Labels: recipes, the sweet

This particular recipe is really easy because all it requires leftover rice; you can use already cooked rice. We always, always have leftover rice, usually sitting in the rice cooker from last night. (Go to any Asian's house. You'll probably find leftover rice from last night in the rice cooker.) One thing I noticed is that this recipe actually works best with room temperature rice. If the rice has been refrigerated overnight, it does not seem to absorb the milk as nicely, and the pudding becomes more soupy. So if you have leftover rice, make sure it is soft and at room temperature. Save the cold rice for fried rice.

If you don't have leftover rice, simply prepare 1 cup of uncooked rice for this recipe, as you would normally cook rice. You can make the below recipe immediately after the rice is cooked, and it'll come out fine.

One thing that makes this pudding extra yummy is that I use a vanilla pod rather than vanilla extract. You get those crunchy little bits of vanilla and a bigger hit of vanilla taste this way.

Rice pudding
makes about 6 servings

Ingredients
2-1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
3 cups cooked rice
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped

1. In a heavy medium saucepan, combine all the ingredients.
2. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until mixture comes to a simmer. Lower heat and simmer for about 15-20 minutes, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thickened.
3. Serve warm, or refrigerate and serve cold later.

Labels: recipes, the sweet

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
3. Combine the cooled melted butter with the white and brown sugar in the mixing bowl of a stand or hand mixer. Mix at low speed.
4. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat at low speed until combined. Scrape down the bowl and add the flour mixture. Beat together at low speed only until just combined. Stir in the nuts and chocolate chips.
5. Drop the dough in one-tablespoon portions onto the baking sheet, leaving a bit of space around each cookie. Bake for 15 minutes.
6. Remove to a cooling rack and serve warm and gooey.

Labels: recipes, the chocolatey, the sweet

1. Halve the avocado and remove the pit. Scoop out the flesh into a medium bowl.
2. Put the minced onion in a small sieve and run it under cold water. (This keeps the onion from being too sharp.) Shake off the excess water and add it to the avocado.
3. Mash the mixture with a fork, adding 1 tablespoon of vinegar and a couple pinches of salt. Stir and taste, adding more vinegar if necessary.
4. Serve with tortilla chips, or tacos, burritos, whatever!

Labels: recipes, the savory and salty

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9-inch pie pan, and tap out the excess flour.
2. Whisk the eggs in a large bowl until frothy. Add the sugar and whisk. Add the cream, milk and vanilla. Add the flour and whisk until combined.
3. Arrange the raspberries in the pie pan and pour the batter over it. Sprinkle the almonds over the batter.
4. Bake for 40 minutes, or until puffed. It'll be a little custardy inside, but it's good that way. Serve with creme fraich and powdered sugar.

Links:
NY Times: The Minimalist: Clementines in a Blanket

Labels: recipes, the sweet

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. (200 C). Butter and flour the molds, generously. This is really important if you are using standard tins, but do it anyway if you are using non-stick because it will still make removal easier.
2. Combine the eggs and sugar in the bowl of a standing mixer. Beat on medium-high until it has tripled in volume and a ribbon forms, about 3 minutes. Beat in the orange zest and salt.
3. Sprinkle one third of the flour over the egg mixture. Gently fold it in until combined. Repeat twice more, with the rest of the flour, being sure to fold as gently as possible.
4. Place the butter in a medium bowl. Stir in one third of the egg/flour mixture. Pour the butter/egg/flour mixture back into the rest of the batter, making sure, once again to fold as gently as possible.
5. Pour immediately into the molds. Bake for 10 minutes. Let the cakes cool in the molds for 5 minutes then remove to a rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve immediately.
   

Labels: recipes, the sweet, travel

Labels: recipes, the chocolatey, the sweet

1. In the bowl of a standing mixer, combine the egg yolks and the sugar. Beat with whisk attachment over medium speed for 3 minutes or so, until the mixture is lightened and doubled in volume.
2. Heat the milk, cream and salt in a heavy saucepan over medium heat until just steaming. Add the milk mixture in a steady stream into the egg mixture, stirring with a hand whisk the entire time (so the eggs don't curdle).
3. Put the entire egg/milk mixture back into the saucepan and add the lemon zest, if using. Stirring constantly, heat over medium until the mixture reaches 175 degrees. (To use the old kitchen measure-- it'll be thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon).
4. Pour through a strainer into a large bowl. Cool for just a couple minutes, then stir in the quark. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or until very cold. (I like to leave it overnight or all day, when I can).
5. Freeze according to your ice cream maker's instructions. Freeze to let it ripen for a couple of hours, then serve with cookies, such as the classic shortbread, below.

