tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78300313292439358592024-03-10T12:13:14.967-07:00Love-Making in the Kitchen: Where Food Goes Beyond the Boundary of HungerHunger is what all species must satisfy. From the stomach growling, aroma-teasing and mouth-salivating reactions that are common from hunger, satisfaction comes from “Food”. However, it is no longer a simple form of necessity; “Food” is art. It now pleases not only hunger but also the eye, the palette and the soul while teasing and taming the darker and more sensual side of our conscience. Who says that you can't play with food?
The Exilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01001468374630164884noreply@blogger.comBlogger134125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7830031329243935859.post-40488257883951535492014-05-31T00:18:00.000-07:002014-05-31T00:21:44.850-07:00Godzilla Cake Topper<div style="text-align: center;">
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Hello!<br />
So two weeks ago, Godzilla the movie came out and it was BAD-ASS. My lil bro, is the biggest Godzilla fan ever and his birthday fell ont eh week after the movie was released. So this year, mostly everythign he received was Godzilla based!<br />
I took the liberty of decorating his cake, since I did not have time to bake him one from scratch, we ordered form a local cake-maker in Edmonton and I had a blank canvas to play with.<br />
The cake topper is around 12 inches for a 10 inch cake, made from a rice crispy structure and covered with molding chocolate and fondant detailing, Food color was used to get Godzilla's greenish hue. The topper took me six hours to construct and sculpt, with overnight hardening and another hour to add detailing like the spikes (made form fondant).<br />
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<b><u>Molding Chocolate Recipe</u></b>.<br />
250 grams dark choclate<br />
1/4 cup corn syrup<br />
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Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. Let cool for 10 minutes on your counter, Stir in the corn syrup and stir until combined into a paste-like consistency. Place in an air tight container and leave in the fridge for 2 hours.<br />
Knead to soften before use!<br />
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The Exilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01001468374630164884noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7830031329243935859.post-74994243180694989802013-10-07T23:58:00.000-07:002013-10-08T00:00:00.038-07:00Mediterranean Whole Baked Steelhead Trout <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My family loves steelhead trout among other family favorites like tuna, Mahi-Mahi, tilapia, salmon, basa and halibut. Today, I wanted to do something different with whole fish, since I would usually prepare whole fish stuffed with cashews and green onion oil and cooked on the grill or baked. This fish would be eaten with herbs, lettuce, vermicelli wrapped in rice paper.<br />
Straying away from this Vietnamese favorite, I wanted to incorporate flavors of the Mediterranean. What screams at me are tomatoes, olives, garlic, oregano, olive oil. mint, lemons, saffron and a great deal of other spices and ingredients. This whole trout was treated with the utmost respect of ingredients, slow baked and served with a Tomato and Zucchini Saffron Pilaf and creamy but refreshing Cucumber and Mint Salad.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All Gone!</td></tr>
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<br />The Exilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01001468374630164884noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7830031329243935859.post-43961742858709540552013-09-30T23:54:00.000-07:002013-10-04T23:58:20.026-07:00Fresh Fruit Tart with Vanilla Creme Diplomat<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's Fall and I decided to make a not-so-Fall dessert: a fruit tart.<br />
I have never been a fan of fresh fruit tarts although I always found them very pretty to look at. My brother would always get a few when we drop into a Chinese/Hong Kong bakery while I stuck to my cream puffs or egg tarts.<br />
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I've never made a fruit tart. I know how to make the separate components and how the tart is put together but I never made it because I never liked them. I decided to suck it up and use fruits that I would normally like to eat (I'm not a huge fruit-eater either) and make a large tart for the family (mostly for my brother).<br />
I made a shortcrust pastry and instead of the usual pastry cream filling, I made a creme diplomat. Creme diplomat is essentially pastry cream with whipped cream folded into it for a lighter cream. THAT was deliscious.<br />
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<u>Creme Diplomat</u><br />
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2 cups milk<br />
1 vanilla pod or 1 tsp vanilla <br />
3/4 cup granulated sugar<br />
2 tbsp Cointreau liqueur<br />
3 eggs<br />
2 egg yolks<br />
1/2 cups all purpose flour; sifted<br />
1 tbsp unsalted butter<br />
<br />
1 1/2 cup heavy cream, whipped<br />
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<u>Creme Patisserie </u><br />
In a saucepan, heat milk, vanilla and 1/4 sugar on medium heat and stir occasionally. When milk bubbles, remove from heat and set aside.<br />
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In a stainless steel bowl, whisk remaining sugar, liqueur,and flour until well blended and sugar has dissolved. Slowly add in a ladle of the hot milk while stirring the egg mixture constantly to avoid scrambling the eggs. Continue doing this until all the milk has been used.<br />
Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and cook on medium heat, stirring constantly with a whisk until the mixture thickens. Remove from heat, remove the vanilla beans (using a sieve helps) and stir in butter.<br />
Cool the cream completely and quickly by lining a shallow baking tray with plastic wrap and spreading the cream on the tray. Cover cream with another layer of plastic, placing it directly onto the cream to avoid a skin to form on the surface.<br />
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Once the cream cools completely, transfer to a clean bowl and fold in the whipped cream. Chill in the fridge for 1 hour before placing in tart shell. Voila! Store in a air-tight container for up to 3 days.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Creme Diplomat complete!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shortcrust pastry</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fruit! Plums, peaches, kiwi, strawberries, mango, and oranges.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mini fruit tarts from leftover ingredients!</td></tr>
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The Exilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01001468374630164884noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7830031329243935859.post-73516126280558801372013-09-12T14:37:00.000-07:002013-09-13T01:42:39.310-07:00 F---ing Amazing Vegan Chili (and updates)<img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-co_0UgA9NRlQoJkoekLu29XZ7jgE1hgyjn4Z51QJ1szOGvUWOk3EjZpYxQy-9Rbw-zr6leLONTI4oKyh7LdXdOZ9WqiI3jm95YBrV3t92k8TI8tIQQem4ee_FzS774pSYORvJWBjBdc/s640/IMG_7365.JPG" width="640" /><br />
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Hello! My golly-gosh I have not maintained this blog since June! I've actually been busy traveling and working during the summer and have not has enough time to make anything worthwhile in the kitchen! But alas, autumn is arriving soon and my schedule/routine has now settled enough for me to get back into the kitchen and experiment!<br />
During the last week of August, my family and boyfriend took a week-long trip to the Florida and a two-day cruise to the Bahamas. In Florida, we went to Disney World and my boyfriend grabbed a Chili cheese dog due to a tradition that ran in his family. The dish, though it looked greatly unhealthy, smelled really good and according to him, "didn't taste bad either".<br />
Well, lo-and-behold, I had a sudden craving for a chili cheese dog, even though I was never a fan of chili or hot dogs. I blame it on the spices and my love for cheese.<br />
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Anyways, I concocted a hearty vegan chili recipe to go with my vegetarian hot dogs. Heck, I also smothered it on top of beef sausages for the rest of my family who are meat-eaters. Needless to say, the chili was fucking amazing.</div>
My method of making the chili was a very lengthy process because I used dried kidney beans, so the soaking and cooking process took around 10 hours in my slow cooker. I also used tomatoes I harvested in my garden, so the blanching, peeling and dicing process took a while. Of course, you can always use a can of diced tomatoes and beans <br />
What makes this chili so "fucking amazing" is the charred pepper coulis, which is the pureed or strained flesh of the peppers. What makes it special is how I char the peppers prior to blending which naturally enhances that sweet, smoky and spicy flavor. This is then added to the chili and mingles with the existing flavors of the dried spices n' herbs. Delicious!<br />
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<u>F---ing Amazing Vegan Chili </u><br />
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2 Jalapeno peppers, charred or Chipotle peppers in oil<br />
1 red sweet pepper, dice half and char other half <br />
1 yellow sweet pepper, dice half and char other half (optional)<br />
1 green sweet pepper, dice half and char other half (optional) <br />
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Olive oil<br />
salt and pepper to taste <br />
half a white onion, diced<br />
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced<br />
2 packages Yves veggie ground*<br />
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1 tsp dried marjoram <br />
1 tsp cumin powder<br />
1 tsp paprika<br />
1 tsp chili powder<br />
1 tsp cayenne pepper powder <br />
1 can diced tomatoes<br />
1 can tomato paste <br />
4 stalks of celery, diced (optional)<br />
1/3 cup packed brown sugar<br />
2 cups black beans, rinsed and drained<br />
2 cups kidney beans with juice<br />
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Cilantro and sour cream to garnish (optional)<br />
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*You can also used coarsely crushed raw walnuts, whole raw cashews or crumbled extra firm tofu.<br />
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Remove the charred skin off the peppers and slice the flesh away to remove seeds (be careful when handling jalapenos). Place in a food processor or blender and blitz until a puree is formed. Set aside.<br />
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In a pot, heat olive oil and add in onions. Season with a bit of salt and sweat the onions until almost soft. Add in the garlic and cook until aromatic. Add in the diced peppers, remaining ingredients and the pepper puree. Simmer on low heat for around 10 minutes. If it is too thick, add 1/4 of water. If it is too runny, let simmer, uncovered until desired thickness. Season to taste. <br />
Serve on fries, on a hot dog, or as is with garlic bread or tortilla chips.<br />
I placed my chili in the slow cooker to keep warm so I could eat it the next day for lunch!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beef Sausages for the rest of the family (I had Yves Veggie dogs)</td></tr>
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<br />The Exilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01001468374630164884noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7830031329243935859.post-83901847189448977332013-06-14T23:15:00.001-07:002013-06-14T23:15:27.976-07:00Lapin au Vin Blanc: Rabbit Stew with White Wine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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One of the meats that I like to cook with is rabbit. Before I was a vegetarian, I loved rabbit or hare (although hare is tougher). However, I only had it in Vietnam, prepared according to the Vietnamese local cuisine. Today, I wanted to try a French inspired dish, a stew-like dish made with rabbit and white wine. It is similar to a coq au vin (chicken in wine, usually red wine) but I wanted to use white wine to encourage the gamey flavor of the rabbit rather then hiding it under a bold <i>vin rouge</i>.<br />
