I made my first loaf of bread the other day without the breadmaker! And it was a success! Thanks to America’s Test Kitchen. My dad records their show (of course I was already a fan, but haven’t had the chance to set my recorder as well) and showed me the episode they made ciabatta bread. It looked so easy, and it turns out it really was. I already had all the ingredients and equipment (pizza stone and stand mixer). So I went to their site to view the episode clip to make sure my dough was looking like hers. My dough wasn’t looking at wet as hers, most likely because I added a tad too much flour. The one piece of equipment I didn’t posses at the time was a scale (which I purchased a few hours after finishing the bread to use the next time), and the recipe called for 5 oz all-purpose flour for the starter (biga). After searching online to figure out an equivalent in cups, there was an array of answers, simply because 1 cup of loosely cupped flour is going to be different than a slightly packed 1 cup of flour. And it’s easy to slightly pack it as you’re scooping to measure. So I just settled on 1 cup of flour and see how it goes. Again my dough wasn’t looking quite as wet/loose as hers, but I just stuck with it. The same thing happened when I was kneading the dough in my stand mixer. I apparently put a little too much flour and it had too much structure than it should have. The video shows the dough barely holding onto the dough hook, while mine was slapping the sides of the bowl. Mine was still sticky and looked fairly similar to hers once I stopped the stand mixer.

After I split the dough in half, I stuck the second half in the bowl, covered it with plastic wrap and kept it in the fridge for 2 days. I continued with the first half and it baked beautifully. The crust was a beautiful brown color and slightly chewy while the crumb was moist and chewy. It tasted a little yeasty/alcoholic to me, but not noticeable. Jeh didn’t notice. It still tasted really good. The holes inside were perfect, not too big and not too small.

When it came time to bake the second half 2 days later, I took it out of the fridge and onto a well floured surface. Shaped it into 12×6″, added peeled raw garlic cloves between the layers as I folded it like a business letter. Then I had let it rest for 1 hour (double the amount of time you’d normally let it rest, because it was cold). I continued with the recipe as she describes and it came out perfectly again! There were slight differences, but still great. The loaf was slightly flatter than the first loaf, but not by much. The inside looked the same (holes were the same size as the first loaf). But this time, I think it actually tastes better. I didn’t taste or smell the yeasty/alcoholic part that I smelled from the first loaf. I was reading a different America’s Test Kitchen recipe and they mentioned during testing  that chilling the dough while letting it rise actually provided the best results and didn’t give that yeasty/alcoholic smell/taste. I’m thinking that’s what happened, although I can’t say that’s a general rule. They mentioned that for only one type of bread they were testing. I’m only guessing.

Anyway, the bread tasted great the first day and even better baked 2 days later. I’ll definitely be making this again. Simple. Easy. Time-consuming, but worth it. It took about 5-10 mins the night before to make the biga (starter). Then about 4 hours from start (making the dough) to finish (out of the oven, not counting the 30-60 mins to cool).

Oh and about the garlic cloves. I LOVE Costco’s Artisan Garlic Bread (it has whole roasted garlic cloves within the bread). I think Costco’s garlic bread is sourdough, but aside from that I wanted to add garlic cloves to this bread and see how it turned out. After being baked, the cloves tasted cooked, but they weren’t browned like Costco’s. I’m thinking they roast the cloves first before adding them to the dough. Which is what I’ll be trying the next time I make this wonderful Ciabatta bread!

I recently bought a glass cookie jar from The Container Store (Anchor Hocking 1.5-gallon Montana Glass Jar – $17.99 retail). It’s the only one that I found online to be “airtight” (so they claim), plus it has rave reviews from multiple owners across the web. Those classic glass cookie jars was my second choice, but read that they aren’t airtight. If I’m using these for cookies and other sweets, they’ll most definitely need to be airtight. So I finally bought it with a pretty good discount (20% off online coupon) and picked it up from the store to save on shipping costs. Now that I owned a cookie jar, I just had to test it out with what better than, of course, cookies!

