German Pancake Dutch Baby with Apricot and Raspberry

Steven and I bought a half flat of the biggest raspberries wed ever seen from our local berry stand. Were lucky enough to live blocks away from the only Seattle location of the Spooner Farms berry stand. One more reason why I love our neighborhood. Raspberry season is coming to a close in Washington state and they will eventually be replaced by blueberries and blackberries. If you live in the North Seattle area or close to any of the other locations, I recommend you check out Spooner Farms and stock up on these amazing raspberries while you still can.

Between the car ride home and breakfast, we polished off one half pint. Any suggestions for what I should do with the remaining 5 half pints?

Steven and I aren’t big breakfast people but when I do make breakfast, I go all out. Bacon and eggs usually make an appearance, sometimes I do waffles, sometimes pancakes, and sometimes I get crazy and put everything together. The German pancake, also called Dutch Baby, is like a crepe crossed with a popover. Its ridiculously easy to make (the batter is made in under 2 minutes in a blender) and is always a crowd pleaser. Watching the pancake puff up before your very eyes is always entertaining. You can add fresh fruit to the batter, add it on top after baking ,or go crazy and do both! Then you have the option of topping it with the more traditional squeeze of fresh lemon juice and powdered sugar or simply drizzle on the maple syrup, for the syrup lovers.

If youre using a cast iron skillet, youll need to preheat it longer than a cake pan. Put the skillet into the oven before turning it on and let it preheat in the oven for a good 20 minutes. This will give you enough time to make some coffee, get your ingredients together, and set up the blender.

German Pancake with Raspberries and Apricot
3 eggs
1 Tbsp sugar
1/2 C all purpose flour
1/2 C milk
3 Tbsp butter
Optional: 1 apricot sliced up and 1/3 C raspberries

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and put a cast iron skillet (if using) into the oven to heat up.

After about 15 - 20 minutes (or longer if your oven is slow), the skillet should be hot. Add the butter to the skillet and return it to the oven. If youre using a cake pan, add the butter to the cake pan and put it into the oven.

Add 3 eggs and the sugar to blender and blend on low speed for 1 minutes. The eggs should be light colored and bubbly. Then add the flour and milk and blend for 10 seconds, until evenly mixed.

Take the skillet or cake pan out of the oven and make sure the butter has completely melted. Pour the batter into the hot skillet or pan and scatter the fruit on top of the batter if using.

Bake at 425 degrees F for 18 - 22 minutes, or until the sides and middle have puffed up and browned.

Serve with fresh fruit and a lemon slice and powdered sugar or maple syrup.

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Spicy Spaghetti with Three Peppers and Onions

This recipe was a chance to prove to my boyfriend that I CAN make spicy food! I think he just likes to pretend that hes so rough and tough and nothing is spicy enough for him. Its all an act but thats okay, I know he really liked this dish! Its another one from Rachael Rays new Cookbook Look and Cook. I did change this up quite a bit so Im going to give you my version of this recipe. The original recipe was very saucy and used a can of crushed tomatoes. I thought it would be nice to do something different and have a lighter sauce that really focused on the peppers. My version uses an odd ingredient...marinated tuscan peppers also called pepperoncini. These are the peppers youll find on an antipasto platter or in giardineria. Ive really been trying to find ways to use them because I find that they have a lot of flavor. Their texture is a little off and they are almost waxy and dont have a meaty texture. However, if you slice them thin enough they will incorporate their flavor and you will barely notice them by sight. The liquid that they are packed in has a lot of flavor and heat as well. Its vinegary and its definitely a good thing! Next time Im going to thinly slice some fennel and cook it with the peppers and onions. I cant wait to try that!

Spicy Spaghetti with Three Peppers and Onions

Inspired by Rachael Rays Recipe in Look and Cook


Ingredients:

1 pound spaghetti
extra virgin olive oil
1 large red bell pepper, quartered lengthwise seeded, and thinly sliced
2 cubanelle peppers, halved lengthwise, seeded, and thinly sliced
6 marinated tuscan peppers, tops cut off, seeded and thinly sliced
1 large vidalia onion, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup - 3/4 cup of tuscan pepper liquid
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp butter
about 1/2 cup chicken stock or pasta water (or both)
2 tbsp basil (dorat frozen cubes)
romano cheese
salt and pepper
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Directions:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt the water and cook the spaghetti until al dente.

While water is coming to a boil, heat EVOO in a large skilled over medium-high heat. Add onions, red and cubanelle peppers as you slice them, stirring occasionally. When onions and peppers are softened (about 10 minutes) push veggies aside and add butter garlic, crushed red pepper and tuscan peppers to the center of the pan. Continue to cook for a few minutes and then add tomato paste and basil. Stir to combine. Add salt and black pepper. Add juice from peppers, and stir. Let it cook for a minute and add some chicken stock as needed. Let continue to cook on low until pasta is ready.

Strain pasta (reserving some pasta water)when it is slightly undercooked. Add to peppers and toss to combine and coat pasta with the sauce. Add a ladle of pasta water if needed. Toss with some romano cheese.


Click here for a printable recipe.