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We bought a frozen rabbit at one of our supermarkets and thawed it over night.</div>
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I proceeded to separate all the meat from the carcass except
for the legs the next day and marinated it in white wine (I used
Chardonnay), salt, pepper, some herbs like thyme, rosemary and parsley. I
used the bones to make a rabbit stock to use later in the the dish, so I
didn't waste much.</div>
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While the rabbit marinated, I prepared some pearl onions, baby carrots and I sliced up nice chunk of <i>lardon</i>
(salted pork belly) into tiny pieces. In a large pot, I cooked the
pork, pearl onions, garlic and baby carrots until the pork belly got
crisp and the majority of the fat was cooked off. Remove the mixture and
after coating the pieces of rabbit with flour, I browned them in the
bacon fat until nicely colored.<br />
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Using the fat in the pot, a small knob of butter, and a couple tablespoons of flour, I made a roux and added in the rabbit stock, wine, pork belly, carrots, garlic and onions, reserving a few onions for garnish. Add in the rabbit and braise for 1 1/2-2 hours on medium high heat. Season according to taste.<br /><br />I served this dish with egg noodles and French bread for the extra sauce. Oh, and of course, more Chardonnay! <br />
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I made a kale and sausage stew with mushrooms, carrots and pearl onions for myself. :) </div>
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The Exilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01001468374630164884noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7830031329243935859.post-32954199717480506232013-06-10T23:31:00.000-07:002013-06-11T00:13:48.152-07:00Superb Spiced Pumpkin and Goat Cheese Soup; Inspired by The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Man, I have been so busy I haven't had the time to post much on here, my apologies for taking a month off. However, today I made something that was worthy of a post, a soup that is inspired by one of my favorite games, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. In the game, our hero, Link, travels to a freezing territory of snow and befriends a Yeti named Yeto, who is out to gather ingredients to cook a soup for his ill wife, Yeta. The soup features Reekfish (which resembles our reality Sockeye Salmon), root vegetables, Ordon Pumpkin and Ordon Goat Cheese (Ordon being Link's village). The Reekfish has healing properties and the more ingredients that Link contributes, the more health benefits the soup acquires and can be used to heal the player during in-game damage.<br />
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I have come across a few recipes for the soup, many featuring some sort of fish, pumpkin and carrots. I have been inspired to make my own rendition of the soup, vegetarianising it, adding a little kick of spices and preparing my garnish vegetables by roasting. And honestly, this is the best pumpkin soup I have ever had; it is absolutely delicious and so easy to make. <br />
I used kabocha squash as my "pumpkin" because I love the sweetness of it and how it is richer than the regular pumpkins. The skin is a bit tough to remove but it is worth it. Just cut the pumpkin in half, remove the seeds, slice into 1/2 inch strips and carefully shave off the skin with a sharp knife. I left the skin on for the garnish because I wanted the slices to hold together.<br />
My other vegetables included carrots, yam, onions, and garlic. Of course, you could also add/use rutabaga, turnips, parsnips, potatoes, sweet potatoes etc. if you like.<br />
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<u><b>Ingredients</b></u><br />
1 kabocha squash or pumpkin (1-2.5 lbs)<br />
3 large yellow yams or sweet potatoes, peeled and diced<br />
4 carrots<br />
1/2 cup wild mushrooms<br />
1/2 white onion, diced<br />
1 elephant garlic clove, minced (or 3 garlic cloves) <br />
2 bay leaves<br />
1 tsp cumin<br />
1 1/2 tsp paprika<br />
1 tsp turmeric<br />
2 tsp fresh basil, chopped or dried<br />
4-5 cups of vegetable stock<br />
1/2 cup soft goat cheese (1/4 of the log) <br />
Olive oil<br />
Salt and Pepper <br />
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Reserve 1/4 of the pumpkin, skin on, for garnish; 1 yam, for garnish; 2 carrots, for garnish; and mushrooms for garnish.<br />
Peel and dice the remainder of the squash, yams and carrots. In a soup pot, heat 1 tbsp olive oil and sweat out the onions and garlic. Turn heat to medium and add the diced vegetables. Saute for 5 minutes then add bay leaves, cumin, paprika, turmeric, basil and cook for another 3 minutes; season to taste then add vegetable stock. Lower heat to medium-low and simmer until the vegetables begin to disintegrate.<br />
Preheat oven to 350 degrees C. Meanwhile, prep the garnish. Cut the reserved pumpkin piece into 1/4 inch-thick slices and cut in have to be roughly 1-inch in size. Cube the yam. Cut carrots in half and diagonally. On a baking sheet, drizzle on olive oil and sprinkle in salt. Add the garnish and season with more olive oil, salt and pepper, tossing it to evenly coat. Make sure you vegetables are not too crowded. Roast for 15-20 minutes, making sure to check and flip to avoid uneven cooking.<br />
In a skillet, saute the mushrooms with olive oil, salt and pepper (you can add spices or other seasonings if you want to any of the garnishes). <br />
When the soup is ready, remove the bay leaves and ladle the hot soup into a blender/food processor with crumbled goat cheese and blend until smooth (if you have to do it in batches, add the goat cheese in batches to ensure consistency). Add more stock or water if necessary. Make sure to blend it hot to ensure that the soup is smooth. Return to pot and place on low heat to adjust seasoning.<br />
Serve hot with the garnishes either place on top or mixed right into the soup.<br />
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You can obviously avoid the garnishes and just have a smooth soup but for accuracy sake, I did the garnishes to make it look more like it was in-game. My goal for the near future is to make another reversion of the soup, with fish and all, for the family.<br />
Have fun cooking and happy eating!<br />
P.S. Check out these other recipes from the same inspiration, <a href="http://www.geekychef.com/2008/12/yetos-superb-pumpkin-and-goat-cheese.html" target="_blank">The Geeky Chef</a> and<a href="http://www.gourmetgaming.co.uk/post/11648506679/request-legend-of-zelda-twilight-princess" target="_blank"> Gourmet Gaming</a>.<br />
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The Exilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01001468374630164884noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7830031329243935859.post-87136209427532052042013-04-01T22:00:00.002-07:002013-04-01T22:21:54.023-07:00Pistachio-Crusted Rack of Lamb with Roasted Asparagus, Sweet Potato Mash and Sherry Wine Reduction<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Today is the last day of the Easter long weekend! Everyday had been full of cooking and fine-wine-dining in the comfort of my own home. For Easter Monday, I made rack of lamb, as per my suggestion for possible Easter dinners. Inspired once again by Chef Gordan Ramsay, this time his recipe for herb-crusted rack of lamb, I took a step further and made a pistachio crust made with pistachios, parsley, bread crumbs, salt n' pepper and olive oil. I was very disappointed to find very little pistachios available in the supermarket I went to. I salvaged what I could at the bulk section, just enough to cover my lamb rack and have some extra leftover. The pistachio nuts gave the crust an earthy, nutty and savory flavor and a little bit of parsley was added for subtle flavor and a bust of color. Since the crust is vegan, I may use the left overs to crust some tofu for dinner later on in the week. <br />
I followed the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5B6HDmeMRtI" target="_blank">cooking technique</a> of Chef Gordan Ramsay for my dear lamb rack: scoring, seasoning, searing, resting, dijon and all. I served the rack of lamb with roasted asparagus (the best flippin' thing on Earth), sweet potato mash and a Sherry wine reduction. I love the sweet and fruity flavor of Sherry for cooking; not a fan of it with my meal. I'll stick to an organic Cabernet Sauvignon instead.<br />
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<b>Pistachio Crust</b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfTOSkdbbMu5GUennknZLU5_AoJywzSgNLwDNyEyrOE66kdv4c-WhlaA-iEpkq6JE6lBDg93mGPXDKDN6XMtCtnkNIHs8TnWrxc3nD6lxeZD-f55htZ2CkTE_x9fDmobDbsmp4pGOuo1E/s1600/DSC_2697.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfTOSkdbbMu5GUennknZLU5_AoJywzSgNLwDNyEyrOE66kdv4c-WhlaA-iEpkq6JE6lBDg93mGPXDKDN6XMtCtnkNIHs8TnWrxc3nD6lxeZD-f55htZ2CkTE_x9fDmobDbsmp4pGOuo1E/s320/DSC_2697.JPG" width="320" /></a>1 cup shelled pistachio nuts<br />
1 cup Panko/white bread crumbs<br />
1/2 cup parsley leaves<br />
1 tbsp olive oil <br />
salt and pepper to taste<br />
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In a food processor, blend the pistachio nuts until crumbly. Add remaining ingredients and blitz until parsley leaves are well blended and mixture is green. Pour onto a plate and dip lamb rack, coating generously and evenly with the crust mixture.<br />
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<b></b><img border="0" height="440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH_-t_GrHrLwMUzjAk-KNdDLSYbOtBaWiI6Kp6ZgJSTuFhWLuWL-BAoEGOXBFZ73Sv6EWEd9ACq9xGkMacCbcxhSp6KWEq6L3XADL1omD-7q7eCczA3UogNZf8sTXsUHzyQ_aks5rGc7A/s640/lambcollage.jpg" width="640" /><b> </b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7G4VV0SdaunaWyqPKHf0WxB5KIx1RQKltwfDQ1Syq7zUgQa6KwYRi-sJude6zd0wR8dFC6wudWSPSKwLo_UGIECxCejaVGtfijpcvAUTTfGw00REAJVkoz_-8pSx8wPuBk_QyefG00ZA/s1600/DSC_2716.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7G4VV0SdaunaWyqPKHf0WxB5KIx1RQKltwfDQ1Syq7zUgQa6KwYRi-sJude6zd0wR8dFC6wudWSPSKwLo_UGIECxCejaVGtfijpcvAUTTfGw00REAJVkoz_-8pSx8wPuBk_QyefG00ZA/s400/DSC_2716.JPG" width="263" /></a><b>Roasted Asparagus</b><br />
Asparagus. As much as you want.<br />
Olive oil. To grease your baking sheet and coat the asparagus<b>.</b><br />
Sea Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste.<br />
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Preheat oven to 375 F.<br />
Trim asparagus of its' woody, chewy, non-flavorful ends. Take the end of the asparagus between your thumb and forefinger
and bend until it breaks. The asparagus
automatically breaks just where the woody part ends and the fresh, juicy
asparagus begins. Easy-peasy.<br />
Grease a large enough baking sheet to avoid the asparagus spears from crowding. Toss the spears with olive oil and your salt n' pepper. If you want more flavor, add a zest of one lemon or a few thinly sliced cloves of garlic. Even better, dice some bacon, crisp it up and use the bacon fat in place of the olive oil. Delish!<br />
Roast for 15-20 minutes until the spears limp when you hold it by the end.<br />
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For myself, I made a Spinach, Mushroom, Goat Cheese and Pine Nut Phyllo tart. Mouthful, I know.<br />
It's something I made a long time ago for a Christmas gathering and I got the inspiration from <a href="http://www.chatelaine.com/recipe/dinner/spinach-and-feta-phyllo-tart/" target="_blank">Chatelaine .</a><br />
It's pretty simple to put together and it's a change from the puff pastry that I love.<br />
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The Exilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01001468374630164884noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7830031329243935859.post-26233838627958198102013-03-29T22:24:00.001-07:002013-03-29T22:38:23.249-07:00Beef Wellington for Good Friday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I am a huge fan of Chef Gordon Ramsay. I know many people will disagree with me but that is my opinion and he is a HUGE inspiration for me (even if he sorts of dislikes vegetarians ahaha!).<br />
I love watching him and his shows, from the F-word, Kitchen Nightmares, Kill Your Meat Before You Eat, to his Great Escape adventures, MasterChef and of course, Hell's Kitchen.<br />
