joie de manger

My current favorite noodle - Japchae

noreply@blogger.com (pink cake box) — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 03:17:00 +0000

Not very long ago, I came across a website called Maangchi. I have been searching for a good Japchae recipe and was stunned by this adorable lady who posts videos of herself cooking. The very thing that attracted me to her (not the cute outfits even though they do get your attention) is the way she makes Korean food so simple and approachable.
Why do I say this? Because I borrowed a Korean cooking book about two months before I found Maangchi. The recipes we're solid, it gave me an overview on Korean cooking and it's history but each recipes took so much time from me in the kitchen. I could only make Korean dishes on the weekends. A perfect example is this particular dish. I had to remember ahead of time if I was planning to make Japchae for dinner. The instruction for the sauce was just too much. I had to prepare the sauce separately (which had wine and a few vegetables in it ), reduce then strain, which took about half an hour. To accommodate my schedule, I made batches of the sauce and keep them in storage so that I'd have everything I needed if I ever wanted Japchae for dinner. However if I'd forgotten to do that, cooking this noodle dish would have taken me more than an hour to prepare. I loved the book and I loved the recipes so I copied them. However, right after I returned the book, I lost the recipe for that particular sauce. I could have gone back and reserved the book again but I was craving for these noodles and wanted it immediately. So the next best thing was Google and the world of Maangchi opened up to me.

Maangchi's recipes got me too excited. For about a month, our Filipino-American family turned into Korean were eating dishes I never thought I'd be able to make. My favorite dishes are of course Japchae, Dakkangjung (sweet and crispy chicken), Galbi, Galbijjim, Bulgogi Jungol, the unending Banchan recipes, Kimchi and Bibimbap. Maanngchi made everything so easy. And it made my kitchen experience easy as well. In the end, my positive experience carried on to a wonderful dinner time with my family.

There are so many great things about learning how to make this dish, one of them is not having to pay so much money at Korean Restaurants. A single plate could cost you between $10-15 here in Boston. And mind you, the lower price range are not anything but, so you're better off making the dish yourself. Also, I prefer it not so sweet, so by cooking it, I get to adjust the flavor to my own liking.

So what is Japchae? It is a noodle dish made from sweet potato starch. The cellophane noodles are called Dangmyeon. When uncooked, they are thick and are of grayish color. Once cooked, they hold up to its texture (well as long as you don't overcook them). The noodles aren't like some Asian noodles that dissolve so easily if slightly overcooked. These noodles are best when chewy and tender. The dish has vegetables stir fried in sesame oil, soy sauce and some sugar. Vegetables like spinach, mushrooms, onions, carrots, and green onions. Some Japchae are made with sauteed thin sliced beef. Then finished off with some more sesame oil and sesame seeds. The noodles doesn't only taste good but also smells nutty from the sesame oil. It is really worth the effort.

I didn't bother copying the recipe here because I wanted you to check out her blog and her video yourself. I really think you'd enjoy her. Sometimes, I have the urge of calling the Food Network and telling them about Maangchi but I'm not so sure if I want to share her with everybody, that's how selfish I am of her. But I bet she is already running under their radar.

click here for Maangchi's Japchae Recipe and Video

Enjoy!

Cedar Smoked Salmon (hot smoked)

noreply@blogger.com (pink cake box) — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 18:17:00 +0000

I learned to use cedar planks from working at restaurants back in the "old" days. The chefs I worked with didn't really brine the salmon. I've seen them brushed the raw fillet of salmon with apricot glaze. Some seasoned the raw fish directly then smoked them. I do something different. And I think it really depends on how you like to serve it. The Apricot Glazed Cedar Smoked Salmon was served with a Wasabi-Apple Relish as an appetizer. I actually prefer making apple chips to accompany this type of sweet-smoked fish. The Seasoned Salmon was served with Sauteed Rapini and Buttered Leeks Rice Pilaf as an entree.

I am not in any way saying that these methods doesn't bring any flavor. I just so happen to want more flavor, so I brine the salmon for 20 minutes in a salt-sugar solution then I smoke them. The outcome is very well seasoned fish. I noticed that the flavor is better because the fish is seasoned within. Also because the salmon absorbs the water through the solution, I find that the salmon isn't dry either if I happen to use a lean salmon. If I use Wild Alskan or King Salmon, the brining procedure has helped me so many times, when I tend to forget the fish in the grill while I prepare the rest of the food inside the kitchen. But hey, the brining doesn't not guarantee you won't have dried smoked fish, it just helps for a shorter period of time.

So what would you need:

Cedar Plank. Have you ever seen these wood planks wrapped in clear plastic wraps near the seafood section? Well that's the one I'm referring to. It's a little bit pricey for a piece of wood that you'd use one time but I really think it is worth it (usually $5 to $6 for two planks). The flavor of the fish is right on. The fish in the plank would have the right amount of smokiness in it. I think its easier than using chips, throwing it on the grill and not being sure if its enough chips or too much to smoke your fish. Another tip: Please don't go to a hardware store and buy cedar and cut them up into planks just because they're cheaper. Those type of cedar are treated with chemicals to withhold any temperature changes. For sure you wouldn't want to ingest any of these chemicals.

Salmon. I really prefer fatty fish when grilling or smoking. So I prefer Wild Alaskan or King. If not available, I'd go with Sockeye. Coho, on the other hand is very lean to use for smoking but if you prefer it, go ahead. Just beware that because it's leaner, you need to watch the fish carefully to avoid drying up while smoking.

Brown Sugar, Kosher Salt, Whole Peppercorns, Bayleaves, Water. I use brown sugar because I like the sweetness from brown sugar but you can certainly use white granulated sugar. If you are using iodized salt, please adjust your measurement. Most likely you would have to reduce the amount if using iodized. What you would need to remember is that the diluted water should be strong in terms of being salty and sweet. When you taste a drop of the brine , it needs to have a balanced sweet and salty flavor but strong. You might get weary of how strong the brine is, but remember that you are only brining for 20 minutes. Also if you use the measurement provided below, with the right amount of fish, the brining will be enough.

Grill. We use a charcoal fired grill. I prefer the taste and the intense heat from the charcoal, but your gas fired grill would work as well.

PROCEDURE:

Before you begin, please read entirely.

Preparing your Salmon. The amount of solution is for one side fillet of salmon about 1 lbs to 1.5 lbs, with the right length for the size of your cedar plank. I prefer to use a salmon fillet with the skin on, because the skin serves as a barrier between the plank and the meat part of your fish when cooking, it doesn't impart too much smoke flavor on the bottom side of the fish that is touching the plank. Also, because the fish is brined with some sugar, when the sugar caramelizes into the plank, the skin serves as a parchment. The meat of your smoked fish can easily be taken without the meat sticking to the wood (less waste).

Remove any remaining bones on the fish then rinse under cold water.

Brining Procedure. When brining any type of fish or meat, please make sure to cook the brined ingredient immediately. The purpose for brining is not only to add flavor but to increase the water content on your product. In marinating, the product can be left soaking for long periods of time (unless there is a great amount of acid) and if separated from the marinade can be left uncook until the next day. In brining, you are using the concentration of salt and sugar in the water to hydrate your product by means of osmosis. After you drain your meat or fish from the brining solution, little by little the moisture hydrated into your product would soon come out again. The increase change of temperature of your brined product would drive the water out of your meat slowly. So cook your product immediately. I'm not implying that you need to rush, but you can't also brine 2 hours before you smoke your fish.
I use 1/4 cup each of salt and brown sugar. Dilute with the hottest water from your faucet using about 4 cups of water. Once the salt and sugar are completely diluted, add about a teaspoon of whole black peppercorns and 2 bayleaves, then add 6 cups of the coldest water from your tap. Pour the brine in a flat rectangular dish. I actually use my largest size pyrex glass baking dish. It is long enough for my fillet to comfortably brine without bending your fillet in half (and ruining your fish). Also it is wide enough to have the right amount of brining solution to cover the entire fish. Transfer the cleaned salmon fillet in the brine, make sure that the entire salmon is submerged under the brining solution. Soak the salmon for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, take the fillet out of the solution and tap dry with a paper towel. It doesn't need to be completely dry, just not dripping that you'd end up soaking your plank of cedar.

Get your grill ready. While the salmon is brining, this is the best time to start the grill, whether it's charcoal or gas grill, make sure that the grill has good high heat. The reason is, you need that initial heat to burn your cedar plank to start the smoking process.

Preparing your Cedar Plank. A good rinse would do the job in getting rid of the debris in the plank but I DO NOT soak the plank in water. The reason behind it is , the bottom of the cedar plank needs to burn immediately to create that smoke. The salmon fillet does not take lots of time to cook, and so by that time, make sure that there's enough time to impart the cedar smoke flavor into the fish before it cooks and dries up.

Once the fish is finished brining, pat dry. Lay the fish on the cedar plank. (Please read everything before you begin - charcoal grill vs gas grill) Transfer the plank to the grill placing the plank on the hottest part of the grill to start burning the bottom of the wood. With charcoal grill you can attempt that so easily. Also, I increase the heat from moving the charcoal closer to the grates. Do not close the grill until the cedar plank is smoking immensely or else your salmon would start to cook. If using a gas grill and aren't sure if the heat is enough to burn the plank immediately, it is better to burn one side of the plank by itself before placing the fish on the plank. By doing that, it will give you enough time to get the plank smoking before the fish starts to cook. Once the plank is smoking immensely, pull the charcoal lower or the farthest away from the grill grates. Move your plank to the medium hot spot are of the grill. Then close the grill to start the cooking process of the salmon and the smoking of your fish. Make sure that the edges of your plank is not on fire. That usually never happens to me if I make sure to place the plank in the medium heat spot of the grill. If its starts flaming, you can mist the plank with water until the flame disappears. Cook for about 20 minutes but check your fish halfway (10 minutes after). Make sure that it is laid above the correct heat. Also, I usually turn it around especially if the heat is coming from one side of the plank. Also, be weary of the thinnest part of the salmon (the tail), I make sure that part of the fish is farthest away from the source of heat because that part would cook the fastest. Cook until your fish is slightly firm in the thickest part of the meat. If using thermometer, it should be about 135 to 138 degrees F. Another way of knowing its cooked is if you can see some white spots of protein emerging from the fish (from the thickest part). It should be flaky and soft/firm but not solidly hard-that would be over cooked!

Serve fish on the cedar plank in a heat proof dish.

How do you know it's a good recipe?

noreply@blogger.com (pink cake box) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 05:37:00 +0000

I get this question a lot about online recipes: How do you know it's a GOOD recipe?

Tough question but I have a checklist that I go through in my head before I pick one:

1. Quantity and Ingredient list: Judging the ratio between ingredients and type of ingredients requires some experience. If I am making a heavy sponge cake, for example, the ratio between eggs, flour, and sugar are the same. But if I am making a medium weight sponge or light sponge, the quantity of flour and sugar is about half of the amount of eggs.

In cookies for example, if the name of the cookie says something like chewy chocolate chip cookie, I'd expect the quantity of the eggs to be higher than the fat. And looking at the ingredient list as a whole, I'd expect a high moisture ratio between ingredients.

In a cooking recipe, I try to map each ingredient to one of the four basic flavors: salty, sweet, sour, bitter. Once you have done this, you can tell if the recipe is balanced in flavor. Moreover, you can see if the quantity supports the procedure: for example, if a 6-serving stew called for 1 pint of stock, but asked you to simmer it for 2 hours, then all of your stock would evaporate. While in baking, I try to map each ingredient to a function in the baking process.

2. Procedure: When it comes to baking, experience is helpful, but it doesn't mean that just because you've never baked that you can't create a great product; how else could anybody learn to bake, right? I love recipes that give a lot of information, especially in baking. When a recipe says "cream the butter until smooth, creamy and pale", the writer had two goals in mind: to give you a specific procedure to help you with the end product, and also informed you of what a nicely creamed butter should be. Or when they give you details like "medium" speeed or beat for two minutes or even have tips on how to succeed with the recipe, I know it'll be a keeper. Generally, if you feel like you are getting a baking lesson along with a specific procedure, it is probably a good recipe.

When it comes to other types of cooking, I always find it very helpful when the writer of the recipe describes to me what I'd expect when I taste the food. For instance, I love Pad Thai and always relied on eating out if I was craving for it. My husband and I would drag our child across town to a Thai restaurant we love (about 20-30 minutes in the opposite side of town) for dinner. After about 20-30 times in this restaurant, I decided I was going to learn how to make it. So I went online, googled pad thai, and found this site. When I first came across this blog, I scrolled through the pages and thought to myself that I needed an hour of quiet time without my toddler to read through it before I get cooking. It was a lot of information to make pad thai. After printing 6 pages of the recipe (font: Arial; size: 10) and after reading it, I realized that I was going to end up with a great pad thai without even tasting the product because she gave so much information for me to be successful. Most of the ingredients stated no quantities yet she described how the sauce should taste. She informed her readers of the mistakes that you might make and tips to avoid them. She talked about every ingredient on that recipe, its' importance, why its needed, and how it is used; all the essential information for you to make the judgement on the quantity of the ingredient. In the end, with one try, I made a good pad thai. That was all it took, and now its saving us lots of money, but then my cravings have changed for other thai dishes.