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Rocco DiSpiritos Faux Onion Rings with Smoky Mayonnaise

Im sure youve all seen Rocco DiSpirito on one talk show or another recently.  Hes been everywhere promoting his new book, Now Eat This, 150 of Americas Favorite Comfort Foods all under 350 Calories.  Not that I mind, Rocco is pretty easy on the eyes as Im sure you would agree.  Anyway, when Steve and I watched him promote his new healthy cookbook on Rachael Ray, Steve commented on these onion rings and said that I should try them.  They looked great and since they were healthy they sounded like the perfect addition to my not very healthy Steakhouse themed dinner. 

My review of this recipe is completely honest so please read through to the very end.  The recipe isnt hard to make at all and had I not been rushing I think they would have come out better.  First let me just say that finding whole wheat panko is not easy.  I found one small package and paid about $4 for it.  Seems like a lot for breadcrumbs.  That being said, I will try them with regular panko bread crumbs because I think they will still be healthy.  They are baked not fried, made with egg whites instead of whole eggs, and whole wheat flour is used over white.  Correct me if Im wrong but wont regular white panko bread crumbs be just as good?  Ive even seen seasoned panko and I think that would really up the flavor here.  The onion rings definitely had crunch and texture which is what I really liked.  I didnt like the dryness of all that wheat.  Maybe its my fault, maybe I overcooked them, it certainly wouldnt be the first time I messed up.  I know the other problem was that I completely forgot to spray them with cooking spray and sprinkle them with salt and pepper.  That was a huge mistake because the outside had no taste at all.  Thats what happens when youre chit chatting , running late, and trying to cook a new recipe at the same time.  The next day I experimented with the leftovers and sprayed them with cooking spray and seasoned them with salt.  To be honest, they werent bad for leftovers.  These arent the kind of things that are better the next day but they were so much more edible with that little bit of oil and salt.  So, I think that when I try it again (and I will), I will use seasoned panko, spray them with oil and make sure I dont forget the salt.

Sorry this is post is so long, Ill try to wrap it up.  Roccos seasoned mayo called for liquid smoke.  I didnt feel compelled to buy it for this recipe so I added, smoked paprika, bbq spice, salt and hot sauce to a little mayo.  It was tasty and it had to have been better than Roccos because smoked paprika has a ton of flavor and the color made it very appealing.

So even though I had some issues I would try this again.  If you try them let me know what you think and if you follow the recipe exactly or with any changes.

Rocco DiSpiritos Faux Onion Rings with Smoky Mayonnaise
as seen here on Rachael Rays Daytime show.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 large Vidalia onions, cut into 1/2-inch thick slices

2 cups skim milk
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups whole wheat panko breadcrumbs
4 large egg whites
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Nonstick cooking spray
3/4 cup Rocco’s Magnificent Mayonnaise or store- bought reduced- fat mayonnaise such as Hellmann’s Low- Fat Mayonnaise Dressing
1 tablespoon liquid smoke, such as Stubs’s
Tabasco sauce

Directions:

Separate the onions into individual rings. Use only the larger rings for this recipe; reserve the smaller rings for another use. You should have 20 rings total. Lay the rings in a single layer in a large rectangular baking dish. Pour the milk over the rings and allow them to soak for about 20 minutes, turning them once so that all surfaces of the onion rings have been exposed to the milk.


Preheat the oven to 425˚F. Place wire baking racks on each of two foil- lined baking sheets, and set them aside.

Put the flour in a shallow dish. Put the panko in a small dish.In a large bowl, whip the egg whites with a whisk until they are extremely foamy but not quite holding peaks.

Working in batches, remove the onion rings from the milk and dredge them in the flour, shaking off any excess. Add the rings to the egg whites and toss to coat completely. Add the rings, a few pieces at a time, to the panko and coat completely.

Spread the onion rings out on the wire racks. Season the rings generously with salt and pepper, and spray them lightly with cooking spray. Bake until the panko is golden brown and crispy and the onions are tender, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise and the liquid smoke. Season to taste with Tabasco.

Serve the onion rings with the mayonnaise for dipping.


Click here for a printable recipe for Roccos Faux Onion Rings.

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Pasta with Sausage and Broccoli Rabe

I know, I know, Ive been a bad girl. I havent posted a recipe in weeks! Ive been pretty busy with parties and showers and all kinds of things going on. All happy celebrations so I dont mind it. With all the craziness that went on I did remember to snap a photo so I could blog about this wonderful dish. I made this for Steves Aunts Baby Shower last week and everyone liked it which makes me very happy!

Before I go on to post this recipe I just want to say Congratulations Melissa and Salvatore and Congratulations to Dana and Lenny!!! Both couples will be parents for the very first time!!!

Okay so here goes...its really very easy and you can add as much or as little garlic as you like or even use hot sausage or a mixture of sweet and hot. This recipe was written to feed a crowd but you can certainly make this for one pound of pasta and use only one bunch of broccoli rabe and half the amount of sausage. I hope you like it! Id love to hear your variation on this very popular dish so feel free to comment!

Pasta with Sausage and Broccoli Rabe

Ingredients:

1 lb sweet Italian sausage (6 links)
2 bunches, broccoli rabe
4-5 cloves garlic
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Crushed red pepper, to taste
Salt and peppr
Romano cheese, to taste
2 lbs pasta

Directions:

1. Remove stems from broccoli rabe and discard. Cut into bite sized pieces.
Boil broccoli rabe in a large pot of salted water for about 8-10 minutes. Drain (reserve 2 cups of water) and put into an ice cold water bath to stop the cooking process and set aside.

