WRAPPERS

For any type of dumplings

3″ round Gyoza potsticker wrappers are the same as 3″ square wonton wrappers.

For smaller eggroll type of filling

Spring Roll Wrappers are slightly larger, and square.

For mu shu and other Asian fillings

Mu Shu pancakes are about 6 inches and are round.
 – These are also good for small burritos
 – Look in the grocery for Mu-Shu Shells

Egg Rolls

Eggroll Wrappers are even larger, and are usually square.

Spring Rolls

Rice paper is usually round and must be soaked in hot water before using.  Good for steaming.

Yellow Cake

  • 150 gm AP flour
  • 200 gm cake flour
  • 300 gm whole milk
  • 200 gm salted butter
  • 4 large eggs
  • 4 additional egg yolks (save whites for another day)
  • 300 gm granulated sugar
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp vanilla

NOTE: 
AP flour has 12-14 gm protein per cup
Cake flour has about 8 gm protein per cup

  1. Cream together butter, sugar and egg
  2. Add 3/4 your wet ingredients
  3. Add 1/2 your dry ingredients
  4. Add the rest of your wet ingredients
  5. Add the rest of your dry ingredients
  6. Mix just to combine – do not overmix
  7. Grease the bottom of your baking pan
  8. Put in 2 TBL AP flour and shake to spread
  9. Dump out the remainder
  10. Cut parchment paper to cover the bottom of two pans
  11. Bake at 350º until internal temperature is about 210º
  12. Rest for 15 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack
  13. Cool cakes for one hour before frosting

FROSTING

  1. Microwave 2 TBL water for 10 seconds
  2. Pour in 1 tsp gelatin
  3. Mix and set aside
  4. In a mixing bowl combine 2 C heavy cream with 1/2 C prepared  cocoa mix
  5. Add 1 tsp vanilla to the gelatin and drizzle into the cream mixture while continually stirring

 

Lemon Cake

  • 2 C AP flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
    SIFT ABOVE TOGETHER
    In large mixing bowl, combine
  • 2 C sugar
  • 1 C veg oil
  • 1 C buttermilk
  • 1 tp vanilla
  • zest and juice from 2 lemons, plus 1/4 C lemon juice
    1. Add 1 egg and mix
    2. Add 1 egg and mix
    3. Add 1 egg and mix
    4. Add 1 egg and mix
    5. Fold in 1/2 of dry ingredients,
    6. then 1/4, then the last 1/4
    7. Mix only to combine
    8. Pour into a baking pan
    9. Bake at 350º for 25-30 minutes
  • Create glaze with 1 C powdered sugar and 2 tsp lemon juice and 2 tsp milk – thin with 1 tsp milk if necessary, but you want it the consistency of a thick syrup

 

Pimento Cheese

  • 2 C grated extra-sharp Cheddar cheese
  • 1/2 C White Cheddar – grated
  • 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • ½ C Miracle Whip
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper (optional)
  • 1/4 tsp onion powder
  • 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced (optional)
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • salt and black pepper to taste
  1. Blacken your red bell under the broiler until charred
  2. Put into a plastic bag to sweat for 5 minutes
  3. Remove from the bag and use a paper towel to clean most of the blackened skin off.  DO NOT RINSE.
  4. Let red bell cool while you mix the other ingredients
  5. Combine all except the bell pepper
  6. Cut the top and bottom off the bell, slice the skin and lay the pepper flat on a cutting board
  7. Cut thin strips, then cut again creating very small squares
  8. Fold in the cooled bell pepper trying not to break apart the pieces

Lox

Gravlox and lox are slightly different.  Smoke salmon is even more different, so I am not even going to go there.