I bet many culinary enthusiasts have come across his video on how to make <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1orR1HGv0s" target="_blank">Beef Wellington</a>. I have always wanted to try it but being that beef filets/tenderloins are uber pricey, I never really dared to think about it. A few days ago, my family and I were brainstorming what to have for the Easter long weekend. We were pretty tired of turkey from Christmas, ham from New Year's, pork from Lunar New Year's, duck from a dinner a couple weeks ago and chicken from a dinner a couple days ago. My lil bro brought up Beef Wellington, I wanted to make rack of lamb and we wanted to try goose. Geese are hard to come by this time of year so we had to choose between Beef Wellington and lamb. Since the weekend is long and we're food lovers, we decided to have Beef Wellington on Good Friday, possibly Filet Mignon (from the left-over cut we got for the Beef Welly) for Saturday and Sunday and Rack of Lamb for Easter Monday. I'm going to have a huge cooking adventure this weekend. :D<br />
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I did a lot of research on Beef Wellington and Gordon Ramsay's version was pretty simple. Some varieties excluded the mustard; used both pate and the mushroom duxelles; and even used crepes to avoid getting the pastry soggy.<br />
I decided to incorporate all versions.<br />
I layered the beef parcel with the homemade crepes, liver pate, prosciutto, and mushroom duxelles. The beef filet was brushed with mustard and I wrapped it all up in some store-bought puff pastry (I have no time to make it from scratch. It's just easier to go buy some.)<br />
I was very, very, very nervous when I placed it in the oven. I was afraid it may come out raw. However, it came out just right: medium rare. And it was a hit with the family! I served thick slices of the Beef Wellington with roasted parsnips, potatoes, carrots, yellow sweet potatoes, onions and mushroom gravy.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Huge beef tenderloin from Costco. Seems like a fortune but it's so worth it, and very good $$/serving</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's beautiful!!!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Browning the filet! Get color to get the flavor.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Layering of crepes, liver pate, prosciutto and mushroom duxelles</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGUwKak_ck7FEWaI_jKElxc-aSUn8VdMvTeg_pc8TfDkjrsIrzdsJj9m_AJkx0qzaiAEvV0zyZZjEmg7uOkEj5BFQYTKEZigd2jzntvBTQyUnJ7YX6Qh88_izKcsbhccmQ842GT-ns0w4/s1600/DSC_2680.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGUwKak_ck7FEWaI_jKElxc-aSUn8VdMvTeg_pc8TfDkjrsIrzdsJj9m_AJkx0qzaiAEvV0zyZZjEmg7uOkEj5BFQYTKEZigd2jzntvBTQyUnJ7YX6Qh88_izKcsbhccmQ842GT-ns0w4/s640/DSC_2680.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Left) Mushroom Gravy, Roasted Vegetables, Beef Wellington, Portobello Wellington</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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For myself, I made a Portabello Wellington. I sandwiched two roasted portabello mushrooms with goat cheese, covered it in mushroom duxelles, crepes and puff pastry. It was fantastic!!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6MIp4AzH_zi0PPSKNZoC-BafR8fashjUWdf4ZqU-Ay-nQPvuy2Tbki0y34idlgq8ZzKLhiN362PiL6gMMyE6P9ay56Dg3SOdmUMEBZSe8eQtMdcPDSBBRKWWc6Pt3rITRbkdy26p1YGM/s1600/DSC_2691.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6MIp4AzH_zi0PPSKNZoC-BafR8fashjUWdf4ZqU-Ay-nQPvuy2Tbki0y34idlgq8ZzKLhiN362PiL6gMMyE6P9ay56Dg3SOdmUMEBZSe8eQtMdcPDSBBRKWWc6Pt3rITRbkdy26p1YGM/s640/DSC_2691.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Portobello Wellington!</td></tr>
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The Exilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01001468374630164884noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7830031329243935859.post-80300972671169043502013-03-24T22:04:00.000-07:002013-03-29T20:07:13.793-07:00Plum and Cardamom-Custard Flaugnarde Tart<img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhklc6HOHi6TgqBy3ZhSPDnhic7J8_N6YjtECFqZQhmjMHil0N6MT0uTnIpoTC1-HkprSMikV-x-bnygOKy2CbLyD9rnojbnlx2-3tl0MlbmifNcsmnWXLKhIEbWB_lDY7jXrurR-_b9HM/s640/IMG_4174.JPG" width="640" /><br />
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My apologies for the lack of posts! I am still alive (trying real hard) and I am still cooking, although not many dishes that are deemed worthy to have its own blog post...<br />
If you'd like to follow my daily eats, you can follow me on Instagram at <b>thepurpleshadow</b> or follow online at <a href="http://instagram.com/thepurpleshadow/">http://instagram.com/thepurpleshadow/</a>.<br />
I've made this tart a while back and I've finally gotten around to posting the beautiful thing.<br />
It started out with me craving a fruit tart but I'm not really a fruit-lover plus the only fruits I had on hand were bruised bananas,wrinkly apples, plums and canned pineapples. Since the fruits would not compliment each other in a fruit tart, I decided to just use one kind, choosing the plums over the others because there was an ungodly amount and I've never cooked/baked with plums before. I was going to make a fresh plum tart but I wanted to have my fruit cooked and so I opted to baking it with some sort of custard to hold it all together. I wanted to make sure if such a dish existed and was even edible and with a bit of research, the word "Flaugnarde" made its way into my culinary vocabulary.<br />
"Flaugnarde" is a French dessert that bakes fruit in a "flan-like" batter, which to me, means custard.It is usually baked in a buttered dish, without a crust but I wanted to turn it into tart. So I did, muahahahaha!<br />
I also wanted to have some kind of warmth and love added to my dessert thus my custard was spiced with ground cardamom and a pinch of cinnamon. It was fantastic!<br />
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<u><b>Tart Shell </b></u><br />
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes<br />
1 tbsp butter, softened <br />1 large egg yolk<br />
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract<br />
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour and maybe a bit more<br />1/4 cup granulated sugar <br />1/4 tsp table salt<br />
<br />
Lightly butter the bottom and sides of a fluted tart pan with a removable bottom with the softened butter<br />
In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolk and vanilla.<br />
In a food processor, add in the flour, sugar, salt and pulse to combine. Add the
butter and short-pulse until the mixture is crumbly. Add the egg yolk mixture and pulse just
until it forms a moist, crumbly mass. The
dough should hold together when
squeezed.<br />
Transfer the dough to the tart pan and press into the bottom and edges of the pan with your hands or the bottom of a dry measure cup. Wrap the pan in plastic and refrigerate it for at
least 1 hour and up to 1 day.<br />
<br />
You need to blind bake the shell to ensure that it doesn't soak up the juices of your fruit and the custard.<br />Preheat oven to 375°F.<br />
Prick the bottom and sides of your tart shell several times with a fork.
Place a piece of parchment paper on your shell and fill with rice, beans or pie weights, to ensure that your tart shell doesn't bubble but remain flat. Bake for 20
minutes. Carefully remove the parchment and pie weights. Reduce the heat to 350°F and continue baking for another 10 minutes until slightly golden browned on the edges and bottom. Cool on a
rack.<br />
<br />
<u><b>Plums and Cardamom Custard </b></u><br />
6-8 fresh plums, sliced (I had a mix of the black and red varieties; red is sweeter)<br />
3 Tbsp flour<br />1/2 cup sugar<br />1 cup milk or half and half cream<br />
3 eggs<br />1/2 tsp vanilla<br />1/2 tsp almond extract<br />
2 tsp cardamom powder<br />
pinch of cinnamon powder<br />
<br />
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.<br />
Cut the plums in half lengthwise, and remove the stones. Slice into 1/3" inch slices.<br />
In a bowl or large measuring cup, whisk
together the flour and sugar, and then add a bit of milk, whisking until it dissolves and looks like cement. Add the
remaining milk, eggs and vanilla, whisking until just
combined.<br />
Arrange your plums neatly in the cooled crust, in a single layer if you can. Pour custard gently over
your plums. <br />
Bake until the plums are soft, and the custard no
longer jiggles in the center and is just beginning to brown, about 45
minutes to 1 hour.<br />
Remove from the oven and let cool before serving. Can be served warm or chilled, with a little dusting of powdered sugar!<br />
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<br />The Exilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01001468374630164884noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7830031329243935859.post-63569046368412052632013-02-01T23:01:00.000-08:002013-02-01T23:23:59.518-08:00Vegan Pho with a New Ingredient!<br />
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My mom dropped by Costco the other day and picked up this amazing treasure: a container of dried gourmet mushrooms. It contains 25%<span class="comment-text" id=".reactRoot[3].0.[1].[0][1].0.[1].[1].[1]"><span id=".reactRoot[3].0.[1].[0][1].0.[1].[1].[1].[0]"> dried procini, 25% shiitake, 25% yellow boletes and 25% oyster mushrooms. My gooodness, there are so many things I could do with such an ingredient. Sauces, soups, fillings, dips...etc. etc. etc. I used it today to make a simple gourmet vegan pho broth and it is so blissfully delicious.</span></span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="comment-text" id=".reactRoot[3].0.[1].[0][1].0.[1].[1].[1]"><span id=".reactRoot[3].0.[1].[0][1].0.[1].[1].[1].[0]"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGyI08aQH0NcaaeWiNcUwVF2vIV0vplCoZnvdO57qNBKD_cq6HCg4jKAPRVCwzDAAL7EpNtjM4tvON86R-HnQyT-u458DtggQgtS93T9kOJ9Nh4oX8ktyY0z8LVCwFkxrRg5Z8p0xX5ZI/s400/IMG_3566.JPG" width="300" /> </span></span></div>
<span class="comment-text" id=".reactRoot[3].0.[1].[0][1].0.[1].[1].[1]"><span id=".reactRoot[3].0.[1].[0][1].0.[1].[1].[1].[0]"><br /></span></span>
<span class="comment-text" id=".reactRoot[3].0.[1].[0][1].0.[1].[1].[1]"><span id=".reactRoot[3].0.[1].[0][1].0.[1].[1].[1].[0]"><u>Vegan Pho Broth</u></span></span><br />
<span class="comment-text" id=".reactRoot[3].0.[1].[0][1].0.[1].[1].[1]"><span id=".reactRoot[3].0.[1].[0][1].0.[1].[1].[1].[0]">Serves: 2</span></span><br />
<span class="comment-text" id=".reactRoot[3].0.[1].[0][1].0.[1].[1].[1]"><span id=".reactRoot[3].0.[1].[0][1].0.[1].[1].[1].[0]"><br /></span></span>
<span class="comment-text" id=".reactRoot[3].0.[1].[0][1].0.[1].[1].[1]"><span id=".reactRoot[3].0.[1].[0][1].0.[1].[1].[1].[0]">3 1/2 cups water</span></span><br />
<span class="comment-text" id=".reactRoot[3].0.[1].[0][1].0.[1].[1].[1]"><span id=".reactRoot[3].0.[1].[0][1].0.[1].[1].[1].[0]">2/3 cup dried gourmet mushrooms, rinsed as instructed</span></span><br />
<span class="comment-text" id=".reactRoot[3].0.[1].[0][1].0.[1].[1].[1]"><span id=".reactRoot[3].0.[1].[0][1].0.[1].[1].[1].[0]">2 black cardamon pods</span></span><br />
<span class="comment-text" id=".reactRoot[3].0.[1].[0][1].0.[1].[1].[1]"><span id=".reactRoot[3].0.[1].[0][1].0.[1].[1].[1].[0]">1 stick cinnamon</span></span><br />
<span class="comment-text" id=".reactRoot[3].0.[1].[0][1].0.[1].[1].[1]"><span id=".reactRoot[3].0.[1].[0][1].0.[1].[1].[1].[0]">3 star anise</span></span><br />
<span class="comment-text" id=".reactRoot[3].0.[1].[0][1].0.[1].[1].[1]"><span id=".reactRoot[3].0.[1].[0][1].0.[1].[1].[1].[0]">1/2 yellow onion, charred and peeled</span></span><br />
<span class="comment-text" id=".reactRoot[3].0.[1].[0][1].0.[1].[1].[1]"><span id=".reactRoot[3].0.[1].[0][1].0.[1].[1].[1].[0]">1 ginger, charred and peeled</span></span><br />
<span class="comment-text" id=".reactRoot[3].0.[1].[0][1].0.[1].[1].[1]"><span id=".reactRoot[3].0.[1].[0][1].0.[1].[1].[1].[0]">6 vegan mushroom balls or vegan meatballs </span></span><br />
<span class="comment-text" id=".reactRoot[3].0.[1].[0][1].0.[1].[1].[1]"><span id=".reactRoot[3].0.[1].[0][1].0.[1].[1].[1].[0]">salt to taste </span></span><br />
<span class="comment-text" id=".reactRoot[3].0.[1].[0][1].0.[1].[1].[1]"><span id=".reactRoot[3].0.[1].[0][1].0.[1].[1].[1].[0]"></span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="comment-text" id=".reactRoot[3].0.[1].[0][1].0.[1].[1].[1]"><span id=".reactRoot[3].0.[1].[0][1].0.[1].[1].[1].[0]">Bring
water and mushrooms to a boil. Lower heat and simmer the cardamon,
cinnamon, and star anise for 5 minutes (you can add the spices to a
spice bag or tie it up in a coffee filter to avoid serving the spices).