2. While broccoli rabe is cooking, remove sausage from casing and crumble. Saute sausage in oil with garlic and red pepper, constantly breaking it up. Once sausage is cooked add in broccoli rabe and toss to coat with oil. Let it cook together with a few minutes so the broccoli rabe picks up the flavors. At this point you can refrigerate overnight or until ready to cook the pasta.

3. Boil pasta (chose one that won’t fall apart such as orrechiette, cellantani, cavatappi, etc.) in salted water while reheating sausage and broccoli rabe mixture. Add some reserved water from the broccoli rabe to moisten the mixture. Add cooked pasta and toss while continuing to add more water as needed. It shouldn’t be soupy but should not be dry. Toss with cheese and a little more extra virgin olive oil.

Enjoy!

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Baked Spare Ribs with Red Wine Lees

Apart from Hong Zao Ji(红槽鸡) which is one of the common confinement dishes that most confinement nanny would prepared. This Baked Spare Ribs with Red Wine Lees (烤红糟排骨) is also another simple Foochow(Xinghua - 兴化人) homecook dishes where red wine lees is used to marinate and bake together with the spare ribs.

Thanks to one of my cooking pal, Alice whom share her recipe and tips on baking this Foochow style spare ribs dish. This is indeed a keeper recipe and it is best to use spare ribs instead of the usual pork ribs for its tender texture and nice presentation. The adding of extra ginger juice here is to remove some of that pork odor as well as act as natural tenderiser to the spare ribs.

Ingredients: (serves 2 - 3)
600g Spare Ribs(排骨), about 10 pieces
2 Heap Tablespoons of Red Wine Lees(红糟)
1 Teaspoon of White Sesame Seeds(白芝麻), optional

Seasonings:
1 Tablespoon of Cooking/Rice Wine
1/2 Tablespoon of Light Soy Sauce
1 Teaspoon of Dark Soy Sauce
1/2 Tablespoon of Sesame Oil
1 Teaspoon Fresh Ginger Juice
1 Teaspoon of Cornflour
Dash of Pepper

Method:-

1. Trim, rinse and blanched the spare ribs in boiling water for about 3 minutes. Rinse well and set aside. (this step is to allow the meat to absorb the marinate but it is optional)

2. Marinate prepared spare ribs with Red Wine Lees and seasonings till well combined.

3. Transfer mixture into a zip-lock bag and keep in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to an hour. (try not to marinate more than ah hour or else the meat will be tough)

4. Arrange marinated spare ribs on baking tray that is line with baking paper and drizzle some extra sesame oil on it before baking in preheated 180 degree oven for about 25 - 30 minutes  or till meat is cooked through (turning at least twice to get an even colour coating).

5. Remove the cooked spare ribs, arrange on serving plate and sprinkle some lightly toasted sesame seeds on it for that extra fragrant.


If you have NEW ways of using these Red Wine Lees(红槽) for cooking/baking do share with us your ideas or recipes so that we can keep these traditional ingredient and dishes going on.

Thanks for all your "BUZZ(s)" and support friends. Baked Spare Ribs With Red Wine Lees post has make it to FoodBuzz Todays Top 9, 21st May 2011.(Here)

Featured On: FoodBuzz Todays Top 9, 21st May 2011.(Here)

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Creamy Mushroom Soup with Sauteed Chanterelles

Even though Steven isnt a big soup person like me, were both crazy about mushroom soup, specifically the one from our local specialty grocery store (MM). MM makes a delicious version thats thick, creamy, and loaded with hearty pieces of mushrooms. I might balk at 99.9% of the prices in that store, but we rarely leave without a container of our favorite soup. Of course we always bring the ladle down to the very bottom of the deep stainless steel pot to make sure to get as many of the big beautiful pieces of mushrooms as we can, since they tend to settle at the bottom. Gotta get the most bang for our buck, ya know? Anyways, recently MM seems to have stopped offering that soup, and that made us quite sad. :( Then it hit me! Take the dried porcinis sitting in my pantry and combine that with the fresh chanterelles Stevens mom gave us (only $10/lb at Costco!), and we could make our very own mushroom soup.

The mushroom soup from the store always had this characteristic earthy and absolutely delicious aroma but Steven and I could never pinpoint exactly what it was. But as I was soaking the dried porcinis, the exact same mysterious smell filled the kitchen. Turns out, the soup smells like dried porcinis and porcini water! Yummm! (Definitely some good quality soup that the store offers.) As for the taste, the soup I made tasted just like the one from the store, maybe even better.

Notes:
- The sauteed chanterelles are optional. You can replace them with your choice of fresh mushrooms, like shiitakes or portobellos, or omit them entirely.
- Most recipes call for pureeing the mushroom soup before serving, but Steven and I love big chunks of mushrooms, so Ill leave that up to you.
- You can use white button mushrooms instead of the criminis (which are actually just immature portobellos), but I think criminis have more flavor (maybe thats just me but cmon theyre brown!). :)
- Next time Ill try adding a little more flour because it wasnt as thick as the one at the store.

