Thursday, May 29, 2008
Thought of the Day: Soft & Soothing
There's something soothing about the soft oily smell of a close person's head. Warm and comforting.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Thought of the Day: Harp
The harp is such a magnificent instrument. Playing one brings me back to the little girl suspended in a fantasy world. Blame it on Little Nemo.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Flavors
Food has been one of my lifelong obsessions. When I eat something that I really like, I turn into a little kid again. I bounce, I grunt and moan in pleasure... I may even let out a few choice expletives.
There's something indulgent about food that is rich in flavor and history from far-off lands. My appreciation for the present-day luxury of having readily available what was once exotic resonates whenever I eat the rich, spice-infused curries of India. Saffron and toasted cumin rice, chicken Makhani, coriander curry... sublime.
I have a friend who is allergic to fruit and I think that's so sad. I couldn't imagine a life without my beautiful white peaches from farm stands, sun-ripened strawberries, the ever ambrosial mango... the unattainable fresh mangosteen, and the near-impossible to find white cherry.
I enjoy anything nutty. Almonds, chestnuts, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, and pine nuts are my favorite. My childhood romance with peanut butter grew into a full-fledged passion for almond croissants, pignoli cookies, toffee... the list goes on. Chestnut Pocky is my food obsession du jour--nutty with a hint of butterscotch on a wispy cracker. The fact that they are individually packaged makes them that much more appealing to me. I just found these cute cute cutely packaged asian-style nut/bean cracker mix--love.
I have a deep seated appreciation for what is fresh and in-season.
There's a little gem near Georgetown called Dolcezza. Good gracious! Argentine gelato in flavors of such high quality ingredients like Valrhona... or seasonal fruits for the sorbetto (Sicilian blood orange, plum, white peach) and this is one place where nothing seems to taste artificial. I was so impressed with their plum, which gave the same puckering effect as its most natural form. My favorite so far is the honey citrus avocado... smooth, light, sweet and refreshing. Lemon basil is an awakening flavor kick.
Liberty Orchards' fruit delights are a fruity rendition of Lokum, or Turkish delight of Narnia notoriety. I first tried the Applets and Cotlets from a small stand at a Sam's club around the holidays and ever since, every holiday season, I go to wherever they're available and stock up on however much I can get my hands on. These are so delicious. Stickier and more solid than the typical fruit jellies out there, with crunchy nuts inside... like a nutty caramel, but less sickly sweet because of the slight tart hint of fruit. Beautifully luscious--these are my favorite candies.
Sweet vegetables also make me very very happy. I love the sweet potato cake slices readily available in Seoul bakeries. Sweet potatoes are big among Koreans. They even put rings of it on their pizza... and I really do wish America would hop on that train--good stuff. Roasted, with kimchee... the spicy sweet combination is one of my favorite things to eat during the winter. In the warmer months, I do love my sweet corn, steamed without butter. I like the slight milky flavor they conjure up on their own... so mildly sweet.
Almost all food that comes from the sea is something I really appreciate. I don't know if it's because of my love for the sea, but there's just something about seafood that leaves me with a pleasant sense of longing. Shrimp, clams, mussels, oysters, sushi, mackerel, salmon, toro... the lesser experienced live squid, octopus, urchin, abalone (oh my geez... abalone jook), conch... sigh.
Out of choice proteins, after seafood, there's duck. So rich and flavorful... I don't think I've ever had bad duck. Which I couldn't say about all the other kinds of meat out there.
There's something indulgent about food that is rich in flavor and history from far-off lands. My appreciation for the present-day luxury of having readily available what was once exotic resonates whenever I eat the rich, spice-infused curries of India. Saffron and toasted cumin rice, chicken Makhani, coriander curry... sublime.
I have a friend who is allergic to fruit and I think that's so sad. I couldn't imagine a life without my beautiful white peaches from farm stands, sun-ripened strawberries, the ever ambrosial mango... the unattainable fresh mangosteen, and the near-impossible to find white cherry.
