My Sweet Life

summer cakes

2011-07-11T15:03:00.000-07:00

I got lucky. I did not know what to do with our strawberries and I did not know what to do while L was nursing so I just mindlessly clicked online while she was nursing. I saw a Strawberry Summer Cake recipe posted not too long ago on Smitten Kitchen (yes, the one you want to live in), and I thought, "Wow, this looks easy and pretty and scrumptious! I think I am going to have to make this!"

Strawberry Summer Cake

And so I made the cake. So simple and easy, with glorious results. I would agree with Deb, the sugar in the batter can easily be scaled back by 2 tablespoons without hurting the flavor of the cake at all. It is such a moist, lovely cake with depth in flavor, and the juicy berries in every bite just adds to its decadence. The bright yellow color of the cake makes you think you are biting into lovely sunshine. We served it with whipped cream (but of course! A German afternoon tea/coffee is never without a bowl of freshly whipped cream, either to go with cakes, scones or into the coffee, and I will always follow my mother-in-law's good example!) and devoured the cake with three lusty groans per bite. It took every ounce of discipline to not eat the entire cake at one go.

And as we enjoyed the cake, I told R, "I am sure this cake will be as wonderful with sour cherries." He agreed. In fact, I think it will go well with all summer berries and could not wait to go berry-picking. (And finally, after having read Jamberry with all my children so many million times, I could finally appreciate the exuberant joy of picking your own berries!) I can imagine making a blueberry summer cake with this, adding some lemon zest into the batter, and maybe even making some lemon sugar to sprinkle over the blueberries. In the mean time, I got a jar of sour cherries from Trader Joe's and baked a sour cherry summer cake.

I did not get the cherries lined up real neat but it does not matter, as some sunk and some not during baking. Nobody will really care!

I brought the cake for the local moms group potluck picnic and saw a 5-year-old little girl gobble up three pieces of the cake. She was a sight to behold, and I just enjoyed watching her eat the cake with such relish: she cupped her little hands around the piece of cake then sunk her face into it, aiming first at the cherries. Then, when she had lifted her face from the cake and saw that all the cherries were gone, she pressed her palms together and squished the remaining cake crumbs and inhaled the rest of the cake. I wish I had taken a video. It was so fun and I think nothing warms a cook's heart than to watch someone enjoy the results of her labor.

I doubled the original recipe to make this in an 8 by 12 pan, and will highly recommend you do the same. This cake is worth a second, even third helping and you would love being able to share the joy of it.

CHERRY SUMMER CAKE
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen, who adapted from Martha Stewart
Makes one 8 by 12 cake

12 Tbsp (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 3/4 cups sugar, plus 3 Tbsp for sprinkling
2 large eggs
1 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 24-oz jar pitted sour cherries, drained

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter an 8 by 12 cake pan.
Whisk flour together with baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.
In a stand mixer beat butter with sugar until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs, milk and vanilla and mix until just combined (start low so you won't have everything splattering into your face). Add flour mixture gradually, mixing until just smooth.
Pour batter into cake pan. Arrange sour cherries whichever way you like on top of the batter. Sprinkle the 3 Tbsp of sugar over the cherries.
Bake cake for 10 minutes then reduce oven temperature to 325F and bake for another 45-55 minutes until golden brown, delicious wafts of sunshine fill the kitchen and a tester comes out of the cake dry.
Cool on a rack. Serve with lightly whipped cream.
Due to the high moisture content, I will not recommend keeping it for more than a day (eat more or invite people over for tea).

got rosemary? got scones?

2011-07-01T15:33:00.001-07:00

I think it's time to get back on track! The recipes are piling up and every day for the past two weeks I had started my day thinking, "Today I am going to get on my recipe blog and start updating the recipes."

And then someone pushed "fast forward" on my day and the day is gone and I went to bed, belly full, but my poor recipe blog neglected yet again. Today this shall change. It is July first. Half of the year officially gone by and milestones like this lights a match under my butt. After the strawberry harvest two weeks ago I had made two batches of strawberry sauce that went really well with a golden vanilla cake (our summer solstice dessert), strawberry-banana muffins, strawberry cream scones and a strawberry summer cake that had also been adapted into a sour cherry yummy cake. Yesterday I made a batch of scones that totally embarrassed me later (hang on for that story, it comes with a recipe!), chocolate coconut scones and gluten-free brownies from a box (review to come later). In-between I found a new salmon recipe that we loved, and also the rosemary-rubbed pork chops that were simply divine. All recipes shall be posted within this month.

I said it. I said it!! Now I am going to do it.

So I have been making scones. I don't even know why. I do not own a scone pan, and scones are not my favorite recipe. But I had rosemary. They looked so good at the local co-op I bought more than I intended to (for the pork chop recipe, which will be posted later) so I was left with extra rosemary. I think some mysterious divine energy wanted me to make these most scrumptious rosemary-carrot scones in the world, because my mouse clicked on this recipe over at Patent and the Pantry. And while a recipe search often ends up with me sending myself a dozen or more recipes to pick from, that fateful day I picked this one, and this one only.

And it embarrassed me.

I made them yesterday, and realized they only made a dozen. I took them to the local moms group annual potluck picnic anyways. I was the newbie and I wasn't going to show up empty-handed.

Minutes into the picnic one mom walked to the middle of the ramada with my container raised high and asked loudly, "Who made these?!"

I was afraid she found some dead flies in there but I raised my hand, because honesty was the best policy. She looked at me and then announced, "These were AMAZING! They were FANTASTIC!! You need to give us the recipe!" And then she turned to the rest and said, "There is only one left." and then with that one scone in hand she marched to her seat, unapologetic that she had chosen not to share. This morning she emailed me and asked for the recipe again. These are good signs, ~~calling the very following day~~ and I hope you agree.

Gosh I was glad she enjoyed those scones! But I also did not expect that reaction and I felt my ears burning. People turned and smiled and I heard my name repeated a few times but I just lowered my head and focused on tearing apart the chicken drumstick for my girls. Inside though, my heart was grinning itself silly, and I already made plans to get more rosemary and make more scones.

Ready to take a bite into a most delicious rosemary-carrot scone? I hope so!

As I said, I found this recipe on Patent and the Pantry, who adapted this recipe from Chocolate and Zucchini. I prefer the former's version, her no-fuss approach to cooking is what I love. I modified a tiny bit, adding a tad more garlic, which I feel marries with the aroma of the rosemary most beautifully, and I also decided to add 3/4 cup finely grated pecorino which I had found at a local Italian bakery called Perreca's. Fine-grated is the key, to keep the texture of the scones tender and fluffy. Your kitchen will smell heavenly (and deliciously garlicky, laced with the aroma of rosemary) while these scones bake. Prepare napkins to wipe your drool. I did not have any cutters whatsoever with me and used a drinking glass as Gwendolyn did and I think that worked well, but pull out your fancy cutters if you wish! Rosemary is the herb that represents remembrance. If you make these and bring them to a potluck, you will be remembered.

Coarse-grated carrots, and rosemary also coarsely chopped

Makes 12 scones. I made a small one from the scraps, so I could sample

Rosemary-carrot Scones

Recipe adapted from Patent and the Pantry
Makes about 12 scones (depending on size), doubling recipe recommended

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 1/4 tsp. salt
9 tbsp. chilled, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 1/2 cups grated carrots (about 2 medium carrots)
2 tbsp. fresh rosemary, chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely minced (I did add one more clove, I could not resist!)
2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
3/4 cup cream
3/4 cup fine-grated pecorino

Preheat the oven to 350F. Place rack in middle of oven. In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the butter and rub it into the flour mixture with your fingers or using a pastry blender. It should resemble coarse crumbs when it’s blended enough. Add the carrots, rosemary and cheese.
Mix together the mustard, cream and garlic and then add to the dry ingredients. Mix together gently until the dough comes together and then empty out onto floured counter. Pat together into a ball and then roll out until the dough is about a half-inch thick. Cut out using biscuit cutter or whatever is handy.
Place on parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes until nice and golden. Cool on a rack.

home-cooked is the best

2011-06-11T23:11:00.000-07:00

This evening I cooked again in a long time... I cannot really remember when was the last time I cooked before we moved across the country. All I remember was a lot of optimism and over-estimation of my capabilities, and then, faced with a fridge and pantry full of food, asking myself in exasperation: What in the world was I thinking?!

I did not even have time to heat up the oven to throw in a frozen pizza. It was that insane. Actually, it is still pretty insane and at times I am beginning to suspect I am supposed to be insane and life must be crazy all the time or it must not be life.

So tonight I cooked up some salmon, some broccoli and served it with rice sprinkled with furikake. Everyone licked their plates and V kept batting her eyelids, moaning and saying, "Mmmmmm, food. Ooooooh, foooood. oh, salmon, Oh, furikake! Mom, this is food!!"

Which is a bit funny. We have been eating all these last crazy weeks. Sometimes better than others. We've had big burritos, pizza (cannot look at another one till next year), Pan.da Express, similar versions of Pan.da Express, delicious home-cooked meals from friends; we've eaten in better restaurants and we've grabbed whatever's on the run.

But truly, nothing compares to home-cooked. Even if just simple food. It just sits in your belly better, and it feels good to finally sit down at our own dining table (surrounded by opened boxes and relying on one standing lamp that is moved wherever it is needed) and just eat at leisure. No need to worry about the glasses of water being knocked over or poured down your lap (as L has done a few times), and no need to wave aside concerns about what went into that incredibly good ranch dressing. I know I used but butter, good olive oil from that Italian bakery, wild-caught salmon (on sale for crazy $4.99/lb at the local grocery store, I plan to go back and clear out their stock tomorrow), broccoli, and rice that I bought in Lee Lee's a month ago. I used sea salt, some seasoning I made up months ago, and not very much more. Tonight Lyra was not making a "piano" with packs of Splenda and Sweet-N-Low, and she was not stacking up tiny containers of ultra-pasteurized half-and-half and pretending to blow them out like candles (yes, we have eaten out so often the last two weeks she has found ways to entertain herself while waiting for food to arrive, in-between pouring water onto the floor).

It feels like in spite of the million things we still need to deal with, and despite the months before we will feel settled in, everything will be ok. Because finally, I am able to cook again. I will be grumbling about the cabinets and the sink that faces the corner of the walls and a ton of other things, and I will complain about having to clean and wash up after meals. but thank goodness, I can cook again. I thought I would forget how to cook after these weeks, but I think still remember.

Thank goodness, because nothing beats home-made.

