September 24, 2009

Crispy Sweet Bacon

I got this recipe from the Food Network channel but I felt it needed more mustard than the original recipe called for.


To make the sauce, combine:




 1/2 cup maple syrup






2 tablespoons Dijon mustard





and pepper.









Pour the sauce over thick-cut bacon:









Bake for 1/2 hour at 325 degrees Fahrenheit, and you get:





















Crispy and savory and sweet. If sharing, be sure to make lots! Works wonderfully with turkey burgers.

Beignets and Cafe Au Lait


New Orleans.  
Cafe du Monde.  
Beignets and Cafe au Lait.

'Nuff said.

May 16, 2009

Creamy Potato Soup

- 3 medium potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1.5 cups water
- 1 chicken bouillon cube
- 1/3 cup onion, chopped
- 1 cup nonfat milk

Combine potatoes, water, bouillon and onion in large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Cool slightly. Pour into blender and blend until smooth. Return to saucepan and stir in milk. Bring to a boil and stir in salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.

Pickled Mushrooms

- 2 pounds fresh button mushrooms
- 1 cup cider vinegar
- ½ cup salad oil
- 1 clove garlic, halved
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon white or black pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ tablespoon chervil
- 1 bay leaf
- Parsley, chopped

Wash mushrooms thoroughly. Blanch mushrooms by dropping into boiling water for 10-15 seconds. Remove immediately and rinse under cool water. Drain. Combine all ingredients and place in a jar. Allow to marinate for at least one week before serving.

Sweet Potato in Orange Cups

- 4 oranges
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- 2 large sweet potatoes, cooked

Cut oranges in halves. Remove fruit. Mash potatoes. Cut fruit from the oranges into very thin pieces and add to potatoes. Mix well. Stuff the mashed potatoes into the orange shells. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake in 350 deg F oven for 15 minutes or until browned on top.
Serves 8

Miami Lime Lift

- 2 fresh Florida limes
- ½ cup sugar or sugar substitute
- 1 quart boiling water
- Lime slices for garnish

Slice limes thinly. Put in bowl with sugar. Let stand for 1 hour. Pour boiling water into bowl. Cool, then chill. To serve, pour limeade and several lime slices over ice in tall glasses. Hang a lime slice over edge of glass. Serve with long straw.
Makes 1 quart or 4 cups.

Cashew or Almond Milk

- 1 cup raw cashews or almonds
- 3 cups water

Cashew Milk: Soak the cashews in the water for 1 hour. Blend well and strain.
Almond Milk: Soak the almonds overnight. Drain the almonds from the water they were soaked in and add 3 cups fresh water. Blend well and strain. (Almond milk may be sweetened by adding 1/4 cup soaked raisins to the mix before blending.)

February 25, 2009

Gruyere Croutons

- 1/2 stick butter
- 1 baguette, sliced and torn bite-size pieces
- 1 cup grated Gruyere cheese
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh sage

Directions:
Preheat broiler. Spread baguette pieces on a baking sheet, sprinkle with butter, and toss. Sprinkle the gruyere cheese, thyme and sage evenly over the pieces. Broil until cheese melts (1 - 2 minutes). Serve over Red Pepper Soup.

Red Pepper Soup

- 4 large red bell peppers, roasted, peeled and cleaned
- 2 large leeks, sliced and green parts removed
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
- 2 oz unsalted butter
- 3 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons dry sherry

Directions:
Melt butter in a large pot and add peppers, leeks and garlic. After about sauteing about 5 minutes, add stock, salt, and pepper and simmer for about 30 minutes. Once cooled, puree and add cream and sherry. Cook until heated through and serve with cheesy croutons.

February 23, 2009

Pai Gu Fan


My first post is Pai Gu Fan: taiwanese pork chop over rice. After much googling, I was unable to find a complete recipe so I had to combine recipes from various places. My inspiration was the Pai Gu Fan ordered from 168 Restaurant.

I have included a picture found on another site http://onokinegrindz.typepad.com/ono_kine_grindz/taiwanese/index.html but keep in mind that this picture has bean sprouts and shredded chicken instead of cabbage and pork chops.




