉豆豉酱)
Note: the so-called "black bean" is actually fermented soybean. The paste is made with fermented soybean, garlic, light soy sauce and very little sugar. It has a distinctive aroma when heated up.
Ingredients:
- 2 fresh shark steaks (about 1/2 lb), trimmed and washed
- 1 tablespoon (TB) Chinese fermented black bean paste
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 TB olive oil
- 1 teaspoon (tp) sesame oil
- 1 spring onion, sliced to 2" strips, separate the white from the green
Procedure:
1. Cut shark steaks into large chucks about 2" cube and place in a baking pan that fits (7"x7"x2" does well for me).
2. Rub all sides of fish evenly with black bean paste, olive oil, sesame oil, and minced garlic. Sprinkle white part of sliced spring onion on top. Cover with foil. Let set for 10 minutes.
3. Bake in oven at 350F for 30 minutes or until the aroma of black bean paste comes out of the oven.
4. Sprinkle remaining spring onion greens on top. Serve hot with steamed jasmine rice.
Note: hot cherry pepper preserve is available in latino market. It is very spicy and very sour, and goes very well with white wine.
Ingredients:
- 2 fresh shark steaks (about 1/2 lb), trimmed and washed
- half a small onion, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon (TB) olive oil
- 2 TB white wine
- 1 teaspoon hot cherry pepper preserve
- half a small onion, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon (TB) olive oil
- 2 TB white wine
- 1 teaspoon hot cherry pepper preserve
Procedure:
Place shark steaks into small baking pan. Mix well with olive oil, white wine and cherry pepper preserve. Top with chopped onion. Cover with foil. Bake at 350F for 35 minutes or until the aroma of white wine diffuses out. Serve hot by itself.
While these two dishes are very similar in their cooking methods, they have very different flavors, and create totally different atmospheres at the dinner table.
Unlike other fishes, shark meat is less fatty and more muscular. So it tolerates more cooking. Generally, prolonged cooking let the seasoning go into the meat, while light cooking keeps the meat juicy.
A random casserole
Some friends have told me about the popularity of casserole as a Southern food in US. I've collected several recipes, never actually succeeded in following them because of the portion sizes. Two days ago, I decided to cook away several leftover items in the fridge. That turned out to be my first casserole success, and a great one too. The recipe is completely ad hoc. This experiment helped me grasp the basic principle of a casserole: Meat and wet ingredients go first to the bottom; top with dry ingredients and sauce; bake with a cover until half-dry.
Recipe of "A random casserole for two"
Ingredients:
- meat of 1 pork chop, cut to 1/2" strips
- leafy part of 1 whole celery, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoon (TB) chili pepper oil
- 1 TB italian seasoning or marjoram flakes
- 1+1/2 cup large red kidney bean from can (about 2/3 can)
- 3 TB tomato pasta sauce
- 3 saltine crackers, broken into crumbs
- 1 egg, beaten
Recipe of "A random casserole for two"
Ingredients:
- meat of 1 pork chop, cut to 1/2" strips
- leafy part of 1 whole celery, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoon (TB) chili pepper oil
- 1 TB italian seasoning or marjoram flakes
- 1+1/2 cup large red kidney bean from can (about 2/3 can)
- 3 TB tomato pasta sauce
- 3 saltine crackers, broken into crumbs
- 1 egg, beaten
Procedure:
1. Marinate meat of pork chop with chipotle oil and herbs for a few hours.
2. Mix meat, beans and chopped celery leaves in a flat 7x7x2 baking pan. Mix well. Sprinkle cracker crumbs on top. Pour egg on top of crumbs and mix gently with the crumbs. Add 3 TB tomato pasta sauce around the side of the pan.
3. Cover top with foil. Bake at 375F for 30 minutes or until mixture is not watery.
As it turned out, this dish was the favorite dish of the night because of its warmth, interesting texture combination and harmonious taste.
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