Cherry on My Sundae

Chicken Madras

2013-05-13T08:12:00.000-07:00

Indian cuisine is one of the cuisines that I am the least familiar with. I've made several dishes but how authentic they are is up in the air. Craving Indian food and wanting to try a new dish, I decided to try chicken madras. I cannot believe I've never heard of or tasted this curry before because it is probably the best one I've had up to date! You must try this now!

Chicken Madras

Recipe from greatcurryrecipes.net

Cooking time: 3 hours

Yield: 3-4 servings

Ingredients

Curry base:

3 cloves garlic, smashed

1 inch ginger, finely sliced

3 tbsp vegetable oil or ghee

3 small onions, finely sliced

1 inch carrot, peeled and chopped

1/4 cup shredded cabbage (optional)

1/4 red bell pepper, diced

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp ground fenugreek

1 tsp smoked paprika

2 tomatoes, finely chopped

water

1 tbsp ghee

1 pinch tumeric

salt and pepper

2 tbsp vegetable oil

3 chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/8 cup curry sauce

2 tbsp vegetable oil or ghee

1 tbsp garlic paste

1 tbsp ginger paste

2 green chili peppers, finely chopped

1 tbsp ground cumin

1 tbsp ground coriander

1 tsp tumeric

1-2 tbsp chili powder

3 cups curry sauce

1-2 tbsp mango chutney

salt and pepper

dash of garam masala

fresh coriander for garnish

Directions

Start by making the curry base. Pulverize the ginger and garlic with a drop of water until you have a paste. Set aside.
Heat oil or ghee in a large heavy bottomed saucepan until bubbling. Add the onions, bell pepper, carrot and cabbage and cook over medium-low heat for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. The vegetables should be lightly browned but not burned.
Add the ginger and garlic paste and cumin - paprika to the pot. Stir together.
Add the chopped tomatoes and just enough water to cover the vegetables. Bring the water to a boil, cover and reduce temperature to low. Simmer 15 minutes.
Remove the curry from the heat and cool slightly. You can choose to blend the sauce for a smoother curry or leave as is.
Melt the 1tbsp ghee in a saute pan over medium heat. Add the tumeric powder and brown, about 1 minute. Add to the sauce and bring to a simmer. Once the sauce starts to bubble, reduce heat to low and simmer another 15 minutes. Set aside.
Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in the same frying pan used for the tumeric. Add the chicken and brown until almost cooked. Season with the tumeric and stir. Add the prepared curry sauce, cover, reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes or until the chicken is tender. Set aside.
Heat the vegetable oil or ghee in a large pan over medium heat. Add the garlic paste, ginger paste and chopped chili. Saute for 15 seconds than add the cumin - chili powder; stir to combine.
Add the prepared curry sauce and mango chutney, stir. Add the cooked chicken and simmer for 3 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and finish with a sprinkle of garam masala. Garnish with fresh coriander and serve.

Nutrition Facts

per serving (4 servings): 611.8 calories, 40g fat (6.9g saturated, 16.2g polyunsaturated, 14.2g monounsaturated) 17.7g carbohydrates, 4.5g fiber, 46.3g protein

**Helpful tips and common mistakes

I'm sure when you saw the long list of ingredients and directions, you second guessed if you should make these recipe or not. In actuality, the ingredients are the same ones being used again and the methods are actually quite simple, only time consuming.

I remember talking to a chef about how he learned how to make proper curry in India and how they would spend their time just cooking the onions. I suppose the fact that this recipe requires you to do the same is a good sign of authenticity!

You want to cook the onions and vegetables over medium-low heat so that they don't burn. Lower your heat if they do start to burn. After twenty minutes, my onions are not caramelized but a nice golden brown color, and it smells amazing already!

Half of the time when you are making chicken madras, or any other curry for that matter, is waiting for the flavors to meld together. After adding the seasonings for the sauce, you can already smell the beginnings of a great curry.

I didn't have ghee for this recipe so I used vegetable oil, even when browning the turmeric. Keep an eye on the turmeric since it can burn easily.

After making the curry base, everything else is easy-peasy! I didn't blend my sauce but you can if you prefer. If you don't have enough time to prepare everything in one day you can make the curry ahead of time and keep it in the fridge for up to four days. You can also prepare the chicken beforehand. Just make sure to heat up the curry base before adding it to the final steps (with the sauteed ginger garlic paste, chili and spices).

I used only one jalapeno for the green chili pepper and 1/2 tbsp of cayenne instead of 1-2. If you have a higher tolerance for spicy, by all means, add more! I can eat spicy but to be on the safe side, I went with less.

I must warn you! When you are sauteing the chili pepper and chili powder, the air becomes spicy! Even my dog started to bark loudly because it was hard to breathe! Be careful!

For the mango chutney, I was only able to find mango pineapple so I went with that.

Almost three hours later and behold, a beautiful curry!

Wow, wow, wow! Oh and did I say, WOW? This curry is amazing!! I cannot emphasize just how tasty it is. The mango chutney really makes this dish adding a wonderful balance of sweet to the spicy sauce. I used chicken thighs so my meat was nice and tender. Served with warm naan and basmatic rice on the side and I had a lovely meal. This recipe is definitely a keeper!

Seafood Cobb Salad

2013-05-09T16:02:00.000-07:00

Years ago when I was working in a seafood restaurant, they had this amazing seafood cobb salad that people always raved about. Unfortunately, I never tried the entire dish myself but I did taste the components separately and knew that the dish was a winner. This recipe is my version of that seafood cobb salad with seared tuna, shrimp and crab all tossed in an orange cumin dressing.

Seafood Cobb Salad

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

Dressing:

zest of one orange

juice of one orange

1 shallot, minced

1 garlic, minced

2 tsp cumin, ground

1 egg yolk

1 1/2 tbsp sherry vinegar

1 cup olive oil

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

12 medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/2 lemon

1 sprig rosemary

1/2 cup rice vinegar

1 tsp black peppercorns

3 dried chili de arbol

1 garlic clove, whole

1/2 small red onion, sliced

6 cups water

12 ounces fresh saku tuna or tuna steaks

1 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper

2 large heads romaine lettuce, chopped into 1 inch size pieces

4 eggs, hard boiled and quartered

8 strips bacon, cooked and chopped

8 ounces canned crabmeat

1 fuji apple, cut into thin matchsticks

2 medium cucumber

Directions

To make the salad dressing, combine the orange zest, orange juice, minced shallot, minced garlic, cumin, egg yolk, and vinegar in a medium bowl. Whisk everything together. Slowly drizzle the olive oil into the yolk mixture, whisking constantly to emulsify. Season with salt and pepper.
To poach the shrimp, combine the lemon - water in a medium pot. Bring the liquid to a simmer at medium-low heat. Add the shrimp and cook until no longer pink about 4-5 minutes. Remove the shrimp and discard the liquid. Let cool.
Next, sear the tuna. Season both sides of the tuna with salt and pepper and gently massage the olive oil into the tuna. Bring a nonstick pan over high heat. When the pan is hot, add the tuna and sear, about 1-2 minutes. Flip and sear on the other side. Remove from heat and let rest for ten minutes.
When you are ready to assemble the salads, slice the tuna into 1/4 inch thick slices. Toss the romaine lettuce in just enough dressing to lightly coat the greens. Portion onto four plates. Top with 3 oz sliced tuna, 1/2 a cucumber sliced, 3 shrimp, 1 quartered egg, 2 bacon strips chopped, 1/4 apple, and 2 ounces crab per plate. Drizzle extra dressing on top and serve immediately.

Nutrition Facts

per serving: 364 calories, 13.2g fat (3.7g saturated, 2.6g polyunsaturated, 4.7g monounsaturated) 16.2g carbohydrates, 3.4g fiber, 47.4g protein

**Helpful tips and common mistakes

There are many steps you have to take to complete this salad because there are several components. However, everything comes together rather quickly so don't despair!

First things first, the dressing. Make sure you are very slowly adding the oil into the egg yolk mixture. If you add too much oil too quickly, it won't emulsify properly and the mixture will break. Take your time so you don't have to redo the dressing.

Whenever you are incorporating oil with egg yolk, you are essentially making mayo. Add garlic and you have aioli. This dressing is much thinner than a mayo based dressing because of the orange juice; if you want it thicker, add more oil.

When cooking the shrimp, you are poaching it, so don't let the liquid come to a rapid boil; you want it at a low simmer. Keep an eye on the shrimp since they can overcook quite easily.

As for the tuna, you want to just sear the outside, keeping the inside raw. If you're not a fan of seared tuna, you can go ahead and poach it in the same liquid you used for the shrimp. You can also choose to grill it, bake, or broil the tuna.

I like to toss my lettuce with the dressing before plating so that you don't have to toss everything together again before eating. Assemble your toppings and you're all ready to go! You can mix up the toppings if you like; the restaurant that served this dish used to have sliced avocado and shaved pecorino cheese as well, but I just didn't have enough space on my plate or in my tummy!

There are just so many components in this salad that you walk away quite full! Plus there's a ton of protein so hunger be gone! The dressing is light and nicely pairs with the seafood, not masking the flavor of the tuna, crab or shrimp. Healthy, filling, and delicious! My kind of salad!

Apple Honey Challah

2013-05-07T15:32:00.000-07:00

While browsing through my recipe book, I came across a bread that I made a while ago that I absolutely loved. I haven't been making as many breads lately because of time constraint, but today was an exception. That meant time to make this gorgeous apple honey challah! This is honestly one of my favorite breads and one that you must make immediately!

Apple Honey Challah

Recipe from Martha Stewart

Cooking time: 4 hours

Yield: one 9 inch round loaf

Ingredients

2 tsp active dry yeast

3/4 cup warm water (100-110 degrees F)

4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter plus more for bowl, pan and plastic

3 1/2 cups unbleached bread flour, plus more for surface

2/3 cup honey, divided

2 large eggs plus 3 large egg yolks

2 tsp coarse salt

1 1/2 tart green apples, preferably Granny Smith, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch thick slices (about 1 3/4 cups)

Directions

Activate the yeast by combining it with the warm water. Let stand for 10 minutes.
Butter a large bowl and set aside. Melt 4 tbsp butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat or in the microwave; let cool. Combine half the melted butter (2 tbsp) with the bread flour, 1/3 cup honey, eggs, yolks, salt, and yeast mixture. Mix until dough forms. Transfer dough to a floured surface and knead 10 minutes or until smooth.
Transfer the dough to the buttered bowl. Brush with 1 tbsp melted butter. Cover with plastic and let rise for 1 1/2 hours or until doubled in size in a warm place.
Remove the dough from the bowl onto a floured surface. Shape into a 8 1/2 x 14 inch rectangle. Top with the sliced apples and knead the dough to incorporate. Return the dough to the bowl, brush with the remaining 1 tbsp melted butter. Cover and let rise for 1 more hour in a warm place or until doubled in size.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F with the rack in the lowest position. Butter a 9 inch round cake pan.
Transfer the dough to a floured surface. Roll into a 24 inch long rope. Coil the dough into a circle and put in the buttered cake pan. Butter the plastic wrap and cover the dough. Let rise one last time for 45 minutes or until doubled in size.
Heat the remaining 4 tbsp butter with the 1/3 cup honey in a saucepan over medium-low heat until the butter melts. Brush the dough with half of the honey butter mixture. Bake the bread for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown and firm.
Remove the bread from the oven and brush with the remaining honey butter. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Remove from the pan and let cool completely.

