tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13105609668684648342024-02-08T05:59:18.118-06:0028 oz Wine Glass<i>Foodventures at Houston House</i><br>(regular adventures half price)Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12409667210180673538noreply@blogger.comBlogger83125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1310560966868464834.post-28432786083325254862011-05-29T19:46:00.009-05:002011-05-29T20:14:41.832-05:00Spring RollsTwo posts in one day after months without a peep? Yes! I am prone to my particular excesses.<br /><br />Spring rolls are amazing in the summer. I am not going to call these "easy," as there is a modicum of skill and some deep prep involved in assembling the <i>mise en place.</i> But they are a good project for a weekend afternoon, if you are crazy like me and enjoy the meditation of preparing many little components just so.<br /><br /><b>Ingredients:</b><br />- spring roll wrappers<br />- rice vermicelli, cooked, drained and chilled (I used the thinnest I could find, but this would actually be more authentic with the next size up)<br />- shredded chicken<br />- carrots, julienned and quick-pickled (a splash of vinegar and 1 Tbsp sugar, add water to cover)<br />- basil leaves<br />- mint leaves<br /><br /><img src="http://www.fishfishknits.com/photos/springrolls2.jpg"><br />Dry spring roll wrappers are discs of rice paper.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.fishfishknits.com/photos/springrolls3.jpg"><br />Soak them in water for about 15 seconds per side. Too long and they will get waterlogged and slippery and won't stick properly when you go to roll them.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.fishfishknits.com/photos/springrolls5.jpg"><br />Then transfer to another surface for assembly (a slightly moistened cookie sheet, in my case)<br /><br /><img src="http://www.fishfishknits.com/photos/springrolls6.jpg"><br />Plop the noodles on the round wrapper, slightly off center. You want them to be on the side that is closer to you.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.fishfishknits.com/photos/springrolls7.jpg"><br />Add all the other fillings.<br /><br /><br />Now start rolling. Always roll away from yourself, as this makes it easier to get a nice compact package instead of a floppy roll.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.fishfishknits.com/photos/springrolls8.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.fishfishknits.com/photos/springrolls9.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.fishfishknits.com/photos/springrolls10.jpg"><br /><br />Do this a bunch of times. Your first few will probably be floppy and ugly. <b>Eat them immediately to destroy the evidence of your failure.</b> I usually eat at least 2 while making them because being a one-woman operation means I have to conduct my own QC audits.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.fishfishknits.com/photos/springrolls11.jpg"><br /><br /><b>Peanut dipping sauce:</b><br />- 1 Tbsp peanut butter<br />- 1 tsp soy sauce<br />- a splash of sesame oil<br />- a splash of rice wine vinegar<br />- minced garlic, or garlic powder<br />- chili paste, or red pepper flakes<br />- 3+ Tbsp water to thin<br /><br /><img src="http://www.fishfishknits.com/photos/springrolls12.jpg">Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05360231551886125010noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1310560966868464834.post-33241897446243144502011-05-29T16:30:00.004-05:002011-05-29T20:15:23.903-05:00Basil Limeade<img src="http://www.fishfishknits.com/photos/basillimeade.jpg"><br /><br />It is summer. My basil planter is full to bursting, and I've had to harvest 2x weekly to keep up. I didn't have anything planned for this weekend's harvest, so I came up with basil limeade.<br /><br /><b>Ingredients:</b><br />2 cups water<br />1 cup sugar<br />3 limes<br />1 lemon<br />fistful of basil<br />Club soda<br /><br />Heat the water and sugar until the sugar is all dissolved. Zest all the citrus and add it and the juice to the hot syrup. Chop the basil leaves and add them to the mix. <br />If you are patient, chill the syrup in the fridge before proceeding. If not, fill a glass with ice and pour 3-4 oz. syrup over ice. Top off with club soda. Enjoy your summer.Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05360231551886125010noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1310560966868464834.post-63902084121959455982011-04-05T19:44:00.004-05:002011-04-05T19:54:35.023-05:00Scattered<img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5100/5593368565_15eec5c9d0_z.jpg"><br /><br />So. Yeah. That's brussels sprouts, rosemary potatoes and fish masala. on my camera phone because I'm tired.<br /><br />and I got a little distracted.<br /><br />but THIS FISH MASALA IS DELICIOUS. My kingdom for some cilantro though. This is inspired by a dish at <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/himalaya-houston">Himalaya</a> that I love.<br /><br />Start by sweating a medium sliced onion in a tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of oil. Add a couple of slices of ginger toss around for a few minutes, the onion will still be pretty sturdy. add two cloves of chopped up garlic. Add a tablespoon of garam masala, pinch of cinnamon, pinch of fenugreek, pinch of coriander and as much spice as you like. Stir to combine. add a 14 oz can of tomatoes. simmer for 10 minutes. Place fish in mixture and poach for about ten minutes or until done? I used barramundi, but any mild white fish will work well.<br /><br />serve with addled side dishes. or you know. rice.Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12409667210180673538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1310560966868464834.post-50986314508572292412011-02-04T11:55:00.005-06:002011-02-04T12:03:59.661-06:00Chicken AdoboOk, so I've made my friend Mike's pork adobo before and it is addicting and porky and salty and sweet and all the bad things for you in life. I'm actually making it right now using the excuse that the oven will help keep the house warm in this unseasonable Texan cold snap. <br /><br />But the NY Times posts this article about the ADOBO WARS and publishes a chicken adobo recipe. <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/09/magazine/09Food-t-001.html">This recipe</a> is amazing. It winds up tasting like a clean curry. The sugar caramelizes slightly on the chicken skin. I just poured the left over sauce on leftover rice and ate it alone, but it also goes well with other meats. If it makes it that far. <br /><br />So I took one camera phone picture of my bowl before I devoured it and most of the rest of the chicken. I made this recipe with a whole butchered chicken (thighs, drums, tenderloins, breast, wings) and it worked fine. It's not going to be as sinful as an all dark meat version, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. Served with stir fried bok choy.