Happy Holidays!

All right, there have not been a lot of posts on here lately.  Perhaps we need to make a New Year's resolution to help get us back on track.  I'll get things started with mine and Matt's Christmas (Eve) dinner.  Matt's co-worker generously provided some duck breasts, our local grocery store had a big sale on sweet potatoes, and I put together the meal above.

The sweet potatoes were tossed with salt, chili powder, paprika, brown sugar, and olive oil.  The green beans were tossed with salt, some onion, and a mixture of bacon grease and chicken fat (awesome cooking by-products to store!).  These were roasted together for about 25 minutes at 450.

I sprinkled the duck breasts (four whole breasts on the small side, about 1 pound total) with salt and pepper and cooked them in a cast iron skillet (more bacon grease/chicken fat because these were skinless, otherwise the duck probably would have rendered enough fat itself) on medium-high for about 3-4 minutes per side, hoping for medium or medium-rare, and it worked out well.  Of course, you can always cut into one to see or poke at them repeatedly to see how things are coming along...

Now, time for the sauce!  I have been making cranberry sauce using fresh cranberries the past couple Thanksgivings and I am obsessed with it.  I decided to buy more fresh cranberries this year so as to store away extra sauce for the future and thought they'd be great with this duck.  I moved the duck to a warm plate and put the skillet back on the stove over medium heat.  Sauteed half a minced onion, then dumped in about 1 cup of port, 3 oz of fresh cranberries, and 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar.  I cooked this till the cranberries broke down (watch out for some popping) and it thickened.  I tasted it and realized it was a little too tart so I sprinkled in some sugar (could not have been more than 1 tbsp).  I was really happy with the end result: a little sweet, a little tart, very savoury.  The sauce-making gave the duck a nice rest so I could slice it up and plate.

Tada!  Pan-seared duck breasts with port cranberry sauce!  Hope everyone's enjoying the holidays.  I promise to provide more regular updates in the new year.

Ramen

There's nothing quite like freshly-made-from-scratch ramen.  I've enjoyed warm, delightful bowls of wonder at places like Ippudo and Momofuku Noodle Bar but have been aching to find a way to make the stuff at home.  I'm pretty happy with the broth I've come up with, based on a recipe from the Momofuku cookbook.  I collected the bones from various roasts over time but I bet this works just as well (and picks up even meatier flavours) with some bone-in cuts of meat.  The key is to keep the pot at a strong, steady simmer the entire time, which helps emulsify the fat into the broth, giving it that rich, silky texture.


As for the noodles, although I've tried my hand at the home-made stuff and it's been fun, I find the convenience and quality of dried pasta to be the way to go.  I haven't checked but there's probably something a little more authentic and just as convenient at our Asian grocery store.


Ingredients:


4 lbs assorted chicken and pork bones
4 quarts water
3/4 lb bacon
1 onion, halved
2 carrots
1 head of garlic, halved crosswise
salt
soy sauce


Pre-heat the oven to 400 F and roast the bones for about 45 minutes.  Place the bones in a stockpot or large dutch oven with the water and bacon and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to medium or medium-low, whatever keeps it at a vigorous simmer.  Remove the bacon after 1 hour and continue to heat for 5 more hours, replenishing the water as necessary.  Stop replenishing the water and continue simmering for 1 hour, then add the onion, carrots and garlic and simmer for another hour.  Turn off the heat and strain the broth.  Season with salt and soy sauce to taste.  The recipe can be scaled up or down, though given how long it takes, making lots would be wise.

Mmm, roasting bones.

Bacon!

Simmering away.

Aromatics.  Almost done!

To serve, heat some broth and boil some noodles (we just used angel hair) till they're partially cooked, then finish cooking the noodles in the broth.  We've been using about 3/4 to 1 cup of broth for 2 oz of dried pasta.  Add any accoutrement you desire.

Soft-boiled egg and cabbage.  Yum!

Steamed Salmon

This is an attempt to re-create a dish made by my uncle, my dad's eldest brother and one of the best chefs I know.  His cooking never ceases to amaze, never too complicated but bursting with flavour.  I have to admit that we talked about this salmon a couple years ago and I probably don't remember every detail of the recipe correctly.  Nevertheless, I'm really happy with the outcome.

