Homemade Chorizo

(about 1 lb of raw sausage meat)

I love chorizo. It's a spicy sausage usually made from pork. I had never tried it before moving to Texas where I've had it served to me as a side, scrambled in eggs, in soup, as fillings.. yet I had never actually cooked with it.

When I decided to make some tamales this weekend, I thought chorizo would make a nice filling. Trying to decide which package of chorizo looked better at the grocery store, I did as I always do in those situations, I checked out the ingredients. Pork salivary glands, pork lymph nodes, pork fat... what? All of a sudden I didn't feel like chorizo tamales anymore.

I felt stupid because I love the taste of chorizo and usually I don't shy away from the ingredients. I know what's in haggis for heaven's sake and I still eat the stuff, lol. I'm usually willing to try most things at least once. (At the moment the only things that come to mind that I don't care for, are tripe and brains [texture] and chitterlings [can't stand the smell].)

When I got home I decided to google chorizo and get a bit more information. Although I didn't come across a single recipe that called for salivary glands, I did find mention of it in wikipedia, "Chorizo can be made from a variety of meat cuts, including lips, lymph nodes, and salivary glands.

The following is a recipe I found on Chow which I changed up a little bit.


1 pound ground lean pork
2 tbsp chili powder
2 tbsp smoked paprika
2 tbsp hot paprika
2 tbsp sweet paprika
2 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 tbsp lemon zest, finely minced

Combine all the ingredients thoroughly and refrigerate at least overnight to give the flavours a chance to blend together.

Use or freeze.

No Knead Sourdough Cheese Bread, adapted from Jim Lahey's Recipe

(about a 1 lb loaf)

My curiosity got the better of me when I kept coming across images of no knead bread based on Jim Lahey's recipe. When I finally decided to give it a try, I understood why people were raving about this bread. This is possibly the best loaf of bread I have ever made at home. It had a wonderful crust, chewy texture, and this one had a nice sour tang to it because I extended the time, to over 48 hours.

It will be a while before I try anything else. I'd like to make this a few more times; with  kalamata olives... prosciutto and caramelized onions....  roasted garlic and rosemary....   I might swap out some of the water for olive oil, or yogurt.. lots of choices.

Adapted from Jim Lahey's Recipe
2 tbsp organic rye flour
2 3/4 - 3 1/3 cups unbleached flour
1/4 tsp dry yeast
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups spring water

2/3 cup Swiss cheese, cut into 1/2" cubes

olive oil for coating


(Day 1, morning) Combine the rye flour, 2 3/4 cup unbleached flour, yeast and salt in a large glass bowl. Make a well in the centre and  add the water. Stir until well combined. Cover the top with a cheese cloth and set in a draft free place in a room with a temperature of about 70-75°F. for about 12-14 hours.

(Day 1, evening) The volume should have doubled and the dough should look bubbly. Stir the mixture down, cover with the cheese cloth and allow to sit another 9-12 hours or so.

(Day 2, , morning) Again the dough will have doubled and look quite bubbly.  Stir down and cover with the cheeseckoth and leave sit 9-12 hours or so.

(Day 2, evening) Stir down and stir in 1/4 cup of unbleached flour. (I did this at this point because the dough was beginning to look a bit soupy). Cover with the cheesecloth and allow to sit another 9-12 hours or so.

(Day 3) Sprinkle a small amount of flour onto a piece of baking parchment paper. Add the cheese cubes to the dough and stir down. The dough will probably have a pronounced sourdough smell at this point.

Sprinkle a small amount of flour over the dough. Flour your hands and place the dough onto the parchment paper. Shape the dough into a ball, tucking the ends underneath it. Cover it with the cheesecloth and allow to rise 2-3 hours, or until it looks like it's doubled in volume.

Brush the top lightly with olive oil.

Place a Le Creuset cast iron dutch oven (this seems to work best from what I've read) into your oven and turn on the heat to 450-500°F. (My Breville counter top convection oven will only allow me to go to 450°, but the bread turned out fine).

