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.

deliciously simple drop doughnuts

I've been craving doughnuts lately... actually I've been craving a lot of comfort foods, haha. These few months have been taking their toll~ I still find it hard to believe that these things are happening to me, but it's life.  I  must accept however many curve-balls it decides to throw. The silver lining?

These babies right here! Aren't they just the cutest things~? ;)

 So cute~ I could just eat them all up!

Soft, sweet, and oh so indulgent, but best of all, they're a cinch to make! All you need is an egg, milk, and a package of pancake mix (Ssh!! That'll be our dirty little secret).

You can coat them in a mixture of cinnamon and sugar or powdered sugar~ whatever floats your boat! ^_^

drop doughnuts.
(translated and adapted from the recipe given on the 「スキー」 hot cake mix)


we'll need:

-for the doughnuts-
1 pkg hot cake mix (200g or 1 1/3 cup)
1 egg
1 cup milk/soy milk/ or water
4 tbls melted butter
3 tbls maple syrup (optional)

-for the coating-
1~2 tsp ground cinnamon + 1/2 cup sugar
or
1/2 cup powdered sugar

3 cups vegetable/corn/peanut...etc oil for frying

utensils:
mixing bowl
wooden spoon
measuring cups/spoons
heavy pot
candy thermometer
spider/tongs/ or chop sticks
cooling rack or plates lined with paper towels
1 or 2 paper lunch bags

~Heat the oil in the pot until it registers at 360F on the thermometer. Meanwhile, with the wooden spoon, combine all the ingredients for the doughnuts in the mixing bowl. (If the dough is a bit stiff, add 2~3tbls more of the selected liquid) Once the oil has come to temperature, spoon a moderately sized chunk of dough (no more than 3tbls, otherwise the center won't cook through) and plop it into the oil. Fry until golden (about 1~2mins on each side) and drain on the cooling rack or towels.

~While the doughnuts are still hot, place a few of them into the lunch bags, add your choice of coating, roll up the tip of the bag and shake until coated. Then pour onto a plate and serve!

For an added bit of indulgence, make a slit with a knife and add a bit of jam, peanut butter, Nutella... etc into the center.

★PSST! I've made a Twitter account~ so feel free to follow me, Avec_Saveur, for minute by minute (sorta) updates and just me rambling about life or... public transportation. ★

choux pastry.

Sorry for the delay in my posts! Life decided to star me in the role of some unnecessary drama. So that knocked me off track for a while. My apologies! But I'm here now. >_>;; And so allow me to introduce to you all to my lovely friend...

 

choux pastry! Which bakes up to be an assortment of tasty treats! It's a truly versatile pastry dough.

You can pipe them into an assortment of shapes and sizes~ bake 'em~

fill them up with your favorite filling~

dip them into a chocolate glaze (recipe included) for some elegant eclairs!

or drizzle a bit of the same glaze over for some sinfully delicious profiteroles!

They may look intimidating to make, but it's fairly simple! Impress friends and loved ones by whipping up a batch of these for tea time or dessert. ^_^

choux pastry.
 (adapted from The Food of France: a journey for food lovers)

we'll need:

1 stick + 1 1/2tbls unsalted butter
1 1/2 cup milk (or water)
2 tbls sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
7 eggs

chocolate glaze*
1 recipe pastry cream filling

utensils:

measuring cups/spoons
2 saucepans (preferably non-stick)
wooden spoon
piping bag or a large freezer bag
parchment paper

>>preheat oven to 375F<<

~Melt the butter with the milk (or water), sugar, and salt in one of the saucepans, then bring to a rolling boil. Remove from heat and add the flour. Return the mixture back to the heat and beat continuously with the wooden spoon to make a smooth shiny paste that comes away from the side of the pan. Let cool for 3mintues.

~Beat in the eggs one at a time, until the mixture is smooth and shiny (the mixture should drop off the spoon, but not be too runny). Place the piping bag or freezer bag into a tall glass to prop it up and fill with the mixture.** Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and pipe the choux pastry into desired shapes. (or you can spoon dollops of the pastry dough onto the parchment instead) Bake for 25~30minutes until they are puffed and carry a light golden complexion. After removing from oven, prick each of the pastry with a toothpick to allow steam to escape.