3. Blogs: I love trying recipes from blogs. Usually from their stories, you get to judge the recipe, if they know anything about cooking, or if they even care anything about your experience. The way they post their blogs, I kind of know if they're into blogging for the reason of sharing their passion for food or if they just want to make a name for themselves. Which is fine, but usually their site has more ads and photos than recipes.

4. Reviews: Who doesn't love reviews, right? If I was to do anything these days over the internet, whether if I was to purchase something online or even borrow books from the library, I always head to amazon or other sites to see what people thought of the product or book. It saves me time and money, so why not do the same thing for recipes. Websites like Allrecipes.com makes it so easy for us to know if we're going to be happy with the end result. Even if the recipe isn't that great at all, the reviews will most likely to tell you how they've fixed the recipe to make it better.

5. Food websites sharing Professional chefs' recipes : I love FoodNetwork.com or finecooking.com. BUT it does not mean that just because they're professional chefs that their recipes will always come out great. Some of these chefs don't take the time to test their recipes, so sometimes you come across recipes with lots of bad reviews. I've always liked Emeril's recipes. I'm not sure that I like the guy himself (what the hell is Bam!), but 99% of his recipes are unfaltering.

6. My gut: Sometimes I come across 2 recipes that I think would work, but having no experience with a certain type of food makes me really undecisive, especially when it comes to baking (a lot of food chemistry involve), so I use my gut. Although, if I was going to make something for a special occasion and I have no experience with it, I try the recipe days in advance just to make sure that the occasion is not ruined by my lack of experience and poor judgement.

Happy Hunting!

All about cupcakes - and the best chocolate cupcake recipe I've found

noreply@blogger.com (pink cake box) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 04:24:00 +0000

So I wasn't able to capture a photo evident of how perfect this cupcake is but you have to believe me when I say-I think I may have found the best and easiest chocolate cupcake EVER!

This summer, we had a few friends come over for a grilled pizza party! It was a late celebration of my birthday. I wanted the kids to have their own and blow the candles for me so I decided on chocolate cupcakes. I have lots of chocolate cupcake recipes collected over the years yet not one has blown me away. Hence, I searched all over the internet for THE ONE. I came across all sorts of cupcake recipes. My way of determining if its a great recipe is by reading the ingredient list and the procedure. Not only do I want simple ingredients but I want the procedure to make sense to me before I start baking and would sound easy to follow as I bake. I know how to bake. I know the science of baking. And I know how an ingredient affects the other. So if the recipe passes the test, I will then try it out. Many of the people I've met who doesn't think they could bake could possibly have fallen into one of those recipes that aren't explained very well or worst aren't tested at all. So be wary of such recipes out there.

Cupcakes are so delicate to me that I find myself criticizing a lot of cupcakes. And here is why:

Reason 1: Cupcakes need to have the right balance of frosting to the cake itself. If the frosting is too much, the mouth feel of the entire product becomes too rich. And if it is lacking, the taste of the entire product gets affected too. It has to have the right proportion. Unless you like eating the cake and frosting separately.

Reason 2: No dry cupcakes for me. How many times have you been to a bakery or an exclusive cupcake store, pay from $1.75 to $4.00 for a regular sized cupcake then as soon as you bite into it, the cake is dry? Cupcakes due to their size and placement of frosting, if not careful can easily dry out. On cakes, the frosting acts as a moisture barrier, but on cupcakes the paper liner doesn't do the job. So if I was to spend some extra money because I decided to buy from an exclusive cupcake store, they better deliver.

Reason 3: The flavor. I am such a big critic on bakeries or pastry shops, not only cupcakes. I was once asked how can I judge a bakery if it is good or not, and this is how. How many pastries have you bought that says chocolate but when you bite into them taste just sweet, just sugary sweet, not a hint of chocolate. No distinct flavor at all. This is a pet peeve of mine. And it's not about the price either. In Albuquerque, Brian and I found a really great cafe/restaurant. It's hip, modern, a nice place to hang out, and you can have breakfast and stay until dinner. But the cakes usually priced $6.00 for a slice, quite expensive yeah? Yet when you taste them, flavorless! And what's weirder? The other pastries are great but the cakes sucks. So I avoided them. I am a flavor person. I need to distinguish the product if it is vanilla or chocolate. And that goes as far as ice cream. Why don't you try it? I've found an ice cream here in New England - Richardson's. They are inexpensive, their price is not as high as Ben and Jerry's or Breyers (my favorite) but when I close my eyes, I can differentiate the flavor between vanilla and chocolate. If I was to waste my calories on some sweets like cupcakes, they better taste like something.

Proportion and flavor can easily be adjusted. However when it comes to texture, no one likes a dry cupcake.
And I myself don't have time to make cupcakes from baking to frosting in one single day and serve it also at the same day. So I wrap them. That has been my solution. I place them on containers frosted or not and I tightly wrap them with plastic wrap until I need to serve them. And I do the same thing for leftovers. Of course after 3 days, no matter how tight you wrapped your cupcakes, they will still lose their freshness and would turn dry.

Back to the cupcake recipe...this is the easiest cupcake of all. No buttermilk, no melted chocolate, no separating and whipping of eggs and no special ingredient you won't be able to find at your regular grocery store. Doesn't that sound perfect? This cupcake recipe has it's own frosting, I must say that I only used her cupcake recipe and used my buttercream frosting.

Tip for the Cupcake recipe : just follow her directions to a tee. I used Hershey's Cocoa powder. And I eliminated the coffee granules for the kids and added more vanilla extract. Your choice. On the case of caster sugar, I used granulated and beated them a little longer.

Sugar Bar for the cupcake recipe

Buttercream frosting, its called The Neoclassic Buttercream from "the Cake Bible"

Next time I make it, I'll post a photo or if you have a photo, send me one and I'll post yours.

Shrimp Ceviche with Prosciutto Chips

noreply@blogger.com (pink cake box) — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 14:30:00 +0000

When my family and I moved here to the United States in 1999, we first lived in San Diego. And I immediately fell in love with my surroundings. San Diego has a lot of good memories for me. One that always comes to mind is my first introduction to Mexican food. This is a great dish on a hot summer day, but living in New England won't stop me from having it anytime of the year! Enjoy.

As always, please read the entirety of the procedure before you start any cooking.

You will need:

1/2 lb prosciutto thin slices

1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined, tail off

1 lemon

1 lime

1/2 medium sized red onion, thinly sliced (paper thin)

3-4 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

salt and pepper

Pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees.

In a silicon mat lined cookie sheet, lay thin slices of prosciutto side by side. No need to worry if they are touching each other. Place the sheet pan in the oven. Cook the prosciutto until they are crisp. Remember that when prosciutto slices are hot, they tend to flex and bend and aren't crunchy but once they are cool they are brittle/crisp. So watch out. You don't want to think that they aren't ready yet then leave them too long in the oven. Once they get too brown, you run the risk of getting them bitter. So if need be, pull once slice off from the pan, cool off then check its flexibility. When done, remove prosciutto slices from the sheet. Set aside.

In a large pot, bring to boil 10 cups of water plus 3 tablespoons of salt. Once it is rapidly boiling, add the shrimp. Cover the pot with a lid and turn the heat off. Make sure that once your shrimp is in the pot that your heat is off as you start your timer. Set your timer for 10 minutes. This amount of time will cook shrimp in the size of 21/25 (which means, per every pound there is about 21 to 25 shrimp). Shrimp that are smaller cook around 7-8 minutes while the larger ones take about 12 minutes. After 10 minutes, take the shrimp out of the hot liquid and cool them down under running cold water. Do not leave them in the cooking liquid, they will continue to cook and get tough.

Once shrimp has cooled, cut them into small pieces. If you are making a big batch, you can also use a food processor but only pulse it until its roughly chopped into small bite sized pieces. You dont want to break it down so much that none of your guests can identify that you are serving them shrimp. Also your shrimp won't look great looking like mush.

Thinly slice half of a medium-sized red onion. Squeeze the juice of one lime over the sliced onions. The purpose is to remove of the "zing" from the onions. As you soak the onions in lime juice, you will also notice the color changing, the red color becomes lighter as your onions turn into pink. Once the lime juice starts to become pink, about 20 minutes or so, drain the onions. Discard the juice.

In a mixing bowl, combine chopped shrimp, sliced pickled onions, chopped parsley and chopped cilantro. Squeeze fresh lemon juice on the mixture. Use half of one lemon first. Season with salt and pepper. Adjust the lemon juice and salt and pepper to your liking. It should have a balance of tartness, salty, peppery, the background of cilantro, but you should still be able to distinguish that you are eating shrimp. The last step I do is to taste the shrimp mixture with a prosciutto chip. The prosciutto is salty and would make a good balance to the zesty shrimp.

You can substitute tostada shells (pictured below) if prosciutto isn't available.

GOOD NEWS!

noreply@blogger.com (pink cake box) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 15:31:00 +0000

It's been a long time since I've posted anything. I'm not happy about it but I have to say that my passion in cooking has again been split with training for a half marathon and taking care of my child. I am still cooking and have more ideas than ever but to write it down and to make sure that I convey my subject and procedure correctly, it takes about a week for me to finish one. And I don't have that much time. I finished my half-marathon last October 4th. But training hasn't stopped, but I am also not giving that part of my life one third of my time, so I am happy to say that I AM BACK!

The other great news is...my husband has decided to also blog about the food that he cooks or experiences on this particular site. He is an awesome cook himself. He worked in restaurants when he was finishing his doctorate. He was the reason why I enrolled in culinary school. When we met, I was working in accounting, doing pretty much something that I didn't necessarily disliked but also didn't know if I was enjoying my work. And he was the one who convince me to follow my heart and forget about the money while I didn't have any responsibilities yet. He said my love for cooking will pay me so much more deep inside than the pay check I get twice a month from working behind a desk. And he was right. I found my home. He is a full-time engineer now but he still loves to cook with me. His greatest points in the kitchen is Italian food. He isn't Italian but I could swear by it that he must have been an Italian on his past life. Italian foods comes naturally with him. So I hope I never lost any of you. And if I did, I will work hard to get you back.

NYC Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (pink cake box) — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 15:09:00 +0000

I've never been to New York City. I have always planned on visiting and once even planned on moving there after I finished culinary school but never got my way. So for Hub's birthday gift, I surprised him and MYSELF (I won't deny it) with a trip to NYC. We live 4 hours away and no toddler is going to stop us from visiting the food mecca of this country. We're so lucky that Sam is just like us. She would try anything and is always up for travelling (well at least that's what I think!).

So here was the plan on our first day to NYC:

Friday am: -drop off dog in kennel -drive to New Haven to catch the train to Grand Central

Friday noon: -take the train from New Haven to Grand Central

Friday afternoon - check-in at the hotel in Soho -get Sam to nap for an hour or two -get ready for surprise dinner for Hub and surprise guest (Hub's best friend from high school)

Friday evening: -meet surprise guest at lobby at 5:30p -walk to Casa Restaurant - West Village; dinner reservations at 6p

And this is how our day actually went:

Friday morning -did nothing except chase Sam while we get ready -finally dropped off dog at kennel late morning -stopped by Natick Mall, forgot some stuff

Friday noon -missed the train to Grand Central -had lunch while we waited

Friday afternoon -missed the train again to Grand Central, couldn't find parking -moved dinner reservations 30 minutes later -text surprise guest that we were running late -at 2:35p finally was in the train to NYC

Friday late afternoon -check-in at the hotel in Soho at 4:20p -4:30p run to get some hosiery (another thing I forgot) while Hub gets Sam ready -got back at 5:15p to shower and get ready

Friday evening -6p down at the lobby to meet surprise guest; walked over to West Village -6:30p finally had dinner at Casa Restaurant- West Village

CASA Restaurant

Casa is a small lovely restaurant in the West Village. As you pass in front of the establishment, you will notice the big white windows with a deep ledge inside that is decorated with some artistic pottery and ceramic figures. As you walk inside, the 4-5 seater bar is the first thing right in front of you. Then to the right would be the dining room. It was very cozy and intimate. As Hub's friend said, it was the place to take a girl out on the third date. He was right. The small lit candles were just the right amount of light to make it romantic. Although romance was the last thing on our mind, the restaurant was still elegant. When I was making the plans and reservations, I spoke with a different hostess on 3 different times. Every time I called they were helpful and informative.