When the pot is good and hot, carefully pull it out and place the parchment paper with the dough into pot and cover with lid. Bake for about 25 minutes.

Remove the lid and bake an additional 15-20 minutes or until the crust is a nice brown OR turn on the broiler for 3-5 minutes until the top of the loaf is nicely browned; this is what I did. In all honesty, I was a bit worried baking it any longer than that because the loaf seemed done to me, and I was concerned about drying it out.

Allow the loaf to cool at least an hour before cutting into it.

Daring Baker Challenge, April 2010, British Suet Pudding; Steak & Kidney

(about 6-8 servings)

This month's challenge was hosted by Esther from The Lilac Kitchen.  She proposed making steamed puddings using suet, and we had the choice of sweet or savory, using one of two methods.

Initially I thought a lot about making a traditional plum pudding, and then toyed with the idea of making something with ginger, pear and caramel. In the end I made a steak and kidney pudding with mushrooms, pearl onions and red wine.

I ended up cheating. Although I boiled my pudding for 5 1/2 hours, the crust refused to turn brown, so I popped it in the oven and left it there for about 20 minutes until I liked the colour.

Dallas in many respects can be lovely, but when it comes to finding certain items, I begin to realise just how pedestrian a place this can be.  Kidneys? OMG! What a fiasco!

I called two Whole Foods markets and neither had any; the second fellow I spoke with, asked me incredulously "kidney beans or kidneys?", (I should add he works in their meat department.) I called a butcher who had been given the "Dallas Butcher of the Year" award a couple of years back and he told me these days, that kind of stuff generally got packed up and shipped to pet food manufacturers. I called at least a dozen places before hitting the jackpot at Central Market.  I had to special order them, and three whole days later, they did not arrive. /cry

Then I remembered Kuby's, the German meat market and deli, and gave them a call. They had veal kidneys! I was way too excited over these kidneys, but heh, this is Dallas.

We were given a few basic recipes which I used as a guide, ending up with the following, once I was done:

Suet Pastry
3 1/2 cups of unbleached flour
1 tsp baking powder
salt
1 3/4 cups suet
3/4 -1 1/4 cup water

Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Add the suet and mix gently with your hands.

Add 3/4 cup water and stir. Keep adding the water in small amounts until the dough forms into a ball. Knead a few times and then cover and set aside.

Steak and Kidney Filling
1/2 lb beef, veal or lamb kidneys, (anything you can get your hands on!)
2 cups water
1 tbsp vinegar

1 1/2 lb beef chuck, cut into 1 1/2" cubes
1/4 cup flour
1 tbsp fresh thyme, or 1 tsp dried thyme
small handful fresh parsley, chopped
salt and a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper
1 cup pearl onions, peeled
1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced

1 cup beef broth
1 cup red wine


Remove the membranes from the kidneys and then slice them lengthwise and remove the fatty cores. Place them in the water and vinegar for about an hour. Remove, pat dry and cut into small cubes.

Place the kidneys, beef, onions and mushrooms into a bowl. Sprinkle the flour, thyme, parsley, salt and pepper over the meat and toss to mix.

Remove about 1/4 of the suet pastry and reserve that for the top crust. Roll out the remaining dough and line a well buttered 1 1/2 quart  pudding basin or deep casserole. Leave about an inch of pastry hanging over the edge.

Add the meat and vegetable filling.

Combine the beef broth and wine and pour that over the meat.

Roll out the remaining piece of dough and place over the top. Turn up the overlapping pieces of dough and seal to prevent the gravy from escaping while the pudding is steaming.

Top with a piece of foil or parchment paper. Tie it down with string.

Place the pudding into a *large pot and add enough boiling water to come up about 2/3 of the way up the pudding basin. Cover and boil for about 5-6 hours, checking every hour so to see if you need to top up the water.

*The pudding basin itself shouldn't touch the bottom of the pot. You can place it on top of an inverted plate or a scrunched up piece of foil, or something that can withstand the boiling water.

The pudding will be done when the suet pastry has turned a light golden brown. From what I've read, it's almost impossible to overcook a pudding**.