I enjoy anything nutty. Almonds, chestnuts, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, and pine nuts are my favorite. My childhood romance with peanut butter grew into a full-fledged passion for almond croissants, pignoli cookies, toffee... the list goes on. Chestnut Pocky is my food obsession du jour--nutty with a hint of butterscotch on a wispy cracker. The fact that they are individually packaged makes them that much more appealing to me. I just found these cute cute cutely packaged asian-style nut/bean cracker mix--love.
I have a deep seated appreciation for what is fresh and in-season.
There's a little gem near Georgetown called Dolcezza. Good gracious! Argentine gelato in flavors of such high quality ingredients like Valrhona... or seasonal fruits for the sorbetto (Sicilian blood orange, plum, white peach) and this is one place where nothing seems to taste artificial. I was so impressed with their plum, which gave the same puckering effect as its most natural form. My favorite so far is the honey citrus avocado... smooth, light, sweet and refreshing. Lemon basil is an awakening flavor kick.
Liberty Orchards' fruit delights are a fruity rendition of Lokum, or Turkish delight of Narnia notoriety. I first tried the Applets and Cotlets from a small stand at a Sam's club around the holidays and ever since, every holiday season, I go to wherever they're available and stock up on however much I can get my hands on. These are so delicious. Stickier and more solid than the typical fruit jellies out there, with crunchy nuts inside... like a nutty caramel, but less sickly sweet because of the slight tart hint of fruit. Beautifully luscious--these are my favorite candies.
Sweet vegetables also make me very very happy. I love the sweet potato cake slices readily available in Seoul bakeries. Sweet potatoes are big among Koreans. They even put rings of it on their pizza... and I really do wish America would hop on that train--good stuff. Roasted, with kimchee... the spicy sweet combination is one of my favorite things to eat during the winter. In the warmer months, I do love my sweet corn, steamed without butter. I like the slight milky flavor they conjure up on their own... so mildly sweet.
Almost all food that comes from the sea is something I really appreciate. I don't know if it's because of my love for the sea, but there's just something about seafood that leaves me with a pleasant sense of longing. Shrimp, clams, mussels, oysters, sushi, mackerel, salmon, toro... the lesser experienced live squid, octopus, urchin, abalone (oh my geez... abalone jook), conch... sigh.
Out of choice proteins, after seafood, there's duck. So rich and flavorful... I don't think I've ever had bad duck. Which I couldn't say about all the other kinds of meat out there.
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Recipe: Gerry Darnaby's Chocolate Cake
Two winters ago, I visited my aunt Sunny's house. Although I don't quite remember the nature of my visit, this cake was pretty hard to forget. Until then, I guess I never really had a good chocolate cake... probably only the boxed cafeteria-esque stuff from bake sales or supermarkets. Apparently, her neighbor, Gerry Darnaby, had baked it as a gift for my cousin, Kimberly. I had a slice, smothered in cream cheese frosting, and it was heaven. Sometimes it really is the simple stuff. It's rather basic chocolate cake... but it's easier than pie (which is actually pretty difficult to get right in my opinion) and it's moist and fluffy. I think the addition of hot water is what does the trick... I read from a Cooks Illustrated article that although egg whites foam readily when beaten, the egg yolks have too high a fat content to foam by itself. But after heating it, the proteins will come together into a decent foam. My theory is that adding heat via water allows more air into the batter? If anyone knows the actual reason, please let me know~
1 c. softened butter (2 sticks)
2 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 c. buttermilk
2 1/2 c. cocoa
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. boiling water
1 tsp. vanilla
1. Mix sugar & butter until fluffy.
2. Add eggs, beat, then add buttermilk.
3. Add dry ingredients & beat.
4. Add hot water & beat lightly.
5. Add vanilla. Pour into greased pan.
6. Bake at 350 F for 40-45 minutes in a 13x9x2" pan
OR bake at 350 F for 45-50 minutes in a tube pan.
Cut into 3 layers and frost with favorite cream-cheese frosting recipe.
1 c. softened butter (2 sticks)
2 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 c. buttermilk
2 1/2 c. cocoa
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. boiling water
1 tsp. vanilla
1. Mix sugar & butter until fluffy.
2. Add eggs, beat, then add buttermilk.
3. Add dry ingredients & beat.
4. Add hot water & beat lightly.
5. Add vanilla. Pour into greased pan.
6. Bake at 350 F for 40-45 minutes in a 13x9x2" pan
OR bake at 350 F for 45-50 minutes in a tube pan.