Add the ginger and onion and simmer for another 15 minutes. Season with
salt to taste, add the meatballs and bring it up to a boil.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="comment-text" id=".reactRoot[3].0.[1].[0][1].0.[1].[1].[1]"><span id=".reactRoot[3].0.[1].[0][1].0.[1].[1].[1].[0]"><u>Noodles</u> </span></span><span class="comment-text" id=".reactRoot[3].0.[1].[0][1].0.[1].[1].[1]"><span id=".reactRoot[3].0.[1].[0][1].0.[1].[1].[1].[0]"> </span></span><br />
<span class="comment-text" id=".reactRoot[3].0.[1].[0][1].0.[1].[1].[1]"><span id=".reactRoot[3].0.[1].[0][1].0.[1].[1].[1].[0]">1 package frozen pho rice noodles, cooked according to package or dried ones, soaked in warm water overnight </span></span><span class="comment-text" id=".reactRoot[3].0.[1].[0][1].0.[1].[1].[1]"><span id=".reactRoot[3].0.[1].[0][1].0.[1].[1].[1].[0]">and cooked for 2 minutes in boiling water</span></span><br />
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<u>Toppings</u><br />
<span class="comment-text" id=".reactRoot[3].0.[1].[0][1].0.[1].[1].[1]"><span id=".reactRoot[3].0.[1].[0][1].0.[1].[1].[1].[0]">1 small white onion, thinly sliced</span></span><br />
<span class="comment-text" id=".reactRoot[3].0.[1].[0][1].0.[1].[1].[1]"><span id=".reactRoot[3].0.[1].[0][1].0.[1].[1].[1].[0]"> </span></span><span class="comment-text" id=".reactRoot[3].0.[1].[0][1].0.[1].[1].[1]"><span id=".reactRoot[3].0.[1].[0][1].0.[1].[1].[1].[0]">2 partially poached eggs (optional!)</span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="comment-text" id=".reactRoot[3].0.[1].[0][1].0.[1].[1].[1]"><span id=".reactRoot[3].0.[1].[0][1].0.[1].[1].[1].[0]">1/4 bunch of cilantro, chopped</span></span><br />
<span class="comment-text" id=".reactRoot[3].0.[1].[0][1].0.[1].[1].[1]"><span id=".reactRoot[3].0.[1].[0][1].0.[1].[1].[1].[0]">1/4 bunch of green onions, chopped</span></span><br />
<span class="comment-text" id=".reactRoot[3].0.[1].[0][1].0.[1].[1].[1]"><span id=".reactRoot[3].0.[1].[0][1].0.[1].[1].[1].[0]">1/4 bunch of Mexican coriander, "ngo gai"</span></span><br />
<span class="comment-text" id=".reactRoot[3].0.[1].[0][1].0.[1].[1].[1]"><span id=".reactRoot[3].0.[1].[0][1].0.[1].[1].[1].[0]"></span></span><br />
<span class="comment-text" id=".reactRoot[3].0.[1].[0][1].0.[1].[1].[1]"><span id=".reactRoot[3].0.[1].[0][1].0.[1].[1].[1].[0]">In a small bowl, mix all the fresh herbs together. Set aside.<br /> </span></span><br />
<span class="comment-text" id=".reactRoot[3].0.[1].[0][1].0.[1].[1].[1]"><span id=".reactRoot[3].0.[1].[0][1].0.[1].[1].[1].[0]"><u>Condiments</u> </span></span><br />
<span class="comment-text" id=".reactRoot[3].0.[1].[0][1].0.[1].[1].[1]"><span id=".reactRoot[3].0.[1].[0][1].0.[1].[1].[1].[0]">Beans sprouts and Thai basil leaves</span></span><br />
<span class="comment-text" id=".reactRoot[3].0.[1].[0][1].0.[1].[1].[1]"><span id=".reactRoot[3].0.[1].[0][1].0.[1].[1].[1].[0]">lime wedges </span></span><br />
<span class="comment-text" id=".reactRoot[3].0.[1].[0][1].0.[1].[1].[1]"><span id=".reactRoot[3].0.[1].[0][1].0.[1].[1].[1].[0]">Sriracha sauce and hoisin sauce</span></span><br />
<span class="comment-text" id=".reactRoot[3].0.[1].[0][1].0.[1].[1].[1]"><span id=".reactRoot[3].0.[1].[0][1].0.[1].[1].[1].[0]"><br />Prepare two large bowls with portioned noodles. Top with white onions and partially poached egg for each bowl. While the broth boils, ladle the broth over the onions and egg then add the meatballs from broth. Add a spoonful of the fresh herbs on top. Crack fresh black pepper over your dish, serve hot and with the condiments of bean sprouts, basil, lime, Sriracha and hoisin. <br /> </span></span><br />
<span class="comment-text" id=".reactRoot[3].0.[1].[0][1].0.[1].[1].[1]"><span id=".reactRoot[3].0.[1].[0][1].0.[1].[1].[1].[0]"><b>!! </b>For vegan pho, opt-out of the egg and use seasoned and pan-fried extra-firm tofu!</span></span><br />
<span class="comment-text" id=".reactRoot[3].0.[1].[0][1].0.[1].[1].[1]"><span id=".reactRoot[3].0.[1].[0][1].0.[1].[1].[1].[0]"><b>!! </b>If you can't find dried mushrooms, using a fresh mixture of portabello and button mushrooms works swell as well, just simmer the portabello first then add the button mushrooms with the meatballs. </span></span><br />
<span class="comment-text" id=".reactRoot[3].0.[1].[0][1].0.[1].[1].[1]"><span id=".reactRoot[3].0.[1].[0][1].0.[1].[1].[1].[0]"><b>!!</b>You can opt out on some of the condiments but I really recommend trying to find the Mexican coriander for the fresh herb mix. It's a must-have when you want to appreciate the aromatic appeal of pho, whether vegan or non-vegan.</span></span><br />
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<span class="comment-text" id=".reactRoot[3].0.[1].[0][1].0.[1].[1].[1]"><span id=".reactRoot[3].0.[1].[0][1].0.[1].[1].[1].[0]">Enjoy!!</span></span><br />
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The Exilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01001468374630164884noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7830031329243935859.post-33815005740045684262013-01-31T21:12:00.000-08:002013-02-01T22:19:40.286-08:00Quinoa and Healthy Eating Days<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO92rsEhDy1ordbzAiOwrGhFqc9O3OjQzKzV4GjbDxpFYxbYwCYFope0z5BzeRCz7OnB6EOd42onsWChtdaqKaC4zbHjGtQ5OIrao8nefG7mzIIiRVU0lHktnWHSdgLqZlZGfN4xeQNac/s1600/collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO92rsEhDy1ordbzAiOwrGhFqc9O3OjQzKzV4GjbDxpFYxbYwCYFope0z5BzeRCz7OnB6EOd42onsWChtdaqKaC4zbHjGtQ5OIrao8nefG7mzIIiRVU0lHktnWHSdgLqZlZGfN4xeQNac/s640/collage.jpg" width="640" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW1hsIlrPDx4dI24etOuzYgRT4DVOVWlboTRb_Z1KSwMS319qcT1WooBZdElUfPTEEnwenQkNGz7SlnYhqVyFwHoJb4hrEID4pv6GOl51rb1aUnaDQKcFe4JGZxD5tPuBKd5_pT9txX7Y/s1600/IMG_3526.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a></div>
Hello everyone!<br />
It's been a month since I posted anything: my apologies for the delay!<br />
After New Year's, I have been crammed with school but I have also been dedicating whatever time I have to healthier eating habits. In the last week, I have committed myself to a strict quinoa eating diet, cutting out bread, pasta, and rice. Within five days, I had lost 7lbs both with my quinoa diet and committing myself to a workout routine. I've decided to feature the quinoa dishes that I made during my diet since not many people know what this super-food is nor its health benefits (and to commorate the recent 2013 decalaration of the UN in calling this new year the declared International Year of Quinoa).<br />
Quinoa is a pseudo-cereal or pseudo-grain because although it looks like a grain, it is actually a seed. It is a super-food held in sacred standards by the Inca, who viewed the grain-like crop as having the abilities to provide their warriors with stamina and strength as well as feed the population. It is known as a superfood because it is high in nutritional value, especially protein (almost 11.5 grams of protein per 100 grams) and is also high in amino acids, fiber and low in carbohydrates. It is gluten free and since it is very versatile, it is ideal as a great alternative for anyone who does not include gluten in their diets.<br />
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The first quinoa dish I made was a breakfast scramble, with hints of cilantro, cumin and tumeric. I cooked quinoa until the right doneness (I like them still slightly crunchy) and scrambled it with an egg, some turmeric, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper, diced tomatoes and finished it off with cilantro. It was so yummeh! I ate some leftovers cold and it was still good!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF6GDrE9TpkaDEHB1RQS5f6EbcW3emyRR7F5iDN-BiXg0ROybsC3dvZBiQv96VnTtrHfPfcrOM9BFuLU6EEg23hq7jRo163Fk-wezqhkQIw59bfD6TFRMKnnG1_jfWPFgKJO2Lpgh8K_k/s1600/IMG_3406.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF6GDrE9TpkaDEHB1RQS5f6EbcW3emyRR7F5iDN-BiXg0ROybsC3dvZBiQv96VnTtrHfPfcrOM9BFuLU6EEg23hq7jRo163Fk-wezqhkQIw59bfD6TFRMKnnG1_jfWPFgKJO2Lpgh8K_k/s320/IMG_3406.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The second dish I made was a Black Bean, Corn and Quinoa soup that lasted me for around two and a half days (or two dinners and one lunch). It was seasoned with Mexican spices like chile powder and cumin and of course, I loaded it up with a lot of chopped cilantro! The recipe is completely vegan, unless you want meat, you can tear up some leftover chicken or cut 1 raw chicken breast into strips and saute it with the onions n' garlic<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5qkW3bFnPClkJJtLmnpUJzxz1aUc6PhNWaughMYkqDYCiJAh_ecJERkGFrU7cFc6IzpyBcUu_Iy3eUK73BFr1TKQn1fYyVMKIfC3pEvcPPYMXT3GvUmXGZwKCQmNSjekkpgf_VJRxg64/s1600/IMG_3428.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5qkW3bFnPClkJJtLmnpUJzxz1aUc6PhNWaughMYkqDYCiJAh_ecJERkGFrU7cFc6IzpyBcUu_Iy3eUK73BFr1TKQn1fYyVMKIfC3pEvcPPYMXT3GvUmXGZwKCQmNSjekkpgf_VJRxg64/s320/IMG_3428.JPG" width="320" /></a><i><u>Black Bean, Corn and Quinoa Soup</u></i><br />
<i>1 tbsp olive oil</i><br />
<i>1 medium onion, chopped</i><br />
<i>1 glove of garlic, minced or 1 1/2 tsp of garlic powder if you are lazy. </i><br />
<i>2 tsp chile powder (or more if you like heat)</i><br />
<i>2 tsp cumin (more if you like)</i><br />
<i>1 tsp coriander powder (more if you like)</i><br />
<i>1 tsp paprika (more if you like)</i><br />
<i>4 cups of vegetable stock or chicken stock</i><br />
<i>1 medium can of black beans, rinsed and drained</i><br />
<i>1 cup of frozen corn</i><br />
<i>2/3 cup cooked quinoa (or 1 cup if you want) </i><br />
<i>1 medium tomato, chopped</i><br />
<i>1 bunch of fresh cilantro, chopped (or 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro) </i><br />
<i>salt and pepper to taste</i><br />
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<i>In a small pot, heat the olive oil on high heat. Add the onions and garlic and lower the heat to medium. Saute until onions are slightly transparent, then add the spices. Cook until the spices become aromatic.</i><br />
<i>Add in the stock, beans, corn and bring the heat up to high.</i><br />
<i>When the soup comes to a gentle boil, add the quinoa and chopped tomato. Simmer for around 5 minutes then Season to taste. </i><br />