I stumbled upon this recipe and tried it today. With over 2 thousand good reviews for this recipe, how could I not try it? I am one that relies on user reviews, and although I’ve run across one or two recipes that had amazing reviews yet didn’t turn out so great to me, this one didn’t fail me. Fantastic recipe and is now my go-to Oatmeal Raisin cookie recipe. It’s not so much of a holiday spiced cookie — the subtle taste of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves give it the usual taste any Oatmeal raisin cookie should normally taste like. I will definitely be making these again; perhaps with chocolate chips or walnuts added.

Note: It’s been 3 days since I made these cookies and they’re still chewy and delicious!

Oatmeal Raisin Spiced Cookies

Adapted from allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs, room temp
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups rolled oats (aka Old Fashioned)
• 1 cup raisins

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Soak the raisins in warm water for at least 10 mins OR put in a microwave-safe bowl with water and microwave for 1 min to soften. Pat dry with paper towel.
3. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar.
4. Add the eggs and vanilla. Mix until smooth.
5. Combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt; stir into the sugar mixture. Stir in the oats and raisins. Drop by rounded Tablespoonfuls onto cookie sheets.
6. Bake 10 to 12 minutes until light and golden. Do not over-bake. Let them cool for 2 minutes before removing from cookie sheets to cool completely.
7. Always use a cooled cookie sheet when baking in batches. After removing cookies, rinse the cookie sheet under cold water to cool it down. (This rule applies to all cookie recipes)
8. Store in airtight container.

Going through my favorite food blog sites, I stopped at Bakerella’s blog about blondies. Her photos are mouth-watering and my craving for blondies began. I have never had a blondie before and if I had I don’t remember it or knew what it was. I read up and found that they’re basically a non-chocolate brownie. By adding extra ingredients like chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, M&M’s, nuts, peanut butter chips, etc… it’s basically just a cookie with a brownie texture and shape. But by no means is it a cookie. I fell in love with this the second I took my first bite from this recipe. I made mine with bittersweet chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, and macadamia nuts. The second it hit Jeh’s tongue, I just heard “mmmmm! This is better than a brownie!”. And he likes his brownies. Fabulous recipe, VERY easy to throw together (just as easy as a boxed brownie mix), and customizable. Thanks Cook’s Illustrated (aka America’s Test Kitchen) for another great recipe! I love my The America’s Test Kitchen: Family Baking Book!

Tonight I made Caramel Popcorn and it is amazingly good! A common misconception is that popcorn is bad for you. It’s actually packed with fiber and is a pretty healthy snack by itself. Of course, adding salt, butter, etc… can make it unhealthy (especially the butter used in movie theaters making it over 1000 calories), but popcorn itself is a healthy snack. I tried this recipe I found online and it is the perfect amount of sweetness. I added enough salt after it was popped to my liking, but other than that the recipe is great! It made enough for both me and jeh and the sweetness (amount of caramel) is just right. Although, when I drizzled the caramel on the popcorn, it hardened before I could grab my spoon to stir and “coat” the popcorn like in the recipe. Besides that part, it was still perfect. Here’s the recipe I used, with slight adjustments:

Caramel Popcorn

Serves 2

Ingredients:
3.5 TBLS Corn Kernels
1 tbsp Vegetable or Canola Oil
Pinch of salt

Caramel Coating:
3.5 TBLS Castor or granulated Sugar
1 TBLS Butter

**Prepare more caramel if prefer very sweet popcorn.

Methods:

1. For making popcorn, heat oil in a 3-4 quart heavy-bottom pan (I like to use one with a glass lid) on Medium heat.
2. Add in kernels with a pinch of salt, put the lid on then remove from heat for 30 seconds (This will help the heat to distribute evenly and kernels will pop almost at the same time.) while swirling the pan a bit to make sure all kernels are coated with oil and spread out in an even layer.
3. Return pot back to stove and open the lid slightly to release the steam. This makes for better (and drier) popcorn.
4. Once the popping sound has ceased (when there’s several seconds between pops), remove from heat immediately and transfer popcorn into a large mixing bowl. Add salt to taste.
5. In a saucepan, cook sugar with butter until all sugar is dissolved.
6. Drizzle caramel over popcorn and use a spatula to stir the popcorn rapidly to coat. (When I made it, it doesn’t really “coat”. Once I drizzled the caramel with a spoon on the popcorn, it basically hardened before I can stir it around.)

Before I met Jeh, I don’t think I ever had this type of Chinese dumplings before. If I had, I don’t remember it and probably only ate it once. When we went to Taiwan with his family in 2005, we stopped by the amazing night markets and I had the most delicious Taiwanese food. One of the most memorable things I ate was Jeh’s dad’s favorite spot for dumplings. It was just a few boiled dumplings in a bowl. That was it. It was unusual for me to eat what looked like a few lonely wontons — wontons which I normally ate with noodle soup. After the first bite, all my concerns melted away. It was delicious! Jeh’s mom also makes some mean dumplings. There’s also a place in Seattle called Fu Man Dumpling House that has the best dumplings in Seattle. Jeh and I usually order the Green Onion Pancake, 12 Boiled dumplings, and 12 pan browned dumplings.  That’s a lot of dumplings, but that’s the whole meal right there. You will come out smelling like Asian food, but it is no doubt worth it.

Through the years, I’ve become more aware of Asian cuisine and with my recent interest in cooking, I was on a search to make some boiled dumplings. I’ve made these for a baby shower and it was a hit, plus Jeh loves this recipe.

Note: This type of dumpling is usually made with the thicker circle dumpling wrappers (not the thinner square wonton wrappers). I only had square wonton wrappers on hand (which makes these more “wonton dumplings”), but I usually just use the circle dumpling wrappers.

Pork and Cabbage Dumplings:
Makes about one and a half packages of wonton wrappers (approx. 76 dumplings)
Prep Time: Approx. 1/2-1 hr
Wrapping Time: Approx. 1 hr 15 min for one person to wrap
Total Time: about 2 hrs 15 min.

Directions:

**DEFROST FROZEN WRAPPERS OVERNIGHT (alternatively: defrost in the fridge for a couple of hours – recommended. Or defrost at room temp for 45 min-1 hr.)

1) Combine raw pork, cabbage & green onions. Use a fork to mash and stir to combine.

2) Combine in separate bowl the rest of the ingredients. Pour this mixture over the meat mixture and stir to fully incorporate. (Optional Taste Test: sauté a small portion in a skillet until cooked through and adjust seasoning as needed.)

3) Keep the wrappers and filled dumplings covered with a damp cloth/paper towel to prevent the dough from drying out and cracking. They will crack and have holes as you fold the dumplings if not properly covered.

Round Dumpling/Gyoza Wrappers: Place some filling in center (do not overfill). LIGHTLY dip your finger in cold water and wet the top half of the circle. Fold in half and press to seal. Be sure to press out as much air as possible.

Square Wonton wrappers: Place some filling in center (do not overfill). LIGHTLY dip your finger in cold water and wet the top edge and wet half-way on the 2 side edges. Fold in half to make a rectangle (press as much air out as possible). Fold the top lip down, and pull the two edges together. Wet just one corner and press ends together to seal. You can fold this any way you want, if this is way too complicated.

4) When all dumplings are assembled, you can cook immediately or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to several hours (same day) or freeze for a longer period of time. If freezing, place in a single layer on a plate so they are not touching each other. Allow to fully freeze, then gather them up and store in a freezer safe container or ziplock bag. Repeat for all dumplings. If they are touching each other while freezing, they will stick together and you will have a big lump of 70 dumplings.

