Thursday, June 21, 2012

If life gives you peaches, make peach pie

My mom picked a gazillion JUICY donut peaches from our backyard. They were all extremely ripe and even after giving them to our church, friends and friends of friends we still had a whole lot left. As usual, my mom looked to me and asked, "can you bake this into something?" CHALLENGE ACCEPTED! PEACH PIE!!! yes, I know SUPER exciting... !! but actually the REAL excitement comes from the fact that my best friend, Loretta Wang, spent the day experimenting with food photography with me. We were able to combine our interests as I baked and she took pictures! Her work is truly awesome and you should check out her blog! 

Back to the pie, so these peaches are not as sweet as your typical yellow peach and they don't have any tartness. As a result, I added more sugar than I normally wood, and I squeezed the juice of half an orange to give it a little tang! For the crust, I used a basic pie crust recipe and I had extra crust left over to make empanadas for the next day! 


Peach Pie Filling
Ingredients:
6 cups peaches pealed and diced/sliced
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
3-4 tablespoons starch (I used 4 tbs because it was very juicy)
Juice from 1/2 orange
1 egg yolk

Directions:
  1. While the pie crust is being chilled, Combine peaches, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Make sure all the peaches are covered with the spices.
  2. Add starch to the peaches, if the filling is too soggy (like mine was) drain some of the liquid so that it looks like peaches with shiny glaze, then squeeze the orange over the mixture and set aside.
  3. Preheat oven at 400 degrees. 
  4. Divide the pie crust dough into two equal portions. On a lightly floured surface, flatten and roll out the crust until it is about 1/8 inch in thickness. 
  5. Place the flattened crust in a 9-inch round and trim the edges leaving 1/2 inch of excess dough along the edges of the dish.
  6. Pour the peach filing into the pie shell. 
  7. Repeat step 4 and cover pie with additional crust and seal the edges by pinching and rolling the bottom crust over the top. 
  8. Brush the crust with egg yolk and bake for 25 minutes at 400 degrees. Reduce heat to 375 and bake for an additional 25-30 minutes, the crust should be slightly browned and the filling bubbling!
**If you'd like to do a pretty lattice cut the flatten dough into 1/2 in strips. Spread them out in one direction (north to south) 1/2 an inch apart. Fold every other (north to south) strip back and place a strip (east to west) over the unfolded (north to west) strips. Unfold the (north to south) strip and repeat. It's like construction paper weaving we all did in kindergarten!


Monday, June 18, 2012

Strawberry Dream

This past weekend, I had a potluck to attend and wasn't quite sure what I wanted to bring. I had my eyes on something made with Strawberries because they were on sale at Ralphs for 88 cents per box all last week and continue to be that price until this Tuesday-- Go stock up! Anyway, I had a box in my fridge already so I decided to get to work. This is one of my favorite recipes that I have sent to several people through recipe exchanges. The muffin is so light and fluffy it's like biting into a cloud! The original recipe is made with blueberries but I wanted to use strawberries. I remember making some strawberry shortcake cookies when I was studying abroad, they were really delicious but a little too soft because of the moisture from the strawberries... since then I've always wanted to make a Strawberry muffin and this was my chance! Although this recipe came out great and the muffins were enjoyed by everyone, I prefer it made with blueberries. Oh and the best part about this recipe is that it has really simple measurements. The original recipe is here, but I'm posting the one with the changes that I made. 
I wanted to test out a buzzfeed tip on how to hull strawberries. It worked! :) I would suggest using a boba straw because it gets the whole stem out and it doesn't bend as easily.
Strawberry Cream Muffins
Ingredients:
4 eggs
1 1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups sour cream
3 cups strawberries hulled and diced (or fresh/frozen blueberries)

Directions:
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease 24 muffin cups or line with paper muffin liners.
  2. In large bowl beat eggs, gradually add sugar while beating. Continue beating while slowly pouring in oil. Stir in vanilla. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, salt and baking soda.
  3. Stir dry ingredients into egg mixture alternately with sour cream. Gently fold in blueberries. Scoop batter into prepared muffin cups.
  4. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes


Wednesday, June 13, 2012

No Fuss Lasagna

Last friday, I volunteered to make the main dish for our weekly small group potluck. I instantly thought of lasagna because its great for big groups and like Garfield, I love lasagna. I rarely make lasagna because I hardly cook for large groups and if you make one, you're stuck eating it for the next 7 days... and I don't love lasagna that much. This is a pretty basic recipe that you'll find all over the web or even versions of it on the back of lasagna noodle boxes. I made a couple changes according to reviews and personal likes/dislikes about lasagna. The prep is really easy and took me about 30 minutes from start to finish, prepare it in the morning before work and save it to bake it work, maybe even have it with a glass of cabernet. Buon Apetito! 
Fun Fact: I made this lasagna for my italian neighbor and his mamma in Rome, they were very impressed  



