~ ratatouille tart ~

i always try to cook seasonally.. and it being the midst of fall... there is an abundance of squash left over from the season's garden.. when you go to the farmers market.. you will see the summer squash getting pushed out (like the yellow squash... zucchini... pattypan squash) ...as the winter squash coming into season (like the butternut squash.. acorn squash.. spaghetti squash)... 

one way i've discovered cooking with these vegetables easily is to make a ratatouille tart.. this can be altered as the vegetables change with the season..

one essential ingredient that i love to use is the puff pastry.. available in the freezer section where the frozen fruit and frozen pie crusts are..they are great for making savory and sweet treats including...

savory delights:
* ratatouille tart
* chicken pot pie
* beef wellington
* fancy pigs in a blanket

sweet delectables:
* apple tart
* berry napoleans
* sweet pinwheels
* fruit cups

with all these options with 1 ingredient...its crazy that not everyone has these available in their freezer!

recipe (yield 6 - 8 servings)

ingredients:
* whatever vegetables you have on hand .. sliced thin... i've used a zucchini.. tomato... bell pepper
* 3 onions.. sliced
* 1 puff pastry sheet
* 2 tablespoons of balsalmic vinegar
* oil
* 2 tablespoon of italian seasoning
* 1 teaspoon each of salt & pepper
* flour for dusting

hardware:
* mandoline .. optional
* baking sheet
* aluminum foil.. optional.. but allows for easy cleanup later.. highly recommended :)
* nonstick pan
* rolling pin
* fork

steps:
pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees

1) defrost the puff pastry
        > take out 1 sheet of the puff pastry and let it defrost either in the fridge or on the counter top .. make sure that it does not defrost to the point it is room temperature.. making it hard to work with

2) onion jam
        > heat up the nonstick pan with a tablespoon of oil on medium heat
        > dump in the sliced onions and cook until caramelized.. about 20 minutes
        > once the onions are cooked down and the color resembles caramel.. add in the 2 tablespoons of balsalmic vinegar
        > cook for 5-8 mins to allow the vinegar to reduce
        > let cool on the counter

3) prep the veg
        > slice the vegetables so they are all the same thickness.. this allows for even cooking 
           note: a mandoline is not necessary.. as i dont own one.. i just used my good ole knife to do the job

4) prep the cooking vessel
        > put a sheet of aluminum foil down on the baking sheet.. again.. optional.. but highly recommended
        > brush the aluminum foil with some oil so the puff pastry doesn't stick to it while cooking

5) putting it all together
        > unfold the puff pastry
        > dust the working surface with some flour
        > dust the rolling pin and roll out the puff pastry so there are no creases
        > place onto the prepared baking sheet
        > using the fork make a perimeter leaving about an inch around the edge and "dock the dough".. meaning.. putting some holes in the dough so it doesn't rise.. the 1 inch perimeter however will rise and look like a tart
        > place the cooled onion jam evenly throughout the dough where it is docked
        > place the sliced veggies atop the onion jam.. you can dumb them on ..or arrange it like i did .. makes it look prettier

        > drizzle on oil onto of the veggies
        > season the veggies with the 2 tablespoons of italian seasoning, salt and pepper

6) bake
        > bake the tart in a 350 degree pre-heated oven for 30-40 mins or until the crust is golden brown and delicious

7) now serve and devour! 

