Finally updating......

 

Gruyere Pancetta Chive Breakfast Muffins

I haven't been able to get to the blog here in a while.  Been busy at work

and working on several different things at the same time.

So I'm updating a mass at the same time here.

 

I have been wanting to make these too and finally got around to them.

The came out lovely breakfast.  Next time, a little more pancetta and gruyere.

 

Match Green Tea Milk Jam

Here's another one of those, I want to make this too kinda thing.

I didn't want to spend $11.00 plus shipping for a small jar of Milk Jam from SFO. So

I reviewed several Confiture de Lait recipe and incorporated my own flavors. Basically it's Dulce de Leche.  Just need a little time and patience.   One with Matcha Green Tea and made another with Passion Fruit.  Do you remember the robo stir do-hickey as seen on TV?  Well instead of laboring over the stove, that my was sous chef for this project.

 

My version of the Milk Tea Jam

 

1 1/4 cups of Organic Heavy Whipping Cream

1 cup of Organic Half and Half

1/4 teaspoon of Baking Soda

1/4 teaspoon of Kosher Salt

1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

1/2 cup of organic sugar

(other recipes call for 1-2 cups of Caster Sugar which is expensive)

1/4 of C and H Stevia sugar for baking

 

Note on the sugars:  This is a mix a use to keep things a tad more diabetic friendly. I'm no longer

DBII but I try very hard to work with sugars.  So for baking I use mostly the C and H Stevia for baking.  I've been successful at making caramel for my coffee as well.  So here I process both sugar with a little lemon verbena I grow at home and use half of what a recipe calls for.

 

**towards the last 15 minutes add the flavorings

**for the Passion Fruit I used 1 oz of Passion Fruit Pulp

**for the Matcha Green Tea I use 1.5 teaspoon of High Culinary Grade Match Powder I

recommend you mix into a little milk or water and make a paste to make it smoother

as you see I have a few specks in here which I don't mind.

I set my timer for 1:45....

 

Bring all the ingredients just to a boil and reduce the heat, to low simmer, place the roto-stirrer and

I used the number 3 speed.  Manual labor continue to stir to avoid the skin to form.

The milk jam will start to turn color at the 45 minute stage and continue to stir periodically.

At the 1 hour stage is when I put either of the flavorings, then continue to watch the mixture it should

be a smooth caramel satin feel.  You may not need the full 1:45 I made this one in 1:30 as I use my large Calphalon pan.  This Confiture should be grainy it should be smooth.  Place in clean sterilized jars and should keep for 1-2 weeks if it makes it that long.  Perfect on toast.

 



 

 

Gulf Prawns, Scallops with Vegetable Medley

 

It's Lent, so Fridays are Seafood night.  I saw Chef Pahk had a dish he posted and I started to salivate.

Since the market is close to our Branch at work.  I picked up some Gulf Prawns and Scallops.

At Mitsuwa we found some beautiful large Shitake Mushrooms, luckily I had everything else at home and voila!.

 

 

 

 

Artichoke Plants are back and growing at a good pace.

 

 

 

From Kenny's Wood Fire Grill in

Addison Texas Grey Goose on Tap.

 

Kenny's had the largest tastiest Popovers's I've ever had. 

I took my bosses and enjoyed that later in the day.

 

 

Food is serioius in Addison, this is from same place, Kenny's I had the Short Rib open face this was so good. Below well now that's a pepper shaker. 

 

 

This was a Mediterranean Restaurant  called Skewers also very good.

 

 

 

This is not a great photo as it was from my phone but it was from a BBQ place in Addison. The employees there said don't go there but we did as the Yelp numbers were high.  It was really good and under $8. it was so much food and was good BBQ.  I say this because they kept telling us to go to Dickies. My daughter and I ate at Lucille's in Concord the other day and it wasn't all that compared to this I remember the taste and wish I had purchased some BBQ sauce while I was there.

These are from my Garden.

I only have 5 varieties of Tomatoes.

Organic Beet Salad with Mandarins and Micro Greens

Dinner tonight, I prepared a salad with cooked organic beets I got at the Farmer's Market.

Tossed in some micro greens, mandarin oranges and sprinkled with Feta.  I think the Feta Cheese was a nice

balance with the beets.  I disliked beets for a long time as mom used to cook those and forced to eat them. But I have rekindled my like for them.  My dressing was Olive Oil, Chives and Pomegranate vinegar form Chateau St. Jean.

Entree' tonight was Squash Blossoms with Ginger and Beef over Rice.

Chain of events

Hello everyone, been bad about the blog I think but past few days have been weird hectic.

