Pear Cake by the Brother

Sink or swim. That's life. When my brother moved out a few years ago, I was skepitcal. I love you Broseph, you're a strong, competent person- but you never cooked a day in your life. He lived off cereal. I remember when we were high school and our parents went away for a weekend- he walked over with this smirk and asked if I was going to make any food. It was one of those "ha ha- i'm just kidding but no really I'm hungry please save me" tones. My vision of his kitchen was frozen dinners and of course... cereal.

Man was I wrong.

Home boy can cook.

I am impressed. So is Lily!

Eating out got old; cereal got old; frozen food got old; and let's face it- nothing compares to a fresh, home cooked meal. Plus, the satisfaction of knowing you made it yourself. Big brother stepped up to the plate and now I find myself wandering over once a week to steal a plate or two. Oh and ladies, he's single *wink wink*

The brother sticks to real food... turkey burgers, beef stir fry, and crab chowder. The stuff that puts you in a happy food coma. This recipe is a stand out for him because it's the first time I've seen him make anything of the sweet variety. He's the savory chef, I'm the sweet. Well, I may have some family competition.

This lovely Pear Cake is adapted from AllRecipes. The original recipe calls for fresh pears but he used what was readily available- canned pears. He bought the pears in the lightest syrup possible. Do not rinse the pears! It makes them all funky tasting. If you have real pears, simply chop them up and let them sit in the sugar for about an hour- then use them.

This cake is not super sweet, it's very moist, and has nice balance. It's like eating a large, sweetened pear. My favorite part is the nakedness- no frosting on this cake! It's so good, it can stand on its own.

Pear Cake
adapted from allrecipes

4 cups canned pears, in lightest syrup possible, drained
2 cups white sugar
3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
4 egg whites
2/3 cup canola oil
1 cup white chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a 10 inch bundt pan with non-stick cooking spray.

Combine the pears and the sugar.

Slightly beat the egg whites and combine them with the oil, white chocolate chips, and pear mixture.
Stir the flour, salt, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves. Stir in the pear mixture. Pour batter into the prepared bundt pan.

Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before removing from pan.

Red Velvet Show Down

Since I was a kid, I've had an aversion to red velvet cake. Its first appearance was in Olga's kitchen... I was eye level to the table. I stared at the bizarre confection and wondered- why is it red? What the hell kind of cake is RED? It didn't make sense. That can't be right! Sketchy cake, stay off my plate!

This was an early warning sign of my modern tree hugger ways. Yes, organic is great but sometimes it's just too expensive. I don't police the grocery list. You are what you eat, and it feels good to eat real food. Use real ingredients, not some chemical concoction to cut back 5 calories. So why does the cake have to drenched in food coloring? Why!?

You can imagine my cognitive dissonance when a friend said they wanted red velvet cupcakes. I put my prejudice aside and went for it. Well. Some things change with time. This is not one of them.

Red velvet cake, oh red velvet cake. You still make me uncomfortable. I've only had one red velvet cupcake I loved and it was from Bake Shop. It's the amount of oil that makes my mouth dry. I know butter is just another form of oil but it's like I can taste the oil. Then dousing the batter in artificial color? We added some blue to first batch and they were slightly purple! Ahem. Traditionally, the red color comes from beet juice. I wasn't going to even attempt that method, there's disaster written all over it.

The key chemical component of this cake is the reaction of acidic vinegar and buttermilk with cocoa. The acidic reaction reveals the red anthocyanin in the cocoa. Note the fizzles when vinegar meets baking soda! The more cocoa you add, the darker the color. You can compensate by going crazy on the red food coloring.

I was torn between two recipes: Bakerella's version (left- and slightly purple, moo ha ha) and Smitten's (right). We made both. The taste test winner by a hair: Smitten. Honestly- either recipe will suffice because there was barely a difference. I thought Smitten's was a touch more moist. Other than that, same thing. This is a very simple and basic cake to make. Prep time is like 10 minutes. If you like red velvet, you'll like this.

The frosting was a simple cream cheese frosting that's smooth and soothing. I have yet to meet an offensive cream cheese frosting. I sprinkled a little cinnamon on top. It's really great for frosting because of the firm texture. You may want to let the cake sit in the fridge before you frost. It's a moist cake and red flakes shine through on white.