**I left mine to boil for 5 1/2 hours, after which time the pastry wasn't changing colour, so I popped it into the oven for 20 minutes at 375°F.

Fish in Soya Sauce

Although i am happy that i get to see my siblings, relatives especially cousins who i seldom see when i was staying in Malaysia, and friends but it is so sad to see my mom, who is 84 and not well.  She is in the hospital with tubes and drips, all attached to her and i know she is in good care.  My mom has gone through alot bringing up 7 children and  she has never requested or demanded anything from her children.  Even now, in this situation, she will try to visit the restroom without asking for help.  When we were young, mom had to feed us with limited resources and frying fish and just sprinkling on soya sauce was the staple. 

Ingredients:

Fish - cleaned and rub with salt
Oil for shallow frying
Soya sauce

Method:

Heat wok/skillet (if it is teflon coated - do not heat), add oil and when oil is shimmering, slowly lower fish into oil.  Fry until brown before flipping over to brown the other side.  If fish should resist to dislodge, sprinkle a little salt oil into the oil and this will help.  Fish getting stuck is due to putting in the fry before the oil is hot enough. Use medium heat to fry fish if the fish is big and thick.

When fish is browned on both sides, remove to serving plate and sprinkle a tablespoon or two of soya sauce.

Serve warm or room temperature with white rice.



Serves

Braided Sweet Raisin Bread

(1 loaf)

This bread is wonderful with marmalade, honey or anything sweet. If there's anything left over, it makes a nice french toast.

My mum will probably read this and ask me why I added the baking soda to a yeast bread, (she told me recently she has an aversion to the stuff). All I'll be able to tell her, it's habit. I usually add a bit of baking soda whenever I use buttermilk or something acidic to neutralize the acid.

I make this bread in an 11 cup food processor, with minimal kneading by hand.

bread
1 cup buttermilk, warmed, but not too hot
1 1/2 tsp dry yeast
3 tbsp sugar
3 - 3 1/2 cups unbleached bread flour
1/2 cup raisins*,  see note at bottom
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp lemon zest,  minced
1/2 tsp ground cardamon
1/4 cup butter, softened

1 large egg

glaze (optional)
1 egg, beaten
1 tbsp water
1  tbsp coarse sugar

Add the yeast and sugar to the buttermilk and let stand for about 5 minutes until the yeast has dissolved.

Place 3 cups of flour (to start) in the bowl of your food processor fitted with the dough blade. Add the raisins, baking soda, lemon zest and cardamon. Pulse a few times to combine.

Add the buttermilk mixture, butter and egg. Run the food processor with the chute open. If the dough doesn't leave the sides of the bowl, then slowly add a tablespoon of flour at a time until it barely does. I try to add the least amount of flour so that the dough is on the "wet" side.

Run the food processor an additional 3 minutes. The dough should feel soft and slightly sticky. Butter your hands and knead on a very lightly floured surface for another 3 minutes until it looks smooth and elastic.

Place onto a buttered dish, cover and allow to double in size; about 1 - 1 1/2 hours.

Punch down, and divide into 3 equal pieces. Roll out into ropes and braid, tucking in both ends.

Allow to rise for at least 30 minutes; preferably longer if you want it to double in size. I'm usually impatient at this point and don't mind a denser loaf.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Combine the egg and water and brush over the top of the loaf. Sprinkle with the sugar.

Bake for about 30-40 minutes or until it sounds hollow when tapped.

* I add the raisins at the very beginning and they do break up while the dough gets it's workout in the food processor. I like my bread this way. If you prefer your raisins to remain whole, then don't add them until you remove the dough from the food processor. Work them while you are kneading.

Cake deliveries to the Rich & Famous

Early this afternoon; I rocked up to my regular delivery hotspot in town.

A fair number of my clients live in this luxurious suburb. It always is my favourite part of the 'cake' process; to see the masterpieces get delivered and received with joy and excitement!
It's a nice Saturday afternoon to be driving into the city; traffic at it's minimum and my stress level close to zero. It would be at zero completely if this damn long sleeved buttoned down shirt of mine wasn't so uncomfortably hot and sticky after I had finished lugging the heavy boxes into my car trunk.