<br /><br /><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4122/5416504582_d84fbc20ae.jpg"><br /><br />Also yes. This is the only pretty set of bowls in the house. Stephanie bought them for me years ago and they are still trucking as the happy part of my odds and ends plate collection.Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12409667210180673538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1310560966868464834.post-42554496327345875302011-01-24T19:40:00.008-06:002011-01-24T20:11:56.671-06:00Fried RiceI'm sorry. I haven't been around. I've let this fallow. BUT. On this day, where I am the most tired, I am going to show you what I cook when I am the most tired and have to deal with fridge leftovers and have just enough energy to cut an onion and sausage and stuff into pieces.<br /><br /><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5220/5385731809_d8012ff955.jpg"><br /><br />It took me more time to import pictures, half heartedly tweak, upload, write, than it did to make this.<br /><br /><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5220/5385731227_5fbfd88b4c.jpg"><br /><br />And it's all thanks to this stuff. Which was on sale in two giant packages for 8.88. This is hilarious. Trust me. It's this sweet concentrated dried Chinese sausage which is all garlicky and I don't know, it's crack man. The best part is that it lasts forfreakingever in your pantry and is perfect for omigodtired days like this. But feel free to use any protein you like. Tofu. Chicken bits. There is a fine tradition of making fried rice with cheap hot dogs.<br /><br />So I had an eighth of a week old cabbage, half an onion, CRACKSAUSAGE, garlic, some sad carrots and half a thing of rice that was a couple of days old from the last time I made this (emergency food for our group of friends after a showing of "Handmade Nation")<br /><br />Chop about as finely as you feel like. I didn't really feel like.<br /><br /><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5218/5386333346_e6a6e545ff.jpg"><br /><br />order was oil hot, sausage hot, onions carrots cabbage, shove around for five minutes, crumble rice into pan.<br /><br /><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5214/5386333422_a0ba50fc0c.jpg"><br /><br />My sad little rice pot.<br /><br />Oh eggs. Shove everything to a side. leave a bit of space. crack eggs into space. You can scramble them if you want ahead of time. I like the different colors. also I don't want to wash another bowl. <br /><br /><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5215/5385731435_f92b5c1e1d.jpg"><br /><br />And then remembered there was some leftover cooked chard in the fridge.<br /><br /><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5217/5385731489_487c9fe6c0.jpg"><br /><br />Yay green things.<br /><br />Really anything goes here. I mean. After this I splashed in some chinese wine, a couple of tablespoons of soy sauce, a splash of fish sauce and a little white pepper and sesame oil. And tossed it around on high heat for a while. the burny crunchies on the bottom are a bonus and not a failure. <br /><br /><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5215/5385732339_ca53e82969.jpg"><br /><br />Yay and there's enough for tomorrow for when I also don't feel like making dinner. <br /><br />I got home at 7:00 pm. I let the dog out (who. who who. who who) and fed the cat. And then embarked on this quest. It is 8:00 and I am eating this food and posting this debacle of a blog post. See, I love you. I could have been depressingly watching Hoarders.<br /><br />FRIED RICE<br /><br />ingredients: <br />day old rice<br />onion<br />garlic<br />carrots<br />stuff from your fridge<br />asian product (soy sauce, rice wine, sesame oil, hoisin, white pepper, whatever you have handy)<br />eggs<br /><br />heat up pot. Add protein of choice, lightly brown. Add onions and and garlic and carrots and whatever raw vegetable matter you have chopped up. stir around for five or so minutes. crumble rice into pot with hands. wash rice off your sticky hands. mix around for a few minutes until rice is warm. shove all this stuff to one corner. crack eggs if you want into the open pan area. stir until set. mix all together.<br /><br />add Asian Product by the tablespoon for flavor. Not as much soy sauce as you would think. I like a couple of tablespoons of soy, a couple of tablespoons of rice wine, a tablespoon of sesame oil, and a touch of fish sauce and seasoning with white pepper instead of black. your rice, your call.<br /><br />mix together, add anything that doesn't need cooking but just needs warming up.<br /><br />let sit on medium to high heat for a couple of minutes if you want a crust to form which is actually delicious. eat.Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12409667210180673538noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1310560966868464834.post-42621636143937665832010-10-10T13:18:00.005-05:002010-10-10T13:48:14.869-05:00MorningCloser to noon, but who's counting.<br />Super strong French-press coffee, and nectarine-berry-black pepper galette.<br />We watched <i>Julie & Julia</i> last night and the Julia portions were delightful. I think this is why I woke up wanting to make something French. Emily is planning to make boef bourguignion and tarte tatin tonight in tribute. <br /><br /><img src="http://www.fishfishknits.com/photos/nectarinegalette1.jpg"><br /><br />I had a single nectarine left, and it wasn't very ripe, and I was hungry. Somehow this seemed like less work than trying to eat an underripe nectarine.