In the end, my efforts bit the dust. Literally. Bruce was furious I was frosting and not petting him. He strategically bumped my arm when I was finishing up the cake. The Red Velvet plummeted to its death. Bruce and Parker rejoiced, licking up the left over frosting. I'll take it as a sign- it was not meant to be.

Note: Out of buttermilk? Remain calm. Place add a tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice in a liquid measuring cup. Fill with milk to the 1 cup line. Let it stand for 5-10 minutes. Bam... buttermilk.

Red Velvet Cake
from Smitten's adaptation

1 3/4 cups cake flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa (not Dutch process)
3/4 teaspoons salt
1 cups canola oil
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 eggs
3 tablespoons red food coloring or 1/2 teaspoon red gel food coloring dissolved in 3 tablespoons of water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoons white vinegar.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake tins or grease two 8x8 cake pan and line with parchment paper.

Whisk cake flour, cocoa and salt in a bowl.

Place oil and sugar in bowl of an electric mixer and beat at medium speed until well-blended. Beat in eggs one at a time. With machine on low, very slowly add red food coloring. Add vanilla.

Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk in two batches. Scrape down bowl and beat just long enough to combine.

Place baking soda in a small dish, stir in vinegar- fizzzzz! Add to batter with machine running. Beat for 10 seconds.

Divide batter among pans, place in oven and bake until a cake tester comes out clean, 20-25 minutes. Let cool in pans 20 minutes. Then remove from pans, flip layers over and peel off parchment. Cool completely before frosting.

Basic Cream Cheese Frosting

8 ounces cream cheese
3 cups confectioner's sugar
1/2 cup butter at room temp
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cinnamon for dusting (optional)

Blend the cream cheese and butter till smooth, slowly sift in sugar, add vanilla. So easy!

Yummy Bok Choy Side Dish!

Traditional Chinese food is hit or miss for me. Bear in mind, there are multiple styles of Chinese cooking and I'm not educated in any of them. Dim Sum please! The style that I have the most exposure to is my girlfriend's family home cooking. The spread for every occasion is intense! When her brother got married? 7 course meal of amazingness. That taro duck didn't know what hit it! Thanks Yen-Nei!

Most things at the table, however, are not on the flavorful packed end of the spectrum. They are mild and well balanced. I tend to scoop plenty of red pepper on the side. However... there is one dish on the table that I tend to hog: Grandma Shek's bok choy. She cooks it perfectly. It's never soggy, the color is vibrant, and the sauce is harmonious.

Bok choy is a wonderful vegetable in itself. I cannot really explain the flavor. The stalks are crunchy like celery but it's not stringy. It's not bitter like spinach, but it's not plain like lettuce. It can go in anything- great for stir fry and soup! Served with this garlic, ginger infused soy sauce- all you really need is a bowl of rice!

Only thing is, the main person doing the cooking is Grandmother Shek. I don't want to be a weirdo all up on her in the kitchen. I don't speak her language and she doesn't speak mine. I know half of the family already raises an eyebrow when my cheesing, non-Chinese self tears into dinner. Don't mind me! I just love food...

Well. I did some covert ops in the kitchen. Talked to a few friends. Did some research. Recited this recipe and got a few nods and suggestions. This has the overall seal of approval and is my effort of mimicing Grandma Shek! Stif fry bok choy with the gingery, garlic sauce!

Note: If you're like me and enjoy your veggies more on the crisp side, first cut off the thicker white portion of the stalks and cook them, then toss on the leaves. You don't want to over cook the leaves waiting for the stalks to soften.

Also, if you're not a fan of the sweet side- you can eliminate the oyster sauce and the brown sugar all together. Substitute with 1 1/2 teaspoons of cornstarch! If you go this route, prepare the sauce as described (minus oyster sauce and brown sugar). Pour some in a cup on the side and thoroughly mix in the cornstarch- you do NOT want clumps. Return to the pan and mix with the rest of sauce, this will help thicken things up!

Wanna-Be Grandma Shek Bok Choy

1 pound bok choy, or 3 whole baby bok choy

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon sesame oil
Crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

1/4 cup water or chicken broth
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger (you can substitute with powdered ginger, it's okay)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 to 1/2 tablespoon brown sugar, how sweet you want
A few thai peppers (optional)

Clean and cut the bok choy.

In a small bowl or cup, stir together the vegetable oil and sesame oil.