To make your own lox and bagels here is what you will need:
Ingredients

Step by Step

      • FIRST CURE
    1. Rinse salmon with water; pat dry with paper towels.
    2. Mix salt and sugars together in a bowl.
    3. Lay out a piece of plastic wrap.
    4. Pour 1/2 of the salt mixture onto the plastic wrap; lay salmon on top (skin side up)
    5. Cover salmon with 1/4 of the remaining salt mixture – make sure you get edges and sides – KEEP 1/4 of the mixture for tomorrow
    6. Fold plastic wrap around salmon until secure; lay a second layer of plastic wrap on top of the salmon.
    7. Transfer to a 9×9-inch baking pan; cover with an 8×8-inch baking pan – as a weight – or even a wrapped brick
    8. Place a heavy object onto the smaller baking pan to weigh salmon down.
    9. Cure in the refrigerator until salmon’s surface becomes silky and firm, about 24 hours.
      • SECOND CURE
    10. Mix 1/2 C tequila and 1/2 C fresh lime juice
    11. Add zest of 1 lemon and 1 orange
    12. 2 tsp cracked coriander
    13. Dill, mint and basil – roughly chop and into the liquid
    14. Put in most of the reserved cure into a sheet pan lined with a fresh sheet of plastic in a pan with sides 
    15. Remove the salmon from the fridge and put onto mixture – skin side up
    16. Cover edges with any cure remaining
    17. Wrap with the plastic and weight again
    18. Refrigerate another 24 hours

      PREPARE TO RINSE YOUR LOX WHEN READY TO SERVE
    19. Submerge into ice bath and let rest for 30 minutes.
    20. Repeat rinsing and submerging 2 more times
    21. Dry salmon with paper towels.
    22. Place on paper towel and a plate UNCOVERED in the refrigerator
    23. Cut a red onion into slices as thin as possible and place the slices in a glass bowl.
    24. Pour 1/2 C hot white vinegar over the top and let cool.
    25. Meanwhile drain 2 TBL capers and put on a table with cream cheese placed on the table to soften
    26. Toast your bagel
    27. Cut the lox with a sharp knife starting from fat end of the salmon and cutting toward the thinner edge.  Cut as thinly as possible.

 

Oysters Rockefeller

  • Put a skillet on a pan over medium-low
  • Melt 6 TBL butter
  • Add 3/4 C onion – chopped
  • 3/4 C celery finely – chopped
  • 1/2 tsp salt
    • Sweat vegetables for about 5 minutes
  • Add 1 TBL garlic (4 cloves) and let cook another 3 minutes
  • Add 1 can artichoke hearts – drained and chopped
  • Add 1 C panko bread crumbs
  • 2 tsp lemon zest
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper – freshly ground
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • Pinch of salt
    • Stir until bread crumbs absorb moisture
    • Spread salt on a sheet pan to stabilize oysters
    • Put 2 dozen oysters on the salt so that nothing spills
    • Put some of your mixture on top of the oysters
    • Bake for 425º for 10 minutes

 

 

 

No-flour Choc Chip Cookies

These chocolate chip cookies rely on the crystalization of your sugar and butter to keep the cookie formed.

  • 1 C almond butter
  • 1 C semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1/2 C packed brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 tsp coarse salt or Maldon salt
  1. Preheat oven to 350º
  2. Mix butter, choc chips, sugar, eggs and salt
    A ball kind of like dough will form
  3. Place 1 TBL mounds on a parchment lined baking sheet
  4. Bake for 10 minutes
  5. Let cool 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling
  6. Store for up to a week

Beef and Cheddar Hand Pie

  • 1/2 LB ground beef (80/20)
  • 1/4 LB ground pork
  • 1/4 LB chopped Italian sausage
  • 1 TBL minced onion
  • 2 tsp minced garlic
  • 2 TBL Worchestershire
  • 2 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 2 C cheddar cheese – shredded
  • 1 sheet puff pastry
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 TBL AP flour
  • salt, pepper, oregano, cumin to taste
  1. Brown ground meats in a skillet
  2. Add onion, sausage and garlic
  3. Toss with flour
  4. Add Worchestershire and Dijon
  5. Add other seasonings
  6. Remove and let cool completely
  7. Stir in shredded cheese and egg
  8. Preheat oven to 425º
  9. Roll out pastry on lightly floured surface
  10. Cut into four 7 inch squares
  11. Place 1/4 of mixture in the center of each square
  12. Brush edges with egg, fold over and press edges to seal
  13. Place pies on parchment paper lined baking sheet
  14. Brush tops with more eggs
  15. Poke 2 vent holes in top of each
  16. Bake until golden brown – about 20 minutes