As I got close to the hill top where the mansion was perched; I began to get a little nervous. The relatives were here... lots of them! and their cars are parked alongside the windy narrow slopes.. Hmm... attempting a u-turn in this is going to be tricky.

A capped guard signaled for me to slow down. I stop and wind the window down. He gives me a "YEs?" - face.
I respond; "Delivery!"
He explained that if I enter the gates; I was going to have to reverse my way back down. I took a glimpse at the impossible drive way. On both my left and right... bmw's, ferarris, jaguars, porcshes, benzs and some other expensive looking cars I've never heard of...... i thought to myself; "NO WAY am i going to risk bumping into any of these babies!"

I parked myself into a cozy corner and dialed for help. I figured it would be safer to wait on the outside where it's possible to go down hill nose down.
A kind gentleman offered to push my 4 humongous boxes of pretty cupcakes up to the 'castle' on the hill while I wait in comfort for him to return with my trolly. Such chivalry! I was impressed and very grateful.

I got out of the car and stood by the tree's for some shade and breeze. There were friendly faces around me who came up to shake my hand. Most of them adult male and dressed very conservatively.
One of the young chaps shook my hand and said in Malay; "Hi, I am ___ (long long important persons title) 's driver, Who are you?"
I replied in the best Malay I could sound; "My name is Su! Hello"

The second comes up to me; shakes my hand and goes; "Hi, I am ____ and ____ (super famous important people)'s driver, nice to meet you."
I was thinking to myself "WOAHhh! these people are HERE?!"

They were curious to know what I was doing there and so I mentioned I was here to make a delivery. They chuckled and said I must be new because they've not seen me before.
I made a joke about being lazy to push the trolly up the hill and they said I'm not the type for the job. *shrug* I thought they were charming and they were pretty helpful when I attempted to make 3 point turns in between cars. Must be all that "women can't drive right-jazz"; that hoot is nonsense!
One of them introduced himself to me as being from "The 25".. with a proud head nod... I was like... ...?... wow... hey.. er... wait a minute..
I caught a glimpse of my reflection from one of the super shiny car coats. There I stood; in my black long sleeve shirt; covered toe shoes; mini sling black pouch; hair in a tight bun; 2 bobby pins on the side.
OH! They think I'm a driver for someone!
It was pretty funny; I played along; everything that I had mentioned sounded very much like a driver-delivery person too. I think they must not see many young girls in the industry; Haha they asked me where I was from; I said "The Gardens"... they were like..."wahh"....
*shrug* I thought it was cool! haha I don't think they understood that I had a shop which sold cake there. But I wasn't exactly ready to burst the bubble *grin*

I waved goodbye and told them I'd see them around when my trolly finally came back.
Come to think of it... I probably will! hehe.
I thought to myself on the drive home; "Hi! I'm a driver of Delectable Cakes!" *giggle* I should have answered that instead. With lots and lots of pride just like them :)

Mushroom Risotto

(4 servings)

In all fairness, when all said and done, this is a pretty unattractive looking dish. Disappointing considering the time and patience which went into it. This takes about 30-40 minutes to make and you can't leave it; you have to stand there to keep stirring it.

It is quite delicious though, so ultimately, I don't mind. I usually count on  a ratio of 1 rice to 4 liquid; give or take a bit.

1/2 oz dried porcini mushrooms
1/2 cup hot water
1 tbsp butter
1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 tsp fresh thyme, minced or 1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 1/3 cups arborio rice
1 cup red wine
2 1/2 cups fresh mushrooms, chopped
3 1/2 - 3 3/4 cups beef broth, heated
2/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
salt to taste

Add the porcini mushrooms to the hot water and soak about 30 minutes or until they are soft.

Melt the butter in a skillet and add the onion and garlic. Saute over low heat until the mixture takes on an amber hue.

Add the pepper, thyme and rice and cook for about 2 minutes.

