Chocolate patty pan squash bread

I don't know about you, but I hate being stumped. Our CSA box arrived with these white pumpkin-like squashes that looked like they had tumors. That is a pretty harsh description, but I honestly had never seen anything like this before. Enter exhibit A:

See? Don't they look like white pumpkins with tumors? Or maybe a frilly muffin top? Or a funky head of garlic? I looked on our CSA delivery sheet, and someone had crossed out cucumbers and hand-wrote "patty pan" right next to it. Patty what? My husband was just as perplexed as I was and immediately took his phone out and Googled it.

Sure enough, there was a vegetable called a patty pan squash. Huh. Now that I knew that this veggie was called, what do I do with it? Maybe I could paint it and make it look like a pumpkin. Or use it as a door stop. Or... make a chocolate patty pan bread!

Once again, Google saved the day. I came across a chocolate patty pan bread recipe on The Harmonious Kitchen and knew that this is how I would use up the squash. I read through the ingredients and instructions, and it looked very similar to all the zucchini breads I've made recently. 


The resulting patty pan bread was amazing! As I suspected, the bread tasted very similar to the chocolate zucchini bread that I posted about recently.  It was very chocolatey, moist, and you couldn't taste much of the patty pan at all. Take a look at who else enjoyed this bread:

Addison loves her patty pan bread!

Ingredients

• 2 cups grated patty pan squash (do not substitute with other squash! Patty pan squash has less water content than other squash, so if you used another type of squash, your bread's consistency will be off)
• 1 cup oil
• 3 eggs
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1-1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup cocoa
• 1/4 cup sour cream (I subbed with 1/4 cup Greek yogurt)
• 2 TBSP baking powder
• 1 cup chocolate chips

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease and flour a 9×5 loaf pan. 

Mix the oil, eggs, and both sugars until well incorporated.  Then add in flour, cocoa powder, sour cream, and baking powder. Mix well. Finally, gently stir in squash and chocolate chips.

Bake for 60 – 70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle yields no crumbs. 

The Harmonious Kitchen author also says that you could make this into a cake too. Just grease and flour two 9″ cake rounds, divide the batter, and bake 25 – 30 minutes.

Yield: One loaf

Source: The Harmonious Kitchen

I don't know about you, but I hate being stumped. Our CSA box arrived with these white pumpkin-like squashes that looked like they had tumors. That is a pretty harsh description, but I honestly had never seen anything like this before. Enter exhibit A:

See? Don't they look like white pumpkins with tumors? Or maybe a frilly muffin top? Or a funky head of garlic? I looked on our CSA delivery sheet, and someone had crossed out cucumbers and hand-wrote "patty pan" right next to it. Patty what? My husband was just as perplexed as I was and immediately took his phone out and Googled it.

Sure enough, there was a vegetable called a patty pan squash. Huh. Now that I knew that this veggie was called, what do I do with it? Maybe I could paint it and make it look like a pumpkin. Or use it as a door stop. Or... make a chocolate patty pan bread!

Once again, Google saved the day. I came across a chocolate patty pan bread recipe on The Harmonious Kitchen and knew that this is how I would use up the squash. I read through the ingredients and instructions, and it looked very similar to all the zucchini breads I've made recently. 


The resulting patty pan bread was amazing! As I suspected, the bread tasted very similar to the chocolate zucchini bread that I posted about recently.  It was very chocolatey, moist, and you couldn't taste much of the patty pan at all. Take a look at who else enjoyed this bread:

Addison loves her patty pan bread!

Ingredients

• 2 cups grated patty pan squash (do not substitute with other squash! Patty pan squash has less water content than other squash, so if you used another type of squash, your bread's consistency will be off)
• 1 cup oil
• 3 eggs
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1-1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup cocoa
• 1/4 cup sour cream (I subbed with 1/4 cup Greek yogurt)
• 2 TBSP baking powder
• 1 cup chocolate chips

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease and flour a 9×5 loaf pan. 

Mix the oil, eggs, and both sugars until well incorporated.  Then add in flour, cocoa powder, sour cream, and baking powder. Mix well. Finally, gently stir in squash and chocolate chips.

Bake for 60 – 70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle yields no crumbs. 

The Harmonious Kitchen author also says that you could make this into a cake too. Just grease and flour two 9″ cake rounds, divide the batter, and bake 25 – 30 minutes.

Yield: One loaf

Source: The Harmonious Kitchen

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Lemon Glazed Pound Cake

Sometimes the simple things are the best and for us lemon lovers, this beautiful uncomplicated buttery lemon pound cake covered in sweet, tart lemon glaze epitomizes that very idea. A quiet cup of tea with a thick slice of this gorgeous cake makes a great afternoon break. To find a slice of this in a brown bag lunch or school lunchbox would be sure to make anyone's day. Save the end slice with the most glaze for me though. ;)

Makes 2 loaves.

Cream together

1 ½ cups butter
2 cups sugar

Add, one at a time, beating well after each addition until light and fluffy:

3 eggs

Add

2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp lemon extract

Sift together

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups cake flour

4 tsp baking powder

Fold dry ingredients into the creamed mixture alternately with

1 cup warm milk

beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.

Fold in


zest of 3 lemons, finely grated and chopped

Bake in 2 greased and floured loaf pans lined with parchment paper. Bake at 325 degrees F for about 45 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let rest for 10 minutes before cooling completely on a wire rack. Cover with lemon glaze.

Lemon Glaze

2 cups powdered sugar (icing sugar)
zest of one lemon, finely grated and chopped
juice of one lemon

Blend together until smooth. If the glaze seems too thick or thin, just add a little more juice or powdered sugar to get it to a thick but pourable consistency. Drizzle very slowly over the cooled cakes. I like to do it in two stages, letting the first coating dry for 15 to 20 minutes between glazings.

Sometimes the simple things are the best and for us lemon lovers, this beautiful uncomplicated buttery lemon pound cake covered in sweet, tart lemon glaze epitomizes that very idea. A quiet cup of tea with a thick slice of this gorgeous cake makes a great afternoon break. To find a slice of this in a brown bag lunch or school lunchbox would be sure to make anyone's day. Save the end slice with the most glaze for me though. ;)

Makes 2 loaves.

Cream together

1 ½ cups butter
2 cups sugar

Add, one at a time, beating well after each addition until light and fluffy:

3 eggs

Add

2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp lemon extract

Sift together

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups cake flour

4 tsp baking powder

Fold dry ingredients into the creamed mixture alternately with

1 cup warm milk

beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.

Fold in


zest of 3 lemons, finely grated and chopped

Bake in 2 greased and floured loaf pans lined with parchment paper. Bake at 325 degrees F for about 45 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let rest for 10 minutes before cooling completely on a wire rack. Cover with lemon glaze.