Mushroom Soup with Sauteed Chanterelles

1 lb crimini or button mushrooms
About 1/2 oz of dried porcinis (I dont have a scale and its pretty hard to eyeball dried mushroom weights)
2 C chicken stock
1 1/2 C water
3 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour
1/2 small onion, minced
1 small clove of garlic
Leaves from 2 sprigs of thyme, minced
1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
1/2 C heavy cream
About 2 - 3 Tbsp of sherry or Maderia (I substituted 1/2 white wine and 1/2 Marsala)
Salt and pepper to taste

Optional Garnish
Sauteed fresh mushroom
1 Tbsp butter
4 - 8 oz. fresh mushrooms (like shiitakes, portobella, chanterelle, morel, etc.)
1 small clove of garlic
A little salt and pepper
Fresh chives

Bring 3/4 of a cup of water to a boil (I use the microwave). Pour this over the dried porcinis in a bowl or if the water is already in a bowl, just add the dried porcinis and poke them down into the water with a spoon. Cover the bowl with a lid, a small plate, or some plastic wrap, and let it sit to rehydrate the mushrooms.

Clean the crimini mushrooms by brushing them with a soft brush or wipe them with a damp paper towel, trim off any discoloration or spots. Slice them thickly or quarter them, its up to you. Mince half the onion, set aside. Remove the leaves from the thyme sprig and give them a rough chop, set aside. Press or mince the clove of garlic, set aside.

(Note: why is this step so complicated? Because you wanted to save both the hot water that the porcinis have been soaking in and the water you use to wash them. Then you can combine the two liquids, and pass them through a filter to get rid of the dirt and debris. This liquid is crucial for the flavor of the soup.)
By now the porcinis should have softened. Do not discard the soaking liquid!!! Doesnt it smell good? The recipe called for 1 1/2 C of water so in another bowl, add the remaining 3/4 C of water. It can be warm or cold, doesnt really matter. Use a fork/chopsticks/your impeccably clean fingers and fish out the porcini pieces from the soaking liquid and then give them another rinse in the second bowl of water. This will dislodge any remaining dirt or grit from the mushrooms. Give them a good rub if theyre stubbornly dirty. After all the mushroom pieces have been washed, the liquid in the second bowl will be pretty brown too, and save that. You can combine the soaking liquid and the rinsing liquid. Then line a fine mesh sieve with 2 pieces of coffee filter or a layer of paper towel folded in half. Wet the filters or paper towel to prevent it from soaking up the precious porcini water. Then slowly pour the porcini water into the lined sieve into another bowl or measuring cup and set aside for later. The coffee filter or paper towel will prevent the dirt and grit from passing through. Give the porcinis a good chop.

Heat two tablespoons of butter in a skillet over medium heat and add the onions. Add a little salt and cook until the onions have softened. When the onions have softened, add the minced garlic, freshly ground nutmeg, and thyme, and let it cook until it is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Then add the chopped criminis and porcinis, some salt and pepper. Cook until the liquid released by the mushrooms have evaporated. When the liquid has evaporated and the mushrooms are starting to brown, you can stop cooking them and set the pan aside.

Melt a tablespoon of butter in a 3 quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk the roux until it smells toasty and nutty and looks blond, almost very light brown. Then slowly add in your chicken stock and whisk vigrously to get out any lumps. Then add the porcini water, sometimes there will be very fine dirt that managed to pass through the filter settled at bottom of the cup or bowl, so you can discard the very bottom of the liquid if that occurs. Use a good rubber/silicone spatula and scrape all of the sauteed criminis, porcinis, and any liquid in the skillet into the saucepan. Simmer the soup for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile you can prepare the optional sauteed mushroom topping. Slice your mushrooms and mince/press the garlic. Heat a tablespoon of butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, the garlic, some salt, and pepper. Saute until any liquid released from the mushrooms have evaporated and the mushrooms start to brown a little. Set aside for your garnish.

After the soup has simmered for a bit, you can puree it with a immersion blender or in a normal blender (but be careful of the hot soup erupting Old-Faithful-style, only fill the blender jar halfway and hold the top with a towel). Or you can skip the blending part if you like chunky soup like me. Stir in the heavy cream and sherry/Maderia/white wine + Marsala blend and bring the soup back up to a simmer again and then serve. (Usually the soup is sufficiently hot that you can just add the cream and alcohol and serve without simmering again).

Garnish each bowl with some sauteed mushrooms and chopped chives and enjoy. :)

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Grilled Tuna with Freshly Grated Horseradish Sauce – Giddy Up Taste Buds Giddy Up!

Whenever I hear people say you shouldn’t ruin fresh fish at the sushi bar by dipping it in copious amounts of wasabi-spiked soy sauce, I think to myself, yeah, but thats how I like it. Sometimes I just dont care about "overpowering the natural flavors," and this grilled yellowfin tuna with freshly grated horseradish sauce recipe is one of those times.

I saw a nice piece of fresh horseradish root on a recent trip to the market, and since I love the combination of salty soy sauce and searing, nasal-clearing wasabi, I decided to try a similar preparation with a couple grilled tuna steaks.

