A guilt free Snack... WITH FIRE!

Hello my friends! I hope you are enjoying this blog so far! Today is a hot day in Wisconsin (it's been pretty hot this week) and it got me thinking of what I would be eating if I was in Mexico right now... and I know that for sure I would be stopping one of those "carritos de fruta ambulantes" (mobile fruit stands) which you can find in any street of Mexico, especially during Summer!

But... I can make my own here... at least it will be pretty close to it:

What you will need to make your own "fruta con chile" "fruit with chili powder" (yes, now you know where the fire is!) is:

Note: You can use any of the following fruits... or all of your favorite ones in the list below and mix them.... I highly recommend to use JICAMA (you will see what it is below) and cucumber too!

Cucumber (peeled and sliced)
 Jicama (peeled and sliced) (jicama = jícama = yam bean = Mexican yam bean = ahipa = saa got = Chinese potato = Mexican potato = Chinese turnip  Pronunciation: HIH-kuh-ma)
Slices of a fresh coconut
Cubes of Watermelon
Mango (in slices or cubes)
Orange wedges
Slices of pineapple

FRESH lime juice (about 1/2 lime per cup of fruit), 
Salt to taste
Chili powder (you can use ground bird pepper "chile piquin molido" or the bottles with chili powder  for fruit ... Brands "Tajin or Trechas")

and you are good to go!

If you are going to go for Mango... it's better if that's on its own with the lime, salt and chili powder and not mix it with other fruits... if you go for the other fruits (and the jicama root) they can ALL BE MIXED TOGETHER... it will look BEAUTIFUL! The amount of chili powder will be according to the amount of heat you can tolerate... so start with a little bit and taste it and add more as you like.

Here is an example of jicama with chile:

There you have it! The refreshing flavor of Mexico on your table! I hope you go for it and try it! Whenever I've been on diets and trying to lose weight I've found that eating "jicama and cucumber" like this really satisfies my cravings and I don't need "chips" and things like that.... Jicama has only 46 calories per cup and cucumber even less!!! cucumber has only 16 calories per cup... So... even if you are on a diet you can live the Mexican experience too!

Enjoy!

Paloma.

Sour Cream Berry Pie with Crumb Topping

(1  9" pie)

I was organising my freezer and came across a bag of frozen berries I forgot I had. I also had some sour cream in my refrigerator which was due to expire by the end of the week, so I combined those two items with a few more things and made a pie.

crumb topping
1/2 cup unbleached flour
1/2 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
1/2 stick butter

Place everything into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the mixture is combined and resembles crumbs. Set aside.

pie filling
1 cup sour cream
1/4 -1/2 cup sugar, to taste
1 egg
3 tbsp flour
1/4 tsp almond extract, optional
2 1/2 cups mixed frozen berries, defrosted and drained in a sieve

1  9" unbaked pie shell

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Whisk together the sour cream, sugar, egg, flour and almond extract in a bowl until well mixed. Stir in the berries.
Pour the mixture into the pie shell. Sprinkle the crumb mixture evenly over the top.

Bake the pie in the centre of the oven for about 50-60 minutes or until the custard is firm and the crumb mixture on top has browned.

Cool completely before serving. This pie is best the day it's made.

Pomegranates

This past winter was a bit harsh resulting in the demise of my beloved fig tree, which I'm still mourning. I'm trying to decide which variety to try next and where to plant it. Gardens tend to have micro climates and I'm hoping to find a better spot for the next one.

Every year when it bore fruit I had to protect it with netting, otherwise the birds had a field day and there wouldn't have been anything left for me. The hassle was worth it though, because there's nothing like fresh figs from the garden for breakfast.

On the brighter side, my two pomegranate trees survived and both are covered with blossoms at the moment. If all goes well, I should have a pretty decent crop in October.

Pan Fried Fish with Watermelon Salsa

(4 servings)

I love salsa, and this was another good way to use up some of that enormous watermelon I have in my refrigerator at the moment.

watermelon salsa, about 2 1/2 cups
2 cups seedless watermelon, diced
1 green onion, thinly sliced
1-2 small jalapeno peppers, seeded and diced
2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
1 tbsp fresh mint, chopped
juice from 2 key limes
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Combine all the ingredients, and let sit for 30 minutes or so.

fish fillets
3 tbsp flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 lbs sole fillets or other flaky white fish

2-3 tsp canola oil

limes for garnish

Combine the flour, salt and pepper on a plate. Dredge the fillets through the flour mixture to coat both sides; shake off the excess.