Ingredients:

1 filleted and skinned side of salmon

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/2 tsp kosher salt

4 or 5 thin slices of ginger, peeled and sliced into thin strips

2 tsp vegetable oil

2 tsp sesame oil

3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

Set up and pre-heat a large steamer (I just heat water in a large skillet with a coil of foil to balance the plate on).  Place the salmon on a large plate and fold the thin end over to get a roughly equal thickness of salmon all the way through.  Pour the water and soy sauce over the salmon and sprinkle with salt and ginger.  Let the salmon steam for about 7 minutes.

While the salmon is steaming, heat the vegetable and sesame oils and the garlic in a small saucepan over medium-low heat.  Turn off the heat when you see the garlic just starting to brown.  Once the salmon is done, pour the garlic oil over it (be careful of the spatter).  Serve with rice and any vegetable you please.

Yellow Butter Cake

I borrowed a copy of Baking at Home with the Culinary Institute of America from the library last Fall and fell in love with it.  It's basically a How to Cook Everything for pastry - recipes for any kind of baked treat you could imagine (from breads to pies to custards) with suggested variations and loads of notes on techniques.  I was lucky enough to receive the book as a birthday present from Matt this year.

We had a lazy day at home this past Saturday so I thumbed through the book and stumbled across this cake.  I couldn't have asked for more.  A short list of ingredients that we already had and a recipe that was quick and easy enough.  Better yet, it turned out to be fantastic - the cake looks rich and dense but is actually light while still being very satisfying.  The frosting could probably be anything but I went with buttercream.  I actually halved the recipes and made a single-layered cake because there's no need for the two of us to eat four sticks of butter and three cups of sugar in the span of a week.  Anyway, I'm already looking forward to making it again.


(Amusing side story: While looking for our baking powder, I had to do a google image search to remember exactly what kind of container I was looking for.)

Ingredients:

For the cake:

3 1/2 cups cake flour (all-purpose is okay)

2 cups sugar

2 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature, diced

1 cup milk, divided

4 large eggs

2 large egg whites

2 tsp vanilla extract

For the buttercream:

2 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature

4 cups confectioners' sugar (could certainly use less)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/8 tsp salt

1/4 cup heavy cream or whole milk

Pre-heat the oven to 350 F and grease two 8-inch cake pans.  Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into a large mixing bowl.  Add the butter and 1/2 a cup of milk and mix with a whisk till blended.  In a separate bowl, lightly beat the eggs, egg whites, 1/2 a cup of milk and the vanilla extract.  Add to the batter in 3 additions, mixing until blended after each addition. Divide the batter evenly between the pans and bake until the layers spring back when touched lightly in the center, 35-40 minutes (mine only took 27 minutes - guess we need to invest in an oven thermometer).

While the cake is cooling, make the buttercream.  Cream the butter (I used a spoon) until it is light in texture.  Add the sugar, vanilla and salt and mix (I use a whisk at this point) until the sugar and butter are blended.  Add the cream and whip until the buttercream is smooth and light.  I usually like the buttercream a little looser and will add a bit more cream.  Spread on the cake once it's completely cooled.  Mmm cake.

Brined Roasted Pork Loin

Brining, which we first tried out on our Thanksgiving turkey, has become fairly commonplace in our kitchen.  It's simple but genius - let your meat sit in a salty solution and let the flavours permeate.  You get tasty, juicy meat every time, a particular delight after overcooking pork on so many occasions.  The recipe for the brine comes from Ratio by Michael Ruhlman, a book that I can't recommend highly enough.  The actual recipe calls for a bunch of fresh herbs but I just threw in some dried herbs (very rough estimate of amounts) and was very pleased with the result.  Anyway, you should brine something and tell us how it goes!


Ingredients


2 1/2 cups water
2 tbsp Morton's kosher salt
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp black pepper
10 cloves garlic, smashed
1/2 tbsp dried oregano
1/2 tbsp dried parsley
half a boneless pork loin (4 to 5 lbs)


Place all the ingredients for the brine (everything except the pork) in a saucepan over medium heat and stir until the salt and sugar have dissolved.  Let the brine cool, then let the meat sit in it for 12 to 24 hours (if you're brining smaller cuts like pork chops, this only needs to be 4 to 6 hours).  I did this in a pyrex container but I generally like to use ziplocks.