Add 1/2 cup of wine and cook, stirring until most of the liquid has absorbed into the rice, then add the other 1/2 cup.

Remove the porcini mushrooms from the water; reserve the liquid. Chop them up.

When the wine is absorbed, add the porcini mushrooms and the mushroom liquid.. Add the fresh chopped mushrooms too.

Once the liquid is  absorbed, add the beef broth 1/2 cup at a time until the risotto is tender and creamy with a slight bite. If I've used up all the liquid and it could use a bit more, I usually add a splash of wine, but water will do. :)

Remove from heat, stir in the cheese and check and adjust the seasoning.

Smoked Paprika Cheese Spread

(about 1 cup)

Last year my sister sent me a tin of Spanish smoked paprika. I had never tried it before, but I loved it immediately.

This past year I've experimented a bit with it, trying it out in various dishes. It's rather nice in this cheese spread. The hint of cinnamon seems to intensify the smokiness and the tiny amount of cayenne gives just a hint of heat on the back of your tongue.

Sometimes I add a bit more lemon juice or capers if I'm in the mood for this to be slightly more tart; it's very nice either way.

8 oz neufchatel cheese
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 clove garlic
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1/8 tsp cinnamon
a pinch or two of cayenne
salt to taste

1 tbsp capers
1 tbsp green onions, sliced

Place everything except the capers and onions into the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth. Adjust the seasoning, if necessary.

Scrape down the sides. Add the capers and onions and pulse just until they are combined.

Frankfurter Kranz Torte

(8-10 servings)

I asked my mother to make this for me when I was a child; for a birthday I think it was. I ate so much of it, I made myself sick and couldn't look at another one for many years. Recently I have been thinking about this cake again.

A Frankfurter Kranz is a circular lemon-scented cake (Kranz means wreath/garland/crown) with rum flavoured buttercream frosting, and Krokant (almond or hazelnut praline).

My mum emailed me the recipe for her version of buttercream made with pudding instead of the (heaven forbid!) 10 egg yolks or so the traditional buttercream recipes call for. She mentioned the trick to a smooth buttercream is covering the cooling pudding with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming and making sure all the ingredients are at the same temperature when it's time to combine them. After licking the spoon when I finished making the buttercream, I thought this was still a heart attack in the making. :p

This cake is usually made in a smooth tubular pan which I don't have, so I used a small 6 cup bundt pan instead. I also made a type of sour cream pound cake which I doubt is traditional, but it's a nice moist cake I like.

Buttercream
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 1/4 cups milk
3 tbsp rum

3/4 cup unsalted butter, 1 1/2 sticks
*up to 1/4 cup icing sugar (optional)


Whisk together the egg yolks and sugar in a saucepan. Whisk in the cornstarch and then add about 1/2 cup of the milk. Set over medium-low heat, and slowly whisk in the remaining 1 1/2 cups of milk. Cook, whisking all the while until the mixture simmers and thickens.

Remove from heat and whisk in the rum. Cover the surface of the pudding with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming as the pudding cools; smooth it across the surface with your hands to remove any air pockets.

Leave on the counter to cool. Leave the butter on the counter as well, so that both pudding and butter are at room temperature when it's time to finish making the buttercream.

Beat the butter in a bowl with an electric mixer until fluffy. Beat in the pudding about 1/2 cup at a time until it's all finished.

*I generally don't like desserts which are overly sweet, so I'm inclined to use less sugar if I can. If you prefer your buttercream a bit sweeter, then beat in the icing sugar at this point.

Cake
2 cups cake flour
1 1/2  tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp lemon zest, finely minced

2 egg whites, room temperature (gives you more volume)
1/4 tsp lemon juice

1/2 cup butter, (1 stick)
2/3 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 1/4 cups sour cream, regular

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Butter and flour a 6 cup tubular cake pan. Set aside

Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and lemon zest. Mix well.

Beat the egg whites and and add the lemon juice when they begin to get frothy; continue beating until they look very fluffy and they hold their peaks (being very careful not to over beat) and set those aside.