Classic shortbread
makes 1 8-inch pan of shortbread
The is super buttery, so make sure you use really nice tasting butter, as there's not much else to compete with it.

Ingredients
150 grams (about 10 tablespoons) butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch

1. Preheat oven to 300 F (150 C). Combine the butter, powdered sugar and granulated sugar in the bowl of a standing mixer. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, and not grainy, about 2-3 minutes.
2. Sift the flour and cornstarch over the butter mixture and stir until blended. The dough should be rather dry, but should hold together. Press into an 8-inch baking pan. Using a fork, mark the outlines of your shortbread squares (to make it easier to cut later).
3. Bake for 45 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes and cut into squares.

Labels: recipes, the sweet

1. Scrub the brand new wok inside and out with hot water, dish detergent and a scouring pad. Set on a burner over medium heat.
2. Using tongs, dip a wadded-up paper towel into peanut oil. Rub it around the inside of the wok until it 'drinks' up the oil.
3. Switch to a new wadded-up paper towel and rub the oil all around the inside of the wok. Once it seems like it's absorbed all the oil, repeat step 2.
4. Keep doing steps 2 and 3 until the paper towel no longer turns black when rubbing. This should take about 15-20 minutes, and will be about 3 or 4 repetitions of steps 2 and 3.
5. You should have a blackened area in the center of the wok - after lots of use, your wok will eventually look entirely like that.
6. Heat the wok again over medium heat. Add 1 cup peanut oil and a large handful of chinese chives. Fry for about 10 minutes. Discard.

To care for your wok, rinse it each time immediately after frying in it without using dish soap; just a soft sponge. Dry it on the burner rather than using towels or dish racks-- this will prevent rusting.

Stir-fried snow peas
Don't substitute snap peas. Those are delicious too, but they need to be cooked differently. They will become instantly mushy in a high-heat stir fry.

Ingredients
250 grams snow peas
2 cloves garlic, minced
about 1 teaspoon Maggi sauce

1. Rinse the snow peas and drain in a colander (it is good if they have a bit of water clinging to them.)
2. Heat the wok over high heat. When it is totally hot, add 3 tablespoons peanut oil and swirl around the entire wok.
3. Add the snow peas and stir fry for 2 minutes, or just until they turn bright green.
4. Add the garlic and Maggi sauce, fry for another 30 seconds or so, then turn out onto a plate and serve immediately.
   
   

Labels: recipes, the savory and salty

1. Combine and whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl: flour, yeast, sugar and salt.
2. Combine the melted butter and milk. Add the mixture to the dry ingredients.
3. Whisk eggs and vanilla together in a separate small bowl. Add the egg-vanilla mixture to the other mixture, and whisk until well-combined.
4. Cover with plastic wrap and stick in the fridge until tomorrow morning. (The batter can rise for 10 to 24 hours.)

1. Prepare waffle iron as usual. Stir the batter to deflate it (it should be puffy and frothy).
2. Add to waffle iron the same way you would other batter, keeping in mind that this batter will rise more than batters that use baking powder instead of yeast.

Labels: recipes, the sweet, waffles

1. With a sharp chef's knife, split the chicken breasts lengthwise so you have two equal pieces. (this will make the chicken flatter so it cooks faster when you deep fry it.) Pound (but not too thin) to equal thickness all over. Pat dry with a paper towel.


2. Combine the flour, salt and pepper in one bowl. Beat the eggs lightly in a second bowl. Place the panko in a large, shallow bowl or pie plate.


3. Bread the chicken in the typical assembly line: flour first, then eggs, then panko. Shake off excess after each step. Place the breaded pieces on a plate.