Cut into 3 layers and frost with favorite cream-cheese frosting recipe.
Recipe: Banana Corn Muffins
From a past issue of Cooking Light (I'll have to double check) there was a recipe for Banana Corn Muffins that caught my attention.
It is incredibly simple and it was just what I needed to fill in a bit of extra time (who knew that such a thing existed?) + it's a good way to use up one of those leftover smooshy bananas.
Basically, you take:
a cornbread box mix (like Jiffy)
a smashed medium banana
1/2 cup of milk (I used 2%)
and you mix them together. Fill a greased muffin tin and bake in the oven at 350 degrees F for 22 minutes and then let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Voila!
It is incredibly simple and it was just what I needed to fill in a bit of extra time (who knew that such a thing existed?) + it's a good way to use up one of those leftover smooshy bananas.
Basically, you take:
a cornbread box mix (like Jiffy)
a smashed medium banana
1/2 cup of milk (I used 2%)
and you mix them together. Fill a greased muffin tin and bake in the oven at 350 degrees F for 22 minutes and then let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Voila!
Recipe: Thomas Haas Chocolate Cookies
I've always liked baking... and eating. Looking back on my first diary from childhood, when the height in technology was more or less a green-tinted rounded computer that weighed a great deal more than the convenient notebook I currently face... my obsession with food had already started settling in. Even at such an innocent age, in almost every entry there is at least one scribbled sentence about some food or sweet, ranging anywhere from kimbab to ice cream. Boy did I start early... but what can I say? The necessity and pleasures of food are about as apparent as a full moon in the dark sky. One of my fondest memories is receiving a little teensy weensy baking set and cooking set... with which I "helped" my mother bake some simple sugar cookie cutouts. I guess I haven't really come that far, now that I'm just about to blossom from my adolescence into a young functional adult for I still adore cookies, especially at home with mom while reminiscing about how my father would have video-taped us... I'm sure he's still watching us. Impressively, my boyfriend seems to enjoy cookies even more than I do... even if he's busy playing a computer game, he will manage to ask me to bring him a sugar cookie from my dining hall if that's where I'm going.
My current project: These cookies are described to be like soft truffles... which sounds absolutely luscious. Plus, (Lucky me!) I found a great new source for Valrhona... TRADER JOE'S!!! Man, I really love that place. $2.69 a bar... which may sound rather pricey but it's SO worth it. Maybe I may get some of their peaches in white grape juice and quinces, for a lovely jam to enjoy in some Angel Pillows. If you're low in time (but high in cash), you can buy pre-made Chocolate Sparkles that you bake at home from here; but for those who derive pleasure from the whole process, the recipe is given below.
½ lb bittersweet chocolate (TH recommends Valrohna if you can find it)
3 T butter, room temp
2 eggs
1 T honey
1/3 c sugar, plus more for rolling
¾ c ground almonds
2 tsp cocoa powder
pinch of salt
powdered sugar for garnish
Melt chocolate on top of a double boiler, over (but not in contact with) simmering water. Cut butter into small pieces and mix into the heated chocolate until melted. Beat eggs with mixer, gradually adding the sugar and honey until light & the mixture falls in thick, smooth ribbons from the beaters (about 10 minutes). Fold into the chocolate-butter mixture. Add the cocoa powder and salt to the ground almonds & mix; gently add to the chocoate mixture.
Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Use a small ice cream scoop to form the dough into 1 inch balls. Working quickly, roll the balls in granulated sugar. Place on the baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake at 325 degrees F for about 12 minutes, until the centres are most, but not wet. Cool slightly. Dust lightly with powdered icing sugar.
Makes 36 cookies.