Nutrition Facts

per serving (about 16 per loaf): 216.6 calories, 7.5g fat (4.2g saturated, 0.6g polyunsaturated, 2.1g monounsaturated) 33.6g carbohyrates, 1.2g fiber, 4.4g protein

**Helpful tips and common mistakes

This bread is relatively easy to make; it only takes a long time because you're waiting for it to rise.

I made the dough from start to finish in my mixer, using the dough hook to knead the bread. The dough will be very sticky but don't add any more flour or else the bread will end up dry. If your kitchen is not warm enough you can always turn on your laundry dryer machine for ten minutes, turn off, then put in your dough!

After adding in your apples, rise again for 1 hour. You will notice that the bread deflates because you have to knead in the apples, but that's what the second proofing time is for!

When it's time to coil the dough into circle, don't worry if it doesn't look perfect. Mine was far from it but still came out nicely out of the oven.

Watch your oven when baking the bread. I took mine out after 32 minutes but I actually wish I took it out sooner. It was a hair darker than I would have liked. How long the bread takes depends on how strong your oven is. I advise you to turn your bread after 15 minutes and check on it at 30 minutes.

Finish with a final coat of honey butter and your bread is done! This bread is not only gorgeous, it smells insanely wonderful and the taste matches up! The challah is moist, sweet from the honey yet has accents of tartness from the apples. The bread is quite large which is great since you know it will be gone very quickly! So darn delicious!

Fried sesame balls with banana

2013-05-03T16:00:00.000-07:00

As an Asian, I believe I eat my fair share, and maybe more, of Asian desserts, including rice cakes. I love the chewy texture paired with the subtle sweetness of toppings and fillings. This dessert of fried sesame balls with banana is no exception. I usually don't make such Asian desserts but rice cakes with banana filling?! How can I resist?

Fried Sesame Balls with Banana

Recipe from heoyeahyum
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Yield: 16-20 balls

Ingredients
50 grams granulated sugar
200 grams glutinous rice flour (plus extra for dusting)
a pinch of salt
110 ml steaming hot water
1 banana, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp sugar
3/4 cups sesame seeds
cool water in shallow bowl

Directions

Combine the dry ingredients including the sugar, flour and salt. Stir together. Pour in the hot water and mix together to form a sticky dough. Knead the dough with a spoon or your hands for five minutes.
Toss the cut banana chunks with the cinnamon and sugar.
Pour the sesame seeds in a shallow bowl and have your water ready.
Dust your hands with rice flour. Form about 1 tbsp size balls from the prepared dough. Flatten the ball into a 1/4 inch thick patty or disc. Spoon about 2-3 banana chunks into the center of the flattened ball. Gather up the edges of the dough over the filling and pinch close, forming a ball once again. Don't worry if you cannot form a perfect ball.
Dip the balls into the cold water than dip into the sesame seeds, coating the ball evenly around. Repeat with the remaining balls.
Preheat frying oil to 375 degrees F.
Carefully drop the balls into the fryer, no more than 5 at a time. Once the balls are golden brown and begin to float, remove the balls from the oil. Repeat with the remaining balls. Serve immediately. You can also reheat in the oven at 375 degrees F if serving later.

Nutrition Facts

per sesame ball (total 16): 112 calories, 4.4g fat (0.6g saturated, 2g polyunsaturated, 1.6g monounsaturated) 16.8g carbohydrates, 1.8g fiber, 2g protein

**Helpful tips and common mistakes

When making the dough for these sesame balls, make sure to get glutinous rice flour. Mine was sweet glutinous rice flour which works just the same.

The dough may appear crumbly when you mix it together, but it should easily stick together and form a ball. If your dough is too dry, add a little extra water, too wet, add more flour.

I cut my banana a little on the smaller side to make sure it can fit into the sesame balls. Whenever you use bananas for dessert, it's best to use them when they are almost over-ripe so that your dessert will be sweet!

Have all your ingredients ready when you begin forming the balls. I found it to be a bit messy so I first formed all the balls, than stuffed them all with banana, finishing them by dipping them in water and sesame seeds. You can use brown or black sesame seeds, roasted or raw.

The dough is quite sticky so make sure to coat your hands with some flour before rolling a flattening the balls.

All ready to fry! As you can see my balls were far from perfect; the weight of the banana makes it a little difficult to have the balls perfectly round. Don't worry because no one will notice once they devour these!

These fried sesame balls are best out of the fryer but still were delicious hours later. The filling is nice and gooey with hints of cinnamon while the exterior is a combination of chewy and crunchy from the seeds. So easy to make and tastes delicious? Sign me up for more!

Spring Pea and Mint soup

2013-05-02T16:46:00.000-07:00

I was always one of those kids who looked at peas and just made a face even though I never tasted them. I even remember visiting a popular restaurant that is widely known for their pea soup and I refused to try it. Now that I'm all grown up, I love pea soup! This is a special recipe because not only is it vegetarian, it's Paleo-friendly, vegan and gluten-free!

Spring Pea and Mint Soup

Recipe adapted from lunchboxbunch

Cooking time: 20 minutes (plus overnight for almonds)

Yield: 3 servings

Ingredients

1/2 cup raw almonds

10 ounces English peas, steamed

1 cup water

salt and pepper

2 sprigs mint leaves, chopped

Directions

Soak the raw almonds in salted water at least 4 hours or overnight. Drain the almonds and put in a blender.
Steam the peas until tender, about 4-5 minutes. Remove the peas from the steamer and add to the blender with the almonds along with the water and mint. Season with salt and pepper and puree the mixture until smooth. Add more water if you want a thinner consistency, add more almonds if you want it thicker. Garnish with fresh mint and serve immediately.

Nutrition Facts

per serving: 180 calories, 8g fat, 18g carbohydrates, 8g fiber, 10g protein

**Helpful tips and common mistakes

After looking over the recipe, if you're thinking, "This is going to be easy!", than you my friend, are correct! You can whip up this soup in no time and no one will know because it tastes so darn delicious!

Now this is a basic recipe so there are modifications and changes you can make along the way.

Fresh peas are best for the soup, but if they're not in season you can use frozen. I chose to boil the peas even though steaming is preferred (I couldn't find my steamer at the time).

If you want to add a cheesy element, you can add nutritional yeast when blending all the ingredients together, or shredded cheese if you're not on a strict diet.

To give the soup a fancy touch, you can even drizzle truffle oil as a finishing end right before serving the soup. Add extra herbs, spinach, roasted or raw garlic, etc to make slight variations to this wonderful dish. I like to save some of the peas before blending to add as a garnish later on.

I first made this soup for my client but after loving it myself, I came home and made it for my lunch! Wonderfully creamy, with a subtle minty taste, this spring pea and mint soup is perfect on a nice sunny day!

Scallop pot pie

2013-04-29T17:35:00.000-07:00

I'm not going to lie, I've been running out of ideas on what to cook lately. Luckily, I got a special request for chicken pot pie. Since you can find any other chicken pot pie recipe, I wanted to do something different. Introducing: scallop pot pie! Trust me, you will become a fan after trying this recipe!

Just a reminder: only TWO more days left until the FREE GIVEAWAY is announced! Hurry and sign up now on my Tamales post (just click on the link), trust me it only takes 10 seconds and you can win a free giftcard! Go go go!

Scallop Pot Pie

Recipe adapted from Ina Garten

Cooking time: 2 hours

Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups ap flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, diced
1/4 to 1/3 cup ice water

3 cups fish stock or clam juice
1 pound bay scallops
1/2 cup unsalted butter

3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion (1 large)
1/2 cup chopped fennel
1/2 cup ap flour
1 tbsp Pernod
salt and pepper
3 cups frozen vegetable mix (peas, corn and carrots)

1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp water for egg wash

Directions

Make the pastry by mixing the flour, salt and baking powder in a food processor for 10 seconds. Add the chopped cold butter and pulse 10 times or until the butter is the size of peas. With the motor running, slowly add the add ice, mixing just until the dough comes together. Transfer the dough onto a counter lightly dusted with flour. Quickly knead into a ball, cover with plastic and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Prepare the filling. Bring the fish stock or clam juice to a simmer in a medium pot. Add the scallops and cook for 2 minutes, just until firm. Remove the scallops with a slotted spoon and reserve the stock.
Heat the butter in a saute pan over medium heat. When the butter has melted, add the garlic, onion, and fennel. Saute until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the flour and cook for another minute.
Slowly whisk in the stock into the onion and flour mixture. Add the Pernod and season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 3 minutes or until the sauce is thickened.
Add the scallops and frozen vegetable into the onion and fennel mixture. Stir to combine. Pour the contents into a 9x13x2 inch baking dish or individual ramekins.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Roll out the dough to fit the size of your baking dish or ramekins with about 1/4 inch overlap. Brush the outside side of your dish with the egg wash than lay the dough on top of the filled dish. Press it lightly to adhere to the egg wash and brush the top of the dough with more egg wash. Cut three slits in the top of the dough to allow the steam to escape. Place the baking dish or ramekins on a lined baking sheet and bake in the over for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until golden brown. The ramekins will take about 45-55 minutes. Serve hot.

Nutrition Facts

per serving (total 6 servings): 565.8 calories, 34.7g fat (20.2g saturated, 2.3g polyunsaturated, 9.1g monounsaturated) 42.4g carbohydrates, 3.4g fiber, 21.2g protein

**Helpful tips and common mistakes

First things first, making the dough is very easy to do with or without a food processor. I don't have a food processor myself so I had to do everything by hand. You can incorporate the butter into the flour either by using your hands, a fork, or a pastry cutter. This process can be tedious but it's easier to do if you cut up the butter into small pieces. When adding the water, stir with a wooden spoon while pouring the water, than knead by hand. If your dough is too crumbly, add a little more water.

Now for the filling. When adding the flour to the onion and fennel, you are making a roux or a thickener with the butter in the pan. Once you add the stock and let it simmer, you are letting the stock thicken.

If you like, you can substitute Pernod with white wine, which is what I did.

You have a bit of freedom with what you want to put in your filling. If you're not a fan of fennel, substitute with celery. You can add shrimp or lobster to the seafood mix and change up the frozen peas and carrots for broccoli, green beans, even fava beans.

Now I took an extra step when assembling these pot pies. I like my pot pies to have crust on the bottom as well as the top so I made extra dough. I used individual ramekins and traced the bottom onto the rolled out dough. Cut and remove that traced circle and pat into the bottom of the ramekin.

Keep in mind that if you choose to do this as well, you must make 2x the dough!

You can also do this with your baking dish or even make an entire pie shell.

Continue with the recipe as stated, laying the top with the dough. I filled my ramekins to the top; don't worry they won't explode!

Cut slits into the top to allow the steam to escape.

Brush on the egg wash to allow the crust to become golden brown.

Depending on the size of your ramekin, they may be done before 55 minutes.

Can I just say YUM! Everyone loves chicken pot pie, but adding the scallops almost makes these gourmet. The season is perfect with just the right amount of vegetables, scallops and a nice creamy sauce. A winner!

Cannoli

2013-04-24T18:47:00.001-07:00

For my last entry, I used leftover pork from tamales to make a roast pork sandwich; today's entry is using leftover ricotta from the cheese blintz post to make cannolis! I usually make cannolis with a ricotta and chocolate chip creme filling but today I decided to try a new cinnamon filling while dipping the shells in chocolate and pistachios. Pleasant for the eyes and the mouth!

Remember to sign up for my FREE GIVEAWAY that is still going on until May 1st! Just leave a comment on my Tamales post to enter!

