Earl Grey Ice Cream

As you can tell from my blog post title, I've been drained of all inspiration and creativity. I've just gotten my first taste of what the next year in law school will be like and all I have to say is... I'm glad I made a tub of ice cream last week to enjoy this week! Earl Grey is one of my favorite teas because its so fragrant and highly caffeinated. I would always have it when I was pulling my all nighters in college so I felt that it would be appropriate to have a batch of earl grey ice cream to ease me back into school mode and cool be down from this heat wave we've been having. Anyway, here's the recipe! Enjoy!! 

Earl Grey Ice Cream 

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup sugar
2 cups 1% reduced fat milk
2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 tsp vanilla extract

8 earl grey teabags
6 egg yolks

Directions:

1. Cook the sugar, milk and cream in a a pot until the mixture is steaming hot and remove from heat.
2. Add the vanilla extract and teabags and let it seep for 20 minutes. Then squeeze the teabags with your clean hands to get more tea into the mixture. Set teabags aside.
3. Whisk yolks and gradually add a few teaspoons of the earl grey milk mixture to the eggs, continuously whisking. 
4. Return egg mixture to same earl grey  mixture saucepan. Stir over medium heat until slightly thickened, about 6 minutes (do not boil).
5. Strain custard into medium bowl. Cover and chill until cold, at least 4 hours. Return the tea bags back into the bowl when chilling.

I SCREAM...ICE CREAM!!!

This week has been outrageously hot in Southern California... so hot that I had to bust out the old ice cream maker... I haven't made ice cream since 2010... yeah.. last summer didn't get quite so hot.. Anyway, on my last trip to Berkeley I didn't get a chance to stop at my favorite ice cream shop. I wasn't too bummed about not going because I knew that I could probably make my favorite flavors at home... and I did. Since I always opt for the double scoop with two flavors on a waffle cone, I decided to split the recipe and make two flavors at home too.. I shouldn't have because this burnt caramel ice cream is OFF THE HOOK!! I haven't popped the earl grey into the ice cream maker yet.. so maybe I'll be happy I made two different flavors after. Anyway, this ice cream is simple, not too sweet and has a taste of toffee or coffee... I used 1% milk to be a little "healthier" but.. really theres no such thing as healthy ice cream, don't fool yourself. Anyway, treat yourself to a batch!

Burnt Caramel Ice Cream adapted from epicurious

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
3 Tbs water
2 cups 1% reduced fat milk
2 cups heavy whipping cream
pinch of salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
6 egg yolks

Directions:

1. Stir 3/4 cup sugar and 3 tablespoons water in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat until sugar melts. Increase heat to high and boil without stirring until mixture turns dark amber, occasionally swirling pan and brushing down sides with wet pastry brush, about 7 minutes.
2. Immediately add milk (mixture will bubble vigorously). Add cream, salt and vanilla extract.
3.  Bring mixture to boil, stirring to dissolve any caramel bits. Let cool 20 minutes.
4. Whisk yolks and remaining 1/4 cup sugar in medium bowl.
5. Gradually add a few teaspoons of the caramel milk mixture to the eggs, continuously whisking.
6. Return mixture to same saucepan. Stir over medium heat until slightly thickened, about 6 minutes (do not boil).
7. Strain custard into medium bowl. Cover and chill until cold, at least 4 hours. DO AHEAD Custard can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled.

                               

 

Wonton Soup... brings back so many memories

While I was making today's lunch, I was thinking about all the things that I could say about making wontons. First of all, it is a common family activity to do together during holidays to wrap wontons together. Second, deveining and peeling the shrimp sucks... I'll probably tell my future kids that shrimps are poisonous if consumed at home...to avoid the taste :) and third, I remember the last time I had wontons was when I was in Chicago having lunch with my friend and his law school buddies.. because it was so cold outside, I witnessed an odd moment of group think where all four of us ordered wonton soup at a Thai restaurant... Anyway, as I suggested in my previous post, you can make wontons with the leftover meat mixture. I we're a little pickier at the Hsu household so I made two types of wontons. For my mom and dad, I made pork and shrimp wontons and for my brother who decided to quit red meat for 6 months... just shrimp. I think the 1lb meat and 1/2 lb shrimp ratio would have been perfect to get through roughly two packs of wonton wrappers.   I kept the meat and the shrimp separate so that each wonton would have a bite of shrimp!

