Random Deliciousness

Here's some photos I snapped real quick of some things I've made over the last couple of weeks. I didn't have time to blog about them but if you have any questions please let me know!

This is a take on Spanikopita where I sprinkled sauteed spinach, garlic and crumbled feta on sheets of buttered fillo dough, crunched them up and layered them in a bundt cake pan (I know that damn pan again!) I do realize that the presentation is a bit... well... worm-like, so next time I won't be using the bundt pan.

Here's some banana muffins I made with raspberry sauce baked on top and whipped cream

Potatoes Au Gratin (To Die for)
This was amazing. I don't have the recipe because I didn't follow one, but it's sliced potatoes, milk, butter, 3 cheeses, crushed beat chips on top, roasted red peppers and sour cream, baked for a long long time.

Who doesn't love brownies? Nrommmmmm. Cakey AND densely moist. A dichotomy on a plate.

Thai Green Curry

I'm a sucker for Panang Chicken, which is the Thai Red Curry you can order at just about any Thai restaurant. But this time I wanted to give the green a stab. It certainly does seem to be popular with the girls, strangely enough since it's usually spicy enough to melt your face off (at least traditionally). I made mine pretty mild this time because I live with people who can't handle heat :) You know who you are!

For this dish I started out by picking some fresh lemongrass off my friend's plant, chopping it up and simmering it on very low heat in coconut milk, covered. While that's gently cooking, grate some ginger, crush some fresh garlic, jalapeno or Thai peppers and throw it all in the coconut milk. I have fresh herbs out back so I picked some lemon thyme and Thai basil, chopped it along with a little parsley, cilantro and spinach (for extra green color mostly) and threw them in too. If you can find kaffir lime leaves, get them and add them at this point.

I then julienned some veggies: green and yellow peppers, yellow onions, carrots and celery (or whatever cut and veggies you like... I like julienne for this because it cooks fast). Throw some of the celery in the coconut milk. Set the rest aside. Make sure the sauce is not too hot and blend it in a blender until as smooth as it will get. Strain and add a tiny pinch of xanthan gum (TINY!!!), a regular pinch of rice flour and a pinch of corn starch, then blend again. Put the sauce in a large simmer skillet or pot and bring to a low simmer.

Measure out your white long grain rice and start it cooking now. My best advice for rice is use a flat-bottomed pot, almost double the amount of water to rice, bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cover for about 15 minutes, or until the rice is just barely crunchy in the middle of the grains. Then turn off the heat and leave covered until ready to serve. That last part is important as the water and heat will distribute evenly, creating a nicely textured rice.

Slice and add chicken breast strips a few at a time, stirring so that the chicken doesn't stick together. Then add the veggies, coriander, salt, a tiny touch of tamari, honey and if you have it tamarind sauce and continue simmering on low for about 15 minutes. Top with some fresh Thai basil leaves and serve it up! If this doesn't give you a mouthgasm I don't know what will.

Although this took about 2 hours to prepare it was worth it. I made 4 servings for just under $13. Eat that!

Donuts! Sweet and Savory

I have to send my deepest and most heartfelt thank you to Alton Brown for supplying the recipe for these mouth-watering, face-meltingly good donuts. I've never made donuts before and it's not all that hard. It takes time like any yeast based dough, but it's worth it. These turned out perfect with just the right rise and just the right oil temperature, these babies become deliciosity.

Here's the recipe. Just follow that to the T (with the obvious exception that I cut and shaped mine differently) and you'll have these kind of results:

Just tossed in cinnamon and sugar

Both savory and sweet

Savory with feta and pear balsamic

I sliced this one with a bread knife and stuffed it with feta

Apple-Cinnamon French Toast

French toast is oddly enough an American breakfast and brunch staple that is probably as old as the invention of bread itself. It was originally created as a way to thwart throwing away stale bread. Pieces would be soaked in milk and fried. The addition of eggs was probably soon after, somewhere around the 15th century when it was known as "Armeritter".

I personally have been making french toast since around the time I could say it correctly. It's the fastest and one of the cheapest breakfasts around. You'll need at least of couple of eggs, some sliced bread, butter and/or vegetable oil (canola is what I use), milk, cinnamon, a diced apple, salt, sugar, nutmeg, honey and /or maple syrup.

First saute the apples in a little butter and add a little cinnamon, nutmeg, honey and a TINY splash of water. They should take about 5 minutes max on medium-low heat.

Next crack those eggs into a wide mixing bowl (big enough for the bread to lay in). Sprinkle in a pinch of salt and a pinch of sugar. Whip until smooth. Oil your non-stick skillet, lay a piece of bread in the wet mix on each side and lay in the pan. Cook about 2 minutes each side on medium heat or if you like less brown try 3-4 minutes on medium low (the pan should sizzle a little). I like to put each piece on a plate in the microwave until I'm ready to eat it. No I don't nuke the french toast. As a matter of fact I loathe the microwave and will go out of my way to not use it.

When done toss the apples on top with some maple syrup and curse your local breakfast place for not being able to pull it off like this! (Unless you go to Snooze which is awesome, but expensive)

Plaintain Pancakes

I LOVE TOSTONES! You know, double fried and smashed plaintain coins. They are so delicious with a little balsamic reduction, maple syrup and tamarind sauce. Well this time I didn't boil the pieces enough and when I smashed them they broke apart. So I decided to not waste them and try something new: Plaintain pancakes!

I tried this once before and it was an utter failure but this time I got the technique down. Here's how I did it:

Peel and chop a plaintain into about 5-6 equal pieces, boil them until fairly soft (about 10 minutes, but don't let them fall apart or get too soft). Strain them and put in a blender with a cup of milk, a teaspoon of salt, a teaspoon of honey or agave syrup and a tablespoon of melted  butter. Blend until smooth. Mix together 1 cup of flour with 2 1/4 teaspoons of baking powder and 1/4 cup of masa harina. Add to the wet mix you just made and fold it in until just incorporated. Don't stir too much. Heat a flat-bottomed non-stick skillet on medium and add a little canola, sesame or coconut oil (or butter). When you can flick a single drop of water in the pan and it sizzles away within a second or two you are ready to do you first test pancake. Drop a tablespoon of the mix into the oil and cook for about 2 minutes (or until the sides are golden brown and a few bubble form on top of the pancake. Flip it over and cook approximately another 2 minutes. Let the pancake cool for a few minutes before tasting it. The pancakes even out in texture that way, kind of like resting a good steak before eating it. If the texture is too mushy add a little more flour or masa harina to thicken the batter. These are fluffy yet smooth southwest pancakes at their very best!

This recipe made enough coin-sized pancakes to feed about 5-6 people and cost under $3! Think about that next time you drive through a McDonald's for breakfast.

VEGANS: replace the milk with almond milk and butter with sesame or coconut oil