French Onion Soup and Pizza Dog

 

 

 

5 Yello medium onion sliced thin

 

 

Saute'd slowly to release their natural sugars

 

 

 

 

After an hour yeah, this is what I ended up with.

 

 

 

 

In a separate pot I seared 3 prime short rib bones with meat for 2 hours

The last 45 minutes I added the caramelized onions. BTW deglaze the pan from the saute pan

 

 

 

French Onion Soup my way

 

There are recipes all over the web for the soup.  It's so about the flavor.

I usually have my butcher cut me up a femur sideways into 3 as we have 3 dogs

and I give the bones after they have cooled down and have done there job in the soup.

I happened to only have the prime long short ribs in freezer.

 

In pot searing the short ribs I added a potful of water

I added salt and pepper, frenche thyme and herbs de provence

I also added classic french stock to it and let is simmer away until the meat can shred away

about 1:45-2:00 hours.

 

During the last 45 minutes I put the onions in and remove the bones.

Taste for flavor.

Is it ready? 

Then off to the broiler topping with some good crusty bread and gruyere cheese

Topped with chive after it's all said and done.

 

I love Scambria French bread in Napa I get extra so I can make croutons and that is

what I topped this with the cheese and threw a little extra cheese after.

 

Bon appetit

 

 

 

French Cut Pork Chop with Pickled Peppers

adapted from Saveur Magazine's  Bamonte's Pork Chop.

 

I added a few other things But here is recipe.

 

I pan fried the chops but I did not place in oven I cooked them just about 2/3rd of the way.

In a separate pan I sautee'd cippolini onions and garlic

I did use the amount of white wine and chicken stock

I always hit is will a little sake, once the sauced thicken down I finished off

with a little butter maybe a Tablespoon is plenty.

I then poured over the chops covered and let simmer a minute or 2

 

Served with brown rice.

 

 

 

 

Credit: Todd Coleman

SERVES 2

INGREDIENTS

2 (1"-thick) bone-in pork chops
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3 tbsp. olive oil
5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
12 pickled cherry peppers, halved
¼ cup dry white wine
¼ cup chicken stock

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat oven to 425°. Season chops with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tbsp. olive oil in a 12" skillet over medium-high heat. Fry chops, flipping once, until browned, 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer pan to oven; roast until pork is cooked through, 18–20 minutes. Transfer chops to a plate. Return pan to medium heat, add remaining oil, garlic, and peppers; cook until garlic is golden, 3–4 minutes. Raise heat to high, add wine and stock; cook until reduced by half, 3 to 4 minutes. Spoon sauce over chops.

 

Wagyu Sukiyaki

 

Hubby loves Sukiyaki but it has to be good.

 

I adapted to Chef Morimoto's Sukiyaki for Kobe and third time now it has come out

 

very tasty just enough seasonings.

 

Wagyu for Sukiyaki/Shabu Shabu I got at Oto's, also the Tofu that they get there is so good,

the Saifun as well. Everything else I had at home.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Turbo Oven Roasted Duck

 

I bought a duckling the other day.  The one restaurant I used to by from have gone out

of business.  I remember the owner telling me his kids were all done with college now, so it was time to give it up.

So I have been craving roast duck.  Of course I don't have the chinese kitchen

my turbo oven did just fine.

 

 

 

 

Pork and Shrimp White Miso Wonton Soup

 

It's been in the 20's in our locale which is abnormal.  It feels like I am at work in

Cleveland in the old days.  I have been making soup alot but we both love wonton

soup but it has to be good.

We were in Sac over the weekend, so I picked up some white miso, kurobata ground pork, farmed prawns and sake.

So for my wonton blossoms the meatball combined are the shrimps, the kurobata pork,

bamboo shoots and water chestnuts and just a small pinch of 5 spice.

For the broth, it was homemade chicken stock, white miso, sake,

and shitake powder.

 

 

 

Guava Haupia

 

I have been ono (craving) for haupia. Since I'm on the kick of

using C and H Stevia Light thought i'd give it a whirl.

My goodness it came out so good. 

Luckily Goya has frozen guava puree.....next time i'll make lilikoi haupia.

 

 

 

 

 

Mac-Off's

Oatmeal Biscoff Cookies with Macadamia Nuts and

Guittard Milk Chocolate Chips

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Madeleine's who doesn't love these jewels?