4. Heat the oil in a heavy 3 or 4-quart saucepan to 325 degrees (I always use a candy thermometer.)


5. Fry the chicken in batches, 1-2 minutes on each side. Place the finished pieces on a cooling rack to stay crispy (I noticed that they get a bit soggier if you put them on paper towels, so a cooling rack does a better job.)


6. Serve with tonkatsu sauce and heaps and heaps of steaming white rice.

Labels: recipes, the savory and salty, travel

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Scrub the sweet potatoes, arrange in a baking dish and bake for 1 hour, or until the potatoes are tender enough to put a skewer through easily. Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temp.
2. Combine the eggs and sugar in a standing mixer. Beat until lightened in color and a ribbon forms.
3. In a medium saucepan, bring the milk and cream to barely a simmer and slowly pour into the egg mixture, whisking the whole time to prevent the eggs from curdling. Transfer back into the saucepan.
4. Stirring constantly over medium-low heat, bring the mixture to 180 degrees. (It'll be thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon). Remove from heat and add the vanilla
5. Peel the sweet potatoes. Add a pinch of salt, and using a sieve or a food processor, make a puree.
6. Strain the custard into the sweet potato puree and make sure it's well combined. Refrigerate for at least an hour.
7. Freeze according to the instructions on your ice cream maker. This ice cream tastes excellent with salted pecans!

Labels: recipes, the sweet

1. Pour the ingredients into a blender and pulse for 20-30 seconds.
2. Top with whipped cream and if you want to go seriously classic, a maraschino cherry.

Chocolate syrup
I really like this chocolate syrup because it is not too sweet, but is still really chocolatey. I find commercial chocolate syrup too sugary. You can also use a tablespoon of this in a cup of hot milk to make quick hot chocolate.

Ingredients
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Combine the water and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk until the sugar has dissolved and bring to a slight simmer.
2. Add the cocoa and salt and whisk until smooth. Simmer lightly for about 3 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Let cool to room temperature. Keep in the refrigerator.
   

Links:
Domestic Goddess: Sugar High Friday
Wikipedia: Horlicks
Crispy Waffle: Vanilla bean ice cream
Crispy Waffle: Super chocolatey ice cream
Kopps Frozen Custard

Labels: recipes, the chocolatey, the sweet

• Too much butterfat will taste like, well, butterfat. Some Italian machines, like Simac, Nemox, etc. will churn a super fatty mixture into basically, butter. So a good balance of milk and cream is necessary.
• Custard ice cream bases are soooo much smoother. I do like Philadelphia-style (which basically means eggless ice cream) for a basic vanilla, but in most cases, I prefer a custard that starts with egg yolks. This makes the mixture really smooth, as it is an emulsion you are starting with.
• Sugar does more than just make it sweet. Sugar also helps improve texture-- it prevents the mixture from getting too icy, and lowers the freezing point. If you are like me and are curious about food science, you can get your fill about ice cream science here. Because I live in Holland, I have access to this weird form of sugar called white basterd sugar (yes, it really is called basterd sugar, although spelled differently than, I don't know, Fat Bastard). I guess we can call this Sweet Basterd. So this Sweet Basterd is a sugar that is basically the texture of brown sugar, but white. Because it partially contains inverted sugar syrup, it makes for a 'chewier' ice cream, and this type of sweetener behaves a bit like corn syrup-- it depresses the freezing point even further. (Yes, food science again! I have to experiment with white basterd sugar for other goods that need 'chew', such as brownies. More on this later!)

White basterd sugar-- it looks a bit like shave ice, and it feels exactly like traditional brown sugar.

With these things to remember, I've been working on the perfect custard (for me, at least). I'm not there yet, but I have been able to develop my go-to chocolate ice cream recipe. This is way over the top on the chocolate, but without being too fatty; I use more milk than cream in this recipe. Try it if you want total chocolate flavor without it being too sweet.

I have been making ice cream and then letting it sit in the freezer for 2 hours before we eat it. I think it hardens up too much (our freezer is 15 degrees centigrade) past that point, but 2 hours in, the texture is that perfect chewy, a bit melty, gelato-y texture. (In the picture above, it had been in the freezer for 4-5 hours, so you can see that it has gotten more of that American style hard-scoop texture. But it was still good!)