The first host I spoke with immediately took charge and informed me that it would be better if we took the half booth as they didn't have any high chair for our toddler. That wasn't a surprise at all. I never expected them to, considering the type of food and ambiance they were setting, clearly wasn't saying "a family restaurant". My decision to choose the restaurant was based on the reviews of the food so I just had to work it out with my toddler instead.

As we arrived, right away we were swooped in to our tables and was given the attention we needed. Our reservations was at 6:30p and really didn't think that there would be anyone dining (we were at NYC!) but there were about 3-4 tables already being serviced. The menu had the right amount of courses and selection. It was a breeze trying to choose the dishes that would be both appealing to us and for our toddler.

Hearing about their great Caiprinhas from Hub's friend, we or I must say, I just had to try one. It's been awhile since I've ingested any alcohol so it came like a sweet smack in the face. I enjoyed it a lot. From the first sip, I knew they were serving good quality Cachaca. I should have ordered another one. It was strong and limey!

For appetizers we chose the lightly breaded squid with lime, Sau Paulo's shrimp cake and the yucca sticks with Parmesan cheese. For our entree, our toddler got the chicken and rice soup, and we ordered the organic chicken and shrimp stew with tomatoes and cilantro, the Brazilian national dish of black bean stew and the steak with onions, rice, beans and farofa with vinaigrette and fries. The appetizers were surprisingly interesting and delightful. The breaded squid had the right amount of breading and spice that went well with lime. The shrimp cake was fresh and heavenly. And the yucca sticks were a big hit to my toddler. The entrees were at the same caliber as the starter dishes. They didn't disappoint us at all. They were perfectly seasoned. All dishes had an exceptional balance of texture and flavor. I really couldn't say anything bad at all.

Our toddler's soup was simple; made from a really good chicken stock and had tender vegetables that were perfect texture for her. My chicken and shrimp stew was satisfying. The chicken was very tender. The distinct flavor of the cilantro was perfectly balanced with the tomatoes. My hubby's steak with farofa, rice and beans was good as well. And so as the Brazilian stew of black beans that Hub's friend ordered. The service was phenomenal. I couldn't have been happier; they were so helpful and accommodating to my child. I wasn't expecting them to know anything about children but they surely did act like they knew something about kids. They once in awhile entertained her, they made sure her soup wasn't so hot so she can easily get into it. They delightfully accepted our request for fresh orange supremes for our child. And they knew that we needed to get things rolling so our child wouldn't get too impatient. Our food was quick and right on time. All in all the food was consistent and satisfying. No doubt if I went back, they'd have it right again. And I think that is the distinction they have against other restaurants, they were unfailing with regards to food and service and they always delivered it well again and again. So no doubt they would have regulars.

The food wasn't ecstatically glorious, but they really didn't have to be; the dependability and consistency was enough. And it felt like you were going back home, it was comforting and hearty.

Payard's

The dinner ended with a surprise birthday cake. And I was happy with my choice. I wasn't sure if I could depend on bakeries that had bad reviews due to their consistency so I just had to pick one who I knew would always have a consistent product. Pastry Chef Francois Payard has been in the business for a very long time, more than 20 years. I have read a few of his books and have tried making them too and always came out excellent. So for a birthday cake for Hub, I just couldn't take a chance so I went with Payard's.

When I gave them a call the day before our dinner reservations to make the order, I was really delighted to hear someone so helpful at the other end of the line. Right away she informed me of the delivery times available and the choices that I have. I picked the "Louvre Cake" because I knew Hub likes chocolate mousse so much that it would be the perfect choice. Also we both love Gianduja chocolate and having chocolate hazelnut on the mousse was just perfect. I needed them to deliver the cake after 4:30p and the request wasn't a problem to them as well, they just had to use another courier which means a little more amount of money but not considerably. They were accommodating.

The Louvre cake was phenomenal. It was dome shaped cake that was covered with ganache. It had a silky chocolate hazelnut mousse inside with a hazelnut crust to balance the texture of the entire cake. I couldn't stop myself, I have to admit. It was extraordinary. I really think I could have eaten the entire cake. It wasn't overly sweet or too rich either. It was just sublime.

When the cake came out with lit candles. I was a little proud...okay I'll admit, I was really proud of myself, that I coordinated all these things and I wasn't even from New York, or have visited New York, or have been in New York for more than 4 hours. Yet the surprise dinner was flawless.

New York is such a great city. They have a service to meet every need. It was our first night and I can't imagine what was waiting for us the next day...

Useful and Useless Food Facts Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (pink cake box) — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 16:36:00 +0000

Ever since I got involved with the food industry, my food habits have changed. I don't think I've turned into a snob but my palate has definitely evolved and there are certain foods that I just won't eat and will neither serve it to my family.

The last time my in-laws visited us, I was asked why I spend a lot of time shredding corned beef when I could make my life "easy" and use canned corned beef instead. I used to eat canned meat ( I grew up in the Philippines), but I no longer can eat them. There are many reasons. For one, I have learned that the quality of meat or/and grade of meat they use in canned foods are the lowest of the lowest. Also the amount of salt they use to produce these canned foods are considerably high. And even if I use canned corned beef sparingly, if I agree to use canned meat, not just the corned beef, if I add them up overtime, am I not leading my family into the road of cardiovascular disease?

Another reason is, I don't eat it because of the texture. Texture to me plays such an important role in my food. Food does not only need balance in taste/flavor and even temperatures but texture also needs to be considered. I wanted to share this information because I want others to know the choices they have and other helpful information out there that I've come to pick up.

So here it is:

Chopsticks – Japanese chopsticks are pointed at the eating end while Chinese are blunt

Aluminum Foil – when using foil in baking, use it shiny side out to prevent the food from over-browning

If you bake a lot, it is much better to invest in an oven thermometer. Ovens can fluctuate with their temperatures overtime.

Speaking about investing, a weighing scale is a good investment if you bake quite often. It is the best approach to measuring ingredients. It is more accurate and leads to a more consistent product.

Convection vs Convention ovens – convection oven have a fan that provides continuous circulation of hot air around the oven. That means that the food cooks more evenly and much faster. When baking, it is better to reduce the heat 25 degrees lower. While convention ovens are the regular ovens that most people have in their home without a fan blowing inside the oven. When baking and using glassware bake pans, better to reduce oven temperature 25 degrees lower becaue glassware conducts and retains heat better

Don’t use whipped butter for baking, it contains 30 to 45 percent air, your measurements will be off

Baking Powder – to check if it is still active, drop a teaspoon in warm/hot water. It is suppose to bubble lively or vigorously .

Baking Soda – to check if it is still active, drop a teaspoon in vinegar . It is suppose to bubble lively or vigorously

Dutch processed Cocoa powder – ever wonder what dutch processed cocoa powder means? Dutch process means that the cocoa has been treated with an alkaline solution to help neutralize the cocoa’s natural acidity. Have you ever tried cocoa powder that is not only bitter but soured as well?

Banana is a fruit that develops better flavor when ripened off the plant

When cooking dried beans, do not ever salt beans before it is done cooking. Salt after they’ve been cooked. One big mistake I made.

Processed Cheese – do you know that the United States Government standards require only 51 percent of the processed cheese final weight to be cheese. That means that half of what you eat is cheese and the rest are emulsifiers, coloring and preservatives.

Cheddar – the yellow color of cheddar is from food coloring….just to make it look appetizing to us. The color yellow does not come from any aging process or anything. Milk is white isn’t it?

Chives- is related to both onion and garlic but it is an herb

Avocado is a fruit not a vegetable. Tip: Avocado plus milk is a good shake, you just have to try it

Cinnamon – is the inner bark of a tropical evergreen tree. For the holiday season, before guests arrive, combine 1 tsp ground cinnamon or 1 stick with 6 cups water and bring to boil. Reduce to simmer and let the scent flow through all over your house.

Coffee pots – dish soap and detergent can leave a soap film on the coffee pot that will distort the coffee flavor. It is better to use baking soda. In automatic coffeemaker, brew a full pot of water plus adding 2 tsp of baking soda in the water reservoir. Brew as usual. Run plain water through machine before use. If you have a stale smelling coffeepot, fill it with a mixture of boiling water plus 2 tsp baking soda. Cover and let sit until water cools. Rinse thoroughly.

Cookies – have you ever had cookies that are soft and chewy and day after, it becomes hard and crunchy? When storing soft chewy cookies, store them in a sealed container with a slice of apple.

Softened butter vs melted butter in cookies – butter's temperature always plays an important role in a cookies texture, so if you are looking for a certain texture in a cookie like chocolate chip cookies, why not experiment them using three different temperatures of butter. Once use a softened room temperature butter, next time melt the butter completely and lastly, use cold butter cut into small pieces (cubes). Use the same oven temperature as you normally would bake them. Beware of the time it takes to bake the cookies. Using melted butter in cookies also means that the cookies will spread thin and will bake faster so lessen the time. Unlike using cold butter, it will take longer for the cookies to bake.

IQF - Individually Quick Frozen - This means that the product are frozen separately from the others. A package of food that is IQF makes it easier for the consumer to take what they need to defrost while the rest goes back to the freezer still frozen. Have you ever picked up a package of vegetables or any frozen food that is a one big clump of iced food, that is a red flag that the product was mishandled, thawed out carelessly and returned back to the freezer. Do not buy it!

Large sized eggs, by regulations a standard large egg should weigh 2 ounces. One ounce for the yolk and another for the white. When baking, it is better to use large sized eggs. Most of the time recipes are formualted using large sized eggs.

A la carte vs prix fixe (pree fix)- A la carte menu is which individual items on the menu has it's own price while prix fixe menu has one given price for the number of courses indicated on the menu. Usually the selections of items to consist the courses are limited in a prix fixe menu.

For a balanced textured gravy, measure your fat or drippings from your roast and add in the same amoun t of flour then dilute with stock then season.

Mornay Sauce, sounds fancy but its just a cheese sauce usually of gruyere and parmesan

Inspection on Meats - Round Purplish Stamp on Meats, simply means that the meat is guaranteed of its wholesomeness but not the quality or tenderness of the meat. It also means that the animal was not diseased and is suitable for human consumption. This is required by law.

Grading of Meats, is a quality designation indicated by a shield stamp. The problem is that it is not required by law, a packer can hire a private grading system and have their own brand names for their meat. And for us consumers, they can easily increase the price just by saying it is prime, but is it really???The grading is based on texture, firmness, color of the lean meat, age of the animal, and marbling of fat.

Geoduck pronounced gooeyduck is not a duck but is a large soft shell clam

Coffee: Cafe au lait, consist of equal amounts of coffee and scalded milk. Cafe Macchiato is espresso with a dollop of a steamed milk foam Cafe Mocha is espresso combined with chocolate syrup, and a liberal amount of foamy steamed milk Cafe Americano is espresso diluted with 3 parts water Cafe Latte is espresso combined liberally with foamy steamed milk Cappuccino is espresso topped with just the creamy foam from a steamed milk

How do you feed a toddler?

noreply@blogger.com (pink cake box) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 18:00:00 +0000

I blogged about my child's eating habits on my friendster account last September 2008. It was certainly a time of frustration. A month after I wrote it, the frustration was non-existent. Although things haven't really changed. She still didn't want to eat.

Today, breakfast isn't only the problem. The only difference is that I've come to accept that food with her isn't the same anymore. She is a toddler and has a mind of her own. Most of all, I am not a bad mother just because I couldn't feed my child.

To mamasgootifulbaby, you are a great mother, do not ever doubt that. This is just part of their declaration of independence!

How do you feed a toddler?
September 25, 2008

Its been tough lately. I have a degree in the Culinary Arts. I have cooked for thousands of people and some famous. I can cook almost anything. I'm not scared of anything at all. I'm a food geek. I do make mistakes, and I mean a lot. No chef/mommy is perfect, but ever since Sam decided that pureed foods are only for "babies", she has convinced me that I am no chef at all.

She's a toddler. She's great with new foods. She has eaten more types of food I think than my own dad. I tried to recall the food I've had before my training and I know for a fact that she's had more complicated dishes than me. She likes cheese (muenster, smoked gouda, parrano, swiss, gruyere, brie, aged cheddar, parmesan, ricotta, bleu, and romano) and we have not come across any cheese she hasn't liked. She likes hummus, tofu, tikka masala, curry, sushi, kielbasa, linguica, pizza (who wouldn't?), gyro, grilled lamb, souvlaki, teriyaki, noodles, yogurt, char siu bao, barbeque, burgers, fries, grilled chicken, dumplings, meatballs, falafel, naan, vegetables (like cucumber, tomato, potato, carrots, peas, green beans, bokchoy, broccoli, squash, corn, edamame, spinach and lettuce) and fruits, she likes them all. She is attracted to sweets (what kind of kid wouldn't?). She has eaten cuisines like Japanese, Indian, Thai, Vietnamese, Mongolian, Cambodian, Chinese (dimsum is one of her favorites), Taiwanese, Italian, German, Greek, Filipino (of course!), Southern American, Swedish, French, Cajun, Mexican, Cuban, Brazilian, Columbian, Mediterrenean, Spanish, Polish, Portugese, Korean, Indonesian and Middle Eastern. And I am so lucky that every restaurant we've been to, we've found a dish she liked. So you must ask, what's the problem then, right? It's breakfast!