Pizza Rolls

  1. Roll pizza dough flat
  2. Drizzle with pizza sauce, salt and EVOO
    SAUCE:  1/2 C wine, garlic tomato, onion, salt, pepper, sugar – SIMMER
  3. Sprinkle with mozzarella and parmesan cheeses
  4. Add pepperoni, black olives, etc – – – based on your preferences
  5. Add basil and oregano
  6. Roll up lengthwise starting with string cheese in the middle
  7. Pinch closed
  8. Slice into rolls
  9. Pour 4 TBL melted butter into a cast iron skillet
  10. Put rolls into the skillet and let rise for 30 minutes
  11. Bake in preheated oven at 400º for 15 minutes
  12. Serve with a side of marinara

Tuna Noodle Casserole

  1. Prepare 2 C wide egg noodles, drain and set aside
  2. Preheat oven to 400º
  3. Lightly grease an 8×8 casserole dish
  4. Heat 1 TBL butter in a pan – add 1 TBL EVOO
  5. Add
    • 1/2 C onion chopped,
    • 1 stalk chopped celery
  6. Cook until onion begins to become translucent
  7. Add a splash of sherry to deglaze
  8. Add
    • 2 TBL flour
    • 1 C whole milk,
    • 1/4 C frozen peas
    • 1 can mushroom soup
    • salt and pepper
  9. Thicken for about 4 minutes
  10. Add
    • 1 can tuna in water (drained)
    • chopped red bell pepper,
    • green chiles
    • 1/2 C shredded cheddar cheese
    • Cooked egg noodles
  11. Mix all and put into baking dish
  12. Prepare topping.  Combine the following
    • minced parsley
    • 1/4 C Panko bread crumbs
    • 2 TBL melted butter
    • 1/4 C grated Parmesan cheese
  13. Sprinkle topping mixture on top of tuna
  14. Bake 400º for 15-20 minutes

 

Egg Roll in a Bowl

  • Soy
  • Hoisin or Oyster Sauce
  • Rice Vinegar
  • Ground (browned) meat
    Base
  • Cole Slaw / shredded cabbage
  1. Brown the meat in a bit of sesame oil
  2. Once browned, add soy, hoisin and vinegar
  3. Heat to simmering, then add cabbage
  4. Cover and steam 3-5 minutes
  5. Taste and season
  6. Serve with rice or with Bib Lettuce as wraps

 

Decadent Fruit Dinner

  • 2/3 C Karo syrup
  • 1/2 C heavy whipping cream
  • 8 oz semi-sweet chocolate
  • Assorted fresh fruit and pound cake
  1. Heat corn syrup to about 190º
  2. Pour in cream
  3. Add chocolate and stir until melted
  4. Serve warm as a dip for fruit, pound cake or ice cream

Tuna Melt

  • 1 can drained tuna (6 oz)
  • 1/3 C Miracle Whip
  • 4 English Muffins (I like Thomas)
  • 4 slices cheese (sharp cheddar or Swiss)
  • Spices as desired
  1. Mix tuna and other dressing items
  2. Divide into four amounts and place on English muffin
  3. Top with cheese
  4. Broil 4-6 inches from broiler only until cheese is melted and starts to color

 

Tomatoes Confit

  1. Halve any number or Roma tomatoes
  2. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, Thunder Powder, minced garlic, thyme and basil
  3. Drizzle with oil and toss
  4. Bake at 300º for two hours
  5. Add an appropriate amount (to taste) of black and green olives
  6. Optional:  Add canned green chiles
  7. Chop without mashing too much
  8. Sprinkle with shredded Parmesan
  9. Serve on little bruschetta or top with a poached or fried egg

Almost like a taponade

Carrot Soup

  • 4 large carrots – peeled and chopped into 1″ pieces
  • 1 medium potato – peeled and chopped
  • 1/4 onion – chopped
  • 1 clove garlic – chopped
  • ginger, cumin and corriander
  • (opt)  1 squirt of Sriracha
  • a few sprigs of cilantro
  1. Boil the onions and potatoes in just enough water to cover them
    Alternately, toss in 1 TBL melted butter and roast them at 400º for 10 minutes
  2. Sautee the onion.  When softened, add the garlic
  3. Stir 30 seconds, then add the ginger, cumin and corriander.
  4. Blend in an upright blender
  5. Finish with 1 TBL each lemon and butter and a few sprigs of cilantro
  6. Blend 10 more seconds
  7. Serve with just a bit of black pepper on top

 

Weekend Bacon

TIPS:

  • Buy bacon from the full-service deli counter, not the plastic-wrapped stuff.  Ideally, have them slice it for you.
  • Brown is better than red.  Red has probably been treated with nitrates.
  • If buying plastic-wrapped get center cut and thick-cut.  They position the label to cut the fatty icky looking part of the bacon
  • The bottom rack is usually the cheap stuff that is full of chemicals.  The top shelf is more expensive, and not necessarily a lot better.  Stick to the middle shelf.  Generally, just stick with the middle-priced product.
  • Should be only slightly smokey, not overwhelming
  • Artisanal products are generally better than National Conglomerates
  • Lots of different flavors are available, so get what you like

This is a way to cook a pound of bacon on the weekend so that you have it available throughout the week quickly and easily.

  1. Preheat your oven to 400º
  2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper
  3. Spread a pound of bacon out on the baking sheet
  4. Cook the bacon for 15 minutes
  5. Remove the bacon and place on a paper towel to cool drain

After cooled, you can roll it up in waxed paper and store in a ziplock back in the freezer for use throughout the week.  Just heat up the bacon slice for 20 seconds in the microwave or 1-2 minutes in your skillet.

Chicken Florentine

Ingredients

  • 4 Chicken breasts
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 C milk
  • 1/2 bag of cooked spinach
  • 1 tomato
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • Mozzarella cheese cut into slices
  • Dredge:  Flour plus GTP, Panko crumbs, egg and milk
    Dip in flour bowl, then egg, then Panko
  1. Dredge your chicken
  2. Fry your chicken for 3 minutes per side
  3. Remove from heat and let cool
  4. Combine (and pulse) spinach, garlic and tomatoes and a bit of the cheese
  5. Carefully slice a pocket in the chicken being careful to not go all the way through
  6. Stuff with the spinach mixture
  7. Top with Mozzarella
  8. Bake at 350º for about 20 minutes
  9. Let rest 5 minutes before serving

Banana Peel Cake

with Brown Sugar Frosting

FROM “Cooking with Scraps” by Lindsay Jean-Hard

    • PREPARE THE CAKE
      • Peels from 2 very ripe ORGANIC bananas (NO PESTICIDES) stem and very bottom discarded (about 100 grams), well washed
      • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened, plus more for buttering the pans
      • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
      • 2 large eggs, separated
      • 1/2 cup buttermilk
      • 1 2/3 cups cake flour (210 grams), plus more flour (any type) for flouring the pans
      • 1 teaspoon baking soda
      • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
      • 1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
    • PREPARE THE FROSTING
      • 1/2 cup unsalted butter
      • 1 cup packed (220 grams) light or dark brown sugar
      • 1/4 cup milk, 2% or higher
      • 1 3/4 to 2 cups powdered sugar (220 to 250 grams), sifted
    • START BUILDING
  1. To make the cake: Cut the banana peels into 1-inch pieces and place them in a small saucepan with 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the mixture to cool slightly, then strain the banana peels, reserving 1/4 cup of the cooking water.
  2. Meanwhile, butter and flour the sides of two 8-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Butter and flour the pans again to coat the paper.
  3. Transfer the peels and the 1/4 cup of cooking water to a tall, narrow container and puree with an immersion blender until completely smooth (a mini food processor would do the trick, too!).
  4. Cream together the butter and sugar in a large bowl using an electric mixer (or a wooden spoon for an arm workout) until pale and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the egg yolks one at a time, mixing until incorporated, and scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Mix in the banana peel mixture, then stir in the buttermilk until well-combined.
  5. In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl with the butter mixture and stir gently, just until combined.
  6. Put the egg whites in another bowl (make sure it’s clean and dry!) and whisk until soft peaks form—either by hand or with the whisk attachment on an electric mixer. If using an electric mixer, start slowly and gradually increase speed to medium-high. You’re done when you pull out the whisk or beater and a soft peak is formed, but immediately collapses. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter and divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans.
  7. Bake, rotating the pans halfway through, until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of each cake pulls out with dry crumbs rather than wet batter, about 25 minutes. Let the cakes cool completely in the pans.
  8. When the cakes are completely cool and you’re ready to assemble, make the frosting: Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Stir in the brown sugar and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Stir in the milk, raise the heat to medium-high and cook, stirring constantly until the mixture boils. Remove from the heat and let cool to lukewarm. Gradually whisk in 1 3/4 cups powdered sugar, beating until smooth. If the frosting is too thick, add more of the milk; if it’s too loose, slowly add the additional powdered sugar, until it reaches a spreadable consistency. Use the frosting immediately, as it will begin to thicken and stiffen as it sits.
  9. To remove the cake from the pans, invert one cake pan on a serving plate, lift off the pan, and peel off the parchment. Repeat for the second cake pan. Put one layer of the cake on a serving platter and spread about one third of the frosting evenly over the top Set the other layer on top, and spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides of the cake.
  10. NOTE: Banana peels contain some of the same proteins found in latex, and could cause an allergic reaction. Those same proteins might also make your immersion blender feel slightly gummy to the touch. Rub the surface down with cooking oil, and then wash it normally. As with any fruit or vegetable where you’re eating the peels, it’s a good idea to buy organically grown and scrub them well.