There are 5 parts to this recipe (served over white rice)
Pork Chops
Seasoned Ground Pork
Steamed Cabbage
Pickled Mustard Greens
Tea Eggs



Pork Chop (submitted by Sharonlin to allrecipes.com)
- 4 (3/4 inch thick) bone-in pork chops
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/2 tablespoon white wine
- 1/2 tablespoon Chinese five-spice powder
- vegetable oil
- vegetabel oil for frying
- cornstarch

Directions:
With a sharp knife, make several small slits near the edges of the pork chops to keep them from curling when fried. Into a large resealable bag, add the soy sauce, garlic, sugar, white wine, and five-spice powder. Place chops into the bag, and close the seal tightly. Carefully massage the marinade into chops, coating well. Refrigerate at least 1 hour, turning the bag over every so often. In a large skillet, heat enough vegetable oil to fill the skillet to a depth of about 1/2 inch. Remove chops from resealable bag without wiping off marinade. Lightly sprinkle cornstarch on both sides of the chops. Carefully add chops to skillet; cook, turning once, until golden brown on both sides and cooked through.


Seasoned Ground Pork ("Ground Pork and Shallots Simmered in Five Spices" from http://members.tripod.com/~pnieves/taiwan.htm)
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1 package fried shallots (3 oz)
- 4 tablespoons garlic, minced
- 2 cups water
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon rice wine
- 1 teaspoon five spice powder
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- non-stick cooking spray

Directions:
Brown pork in skillet until cooked. Drain off oil and set aside. Spray non-stick cooking oil spray in pot and saute the garlic. Add pork and shallots, and stir a few times. Add water and the rest of the seasonings and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer one hour.


Steamed Cabbage
- half of a cabbage, diced
- 2 tablespoons garlic, minced
- salt to taste
- 2 tablespoons of oil

Directions:
Heat oil and fry garlic lightly until fragrant. Add diced cabbage and stir fry until cooked. Season to taste with salt.


Pickled Mustard Greens
For this recipe, I cheat: I buy pre-pickled mustard greens from my local asian market.

- 2 packets pickled mustard greens (? oz)
- 2 tablespoons garlic, minced
- 1 cup water
- 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

Drain and rinse the pickled mustard greens to remove some of the sourness. Chop mustard greens. Fry garlic in a deep frying pan (in a little oil if desired) and add mustard greens, water, and sugar. Cover and simmer for one hour or until the greens are tender and the liquid has reduced.


Tea Eggs (from http://globalgourmet.com/food/special/2000/good_egg/asian.html)
- 8 medium eggs
- 1/2 cup dark soy sauce
- 1/2 cup dry sherry
- 4 star anise
- 1 strip (1/2 x 2 inches) orange zest
- 3 cups water
- lapsang souchong tea bags (though other black or black/green mixure teas will work well too)
- toasted sesame oil for rubbing the eggs (optional)

Directions:
Place the eggs in a single layer in a saucepan. Cover with water and bring to a boil over medium heat. As soon as the water boils, remove the pan from the heat, cover and let stand for 10 minutes. Drain off the water, cover the eggs with cold water and let stand until cool enough to handle. Meanwhile, combine the soy sauce, sherry, star anise, orange zest and water in the saucepan and bring to a simmer. Add the tea bags. When the eggs are cool, gently tap them with the back of a tablespoon so the shells are evenly cracked. Do not peel. Using the spoon, carefully lower the eggs one at a time into the simmering liquid. If it does not cover the eggs entirely, add more water. Cover the pan and simmer for 1 hour. Once cooled to room temperature, refrigerate, preferably overnight. Drain, peel, and pat each egg dry. Rub with sesame oil.


-------------------
Combine the components and serve over steamed white rice. This recipe may seem complicated, but keep in mind that parts of it may be cooked in larger batches, divided into portions, and frozen for later use.

Sweet Tooth, Savory Tooth

Sweet tooth, savory tooth.... the idea came to me when I decided to organize and share my recipes. My husband and his family have a sweet tooth. The sweeter the dessert, the better. In fact, if he had his way, there would be sugar in just about every dish we make. (We already put sugar in spaghetti... and I don't mean just the pinch of sugar to round out the sourness of the tomato, I mean sweet spaghetti.)
I, on the other hand, have a savory tooth. Salt-coated lemons are a sinful treat and chicken bouillon is dangerous. Though we may both enjoy the extremes, we can agree that good food is usually a combination of both. I will be posting recipes that I enjoy, whether passed down from my mother or from google.