I CAN'T MAKE HER EAT BREAKFAST! I've cooked her scrambled eggs, waffles, swedish pancakes, crepe, french toast, sausage, corned beef and potatoes, hash, bacon, ham, and have even made her chocolate pancakes but NO LUCK. Every single morning, I'm on a struggle! I thought at first that she must not be hungry first thing in the morning, so I gave her time, but no luck. Or it must be fruits she's interested in. Nope, not at all! Something sweet and creamy or chocolatey. Neither! Soup, she loves soups...she didn't for breakfast! Cereal like oatmeal or cheerios or wheat flakes, she just stares at them! Cheesy sandwich, she says yuck! Peanut butter and Jam on bread, she looked like she wanted to say "no way"! I'll give her some credit, she does have a few bites but that is it! After, she'd rather drink milk. And I know she's hungry because she would drink 2-3 bottles. But no matter what I do, I'm out of luck!

I know milk is good for her. She is growing yet I know for a fact that she needs more nutrients from other types of food. I have to admit, I've become lazy for awhile now and I've lost the energy and interest of making her breakfast after so many attempts to find something she'd liked. Today, I made oatmeal raisin cookies with pureed bananas and pureed zucchini in it. (From Deceptively Delicious-Jessica Seinfeld) and I liked it. It's more of a cakey side of cookie but its great! It's a cross between a banana bread and a cookie. I thought she'd get excited and she did but after 4 tiny bites...that was that! It was the end of cookies! What kid says no to cookies?

So I'm calling for help: To the great chefs of the past, Marie-Antoine Careme and Escoffier, I call upon you, to please shed some light. I ask you to please send me your angel chef so he can show me, how to feed my toddler.

Terribly out of blogging

noreply@blogger.com (pink cake box) — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 03:59:00 +0000

Its been more than a month now since I've posted anything. I still cook, but how does someone find time blogging (writing a recipe down, taking photos, checking grammar and spelling) and adding to the list are, cleaning the house, taking care of a toddler and being a short order cook to a child??? It doesn't sound that much right? But I find myself always out of time. I have taken lots of photos yet I have no time writing a recipe down and blogging about it. I am now having doubts about this. I've been asking myself why I initally started this blog. All I know is that I want to share my recipes as well as filing them somehow somewhere...but I'm beginning to wonder if writing it down in some notebook was much easier. Hope I find myself again in track.

Bittersweet Hot Chocolate topped with whipped cream and served with "donuts"

noreply@blogger.com (pink cake box) — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 04:03:00 +0000

Hot chocolate topped with whipped cream and served with my version of "donuts"

I served this once as a dessert special when I worked as a pastry chef in a fine dining restaurant in Albuquerque (that I'd rather not mention the name, because I wasn't quite happy with their standards so I left!). I love hot chocolate and more so when the weather is cold and gloomy.

It was a big hit, needless to say. I referred to it on the menu as "cloud nine served with hot chocolate topped with whipped cream". I considered it more as a drink with a side of cloud nine. The cloud nine refers to these golden puffy somewhat crisp "donut holes" that goes so well with chocolate. My inspiration came from my experience of enjoying churros as a child. In Spain, it is commonly served with thick hot chocolate.

My version is simply bittersweet hot chocolate topped with whipped cream that is accompanied with cloud nine donuts. The donut's are made from pate a choux mix. Pate a choux, (means cabbage paste in french; don't creams puffs look similarly like cabbage?) is a pastry paste rather than dough. It is used to make profiteroles, eclairs, cream puffs, croquembouche, and paris-brest. The choux paste is usually baked but for these donuts, a flat disk of choux paste is dropped into hot oil creating that puff, airy and light donuts made from heaven!

Pate a Choux

Please read the pointers below before executing the recipe. I think it'll help you make pate a choux successfully.

Ingredients:

10 oz water

4 oz butter

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

6 oz bread flour

6 oz whole eggs

*GOAL: The best tip I got from Bo Friberg: "The more eggs you are able to add to the base mixture without causing it to lose its shape when piped, the higher and lighter your finished product will be, ideally becoming just a hollow shell"

Heat the water, butter, salt and sugar together. *tip: Bring to full rolling boil so that the fat is dispersed throughout the liquid when you add the flour mixture. If not, the fat will not be well incorporated into the paste and may run out during baking.
Turn the heat off. Quickly add all the flour and stir with a heavy spoon until paste forms a ball. Continue cooking and stirring as long as you can, also pushing the ball on the side of the pan releasing more liquid. *tip the more you cook the mixture with constant stirring, the more liquid will evaporate from the mixture allowing you to incorporate more eggs. You might get tired of stirring after awhile (because you need to continuously do) so think of the end result: puffy light donuts, eclairs and cream puffs!
Transfer the paste to a mixer bowl. Using a paddle attachment, mix the paste until it is cool in low speed. *tip do not add the eggs while the paste is hot or else the eggs will scramble.
Once the paste is cooled, add the eggs one at a time on low or medium speed. *tip the paste should look like a wet thick paste, to check for consistency, place a small amount of paste between your pointer finger and thumb, press and slowly release/move your two fingers apart, the paste should not break as easily but will hold like a long strand about an inch between your fingers. If it cuts easily, that means it is still a little dry, so you can add more eggs.
If you have added all the measured eggs and need to add more to correct the consistency of your paste then that is great! That means that you evaporated more liquid than what the recipe expects you to. But if you think you don't need to add the entire 6 oz of eggs then you don't. And don't worry! Try again next time but don't waste the paste, it'll be great for donuts instead!
With this recipe, I sometimes add 2 oz more of eggs. But be careful, make sure to add the eggs one at a time, or if you need to, you can just add the yolks then the whites. If it is too wet, it will take much longer for the inside to dry up during baking and also produces a paste with too slack when piped. If dry, it will not puff up well and is thick and heavy.
If making eclairs and cream puffs, the mixture needs to be used immediately.
When making donuts, you can prepare the paste ahead of time. Store the paste in a resealable bag. The storage bag has to have NO air in it or the paste will develop a skin. You can refrigerate the paste for donuts. Bring to room temperature before use.
If making eclairs or cream puffs, here is the link.
When making the donuts, roll a teaspoonful amount of paste flat into 1/8 inch thick or less. You can use a small amount of flour if the dough sticks.
Have your fryer ready and hot. Carefully drop the flat disk of paste into hot oil, one at a time. The disk should puff up immediately. Remove from oil and drain on paper
Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with hot chocolate.

Bittersweet Hot Chocolate

I wanted to share my recipe for hot chocolate because I think there is a better alternative than using powdered mix chocolate or using chocolate syrup. Besides from having control of the type of chocolate you can use, especially if there are allergy concerns, you get to control the amount of sugar in your hot chocolate without having to sacrifice the taste of chocolate.
*one of my major annoyances with bakeries or cafes is having chocolate cake without tasting any chocolate at all instead they might as well call it "sugar cake" or any other food that proclaims to be of such kind like chocolate candy bars or lemon pastry bars, yet it just tastes like sugar. So if I was to judge a business it would be by this definition; the food has to taste like what they say it is in the first bite and in the first layer of flavor

Second, this recipe/technique is for people who, like our family, has to have it most of the time! And has a toddler who can't wait to have it!

Ingredients:

1st part:

2 parts your preferred milk and fat content (1%, 2% ,whole or skim)
1 part your preferred chocolate, I suggest semi sweet or bittersweet (chips or block that has been chopped)

The first part is like making a soft ganache but with the use of milk. This hot chocolate base can be made in quantity before hand and used each time you make hot chocolate. The soft ganache also leads to a smooth texture in your hot chocolate.

Bring milk to boil, then pour into chocolate. If the chocolate pieces are quite big, make the mixture sit for about 5 minutes before mixing. Mix until completely incorporated. Store in an airtight container, refrigerated.

2nd part - milk of your choice fat content
- milk chocolate mixture(soft ganache with milk)

Heat milk and ganache together until ganache completely incoporated. You can heat them in a microwave, if you prefer. The ratio of ganache to milk is determined from your personal preference. When adjusting the flavor, it is best to measure the ganache, perhaps in "number of ice cream scoops of ganache per cup of milk", so that your next cup of chocolate tastes the same.

Topped with fresh whipped cream.

Optional: for orange flavor, warm the milk with orange zest and ganache, then strain off the zest before serving. For some punch, add grand marnier!

*if you are wondering why you had to make a ganache first, it is because when melting chocolate over heat with milk, you have to do it slowly so as not to break the chocolate compounds. You will notice small specks of chocolate floating when chocolate is heated quickly with milk. Also, measuring your preferred ganache to milk ratio will lead to cups of hot chocolate with consistent flavor and texture.

Serve with Cloud Nine Donuts! It will keep you warm and sweet!

A fishy cake for the two year old

noreply@blogger.com (pink cake box) — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 05:43:00 +0000

I love to cook, I love to bake. I love sweets, I love savory. I love almost everything about gastronomy, EXCEPT making cakes!

The first thing I ever made when I was a child was a cake. My grandmother is a phenomenal baker. And her recipes were so easy and good like the chocolate cake and banana bread recipe I used in this fish cake. I watched her for years, yet I never understood why she did the things she did, but I followed them. I followed everything she did. And that is why baking came easy for me.

After being exposed to the rules of professional baking in culinary school, I realized ignorance is bliss. Baking with my grandmother was easy; no questions or thinking, I just repeated what she did. Or maybe it was learning the complicated reasons for the way my grandmother bake and how cooking school showed me how easy it is to screw up a cake, but I just started to dislike baking cakes, not to mention decorating them. The demands of perfection that I placed on myself was exhausting. I also loathe the pressure and the high expectations of making a flawless cake for someone else's joyous event. It was and still is too much.

Yet, when my child came, the love I have for her naturally made everything worth the pain including making cakes! I'm not sure if it is because my child doesn't pay me for my services or maybe because she doesn't have any expectations like an adult, but I started making cakes again however only for her.

When she turned one, I picked the design myself. She loved ducks and so of course it would have to be a duck cake. This time around, she's been introduced to many birthday celebrations with our family and friends. She knew exactly what she wanted, she said FISH CAKE! It didn't sound like an easy task. But just like any parent, I wanted her to be happy so I tackled the project as calmly as I could. I didn't know where to begin. I didn't know how to execute it. I researched for photos of fish cakes in google images, and found lots of ideas!!! Yet I wasn't sure if it was me being a parent or me being the perfectionist that decided to make a cake that would take 8 hours to decorate. I slaved in the kitchen. I nitpicked every inch of that cake until I found myself so weak.

The result, I'm glad my client smiled when she saw her cake for the first time! Every pain was worth it!

The cake assembly:

The moist chocolate cake from my grandmother!

3/4 cup butter

1 3/4 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups All Purpose Flour

3/4 cup cocoa powder

1 1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/3 cup water

In a bowl with paddle attachment, cream butter until soft and light in color. Scrape the bowl then add sugar and beat until well blended. Scrape. Add in eggs and vanilla. Beat for 1 minute at medium speed.

In separate bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Using a fork or whisk, mix the dry ingredients together. Add dry ingredients into the butter mixture alternately with water. Scrape then mix again. Do not over mix. Mix just until ingredients are incorporated together. Pour batter in a lined cake pan.

Bake in the center of a 350 degrees oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until done.

The banana cake/bread my grandmother taught me!

1/2 cup butter 3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs beaten

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups All Purpose Flour

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

3 cups mashed over-ripe bananas

Cream butter until light and fluffy using a paddle attachment. Scrape then add sugar. Beat until

well blended. Scrape. Add in eggs and vanilla. Mix until completely incorporated. Add in flour, baking powder, baking soda and mashed ripe bananas. Scrape then mix one last time until ingredients are well incorporated. Pour into lined pans. If served by itself with no buttercream or frosting, sprinkle the top of the banana cake batter with granulated sugar to form as a crust (great taste and texture when served by itself, no need for frosting). Bake in the center of a 325 degrees oven until the middle part of the pan is springy or use a toothpick to test if done. Toothpick needs to come out clean if done.