Pre-heat the oven to 450 F.  Remove the pork from the brine, pat it dry and roast until it reaches an internal temperature of 140 F.  This took a little over an hour for 4 1/2 lbs, so if you don't have a thermometer, figure about 15 minutes a pound and if you want to be cautious, it's okay to go a little further - brined meat is incredibly forgiving to overcooking.  About halfway through, I threw some broccoli into the pan and you could do the same with things like cauliflower, carrots, potatoes, etc.  Once it's out of the oven, let it rest for about 15 minutes before slicing and serving.  All right, that's it from me, happy brining!

Chicken Mole

So, this is not an impressive recipe, I mean it's from Paula Dean, but it's pretty easy. It's also quite tasty, and Myron really likes it. I made it so he can have some when he gets home from Hong Kong tomorrow. I used thighs only, because they are cheap and both myself and Myron love dark meat. Also I don't strain it, because MORE SAUCE. 

"Hey, more sauce!"

-Terell Owens

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 can diced tomatoes, drained

1 bell pepper, chopped

2 chipotle peppers, roughly chopped

1 (10-ounce) can chicken broth

2 tablespoons peanut butter

2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1 (5-pound) chicken, cut into 8 pieces

White rice, for serving

Heat oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add onion and saute until translucent. Add garlic and spices and continue to saute to toast and develop flavor. Add diced tomatoes, peppers, chipotles, broth, peanut butter, and chocolate. Simmer for 10 minutes. Strain and puree until smooth.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Sear the chicken in a heavy bottomed hot saute pan over medium-high heat until browned on both sides. Add to casserole dish, cover with sauce and braise the oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Garnish with pepitas and serve with white rice.

 

Chocolate Peanut Butter Tart

Myron is more of a baker, but wile he’s in Hong Kong I must make due with my own abilities. I made a strawberry tart a month or so ago. After the success of that it wasn’t a giant leap to think of the combo of chocolate and peanut butter.  I looked at some other recipes, and I didn’t really like any of them on their own. The best one had a crust that also had peanut butter in it. Too much for me. No balance, so the recipe is kind of a combo other ones I put together for my use. I used an 11 inch tart pan, so the crust recipe is the Culinary Institute of America’s doubled. 


Tart crust


ingredients


2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large egg yolk

3 cups cake flour, sifted, plus extra for dusting


With a mixer cream together the butter, sugar, and vanilla extract, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed, until smooth and light in color, about 2 minutes. Add the egg yolk and blend until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes more. Add the flour all at once, mixing on low speed until just blended, about 30 seconds. 


The dough will be very crumbly when you remove it from the mixer. Use a gentle touch to press the dough into a disk. Wrap the dough tightly and refrigerate for 20 minutes before rolling. Roll the dough out into a circle. Try to get it about 2 inches bigger than an 11” tart pan. fit it into the pan, and remove the excess from the edges. You shouldn’t need to grease or dust the pan there is enough butter in the dough to take care of that.


Use a fork to poke holes in the dough. The dough could puff up in a way we don’t want wile you blind bake it, so use a pie weight or put dry beans in some aluminum foil to make one. Put the crust in a 400 degree oven for around 15 min till it starts to brown. 
You can take the weight out just before this so it can cook evenly. 


Let the dough cool completely wile you make the peanut butter mouse.


Peanut Butter Mousse


ingredients 


7 tbs cream cheese
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream, whipped to soft peaks




Beat the heavy whipping cream to soft peaks. Separately, beat all the other ingredients in another bowl till combined. Fold in the heavy whipped cream. Spread it into the tart and smooth the surface. Refrigerate while you make the ganache.


Ganache


3 oz milk chocolate
2 oz bittersweet chocolate
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/8 tsp vanilla




Melt all of these together in a double boiler over the stove, and stir until combined. Be careful not to burn the chocolate. I don’t have a double boiler, but a big coffee mug in a shallow pot of water works fine for me. Transfer to a bowl and let cool for a couple of minutes. Pour it over the tart, and refrigerate until it sets.