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.fishfishknits.com/photos/nectarinegalette2.jpg"><br /><br />Threw a slovenly pastry dough together in my mixer bowl: 1 stick butter, ~1 cup flour, a bit of salt and enough cold water to bind together.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.fishfishknits.com/photos/nectarinegalette3.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.fishfishknits.com/photos/nectarinegalette4.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.fishfishknits.com/photos/nectarinegalette5.jpg"><br /><br />Breakfast. Lunch. Brunch. It's 1:20pm.Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05360231551886125010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1310560966868464834.post-16352877266372167282010-08-11T18:09:00.004-05:002010-08-11T18:23:23.329-05:00Chilled green soupa.k.a. Fridge cleaning before the veggies go bad.<br /><br />It is the middle of another goddamn Houston summer so most nights I want the coldest, simplest food possible. Inspired by <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93135535">this NPR article</a> on the subject, I set out to salvage a few items of produce that were getting kind of old:<br /><br />1. 2 zucchini<br />2. 1 bunch parsley<br />3. 1 head roasted garlic<br /><br /><br /><img src="http://www.fishfishknits.com/photos/zucchinisoup.jpg"><br /><font size=1><i>Shown here still in the pot, cuz I'm lazy. With lazy chunks of homemade bread.</i></font><br /><br />Chunked everything up and boiled directly (adding parsley at the very end of cooking), didn't brown the veggies or use lemon as per the article's directives. <br />Once cooked, the pot of boiled veggies actually sat in my fridge for a few days before I got around to blending and seasoning...I waited to add salt until after I'd tasted the cold version, as cold tends to blunt flavors and you typically need more seasoning to get your point across. Also added a touch of half-and-half (aka remnants of cream and a glug of milk) while blending to round out the salt+green flavor.<br /><br />It tastes really fresh (huge bunch of parsley). And cold. mmmm.Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05360231551886125010noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1310560966868464834.post-4708850384760444252010-08-09T21:32:00.004-05:002010-08-09T21:37:46.294-05:00Shrimp and Garlic Chive FlowersHad leftover shrimp from making spring rolls and bought chive flowers at the market. <br /><br /><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4074/4878006342_e927d4b5e3_z.jpg"><br /><br />Shrimp:<br /><br />marinate in chopped garlic, grated ginger, a little salt and about a tablespoon or two of corn starch. I also added the bottoms of the chive flowers chopped up fine and a tablespoon of chinese cooking wine and a little white pepper. mix together, should be a little ooblicky. Basically this sits around while you cook the chive flowers or whatever veggies you're having that day. Stir fry for about 7 minutes or until pink on the outside.<br /><br />Chive flowers:<br /><br />Chop into manageable strips - 2 inches? um. Stir fry all but the tops. salt. pepper. uhhh until tender. 5...minutes? add tops and cook about two minutes more. om nom.Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12409667210180673538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1310560966868464834.post-38386210575025389462010-08-08T23:09:00.007-05:002010-08-08T23:29:11.253-05:00Nostalgia DinnerApparently I get the urge to make <a href="http://28ozwineglass.blogspot.com/2009/01/stewed-pork-belly-part-two.html">Hong Shao Rou</a> about once a year. This time I fried up the pork belly in caramelized sugar and oil and it really brought out the color and sweetness I remembered. <br /><br />So along with the pot of porky coronary failure are the little side dishes.<br /><br /><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4075/4874637100_5652c04dc2_z.jpg"><br /><br />Chinese broccoli. Steamed for about five minutes with a little garlic and then topped with oyster sauce. They have delicious crunchy stems and well. Sometimes you need veggies. <br /><br /><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4115/4874637294_53b23652d2_z.jpg"><br /><br />Braised eggs. Softboil eggs, peel carefully, and then tuck into the braising liquid of the pork. They get all brown and porky and delicious, and if you keep the braising temperature low enough, they don't get all chalky in the middle.<br /><br /><br />Bao! Because sometimes you need something to dip into the pork belly sauce or make a pork belly sammich. <br /><br />I think the recipe I used was<br /><br />1/2 c warm water<br />1 packet's equivalent of yeast<br />about a tablespoon of lump sugar<br />3/4 c milk<br />1 T butter<br />3 c flour (or enough flour to make a smooth dough)<br /><br />combine warm water, yeast, sugar milk and butter. Let sit for 10 minutes. Mix in flour. Knead until smooth. Let rest for an hour and a half. Punch down. Let rise another hour. Form into little buns. place in steamer. Let proof for 15 minutes. Steam for 10 minutes. Eat.<br /><br />I lay down moist paper towel and spray with pam in the steamer. Helps with the release. traditionally napa cabbage is used, but I didn't have any on hand.<br /><br /><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4121/4874637462_9d5212b8ea_z.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4123/4874637584_f3a420c270_z.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4136/4874029401_a1a9925b66_z.jpg"><br /><br />Now have lunch for a few days, a little vat of cooking fat, and HI I THINK WE'RE BACK.Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12409667210180673538noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1310560966868464834.post-46699045217304287172010-07-18T18:37:00.001-05:002010-07-18T18:38:45.275-05:00http://www.culinaryescapade.com/?p=450<br /><br />but we left out half a cup of sugar and substituted half of the heavy cream with coconut milk and 2 cups of all purpose flour and one cup of cake flour.