The Neoclassic Buttercream from " The Cake Bible"

As described by the author, Rose Levy Beranbaum, this recipe is better than the classic buttercream recipe. Compared to the former buttercream, the sugar and water is replaced with a small amount of sugar and corn syrup by then cutting the sweetness in half than the classic buttercream.

Also don't be disturbed by the use of egg yolks. I understand about having a child and being concerned about uncooked eggs. In this recipe, you bring the sugar and corn syrup to a certain temperature which after will be mixed in with the egg yolks and at the same time cooking the eggs in the process.

This will yield 4 cups of buttercream

6 large egg yolks

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup corn syrup

2 cups softened unsalted butter

4 tbsp your choice of liquer or 2 tbsp vanilla extract

Have ready a greased heatproof glass measuring cup near the range.

In a mixing bowl with a paddle attachment, beat egg yolks until light in color. Meanwhile in a small saucepan, combine sugar and corn syrup and bring to heat. Stir constantly until sugar dissolves and syrup comes to a rolling boil (entire surface will be covered by large bubbles) or to 238 degrees on a candy thermometer.
Immediately transfer mixture to the glass measure to stop the cooking.

Beat the syrup into egg yolks mixture with a steady stream in a medium-high speed . Don't allow the syrup to fall on the paddle or they will spin into the sides of the bowl and harden. I find it easier using a stand-in mixer and continuously have the paddle running on medium-high speed while I pour in by small amount on a steady stream until the last remaining syrup is incorporated. Continue beating until the mixture is completely cool before adding the softened butter.

Gradually beat in the butter and your preferred flavoring. Place in an airtight container. Bring to room temperature before using. Rebeat if necessary to restore the texture.

You can store the buttercream 6 hours in room temperature, or 1 week refrigerated or 8 months frozen.

The Ganache frosting from another famous chef that I lost track of (whoever you are, thank you!)

12 oz semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate, use chips or if came as a block, chop into small sized pieces

8 oz heavy cream

2 tsp flavoring or liquer

In a saucepan, bring heavy cream to boil. In a bowl with padde attachment, combine cream with chocolate and flavoring or liquer. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes, covered.

Stir the mixture until every ingredient is incorporated with one another. Mix until the mixture has thickened and cooled.

Refrigerate for 10 minutes or until the mixture has thickened into soft buttercream consistency. Whip the mixture until it turns thick.

If the mixture is cooled too much, make the mixture sit in room temperature until its desired consistency or quickly make it sit on a warm bath to help rebeat the mixture into the desired texture.

*tip: if you decide to use milk chocolate or white chocolate, use less heavy cream to achieve the right consistency for frosting purposes.

For this cake, I made 3x the recipe of the chocolate cake, 1x of the banana cake. 2 1/2 x of the ganache and 2x of the buttercream recipe.

I layered the cake with ganache frosting, carved it to shape, and frosted the outside with a thin layer of ganache. Frosted the outside with buttercream. Decorated the sides to mimic the scales with nonpareils (used backwards). And the fins are made of melted chocolate piped into a food grade transparency paper, then skewered on to the sides.

Carne Guisada en Salsa de Chile Rojo (Pork stewed in Red Chile Sauce)

noreply@blogger.com (pink cake box) — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 04:39:00 +0000

Meat stewed in Red Chile Sauce

I pride myself of surviving the biting cold of New England. But I wouldn’t have done it without the warm winter dishes I’ve come to love during the cold months. During these months soups, risotto, pasta and stewed meat are popular in our household. These dishes bring warmth and hominess that our chaotic household needs. Lately I have been introducing mildly spicy foods to my child …lately I have been opening her eyes to New Mexican food. I have this fear that one day my child may only want food from a fast food burger joint. So my main agenda with my child is to introduce her to many types of food before she figures out that these fast food places exist. Hopefully by then she would agree with us that there are far more interesting foods out there than just burgers and fries.

One of my proudest moments as a parent is her screaming for prosciutto as we wait in the deli counter. I was a happy mommy with a child in a tantrum for prosciutto. It puts a smile on my face that my child, as young as she is, appreciates the food that I had only come to know later in life.

My husband came home from a business trip to New Mexico not long ago and surprised me with dried red chile pods. He really knows me well. The best gifts are the ones that warms my heart through my stomach!!! I was ecstatic! It was the perfect homecoming gift. So this week I decided to stew some pork in red chile sauce.

It is a two part recipe. First you have to prepare the red chile sauce, and second, stew the meat in the sauce until it is soft and fork tender. You can use beef if you prefer it over pork. I have tried them in both ways and they both come out excellent. If you are worried about the intensity of the heat, don’t be weary; you can adjust it by the amount of sauce you add into the meat when stewing.

Also, the heat of the New Mexican Chiles is not so intense, unlike the other blistering hot peppers I’ve come to know. Their bold flavor makes up for the heat. This is not some sort of spicy dish that is all about heat and no flavor. The red chiles from New Mexico have a deep rustic aroma and taste in them that you will never find in other chiles from around the world.

The Red Chile Sauce
10 oz New Mexican Dried Red chiles pods (your preference of mild, medium or spicy)
8 cups of water
3-4 tbsp minced garlic
½ tsp dried oregano,
optional Salt and Pepper
6 tbsp Grapeseed oil or extra light olive oil (no harm in using vegetable oil as well, if that’s all you have)
6 tbsp flour

Prepare the chile pods by taking off the stems and seeds of each one of them. You can use a paring knife to slice open the pods, making it easier to remove the seeds and ribs of the peppers. You can reserve some of these parts, if you later choose to enhance the heat of your sauce.

Optional: If you want to intensify the flavor and color, you can lightly toast the chiles in a pan. Be careful not to burn them or toast them heavily because they can become bitter.

When your pods are ready, place them in a saucepan filled with water. Bring the water to boil then reduce to the lowest heat. Let them soak until they are soft and plump. Once your peppers are soft, transfer the peppers into a blender or food processor; do not discard the water. There is no need to remove the peels of the peppers; once they are pureed it will have a smooth consistency. While pureeing, you can use some of the reserved water to unbind the mixture. Set aside.

In a saucepan, heat the oil then add flour to make a roux. Stir until the paste turns into golden yellow. Add in the minced garlic to sautee. Once the garlic is done, add the pureed peppers and three quarters of the reserved water. Adjust the consistency by adding more of the reserved water. Continue to cook until sauce has thickened to nappe (coats the back of your spoon). Add in dried oregano if desired. Season with salt and pepper.

You can adjust the heat if needed with the seeds and ribs that were set aside. For a smoother sauce, puree one more time. Use the sauce for enchiladas, burritos, and can be served with eggs. In New Mexico, you will find them served with burgers.

You can freeze the sauce for 4-6 months, if not used immediately. In our home, we pre-portion them before freezing. In this way it is convenient for future use and one should avoid defrosting a large amount of sauce and then re-freezing.

Pork stewed in Red Chile Sauce

3-4 lbs Pork Picnic Shoulder including bone( if you prefer beef, use beef chuck)
2-3 cups Red Chile Sauce
1 medium sized onion, diced
2 bay leaves

Trim the fat off the pork and discard. Cut the remaining meat into medium sized pieces. Set aside the bones.

In a large pot, combine 2-3 cups of red chile sauce, 1 cup of water, medium sized pieces of pork, bones, bayleaves and diced onions. Bring the pot to boil. Then, reduce the heat to a simmer. Partially cover the pot. Simmer until the meat is fork tender. It may take 1 to 1 ½ hours to cook. Adjust the flavor by adding red chile sauce if necessary. To avoid over seasoning, wait until the meat is fork tender before adjusting the flavor with salt and pepper. When done, discard the bone. Serve in a bowl with warm flour tortillas.

This dish is one of my comfort foods! Enjoy.

Awards!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (pink cake box) — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 18:27:00 +0000

I should have posted this long time ago right after I received my first award. But I will be honest What A Card, I dont think I deserve any of it. For one, I can't even keep up with the blog. I rarely have time to sit down. It's not like writing an email short and sweet, answer and send. Blogging really takes more of me than the five minute breaks I have throughout the day. Second, I wasn't sure what to say about the award...yes I am thankful, appreciative and it really felt nice that you recognize my efforts, but I guess I was lost for words (which is usual). So thank you! My very first award is: Wow! I'm lost for words again...so I'll just proceed.

I have to list six things that make me happy, and then pass the award along to six more bloggers. This is tough!

Six Things that Make Me Happy:
No. 1 on the list: my husband, daughter and doggy. They really do make me laugh.

2. This must sound weird, Berries. I grew up in the Philippines and berries are not a fruit common to a tropical country. Strawberries can be found only in one province in the Philippines-Benguet, an area high above sea level. If we have it in the city, it is extremely expensive. When I eat berries, it literally makes feel like the richest person on earth.

3. Bittersweet Hot Chocolate on a rainy day

4. A book that makes me laugh out loud

5. A long conversation with lots of laughter after dinner with friends and/or family

6. A meal I could never recreate on my own. Something so good, I'd remember the taste and smell for a long long time

And I'm passing it along to:
1. bad home cooking
2. the girl who ate everything
3. scent of green bananas
4.cooking for engineers
5. food on the food
6. what a card (I'm sorry what a card...you just had to be on the list...I'm remembering all those times I laughed my ass off thinking how could you have come up with that????)
Another award from whatacard.....thanks again!
The Snazzy Blog Award

This blog invests and believes the PROXIMITY - nearness in space, time and relationships! These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers! Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award.

1. a little pregnant
2. mama's gootiful baby
3. orangette
4. line cook
5. girls gone child
6. what it all looks like
7. confessions of a restaurant whore
8. willow manor
9. What A Card you just have to be a part of this too!

I must add that these are the blogs I must read everyday. Being a mom I never have time to give myself a break when my toddler is awake. Everytime I feel like I can't go on these are the blogs I read. They bring me so much laughter (the gutt-busting ones!) and their passion inspires me.

Hoppin John - A New Year's Tradition

noreply@blogger.com (pink cake box) — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 17:00:00 +0000

When I arrived in Atlanta, I discovered American traditions that I've never encountered before. Of course there are a lot of American traditions, but that was the beginning of my venture into what America is about and I was excited.

I came from a country infused with culture and traditions. On New Year's Eve my father would hand me coins to put on every window sill as a symbol of the wealth to come pouring in as the new year arrives. Also on New Year's Eve we swept the entire house as a gesture to leave the past behind and get rid of any lingering bad spirits; it's also used to welcome the new year (and I guess the new dust!). On New Year's day we had to have 7 round foods on the table, from round fruits to round cakes; the "roundness" symbolizes wealth. There are many other Filipino traditions that others partake in every year, like firecrackers, but these were the ones my family recognized. My family never lighted fireworks because of safety concerns. In the Philippines during New Year's Eve, almost every household welcomes the new year with firecrackers to "scare the bad spirits away". Many Filipino households spend a lot of money on fireworks that are considered illegal in the United States. My father disagreed with this tradition because it was expensive and dangerous. He thought buying fireworks and lighting them is literally like burning money.

My work in Atlanta introduced me to Hoppin John. In the beginning I wasn't really sure what they meant. The name sounds like some nursery song to me. But when I tasted some, it really didn't matter to me what it meant; it was so good I just had to have it for New Year's Eve or any day of the week. I have served it with Roast Pork Loin, or with Grilled Steak or Pan-Seared Duck and as a side, I accompanied it with sauteed spinach (I'm not a fan of collards).

Hoppin John is traditionally made with black-eyed peas and rice. There are several variants, but this version is beans sauteed with wild rice, bacon, aromatic vegetables, and thyme. The beans symbolize coins and they serve it with collards that symbolize dollars. Tradition says that when eaten on New Years day it will bring good luck.

You will need :
2 cups dried black-eyed peas, soaked in 6 cups of water overnight, then cooked until tender
1 cup wild rice, cooked separately
1/2 cup minced bacon
3/4 cup diced red onion
1/2 cup diced celery
1 tbsp chopped garlic
1/2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
seasonings: ground cumin, salt and pepper, and tabasco

Cook black eyed peas and wild rice separately. DO NOT salt the water when cooking beans. Cook both beans and rice until al dente.

In a large pan, render bacon. When minced bacon is crisp, take bacon out of the pan.

Using the bacon fat, saute onions, celery and garlic. Continue sauteeing until onion is translucent. Add in cooked beans, wild rice, chopped thyme, and rendered bacon. Stir until well blended. Season with salt and pepper, a dash or more of ground cumin, and a splash or three of tabasco sauce. Serve.

This side goes very well with Roast Pork Loin. Use the drippings from roast to make a sauce. Happy New Year!