Shrimp & Pork Wontons

Ingredients:
Meat Mixture from the previous post
1/2 lb of shrimp (50/60 count) deveined and peeled cut into 1/3
1/2 teaspoon of starch
1 teaspoon michu (cooking wine)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 teaspoon white pepper
2 stalks of green onion chopped
1/4 cup of chopped jicama (gives it a nice crunch) 
2 packs of wonton wrappers
bowl of water
** if you're making shrimp wontons, just combine everything besides the pork and you're ready to go!
Directions:
1. Combine shrimp with michu, salt and white pepper. In a separate bowl add the chopped jicama and green onion to the pork mixture. 
2. Lay one wonton wrapper down on a clean surface in a diamond shape in front of you, place a 1/4 teaspoon of meat in the top half of the wonton wrapper and add one piece of shrimp.
3. Using your finger and some water moisten the inner edges of the top half and fold bottom half up to form a  triangle shape (mountain). Seal the edges.
4.Pick the wonton up, push the base of the triangle upwards, making a little dimple in the wonton where the filling is and bring the two legs down and attach using water. 
** if the explanation I've given is unclear check out these, I do it this way because my mom taught me.. it's the "taiwan style."**
5. Repeat until either the mixture runs out or the wrappers. Freeze the wontons for 15 minutes before cooking, it gives the skin better texture! 
For the soup base I used green onion, a dash of salt, white pepper, dashi, sesame oil, and soy sauce. I use roughly 2 ladles of water from the pot that I'm cooking with wontons in.

Father Daughter Day Part 2

I showed my dad the Father's Oxtail post and he was so excited that I was making him "famous." He had me email his friends in the Philippines and his siblings so they could see our creation. For the entire last week he was telling me I should post about this and that... today he proceeded to drag me into the kitchen to have yet another father daughter day in the kitchen. He's SO cute :) if you know me, I'm sure you've heard me say this but I seriously think I have the BEST dad in the world! I'm really glad that I get to spend so much time with him now that he's back :) AND what better way to spend time than in the kitchen! "The recipe for today is simple and the ingredients are readily available in most kitchens... the best part is, you never have to use oil or a stove! A steam rice cooker is all you need." That was the tagline my dad advised me to use in my post. He's right, the recipe is really easy! Oh, and if you have leftover meat mixture (because I did) you can make home-made wontons!

Chinese Pearl Meatballs Zhen Zhu Wan Zi

Ingredients:
1 lb fresh ground pork
1 tsp salt
1 tsp corn starch
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp ground pepper
1 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp michu
1/2 tsp chopped ginger
1 Tbsp potato powder
1 egg
1 cup sweet glutinous rice

Directions:
1. Soak rice in water for 3 hours, and drain before using.
2. Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix thoroughly. Knead the meat mixture with your hands after everything is combined. Cover and place in the refrigerator for an hour.
3. Use teaspoon and roll the meat into a small ball, 1 inch diameter. Roll the ball in the rice, making sure the entire meatball is coated in rice.
4. Steam for 15 minutes.

Pesto Da Nonna Italiana

Pesto Da Nonna translates to pesto from your Italian grandmothers place.  I love pesto. It is the one thing that I always ask for in return for my travel tips to Rome. Just kidding, the advice usually comes for free but if people DO ask, my answer is pesto. I don't really discriminate but if you're thinking about getting me some, pesto from the Northern part of Italy is the best :) Anyway, I had seen this post on one of my favorite blogs back when I was studying abroad in Rome and surrounded by delicious pesto. At the time, I had no need to spend hours chopping in the kitchen to enjoy a delicious bowl of pesto made by an italian grandmother. Turns out, I still don't. Although I spent almost and hour chopping the the basil into bits to get the ideal texture Hiedi talks about, I can't say its absolutely necessary, next time I'll just toss everything into a food processor! I know, blasphemy!!! Anyway, it is a great recipe and everyone who had it was not only impressed by my effort but also blown away by the taste. Don't worry if you don't like cheese it's still good!My mom, who does not touch cheese (literally scrapes the cheese off her pizza) packed two days worth of lunch for herself before any one else could get any. You can choose to use your pesto for whatever you'd like, I made a pasta salad with TJ baby heirloom tomatoes... I wanted to add ovolino fresh mozzarella but they were out at ALL the groceries stores in the area. Quick tip-- if you're using grape/cherry/baby heirloom tomatoes that are not completely ripe, I boiled mine with the pasta for a minute or two.