Lemon Glaze

2 cups powdered sugar (icing sugar)
zest of one lemon, finely grated and chopped
juice of one lemon

Blend together until smooth. If the glaze seems too thick or thin, just add a little more juice or powdered sugar to get it to a thick but pourable consistency. Drizzle very slowly over the cooled cakes. I like to do it in two stages, letting the first coating dry for 15 to 20 minutes between glazings.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

The Unblogged Files: September

You know, when I sat down to write this month's Unblogged Files, I didn't think I'd have that much to write... until I started looking through my iPhone pics and realised it was one of my busiest foodie months this year! And all this is in addition to Wonderbao and my Chinese Lunch Feast. Eeep!

For Father's Day, I cooked a Jamaican-themed lunch for my dad: Jerk pork belly with spicy coleslaw and rice and peas. (The rice recipe comes from Nigella's Kitchen, the pork and coleslaw from the September 2012 issue of Delicious magazine). Dessert was a gorgeously light strawberry Swiss roll, filled with strawberry jam, whipped cream and fresh strawberries. So springtime!

Clockwise from top left: Jerk pork belly, rice & peas, spicy coleslaw, strawberry Swiss roll

I tried out the Taco Truck when it came to the CBD one weekday lunchtime.

Taco Truck

I wasn't expecting much, but the tacos were really, really good! I especially liked the fish taco - a super-fresh fish fillet, deep-fried in a light batter and with coleslaw, lime juice and poppyseed mayo. It was so good! The potato tortilla, with jalapeno ricotta and salsa verde in a crisp tortilla, was also good, but the fish taco was insane! $12 was a little pricey for two small tacos with house-made corn chips, but I really enjoyed them.

Taco plate - 2 x tacos with house-made corn chips - $12
Taco 1: FISH - slaw, lime squeeze, poppy mayo
Taco 2: POTATO - jalapeno ricotta, slaw, salsa verde (in crisp tortilla)

We went to Spice Temple twice in September for fab cocktails and spicy Chinese food - I know, addicts!! We tried heaps of different dishes, and actually, I have enough photos for a brand new blog post.. so keep your eyes peeled for that. One of my fave dishes was the caramelised pork spare ribs ($22) - big, messy, sticky, juicy: delicious.

Spice Temple's Caramelized Pork Spare Ribs - $22

We made a last minute, impromptu weekend trip to Mount Martha for some much needed chill-out time. We bought some supplies from the local IGA and hunkered down in the B&B to watch reruns of Seinfeld and mentally switch off. There was the obligatory cheese platter in front of the fireplace...

Cheese platter

...some beautiful views...

View from the Mount Martha B&B

...and of course, a crazy decadent breakfast - croissants filled with fresh strawberries and melted Lindt Cookies chocolate.

On the way home we stopped in at USA Foods in Moorabbin, where I marvelled at the sugary cereals and stocked up on tinned pumpkin.

Cereals at USA Foods

I also bought some Twinkies and Ding Dongs for the first time - I can't believe the "Best By" date is SIX YEARS IN THE FUTURE!! What on earth do they put in those cakes to make them last that long? (Also, they didn't taste very good).

Twinkie, Ding Dong

I was invited along to a blogger/media dinner at the Meatball and Wine Bar on Flinders Lane - I really liked the charcuterie, the meatballs and the aperitifs, but wasn't too keen on their Whoopie Mac desserts (a scoop of ice-cream sandwiched between two giant chewy macaron shells). For me, the highlight of the dinner were these dee-licious chicken meatballs, which had a little pop of sweetness from muscatels, served with creamy white sauce and lovely housemade pasta sheets. They were flat, wide sheets of pasta, somewhere between pappardelle and lasagne. Lovely!

Chicken meatballs (chicken, pistachio, muscatels parmesan) with creamy white sauce and 

When I had a day off work, I went for Yum Cha with the parentals at Tai Pan in Doncaster East. It was great to go on a weekday - they still had trolleys, but there was no rush to get us out of there. (On weekends they're so busy that they have THREE sessions!) My faves are the har gao (prawn dumplings), the woo kok (taro balls formed in a football shape and deep fried), and the lau sar tong yeun (sweet glutinous rice balls filled with black sesame paste and dipped in ground peanuts). Fuchsia Dunlop has a recipe for something similar in Sichuan Cookery and Every Grain of Rice, so I wanna give them a go at home!

Tai Pan Yum Cha

One weeknight I made Kartoffel Pfannkuchen for dinner. These German potato pancakes go by many names: Kartoffelpuffer, Reibekuchen, and are similar to Jewish latkes. Basically they're just grated potatoes and onions, bound with an egg and a little flour and fried. (Sie mussen im Fett schwimmen!) They took ages and my home and I smelled like deep-fried for ages, but it was totally worth it. I love these!

Making Kartoffelpuffer

We had these with a creamy mushroom sauce, but I prefer these with sour cream and chives, and a little smoked salmon. In Germany these are also served as an accompaniment to soup - all good!

Kartoffel Pfannkuchen

And just to prove that it's not a neverending parade of unhealthy food... I rediscovered DonDon on Swanston Street this month. I really enjoy their SashiDon: sushi rice topped with raw salmon, pickles, ginger, two types of tofu (yeeeah!) and salad. Yum yum!

Sashidon from DonDon

I was super-excited that two awesome cookbooks arrived this month: Nigellissima and Jerusalem!

Nigellissima and Jerusalem

I've spent all my spare time voraciously reading these two gorgeous books!

Reading Nigellissima on my lunch break

The first recipe I tried from Nigellissima was the tortelloni minestrone - a hearty vegetable and pasta soup. I didn't love this one, finding it a little starchy, (especially compared to the vibrant green picture in the book), but there are heaps of enticing recipes in the book that I can't wait to try, particularly the desserts!

Tortelloni Minestrone - Nigellissima

The first recipe I tried from Jerusalem, however, was unequivocally a winner: stuffed aubergines with lamb and pine nuts. (Recipe here). Softly roasted eggplants are topped with a lamb mince mixture, studded with pine nuts, and headily flavoured with spices and tamarind. I'd planned for us to have leftovers to take to work, but it was so good we inhaled it all in the one sitting! Definitely recommend this recipe.

Stuffed aubergines with lamb and pine nuts

Yes, another visit to Beatrix in North Melbourne. We're slowly converting all our East-side friends to this North Melbourne gem! The banana, hazelnut and nut brown butter tart was just beautiful!