Ingredients:
12 lasagna noodles
1 pound ground turkey (italian seasoned)
1 red pepper diced (seeds removed)
1/2 medium onion minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoon dried italian seasoning
2 jars of spaghetti sauce (total of 40 oz or so) I used a mushroom one and a basil one
1 (16 ounce) low fat ricotta cheese
2 pound low fat mozzarella cheese, shredded & divided
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley


Directions:
  1. Soak noodles in Hot water bath for 30 minutes. Personally I think hot water from the sink is fine.
  2. In a large skillet over medium heat, saute ground beef, onions, salt and garlic salt until meat is brown. Drain excess fat, add spaghetti sauce, oregano, and italian seasoning to beef mixture, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.
  3. Combine ricotta cheese with 2 eggs and 1 lb of shredded mozzarella.
  4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch glass baking pan.
  5. Line bottom of pan with four lasagna noodles, overlapping if needed. Spread 1/3 of sauce mixture over noodles. Layer 1/2 of the cheese mixture over the sauce. Repeat this layering process once more. On the last layer use meat sauce and top with remaining pound of shredded mozzarella. **should end up being, noodle, 1/3 meat sauce, 1/2 cheese mix, noodle, 1/3 meat sauce, 1/2 cheese mix, noodle, 1/3 meat sauce, 1lb shredded mozzarella**
  6. Bake in the preheated oven for one hour. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. You can also let it sit in the fridge all day until you're ready to bake, lets the flavors mend together! 




Monday, June 11, 2012

Taiwanese Sausage Fried Rice

One of my best friends has been asking me to post some more easy "everyday" recipes to help her cope with having to cook for herself. This is definitely one of those lazy week night recipes because you don't have to run to the grocery store. I think you can make fried rice with just about anything in your fridge, as long as you have some eggs and some rice! In fact, I always like using old refrigerated rice because fresh rice tends to be too sticky and also the cold rice really picks up on all the oils and flavors as it slowly heats up. For this fried rice I decided to go with some taiwanese sausage, but only because we had a bunch in our fridge... I've done the same thing with chicken, hot dogs, frozen shrimp... and just about anything, stay tuned if you're interested in the kimchi fried rice version! Anyway, here is the recipe!




Ingredients:
5 Eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dashi (optional)
4 cups of day old rice (2 cups uncooked) *
5 Taiwanese sausages cut into slices
2 Tbs cooking oil
2 tsp salt
green onion (optional)


Directions:


  1. Heat oil in a wok on high heat. While the oil is being heated, beat five eggs with 1/2 tsp salt and dashi. *Be sure to beat it in an upward motion rather than stirring... think of how you wrap a string around a yo-yo but double time speed! It makes your eggs fluffier* 
  2. Check if the oil is ready by dropping a dash of egg mixture in the oil, if it immediately bubbles up then you're ready to go. Pour the egg mixture in the heated wok and let it settle for 30 seconds before scrambling the eggs. Once the eggs are no longer runny, remove and set aside. (I prefer dragging the eggs from one side to another and allowing the uncooked portions to run and cook up, it gives you big chucks on egg that you can later break up). 
  3. Place all the sliced taiwanese sausage in the pan and stir occasionally without adding any more oil, the sausages will let out plenty of oil on their own. 
  4. After you begin to smell the fragrant scent of the oily sausage, add the rice to the wok and stir fry the rice with the sausage. Cook the rice until it is fully reheated and season with 2tsp salt.
  5. Using low heat, add the eggs and do a thorough mix! 
  6. (optional) Garnish with green onion





Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Cinnamon Raisin Bagels

This morning while I was getting my mom and my breakfast ready, I came across a minor dilemma.... Only one bagel.... who should it go to? Well, in the end I gave it to mama Hsu and opted for frozen wheat toast... and that's when I decided I would make a batch of homemade bagels! As soon as she was off to work, I was off to work on my homemade bagels and found a recipe on smitten kitchen! Many people have mentioned that it's simply not worth it to make bagels at home when it's ridiculously cheap to buy at the store but I always like to see if there is a homemade difference. The results? Less stale, springiness, ability to customize chewiness/size/flavor and just as tasty as store bought! While I have vowed never to make croissants and pumpkin pie by scratch ever again because it's just not cost/time efficient, I think I will continue making bagels because it was actually oodles of fun! 