<br /><br />3 cups all-purpose flour<br />2 tsp baking powder<br />1/2 tsp baking soda<br />a pinch of salt<br />1 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened<br />1 1/2 cup granulated sugar<br />1 tsp pure vanilla extract<br />4 eggs<br />1 tbsp grated lime zest<br />1 cup heavy cream (35%)<br />3/4 cup dark rum (Tortuga if you can get it, if not any good dark rum will do)Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12409667210180673538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1310560966868464834.post-2005539455056090802010-02-18T23:20:00.003-06:002010-02-19T09:56:27.330-06:00Hot Pot pt 1 (broth)Okay. Tonight I am starting the hot pot broth and I will kick myself later if I don't write this down right as I'm doing it. In this bigass pot I have<br /><br />1 lb pork soup bones (lots of knuckles and neck)<br />2 large fat carrots cut into diagonal chunks(4 or 5 normal sized ones, these were the freak asian market ones)<br />1 lemon grass stem cut into diagonal chunks<br />2 inches of galangal root sliced thick<br />a half dollar sized knob of ginger sliced thick<br />half a head of garlic<br />1 tomato, sliced into wedges<br />2 stalks of celery<br />1 onion sliced into half moons<br />1 Tb Szechwan peppercorns<br />2 Tb salt<br />1 Tb sesame oil<br />2 Tb chinese cooking wine<br />water to the top of the pot<br /><br />let simmer overnight and reevaluate.<br /><br />This morning I added another large knob of galangal, more salt, an extra lemongrass stem and another inch or two of ginger.Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12409667210180673538noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1310560966868464834.post-76367365387725155052010-01-17T14:32:00.005-06:002010-01-17T18:52:55.219-06:00Asian slawuh. hi. Yeah I know I've been bad. But I've been trying to cut down on dishes that are bad for me and cream heavy and meat heavy and I finally made something delicious that boys will eat that is also delicious.<br /><br />I hated cole slaw. Forever. I mean. It was just scary. Turns out, more mayo issues! So we had this at our friend's parent's house and it was delicious and I made a version out of whtaever leftovers we had.<br /><br />Essentially, if you ever feel like slicing things up really thin<br /><br /><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4036/4282115805_c7aaf4a268.jpg"><br /><br />Or just grating things for a while. make this.<br /><br />I used half a cabbage, a large carrot, 4 sprigs of green onion, two crimini mushrooms and a handful of peanuts for the slaw itself. And the shredded leftovers of a roast chicken from earlier in the week, but this can be omitted to make this a vegetarian dish. <br /><br />For the dressing i used 1 garlic clove, 1 tablespoon of sesame oil, a teaspoon of black vinegar, a tablespoon of rice wine, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and blended it all together. I'm going to have to play around with these ratios, but it should make enough to toss the slaw in. you can also vary ratios to taste. I tend to like things a little soy saucey and a little tangy. Ginger is good if you have it and a little black pepper. You can add a touch of sugar if you want, but i think the vegetables work well for sweetness on their own.<br /><br />Other things you can add if you have it: cilantro, mint, bean sprouts, sriracha, citrus juice.<br /><br />Toss all together. can sit around let the flavors meld but man I just ate it two minutes after I was done mixing it and it's way too tasty for raw cabbage.<br /><br /><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4057/4282115949_a653363d5c.jpg">Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12409667210180673538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1310560966868464834.post-13619645641112351742010-01-09T17:10:00.005-06:002010-01-09T19:16:55.556-06:00RugelachRuuuuugelach. Rugelach rugelach rugelach.<br /><br />regular rugelach (apricot-walnut-raisin):<br /><br /><img src="http://www.fishfishknits.com/photos/rugelach8.jpg"><br /><br />chocolate-walnut-nutella rugelach:<br /><br /><img src="http://www.fishfishknits.com/photos/rugelach7.jpg"><br /><br />how to ruge your lach:<br /><br /><img src="http://www.fishfishknits.com/photos/rugelach1.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.fishfishknits.com/photos/rugelach2.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.fishfishknits.com/photos/rugelach3.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.fishfishknits.com/photos/rugelach4.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.fishfishknits.com/photos/rugelach5.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.fishfishknits.com/photos/rugelach6.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.fishfishknits.com/photos/rugelach7.jpg"><br /><br /><br />RUUUUGELAAAACH<br /><br /><a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Rugelach-109475">Recipe courtesy of Epicurious.com</a> Modified to chocolate version by me. I recommend using less filling than stated in the original recipe, as it oozed everywhere while baking.Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05360231551886125010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1310560966868464834.post-51349478422567328082009-12-28T14:28:00.003-06:002009-12-28T15:16:12.756-06:00The flavor tripYeah, yeah, we didn't do an update on our Thanksgiving or Christmas feasts, get over it. There was turkey, porchetta, potatoes, all that stuff. Free range organic turkeys are totally worth it.<br /><br />This post is not really about Thanksgiving, though. This post is about our Christmas evening flavor trip.<br /><br />Lauren is a gifting mastermind. I had no idea what she meant when she said I was going to be a co-conspirator "the experience" of Emily's gift. Also: best gift reveal ever. First out of the bag was a container of sour cherry syrup, followed by random fruits, then a packet of chocolate, a jar of salsa verde accompanied by a bag of tortilla chips, and a box of sour candies...and finally at the bottom of the bag were the <a href="http://www.thinkgeek.com/caffeine/wacky-edibles/ab3f/">Miracle Berry tablets</a>. Surprise, flavor trip time! Kept us guessing to the end.<br /><br /><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4008/4215311622_bed3f78f05.jpg"><br /><br />So we set up shop on the living room floor and proceeded to flavor trip. We followed the instructions on the box of Miracle Berry tablets (dissolve 1 tablet in mouth, coat tongue all over). We each picked up a slice of lemon and I swear we collectively held our breath before I bit into mine.