The recipe is very straightforward, and the only piece of special equipment you will need is a microplane-style grater, so you can turn the aromatic radish into a fine, white snow. As is custom, Ive listed my best guesses on the ingredient amounts below, but consider everything in this, "to taste." I didnt use citrus, as I went with the tomato slices, but that would surely work too.

By the way, I did a little research (very little), and read that some believe the term "horseradish" comes from the fact that horses were once used to crush the spicy roots under-hoof before being grated. Unless those were some very well-trained (and regular) horses, and they were wearing some kind of sanitary horse slippers, Im not sure that was such a great method.

If you dont find fresh horseradish, give this a try with finely grated ginger. I cant believe that wouldnt work quite well. Also, as I mentioned in the video, this same condiment would be lovely with all kinds of fresh grilled seafood. Enjoy!

Ingredients (for 2):

2 (8-oz) tuna steaks, lightly oiled

2 tablespoon soy sauce

2 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar

1/2 teaspoon sambal chili sauce

1-2 tablespoons freshly grated horseradish root, plus more as needed

4 sliced sweet cherry tomatoes

1 tablespoon minced green onion to garnish

View the complete recipe

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Fish paste Tofu with Vegetables 鱼胶蔬菜豆腐

In my last post, I mentioned that I will be sharing how I did the sushi-style Fish-paste Tofu.



This is one of my kids favourite. Its a good alternative to get the kids to eat their vegetables. I used to make this for them when they are younger and they love it because of the colours but had no idea the colours with make using vegetables.



Once they accepted the dish and were always requesting for it, I reveal to them the mystery ingredients. They began to realise then that some vegetables are really not that hard to swallow. ;)



You can also add in some other chopped ingredients for texture. However, do not overload the additional ingredients. As the fish paste may not be able to hold it together if there are too much of it.

Ingredients:

• 200g Fish Paste


• 1 tube Egg Tofu


• 1/3 Carrot or 1 handful Broccoli Florets


• Corn Flour for dusting


• Oil for pan-frying


• Optional chopped ingredients


• a stalk Spring Onion; green part only, if using to tie to rice ball

How to do it:

1. Mix or blend all ingredients, except spring onions, till smooth.


2. If adding chopped ingredients, add only after blending.


3. Oil a dish.


4. Spread paste in dish.


5. Steam for 15 - 20 mins, depending on thickness of paste.


6. Cut into smaller pieces and remove carefully from dish. You can flip it over to a bigger plate if the cooked tofu is not to deep. Otherwise the tofu will break into pieces from the drop.


7. Dust lightly with corn flour.


8. Pan fry on all sides till lightly brown.


9. Side aside.


10. Meanwhile, boil some water with half a teaspoon oil.


11. Turn off heat and place in the fish paste tofu on the rice ball and tie with soften spring onion.


12. Serve.

Note:

• I didnt not add any seasoning as fish paste is usually seasoned.


• You may wish to add 1/2 teaspoon light sauce and a dash of pepper when blending the mixture if you like.


• You can try using other vegetables if you like.

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Milo Pudding with Oreo Crumbs 美祿布丁

Does this look like a pot of plant to you? The plant is mint but its not sitting in a pot of soil. Take a closer look and dont be fooled. ;)



I had this idea for the longest time but never get to excute it because its not easy for me to get Mint Leave or any herbs.



This idea actually came from my daughter when I did Chocolate Milk Pudding. She said the pudding looked yucky :P and adding oreo on it will make it look like a pot of soil.



Since I now grow my own mint (please see photo at the end), I decided to put my plan into action. ;)  Adding the Oreo crumbs adds texture to the pudding. Crunch on every bite. :)

Ingredients (for 2 cups):

• 250ml Milo or Chocolate Milk


• 7g Gelatin


• 6 (single) pieces Oreo, crushed into crumbs


• 2 stalks Mint

How to do it:

1. Mix Milo with gelatin.


2. Heat mixture but do not boil, stir till gelatin melts.


3. Pour mixture into cups.


4. Chill in fridge till set.


5. Pour Oreo crumbs on pudding and stick in a stalk of Mint in the centre and serve.

Note:

• You can use jelly powder instead of gelatin if you like.


• Using 3in1 Milo will be easier. However, you are free to make the Milo to your taste.


• Do not include the cream in the Oreo for the crumbs.

This is my pot of homegrown Mint. You can try growing your own.



Get some stalks of Mint. Cut about 6 to 7 cm from the top. Remove all leaves except the top 2 - 4 leaves and stick them in the soil. Water regularly.



You are successful if they do not look wilted after a few days of constant watering. After that you can cut down on the watering and reduce to once a day or more on a hot day.

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Grilled Prawns with Garlic and Cheese

Prawn is my all time favorite and the kids too. I like it in whichever way it is cooked. I can have it everyday if not for the cholesterol, because I love to suck on the head too! Would it be a waste to throw it away?

Anyway, I had to stop myself from finishing the whole lot on my own. I didnt buy a lot of prawns as they were rather expensive due to their size. It will be either difficult to put in the stuffing if the prawn is too small or there wont be much stuffing.

If you have friends coming over, serve this. Its fast and easy. I bet they will love it too!