Best(& easiest) chocolate pudding ever

2011-05-14T01:28:00.000-07:00

First, the news. Personal news. My family is moving cross-country to upstate New York. Very exciting. Very crazy. It also means time to cook -- whether from scratch or not -- is getting less, and less, and less, and less. I am still doing it though, but I am not sure how often I am going to post here. I already have a backlog of recipes, but my moving-related to-do list is also growing by the mile every second. My insanity-cum-stress level is shooting through the roofs and I am stopping every other second to pick up my eyeballs from the floor and popping them back into their sockets.

Whatever it is, I will come back here. If I am true to my word about posting recipes we have liked here, and if my bad habit of having to try yet another new recipe never dies, I could be posting until the cows come home. You just wait.


Does it look like the butterfly wants chocolate pudding too?

Second, more news, and exciting too: easy to make dessert that your kid(s) will love to help, can easily help, and they don't even have to wait to eat it (if you choose to eat it warm). This is totally delicious to me, and every time I think of this chocolate pudding recipe I rub my hands with glee for all its goodness. This recipe came from the no longer existing Organic Style magazine, and they called it "The Best Chocolate Pudding Ever" and I whole-heartedly agree with all my chocolate mustache. They also say if you want it less intense and more kid-friendly, to reduce the chocolate from 4 ounces to three instead. Well, that I respectfully disagree. I make it with four ounces of chocolate (maybe even a tiny bit more, to compensate for all that brown stuff that gets left behind on hard-to-reach places like the whisk and the pot) and have never received complaints. But of course, it is up to you to decide how much chocolate will be too intense for you and your family. Proceed with responsibility.

Best-ever Chocolate Pudding

The Best Chocolate Pudding Ever

Recipe from Organic Style magazine (Feb 2005)

Serves 4

2 cups whole milk
1/4 cup packed dark-brown sugar
3 Tbsp sugar
3 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa
3 Tbsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
4 ounces fine-quality semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup lightly sweetened whipped cream (optional, but highly recommended)

Combine 1/2 cup milk with sugars, cocoa, cornstarch, and salt in a 1-pint jar. Screw lid on tightly and shake vigorously until blended (a few lumps are OK, and this is something kids will love to help with).
Heat remaining 1 1/2 cups milk in a medium heavy saucepan over medium heat. When small bubbles appear on side of pan (kids love the assignment of watching out for bubbles!), pour cocoa mixture into saucepan and whisk to combine. Cook, whisking, until pudding thickens, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in chopped chocolate and vanilla extract.
Spoon pudding into 4 heatproof cups. Serve hot, warm or chilled with whipped cream, if desired. (I just pour into a large glass bowl, cover and chill. And portion out accordingly into small bowls.)

Got chocolate pudding?

Delicious Gluten-free Banana Bread

2011-05-10T10:32:00.000-07:00

Delightful gluten-free banana bread

Banana Bread. Yum. Whoever invented banana bread deserves a medal, I am sure you agree. I love bananas. I eat them straight, or with peanut butter, or chocolate spread, or in a bread. It's an easy solution when one is low on sugar and is plenty good for you.

Don't be afraid to let your bananas develop those brown spots before you use them in baking! That is when their flavor is ripe and high. And making a double batch? -- always a very smart idea.

This loaf rises respectably high for a gluten-free quick bread.

This recipe comes from Elizabeth Barbone's Easy Gluten-Free Baking. It is simple and straight-forward, and very good. Some gluten-free banana bread tends to be sticky and dense, but not this one. Great flavor, wonderful texture, delectable crumb. No wonder Barbone calls this the "Blue Ribbon Banana Bread" (she adapted it from her mother's recipe, which won several blue ribbons in bake-off contests.) The only thing I did to this recipe was to add a handful of chocolate chips. And by a handful, I mean about 1/2 to 3/4 a cup, as desired. If I am using chocolate chips, I normally reduce the sugar by about 1/4 cup. It's your choice!

Blue Ribbon Banana Bread

Recipe from Easy Gluten-Free Baking

Wet ingredients:

1 cup sugar
1 1/3 cups very ripe mashed bananas
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
2 large eggs

Dry ingredients:

1 2/3 cups white rice flour
1/3 cup cornstarch
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp xanthan gum

1/2 - 3/4 cup chocolate chips (if desired)

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and rice flour a 9 by 5 inch loaf pan. in a small bowl, mix together sugar and mashed bananas. Allow to sit for 15 minutes.
In a separate small bowl, whisk together dry ingredients.
In a large bowl, cream butter until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well between additions. Add half of the dry ingredients. Blend until smooth on medium-low speed. Add banana-sugar mixture. Stir until well incorporated. Add remaining dry ingredients. Blend batter until smooth.
Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes, until tester inserted in center of cake comes out clean.
Place pan on wire rack to cool for 5 minutes (I tend to let it cool longer when the weather is warm). Remove loaf from pan and place on rack to cool completely.

Take time for yourself, and enjoy!

Oriental Style Salmon (aka Salmon-in-a-hurry)

2011-05-08T17:36:00.000-07:00

Salmon is good for you, but it is even better if you do not need to toil in order to enjoy it. I love dishes that can be made up in a hurry, and even more if I can just stick it in the oven, turn on the rice cooker and have some minutes to spare until the timer on the oven goes off.

This salmon dish is welcomed with smiles in my household, and I do not mind serving it since it is relatively painless and easy, plus each mouthful is moist and flavorful. I took this recipe from Sally Fallon's Nourishing Traditions and made a few small tweaks. While it is suggested that you serve this with buckwheat, brown rice pasta or brown rice, I think it will also make an awesome salmon salad, even eaten cold on a summer's day. I also sometimes break it up and add it to my scrambled eggs for breakfast.

Oriental-style Salmon

Oriental style Salmon (aka Salmon-in-a-hurry)

Recipe adapted from Nourishing Traditions

Serves 6

2 pounds wild salmon filet
4 Tbsp sesame seeds (crush them a little in a mortar if you have time, it helps release the aroma much better)
1.5 Tbsp rice vinegar
3 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp fish sauce (optional, but recommended)
2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 Tbsp grated ginger (I've been lazy before and simply chopped roughly!)
1 bunch finely chopped green onions (optional, but recommended)
3 cloves garlic, minced
grated zest from one lemon

Pre-heat oven to 350F. Oil or butter a glass baking dish large enough to hold the salmon.
Place salmon filets skin side down in the dish. Combine all other ingredients and pour over the salmon. Use back of spoon to spread out the ingredients evenly over the salmon.
Cover the dish with aluminum foil, and bake for 15 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 3-5 minutes, until salmon is just cooked through. (I usually already turn off the oven after removing the foil.)
Slice salmon into servings, transfer to individual plates and spoon the sauce over each slice. Sprinkle with more thinly sliced green onions if you wish. Enjoy!

The Triple-C Cookie

2011-05-04T15:49:00.000-07:00

Actually, since "chocolate chips" is technically two words, this cookie recipe should be called the quadruple-C cookie. It is: Coconut Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cookie. It is an alliteration cookie. It contains lots of good stuff, it tastes heavenly and it is addictive. And, it is a straight-forward, easy recipe. I love it!

This is bite-sized heaven.

I adapted this from a Martha Stewart recipe (originally named "Coconut-Cranberry Cookies" and appeared in the December 2003 issue, I was not able to find it online). When I saw that the recipe required grated orange zest, I knew it would not fly with me. For some reason, I do not mind zesting lemons, but I just do not like zesting oranges. It also called for sweetened shredded coconut, which I did not have on hand and did not wish to buy. So I made a few changes, including reducing the amount of sugar, using orange-flavored cranberries (from Trader Joe's), and adding orange extract, coconut extract and chocolate chips. However, I think this recipe will still be plenty wonderful with regular dried cranberries and sans orange extract. It should still bring you to your knees and have your friends and family begging for more.

Don't ask me why but I just felt like taking a picture of the cookie dough. I thought the dotted jewels of red amongst the pale dough was rather alluring.

Oh, and I forgot one more thing: I made the balls smaller, simply because I like bite-sized indulgences. (And it's easier to pop an entire one into your mouth whilst alone in the kitchen, with no one realizing what you have done, ha!) This cookie leans towards the "crunchy" category. Very crispy, but the center has a tad of chew provided by the coconut and cranberries. It's quite a perfect balance, I have to say.

Coconut Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cookies

Adapted from a Martha Stewart recipe

Makes about 60 cookies

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar (I would even reduce it to one cup next time, the chocolate chips added plenty of sweet to this recipe)
2 tsps vanilla extract
1/2 tsp orange extract (optional)
1/4 tsp coconut extract
1 1/2 cups dried orange-flavored cranberries (or use plain ones if you prefer)
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Beat in the extracts. Add flour mixture, beat on medium-low until mixture comes together. Beat in cranberries, shredded coconut and chocolate chips.
Form dough into 1-inch balls and place them 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until edges begin to brown, about 15 to 17 minutes total.
Let cool on baking sheets 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Julia's Best-ever Brownies

2011-05-02T08:42:00.001-07:00

So I have written about my personal quest for the perfect brownies recipe. Or rather, I am seeking out that same taste, that same sensation, that re-enaction of a care-free, breezy summer on a patio. As the wise ones had said, you never cross the same bridge twice, I guess I just may never experience that perfect brownie moment ever again.

But that is not to say I am giving up.

I came across an archetypal brownie recipe as I was culling through my recipe collection. It came from the much revered Baking with Julia. Really, can one ever go wrong there? I made the recipe once again (after it having been buried at the bottom of a box for the last several years) and truly, it is the best-ever. Well, unless you belong to the "I like my brownie cakey" camp, then that is a whole other story, because this brownie is the fudgy type. It is very, very rich, satisfying and groan-inducing.

Best-ever fudgy brownie

I did make a couple of small changes to the recipe, instead of using two different types of chocolate I used semi-sweet only, and added a teaspoon of espresso powder (having this in my pantry makes me feel safe).It's not an easy-peasy one-bowl recipe, requiring a couple more steps, but I think you'll agree it's worth the extra effort.

And this is not the end of the happily-ever-after story. My quest is still on. Call me silly or crazy, I don't care. The thing is, in that same pile of recipes I spied a few intriguing ones involving brownies, and I know I will just have to try them one of these days. And I may just finally hit upon that dream brownie. But in the meantime, this one sits on the top of the pile, no two words about it!