<i>Remove from heat then stir in the chopped cilantro and serve immediately. </i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWFsgFLOnuNoFBM0EkwFfNdhTh-KN4MzxJGsqBFK88SYBnV8wZD-ol0z7ShWAexu7c9oQ-yjJjh8pVR6mkADK5yZXan3uTbtP8W6oOpjUcWwcLGb4_tKxEYmTkLVm-_N-5KVGmuH6vzX4/s1600/IMG_3469.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWFsgFLOnuNoFBM0EkwFfNdhTh-KN4MzxJGsqBFK88SYBnV8wZD-ol0z7ShWAexu7c9oQ-yjJjh8pVR6mkADK5yZXan3uTbtP8W6oOpjUcWwcLGb4_tKxEYmTkLVm-_N-5KVGmuH6vzX4/s320/IMG_3469.JPG" width="320" /></a>The third dish I made with quinoa was also another soup: Kale, White Bean and Quinoa Soup. This one also lasted me around two and a half days (or two dinners and one lunch). This one was more "hearty" and fresh and less spice went into it, if any at all. I used the recipe found <a href="http://cookinskinny.com/2012/11/kale-white-bean-quinoa-soup/" target="_blank">here</a> but I did cut the recipe down to fit my own serving requirements. The kale adds an extra boost to you nutritional intake as well! Kale is very high in Vitamin K (helps prevent blood clots), Vitamin C and A as well as fiber, iron and calcium. The soup itself is very filling because of the white beans and quinoa so I felt very full very quickly. It helped me reset my metabolism by eating less for more :). <br />
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A dish that I made twice because I loved it so much was the Quinoa Omelette found in an amazing quinoa cookbook that I own. It is called <a href="http://patriciaandcarolyn.com/qunioa-365-the-everyday-superfood/" target="_blank">Quinoa 365: The Everyday Superfood</a> by Patricia Green and Carolyn Hemming. I have yet to try the dessert portion of the cookbook but I will very soon in the near future! I only used the recipe for the eggs and the filling was basically whatever I wanted. The first time I made it, the omelette was overloaded with four different types of sweet bell peppers, mushrooms, onions, a sundried-tomato "pesto" and crumbled feta cheese. The second time was just green bell peppers, mushrooms, onions, tomatoes and crumbled feta cheese. Maybe I am biased because I love omelettes aha <3<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW1hsIlrPDx4dI24etOuzYgRT4DVOVWlboTRb_Z1KSwMS319qcT1WooBZdElUfPTEEnwenQkNGz7SlnYhqVyFwHoJb4hrEID4pv6GOl51rb1aUnaDQKcFe4JGZxD5tPuBKd5_pT9txX7Y/s1600/IMG_3526.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW1hsIlrPDx4dI24etOuzYgRT4DVOVWlboTRb_Z1KSwMS319qcT1WooBZdElUfPTEEnwenQkNGz7SlnYhqVyFwHoJb4hrEID4pv6GOl51rb1aUnaDQKcFe4JGZxD5tPuBKd5_pT9txX7Y/s320/IMG_3526.JPG" width="238" /></a><i><u>Egg Mixture for Omelette</u><br />2 eggs</i></div>
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<i>1 tbsp milk</i></div>
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<i>2 tbsp cooked quinoa<br />1 tsp salt</i></div>
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<i>1 tsp ground black pepper<br /><br />Whisk all the ingredients up. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a skillet or frying pan then add the egg mixture into the hot pan, waiting around a minute before taking chopsticks or a fork to draw circles into the omelette, then swirl pan to cover the holes you just made with the uncooked egg mixture. Cook until the edges start to come away from the pan. Add your filling on one half and fold over with the other half with a spatula. Serve hot. Happy omelette making!</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXckeKwPSWllFA59kaF84FuYA3olJHae302hX0mwQpphqMkLTcfXuT6R_hYJtxmrmt_ahE8jZ1dvYJAk2Q2lAYyRkxMzJREfiNuQ6ZKH78IYfuGaP7tcGprBasy8r9-m-6nb8gmgTec60/s1600/IMG_3501.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXckeKwPSWllFA59kaF84FuYA3olJHae302hX0mwQpphqMkLTcfXuT6R_hYJtxmrmt_ahE8jZ1dvYJAk2Q2lAYyRkxMzJREfiNuQ6ZKH78IYfuGaP7tcGprBasy8r9-m-6nb8gmgTec60/s320/IMG_3501.JPG" width="320" /></a>Another dish that I also really loved was my Avocado Quinoa Uramaki (Inside-out) Sushi. I made sure to cook the quinoa with a little bit of extra water so that it becomes softer and seasoned it with a mixture of rice vinegar, mirin, water, salt, and a little bit of sugar. If you don't want to get these ingredients or if you're too lazy to make the sushi rice dressing, there are pre-made dressings available at Asian super markets!<br />
I like this sushi because the quinoa adds a fantastic nutty flavor to the roll, plus it is gluten free so it's even better! I topped the rolls with Sriracha Sauce for an extra kick. If you don't like avocados, cucumber, or any filling is fine! Just make sure you have a sushi mat (covered with plastic wrap for easy clean-up and less stickiness) and that the quinoa is cooked till soft so it would hold together!</div>
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If you have Instagram, <a href="http://instagram.com/thepurpleshadow/" target="_blank">follow me</a> to see my daily eats!! The Exilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01001468374630164884noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7830031329243935859.post-15075633532487554772012-12-25T21:34:00.000-08:002012-12-26T00:46:17.367-08:00Christmas Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqfkxLPQkUU91vPDb8yiHudDXjIllSGo36owxmh5bYFiUpT_YhanGNxi7IrFrWVmUCYpHdOMFT50MxIDO9kIR4NidlDMfMceK5QoblENuqvAwmDNHBePuAUzR8r-x2wGUXL-nuEYEbyk4/s640/Turkey.jpg" width="640" /></div>
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I've been really bad at updating this blog...then again, I haven't been cooking much lately so please bear with me :(<br />It's Christmas Day and since I'm now on winter break from school and on holiday from work, I have enough time to concur up some deliciousness!<br />In the late morning and early afternoon, I made a simple Eggs Benedict Brunch for the family to enjoy before we opened up our gifts.<br />
Like so many times before, I did not have English Muffins or crumpets on hand so I cut circles out of thick, Texas Toast bread slices. The rest is self explanatory, shaved ham, poached eggs, homemade Hollandaise and a pinch of cayenne.<br />
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The Fam and I settled down to open gifts with hot cups of Bailey's Coffee topped with a <strike>unhealthy</strike> delicious dollop of homemade whipped cream. My lil' brother had a nice hot mug of hot chocolate since he doesn't like alcohol. <br />
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After wrecking mayhem on the wrapping paper and boxes, I hit the kitchen to prep and make our Christmas dinner. Our turkey was very small, weighing less than 5kg. I buttered the bird up real good with garlic butter, making sure to spread the fat under the skin to lock in as much moistness as I can during roasting. Since I was not cooking for a crowd, I had enough time to experiment with heat settings, basting and glazing. The bird was small, so cooking time was around 2 hours and 40 minutes
and a resting time of at least 50 minutes. I used a Mustard glaze with
hints of maple and orange to add extra flavor and color to the bird. I found that by cooking the bird covered with a lid (or a roomy tin foil tent) for 40 minutes at 220C/425F will help keep the moister from being lost and also accumulates more juices to flow back into the pan for gravy. After 40 minutes, I turned the oven down to 180C/350F and roasted the bird for 2 hours, making sure to baste the bird every 10-15 minutes. For the last 20 minutes, I glazed the the bird twice with my Mustard Glaze (in 10 minute intrevals). After that, let the bird rest for at least 50 minutes (if you have extra time, rest for the amount of time you cooked the bird). The turkey turned out amazingly moist, the most moist I've ever cooked a turkey! <br />
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The stuffing was made of a gourmet mix of wild rice and a variety of other rice types (red, brown, long grain etc.) As I cooked the rice with vegetable broth in my handy-dandy rice cooker, I sauteed together white onions, garlic, grated carrots and grated apples then celery. After the rice was cooked, I added it to the vegetables, seasoned and stirred in a small cube of butter (around 1/4).<br />I roasted some family-favourite veggies like Brussels Sprouts, cauliflower, and broccoli. A new addition was parsnips, which my family went crazy for a month or so before, when I made soup with it. There were also dirty, roasted garlic mashed red-potatoes<br />
I used a recipe for <a href="http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/ginger-roasted-parsnips">Ginger-Roasted Parsnips</a> and <span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/jerk-spiced-brussels-sprouts-cauliflower-and-chickpeas">Jerk-Spiced Brussels Sprouts, Cauliflower and Chickpeas</a> from the magazine (and website) o<span style="font-size: small;">f Food & Wine to <span style="font-size: small;">bring the faves to light. As for the broc<span style="font-size: small;">coli<span style="font-size: small;">, I <span style="font-size: small;">roasted</span> them and simpl<span style="font-size: small;">y to<span style="font-size: small;">ss them in<span style="font-size: small;"> some lemon juice, <span style="font-size: small;">lemon</span> zest and a few tablespoons of grated <span style="font-size: small;">Parmesan cheese.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">I also made the <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">cranberry salsa </span></span>that I served for my Thanksgiving dinner<span style="font-size: small;"> because <span style="font-size: small;">the leftovers that I stored in October is all gone (my brother ate it all). The s<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">alsa</span> keeps for a very long time in a<span style="font-size: small;">n airtight container, s<span style="font-size: small;">tored in<span style="font-size: small;"> t</span>he fridge. I'm<span style="font-size: small;"> never going to make traditional <span style="font-size: small;">cranberry sauce <span style="font-size: small;">anymor<span style="font-size: small;">e because the cranberry salsa is both exciting and different to the palette (plus I love the spicy kic<span style="font-size: small;">k I get from the <span style="font-size: small;">jalapenos</span> and spices).</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2fwsWXzdQziPqHYLIfYIZOOFtnRczPxFfiKHyyC2QgSxQyNGPy8ff-ObCgPTvGQtElM_8yvRGjIztKgFAHcs-vDelG3-785rt5eUbBX6vtv9uW-G1Q6GsHJ3l2cyL_P-XqzM38DjPOGw/s640/Christmas+Dinner.jpg" width="424" /> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
The Exilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01001468374630164884noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7830031329243935859.post-69036859555741300622012-10-07T22:48:00.000-07:002012-10-08T22:56:21.537-07:00Thanksgiving Dinner<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglGOl-PL2kPOIo-3toGI6KNmcvPB988MWEuSTrfFYuw759d4Ad1LYrfHzNuyDIJc1yB-_aNo0dc12h6eEj7BBbrmFGpGJrJ5CL9VMY90x9iswvjWPprta9ldrP2ie0Z5AzQ71sS9Q95LE/s640/Thanksgiving_original.jpg" width="640" /></div>
<br />
Oh my goodness, it has been forever since I made a post -bows in apology-<br />
I have been very busy with school and work so I have not had enough time to cook anything.<br />
This month, we had an early Thanksgiving dinner on the same day of my great-grandmother's memorial...so...there was a lot of food! Along the veggie dishes my mom and I made, there were also pork roast, turkey and all the fixings! I even attempted a pumpkin chiffon pie but I think I'll just stick to cheesecakes and fruit pies from now on hehe ;)<br />
<br />
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Some things on the menu were crab soup, veggie curry, veggie chicken and mushrooms, Korean vermicelli stir-fry and some spring rolls.<br />
The Thanksgiving menu included Herb Roasted Turkey, <a href="http://www.homehardware.ca/en/index/home-experts/anna-olson/all-recipes/fall-recipes/cheddar-and-apple-stuffed-pork-loin-with-cider-glaze.htm">Apple and Cheddar Stuffed Pork Roast</a> (adapted), <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">The <a href="http://www.oprah.com/food/Pumpkin-Chiffon-Pie_1">chiffon pumpkin pie</a> I made is a 'light' twist on the traditional, heavy custard pie which I turned into a sheet pie. However, I think I'll stick with cheesecakes and fruit pies...enough said haha! </span></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY2nldHdqYWNn7AhH5w8O51PGi9JrkbX4pYHL8o6M8Z4_l94hIgmOJMhAOQSoK1NQgEWrl785ImJjFothtPLKrUz7JVnECt0GDZs-bN4cOZId6vqCstYOJWsrNzTC4FZI0WRpcTbVUx8U/s640/Turkey_original+(2).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Herb Roasted Turkey; parsley, cilantro, garlic, shallots, salt, pepper, rosemary, and thyme</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitDVBokKEH7tgjMv8EXMF5kcZrP9ekMgpP4exZqUCE4pjz3oCQpEurAYQsZqs8GrpWlqlR2yYxLAbVvLzxxwtvmsx6rQZKa8xbxmeDEOLieZjTEMp_AbrkA7oauOarY5MsQVgnBxEmXfs/s640/Pork_original(1).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Apple and Cheddar Stuffed Pork loin, wrapped in bacon ;)</td></tr>
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The Exilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01001468374630164884noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7830031329243935859.post-62756652485381838162012-09-05T21:23:00.000-07:002012-09-07T21:42:12.497-07:00Vegetarian "Bún Riêu" or Tomato Noodle Soup<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifHCQISjZHozLpvC_DjPeyyQaArT_y7w5Dwvg5QeRi0IW4mSHKsZOkul1Vz_xV-ENJw272zJ0IJWmTNy0JuGkd8Qjy9ZzBxWL5K7lK2GXrEbOkicZrJZZwoRGCMZ2wZykKue8pAYFX5J0/s640/photo+2.JPG" width="640" /></div>
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<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Bún Riêu </span>cua, a noodle dish that
is one of the top vendor foods in Vietnam. The original vendor dish is
made with grounded paddy crabs, tomatoes, deep-fried tofu and an egg and
shrimp paste mixture. The dish is sometimes known as tofu-curdle noodle
soup, since the chunky eggs in the soup resemble curdled milk. The
broth is colored with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annatto">annatto </a>seeds
to produce a bright orangy-red color to the broth. In this quickie veggie version, I used my home-grown tomatoes and crushed tofu to create this "replica." The dish is accompanied with a
variety of condiments ranging from chili pepper paste, fermented shrimp
paste, limes, bean sprouts, shredded banana flower, spearmint, shiso
leaves, and/or exotic leaves called <i>rau kinh giới </i>(<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Elsholtzia ciliata</span>).</span><br />
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The Exilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01001468374630164884noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7830031329243935859.post-46893938535418235252012-07-03T20:05:00.000-07:002012-07-03T20:38:57.645-07:00Steelhead Trout with Mango Salsa<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="419" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1MWq9cuRFdV0zHrUplXVYHILRieu3rdXRCJccLYDVXeLgALhOdjKHUR2QpJibMLKPiaOHdT4dij9Ap0rsCS38uY_8huN2THCBH3wSzRu_55mJX8totiD5fyaKJeJ8ZQl3AyxzACb-hEw/s640/DSC_9232.JPG" width="640" /></div>
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I haven't cooked dinner in a very long time and today I whipped up a trout dish for the fam. I picked up a steel-head trout fillet at Costco and a box of mangoes along with some corn, bell peppers, and avocados.<br />
In around one hour after getting home, I served up a dish full of delish; trout fillets cut into individual portions, lightly seasoned, grilled and glazed with a my favorite mesquite sauce (a raspberry chipotle mix). Served with a refreshing mango salsa and placed on top of red rice and corn and black bean medallions. Yummeh!<br />
<br />
<u>Mango Salsa</u><br />
<br />
1 large tomato, pulped and diced <br />
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped<br />
1/2 small red onion, chopped<br />
1 tbsp sugar <br />
1 mango, diced<br />
handful of cilantro, chopped<br />
1 medium avocado, chopped (optional)<br />
salt and pepper to taste<br />
Cayenne powder to taste (optional) <br />
<br />
Place tomatoes, peppers, red onion and sugar in a medium boil. Mix it up and let it sit for 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients.<br />
<br />
<u>Corn and Black Bean Medallions</u><br />
<br />
2 large russet potatoes, peeled, chunked, boiled and mashed<br />
1/4 cup corn<br />
1/4 cup black beans <br />
1 large red bell pepper, chopped<br />
handful of cilantro, chopped<br />
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped<br />
1/2 small red onion, chopped<br />
Salt and pepper to taste<br />
1/2 cup bread crumbs<br />
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (optional)<br />
<br />
Sautee corn, beans, peppers, cilantro and onion until slightly browned. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour mixture into mashed potatoes and stir in bread crumbs and cheese. Form into little patties and pan fry until both sides are golden browned.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6ESjHFs_pkRlSMbooEAIF1o1qRKNYBl27YQCzS_woU78gpAB9HClKFHgO1Z6h8kj4ab11oUQLDW1MxAhKOH_6It5Gkqgmraxrq8FOLH2VSQ05xzMB60HuFI_6YRHxON9b2Rc06UWv5FY/s640/DSC_9231.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mango Salsa without avocados because my brother does not like avocados</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVRnHfobV4M-gvUrQl3kWUEnCSGkdBkhyphenhyphen8XRajYiSnvYU9Yutx1vRQr0P7JYCBKR_CFCRujrkhV-06y14P9_-T5h-DwYTJoXxWl2fm8MJ7W7HfBf3FsI0WKOpY1ZnjTi_EeNllSZTQEMI/s1600/DSC_9233.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="408" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVRnHfobV4M-gvUrQl3kWUEnCSGkdBkhyphenhyphen8XRajYiSnvYU9Yutx1vRQr0P7JYCBKR_CFCRujrkhV-06y14P9_-T5h-DwYTJoXxWl2fm8MJ7W7HfBf3FsI0WKOpY1ZnjTi_EeNllSZTQEMI/s640/DSC_9233.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mango Salsa with avocados for the rest of the family</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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</div>The Exilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01001468374630164884noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7830031329243935859.post-18834349468619427002012-06-26T22:05:00.000-07:002012-06-26T22:05:47.070-07:00Omurice<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRG7Efwqy8p7OhgjwXmsIwzQE74hhDBkhGkeExlEtbfdt36RACxS4IxK57qFjaBjT5_KEU7BBhBdW9WomAYFJt0VHmqnX5__PDFCo0_PzNMqweOheEpsyNEC4oaUGeI2DUJqva8SbW5rc/s640/DSC_8899.JPG" width="640" /></div>
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Omurice- A Japanese fusion dish consisting of fried rice wrapped in a thin omelet and usually topped with ketchup.<br />
I made some for lunch today, and I was a bit skeptical with the recipe I used that called for ketchup in the fried rice, which would make the rice saucy (not what traditional fried rice should be). However, it's what goes into "traditional" omurice, so I went ahead with the recipe. And my, oh my, it was not bad at all. The rice actually soaked up the ketchup and bonded all the savory flavors of the veggie bacon that I used and the sweetness of the peas. It was very good. <br />
Setting the rice aside, I made a thin omelet, placed the rice filling in and wrapped the omelet around it. Served with a little ketchup and I fell in love with this dish. The flavors are so well balanced; sweet, tangy and savory, which all ties in so well with the fluffy omelet wrap. I will definitely be making this again.<br />
Recipe: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTf5EgVY5uU">Chicken Version</a><br />
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<br />The Exilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01001468374630164884noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7830031329243935859.post-73295482105340226902012-06-17T21:27:00.000-07:002012-06-26T21:29:36.267-07:00Beer and Smoked Gouda Bread<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="412" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijzxQrufoL_fZxFHiNPj3FjHNL2tolCEcUcmKM8pfxSLd0CACyhQlezaYpqM3sFpwSD6h0DwBzgwDRgnVufu9cRXRpQxXWTpvJy_u-sofe_drPhzHMSjLXmD8qNPH-7JNf_xWH99DC8vE/s640/DSC_8884.JPG" width="640" /></div>
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As you may know, I've always loved making bread since I find it so relaxing and exhilarating. So far, all the breads that I have made are done so by hand (KitchenAid cheat here and there lol) and baked through an actual oven. However, I do own a bread machine and have put off using it for around 5 years now...I don't know why but I think it has something to do with the indention of the built-in kneading blade...<br />
Anywhos, this time around, I decided to bake a few loaves in the machine and see how it goes. My tasty combo; beer and smoked Gouda cheese. One thing you should know is that I am absolutely NOT a beer fan. I dislike the taste and idea of it being a party must-have. Unfortunately, with all the men in my family, beer shows up here and there but seldom do I have much left over...<br />
At a recent party, around 14 cans of cheap beer were left over and finding it a waste of an ingredient to pour down the drain, I decided to use it as the liquid ingredient in bread.<br />