Beatrix goodies

This isn't food related, but still worth sharing: we went to the Scissor Sisters' concert! So amazing! I love these guys so, so very much! It was bizarre to see them at Hamer Hall - I've previously only seen orchestras there - but I have to say they totally killed it! And it was great to see them in a venue designed for music performance, rather than where I've seen them before: in a pub (Prince of Wales), sport venue (Vodaphone Arena) or giant shed (Festival Hall). Yes, let us all have a Kiki.

Scissor Sisters poster - that be some shiny red hair, Ms AnaMatronic

The next night, I attended a media dinner at Spoonbill (in The Olsen Hotel), to try out their new Spring menu. I greatly enjoyed it and will be blogging about it shortly, but for now I wanted to show you this beautiful little bunch of flowers that was used as a place setting. Too cute to function! I put the place setting on my lap for this photo: I thought it was pretty cool that it matched my dress! Hehehe.

Second shot of pretty thing on my lap

Plantation Coffee in Melbourne Central have just started doing muffins - the chocolate and raspberry ones are fantastic! Texturally they're very light and moist, but have a deep chocolatey flavour and lots of chocolate chips, countered by the sourness of the raspberries. Total yum-town!

Plantation latte & chocolate raspberry muffin

Finally, today we hosted a little PORKTOBERFEST lunch with some food blogger buddies - I baked pretzels, we had two types of cabbage, bread dumplings and a roast pork shoulder. Lecker! I'll be blogging it in detail soon, but for now: crackling.

Slow-roasted pork shoulder

Hope y'all had a great September too!!! Bring on October!

You know, when I sat down to write this month's Unblogged Files, I didn't think I'd have that much to write... until I started looking through my iPhone pics and realised it was one of my busiest foodie months this year! And all this is in addition to Wonderbao and my Chinese Lunch Feast. Eeep!

For Father's Day, I cooked a Jamaican-themed lunch for my dad: Jerk pork belly with spicy coleslaw and rice and peas. (The rice recipe comes from Nigella's Kitchen, the pork and coleslaw from the September 2012 issue of Delicious magazine). Dessert was a gorgeously light strawberry Swiss roll, filled with strawberry jam, whipped cream and fresh strawberries. So springtime!

Clockwise from top left: Jerk pork belly, rice & peas, spicy coleslaw, strawberry Swiss roll

I tried out the Taco Truck when it came to the CBD one weekday lunchtime.

Taco Truck

I wasn't expecting much, but the tacos were really, really good! I especially liked the fish taco - a super-fresh fish fillet, deep-fried in a light batter and with coleslaw, lime juice and poppyseed mayo. It was so good! The potato tortilla, with jalapeno ricotta and salsa verde in a crisp tortilla, was also good, but the fish taco was insane! $12 was a little pricey for two small tacos with house-made corn chips, but I really enjoyed them.

Taco plate - 2 x tacos with house-made corn chips - $12
Taco 1: FISH - slaw, lime squeeze, poppy mayo
Taco 2: POTATO - jalapeno ricotta, slaw, salsa verde (in crisp tortilla)

We went to Spice Temple twice in September for fab cocktails and spicy Chinese food - I know, addicts!! We tried heaps of different dishes, and actually, I have enough photos for a brand new blog post.. so keep your eyes peeled for that. One of my fave dishes was the caramelised pork spare ribs ($22) - big, messy, sticky, juicy: delicious.

Spice Temple's Caramelized Pork Spare Ribs - $22

We made a last minute, impromptu weekend trip to Mount Martha for some much needed chill-out time. We bought some supplies from the local IGA and hunkered down in the B&B to watch reruns of Seinfeld and mentally switch off. There was the obligatory cheese platter in front of the fireplace...

Cheese platter

...some beautiful views...

View from the Mount Martha B&B

...and of course, a crazy decadent breakfast - croissants filled with fresh strawberries and melted Lindt Cookies chocolate.

On the way home we stopped in at USA Foods in Moorabbin, where I marvelled at the sugary cereals and stocked up on tinned pumpkin.

Cereals at USA Foods

I also bought some Twinkies and Ding Dongs for the first time - I can't believe the "Best By" date is SIX YEARS IN THE FUTURE!! What on earth do they put in those cakes to make them last that long? (Also, they didn't taste very good).

Twinkie, Ding Dong

I was invited along to a blogger/media dinner at the Meatball and Wine Bar on Flinders Lane - I really liked the charcuterie, the meatballs and the aperitifs, but wasn't too keen on their Whoopie Mac desserts (a scoop of ice-cream sandwiched between two giant chewy macaron shells). For me, the highlight of the dinner were these dee-licious chicken meatballs, which had a little pop of sweetness from muscatels, served with creamy white sauce and lovely housemade pasta sheets. They were flat, wide sheets of pasta, somewhere between pappardelle and lasagne. Lovely!

Chicken meatballs (chicken, pistachio, muscatels parmesan) with creamy white sauce and 

When I had a day off work, I went for Yum Cha with the parentals at Tai Pan in Doncaster East. It was great to go on a weekday - they still had trolleys, but there was no rush to get us out of there. (On weekends they're so busy that they have THREE sessions!) My faves are the har gao (prawn dumplings), the woo kok (taro balls formed in a football shape and deep fried), and the lau sar tong yeun (sweet glutinous rice balls filled with black sesame paste and dipped in ground peanuts). Fuchsia Dunlop has a recipe for something similar in Sichuan Cookery and Every Grain of Rice, so I wanna give them a go at home!

Tai Pan Yum Cha

One weeknight I made Kartoffel Pfannkuchen for dinner. These German potato pancakes go by many names: Kartoffelpuffer, Reibekuchen, and are similar to Jewish latkes. Basically they're just grated potatoes and onions, bound with an egg and a little flour and fried. (Sie mussen im Fett schwimmen!) They took ages and my home and I smelled like deep-fried for ages, but it was totally worth it. I love these!

Making Kartoffelpuffer

We had these with a creamy mushroom sauce, but I prefer these with sour cream and chives, and a little smoked salmon. In Germany these are also served as an accompaniment to soup - all good!

Kartoffel Pfannkuchen

And just to prove that it's not a neverending parade of unhealthy food... I rediscovered DonDon on Swanston Street this month. I really enjoy their SashiDon: sushi rice topped with raw salmon, pickles, ginger, two types of tofu (yeeeah!) and salad. Yum yum!

Sashidon from DonDon

I was super-excited that two awesome cookbooks arrived this month: Nigellissima and Jerusalem!

Nigellissima and Jerusalem

I've spent all my spare time voraciously reading these two gorgeous books!

Reading Nigellissima on my lunch break

The first recipe I tried from Nigellissima was the tortelloni minestrone - a hearty vegetable and pasta soup. I didn't love this one, finding it a little starchy, (especially compared to the vibrant green picture in the book), but there are heaps of enticing recipes in the book that I can't wait to try, particularly the desserts!

