30 January 2019

Mongolian Beef (Martin Yan's Chinatown Cooking, modified)

Marinade:
2T water
1T soy sauce
1T oil
1tsp minced ginger
2tsp cornstarch

3/4# flank or tri-tip steak, sliced 1/4" thick across the grain (1#)

Sauce:
2T soy sauce
2T sugar
2tsp Chinese Rice wine or dry sherry
1 1/2tsp Chinese black vinegar or balsamic vinegar
1tsp hoisin sauce
1tsp chili bean sauce or chili garlic sauce

Oil for deep frying
2oz dried bean thread noodles

1 leek, halved and cut into 2" pieces
5 green onions, trimmed & cut into 2" lengths (diced)

Mix marinade ingredients, cut beef into 2" pieces and marinate 20 minutes.

Combine sauce ingredients.

Gently separate (to loosen the strands) and deep fry bean thread noodles at 375*F until they puff and expand, about 5 seconds. Drain and put on serving platter.

Stir-fry beef until barely pink, 2-3 minutes. Remove to a plate.

Stir-fry leek and onions til wilted, about 30 seconds. Add sauce and beef and stir-fry until beef is heated through and coated with sauce, 1-2 minutes. Spoon over noodles.

We were short some ingredients, so steamed some veg and served over rice.

Spaghetti alla Carbonara Master Recipe

Spaghetti alla Carbonara (Cook's Illustrated, modified from two recipes)

8 slices thick bacon or salt pork, sliced into 1/2" pieces
3 cloves garlic, minced
15g pecorino Romano, grated (1/4c)
50g Parmesan, grated (3/4c)
3 eggs
1# spaghetti
salt & pepper

Bring bacon & 1/2c water to simmer in 10" skillet over medium heat; cook til water evaporates* bacon begins to sizzle, 8-10 minutes. Reduce heat & cook til bacon browns and fat has rendered, 5-8 minutes longer. Add garlic & cook til fragrant, 15-30 seconds. Drain, measuring out 1T fat into medium bowl. Whisk in cheeses, eggs, & pepper.

Meanwhile, cook 1# spaghetti in salted water. Drain, reserving 1c cooking water. Return to pot.

Whisk 1/2c reserved pasta water into egg/cheese mixture and pour over pasta, tossing to coat. Add bacon & toss. Let pasta rest 2-4 minutes, tossing frequently, until sauce has thickened & coats pasta. Adjust consistency with remaining reserved pasta water if needed.

*this keeps bacon tender

Ramen Noodle Coleslaw Master Recipe

Ramen Noodle Coleslaw

2# coleslaw, broccoli coleslaw mix, or cabbage/carrots/broccoli, shredded

Dressing:
2pkgs Oriental Ramen noodle seasoning mix
1/3c cider vinegar or rice wine vinegar
1/2c sugar
1/2c oil

Toppings:
2pkgs Ramen noodles, broken up
4oz almond slivers
4oz sunseeds

Combine dressing ingredients and toss with slaw. Add toppings and toss just before serving.

Sweet & Sour Chicken Master Recipe

Sweet & Sour Chicken

1 fryer chicken, cut up
1c sugar (200g)
1c ketchup
1/2c water
1/2c vinegar
2tsp salt
2tsp Worcestershire
1tsp dry mustard

Mix together & pour over chicken parts in 9x13 pan. Bake at 350*F until juices run clear. Serve over rice.

Tipsy Wieners Master Recipe

Tipsy Wieners

1 pkg Lil Smokies
1 bottle beer (not light) or cider

Tip wieners into saute pan and cover with beer. Bring to a boil and boil until liquid is nearly gone. Stir frequently towards the end. Serve with toothpicks as an appetizer, or over noodles/knöpfle as a lazy supper dish.

19 January 2019

Whole Wheat Pasta
495g whole wheat flour
4eggs
1T oil
2T water

Needed to add quite a bit of water, 2 or 3T more. I might back the flour down next time.

Granola Master Recipe

Big Cluster Maple Granola (Smitten Kitchen book)

240g rolled oats (3c)
50g unsweetened coconut (shredded or flaked) (1c)
100g walnuts, chopped (1c)
25g toasted wheat germ (1/4c)
2T olive oil (25g)
1/2tsp coarse salt
1/2c maple syrup (or more to taste) (170g)
1/4tsp cinnamon
1 large egg white
215g dried fruit, diced (1 1/2c)

Toss everything except fruit and egg white in a large bowl. Whisk egg white until frothy and stir into granola mixture. Spread on parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 300*F for 45-55 minutes. About halfways through, use a large spatula to turn over large pieces (if you want smaller clusters, stir frequently instead) and rotate pan. Granola should be evenly browned and dry to the touch. Cool, break into pieces and stir in fruit.

13 January 2019

Spicy Currant Bread

70g currants
1c apple juice
9g wheat bran
1/2tsp allspice (6 berries, ground)
1tsp active dry yeast (5g instant)
1/4c water
2T oil (25g)
1T molasses (20g)
415g wheat flour
7g salt (10g)

Simmer currants & apple juice 5 minutes. Stir in bran and let sit several hours. Drain. Make dough, knead in currants. Two risings plus final proof.

6 January 2019

Orange Thyme Madeleines
1/4c butter, browned
2 eggs
pinch salt
60g vanilla sugar
1tsp chopped fresh thyme
60g flour
zest of 2 clementines

Made 12 in the silicone pan. The orange came through beautifully, but the thyme didn't.

30 December 2018

Munker (otherwise known as æbleskiver, North Wild Kitchen, thirded)

1 egg
80g sugar
85g milk
165g flour
3/4tsp soda (5g)

Quite thick, made 23 (our pan is a small one)
Cut back on the sugar next time.

29 December 2018

Turkey, Stuffing, & Cranberry Chelsea Buns
500g flour
50g sugar
10g salt
10g instant yeast
150g milk
90g water
40g butter
2 eggs

Used 280g cranberry relish (not quite enough), 300g turkey, and 200g stuffing. 12 in a 9x13 pan. Bake 400*F for 25 minutes.

17 December 2018

Macarons w/Cardamom Ganache

175g powdered sugar
10g cocoa powder
100g ground almonds
100g egg whites
45 sugar

Sift together powdered sugar & cocoa. Stir in almonds. Whisk whites til foamy, add half the sugar and whisk til whites are firm. Add remaining sugar & whisk til firm & glossy. Fold in dry ingredients. Pipe and let rest for an hour.

Ganache
12 cardamom pods
300g heavy cream

Bring to a boil, turn off heat and let infuse 30 minutes. Bring back to nearly a boil and stir in 300g 70% chocolate. Stir til melted.

Recipe didn't say to thwack the piped macarons--we didn't, and they had airholes.

16 December 2018

Fruity Cookies

560g flour
1 tsp powder
1 1/2c butter
200g sugar
(1) 3-oz pkg Jell-O
1 egg
1 capful vanilla

Press through cookie press, like spritz cookies. My grandmother found the recipe in the Reader's Digest back in the 60s.

15 December 2018

Hamburger Buns

1c water (240g)
1 egg  (35g)
4T butter (55g)
2T sugar (25g)
3c flour (350g)
1/4c dry milk (30g)
2T potato flakes (5g)
1 1/2tsp salt (10g)
2 1/4tsp active dry yeast (5g instant)

740g = 8-93g buns