After placing all the ingredients conveniently into the bread pan and waiting 3 hours, a beautiful, golden and aromatic loaf emerged. The crust was so glorious and the crumb was deliciously fluffy, changing my perspective on bred machines.<br />
I will definitely be using the machine again for future breads.<br />
<br />
1 can of light beer<br />
1 2/3 cups shredded smoked Gouda cheese<br />
2 tsp salt <br />
4 cups all-purpose flour<br />1 tsp sugar<br />
2 tsp active dry yeast<br />
<br />
In order, starting at bottom of bread pan, add beer, cheese, salt, flour, and sugar. Make an indentation in the flour and add yeast. Make sure the yeast does not touch the liquid. Close the bread machine and press the Basic setting or Plain White Setting. Wait for the cycle to complete and there you have it-a loaf of freshly made bread.<br />
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<br />The Exilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01001468374630164884noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7830031329243935859.post-29789459670652264842012-05-26T22:32:00.001-07:002012-05-27T02:24:16.149-07:00The Avengers Birthday Cake!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I have always been a soft-core, Marvel fan and since watching The Avengers by Marvel, you might say it has become an obsession. On my quest to have everyone I know become obsessed with the Avengers, I bought tickets for my mom, dad, brother, and myself to watch the movie in 3D. <br />
Carrying my obsession over to the culinary arts, I made a cake for my brother's birthday featuring the heroic group.<br />
The cake is an Asian styled cake, layered with vanilla chiffon, pandan agar and a taro filling. The entire cake is covered in whipped cream then drawn on with homemade piping gel.<br />
Homemade piping gel is so worth it to make because you get exactly the color you'd like and you can flavor it with whatever essence you'd like. The only downside is using it after it has been stored; the gel congeals and when you try to break it up, it becomes lumpy and is very hard to pipe. One of my foodie cousins helped me smooth out the gel so that I could pipe it out; it was a painstaking process and I would have lost my head if she didn't help me.<br />
I had found a photo online that I modified and used as a template. The piping gel transfer did not work very well for me but it did enough for me to retrace the picture. After that it was just a matter of precision and patience. Since smaller details were very hard to pipe on, I omitted the eyes and some minor lines.<br />
I was nervous of the outcome but near the end I was quite proud of my accomplishment. And not only that, the cake was a hit amongst the guests and Tommy really liked it. Success!<br />
<br />
<u>Homemade Piping Gel (about 1/2 cup)*</u><br />
<br />
1/3 cup granulated sugar<br />
1 Tbsp. cornstarch (cornflour)<br />
2 tbsp lemon juice<br />
1/2 cup water<br />
Gel Food Coloring of choice (opt)<br />
<div class="hrecipe">
<div class="ingredients">
</div>
<div class="instructions">
</div>
<div class="instructions">
Whisk sugar and cornstarch (cornflour) in a small saucepan. <br />
Gradually add juice and then the water. Make sure there are no lumps.
<br />
Stir over medium/high heat until mixture boils and thickens.
<br />
Color as desired.</div>
<div class="instructions">
Will last about a month or so in the ‘fridge but will need to be at room temperature or reheated until smooth.
</div>
</div>
<br />
For the opaque white gel, I used 2 tbsp skim milk and omitted the lemon juice (cause it will curdle the milk). I also added a pinch of white vanilla powder for flavor.<br />
<br />
I doubled the recipe for the primary colors, which was WAAYY too much. I have left over gel...what to bake next? <br />
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<br />The Exilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01001468374630164884noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7830031329243935859.post-78457523016602745502012-05-23T23:34:00.001-07:002012-05-23T23:35:38.461-07:00Cream of Broccoli Soup<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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While I made the <a href="http://love-makinginthekitchen.blogspot.ca/2012/05/rabbit-and-mung-bean-congee-viet-dish.html">Rabbit and Mung Bean Congee</a> for the family, I quickly made a creamy and vibrant broccoli soup for myself, using a recipe I adapted from <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mvc8Au4YO60">Gordon Ramsay</a> but turning it into a cream-of soup. So good. I flippin love Broccoli.</div>
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<br />The Exilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01001468374630164884noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7830031329243935859.post-31099981572337438142012-05-23T23:14:00.000-07:002012-05-23T23:21:36.165-07:00Rabbit and Mung Bean Congee (Viet Dish)<img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhztdCCcXfBZaQAD9JW5iAoi2LYQ5S4sIC8efs7F_cbaOIAW6QGvF3PWnr6lgaDw8zcZ4YNW-ve0xo0m4i0zzQQXDcpZrrIgXW37aNj7fBpRfytQWTMIvAnsIoIu3_YyhbxDmliSrQRUdE/s640/DSC_8675.JPG" width="640" /><br />
Before I was a vegetarian, approx. three years ago, I was in Vietnam one summer and my cousin and I dropped by a local congee/rice porridge street vendor and ordered some rabbit and mung bean congee. Since I had been a fan of gamey meats, the rabbit was right up my alley. The restaurant served piping hot congee topped with mung beans, minced rabbit meat, scallions and a vegetable that I cannot find here nor know what it is called. It is similar taro stems, an ingredient used to make the delicious Vietnamese Spicy and Sour Soup. Since I did not have that particular ingredient, I omitted it in my version of the dish.<br />
The rabbit was purchased at a Chinese supermarket, frozen and creepy looking as heck. Thawed and unpackaged, it looked even worst hahaha! This was my first time ever cooking with rabbit so it was a little nervous but the thing was dead, so whatever hahaha. (God I am a bad vegetarian...)<br />
Instead of mincing the meat like the street vendor did, I chopped the bunny up and seasoned it slightly before adding it to a pot of water to create a Bugs Bunny stock. I had toasted some rice in my conventional oven before adding it to the boiling pot to slowly cook and break down.<br />
Mung beans are amazing and these little green pellets were given as a gift to me on my last trip to Vietnam. Mung beans are so versatile as an ingredient. They are used to make savory and sweet dishes as well as bean sprouts, providing a good source of fiber and protein. I placed 1 1/2 cup into my slow cooker the night before so that they would be nice and tender the next day. As soon as the rice cooked down and the soup was getting thicker because of the starch, I drained the cooked mung beans and added them to the pot.<br />
Served piping hot with sliced scallions and fresh ground black pepper.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Silly Rabbit...</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaP-ojYq9PkWoTWrcNF54YWEP0KWaZJTJ3EZT8A-iej2r7fYzmR-8RyZEU6NqXfcBTyXfPuha364GWlzP6_bKztahNDk2R5Gwmrr0c06yZ8jegi4Gysy7zxi4fqduxqhOE6bS9j7fwV2A/s640/DSC_8678.JPG" width="640" /></div>The Exilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01001468374630164884noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7830031329243935859.post-49129791471190875302012-05-17T00:55:00.000-07:002012-05-23T01:00:13.713-07:00Grilled Halibut and Lemon-Dill Quinoa<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So...it has been a VERY long time since I last posted anything on my blog, so my apologies. My schedule was very busy and I never had enough time to cook. I have also been away on a trip to Victoria, BC, visiting my best friend and some pals. Since Victoria is an island on the west coast of Canada, seafood is a must in local cookery. On the day I headed back, I dropped by Fisherman's Wharf and purchased some fresh crab, halibut, and smoked tuna for the flight home. As soon as I got home, I boiled the crab and served it to my family with a salt n' pepper with lime dip, which they LOVED. Mom said that the crab was delicious and coming from someone who does not enjoy crab, that means a lot. <br />
For the halibut, I sliced it up into three portions and marinated it in a soy and sesame mixture. I grilled the slices on a hot griddle. I cooked up some quinoa and tossed it in some lemon juice, olive oil and chopped dill. I drizzled a sweet soy and red vinegar reduction on the dish before serving it with some local Pinot Gris from the Vancouver Islands. Yummeh! :)<br />
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<br /></div>The Exilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01001468374630164884noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7830031329243935859.post-47408151084359575942012-04-26T20:26:00.001-07:002012-04-26T20:26:44.574-07:00Polenta with a Mediterranean Twist<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeWGcNAyKV4a0BW6DtmJ6mNrRXCe9vWjApFO2BCkBB55m7MZvuQo0WDZ_FKvtjw0gzgRRQPl50kZk8oHGveLlGMx7Q0kghZkV5ils2o8to0e7b5Mn5Z4hdeFhAHMDPdMJSJYe3OpNnw04/s640/DSC_8240.JPG" width="640" /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu1coW82ZR5w5i47ySOqXYKDP4m6paa_WjuiUZdP4vSMIZWHYU2cE0IMKsRhnc8ForT7kbnZQ0TPHGsRgq93Z-pfOTaLFZqhP-mjEWNq3mbmKfTA4_HvMzHDYr4sGxukaR5sjagQlCh3I/s1600/DSC_8243.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>Polenta; cornmeal cooked to a paste and can be served in a variety of ways. I cooked up some today, seasoned with a bit of salt and pepper before serving it with a poached egg, chopped kalamata olives, chopped mint leaves and crumbled feta with a drizzle of olive oil. I boiled mine in water, so my polenta is VERY yellow and not creamy looking...and thick :C I gotta add more water if I'm doing something like this next time but whatever is left will be good to experiment on (Polenta Fries!!)<br />
This was fairly quick to prepare plus it was light and VERY filling...less is more? :)<br />
