Bakery Days » recipes

kombucha

karen — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 07:41:03 +0000

March 2011 . Kombucha Brew

Oh~sahbu shabu is good. Maybe you can try spicy hot pot. We can take you to eat when you come to Taiwan.

I love our conversations, trading stories of happenings here and abroad with elements of food woven throughout our chats. Anyone who knows me, knows my love of food and my love for learning about food. My friend Jessica over at earthjustice.org often writes about sustainable practices and food. Last month she wrote about the sickeningly sweet side of soda and it got me thinking about kombucha and my path to accepting and loving it.

March 2011 . Kombucha SCOBY

A little over 15 years ago, I was first introduced to kombucha by way of a large jar with a slimy disc of solid yeast floating on top of fermented tea. I didn’t know what it was then, and the thought of a SCOBY or “mushroom” making a drink was disgusting. Every morning school, I’d stare at that jar believing that only crazy people would drink something like that–and like it.

13 years later, I’ve become that crazy person.

After reading up on it and finding antidotal reports of health benefits ranging from supporting the aid in digestion and promoting overall good health, I decided to give it a try. I purchased a bottle at a local grocery store–ginger flavored–and surprisingly, I liked it. I never cared for the artificial makeup of sodas, so I decided this naturally carbonated beverage would be a good substitute. I’d drink a glass almost every night and I felt good–though I can’t attribute it to kombucha, since it could be the power of the mind–all I knew was that I was less susceptible to the flu (excluding my recent bouts).

After a while, I realized at $4 per bottle, how much “feeling good” was costing me. I did some research and found that brewing it myself would cost a whole lot less. All I needed was to get my hands on a SCOBY to start my brew. I bought my last bottle of plain kombucha and poured half into a small mason jar and secured a coffee filter with a rubber band and left it in a dark cabinet for it to ferment. Two weeks later, a thin layer of SCOBY had formed in my starter tea!

Using my starter SCOBY, I looked up instructions on how to brew my first batch. Six months later, I’ve made adjustments and mastered the process. Now my fridge is stocked with enough for a glass or two whenever I’m in the mood.

March 2011 . Kombucha

Kombucha

Water, enough to fill mason jar 2 black or green tea bags per quart of water 1 stainless steel pot to boil water	Boil water. Remove from heat; add tea bags and allow to steep for 15 minutes. Remove tea bags and with a wooden spoon, stir in sugar until it all dissolves. Let the sweet tea cool to room temperature.
1/2 cup of starter tea per quart 1 kombucha culture (also known as a mother or SCOBY) 1 wide-mouth mason jar	Pour sweet tea into mason jar. Add starter tea into the container and stir with a wooden spoon so it’s evenly distributed. Add SCOBY.
1 clean cloth, paper towel, or coffee filter Rubber band	Cover with a clean cloth and secure with a rubber band. Store Jar in a dark warm place, away from drafts. Let ferment for 6-14 days. Taste around day 8 to determine when it’s ready. *
2-3 glass bottles	Once it’s ready, set aside SCOBY and 1/2 cup of kombucha tea as a starter for the next brew. Pour remaining kombucha into individual bottles and store for two days in a dark place before transferring to the refrigerator. Enjoy!

* I personally like the flavor after 10 days of fermenting. Let it ferment for less time if you prefer something more sweet.

lemon bars

karen — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 05:25:21 +0000

December 2010 . Lemons

“Think about the things you are thankful for.”