Kitchen Nightmares

noreply@blogger.com (pink cake box) — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 15:02:00 +0000

I watched cooking shows often before I had a child but ever since she came, I find myself staring at walls or the computer browsing the internet. It's tough being a full time parent. Not only has my life changed drastically but I also miss cooking professionally. I love being a chef to my family and I love being a mother to my child but once in awhile I would love to catch up with my profession at least on my reading and cooking shows when I still have the energy after she goes to bed.

One of the shows I was hooked on was foodtv. But recently, my brother-in-law introduced me to Gordon Ramsey's show- Kitchen Nightmares. The show is about Ramsey visiting restaurants who are failing. He starts by reviewing the place from the decor, to the menu, and to the staff. Not only is it a reality cooking show but he deals with the failing business aspect of the restaurant. I know my brother-in-law is attracted to the show because he has his own practice in NC. But knowing him, I know he shared it with me because that show has lot of grit.

The host Gordon Ramsey has so much passion in what he does that he lights me up inside when I watch him. And now I am hooked. Another thing that I love about the show is Ramsey's uncensored criticizm of the owners and the chefs. Reminds me of those first days on new jobs and how most male chefs would do things to test me. Because I was a woman, no matter what I did, I was still a "girl" in a man's world. And if I failed some of these tests, I knew I wouldn't be on the next week's schedule for the hot line but instead they'd put me on salads or dessert. After awhile I got the hang of it. Usually, three days into my new job, if someone demanded of me to do their work, I would end up cussing them as brutal as I could and call them my bitches. And funny enough, almost like a hazing event, they'd accept me as a chef. And I'd finally be one of them. In the kitchens that I've worked for, I remember seeing women that would last only a few weeks in the schedule. The next time I'd see them, they'd be working only on parties, serving dishes for a catered event. Sometimes I don't see them again. I felt bad, but it is as I have heard throughout my kitchen experiences; if you can't handle the heat then get out of the kitchen. And these are the things I remembered very well, that being a woman in the kitchen is not an excuse for failing to lift heavy loads, sometimes heavier than myself; being a woman is not an excuse for working slow; being a woman is never an excuse for failing to kill a live lobster; and being a woman in the kitchen doesn't excuse me to have a shorter list of prep work than the male chefs. I wont lie, it was tough sometimes. But I love cooking and I was willing to take anything to be a part of a great dish and learn things I would never know about if I wasn't IN. One of the greatest compliment I ever received was over hearing the head chef describing who I was to the new guy. He said that I never quit no matter how strenuous work was; that I could lift anything; and most of all, that no one can mess with me because I fight back. I know they saw me as a man in a woman's body. And the respect they had for me was from all the times I've proven them wrong. But even that didn't really matter to me. It was the simple pleasure of cooking for one person who thinks you have made them something exquisite. That while dining and tasting the food, they look like they were sitting on the heaven's gate ready to share the greatest events of their life. That was worth every struggle! The ethics in the kitchen workplace was not as important as the food one can create. When one understands the beauty behind every ingredient and combines them to make a dish so refined and delicate, that in itself was worth every pain I received. Hopefully someday more and more male chefs would give female chefs the benefit of the doubt. That having a womans a body does not make us less of man in the kitchen.

Caramel Filled Butter Cookies Dipped in Bittersweet Chocolate

noreply@blogger.com (pink cake box) — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 05:51:00 +0000

I experienced my first cookie swap today and I had a lot of fun. Thanks to Mary Jo, I brought home 5 dozen cookies and they were all delicious. It was a lot of fun too. And it was a combined playdate so our children had fun as well.

I made caramel filled cookies dipped in bittersweet chocolate because I am crazy for caramels right now. I dont know what it is but everytime halloween comes, it's like a wake up call and I remember that candies exists! Then I'd wondered why I haven't been eating them since last Christmas. I'd fill myself up again until I get sick of them...usually right after Christmas is when I also need to go on a diet.

This year its all about caramel. I just love caramel. From sauces to candies to tart fillings...I could have it for dinner.

Tip* read entire recipe procedure before starting

Short dough for cookies: Yields 4, 9-inch tart shells or 90 cookies using 2.5 inch diameter round cookie cutter.

This cookie recipe is very versatile. These cookies have distinct butter flavor in them. You can use this dough for tart shells and/or turn them into jam tart cookies. You can flavor the dough with flavorings/extracts added during mixing. Fine coconut or chopped nuts may also be mixed in with the dough.

Raw shaped cookies can be decorated with chopped nuts or whole almonds, colored sugar, chocolate sprinkles, or coconut flakes (tops may be egg washed first to help the toppings stick).

Baked cookies can be garnished with fondant, royal icing, pecan halves on dabs of fudge or melted chocolate. You can also dip them in chocolate then crushed nuts.

Ingredients:

1 lb butter, room temp

8 oz sugar

0.25 oz salt

3 oz eggs

0.25 oz vanilla extract

12 oz sifted All-Purpose Flour

12 oz sifted Cake Flour

Using a paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugar and salt together in low speed for about 1 minute or until everything is incorporporated and blended into a smooth paste. Do not cream until light and fluffy, you don't want a lot of air mixed into it.

Add the eggs and vanilla and blend at low speed.

Mix in the flours until just combined. Do not overmix or gluten will develop.

Form dough into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap. Chill dough thoroughly about 2 hours.

Pull out dough for 30 minutes before working with it. Roll dough out into 1/8 inch thick on a lightly floured surface. Cut out cookies with cookie cutters. Cut as close together as possible to reduce the quantity of scraps. Place cookies in a parchment lined baking sheets. Form scraps into a disk and cover with plastic wrap and chill again for dough to relax. Chill cookies on baking sheet in refrigerator for 20 minutes before baking.

Bake in a 325 degrees oven for about 10 minutes or until golden brown. Trasfer to a rack to cool. You can store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Caramel Filling:

This caramel is just yummy. Its very buttery and the salt brings the butter flavor out making it not too sweet. The consistency of the caramel is not too chewy like caramel candies and it doesn't liquify like a caramel sauce. After using it, I learned that there is a certain caramel temperature that is perfect for filling the cookies. If the caramel is too warm, then it becomes too thin as you fill the cookies and it could flow off. If its too cool, its too thick and difficult to pour. The right temperature is critical for filling these cookies. However, if you are using the caramel to fill a tart shell, do not wait for the caramel to cool, you can pour it on the shell as soon as its made.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup water

2.5 cups sugar

4.5 tbsp butter

3/4 cup heavy cream, warmed

1/4 tsp kosher salt

Using a heavy medium to large sized saucepan, combine water and sugar. Make sure that all the sugar is wet before you turn on the fire. Also make sure that no crytals of sugar are on the side of the pan. You can use a pastry brush dipped in water to wash it down to avoid crystallization. Bring mixture to boil. When it starts boiling, brush down the sides of the pan to avoid sugar crystallization. Tip* I use a lid to cover the saucepan while cooking so the steam on the lid will fall back down on the sides or a very tiny drop of corn syrup can help avoid crystallization. Once the sugar-water mixture looks thick, you can remove the lid. When the color starts turning amber, lightly swirl the pan to evenly cook the sugar mixture. Bring the sugar into a medium amber color. Make sure it doesn't get too dark that it becomes bitter. But, you also want it to be darker than golden color so that there is deep caramel flavor and the color of finished product is not too light. Turn off the heat when it reaches the desired amber color. If possible you can dip the bottom of your pan in a bowl of cold water for about 5 seconds to stop the cooking. Add in butter. Be careful when doing this, the mixture will foam up and splatter. Step back until it settles down if you need to. Use a whisk to mix it in. Add in the warmed heavy cream and salt. Again be careful of the hot steam. Mix until smooth. Cool.

Once it is slightly cool and the caramel is thick, its ready to use.

Optional: You can flavor the caramel filling with orange by using extract or grand marnier with additional orange zest steeped in the heavy cream then strained.

Line cookies in sheet pan. Fill cookies with caramel filling. I used a Wilton's candy melting bottle or any food grade squirt bottle. I got mine from Michael's. It made the process easy. I filled the bottle up with caramel and use that to pour (or squirt) the caramel on the cookies. Tip* When the caramel starts getting too thick, you can dip the bottle in very warm water to soften it a little.

When you've filled a sheet of cookies, gently place another cookie on top so the caramel does not flow off. Place the pan in your fridge to chill and for the caramel to become firm. I think its better to fill the cookies a day in advance so that the cookie softens up a little and takes in the caramel. Be careful storing these; when the kitchen is too warm, the caramel can soften up and top cookie may slide.

Melted Bittersweet Chocolate: to dip the cookies

To balance the sweetness I decided on bittersweet chocolate. You can use your preferred type of chocolate.

Ingredients:

For the entire short dough cookie recipe I used

1.5 pounds of bittersweet chocolate, chopped

Melt 2/3 of the total amount of chopped chocolate over double boiler or use a stainless steel bowl that would fit snugly on top of a pot of boiling water. Make sure the hot water is not touching the bowl of chocolate. Once it starts melting, lower your heat and stir until smooth. Once all the chocolate is melted, turn off your heat and add the rest of the chopped chocolate. Stir until smooth.

Tip* I left the bowl of melted chocolate on top of the hot water to keep it warm. It made it easier to dip cold cookies.

Dip the cookie in melted chocolate. Set the chocolate dipped cookies on a parchment-paper, lined cookie sheet. Chill until chocolate has set.

The food in my head!

noreply@blogger.com (pink cake box) — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 06:03:00 +0000

Have you ever started something (whatever it may be, school, life, work..even blog) and it completely turned into something else??? When I was 7, my father handed me the newspaper and asked me to read the front page. I wasn't sure why but I did and continued reading the paper until I gave birth (no more time I guess!). When I was 11, I found out that I enjoyed having debates over politics, sociology, or anything current that I cared about, even more than attending my classes. When I got to high school I felt more empowered. I lead the student council and demanded a lot of changes from the school officials. Again, I think if there was a reason why I was in school, it was more about learning from my activities than learning from my classes.
When I got to college, I was studying to be a pre-school teacher, then I joined a group fighting for women's rights in the Philippines. Soon after, I quickly found out that teaching children wasn't as interesting as social work.

When I moved to the US and enrolled myself in culinary school, I quickly was labeled. I was aggressive when it came to working in the kitchen, and I constantly questioned the chefs. I was in school to learn and not to make friends. Isn't that the purpose of being in school, to challenge your mind and everyone else's? I am not sure how many names were given to me by the boys in the class, but I know one of the more insulting names bitches, was one of them. I didn't give a damn. I knew coming in, that as a woman I would have to work harder and that would be the only way to gain respect. And if they couldn't see past my sexuality, it really didn't matter. I just called the boys my bitches too! I also took advantage of my professors time in class. I learned and did as much as I could. In the end, cooking was not just about food and learning the techniques, it also was to prove something to myself as a woman and to the boys who called themselves "men".

After culinary school, my first job was in a fine-dining restaurant in downtown Atlanta. I worked very hard. Not only did I push myself but I also demanded quality from the people I worked with. Less than a year later, I was promoted to kitchen manager. I worked long hours, sometimes longer than the head chef (this is not the same head chef who hired me). I questioned my peer's lack of enthusiasm in the kitchen and eventually the head chef. The head chef once said that my passion was going to burn me alive and advised me that it wasn't healthy. We battled for about a month. When I finally realized that I was working harder than the head chef, I walked out of my job. That was the first time I ever walked out of a job but wasn't the last either! I walked out of a job one more time after that. And I can honestly tell you that those were not my proudest moments in life because I always felt like a quitter. But I am also not willing to sell myself or lower my standards in food, life or work.

Now, I can honestly admit that restaurants, bakeries, caterers, markets or any other food businesses ARE NOT JUST ABOUT FOOD. They represent our knowledge about food. They represent our health. Certainly they are in business to make money, but I value those who assume a moral responsibility and understand the impacts they have on our health. And I could swear a million times at those businesses like the ones in China (not to mention their government) who seem to think that producing melamine tainted milk is the fucking way of doing business with the world! I am realizing that my pending posts may be "boring" to those of you who are just searching for recipes (although, I really hope not!). My passion for food goes beyond finding the perfect ingredient or mastering a technique. I believe that food is not just something we think about when were hungry. Our food choices reflect on who we are, they represent our lifestyle. And if I ever have my own food business, it's a commitment... to myself, to my standards, and to my customers.