To Boil FRESH dumplings:  Bring a large pot of water to boil. Once boiling, gently slide in the dumplings (don’t overcrowd). When water returns to a boil, turn heat to a simmer and gently cook for 6-8 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon and repeat with remaining dumplings.

To Boil FROZEN dumplings: Boil for 10-13 min. If you want, you can cut one in half to check it’s cooked through.

Serve with hot chili oil.

I ran into a Cook’s Illustrated/America’s Test Kitchen recipe for a Pasta with Olive Oil & Garlic last month and have been wanting to try it out. I’ve been putting it off because I was afraid the dish would turn out bland. Cori tested the recipe out and with a few minor changes, she said it tasted pretty good. But I still wasn’t motivated to test it out myself. Last night, we went to BJ’s Restaurant for Adam’s birthday dinner and I ordered their “Angel Hair Toscana”. It was the healthiest pasta on the menu (I also ordered the half portion, so it was half the calories), plus olive oil is good for you. The ingredients sounded very basic and similar to the Cook’s Illustrated recipe, but with a few extra ingredients. The pasta was fantastic! It had so much flavor, I was so glad I tried it. After last night’s dinner, it had inspired me to try the Cook’s Illustrated recipe but tweaking it to try to make it taste more like the Angel Hair Toscana. Results were amazing. It tasted pretty similar and has so much flavor. It’s light and healthy (for a pasta dish), I’m still thinking about it after 3 hours from eating it. This is definitely something I will be making again!

Angel hair with roasted peppers, garlic, and olive oil
Makes about 5 servings or so

2/3′s of a 1 lb. pkg Angel hair pasta
4.5 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup garlic, minced
3 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp salt
1 red bell pepper, roasted and chopped (see recipe below) OR use jarred roasted red bell peppers (found in condiment section of grocery store)
2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup Sun-dried tomatoes, chopped (Optional)
Fresh basil leaves, chopped
Parmesan, grated
Cooked chicken meat (or any type of meat, like grilled shrimp)

1) Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

2) While water is heating, in a medium skillet add olive oil, minced garlic, dried parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Cook over LOW heat. Once it starts to sizzle a bit, stir constantly until garlic foams and is sticky, 10-12 minutes. (Cook the garlic slowly, so you don’t rush and burn it.) Remove from heat and stir in tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes (if using), roasted red bell pepper, and basil.

3) When water is boiling, add pasta and salt liberally (about 1-2 TBLS). Boil for 5 min (or to your preference). When finished cooking pasta, reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water, then drain the rest.

4) When ready to combine ingredients, mix the reserved 1/2 cup pasta cooking water with the pasta. Pour the olive oil mixture over the pasta and combine. Add the warmed chicken meat and grated Parmesan.

I receive America’s Test Kitchen e-newsletters and sometimes they link you to a video recipe from their show. I saw the recipe for Boston Baked Beans and I couldn’t get my mind off of it. I bought my first enameled cast-iron pot last week and broke it in by making braised short ribs. I LOVE this pot! It’s not the luxury brand that’s over $200, Le Creuset (although, it would have been nice to get one). I got the budget, but VERY highly rated, Lodge brand. Everyone says that Lodge is just as good as Le Creuset, with a small chance of it chipping but its not something you should really have to pay over $200 for. I got mine from Amazon for only $50 and I think it’s an amazing buy. I also purchased the Le Creuset replacement Stainless-steel knob to go with my blue Lodge. Apparently, all these beautiful enameled cast-iron pots (whether luxury or budget) usually can withstand up to around 500 degrees F in the oven. But they all come with a knob made of resin, which is safe in the oven up to approximately  375 degrees. Now what is the use of that? Why make a pot that can be safe in 500 degrees, but the lid can’t because of the knob? It’d make more sense if this was the case for only the budget brands, but the brands that cost over $200? Really? I just find that ridiculous and feel sorry for those that paid the $200 and felt like they needed to purchase something that should have already come with it. The knob only costs $10.