Tortelloni Minestrone - Nigellissima

The first recipe I tried from Jerusalem, however, was unequivocally a winner: stuffed aubergines with lamb and pine nuts. (Recipe here). Softly roasted eggplants are topped with a lamb mince mixture, studded with pine nuts, and headily flavoured with spices and tamarind. I'd planned for us to have leftovers to take to work, but it was so good we inhaled it all in the one sitting! Definitely recommend this recipe.

Stuffed aubergines with lamb and pine nuts

Yes, another visit to Beatrix in North Melbourne. We're slowly converting all our East-side friends to this North Melbourne gem! The banana, hazelnut and nut brown butter tart was just beautiful!

Beatrix goodies

This isn't food related, but still worth sharing: we went to the Scissor Sisters' concert! So amazing! I love these guys so, so very much! It was bizarre to see them at Hamer Hall - I've previously only seen orchestras there - but I have to say they totally killed it! And it was great to see them in a venue designed for music performance, rather than where I've seen them before: in a pub (Prince of Wales), sport venue (Vodaphone Arena) or giant shed (Festival Hall). Yes, let us all have a Kiki.

Scissor Sisters poster - that be some shiny red hair, Ms AnaMatronic

The next night, I attended a media dinner at Spoonbill (in The Olsen Hotel), to try out their new Spring menu. I greatly enjoyed it and will be blogging about it shortly, but for now I wanted to show you this beautiful little bunch of flowers that was used as a place setting. Too cute to function! I put the place setting on my lap for this photo: I thought it was pretty cool that it matched my dress! Hehehe.

Second shot of pretty thing on my lap

Plantation Coffee in Melbourne Central have just started doing muffins - the chocolate and raspberry ones are fantastic! Texturally they're very light and moist, but have a deep chocolatey flavour and lots of chocolate chips, countered by the sourness of the raspberries. Total yum-town!

Plantation latte & chocolate raspberry muffin

Finally, today we hosted a little PORKTOBERFEST lunch with some food blogger buddies - I baked pretzels, we had two types of cabbage, bread dumplings and a roast pork shoulder. Lecker! I'll be blogging it in detail soon, but for now: crackling.

Slow-roasted pork shoulder

Hope y'all had a great September too!!! Bring on October!

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

I Just Blogged to Say I Love You (Vol. 2)

Hey guys!  Is it fall in your neck of the woods, yet?  It is still HOT here, so I'm *still* wearing my white jeans and sandals.  Totally allowed after Labor Day if it's 90 degrees, right? 

1. I love Halloween...and these spider peanut butter blossoms might be the cutest Halloween treats I've ever seen.

2.  Fried Okra Chunks!  CHUNKS!!!  I only want to eat things in chunks from now on.

3. On the importance of a print button.  (This is one of the funniest blog posts of all time.)

4. This dress.  In houndstooth...or dots...or purple, but I think it might be too short.  Do you hesitate to order clothes online like I do?  I'm a clothes-ordering-chicken.

5. I'm on an avocado kick these days.  As in EVERY day for lunch, I mash up an avocado with lemon juice, salt, and pepper and spread it on toasted sourdough.  How do YOU eat it?  I may need some variety.

6. Love this.  (Just want it to be 75% off.)

7. Bobbi Brown.  I'm usually a "drug store" makeup buyer.  Last spring, Mr. E gifted me a Nordstrom gift card, so I had my makeup done at Bobbi Brown.  I wasn't sure what to expect, but I walked away with a gift card balance of $0...and very happy.  Six months later, my eyeshadows and eyeliner are still more than half full.  So, I went back.  This time for foundation, concealer, powder...and of course, lipstick.  Always lipstick.  I think the gel eyeliner is my favorite product, but I love it all.

What have you been loving lately?  Specifically, what makeup do you love?

Hey guys!  Is it fall in your neck of the woods, yet?  It is still HOT here, so I'm *still* wearing my white jeans and sandals.  Totally allowed after Labor Day if it's 90 degrees, right? 

1. I love Halloween...and these spider peanut butter blossoms might be the cutest Halloween treats I've ever seen.

2.  Fried Okra Chunks!  CHUNKS!!!  I only want to eat things in chunks from now on.

3. On the importance of a print button.  (This is one of the funniest blog posts of all time.)

4. This dress.  In houndstooth...or dots...or purple, but I think it might be too short.  Do you hesitate to order clothes online like I do?  I'm a clothes-ordering-chicken.

5. I'm on an avocado kick these days.  As in EVERY day for lunch, I mash up an avocado with lemon juice, salt, and pepper and spread it on toasted sourdough.  How do YOU eat it?  I may need some variety.

6. Love this.  (Just want it to be 75% off.)

7. Bobbi Brown.  I'm usually a "drug store" makeup buyer.  Last spring, Mr. E gifted me a Nordstrom gift card, so I had my makeup done at Bobbi Brown.  I wasn't sure what to expect, but I walked away with a gift card balance of $0...and very happy.  Six months later, my eyeshadows and eyeliner are still more than half full.  So, I went back.  This time for foundation, concealer, powder...and of course, lipstick.  Always lipstick.  I think the gel eyeliner is my favorite product, but I love it all.

What have you been loving lately?  Specifically, what makeup do you love?

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Burgundy Thyme Pot Roast with Yorkshire Pudding Popovers and English Style Roasted Potatoes

Burgundy Thyme Pot Roast with Yorkshire Pudding Popovers
and English Style Roasted Potatoes

Spouse had the day off yesterday and decided to cook one of our favorite pot roast recipes for dinner. I came home to a fantastic Friday supper of burgundy thyme pot roast with shallots and root vegetables and sides of perfect light, airy Yorkshire pudding popovers and perfect English style roasted potatoes...and of course, burgundy thyme gravy to pour liberally over everything.

Who wouldn't love to return from work to such a wonderful home cooked comfort food meal? It was a perfect start to the weekend  but would make a terrific Sunday roast dinner too.

Serves 4

4 lb blade roast (chuck roast)

I like to make sure the roast is tied tightly with butcher string which helps it hold together in the oven and easier to remove from the roasting and serve.

Season  the roast on all sides with salt and pepper. Heat 3 tbsp vegetable oil in a cast iron over medium high heat and brown the roast on all sides before transferring it to a covered roasting pan.

To the roasting pan add:

2 1/2 to 3 cups beef stock ( If using store bought stock, use salt-free or low sodium brands)
1 1.2 cups burgundy wine ( any dry red wine can be substituted)
2 bay leaves
3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 tsp black pepper
6 springs fresh thyme ( or 1 tbsp ground dry thyme)
3 cloves finely minced garlic

Cover the roasting pan with aluminum foil before adding the cover in order to keep as much moisture in as possible and roast at 325 degrees F for 1 1/2 to 2 hours before adding your favorite root vegetables. We use about:

1  pounds carrots
1 pounds parsnip
1/2 pound peeled shallots or pearl onions

Cover and roast for about another hour or until the vegetables are fork tender. Remove the roast and vegetables from the pot and hold in a warm oven.