Julia Child's Best-ever Brownies
Recipe from Baking with Julia

1 1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped

2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped(I used 6 oz semi-sweet chocolate)

2 cups sugar (I reduced by 1/4 cup)

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

4 large eggs

1 tsp espresso powder (optional)

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350°. Sift the flour and salt together and set aside.
Melt the butter and chocolate together in a medium saucepan over low heat, stirring frequently and keeping a watchful eye on the pot to make certain the chocolate doesn't scorch (Alternatively, you can melt the ingredients in the top of a double boiler over, not touching, simmering water.) Add 1 cup of the sugar to the mixture and stir for half a minute, then remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
Pour the mixture into a large bowl.
Put the remaining 1 cup sugar and the eggs into a bowl and mix or whisk by hand just to combine.
Little by little, pour half of the sugar and eggs into the chocolate mixture, stirring gently but constantly with a rubber spatula so that the eggs don't set from the heat.
Fit the whisk attachment to the mixer and whip the remaining sugar and eggs until they are thick, pale, and doubled in volume, about 3 minutes.
Using the rubber spatula, delicately fold the whipped eggs into the chocolate mixture.
When the eggs are almost completely incorporated, gently fold in the dry ingredients.
Pour and scrape the batter in to an unbuttered 9-inch square pan.
Bake the brownies for 25-28 minutes, during which time they will rise a little and the top will turn dark and dry.
Cut into the center at about the 23-minute mark to see how the brownies are progressing: They'll be perfect if they're just barely set and still pretty gooey.
Cool the brownies completely in the pan on a rack.

got spreading cookies?

2011-05-01T18:32:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago my friend K told me sadly that she made the gluten-free egg-free ugly-but-good chocolate cookies, but they did not turn out! -- they spread too much and were very flat, and therefore baked up to be more crispy and chewy, and K belongs to that category of cookie-lover who much, much prefer her cookies chewy. I went back to the recipe and looked it over to see if there could be anything problematic with the recipe and did not find any.

Determined to have those yummy cookies once again, K braved the recipe once more, even chilling the dough in the refrigerator before baking-- only to yield the same spread-out, flat and crispy cookies. How frustrating! I decided to make those cookies and see what happens.

Oh, guess what?! I had the same problem! My instinct was that the butter was too warm. With the weather warming up, the butter came to "room temperature" much faster than before and I must admit the butter seemed a tad too warm when I used it. Room-temperature butter means you should be able to make an impression in the butter with your finger, but the impression should not stay. This, and more tips for successful baking can be found here, a very useful resource!

I also looked into Shirley O. Corriher's BakeWise and these are her suggestions for less spread in cookies:

decrease the amount of fat
use an egg for liquid
use cake flour (which is higher in moisture)
increase the amount of flour
cut the sugar by a few tablespoons
switch from baking powder to baking soda
use unsweetened chocolate
use regular cocoa
use cold ingredients or chill dough before going into the oven (the cookies, not you!)

I recall there was a time when I did not bring butter to room temperature but always used them direct from the refrigerator. I read somewhere (can't remember where now, it's years ago!) that it is hard to ascertain "room temperature" and so the best thing to do is cut up the butter into small pieces, and then cream them till they are creamy. I think with the mercury rising, I am going back to this method!

I hope this information proves useful! It makes me really unhappy when a recipe does not turn out, especially when you are salivating after a cookie you knew you would enjoy. I hope these tips can avert many disappointments.

GF Crustless Quiche

2011-04-28T19:06:00.000-07:00

OK, for a while over here, it's going to be fast, delish and simple. No styling of food, just a photo (or three) to show you that I really did test out the recipe and did not die eating it, and that my family allowed me to post it.

Fair deal? I hope so.

Up today is a gluten-free Crustless Quiche recipe from Incredible Edible Gluten-Free Food for Kids: 150 Family-Tested Recipes. I love that it is fast and easy, and the possibilities are pretty endless. I used crumbled bacon in mine but you can use anything you fancy, including leftovers: roasted peppers, blanched broccoli, roasted asparagus, leeks and caramelized onions. Indeed if you vary the "filling" your family will not suspect that it is the same ol' recipe!


The last piece, up for grabs.

Gluten-free Crustless Quiche

Recipe from Incredible Edible Gluten-Free Food for Kids: 150 Family-Tested Recipes

Serves 4-6, depending on appetite

4 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk or substitute
3/4 cup sliced green onions (optional)
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground pepper
1/8 tsp grd nutmeg
3/4 cup cooked, chopped meat (chicken, ham, crabmeat) OR 1/2 cup crumbled bacon OR anything you fancy!
2 cups (about 6 oz) shredded cheese (Swiss, cheddar, Monterey Jack, Harvati)
2 Tbsp sweet rice flour (I used almond meal)

Preheat oven to 325F.
Thoroughly grease a deep pie dish; set aside.
In a bowl, combine the eggs, milk, green onions (if using), salt, pepper and nutmeg. Stir in the meat (or other filling of choice).
Pull out the center rack of the preheated oven and place the prepared pie pan on it. Pour the mixture carefully into the pan. Carefully push the rack back into the oven and close.
Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.
Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

about asparagus, l-asparagine and cancer

2011-04-27T16:35:00.000-07:00

I wanted to post this as a note on Facebook but it seems there is no such option for a non-personal page, so I am posting it here. I read this in a newsletter that I subscribe to, written by a pair of naturopaths based in Denver, CO. I find their newsletters very informative and well-researched. However, it seems this current newsletter is not updated on their website yet, but since I have been talking about asparagus and posted a couple of related recipes, I thought I would reproduce the information below, also useful for future reference. Original article written by Jacob Schor ND, FABNO.

Excerpted from April 2011's newsletter:

If you have cancer, you have probably already read that asparagus will cure your cancer. A letter making this claim has gone viral on the internet. I doubt that there are more than a handful of people with cancer who have not received a copy forwarded to them by some well meaning friend or relative.

Let me start by saying there is little reason to believe the claim that asparagus will cure cancer. Instead it may actually make a few specific cancers worse.

Let me summarize what we do know about these claims in the hope that information may antidote this long, standing urban myth.

The “Asparagus Cure for Cancer” first appeared in print in the February 1974 issue of Prevention magazine. This article was followed by a similar article in the December 1979 issue of Cancer News Journal, a magazine once distributed in health food stores. Both articles claim that a dentist named Richard R. Vensal discovered that eating asparagus could cure cancer.

According to the letter, a cure can be achieved by consuming 4 tablespoons of pureed cooked asparagus twice a day. Improvement is supposedly seen in two to four weeks.

Unfortunately there is little reason why we should believe this information. The dentist Richard Vensal never published anything in either a scientific journal or book that can be found.

It is certainly possible that some chemical found in asparagus might be beneficial against cancer.

There is a single study suggesting this that was published in 2009. Chinese researchers report that a chemical, which they named asparanen A, showed an anticancer effect when tested on liver cancer cells. [1]

There are no studies that describe the results of feeding asparagus to animals with cancer. Nor are there any published clinical trials on giving asparagus to human cancer patients. Nor are is there any epidemiological data that hints that asparagus farmers have less cancer.

While there is a wealth of research that diets high in vegetables are anti-cancer, there is no evidence that singles out asparagus in particular suggesting it has an anti-cancer effect. So while there may be some health benefits from eating asparagus because it is a vegetable, at this point, there is little reason to think that asparagus are exceptional.

In contrast there is substantial published data on the anticancer effect of other specific vegetables. For example, a current search of the National Institute of Health’s National Library of Medicine, lists 597 published articles in the medical and scientific literature related to the anticancer effect of broccoli. [2] A search for published papers on garlic and cancer yields 648 references. [3]

There are only two clinical trials involving asparagus in humans. One paper published in 2009, describes a study in which patients with high blood pressure were given a combination of parsley and asparagus extracts in the hope that their blood pressure would improve. Unfortunately, no benefit was seen. [4] An earlier study published in 2008, reported that a combination of asparagus and elderberry extracts helped patients lose weight. [5]

Losing weight is not the same as curing cancer.

Thus at this point there is little reason to think that asparagus will cure cancer.

Ironically though there is a long established link between asparagus and a particular form of cancer. Unfortunately, asparagus may, instead of curing this cancer, make it worse. Let me explain:

In 1953 a pathologist named John G. Kidd discovered that blood serum taken from healthy guinea pigs, when injected into mice, killed leukemia cancer cells. [6] Ten years later John D. Broome MD explained why this happened. Guinea pig blood contains an enzyme called l-asparaginase that breaks down an amino acid called l-asparagine. Healthy cells make l-asparagine, but certain types of leukemia cells are not able to. These leukemia cells rely on nearby healthy cells to supply them with l-asparagine. The enzyme in the guinea pig blood breaks down the needed l-asparagine and so deprives the nearby cancer cells of this amino acid they require for their growth. [7]

L-asparaginase enzyme is now available as a drug (Elspar) and is part of the standard treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The drug, by decreasing l-asparagine, starves the cancer cells. Most types of cancer do make l-asparagine, so Elspar is useful in treating only a few specific types of cancer.

As the names hints, asparagus contain large quantities of l-asparagine. Eating asparagus would seem ill-advised for people who have cancers treated with Elspar or l-asparaginase. Eating asparagus may stimulate growth in these cancers, most especially in ALL. Eating a lot of asparagus may have an undesirable impact on other types of leukemia and possibly lymphomas as well.

People diagnosed with cancer are often desperate to do everything in their power to fight the disease. They grasp onto every story and rumor about anything that might possibly help them. The myth that asparagus cures cancer is a good example of this.

Recipe:

Broiling asparagus is so simple that one hardly needs a recipe. This is how I do it.

Line a cookie sheet with foil. Wash the asparagus, break off the bottoms. Oil them lightly with olive oil. Sprinkle them lightly with Kosher or sea salt. Broil them until they taste done. Serve either warm of cold.

References:

1. Liu W, Huang XF, Qi Q, Dai QS, Yang L, Nie FF, Lu N, Gong DD, Kong LY, Guo QL. Asparanin A induces G(2)/M cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in human hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 cells. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2009 Apr 17;381(4):700-5. Epub 2009 Feb 28.

2. To search yourself, go to: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=broccoli%20and%20cancer

3. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=garlic%20and%20cancer

4. Chrubasik S, Droste C, Black A. Asparagus P(R) cannot compete with first-line diuretics in lowering the blood pressure in treatment-requiring antihypertensives. Phytother Res. 2009 Sep;23(9):1345-6.

5. Chrubasik C, Maier T, Dawid C, Torda T, Schieber A, Hofmann T, Chrubasik S. An observational study and quantification of the actives in a supplement with Sambucus nigra and Asparagus officinalis used for weight reduction. Phytother Res. 2008 Jul;22(7):913-8.