This weekend, I took a brief pause to think about and treasure the little things that make life special. It was dreary wet outside, but it didn’t stop me from trekking around town gathering supplies for my small weekend gardening project. As I walked through the city, I pondered some of the things I am grateful for: 1. My boots, waterproof and comfortable. My feet had plenty of support and stayed dry as I wandered through Russian Hill, Nob Hill and the Marina (about 4.5 miles round trip). Bonus points for me being able to pull together a stylish rainy-day outfit to match. 2. My jacket–warm, lightweight and trusty–at $75, that was my very first “big” purchase right out of high school. 11 years later, It’s still in great shape, lightweight, and warm. 3. San Francisco culture, a big motivator which helped inspire me to search out my culinary passion. My life in SF has brought me a greater sense of awareness of where food comes from, and what impact local, regional, organic, green-washed, and sustainable foods have on the community. I love being a lifelong culinary student. 4. My new oven thermometer, which has stopped my oven from burning food, setting off my smoke detecter, and has eased my annoyance and that of my neighbors. At first I thought my burnt meals were user error. It turns out my oven has an inconsistent tendency of running 25-100 degrees high–yikes! 5. Lemons. More specifically, my mother’s neighbor’s lemons. The bountiful tree branches into my mother’s backyard and during my last visit in December, she gifted me with a large grocery bag full of lemons. Amazingly they’re still good and this weekend I decided to put a couple to use–in my tea and in a batch of lemon bars.

February 2011 . Lemon

I was really suprised at how juicy and fresh the lemons were after all this time. Mind you, the above lemon is a bit wrinkled from sitting on my counter for a few hours before I decided to photograph it.

February 2011 . Lemon Zest

I love the smell of fresh lemon zest.

February 2011 . Lemon Bar Crust

I made the crust extra buttery. I haven’t yet met a recipe that couldn’t handle more butter than the instructions called for.

February 2011 . Lemon Bar

And the lemon bar, chock-full of lemony goodness. The simplicity of the recipe and buttery richness of the lemon bars were the perfect way to end my Sunday funday.

Lemon Bars
Makes 24 bars

1 1/2 cups flour 1/2 cup powdered sugar 3/4 cup butter, cut into pieces, room temperature	Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups flour and 1/2 powdered sugar. Add butter and mix until mixture resembles coarse meal. Press mixture into the bottom of a 9″ x 13″ x 2″ baking dish. Bake 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven. Maintain oven temperature.
4 eggs 1 1/2 cups sugar 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon flour 1 tablespoon grated lemon peel	In a second bowl, beat eggs, 1 1/2 cups sugar, lemon juice, lemon peel. Pour on top of the crust. Bake 20 minutes until mixture is set and the edges are golden brown. Let cool.
Powdered sugar	Cut into 24 bars. Using a sifter, sprinkle powdered sugar over lemon bars before serving.

P.S. I am also grateful for the visitors who frequent this blog and as a result, the friends I have made. ♥

lemon rosemary butter cookies

karen — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 06:28:03 +0000

January 2011 . Lemon Rosemary Butter Cookie Recipe Card

“Thanks for joining the recipe exchange! Looking forward to getting to know you via your blog. Hope you enjoy my favorite cookies!”

Enjoy, I did. The second installation of the winter recipe exchange comes from one of the co-collaborators, Allyn of all things ami. And before I start talking about the cookies itself, can I just take a moment to say that the ladies of this exchange have gorgeous handwriting? Mine usually looks like a cross between script, block print, and chicken scratch–though it usually resembles chicken scratch–I’m a bit smitten, but anyways; I’m getting off-track. Allyn’s recipe was not only a joy, but warmed up my chilly home this fine Sunday afternoon. I’d been without heater or hot water for the past three days, so this adventure dished up multiple benefits!

January 2011 . Lemon Rosemary Butter Cookie Recipe Card

The recipe called for 1/2 cup of turbinado–which I didn’t have–but did have a jar or rose petal sugar. I wasn’t sure how it would affect the cookies, but decided to give it a try since the weather looked overcast with a chance of rain and the three-block walk to the grocery store was not something I felt compelled take on. Normally, I wouldn’t mind a quick trip, but cold + wet = puttering around the home in bunny slippers.

January 2011 . Lemon Rosemary Butter Cookie Ingredients

Fortunately I had everything else, so I was read to bake. This recipe also gave me a chance to us some of the many lemons that my mother gave me a couple weeks back. I was beginning to exhaust my options since I was using them in everything: tea, lemonade, on chicken and salads, and sweets. I had also squeezed the juice from a few lemons to store for use at another time. I’ll probably use a few more for cleaning, but even so, I’ve still got about a dozen lemons left. Any suggestions are greatly welcome!