In an electric mixer at medium-high speed beat the butter until softened and then slowly add the sugar and continue to beat until the mixture is nice and fluffy. Beat in the egg and then the sour cream.

Add about half of the flour mixture and stir until it's combined, then stir in the remaining flour mixture.

Fold in the reserved beaten egg whites. The cake dough will be on the thick side; not at all runny.

Spoon the cake batter into the prepared cake pan. Bake for about 35-40 minutes or until the cake is done.

Allow to cool completely.

Krokant
1 tbsp butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 cup slivered almonds or chopped hazelnuts

Lightly oil a cookie sheet. Set aside.

Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the sugar and stir until it's dissolved and bubbles. Stir in the nuts and continue to stir a few more minutes.

Remove from heat and spread out on the cookie sheet.

When it's cooled, break it up into pieces and pulse those a few times in a food processor. Be careful not to reduce this to a powder. You just want rough bits. Alternately you could put the pieces into a bag and crush them with a rolling pin.

glaze
1/4 cup cherry or raspberry jam, (something red)
1/4 cup rum

cherries for decoration

Heat the jam until it's runny and stir in the rum. Set aside.

To assemble the cake.

Split the cake into thirds (2 evenly spaced horizontal cuts). Brush the bottom layer with half the glaze and spread a layer of buttercream over that. Place the next layer of cake over that and brush with the remaining glaze. Spread buttercream over that and top with the final piece of cake.

Reserve about 1/2-2/3 cup of buttercream, and coat the cake evenly with the remaining buttercream. Sprinkle the Krokant evenly over the cake until it's completely covered.

Place the reserved buttercream into a pastry bag fitted with a star tip, and decorate the top of the cake with little circles. Place a cherry in each circle.

Tomato and Feta Cheese Salad

(2 servings)

This is a very simple salad I make whenever I find nice tomatoes at the market. Yesterday I grabbed a couple of blackish coloured heirloom tomatoes.

If I happen to have fresh basil or mint on hand, (which I didn't today), then I'll chop some of that up and sprinkle it over this dish.

2 large tomatoes
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp green onion, finely sliced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/3 cup feta, crumbled

Slice the tomatoes and arrange on two plates. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and green onions, then drizzle the olive oil and vinegar over them. Top with the feta cheese.

Let these sit at room temperature (to marinate) for about an hour. Serve.

Mixed Berry Smoothie

(1 serving)

For years I have neglected breakfast, primarily because I'm usually rushed in the mornings as I like to stay in bed until the last possible moment.

Lately I have been making these smoothies. They are fast and easy to make, and I change up the fruit depending on what I have on hand.

1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
1/2 cup mixed frozen berries
1/2 cup water
1 scoop protein and vitamin powder

Place everything into a blender jar, and process until smooth.

Italian Salami Pizza

(1 12" pizza)

Occasionally I like to make pizza from scratch. It's really not that difficult or time consuming as one might think. I have a food processor, so that does help speed things up, and I have a wonderful counter top convection oven which bakes stuff more evenly than my gas oven.

Dough
1/3 cup warm water, about 105° F. - 115° F.
1 1/2 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp dry yeast
1 1/4 cup unbleached flour
1 1/2 tsp olive oil

Sauce
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp water
pinch of dried oregano
pinch of dried thyme
pinch of dried marjoram

Toppings
2 tbsp Parmesan, finely grated
5-6 oz fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced or grated
5-8 slices of salami, cut up if they are large
1/4 - 1/2 cup assorted sliced vegetables, such as mushrooms, red pepper, olives; anything you like really


Making the Dough

Combine the water, sugar and yeast. Stir well and allow to sit for about 3 minutes. Pour into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the dough blade. Add the flour and olive oil and pulse a few times. If the dough remains in clumps and doesn't want to ball up, then add a little bit of warm water, followed by pulsing until it does. On the other hand, if it's too wet and sticky, add small amounts of flour until you have a smooth looking ball of dough.

Turn on the food processor and allow the ball of dough to roll around the bowl for about 2 minutes; this should build up the gluten somewhat. Remove and allow to rest, loosely covered, at room temperature for an hour or so; until it looks like it has doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 450° F.