6. H. D. Moon Presentation of the Gold Headed Cane to John G. Kidd. February 24, 1973. Am J Pathol. 1973 October; 73(1): 1–6. PMCID: PMC1904051
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1904051/pdf/amjpathol00248-0005.pdf

7. BROOME JD. Evidence that the L-asparaginase of guinea pig serum is responsible for its antilymphoma effects. I. Properties of the L-asparaginase of guinea pig serum in relation to those of the antilymphoma substance.
J Exp Med. 1963 Jul;118:99-120.

Gluten-free Almond Flower Cookies

2011-04-27T09:45:00.001-07:00

I had planned to post a (very very good) brownie recipe but I am posting this recipe instead because I made these, brought it to park day and had other people tasted this (one boy, two other moms) and they wanted the recipe. I guess this means they are good! And yes, they are. They are very light, with a satisfying almond flavor to it, and if there is such a thing as a soft, comfy almond pillow, you are biting into one when you eat these. This recipe is low in sugar but big in flavor.

This recipe comes from a new gluten-free cookbook I recently found at the library: The Ultimate Gluten-Free Cookie Book, and I am very excited about it. I love that she has a section just for egg-free cookies, and for you people out there who drool for Girl Scout cookies and the like, she has a section dedicated to "the fakes." Also, I love that you need not round up a variety of gluten-free flours to make her cookies-- basically, she uses either brown rice flour or sorghum flour. And she has a nifty section right at the front explaining the science of how she arrived at this simplified way of gluten-free baking. And I love that. Simple is good. Actually, it is rather awesome. Ryberg has done all the research, studies and experiments, we just need to bake and enjoy, what's not to love?

I do want to mention that this is the second recipe I have tried from her book, and because it turned out so wonderful and well-received I suspect there just may be a typo in the first recipe I tried, which is for the egg-free sugar cookies. I made those with the intention of gifting them to my friend K for her birthday, but they turned out rather salty, with a hint of bitterness to them. In fact, R asked if I had mistakenly used salt instead of sugar for those cookies (and I did not). I was rather disappointed, as the cookies looked so darn adorable and smelled mighty good while baking. If you attempt that particular recipe, you may want to reduce the baking powder to just 1 tsp instead of 1 Tbsp. I am really glad I decided to try another recipe in her book despite the first disappointment, can't wait to discover more yummy goods in this book!

Gluten-free almond flower cookie

Almond Flower Cookies (GF)
Recipe from The Ultimate Gluten-Free Cookie Book
Makes about 25-28 cookies

1/3 cup oil (I used expeller-pressed coconut oil)
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup brown rice flour
2 eggs
1/2 cup almond meal
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp almond extract
1/4 cup sliced almonds (optional, for decoration. I used slivered almonds instead)

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a cookie sheet or line with parchment paper.
In a medium-size bowl, combine the oil and sugar. Beat well. (I was able to do this in my stand-mixer. The trick is to not twist the paddle attachment to lock it in place. This way, when you raise the bowl up, the paddle drops down and reaches the bottom of the bowl.) Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl at least once during mixing. Add remaining ingredients and mix well.
Drop rounded spoonfuls of cookie dough onto the prepared pan. With moistened fingertips, press them to 1/4-inch thickness (I did this with a fork instead, moistening it with water each time). Arrange the almond slices (or slivers, if like me, you just want to use what you have on hand) on top into a flower or other nice pattern (or random pattern, like I did).
Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes, until there is the slightest hint of color; the tops will be dry. Let cool on wire racks before serving.

Er, I never said I am good at decorating!

garlicky shrimps with asparagus & lemon

2011-04-25T10:00:00.000-07:00

For some reason, I am coming across a lot of recipes with lemons in it, and I have been trying quite a few! I wouldn't call myself a big lemon fan but I must say some of these recipes are definitely keepers. This one I wanted to post while we can still enjoy asparagus. I found this recipe on Fine Cooking, where it was titled "Hot Garlicky Shrimp with Asparagus & Lemon" but it really is not that "hot" despite the use of crushed red pepper flakes, and I would say my pepper flakes are still pretty fresh. Well, I am not complaining as I can always sprinkle over some cayenne pepper if I wish to up the heat in my meal; I am only happy that I do not need to prepare a separate dish for the girls, so we can all enjoy this delicious dish! We find this one goes really well with rice, because the sauce is so drinkable-good, we pour them over the rice, dig in, and lick our plates squeaky clean.

(And honestly, I did not weigh the asparagus, I just used a bunch of what they sold me as a "bundle" at the stores, and then a few more because I felt like it. Some days it just drives me a bit bananas if I have to always measure and weigh... ...)

Green,orange and mellow yellow: so pleasing to the eyes!

Garlicky Shrimps with Asparagus & Lemon
Recipe from Fine Cooking

1 lb shrimp (21 to 25 per lb.), peeled, deveined, rinsed, and patted dry
3/4 tsp kosher salt; more as needed
Freshly ground black pepper
1 lemon
6 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (I used expeller-pressed coconut oil)
4 medium cloves garlic, thinly sliced (I minced them instead)
3/4 lb asparagus, bottoms snapped off, halved lengthwise if thick, and cut into 2-inch lengths (2 cups)
1/8 to 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (add more if you like it hot)
2/3 cup low-salt chicken broth
1/2 tsp cornstarch

Sprinkle the shrimp with a scant 1/4 tsp. salt and a few generous grinds of black pepper. Using a peeler, gently shave the zest in strips from the lemon, taking care not to get any of the bitter white pith. Squeeze the lemon to get 1 Tbs. juice.
Put a 12-inch skillet (not nonstick) over medium-high heat for 1-1/2 minutes. Add 2 Tbsp of the oil and once it’s shimmering hot, add the shrimp in a single layer. Cook undisturbed until the shrimp browns nicely, about 2 minutes. Flip the shrimp and brown the second side, about 1-1/2 minutes. (I find tongs work really well when doing this.) Transfer to a large plate. The shrimp should be a little undercooked.
Reduce the heat to medium, add the remaining 4 Tbsp oil and the garlic and cook, tossing, until the garlic starts to sizzle steadily, about 30 seconds. Add the asparagus, lemon zest, and red pepper flakes, sprinkle with 1/2 tsp salt and cook, tossing often, until the garlic is golden brown and the asparagus looks blistery in places, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the chicken broth, cover, with the lid ajar, and cook until the asparagus is just tender, 1 to 2 minutes.
In a small dish, whisk together the cornstarch with 1 Tbsp water, stir into the asparagus mixture, and bring to a boil. Stir in the shrimp, reduce the heat to low, and cook, tossing, until the shrimp is opaque throughout (cut one in half to check), 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the 1 Tbsp lemon juice and then add salt, pepper, and additional lemon juice to taste. Serve immediately.

simple, fast, yum

2011-04-19T15:45:00.000-07:00

I am all for the "fast to cook, good to eat" category of recipes. Sure, sometimes it is fun to make something more elaborate and complicated that makes you want to call a press conference about. But other times, you just want to be in and out of the kitchen, and have more time to do other things (like find more recipes).

I love this Chocolate Chip Pecan Loaf Cake recipe from Melissa Clark's In the Kitchen with A Good Appetite. It is simple and fast to make (ok, you need to endure the 50 minutes it takes to bake, plus cooling time, but in the meantime you can take a relaxing bath, read the dictionary or scrub the grout) and the result is pleasingly delicious. So you may not be too impressed that the loaf did not rise extremely high in its pan, but when you slice into this divine little loaf (which Clark described as "almost like a big, soft chocolate chip cookie in sliceable form"), you will regret that you did not double the recipe and made two loaves instead. The crust is incredibly crispy and addictive-- I had a good mind to remove the crusts and serve the rest of the cake- still very delicious- to my family, telling them I burned the crust, so sorry. And then, I would have to find a safe little corner and enjoy every crispy bit of the crust. It is that good. The rest of the cake contains chocolate chips and chopped pecans- what's not to love? And then you also use yogurt, healthy and good for you. I think this recipe deserves 100 points.

Heaven looks like this

When I was slicing this cake, preparing for our afternoon tea, L saw it and exclaimed "Birthday cake!! and ran to get a candle...

and tried out different placements for the "birthday candle"...

I only made small changes in quantities to this recipe to suit my taste (less sugar, MORE chocolate chips, MORE pecans), this truly is a perfect recipe, I encourage you to try it. I think you will be hooked. I will warn you: it is hard to stop eating after one slice. You will keep looking for crumbs and when the crumbs have been wiped clean from your plate (and your child's) and the table cloth, you will start to grab the knife and keep cutting off slivers of a slice until you have eaten yet another. Do not think to bring this to a potluck because when you arrive you will regret that decision and want to keep the cake for yourself, and then you will have to arrive at the potluck empty-handed, but with tell-tale crumbs on your face. By all means, enjoy this wonderful cake.

Chocolate Chip Pecan Loaf Cake
Recipe from In the Kitchen with A Good Appetite

1 cup sugar (I reduced to 3/4 cup, and used Rapadura)
2/3 cup plain yogurt
3 large eggs
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup chocolate chips (I used 3/4 cup, maybe a few chips more)
1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans (I used 3/4 cup)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease a 9 X 5-inch loaf pan.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar and yogurt. Add the eggs, one at a time, and whisk until completely combined.

3. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry mixture into the wet and mix until just combined.

4. Using a spatula, fold in the melted butter a little at a time. Fold in the chocolate chips and pecans.

5. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until the cake is golden and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack to cool to room temperature, right side up.

Supreme Pineapple-ginger Fried Rice

2011-04-14T13:13:00.000-07:00

Fried rice is a great way to use up leftovers: rice, vegetables, meats, everything. Have some roasted asparagus in the fridge? Chop them up and toss them in. Got a few shrimps left over from Monday? Into the skillet they go. Usually I round it out with some scrambled eggs, or throw in some shredded cabbage, or carrots. Or chopped celery.

But recently I did not want any use-up-the-leftovers fried rice. I wanted in particular something with pineapples and ginger in it. And I wanted to add the half-bag of shrimps I still have in the freezer. And luckily, I saw this fried rice video put out by Whole Foods and found the idea of adding a miso "slurry" in the end simply brilliant. And that chopped seaweed topping? Yummy. Reminded me of a seaweed fried rice I used to make often, I'll have to dig that recipe out and make it again! But back to this recipe, using miso in place of soy sauce adds a more nuanced flavor, depth and sweetness (that is not cloying) to the fried rice. It balanced out whatever bite or sourness from the pineapples perfectly. There is also just something in the flavor of miso that is hard to lay one's finger on- the mysterious umami. Try making this for friends and family without disclosing the secret ingredient and have fun watching them trying to figure out that special taste!