Ingredients:

• 8 large Prawns, cleaned
  
• 2 tablespoon Butter, soften
  
• 5 tablespoon Grated Parmesan Cheese
• 1/2 tablespoon grated Garlic
  
• 2 teaspoon Coriander stem, chopped
• A pinch of salt
  
• A dash of pepper (optional - you wouldnt need it if your prawns are fresh)

How to do it:

1. Preheat oven to 170C.
2. Mix all ingredients except prawns together and set aside.
   
3. Trim off the legs, antenna and the sharp thingy (whatever you call that) on the head off the prawns. :P
   
4. Slit the back of prawns, using either a kitchen scissor or knife.
   
5. Skew the prawn if you want the prawn to be straight.
6. Stuff the slit back with the butter mixture.
7. Top with extra Parmesan cheese if you like.
   
8. Grilled till prawns are cooked and the stuffing is slightly brown.
9. Serve immediately.

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Blanched Cockles with Garlic 蒜香伴氽烫血蚶

Blood Cockles. You either love it or hate it. Both me and my husband loves it. My son eats it too.



My father used to buy 5kg of cockles to make his famous chilled dark soy sauce cockles. Each time he made it, he will bring some over to him. I tried and tried but I just couldnt get the taste of cockles that my father made. He even bought the dark soy sauce to me once but still I just could get the right taste. His is still the best!



I had wanted to try my hands making my fathers version of chilled cockles but realised I didnt have dark soy sauce with me. So change of plans. :P



This is (another) replica of what we have tried at Putien Restaurant sometime back. I shall try to conquer my fathers revision another time.

* Giving the cockles a good body scrub. Hate doing it but its all worth it. *

Ingredients:

• 350g Cockles


• 1 Red Chilli, de-seeded and chopped finely


• 2 tablespoon Minced Garlic


• 1/2 tablespoon Cooking Oil


• 1/2 tablespoon Mirin or Chinese Cooking Wine


• 1/2  tablespoon Light Soy Sauce


• Chicken Powder or Salt to taste

How to do it:

1. Prepare the garlic first by heat oil in pan.


2. Add in chilli and Garlic and stir-fry till fragrant but not browned.


3. Add in Mirin, Light Soy Sauce and Chicken Powder. If you are using Chinese Cooking Wine, add a pinch of sugar too.
   
   


4. Stir to coat well.


5. Let the seasoned garlic cool.


6. Now, scrub the cockles clean. I used a toothbrush here.


7. Soak clams in salted water to let it spit out sand.


8. Boil a pot of water enough to cover the cockles.


9. When the water is boiling, turn off fire and throw in all the cockles.


10. Drain them out in 3 seconds. *1


11. Place them in cool water or normal tap water and drain so its not too hot to handle. *2


12. Remove half the shell and any dirt that maybe be there.


13. Place some seasoned garlic on each cockles and place then on a dish.


14. Chill in fridge for at least 30 minutes. *3

Note:

• I blanched then for 3 seconds here. If the cockles you bought are bigger or if you preferred them more cooked, ie, less bloody, blanch for 5-7 seconds. Anything longer than that, its likely that will be cooked. *1


• Cool the blanched cockles partially is to stop it from continue cooking and also to make it less hot to while removing the shells. *2


• The cockles taste better when chilled but if you cant wait, go ahead to have it immediately. *2

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Pan Fried Ribs with Rosemary 迷迭香煎排骨

This is one of the earlier dishes I did using the Happy Call Pan (HCP). Again, this was hidden away in the draft folder till now. :P  Ages catching up. Ill be 41 on my coming birthday. :o Memory is failing. :p



I havent been using my HCP much lately. Just too lazy. I have been letting the oven do most of the work. Perhaps I should use the HCP to make this dish again.



If remembered correctly, the ribs done with the HCP was rather juicy as compared to using the oven. However, I usually oven grill the ribs with the onions. It adds the sweetness of the onions to the ribs. Im unable to do so with the HCP as it will burn the onion. The onions here is served as a side. Please omit it if you dont like it. I love onions though. ;)

Ingredients:

• 2 Pork Ribs


• 1 teaspoon Minced Garlic


• 1 sprig Fresh Rosemary or 1/2 teaspoon Dried Rosemary


• 1/2 Onion, sliced


• Salt and Pepper to taste

Marinade:

• 2 teaspoon Cooking Wine


• 1/2 teaspoon Light Soy Sauce


• 1 teaspoon Minced Garlic


• a pinch of Salt


• a dash of Pepper

How to do it:

1. Add ribs to marinade.


2. Set aside and let it marinate for 20 mins.


3. In the pan, heat 1 tablespoon oil.


4. Add in onions and half of minced garlic.


5. Saute fragant and onions are soften.


6. Season with salt and pepper.


7. Side aside.


8. Using the same pan, place the ribs and sprinkle rosemary over.


9. Covered the pan and cook for 2 mins on each side on medium low heat till just done.


10. To have the ribs more charred and brown, turn up the heat a little and pan fried each side well, uncovered.


11. Remove and serve with onions.

Note:

• Time required to cook the ribs depends on how thick/meaty the ribs are.


• You can use any cooking wine you like.

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Braised Chicken with Mushroom and Chestnut

We love this dish a lot and when I cook this, the dish is always wiped clean. Everyone has a favourite. My son will eat more of the mushroom. My husband the chicken and I finished up the carrot and chestnuts. I love the chestnuts! It adds sweetness to the dish.