Super Chocolatey Ice Cream
makes approximately 1 quart

Ingredients
1-3/4 cups whole milk
1/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa, such as Droste
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large egg yolks
1/2 cup white basterd sugar (if you don't have access to this, substitute 1/3 cup white granulated sugar)
3/4 cup heavy cream
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 teaspoons vodka (optional)

1. Combine the eggs and the sugar in the bowl of a standing mixer. Beat on medium-high speed until the mixture is lightened in color, and thickened, about 3 minutes.
2. In a heavy saucepan, bring the milk and salt to a simmer, whisk in the cocoa and simmer until the cocoa is dissolved.
3. Add the milk mixture to the egg mixture slowly, in a steady stream, whisking the whole time -- this tempers the eggs and keeps them from curdling. Place the milk/egg mixture back in the saucepan.
4. Over low heat, stir the mixture constantly, until it reaches 180 degrees F. Pour through a strainer into a clean bowl.
5. Place the chopped chocolate in a bowl. Bring the cream just barely to a boil in a saucepan and pour it over the chocolate. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Stir with a whisk until the mixture is totally smooth, with no chocolate pieces.
6. Pour the ganache into the custard. Refrigerate until cold, then freeze in an ice cream maker according to instructions.

Links:
Slate: Which machines whip up the best ice cream?
Crispy Waffle: When life hands you vanilla, make ice cream
UG Dairy Science and Technology: Structure of Ice Cream

Labels: recipes, the chocolatey, the sweet

My friend Deb brought over some really nice plum tomatoes from our excellent (and huge!) market right here in Den Haag. They were so sweet, and I also had some cherry tomatoes from our vegetable subscription, so I had to make something that featured them. Salad? Too boring. I ended up making something just as easy: a tomato mozzarella tart that, besides the tomatoes, uses only three other ingredients that anyone might have on hand: fresh mozzarella, basil and frozen puff pastry. (I'm not counting olive oil or salt and pepper as ingredients though!)

One rule though: you gotta have good tomatoes, so none of those icky pink winter hothouse tomatoes here-- only the real deal will do.

Tomato mozzarella tart
adapted from Cooks Illustrated
makes one 9 x 13 tart

Ingredients
1 pound box of frozen puff pastry, thawed in refrigerator overnight
8 ounces fresh mozzarella, drained and sliced
1 pound ripe tomatoes
a handful of basil leaves, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Set parchment paper on a 13 x 9 baking sheet. Lay out the puff pastry, pressing down to seal the seams between the sheets. Cut 1-inch strips of pastry to make a frame around the tart, brushing with egg or water between the layers. Bake for 15 minutes or until puffed and golden brown.
2. Remove tart shell from oven and cool on a cooling rack. Increase oven temperature to 425 degrees F.
3. Slice the tomatoes into rounds and set in a single layer over paper towels. Sprinkle liberally with salt and allow to sit for 30 minutes.
4. Press down on the tomatoes with more paper towel, absorbing some of the moisture (this will prevent the tart from becoming too soggy).
5. Place the cheese in a single layer on the pastry crust. Place the tomatoes in a single layer on top of the cheese. Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground pepper. Drizzle olive oil over the whole thing.
6. Bake for 15-17 minutes. Sprinkle the basil over the tart. Cool on a cooling rack for a few minutes, transfer to cutting board or serving dish and serve warm or at room temperature.

Labels: recipes, the savory and salty

1. Soak the porcini mushrooms in 1 cup of hot water for 30 minutes. Drain, reserving the soaking liquid. Add the soaking liquid to the chicken stock. Chop the mushrooms very fine.
2. Place the stock in a medium saucepan over low heat. Make sure it's on the burner next to the one you'll be using for the risotto. The stock will stay over the low heat as you cook the risotto.
3. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Melt the butter and add the shallots, sauteing them until they are soft, about 3 minutes. Add the rice and continue stirring and cooking for a minute or two.
4. Add the mushrooms and wine. Stir until the liquid is mostly absorbed.
5. Add 2 cups stock and the salt, bring to a simmer, cover and cook until the liquid is mostly absorbed, 8-10 minutes.
6. Uncover, add 1/2 cup stock and stir until, again, mostly absorbed. Continue adding the stock in 1/2 cup increments until its finished. The mixture should be quite creamy, but the rice will still have just a hint of chew. Taste for salt.
7. Sprinkle the sage over the rice and pass the cheese for grating.