Cannoli

Recipe adapted from Alex Guarnaschelli

Cooking time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Yield: 24 cannolis

Ingredients

Shells:

2 cups ap flour

1 tbsp granulated sugar

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1 tbsp + 2 tsp unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1 egg yolk

1/2 cup dry white wine

Filling:

2 cups ricotta cheese, preferably whole milk

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp allspice

1/4 cup heavy cream

zest of 1 lemon

1 quart canola oil, for frying

flour for rolling

1 egg lightly beaten for egg wash

8 oz semisweet chocolate

1/2 cup pistachios, shells removed, chopped fine

powdered sugar, optional

Directions

Make the dough for the shells by sifting together the flour, sugar and salt. Work the butter pieces into the dry mixture with your fingers or a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles coarse sand. Add the egg yolk and white wine. Mix until dough becomes smooth. Wrap the dough in plastic and flatten. Rest in the refrigerator while you prepare the filling.
For the filling, whisk the ricotta until smooth. Sift in the powdered sugar, cinnamon, and allspice and mix to combine. In a separate bowl, beat the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Gently fold in the whipped cream into the ricotta mix. Stir in the lemon zest and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Heat your frying oil to 360 degrees F. Remove the dough from the fridge. Dust your work counter and rolling pin with flour. Roll out the dough until about 1/8 inch thick. Cut the dough into four portions, working in small batches. Cut 3-4 inch circles out of the dough to have a total of 24 circles. Wrap each circle around a cannoli mold. Brush egg wash on the edge of the round to seal it onto the mold. Slightly flare the edges out from the mold to allow the oil to penetrate each cannoli shell as they fry. Carefully drop the mold into the fryer, holding it with tongs and fry until the shell is golden and crispy about 2-3 minutes. Remove the shell from the mold and set aside to cool. Repeat with the remaining circles.
Once the shells have cooled, prepare to dip in chocolate. Melt chocolate over a double boiler with heat on low. Dip one end of the shell into the chocolate, rotating the shell to evenly coat with the chocolate. Immediately dip the chocolate covered end into the chopped pistachios. Lay on a lined baking sheet and let the chocolate cool. Repeat with the remaining shellls.
Fill the cannolis once the chocolate has set. Transfer the fillings to a pastry bag without a tip. Pipe the filling into the shells so that the cream runs through the whole shell. Dust with powdered sugar and serve immediately.

Nutritional Facts

per serving: 224 calories, 15.7g fat, (5.2g saturated, 3.9g polyunsaturated, 5.8g monounsaturated) 17g carbohydrates, 1.3g fiber, 4.8g protein

**Helpful tips and common mistakes

Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures for when I made the shells because I made them a couple months ago for an event and just decided to use the leftovers today. If you feel like the shells are too much work (which I'm not going to lie, it is) you can always just buy the already made ones at the market.

When making the shells, you must must must have the molds! Unless you have another cylindrical metal mold that can work, you cannot fry the shells free form.

Be careful when removing the shells from the mold since the mold itself will be scorching hot! Use tongs to hold the molds while carefully sliding the shells off.

For the filling, I highly recommend using a whole milk ricotta. I tried to be healthier and used skim milk ricotta and it just wasn't the same. The consistency was too thin compared to other fillings that I've made. You can also choose to not include the cinnamon and allspice as I found that it was quite cinnamon-y; it turned my filling a light brown because of the amount of cinnamon!

When melting the chocolate, you may think it will be easier to melt it in the microwave but it actually becomes a hassle. The chocolate will cool and you will keep having to microwave it to keep it at the right consistency. If you use a double boiler, you have the chocolate over a warm pot of water, keeping the chocolate in the liquid stage.

I used my processor to finely chop the pistachios. You can choose other nuts or garnishes instead such as shredded coconut, finely chopped hazelnuts or macadamia nuts.

If your kitchen is warm, put the cannoli in the freezer to allow the chocolate to set.

I don't own a pastry bag so I used a ziploc bag and being the rebel that I am, decided to add a pastry tip just to make it less messy. Fill them with the cream and serve! Make sure to serve them right away so that the shells are still crispy.

The filling for these cannoli wasn't the best I had mainly because I used skim ricotta and the amount of cinnamon threw me off, but the shells were wonderful and crispy. I love the addition of the chocolate since the filling isn't overly sweet and the pistachios add a new element to the traditional cannoli. Hard work pays off!

Slow roasted pork sandwich with Aji cilantro sauce

2013-04-22T13:28:00.000-07:00

Just last week I prepared tamales with roast pork and salsa verde. When I went grocery shopping for the ingredients, the smallest pork shoulder they had was 4 pounds, so I decided to use half for the tamales and half for today's lunch: slow roasted pork sandwich with Aji cilantro sauce. Most people serve pulled pork sandwiches with BBQ sauce and coleslaw, but I wanted to make a lighter, fresher sandwich with the pork that was equally delicious. I think I hit the jackpot with this recipe!

Speaking of tamales, I'm currently doing a GIVEAWAY!!!! Check out the details to sign up for a FREE giftcard on my Tamales post. It'll only take you 30 seconds to sign up so take advantage of it!

Slow Roasted Pork Sandwich with Aji Cilantro Sauce

Recipe adapted from laylita.com

Cooking time: 2 - 2 1/2 hours

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

2 lb pork shoulder

salt and pepper

2 tbsp olive oil

1 red onion

1/2 cup white wine vinegar

2 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

4 aji or hot peppers

1/2 bunch of cilantro, stems included

1/2 cup water

3 garlic cloves

juice from 1/2 lime

salt and pepper

3 tbsp finely chopped white onion

2 avocados

4 hamburger buns, toasted

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Trim pork shoulder of any large pieces of fat. Season with salt and pepper. Put in a baking sheet and drizzle with the olive oil. Wrap with foil and roast in the oven for 2 - 2 1/2 hours or until fork tender. The pork should easily shred with a fork when ready. Shred and keep warm until ready to make sandwiches.
While the pork is roasting, prepare the pickled red onions. Slice the red onions thin. Heat the vinegar, sugar, and salt until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Pour over the red onions and let sit for 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Prepare the aji cilantro sauce by combining the aji peppers - lime juice in a blender. Blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the white onion.
Mash the avocados and season with salt and lime juice. Spread a generous portion of the avocado on each of the buns, about 1/2 an avocado per sandwich. Top with the shredded pork, pickled onions and aji sauce. Serve immediately.

Nutrition Facts

per sandwich: 616 calories, 32.8g fat (8.7g saturated, 4.2g polyunsaturated, 17.2g monounsaturated) 40.6g carbohydrates, 8.3g fiber, 41.4g protein

**Helpful tips and common mistakes

If you would like to prepare the pork ahead of time you may do so but I will warn you, it's best right out of the oven. If you roast the pork the day before, shred when hot and keep it in its juices to prevent it from drying out. Reheat in the oven covered until warm.

The pickled onions can also be prepared the day before or even several days before.

When preparing the aji sauce, you may find it difficult to find aji peppers especially if you are in the United States. I opted for half serrano peppers and half yellow peppers. You can also use habanero or jalapeno.

At first I was worried that this sandwich may be on the dry side but it was far from it! The avocado added a nice creamy texture while the pork was warm and tender, the aji sauce spicy but fresh and the pickled onions tart. A great combination of flavors without packing all the calories! You can even serve these as sliders for your next gathering!

Shredded kale salad with crab

2013-04-20T18:00:00.004-07:00

You know I never understood the whole craze about kale until recently. The fibrous green that has been transformed into the famous kale chips, braised kale, and, of course, kale salad, has finally wormed its way into my mouth and my heart. My favorite kale salad is the following recipe using a sweet and tangy vinaigrette paired with crab. Perfect for a healthy lunch, this meal can even be prepared the day before!

Just a friendly reminder, I have a GIVEAWAY going on! Sign up in the comment section at http://cherryonmysundae.blogspot.com/2013/04/tamales.html before May 1st to qualify!

Shredded Kale Salad with Crab

Salad dressing from seriouseats.com

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

2 tbsp currants

2 tbsp golden or white balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp honey

5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

kosher salt and pper

1 bunch kale, thick stems discarded, leaves torn and shredded (about 2 quarts)

1/3 cup toasted pinenuts

1 grapefruit, segmented

1 avocado, sliced

1 green bell pepper, sliced

1 lb crabmeat

Directions

To make the vinaigrette, combine the currants and vinegar in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 30 seconds or until the currants are plumped up. Whisk in the honey. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil, whisking constantly. Season with salt and pepper.
In a large bowl, toss the toasted pine nuts with the kale and add the dressing 1 tbsp at a time until the kale is well-dressed. Mix well. Let the kale sit in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes or overnight to soften the kale.
Portion the kale into four plates. Top with the grapefruit segments, avocado, green bell pepper, and crabmeat. Drizzle extra dressing on top and serve immediately.

Nutrition Facts

per serving: 523 calories, 32.6g fat (4.2g saturated, 7g polyunsaturated, 18.8g monounsaturated) 32.7g carbohydrates, 7.5g fiber, 30.8g protein

**Helpful tips and common mistakes

I wasn't planning on doing this entry but after I prepared these salads for a client and saw how pretty they were, I had to take a picture! This IS my favorite kale salad, so why not share the recipe with everyone else?

I've prepared this salad 20 minutes before serving and a day before serving; as long as the kale is softened, it's good either way. The trick to preparing any kale salad is to really massage the dressing into the leaves.

The dressing and kale is the base of the salad, you can be creative with the toppings. I've made a more chickpea heavy salad with the kale and dressing topped with apple and avocado or a more simple salad with just the pine nuts and shaved Parmesan. No matter what you top it with, the dressing will make this salad delicious!

Cheese Blintzes with Rhubarb Compote

2013-04-18T22:15:00.001-07:00

This has been an interesting week...I have been looking for a more stable private chef since my client goes out of town often and this week I've gotten 3 offers! I decided to take on another client who is on the Paleo diet and lives with a vegetarian and a pescetarian; whoever said cooking isn't a challenge was lying! Even though the restrictions are tight, I'm excited to begin this new position since it allows me to explore with ingredients I normally don't use like almond flour, coconut flour, and avocado oil. For tomorrow's menu I'm making my first Paleo pizza...wish me luck!

Now back to business. For those of you who missed my last entry, just a reminder that I am having a GIVEAWAY!!!! Check out http://cherryonmysundae.blogspot.com/2013/04/tamales.html for details. Just enter your name and answer a fun little question for your chance to win a FREE Target gift card!

Meanwhile, for today's recipe, I'm indulging in some blintzes with rhubarb compote. I always wanted to try making something with rhubarb and since blintzes are just so darn delicious, why not pair the two together?

Cheese Blintzes with Rhubarb Compote

Recipe for blintzes from theshiksa.com

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

Compote:

6 cups rhubarb

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup fresh orange juice

Blintz

4 eggs

1 cup flour

1/3 cup sugar

3/4 cup milk

1/4 cup water

1 tsp vanilla

pinch of salt

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 cup lowfat ricotta cheese

8 oz cream cheese

1/4 cup sugar

1 egg yolk

2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt

Directions

To make the compote, combine the rhubarb with the sugar and orange juice in a medium sauce pan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Lower heat and continue to simmer, covered for 5 minutes. Remove the lid and cook for another 5 minutes or until thick. Set aside.
For the blintz batter, combine the eggs - pinch of salt in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Spray with nonstick cooking spray. When the pan is hot enough but not smoking, pour 1/3 cup of the batter. Swirl the pan to create a thin even layer, coating the entire bottom of the pan. Cook for about 1 minute or until the edges of the crepe begins to turn golden. Remove from the pan and transfer to parchment or wax paper. Repeat with the remaining batter, keeping the cooked blintzes stacked and separated with parchment or wax paper.
Make the filling for the blintz. Whisk together the ricotta cheese - pinch of salt until combined. The filling will be slightly lumpy.
To assemble, place 3 tbsp of the filling on the lower part of the blintz, with the golden side facing upward. Fold up the lower edge of the blintz over the filling. Fold in the edges as you would an envelope. Roll the blintz up and over. Repeat with the remaining filling and blintzes.
Heat up 1/4 cup of the vegetable oil in your nonstick pan. Working in small batches, carefully lay the prepared blintzes into the oil. Fry with the seam side down for about 1-2 minutes or until golden brown. Flip over and fry on the other side until golden brown. If your blintz is turning brown too quickly, lower your heat.
Serve the blintz with a generous portion of the rhubarb compote and dust with powdered sugar if desired.