*Note that the recipe also called for eggs, which I forgot to include in the above shot.

January 2011 . Lemon Rosemary Butter Cookie Mix

It had been a while since I zested a lemon (or any citrus, for that matter) and found myself getting a little carried away–zesting is fun! I tried chopping dried rosemary, which I found difficult since each time the knife came down, the itty bitty bits scattered about. Note for next time: use food processor.

January 2011 . Lemon Rosemary Butter Cookies

Ta-dah! I didn’t have any wax paper on hand, and similar to turbinado sugar, decided to improvise. I let the dough chill for a couple hours and then formed small balls, which I flattened down to size. I garnished the cookies with the rose petal sugar, and lo and behold, tasty little cookies with a wonderful bouquet of buttery lemons, rosemary, and roses. The tint in the rose petal sugar complimented my purple serving platter!

Thank you, Allyn for sharing your lemon rosemary butter cookies–you’ve helped satisfy my lemon dilemma and warmed my home–in one tasty session!

Lemon Rosemary Butter Cookies from Allyn of all things ami
Makes 14 cookies

4 oz butter, softened 1/4 cup sugar 1 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest 2 egg yolks 1 teaspoon vanilla extract	Beat butter, sugar, rosemary and lemon zest with electric mixer until creamy. Mix in egg yolks and vanilla extract.
1 cup flour 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt	In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture and beat until combined. Shape dough into 1″ logs. Wrap in wax paper and let dough chill for two hours.
	Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
baking sheet, lightly greased 1/2 cup of turbinado sugar for decorating (or rose petal sugar for decorating)	Lightly grease baking sheet with butter. Slice dough into 1/2″ rounds. Pour turbinado sugar into a small bowl and press one cut side of the sliced dough into sugar; place on baking sheet, sugar side up. Bake 15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on rack.

chocolate lava cakes

karen — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 07:47:57 +0000

January 2011 . Chocolate Lava Cake Recipe

“What motivates you to do what you do?”

It was a very simple, open-ended question. At the time, it gave me pause. A week later, the question still lingers and I still haven’t found the answer. It’s been a long while since I’ve faced a simple question that’s left such an imprint in my mind. Different aspects of my life are motivated by a multitude of factors. For baking, it’s the sheer delight of using simple ingredients to create delectable morsels. This weekend, I donned my apron, gathered my ingredients, and set to task on my first baking project of 2011, Erin of Pughs’ News‘ recipe for Baby Chocolate Lava Cakes.

January 2011 . Chocolate Lava Cake Ingredients

This is the first recipe in my 3-part winter recipe exchange and I loved making it! I had so much fun melting chocolate and butter in the double broiler and slowly folding it into the flour and egg mixture. Flour dusted the table and the air smelled heavenly as the scent of buttery cacao found its way into every crevice of the kitchen. It’s moments like these that reinforce my love of baking.

January 2011 . Chocolate Lava Cake Batter

January 2011 . Chocolate Lava Cake

January 2011 . Chocolate Lava Cake & Milk

I didn’t have any whipped cream to serve it with, but did pour myself a tall glass of whole milk. The cake has an incredible burst of chocolate, which is nicely balanced with my milk. On my way home from work tomorrow, I’ll have to remember to stop off at the store for some whipped cream, as recommended. =)

Thank you, Erin, for sharing your gem of a recipe!

Baby Chocolate Lava Cakes from Erin of Pughs’ News
Serves 4-6

4 ounces chopped bittersweet chocolate 8 tablespoons butter	In a double broiler, melt butter and chocolate. Whisk to blend
3 large eggs 3/4 cup white sugar 1/4 cup flour	In a bowl, whisk eggs, sugar, flour using an electric mixer. Slowly fold in chocolate mixture. Set aside at least one hour.*
	Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
4 ramekins, buttered and floured	Butter and flour four 1-cup ramekins (or six small ones). Pour batter into ramekins and place on a baking sheet in the center of the oven. Cook 10-12 minutes; centers will be soft. Transfer to a plate and serve with whipped cream.**

*Batter can be made ahead of the time (ie: prepare in the morning and bake in the evening); do not freeze.
**Instead of whipped cream, the baby chocolate lava cakes can be served warm with vanilla ice cream.

