Ambitious Deliciousness – Don't Eat Lazy.

Hi y’all! It seems like NYC has been having some crazy weather lately. Saturday was raining cats and dogs, yesterday was summer, and today feels like fall. I have no idea what’s going on but since it’s officially spring, I went with a spring theme.

The stars of today’s post are beets! Golden and red beets, to be exact. Beets have a bad rap and it’s about time that changed! Roasted beets are so sweet and flavorful, especially when paired with a little bit of stinky feta cheese. This salad just screams “spring!” and the vinaigrette pairs very nicely with the rest of the salad.

(By the way, feel free to follow me on instagram for behind the scenes shots of some of these blog posts before they end up here!)

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I came across a really interesting recipe on The Kitchn and thought it was the perfect way to use up leftover salmon and brown rice! Sometimes, it’s hard for me to think outside the box when it comes to rice, mostly because I’m so used to eating rice alongside something else. But I’m glad I tried this recipe cuz these cakes are YUM!

These cakes are delightful – rice gives them a slightly chewy texture, and the cilantro brightens the dish, with great flavor in each bite from the lime and fish sauce. The recipe calls for topping with sriracha mayo, which I felt wasn’t necessary, but is certainly an excellent suggestion!

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Once upon a time, I made green tea macarons with chocolate ganache and managed to get them right. I titled the post “trial 1″ and never wrote about trial 2, trial 3 and trial 4. I was so tired of eating weird looking cookies so I took a long break. I’m happy to report that this time, I actually got it right!

French macarons, as many of you know, are quite difficult to make, only because so many elements have to be in perfect sync. Despite my many attempts, I can’t say that I’m an expert at macarons. All I can tell you is that I added cream of tartar and aged egg whites just to help things along. I was also screaming “I have feet!!!!!” while watching them bake and doing a happy dance.

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[Our thoughts and heartfelt prayers are with those who are suffering as a result of the Boston marathon bombing yesterday. <3]

When I was in high school, I used to love pizza. Then somewhere along the way I decided I was no longer a fan. I think now I’m somewhere in between. I appreciate a good slice every once in a while, and enjoy making my own pizza at home.

Honesty though, I think I may actually love garlic knots more than pizza. I love the burst of pungent garlic flavor that comes from biting into the pillowy, warm dough. I had many cans of Pillsbury dough to use up, so I rolled the biscuits into knots and brushed garlic on them after baking. Simple and so so yum, especially when paired with some warm tomato sauce!

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I included the word “epic” in the title of this post because this was the most difficult cake I have ever made in my entire life. Why? Let me explain. Most cakes have 2 components: cake and frosting. This cake has the 4 components: cake,  frosting, chocolate crumb and passion fruit curd. I’m also used to a basic baking method: cream butter and sugars together, sift dry ingredients, then mix with wet ingredients. Not this cake! I had to force fat and liquids together with a lot of patience while thinking, “I hope this comes out ok because I feel like I’m doing something wrong!”

Happy Birthday, James! You’re certainly older than 1 but we’ll just leave your age alone.

Despite the laborious process, it was really fun to try a different method of baking. According to Christina Tosi, the author of this recipe, “passion fruit, chocolate, and coffee is one of my favorite flavor trios. Though the combo sounds a little out there, it’s actually beloved in lots of pastry kitchens.” If you’re up for the challenge, I would recommend making the passion fruit curd and the cookie crumbles in advance, so that you’re not working on this cake for 4 straight hours! You also need to freeze the cake overnight to wait for it to set.

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A couple of weeks ago, I visited Kosofresh at Treehaus (3rd Ave between 50st and 51st) in Midtown. First of all, how did I not hear about Treehaus before? It’s a spacious food court with different food stalls, with the fanciest by the pound buffet table I’ve ever seen. I’ll have to go back some other time to try the other spots.

All the elements getting ready for a “choose your own” bibimbap adventure.

As most of you already know, bibimbap is a traditional Korean dish consisting of lightly seasoned vegetables on top of rice, then mixed with a spicy/sweet sauce called gochujang. It literally means  “mixed rice.” I was always a big fan of bibimbap and I often make it using whatever ingredients I have on hand. The only thing I don’t like about bibimbap is fern bracken, which is a vegetable that has a very distinctive smell and taste. That’s why I was happy to hear that I could choose what I want on my bowl.

I was invited to go and taste the food. The concept of Kosofresh is quite simple: choose what you want on your bibimbap bowl, mix and eat. Just which toppings are available, and how much is each one?

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Once upon a time, I used to not like mac and cheese. I never could understand how “cheese” came from a box and that orange color just seemed odd to me. As I grew older, my love for cheese grew and I started to love mac and cheese. I experimented with different cheese combinations but the method has always been the same. I think I finally got the right combination to get the flavor I like. In order to make this dish a bit “healthier,” I roasted Brussels sprouts on the stove for a caramelized, smoky flavor to balance out the heaviness of the cheese and milk.

Then I remembered that I had leftover hydrated bread, so added them at the end. As you can see, the bread bits did not want to make friends with the other components of the dish. But I didn’t mind at all, since the crunch added a textural contrast.

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About 3 years ago, I posted a Pad Thai recipe. While that version tasted ok, I discovered that this version is so.much.better. I used tamarind, preserved radishes and shrimp paste to achieve the flavors that I was missing in the previous version. I can see why so many restaurant versions add a lot of oil, as it’s difficult to keep the noodles from sticking to the wok. However, if you keep stirring really well, this is definitely possible.

I’m adding this version of the recipe to my growing homemade Thai food menu. I made it about three times and each time, everything was so good!

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Steamed whole fish is commonly found in Chinese cuisine, though I’ve had it at Thai restaurants as well. I love how steaming the fish cooks it gently, and the gingery cilantro gives it a burst of flavor in each bite. Turns out, all you really need are some spices and a large pot of water!

Not too long ago,  I was reading Tasty Eating and saw that the author provided a great guideline for me to follow. I made a couple of changes, such as heating up the sauce separately so that it can be even more flavorful and used croaker instead of sea bass.

This is one of those dishes that look super difficult but is actually very easy. You should try it!

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I made pigs in a blanket using canned biscuits because I wanted a quick and easy appetizer to make for a New Year’s Eve party (yes, that was a long time ago). I also found a 4 pack on sale, so I actually made garlic knots with the biscuits as well (more on that later). Every time I eat Pillsbury biscuits, I’m reminded of my childhood. My food loving dad used to make them for our family on the weekends, and I still think they taste just as good now!

This is hardly a recipe, but I’ll still write it out for your reference. My favorite dipping sauce is the mayo+Sriracha combo. Delicious!

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