<br /><br />I think I said "Holy shit." (Merry Christmas)<br /><br />And then I proceeded to devour the lemon wedge and sample everything else we had. We all dug in. It was by far the trippiest thing I've ever experienced. I will attempt to tabulate a list.<br /><br /><b>Super Awesome</b><br /><br />Lemons - taste sweet and tart and lemony like the most delicious lemonade. Mind-blowingly good. You can still feel the acid on your lips so it's kind of like sticking your tongue to a battery.<br />Limes - likewise. There seemed to be a saturation point beyond which additional acid was able to overcome the effects of the miracle berry.<br />Mandarins - taste like CANDY<br />Sour cherry syrup - became tart instead of puckeringly sour; deep, rich cherry flavors came forward.<br />Cranberries - taste like cranberry jelly<br /><br /><b>Good but Weird</b><br /><br />Granny Smith apples - without their tartness, they turn into boring regular apple flavor<br />Pink Lady apples - not much different, just sweet.<br />Grapefruit - not as sour<br />Blackberries - closer to what wild blackberries are like, kind of hard to tell since they weren't in season.<br />Salsa verde - bizarrely sweet, like a mango or pineapple salsa. Really weird.<br />Roma tomato - became peach-like, but with the tomato's herbal notes. Also really weird.<br />Shockers candy - not horribly sour!<br /><br /><b>Not so Good</b><br /><br />Guinness - the edge is gone, thus negating the point of drinking Guinness.<br />100% cacao chocolate pastilles - still horribly bitter!<br /><br />I went back for seconds on the lemon and lime, they were so tasty. The effects seemed to wear off around the 30-minute mark, which was fine by us. The Miracle Berry package said it might last up to one hour, but we were eating throughout so that probably stripped the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miraculin">compound</a> from our tongues faster. <br />We had antacid on hand to neutralize the obscene amounts of acid we were consuming; I recommend that approach to any who want to follow in our footsteps.Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05360231551886125010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1310560966868464834.post-12263049324871399582009-12-04T20:56:00.003-06:002010-12-03T21:02:34.009-06:00You're Old<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/averysmallcow/4165400110/" title="Birthday Not A Cake by averysmallcow!, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2736/4165400110_8bf2a91340_z.jpg" width="640" height="531" alt="Birthday Not A Cake" /></a><br /><br />I made a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croquembouche">croquembouche</a> for Emily's birthday. The candles were supplied by friend Lauren. I made 2 flavors of pastry cream filling: Turkish coffee and vanilla + orange blossom. This was my first time doing such intensive sugar work, and let me tell you spun sugar is very messy and fiddly, but so pretty in the end.<br /><br />Emily is not actually old. Yet.Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05360231551886125010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1310560966868464834.post-37483655540269855132009-11-22T12:38:00.003-06:002009-11-22T12:41:49.452-06:00Making chinese bbq pork bunsOkay. For years. I have not been able to replicate how the hell my mother made these completely delicious pork buns. I've looked up recipes online, I've experimented, I keep winding up with passable, but not great buns.<br /><br />I called her today and finally asked.<br /><br />Okay. For context. The usual recipe is this:<br /><br />Warm water 1 cup<br />Active dry yeast 1 (1/4-ounce) package<br />Flour 1 cup<br />Sugar 1/4 cup<br />Shortening or oil 2 T<br />Water 1/2 cup<br />Salt 1 1/2 teaspoons<br />Flour 3 to 3 1/2 cups<br /><br /><br />Right?<br /><br />My mother, instead of oil or water - uses butter and milk. And adds an egg.<br /><br />My mother has been putting bbq pork into steamed brioche for years. <br /><br />Pictures and recipe to follow. I have some weirdass mashup of French Quarter Redneck pulled pork bbq buns going on here.Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12409667210180673538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1310560966868464834.post-69183444178297728842009-11-21T10:40:00.002-06:002009-11-21T10:42:07.218-06:00Sometimes you have to move cakesAnd if you're me, you don't own anything that actually encloses or protects a cake or keep it from moving.<br /><br />But you sure do have packing materials from a tv.<br /><br /><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2536/4122465858_ca00e324f5.jpg">Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12409667210180673538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1310560966868464834.post-43654300197420120292009-11-18T18:45:00.008-06:002009-11-18T19:08:46.364-06:0028 oz Wine Glass 40 oz Whisky Shot<b><i>A Very Special guest post by Ender</i></b><br /><br />Hey, look at this, it’s an update! And one by a sane person at that! <i><font size="1">(Ed.--At this time we have not received documentation of the author's sanity from any licensed medical or psychiatric professional.)</font></i> This post contains no ham cakes, cake hams, spatchcocks, or Chinese rocks that appear to be meat but are in fact rocks. This post is about ribs and beer. Specifically, the combining of the two into Guinness braised ribs. Do I have your attention there? I thought so. Let us begin the lesson.<br /><br />What do you need for this party? Ribs and Guinness obviously, but you need a bit more than that. Let’s try:<br /><br />- 4 lbs of ribs (I used boneless pork ribs because they were cheap)<br />- 1 Guinness bottle (drink the rest while waiting for it to cook or while eating)<br />- 1 cup low sodium beef broth<br />- Plenty of kosher sea salt<br />- Plenty of fresh ground pepper<br />- 2 diced carrots<br />- 2 diced celery stalks<br />- 1 diced onion (I used yellow)<br />- 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary<br />- 2 teaspoons dried thyme<br />- 1 overloaded tablespoon of tomato paste<br />- 4 cloves worth of minced garlic (or spoonfuls to taste if using pre-minced stuf)<br />- 2 tablespoons of olive oil<br />- 1 bay leaf<br /> <br /><br />Crank your oven to 325 F and we’ll get started cooking.