~ onion pancake ~

one of my ultimate favorite taiwanese snacks are these little delicate, flakey, and savory onion pancake.. i guess you can say the onion pancake is the tortilla in mexican food or the naan in indian food.. just like naan.. you can eat it by itself or like the tortilla .. use it as a wrapper for filling inside (like pork puff... scrambled eggs) .. i usually like them just by itself... no condiments needed (disclaimer.. if it is made properly.. else.. definitely need some soy sauce for dip-age)...

however.. whenever i get it from a food cart in taiwan.. or a restaurant... or those frozen packages you find in your local asian markets.. i always find a problem with them... there's not enough green onion in it!! why call it an onion pancake when you can't even taste the green onion?

solution to this problem?? i'll just make it myself! i get to control the amount of salt... the amount of green onion .. as well as oil that goes into the dough.. also.. no preservatives! ... and the result?? well take a look!

you may think it is really hard to make this.. however.. i have come to find that it is really easy and a lot more cost efficient as these are all ingredients that i have on hand at all times.. secondly.. each of those frozen packages are around $5 for 4 pieces.. while mine are about $3 for around 8 pancakes! winning!

recipe (yields ~8 pancakes.. depending on how big or small you want them)

ingredients:
* 3 cups of all purpose flour .. and some for dusting
* 1 cup of boiling water
* 1/4 - 1/3 cup of cold water
* 6 green onions.. chopped
* salt .. quite a lot so keep it near your working area
* oil.. i like to use grapeseed oil

hardware:
* plastic wrap
* rolling pin


steps:
1) prep the green onions ... this step is critical to allow the green onions to excrete the water content in them
        > chop the green onions
        > add in 1 tablespoon of salt
        > mix to combine and set aside

2) making the dough
        > place the 3 cups of flour in a large mixing bowl
        > while stirring the flour.. stir in 1 cup of boiling water
                 fun fact: this is the process called "burning the flour" (direct translation).. what this does is activating the gluten in the flour so the dough becomes chewy and "bouncy"
        > combine as much of the flour with the boiled water
        > now with the cold water.. add 1/8 cup .. and adjust
        > you will want to kneed as much of the dough in the boil until the flour comes together.. it may need a bit more water so add as needed until it comes together.. the dough will be sticky
        > take the dough out of the bowl and kneed on a floured working space until the dough comes together .. kneed with the heel of your hands.. keeping in mind not to tear the dough
        > you will know it is incorporated appropriately when there are no more specs of flour and the dough does not stick to your hands anymore

        > place the dough in a bowl to rest for a minimum of 30 mins.. VERY IMPORTANT.. this allows for the dough to rest and the gluten to develop even more

3) dividing the dough
        > take the rested dough out of the bowl.. make sure not to kneed or else you will need to let it rest again
        > divide the dough into about 8 pieces.. depending on how big you want the pancakes.. you can divide the dough into more or less pieces.. 8 pieces will yield 6" diameter pancakes

4) now it is time to roll

        > flour your rolling pin so the dough doesn't stick to it

        > slightly flour the dough piece on the top and bottom.. just to avoid it getting stuck on the working surface

        > roll out the dough so it is paper thin .. or as thin as you can get it.. the thinner you can roll the dough.. the more layers you will get in the pancake

        > its ok if you make holes.. it is easy to repair.. just pinch them together

5) the add-ins

        > take some oil and oil the dough... about 1 teaspoon

        > sprinkle salt over the dough.. about 1/2 teasppon.. there is already salt in the green onions so you dont want to over salt

        > sprinkle in green onions.. don't over do this because the dough will fall apart from the excess moisture in the green onions  .. make sure not leave a bit of a border so the green onion doesn't fall out in the next step

6) roll into a log

        > take the edge closest to you and roll the dough up into a log

        > make sure to slightly tug on the dough as you roll up

7) roll into a cinnamon roll

        > now roll the log into a circle.. like a cinnamon roll

        > with the tail end.. tuck it under neath and through the center.. if possible.. so the dough doesn't unravel when you roll it out again in step 8

        > as you can see.. depending on the size of the dough pieces in step 3.. you will yield different size pancakes..