 

My hubby loves these.  I know they are generally quite rich.  When we frequent Napa, I always get a dozen at, Chef Keller's Bouchon Bakery.  Hubby goes through them like chocolate chip cookies which he doesn't normally eat.

 

Well, I've had a nice Madeleine pan for a while, and since I'm on hiatus until next month for the office, i've been working on recipes I have not been able too.

 

So since, these are expensive at even Starbucks in the 3 pack which don't taste near the wonderful ones at Bouchon, I went through my cookbook binder.

I decided to purge out recipes and compare ingredients, count, flavor etc.

 

So after reviewing many in my binder which I have now purged.  I found one that I really like

I've adapted it to meet my diabetic needs with the exception of the butter. However, all the other recipes I've had in my book or seen on the web show 2-3 eggs.

 

Here is a one egg version, sure it's laden with tons of butter and tons of richness of eggs but this is a nice rendition.

Here's the recipe

 

  3-4 Tablespoons Butter melted/browned

  1 cup plus 1T  ( my conversion here 1/3 all purpose  1/3 cake flour  and  1/3 cup wheat flour., plus 1 teaspoon each type of flours to equal the 3T)

½ tsp baking powder

 1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon Castor Sugar (my version is  1/4 of Stevia C and H )

Finely grated zest of 1 lemon

1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped  If you have it or 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste.  You can use vanilla bean sugar if you want I would add it to the sugar above a mix of it.

1 egg room temp

2 T plus 1 teaspoon milk  Here I used 2 T of milk and 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste)  I also made some passion fruit ones and used the passion fruit puree for the 1 teaspoon)

 Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a small 12-mould Madeleine tray with butter.  There might be enough for 2-3 I used silicone cupcake liners and the come out like financiers

Sift the flour, baking powder and sugar together into a bowl. Beat the lemon zest, vanilla bean, egg and milk. Fold in the dry ingredients using a metal spoon.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over high heat. When nut brown, add to the mixture and whisk well.  Use a whisk don't use your mixer.

 

Just don't overmix it will create to much gluten and become tough should be like pound cake batter I used a medium ice cream scooper for cookies unto my madeleine pan. If it appears to thick add little more milk.

Bake for 12-13 minutes or until golden.

 

Be creative with it.  I made some Passion Fruit Ones with dessicated coconut and Valrhona Chocolate Pearls. 

 

Bon Appetit.  

Dishes i've worked on over the weekend through today

 

 

 

 

 

Ginata'an (Filipino Dessert) or  Tambo Tambo

 

I try to make this dessert only enough for 2 people 2 servings kind of thing.

Hubby doesn't like this dessert.

 

So this one has Mochi Balls, Lychee Large Tapioca, regular tapioca,

okinawan sweet potato, langka and palm fruit.

You'll need:

Mochiko Brand Glutinous Rice Flour

Brown Sugar

Stevia C and H brand it has only 2 grams of sugar per serving

1 small bag of tapioca pearl

1 bag of the large Tapioca Pearl (I got the Lychee flavored)

1 small okinawan sweet potato or 1 small sweet potato or yam

1 small can of the sliced langka with palm fruit (I only used half the can and froze the rest)

1 small can of coconut milk

Corn Starch Slurry 1 Tablespoon thicken slightly with a little water.

 

Medium Pan bring to boil 3-4 cups water,

once it comes to a boil add 1/4 of regular tapiocs small size balls. Cook 8 minutes turn down to simmer.

 

In another small pot bring to boil 3 cups water

add 1/5 of the large tapioca cook 3 minutes they'll float to the top, turn off stove and cover.

 

Meanwhile, make the mochi balls:

 

The Mochi Balls, my method as follows:

 

2/3 cup of Mochiko (Glutinous) Rice Flour

8 Tablespoons Water

1 Tablespoon Brown Sugar

Mix the brown sugar with the water and pour into the rice flour.

Carefully Mix with your hands and don't overwork the dough

It should be shaggy and start to come together so from here, rinse hands clean

just air dry your hands then start to roll your mochi balls again don't overwork so as to not

creat anymore gluten as they will become gummy a few presses in the palm of your hand

and shape and set aside  on a plate with a little rice flour on the bottom. They should feel like a soft pillow to the touch. Keep in mind the more you mess with it the harder they become .

 

At this point the small tapioca should be cooked the large tapioca should be done.

Add the big pearls,  the Okinawan sweet potato and mochi balls and cook until the potato is tender.