Pineapple-ginger fried rice, topped with seaweed (sliced nori sheets

This recipe is based on one I found in Gourmet several years ago, and further inspired by the video-with-the-miso. I am not including instructions for cooking the long-grain white rice as I have learned that it is better to follow the instructions on your rice package (the rice-to-water ratio can vary quite a bit!). It is best to use rice that have sat in the fridge at least overnight, as this makes them dry out a little and absorb the flavors better, but I've also used rice cooked earlier in the afternoon with good results. You can also use brown rice if you want but I prefer white rice for this recipe.

Supreme Pineapple-ginger Fried Rice
serves about 6

5 cups cooked long-grain white rice
4 Tbsp vegetable oil
3 Tbsp finely grated peeled fresh ginger
5 scallions (white and pale green parts separated from the greens), finely chopped
1/2 pound shrimps
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup diced (1/4-inch) cored peeled fresh pineapple
miso slurry: 2 Tbsp white miso paste "dissolved" in 1/4 cup hot (NOT boiling) water
sliced seaweed (optional but recommended)

Have your cooked rice ready. Prepare the shrimps if necessary: shell and de-vein. Place in a small bowl and sprinkle some ground white pepper and toss with a tablespoon of soy sauce.
Heat a wok or 12-inch skillet over moderate heat until a drop of water vaporizes instantly. Pour oil around side of wok, then tilt wok to swirl oil, coating side. When oil just begins to smoke, stir-fry ginger, white and pale green parts of scallions, and salt until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Remove shrimps with a slotted spoon and add to the wok, and stir-fry till cooked through and pink.
Crumble rice into wok and stir-fry, mixing all ingredients thoroughly. Have the miso slurry ready.
Turn off heat, then add scallion greens, diced pineapples, and toss quickly a few times. Then drizzle miso slurry over the entire mixture, and toss to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning, if needed.
If desired, top with sliced seaweed (toasted nori sheets).

Wacky Cupcakes (GF, egg-free)

2011-04-13T16:55:00.000-07:00

Gluten-free, egg-free chocolate cupcakes with ivory frosting

When my friend K's birthday was upcoming, I knew I wanted to bake her a cake she could enjoy without having to worry about allergens. I wanted to make it good, as I know the first birthday celebration without her dear mother will be tough. As I thumbed through the cookbooks my anxiety only raised as I did not really have time to test-drive the recipes and I did not want to serve her a mass of disaster in a bowl and hand her a spoon (even though she said that would be mighty fine by her).

So, imagine my joy and relief when I saw Jeanne (over at Art of Gluten-free Baking) had not only made a wacky cake recipe (one of the recipes I pondered, wondering if it would work with a GF baking mix), she had one that she had made frequently. FABULOUS! I knew I need looked no further! That was the recipe I settled on, though I used Bob's Red Mill's all-purpose gluten-free flour-mix and added xanthan gum. I also decided to use the Dreamy Creamy White Chocolate Frosting from Rose's Heavenly Cakes to decorate the cupcakes, thinking a contrasting ivory topping will make them look fun. The other reason why I settled on this frosting was because it did not require additional sugar.

I am happy to report that the birthday tea for K turned out really well this past Sunday, blessed with gluten-free, egg-free cupcakes that turned out delicious, with a dreamy frosting that was a cinch to make. I made the cupcakes and frosting together with V, making our "personal time" together all the more sweeter. And ever since I posted on Facebook this rose cake tutorial from i am baker, I had been dying to try it. I don't think my roses looked too shabby for a first try, don't you think? Of course, hers are far more superior, sniff~

Gluten-free, egg-free Wacky Cupcakes
original recipe from Art of Gluten-free Baking
Makes 12 cupcakes or one 8-inch square cake

1 1/2 cups Bob's Red Mill all-purpose gluten-free baking mix*
3/4 tsp xanthan gum
1 cup granulated sugar
3 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa, sifted
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
6 Tbsp rice bran oil (or other neutral-flavored vegetable oil)
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup cold milk (or you can use cold water, or coffee)

Pre-heat oven to 350F.
Stir together dry ingredients in large mixing bowl (or you can do as Jeanne did, and do it directly in an 8" square cake pan. I used a mixing bowl since I was making cupcakes).
Make three depressions (or wells) in the flour mixture, 2 small and 1 large.
Pour your oil into the biggest well, and the vanilla and vinegar into the 2 smaller wells.
Pour the cold milk (or liquid of choice) over it all, and mix well gently.
Portion batter (it's rather watery) out into the muffin tins. (I poured the batter into a large measuring cup and poured from there, much easier.) If you are using square pan just smooth out the top.
Bake cupcakes for 30 minutes, until tester comes out clean. The square cake may need 5-10 minutes more, check with tester, which should come out clean. Let cool completely on wire rack. Frost if desired, and enjoy!

* Scroll to the bottom of this page for alternative GF flour mixtures. There is a rice-free one, and another using bean flours.

Dreamy Creamy White Chocolate Frosting

Recipe from Rose's Heavenly Cakes

Makes 2 3/4 cups frosting, enough to frost 12 cupcakes

9 oz white chocolate that contains cocoa butter
12 oz cream cheese, softened but still cool (about 65F)
6 Tbsp (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, softened but still cool (about 65F)
1 1/2 Tbsp sour cream

In a double-boiler, heat the white chocolate over hot, but not simmering water, stirring often (I used a bowl over a pot since I do not own a double boiler. You can also use the microwave but I do not recommend using one for health reasons.) The white chocolate should be almost completely melted when you remove it from the heat. Stir to completely melt the chocolate.
Let white chocolate cool until no longer warm to the touch but is still fluid.
In a food processor, process the cream cheese, unsalted butter and sour cream until smooth and creamy. Scrap down the sides then add the cooled melted white chocolate. Pulse until completely incorporated.
Frosting will become more firm in the refrigerator.

Gloriously garlicky chicken drumsticks

2011-04-11T18:35:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was a crazy one, lots of baking, washing and cooking. I made two different types of brownies, mango cakes, gluten-free egg-free wacky cupcakes for my friend K's birthday tea, a gluten-free shortbread that did not turn out, another gluten-free egg-free cookie that was meh, and I also made the most gloriously garlicky oven-roasted chicken drumsticks.

Now I only have one photo for this recipe, but not because it looked ugly or anything. I just was pressed for time. I have also always wanted to take some adorable pictures of garlic to go with this post, but the mango cakes got in the way. However, please do not let the fact that only a single photo accompanies this post to deter you from trying this recipe. I highly recommend it, as it is make-ahead, and the garlicky gooey sauce you get after roasting the drumsticks is literally gold. You will scrap it up and use it for another recipe, your only regret being there weren't more of it.

So, to cut to the chase, this is a recipe that I adapted off of Melissa Clark's In the Kitchen with A Good Appetite. It is from a recipe called "Not-my-grandma's Chicken with Lemon, Garlic, and Oregano." Now, Clark is a consummate chef and food writer, and she has a really great story that comes with this recipe. She makes you laugh and she makes you want to cook and eat. In fact, she makes you want to invite yourself over to her kitchen and stuff yourself silly. I doubled her recipe (her original serves two), ramped up the garlic, and executed a make-over on the preparation so it can be more hands-off for crazy busy days.

Now, before we get to the recipe, a few things about garlic. As we all know, it gives you stinky breath but is so good for you. You can find a ton of recipes online where garlic is used to cure almost everything. I like this page best, especially with the long list of those bad, bad things that garlic can kill or inhibit. And don't miss the author's recipe for a connoisseur’s garlic cocktail, it sounds absolutely alluring. Now, I feel I also need to point out two very important things about garlic. First, always remove the green shoots. I have come across discussion threads wherein this was heavily debated: to remove or not to remove? Some claims it makes no difference at all and a waste of time, while others beg to differ. I am in the "remove" camp.I have not really made any bad experiences with it, but my instinct tells me they ought to be removed. In fact, when I have time (who am I kidding here?) I always remove the shoots, even if they are not green. Something just tells me they are not to be included. And apparently, folks over at Cook's Illustrated had made a test cooking with the green shoots included and reported a bitter metallic taste aftertaste.

On to some other things about garlic. Garlic contains many valuable phytochemicals with therapeutic effects. However it has been found that the anticancer phytochemicals do not stand up to heat: one minute in the microwave or 45 minutes in the oven (temperature not specified) resulted in complete loss of anti-cancer activities (summary to this research is here). But what is interesting is, when crushed garlic is allowed to stand for 10 minutes prior to heat treatment, some of the anti-cancer activity was retained. I remember being told some years ago by a foodie friend that is is best to mince the garlic and let them stand for about 10 minutes before using to allow crucial compounds to develop, and I guess this was what she meant. And there is a whole body of (mind-boggling) literature out there about how best to attain all the valuable components of garlic, since some of these compounds are oil-soluble, and some water-soluble. In other words, bake it, steam it, use in stir-fry, use it in soup, use it raw, let it air out some, variety is the key.

And now, without further ado, the stinkin' good recipe. I have adapted it such that the garlic paste can be made in a small (5-cup) food processor. You can of course use your good ol' mortar and pestle. It may seem to be a lot of paste but like I mentioned before, you will feel you did not have enough of the cooked garlicky mess after the oven roasting. And if you sometimes buy the ready-peeled garlic cloves (as I do!), the approximately 20 cloves of garlic in this recipe weighs in at about 3 ounces (once I felt I just had to weigh them!).