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<img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu1coW82ZR5w5i47ySOqXYKDP4m6paa_WjuiUZdP4vSMIZWHYU2cE0IMKsRhnc8ForT7kbnZQ0TPHGsRgq93Z-pfOTaLFZqhP-mjEWNq3mbmKfTA4_HvMzHDYr4sGxukaR5sjagQlCh3I/s400/DSC_8243.JPG" width="400" /></div>The Exilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01001468374630164884noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7830031329243935859.post-63463308405567129312012-04-19T19:52:00.000-07:002012-04-26T20:09:20.184-07:00Broccoli-Spinach Ricotta Stuffed Pasta Shells<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheTLVxlFZ3zXnYQZ50zcHjhEULTEdD3NLaPq7to4k9vL1u2jKkfVoz8iUM6WtrCc9lRU0lQC4Wigvw_LjBjHPtw5phFjqeJmK9WMIS92C-Ls5g-MlUkSJRnbMspP9GPW9r4X6uapWMb3k/s1600/DSC_8232.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheTLVxlFZ3zXnYQZ50zcHjhEULTEdD3NLaPq7to4k9vL1u2jKkfVoz8iUM6WtrCc9lRU0lQC4Wigvw_LjBjHPtw5phFjqeJmK9WMIS92C-Ls5g-MlUkSJRnbMspP9GPW9r4X6uapWMb3k/s640/DSC_8232.JPG" width="640" /> </a><br />
I absolutely love pasta and whenever I have enough time to make it, I really do go all out. As usual, all my cooking frenzies begin with a craving and, what do you know, I had a craving for pasta with ricotta. Usually, ricotta cheese would be a filling for my lasagnas but I did not feel like making the time-intensive dish so instead, I decided to use it as a stuffing for some pasta shells that I had in my pantry. I had a ridiculous amount of broccoli and spinach in my fridge which I decided to quickly blanch in boiling water, chop up and mix with the ricotta cheese, an egg and around 1/4 cup of Parmesan and some salt and pepper to taste. I also pureed a can of whole, peeled tomatoes, seasoned with more Parmesan, olive oil, pepper, a bit of my homemade hot sauce and of course, basil (dried because I couldn't find fresh, boo-hoo!)<br />
I boiled up the pasta shells to al dente, filled it with the stuffing, placed into a casserole pan with the sauce, topped with shredded mozzarella and baked in the oven at 350 degrees C until the cheese melts and the sauce is bubbly.<br />
<br />Sooooo goood.<br />
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<br />The Exilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01001468374630164884noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7830031329243935859.post-71687515068196110562012-04-12T23:56:00.003-07:002012-04-13T00:27:00.088-07:00Ube and Pandan Kaya Birthday Cake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="466" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1QhtsZ5qjDcvGqCBSoJXQdddwegn1GN6oA8nNT1sMr5f3owOO4YPsWE9j-W0c-ifigEeRbYPajkHFmYlk3Y8Tbsq-hdcwoUGHXDWDM-uv_fXyehU0q2isa_5C3ye4lmvvZ_oWDZKqTW8/s640/DSC_8108.JPG" width="640" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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Today was my mom's birthday and instead of ordering a cake, I thought I'd try my hand at one of the complex exotic cakes that is enjoyed in South/Southeast Asia. The cake is a fusion of Pandan Kaya Cake and Ube Macapuno Cake. Pandan is a tropical plant that is used as a flavoring for food and especially desserts. It gives off a green tone when used and is attractive in desserts. Ube is basically purple yam that is sweet and holds a magnificently rich, purple color. Macapuno is just young coconut meat that has been sliced and preserved in syrup. It is used as a filling paired with ube in Filipino cakes.<br />
Since my mom loves pandan cake, coconut and the color purple, I fused the two together to create a green and purple-layered cake via an inspiration photo I found online. The layers of cake are filled with a buttercream and macapuno frosting. The entire cake is enclosed in "kaya," a solid, gelatinous casing made of coconut cream, pandan, sugar and agar-agar. Once chilled, the kaya keeps the cake moist and adds an extra bit of coolness to the cake to be enjoyed on hot days.<br />
I decorated the cake with some whipped cream roses, which are hard as heck to make! I should have used a stiffer frosting or a stabilized whipped cream recipe but I didn't think of it...darn; next time.<br />
This is also my first time to ever do any fancy-schmancy piping work on a dessert...so cut me some slack! Ahahaha! (I need to go get some lessons on piping >.<)<br />
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The cake took me two days to complete, with baking and chillin time or whatnot. Because I used preserved ube jam, the ube cake layers were too sweet for my liking, so I will get my hands on fresh purple yams for next time.<br />
My mom was pretty stoked that I knew how to make this cake because it's always been a hassle to pre-order one.<br />
I will try to make a taro-filled chiffon cake in the near future (which will be purple). :)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Makeshift mold extension for the kaya mixture.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZzQql_jCjABPLUQ-TN432gdFJOoBQeikyKb_p76Cskz6j1Oo40kXfdPgpNLahZ57u7YdzErYKf11SStquuC8OKGXKiSHuBvG-SWKs0dydVg-c0CGynd7bL9FGwEgzjZ_2JlI-W5DLwK8/s400/DSC_8181.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="265" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mommy cutting the cake!</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisKDWGKBDFKiTSZz3mq8uP-WfUL4WHM445tYC45-5ZyqJouz19uxVaX2-2R-x7Tl-8pD542hAZ-zwyJ1zwWC5VMF8Ld05gknT7Ypg9AhpXwlHgofuUp_SHTXirXPq-kJ8EUQq-mhsK8Ps/s400/DSC_8186.JPG" width="400" /></div>The Exilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01001468374630164884noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7830031329243935859.post-16094778768335281962012-04-09T23:51:00.001-07:002012-04-11T23:09:24.621-07:00Hong Kong-Style Sausage Buns (Minis!)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZZH1aaCWmXcLf5uw22_0tQOOa5QuJClUVe3scVu0wGdUzSBan4TiQw232POC6K40ORN8tQGEW46X7ejElG2KPI68kOAFu78_BY66BIAs1irRfEKQRRevjErlIyzNIXmWPAi4yq-l7v0Y/s640/DSC_8002.JPG" width="640" /></div><br />
I absolutely love making these! I had an entire bag of unopened cocktail smokies in my fridge and I did not want them to go bad. So I searched up a recipe for the Hong Kong-styled buns that the Chinese bakeries always sold because my brother loves to snack on them. The bread dough is a sweet, milk-based dough unlike the bread or pastry dough that pigs-in-a-blanket are usually wrapped in. The result is moist, sweet and yummy goodness!<br />
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They were so good the first time I made them, I decided to make a larger batch for a little Spring Party that I hosted at my house for the family. Recipe is an adaption of the recipe provided <a href="http://returnoftheyummy.blogspot.ca/2009/05/chinese-bakery-style-hot-dog-buns.html">here</a>.<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Ingredients</span></div><ul type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">1 ¼ cup all purpose flour</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">1 package active dry yeast </span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">2 tbsp sugar</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">1 tsp salt</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">2 large eggs, lightly beaten and divided</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span class="st">2/3 cups</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> lukewarm milk</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">8 hot dogs or around 20 cocktail smokies</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">sesame seeds (optional)</span></li>
</ul><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Method</span></div><ol start="1" type="1"><li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">In a stand mixer bowl, stir together the flour, yeast, sugar and salt. Add in 1 of the lightly beaten eggs and the milk, stirring until it starts to come together. Attach the bowl to the stand mixer.</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Using the dough hook attachment, knead on medium-low speed (#4 on my KitchenAid) for 5 minutes. Add the softened butter and knead another 3 minutes or until the butter has been completely and thoroughly absorbed into the dough. The dough should feel smooth, satiny, and not sticky. If it's sticky, add more flour in tablespoon increments until you reach the right texture. The dough should pass the windowpane test (you can stretch it out very thinly without it breaking). Knead until it does.</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Spray a good size bowl with cooking spray. Take the dough out of the mixing bowl and form into a ball, pulling the sides down so that it becomes taut. Place the ball of dough in the greased bowl, cover it, and let it rise in a warm area for about 90 minutes, until about doubled in size.</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Take the dough out of the bowl and divide into 8 equal pieces, .</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">To form the poofy rolls</span></u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">, roll out one of the dough pieces between your hands until it's about 2 to 2 1/2 times the length of the hot dog. If you want the center to be bigger than the ends, make sure you roll your dough accordingly, so that the middle of your long piece of dough is bulkier than the ends. Wrap the length of dough around a hot dog; it should be enough to make 3 loops, with the tapered ends at the bottom of the hot dog. </span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the shaped buns on the paper, leaving enough room in between each for the dough to have a place to go while it's rising.</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Cover the buns loosely with plastic wrap or a clean cloth (you don't want to ruin the rise by having to peel anything off them). Let the dough rise again for another 90 minutes or so, until it's about doubled in volume and look nicely plump.</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 400°F.</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">When the buns have risen, gently brush egg wash (the remaining egg) generously onto each, making sure to get the sides as well, and sprinkle sesame seeds on top, if desired.</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Bake in the preheated oven for 8 minutes. Lower the temperature to 350°F and bake for another 5-8 minutes, until the buns are an attractive golden brown</span></li>
</ol><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I find that if you will be using hot dogs, it is better to cut the wiener in half so that it is the perfect snack/appetizer size! </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The ones for the party!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The Exilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01001468374630164884noreply@blogger.com0