Why I love Trader Joe's

noreply@blogger.com (pink cake box) — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 04:33:00 +0000

How do I love Trader Joes? Let me count the ways... I love thee for the new york bagels and the super nutty toffee crunch cereal, when stomach feels hollow in the morning and those sight of breakfast is an ideal grace. I love thee to the height of savings most pressing need, from chicken stock to olive oil to balsamic vinegar and cheese. I love thee freely, like fearless flyer confers wisdom. I love thee purely, synonymous to the devotion of food without trans fat or MSG. I love thee with passion like the indulgence I have for stroop waffles and chocolate caramel tartlets. I love thee for pizza doughs that are ninety-nine cents each. I love thee with a love I seemed to lose with other gourmet markets. I love thee with the smiles, belly aches from eating too much, of all my life; and, if God choose, I shall but love thee better than Whole Foods. I wonder if I could ever survive now not having a computer, or the internet or Trader Joe's. Especially Trader Joe's. The first time I ever laid eyes on Trader Joe's was in 1999 in San Diego, Califirornia. From the moment I stepped inside the market, I knew right away what was special about it. The very first purchase I made were chocolate covered cookies made in France, seriously good and relatively cheap. I still remember how they tasted. When we lived in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 2004 (yes this was 2004 and Albuquerqueans still didn't know Trader Joe's), not many people in that city knew what Trader Joe's was unless they were originally from California or other big cities. Every weekend, hubby and I would drive 45 minutes away to Santa Fe just to satisfy ourselves. Friends thought that was ridiculous but who could blame them, they didn't know what they're missing. So what's my hype about Trader Joe's? Here's a list of items, some I can't live without! Free Range Chicken Broth: $1.99 for a 32 oz box. No MSG. Taste and SMELLS like real chicken stock and the color of broth is the same as the chicken stock I make at home without the additional caramel coloring. Buttermilk Pancake and All Purpose Baking Mix: $1.99 for a 2lb mix. Cheaper than Bisquick or Aunt Jemima. Has no trans fat/partially hydrogenated oil. And considerably has lower sodium than other brands. Tip: Saute sliced apples in butter, brown sugar and little bit of maple syrup (optional: plus cinnamon) in a cast iron pan or oven safe stainless steel frying pan . When apples are slightly soft, top sauteed apples with pancake mix (11-12 pancake portion from directions behind box). Bake in a 350 degrees oven until done. Flip pancake on a plate (like an upside down apple pancake). Be careful of hot sugar syrup when flipping the pan. Dust with powder sugar and serve. No need for maple syrup and butter when serving. Variety of Cheeses: They have every cheese that I need. From Ovolini, Bocconcini, Ciliegine and Perlini Mozzarella, Smoked Gouda, Brie, Havarti, Manchego, Comte, Creme Fraiche, Feta, Emmenthaler, Parrano, gruyere, Marscapone, Taleggio, Stilton, Muenster and Blue. Fresh Basil - $2.69 for 2.5 oz. Cheaper than in other groceries. Pizza Dough. $0. 99 cents each for a 16 oz dough. Regular, Whole Wheat or Garlic Herb. Freezeable. Good quality with enough gluten. You dont need to make pizza to use this dough. Tip: Roll dough to 1/2 inch thick. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle sea salt. Bake in 375 degrees oven until done. They come out great. Can be eaten by itself or as a side for your soup or pasta. For a crustier bread, instead of drizzling oil, spray with water and sprinkle sea salt...and you got some crusty bread! Pizza Sauce. $1.89 16oz. Who could go wrong with this? Simple yet good flavor and cheaper than making your own. Potato Cheddar Pierogi. $2.99 16oz. Great for snacks. A favorite in my household even the toddler loves it as snack. Mochi Ice Cream. $3.49 12oz. Available in Trader Joe's not only in Asian/Japanese Markets. Comes in different flavors chocolate, vanilla, and green tea. Dijon Mustard. $2.79 13oz. Real dijon mustard. Made in Dijon, France. Chocolate Chips. $1.99 12oz for Semi Sweet. $2.19 12 oz for Milk. $2.19 10oz for White. No trans fat/partially hydrogented oil. The price recently increased as of 11/17/08. This is the current price. Soyaki Teriyaki Sauce. $2.99 21 oz. A great competition to Soy Vay. Good quality teriyaki sauce. Harvest Grains Blend. $2.69 16oz. A healthy side dish! A blend of Israeli Couscous, Orzo, Baby Garbanzo Beans and Quinoa. Easy to prepare, just follow instructions! Dips: Hummus (plain, kalamata, sundried tomato, roasted garlic), Tzaziki and others. $2.69-3.49 8-16 oz tubs. Taste like homemade. Frozen Chopped Basil. $1.99 2.5oz. Has 20 cubes, 1cube=1tsp. A must in your pantry. Good substitute for fresh basil. Use in soups or sauces. Garlic Fries. $2.69 20 oz. Really delicious. Garlic Naan Bread. $1.99 12oz. Who could go wrong with this bread. It's like having a fresh tandoori baked bread at home. Tarte d' Alsace. $4.39 8oz. A french style flat bread with ham, caramelized onions and gruyere cheese. So easy to cook. Takes 10-13 minutes in a 475 degrees oven. Great pairing with salad. Perfect for lunch.

Turkey Meatballs. $2.69 16oz. Taste yummy. Toddler eats it for snack, in soup or as an entree with sauteed vegetables. I even use it for spaghetti and meatballs.

Oriental rice Crackers. $2.99 17.6oz. Perfect coffee table snack. Chocolate with Vanilla Bean Cream Joe Joes. $2.49 20oz. Better than Oreos. Made with real vanilla beans. Chocolate Caramel Tartlet. Forgot the price but if you like buttery cookies, chocolate and caramel...you have to hunt this down. Imported from France. Trust me, once you've tried this, you will get hooked. Individually packaged. (will update next time I purchase them) Gone Bananas. $1.99 11oz. Contains 4 chocolate covered frozen bananas on popsicle sticks. And I think each bananas has only 80 calories. This is yummy...you have to try it. Ice Cream Bonbons-Chocolate, Vanilla or Cappuccino $3.69 7.6 oz 12 bonbons. If you love ice cream..you will like this...but if you like luscious chocolate cookies with ice cream covered with another layer of chocolate...YOU HAVE TO TRY THIS! I have to admit, I ate an entire package in one sitting. Not so sweet, makes it perfect..good quality ice cream and real chocolate. Pound Plus Chocolate-Dark, Bittersweet or Milk $3.99 for dark and bittersweet and $4.49 for milk - 17.6oz. I used to buy callebaut chocolate for baking because of its quality. After finding this product, and tasting it's quality, why pay more? Can't go wrong with this product either chop into pieces for chocolate chip cookies, use it for ganache or even hot cocoa. This is a perfect product, good for baking and I've even seen people eating them plain (too rich for me)!!! No trans fat. Bittersweet has the right amount of sugar for me, not too dark and not too sweet either. Also comes in Milk with Almonds.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil. $6.99 1 liter. Excellent quality.

Wisconsin Cheddar Mac and Cheese $0.99 7oz. Exceptional. Taste like real cheese. In relevant with quality, it is no comparison to Kraft. And I bet its cheaper and healthier than Kraft too.

Arborio Rice $2.29 17.6oz. I love risotto and this makes a good one. Superior quality arborio rice.

Stroopwaffles $2.79 7 oz. I think we are addicted to these cookies. Every time we are in Trader Joes, there is no chance we are leaving the store without them. Down part is, it only lasts for the car ride, doesn't even make it home. Made directly from Netherlands. Curious what it is? Crispy waffles sandwiched together with caramel.

Orchids/Flowers. High grade flowers that lasts long from roses to lilies, sunflowers, tulips and other seasonal flowers . Orchids are worthy for its price. Has good roots, won't die unless have no knowledge of care for orchids.

More to come....

Thanksgiving Turkey

noreply@blogger.com (pink cake box) — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 15:17:00 +0000

I have to admit that if we aren't with my hubby's family on Thanksgiving, most likely we won't be eating Turkey.

Every year, I ask hubby if he wants me to roast him a turkey but as usual, he replies that he'll eat anything as long as I don't slave myself in the kitchen. Pretty sweet. Also, he says that no matter what we eat is good for him, as long as we can acknowledge our thanks for our blessings. And I agree.

Every year we've served different dishes. We've had Roast Duck also as a kickoff to the movie The Christmas Story, "rah rah rah rah rah rah rah rah rah". We've had seafood feast, from grilled fish and squid, ceviche and broiled shrimp and crab (we grilled in the winter when we didn't live in New England). Once, we've also served Roast Pork. One thanksgiving we opted for Glazed Ham and I didn't have to do anything except the sides and desserts. And once when we lived far away from family, we decided to eat out in a fancy restaurant. A time when I worked long hours in the kitchen and was happy to be served for a change.

This year, we still haven't made up our minds what to serve for dinner. Of course turkey is still a contender as the main attraction. And if there is one reason why hubby has started liking Roast Turkey again is how I've been roasting the bird. For awhile when we visited family who prepared the turkey, the favorite part of the turkey for us would always be the leg because that would be moistest part. The breast just gets too dry and feels like your chewing on a stack of turkey flavored paper. I'd notice that a lot of the guests with us would only have one serving of the turkey breast and would start filling up on the sides. And at the end of dinner there were so many left over turkey.

My reaction to it is, why bother spending hours roasting a turkey when guests don't even enjoy it. I have seen turkey roasting bags, I've heard of different types of methods of roasting a turkey like brining or setting the turkey on the roast pan breast side down and others. But mine is simple and you can stuff the bird or not. Some may argue about the technique and suggest other ways, which I hope you'd leave that as a comment. But for me, this one works well.

I use this technique with either whole turkey or a whole chicken. I prepare the bird as usual and season it. I either stuff the cavity or not. Then I set the bird on a rack inside the roasting pan. My main trick is to cover the entire turkey on a roasting pan with foil, shiny side out. If the foil tends to stick to the top of the bird's skin, I insert a toothpick or whatever you may have to the top of the bird that can keep the foil from sitting directly on to the skin. Then I roast the bird in a 400 degrees oven. Noted that because half of the process is steaming, the total cooking time will be shorter than usual. Halfway through the cooking process, when the bird particularly the leg and the thickest part of the breast registers as 95-100 degrees fahrenheit, I remove the foil and put it back in the oven with a lower temperature - 375 degrees to finish. From then on, I start basting the skin with the drippings until the turkey's skin has turned dark amber/brown and the thermometer registers as 165 degrees in the leg (near the bone) and the thickest part of the breast. Again as I take the roasting pan out of the oven when its done, I cover it once more with foil, and make it sit for another 10-15 minutes for the juice to remain inside the turkey. Then serve.

I hope that you can test this technique. Probably roast a whole chicken stuffed or not this week before Thanksgiving so you can see how my method works, then leave a comment after.

I promise you that your roast bird would be moist and you wouldn't be spending several hours in the kitchen.

It's time to start enjoying your company. And your Roast Turkey!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Note: Check your thermometer if it is well calibrated. To do it, take the temperature of an iced cold water. It should register 32 degrees.

Am I making sense?

noreply@blogger.com (pink cake box) — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 16:39:00 +0000

I just recently took an ESL class. Many may say I don't need it but I do. Yehey to me, I learned a lot on my first day so I know I'll be learning more as I go through the program. My first form of communication is Tagalog. I was born in the Philippines and lived there for 20 years. I never paid attention to any of my english classes when I was in school definitely because I seldom use the language. But now in this class, I understand it better and I get to apply them instantly. My husband's first and only language is English and we communicate with our child in English. I teach her a few of Tagalog but mostly I converse with her in English. My husband asked me one day if I think in English. And I realized that I do. I read a lot of books and all of them are in English. But even if I am surrounded with this language, writing and conversing is tough for me. For one, I am limited with my vocabulary. Conversations with others who uses idioms are not as easy as I'd hope it to be. And third, having correct grammar is tough when I don't know the rules. So now that I am blogging. I find it interesting that I am not only posting recipes but I am also learning about grammar and writing. If my readers can't make sense of what I mean, I hope that you'd email me. You are doing me a favor. Whether you want to correct, inform or give me feedbacks with my english or the topics itself, it would be appreciated. I help you with cooking and you help me with my English!

Hubby's Cold Pasta Salad

noreply@blogger.com (pink cake box) — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 04:50:00 +0000

This is a favorite of mine during summer. I can take it with us for picnic at the Common or at the beach. It's a full meal and I can serve it cold. Also its so easy to pack them, all I need is an ice pack to keep it cold. (And to make sure it doesn't get spoiled). I also pack this salad for long travels in the road. A better choice than the roadside fast food available. When I expect company and don't have much time to prepare for it, this is an easy one too when its best serve the day after its made. My husband is a great cook. Pasta is one of his strong points. He has shared this recipe countless of times. I hope that you enjoy this dish as much as our family has. Please read the entire procedure before starting.