Then I add the small can of coconut milk.

 

If you want to use plantains you can cook at the same time with the sweet potato it will need that time. But that's a lot of starch carbs for me so I omit that part.

 

Simmer on low for about 2 minues and then add the langka and palm fruit and if it's not thick enough add the corn starch slurry and cook until it thickens then turn off then cover for a minute or 2 then

you are ready to eat.

 

Masarap!  (to me)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oyster Sauce Beef Skirt  Steak with Broccoli/Romanesco and Shitake Mushrooms.

 

No recipe required right?

 

The only thing I do different since I don't have a commercial stove.

I blanch and shock my broccoli , then once I have cooked the meat with the corn starch slurry

then I turn off stove and toss in the veggies then they are crunchy but booked.

 

You'll need:

 

I like to use a good piece of meat here so sliced Skirt Steak or Rib Eye works nicely

1 half yellow onion

Garlic to your own taste

2 Tablespoon Fish Sauce

2 Tablespoon Xioshing Cooking wine

4-5 fresh Shitake Mushrooms sliced

1 Broccoli or Florets but it's best to get the head

If Romanesco is around get one and use half of it

2 Tablespoons Oyster Sauce you'll need a good one

2 Tablespoons low sodium shoyu (soy sauce)

**Bamboo shoots optional**

Corn Starch Slurry 1 heaping Tablespoon to 1/2-2/3 cup water

 

Saute the onion and garlic, sweat it little to release the natural sugars medium heat.

Then turn up the heat to medium high and add the beef.

Then I add Fish Sauce and Xioshing Cooking wine, I let this simmer so that

the wine and fish sauce envelopes into the meat, once the water has evaporated

the oils from the fat in the meat will be prominent then stir fry accordingly.

Add the fresh shitakes and bamboo shoot if desired.

Then add the oyster sauce and shoyu.

Then add the corn starch slurry and cook it will start to thicken at this point you

can add more water to loosen the sauce.

 

In another pot blanche and cook the broccoli then shock in ice cold water.

 

Turn off the heat from the other pot with the dish and then add the broccoli and toss.

 

Serve with brown or white rice.

 

Bon appetit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fried Brown Rice with Bacon Chive and Egg

 

This is unlimited on what you make in your fried rice.  There are so many techniques, ie

the colder the rice when frying the better.

 

So I fried this one in a little bacon grease, then I fry the rice.

Seasonsings are simple:

Onion Salt

Garlic Salt

Old Bay or 21 seasonsing of your choice

1 Tablespoon shoyu

1 Egg add this at the end

 

Once the rice is done and you have added your seasonings:

Add the shoyu and stir around

Add the egg (mixed like you're going to scramble)

Move some of the rice to the side in pan and scramble in same pan

add bacon, chives, peas whatever is in the fridge. But I like it simple

then serve.

 

 

 

New York Style Crumb Cake

 

 

 

New York Style Crumb Cakes with Huckleberries

 

 

Lasagne Soup my way

 

This one is basic and you can do whatever you want with it.

My difference was I made my Roasted Tomato Soup.

I cooked the noodles separately and reserved 1 cup of the starch liquid.

I cut the cooked noodles to they were more uniform.

I also cooked in a separate pan some italian sausage.

Once the soup is done then I add the noodles and cooked sausage and simmered

for 10 minutes.

Then I add grated fresh mozzarella and fresh grated parmesan

I also finished it off with truffle butter that I made.

Top off with snipped chive.

 

 

 

 

 Butter Croissants

With a Combo of flours

 

 

 

 

 

Bibingka Souffle Re-dux

So I call it Butter Mochi Souffle'

 

Bibingka souffle is big I guess in the Philippines and here in some of the Bay Area Filipino Restaurants.

 

With all the different recipes of the dessert I envisioned really what I know when I make my own bibingka I learned from my Kaua'i grandmother and my mother and another aunt that I felt made the best Bibingka Vigan style god she made the best ilocano longaniza as well.  I remember seeing from our yard her hangings drying them and I knew wow mom are you gonna get some of those? You could smell the onaona of it in the air.

 

So what did I do to make this confection?

 

Well it's your regular souffle for one-two

Replace the flour with Mochiko Rice Flour

Replace all the liquid with coconut milk and make as normal.

 

Bon appetit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pain de Chocolat

 

I have been working on 4 types of Croissant Recipes.