Skim any excess fat from the top of the stock in the roasting pan, then bring the liquid to a boil on the stove top. Prepare a thickening slurry by whisking together until smooth or shaking together in a covered mason jar:

about 1 cup warm water
1/4 cup all purpose flour

Slowly pour the flour slurry into the boiling roasting stock whisking constantly and quickly so no lumps form in the gravy. Use only as much of the slurry as necessary to bring the gravy to the consistency you like.

Serve with Yorkshire Pudding Popovers and Perfect Roast Potatoes

Find those recipes by clicking the links below:

The Perfect Roast Potato ( English Style Roast Potatoes)

Perfect Popovers

Burgundy Thyme Pot Roast with Yorkshire Pudding Popovers
and English Style Roasted Potatoes

Spouse had the day off yesterday and decided to cook one of our favorite pot roast recipes for dinner. I came home to a fantastic Friday supper of burgundy thyme pot roast with shallots and root vegetables and sides of perfect light, airy Yorkshire pudding popovers and perfect English style roasted potatoes...and of course, burgundy thyme gravy to pour liberally over everything.

Who wouldn't love to return from work to such a wonderful home cooked comfort food meal? It was a perfect start to the weekend  but would make a terrific Sunday roast dinner too.

Serves 4

4 lb blade roast (chuck roast)

I like to make sure the roast is tied tightly with butcher string which helps it hold together in the oven and easier to remove from the roasting and serve.

Season  the roast on all sides with salt and pepper. Heat 3 tbsp vegetable oil in a cast iron over medium high heat and brown the roast on all sides before transferring it to a covered roasting pan.

To the roasting pan add:

2 1/2 to 3 cups beef stock ( If using store bought stock, use salt-free or low sodium brands)
1 1.2 cups burgundy wine ( any dry red wine can be substituted)
2 bay leaves
3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 tsp black pepper
6 springs fresh thyme ( or 1 tbsp ground dry thyme)
3 cloves finely minced garlic

Cover the roasting pan with aluminum foil before adding the cover in order to keep as much moisture in as possible and roast at 325 degrees F for 1 1/2 to 2 hours before adding your favorite root vegetables. We use about:

1  pounds carrots
1 pounds parsnip
1/2 pound peeled shallots or pearl onions

Cover and roast for about another hour or until the vegetables are fork tender. Remove the roast and vegetables from the pot and hold in a warm oven.

Skim any excess fat from the top of the stock in the roasting pan, then bring the liquid to a boil on the stove top. Prepare a thickening slurry by whisking together until smooth or shaking together in a covered mason jar:

about 1 cup warm water
1/4 cup all purpose flour

Slowly pour the flour slurry into the boiling roasting stock whisking constantly and quickly so no lumps form in the gravy. Use only as much of the slurry as necessary to bring the gravy to the consistency you like.

Serve with Yorkshire Pudding Popovers and Perfect Roast Potatoes

Find those recipes by clicking the links below:

The Perfect Roast Potato ( English Style Roast Potatoes)

Perfect Popovers

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Waterside Inn

Croc at Sunset

Wow! This time last year we were off to Darwin! Our trip to the Northern Territory gave me a different food perspective, not an eating experience, but an interesting insight into some Bush tucker tricks employed by the native indigenous Australians. On our river cruises along crocodile infested water, it was surprising to hear about the variety of foods that were available in the river and on the banks, in addition to the crocs themselves.

Melaleuca Paperbark Trees

After catching the barramundi that are prolific in the Kakadu waters, the Melaleuca, paper bark was used to wrap the fish and give it distinctive flavours. One of the most interesting aspects was that different trees would give off different flavours - thus the indigenous people could have their choice of "seasonings."

Pandanus Tree

There were a few other anecdotes that sparked my interest: Pandanus, another edible waterside offering, provided fruit and leaves to wrap and scent food, as well as weave into baskets. The plentiful lotus flowers and lily pads around the river systems were popular, as seeds and roots could both be eaten.

Lotus

Finally (or rather the last thing that sticks in my brain!), an alternative fishing method was to grind up the mangrove leaves into a poison to float in the water. The stunned fish floated to the surface and the indigenous people could collect them much easier!

As I reflect now a year on, from the comfort of my living room, with my fridge and spice rack a few metres away, and a supermarket across the road, it's fascinating to transport myself to another world where food stuffs come from the earth and ingenious methods are employed to enhance basic meals.

Croc at Sunset

Wow! This time last year we were off to Darwin! Our trip to the Northern Territory gave me a different food perspective, not an eating experience, but an interesting insight into some Bush tucker tricks employed by the native indigenous Australians. On our river cruises along crocodile infested water, it was surprising to hear about the variety of foods that were available in the river and on the banks, in addition to the crocs themselves.

Melaleuca Paperbark Trees

After catching the barramundi that are prolific in the Kakadu waters, the Melaleuca, paper bark was used to wrap the fish and give it distinctive flavours. One of the most interesting aspects was that different trees would give off different flavours - thus the indigenous people could have their choice of "seasonings."

Pandanus Tree

There were a few other anecdotes that sparked my interest: Pandanus, another edible waterside offering, provided fruit and leaves to wrap and scent food, as well as weave into baskets. The plentiful lotus flowers and lily pads around the river systems were popular, as seeds and roots could both be eaten.

Lotus

Finally (or rather the last thing that sticks in my brain!), an alternative fishing method was to grind up the mangrove leaves into a poison to float in the water. The stunned fish floated to the surface and the indigenous people could collect them much easier!

As I reflect now a year on, from the comfort of my living room, with my fridge and spice rack a few metres away, and a supermarket across the road, it's fascinating to transport myself to another world where food stuffs come from the earth and ingenious methods are employed to enhance basic meals.

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Maple Almond Granola Clusters

After spilling small cereal pieces all over the aisle in our produce and grocery stores several time I started looking at more practical snacks. I love making quick and easy snacks for my munchkin. An even better snack idea is one that is perfect "at home" AND perfect to "take with you".

Continue Reading »

After spilling small cereal pieces all over the aisle in our produce and grocery stores several time I started looking at more practical snacks. I love making quick and easy snacks for my munchkin. An even better snack idea is one that is perfect "at home" AND perfect to "take with you".

