cheese crisps.

Well, this was quite an eventful weekend! Our awesome Gaints are off to the World Series, watched two lovely friends get piercings ( I was rather squeamish the whole time, it was just so hard to watch!), and I dyed my hair red~ (>.>;;) I might be able to pull off a certain Grell (from 黒執事 kuroshitsuji) for our campus Halloween party, though my hair isn't nearly as long as his (or as red).

But after all this, there's one thing I've learned: it's truly the simple things in life that's the most fulfilling. You can splurge on a pair of cute shoes or outfit, but that happiness is only temporary. Eventually, you'll grow tired of them. A day chilling with friends and catching up, on the other hand, lasts so much longer, even though the day has long passed, you're still able to smile back on the memory. And to continue with the theme of simplistic pleasures...

 

Cheese crisps! They look ever so elegant and taste equally as such~ but it's terribly simple to make!

 

Three simple ingredients: your favorite hard cheese (or a mix), rice flour, and yourself! That's all there is to it~ you can also add a teaspoon of dried herbs or a dash of paprika for an extra kick. 

These are great for snacking on with a good brew or wine. Though, my favorite way to serve these crisps are on top of a simple salad lightly tossed with vinaigrette, adding a layer of texture and complexity.


cheese crisps

we'll need:
1 cup hard cheese of your choice (grated)
1 tbls rice flour (or all-purpose)
1tsp dried herb of your choosing (optional)

utensils:
measuring spoons/cups
mixing bowl
nonstick frying pan
spatula
cooling rack

~Heat the pan over medium heat. Meanwhile, mix together the cheese, flour and dried herbs (if using) in the bowl. Then, by tablespoonfuls, place the cheese mixture on the pan, making sure to spread it so there are no concentrated spots of cheese, we're aiming for an elegant lacy look here. When the cheese starts to bubble and the edges are lightly golden (about 1min), gently flip the crisp over and let it remain for 30seconds. Remove and place on a cooling rack. (If you want to shape them, gingerly place them over a rolling pin or the underside of a small bowl) Continue until you use up the rest of the cheese mixture~ then they're ready to serve!

※An alternate way to prepare these crisps is to spread the cheese mixture by tablespoonfuls on a baking sheet, baking at 350 for about 5~10minutes.

honey garlic ribs.

It's finally Sunday and alas, it's nearly Monday~ the two extremes. Though for the meantime, it's still Sunday, so let's try to savor the last few hours before we've to slip into slumber and march to our lectures or office the next morning. Life goes on, whether our sleep-deprived selves are ready or not. Unfortunately.

 

I'm still trying to pull myself together, but it's rather difficult since matters of the heart and amour are sadly being aweaved to my woes. But, anyway, I've been craving comfort foods as of late. Something flavorful and soothing to the soul... and what better than honey garlic ribs!

 

Simple ingredients with equally simple preparation. It's totally worth a try!

honey garlic ribs

we'll need:

4~6 pork ribs (washed and dried)

1tbls grated ginger

1 clove of garlic (minced)

1tbls sake (Japanese rice wine)

3tsp soy sauce

2tsp sesame oil
1/4 cup honey

toasted sesame seeds and chopped scallions for garnish
steamed rice to serve

utensils:
measuring spoons/cups
mixing bowl
fork
plastic wrap
baking dish (large enough to fit the ribs)

>>preheat oven to 375F<<

~In the mixing bowl, mix together the grated ginger, minced garlic, sake, soy sauce, sesame oil, and honey with the fork. Next, add in the prepped ribs and toss until evenly covered with the marinade. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least 1/2hr.

~Drain off the the marinade from the ribs into the bin and line them up in the baking dish. Bake for 30~35mins. Then, turn the broiler on to high and broil for 3~5 mins, until the ribs color and a hint of char appears on the edges. Carefully remove from the oven and let rest on the counter for 3 mins. Plate and garnish with the toasted sesame seeds and chopped scallions.

herb roasted chicken.

The herbs in the garden are thriving... for once. Everything I plant seems to wither on me a week into its life in my little abode.

Oh, the soft warm summer breeze, carrying with the the sweet scent of tarragon and thyme and perhaps rosemary. I wish. It's mainly foggy and cold here in The City.  Though, on occasion we are blessed with sunshine and a taste of summer heat, which is best spent lounging under a tree with a good book or at the beach with someone.