Nutrition Facts

per serving: 397 calories, 23.5g fat (9.9g faturated, 5.8g polyunsaturated, 6.2g monounsaturated) 35.8g carbohydrates, 7.1g fiber, 11.1g protein

**Helpful tips and common mistakes

Tis is the season for rhubarb! Rhubarb is on the list of the ingredients that I always wanted to try cooking with especially since the restaurant I used to work at had a rhubarb and strawberry crumble that people always raved about. Now was the time!

Rhubarb looks like celery except it's a beautiful vibrant red color. You can consume it raw if you like but it is very tart (which is why it's often paired with sweeter fruits in desserts).

Red on the outside, green on the inside, reminds me of a watermelon but reversed!

When cooking the compote the rhubarb starts to break down and softens. If you're not a huge rhubarb fan, make a compote of your choice for these blintzes. You can do blueberry, strawberry, even figs when the time is right.

It is very important to use a nonstick skillet when cooking the blintzes. If you don't use a nonstick pan, it'll be very difficult to remove the blintz without it tearing or sticking to the pan.

You'll know when the blintz is ready when the center is set and slightly tacky to the touch. Remember you are only browning one side since the other side will be fried to perfection.

If you are stacking the blintzes on top of one another, you need to keep them separated or they will stick to one another.

Now time to assemble!

Just like making a burrito...

I'll admit, these blintzes weren't as tightly rolled as I would have liked but I will master the folding technique next time.

Serve these immediately! As you may or may not know, fried foods wait for no one and this applies for these blintzes. Once you bite into one, the creamy filling oozes out and warms your sensations. The blintzes aren't heavy though because you have the slightly tart rhubarb compote balancing it out. I had to stop myself from having too many of these; not too sweet, not too heavy, my kind of dessert!

Tamales plus a GIVEAWAY!

2013-04-17T15:21:00.000-07:00

Today is April 17 which means it's the one year anniversary of my blog! I can't believe it's already been one year! Over the last 365 days, I have put together 178 posts, exploring all different cuisines and gorging on all the sweets that I have baked for this site. This site first started as motivation for me to stay excited about my job and now it has grown into one of my passions. If I could I would work on my blog all day and not work (if only!)

To commemorate this special day, I'm doing a give away! Just write a comment with your name and the answer to the question: What is your favorite dish and why? for a chance to win a free $20 gift card to Target!

The raffle will begin today and end two weeks from today, May 1 (day has been extended) at 6pm pacific time. Enter now!!

Now for the recipe, I went all out today and made pork tamales. I've made tamales before but I have to admit, this recipe is the best one I've tried so far. Grab your corn husks and masa and make these immediately because they are too good to pass up!

Pork Tamales with Salsa Verde

Pork recipe adapted from crepesofwrath.net

Cooking time: 4 hours

Yield: 20-30 tamales

Ingredients

Pork:

2 1/2 pound pork shoulder

7 dried Guajilo chiles

2-3 cups hot water

2 garlic, peeled

2 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp salt

Corn husks

Masa:

3/4 lb or 3/4 cup vegetable oil

2 lb masa mix, specifically for tamales

1 tbsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup - 1 cup water or broth

Salsa:

4 pasilla peppers

1 jalapeno

1/2 small onion, chopped

1 small tomato, chopped

1 handful cilantro leaves

juice of 1 lime

salt and pepper

8 oz Mexican cheese blend

Directions

Make the marinade for the pork. Cut off the stems off the dried chiles and shake out as many seeds as you can. Soak in 2-3 cups hot water and keep a light weight such as a bowl on top to keep the chiles submerged. Let sit for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, trim large pieces of fat from the pork.
When the chiles are ready, place them in a blender or food processor along with 3/4 cup of the water it was soaking in. Add the garlic, oregano, cumin, and salt. Blend until the mixture is smooth. Pour the marinade onto the pork, covering the pork completely in the puree. Let marinade for at least 8 hours and up to one day.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Place the pork with the marinade in a baking dish and cover with foil. Roast for 3 hours or until fork tender. The pork should be tender enough that it can easily be separated with a fork. Shred the pork and let sit in the liquid. Set aside until ready to use.
Soak the corn husks in warm water for at least 30 minutes and up to a night. Keep a weight on top of the husks to keep them submerged in the liquid. Drain the liquid from the husks and set aside.
For the masa, whip the lard at a slow speed until fluffy. Add the masa mix, baking powder, and salt and mix together. Slowly add the water or broth as needed. Your masa is ready when a small piece of the dough can float in a glass of water. If you are using vegetable oil, mix the masa mix with the oil, baking powder and salt until incorporated. Slowly add the water or broth as needed. Set aside.
Make the salsa verde by roasting the pasilla peppers and jalapeno in 400 degrees F for 15 minutes or until the skin begins to blacken. Remove from the oven, place the peppers in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let sit for 10 minutes.
Remove the plastic and begin to carefully peel the skin off the peppers. Remove the stems and seeds from the pasilla peppers but keep the jalapeno seeds. Put all of the roasted peppers and jalapeno seeds in a blender with the onion, tomato, cilantro, and lime juice. Blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
To assemble the tamales: get your steamer ready by boiling the water. Take a corn husk with no tears and spread about 1/4 cup of the prepared masa about 2 inches down from the top of the husk. Spread as evenly as you can but it does not have to be perfect. Lay about 2-3 tbsp of the shredded pork in the center of the masa lengthwise followed by the shredded cheese than 2 tbsp of the salsa verde. Fold in the ends of the tamale towards the middle (lengthwise), wrapping the meat and cheese. Fold over the narrow end of the husk (the part with no masa on it), folding the tamale in half.
Use a corn husk that has a tear or hole and peel strands of the husk from the top to bottom. Use these strands to bind the tamales together, securing the folded ends. Continue assembling the remaining tamales.
Lay the tamales in the steamer either standing up, with the open side facing up, or shingling the tamales. Steam for 1 hour and 30 minutes. You can also steam in the oven by placing a wire rack in a baking dish. Place a casserole dish on top of the wire rack and place the tamales inside. Cover with foil. Pour hot water into the bottom of the baking dish and bake in the oven at 300 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Remove the tamales from the steamer or oven and serve immediately with extra salsa on the side.

Nutrition Facts

per serving (for total of 25 tamales): 162 calories, 6.4g fat (2.8g saturated, 0.7g polyunsaturated, 2.3g monounsaturated) 11.3g carbohydrates, 2.1g fiber, 11.1g protein

**Helpful tips and common mistakes

Tamales are a lot of work so if you're like me, you can take several days to prepare everything. On the first day, marinade the pork. I purchased a bone in pork shoulder but you can also cook one without the bone.

The next day cook your pork. While your pork is roasting, make the masa. Now I had to do a lot of research for the masa. I've always used already prepared masa so this is a new step for me. I first purchased maseca but I realized that you have to use maseca that is purposely for tamales; mine was not. Therefore, I switched to El Burrito Masa that clearly stated for tamales (written on the back). Keep in mind that this masa is still not ready to use!

To finish the steps for the masa, you must incorporate a fat such as lard or oil. I've also seen masa made with shortening. Lard is the best option since it flavors the masa in a way that oil cannot, but I used oil to be healthier. Once the ingredients are beaten together, the masa is ready to use. You can refrigerate until ready to use. Masa also freezes quite well if you want to make a large batch and save the rest for next time.

If making the tamales the next day, you can also choose to soak the husks overnight. Soaking the husks allows them to soften and prevents them from tearing when assembling the tamales.

You can also make the salsa the day before so that all you have to do the day of is assemble the tamales.

Look at that gorgeous pork! It's easier to shred the pork when warm so shred after it is cooked, cool and refrigerate until the next day (or use immediately). You want to let it sit in the liquid so the pork won't dry out.

Now it's finally time to make the tamales! Have all your ingredients out in an assembly line to make it easier for you. The cheese is optional and can be taken out.

I don't have a traditional steamer so I placed a rack in a large pot with a casserole dish on top of the rack. Lay the tamales inside, cover and let steam. Keep an eye on your water, refilling if needed.

I ran out of space in the top steamer so I finished the rest in the oven. This was my first time steaming the tamales in the oven, but it worked just as well!

You can tell when your tamales are ready when they feel firm. The masa should have set, the cheese melted, and the pork should be hot. You can always open one to check if they are ready.

Tamales are usually on the dry side but these were far from it! The pork had so much flavor and the juices from the pork combined with the salsa and the cheese prevented the tamale from being dry. Absolutely delicious! Three days of work is well rewarded with these tamales; you can even store leftovers in the freezer and enjoy later in the week!

Okay so the end of the free giveaway has finally come and after using a random number generator, the winner is...

Congratulations #28, Justin Young!

Thank you to everyone for participating and look out for the next giveaway!

Farro salad with squid

2013-04-12T14:07:00.001-07:00

Now that it's officially spring, I'm breaking out the salads! I've been gorging on salads recently and am always trying to do something different so I don't get bored. Salads are healthy but can leave you hungry in a couple hours so I like to incorporate a grain and a healthy protein. Put farro and squid together and you have a light, refreshing yet filling meal!

Farro Salad with Squid

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

4 tbsp olive oil

2 lemon, juiced

1 tbsp honey

2 tsp Dijon mustard

salt and pepper

1 cup farro

3 cups water

0.5 lb asparagus

1 tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, sliced

1 fresno, sliced

1 shallot, sliced

1 lb squid, sliced into ringlets

15 oz white beans, drained and rinsed

salt and pepper

4 tbsp chopped parsley

Directions

Make the dressing for the salad by combining the 4 tbsp olive, lemon juice, honey and dijon mustard in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Whisk together until mixed. Set aside.
Combine the farro with the 3 cups water in a medium pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and continue to simmer for 30 minutes or until the farro is softened and cooked.
Meanwhile, bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add the asparagus and cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat, drain, and soak the asparagus in an ice bath. When the asparagus is cooled, drain and cut into 2 inch pieces.
Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add the garlic, fresno, and shallot. Saute for 30 seconds than add the sliced squid. Saute until the squid is softened and cooked, about 3 minutes. Add the asparagus and white beans, mixing everything together. Season with salt and pepper.
When the farro is cooked, add to the squid mixture and stir to combine. Add the dressing and toss together. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve.

Nutrition Facts

per serving: 348.7 calories, 3g fat (0.5g saturated, 0.8g polyunsaturated, .15g monounsaturated) 57g carbohydrates, 10.5g fiber, 30.9g protein

**Helpful tips and common mistakes

The great thing about salads is that you can put anything you want in them and it'll still be delicious. If you're not a huge squid fan, feel free to substitute it with fish, shrimp, chicken, beef, or tofu! You can also substitute the farro for brown rice, barley, quinoa, or just take it out altogether.