<br /><br />First up is the meat. <br /><br /><img src="http://www.fishfishknits.com/photos/28ozguestpost/dan15.jpg"><br /><br />I got a pretty decent cut of it here, but the nice thing about the recipe is that you can swap out the meat with other kinds and just adjust cooking time accordingly. Take it, cut it into manageable pieces and thoroughly coat it in ground pepper and kosher sea salt<br /><br /><img src="http://www.fishfishknits.com/photos/28ozguestpost/dan16.jpg"><br /><br />Now I know what you are thinking- why kosher salt if you are using pork ribs? The answer is a religious joke that I’m pretty sure they won’t let me get away with on their blog. <font size="1"><i>(Ed.--Probably not, but we'd enjoy hearing it for ourselves.)</i></font> So let’s go with a scientific explanation. <br /><br />Salt is hygroscopic, that is it attracts water molecules. This is why it used to be used as a desiccant. For our purposes here we want that, it draws out the water molecules from the meat. This is why it is kosher incidentally; it was used to draw out blood in the act of koshering meat. Thanks for the history lesson Dan, but how does this relate to cooking me delicious ribs? Well now that the water has been drawn out, osmosis will bring it back in, along with it some of the dissolved salt. The salt denatures the protein, making the meat extra tender, and leaving behind any additional minerals brought in giving it a bit of flavor, hence why we used sea salt. Now you have established a low level fluid flow in the meat. If you were doing anything else you would want to wipe off the salt now, but this stuff is going to be submerged shortly so don’t worry about it. You want the process to continue to really inject the flavor into the meat and the low sodium beef broth will ensure the end result isn’t too salty. <br /><br />This concludes the unnecessary detour. Hopefully you didn’t waste time and coated the rest of your meat while reading this. Take the meat and set it to the side.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.fishfishknits.com/photos/28ozguestpost/dan14.jpg"><br /><br />Now get out a large pot and put the olive oil in it. Get it hot and put the meat in.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.fishfishknits.com/photos/28ozguestpost/dan12.jpg"><br /><br />Thoroughly brown the meat on all sides. <br /><br /><img src="http://www.fishfishknits.com/photos/28ozguestpost/dan11.jpg"><br /><br />Once you’ve gotten it all browned, take the meat out and set it to the side. Toss your diced carots, celery and onion in the same pot with the hot and now flavored olive oil and sauté them until they are soft. This should take maybe 10 minutes depending on your stove and heat.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.fishfishknits.com/photos/28ozguestpost/dan10.jpg"><br /><br />Add the garlic, rosemary, and thyme, continue to sauté until the garlic is mixed in (you can tell because the garlic smell overpowers the others)<br /><br /><img src="http://www.fishfishknits.com/photos/28ozguestpost/dan9.jpg"><br /><br />Now add the tomato paste, and mix it thoroughly. I sent with about a tablespoon here, but adding more will increase the richness, color, and thickness of the final sauce. This could be desirable depending on your personal tastes. In the future I’m personally going to go with more.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.fishfishknits.com/photos/28ozguestpost/dan7.jpg"><br /><br />In goes 1 cup of beef broth, 1 bay leaf, and finally…<br /><br /><img src="http://www.fishfishknits.com/photos/28ozguestpost/dan6.jpg"><br /><br />1 cup of Guinness. Drink the rest of it you wasteful savage.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.fishfishknits.com/photos/28ozguestpost/dan5.jpg"><br /><br />This should be your sauce. Mix well over low heat, then add in the ribs.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.fishfishknits.com/photos/28ozguestpost/dan4.jpg"><br /><br />While stirring to keep the meat coated, bring it all to a boil. Look at it boil:<br /><br /><img src="http://www.fishfishknits.com/photos/28ozguestpost/dan3.jpg"><br /><br /> <br />Now at this point I made an error. The pot I had been working in had plastic coated handles, so it couldn’t go into the oven. That was mistake #1. I transferred it to a large disposable foil tray, which was mistake #2. In the future, I will use something with a smaller surface area and greater volume. That way the meat is more immersed in the sauce and there is less chance of it drying out. They still ended up really juicy, but they could have been even better. Take your pan/oven safe pot full of boiling ribs and sauce and cover it and put it in the oven:<br /><br /><img src="http://www.fishfishknits.com/photos/28ozguestpost/dan2.jpg"><br /><br />Braising gives you some leeway in cook time, I just kept checking with a meat thermometer until it was done. I’d estimate it took about 90 minutes though. <br /><br />Boomshakalaka<br /><br /><img src="http://www.fishfishknits.com/photos/28ozguestpost/dan1.jpg"><br /><br />Serve with the sauce drenched on it like gravy. It goes well with mashed potatoes or rolls to sop up the extra juice. And more Guinness to drink .<br /><br />Enjoy!Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05360231551886125010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1310560966868464834.post-48746206925273759342009-11-04T15:02:00.002-06:002009-11-04T15:06:59.249-06:00It's FALLI'm so excited. I am much more comfortable with fall foods - the squashes and the potatoes and the soups and stews and braises and GREENS that are growing again (oh Houston). Brussels sprouts and kale are back - I just sowed a new batch of kale and a batch of spinach. <br /><br />Last night we made chicken pot pie soup and biscuits. We've also had an influx of cream - which we have been making into CREAMFEST TWO - oh my god we need the join gyms. Clotted cream, cream scones, creme brulee, aforementioned soup and bisques oh my.<br /><br />and the PUMPKINING. Yes there will be pumpkining. One of my goals is to get a sugar pumpkin and process it down into pumpkin goo just to see how it's done. Pumpkin gnocchi and more brown butter than we should ever be allowed.Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12409667210180673538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1310560966868464834.post-81791111366876035652009-10-11T19:48:00.003-05:002009-10-13T23:51:56.162-05:00Cheese rinds and beetsThe Whole Foods down the street sells these little plastic-wrapped bundles of Parmesan rinds for super cheap and I just can't resist. So I've accumulated this small stockpile of cheese rinds and finally decided to do something with them: make cheese stock. Rinds + pot of water + a few hours of simmering = smells amazing, and awesome stock for risotto making.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.fishfishknits.com/photos/butternut.jpg"><br /><br />I had a butternut squash from the farmer's market so I cut that open and roasted it, and added it to the risotto to give it more body. The starchy squash partially disintegrated into the rice, which was nice.<br /><br />Also: roasted beets for the first time. I paired them with herbed goat cheese, salad greens, and pine nuts. Interesting.<br /><br />Oh yeah, and I folded sauteed beet greens into the risotto because the internet said they were also edible.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.fishfishknits.com/photos/butternutrisotto.jpg">Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05360231551886125010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1310560966868464834.post-77775627376948367322009-10-04T01:25:00.008-05:002009-10-04T11:01:28.982-05:00Dulce de leche, buerre noisette, sea salt.Putting this here to remind myself to do it again:<br /><br /><img src="http://www.fishfishknits.com/photos/caramelcinnamonrolls.jpg"><br /><br />Was making cinnamon rolls and decided to do a caramel topping. I found some leftover homemade dulce de leche in the fridge so that was the base. (Aside: I make dulce de leche by simmering an unopened can of sweetened condensed milk in a pot of water for an hour, then putting it back in the pantry, forgetting about it for a year and then opening it by accident when I actually need <i>sweetened condensed milk.</i>)<br /><br />I browned 3/4 stick of butter, stirred in 3/4 can of dulce de leche, and added 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt to make a saucelike goo. Dan says it is "alternate universe caramel with a goatee because it's evil" and he wants to know if I can replicate this in a solid caramel form.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.fishfishknits.com/photos/dulcedeleche-noisette.jpg"><br /><br />If you've ever had salted caramel, it's like that, but in sauce form, and with more toasty flavor. And if you haven't had salted caramel, try some, because salt brings out the flavors in sweets.Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05360231551886125010noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1310560966868464834.post-18032374262631827482009-10-01T18:18:00.007-05:002009-10-04T10:59:49.612-05:00Ham candyFallout from the Ham Cake/Cake Ham/Ham-shaped-like-a-cake:<br /><br />Candied ham.<br /><br />I had a chunk of ham left over from trimming all the rectangles to go on Reverse Ham Cake, so I diced the lean portion of it and decided to candy it, because that seemed more exciting than just eating cold leftover ham.<br /><br />In the pot, in no particular order: grade B maple syrup, brown sugar, salt (to balance the sugar and bring back the "ham" ness), fennel seed, garlic powder, cinnamon, coriander, clove, dijon mustard, orange juice.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.fishfishknits.com/photos/hamcandy2.jpg"><br /><br />I couldn't find my candy thermometer and the volume of the solution was too low besides, so I used the original drop-in-cold-water trick to determine the stages of the sugar solution. By the time it reached soft ball bordering on hard crack, the ham was starting to get a little toasty, so I stopped it at that point and used chopsticks to pick out the individual pieces and cool them on parchment paper.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.fishfishknits.com/photos/hamcandy.jpg"><br /><br />End result is tasty! And somewhat confusing. It reminds me of the sweet-spicy moist Chinese beef jerky I grew up with.<br /><br />Of note: this is the second time I've attempted to combine pork products and candymaking technique, the first being <a href="http://28ozwineglass.blogspot.com/2009/05/creamfest-2009-epilogue-and-bacon.html">bacon toffee.</a>Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05360231551886125010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1310560966868464834.post-15657857309418058532009-09-27T16:27:00.008-05:002009-09-27T17:06:48.199-05:00And now for something completely different.Remember the <a href="http://28ozwineglass.blogspot.com/2009/07/ham-cake.html">ham cake</a>? I made another one, but in reverse. It's a ham shaped like a cake, instead of cake shaped like a ham, because Matt requested it for his birthday.<br /><br />I bought a ham and baked it according to the package instructions, with a little Grade B maple syrup and water in the bottom of the baking dish.<br /><br />Then I hacked it to bits.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.fishfishknits.com/photos/reversehamcake1.jpg"><br /><br />I trimmed the biggest ham steaks into rectangles roughly the same size. There was some patchwork involved. <br /><br />Behold, my tower of ham.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.fishfishknits.com/photos/reversehamcake2.jpg"><br /><br />Potatoes were set to boil.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.fishfishknits.com/photos/reversehamcake3.jpg"><br /><br />Glaze. Those pre-glazed spiral-sliced hams annoy me because the inside of the ham doesn't get glazed, just the outside. So I decided to do something about it by glazing the entire cut face of each layer of ham.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.fishfishknits.com/photos/reversehamcake4.jpg"><br /><br />Contents of glaze: grade B maple syrup, ketchup, brown mustard, brown sugar, mushroom salt, balsamic vinegar, paprika, ginger, garlic granules, and possibly some other stuff.<br /><br />Glazed. <br /><br /><img src="http://www.fishfishknits.com/photos/reversehamcake5.jpg"><br /><br />Put under the broiler for a few minutes:<br /><br /><img src="http://www.fishfishknits.com/photos/reversehamcake6.jpg"><br /><br />It turned out all runny and juicy. I was going more for a creme brulee type crust, so next time I will pat the meat dry and use a completely dry phase glaze mix. If there is ever a next time.