Oven-roasted garlicky drumsticks

Gloriously garlicky chicken drumsticks

with thanks to Melissa Clark for recipe inspiration

10 chicken drumsticks
3 tsp sea-salt
freshly ground black pepper
rice bran oil
20 large cloves of garlic, about 3 oz
freshly squeezed juice of 2 lemons
2 tsp dried oregano
a handful of fresh thyme

Rinse chicken drumsticks and pat dry. Place drumsticks in large ziploc bag or a large bowl.
Transfer garlic paste to a small bowl, and stir in the dried oregano.
Scrap garlic mixture into ziploc bag (or bowl), throw in the sticks of fresh thyme (I do not bother to remove the leaves from the stems) and squeeze the juice of the two lemons right into ziploc bag (or bowl). Close the bag well and then massage the heavenly paste into the drumsticks, distributing the paste and wiping your drool. (If you prefer the bowl, just get in there with your clean hands and smear the paste all over the drumsticks, then cover bowl well and refrigerate.) Refrigerate the bag until ready to use. (If you do this in the morning, like I do, try to massage the drumsticks, or turn them around every time you open the fridge.)
Pre-heat oven to 450F. Remove drumsticks and place on a baking pan. Remember to scrap out all the garlic paste into the pan. Sprinkle with more black pepper if desired. Drizzle with a little rice bran oil (or if you have to use olive oil, I suggest mixing it with rice bran oil to raise the smoking point).
Roast for 15 minutes. Remove pan and with tongs flip the drumsticks over. I like to tilt up one end of the pan so the garlicky juice flows to one corner so I can dip the drumsticks in that golden goodness. Lower oven heat to 400F and continue to roast about another 15 minutes more, until browned and golden.
Enjoy, and after dinner scoop up that garlicky goodness at the bottom of the pan and keep it in a sealed glass container. You can use it for many things. You can toss it with rice noodles and serve with a crunchy salad. Once I stir-fried pea shoots with it and it was totally scrumptious. I am thinking you can steam spinach and then toss it with this garlicky oil. Oh, and once we even dipped our toasted sourdough bread in this garlicky mess, and boy, that was good too!

I am thinking this could work with a baked tofu recipe as well, but probably not with as much garlic! It may even work with potatoes, but I have a skillet-roasted potato recipes that is also pretty hands-off and involves garlic, but that would be another post for another day!

have it all: lemons, strawberries and chocolate

2011-04-05T12:30:00.001-07:00

Having well pulled away from our days of ails, I plotted for a lovely breakfast for us on Sunday, especially since it is the morning after R came back to town after being away from us for a few days. Our lemon tree is still spewing lemons and my palette craved for something citrusy, perhaps yearning for the sparkly bright and cheer that it represents. And not far from my mind were the lemon ricotta pancakes I saw on Patent and the Pantry (I love her food photography, and the way she writes).

The recipe seems easy and straight-forward, which is great, as I do not relish starting my day with something complicated and challenging. I love too her idea of serving the pancakes with macerated strawberries, something I often do (except I always add a splash of rose extract), but then I also really wanted to make again some chocolate butter, which I have adapted off a cookbook called "Comfort: real simple food" by Michele Cranston.

Well, sometimes you don't have to choose. Why not have it all?? So I made the chocolate butter on Saturday, and got to work with the pancakes and strawberries not-so-early Sunday morning.


Frilly lemon zest atop a mountain of ricotta, the sea of orange yolks peeking from below

I cut up the strawberries first, then let them macerate with some sugar, a splash of rose extract and about a teaspoon of balsamic vinegar (it gives the strawberries a glossy look and adds depth to the flavor). The pancakes were easy. I put the egg yolks, ricotta cheese and sugar in a large mixing bowl, then zested the lemons right into the bowl. S helped to mix everything together, then we added the flour and mixed again.

Thankfully, the electric stand mixer took care of the next step of whipping the egg whites till they were stiff enough to form peaks. S always has fun watching the egg whites transform: from a pool of translucent liquid to an ocean of frothy bubbles, then changing into a white swirly mass before it begins to rise into graceful peaks. And once the whites were incorporated into the rich, yellow batter, the pancakes were ready to be cooked. I used rice bran oil with some butter added (rice bran oil has a high smoking point and helps stabilize the butter so it does not brown or burn too easily), and soon enough we were enjoying our pancakes!

I wish I had taken the time to take some glorious pictures of the pancakes, that cooked fast and easy, with a nice brown edge (courtesy of good old butter). They rose pretty high and were so light and fluffy. You can eat a dozen and then eat another dozen. (If you want to see pretty, delicious and mouth-watering pictures of these yummy pancakes, head over here.) The first pancakes were immediately served onto plates for everyone, who immediately dug in. First, we tried just the pancakes with strawberries to savor the marriage of flavors that arise from the nicely tart lemons and the sweet strawberries. Then for the following round, chocolate butter was slathered over the pancakes, and eaten with the juicy strawberries. And that was perfection. If you ever have any doubt that lemons and chocolates do not go well together, this combination of lemon ricotta pancakes with chocolate butter will change your mind within seconds! Of course, you wouldn't want to forgo the strawberries either... ...


Excuse the dirty fork, but it was happy to be smeared with chocolate!

And so, if you don't have the courage to plunge right into lemon-chocolate cookies, this pancakes with chocolate butter may just ease you into it. Below is the lemon-ricotta pancake recipe (which I had doubled, and served our family of five perfectly) followed by that of the chocolate butter. Enjoy!!

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

Gwendolyn's recipe, which was adapted from the Alberta Egg Producers

8 eggs, separated
2 cups ricotta cheese (I used full milk)
6 Tbsp sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
zest of two large lemons

Place egg yolks, ricotta cheese and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Zest the lemons right into the mixing bowl.
Add the flour and mix well together until blended.
Whip egg whites with a mixer until glossy peaks form. Stir about one-quarter of the whites into the ricotta mixture to lighten, then fold in the remaining whites gently.
Add about a tablespoon rice bran oil in a skillet or pan. Melt a tablespoon butter over medium heat. Gently pour about 1/4 cup batter into the pan, spreading (and flattening) slightly. Cook for about 2 minutes on each side, until lightly browned.
Serve immediately with macerated strawberries and chocolate butter.

Chocolate Butter
Adapted from "Comfort: real simple food"

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter (6 Tbsp), softened
2 oz dark chocolate, chopped
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
4 Tbsp maple syrup

Place chopped chocolate into food processor, and process until as fine as possible (but it is ok to have bits of chunks, it won't hurt anything!)
Add the rest of the ingredients and process until smooth. There will be bits and flecks of chocolate, it is supposed to be that way. The chocolate bits will melt on the hot pancakes, creating bits of bliss.
Scrap butter into a glass container and store in refrigerator until ready to use.

the taste of green

2011-04-03T18:55:00.004-07:00

There are some rare people who can feel, taste and smell color -- a condition known as "synesthesia." To such people, yellow may feel squishy or bouncy, blue may taste bitter and chartreuse may well be pungent.

For some time I was sure that 4-year-old S had a somewhat similar condition. I called it "tasting with her eyeballs" and for months I went around lamenting to friends and family (and anyone who had an ear for me) that she would not eat anything green, especially if it is asian leafy greens. She would come to the dinner table, take a spilt-second look at the vegetables and pronounce her decision to not eat it, as "they do not taste good." If she did not have the capability to taste with her eyeballs, I don't know what that is about.

Since I read that children needs to be offered the same food about 30 times before they may even begin to not like it (but agree to taste it), I kept offering. And every time I offered some sort of asian leafy green as a menu option, S would remind me that she did not like it. She even asked if I had forgotten that she had informed me thus?

So, the frequency of asian greens appearing on the dinner table began to get lower and lower and lower... until one day I saw pea shoots being sold at my local oriental supermarket. I grabbed them. I was already drooling before I paid for them. I drove home, my heart making happy pirouettes, memories of the delicious taste of the shoots tingling my tongue. I could not wait for dinnertime to arrive. I washed the pea shoots, minced up a small mountain of garlic, sauted the pea shoots in the garlic, added a splash of soysauce and drizzled in a tiny bit of hoisin sauce.

Magic.

Moans and mumblings at the dinner table: Mmmmmmmmmm, hmmmmmmmpppphhhh, mmmmmmm.

Finally when they found their tongues the girls asked what that vegetable was and I told them: dou miao, otherwise known as "pea shoots." Yum, they said.


They shrink a lot, like spinach. This small bowl will barely satisfy.

The reason for my excitement was the limited and seasonal availability of peas shoots. I remember when living in Hong Kong and when eating out, a special point will be made of the pea shoots when they were available, and no one would hesitate to order them. They are almost always stir-fried with minced garlic and soy sauce, or oyster sauce. There is a smoothness to its taste and texture... you can almost say they taste green. From what I read here, farm-raised pea shoots are available for a month or two only, but they are also hot-house grown and the latter variety can be found year-round. I have also come across discussion threads that mention them being sold at farmers' markets!

When I asked the girls what they liked about pea shoots, their reply was: "yummy." ((Note that now when L see that I am preparing pea shoots for dinner, she will say, "I know dinner is going to be good!") Then I asked how they would describe the taste of pea shoots and I was told: "tasty", "sweet", "delicious" and "crunchy." Well, they are not supposed to be crunchy, but a conscientious cook will remove the lower, larger stems of the pea shoots before cooking, for they can be fibrous, or more "crunchy." Some purists will even sit and pick through the pea shoots, striping the leaves from the stems! I do not find it necessary, but then I am not that conscientious or fastidious cook. (But I do make sure to look for the pa shoots with more delicate-looking stems when making my selection.)

2-year-old L insisted that I take the picture with her fingers caressing the pea shoots.

Pea shoots are not snobbish to deal with either, despite their being highly sought after in spring, when they show up in the markets. All they need is to be washed, drained and a quick stir-fry in a wok (or large pot) with lots of minced garlic. You can add sliced mushrooms if you feel so inclined. I feel silly writing a recipe here, because it is so simple. After you have the pea shoots washed, mince up as much garlic as you favor (I use 6 to 8 cloves, and tend to mince them medium-fine, but you can decide if you like your minced garlic coarse or super-fine). Heat some vegetable oil (I use rice bran oil, or a refined coconut oil that will not impart flavor) in a large pot, stir-fry the garlic till fragrant and then throw in the pea shoots. They will wilt and decrease drastically in volume. Stir-fry until they are nicely wilted and tender, but still bright green. Season as desired: soy sauce, hoisin sauce, chili sauce. Plate, serve and enjoy! That said, you can experiment. I have been wondering how they would taste steamed, and then tossed with garlic-infused olive oil and a squeeze of lime juice!

As you see, I prefer my garlic not-too-fine.

So if you come across pea-shoots, why not try them? An 8-ounce package will only set you back about two dollars (and will serve two adults, approximately). You may decide that you know how a delicate green taste like.

feeding the sick

2011-03-30T14:16:00.001-07:00

A tall, three-storied dark chocolate cake, slathered on the outside with 2-inch thick dark chocolate ganache frosting. Inside, the cake layers are first covered with a thin layer of chocolate frosting before being topped with a delicious sour-cherry filling, with squashed juicy cherries embedded. I ate that cake all by myself, with a large bowl of whipped cream as side. With a dainty silver fork. That cake was all mine. And I was not in rags, looking like I just dragged my sorrowful feet through a three-month trek across the desert. I was dressed like royalty, like someone who knows how to enjoy a three-storied chocolate cake with a dainty silver fork.