In a separate larger bowl, stir together the water, ginger, garlic, oyster sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar and red pepper flakes. Set this aside.

Heat the oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the red pepper flakes and let simmer for just a minute to infuse with oil (optional). Add the bok choy stems first; stir fry for a few minutes or until the pieces start to turn a pale green. When stems are almost cooked, add the leaves; cook and stir until leaves are wilted, 1 to 2 minutes.

Remove from the heat and transfer the bok choy to a shallow serving dish.

Pour the sauce into the skillet or wok, and set over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until sauce has thickened slightly, about 3 minutes. Pour over the bok choy and toss lightly to coat.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting and Coconut

There's nothing like a birthday as an excuse to make cupcakes! I made these for a special young lady whose appreciation and humbleness makes me smile. Happy Birthday Joy :D

Truth be told, this cupcake isn't what I planned. I wanted to make a Coconut Frosting from Baked atop a chocolate cupcake. The cupcake was fine. The frosting? This puppy crash and burned. Bad. It put me in a salty mood. I think I over whipped... it turned into foam. The recipe is like no frosting I've tried to make in the past- there is no confectioner's sugar, you create it on the stove. There will be a round 2. Mark my words.

Glaring into the fridge, the cream cheese beckoned. Quick. Easy. Delicious. Can't go wrong with this combination. I used sweetened coconut flakes as a garnish. The cupcake was saved! Thank you cream cheese, you're my super man.

These cupcakes are moist and flavorful. It's not overly sweet and well balanced. This is a solid chocolate cake recipe. It's got a slight Devil's Food cake feel to it because of the coffee. I got the cupcake portion from Cook's Illustrated's, 'Ultimate Chocolate Cupcake.' For the full blown out chocolately goodness, check out Pink Parsley's post!

If you're not big on chocolate and coffee, try the Go-To Chocolate Cupcakes as a base. I still have a soft spot because of the almond mead and coconut.

Chocolate Cupcakes
Cook's Illustrated, May/June 2010

3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine
1/3 cup Dutch-processed cocoa
3/4 cup hot, strong-brewed coffee
3/4 cup (4 1/8 ounces) bread flour
3/4 cup (5 1/4 ounces) granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
6 Tablespoons vegetable oil
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the cupcakes, Preheat the oven to 350 and line 12 cupcake tins with liners.

Place chocolate and cocoa in a medium bowl, and pour hot coffee over the mixture. Whisk until smooth, and transfer to the refrigerator to cool completely, 20-30 minutes.

Whisk flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda together in a medium bowl; set aside.

Whisk oil, eggs, vanilla, and vinegar into the cooled chocolate mixture until smooth. Add flour mixture and whisk until batter is smooth.

Divide batter evenly among muffin pan cups, filling each 3/4 full.

Bake until cupcakes are set and firm to the touch, 17-19 minutes. Allow to cool in pans 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

Basic Cream Cheese Frosting

8 ounces slightly softened cream cheese
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups confectioners sugar

Beat the cream cheese with butter still smooth, add vanilla. Gradually add confectioners sugar. Done! Garnish to your hearts desire.

Pataniscas (Cod Fish Fritters)

Anybody else disappointed about the snow? I was curled up in bed last night with images of hot cocoa and cookies dancing in my head. Penguins having snow ball fights and sledding. Then the alarm went off. One look outside said it all... No 2 hour delay, no pj's all day, no cuddling B&P on the couch... damn it.

Instead. It's a regular work day. I am clutching my cup of coffee. Help.

At least mom made pataniscas! Simply put, they are cod fish fritters. Cod has white meat that's mild in flavor and incredibly versatile in cooking possibilities. I've read that there are 365 ways to cook it- one for every day of the year! It's a traditional fish amongst Portuguese, Spanish, Italians, and several Latin cultures. According to my family, there's a whole black market on these bad boys. Cod is not cheap! There are a few fish that look very similar and people pass these off; then you try to cook it and the whole recipe falls apart. This has happened to us once or twice, the dish comes out all funky and oily. Cod fish pirates!

We get salted cod in NJ, desalt it, and freeze pieces for later use. It's a fish that's struggling due to overfishing. Fortunately, it's not something my family eats often. It's traditionally served on Christmas; these pataniscas are the left overs. Follow this link to see what salted cod fish looks like. Most European stores have it.