Heat a small amount of oil in a non stick skillet. Fry the fish until golden brown on both sides; about 2-4 minutes on each side (until it flakes easily) depending on the thickness of the fillet.

Serve with the salsa; garnish with lime slices.

Watermelon and Feta Salad

(serves 2)

Texas seems to forget there's a season called Spring. It's darn hot already, well at least by my standards, (and we haven't even hit the triple digits yet). This dish is pure heaven on a very hot day. :)

The flavours in this light and refreshing salad are amazing; sweet, salty, sour and a bit of mint.

salad
4 cups cold seedless watermelon, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 cup feta, cut into 1/2" cubes
1/2 cup Kalamata olives
2 tbsp salted pumpkin seeds
1 1/2 tsp fresh mint, finely chopped

freshly ground black pepper


Divide and arrange the ingredients between 2 plates. Grind a bit of fresh pepper over the salads.

dressing
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp orange juice

Combine the vinegar and orange juice. Sprinkle evenly over the salads and serve.

Vanilla and Cardamon Risotto with Berries

(about 4 servings)

This is a creamy rice pudding I make using the same method for making risotto. As always, I count on a ratio of about 1 rice to 4 parts liquid.

2 tsp butter
3/4 cup Arborio rice
1 tsp ground cardamon
*3 - 3 1/2 cups milk, heated
1-2 tbsp honey, to taste
2 tsp vanilla extract

1 pint (or more) fresh berries



Melt the butter in a non stick skillet over medium-low heat. Add the rice and stir until it's coated with the butter. Stir in the cardamon.

Stir the honey into the warmed milk. Begin adding the milk to the rice, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring until the milk has absorbed into the rice.

*When you get to the last 1/2 cup or so of milk, add the vanilla  to the risotto as well. I sometimes end up using a bit extra milk at this point, depending on how much "bite" is left to the rice. Stir to combine everything well. Turn off the heat and cover the skillet with a tight fitting lid. Allow to sit for about 15 minutes.

Stir and serve warm or allow to cool completely. Top with the berries.

Mango Pudding

(4 servings)

I'm not entirely sure if this is still considered a Chinese dessert if I swap out the evaporated milk for coconut milk. In any case, the coconut milk compliments the mango very nicely.

1 1/4 cups water
1/3 cup sugar
5-6 gms agar agar, (this is the easiest measurement because of how it's packaged, bars or powder)
2 small mangoes, peeled, chopped, then pureed
1 1/2 cups coconut milk, (12 oz can)

1 small mango, peeled and cubed or sliced

If you are using the bar form of agar agar, then break it into several pieces and place them into a bowl. Cover them with cold water and allow to soak for about 30 minutes. Remove them and squeeze out the excess water. Tear into smaller pieces.

Heat the water and sugar. Add the agar agar and simmer until the agar agar has dissolved; about 5-9 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the mango puree and the coconut milk.

Pour into  serving bowls and let stand until it sets. Serve with sliced or cubed mango.

Daring Baker Challenge, March 2010, Orange Tian

(8-10 servings)

Last month I became a member of the Daring Kitchen, and by the end of the month I signed up for Daring Bakers. I may sign up for Daring Cooks as well at some point.

Each month recipes are revealed and then over 2000 bakers/cooks from around the world create one of those recipes in their kitchens. Substitutions are only allowed for such things as food allergies/intolerances or ingredients which are unavailable in certain regions.

Looking through the photos and comments members send in of their resulting recipe is quite intriguing; so many interpretations of the same thing. It's really quite wonderful, and what prompted me to join and give it a try.

This month's baker challenge was hosted by Jennifer from Chocolate Shavings and she proposed an Orange Tian, a dessert she had made for the first time a few months earlier at a cooking school in France.
We made everything from scratch, including the marmalade, and the finished dessert was quite tasty.

I decided not to mess around with cookie cutters because I don't have enough. I used a 9" spring-form instead which turned out to be a challenge. Although I left the dessert in the freezer for twice the amount of time, it clearly wasn't enough. After I carefully loosened the edges and inverted it onto the cake plate, it didn't hold it's shape. I nearly died laughing. If I make this again, I might increase the amount of gelatin to 2 teaspoons and I'll definitely leave it in the freezer longer.

The only changes I made (I also used one grapefruit for colour) was for the marmalade. I didn't bother with the pectin and the mixture gelled just fine without it. It was so delicious I regretted not making more of it. The recipe calls for the peel of 1 orange, and I used 3 (for a little extra) when I should have used up the peels from all of the oranges. There's always a next time.