When you are sick, and when there is not much that you can eat, your mind goes crazy. Above was the feverish fantasy I had one day when my limbs were wrapped around my belly button, fighting off aches and chills, determined to starve off the fever (and those nasty bugs causing my misery). But even as my body fatigued itself to fend off the attack of the mysterious but ferocious bug, my mind was alert and awake. It hungered for images of food. I know, I know. More noble minds crave for wise words, beautiful sounds and maybe even complicated mathematical problems to solve. Mine was the twisted hungry mind. I do not apologize.

::

So we've been sick for more than a week around here. Today is the first day we are all feeling human around here, with energy to hop around the house, and it's because we found out what we had was not the flu but the strep throat. Everyone else is on antibiotics except for me. I am the only soul without a temperature, and truly feeling on the good mend. I attribute that to my yoga practice and the bar of dark chocolate I secretly took bites of, an experiment to see if there truly are valuable anti-oxidants in dark chocolate. Apparently, there are. (And of course, all those garlic must have helped!!)

Today was a difference from the last days, when all of us were sick, coughing and sprawled around the house.

But, as S said it beautifully to me one day, "Though we are all sick [to a different degree], we help each other out."-- fetching straws, paper to blow our noses into, making tea, bringing food.

Food. It's tricky when you are sick: how to "starve the fever" but still keep the body nourished, and help it on its way to rejuvenation.

Food is even trickier when you are sick and your throat hurts from all that coughing.

First option we gravitated to was chicken soup. Something that will just slip silkily pass our tormented throats and soothe it. Of course every family has THE must-have ingredient and special recipes but I tend to use what we have or what we feel like. But first I marched off to Whole Foods to get chicken legs, chicken drumsticks, ginger, carrots, and literally took off with all the organic garlic they had in the store. (Also bought some ripe organic pears on sale. These delicious fruits with soft, sweet, and juicy flesh did not last long.)

Back in the kitchen, I browned the chicken legs lightly in some coconut oil (for its antiviral, antibacterial and anti-fungal properties), then threw in a million cloves of smashed garlic, some quartered onions, some carrots, a stick of cinnamon. Added water, brought to a soft boil, skimmed the froth, and then let simmer. It was well-received, sighs of relief heard around the table as we noisily slurped the warm soup. And I whole-heartedly believe we all slept better that night because of the soup.

I repeated same recipe a couple of times, using chicken drumsticks, and about the same ingredients, and probably more garlic every time, thinking sinisterly that I was going to get to all those awful germs this time with the potent garlic. I think I even secretly whispered to those adorable little cloves of garlic to go get 'em.

But soon V began to complain: "We are having chicken soup again?"

This from the sickest person in the household.

I responded with, "What do you mean again? We are still sick. Moreover, when aunt M's family was sick, all her kids wanted to drink and eat for days was chicken soup."

"Yeah," V replied. "But can't we have something different? How about chicken porridge?"

I thought to myself, "Isn't that about the same thing? It's essentially chicken soup with rice added! I can handle that... ..."

So I made chicken porridge, adding a knob of smashed ginger, rice and some sweet peas to the chicken soup "recipe." V declared it "yummy!" I just wanted her to be able to eat something, and I also desperately wanted everyone to be healthy again.

Then we went back to another meal of chicken soup. But after that I made something slightly different. I think when children are sick and offered the same things over and over again, they begin to feel there is no end in sight, it is the same again and again and likewise they will never feel better. When served something different they are delighted and I absolutely believe that little perk in their moods contribute to recovery.

So I made noodle soup in chicken broth, with meatballs. It is the same recipe as the asian-style meatballs, except I made them smaller, and they were dropped in a diluted chicken broth to cook. It takes a bit more time and effort, having to cook the meatballs, noodles and spinach separately. But it was worth the effort, as the girls were pleased the flavor (and the departure from chicken soup). And, when the children have been feeling unwell, nothing is worth more than seeing their little faces brighten up with a smile. I took a quick picture of Sophia's bowl before she dug in (she loves this Japanese soup bowl, always eager to get to the bottom so the cute kitty cat can be revealed):


Noodles in light chicken broth, with tiny meatballs and Chinese spinach

And because I myself needed to find some cheer amidst the gloom of our ailments, I played with my food:

Fishies want their noodles too!

Eventually, even I tired of chicken soup and noodle soup and variations of those. One of the favorite food options in this house is salmon, and we were all beginning to crave some miso (perhaps a gut reaction to the antibiotics prescription), so I made for dinner last night a miso-salmon soup, based loosely on this recipe.I used what vegetables I had (carrots, asparagus, broccoli) and added some soba noodles (cooked separately) to the broth, as the girls love those. It was a very comforting dinner, full of goodness. I am thinking this could be a good (and relatively fast and speedy) dinner for a crisp autumn evening too. Definitely a good base recipe for numerous variations.

I did not work on the "presentation" for this one, I just wanted a snapshot to remember it!

So that's how and what we have eaten the past days. We are very much looking forward to 100% good health and lots more good food (I see the delicious champagne mangoes are on the market! Can't wait to get to them!!)
What about you?? What do you eat when your health is down? What nourishes, what entices??

Lemons and Chocolates

2011-03-24T12:50:00.001-07:00

lemons & chocolates

First, I have to confess that I am prejudiced against white chocolate. No, it has nothing to do with its color, but I just find it too sweet for my taste. Moreover, it is not really chocolate, as it is made from cocoa butter. Be definition of the FDA, chocolate must contain cocoa solids from chocolate liquor. I know many people who enjoy white chocolate, I am just a die-hard fan of dark chocolate. I enjoy the bitterness of it.

Second, what has lemons to do with chocolates? It is not a common pairing, although it has been done before. Once I treated myself to a dark chocolate-lemon truffle and truly enjoyed it. The citrusy notes of the lemon cuts the sweetness of the chocolate and heightens the character of the latter, what a treat!

And so, next time life gives you lemons, consider making some cookies instead of lemonade.

Normally, I disregard recipes that calls for white chocolate (I know, not a good habit, but I am trying to be more open-minded) but this one in Shirley O. Corriher's "BakeWise" caught my eye because of how she named the cookie: "Taste Sensation Lemon-White Chocolate Butter Cookies." I was immediately intrigued and totally hooked onto the idea. Chocolate is great, dark chocolate is divine, but sometimes the palette craves some taste sensation: to try something different, to experience new flavors and to just be wowed. Corriher noted that "the sharpness of the lemon is balanced by the sweetness of the white chocolate." I could see how the lemon and the white chocolate can marry so well together in this recipe, and truly shine. I could already feel the tingling of the lemon on my tongue. But my memory also did not forget that dark chocolate-lemon truffle I once had. I decided I will make Corriher's recipe, using white chocolate chips for half the recipe, and chopped dark chocolate in the other half, just to see if dark chocolate and lemon will get along well in this recipe. I guess a part of me believes that dark chocolate is the congenial ambassador of the cocoa kingdom, and that he will go well with everything.

white chocolate chips and chopped dark chocolate

Well, I was not disappointed. Though I was also a bit scared how addictive these cookies can be -- be forewarned!! I have to concede though, that the lemon paired much more superior with the white chocolate. Those cookies were tangy, bright, citrusy but they do not make you pucker up, because the sweetness of the white chocolate only makes you welcome the next bite of the lemony cookie. However, I will suggest you get a block of white chocolate and chop that up instead of using white chocolate chips, as they tend to break and chip when you slice the cookies, and if you have some chips around the edge of your cookie roll (as I did), it results in a broken cookie. Also, I think it will make the sweetness more subtle and distributed, versus having chunks of sweet.

A stack of the lemon-white chocolate butter cookies- I didn't say this is one serving!

The visual impact of the chopped dark chocolate in this cookie is fun to look at. I know it is not exactly the same but they remind me of leopard spots. I enjoyed the richness of the dark chocolate and thinks it goes well with the lemon. This is certainly a cookie to be slowly nibbled and savored!

I don't know why but these cookies look cute to me.

I aim for the dark chocolate chunks when I nibble.

As I have mentioned, this cookie can be addictive- I'll let you decide if that is a good thing or not! When my home panel of tasters were asked to pick a preference the answer was "Both are good!" Whether you decide to go for the white chocolate only, or make both types as I did, I hope these cookies will delight and cheer your day up. Corriher's recipe is below, I added notes for the dark chocolate version in parnthesis).

Taste Sensation Lemon-White Chocolate Butter Cookies
original recipe from Shirley O. Corriher's "BakeWise"
Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter, cut into 2-tablespoon pieces
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp light corn syrup (I found an organic one at Whole Foods)
1/2 tsp. pure lemon extract
1 Tbsp lemon zest
2 large egg yolks
2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1 cup white chocolate chips (if making half-recipe of dark chocolate, use 1/2 cup white chocolate chips, 1/2 cup chopped dark chocolate, I used 72%)

Directions:
1. In heavy-duty mixer with paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugar, salt, corn syrup, lemon extract, and lemon zest until light and creamy. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, and beat with each addition, just to blend in thoroughly.
2. On the lowest speed, beat in the flour, scraping down the sides of the bowl and across the bottom once. Stir in the white chocolate chips. (** If making 1/2 recipe dark chocolate, DO NOT add white chocolate chips. Divide dough into half, stir in white chocolate chips into one half, chopped dark chocolate into other half.)
3. Divide the dough evenly into 4 pieces. Roll each piece into a log about 2 inches in diameter. Wrap each roll individually in plastic wrap and refrigerator at least 2 hours or overnight.
4. About 30 minutes before you are ready to bake, place an oven shelf in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 350 F.
5. Cover heavy baking sheet with parchment paper or spray with nonstick cooking spray.
6. Slice cookies into 3/8-inch slices and arrange about 1 inch apart on the sheet.
7. Bake one sheet at a time until the edges just begin to brown, about 12-15 minutes. Allow to cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes, and then remove to a cooling rack. These freeze nicely.
Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

Ugly but Good Chocolate Cookies

2011-03-22T18:12:00.000-07:00

This is possibly the ugliest cookie I've ever made. They looked like cow poop with mold growing on it.

I am not trying to be rude here, just being honest with the first dismal thoughts that entered my head when I took the cookies out of the oven. Nevertheless, we let them cool, and tasted them and they were good. Chewy and fudgy, and the texture did not betray the presence of flaxseed meal. They are truly like bites of brownies. This is another cookie that I baked for my friend K. It is again from Elizabeth Gordon's "Allergy-free Desserts" and in her book she named them "Chocolate Crinkle Cookies." But as those of you on Facebook already know, these cookies did not look one bit like those shown in the photo in her book: even-sized, rather flat and perfectly round, with cracks on them that look like how a dry cracking ground does, during a drought.

