Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Retro Recipes, Part Two


Would someone please just kill me if I buy another cookbook? 

With the collection I have, it's criminal to think about buying more.  I've often thought there are really no original recipes left (unless you count molecular gastronomy, which doesn't compute in my kitchen).  Yes, there are techniques and versions of recipes, but at the end of the day, fried chicken is fried chicken. 

Which leads me back to that retro collection of cookbooks I mentioned in the last post.  Most of them have languished on my bookshelves for so long that they are encrusted with dust.  That's about to end.

I began by pulling out my old Maida Heatter cookbooks.  Remember her?  She was the feisty, down-to-earth baker from south Florida who took no crap from anyone.  Her recipes were (and still are) winners.  I could bake everything in her books and never, ever need another baking cookbook.  I heart her.  I hope she's still alive.

Let's talk about her book "Maida Heatter's Book of Great American Desserts."  As soon as I picked it up, I remembered her "Bulls Eye Cheesecake."  Back in my younger days, I attempted to make it.  I didn't have much patience back then, so while the finished product tasted good, it didn't have that "WOW" presentation factor.  Oh, but I SO nailed it this time.  If you really want to know the truth, I am dancing up and down right now over how I nailed it.  Hell yes, I rocked it!!

So can you.  Just follow my directions and have some patience.  Prepare for major accolades.


BULL'S EYE CHEESECAKE  (from Maida Heatter)

32 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 extra-large eggs
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
1 teaspoon powdered espresso, dissolved in 1 T. hot water
2 teaspoons good cocoa powder (I used Valhrona)
1/4 cup crushed cookie crumbs (I used Pepperidge Farms Milano)

In electric mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth.  Beat in the sour cream, extracts and salt.  Beat well until no lumps remain, scraping down bowl frequently.  Beat in eggs, one at a time. 

Remove bowl from the mixer.  You wil have about 6 cups of the mixture.  Place half of it (3 cups) into a separate bowl.

Add the granulated sugar to one bowl and the brown sugar to the other.  Mix each well with a rubber spatula. 

To the brown sugar mixture, add the dissolved coffee and the cocoa powder.  Stir well to blend.

Now to form the design:


Butter an 8 x 3-inch cake pan.  Line bottom with parchment and grease well.  Pour a scant cupful of the chocolate batter in the pan.  Let it spread, then pour a scant cupful of the vanilla batter over.  Take your time and pour it very slowly, so that it forms an uniform circle over the chocolate batter in the pan.  Repeat with remaining chocolate and vanilla batters.  Remember, patience is a virtue here.

Carefully transfer the pan into a larger pan filled with warm water.  Place in oven preheated to 250-degrees and bake for 1 hour or until just set and middle is still slightly wobbly.  Remove from heat and place on a rack to cool.  Chill.


To remove from pan, dip briefly in hot water.  Shake pan to loosen, then turn out onto a sheet lined with parchment or plastic.  Press cookie crumbs over then invert onto serving dish.


Yield:  8 servings (or 12 if you are feeling stingy).

This may be the most spectacular dessert I have ever made.  Seriously!

Grilled Steak and Papaya Salad

  
    
Papaya, along with mango, for me evoke images of summer, tropical fun.  Grilling a steak is always a summer activity, and a new marinade is always welcome.  Bobby Flay provides this recipe for gilled steak and papaya salad.  However, Bobby takes his papaya salad in a Thai direction that I changed.  Thai papaya salads use green papaya, the less sweet variety.  It is julienned, and sometimes mixed with carrots or other crunchy components to give it a cole-slaw consistency.  However, when I thought of trying this recipe I wanted to go in a sweet direction, like a mango salsa.  So, I chose orange papaya instead.  I do like the way Bobby added greens to give this more of a salad feel and a good pairing with steak.  However, I subtracted the watercress he suggests, both because I am not a big fan of peppery tastes, and I wanted to stick with a sweeter theme.  Feel free to add that back in if you like.  I also broke another cardinal rule of serving this with a white wine instead of red.  I chose a Picpoul de Pinet from Languedoc, France.  We have a local distributor who favors it so we can get it plentifully and cheaply, but any fresh light white would fit the midsummer heat.  Many times with fish I will serve an Orvieto, another clean, light, Italian, lesser-known white that works well with fish.  On the marinade, I highly recommend you add this to your retinue.  The base is peanut oil instead of olive oil.  There is some peanut taste, but the overall effect is a savory richness, which is nicely balanced with the soy, lime juice and honey.  So, try this recipe for your next summertime grilling event!  Serves 4.
     
Ingredients:
4 cloves garlic, diced
2 thai bird chile, chopped, or 2 pinches of red pepper flakes
2 tbsp soy sauce
juice of 1 lime
2 tbsp honey
1/4 cup peanut oil
1 london broil, hanger or other similar flank type steak
salt and pepper
1 shallot, diced
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
2 tsp sugar
2 tbsp fish sauce
8 large red romaine lettuce leaves, chopped
1/2 an orange papaya, peeled and julienned or shredded
1 carrot, peeled and julienned or shredded
1/4 cup chopped roasted peanuts
cilantro, chopped for garnish
     
Directions:
In a food processor, mix the garlic, 1 chopped chile, soy sauce, lime juice, honey and oil until smooth.  Pour into a large ziploc bag and add the steak, turning to coat.  Marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour.  In a small bowl, whisk together the shallot, 2 chopped chiles, vinegar, sugar and fish sauce.  Set aside.  Remove the meat from the marinade and season with salt and pepper.  Over a medium-high grill, grill the meat until the desired doneness, about 10 to 12 minutes for medium-rare.  Remove the meat and while it rests, toss the the lettuce, papaya, carrot and dressing.  Slice the meat into 1/4 inch strips and serve with the salad.  Garnish with peanuts and cilantro.  
     