Serves 8-10 3 grilled chicken breasts, shredded 1 ½ pound dry penne pasta, cook in salted water, cool after cooking 2c sliced Cherry tomatoes 2c diced fresh mozzarella, (not processed!) ½ c finely chopped red onion 1c Basil (ripped up into pieces, not firmly packed together)

½ c shaved Parmesan (or Pecorino Romano)

Dressing: ½ c extra virgin olive oil ½ c grapeseed or canola oil or light olive oil ½ c balsamic vinegar 2 tsp Dijon mustard 1 tsp kosher salt 1 tsp cracked pepper Season the chicken breasts with a little bit of oil, some salt and pepper. (If you like you can add some other dry seasoning like garlic salt, onion powder, or cayenne pepper for a little heat). Grill until fully cooked and place in refrigerator to cool. Shred the chicken breasts into bite-size pieces. In a pasta cooker, add salt to the boiling water until it tastes salty (I'm serious! The end product depends on how well seasoned your pasta is especially when you serve it cold. The pasta absorbs the dressing and if the pasta is not well seasoned when it is cooked, the end result will be bland). Cook the pasta until it is “al dente”. The pasta should be firm and chewy, not soft and mushy. Also, the end result depends on the al dente texture of your pasta. Once you mix the dressing onto the pasta, and the pasta absorbs the dressing as it sits, if your pasta is soggy to begin with, your salad will turn into a mush. Immediately cool the pasta in cold water to stop it from cooking. It’s ok if the pasta seems undercooked because it will continue to absorb moisture when it is tossed with the dressing.

In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients together. Garnish with some shaved (or grated) Parmesan. Note: Measurements above are for guidance. When making something like this, you can adjust everything to your particular taste. Also, the salad will have an intense taste when you first make it, once you make it sit to get it cold, overnight the flavor or acidity of the balsamic will reduce.

Enjoy!

Bittersweet Chocolate-Peanut Butter Tart

noreply@blogger.com (pink cake box) — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 00:32:00 +0000

Who doesn't love peanut butter and chocolate. The salty-sweet creaminess of peanut butter covered with melt in your mouth chocolate is a perfect combination. Reese's peanut butter cups are one of my favorites. Although if there is one reason why I couldn't eat so much of it is because it has only one texture and it gets sweet after awhile. I could probably eat about 2 at a time, then I would need some water to wash it all down. So when I was thinking of what desserts to make for halloween, I thought of chocolate and peanut butter. Who doesn't want to get Reese's on halloween?

Long time ago when I lived in Scottsdale, AZ, I use to buy these cooking magazines from the library. The most they charge for them were about $.50 cents. I would collect the recipes and one by one test them out. I can't remember exactly which magazine I got this recipe from but when I tested it, there were some changes I needed to do. The changes were based on my own preference.

The original recipe had three parts: the crust, the filling and the glaze. The crust was made of grounded cookie like graham cracker or wafer coookies that is mixed in with butter to bring it together. Then sugar is added and baked to form the tart shell. I didn't like it that much. I wanted something denser. The filling recipe of peanut butter was perfect. But the chocolate glaze didn't have the consistency again of what I wanted. Also the recipe for the glaze called for corn syrup and I just don't agree using corn syrup unless I'm making candy or caramelizing sugar.

So here is the recipe I formulated:

The crust:

I didn't like the original crust because it just crumbled on my mouth and didn't really give a distinct texture to the entire tart. It almost felt like the filling overpowered the texture of the crust. And so I wanted more crunch and wanted it to blend well yet have a distinct texture against the creaminess of peanut butter filling and the chocolate glaze. So I came up with a much denser, firmer cookie crust. I picked a short dough cookie dough. Took off some flour and exchanged it with cocoa powder and used it as the chocolate crust.

Ingredients: Yields: 2 10-inch tart crust

10-inch tart pan with removable bottom

parchment paper

pie weights or dried beans

1/2lb butter

4 oz sugar

2 finger pinch of salt

1 large egg

.25 oz vanilla extract

5 oz All purpose flour

5 oz Cake flour

2 oz Cocoa powder

Creaming Method for cookies:

Make sure to have all ingredients at room temperature. Place butter, sugar and salt in the mixing bowl. Using a paddle attachment, cream ingredients in low speed. Because this is a denser cookie crust and would not want it to spread out, make sure to blend the ingredients only to a smooth paste, do not cream it to light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and blend in low speed. Sift in the flour and cocoa. Mix until just combined. Do not overmix or tart shell will be too crumbly.

Divide the dough into 2 equal parts. Form the dough into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate dough until firm. This step is necessary for the dough to relax.

Once the dough is firm, using a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into 12-inch round about 1/8 inch thick to fit a 10-inch tart pan.

Tip/Trick: I use bendable cutting boards as the surface to roll my dough. It makes it easier to move a thin (1/8 inch thick) dough from rolling board to the tart pan. I just position the board on top of the tart pan, tilt it a little and give it some push to slide on top of the tart pan. No need to wrap it around the rolling pin and have the possibility of falling off. You can also fold the dough in half and transfer it that way.

Once you have moved the dough into the pan, allow the dough to drop inside the pan without having to stretch the dough. There should be no air bubbles between the dough and the pan. Trim off the excess dough. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. When dough is firm, line tart dough with parchment and cover with pie weights or dried beans (which you can also reuse). Bake in the middle rack oven for about 20 minutes or until the sides of the tart shell is almost dry. Remove the pie weights and parchment. Using the removable sides of the tart pan, invert it on the tart shell to cover the sides of the shell and return to the oven to finish. Make sure the bottom of the crust is dry.

You can make this shell two days in advance. Make sure to wrap the tart shell tightly in plastic wrap when shell has completely cooled down.

The filling:

This is the original recipe. It is salty, sweet and creamy. Make sure to cook off the flour taste before pulling it off the heat.

Ingredients: Yield: will fill up 2 10-inch tart shells

3 cups whole milk

1/2 tsp salt

6 large egg yolks

2/3 cups firm packed light brown sugar

8 tsp All Purpose Flour

9 oz creamy peanut butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

In medium bowl, whisk egg yolks, brown sugar, and flour together.

Using a medium sized pot, bring milk and salt to boil. Pull off from heat. Temper hot milk into the egg mixture one ladle at a time to avoid scrambling the eggs. Once the egg mixture is warm to touch, pour the egg mixture back into the milk pot while whisking it in. Bring back to heat to thicken. Make sure to whisk constantly to avoid the milk scorching at the bottom of your pot. Make sure to cook off the raw flour taste before pulling it off from the heat.

Once thickened, add in peanut butter and vanilla. Mix to completely incorporate. Divide mixture into two 10-inch tart shells. Refrigerate to set up.

The glaze:

You can create a chocolate molding dough by adding corn syrup to melted chocolate. So the consistency of the old recipe just didn't work for me, I had to change it. I didn't want tootsie rolls on my tart. Also, when you add corn syrup to chocolate, the mixture is sweet but the richness of the chocolate is covered by the sweetness of the corn syrup.

Why bittersweet? Because I like the bittersweet taste of chocolate and how it balances the sweetness of the filling. If you prefer it sweeter, use semi-sweet chocolate instead but just expect the color to be lighter.

This recipe is the ratio for a medium consistency ganache that works with bittersweet and semi-sweet chocolate. If you prefer milk or white chocolate, you would need to reduce the cream to compensate for the milk in the chocolate or else your glaze will be runny.

Ingredients: will glaze 2 10-inch tart shells with filling

12 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1 1/2 cup heavy cream

6 tbsp room temperature butter

Bring heavy cream to boil. Once it has reached boiling point, pour cream into chopped chocolate. Do not stir. Leave the mixture for about 2 minutes to melt the chocolate. Using a rubber spatula, stir to combine the mixture. Once all the chocolate pieces has melted, set bowl aside for another minute. Add in soft butter to ganache. Mix until completely incorporated. Divide the ganache over two tart shells covering the filling. You can use a spatula to help spread the ganache over the entire tart shell. Refrigerate.

Once the chocolate glaze has set, Enjoy! I prefer the tart cold!

A Home Cook - Squeaky Duck Cake

noreply@blogger.com (pink cake box) — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 23:40:00 +0000

I'm so excited about Halloween! And I get more excited thinking about the endless baking and cooking this week. Most of all, I'm excited too see Sam's reaction after she sees what I've planned for her. Before she was born, and before I even got married, I always had these ideas of the perfect birthdays and holidays in my child's life. And the fact that I get to bake the cakes and the goodies for her is more exciting to me than anything. The first 20 years of my life, my mother made breakfast for me and my siblings each and every day. My lunches at school was also wonderful. My mom dropped us lunches instead of packing food for us in the morning to take so we can have them hot out of the pot. Our birthday cakes were made either by my mother or my Lola "grandmother". But I never savored or at least appreciated them when I was young. Now that I have my own family, I find happiness from cooking for them. I cook to show them how important they are to me. And I prepare their meals believing that every food they take is every piece of me. It may seem corny but I can honestly feel so much love every time I cook for them. I hope someday she'd look back and appreciate the home cooked meals she grew up with and would have good memories about her mother, the cook. When she turned one last January, the birthday cake was of course a big deal to me. I pounded myself over and over to come up with the best cake to make her. I had to, it was her first birthday! It took me a month to decide what kind of cake would it be. And in the end, I decided on a "squeaky duck cake" a favorite of hers back then. I layered the duck cake with moist chocolate cake and banana bread. I filled the layers with bittersweet ganache. I carved the cake to a duck and thinly frosted it with the bittersweet ganache. After, I piped the feathers with vanilla buttercream tinted with orange food coloring to resemble the feathers. I had the squeaky duck sitting on a tub that is also made of cake. When she saw the cake, it was a moment I will never forget. Her eyes lit up and she squealed. When she tasted the cake, I knew she loved every bite of them. It was her first chocolate, her first birthday cake. And it turned out to be a great birthday! Months after her birthday she still referred to the fridge as the duck! After this halloween, my next project is her 2nd birthday cake. In two months she'll be celebrating another birthday and I need to come up with my idea of the "best birthday cake". I'm crossing my fingers that this cake will be as easy as the first one. And most of all, I hope this cake would make a lasting impression on her. Something she can remember for the rest of her life.

For the love of Apple Chips

noreply@blogger.com (pink cake box) — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 14:00:00 +0000

Once you've tasted these chips, you will never look at apple chips the same way again. They're easy to make and very versatile. I used them as a dessert or as garnish. I also use them as a base for Hot Smoked Salmon with apple-wasabi slaw appetizer that I serve. Although whenever I make this for my family, they eat them plain as they are. They are crispy, tart and sweet. The only downfall with these chips is humidity. You can make them 1 week ahead but make sure to store them in a tight sealed container (I also wrap the container in plastic wrap to be safe). Because it is thin and fragile, store them in a safe place where no one can accidentally shake or drop them.

Ingredients:

I prefer to use granny smith apples. They are crisp, tart and has a harder texture than other apples. Also once sliced, it does not brown quickly like other varieties.
Simple Syrup, this is made from equal parts of sugar and water. In a saucepan, bring water and sugar to boil. Stir to dissolve sugar particles. You do not need to let the syrup reach boiling point, as long as sugar is completely dissolve. Bring syrup to room temperature before use. Store in a tight container and keep refrigerated.

Equipment:

Mandoline or Slicer. Apples will be sliced 1/8 inch thick.
Silicon-rubberized baking mat or Silpat that will fit in your baking sheet pan
Baking sheet pan. Line silicone mat onto baking sheet pan
Paring knife or small offset spatula
Peeler

Peel the apples. Do NOT soak in water or lemon juice. If concerned about browning, peel as needed. Slice apples 1/8 inch thick. To be certain of its thickness hold a slice of apple to a light, make sure that your fingers behind the slice is not transparent through the apple. The apple slices needs to be thick enough to hold it's shape yet thin enough to dry out as chips. Soak chips in simple syrup for 20 minutes. Make sure to separate the slices of apples as you soak them to help the syrup saturate every piece of apples.

Pre-heat oven to 320 degrees (convention ovens). If using convection, lower temperature 10-20 degrees. Once apples have been completely soaked, line them onto the silicone mat. No need to have spaces between slices. Make sure to place the pan of apples in the middle rack of the oven. Bake for 15 minutes and rotate pan. Bake for another 10 minutes and check for doneness.

How to check: Use tip of spatula to carefully lift the apples off the mat. While hot, the apple slices will be soft and flimsy but once cooled it will be crisp if done. So while the pan is hot, test a slice. Using a cooled and dry surface like a stainless table or a kitchen countertop, slowly flip your apple slice over and over until it cools off. Once its cooled, try biting or breaking it to check for crispness. If apple slice is still soft or rubbery, bring pan back in the oven for 3-5 minutes until its golden brown and crisp.

Hot Smoked Salmon with Apple chips served with apple-wasabi slaw (not in the photo)