P.s. Thanks all for your kind well wishes as I was on bed rest. The flu took a huge toll on my usually energetic disposition, and left me couch-ridden for almost three weeks.

pomegranate almond bread

karen — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 03:12:04 +0000

November 2010 . Pomegranates

“How do I say this correctly–It sounds like the barn doors have opened, and the horses are free. Let’s explore and see where you take us.”

The barn doors have opened and the horses are free–I like that expression. That would certainly describe the way my creativity is morphing. I’ve taken some time to explore resources, of which there is no shortfall in this crazy world, known as the Internet. One particularly striking image, Pomegranate, Lavender, and Cream, has inspired me to create a fall pomegranate recipe.

November 2010 . Pomegranates

I love the juicy tartness of pomegranates. When I was young, I would spend afternoons digging into the crevices trying with earnest to pluck each seed out whole. Most of the time the juices would burst and I’d end up staining my clothing, much to my mother’s dismay.

November 2010 . Pomegranates Seeds & Almond Slivers

Now that I’m older, I prefer to keep the juices contained within the seedling. After doing a little research, I found that there is such a way to easily pit seeds and keep stains to a minimum! Who knew that scoring the skin and a bowl of cold water would do the trick.

November 2010 . Pomegranate Almond Bread

After marveling the beautiful ruby gems for a moment, I set to work creating a recipe for pomegranate almond bread.

November 2010 . Pomegranate Almond Bread

Instead of sugar, I added honey to give it a tinge of sweetness, a couple tablespoons of lemon juice to help bring out the tartness of pomegranate, and a cup of butter to give it that extra crumbly richness. It was marvelous.

November 2010 . Pomegranate Almond Bread

Pomegranate Almond Bread
Makes one loaf

2 cups flour 1 tablespoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup pomegranate seeds 1 cup almond slivers	In a large bowl, mix flour, baking powder, salt. Fold in pomegranate seeds and almond slivers. Make a well in the center.
2 1/2 tablespoon honey 2 teaspoons lemon juice 1 cup heavy whipping cream 1 egg 1 cup butter, melted and cool	In a separate smaller bowl, combine honey, lemon juice, whipping cream, egg and butter. Pour liquid into the well and stir until batter is evenly mixed.
	Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
9″ x 5″ bread pan*	Pour batter into a bread pan.
	Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove loaf and cool.

*12-cup muffin pan can be used in lieu of a bread pan. Fill each cup to the rim, and bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

a year of sugar cookies, part II

karen — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 18:25:03 +0000

October 2010 . Sugar Cookies

One more gratuitous cookie shot. Get the recipe here.

a year of sugar cookies

karen — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 05:54:31 +0000

October 2010 . Snowflake Sugar Cookie

It took less than an hour, but he knew me instantly and said with a laugh, “You should bake more; it makes you happy.”

I pondered this a bit, shrugged my shoulders and said, “Okay.” He’s right. Baking makes me happy. I craved creativity, something that’s been lacking in my baked goods lately. I had no idea what I would do. Normally when I have a baker’s road-block, I turn to my tried and true chocolate chip cookies for a quick sugar fix. Not this time–no, I thought a bit more about this, and decided to let my thoughts drift. My brain flittered around tarts, puddings and pies before it settled on a snowflake. Sure, it’s October, but who says I can’t have snowflakes and shamrocks in the fall? Tonight would be a year of sugar cookies.

October 2010 . A Year of Cookie Cutters

October 2010 . Sugar Cookies

October 2010 . Umbrella Sugar Cookie

Some turned out burnt, but in the right place to add to the decoration!