Continue Reading »

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Chocolate Zucchini Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze

Chocolate Zucchini Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze

It never fails; at this time of year I always get requests for recipes from folks who need ideas to use up the bumper crop of zucchini from their backyard gardens. I am not a fan of the cucumber cousin myself but with such a neutral flavor they do lend themselves well to certain  baked goods.

Zucchini breads, loves and muffins are pretty prevalent out there now which is great because the grated vegetable can add much appreciated moistness and a little extra nutrition to these baked treats. I wanted to up the ante on zucchini baking with something a little more indulgent and came up with this moist delicious chocolate cake. The cream cheese glaze looks great on this dark chocolate dessert too but not nearly as good as it tastes as a compliment to the tender delicious cake.

So there's my contribution to the counter attack against the zucchini invasion. You're welcome!

Grease well and dust with cocoa powder, a standard size bundt pan (or two 8 inch cake pans)

Sift together and set aside:

2 1/4 cups cake flour (regular flour will work well too in a pinch)
1/2 cup cocoa
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
pinch salt

Cream together well, until light and fluffy

3/ 4 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract

Add one at a time, beating well after each addition:

3 large egg

Fold in the dry ingredients in 3 additions alternately with

1/ 2 cup milk

Always begin and end with the dry ingredients. With the last addition of dry ingredients fold in:

2 cups grated zucchini

Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 40-50 minutes, until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 8 inch cake pans take about 25-30 minutes.

Cool in the pans for a few minutes before turning the cake out onto a wire rack to cool completely . Top with cream cheese glaze.

Cream Cheese Glaze

Beat together until smooth and creamy

4 ounces (1/2 cup) cream cheese
2 cups powdered sugar (icing sugar)
2 tsp vanilla extract

Spoon over the cooled bundt cake.

If making this as a layer cake, I recommend using the frosting from our Red Velvet Cake. Find that recipe here: http://www.nlrockrecipes.com/2012/06/best-red-velvet-cake.html

Chocolate Zucchini Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze

It never fails; at this time of year I always get requests for recipes from folks who need ideas to use up the bumper crop of zucchini from their backyard gardens. I am not a fan of the cucumber cousin myself but with such a neutral flavor they do lend themselves well to certain  baked goods.

Zucchini breads, loves and muffins are pretty prevalent out there now which is great because the grated vegetable can add much appreciated moistness and a little extra nutrition to these baked treats. I wanted to up the ante on zucchini baking with something a little more indulgent and came up with this moist delicious chocolate cake. The cream cheese glaze looks great on this dark chocolate dessert too but not nearly as good as it tastes as a compliment to the tender delicious cake.

So there's my contribution to the counter attack against the zucchini invasion. You're welcome!

Grease well and dust with cocoa powder, a standard size bundt pan (or two 8 inch cake pans)

Sift together and set aside:

2 1/4 cups cake flour (regular flour will work well too in a pinch)
1/2 cup cocoa
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
pinch salt

Cream together well, until light and fluffy

3/ 4 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract

Add one at a time, beating well after each addition:

3 large egg

Fold in the dry ingredients in 3 additions alternately with

1/ 2 cup milk

Always begin and end with the dry ingredients. With the last addition of dry ingredients fold in:

2 cups grated zucchini

Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 40-50 minutes, until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 8 inch cake pans take about 25-30 minutes.

Cool in the pans for a few minutes before turning the cake out onto a wire rack to cool completely . Top with cream cheese glaze.

Cream Cheese Glaze

Beat together until smooth and creamy

4 ounces (1/2 cup) cream cheese
2 cups powdered sugar (icing sugar)
2 tsp vanilla extract

Spoon over the cooled bundt cake.

If making this as a layer cake, I recommend using the frosting from our Red Velvet Cake. Find that recipe here: http://www.nlrockrecipes.com/2012/06/best-red-velvet-cake.html

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Chinese Lunch Feast

PORK BELLY MANTOU BUNS!

So as I mentioned in my previous, long-winded, post about Sichuan cooking, I finally had the confidence to host a Chinese-themed lunch party last week. Apart from one Japanese lunch party three years ago, my entertaining efforts have usually been European in nature - big hunks of roast meat, crispy roast potatoes, that sort of thing - or even that Middle Eastern-inspired mezze-style of entertaining that was so modish at the start of this century. (It's making a comeback, thanks to Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi!)

Here is my Chinese-themed menu:

A Mod-Chinese Feast for Five

Pork Belly Mantou Buns

Silken Tofu with Century Egg

Stir-Fried Mixed Mushrooms

Pan Fried Pork Dumplings

Stir-Fried Gai Laan with Garlic

Rice

Salted Butter Caramel Ice-Cream with Peanut Butter Fudge Sauce and Salted Candied Peanuts

A bit of an expansion on my usual theme of dumplings, stir-fried mushrooms and stir-fried greens. Just a bit! I did a lot of the preparation in the evenings the week before (buying the ingredients, making the ice-cream, folding the dumplings, roasting the pork belly), and because I was organised, the actual cooking and prep on the day was unharried and relaxed. Funnily enough, I'd planned the whole menu out, using Sichuan Cookery and online resources, and it was the day before the party that my copy of Every Grain of Rice arrived. I managed to incorporate one recipe from the new book, which was the gai laan. Woohoo!

Here's the prep for the stir-fries, which I did on the morning of the party, all measured out in little bowls and ready to go:

Prep

Often cookbooks focus on quick meals for entertaining, which I think is a bit silly - "Friends are turning up unannounced, quick, here's a three-course meal you can make!" It makes me wonder why anyone would feel obliged to provide food for people who rock up unannounced, let alone cook something from scratch. However, I actually enjoy the planning and cooking process, and happily create complex menus to try out new techniques and recipes and share the results with my friends - for me, the longer, more involved process is the whole point of weekend entertaining. Basically I love cooking and any excuse will do! (And now that I have a dishwasher, it's all much, much easier!)

Pork Belly Mantou Buns

I used the Momofuku pork bun recipe, but bought mantou buns rather than making them myself. These mini-buns were $5 for a massive packet in Box Hill, and so adorable!

Mantou Buns steaming in a Luke Nguyen wok

Braised pork belly

My braised pork belly wasn't as pretty or tender as the ones in the actual Momofuku buns, but they still did the trick.

Condiments

The condiments in question were: fresh coriander, sriracha chilli sauce, hoi sin sauce, sliced cucumber and finely sliced spring onions. Taking a tip from Jamie Oliver's 30 Minute Meals program, I set up all the condiments on a nice board, and let everyone assemble their own buns. Not only did it look pretty, but I also thought it was nice and convivial. (We also got my Vietnamese friend Thanhado to translate the writing on the Sriracha bottle! Apparently it means something like: "this special sauce will make your food taste good and special".)