Preparing the pizza

Punch down the dough and roll out to a circle about 12" in diameter. Place onto a pizza pan. (I have a pizza brick, but I'm usually too lazy to preheat it.)

Combine all of the sauce ingredients thoroughly and spread evenly over the dough. Sprinkle the parmesan cheese over the sauce.

Top with the mozzarella, salami and your choice of toppings.

Bake in the lower third of your oven for 8-12 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbling, and the crust is browned.

Deviled Ham

(about 1 1/4 cups)

I decided to make some deviled ham with the last bit of ham I had left after all, and it was worth it. It turned out to be faster to make than the Croque-Madame.

1/2 lb ham, cut up
1/3 cup mayonnaise, (perhaps 1 tbsp more, check after you process)
2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp cayenne, or more to taste
freshly ground black pepper

2 tbsp green onion, chopped

Place everything except the green onion into the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth. Adjust for seasoning and add the extra mayonnaise if the mixture is too dry.

Add the green onion and pulse until it's just combined.

PARIS! await my return!

I remember being in Paris.. the Majestic Eiffel tower...the Arc de Triomphe... river Siene... er...er.. cold winds..
wait a sec... ... that's pretty much everything i can gather. *face --> palm*
I was 12. We had just left London..and I was being a difficult little brat suffering from jet lag.
Not realizing at that age how i was literally in the middle of a foodie's wonderland... I shamelessly craved Mcdonalds... an innocent mistake; I promise.
I wish to be there again very very soon; this time with knowledge and experience that age has brought upon... i want to see Paris in a completely different perspective. Up till today; slugs in shells reminds me of my riverboat cruise where I encountered tummy problems from a dish of garlic crusted snails; certainly memorably unpleasant. Yucky-ness
A cake I had made recently reminded me of my need to be back in Paris again.

Who wants to come? I've already packed my (cake) luggage-bags! *giggle*

Croque-Madame, Grilled Ham Sandwich with Fried Egg

(1 sandwich)

I still had some leftover ham from last weekend and although I was thinking about making deviled ham all week, I made this instead.

There's still quite a bit of ham left, so who knows. :P

2 slices of bread
2 tsp butter, softened
1-2  slices swiss cheese
2-3 slices of ham
1 large egg
1 tbsp water
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste


Butter one side of each slice of bread with 1 teaspoon of butter, reserving the rest for the egg.

Place one slice of bread, buttered side down, in a non-stick skillet. Top it with the cheese, and ham, then place the remaining slice of bread on top, the buttered side facing up.

Turn on the heat to medium-low and toast until the bottom layer is nicely browned, flip the sandwich over and cook until the other side is nicely browned too.

While the bread is toasting melt the remaining butter in another skillet and crack an egg into that. Add the water and cover the skillet with a lid. Cook for about 3 minutes if you like your yolk soft; a couple of minutes longer if you prefer it firmer.

Place the toasted sandwich on a plate and top with the fried egg. Sprinkle the salt and pepper over the egg and enjoy!

Matar Paneer, Peas with Cheese

(serves 4 as a main course)

This is another one of my favourite dishes. There's an Indian restaurant near where I live and their version of this is very good, which prompted me to try out my own. Mine turned out a bit different probably because of the combination of spices I chose, but in the end I liked mine even better. :)

I decided to make the paneer as it's really quite simple to do and ends up costing less than purchasing the ready made stuff (if you can even find it), and I wanted to use hormone and antibiotic free milk.

paneer (makes about 1/2 lb)
1/2 gallon of milk, (I used 1%)
1/2 tsp salt
2-3 tbsp white vinegar
cheesecloth

Bring the milk and salt to a boil in a large saucepan, being careful not to let it burn. Remove from heat.
Add 2 tablespoons of vinegar and stir for about a minute until the milk curdles. If the curds don't separate enough from the whey, then keep adding 1 tsp of vinegar at a time until they do.