Cinnamon Raisin BagelsAdapted from The Bread Baker’s ApprenticeYield: 12 super large, 16 regularly large or 24 miniature bagels
**this is a 2 part project or... 2 day for optimal results

Sponge1 teaspoon instant yeast
4 cups unbleached high-gluten or bread flour
2 1/2 cups water, room temperature
Dough1 teaspoon instant yeast
3 3/4 cups unbleached high-gluten or bread flour
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
5 tablespoons sugar
2 3/4 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons malt powder or 1 tablespoon dark or light malt syrup, honey, or brown sugar
2 cups loosely packed raisins, rinsed with warm water to remove surfact sugar, acid, and natural wild yeast
To Finish1 tablespoon baking soda
Cornmeal or semolina flour for dusting (I used Almond Flour)
Egg Wash for brushing (optional)
Cinnamon sugar for sprinkling (optional)

Directions:
  1. Part 1: To make the sponge, stir the yeast into the flour in a 4-quart mixing bowl. Add the water, whisking or stirring only until it forms a smooth, sticky batter (like pancake batter). Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for approximately 2 hours, or until the mixture becomes very foamy and bubbly. It should swell to nearly double in size and collapse when the bowl is tapped on the countertop.
  2. To make the dough, in the same mixing bowl (or in the bowl of an electric mixer), add the additional yeast to the sponge and stir. Then add 3 cups of the flour, cinnamon, sugar, salt and malt. Stir (or mix on low speed with the dough hook) until the ingredients form a ball, slowly working in the remaining 3/4 cup flour to stiffen the dough. In the last two minutes of mixing, add the raisins. (I ended up adding a bit of flour with them, as mine were still wet and made the dough a little sticky.)
  3. Transfer the dough to the counter and knead for at least 10 minutes (or for 6 minutes by machine). The dough should be firm, stiffer than French bread dough, but still pliable and smooth. There should be no raw flour – all ingredients should be hydrated. The dough should 77 to 71°F. If the dough seems too dry and rips, add a few drops of water and continue kneading. If the dough seems tacky or sticky, add more flour to achieve the stiffness required. The kneaded dough should feel satiny and pliable but not be tacky.
  4. Immediately divide the dough into 12 (4 1/2 ounce) pieces for super sized bagels, 16 (3.375 ounce) regular-sized bagels, or 24 (2.25 ounce) perfectly smaller bagels. Form the pieces into rolls. (I did this by cutting it in half... making a ball and cutting it into 1/8ths like a pie)
  5. Cover the rolls with a damp towel and allow them to rest for approximately 20 minutes.
  6. Line 2 sheet pans with baking parchment and mist lightly with spray oil. Poke a hole in a ball of bagel dough and gently rotate your thumb around the inside of the hole to widen it to approximately 2 inches in diameter for a supersized bagel, one and a half inches for a large one or just slightly more than one inch for a miniature. The dough should be as evenly stretched as possible. ** I rolled each piece into a tight ball, then pressed a my thumb and middle finger together in the center and slowly stretched out the hole by rotating the "ring")
  7. Place each of the shaped pieces two inches apart on the pans. Mist the bagels very lightly with the spray oil and slip each pan into a food-grade plastic bag, or cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let the pans sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes.
  8. Check to see if the bagels are ready to be retarded in the refrigerator by using the “float test”. Fill a small bowl with cool or room-temperature water. The bagels are ready to be retarded when they float within 10 seconds of being dropped into the water. Take one bagel and test it. If it floats, immediately return the tester bagel to the pan, pat it dry, cover the pan, and place it in the refrigerator overnight (it can stay in the refrigerator for up to 2 days). If the bagel does not float. Return it to the pan and continue to proof the dough at room temperature, checking back every 10 to 20 minutes or so until a tester floats. The time needed to accomplish the float will vary, depending on the ambient temperature and the stiffness of the dough.
  9. Part 2 (after 3-4 hours or 1 day), preheat the oven to 500°F with the two racks set in the middle of the oven. Bring a large pot of water to a boil (the wider the pot the better), and add the baking soda. Have a slotted spoon or skimmer nearby.
  10. Remove the bagels from the refrigerator and gently drop them into the water, boiling only as many as comfortably fit (they should float within 10 seconds). After 1 minute, flip them over and boil for another minute. If you like very chewy bagels, you can extend the boiling to 2 minutes per side. While the bagels are boiling, sprinkle the same parchment-lined sheet pans with almond flour.
  11. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle cinnamon on top.
  12. When all the bagels have been boiled, place the pans on two middle shelves in the oven. Bake for approximately five minutes, then rotate the pans, switching shelves and giving the pans a 180-degree rotation. (If you are baking only one pan, keep it on the center shelf but still rotate 180 degrees.) After the rotation, lower the oven setting to 450°F and continue baking for about 5 minutes, or until the bagels turn light golden brown. You may bake them darker if you prefer.
  13. Remove the pans from the oven and let the bagels cool on a rack for 15 minutes or longer before serving.