Fresh squid is ideal for this recipe since frozen squid tends to lack flavor.

This salad is as simple as they come. The dressing is a very light subtle dressing to highlight the other ingredients in the dish. Pesto would be another dressing that would complement the salad. If you want some crunch, top with some toasted pine nuts or slivered almonds. Simple, fresh, filling and oh so healthy!

Brownie ice cream sandwiches

2013-04-10T14:45:00.000-07:00

I really need to stop watching The Chew because I want to try making so many of their dishes. Last week Carla made these brownie ice cream sandwiches with vanilla ice cream. She didn't just stop there, oh no, she made various dipping sauces including caramel, cherry, chocolate, and whipped cream. I didn't take all the extra steps to make the dips but I did make the ice cream sandwiches!

Brownie Ice Cream Sandwiches

Recipe from The Chew

Cooking time: 1 hour

Yield: 8 sandwiches

Ingredients

8 ounces butter

8 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate

4 eggs

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

ice cream

Directions

Prehehat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a half sheet pan with butter, line with parchment, and grease again with more butter.
Melt together the butter with the chocolate either in the microwave or over a double boiler.
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, salt, two sugars, and vanilla. Add the melted chocolate and butter and stir together. Add the flour and mix just until incorporated.
Pour the batter into your prepared sheet pan. Evenly spread the batter. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool for 30 minutes in the pan.
Remove the cooled brownie from the pan. Peel off the parchment paper and cut into 1 1/2 x 4 inch rectangles for a total of 16 rectangles.
Remove the ice cream from the carton, using scissors to trim the edges. Cut the ice cream into 8 portions the same size as the brownie rectangles. Make sandwiches with the brownie and ice cream, with the glossy parts of the brownie on the outside. Keep in the freezer until serving.

Nutrition facts

per sandwich: 695 calories, 35.2g fat (21.2g faturated, 1.3g polyunsaturated, 7g monounsaturated) 90g carbohydrates, 2.5g fiber, 7.5g protein

**Helpful tips and common mistakes

When watching Carla and Mario Batalie assemble these sandwiches, they made it look easy. Let me tell you, they were far from easy! If you're up to the challenge, please by all means make these brownie ice cream sandwiches because they are delicious!

The batter itself is easy to put together. I did not have a half sheet pan so I just used a 14x11 pan I had. In retrospect, I should have used two pans because my brownie did end up on the thicker side (a half sheet pan is 18x13 inches). You want the brownie to be thin, but not too thin so that it has a crispy outside while still being moist and soft inside.

If your brownie puffs up a little on one side more than the other like mine did, don't worry because it will even out as it cools.

You can see the nice crispy shell on the outside while still being fudgey and moist. I won't lie, I did break off a couple pieces to enjoy the brownie just as is.

Now comes the tricky part, cutting the ice cream. Ice cream melts very quickly, especially since the weather is warmer nowadays. If you have someone to help you, I would advise it. After assembling a sandwich, immediately wrap in plastic and keep in the freezer until the sandwich has set. You can choose any ice cream but I did a neopolitan mix of strawberry, chocolate, and vanilla.

These brownie ice cream sandwiches may not be the prettiest but they sure are tasty! The brownie is chewy, fudgey and decadent, pairing nicely with a not as sweet ice cream flavor like vanilla or strawberry. Pistachio would be great as well especially with the color contrast. If you want to go the extra step, make the dipping sauces found on the link above.

Kofta meatballs with sweet and sour cherry sauce

2013-04-09T14:24:00.000-07:00

I'm not one who cooks very often with lamb; it's actually very rare if I do. The meat is expensive and the cut can be hard to find, but for the last month of so, I've had this urge to make lamb meatballs. Because lamb is bit on the gamey side, it is often paired with a sweeter component such as cherries or raisins just as it is in this recipe. If you prefer to stay away from lamb, try this recipe with turkey, chicken or ground beef; I assure you, it's worth the try!

Kofta Meatballs with Sweet and Sour Cherry Sauce

Recipe from steamykitchen

Cooking time: 25 minutes

Yield: 8-10 servings

Ingredients

Meatballs:

1 pound ground lamb

1/4 cup sparkling water

2 garlic, minced

2 tbsp fresh parsley

1/2 tsp cloves, ground

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp cumin, ground

1/2 tsp allspice, ground

salt and pepper

3 tbsp olive oil

Cherry Sauce:

1 tbsp olive oil

1 shallot, chopped

1 cup dried cherries

3 tsp honey

1/2 lemon, juiced

splash of Brandy (optional)

1/2 cup water

1/2 tsp cinnamon

salt and pepper

1 tbsp fresh mint

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
To make the meatballs, combine the lamb with remaining ingredients (through allspice), seasoning with salt and pepper. Mix well to combine. Form into 1 1/2 tbsp size meatballs.
Heat the 3 tbsp oil in a saute pan over high heat. When the oil is hot, add the meatballs and brown on all sides, turning frequently. Remove from heat and transfer the meatballs to a sheet pan. Continue cooking the meatballs in the oven for 10 minutes or until fully cooked.
While the meatballs are cooking, prepare the cherry sauce. Heat the 1 tbsp olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallots and saute for 30 seconds. Add the dried cherries - cinnamon and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and continue to simmer for 5 minutes or until thickened. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the fresh mint. Remove the meatballs from oven and serve with the sauce drizzled on top.

Nutrition Facts

per meatball (about 17 meatballs total): 107.5 calories, 6.3g fat (2.7g saturated, .5g polyunsaturated, 2.5g monounsaturated) 8.5g carbohydrates, 0.5g fiber, 4.8g protein

**Helpful tips and common mistakes

Kofta meatballs can be a Middle Eastern, South Asian, or even Greek dish, depending on what ingredients you add and what meat you use. The simplest form of kofta meatballs is ground meat, usually beef or lamb, seasoned with spices and sometimes mixed with chopped onions.

When I first looked at this recipe, I was surprised to see that the lamb was combined with sparkling water. Meatballs that I have made in the past usually consist of spices, onion, garlic, and a binder such as egg and breadcrumbs. In this instance, the sparkling water acts as the binder.

I used an ice cream scooper to shape my meatballs to get a consistent shape.

Although the recipe calls for dried cherries, I used raisins instead. Dried cherries would be excellent with these meatballs but since I had raisins readily available, I decided to use them instead. You can also use dried cranberries, which would work just as well.

These meatballs are very easy to put together. I love the combination of the mint, raisins, and lamb. The lamb was moist and juicy and was brought to life with the raisin/cherry sauce. Delicious!

Three Cheese, Prosciutto, Salami and Spinach Stromboli

2013-04-05T14:38:00.000-07:00

When I was younger, and occasionally still now, I would eye the stromboli sold at Sbarro in the shopping malls. I'm a huge bread fan, if you haven't noticed by now, and the stromboli has enough bread but still can pass as a slice of pizza. I never actually got around to ordering one of those bad boys so I treated myself to a homemade stromboli today.

Three Cheese, Prosciutto, Salami and Spinach Stromboli

Dough from Ultimate Bread by Eric Treuille and Ursula Ferrigno via Paulchen's Blog

Cooking time: 3 hours 30 minutes

Yield: 16 1-inch pieces

Ingredients

Dough:

1 packet active dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp)

1 1/4 cups warm water (100-110 degrees F)

3 1/2 cups unbleached flour

1 1/2 tsp salt

3 tbsp olive oil

Fillings:

1 tbsp olive oil

6 ounces spinach

2 garlic cloves, sliced

hot chili flakes (optional)

salt and pepper

12 oz fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced

4 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto

4 ounces thinly sliced salami

8 ounces thinly sliced provolone

1 tbsp olive oil

Asiago or any Italian hard grating cheese

Directions

Activate the yeast for the dough by combining it with 1 cup warm water. Let sit for five minutes or until the mixture is foamy.
Mix the flour and salt in your mixing bowl. Make a well in the center and pour in the activated yeast along with the olive oil. Mix together, bringing in the flour from the sides of the bowl to the center, until well combined. Stir in the remaining 1/4 cup water to get a soft, sticky dough.
Using your dough hook or by hand, knead the dough until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes by hand. Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl and cover. Let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
Meanwhile, prepare the fillings for the stromboli. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Add the spinach and season with the hot chili flakes, salt and pepper. You may need to cook the spinach in batches if your pan is not big enough. Cook until wilted and softened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.
Punch down the risen dough. Dust your working counter with flour and transfer the dough onto the counter. Cover the dough and let rest for 10-15 minutes.
Dust your rolling pin with flour and roll out the dough into a 14 x 8 inch rectangle. Cover and let rest another 10 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Uncover the dough and spread an even layer of the mozzarella cheese on top, followed by the prosciutto, spinach, salami, and the provolone. Starting with the shorter end, roll the rough like a jellyroll. Transfer to a lined baking sheet. Use a skewer or knife to pierce holes through the stromboli. Brush with olive oil and top with the sliced asiago cheese.
Bake stromboli for 1 hour or until golden brown. Let rest about 5 minutes before slicing.

Nutrition Facts

per serving (one 1-inch slice): 292 calories, 14.9g fat (6.7g saturated, 1.0g polyunsaturated, 6.4g monounsaturated) 22.9g carbohydrates, 1.1g fiber, 15.9g protein

**Helpful tips and common mistakes

Strombolis are great because you can play around with the fillings. I chose gruyere, gouda, and fontina cheese for my three cheeses, mainly because it was what I had on hand. You can do different vegetables such as sauteed mushrooms, roasted red pepper, broccoli rabe, kale, the list goes on! You can also choose to keep it vegetarian, only do prosciutto, have sausage instead, etc.

Just be sure to keep your ingredients balanced. If you're heavier on the meat, use milder cheese so your stromboli isn't too salty.

My dough doubled in size in 2 hours. To punch down, you're literally just punching down the center of the dough.

I went scarce on the spinach since I ran out, but I did end up regretting not putting more later.

I used sliced fontina cheese on top but in hind sight, I should have grated it since it melted exactly where I put it. You can sprinkle grated Parmesan on top for a nice touch as well.

I only did half the recipe and the stromboli was still huge! The bread was nice and crusty on the outside while still being soft in the inside. I should have chosen milder cheeses since the combination of the salty salami and prosciutto with the gruyere and gouda yielded a saltier stromboli; however, aside from that, it was great! You can see the layers inside the stromboli; even one 1-inch slice is pretty filling! Pair with a salad for a nice balanced lunch. Yum!

Korean bibim gook soo

2013-04-03T13:22:00.000-07:00

I've been craving this Korean noodle dish for the longest time and now that the weather is getting warmer, it's perfect for lunch! This recipe for bibim gook su is a bit different from others that you will online because it uses fruit in the sauce. Don't worry, the outcome is just as good if not better than the traditional recipe!