yummylicious!


hye friends! so, how was ur day? mine was, erm... very ordinary. except during the evening, when Nabil came to Bernama & kidnapped me for a moment. and i was so excited to see him. i was so bored being in the bone-cold office all day long without any assignment. we went out for a lunch, eh dinner dah kot. sekejap je lah. sy masih dlm office hour. cuma rehat makan sekejap. thanks dear ;) ok sudah, i nak cerita ttg last sunday. i rajin masak! i masak 2 dessert. i baked some choc muffins + fruity pudding. yerlah, i jarang masak so haruslah i masuk blog bila i masak. HAHA.

ingredients of choc muffins! telur, minyak jagung, choc chips, tepung, butter etc.


siap susun dlm cup! siap sedia utk dibakar!


sementara tunggu, mkn nugget LEMBU --ramly.
sy penggemar nugget Ramly Burger. sbb dari kecil dah biasa. sedap.
mama pernah jd accountant di sana. give a try.


dah mengembang gebu bukan main! geram sungguh sy!


tgk melimpah ruah muffin i menggebu. ;D
i puas hati dgn rasa dia yg berjaya memikat hati i sendiri.
dan alhamdulilah, semua org pun suka! thee.


okay. puding. mcm biasa campuran bahan, dipanaskan sampai mendidih.
kemudian masukkan dlm mangkuk/bekas mcm ni.


sejukkan sikit, masukkan buah. yummy!


the next day sy bgn seawal 5am taw utk masak makaroni goreng. pun sama, puas hati sbb 1 periuk tu habis licin. family, Nabil, kawan2 cakap sedap. hope so ;) siapa nak rasa, sila dtg rumah! pintu rumah sentiasa tertutup, kena tekan door bell dulu la kalau nak masuk. haha. ;P

mama dan abah org plg gembira tiap kali sy cakap "nak masak" sbb sy jarang masak. bkn tak reti sgt, cuma jadual tak mengizinkan. ece, alasan! betul. dan ayat plg biasa "21 dah... malu tak reti masak" gaaa~ pastu semua buat muka pelik bila sy masak. dush dush!

tp mama ckp lg, air tangan isteri boleh pikat hati suami ;)


Ice Cream/Sorbet/Gelato Recipes


Blueberry Sour Cream Ice Cream:
http://noblepig.com/2009/07/31/keeping-cool.aspx


Strawberry Buttermilk Ice Cream:
http://stresscake.wordpress.com/2010/06/22/last-chance-strawberry-buttermilk-ice-cream/


Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream:
http://closetcooking.blogspot.com/2007/12/pumpkin-pie-ice-cream.html


Chestnut and Chocolate Ice Cream:
http://closetcooking.blogspot.com/2007/11/chestnut-and-chocolate-ice-cream.html


Black Sesame Ice Cream:
http://closetcooking.blogspot.com/2007/08/black-sesame-ice-cream.html


Raspberry Sorbet:
http://closetcooking.blogspot.com/2007/08/raspberry-sorbet.html


Matcha and White Chocolate Ice Cream:
http://closetcooking.blogspot.com/2007/08/matcha-and-white-chocolate-ice-cream.html


Lemon Basil Ice Cream:
http://thepioneerwoman.com/tasty-kitchen/recipes/desserts/lemon-basil-ice-cream/

CHAI KA MASALA


Nothing like using home made masalas and I have made this Chai ka Masala using ginger skins/peels for the event organised by Nithu Bala - BEST OUT OF WASTE.

Usually we end up throwing the peels when we grind ginger paste.
Ingredients:
Green cardamoms ...... handful
Cloves .................. 3-4
Cinnamon stick .... 1 small piece
Black pepper corns... 10-12
Aniseed/fennelseed/saunf... 1 tbsp.
Ginger peels ....... 1/2 cup
Tulsi leaves ........ 10-15.
Method:
1. Wash and wipe the ginger well before peeling. Peel out the skins, spread them on a paper towel and dry them in the microwave for 1 minute first. Open and mix them and repeat doing this 3-4 times until they are crisp.(If the peels are thick then crush them in a pestle and mortar before drying them)
2. Repeat the same process with Tulsi leaves.But Tulsi takes lesser time.
3. Put all the other dry spices in a bowl and microwave for half a second.
4. Grind everything together and store in an air-tight container.

MINTY PALAK DAL ROTIS



I had some palak dal left over from last night. Thought I will make something different out of it rather than eating the same thing again. So I decided to make rotis for brunch today.
Ingredients:
Wheat flour ........ 2-3 cups
Palak dal (cooked)............ 1 cup
Mint ...................... 1/2 cup (chopped finely)
Turmeric powder ..... 1.2 tsp.
Caraway seeds .......... 1 tsp. (or) Carom seeds-ajwain.. 1/2 tsp.
Green chillies .......... 2-3 crushed or chopped finely
Salt ......................... to taste.
Ghee .................... 1 tbsp. (for kneading)
Oil or ghee ........... to brush

Method:

1. Mix all the ingredients and knead the dough using palak dal. If it is not sufficient you may add a little curd.
2. Heat a griddle. Prepare the rotis by applying a little oil or ghee.
PS.. you can even make them half-done and store. Re-do the rotis just before serving.
They taste good with curd, pickle or any kind of chutney.