October 2010 . Sugar Cookies

Others turned out beautiful, with the right amount of golden brown edges and jewel-tone sprinkles.

October 2010 . Sugar Cookies

Some, I couldn’t resist taking a quick bite! ♥

Sugar Cookies
Makes two dozen

3/4 cup sugar 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter, softened 1 egg 1 tablespoon milk 1 teaspoon vanilla	In a large bowl, cream sugar and butter until fluffy. Add egg, milk, and vanilla; beat well.
2 cups unbleached white flour 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt	In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt; stir into creamed mixture. Cover and let chill at least 3 hours.
	Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Colored sprinkles (optional)	Working with half of the dough at a time on a lightly floured surface, roll flat to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut with cookie cutters and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Decorate with sprinkles.
	Bake until edges are golden brown, about 8 minutes. Cool on rack.

pimientos de padrón

karen — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 17:50:27 +0000

June 2010 . Pimentos de Padrón

One of my favorite stalls at the farmers’ market is East Palo Alto’s Happy Quail Farms. They have the best looking, best tasting peppers that my eyes and mouth have ever feasted on. During the winter months, they take a break from the farmers’ market circuit (at least at the Ferry Building, which makes me a bit sad), but they come back every summer with beautiful bright peppers. Normally, I buy a few sweet bell peppers to stuff, sauté or add to a salad, but last week I asked about these little pimientos de padrón and learned quite a bit!

June 2010 . Pimientos de Padrón

These peppers are a little sweet, a little spicy, but pack a whole lotta punch in flavor. They are great as tapas and are quick to whip up. All that you need to do is heat a frying pan with olive oil (enough to cover the bottom of the pan) and throw the peppers in whole. When white blisters appear on the pepper skins, then they are ready to eat.

Serve on a plate with coarse salt (I added ground black pepper–I do like my foods to have that extra kick) and enjoy with a side of cheese, a frosty beer, or a glass of red wine.

Normally something like this is great as an appetizer with friends, but I’m not going to lie–I ate all these peppers in one sitting! These little guys are now part of my ‘usual’ market list!

chocolate chip zucchini bread

karen — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 03:13:35 +0000

June 2010 . Zucchini

This weekend at the farmer’s market, I spied with my two little eyes, zucchini. With spring fruits here and the summer season just around the corner, I’ve got tons of sweets lined up to bake. Tarts and muffins and frozen treats galore! Today’s recipe is another experience in one-handed cookery—the thumb is still temporarily out of order, and like all things that life brings, I use them to make sweets.

June 2010 . Zucchini Bread Ingredients

June 2010 . Shredded Zucchini

June 2010 . Chocolate Chips

June 2010 . Zucchini Bread Batter

June 2010 . Zucchini Bread

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bead
Makes 1 loaf

2 cups wheat flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 325 °F.
In a large bowl, stir together wheat flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 extra virgin olive oil
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a separate bowl, mix sugar, extra virgin olive oil, eggs, and vanilla extract.

3 cups shredded zucchini
1 cup chocolate chips

Combine both mixtures and fold in shredded zucchini and chocolate chips. Once the ingredients are incorporated, pour into a non-stick 9”x5”x3” loaf pan. If the pan is not non-stick, coat it with butter and flour.

Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

At this point, a toothpick inserted into the middle of the loaf should come out clean. Cool for 15 minutes and turn out onto a cooling rack. Cool completely.

For muffins, temperature should also be 325 °F, but bane for 30 minutes.

I had a little extra batter, so I decided to make a few muffins!

June 2010 . Zucchini Muffins

onion & leek tart

karen — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 02:56:07 +0000

April 2010 . Onion & Leek

This week, I discovered that I went a little overboard with getting too early of a head start on boxes. Not to worry, it’s easy to unpack a camera cable and repack.