These fritters are good warm or cold, though I prefer warm. They're soft but a lil crisp. I like plenty of onion in mine because it adds to the texture. Season to your liking. These are very easy to make however you need to let the fish soak in milk for about an hour. Don't worry about the shape, just make sure they're not too thick. Bom proveito!

Pataniscas

8 ounces salt cod (or up to 250g) or fresh cod
1/2 onion, chopped
1 egg
1 clove of garlic, very finely cut or crushed
3 tablespoons flour
Dash of Salt and Pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil (optional)
Vegetable oil, for frying
Handful of parsley, finely cut
Cup of milk
Lemon wedges (optional)

If using salted cod, desalt the cod. Rinse it very well and then leave it in cold water for 12 hours, if a thin cut, or 24, if thick, changing the water every 8 hours. Yes, this is a pain in the ass and I grew up doing it.

Remove the skin and bones and flake it roughly or, if preferred, cut into small pieces. Place in a bowl and cover with a little milk and add lemon wedges. Leave in this sort of marinade for at least 1 hour. Drain the cod and set aside.

Combine the flour, egg, and just a dusting of salt and pepper. This should make a fairly thick paste. Add the parsley, onion, and garlic and beat well. Add the cod fish. If it's a little too thick for your liking, you can add a little olive oil.

Heat vegetable oil in flat frying pan on medium/low heat. It should be about a quarter inch deep. Test a small piece of the batter first, you don't want it to burn! Spoon batter and carefully place into heated vegetable oil. Cook until golden on both sides.

You can reheat them in the oven if you want a lil toastyness back.

Adult Hot Chocolate and Books

Attention Northern VA: snow is coming! Supposedly... Don't disappoint me Weather Channel! Either way, you can use this yummy spiked hot cocoa recipe! The key is a splash of Amaretto; it makes you melt. The chocolate is rich but not overly sweet. It's very simple and easy to tailor to your liking. This makes Swiss Miss taste like chalk.

Buy some groceries and a little liquor. Warm a blanket in the dryer. Grab a good book. And make this cocoa.

My recommendation is The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. It was my sister's suggestion and, as usual, she was right on. This book took me by total surprise. Suspense. Intrigue. Twists and turns. Don't ask questions! Just read it! Oh... and in terms of content, it's rated R. This is not warm, feel good reading.

The book hording began in elementary school. I was a friendly but super shy kid. By 4th grade I was a volunteer library aide. Pretty cool, right?

When my brother was in high school, he would tell me these extravagant tales of halls made of mirrors, a king so fat they got stuck in their bath tub, and so forth. I loved it! My imagination absorbed. The next year, I had the same teacher and quickly realized these stories are real: European history. If you had Mr. Bailey or Mr. Carter as a teacher-- you know!

Be it written or oral, story telling is part of our nature. Friends sit around swapping memories and recreating moments. Books share a stranger's ideas and dreams. There's something fantastic about that.

What's your favorite book?

Adult Hot Chocolate
by Matt Lewis of Baked: New Frontiers in Baking

2 ounces milk chocolate
5 ounces dark chocolate (60% at least)
1/2 cup water
2 cups whole milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon maple syrup
2 tablespoons Amaretto

Place chocolates in a heat proof bowl.

Boil water in a small sauce pan; pour over the chocolate and let it stand for a minute. Whisk till smooth. Set aside.

Heat milk and heavy cream in the small sauce pan. Add maple syrup and the chocolate mix; heat to your liking.

Pour into two mugs and add a tablespoon (or more) of Amaretto to each.

Now go get your read on with the perfect couch companion, spiked hot cocoa!

Beef Sukiyaki Hot Pot

Anything goes in a Hot Pot (nabe). You simply can't go wrong! It's a mix of ingredients, cooked in one pot to merge all the flavors, thus creating a euphoric experience. It's easy to make, flexible, comforting, and cozy.

This is soul food from Japan.

The formula for Sukiyaki, one form of nabe, is lightly seared thin slices of beef, combined with a medley of vegetables, then simmered in a broth of sake, soy sauce, and sugar. The beef is rich; the sugar sweet; the soy sauce savory; and the sake adds a punch. Don't worry, the alcohol burns out for the most part leaving a truly signature flavor. Comfort food, I loves. It makes my tummy feel like Autumn, snuggled up in blankets.