Well voila this one that I finally tweaked I like the best.

It's hard being diabetic, trying to be totally good and have a little bad.

 

So I spend some time trying to revamp, substitute etc.

 

I will post the recipe after I make another batch to make sure I have everything down

 

So this is a chocolate filled one with the above Valrhona Guanaja dark chocolate.

The topping is a Hazelnut Praline that I made with Stevia by C and H for baking

and processed to a coarse powder along with some valrhona cocoa nib.

 

 

Cream of Mushroom Soup

my way

 

I made a pot of the Nilaga, but I knew hubby would want something else so

I had the Cream of Mushroom Soup in my mind.

 

It's so much better homemade so here is my version.

 

Now 3 of my favorite fungi weapons are:

Tube of Black Truffle Concentrate imported from Italy

Ground Porcini Powder and Procini Boullion

Ground Shitake Mushroom Powder I made myself

 

You'll need:

 

1-2 containers of Crimini's I slice my own but you can get them sliced

4-5 dried Morel's rehydrated strain and reserve liquid

Some Chanterelle's if available they're expensive so it's a bonus if you use

Fresh Shitake if available a handful sliced.

1 leek cleaned and sliced

1/2 yellow onion sliced

1/2 teaspoon crushed garlic

1 teaspoon Hawaiian Salt

1.5 Tablespoons Porcini Powder (if you don't have this you can take dried porcini and and process into powder)

1.5 Tablespoons of Shitake Powder

1/2 teaspoon pepper is using ground 3-4 turns on the grinder

White pepper to your flavoring I use a couple turns on the grinder 

3 Tablespoon Flour or Wondra

2 quarts of water

1 teaspoon of thyme

1/2 Heavy Cream you can use half and half as well

1 Tablepoon Butter to finish

1-2 teaspoon snipped chives to finish

 1-2 Tablespoons of cooked Pancetta Lardons or 1 nice slice cut into lardons,cooked and set aside

Add: Dollup of Creme Fraiche if desired.

Serve with Artisan Crusty Bread, Crostini any bread of  your choice

 

Use a nice pan that will caramelize the mushrooms in be able to hold your soup.

I have a 3 QT All Clad Pan which is perfect

Cook the pancetta lardons and set aside

Caramelize the mushrooms in a little olive oil with a tad of butter ratio along with the oil rendered from Pancetta on medium-high heat don't keep stirring them just let them brown and toasty and flip as you go you'll know. Remove and set aside

Saute' the onions and leeks then add garlic

Add mushrooms back in and toss slightly

I add the flour here and stir to cook the flour taste away add a little oil here if it looks too dry.

Then add the water/stock slowly and it will start to thicken add enough of the liquid until your thickened desire. Don't take it to gravy so add a little more water to loosen the soup

Add thyme I grow my own so chopped it up to release those wonderful flavors

Add the Porcini and Shitake Powder stir and let it simmer for 30 minutes on medium heat covered.

Taste flavor and adjust seasoning here if needed.

Add the cream and cook for 1-2 minutes if the soup is too thin you can thicken with a cornstarch solution or wondra solution

Add the pancetta lardons, the butter, and chive and stir to finish off.

 

Serve with Artisan Crusty Bread, Crostini any bread of your choice

Bon  Appetit

 

 

Short Rib Nilaga

Filipino Cuisine my way

 

You'll need for Nilaga:

1 big pot 3 quart or little larger.

Short ribs plank but you'll want ones that are an 1 inch thicker or 1.5 inch. (I noticed Safeway is cutting them quite nicely lately and they are lean)

Don't get them too fatty a little fat is fine. Cut in between the bones so then they'll be in easy to eat squares and won't splatter soup all over when you eat.

it's not sexy at that point. Hahaha.

If you want to use New England Cut that is fine but those require more cooking time.

Part 1

  rinse planks and cut into piece you'll either have 3 - 4 per plank.

 

 Part 2

                                                                       

1/2 Yellow one nicely diced

1 Tablespoon Crushed Garlic or roasted if you do that (as I do and put in fridge)

 

Part 3 Seasonings:

1 T Kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon Pepper

1/2 teaspoon White Pepper

1 ladle of Patis Fish Sauce  (any brand even cambodian)

1 ladle of mirin

1 ladle of sake

1 teaspoon thyme

1 teaspoon of dry steak rub any kind or old bay seasoning but something for meat is good.