I am an avid subscriber of many many many food blogs. This is also true of email subscriptions. I’m constantly inundated with recipes, hot trends, and news around the globe (yet, I still thirst for more). Last week, while going through my inbox, I was delighted to find the recipe of the day was for a savory onion and leek tart. After reading the recipe, I decided that this would compliment my roast chicken perfectly. So off to the farmer’s market I went to gather my ingredients…

April 2010 . Leek, Finely Sliced

The original recipe was simple and straight forward. I couldn’t find crème fraîche, I decided to substitute it with heavy whipping cream and it turned out quite nice. The hot pastry dough was from a recipe in the Spice Bible (and has become my favorite pie pastry dough recipe).

Savory Onion and Leek Tart
Serves 8-10

For Pastry
4 1/2 cups flour 2/3 cup butter 2/3 cup water 2 eggs	Put the flour in a large mixing bowl. Melt butter with 2/3 cup water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Pout into the well with the eggs, mix well and knead to form a smooth dough.

For Filling
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened 1 medium white onions, thinly sliced 2 medium leeks, sliced lengthwise and thinly sliced (white part only)	Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. When it foams, add 1/3 of the onions and leeks. Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook until onions and leeks are caramelized and golden brown, about 10 minutes. Season again with salt and pepper. Remove from the pan and reserve in a mixing bowl. Cook remaining onions and leeks in two more batches, using 1 tablespoon of the butter per batch.
1 teaspoon thyme leaves, finely chopped 2 teaspoons marjoram leaves, finely chopped 1 tablespoon Italian parsley, finely chopped 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream	Combine herbs and crème fraîche with onion-leek mixture and check the seasoning. Add more salt and pepper as necessary, and let the mixture rest until it has cooled, about 5 minutes.
	Heat the oven to 425°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Using the palm of your hand, press dough into pie dish, spreading dough evenly so that extra dough hangs over the edge. Spread the filling evenly throughout, leaving a 1-inch border. Fold the perimeter of the dough over the filling.
1 large egg yolk 1 teaspoon cold water	Make an egg wash by whisking the egg yolk with the cold water. Brush the outer edge of the tart with the wash. Place on the middle rack of the preheated oven and bake until the bottom of the crust is golden, about 20 to 25 minutes.

April 2010 . Onion & Leek Tart Filling

April 2010 . Pastry Dough

April 2010 . Onion & Leek Tart

chicken mole recipe

karen — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 07:00:42 +0000

March 2010 . Chicken Mole

Over the holidays, my sister gave me a lovely cookbook, The Spice Bible by Jane Lawson. Since receiving this wonderful book, I have cooked approximately 80% of my meals from these mouthwatering pages. Sectioned off by spice types, I’ve been able to cull through my collection, reinvent old dishes and experiment with never heard spices.

December 2009 . The Spice Bible

Today was a very odd day (*edit: this post was meant for yesterday, but my power adapter decided to put me on time-out). I left the house early this morning with the sun shining. About an hour later, it was raining (in some parts of the city, hailing), and by evening a most perfect rainbow starting from Alcatraz made an arch over my path home. The glorious evening didn’t last long because as soon as I settled in for the evening, I heard the tip-tappings of heavy raindrops on my windowpane. The weather couldn’t seem to decide and was ping ponging between doom-n-gloom and a happy storybook ending.

This was the perfect time to cozy-up in front of a warm stove. I had gone to the farmer’s market over the weekend in anticipation of making chicken mole from The Spice Bible. When I opened the book and gathered my ingredients on the counter I realized that I had two things going against me:

I did a poor job writing up my market list. The list included only half of the items I needed for my chicken mole, and the other half consisted of produce for a dish I was planning to make next week. Sigh…
I was feeling pretty lazy. After re-reading the directions, I realized that this recipe required more effort than I cared to use.

Not one to admit defeat so easily, I decided to do what I do best: improvise. I decided that the spices that I lacked weren’t necessary since I had enough of the other seasonings and substitute to give my dish flavor and there were a few steps I could skip. After cooking and sitting down to eat, I realized two things:

The combination of peppers and chocolate created an amazing spicy and sweet flavor that danced on my tongue.
If this is my lazy attempt at cooking, imagine what I could do with full effort!