*To prepare the chocolate glaze melt together 4oz of your favorite baking chocolate and 2tbls unsalted butter in a saucepan over low heat.
**The choux pastry can be stored in the piping/freezer bag for up to 2 days in the refrigerator.


For profiteroles: split the puffs in half and spoon the pastry cream filling in between. Drizzle or spoon over with chocolate glaze if desired.

 

For eclairs:  Dip half the pastry in the chocolate glaze and allow to harden (15~20mins). Then split them in half lengthwise and fill with pastry cream

Enjoy!

orange rosemary pastry cream.

I've been craving for eclairs and profiteroles for a while now~ So I've decided to satisfy that craving! Though before I can even go on to make them, I need to work on a filling. My palate was tried of the traditional vanilla or chocolate pastry cream. So...

Behold~ orange rosemary pastry cream. I know, I know... it's a weird combination. But trust me on this~ it'll work out in the end. It's sort of like love and relationships, sometimes you need giant leaps of irrational faith to pull through. Though, for me... It's taking all of my sanity and patience along with faith to deal with my predicament. Guys are so troublesome and just frustrating sometimes. And... we still bother with them. The only difference is that the thing that's getting broken are eggs and not hearts. A much less painful ordeal~

Orange, meet rosemary. I'll leave you two to mingle and get to know each other. ;)

orange rosemary pastry cream


(adapted from the Tartine cookbook)

we'll need:

2 cups whole milk
1 sprig rosemary
zest of 1 large orange
1/4 tsp salt
1/2tsp vanilla extract
3~4tbls cornstarch
1/2 cup + 1tbls sugar
2 large eggs
4tbls unsalted butter

utensils:
measuring spoons/cups
heavy saucepan
whisk
2 heat-proof bowls
fine-mesh sieve
plastic wrap

~Rest the sieve on the rim of one of the bowls and set aside. Pour the milk into the saucepan, adding the sprig of rosemary, orange zest, and salt. Place the saucepan over medium-high heat, and bring to just under a boil, stirring occasionally and making sure that the milk solids are not sticking to the bottom of the pan.

~Meanwhile, in the second mixing bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and sugar. (For a firmer pastry cream, add the 4th tablespoon of cornstarch) Add the eggs and whisk until smooth. When the milk is ready, remove the rosemary sprig, add the vanilla and remove from heat. Carefully ladle about one-third of the hot milk into the egg mixture, whisking continuously. Pour the mixture back into the hot milk and continue whisking over medium heat until the custard is as thick as lightly whipped cream (about 2mins). Let the mixture reach the boiling point to cook the starch. (Do not allow the pastry cream to boil vigorously as it will turn into a curdled mess.)

~Remove from the heat and immediately pour the mixture through the sieve, into the bowl. Let cool for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to release the heat and prevent a skin from forming on top. Next, cut the butter into 1tbls pieces. When the pastry cream is about 140F, whisk the butter into the pastry cream 1tbls at a time, always whisking until smooth before adding the next tablespoon. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly on top of the cream to prevent the formation of skin. Place in the fridge and let it firm up.

Use this cream as fillings for tarts, accompaniment to fruits, or as fillings for profiteroles/eclairs.

Note: To prepare plain pastry cream, simply omit the orange zest and rosemary, adding 1tsp of vanilla extract instead of 1/2.

Recipe for choux pastry is here~

sake plum infused green tea.

Today was an exceptionally beautiful day. The sun decided to pay The City a visit again. It was warm, but the breeze carried that faint bite of the autumn chill.

 Since sunny days are a rarity, I decided to spend the day after lectures outside in the garden beneath the shade of a paper umbrella bequeath to me by my late step-grandfather. He was a charming, sweet man who loved me as if I was one of his own. I'll forever be grateful for that. I'd like to think that my grandmother's finally reunited with him up there in that ethereal paradise. She fought so bravely... but I'm going quite off tangent!

I decided to break out my favorite pair of wooden sandals to wear. They always seem to cheer me up when I slip my feet upon its smooth, cold lacquered body.