This recipe is quite versatile. You can substitute the herbs here for any of your favorite. I've chosen tarragon and lemon thyme.

Herb Roasted Chicken

We'll need:

1x 3lb 8oz whole chicken (preferably free-range and hormone free)
1/2tsp salt
2tbls unsalted butter (softened)
3 sprigs of tarragon
3 sprigs of lemon thyme
2 cups chicken stock

Utensils:

paper towels
measuring spoons/cups
roasting pan
foil
saucepan

>>preheat oven to 400F<<

~Rinse the chicken in running water, thoroughly cleaning the cavity, washing out all the blood and impurities. Then, dry with the paper towels and place in the roasting pan, breast side up. Sprinkle the outside of the chicken with salt and rub the butter evenly underneath the skin, concentrating on the breasts so to prevent them from drying up in the cooking process. Next, stuff the herbs into the cavity of the chicken.

~Pour the chicken stock into the roasting pan and cover with foil. Place into the preheated oven and bake for about 1hr 20mins or until the juices run clean when pierced with a knife. Remove the foil in the remaining 30mins to brown. If it still isn't brown enough, you can use the broiler (but I don't suggest putting it under for more than 15mins, as that will result in a very dry chicken). Once the chicken is out of the oven remove it from the pan and place on a plate or cutting board to let cool. Drain the juices into the saucepan and place on a burner set to medium. Reduce the sauce until half (about 5~10mins). You can also add a spot of butter to "finish" the sauce.

~Carve the chicken and pour the sauce over it~ serve!

Curry Croquettes (カレークロケット)

Comm is finally over! I can finally direct my attention and effort toward this blog (along with my art site)~ So expect more frequent updates from now.

Anyway, I digress~ onward to the curry croquettes! So, as I've said, if you've a bit of leftover filling, egg wash, and panko from the curry bread recipe, you can totally make use of them in this recipe. =)

Curry Croquettes (カレークロケット)




We'll  need:
4~5 medium-sized russet potatoes (peeled, boiled and cooled)
left-over curry filling from the curry bread (or just halve the recipe)
1.5 cups  vegetable of choice (blanched and diced) or frozen vegetable medley

-egg wash-
1/4 c. milk
2 eggs

left-over panko (or 1.5 cups)

Oil for frying
ketchup, tonkatsu or okonomiyaki sauce for serving (optional)


Utensils:
large mixing bowl
spatula
measuring cups
fork
two shallow dishes
baking sheet lined with parchment
heavy pot
candy thermometer
frying spider
cooling rack or a a few dishes lined with paper towels

~In the mixing bowl, mash the potatoes with the fork until there are no visible lumps of potato. Then add the curry filling into the bowl, mix with spatula until evenly incorporated. Next, add the vegetables and mix well. With wet hands, carefully shape the potato mixture into balls (as large or as small as you like) and place onto the parchment-lined baking sheet. Freeze until firm (about 20-30mins).

~In one of the shallow dishes prepare the egg wash by whisking together the eggs and milk. Place the panko in the other. Remove the potato balls from the freezer and quickly dredge in the wash and then in the panko crumbs, return each prepared croquette back onto the baking sheet. Fill the heavy pot halfway with oil and heat on med-high, until it reaches 350F (about 8-10mins). Fry the croquettes, two or three at a time, until golden (about 10-15mins).  Remove with the spider and place on a cooling rack or paper towel-lined plates to drain.

Serve with tonkatsu or okonomiyaki sauce, or if those aren't available, you can use ketchup or even steak sauce.

Curry Bread（カレーパン) pt. 3: Pulling it all together!

大変 申し訳ありません、皆様~　お待たせいたしました！My apologies for the wait~  Here's the final installment of the three-part curry bread recipe. It was tough, all that curry-making and dough kneading, but we survived. Phew. Now let's start putting the two together and fry up some curry bread!

Crisp exterior, giving in to cotton soft bread as the burst of curry sets the palate ablaze in a symphony of textures and flavors... it... it's almost too much to handle in one bite. *_*

We'll need:

1 recipe beignet dough
1 recipe curry filling
2 cups panko (Japanese bread crumbs)

Egg Wash: 2 eggs + 1/4cup milk

Oil for frying

Utensils:
rolling pin
knife (or pizza cutter)
2 shallow dishes
baking sheet/parchment paper
frying spider
heavy pot
paper towel-lined plates or cooling rack

~Remove the dough from the fridge and let sit on the counter until it reaches room temperature. Place it on a lightly floured surface and give it 4~5 kneads. Then roll the dough out into a rectangle about 0.5in thick. With the knife or pizza cutter, cut  into 1.5x1.5in pieces. Next, roll out the cut pieces into a circle, until it's about 0.25in thick. Prepare the egg wash by whisking together the eggs and the milk in a shallow dish. Pour out the panko on another dish and set the two aside.