Pork bun station

What can I say about these buns? Soft fluffy mantou, hot Sriracha, sweet hoisin, crunchy cucumber, spiky coriander, and soft fatty pork belly. Super amazing combination! We also have heaps of those mantou buns leftover... suggestions on what to do with them? We're thinking mini burgers, little nutella sandwiches...

But for now, let me show you each of the main dishes! When we were done with the pork belly buns, I got up and finished assembling and stir-frying the remaining dishes, which, thanks to my pre-prep, didn't take much time at all.

Silken Tofu with Century Egg

Silken tofu with century egg

This is a classic recipe, and there were loads of versions of it online. I adapted a few different sources to suit my tastes, and there it was. I'm going to blog it in more detail soon, with my full version of the recipe! It's so easy, literally open a packet of tofu, and top it with shallots, century egg, some different sauces and coriander. Ta-dah! I made this with my tofu-loving guest Anna in mind, and she said she loved it - success!!

Stir-Fried Mixed Mushrooms

Stir-fried mixed mushrooms
(Sichuan Cookery)

Same dealio as last time, but I used more shiitake and enoki mushrooms and less of the others because they are my favourite of all the exotic Asian mushrooms. They were stir-fried in a little pork fat (taken from the pork belly), and I also added a little spring onion for garnish / flavour - an idea I got from a different mushroom stir-fry recipe in Every Grain of Rice.

Pot-sticker Dumplings with Chicken Stock

These are the same dumplings as I mentioned in my previous post, but here I thought I'd show you them in more detail. I actually made them earlier in the week, and stashed them away in the freezer - they're fiddly to prepare, but very easy to cook from frozen.

Circle of dough

With filling

The filling has a little chicken stock added to it, which I think makes the final product juicier and more moist. (Like xiao long bao but not quite as saucy). If you've got a good jellied meat or chicken stock, this would be the time to use it.

Folded

I thought my folding technique was pretty good (and definitely improved from previous attempts), but the pics in Every Grain of Rice put me to shame! There are so many tiny, perfect little pleats on Fuchsia Dunlop's dumplings. I also can't seem to fit too much filling in each dumpling, and had about half the filling leftover by the time I'd gotten through the dough. More practice needed!

Despite that, these are my favourite dumplings right now. And I think Thanhado loved them too - he ate like three of them while they were still hot enough to burn his mouth! (A pain I know all too well...)

Pot-sticker Pork Dumplings
(Sichuan Cookery)

Stir-Fried Gai Laan with Garlic

I had originally intended to stir fry the gai laan in chilli and Sichuan pepper, which is my usual treatment for green veggies, but there was a gai laan recipe in Every Grain of Rice that looked too good to pass up - very restaurant style! It was the "Chinese broccoli in ginger sauce", but I replaced the ginger with the much tastier garlic. I felt it was the right treatment for such a beautiful bunch of gai laan.

Gorgeous gai-laan

I always used to struggle to cook Chinese greens at home, but there were a few tips in the recipe that made it extra tasty. First, you boil the gai laan for one-to-two minutes in water with lots of salt and oil - this bunch needed 2.5 litres of water, and a tablespoon each of oil and salt.

Cooking the gai laan

It made the boiled gai laan so bright and glossy!

Glossy gai laan

To be honest, I'd have been happy to eat the gai laan like that, just drizzled with a little oyster sauce, but the sauce in the recipe is pretty delicious too, and definitely worth the extra effort of stir-frying the gai laan in it. The glossy coat comes from thickening the sauce with a little potato flour. (Thanks to these Fuchsia Dunlop recipes, I've come to realise that potato flour is way better for thickening sauces than cornflour - you need much less and it thickens much faster).

Gai laan in garlic sauce
Adapted from the "Chinese Broccoli in ginger sauce" recipe in Every Grain of Rice

The table was very crowded that day!

The table

Salted Butter Caramel Ice-Cream, Salted Candied Peanuts, Peanut Butter Fudge Sauce

Not a very Chinese dessert (apart from the peanut brittle, I guess), but people seem to love salted caramel right now, and we always order the caramel chocolate and peanut parfait when we go to Spice Temple, so I associate this type of dessert with this type of food. Both the ice-cream and candied peanut recipes come from David Lebovitz' (available on his blog), and the peanut butter fudge sauce is none other than Nigella's (from Nigella Express).

We served it all in martini glasses for added cuteness (and because they were the only appropriately-sized vessels we had!)

Little sundae

...and here comes the sauce.

Peanut butter fudge sauce

Woah... it was a big creamy salted caramel overload! I think perhaps this would have been better with plain vanilla ice-cream, but that didn't stop me from polishing off my whole portion... and sneaking back for a little extra sauce!

More salted caramel!

I previously made David Lebovitz' (salted) caramel ice-cream (Ready for Dessert) at my ice-cream party, where it was the runaway hit, and I was keen to try his salted butter caramel ice-cream. The key difference is that the salted butter caramel version has a little salted butter added (duh), and an extra ribbon of caramel folded through it. I was happy to try it, but I actually prefer the plain caramel ice-cream - it has such a wonderful smooth texture, and I think that making the caramel ribbon is more trouble than it's worth. But in the interest of fairness, I should go reconfirm my opinion of the salted butter caramel ice-cream... I still have a tiny container left in my freezer...

PORK BELLY MANTOU BUNS!

So as I mentioned in my previous, long-winded, post about Sichuan cooking, I finally had the confidence to host a Chinese-themed lunch party last week. Apart from one Japanese lunch party three years ago, my entertaining efforts have usually been European in nature - big hunks of roast meat, crispy roast potatoes, that sort of thing - or even that Middle Eastern-inspired mezze-style of entertaining that was so modish at the start of this century. (It's making a comeback, thanks to Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi!)

Here is my Chinese-themed menu:

A Mod-Chinese Feast for Five

Pork Belly Mantou Buns

Silken Tofu with Century Egg

Stir-Fried Mixed Mushrooms

Pan Fried Pork Dumplings

Stir-Fried Gai Laan with Garlic

Rice

Salted Butter Caramel Ice-Cream with Peanut Butter Fudge Sauce and Salted Candied Peanuts

A bit of an expansion on my usual theme of dumplings, stir-fried mushrooms and stir-fried greens. Just a bit! I did a lot of the preparation in the evenings the week before (buying the ingredients, making the ice-cream, folding the dumplings, roasting the pork belly), and because I was organised, the actual cooking and prep on the day was unharried and relaxed. Funnily enough, I'd planned the whole menu out, using Sichuan Cookery and online resources, and it was the day before the party that my copy of Every Grain of Rice arrived. I managed to incorporate one recipe from the new book, which was the gai laan. Woohoo!