8) rolling into pancakes

        > last step is to roll these out again.. creating the layers we desire

        > you can have thinner or thicker pancakes.. the thinner they are.. the faster they will cook

        > at this step.. you can either cook them right away.. (see below for cooking instructions).. or freeze them.. if freezing them.. make sure each pancake is wrapped up in saran wrap and stacked atop each other.. by saran wrapping individually.. separating them later will be easier

cooking instructions:

1) heat a non-stick pan over medium high heat with 1 tablespoon of oil

2) when the oil is hot.. put in the pancake... let sit for 15 seconds.. then flip.. this steps allow for the other side to get a coating of oil..

3) cook each side for about 2 minutes.. or until golden brown and fully cooked through... the thinner your pancakes.. the faster they will cook

enjoy!

~ gua bao (taiwanese pork belly buns) ~

with the weather being so hot and nasty... i haven't had the appetite to eat a full entree.. rather.. i've been eating small appetizers/snacks for dinner..

in flushing, queens NY.. there is a little hole in the wall that sell duck gua bao buns for $1 where they stuff the light fluffy bun with peking duck.. hoisin sauce and scallions.. but since i have a love for the pig.. i decided to make mine with pork belly... *drooool*

the fluffy white bun with the tender pork and the salty peanuts with the briney mustard greens.. who can ask for anything more?! they are soo good that before you know it.. you've eaten 10 of them!

recipe (yields 10 buns)

ingredients:
braising liquid for the pork belly ~
* 4 cups of water
* 1 cup of soy sauce
* 3 teaspoons of five spice powder (this is a must ingredient)
* 1 stick of cinnamon
* 2 tbs of sugar
* 4 garlic cloves
* 1 knob of ginger... skin peeled
* 1 tbs of whole peppercorns
* 1/2 lb of pork belly cut into strips .. the butcher can do this for you

bun topping ~
* 1 package of buns (can be found in the freezer aisle)
* 1 package of pickled mustard greens (can be found in the dried food aisles with the dried mung beans and grains) .. minced
* 4 tbs of red skinned peanuts
* 2 tbs of sugar
* hoisin sauce
* cilantro leaves

hardware:
* pot for braising the meat
* food processor
* steamer to steam the buns

steps:
1) braise the pork
        > put all of the braising ingredients and pork belly into the pot
           note: make sure the braising liquid covers the meat.. if not.. add more water and soy sauce
        > bring to a boil and reduce the heat down to medium low
        > cook for about an hour until the pork is tender... if you stick a chop stick in the meat there is no resistance
        > take the pork out and leave it to rest

2) steam the buns
        > take the package of buns out from the freezer and lay the buns so it is only 1 layer
        > steam for 15-20 mins or until soft

3) peanut sugar topping
        > put peanuts and sugar into a food processor
        > pulse until the peanuts and sugar are small enough that it has the consistency of raw sugar
           note: if you dont have a food processor.. you can also crush the peanuts in a zippy bag with the bottom of a skillet or a tenderizer mallet

4) assemble
        > cut the cooled pork into thin slices
        > place slices in between the bun
        > top the pork with some minced pickled mustard greens
        > add a dollop of hoisin sauce
        > sprinkle on some peanut sugar
        > lay a couple of cilantro leaves

5) devour.. mmmmmm

cheers!

~ T.E.A. breakfast sandwich ~

i absolutely love breakfast and lately.. i've been craiving the breakfast croissant sandwich my mom would make me... buttery costco croissant with a slice of ham and a slice of muenster cheese ...thrown into the toaster oven until the cheese was nice and stringy/melty with the croissant slightly toasted.... *droool*

now with my dairy allergy .. rather casein allergy.. i can't really have the croissant or the cheese... sad face.. i've instead made a healthier breakfast sandwich...

instead of a croissant.. i've used organic healthy whole grain bread bought from the local farmers market.. for the ham i've substituted for herbed turkey.. that is all natural and does not contain casein (yes... deli meats contain casein which studies state correlates to cancer growth).. organic egg..