~Place 2~3tbls of the curry filling into the dough and pinch the sides together. Next, dip the filled dough into the egg wash and then cover evenly with the panko. Place it on the parchment or baking sheet and repeat until the dough is used up. Let the curry bread rise on the parchment/baking sheet for 30mins. Fill the heavy pot half-way full with oil and place over medium-high heat, until it reaches 350F. Then, place the dough in and fry until golden (about 10-15mins), turning it halfway through the cooking process. Remove from the oil with the spider and let drain on the paper-towel lined plates or on a cooling rack.

*Note: The curry bread can be baked instead of fried. Just omit the panko and brush with egg wash. Place in a pre-heated 350F oven and bake until golden (about 25-30mins).

**Worry not if you've some left-over filling~ I'll have a recipe up for curry croquettes next.

curry bread [カレーパン] Pt. 1: curry filling

I know, I know... I've been AWOL for the past few weeks. I'm so sorry! >_<;; This speech class I'm taking has been taking it's toll on me. It's really pushing me out of my comfort zone. But then again... it's only through that discomfort that we grow and become mentally stronger. So I suppose I'll have to bite the bullet and just get it over with. Just five more classes~

On the topic of going out of comfort zones... let's talk about frying and bread making. I'm just terrified of both, but then, out of the blue, bocchan requests that I make curry bread. Bread... filled bread... frying... hot oil... burns... that was pretty much all that ran through my coffee-powered mind at the moment. In the end, I accepted the request with much apprehension and it turned out quite successfully or deliciously, I should say.

Though I had to seriously think out a proper strategy at tackling this bread. I decided on using a yeast-based beignet dough as the bread as it's more suited for frying. As for the curry filling, rather than bringing out a plethora of spices and mixing my own curry, I just turned toward the ready-made Japanese curry concentrate cubes (they come in boxes and may be found in most Asian supermarkets) and threw in ground beef and mirepiox (celery, carrots, and onion).

It turns out that the hardest part wasn't making the curry bread, but organizing and typing out the recipe as it is quite long. So to save your eyes, I'll be separating it into three parts: the curry filling (recipe below), beignet dough, and how to pull everything together.

Filling for Curry Bread

We'll need:

2tbls oil
1 medium carrot
1 small onion (or 1/2 med onion)
1 celery stalk
3/4lb ground beef (preferably lean)
4 cubes curry concentrate (I like to use the "Vermont Apple" flavored type)
1 cup water
1/2 cup coconut milk (or soy milk/milk)

Utensils:
cutting board
kitchen knife
measuring spoons/cups
frying pan
spatula
medium-sized bowl

~Place oil  in the frying pan and heat over medium. Peel the carrot and onion and remove the tough "veins" from the celery. Then cut the vegetables into small cubes and place into the pan. Sautee for about 2-3mins with 1tsp of water. When soft, add the ground beef and continue cooking for about 3-5mins.

~Next, add the remaining water to the meat/vegetable mixture, allowing it to come to a soft simmer. Then, add in the curry cubes and stir until dissolved. Add the coconut milk and continue simmering until the liquid has reduced by about half, about 3-5mins. Pour the mixture into a bowl and refrigerate overnight to allow it to firm up.

Next Post: Beignet Dough

sweet 'n savory beef "stew"

I'm finished! Oorah! After two sleepless nights, yelling at myself and randomly translating j-rock Christmas songs in my head... I'm finally done with my final paper for composition. Though, for the first time it feels rather unfinished, even after seven pages. Weeird. Maybe I should've written more. Naah.

 I've learned to spite the laptop after those two days... along with the color green. Aah...I  should seriously stop procrastinating on replacing my graphics card. That green is really getting to me. -shivers-

But anywaay, back to the stew. Well, truthfully it's not quite a stew, rather it's more of a simmered dish... with beef and mushrooms. I tend to just throw ingredients together and just let them simmer when I'm super exhausted. But it, hey, works... most of the time! ^_^;

You can use any type of mushroom for this dish, though I wouldn't use dried ones since by the time they're done, the meat will become tough as they take a bit of time to cook.