Bibim Gook Su

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients
Sauce:

7 3/4 oz Fuji apples, chopped with skin, core removed
5 oz canned pineapple chunks in pineapple juice
2 1/2 oz fresno, chopped with seeds, destemmed
2 oz red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp sake
1/2 cup Korean coarse red pepper powder aka gochugaru
1/2 cup rice syrup
1/3 cup + 1 tbsp rice vinegar
1/4 cup Korean red pepper paste aka gochujang
1/4 cup soy sauce
3/4 tbsp salt
1/2 cup sesame oil
1/5 cup sprite

14 oz somen noodles
1 cucumber, julienned
2 hard boiled eggs, cut in half
1/2 Asian pear, peeled and sliced
1 cup kimchi, roughly chopped
sesame seeds for garnish

Directions

Prepare the sauce for the noodles by blending together the apples, pineapple chunks with the juices, fresno, and red bell pepper. Puree until smooth. Transfer to a large bowl and add the brown sugar - sesame oil, whisking until combined. Let sit for at least 30 minutes and up to three days.
Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add the somen noodles and cook according to the package directions. Rinse in cold water and drain.
Right before serving, add the sprite to the sauce and mix. Pour half of the sauce over the noodles and mix well until the noodles are fully coated. Add more sauce if needed, reserving any remaining for next time. Portion the noodles into four bowls. Top with 1/2 a boiled egg each, julienned cucumber, pear slices, 1/4 cup kimchi and a sprinkle of sesame seeds. Serve immediately.

Nutrition Facts

per serving: 703 calories, 37.1g fat (4.8g saturated, 12.2g polyunsaturated, 11.9g monounsaturated) 150.8g carbohydrates, 8.8g fiber, 23g protein

**Helpful tips and common mistakes

The great thing about this sauce is that it can made days before so that when you're ready to eat, all you do is cook the noodles. You need it sit for at least 30 minutes so that the flavors have time to meld together.

After you blend the fruit items, the color doesn't look so pleasing (picture below) but not to worry! Once you add the red pepper paste and red pepper powder, the red color will shine through!

If you have trouble finding the items, your best bet is to visit an Asian market. If you must, you can substitute corn syrup for the rice syrup; but rice syrup is healthier and has more complex sugars than corn syrup does. Unfortunately, there is no substitute for the Korean red pepper paste (gochujang); it's a combination of sweet and spicy, unlike other red pepper pastes.

You have a little bit of freedom when choosing your toppings for the noodles, but Asian pear, cucumber, and hard boiled egg are the more common ones seen. I have had some versions that had chopped romaine on top, sliced daikon radish, pea sprouts, and sliced beef.

Somen noodles are very thin so they cook very quickly, about 2-3 minutes. Make sure not to overcook your noodles or they will turn gummy.

After adding the sprite, the consistency of the sauce will become thinner. Look at the lovely vibrant red!

Mix the noodles with the sauce, top with your garnishes and you are ready to eat! I love the flavors of this sauce as opposed to others that use kimchi and kimchi juices as the base. You just don't get the same spicy and sweet quality you do from this sauce as you from a kimchi-based sauce. Sure it can be a little more work, but it's definitely worth that extra step!

Typically bibim gook soo is served with a platter of meat since the noodles are vegetarian. I like mine with a nice side of kalbi...the meal is now complete!

Crispy pancetta mango and basil sandwich

2013-04-01T13:39:00.003-07:00

While I was on a two day job cooking for a family, I learned this great sandwich from a fellow chef. Since tomatoes aren't in season yet, this sandwich is an updated version of the classic BLT, using pancetta, champagne mangoes, and basil. Simple, fresh, clean, delicious!

Crispy pancetta, mango and basil sandwich

Yield: 2-3 servings

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

3 oz pancetta

1 1/2 champagne mangoes

dash of cayenne

8 large fresh basil leaves

1 French baguette

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Separate the pancetta slices and lay on the prepared baking sheet. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until crispy. Remove from the oven and keep warm.
Meanwhile, peel the mangoes and slice into 1/4 inch thick slices. Toast the bread if desired.
To assemble the sandwiches, cut the baguette in half horizontally. Lay the mango on the bottom of the baguette. Sprinkle a dash of cayenne on top, followed by the basil leaves and then the crispy pancetta. Top with the other half of the baguette. Serve immediately.

Nutrition Facts

per serving (if total is 2 servings): 761 calories, 24.3g fat (8.4g saturated, 1.3g polyunsaturated, 0.7g monounsaturated) 109.1g carbohydrates, 5.8g fiber, 25.6g protein

**Helpful tips and common mistakes

Champagne mangoes also go by other names including honey mangoes, manila mangoes, and atauflo mangoes. They are much smaller than the common mango and have a creamier texture. If you never had one before, I highly recommend that you try them, even if you're not a huge mango fan!

This recipe is as simple as they come. Sure you have to cook the pancetta, but other than that, it's just a matter of putting the ingredients together; and there are only 5 ingredients!

Now you may be wondering why there are no condiments in this sandwich. Truth be told, the mangoes are so creamy that they act like the condiment, preventing the sandwich from being dry.

When I made this sandwich for myself, I was very much pleased with the combination of the flavors. The creamy, sweet mango played with the salty, crispy pancetta, while the basil gave a nice herbal freshness to the sandwich. If the baguette is too much bread in relation to the fillings, you can choose to remove some of the inside filling. A very nice gourmet version of the BLT!

Pistachio Cake with Meyer Lemon Glaze

2013-03-30T12:21:00.002-07:00

I'm not sure if it's just me but I feel like I've been seeing pistachio cake everywhere! I personally never had it before so I decided to make it at home to see what the fuss was about. A lot of recipes out there use pistachio pudding or a vanilla cake mix with green food coloring; that's not a true pistachio cake! I did find one; however, that uses actual pistachios and is gluten free...my first gluten-free post!

Pistachio Cake with Meyer Lemon Glaze

Recipe adapted from sugarhero.com
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Yield: one 9 inch springform pan

Ingredients
Cake:
1 1/2 cups shelled pistachios, roasted and salted (6 1/3 oz)
2 tbsp powdered sugar
1 tsp baking powder
4 eggs at room temperature, separated
zest from one orange
1/2 cup granulated sugar, divided
1/4 tsp cream of tartar

Meyer lemon glaze:
3 tbsp butter, melted
juice of one meyer lemon
3/4 cup granulated sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line the bottom of your pan with parchment paper and grease the bottom and sides of the pan.
To prepare the cake, remove the shells from the pistachios. Process the nuts in a food processor for 10 seconds or until they have broken up into smaller pieces. Add the powdered sugar and process until the pistachios are finely ground. Make sure not to over process until the point where the oils have been released and the mixture becomes pistachio butter.
In a large bowl, whisk together the 4 egg yolks with the orange zest and 1/4 cup sugar. Add the pistachio mix and baking powder. Stir with a spatula; the mixture will be very thick.
Meanwhile, whip your egg whites with the cream of tartar until smooth peaks. Add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar, one tbsp at time, and continue to whip until the whites form stiff peaks.
Add a quarter of the whites into the pistachio mix and mix well to fully incorporate. Add another 1/4 of the whites, but this time fold in the mixture. Fold in the remaining whites in two more batches. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Bake the cake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and the sides are pulling away from the pan. Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack.
While the cake is cooling, make your glaze. Whisk together the melted butter, lemon juice, and powdered sugar until the mixture comes together. If the glaze is too thick, add more lemon juice, if too runny add more powdered sugar. If the glaze separates, heat in the microwave for 10 seconds and whisk once more.
Top the pistachio cake with the lemon juice and garnish with chopped pistachios.

Nutrition Facts

per serving (6 servings total): 311 calories, 15.8g fat (5.5g saturated, 2.7g polyunsaturated, 6.3g monounsaturated), 38g carbohydrates, 1.6g fiber, 7.4g protein

**Helpful tips and common mistakes

When I first read over this recipe, I was skeptical. The base of the cake is simply pistachios! But when you think about, grinding the pistachios is basically making pistachio flour so it makes sense.

After you combine the pistachio mix with the yolks, baking powder, sugar, and orange zest, you will have a very thick batter. And when I say thick, I mean THICK!

When you are whipping the egg whites, you are essentially making a meringue. You know when you have reached the right point when you lift the whisk out of the egg whites and peaks stand up on their own. The mixture will look like shaving cream, glossy, fluffy and smooth.

Now the first quarter of the egg whites that are incorporated into the pistachio mix has to be stirred in. Why? Because the pistachio mix is so thick it's impossible to fold in the egg whites. You need to loosen up the mixture before you can begin folding. When you do fold in the remaining egg whites, do so carefully so not to deflate them.

Pardon my poor lighting, I was preparing this cake in the wee hours of the night. I chose to cook my cake in a 9 inch loaf pan because my springform pan is too large.

My my the cake rose all the way to the top! Unfortunately, similar to souffles, the bread does sink as it cools.

I enjoy the cake by itself, but for that extra little oomph, the meyer lemon glaze is perfect.

This cake reminds me of a souffle. The texture is extremely light and airy from the egg whites. The cake itself is the perfect amount of sweetness and the lemon glaze adds a little tart. All in all, very much pleased with the outcome! You can be creative in the toppings and do a blackberry sauce, an apple compote, or just serve as is.

Indonesian Pork Tenderloin

2013-03-27T15:20:00.004-07:00

This recipe is another one that I had on my "to-make" list for a while but just never got around to it. After making this Indonesian pork tenderloin, my only regret is not making it sooner! The flavors are incredible, now making this pork dish one of my favorites.

Indonesian Pork Tenderloin

Recipe from tideandthyme

Cooking time: 45 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

1 pound pork tenderloin

1/4 cup apricot preserved

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1/4 cup soy suace

1 tbsp rice vinegar

2 tbsp creamy peanut butter

1 lime, juice

1/4 cup fresh orange juice (about 1 small)

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tbsp fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

Directions

Make the marinade for the pork by combining the apricot preserves - black pepper. Whisk together until the peanut butter has broken up and is fully incorporated with the other ingredients. Add the pork, turning to coat, and marinade for at least 30 minutes or up to 8 hours.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Heat the 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-high heat until the oil starts to shimmer. Remove the pork from the marinade, reserving the marinade. Add the pork to the pan and sear on all sides until it is a caramel brown, about 7 minutes. Continue to cook the pork in the oven for about 15 minutes or until an internal temperature registers 160 degrees. Remove the pork from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the sauce by heating the reserved marinade in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat. If the sauce is too thick, add a splash of orange juice or water.
Slice and serve with the sauce and cilantro for garnish.

Nutrition Facts

per serving (4 ounces per serving): 253 calories, 8g fat (2.2g saturated, 1.6g polyunsaturated, 3.7g monounsaturated), 8.7g carbohydrates, 0.9g fiber, 27.2g protein

**Helpful tips and common mistakes

Since I've been short on time lately with the new job, I've been making easier dishes, this being one of them. The pork is great to make for special occasions or just for a quick dinner, since the marinade becomes the sauce and the pork simply needs to cook for about 15 minutes.

No changes were made to this recipe (a very rare occasion!). I used a cara cara orange for the orange juice but I doubt this had a significant impact on the outcome of the dish. I only marinated the pork for 30 minutes.

When searing the pork, make sure your oil is hot before adding the pork. This allows the outside to caramelize and brown properly.

Resting the pork after cooking allows the juices to permeate throughout the meat and makes the pork nice and juicy. It also continues to cook even after being removed from the oven since it is still quite hot, so make sure not to overcook the pork!

This Indonesian pork tenderloin was fabulous! The sauce is a perfect combination of the ingredients, very well-balanced. You can taste the peanut butter, but not overwhelming so. Even though I marinated the pork only for 30 minutes, since the sauce is poured over it, you still get lots of flavor.

Serve the pork over rice or even as a topping with salad! I had mine over some spinach, and found that the pork was so flavorful that no dressing was needed for the greens. Just divine!

Dark Chocolate Espresso Pumpkin Bread

2013-03-25T15:03:00.001-07:00

Yup, that's right, I'm doing another baking entry. I know I'm going to gain 10 pounds just from baking all of these goodies, but I can't help it! Today I did a quick and easy dark chocolate espresso pumpkin bread, great for breakfast, snack, or dessert!