So after breaking my pot in with beautiful braised short ribs, I decided to try making baked beans from the video. I made some changes and it turned out pretty good! It’d be a wonderful side dish in the summer with BBQ. Next recipe to test out with my new pot? No-knead Bread!

I’ve been on a search for a Chocolate Mousse recipe that didn’t use raw eggs or gelatin. Almost every recipe I found had one or the other. Cooking the eggs would be just as fine. Similar to creating a custard, where you would whisk the whipped eggs into a heated mixture in a sauce pan and continuously stirring it until the mixture can coat a metal spoon. At that point, the mixture will be above 160°F (eggs are cooked at 140°F and held for 4 mins, or if it hits 160°F).

One recipe I found that used that method of cooking the eggs seemed to have too many steps. It would be nice to try to find more recipes with this type of cooking the eggs/mixture, but I just can’t seem to find any. I, then, found recipes that you would just bake the mousse, but baking seemed to give it a sponge pudding type texture rather than a silky smooth texture.

I finally found an alternate way to make chocolate mousse by using just melted chocolate, butter, heavy whipping cream, and sugar. Extremely simple and easy. Basically you just melt the chocolate with some butter. Whisk the heavy cream with chilled whisks and bowl until foamy, then add the sugar. Whisk a little more. Add a little bit of the whipped cream to the chocolate and fold. Then add a little more cream and fold. Continue until everything is mixed. Chill until ready to serve, then let it sit out for 30 min before serving.

Chocolate Mousse (without eggs)

Ingredients:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
3 Tbsp unsalted butter
3/4 cup good quality dark, semi-sweet chocolate
1 Tbsp granulated sugar

Directions:
1. Put a metal bowl and whisk into the fridge (this will help when whisking the cream).

2. Place 1″ of water in a sauce pan. Bring to a simmer.

3. Chop chocolate so they melt evenly. Place chocolate and butter into a HEAT-PROOF bowl that’s larger than the sauce pan. Place the bowl on the rim of the sauce pan to let the steam/heat melt the chocolate.

4. Stir occasionally and remove once almost all the pieces are melted. Continue stirring to melt the last few pieces. Set aside.

5. In your chilled bowl, add the heavy whipping cream and whisk until foamy. Add the sugar and whisk a little more.

6. FOLD in (not stir) one spoonful of whipped cream at a time into the chocolate until all the cream is thoroughly combined.

7. Chill in fridge until ready to serve.

Notes:
*Can be made a day ahead and chilled until ready to serve. Should be eaten within 3 days of making it. Or if frozen in air tight container, can last at least 3 weeks.

*Garnish ideas: whipped cream, chocolate shavings, strawberries, any berries

*Additional flavors ideas: Try adding 1 TBLS liquor, like Bailey’s. After combining the cream and chocolate, add a little of the liquor at a time stirring continuously and gently.
Or try using a few drops of peppermint extract.
Or try replacing dark chocolate with milk or white chocolate.

]]> http://blog.waffoo.com/?feed=rss2&p=379 0 http://blog.waffoo.com/?p=368 http://blog.waffoo.com/?p=368#comments Tue, 30 Mar 2010 03:44:51 +0000 mechow http://blog.waffoo.com/?p=368

I made another batch and finally took pictures of them now that I bought an external flash (the lighting in my house really sucks)…again, still working on making my photos look just right. Not quite there yet. See my “Christmas Baking!” post for links to the recipes I used. FANTASTIC combination of recipes.

I love Japanese curry — whether it’s chicken, beef, or pork. Jeh usually is the one that makes it at home. It’s really easy (using S&B Golden Curry Sauce Mix) and tastes REALLY good. We add baby carrots, onion, and red bell peppers along with the meat. Thanks, Jeh, for the wonderful dinner tonight!