Sweet 'n Savory Beef "Stew"

We'll need:

1lb flank steak, thinly sliced (or a package of shabu-shabu style beef)
1/2lb mushroom of choice (I'll be using enoki and button mushroom in this)

3tsp dark soy sauce
2tsp sugar
1tsp mirin
3 slices of ginger
2 scallions

1tbls oil for frying

2 tbls cornstarch+3tbls water

Utensils:
mixing bowl
fork
frying pan
spatula

~Place beef in mixing bowl, add 1tsp of the soy and mix. Set aside and let marinate for about 15mins. Then slice the mushrooms. Next, brown the ginger in oil over medium high heat. Add the mushrooms and sautee until soft. (They will release quite a lot of liquid. That is perfectly alright as we'll be using that to simmer the beef) Then add in the remaining 2tsp of soy sauce, sugar, and mirin.

~Allow the liquid to reduce by half (about 5-8mins). Add the slices of beef to the mushrooms and simmer until cooked  (10-15minutes, depending the thickness of the beef). Then add the cornstarch-water mixture to the beef and let simmer for another 2-3mins until thickened.  Cut the scallions into 1in pieces, then slice them in half and finally into slivers. Plate the stew and garnish with scallions.

~Serve with rice if you'd like!

ginger chicken wings.

Three days into my semi-summer break (I say semi because I still have a 6.5pg paper due in omg!-I'm-so dead-days) and I'm starting to ease into it. The weather's still acting up though. Maybe it's nature's way of yanking the covers off and dragging me out of my procrastination. >_>; Maybe.

Soo, to combat this sudden onslaught of sunny-then-chilly-and-rainy weather, I've made ginger chicken wings. Since that kind of extreme really takes its toll on the immune system and what better to stave off colds and suppress coughs than ginger. It also gives a lot of flavor to the dish without overwhelming it all while providing a mild hint of heat, just enough to warm the back of the throat.

Ginger Chicken Wings

We'll need:

 











1.5lb chicken wings (rinsed with water and dried)

-marinade-
1/2tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1tsp xiao xing wine (Chinese rice wine)
1tsp freshly grated ginger

-sauce-
2tbls soy sauce
2tbls mirin (sweet Japanese rice wine)
2tbls sake/water or stock of choice
2tbls sugar
1tsp freshly grated ginger

1tbls oil for cooking
chopped scallions for garnish

Utensils:
medium bowl
measuring spoons
frying pan or wok
spatula

~Mix together the ingredients for the marinade (salt, sugar, ginger) in the bowl. Then, add in the chicken wings, tossing until evenly coated with the ginger mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and let marinate in the fridge for at least 1hr or overnight.

~In the same bowl that held the chicken, combine the ingredients for the sauce (soy sauce, mirin, sake/water or stock, sugar, and ginger) and set aside. Heat the frying pan or wok with the oil. Add the wings and fry over medium heat for 15-17minutes, until golden or when the juice runs clean if pierced with a fork. Then pour in the sauce mixture and cook for another 2-3 minutes, until the liquid reduces by half and has a somewhat sticky consistency.

~Plate and garnish with the chopped scallions. Enjoy!

asparagus with hollandaise.

There was a time when I thought hollandaise was just impossible to make. Quite temperamental it is. One little mishap and the sauce breaks. Overheat it and it curdles into an omlette. Seems like something best left to the pros to handle. So, I avoided making hollandaise for a while, fearing failure. But after ten years, I decided to give it a try. Just a try. And...

I was greeted by success! Apparently, it wasn't as scary as I first thought. In fact... it was quite simple. Rich and creamy with a hint of tartness from the lemon, hollandaise is wonderful with seafood or over poached eggs. In this post, I'll be pairing it with asparagus.

Asparagus with Hollandaise (Adapted from The Food of France by Maria Villegas and Sarah Randell)

We'll need:

about 24 asparagus spears
2 egg yolks
2tsp lemon juice
7tbls butter (at room temp and cubed)

Utensils:
pot of boiling water
 knife
whisk
saucepan
colander
measuring spoons


~Wash the asparagus. Then  remove the tough woody ends by holding each end of the spear and bending it gently until it snaps.  Next, cook the spears in a pot of boiling water until tender (about 4 minutes).

