Unfortunately, our oven is broken, so I had to use the toaster oven resulting in uneven cupcakes. As usual, I reduced the sugar from 1/2 to 1/3 cup. My substitution for 7 ounces of almond paste is 1 cup almond flour plus 1 egg white.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Happy Chinese New Year
I was baking a dessert to take to my aunt's house, but we are staying in thanks to the snow/ice. It's better this way since I feel bad feeding my uncle butter. Due to the lack of good fruits for a tart, I made Thomas Keller's Almond Cake. Thomas Keller can do no wrong. I prefer this recipe over the Amateur Gourmet one I posted earlier because it's less dense and has honey and amaretto.
Unfortunately, our oven is broken, so I had to use the toaster oven resulting in uneven cupcakes. As usual, I reduced the sugar from 1/2 to 1/3 cup. My substitution for 7 ounces of almond paste is 1 cup almond flour plus 1 egg white.
Unfortunately, our oven is broken, so I had to use the toaster oven resulting in uneven cupcakes. As usual, I reduced the sugar from 1/2 to 1/3 cup. My substitution for 7 ounces of almond paste is 1 cup almond flour plus 1 egg white.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
B-day Tart
For my mother's birthday, I decided to make the Chez Panisse Almond Tart. Those fluted edges are thanks to my new tart pan.
If you like almonds and caramel, then you'll love this tart. It's a little on the sweet side, which makes it great paired with a cup of tea. I reduced the sugar by 1/4 which may have affected the end results. The filling was on the watery side and was sucked into the crust. Therefore, it didn't caramelize as much as it should have. Nevertheless, the sugars still hardened, making this an easily transported tart.
If you like almonds and caramel, then you'll love this tart. It's a little on the sweet side, which makes it great paired with a cup of tea. I reduced the sugar by 1/4 which may have affected the end results. The filling was on the watery side and was sucked into the crust. Therefore, it didn't caramelize as much as it should have. Nevertheless, the sugars still hardened, making this an easily transported tart.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Quicheness
I used a frozen crust when I made my first quiche with Emeril's filling. I forgot to put in the cheese, and it was still good. Bacon makes everything better. Yes, I cheated, but someone needed to use it.
So I have one pie pan, and it's not even a legit pan. It's a tin from some Harry's dessert we bought way back in the day. It was bad because butter would drip from the holes in the bottom of the pan...maybe I should've chilled the crust for longer. Anyways, I got a tart pan for x-mas and can't wait to use it!
Once again I used a Dorie Greenspan recipe. I modified the filling by using what we had on hand (mushrooms, bacon, onions, spinach, and parmesean cheese). It definitely took longer than 25 minutes to set, more like 40 minutes. As you can see, I probably should have rolled the dough out better, but it was still delicious!
So I have one pie pan, and it's not even a legit pan. It's a tin from some Harry's dessert we bought way back in the day. It was bad because butter would drip from the holes in the bottom of the pan...maybe I should've chilled the crust for longer. Anyways, I got a tart pan for x-mas and can't wait to use it!
Once again I used a Dorie Greenspan recipe. I modified the filling by using what we had on hand (mushrooms, bacon, onions, spinach, and parmesean cheese). It definitely took longer than 25 minutes to set, more like 40 minutes. As you can see, I probably should have rolled the dough out better, but it was still delicious!
Saturday, January 9, 2010
A Tale of Two Tarts
Asians are big on fruits (and red bean) in their desserts, which is why my family tends to request fruit tarts. I made the first one using random food blogs from foodgawker.
The second time around I used Dorie Greenspan's tart recipe and Julia Child's pastry cream recipe, and the results were better. For the tart, I used ground almonds for half the flour since I like the flavor more. The crust was more crisp and the custard was a little thicker. Next time around, maybe I'll see how Ina's recipe matches up.
Holiday foods
Since we had hot pot for Thanksgiving, we decided to go American for Christmas.
We glazed a ham, stir fried green beans, mashed potatoes, and baked stuffing, mac n cheese, and biscuits. As usual, I referenced Ina for the stuffing and mac n cheese. Oy so many carbs!
Also, I randomly bought a kabocha (Japanese pumpkin) at Super H and made it into a soup.
I steamed the kabocha and then blended it with chicken stock and sauteed onions. Finally, I added curry powder and whatever else we had on hand.
We glazed a ham, stir fried green beans, mashed potatoes, and baked stuffing, mac n cheese, and biscuits. As usual, I referenced Ina for the stuffing and mac n cheese. Oy so many carbs!
Also, I randomly bought a kabocha (Japanese pumpkin) at Super H and made it into a soup.
I steamed the kabocha and then blended it with chicken stock and sauteed onions. Finally, I added curry powder and whatever else we had on hand.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Cookies Two Ways
After making my current cookie recipe twice, I realized that they weren't as caramelized as I would like.
So I found another recipe courtesy of Martha Stewart. They only took about 10 minutes in the oven; five minutes and then rotate the pan for another five minutes. I used a ice cream scooper to keep them more uniform and flatten them with wet hands so the batter wouldn't stick.
So I found another recipe courtesy of Martha Stewart. They only took about 10 minutes in the oven; five minutes and then rotate the pan for another five minutes. I used a ice cream scooper to keep them more uniform and flatten them with wet hands so the batter wouldn't stick.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
AG is my home boy (I wish)
One of my top food blogs is the amateurgourmet.com. He rates his recipes, which is helpful in determining what is worthwhile to make. His blog also has a cute banner that changes monthly. The following are recipes that I've tried and loved!
-Almond cake
Not a light cake but totally delicious. My family's favorite.
-Pan seared rib eye
The oven needs to heat up to 500 degrees. I felt like my face was going to cook off. It gives you a great sear on the steak. My mom whipped up a quick steak sauce (ketchup, soy sauce, and ginger), and the two were great together.
-Corn chowder
I like soups especially creamy ones with potatoes. The thyme flavor really comes across so modify it to your tastes.
-Biscuits
Basic recipe that delivers. I modified it by adding cheddar, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning so that they were like Red Lobster's Cheddar Bay biscuits. I was not able to butter the tops, which would have made them look and taste better.
-Almond cake
Not a light cake but totally delicious. My family's favorite.
-Pan seared rib eye
The oven needs to heat up to 500 degrees. I felt like my face was going to cook off. It gives you a great sear on the steak. My mom whipped up a quick steak sauce (ketchup, soy sauce, and ginger), and the two were great together.
-Corn chowder
I like soups especially creamy ones with potatoes. The thyme flavor really comes across so modify it to your tastes.
-Biscuits
Basic recipe that delivers. I modified it by adding cheddar, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning so that they were like Red Lobster's Cheddar Bay biscuits. I was not able to butter the tops, which would have made them look and taste better.
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