Needless to say, I'm really looking forward to the next challenge.

Below, I have copied the recipes we were given:

Recipe Source: Recipe slightly adapted from Alain Ducasse‘s Cooking School in Paris, France

For the Pate Sablee:
Ingredients U.S. Imperial Metric Instructions for Ingredients
2 medium-sized egg yolks at room temperature
granulated sugar 6 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon; 2.8 oz; 80 grams
vanilla extract ½ teaspoon
Unsalted butter ¼ cup + 3 tablespoons; 3.5 oz; 100 grams ice cold, cubed
Salt 1/3 teaspoon; 2 grams
All-purpose flour 1.5 cup + 2 tablespoons; 7 oz; 200 grams
baking powder 1 teaspoon ; 4 grams

Directions:

Put the flour, baking powder, ice cold cubed butter and salt in a food processor fitted with a steel blade.

In a separate bowl, add the eggs yolks, vanilla extract and sugar and beat with a whisk until the mixture is pale. Pour the egg mixture in the food processor.

Process until the dough just comes together. If you find that the dough is still a little too crumbly to come together, add a couple drops of water and process again to form a homogenous ball of dough. Form into a disc, cover with plastic wrap and leave to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit.

Roll out the dough onto a lightly floured surface until you obtain a ¼ inch thick circle.

Using your cookie cutter, cut out circles of dough and place on a parchment (or silicone) lined baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes or until the circles of dough are just golden.

For the Marmalade:
Ingredients U.S. Imperial Metric Instructions for Ingredients
Freshly pressed orange juice ¼ cup + 3 tablespoons; 3.5 oz; 100 grams
1 large orange used to make orange slices
cold water to cook the orange slices
pectin 5 grams
granulated sugar: use the same weight as the weight of orange slices once they are cooked

Finely slice the orange. Place the orange slices in a medium-sized pot filled with cold water. Simmer for about 10 minutes, discard the water, re-fill with cold water and blanch the oranges for another 10 minutes.

Blanch the orange slices 3 times. This process removes the bitterness from the orange peel, so it is essential to use a new batch of cold water every time when you blanch the slices.

Once blanched 3 times, drain the slices and let them cool.

Once they are cool enough to handle, finely mince them (using a knife or a food processor).

Weigh the slices and use the same amount of granulated sugar . If you don’t have a scale, you can place the slices in a cup measurer and use the same amount of sugar.

In a pot over medium heat, add the minced orange slices, the sugar you just weighed, the orange juice and the pectin. Cook until the mixture reaches a jam consistency (10-15 minutes).

Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and put in the fridge.

For the Orange Segments:
For this step you will need 8 oranges.

Cut the oranges into segments over a shallow bowl and make sure to keep the juice. Add the segments to the bowl with the juice.

[See YouTube video in the References section below for additional information on segmenting oranges.]

For the Caramel:
Ingredients U.S. Metric Imperial Instructions for Ingredients
granulated sugar 1 cup; 7 oz; 200 grams
orange juice 1.5 cups + 2 tablespoons; 14 oz; 400 grams

Place the sugar in a pan on medium heat and begin heating it.

Once the sugar starts to bubble and foam, slowly add the orange juice. As soon as the mixture starts boiling, remove from the heat and pour half of the mixture over the orange segments.

Reserve the other half of the caramel mixture in a small bowl — you will use this later to spoon over the finished dessert. When the dessert is assembled and setting in the freezer, heat the kept caramel sauce in a small saucepan over low heat until it thickens and just coats the back of a spoon (about 10 minutes). You can then spoon it over the orange tians.

[Tip: Be very careful when making the caramel — if you have never made caramel before, I would suggest making this step while you don’t have to worry about anything else. Bubbling sugar is extremely, extremely hot, so make sure you have a bowl of ice cold water in the kitchen in case anyone gets burnt!]

For the Whipped Cream:
Ingredients U.S. Metric Imperial Instructions for Ingredients
heavy whipping cream 1 cup; 7 oz; 200 grams
3 tablespoons of hot water
1 tsp Gelatine
1 tablespoon of confectioner's sugar
orange marmalade (see recipe above) 1 tablespoon

In a small bowl, add the gelatine and hot water, stirring well until the gelatine dissolves. Let the gelatine cool to room temperature while you make the whipped cream. Combine the cream in a chilled mixing bowl. Whip the cream using a hand mixer on low speed until the cream starts to thicken for about one minute. Add the confectioner sugar. Increase the speed to medium-high. Whip the cream until the beaters leave visible (but not lasting) trails in the cream, then add the cooled gelatine slowly while beating continuously. Continue whipping until the cream is light and fluffy and forms soft peaks. Transfer the whipped cream to a bowl and fold in the orange marmalade.