Maybe it's because I did not use palm fruit oil shortening as Gordon did. That was her replacement of choice for butter, but K is thankfully not allergic to dairy, and since I do not have any palm fruit oil shortening and am terribly in favor of butter, I used glorious yellow butter. Another thing I did different was to reduce the sugar a tad. I did not pack the light brown sugar and took out about 3 tablespoons of the granulated sugar. (I still find this cookie a touch too sweet for my taste, but I tend to not like my baked goods too sweet.) I found that the dough did not form into balls as easily as I thought they would, so I used fingers dusted with powdered sugar to form them into balls, then coat them with the powdered sugar, shaking off excess before placing them on the cookie sheet.

The truth is, with familiarity (having looked at the cookies more than 24 hours now) and with repeated tasting, I have come to accept this cookie. I fondly call it "The Dark Horse," but here I shall call them "Ugly but Good Chocolate cookies." They are a great gluten-free, egg-free choice and I am glad they turned out delicious. I can imagine how hard it is to be on a restricted diet, and having something good and somewhat familiar to put into one's hungry belly is a blessing. It makes me grateful that we can eat almost anything in our household.

So my friend M wisely told me to post a picture of the ugly cookie, as it would be a great life lesson to learn not to judge by looks. How true! I remember once I made a salad dressing with minced tomatoes and when I first poured it onto the salad leaves it looked like vomit to me. Maybe I have visual issues. But in any case, I am sure this example is not isolated, I am sure others have looked upon visually replusive food, and then tasted it to realize the virtue of its good taste. What is good for you may not look good either (example: kefir grains. But I won't tell you how I describe them, for otherwise this post will be composed of too many off-putting descriptions!).

To play off the ugliness of the cookie, I chose a dainty plate with one of my favorites flowers -- the peony. I actually had fun photographing it. I hope this recipe gives some food for thought, and may come useful one day for someone yearning for some chocolate goodness with no allergens in it. Below is the original recipe, with my modifications in parenthesis.

"Beauty and the Beast"

Gordon's Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
(hereby affectionately known as Ugly but Good GF, egg-free chocolate cookies)
original recipe by Elizabeth Gordon, "Allergy-free desserts"
Ingredients:

6 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons ground flaxseed meal
1½ cups Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free All-Purpose Baking Flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 cup organic palm fruit oil shortening (I used one cup butter, at room temperature)
¾ cup packed dark brown sugar (I did not pack it in)
¾ cup granulated sugar (used a bit less, probably 3 tablespoons less)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup confectioners sugar, sifted

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a small bowl, combine the water and flaxseed meal and allow to thicken for 3 to 5 minutes. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and xanthan gum.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the shortening (butter), brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add in the vanilla and the flaxseed meal mixture, and beat until it is fluffy and the flaxseed is thoroughly mixed in. Add in the flour mixture and mix the batter until thoroughly combined.
Drop rounded tablespoonfuls of the dough into the confectioners sugar, rolling the cookies around to form balls. (If this does not work, dust fingers with powdered sugar, lightly form dough into balls and then roll in sugar.)
Place the balls 2 inches apart, to allow for spreading, on the prepared baking sheets.
Bake for 14 minutes or until the tops of the cookies no longer look wet (I baked both sheets at the same time, rotating about halfway through.)
Transfer the baking sheets from the oven to cooling racks and cool for 10 minutes, then transfer the cookies directly onto the racks to cool completely.
Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.

Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

guest post on food thoughts

2011-03-21T16:30:00.000-07:00

I was really honored when Marinah asked if I will write a guest post on her blog, Midwife in the Clouds. She is a most amazing midwife, woman, mother. She is fun and wicked at the same time, sagely with a silly bone in her. You just can't help but like her, she's like a human magnet.

Shortly after I started this blog, a post about food and what it means to me, started to simmer in my head. I knew I was going to write that elusive something down, so when Marinah asked me, she gave me "the right push." I am so thankful for the opportunity. Please visit here if you would like to read it.

baking is an exercise

2011-03-20T13:01:00.000-07:00

I have quite some lemons from our lemon tree, and I also saw some delicious looking blueberries the other day and bought them. I thought I'd make some blueberry muffins (which always seem to call for lemon zest). Though the best blueberry muffin recipe have been found (look here, it is from America's Test Kitchen), and we all enjoy it very much, I still had to look for a new recipe to try. It is a very bad habit of mine, this need to try something new. I also wanted to try to make it gluten-free. We do not need to eat gluten-free, but from what I've read, I do feel it'd make good sense to not rely on gluten-laden goods all the time. Plus, I have friends who eat gluten-free and want to be able to offer something from time to time.

I looked and looked and finally settled on this recipe I found at dinner with Julie. I used Bob's Red Mill all-purpose gluten-free mix, and sour cream instead of yogurt. I found it curious that the recipe stated that you should not beat the mixture in an electric mixer or the muffins will not rise, but then almost all muffin recipes I have made were mixed by hand. However, this one calls for butter and not oil. When I had the ingredients in the mixing bowl, I had no idea how I could "cream" them with a spatula. But then I remembered my Home Economics cooking classes from two decades ago! Oh, what memories! Paired by two's, our class of girls learned to bake and cook in a kitchen supervised by a very prim and proper teacher, whose dress is always starched, her hair each and every strand ever in place, and she would maintain a smile on her face even when she was angry at us. While we cooked she would walk around, chiding us for not wiping down the counter-tops right away, and muttering about the sinks being dirty. I was not her star student then, nope. But I remember this creaming method that she talked about. Using a wooden spoon or spatula, we scrapped (or smeared) the butter against the side of the bowl, scrap it up again, and continued with the smear and scrap movement.

This smear-and-scrap movement seemed to be what that creaming is about. It takes arm strength. Every time I have to make a recipe like this (or whip up a small amount of egg whites or heavy cream in a bowl), I think of women in the pre-electricity day and their buffed arms -- that keeps me going as I try to hold back the tears. At least I exercised my arms while baking! Now that arm exercise does not stop with the creaming part. As you add the flour the batter gets really stiff and you will be kicking up your arm exercise a notch (no whining allowed). I was a bit alarmed at how the batter looked by the time it was almost done, as it very much resembled a bread dough and I was afraid the muffins will turn out tough. They turned out fluffy and had a nice chewiness to it. The girls enjoyed it very much and told me they could really taste the lemon in it too.

Other things I will improve upon next time: smooth out the batter after placing them in the muffin cups. I didn't and though I don't mind a tousled look in my baked goods, this caused some of the parts to get overly brown.I will also watch it a bit closer, and check the muffins before 25 minutes. Because of the sugar topping, it can get burned and we had a few burned spots. Other than that, this is a yummy gluten-free recipe.

Gluten-free Lemon Blueberry Muffins

Adapted from dinner with Julie who adapted from Gluten Free Girl

Ingredients:

10 Tbsp. butter, softened
1 cup sugar
grated zest of a lemon
2 large eggs
3 cups Bob's Red Mill All-purpose gluten-free mix
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 ½ cups sour cream
1 cup fresh blueberries (you can use frozen ones too, without thawing)
sugar for sprinkling

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375F.
In a large bowl, cream the butter, sugar and lemon zest together with a spatula. (smear the butter against the side of the bowl, scrap it up, and smear again, until everything is well-mixed and looks creamy. The sugar should have worked well into the butter.)
Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each.
Add a cup of the flour along with the baking powder, soda and salt, and mix well. Add half the sour cream and stir until combined, then another third of the flour, the rest of the sour cream and the rest of the flour.Batter will be rather stiff!
Fold in the blueberries.
Divide the batter among muffin tins that have been lined with paper liners or sprayed with nonstick spray, filling them, and smoothing the tops, somehow. (You’ll get about 16-18 muffins.) Sprinkle the tops with sugar and bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden and springy to the touch.

meatballs asian-style (go-to dish)

2011-03-19T08:32:00.000-07:00

Every time we eat this, S always says, "HOME MADE IS THE BEST!!" with a big smile on her face.

Oh, I love home made too. Most days. Other days I just want to give everyone a stick of carrot (unpeeled) and tell them that is dinner and that we are doing an orange-colored detox diet that night! Once I declared we were all going out to the backyard to eat some grass for dinner.

But if I am not experiencing cooking-fatigue, or just plain feeling that I was becoming a fixture in the kitchen, I enjoy home-made. These meatballs I have adapted from a recipe in Gourmet (recipe can be found online here) and it very much reminds me of an everyday dish that my grandmother made when I was young. Instead of making such a mixture into meatballs, she puts the seasoned ground meat into a dish and steams it. It is then served over steamed rice with some soy sauce drizzled over, with vegetables added. It truly is homey food. I like to add some minced ginger during the cold months to add some heat to the belly. The girls enjoy rolling the meatballs together. I think that is part of why "home-made" is best-- it is fun too.

This recipe makes enough to feed five mouths, with extras to freeze for at least another meal.

Meatballs asian-style

Ingredients:

1/2 cup whole milk

1/2 cup fine dry bread crumbs

3 pound ground chicken

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 medium-sized jicama, peeled and chopped finely

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup chopped fresh cilantro plus 1/4 cup sprigs

1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp soy sauce

8 teaspoons Asian sesame oil

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

1/4 cup water

1 Tbsp sugar

Directions:

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 450°F.
Pour milk over bread crumbs in a large bowl and stir until liquid is absorbed.
Add ground chicken, eggs, jicama, salt, chopped cilantro, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, and 4 teaspoons sesame oil and mix with your hands until combined well. Shape meat mixture into balls (whatever size you like, but about 2-inch ball is what we go with) and transfer to a 13- by 9-inch glass baking dish (or parchment-lined baking sheet), arranging meatballs about 1/2 inch apart in baking dish. (Having a dish of water to keep hands wet while rolling is useful.)
Bake until cooked through, about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, stir together lime juice, water, sugar, remaining 1/2 cup soy sauce, and remaining 4 teaspoons sesame oil in a bowl until sugar is dissolved.
Transfer meatballs to a serving dish. Stir sauce, then drizzle meatballs with some sauce and sprinkle with cilantro sprigs.
Serve meatballs with remaining sauce.
The meatballs freeze beautifully. You can also cook the meatballs in broth and make an easy one-bowl noodle soup, adding shredded cabbage, shredded carrots and sweet peas to fill out the meal. Or you can do it as my grandma did, and pat the mixture into a dish and steam till cooked.