Pork Rolls

    • PREPARE GLAZE
  1. Mix glaze to be used
    • 2 TBL soy sauce
    • 2 TBL rice wine
    • 2 TBL hoisin sauce
    • 1 2 tsp toasted sesame seed oil
    • 1/2 tsp 5 spice powder
    • grated ginger (powder if you have to)
    • 2 smashed cloves of garlic
    • 1 tsp corn starch
  2. Whisk and set aside
    • PREPARE MEAT FILLING
  3. Cut 1 LB pork shoulder into 1/2 inch cubes
  4. Brown pork in a large skillet
  5. Add glaze and toss to coat
  6. Cook until thickened, then set aside
    • PREPARE THE DOUGH
  7. Proof yeast if using Dry Active Yeast.  If using Rapid Rise Yeast, just put all ingredients into a mixing bowl
    • 2 tsp yeast
    • 2 TBL granulated sugar
    • 3 TBL milk (warm)
    • 1/2 C cake flour
    • 1 C AP flour
    • 1/2 tsp salt
    • 1 egg
    • 1 TBL canola oil
  8. Mix ingredients and let rise for 40 minutes
  9. Separate dough into slightly larger than golf-ball sized pieces
  10. Flatten dough into 5 inch circles about 1/4 inch thick
  11. Fill with meat, and pinch shut
  12. Place on baking sheet, and let rise 1 hour
  13. PREPARE TOPPING
    • 1/3 C flour
    • 1/3 C powdered sugar
    • 1/4 tsp baking powder
    • scant salt
  14. Mix dry ingredients with 3 TBL butter and 1 egg
  15. Pipe onto rolls
  16. Bake seam side down at 350º for 20 minutes

Moringa Mass Coffee Concentrate

It is a pain to deal with moringa in my brewed coffee every morning, so here is a way to prepare approximately 8 bottles of concentrate.

  • Add 1 Gallon cold tap water and cover pot – place on largest burner
  • Turn burner on medium high (setting # 4 on my stovetop) for 15 minutes. After that, check it every couple of minutes.
  • When it starts to show the merest signs of a simmer, add 1 C ground coffee and 1/4 C moringa leaves into the large pot, stir and turn heat down to lowest setting.  Try to avoid a full boil.  If necessary, put the pot half off and half on the burner element.
  • Simmer for two hours on low – covered – stirring every 15 minutes or so.
  • Note for Grandpa: Use canning funnel and metal screen coffee filter to pour into my coffee pitcher with the pink flowers, which contains enough for 6 cups of coffee :: enough to fill two of Cynthia’s ICE bottles.  Flavor and season accordingly. Then pour into large canning jar to cool. After cooled, transfer to ICE bottles for storage.
  • OTHERS: Pour through a screen coffee filter into large canning jar, to let the coffee cool a bit, and the suspended grounds settle.
  • When coffee is warm (not hot) to the touch, and grounds have settled, pour into emptied 16-18 ounce plastic water bottles.  Avoid the final 1/4 C which will contain a heavy concentration of bitter grounds.
  • One bottle is enough concentrate for three regular cups of coffee. Add the amount of sweetener and cream into the bottle that you would normally put into three cups of coffee, so you don’t have to do it each morning.
  • Refrigerate for up to two weeks.
  • To use, fill a cup 2/3 of the way up, and fill the rest of the way with water.
  • Microwave 2 minutes.
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