Labels: recipes, the savory and salty, travel

1. Preparing the shortbread crust: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (180 degrees centigrade.) Butter a 9-inch tart pan or springform pan. (If using a springform pan, you can also line the bottom with parchment paper, then butter the parchment paper.) Combine the flour, coconut, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Add the butter, and using a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add the egg yolk and bring the mixture together with your hand until it forms a ball.
2. Pat the crust in the prepared pan. (It is a soft crumbly crust, so I've found that unless it is refrigerated for several hours, it is almost impossible to roll out.) Prick the bottom of the crust all over with a fork. Bake for 15-17 minutes, until the crust is golden but not totally brown. Set on a cooling rack and cool to room temperature.
3. The caramel: Warm the caramel a little and add a bit of water (if needed) to give it the consistency of honey. Pour the caramel on the cooled shortbread crust and tilt the crust so the caramel covers the entire bottom of the crust. Cool to room temperature.
4. The custard: Bring the coconut milk, milk, shredded coconut, sugar and salt to a slight simmer in a medium saucepan.
5. In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks, cornstarch and 1 tablespoon sugar together. Slowly pour the warm milk mixture over the eggs, whisking the entire time (this tempers the eggs).
6. Transfer the mixture back to the saucepan. Stirring with a spoon or whisk, bring the mixture to a boil and boil for 1 full minute. Remove from heat and add the vanilla and butter. Stir until the vanilla is incorporated.
7. Transfer immediately to the pie crust and smooth the surface. Cover with cling wrap directly touching the custard. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
8. The topping: Refrigerate or freeze your mixing bowl and beaters for a half hour or so. Meanwhile, toast the coconut in a dry skillet over medium heat until golden brown. Set aside to cool.
9. Just before serving, place the cream and sugar in the mixing bowl and beat over medium-high speed until soft peaks form, about 2 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, spread over the top of the tart. Sprinkle with toasted coconut and serve immediately.

Links:
Crispy waffle: Dulce de leche recipe
Crispy waffle: Cajeta recipe

Labels: recipes, the sweet

1. For the pastry crust: Combine flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Add the butter, and using a pastry blender, cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal, with some crumbs the size of peas. (It is important that the mixture is not totally uniform.) Combine the creme fraiche and water. Add the creme fraiche mixture to the flour mixture, stirring with a fork. The dough should still be rather dry, but add up to 2 tablespoons of water until the dough gathers into a ball, but is not sticky. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
2. On a floured surface, roll the dough into a 12-inch circle. Transfer to a 9-inch pie dish or tart pan. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour to allow the dough to settle.
3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Prick the crust all over the bottom with a fork. Bake for 17 minutes. (If within the first few minutes of baking, the pie crust starts to balloon a bit, just push the ballooning areas back down gently with your finger.
4. For the filling: In the meantime, prepare the filling. Fry the bacon until crisp, then crumble into bite size pieces.
5. Combine the eggs, milk, cream, salt pepper and nutmeg.
6. When the crust is done baking, lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Sprinkle the shredded cheese over the bottom of the crust, making sure to cover any holes in the crust with the cheese (this will prevent the crust from leaking). Sprinkle the bacon over the crust, then pour the eggs mixture into the crust. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the crust is brown and the filling is golden and puffy.

Quiche with spinach, mushrooms and cheese
makes one 9-inch quiche

Ingredients

1 recipe pastry crust (above)
3-4 ounces fresh spinach (100 grams)
8 ounces sliced button mushrooms (250 grams)
1 shallot, minced
1 cup shredded cheese, such as a medium Gouda or cheddar
3 large eggs
3/4 cup heavy cream (180 ml)
3/4 cup whole milk (180 ml)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
pinch of nutmeg

1. Prepare the pastry crust same as above. While the crust is pre-baking, prepare the filling. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Saute the mushrooms until they are lightly browned. Add the shallot and spinach and continue to saute until the spinach is bright green. Season with a bit of salt and pepper and set aside.
2. Combine the eggs, cream, milk, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Set aside.
3. Remove the pastry crust from the oven and lower oven temperature to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Sprinkle the shredded cheese over the bottom of the crust, making sure to cover any holes in the crust with the cheese (this will prevent the crust from leaking). Add the spinach mushroom mixture, then pour the egg mixture over it. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the crust is brown and the filling is golden and puffy.