As is the beauty of this recipe, I did not follow it to the letter. I couldn't find Enoki mushrooms and didn't feel like having tofu. Tailor it to YOUR liking. I went crazy with veggies and even threw in some shrimp that was left over. The only $ thing was the sake, then again this is not a meal for one.

This recipe recommends Ito Konnyaku noodles, which I could not find at the local grocery store. This noodle's texture isn't for everybody and some leave it out entirely. I served this with steamed jasmine rice. The favorite though is the Japanese rice my roomie used to make. She recommends the following brands: Tamanishiki, Koshihikari, Akitakomachi, and Hitomebore Akitaotome. This rice is short, plump, and soft... Man I miss your cooking Asako!

PS. Sorry about the shortage of pix, this was the weekend I couldn't find my camera charger. I had already stirred the pot- DOH! Check out WOR's photo's - killer as always!

Beef Sukiyaki Hot Pot
from White On Rice who adapted it from Japanese Hot Pots

1 tablespoon Beef Fat Trimmings (fat = flavor)
1 lb Beef Strip Loin or Rib Eye, sliced 1/8″ thick *see note 1 below
8-10 Shallots or 1/2 med. Sweet Onion
1/2 lb Napa Cabbage, sliced *see note 2 below
4 Green Onions or 1 Negi (Japanese Leek or Welsh Onion), sliced on angle in 2″ pieces
4 oz (about 8 pieces) Shiitake Mushrooms, stems removed
7 oz (200g) Enoki Mushrooms, trimmed & separated
6 oz (about 1/2 package) Broiled Tofu, cut into 1/2″ sticks
2 cups Junmai Sake (or other amiable sake – no cooking sake please)
1/3 cup Sugar
1/2 c Japanese Soy Sauce, better soy sauces really shine in this broth
1 c Arugula leaves, rinsed & in 3″ lengths
1 egg for each person, beaten (optional)

Prep your veggies and meat! You're going to just dump everything in there!

In a 4 1/2 – 5 qt pot (preferably an enamaled cast iron, but use what you’ve got) warm pan over medium heat and add fat trimmings. Render fat for a minute or so, then add beef slices. Try to lay in the slices in a singular layer. Brown each side.

Gather the meat to one side of the pan. Arrange shallots or onion, cabbage, green onions, mushrooms, tofu, and noodles into neat clusters in the pan. Add sake, sugar and soy sauce then simmer for 10 minutes.

Add arugula leaves on top of everything, then cook for 1 minute more (you don't want them soggy, just steamed). Serve in the pot you cooked it in.

One optional way to enjoy this nabe, is to crack and beat an egg in a bowl for each person. As they eat, they can dip each cooked ingredient into the egg, then consume.

*Note 1: You can ask your butcher to slice the meat thinly for you or put the meat in the freezer for 2-3 hours to firm it up, then slice it using smooth, long strokes slicing across the end grain.

*Note 2: To slice the cabbage so they absorb the broth well, lay a stack of leaves flat on a cutting board. Starting at the base end, instead of slicing straight down, slice at a sharp angle, right to left. Repeat every two inches.

In With The Good

Hello 2011. Please be good to us all.

2010 was a roller coaster. There was love, growth, accomplishment, adventure, and inspiration. I went to Costa Rica with some of the best friends a person could ask for. Dance persevered, from the video shoot for On Beat, to my class pulling off their recital miraculously. Sulava got married, Jess had the baby, Nei went to California, Anna got into med school, and Autumn joined our family. I took a couple certification classes and the apartment hunt commenced. Baked up a storm. Blessings and thanks.

For all the sunshine, there must be rain to remind the self to be grateful, treat others with respect, and never stop fighting. Lessons in humility and heartache (P1). We must endure. Why? I'm not quite sure why. But my soul tells me so. I ask for strength to conquer 2011 and live life to the fullest. People tend to 'just say that.' Shake them. Wake them up. Don't miss out. That's why 'if' is right at the heart of LIFE.

Special shout out to my boy Dr. Ha as he prepares to leave the US for England to study medicine. I'm happy I got to ring in the New Year at the side of one of my dearest friends. Yummy ghetto Chinese food, my tiny shot glass, and everyone getting lost on the metro. Sounds about right. Don't worry, the Atlantic aint got shit on us. Make room on that couch! I'm coming to visit in 2011!

Happy New Year