with just the egg, turkey and bread.. that makes for a rather dry sandwich... so i needed something that was creamy and spreadable... and voila! i used organic avocado!! brilliant i must say so myself... with a ripe haas avocado.. there are so many applications to this lovely fruit... by smearing it on both of my toast.. it acted as a "glue" to keeping my egg and turkey in place..

this sandwich has become one of my go to breakfast options as it is very filling... packed with protein... barely any fat and full of nutrients for you to get the day started

recipe (yields 1 serving)

ingredients:
* 2 slices of organic whole grain bread (or any sliced bread you have on hand)
* 1 organic egg
* 1/2 organic ripe avocado
* 2-3 slices of your favorite turkey

hardware:
* sautee pan
* toaster/oven

steps:
1) toast your bread
2) cook your egg as you like them (i like my fried.. with a bit of a running yolk)
        > IMPORTANT: do not forget to season your egg! i like to put salt.. pepper.. garlic powder..
3) cook your turkey.. you dont have to do this step but i find that it tastes better with the turkey warm and the edges a bit crispy.. gives it texture
4) slide your avocado into strips and mash it up.. then smear it onto 1 side of each slice of bread
5) assemble... toast with avocado smear.. egg.. turkey toast with avocado smear
        > if you must have mayo in your sandwiches.. it is really easy to make an avocado mayo spread..
        > simply mix your avocado smear with a tablespoon of mayo and there you have it.. avocado mayo
6) serve with your favorite breakfast beverage.. eat and enjoy!

cheers!

~ tiramisu cupcakes ~

tiramisu cupcake anyone? so i love this show called nadia g on the cooking channel. she is this punk rock chic chef who makes food from scratch with organic ingredients.. there was an episode where she made these tiramisu cupcakes and i knew i had to give them a shot.. (the original recipe can be found here: http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/nadia-g/tiramisu-cupcakes-recipe/index.html) ..i'm not a big fan of baking desserts but this one i just had to give it a try...this is how they came out...



what do you think? yea.. i know.. looks awesome.. they tasted good too! one thing about the original recipe was her cupcake batter itself. there was no leavening agent (e.g. baking soda, baking powder) which can cause the cake to be very dense and possibly dry. so instead, i made my own simple cake batter and used parts of the original tiramisu cupcake recipe that i liked... the frosting.

let's deconstruct a traditional tiramisu to illustrate that these little gems have the same components

* lady fingers.. check.. the cupcake

* espresso the lady fingers are dipped into.. check.. the cupcakes are dabbed with the espresso, sugar, rum/almond extract after they are cooked

* marscapone cream .. check... the frosting would be the cream since it is made up with marscapone and powdered sugar

* chocolate shavings .. check.. chocolate shavings atop each cupcake

i've actually made these cupcakes into mini cupcakes so that you dont feel guilty eating 3 or 8 of them.. you will definitely eat more than 1 because they are that good

recipe (yields 48 mini cupcakes):

ingredients:

cake -

* 1/2 cup of butter (1 stick) at room temp.. allows for easy mixing

* 1 cup sugar

* 2 eggs

* 1 1/2 cup of flour

* 1/2 cup of milk

* 1 tbs baking soda

syrup -

* 2 tbs of sugar

* 3 shot of espresso (3 oz) .. i just bought it at starbucks

* 1 tbs of rum or amaretto or almond extract, optional

frosting -

* 1 package of mascarpone (around 8 oz)

* 1/2 cup of powedered sugar

* remaining syrup after dabbing cupcakes

* 4 oz chocolate of your choice.. i used semi sweet

hardware:

* clean mixing bowl

* good whisk or electric mixer

* mini cupcake tin or regular cupcake tin

steps:

1) pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

2) make the syrup

        > mix the sugar into the hot espresso with the sugar until desolve

        > mix in flavoring (rum/amaretto/almond extract), optional

        > set aside to cool in the fridge

3) make the cupcakes

        > in the clean mixing bowl.. cream butter by itself until the butter is a creamy color with the whisk or electric mixer