Labels: recipes, the savory and salty

1. Combine the flour, salt and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer. Stir until well-combined.
2. Add the yogurt and cooking oil. Using the dough hook at medium-low speed, gradually add the water. Knead with the dough hook for 10 minutes until the dough looks nice and elastic. Form into a bowl, transfer into a large, oiled bowl and turn to coat. Cover with cling wrap and let rise for 1-1/2 hours.
3. Preheat oven with baking sheet in it, at 475 degrees F. Punch down the dough and divide into 4 balls. Roll in a bit of flour and let stand, covered with cling wrap, for 10 minutes.
4. On a lightly floured surface, roll or stretch the dough into pieces about 12-14 inches in length and about 6 inches in width. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with sea salt.
5. Bake for 6 minutes until light golden and puffy in areas. Remove to a cloth lined dish.
   

Labels: recipes, the savory and salty

1. Combine the spices for the chicken. Rub onto the chicken pieces and let sit for 1 hour.
2. Meanwhile, combine the garlic, ginger and a pinch of salt in a mortar and pestle and pound until a paste forms. Add 3 tablespoons of water to the paste. Set aside.
3. In a small bowl, combine the cumin, coriander, cayenne pepper, black pepper and turmeric for the sauce and set aside.
   
4. Heat 2 tablespoons sunflower oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat. Add the chicken pieces (don't crowd) and brown on both sides-- don't worry if they aren't cooked in the middle; they will finish cooking in the sauce later. Remove the chicken pieces and set aside on a plate.
5. Lower the heat to medium and add the onions. Fry until the onions are just a bit browned, then add the garlic/ginger mix. Cook until the water is almost evaporated, then add the dried spice mixture. Stir carefully until the spices are fragrant, taking care not to burn them.
6. Add the pureed tomatoes and lower heat to medium low. Cook, stirring for about 5 minutes until the sauce has thickened a bit.
   
7. Add the yogurt, maybe a tablespoon at a time, making sure it is incorporated before adding more. (This prevents the yogurt from curdling.)
8. Add the chicken, along with it's accumulated juices. Stir to combine, then add the 1/2 cup water and 2 teaspoons salt. Lower heat to low, cover and cook for 15 minutes. (If you are using chicken thighs, cook for 10 minutes longer.)
   
9. Remove the chicken to a cutting board. Add the cream to the sauce, along with the garam masala and stir to combine, reducing the sauce just a bit. Cut the chicken into serving pieces and add back to the sauce, along with the cilantro. Serve right away with rice and naan (see recipe here).

Labels: recipes, the savory and salty

• There are seven major islands in the Canaries: La Palma, El Hierro, La Gomera, Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura and Lanzarote
• All canaries (the birds) descend from birds native to the Canaries (the islands). The name of the islands came first, allegedly named by the Romans when they encountered fierce dogs kept by the native population. (And so called the island 'Gran Canaria', and the people canarii, because they kept the dogs; canine being Latin for dog, of course. )
• The islands have been under Spanish rule since 1495.
• The indigenous population is called the Guanches.
• Fuerteventura, which has a dry desert climate (only 18 days of rain a year, on average), still has more goats than people.

Some of the ingredients for mojo picón: red pepper, dried pepper, garlic

So even if my facts are iffy, no matter-- there's your primer! Anyway, back to the treats. Although the food encountered is mostly mainland Spanish (jamón serrano, tapas, bocadillos), we did find a few things unique to the Canaries. The main indigenous Canarian food staple is gofio, a toasted grain flour that is used to make porridge and desserts. You could maybe call it the poi of the Canaries. I had never seen gofio on mainland Spain, and so I bought a bag of it at the grocery, where there was an entire section of the various types of gofio. (Some consist of corn, barley, wheat, or a mixture of the different grains.) I'm going to try to reproduce the one gofio item that I ate that was delish: a dessert called mus de gofio, or gofio mousse. All the recipes I've seen so far differ immensely (some call for egg yolks, like a traditional mousse, and others call for condensed milk as a sweetener, with no egg). Hopefully I'll figure it out and post it, without wasting the whole kilo of gofio in the process!