Here's the prep for the stir-fries, which I did on the morning of the party, all measured out in little bowls and ready to go:

Prep

Often cookbooks focus on quick meals for entertaining, which I think is a bit silly - "Friends are turning up unannounced, quick, here's a three-course meal you can make!" It makes me wonder why anyone would feel obliged to provide food for people who rock up unannounced, let alone cook something from scratch. However, I actually enjoy the planning and cooking process, and happily create complex menus to try out new techniques and recipes and share the results with my friends - for me, the longer, more involved process is the whole point of weekend entertaining. Basically I love cooking and any excuse will do! (And now that I have a dishwasher, it's all much, much easier!)

Pork Belly Mantou Buns

I used the Momofuku pork bun recipe, but bought mantou buns rather than making them myself. These mini-buns were $5 for a massive packet in Box Hill, and so adorable!

Mantou Buns steaming in a Luke Nguyen wok

Braised pork belly

My braised pork belly wasn't as pretty or tender as the ones in the actual Momofuku buns, but they still did the trick.

Condiments

The condiments in question were: fresh coriander, sriracha chilli sauce, hoi sin sauce, sliced cucumber and finely sliced spring onions. Taking a tip from Jamie Oliver's 30 Minute Meals program, I set up all the condiments on a nice board, and let everyone assemble their own buns. Not only did it look pretty, but I also thought it was nice and convivial. (We also got my Vietnamese friend Thanhado to translate the writing on the Sriracha bottle! Apparently it means something like: "this special sauce will make your food taste good and special".)

Pork bun station

What can I say about these buns? Soft fluffy mantou, hot Sriracha, sweet hoisin, crunchy cucumber, spiky coriander, and soft fatty pork belly. Super amazing combination! We also have heaps of those mantou buns leftover... suggestions on what to do with them? We're thinking mini burgers, little nutella sandwiches...

But for now, let me show you each of the main dishes! When we were done with the pork belly buns, I got up and finished assembling and stir-frying the remaining dishes, which, thanks to my pre-prep, didn't take much time at all.

Silken Tofu with Century Egg

Silken tofu with century egg

This is a classic recipe, and there were loads of versions of it online. I adapted a few different sources to suit my tastes, and there it was. I'm going to blog it in more detail soon, with my full version of the recipe! It's so easy, literally open a packet of tofu, and top it with shallots, century egg, some different sauces and coriander. Ta-dah! I made this with my tofu-loving guest Anna in mind, and she said she loved it - success!!

Stir-Fried Mixed Mushrooms

Stir-fried mixed mushrooms
(Sichuan Cookery)

Same dealio as last time, but I used more shiitake and enoki mushrooms and less of the others because they are my favourite of all the exotic Asian mushrooms. They were stir-fried in a little pork fat (taken from the pork belly), and I also added a little spring onion for garnish / flavour - an idea I got from a different mushroom stir-fry recipe in Every Grain of Rice.

Pot-sticker Dumplings with Chicken Stock

These are the same dumplings as I mentioned in my previous post, but here I thought I'd show you them in more detail. I actually made them earlier in the week, and stashed them away in the freezer - they're fiddly to prepare, but very easy to cook from frozen.

Circle of dough

With filling

The filling has a little chicken stock added to it, which I think makes the final product juicier and more moist. (Like xiao long bao but not quite as saucy). If you've got a good jellied meat or chicken stock, this would be the time to use it.

Folded

I thought my folding technique was pretty good (and definitely improved from previous attempts), but the pics in Every Grain of Rice put me to shame! There are so many tiny, perfect little pleats on Fuchsia Dunlop's dumplings. I also can't seem to fit too much filling in each dumpling, and had about half the filling leftover by the time I'd gotten through the dough. More practice needed!

Despite that, these are my favourite dumplings right now. And I think Thanhado loved them too - he ate like three of them while they were still hot enough to burn his mouth! (A pain I know all too well...)

Pot-sticker Pork Dumplings
(Sichuan Cookery)

Stir-Fried Gai Laan with Garlic

I had originally intended to stir fry the gai laan in chilli and Sichuan pepper, which is my usual treatment for green veggies, but there was a gai laan recipe in Every Grain of Rice that looked too good to pass up - very restaurant style! It was the "Chinese broccoli in ginger sauce", but I replaced the ginger with the much tastier garlic. I felt it was the right treatment for such a beautiful bunch of gai laan.

Gorgeous gai-laan

I always used to struggle to cook Chinese greens at home, but there were a few tips in the recipe that made it extra tasty. First, you boil the gai laan for one-to-two minutes in water with lots of salt and oil - this bunch needed 2.5 litres of water, and a tablespoon each of oil and salt.

Cooking the gai laan

It made the boiled gai laan so bright and glossy!

Glossy gai laan

To be honest, I'd have been happy to eat the gai laan like that, just drizzled with a little oyster sauce, but the sauce in the recipe is pretty delicious too, and definitely worth the extra effort of stir-frying the gai laan in it. The glossy coat comes from thickening the sauce with a little potato flour. (Thanks to these Fuchsia Dunlop recipes, I've come to realise that potato flour is way better for thickening sauces than cornflour - you need much less and it thickens much faster).

Gai laan in garlic sauce
Adapted from the "Chinese Broccoli in ginger sauce" recipe in Every Grain of Rice

The table was very crowded that day!

The table

Salted Butter Caramel Ice-Cream, Salted Candied Peanuts, Peanut Butter Fudge Sauce

Not a very Chinese dessert (apart from the peanut brittle, I guess), but people seem to love salted caramel right now, and we always order the caramel chocolate and peanut parfait when we go to Spice Temple, so I associate this type of dessert with this type of food. Both the ice-cream and candied peanut recipes come from David Lebovitz' (available on his blog), and the peanut butter fudge sauce is none other than Nigella's (from Nigella Express).

We served it all in martini glasses for added cuteness (and because they were the only appropriately-sized vessels we had!)

Little sundae

...and here comes the sauce.

Peanut butter fudge sauce

Woah... it was a big creamy salted caramel overload! I think perhaps this would have been better with plain vanilla ice-cream, but that didn't stop me from polishing off my whole portion... and sneaking back for a little extra sauce!

More salted caramel!

I previously made David Lebovitz' (salted) caramel ice-cream (Ready for Dessert) at my ice-cream party, where it was the runaway hit, and I was keen to try his salted butter caramel ice-cream. The key difference is that the salted butter caramel version has a little salted butter added (duh), and an extra ribbon of caramel folded through it. I was happy to try it, but I actually prefer the plain caramel ice-cream - it has such a wonderful smooth texture, and I think that making the caramel ribbon is more trouble than it's worth. But in the interest of fairness, I should go reconfirm my opinion of the salted butter caramel ice-cream... I still have a tiny container left in my freezer...

reade more... Résuméabuiyad