Place the cheesecloth in a colander over a large bowl (so you can reserve the whey)* and strain the curds. Pull up the edges of the cheesecloth and gently squeeze to remove any excess whey.

Place the cheesecloth and curds onto a large plate and weigh down the top with something like a heavy frying pan or cutting board. Leave this for about 2 hours, then either use the paneer or wrap it and refrigerate.

*I came across uses for whey at Chowhound . I added some to the Matar Paneer, and I'll use some for the rice which will accompany this.

Matar Paneer (can be made a day ahead and reheated)*
2 tbsp ghee, or clarified butter (or just plain unsalted butter)
1/2 lb paneer, cut into 3/4" cubes
1 large sweet onion, cut into quarters
2 large cloves garlic
2" piece of fresh ginger, skin removed
2-3 jalapeno peppers, seeded
1 tbsp garam masala
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cinnamon
pinch or more of cayenne, to taste
1/2 6oz can tomato paste, (freeze the other half for another use)
3/4 cup plain yogurt
1 cup water or whey
3 1/2 cups shelled peas, (1 lb bag frozen)
1/3 cup heavy cream (optional)
salt to taste
small handful fresh cilantro, chopped

Heat 1 tablespoon of  ghee (half) in a large non-stick skillet and add the paneer cubes. Fry them until they are a light golden brown. Remove and set aside.

Place the onions, garlic, ginger and jalapeno peppers into the bowl of a food processor, and process until smooth.

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of ghee to the skillet, set the temperature to medium-low and add the pureed onion mixture. Cook, stirring from time to time until it thickens; about 15 minutes.

Stir in the garam masala, turmeric, cumin, coriander, paprika, cinnamon and cayenne. Cook for another minute or two.

Add the tomato paste, yogurt and water or whey. Stir well then cover and simmer gently over low heat for about 25 minutes.

Stir in the peas and the paneer, and simmer for another 8-10 minutes.

Stir in the heavy cream (or more water or whey if the mixtures seems too thick) and the chopped cilantro. Bring back to a simmer. Add salt if needed.

Serve with rice and/or naan.

*This dish seems even better reheated the next day.

Cucur Udang/Malaysian Prawn Fritters

I have tried my recipes but did not like them cos either the batter was too thick making the fritters too doughy in the middle.  I like the fritters to be crispy all the way through with the vegetables not too soft.  The shrimp/prawn on top has to be fried crispy so that the shells can be eaten without getting choked on it.  For that reason, the shrimp/prawn has to be small.  The vegetables used do not have to be garlic chives and bean sprouts, i have used shredded potatoes, taro, pumpkin and i can go on and on, so play with your food and you can serve something that is so good that you yourself cannot imagine that it is possible.

Ingredients:

1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1/2 cup rice flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
 2 tbsp oil
1 tsp tumeric powder
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp chicken granules
1 cup water
1 1/2 cup bean sprouts
1/2 cup garlic chives - cut into 1 inch lengths
16 - 20 small shrimps
Oil for deep-frying

Method:

Combine the all-purpose flour, tapioca starch, rice flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, chicken granules and tumeric. and mix well.

Add water and oil to make a thin batter. Then stir in the chives and bean sprouts.

Heat the oil  in medium heat. Place a small ladle in the oil to and heat until ladle is hot.. Then lift the ladle out from the oil and allowing excess oil to drip off.

Using the chopsticks, pick up a bunch of vegetables together with as much batter as possible on to the hot ladle.  Put a piece of shrimp on to the center of the vegetables.and press it in. Lower the ladle into the oil,  when the base of the fritter has formed a crust, it will dislodged by itself if the ladle is hot enoughto begin with, if it does not fall off, gently push it out of the ladle with the tip of a spatula or small knife and allow it to continue frying in the oil until golden brown.

Repeat until all the vegetables in the batter are done.

Drain fritters on paper towel. Cool  slightly before serving with chilli sauce(recipe as follows)

Chilli Sauce

2 tbsp Siracha chilli sauce
3 tbsp tomato ketchup
1 tbsp sugar

Mix all the above ingredients.

Serves