        > add the sugar into the creamed butter and mix for a good 8 - 10 mins .. when baking.. this is really important because it creates air in the batter.. resulting in a light airy dessert

        > add in 1 egg at a time .. mixing thoroughly as each egg goes into the creamed butter and sugar mixture

        > add in half of the flour and fold gently until

        > add in all of the milk until incorporated

        > add in remaining flour and mix until incorporated.. do not over mix or else all the butter that was put in will be gone

        > fill cupcake tin 3/4 of the way for each cupcake... do not fill it all the way to the top or else the cupcake will overflow while baking (though we all know muffin tops are delicious)

        > once all of the cupcakes are filled.. pick up the pan and drop it gently onto the counter/table ..this levels out each cupcake

        > bake the cupcakes until golden brown.. the mini ones take about 13-15 mins to cook.. i always use a toothpick to make sure.. if the toothpick comes out clean.. the cake is ready

.... time passes....

        > when cupcakes are done.. take them out of the tin to cook for a couple mins

4) add flavoring

        > take a toothpick and stab each cupcake a couple times to make holes for the syrup to go into

        > dab each toothpick with the espresso syrup made earlier.. 1/8 tps is good enough

5) making the frosting.. the best part

        > mix the marscapone, remaining espresso syrup, and powdered sugar together

        > mix until the frosting is stiff .. not runny.. good test is using coating the back of a spoon and if you run your finger down the back of the spoon and the line is still there.. the frosting is good to go

        > with a spoon or piping bag, dollop some frosting on each cupcake

        > set aside to set.. i know its hard to resist giving it a taste right away

6) decorate the little ones with chocolate shavings

        > using a knife or a veggie peeler.. shave some chocolate to top each cupcake

7) eat!

~ mama's fried rice ~

since moving to new york, i do miss my mom's home cooking. it is the best taiwanese food you will ever eat. trust me, once you have some of her cooking, you are hooked.

many people associate taiwanese with chinese food you get at a chinese restaurant, like kung pao chicken or sweet and sour pork. i don't remember a time where my mom's cooking was drenched with sauce like what you get at the chinese restaurants. taiwanese food is much simplier and healtheir since the ingredients are fresh. you can taste the sweetness of the vegetables or the fish due to the simple way of preparing the dish.

one of my faves is how my mom makes fried rice. this dish is so simple to pull together because you just add in whatever veggies or left overs you have, no special ingredients really, but extremely filling. my mouth is watering as i'm writing this blog.

the best fried rice always starts with day old rice left over from the day before, or a couple days before. the dried out old rice allows for the rice to soak up the flavors better, leaving for a better tasting fried rice.

a new technique that my shared with me is to cook the eggs and rice together first, allowing each grain of rice to get coated with the egg and fried up. originally, i would cook the eggs as if i'm making scrambled eggs. however, with this new technique, it definitely gives the fried rice a different dimension and flavor with the egg distributed evenly throughout.

recipe (yields 4 servings) :

ingredients (feel free to change up the veggies and meats for whatever you have available):
* 2 cups rice
* 2 eggs
* 2 green onions/scallions, chopped
* 1 medium onion
* 1 carrot, chopped
* 1 zucchini, chopped
* 1/4 cup of frozen peas
* 1 baked tofu, chopped
* 1 4 oz chicken thigh, chopped
* 3 tbs soy sauce ( i actually used japanese seasoning soy sauce to give it extra flavor)
* 2 tbs sesame oil
* 2 tbs cooking oil ( i like to use grapeseed oil since it has a high cooking point and does not give extra flavor to the food like extra virgin olive oil)
* salt and pepper to taste 

note: the ingredients in your add ins should be chopped to the same size
hardware:
* sautee pan
* large mixing bowl

steps:
1) cook off the rice and egg
        > crack the eggs into a bowl/cup and scramble
        > heat the pan to medium high heat with 1 tbs of oil
        > add in the rice to the pan, breaking the rice a bit
        > pour the scrambled eggs evenly over the rice
        > start to mix up the rice with the egg so each grain gets coated with the egg
        > once the egg is cooked through, take out the rice and egg mixture into a bowl