Dark Chocolate Espresso Pumpkin Bread

Recipe from portuguesegirlcooks.com

Cooking time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Yield: one 9 inch loaf pan

Ingredients

1 cup ap flour

1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp whole wheat pastry flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp ginger

3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp pure pumpkin puree

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 tsp espresso powder

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

2/3 cup room-temperature water

6 ounces good quality dark chocolate, chopped

Directions

Move the oven rack to the center of the oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare your loaf pan by coating it with a generous amount of butter or cooking spray and dusting all sides with flour.
Combine the dry ingredients together from the ap flour, whole wheat pastry flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. In another bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree and oil. Add the espresso powder, sugar and brown sugar and mix until well combined. Add the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla. Add the water and stir in the chocolate.
Fold the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mix, combining the ingredients until just combined. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake in the oven for 65-80 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool the bread on a wire rack in the pan for 15 minutes. Carefully remove the bread from the pan and continue to cool completely on the rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Nutrition Facts

per serving (one serving is one inch slice, 9 servings total): 448 calories, 19.6g fat (1.9g saturated, 6.3g polyunsaturated, 5.5g monounsaturated) 65.3g carbohydrates, 2.6g fiber, 4.9g protein

**Helpful tips and common mistakes

Pound cakes or these types of breads are very easy to prepare. I didn't make any changes to the method or technique behind making the bread, but I did change some of the ingredients.

First off, I didn't want to purchase whole wheat pastry flour just for this bread so I used all-purpose flour for both (I'm sure you can use whole wheat flour in place of both as well).

I also only used ground cinnamon for the spices instead of nutmeg and ginger, just because I love cinnamon and am not a huge fan of ginger in my baked goods.

For the chocolate, I chose to use semi-sweet chocolate, which made the bread a little sweeter but which type you use is up to you. If you like sweeter breads, you can even use milk chocolate.

How long your bread will take to bake depends on the strength of your oven. The original writer of the recipe said it took her 80 minutes, but it only took 70 minutes in my oven. Check your bread after 65 minutes to determine how much longer it needs to bake, if at all.

Mmhmm! This bread sure delivers! When the bread is served warm, you taste more of the chocolate, but at room temperature, you get all the elements of the bread from the coffee to the pumpkin. The bread is incredibly moist and stores well at room temperature (can even be frozen for up to a month). I'm guilty of enjoying this bread even as my breakfast with a glass of milk, it's so tasty. Now it's your turn to go and bake this delicious loaf!

Pizza Pull Apart Bread

2013-03-21T13:27:00.000-07:00

I know I've doing a lot of desserts lately but there is a long list of recipes that I want to tackle so get ready for more baking! Today isn't exactly a dessert, but it does involve using your handy kitchen aid mixer. I had some salami and fontina cheese so I decided to make pizza pull apart bread. Delicious!

Pizza Pull Apart Bread

Recipe adapted from justataste.com

Cooking time: 2 hours 20 minutes (including proofing time)

Yield: one 9 inch loaf pan

Ingredients:

2 3/4 cup ap flour, divided

2 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

2 1/4 tsp instant yeast (one envelope)

1/3 cup milk

6 tbsp butter

1/4 cup water

2 eggs, at room temperature

Toppings:

1/2 cup pizza sauce or marinara sauce

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, or any other white cheese

1/4 cup sliced pepperoni or salami

2 tbsp butter, melted

2 garlic, minced

Directions

To make the dough, sift together 2 cups of flour with the sugar, salt and yeast into your mixing bowl. Set aside.
Heat the milk and 6 tbsp butter in a saucepan over low heat until the butter has melted. Turn the milk mixture off heat and add the 1/4 cup water. Let cool until it reaches 120-130 degrees F. Add this milk mixture to your flour mix and stir until just combined.
Turn your mixer on the lowest setting and mix the dough until fully incorporated, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at time, fully mixing each egg before adding the next. Add 1/2 cup of the remaining ap flour and knead for another 2 minutes on the lowest setting. Add an additional 3 tbsp of flour and knead until the dough has come together. It should be slightly sticky.
Remove the dough from your mixing bowl onto a counter and knead by hand 5-6 times to form a ball. Lightly grease a bowl and place your dough into the bowl. Cover with plastic and let it proof in a warm place for one hour or until it has doubled in size.
Gently punch down the dough. Remove from the bowl and place on your working counter. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough into a 11x20 inch rectangle. Spread the pizza sauce evenly over the top, followed by the cheese than the pepperoni or salami. Trim the edges of the dough to create a clean rectangle with straight sides.
Cut the rectangle into 5 equal pieces, width-wise. Stack the 5 portions on top of one another. Cut the strips into 4 equal portions to form a total of 20 squares.
Grease a 9 inch loaf pan. Stack the squares into the loaf pan, cut sides down. Cover with plastic and let proof for another 30 minutes in a warm place or until doubled in size.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Remove the plastic wrap and bake the pizza bread for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, combine the 2 tbsp melted butter with the minced garlic. Remove the bread from the oven and brush the butter and garlic mix on top. Continue to bake the bread for another 15-20 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pan. Serve warm.

Nutrition Facts

per serving (one square): 140 calories, 6.9g fat (4g saturated, 0.4g polyunsaturated, 1.9g monounsaturated), 14.8g carbohydrates, 0.8g fiber, 4.6g protein

**Helpful tips and common mistakes

If you don't have instant yeast, make sure to read the following tips to help you adapt this recipe.

I only had active dry yeast on hand, which needs to be activated, so I had to make some changes in making the dough. Sift the flour, 1 tsp sugar and salt in your mixing bowl. Melt the butter and milk in a saucepan and let cool to 120 to 130 degrees F. Than to activate your yeast, combine warm water (110-115 degrees F) with the remaining 1 tsp sugar and the yeast. Leave for 10 minutes. Than add the yeast mixture to the flour mix along with the milk and butter mix. Stir just to combine and than proceed with the recipe (step 3).

If you forget to leave out your eggs so they reach room temperature, you can let them sit in a bowl of warm water for about 10 minutes before adding it to the dough.

While your dough is rising, prepare your toppings. I chose to use shredded fontina cheese instead of mozzarella and salami instead of pepperoni. You can also add olives, sausage, prosciutto, peppers, etc.

No need to dust your counter with flour before laying your dough; the dough is only slightly sticky so you shouldn't have a problem with it adhering to your counter and rolling pin.

I accidentally purchased pasta sauce instead of pizza sauce, but the two are quite similar so this wasn't a problem. I used garlic pasta sauce just for a little extra flavor.

Time to stack up and let it rise once more!

Thirty minutes later, and voila! The bread was baked to perfection. You can see the little bits of garlic on top, which I love. The bread was even better than I had anticipated! The bread is very light and "fluffy" with the great flavors of pizza. Now if I can only refrain from gobbling up the entire loaf...

French Onion Burger

2013-03-13T16:28:00.000-07:00

I recently started watching the cooking talk show called the Chew on ABC. They make some hearty foods on that show that make my mouth drool, but one dish in particular I had to try myself. The episode was dedicated to burgers, particularly Michael Symon's French Onion Burger. After I saw him compiling this burger, I knew I had to taste it myself.

French Onion Burger

Recipe adapted from Michael Symon

Cooking time: 1 hour

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

Burger:

2 lb ground beef 75 percent lean

1 1/2 cups caramelized onions

12 pieces thick-cut bacon

1 large onion, very thinly sliced into rounds

1 cup ap flour

1 cup cornstarch

6 tbsp shasha sauce

6 potato rolls

olive oil

salt and black pepper

Shasha sauce:

6 hot banana peppers from a jar with tops removed and chopped

2 garlic cloves

1/2 cup yellow mustard

1/2 cup white wine vinegar

1/4 cup sugar

1 tbsp ap flour

1/4 cup water

Gruyere Fondue:

4 tbsp unsalted butter

4 tbsp flour

1 cup milk

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1/8 tsp cayenne

2 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups gruyere, grated

2 tbsp freshly grated horseradish

black pepper

Directions

For the Shasha sauce, puree the banana peppers, cloves, mustard and vinegar in a food processor. Pour the mixture in a medium saucepan with the sugar. Bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
Mix the flour and water to make a slurry. Whisk into the mustard mixture and simmer for another 20 minutes, stirring frequently. When the sauce is thick, remove from heat and cool.
Make the gruyere fondue sauce by first making the bechamel. Put the butter in a medium saucepan and melt over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk the mixture. Slowly whisk in the milk and heavy cream, incorporating the flour mixture into the liquid. Season with the nutmeg, cayenne, and salt. Whisk constantly while the mixture thickens, about 5 minutes. Add the grated gruyere, horseradish and season with salt and pepper. Keep warm.
Heat frying oil to 370 degrees F. Heat a griddle over medium-high heat.
Heat a saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook until crispy, about 5 minutes Remove from the pan and lay on a paper towel lined plate to drain the excess fat.
Form the beef into patties, about 5-6 ounces each. Press a small indentation in the center of the patty with your thumb to prevent the patties from shrinking. Season generously with salt on both sides. Place the patties on the grill and cook until desired degree of doneness.
Combine the flour with the cornstarch and season with a pinch of salt. Add the thinly sliced onion and dredge in the mixture. Shake off the excess flour using a strainer. Drop the onion into the frying oil and fry until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from oil and lay on a paper towel lined plate. Season with salt.
Toast the buns.
Assemble the burgers by spreading the shasha sauce on the buns. Lay the caramelized onions on the bottom bun, followed by the bacon, burger patty, gruyere fondue, crispy onions, and top bun. Serve immediately.

Nutrition Facts

per serving: 995.2 calories, 67.1g fat (30g saturated, 4.0g polyunsaturated, 24.4g monounsaturated), 44.0g carbohydrates, 3.2g fiber, 51.5g protein

**Helpful tips and common mistakes

This burger has many components, but all of these components are what make this burger so fantastic.

The gruyere fondue is basically a cheese sauce with a bechamel base. The original recipe for the bechamel yielded a much too thick sauce so I had to change the amounts for the butter and flour. You want the butter and flour mixture, also known as a roux, to have a wet sand appearance. Once you add all of the ingredients, the sauce should be thick but not goopy. I used creamed horseradish instead of fresh since fresh was not unavailable.

Since there's no recipe for the caramelized onions, I will tell you how to cook them here. Slice two medium onions. Heat a pan with 1 tbsp onion over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook. Lower the heat to medium. Slowly cook the onions until browned, about 15 minutes. When the pan becomes too dry and the onions look like they are going to burn, add 1/4 cup of water and continue to cook.

Now for the patties, I used 80 percent lean, 20 percent lean instead and still had a juicy burger. On the show Michael Simon used a combination of ground beef but I stuck to ground chuck. Try not to pack the burger too tightly into patties.

I used a cast iron pan to cook the patties. After cooking the bacon in the pan, I used the bacon fat to cook the patties. Sear on both sides, lower the heat and cover the pan to cook the inside of the patty.

Now for the onions, I used red onion instead, which is why my onions look darker. I fried my onions about 20 minutes earlier than when I served them and they were still crispy.

Assemble the burger and now its time to eat!

My goodness this burger is so delicious! It's incredibly flavorful with the spicy tangy shasha sauce, the sweet caramelized onions, the juicy beef, the crispy onions, and the cheesy sauce. It's much better than many burgers out there served in restaurants. It's definitely a meal to indulge it, but it's worth it, trust me!