Anyhow here goes.

Chicken Wings My Way

Easy, 2-3 cloves garlic finely minced, 1 green onion sliced thin

1 package party wings rinsed patted dry

Get one measuring cup here we go using this cup Use the one that holds 1.5 cups

Add:

1/4 cup Dark Shoyu... See More

1/4 cup Oyster Sauce

1/4 cup mirin

1/4 cup chinese cooking wine

1/4 rice wine vinegar

2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar

Salt and Pepper

2 Heaping Tablespoons of honey

Stir and pour over chicken wings and soak overnigh.

I use a turbo broiler so if you don't have that you need to bake 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes turning halfway point you can baste with the marinade.

While baking I reduce down the marinade and add a little more honey until sliightly thickened then I pour over when they are done in the bowl
 
 

Cellophane Noodles (Saifun) with Wood Ear/Shitake, Blue Lake Beans and Crab.

 

Serves 2 as a main course or 4 to 6 with 2 or 3 other dishes.

Cooked meat and tomalley and fat from a 2-pound Dungeness crab (about 1/2 pound crabmeat and 1/4 cup tomalley and fat)

1 egg... See More

1 tablespoon water

1 ½ tablespoons fish sauce

1 1/2 Tablespoon Abalone Sauce

½ to ¾ teaspoon black pepper, and white pepper

2 tablespoons canola or other neutral oil

1/2 Diced Shallot and 1/4 Sweet Yellow Onion Diced

3 dried wood ear mushrooms, reconstituted, stemmed, and cut into 1/8-inch-wide strips (about ¼ cup)

3 Shitake Mushroom Fresh or reconstituted sliced thin.

¼ pound cellophane noodles, soaked in hot water until pliable, drained, and cut into 10-inch lengths

1. In a bowl, combine the tomalley and fat, egg, water, fish sauce, pepper, and chopped cilantro and mix well. Measure the mixture; you want about ¾ cup total. Add water if needed. (If you are using crabmeat prepared of course cost more, then I made 1 cup of lobster broth and cooled down)

2. In a wok or large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the shallot /onion and stir-fry for about 2 minutes, or until soft. Add the crabmeat and mushrooms and stir-fry for about 1 minute, or until aromatic. Add the noodles and continue to stir-fry for about 2 minutes, or until they begin to soften. The noodles will look a bit dry.

3. Give the tomalley mixture a good stir and pour over the noodles. Quickly work the mixture into the noodles to ensure an even distribution of flavors, lowering the heat if the noodles begin to clump. In about 2 minutes, the noodles will become translucent and lightly golden.

4. Remove from the heat and taste and adjust with extra sprinkles of fish sauce and/or pepper. Transfer to a serving plate and serve immediately

I added sliced green beans it needed color as I don't like celery really so put this in no 2.


 
 

Wagyu Rib Eye for lunch today

No Recipe on this one not needed right?

Deep Fried Squash Blossom

This afternoon I went for a little stroll at DiCarli for the Farmer's Market it wasn't extremely hot.
After having the best deep fried squash blossoms at Mundaka in Carmel I was destined to make them.
I love squash blossom as it is.  But oh la la.

So I scurried all the recipe and I combined Wolfgang Pucks and another version for the batter.
Of course those recipes were for huge batches.

This batter was enough for 20 blossoms.

1/4 cup non glutinous rice flour (Miyako in cellophane bag)
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup corn flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup cornstarch
1Tablespoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon sale
1 1/2 cup soda pop (sprite/7up/hansens)

Mix all the dry ingredients, pour in pop and stir with whisk until a little thicker than pancake batter do not overmix.

Clean blossoms and remove inside stamens and peel off fuzzy skins from stems I leave 2inches of stem easier to coat.

Coat each blossom and fry (I use canola and olive oil) golden brown on each side.

Make a sugar honey sauce with a little white and brown sugar.

Stacked Asparagus with Sprinkled Parmesan and Romano

Grilled with Olive Oil, Season with Ala'e Salt, Pepper (my mix with other goodies)
You know when they are done.  I like mine still with snap.   More for me, I am the only that eats them and Frenchie when she is here.

Aioli of course

Grilled Asparagus and Aioli

Sweet Pea Sprout Salad

Do you like, Alfalfa Sprouts or Horseradish Sprouts? The little jewels are so good I am hooked. I have had them on a Shrimp Dumpling Sout so delicious. But I found them in Sacramento and blanched briefly with salt and pepper for seasoning. I suppose a little rice vinegar would be good too. But they are sweet and wonderful