[Tip: Use an ice cold bowl to make the whipped cream in. You can do this by putting your mixing bowl, cream and beater in the fridge for 20 minutes prior to whipping the cream.]

Assembling the Dessert:

Make sure you have some room in your freezer. Ideally, you should be able to fit a small baking sheet or tray of desserts to set in the freezer.

Line a small tray or baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone sheet. Lay out 6 cookie cutters onto the parchment paper/silicone.

Drain the orange segments on a kitchen towel.

Have the marmalade, whipped cream and baked circles of dough ready to use.

Arrange the orange segments at the bottom of each cookie cutter. Make sure the segments all touch either and that there are no gaps. Make sure they fit snuggly and look pretty as they will end up being the top of the dessert. Arrange them as you would sliced apples when making an apple tart.

Once you have neatly arranged one layer of orange segments at the bottom of each cookie cutter, add a couple spoonfuls of whipped cream and gently spread it so that it fills the cookie cutter in an even layer. Leave about 1/4 inch at the top so there is room for dough circle.

Using a butter knife or small spoon, spread a small even layer of orange marmalade on each circle of dough.

Carefully place a circle of dough over each ring (the side of dough covered in marmalade should be the side touching the whipping cream). Gently press on the circle of dough to make sure the dessert is compact.

Place the desserts to set in the freezer to set for 10 minutes.

Using a small knife, gently go around the edges of the cookie cutter to make sure the dessert will be easy to unmold. Gently place your serving plate on top of a dessert (on top of the circle of dough) and turn the plate over. Gently remove the cookie cutter, add a spoonful of caramel sauce and serve immediately.

Resources:
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-tian.htm (An article about the dessert known as tian.)
YouTube link on how to segment an orange: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZG5mcEEBlcI
To learn more about Pectin: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pectin
What to substitute for Pectin: http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/Dictionary/P/Pectin-6222.aspx

Almond Jelly with Fruit Cocktail

(6 servings)

This light and refreshing dessert was always one of my favourite dim sum dishes in Toronto. Sadly, I haven't seen it here in Dallas, so I end up making it once in a while.

I imagine it would be very good with fresh fruit, but I get a bit nostalgic for the way it was served at dim sum with the canned fruit. In recent years I have bought the fruit cocktail in the refrigerator section; it seems to be better quality.

This dessert should be made with agar agar, not gelatin as the texture between the two is quite different. I buy agar agar in bars. Every few months I drive to a large asian supermarket (Hong Kong Market) in the northeastern part of Dallas to stock up on stuff, and that's where I'm able to find it.

2 3/4 cups water
1/3 cup sugar
6 gms agar agar, (this is the easiest measurement because of how it's packaged, bars or powder)
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1 1/2 tsp pure almond extract

2 1/2 cups fruit cocktail
3/4 cup evaporated milk

If you are using the bar form of agar agar, then break into several pieces and place them into a bowl. Cover with cold water and allow to soak for about 30 minutes. Remove them and squeeze out the excess water. Tear into smaller pieces.

Combine the water, sugar and agar agar in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, and cook until the agar agar has dissolved; about 8 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the evaporated milk and almond extract.

Pour into a 9" square pan. It will be set by the time it's cooled to room temperature.

Cut into cubes and combine with the fruit cocktail. Serve with evaporated milk.

Candied Lemon Peels Dipped in Dark Chocolate

(makes about 10 oz)

I planned on making candied orange peels, but the organic lemons looked better this week.

As it turned out, the tangy lemon complimented the dark chocolate just fine.

4 lemons
1 cup water
1 cup white sugar
1/4-1/3 cup sugar, for rolling
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted

Score each lemon lengthwise into quarters and remove the peel. Cut into strips lengthwise about 1/4" wide.

Bring a few cups of water to boil and parboil the lemon peels for about a minute, then drain. This helps remove the bitterness.

Combine the cup of water and sugar, and bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Add the lemon peels and lower the heat. Simmer gently for about an hour or until the peels look transparent.

Remove the peels from the syrup (which can be reserved for another use) and separate them on a cookie rack or waxed paper. Allow to cool.

Sprinkle the 1/4 cup sugar evenly onto a large plate and roll the lemon peels to coat them on all sides. Dip one end into the melted chocolate and place on waxed paper to let the chocolate harden.