S'more cupcakes

2013-03-11T16:10:00.000-07:00

Just a couple days ago, a client requested a chocolate dessert. I usually don't make chocolate desserts mostly because it's too sweet for me. This time I have a real excuse to use chocolate but I'm not doing any ordinary chocolate dessert, no sir, I'm making s'more cupcakes!

S'more Cupcakes

Recipe from Martha Stewart

Cooking time: 1 hour

Yield: 2 dozen cupcakes

Ingredients

Cupcakes

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (from about 20 squares)

1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted

9 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

2 1/4 cups plus 2 tbsp sugar

1 3/4 cups ap flour

3/4 cup plus 1 tbsp cocoa powder (not Dutch-processed)

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 large eggs

1 cup whole milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 cup boiling water

Marshmallow Frosting

8 large egg whites

2 cups sugar

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line your muffin tins with cupcake liners; set aside.
Make the graham cracker crust by combining the graham cracker crumbs with the melted butter and 1/4 cup sugar. Stir until well combined. Place 1 tbsp of the crumb mixture into each of the lined muffin cups. Pack in the crumbs using the bottom of a small glass. Reserve the remaining crumbs for the topping.
Place 2 tsp of the finely chopped chocolate to each of the muffin tins on the crust. Reserve the remaining chocolate for the topping. Bake the crust for 5 minutes at 350 degrees F or until the edges are golden. Remove from oven and set aside.
Meanwhile, sift together the dry ingredients into a large bowl or the bowl of your mixer including 2 cups plus 2 tbsp sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix together on low speed for 30 seconds.
In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla. Add to the flour mixture and beat on medium speed for 30 seconds. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix for another 2 minutes. Add the boiling water and mix.
Pour the batter into the prepared muffin tins with the crust, filling until 3/4 full. Sprinkle with the remaining chocolate and graham cracker mix. Bake the muffins for 18-20 minutes or until the tops are firm and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Rotate the muffins tins halfway through baking. Cool the cupcakes in the muffin pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove and cook completely on a wire rack.
Make the marshmallow frosting by combining the egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar in a heatproof bowl of an electric mixer. Heat one inch of water in a saucepan over medium heat, bring the water to a simmer. Place the bowl on top of the pan, making sure the pan does not touch the water. Whisk constantly until the sugar is dissolved and the whites are warm to the touch, 3-4 minutes.
Transfer the bowl to the electric mixer and beat the mixture with the whisk attachment. Start on the lowest speed, gradually increasing to medium than to high until you have stiff glossy peaks, about 5-7 minutes. Add the vanilla and mix until combined.
Transfer the frosting to a large pastry bag with a plain round top or French tip. Pipe the frosting in a spiral motion on each cupcake. Using a kitchen torch, lightly brown the frosting. Serve immediately or store in airtight container, up to 2 days.

Nutrition Facts

per cupcake: 286 calories, 10.9g fat (4.1g saturated, 2.6g polyunsaturated, 2.6g monounsaturated) 45.6g carbohydrates, 2.1g fiber, 3.6g protein

**Helpful tips and common mistakes

These cupcakes require an extra step because you have to make the graham cracker crust, but trust me it'll all be worth it!

When packing in the crumbs for the crust, I used the bottom of a shot glass since it fit perfectly. I also used semisweet chocolate chips instead of bittersweet chocolate. The chocolate didn't melt in time since they were chips, but I actually really enjoyed the little bits of chocolate when eating the cupcake.

The cake batter is extremely runny, unlike other cupcake batters, so don't worry if your batter is a thin consistency.

Before and after pictures of the cupcakes. I did half the recipe and found I had enough batter to completely fill the muffin tins to the top. I like my cupcakes on the bigger side so filling it to the top is my preference, but if you want smaller cupcakes, fill only 3/4 full.

Now I'm not going to lie, I'm always hesitant to make frosting, especially buttermilk frosting. I don't know why but I seem to have problems making it. This frosting, on the other hand, was no problem at all!

Since I don't own a kitchen torch, I used a broiler to finish the cupcakes. Just keep a close eye on the cupcakes since they will brown very quickly. I also had to rotate them after a couple seconds since the heat was stronger in one area.

I finished the cupcakes with a Hershey's chocolate (can also do graham cracker as garnish). Now I know I said I don't like my desserts too sweet, but I really, really enjoyed these cupcakes! The chocolate cupcake was actually very light and not too sweet. The frosting tasted amazingly like marshmallows and when torched, gets the perfect shell on the outside while still being gooey in the inside. Tastes just as amazing as they look!

Chipotle peanut brittle

2013-03-08T14:51:00.000-08:00

I was home the other day, rummaging through the kitchen, looking for something sweet. Nothing I wanted was in sight so, of course, that meant time to cook! I wanted to make something quick that didn't require a trip to the market, so I settle on chipotle peanut brittle. Incredibly easy to make, this snack is surprisingly wonderful!

Chipotle Peanut Brittle

Recipe adapted from Cooking Light

Cooking time: 25 minutes

Yield: 28 servings (1 ounce per serving)

Ingredients

1 cup sugar

1 cup light-colored corn syrup

1 tbsp butter

1 11.5 ounce container salted, dry-roasted peanuts

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp chipotle chile powder

Directions

Line a baking sheet with wax paper or parchment paper that has been sprayed with cooking spray.
Combine the sugar, corn syrup and butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook until the mixture just starts to turn golden in color and registers 275 degrees F on a candy thermometer, about 10-15 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add the peanuts to the mixture and cook for 3 minutes or until the mixture is golden brown and registers 295 degrees F, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in the baking soda and chile powder. The baking soda will cause the mixture to bubble up and become opaque.
Quickly and carefully pour the brittle onto the lined baking sheet. Cover with another sheet of parchment or wax paper and quickly roll the brittle to an even thickness. Remove the top sheet of parchment and discard. Cool the brittle completely and break into pieces. Store in an airtight container.

Nutrition Facts

per serving (1 oz): 133 calories, 6.2g fat (1.1g saturated, 1.9g polyunsaturated, 3g monounsaturated), 18.7g carbohydrates, 1g fiber, 2.8g protein

**Helpful tips and common mistakes

The trickiest part of making the brittle is determining when to add the peanuts. Luckily, I have pictures below to help you out!

Once the sugar, corn syrup and butter mixture melts, it will begin to bubble. Now I usually don't stir my mixture when making caramel, but if you are making a large batch, stirring will help prevent it from burning on the bottom. If making a smaller batch, this isn't as big of a concern.

I prefer to cook the sugar mixture over medium-low because once it starts to change color, it can very quickly go from golden to burned.

Right when you see the bubbles slightly changing color, you want to add the peanuts. You don't want to wait any longer since the mixture will continue to cook for 3 minutes even after you add the peanuts.

If you are more sensitive to spicy, add half the amount of chipotle powder. I made mine with cayenne instead.

This is a sign that your caramel is too dark! By this stage, the caramel will be very burned by the time you add the peanuts and cook another 3 minutes. You can even smell the burnt smell when you have reached this stage.

The baking soda makes the brittle bubble up, which is another reason why you want to use a large saucepan. The color also changes to opaque.

Be very careful when pouring the mixture onto the parchment paper; you don't want to touch the brittle when it's hot or else you will get a very painful burn (caramel burns are the worst!)

The brittle cools fairly quickly, so you don't have to wait too long to enjoy.

Snack on these by themselves or use as toppings for ice cream or even on your salad! I love the flavors of sweet with the spicy; the heat comes in after with a nice kick. I've never been a big brittle fan but this recipe changed my mind. Just darn delicious!

Sliders

2013-03-05T16:45:00.002-08:00

So there's this small but very popular Vietnamese restaurant in my area that has great happy hour. They offer wings, fries, corn on the cob, skewers, and my favorite, sliders. Usually a lot of places don't have that great food for happy hour, but I really enjoy this restaurant. Lately, they've been so busy that we either can't get seated or we miss the happy hour since it's only from 10pm-12am. I've been wanting their sliders so badly that I just decided to make them for lunch today. I present to you fried chicken sliders and spam and egg sliders!

Buttermilk Fried Chicken Sliders

Recipe adapted from simplyrecipes and anoregoncottage

Cooking time: 30 minutes plus 8 hours - 2 days marinating

Yield: 6 sliders

Ingredients

Chicken:

1 cup buttermilk

1 1/2 pounds chicken breast, cut into 6 equal portions

1/2 onion, sliced

1/2 tsp dried parsley

1/2 tsp dried tarragon

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1 cup flour

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1 tsp cayenne

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

Oil for frying

Buttermilk Ranch:

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 tbsp lemon juice

1 garlic, minced

1 tbsp dried parsley or 3 tbsp fresh, chopped

1/4 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 cup buttermilk

6 King's Hawaiian bread rolls, lightly toasted

Romaine lettuce, finely chopped

Directions

Prepare the marinade for the chicken by combining the buttermilk with the sliced onion, dried herbs, paprika, and cayenne. Mix together and add the chicken. Toss the chicken in the marinade to coat evenly. Chill in the refrigerator for 8 hours or up to two days.
Meanwhile, make the buttermilk ranch sauce. Combine the sour cream - black pepper in a medium bowl. Slowly drizzle in the buttermilk, adding just enough to get a thick consistency, similar to yogurt.
Preheat the frying oil to 300 degrees F.
Make the coating for the chicken by combining the 1 cup flour - black pepper. Drain the chicken from the buttermilk marinade, leaving the herbs on the chicken. Dredge the chicken in the flour mixture, shaking off any excess. Carefully drop the chicken into the fryer and cook until golden brown. Remove from the oil and drain on a paper towel.
To assemble the sliders, put a dollop of the ranch sauce on the bottom bun. Top with the chicken, another dollop of the ranch and some chopped romaine lettuce. Top with other half of the bun and serve immediately with more ranch on the side.

Spam and Egg Sliders

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

1 can spam

2 tbsp canola oil

6 eggs

6 King's Hawaiian bread rolls, lightly toasted

Directions

Cut the spam in half lengthwise. Save the other half for another use. Slice the ham into 6 even slices, about 3/4 inch thick.
Heat a nonstick pan over high heat. Add the sliced spam and saute until golden brown, about 1-2 minutes. Flip over and caramelize the other side. Remove from the pan and keep warm.
In the same pan, add the canola oil. When the oil is hot, crack the eggs into the pan. Fry the eggs over easy, or until desired degree of doneness. Remove from the pan. Cut the edges of the eggs to form a square that would fit into the slider.
To assemble, top the bottom half of the buns with spam, followed by the egg and the other half of the bun. Serve immediately.

**Helpful tips and common mistakes

When preparing the marinade for the chicken, you have some freedom in what spices you choose. You can use fresh herbs instead of dried, using a total of 2 tbsp fresh herbs. You can also add other seasonings such as Old Bay, garlic powder, and if you're feeling adventurous, even curry powder. Although I personally love buttermilk chicken, you can also choose to use yogurt instead.

As for the buttermilk ranch, I wanted the dressing to be on the thicker side so I used less than 1/4 cup of buttermilk. Adjust according to how you prefer the sauce.

You want to cut the spam so it fits in the buns; don't be afraid to cut them on the thicker side since the buns and the egg takes away from the saltiness of the spam.

Fried chicken with ranch on Hawaiian bread and spam with fried eggs...how can you not like these combinations? I actually found that I liked my chicken better than the restaurant's because it had lots of flavor. It was still very moist considering it was chicken breast. I cut my chicken portions on the larger size, making the sliders pretty filling, but that was no problem! As for the spam and eggs, you really can't go wrong with something so simple. Just writing about these sliders is making me want to have another...