Pesto Da Nonna

Ingredients:
1 large bunch of basil, leaves only, washed and dried
3 medium cloves of garlic
one small handful of raw pine nuts
roughly 3/4 cup Parmesan, loosely packed and FRESHLY GRATED
5 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:

1. Start chopping the cloves of garlic with 1/3 of the basil leaves. Once the basil is loosely chopped, add another third, chop more, repeat until all leaves are chopped. Took me 30-40 minutes
2. Add half a handful of the pine nuts and continue chopping. Once the pine nutes are fully incorporated and chopped add the other half.
3. Add half of the freshly grated parmesan and chop thoroughly. Repeat with the other half.
4. After all the ingredients are thoroughly chopped and can be scrapped to form a pesto mountain, transfer it to a small container and pour olive oil over. Refrigerate until usage!! Give it a quick stir before you actually put it to use!

Father's Oxtail

At my house, most of the time my mom cooks dinner, but every once in a while Master Chef Hsu (my dad) will make an appearance in the kitchen. Up until maybe last year, my dad's specialty was noodles.. But last year, he ventured out to all sorts of things, fish head soup, curry chicken, braised pork belly, and my favorite of all, braised oxtail. My dad was in the Philippines for the past year on business and I would always crave this comfort food. My mom didn't have the recipe and my brother only had a failed attempt at transcribing it last summer. After an entire week of nagging him about his delicious oxtail dish, daddy walked me through the process. I'm so glad I have this recipe to share now! It's a nice change from the yummy but common way of cooking oxtail which is in soup.

Father's Braised Oxtail

Ingredients
2 star anise
3 slices of ginger 
1 tsp peppercorn
2 stalks green onion quartered
2-3lbs oxtail
1/4 cup of michu 
2 tsp salt
1 stick of celery quartered
2 habenaro peppers stems cut
10 cups of water
1/4 cup dark soy sauce 
Dash of sugar
3 tsp light soy sauce
1 tsp dashi
1 tbs sesame oil
1/2 tsp cracked pepper
3 Carrots sliced

Directions:
1. Boil water in a large pot add star anise ginger and peppercorn green onion
2. Marinate oxtail in michu and salt let sit for 10 minutes
3. Once the pot comes to a roaring boil place the oxtails into the pot. Stir and cook for 1 minute just until the meat is no longer red.
4. Drain the water, keeping all the other ingredients and transfer to a ceramic pot.
5. Place oxtail evenly in a ceramic pot with celery and habenaro peppers and add 10 cups of water or enough to cover all the meat.
6. Add soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, cracked pepper and dashi, bring to a boil on high heat
7. Reduce heat to low and cook for 1.5 hours. Remove the blood/impurities from the top.
8. Add carrots and cook for another 15 minutes.
9. Garnish with Worchestire vinegar!

Taiwan Street Food: Zhua Bing

One of the things I everyone misses most about Taiwan is the food. My absolute favorite thing to eat there is Zhua bing. It's a street food item that you can find almost anywhere but the best is on Yong Kang Jie.. Essentially it is a green onion pancake/puff pastry that is fluffed up with two spatulas during the frying process. You can have it plain but the best way and the way I have it is topped with an egg, soy sauce paste and sriracha! Here is my version of Taiwan's oh SO delicious Zhua Bing! Make it for your taiwanese moms, they'll love you for bringing them back to the motherland.. Mine did :)

Pull Apart Pancake/Pastry (Zhua Bing)

Ingredients:
Cooking oil
Springfield Roti Paratha 
1 egg
Green onion chopped
Soy Sauce Paste
Sriracha

Directions:
1. Heat a flat non stick pan with oil on high heat.
2. Scramble the egg and add chopped green onion, set aside.
3. Cook one side for a minute or until slightly browned then flip it over and reduce heat to medium. After 30 seconds, use two spatulas and begin squeezing together the sides of the pancake to fluff it up. ** the motion is similar to how you would toss a salad**
4. Remove the pancake and set aside briefly, pour egg mixture in the same pan and immediately top it with the pancake. Cook for about a minute and flip it over egg side up.
5. Brush sriracha and soy sauce paste on half of the egg and fold the pancake in half. Serve while it's still hot!

Strawberry Basil Jam

My post today is inspired by my visit to POP Champagne this past weekend. I went for their bottomless mimosa brunch and was pretty much thoroughly disappointed by everything but the bellinis and mimosas...oh and the strawberry basil jam. I've been a huge fan of strawberry jam ever since my study abroad roommate/ life long sister/ college across the hall mate... Prepared a piece of toast, smothered in strawberry jam, for me one late night when we were both studying for finals.. I know.. It sounds ridiculous that I was so hooked because of that I remember that experience so vividly... But I siously had a revelation... I grew up hating bread... Peanut butter.. And jelly... So I had never had jam and toast until that night! Thanks to her, I have toast and some type of spread every morning.. Religiously.. No seriously.. I'm quite grumpy without it.
Strawberry Basil Jam
Ingredients:
1 lb fresh strawberries hulled and sliced
3/4 cup of sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla zest and juice from half lemon 
4 basil leaves rolled up like a cigar and thinly sliced
 Directions:
1. Cook strawberries and sugar in a heavy bottom pan and medium heat. Stir occasionally.
2. After strawberries begin to bubble mash the slices into little chunks. Add vanilla and lemon to the mixture. 
3. When the jam begins to cling onto the spoon/spatula and you are at your satisfied consistency, add basil. Cook for another 2 minutes and immediately transfer to a jar for cooling.
** must be consumed within 5-7 days