Other Canarian specialties are queso majorero (Canarian goat cheese), and anything involving goat meat, such as roasted cabrito (roasted kid goat). (Fuerteventura has a lot of goats because of the non-vegetation-friendly climate there-- there are barely any trees on the island!) The food preparation that most captured our attention was mojo. Not mojo like Austin Powers, but mojo-- pronounced 'mo-ho'-- as in a sauce. It is basically the Romesco sauce of the Canaries, and comes in different incarnations: red mojo (the most common), green mojo, goat cheese mojo, etc. It is apparently used on nearly everything, but most commonly found on papas arrugadas, or 'wrinkled potatoes'. These are small potatoes boiled in their skins in sea water then cooked dry until they gain a wrinkly appearance. Mojo is then poured on top and it is served as the most common tapa in the Canaries. I bought a bottle of the mojo picon, the red pepper mojo, but decided to just try to make my own at home. After going through various recipes (in Spanish and English!) here's what I came up with. It is actually really similar to Romesco-- many recipes even call for almonds-- but all seemed to have the North African touch of cumin, which gives it a bit of a different flavor. Many recipes seem to call for the spicy dried red pepper found in the Canaries, but as that isn't very common, I used a typical dried red pepper, like the type found in Asian grocery stores, and used a bell pepper to give it fresh flavor, color and also to control the spiciness. (There was no point in using several dried peppers-- all you would taste is spicy and nothing else.) I came pretty close to the mojos that I had while there, and you can further adjust it to taste by using more or less vinegar as well.

Canarian Mojo Picón
makes about 1 cup of sauce

Ingredients:
8 cloves of garlic, minced
1 dried red pepper
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 small red bell pepper, diced, seeds and stem removed
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1. Remove the seeds from the dried red pepper. Soak it in boiling water for at least 2 hours.
2. Mash the dried pepper in a mortar and pestle. Add the cumin seeds, garlic and salt, and pound until a paste is formed.
3. Place the paste in a blender or food processor. Add the bell pepper, vinegar and olive oil, and process until smooth.

The sauce is traditionally served with papas arrugadas. You can substitute steamed or boiled new potatoes. I had larger potatoes on hand last night, so I roasted them instead, with olive oil and salt, and they tasted crazy good with the mojo.

Labels: recipes, the savory and salty, travel

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut out 2 parchment rounds that will fit in the bottoms of your two 8-inch cake pans. Grease the pans with butter. Place the parchment rounds in the bottoms of the pans, and grease them. Dust the pans with flour and tap out the excess.
2. Mix the cocoa and espresso powder and pour the boiling water and mix until smooth. When it's cooled to room temperature, add the vanilla.
3. Whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
4. Beat butter in electric mixer set to medium-high speed about 30 seconds. Gradually add sugar and beat until the mixture is fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating one minute after each addition. Scrape down the bowl.
5. With mixer on the lowest speed, add 1/3 of the flour mixture, followed immediately by 1/3 of the cocoa mixture; mix until the ingredients are almost incorporated into the batter. Repeat process twice more. Scrape down the bowl and beat for another 30 seconds.
6. Pour the batter evenly divided into the cake pans. Bake for 20 minutes until a toothpick comes out with just a few crumbs clinging to it. Cool in the pans on wire rack for 10 minutes. Run knife to loosen cake from pans and invert cakes, peeling off parchment paper. Turn the cakes right side up and cool entirely. Prepare the frosting.

Vanilla bean buttercream:
2 large eggs
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 vanilla bean, scraped
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into 8 pieces

1. Bring a pan of water to a simmer. Combine the eggs, sugar, vanilla bean contents and salt in bowl of standing mixer and set over the simmering water. Whisk constantly to keep the eggs from curdling. Continue whisking until the mixture is foamy and is 160 degrees on an instant read thermometer.
2. Set the bowl in the stand mixer and beat with a whisk attachment on medium-high speed until the mixture is light and airy, about 5 minutes. Reduce speed to medium, and add butter one piece at a time until each piece is incorporated. (Keep adding the butter, even if it starts looking curdled; it'll correct itself once all the butter is added.)
3. Frost the inside layer of the cake. You can freeze the rest of the buttercream for another recipe. (To thaw, set at room temperature until softened.)
4. Use a paper doily or cut paper into shapes for dusting powdered sugar on the top of the cake.