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.fishfishknits.com/photos/reversehamcake7.jpg"><br /><br />Mashed potatoes, made with heavy cream and cream cheese instead of milk and butter. I thought to myself, "how can I make the potatoes stiff enough to support ham slices, but still creamy?" This is how. We are all going to die of fattiness because of those potatoes.<br /><br />Assembly was your standard stack-and-frost affair, which proceeded smoothly after an emergency run to the store to get MORE POTATOES. I got a can of French's fried onions to use as "nuts" on the sides of the cake (which worked well to disguise the rough frosting job on the sides). I used a sandwich bag with the corner cut off to write a message using the leftover ham glaze. I am pretty darn proud of my piping job.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.fishfishknits.com/photos/reversehamcake8.jpg"><br /><br />Aaaand the money shot:<br /><br /><img src="http://www.fishfishknits.com/photos/reversehamcake9.jpg">Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05360231551886125010noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1310560966868464834.post-8632843729068329872009-09-18T01:02:00.005-05:002009-09-18T01:35:53.971-05:00Pumpkin ravioli in sage browned butterStill feeling pretty good from last night's hand-cut pasta dish, tonight I decided to use up half a can of pumpkin puree by making ravioli. After a quick googling for ravioli-assembling instructions, I was ready to go.<br /><br />No eggs this time, just flour, water, a pinch of salt, and a bit of olive oil:<br /><br /><img src="http://www.fishfishknits.com/photos/pumpkinravioli2.jpg"><br /><br />Really unphotogenic filling:<br /><br /><img src="http://www.fishfishknits.com/photos/pumpkinravioli1.jpg"><br /><br />Contains: pumpkin puree, minced garlic, mixed dried mushrooms (crushed fine and rehydrated), grated really old parmesan, shredded cheddar&jack cheese mix, plain yogurt, a bit of brown sugar, and salt/pepper/herbes de provence/paprika/coriander. It tasted pretty flat in the beginning which is why yogurt and sugar and prepack cheese mix got in there. But afterward it was tasty! Go team improvisation.<br /><br />After some finagling with rolling out and dolloping and cutting and sealing and boiling and tossing in sage <a href="http://28ozwineglass.blogspot.com/2009/04/browned-butter.html">browned butter</a> and some simultaneous making of honey-lemon-ginger glazed carrots, I picked the prettiest ravioli and sage leaflets and put them on a plate to show you.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.fishfishknits.com/photos/pumpkinravioli3.jpg"><br /><br />Pine nuts were added for textural contrast.<br /><br />Go team pantry cleaning!Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05360231551886125010noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1310560966868464834.post-13644905376680071452009-09-16T23:47:00.004-05:002009-09-18T01:36:43.136-05:00Pasta carbonaraThey say adding constraints to a creative process will keep the creative spark alive, and apparently this principle totally applies to my relationship with food.<br />Tonight's dinner exists because we have no milk, no onions, no bread, no greens, and we are tired of bean soup (I made a very mediocre soup). What we did have were: really good farmer's market bacon, frozen green peas, two eggs, and pasta. <br /><br />Or I thought we had pasta.<br /><br />Since we didn't, I had to make some. By hand. Because kneading dough is a great way to blow off steam, and because by then I was set on having pasta carbonara for dinner.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.fishfishknits.com/photos/carbonara1.jpg"><br /><br />My previous attempts at homemade pasta have been pretty poor. Learning to handle dough (thanks to bread-baking) made the outcome a whole lot better this time around. The real secret to getting lovely smooth fresh pasta dough is giving it multiple rests throughout the mixing, kneading, and rolling out processes. Five minutes after mixing for gluten formation and starch hydration, then a good 5+ minutes of kneading (it's a stiff dough), then a few 1-2 minute rests while rolling out to counteract the dough's inherent elasticity.<br /><br />I started out with the Italian grandmother method: cracking an egg into a little well made in a mound of flour. I wound up adding another egg's worth of water to the dough to extend it, since one egg doesn't make for very much dough.<br /><br />Rolled out, floured well, rolled up, and sliced like (rustic) fettucine:<br /><br /><img src="http://www.fishfishknits.com/photos/carbonara2.jpg"><br /><br />I had to unroll the noodles and dust them with more flour immediately after cutting to keep the cut edges from sticking.<br /><br />BACON. Bacon which we got from a charming meat and pork sausage vendor who said his family was Jewish.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.fishfishknits.com/photos/carbonara3.jpg"><br /><br />Would have used onions. Instead you get minced garlic.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.fishfishknits.com/photos/carbonara4.jpg"><br /><br />GREEN THINGS. And salt & black pepper were added at some point.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.fishfishknits.com/photos/carbonara5.jpg"><br /><br />I prepared the remaining egg to use as the carbonara "sauce" by beating it with a pinch of salt and some water (so I wouldn't wind up with an accidental omelette)<br /><br /><img src="http://www.fishfishknits.com/photos/carbonara6.jpg"><br /><br />Shortly after this point, I gave the noodles a quick tumble in boiling water too cook (they just need a minute) and added them to the pan. More salt to taste, a few grinds of black pepper once plated, and a generous grating of Parmesan followed:<br /><br /><img src="http://www.fishfishknits.com/photos/carbonara7.jpg"><br /><br />I'm eager to try making fresh pasta again and possibly freezing little pasta nests for future use, because fresh pasta is fucking amazing.Stephaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05360231551886125010noreply@blogger.com0