Ambitious Delicious(ness)

[Thanks to everyone for your support in helping me raise funds for Haiti. I can't thank you enough! Please keep clicking!]

Last time I made green curry, I added too many bamboo shoots, causing the curry to be extra sour (gross). This time, I got rid of bamboo shoots altogether and focused on slow cooking a flavorful curry. I achieved this goal by slow cooking the curry for about 3 hours total. The end result was a thick, hearty, harmoniously flavored curry that I am super excited to share about!

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Happy Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a safe and memorable start to 2010! I’m humbled and honored that people want to read about my recipes. Thank you so much for reading this site!

I’ve been fortunate enough to receive a Dutch oven (aka French oven) for Christmas! I wanted to buy one for a while, as they are perfect for braising and cooking stews- something my stainless steel pots can’t handle. Modern dutch ovens are made of ceramic that is coated in enamel, distributing heat evenly once the lid is closed. It comes in handy for making wonderfully warm soups for bitterly cold winter days (like today).

After some research, I decided to go with a 5-quart Fontignac oven, from the same makers of Staub (since 1929!). I considered going with a Le Creuset, especially because of the lifetime warranty, but I think I’ll just wait to get that a little bit later.

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[Happy birthday to my dad, my cousin, yours truly and a few friends who are born two days before Christmas, and to anyone out there gets one combined gift every year. I feel your pain. Let us commiserate with peppermint bark. I hope you all have a safe and enjoyable break with loved ones! Merry Christmas! ]

Peppermint bark is one of my favorite holiday treats! It only contains only four ingredients (dark chocolate, white chocolate, peppermint extract, candy canes) yet tastes amazing!

Use high-quality dark chocolate, and you won’t be disappointed! Also, be careful while tempering the chocolate. I like to slowly melt it instead of shocking the chocolate into submission, especially since burning good chocolate would be a travesty.

The challenge here was to spread out the chocolate as evenly as possible. One of the things that I would do differently next time is to crush up the candy canes more carefully, and mix them into the white chocolate so that they don’t fall off.

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At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I’ll say it again: I love all things that taste similar to pumpkin! The good thing our fall butternut squash is that it’s here to stay, even through the winter months. That’s how versatile they are!

This dish is going to quickly become one of my favorites; a good candidate dish to make for guests so that I can take all the credit for its tasty goodness while pretending to have spent all day slaving over it. A simple sauce is features the sweetness of the squash, mixed with earthy spices, then a hint of milk. I would recommend going easy on Parmesan cheese, as to not overpower the delicate flavors.

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I was trying to recall how I came to make brownies. But truth is, do you ever really need a reason to enjoy some brownies from scratch? Butter and chocolate, baked with some flour – what’s not to like?

The first time I made it, I thought it came out a bit too crispy. I adjusted my oven rack and cooked it for about 50 minutes exactly. The second batch resulted in a crispy, gooey, caramel-like consistency, which I love. I thoroughly enjoyed every single crumb!

Since I didn’t have a brownie pan, I decided to bake them in cupcake form. This comes from Martha Stewart. And of course, I used my favorite dark chocolate from Ghirardelli (get in my belly).

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During Thanksgiving weekend, I had the pleasure of cooking a meal for our extended family of 13 people. The thought was overwhelming at first, but I had a lot of help, which made the entire process go by quickly. It ended up being a fun group project!

At the kitchen table, I overheard my dad giving directions on how to devein shrimp. The next time I looked over, my uncles and aunts were deveining and peeling shrimp together while my little cousin grated some cheese. My sister chopped onions on the island while my mom peeled the squid skin over the sink, not to mention my other two cousins who ran around slicing tomatoes, turning the basil into chiffonade, and seasoning the caprese salad with fresh cracked pepper and salt.

We started with a caprese salad. I paired this entree with a simple romaine salad with cranberries, walnuts and feta cheese, along with garlic bread that my cousin so successfully made.

This yummy Italian dish is originally made with littleneck clams and mussels. I chose not to use those, due to a lack of access. Be sure to scrub the clams and mussels well, and make sure they are cooked thoroughly, until they open up.

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As many of you know, I made my very first Thanksgiving turkey this past weekend! And because I’m so nice, I will impart on you the wealth of knowledge I’ve gained from this experience. =) Remember: there are many different ways to roast a turkey, and it’s really up to you to decide which method you want to go with!

Half-carved turkey for small group potluck dinner

There are so many things to consider when you are roasting a turkey. I’ll break it down into three parts with helpful links:

1. Types of turkeys. Kosher, organic, processed, self-basting, natural – what are the differences? What does it all mean? Real Simple, Bon Appetite, has all the answers you need (I went with a kosher turkey).

2. Brining. What does brining mean, and why should you consider doing it? Serious Eats labs did a little experiment and found that brined turkeys taste significantly better. Martha Stewart has a good brining recipe. Basically, you are adding moisture to the poultry so that it’s nice and juice once you’re done cooking.(Brining is the best thing that ever happened to chicken and turkey).

3. Basting. I always assumed you’re supposed to baste the turkey. But be careful, as frequent opening and closing of the oven can release a lot of heat. Suggestion – try basting during the last hour of cooking, every twenty minutes. (Note – I did not baste my turkey because I was preoccupied – but it turned out fine).

A word of warning: When the turkey is inserted at a high temperature into the oven, it will get smoky! So just be aware of it during the first 30 minutes of cooking. My apartment smells like turkey even today! (My sincerest apologies to my roommate and anyone else who has come over since Saturday).

Check out this awesomely comprehensive list by Cheap Healthy Good for more information on all recipes Thanksgiving!

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Who would have ever guessed that you could make anything else with the milk frother from your espresso machine?

I wish I could take credit for this marvelous idea but I can’t. I came across a post on Amateur Gourmet last week and decided to give it a try. Apparently, restaurants like Gottino make their eggs this way!

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This sweet and sour pork dish was easy to make. I dredged the pork in flour, then used that as a thickener for the sauce right in the pan. I would recommend letting the pork marinate in the fridge for at least 4 hours so that it can be seasoned and tenderized.

And the secret ingredient for this dish? Read below to find out.

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Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is when a farmer offers a certain number of “shares” to the public. Interested consumers then purchase a share to receive a box of seasonal produce each week throughout the farming season. The produce is fairly priced, local grown, and in my case, organic.

It’s hard to believe that in a few weeks, I will no longer be receiving fresh vegetables every week! I feel like it went by so quickly but am thankful that I won’t have to when it’s cold outside. It’s been a great experience for the most part; but more on that later!

I received leeks in my CSA share. Whenever I see leeks, I think “oh- it’s a unnaturally humongous scallion.” That’s only partially true, as leeks have a complex flavor, sort of a cross between onions and scallions.

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