Its almost the same as how I did THIS, except I pan fried the chicken slightly before I add it to the pot with the rest of the ingredients. Water is added enough to cover all the ingredients and braised in low heat till liquid reduced to less than half.

Best served with a bowl of rice or two! Yums!

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Braised Mushroom with Dried Oyster and Moss

This is one of a few dishes we will always see on in laws dining table during Chinese New Year. I have known my husband for 17 years and I see this dish every year during Chinese New Years Reunion dinner. There are other regular dishes too and they are all cooked the same way every year. Even if we are having steamboat, this dish will still appear on the dining table. *giggle*

Perhaps its the reason that they are Cantonese and the ingredients used for this dish sounds very auspicious. Dried oyster sounded like 好事 (good deeds; returns) and the moss sounded like 发财 (get rich) in Mandarin. Together it will be 好事发财, lots of good returns and fortune!

I usually dont cook with the dried oyster because my son hates it. I dont like to eat it too. I just add it for extra flavours.

Ingredients:

• 8 Dried Chinese Mushroom, soaked to soften and stalks removed (do not squeeze dry)
• 10g Dried Sea Moss, soaked to soften and drained
• 4 Dried Oysters, soaked for 5 minutes

Seasonings 1:

• 1 tablespoon Oyster Sauce
• 1/2 tablespoon Chinese Cooking Wine
• 700ml water or broth for richer taste

Seasonings 2:

• 1/2 tablespoon Light Soy Sauce
• A pinch of salt and sugar to taste

How to do it:

1. Put mushroom with water in a deep pot. (Mushroom should be covered in water)
2. Add in seasoning 1 and bring to a boil.
3. Reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour.
4. The water should have reduced by about half.
5. Add in the dried oyster and continue to simmer for another hour or till mushroom is tender.
6. Add in seasoning 2 and sea moss.
7. Bring to boil.
8. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
9. Dish and serve.
   

• Click HERE for printer-friendly version of an original recipe.

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Scallops with Assorted Vegetables

My husband commented that my food having more and more western influence in them. And he wondered if I still can cook anything Chinese. -_-"





So, heres one Chinese dish with his favourite, Ginkgo Nut, in it. Brain food for you, dear. And in case you didnt notice, if I use the oven to cook, the food are usually more westernized and if I uses the wok more, then more Chinese. ^_-





I was trying to spend lesser cooking and washing time mah. So lots of cooking done using the oven. Now that the electrical bill has increased so much, youll see me using gas more often.



Ingredients:

• 12 (Canned) Ginkgo Nuts


• 5 Fresh Shitake Mushroom, half,


• 1/2 Bell Pepper, sliced


• 6 Sweet Peas


• 12 Scallops


• 2 tablespoon Broth


• 1 teaspoon Cooking Wine


• Light Soy Sauce to taste


• Cornflour Mixture (Thickener)


• 2 tablespoon Oil

How to do it:

1. Heat wok with oil.


2. Add ginkgo nuts, bell pepper, sweet peas and mushroom.


3. Stir fry for 2 to 3 minutes.


4. Add scallops and stir fry for 1/2 minutes.


5. Add in the broth and cooking wine.


6. Stir to mix well and add light soy sauce to taste


7. When sauce begins to bubbles, stir in the thickener.


8. Stir to coat well.


9. Dish and serve.

Note:
You have to remove the stem in the ginkgo nut before cooking it otherwise it will be bitter. You can do so by inserting a toothpick in the middle.

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Beautiful Breast of Lamb with Honey Parsley Vinegar Sauce Hey My Eyes are Up Here!

You know I love lamb, as evidenced by the various chops, shanks, legs, and shoulders Ive featured in the past. These are among the most popular meat recipes on the blog, so it seems many share my love. Here we have a brand new cut to celebrate, the lamb breast.

This is not common in your regular supermarkets. Theres an inverse relationship between the size of the parking lot, and the chances youll find breast of lamb in the meat case. However, a visit to a real butcher (look for lots of tats and facial hair) should be rewarded with some slabs of this bony, fatty, but richly flavored meat.

Since I hadnt cooked this in ages, I decided to play it safe, and use a time-tested Mediterranean-inspired spice rub, and it could not have worked more perfectly. The exotic spices made the rich meat seem even more decadent, all of which was nicely balanced by the vinegar sauces astringency.

A bright green chimichurri sauce on a well-marbled piece of meat is one of the best things ever, and this dish definitely borrows from that playbook. Its not like youd want to eat a spoon of the condiment right out of the bowl, but slathered over the glistening meat, its a thing of beauty.

I hope that if you are a fan of lamb, and you havent tried lamb breast yet, that you give it a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 pieces lamb breast, about 3 1/2 pounds

For the spice rub:

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cumin

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs seasoning (dried rosemary, thyme, basil, oregano blend)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon coriander

1 teaspoon paprika

For the sauce: (note - this is all "to taste")

1/2 cup packed chopped Italian parsley

2 cloves crushed garlic

1/3 cup white wine vinegar, more as needed

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 or 2 teaspoon honey

juice from 1 lemon

pinch of salt

View the complete recipe

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Chocolate Soufflés with Nougat Whip Warning Intended for Mature Audiences

Chocolate Soufflés with Nougat Whip Photo (c) SmithBites.com

My friend, Linda from Salty Seattle, called this Chocolate Soufflés with Nougat Whip video, “porn without people,” and I couldn’t agree more. The term “food porn” gets thrown around way too easily these days. Sorry, that picture of your red velvet cupcakes was nice, but it wasn’t really pornographic. This, however, could make you blush. By the way, the surface temperature of a blushing face is the exact temperature at which chocolate melts. Coincidence?