Below is my improvised, lazy-version chicken mole recipe. It was pretty quick to whip up–somewhere between one and two hours to cook. It was well worth it, and it’s enough to last the rest of the week.

March 2009 . Stewed Tomato Sauce

Chicken Mole
Serves 6

1 brown onion 4 garlic cloves 1 whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces 6 oregano sprigs 6 Italian parsley sprigs 1 tablespoon pepper	Cut onion into quarters and garlic cloves into slices and add them to a large saucepan with chicken pieces, oregano, parsley, and pepper. Cover with cold water, add 1 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until the chicken is almost cooked through. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking liquid.
6 dried mulatto chilies, chopped 4 dried pasilla chilies, chopped ½ dried small chipolte chili, chopped ¼ cup dried cranberries	Meanwhile, dry-fry the chilies for 20 seconds in a hot frying pan, then transfer to a bowl. Cover with 3 cups boiling water and soak for 15 minutes. Soak the raisins in hot water for 20 minutes, then drain.
1 pound tomatoes, chopped 1 slice day old bread, crust removed 1 teaspoon cumin powder	Blend the tomatoes in a food processor until smooth. Add the oregano, bread, raisins and chilies with their soaking water, and blend until smooth.
1 brown onions 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 teaspoon cinnamon ¼ teaspoon sugar 1 ½ tablespoon chopped Mexican or unsweetened chocolate 2 large handfuls cilantro leaves, finely chopped	Dice onion. In a heavy-bottomed frying pan, large enough to fit all the chicken pieces in one layer, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Cook the onion for 5 minutes to soften. Add the tomato mixture, cinnamon, and sugar. Cook over low heat for 20 minutes. Add the chocolate and the reserve cooking liquid from the chicken. Bring to a simmer, and add the chicken. Cook, covered, over low heat for 30 minutes, or until the chicken is very tender. Stir in cilantro.
	Season and serve with white rice and tortillas.

Editor’s note: the master recipe that this originates from, The Spice Bible, is sure to be more fantastic.

soy lemon ice cream

karen — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 03:11:09 +0000

February 2010 . Soy Lemon Ice Cream

Four years ago, during a time I like to refer to as Sacramento’s great summer heat wave, I decided to venture into the realm of homemade ice cream. Little did I know, my life would completely transform and I would never look at ice cream the same. The whirling machine hummed as it churned the smooth creamy mixture. When I took my first lick, my taste buds were so delighted with the frozen creamy goodness that I stopped buying ice cream from the grocery store and never looked back. In general, I’m not a big ice cream eater, but when I do have some, I savor each and every moment.

The above image is of a new home recipe, soy lemon ice cream. I love cream-top milk and when possible, try to incorporate it into as many recipes as I can. There’s nothing quite like spooning that thick top layer out of the bottle and savoring its taste and texture. But on this particular Saturday, it was so blustery wet out that I didn’t have it in myself to don my coat, pull on my elephant rain boots and trudge to the market. I had to make do with what I had on hand.

Using a tried-and-true recipe that I’ve changed and altered over time, I decided that logically I could substitute milk with soy on a 1:1 ratio. It only occurred to me while I was pouring the custard into the ice cream maker that a 1:1 ration might not work. But that’s OK. I’m well on my way to becoming a mad scientist for all things sweet and in about 30-40 minutes I would get my answers.