~Drain in a colander and place under cold running water. Then place in a serving dish (or on individual plates). Set aside.

~Now on to the hollandaise! In the saucepan, whisk together the egg  yolks and lemon juice over low heat. Whisking continuously, add the butter few cubes at a time until the mixture thickens. Then turn off the heat and season the sauce. (Please watch the heat carefully! Otherwise, the sauce will curdle into a mess and you'll get scrambled eggs instead. -__-;;)

~Spoon the sauce over the asparagus and serve~ =)

brisket in three

The brisket is often deemed as a tough cut of meat as it's from the lower chest area of the cattle, where it gets quite a work out ~ but if given enough time in the cooking process, the results are just amazing: soft, succulent, tender pieces of meat that just melt in your mouth. So, they work best with slow-cooking such as smoking or braising.

 (normally, briskets come with a layer of fat, called the "fat cap," but the butcher got rid of it here -_-)

I'll show you how to make a fairly simple baked brisket in this post. Originally, this recipe called for it to be cooked in a slow cooker, but since I don't have one, I converted it for the oven. So, you can make this via the slow cooker, too... which yields even much more tender and juicy results.

This is a perfect dish for those lazy Sundays, when you don't really want to cook but have to anyway, since all all you have to do is put it in the oven and let the brisket do its thing for about 3 hours, without any need to check on it.


Baked Beef Brisket (adapted from allrecipes.com)

We'll need:

1x 1lb beef brisket
1 small onion
3 cloves of garlic
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbls ketchup
2 tsp oil (olive, vegetable... etc)
1/4 cup water

-for the sauce-
liquid from the cooked brisket
2 tsp ketchup
2~3 tsp cornstarch mixed with 2tbls of water


Utensils:
measuring spoons/cups
fork or a small whisk
baking dish
foil
kitchen knife
cutting board
slow cooker (if using)

~Wash and dry the brisket, trim off some of the fat, and set aside. Then thinly slice the onion. Crush the garlic with the side of the knife, sprinkle with the salt, and mince. The granules of salt will help grind the garlic into a finer texture.

~In the baking dish, combine the ketchup, oil and minced garlic with the fork (or whisk). Place the brisket in the dish and cover with the ketchup mixture and sprinkle with the sliced onions.

~Pour the water into the dish, cover loosely with foil and bake at 300F for about 3 hours or until tender. (If using the slow cooker, just place all the ingredients in the cooker (except for the ones for making the sauce) and let it cook on low for about 5hrs)

~When the brisket is done, remove the brisket and set aside, tenting (covering it loosely) it with the foil used during the baking process. (Be careful! It's super hot!) Then, pour the juices from the baking dish into a sauce pan set over medium heat, adding the ketchup and the cornstarch-water solution. Simmer until sauce thickens and pour over the brisket.

You can serve this in many ways, simply slicing it into pieces or pulling it apart with a fork and serving it between toasted dinner rolls, over rice, or over pasta... the possibilities are limitless~

Enjoy!

tangy lobster rolls.

No pun intended. Seriously. Haha, it's quite a hassle having "Tang" for a last name... but it's fitting, maybe. >.<; Anyway, the family bought some lobsters and there were leftovers (omgsh, I know! leftover lobsters? Only in this house, only in this house). Soo, I decided to make lobster rolls because I've been yearning for some ever since my trip to the east coast last summer. The lobster rolls in Boston were just... awesome. Sweet tender chunks of lobster lightly covered in a creamy sauce stuffed into a soft buttery bun.

Aah... I've got to go back some day... when I can afford to. Anyway, here's my take on them.

Tangy Lobster Roll

We'll need:
1 1-0.5lb lobster (steamed and shelled)

2~3 dinner rolls

-for the sauce-
1tbls mayonaise
1/4 tsp yellow mustard
1/2 tsp sweet pickle juice (weird, I know... but that's what makes it. >w< You can substitute with relish)
1/2 tsp ketchup
1/4 stalk of scallion (optional)
a pinch of caster sugar
a pinch of salt














Utensils:
knife
a plate
a medium-sized bowl
a spoon


~Place the lobster meat on a plate and cut into bite-sized pieces. Set aside. In the bowl, mix in all of the ingredients for the sauce. If using scallions, now's the time to chop it up and add it to the mixture.

 













~Place the lobster meat into the sauce and toss gently. Split and toast the dinner rolls. Then fill generously with the lobster.

~Serve (=