Recipe from here
Picture from here
My current project: These cookies are described to be like soft truffles... which sounds absolutely luscious. Plus, (Lucky me!) I found a great new source for Valrhona... TRADER JOE'S!!! Man, I really love that place. $2.69 a bar... which may sound rather pricey but it's SO worth it. Maybe I may get some of their peaches in white grape juice and quinces, for a lovely jam to enjoy in some Angel Pillows. If you're low in time (but high in cash), you can buy pre-made Chocolate Sparkles that you bake at home from here; but for those who derive pleasure from the whole process, the recipe is given below.
½ lb bittersweet chocolate (TH recommends Valrohna if you can find it)
3 T butter, room temp
2 eggs
1 T honey
1/3 c sugar, plus more for rolling
¾ c ground almonds
2 tsp cocoa powder
pinch of salt
powdered sugar for garnish
Melt chocolate on top of a double boiler, over (but not in contact with) simmering water. Cut butter into small pieces and mix into the heated chocolate until melted. Beat eggs with mixer, gradually adding the sugar and honey until light & the mixture falls in thick, smooth ribbons from the beaters (about 10 minutes). Fold into the chocolate-butter mixture. Add the cocoa powder and salt to the ground almonds & mix; gently add to the chocoate mixture.
Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Use a small ice cream scoop to form the dough into 1 inch balls. Working quickly, roll the balls in granulated sugar. Place on the baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake at 325 degrees F for about 12 minutes, until the centres are most, but not wet. Cool slightly. Dust lightly with powdered icing sugar.
Makes 36 cookies.
Recipe from here
Picture from here
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Recipe: Angel Pillows
This is a recipe from an article by CBS News on one of the winning recipes of a competition. It is veddy simple and VEDDY VEDDY GOOD... and maybe, just slightly artery clogging. Aren't they all? What you get is a golden, flaky dough encompassing a jewel-like center. Even the name is cute. The recipe is by Lisa Kantor of Littleton, Colorado.
Ms. Kantor, THANK YOU!!! This is one of my favorites!
Photo by CBS/The Early Show
Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
3 ounces cream cheese
1 cup flour
**You will also need small jars of raspberry and apricot jam
**1/4 cup granulated sugar, mixed with 3/4 tsp of cinnamon, to roll the cookies into, after they are baked.
Instructions:
Cream butter and cream cheese, blend in flour. Shape into a ball, and place covered in fridge for an hour. (I'd say a bit more than this because the dough can be a little hard to work with if you're an amateur like me... or perhaps my fridge isn't cold enough...?)
Roll thin, (to about an 1/8th inch thickness), in long strips. Cut edges with ravioli cutter.
About every 1 1/2 inches, place a heaping 1/4 tsp of raspberry or apricot jam. Roll a second strip of equal size, moisten edges of first strip and in between each drop of jam, and lay second strip on top.
Press edges and between jams firmly together. Cut "pillows" with ravioli cutter.
Place on cookie sheet, bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes until golden. Take slightly cooled cookies, and roll each in a mixture of cinnamon and sugar. Place on tray, in tin, or hide for yourself. They freeze very well. Recipe also doubles well.
Makes approximately 2 dozen cookies.
Ms. Kantor, THANK YOU!!! This is one of my favorites!
Photo by CBS/The Early Show
Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
3 ounces cream cheese
1 cup flour
**You will also need small jars of raspberry and apricot jam
**1/4 cup granulated sugar, mixed with 3/4 tsp of cinnamon, to roll the cookies into, after they are baked.
Instructions:
Cream butter and cream cheese, blend in flour. Shape into a ball, and place covered in fridge for an hour. (I'd say a bit more than this because the dough can be a little hard to work with if you're an amateur like me... or perhaps my fridge isn't cold enough...?)
Roll thin, (to about an 1/8th inch thickness), in long strips. Cut edges with ravioli cutter.
About every 1 1/2 inches, place a heaping 1/4 tsp of raspberry or apricot jam. Roll a second strip of equal size, moisten edges of first strip and in between each drop of jam, and lay second strip on top.
Press edges and between jams firmly together. Cut "pillows" with ravioli cutter.
Place on cookie sheet, bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes until golden. Take slightly cooled cookies, and roll each in a mixture of cinnamon and sugar. Place on tray, in tin, or hide for yourself. They freeze very well. Recipe also doubles well.
Makes approximately 2 dozen cookies.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