Soy Lemon Ice Cream
Makes 1 Quart

1 1/2 cups soy milk 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream 1 lemon, zested 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise	In a heavy 2-quart saucepan, combine soy milk, cream and lemon zest. Using the tip of a sharp knife, scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the soy mixture and then add the vanilla bean.
	Cook over medium heat until bubbles form around the edges of the pan, about 5 minutes.
6 egg yolks 1/2 cup sugar	Meanwhile combine the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl. Whisk until the mixture is smooth and the sugar begins to dissolve.
	Remove the milk mixture from heat and gradually whisk about 1/2 cup of the hot soy mixture into the egg mixture, whisking constantly, until smooth. Pour the egg mixture into the saucepan with the remaining hot soy milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Keep the custard at a low simmer, until it is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon, 4-6 minutes. Do not let the custard boil.
	Strain through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl. Discard the vanilla bean.
	Cool and cover the custard with plastic wrap, pressing it directly on to the surface of the custard to prevent a skin from forming. Refridgerate until chilled, at least 3 hours or up to 24 hours.
	Pour the custard into an ice cream maker and freeze according to ice cream maker’s instructions. Transfer ice cream to a freezer-safe container. Cover and freeze until firm, at least 3 hours or up to 3 days before serving.

Editor’s note: the original recipe for my first batch (vanilla bean ice cream) has long since become lost in the crevices of my mind—but when I do manage to locate it, I will definitely post (and credit). It’s a good basic ice cream and well worth it to try.

persimmon tart

karen — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 09:24:13 +0000

November 2009 . Persimmons

The sun was shining, the air crisp, and the flowers in bloom. It was the perfect day to bake. This Thanksgiving, I took my baking skills one step further by gathering three pounds of freshly picked persimmons, Julia’s wonderful peach tart recipes, and turned it into my own.

Persimmon Tart with Honey Glaze
Serves 6

For Pastry
2/3 cup flour 1 tablespoon granulated sugar 1/8 teaspoon salt 4 tablespoon chilled butter 2 1/2 to 3 tablespoon cold water	Place flower in a large mixing bowl and mix in sugar and salt. Fold butter into flour and kneed by hand. Drizzle water and blend quickly until the dough can be roughly shaped into a ball.
8 inch pie dish	Using the palm of your hand, mold the dough into the pie dish.

For Filling
3 pounds persimmons boiling water	Drop persimmons in boiling water for 10 to 15 seconds. Peel and slice fruit.
	Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2/3 cup granulated sugar 2 tablespoons butter cut into pea-sized dots	Sprinkle 3 tablespoons of sugar in the bottom of the pastry shell. Spiral persimmons over sugar in a closely overlapping layer of concentric circles. Spread the rest of the sugar. Dot butter. Bake in middle of preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until persimmon has colored lightly and juices become syrupy.
1/2 cup honey	Remove tart from oven and let cool on rack and glaze with honey.

November 2009 . Pie Crust

November 2009 . Sliced Persimmons

November 2009 . Persimmon Tart

my cookie life

karen — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 12:00:48 +0000

June 2008 . Chocolate Chip Cookies

People often tell me that they prefer cooking to baking, because baking is an exact science. Everything has to be measured out in perfect quantities. I am fortunate to come from a long line of “true” bakers – no one has ever measured out things precisely. My grandmother and mother both choose to bake simply by sight, adding a little of this and a little of that. It’s difficult to get a recipe from them, since they do it completely from memory and choose to demonstrate how to bake rather than write it down on paper. I feel very fortunate to inherit that trait. Being able to bake without a written recipe and know by sight, texture and taste has saved me countless hours when batches could have been ruined. But I also must admit that I do cherish all of my cookbooks, as they have also taught me many valuable lessons.

Paying tribute to the ever delicious cookie… how fitting that I would follow up a personal milestone with a classic cookie recipe that I’ve slightly modified to my own liking. I’ve enjoyed rave reviews from those closest to me and I hope you will to. Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Cookies
Makes 2 dozen

2 1/4 cups wheat flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt	Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
	Stir flour with baking soda and salt. Set aside.
2 large eggs 1 cup butter, softened 1 cup sugar 1 cup brown sugar, packed 2 teaspoons vanilla extract	In a large mixing bowl, beat butter with sugar and brown sugar at medium speed until creamy. Add vanilla extract and eggs, one at a time. Mix on low speed until incorporated.
2 cups chocolate chips 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)	Gradually blend dry mixture into creamed mixture. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.
	Drop by teaspoon onto ungreased cookie sheet.
	Bake 9-11 minutes or until golden brown.