Links:
SHF 27: Chocolate by Brand
Wikipedia: Droste effect

Labels: recipes, the chocolatey, the sweet

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom. Cut a round of parchment paper to fit the removable base. Place in the tart pan and butter the parchment paper as well.
2. Combine the walnuts, almonds, sugar and salt in a food processor and process until finely ground. Add the lemon zest and process just a bit more, until combined.
3. Turn the mixture into a large bowl and add the flour, allspice and cinnamon. Cut the butter into the flour mixture with a pastry knife until it resembles coarse meal. Whisk the egg and vanilla together and add to the flour mixture. Use your hand to combine until the dough comes together.
4. Turn the dough onto some cling wrap and divide into three equal pieces. Combine two of the pieces into a single ball, flatten into a 5-inch disk, wrap in cling wrap and place in the refrigerator.
5. Place the third piece on the tart pan bottom (which is lined in the parchment paper), cover with a piece of cling wrap and roll out the dough until it is the size of the tart pan bottom. Remove the cling wrap and place the tart bottom in the tart pan. Place on a baking sheet, prick holes into the dough with a fork and bake the tart bottom for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool to room temperature. (This prebaking keeps the bottom of the tart from getting soggy when the filling is added.)
6. For the filling, mix together the raspberry preserves with the lemon juice and set aside until needed.
7. Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Now to make the sides of the tart. Break off one-third of it and with your hands roll it into a rope about 3/8-inches in diameter. Press it into the sides of the tart pan (the dough is very forgiving) until you have the sides all the way around.
8. Set the remainder of the dough onto parchment paper. Roll the dough into a 9-inch square, approximately. Cut into strips that are 3/4-inches wide. You should have at least 10 strips. (You'll probably have extra just in case.) Slide the parchment paper with the dough on it onto a baking sheet, cover loosely with a sheet of parchment and freeze for 20 minutes.
9. Spread the preserves mixture evenly onto the tart.
10. Take the dough strips out of the freezer and invert. Carefully remove the dough strips as you are making the lattice on the top of the tart. Start with an 'X' in the middle, and alternate the strips around it to create the lattice pattern.
11. Brush with heavy cream. Place the tart on a baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes. Cool on wire rack for 1 hour and serve with vanilla whipped cream.

Labels: recipes, the sweet

Labels: recipes, the sweet

1. Line the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper. Combine the flour, brown sugar, orange zest and salt in a large bowl. Add the butter and cut it into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal. (Alternatively, use a food processor.) Stir in the egg with a fork, then use your hands to knead the mixture until it resembles, well, a ball of dough. Flatten the dough into a 6-inch disk, wrap in cling wrap and place in refrigerator for at least an hour.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out 3/4 of the dough between two sheets of cling wrap to about a 13-inch circle (set aside the other 1/4 of the dough for the top of the tart). Set it into the springform pan. Don't worry if it tears; the dough is really forgiving, so just pat it into the bottom and sides of the pan. Scatter the breadcrumbs along the bottom of the tart crust. Place it into the refrigerator while preparing the filling.
3. Core and peel the apples. Divide each apple into 16 slices. (Place the apples in a bowl of ice water so they don't turn brown.) Drain the apple slices and combine with the cornstarch, salt, sugar, cinnamon and vanilla.
4. Roll out the remaining crust dough into strips to create a lattice-like top. (Don't worry about making it perfect-- it'll sort of 'melt' in the oven anyway.)
5. Place the apple mixture (but make sure not to include the accumulated liquid) into the tart crust and lay the lattice-dough-strips on top.
6. Bake in preheated oven for 50 minutes. Remove and cool on a cooling rack-- once it's cooled to room temperature, remove the springform sides. Serve with sweetened whipped cream.

Labels: recipes, the sweet