Of course, one doesn't lounge under the sun without proper refreshments! I brought along a few "wagashi"（和菓子）or Japanese sweets for snacking on. With wagashi, there must be a pot of steaming green tea to stand up to the intense sweetness of the red bean paste that often fills them.

 

And this is what I'll be introducing to you all, my lovely readers and fellow culinary deviants! Green tea infused to sake plums. The family goes through a lot of plum sake and often time we tend to accumulate a lot of plums which we keep in a jar tucked behind the milk in the fridge. So, I decided to see if it works with green tea and surprisingly it pairs quite well as the tea doesn't carry a strong flavor, allowing the aroma of the plum and sake to come through.

sake plum infused green tea

we'll need:

2~3 sake plums (crushed slightly, with the side of a kitchen knife)

2 green tea bags

an assortment of wagashi (Japanese sweets) to serve 

utensils:

tea pot

tea kettle

~Fill a tea kettle with water and bring to a boil. Next, carefully pour the hot water into the tea pot until it's half way full. Let stand for about 10minutes and pour out the water. Place the plums and tea bags into the pot and fill completely with hot water. Let steep for 15minutes.

 

Find a shady spot and enjoy with wagashi!

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.

brown butter cinnamon pizzelles.

I'm back! Please do excuse my rather long absence. It's been a crazy couple of weeks. Things are slowly calming down and retuning to normal, but even so, I've yet to begin the recovery process yet. Just trying to let reality sink back in, after losing my mentor in life and in the kitchen. For today's post, I bring you something sweet, as requested by a darling friend.

Anyway, it's been quite hot as of late. The weather's been erratic, with one day being as hot as a midsummer's day and the next carrying the sharp sting of winter's breath. Yet, for now it's been really hot~ so that gives me a reason to indulge in ice cream (aside from nursing my poor soul and heart).

I went to my local grocer's, returning with a container of ube (taro) and red bean ice cream, deciding to deviate from the norms of vanilla and chocolate flavors. The ube has a nice mellow, almost coconut-like flavor to it while the red beans add a bit of contrast to the smooth texture of the ice cream. Though, truthfully, I bought it because it was purple. >_>; I'm a sucker for colorful things. After indulging for a bit whilst staring at the container of that purple-ly goodness, I thought, if only there was some crunchy counter-part to this. And the first thing that came to mind was...

 

Pizzelles! And not just your ordinary ones, but brown butter pizzelles with a dash of cinnamon. The brown butter adds an extra layer of depth to the cookies so it can stand up to the intensity of the ice cream, while the cinnamon cuts through its richness. These are also lovely dipped into a steaming cup of tea or coffee. Or just by themselves whilst browsing cute dresses online. =]

 To brown butter, simply melt it as you would ordinarily in a saucepan, but allowing it to remain on the heat until the milk solids begin to turn a light shade of brown (or a bit darker for a nuttier flavor).

 brown butter cinnamon pizzelles 

(adapted from allrecipes.com)

we'll need:

3 eggs

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup browned butter (cooled)

1/2tsp ground cinnamon

1tsp vanilla extract

1 3/4 cup flour

2tsp baking powder

Optional: ice cream of your choice to serve

utensils:

pizzelle press

mixing bowl

measuring spoons/cups

whisk

sieve

small pairing knife

cooling rack

~In the mixing bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar together. Then add the cooled browned butter, cinnamon and vanilla extract to the sugar mixture. Next, sift the flour and baking powder into the bowl and incorporate until it comes together as a loose dough-y mixture. Spoon the mixture by tablespoonfuls into the pizzelle press and cook according to the instructions.

~Remove the cookies with the tip of the knife and carefully set it on a cooling rack to let harden. (Note: While it's still hot, you can roll the cookies into cones or place it over a bowl to shape them)

For a chocolate version: add 3tbls of cocoa powder + 3tbls sugar, omit the cinnamon if desired. 

To serve, you can spread a thick layer of ice cream on one cookie, topping it with fruits, nuts, whipped cream.. etc. Or you can make ice cream sandwiches with them!