Holy Guacamole with a Twist!

So summer is here and you're bound to be heading to plenty of BBQs... and whats better to bring to a BBQ than a homemade bowl of fresh guacamole! If you're not going to plenty of barbecues.. you can have this by yourself.. at home.. just because.. it's refreshing! The orange juice in the recipe gives it a really good flavor. I'm not sure why.. but I haven't been a big fan of limes.. since my college days.. the taste makes me cringe.. lol Anyway, try it-- this is an awesome recipe!

Guacamole
1/4 cup cilantro chopped
1 medium tomato diced
1/2 onion diced
2 large avocados diced
sea salt and pepper to taste

juice from half an orange

Directions:

1. Combine onion, cilantro, tomatoes and avocados in a large bowl. 

2. Add the orange juice and mash everything together. 

3. Sprinkle salt and pepper to your satisfaction! 

** if you keep the avocado seed in the guac, it prevents browning. 

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!

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

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! 

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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

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. 

For those who LOVE Cilantro!

For dinner today I had a light zucchini and cilantro pancake. I know that not everyone loves cilantro, but variations of this recipe can be made (ie. substitute green onion for cilantro or adding some seafood in the mix). Growing up I would have it sweet instead of salty... tasted sorta like a crepe. Anyway, its a great base recipe for you to experiment with and its perfect for days when you just want something simple and light! 

Zucchini and Cilantro Pancake

Serving Size 1

Ingredients:

1 egg

1/4 cup of flour

1/3 cup of water

1 tsp salt

half zucchini shredded

handful of cilantro chopped

olive oil

Directions:

1. Combine all the ingredients in a medium size mixing bowl and beat the mixture for around a minute. It should look like cake batter or... thick clam chowder ( I had lots of that this past weekend).
2. Heat oil in a non stick flat pan on high
3. Pour mixture in the center of the pan. After 30 seconds, using a rubber spatula slowly spread the mixture outwards in an attempt to cover the entire pan with a thin layer. (careful not to make holes)
4. After about a minute, shake the pan to ensure the pancake did not stick then flip it to cook/toast the other side. ** sometimes I slip it onto a plate and then cover the plate with the frying pan and flip it that way... 

Minced Pork Rice

I apologize for the blogging hiatus. I blame part of it on my trip to asia! I understand that only explains one month of absence... and I probably could have posted all the "sees"to balance out the taste aspect of this blog. I BLAME HUNGER GAMES for the rest! Anyway, I'm back now and I'm going to give blogging another shot!

So today I have my own recipe for Lu Rou Fan (Minced Pork Rice) for you.  This is one of my FAVORITE things to eat in Taiwan and I had lots and lots of it during my two week there. I think the reason why I like it so much is that I hardly let myself have it... I rarely order it at restaurants in the states because... well the meat is usually REALLY fatty and the sauce makes it extremely hard not to down an entire bowl of white rice... Anyway, this is a low fat version of the traditional lu rou fan! And the best part about this recipe is that you keep it in your fridge for roughly 2-3 weeks and use it as topping on rice, noodles and/or sautéed/boiled veggies!

Low Fat Lu Ruo Fan (Minced Pork Rice)
serves 8

Ingredients:
2 Shallots Minced
8 Shitake Mushrooms Minced (I used dried because it gives a great mushroom flavor)**
Olive Oil
1 lb 97% fat free Ground Pork
3 tsp Michiu (rice wine)
2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Dashi
6 oz Low Sodium Soy Sauce
1 1/2 tsp Sugar
2 cups of Water (I used the water from my boiled mushrooms)

**boil dried mushrooms in 2 cups of water until soft, keep the boiled water for later use**

Directions:

1. Season pork with 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp of michiu then set aside.
2. Heat olive oil in a non-stick saucer and add minced shallots and cook using medium heat until shallots are caramelized and brown. Then switch to low heat and add mushrooms.
3. Add ground pork and turn the heat to medium high to brown the meat.
4. After most of the pork is browned add the soy sauce,  michiu, salt, dashi and sugar, stir well. 
5. Then add the mushroom water half cup at a time to reduce. Then cook on low heat for 2 hours... or garnish with cilantro and eat right away :) (the sauce gets better with time)
6. I added hard boiled eggs after step 5

If you love Oreo Mcflurrys and Cookies-n-Cream Ice Cream

You'll love these! I've been on a cookie craze lately so I busted out my list of all the cookie recipes I've wanted to try. I let one of my good friends choose for me since I was going to bring them to a group event and chances are that my friends would end up eating most of them. Unfortunately, when I pulled them out of the oven... I couldn't help but eat.. Not one... Not two.. But three.. Almost immediately.. But in my defense they were the less perfectly circular ones :)

Cookies and Cream Cookies adapted from Erica's Sweet Tooth

Makes 28 cookies

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, at room temperature

6 tbsp sugar

6 tbsp brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1-1/4 cup flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

12 Oreo's, broken up into small pieces (I used a ziploc bag and pounded the cookies with my fist :)...)

Directions

1. Preheat the over to 350 degrees.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy

3. Add egg and vanilla and beat until well mixed.

4. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt.

5. With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined.

6. Gently fold in Oreo pieces.

7. Scoop 1 inch dough balls onto an ungreased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.

- Bake for 8-10 minutes, until the edges barely start to brown. Cool on baking sheet for a few minutes and they'll flatten and become beautiful.

Mint Chip Cookies!

My aunt is visiting from Taiwan and she was telling me about this mint/chocolate cake from Singapore that was the best thing she ever ate...and after hearing her say that, I thought to myself as Barney Stinson would say, "challenge accepted!" However since I'm heading to Tahoe for a weekend snowboardng trip I figured I would make cookies instead as they are easier to transport to NorCal. These are your average cholocated cookie with the addition of mint chopped mint chocolate. I had Hershey mint truffles but go ahead and use andres. These cookies taste like a softer version of thin mints.. Pop them in the freezer for a cool treat!

Mint Chip Cookies
Makes 30 cookies

Ingredients
1 stick and 2 tbs butter softened
1 cups white sugar
1 eggs
1 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup unsweetened Hershey cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped min chocolate

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy
3. Then beat the egg and add the vanilla into the sugar mixture
4. In a separate bowl, mix flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt
5. Gradually combine dry ingredients into the creamed mixture.
6. Fold in chocolate chips.
7. Scoop with a tablespoon and roll into a ball shape 1 inch in diameter. Slightly flatten before baking for 8-10 mins.

Cranberry Lemon Scones

This past weekend I hosted four young sisters from my church for a winter break bible school thing and I figured it would be a great opportunity to bust out the stand mixer! I had a can of whole cranberries on my shelf since thanksgiving so I decided to put them to use. I've been ridiculously busy and haven't had much time to bake so it was nice heating up the oven again... so nice that I also baked some bread and cookies.. Anyway, back to the scones. I am a huge blog fan of smitten kitchen and found this recipe on there. The scones were wonderfully light and creamy and tasted awesome out of the oven with some fresh whipped cream. Unfortunately, the dough was really moist and hard to work with according to the recipe. I dropped a blob on a baking sheet and baked it to see whether adding flour to dry up the dough would make a difference in the end product. I added approximately 1 cup of extra flour and it allowed me to work with the dough, rolling it into a ball and flattening it so i could make scone wedges. In the end, with the extra flour or without the scones still tasted the same. I'm going to continue experimenting with scone recipes but this recipe will get the job done when you've got a craving!

Ingredients

1 1/2 tablespoons freshly grated lemon zest (from about 2 lemons; preferably Meyer)
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar plus 3 tablespoons additional if using fresh cranberries
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into bits
1 1/4 cups fresh cranberries, chopped coarse, or 1 1/4 cups dried cranberries, if you insist
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 cup heavy cream
Accompaniment: whipped cream
Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°F. and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

1. With a vegetable peeler remove the zest from lemons and chop fine, reserving lemons for another use.
2. In a food processor pulse flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, salt, butter and zest until mixture resembles coarse meal and transfer to a large bowl.
3. In a small bowl toss together fresh cranberries and 3 tablespoons sugar and stir into flour mixture. If using dried fruit, add to flour mixture.
4. In another small bowl lightly beat egg and yolk and stir in cream. Add egg mixture to flour mixture and stir until just combined.
5. On a well-floured surface with floured hands pat dough into a 1-inch-thick round, cut into 6 wedges.