1/2 of a regular cabbage or savoy

1-2 russet potatoes I cut them a little larger than for a gratin but now as you would stew

I sear and brown the pieces on each side in bacon fat or a little olive oil in sections and put to the side on a plate.

 

 Saute' the onion and garlic

Add back in the meat and stir around add the water to meat level in your pot.

Add seasonings in part 3 bring to a roaring boil then lower heat to medium-medium high set timer for 1 :45 hours. Check now and then if you need to add more liquid to about meat level. Not meant to be thick it's a soup.

Check the meat you don't wan't it falling but where there is still some give and tender. If ready then add potatoes and cook those until fork tender about 3-5 minutes depending on how big you cut them.

Taste for seasoning adjust anything here but you should have too but your choice

Add the cabbage ladle some of the soup on the cabbage or press is down a tad. Turn off the stove and cover for 2 minutes then uncover let the steam cook the cabbage.

Then you're done. Total time about 2 to 2.5 hours

Serve with brown rice or white.

 

You can top with any vegetable really  if not cabbage, mom did cabbage and I like it steamed the last 2 minutes.

But i've seen green beans, spinach, chili leaves etc.

Now if you add green beans like Blue Lake, Chinese Long bean, I recommend blanching and shocking separately then top it on the soup itself.  I like crunch in the beans not the sogginess.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Huckleberry and Marscapone Filled Wheat Croissant

 

 

 

 

 

Plain Wheat Croissant topped with Turbinado Sugar

 

 

 

Matcha Green Tea White Chocolate chips and Macadamia Nut Cookies

 

Since I have that culinary grade powder I saw some cookies on other sites and

thought I'd try out my own.

 

Here we go.

 

It's simple really just use any shortbread type recipe and add 2 teaspoon or 1 tablespoon Matcha Green Tea Powder (Culinary Grade) and 1 teaspoon of lemon extract or yuzu juice.

 

Voila.

 

 

 

 

Hangar Steak Hash

 

You know, I knew what Corned Beek Hash was, but didn't really think of Steak Hash.

 

So twice in the past 10 days, I saw a girlfriends dish she had at Orphan in Sacramento.  It looked

so delicious.

 

Yesterday a Chef friend posted his steak hash and that was it.

 

So when I saw Chef Pahk's posting (he's now the Executive Chef at the Mauna Kea Hotel

on Big Island up in the Kohala area.  I realized that I had leftover hangar steak that I made for

hubby and I. So I chopped some fingerlings, garlic and onion chives and voila.  I fixed one egg over medium to accompany my dish and finished it with Black Truffle butter.

 

I was happy, and so simple and what didn't I know of this before?

 

Bon Appetit.

 

 

 

 

 

Kouign Amann my way

 

 

I have only had these from Whole Foods. 

 

Although I remember the episode of the Neely's when the ventured to Le Madeliene

and I really wanted to try them. So expensive via the mail.

 

So after reviewing 20 pages in google of the Breton, I thought I'd give it a whirl my way of course.

 

So here they are, I did use wheat flour, 1/4 cup a/p flour and 1/4 cup cake flour.

For the sugar's I used Stevia for baking and mixed with the Lemon Verbena one I made here at home.

 

Turned out pretty good.  I have my daugher one and a couple Kouignettes.

 

Bon  Appetit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love the Shrimp Dumpling Soup from

Wong's Cuisine here in town.

 

On my way for my labs I picked up some

Won Ton Pi at the local Noodle Factory.  $1.30

 

Picked up some Gulf Prawns, Water Chestnuts, Bamboo Shoots,

Pea Sprouts and Bean Sprouts.

 

Well here you have it my way, but of course I know I am missing

some certain seasoning.

 

But nonetheless it still came out ono.

 

Bon Appetit!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy New Year 2013 all.

 

Spent New Year's Eve day in Napa, and had lunch at Redd/Yountville with hubby.

 

For lunch today to start our year, I made Lobster Bisque my way, we had a late dinner with Steak and Lobster that we shared.

 

Below we had lunch at Redd/Yountville, love this place, saw our favorite waiter as well.

 

 

I think I have posted before, I am not a true fan of Rissotto, however,

I do enjoy how it's cooked at Redd and Plumed Horse.

This was a wild mushroom one which was very delicious.

 

 

It was a beautiful day in Napa.  It got a tad colder in the afternoon,

But I couldn't ask for a better day from hubby.