This semi-sweet tour-de-force is from Debra and Rod “The Professor” Smith, from SmithBites.com. I’m relatively new to their work, but quite impressed to say the least. I’m very proud Food Wishes helped pioneer the chef-less recipe video, but this is taking that idea to a whole other place – surreal and viscerally sensual, yet still comforting and familiar. Please follow this link to check out the original post, and see more of their fine work. Enjoy!

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Black Sesame Paste With Almonds Using Cuisinart Hot And Cold Blender

Black Sesame Paste is one of the common dessert found in dessert chain outlets such as Ah Chew Desserts, Dessert Hut, Er Gu Dessert (二姑糖水) and etc. And some believe that by consuming black sesame paste it also helps to nourish the blood, lubricate the intestines and clear "wind" in the stomach too.

On the down side, for those suffer from spleen troubles, diarrhoea or loose stools should avoid over-consumption of these small seeds.

BLACK SESAME PASTE WITH ALMONDS

After the previous recipes on Broccoli And Spinach Soup, Pumpkin And Meat Porridge; this post I would be sharing another quick Asian dessert which I am sure most of you would love it. The consistency of this Black Sesame Paste could be adjust with additional 100 - 150ml more of water during cooking if you prefer a more dilute and watery paste.

(Serves: 4 | Preparation: 10 minutes | Cooking: 20 minutes)

Ingredients:
150g Black Sesame Seeds
50g Uncooked Rice
4 Cups (1000ml) Water
150g Caster Sugar/Rock Sugar
1 Stalk Pandan Leave, knotted
50g Roasted Almonds, roughly chopped

Method:-
1. Pre-soaked the rice for at least 30 minutes, drain well and set aside.

2. Rinse the black sesame seeds, drain well and pan-fry till completely dry and fragrant.

3. Place sesame seeds and rice into Cuisinart Hot And Cold Blender glass jug together with water. Set the timer to 20 minutes, blend the mixture for 30 seconds using SPEED 1.

4. Next add in pandan leave and sugar, bring the mixture to boil on HIGH for 5 minutes before switching it to SIMMER and continue to cook until end of the cycle.

5. When everything is cooked, remove the "pandan leave" and PULSE the mixture twice or more to achieve your desire texture.

6. Ladle Black Sesame Paste between serving bowls, garnish with roasted almonds and serve immediately.

To serve you could top it with some roasted almond to enhance the taste or even with a scoop of Vanilla Ice-cream if you are open to some adventure new combination. Till then I would update more recipes such as "Watermelon Granita", "Porridge", "Bolognese Sauce" using Cuisinart Hot And Cold Blender soon.

STAND A CHANCE TO WIN CUISINART SILICONE WARE

Just for your information, I saw from ToTTs Facebook page that they already round-up the 8 Finalists for Cuisinart Soup Making Competition (Singapore region) which will take place on 01 December 2012. After which the winning team will represent Singapore in the regional competition in Hong Kong for the championship! So why not "VOTE" and support your favourite soup shown above at ToTT Facbook Page (link here) and be one of the 4 Lucky Voters to win a set of Cuisinart Silicone Ware worth S$80.00!

I have "voted" the Healthy Prawn Broccoli Soup (2nd row, 2nd soup), what about you?

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Our AFundForJennie Auction Closes with 550 High Bid!

They say every man has his price, but not every man gets to see that exact value calculated in public on a blog. The market has spoken, and apparently Im worth exactly $550. Hey, at least thats more than I was appraised for by that carnival gypsy. Take that, Madame Corsi!

Thank you to everyone who bid, and also to those of you who made individual donations to #AFundForJennie at Bloggers Without Borders! Stay tuned as well identify the winner, and make plans for the shoot soon. Thank you all!

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Minty Cranberry with Apple Drink蔓越莓加苹果清�

It was extremely hot last month and I kept making drinks for my family and this was one of them.



This is something I learned from a magazine many years ago. Unlike most fruit juices, which are usually thick  and rich in flavours, this is very light but refreshing. Not too heavy. I love its pretty colour too, which came from the cranberry. No artificial colour used here.



But the plants in the background is artificial though. ;P

Ingredients:

• 5 tablespoon Dried Cranberries


• 1 Red Apple, cored, peeled and sliced thinly


• 1 sprig Mint, use leaves only (use more if you like it more minty)


• 1 tablespoon Extra Fine Sugar or to taste


• 400ml Freshly Boiled Water

How to do it:

1. Put all ingredients except sugar in a preferably in coffee press. A jug works fine too.


2. Make sure you crush the mint leave a little.


3. Let it stand for a hour.


4. Press to let the flavours from the ingredients release. If you are using a jug, use a large spoon to do the pressing.


5. Stir in sugar to taste.


6. Make sure sugar is totally melted.


7. Filter and chill till ready to serve.

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