2) cook mix ins for the rice
(keep in mind the sequence of your mix ins: heartier veggies like your onions and carrots go in first, then your protein, then your herbs/cooked ingredients)
        > add in 1 tbs of oil into the pan on medium high heat
        > add in the onions and carrots, sautee until translucent/soft/tender
        > add in your uncooked protein, in this case the chicken, sautee until cooked
        > add in the tofu and zucchini, sautee until tender/soft

3) putting it all together
        > add in the rice and egg mixture to the pan, turn down the heat to medium heat
        > combine evenly
        > add in the soy sauce and sesame oil around the outside of the pan, this allows for the soy sauce and sesame oil to be more aromatic
        > toss in the frozen peas and green onions
        > add salt and pepper to taste (there is already soy sauce so don't go crazy with the salt)

4) serve and scarf down, yes scarf down because it is that good!

cheers!

~ sole with tomato caper sauce ~

coming back from a great vinyasa yoga class, i wanted to keep with the zen feeling. rather than stuffing my body with something that i can zap in the microwave that is full of preservatives and stuff i can't pronounce in the ingredient list, i made myself a quick little something somethintg that did not take me more than 15 minutes to make. i present to you...sole with tomato caper sauce. (i know, very original, haha)

doesn't it look tasty? not many people like fish/seafood, but i think it is because they just had a bad experience with fish/seafood in their past that made them steer clear of it in the future. there are a lot of fish/seafood things that do not taste fishy, one of which is the sole.

there are several preparations that can be used for sole:
* baked with simple seasoning
* breaded and baked or pan fried
* rolled and stuffed with spinach or crab stuff

sole is very delicate and light, not to mention cooks in 10 mins. most of the time you will only find sole in a fillet form since the fish is flat, unlike a salmon or tuna fish. also, sole is low in mercury so you can eat it more often. studies have shown that too much mercury intake can affect brain development and the nervous systems. so to all my pregnant friends, please stay away from high mercury content fish please.

recipe (2-3 servings)

ingredients:
* 1 lb of sole (there are several varieties, any one of them works)
* 2 tomatos, chopped
* 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
* 1 onion, chopped
* 2 tbs of capers, water drained
* 2-3 sprigs of basil, make ribbons with the basil (aka chiffonade)
* 2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
* salt and pepper
* old bay seasoning, optional

hardware:
* baking sheet
* sautee pan

steps:
1) pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees

2) prepare the fish.
        > pat the fish fillets dried
        > with 1 tbs of the oil, rub the oil on the fillets
        > season with salt, pepper and old bay seasoning on both sides
        > place fish on baking sheet in a single layer
        > bake the fillets for 10-12 mins until opaque, the fish fillets will shrink in size

3) while the fish is cooking in the oven, make the delicious topping.
        > heat the sautee pan to medium high
        > add 1 tbs of oil into the pan
        > once oil is hot, add in chopped onion and chopped garlic
        > sautee onions and garlic for a minute or two, then add in the chopped tomatoes
        > cook for 2 minutes until tomatoes have cooked down, then add in capers
        > sautee for another minute and turn off the heat
        > with the residual heat, mix in the basil
        > season with salt and pepper as needed

note #1: if you want this topping to be a bit more runny, a bit of white wine would be delicious in the topping. add in the wine after the onions and garlic are in the pan so some of the alcohol is cooked off and what is left is the flavor from the wine left.

note #2: this sauce would be delicious on any other protein of your liking. i like versatility in my food.

4) combine and serve!
        > using a spatula, place the fillet onto a plate
        > laddle some of the tomato caper mixture atop the fish
        > devour immediately

cheers!