October 30, 2021

Spinach with Sesame Dressing

I have a similar experience to this recipe's author in that this is one of the first vegetable dishes I discovered in Japan that I went wild over. I always got excited when I saw this on the dinner table. It took me several different recipes for it and attempts to make it at home before I got it to taste good, but this particular recipe has worked well for me. I strongly recommend this for children or people who might be unsure whether they like spinach -- I refused to eat spinach any way my mom prepared it, but I loved this immediately.

Notes:

  • Please please please do not skip toasting the sesame seeds. It makes a big difference.
  • The biggest key to this recipe working correctly is making sure that you thoroughly squeeze out the water from the spinach after it is cooked. Any excess water will dilute the dressing and it will not taste as good.
  • I saw my host mother make the dressing entirely in the mortar bowl (adding the soy sauce and sake to the ground sesame and sugar, mixing it, and then pouring over the spinach) but I have a feeling that the soy sauce could stain the inside of the mortar and it can be harder to scoop out of the grooves when it's wet because it's fairly thick.

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RECIPE: Horenso no goma-ae (from Let's Eat Japanese Food, by Amy Kaneko)

October 18, 2021

Plum and Apple Oatmeal Crisp

I had a lot of prune plums but wanted to try something other than stewing them, and landed on this.

Notes:

  • I replaced some of the 2 1/2 pounds of plums with Cortland apples.

Verdict: It was pretty good. I wish it had ended up a little less soupy, but I did enjoy how tart and brightly colored the plums made the filling. I don't know that I'd go out of my way to make it again but I did enjoy it.

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RECIPE: Plum Oatmeal Crisp (Martha Stewart)

October 8, 2021

Lychee-Rose Shochu Highball

I wanted to make a chuhai (shochu highball) drink and got attracted to this recipe by the beautiful pink and green color palette in the original recipe's photo. It is inspired by a drink at a bar in Sydney, Australia called the Miss Wednesday.

I originally tried the recipe a couple of months ago with sweet cherries instead of lychee because it was what I had on hand, rose and cherry go well together, and I wanted a pretty pink and green drink, but it was just OK. I went and got the ingredients to make it properly. I made it exactly as written.

notice the pretty rose shaped ice cubes

Verdict: I really enjoyed this drink! I was a fan of the taste (especially the combination of lychee and rose). I am still getting used to the look and texture of lychee fruit. It just doesn't look appetizing to me. But I would definitely have this again.

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RECIPE: Shochu Highball (The Gourmet Traveller)

October 7, 2021

Emeril's Braised Chicken Thighs

I had chicken thighs in the fridge and needed to cook them, and decided to try this.

Notes:

  • Used Penzey's Cajun seasoning instead of the Essence/Essence Creole seasoning because I had it already, it seemed similar, and was less work than mixing my own.
  • Didn't use the third tablespoon of butter and I didn't miss it.
  • Served with basmati rice.

Verdict: It's pretty good (smells AMAZING after the chicken first browns) but I think I'd change a few things next time. Maybe less liquid (2 cups instead of 3) because it seemed like a lot and didn't taste like much. Especially when you brown the chicken right at the beginning and immediately dilute all that beautiful browning and sog up the whole thing with tons of liquid. I realize the browning is probably more for flavor than crisping, but I think soggy chicken skin just doesn't appeal to me. Maybe if I roasted the chicken afterward instead of braising it, or removed the skin before serving.

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RECIPE: Braised Chicken Thighs (Emeril Lagasse)

September 14, 2021

Focaccia and Pizza Dough

I make this with a bread machine from a cookbook that my mom got with a different bread machine in the 90s. Something's wrong with the heating element on mine so I only use it for doughs (because anything that's supposed to be baked inside the machine doesn't turn out right).

Verdict: Absolutely delicious. I would love to make it again. I will have to find another way when my bread machine finally gives out, but until then this is how I'm going to do it.

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RECIPE:

Pizza Dough / Focaccia
from Salton/MAXIM Housewares bread machine cookbook, 1998
makes 1-2 lb

for 1 lb (makes 12" pizza):
3/4 cup warm water
1 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp yeast

for 1.5 lb (makes 15" pizza):
1 1/8 cups warm water
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 tsp salt
3 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp yeast

for 2 lb (makes two 12" pizzas):
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp salt
4 1/4 cups (531 g) all purpose flour
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp yeast

All purpose flour, for dusting

For pizza (per 12" pizza; you'll need slightly more of everything for a 15" pizza)
- 1/2 cup pizza sauce
- 1 to 1 1/4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- Toppings of your choice (suggestions: cooked Italian sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms, spinach, bell peppers, sliced olives, chopped fresh tomato, cooked bacon)

For focaccia (per 1 lb dough)
-
3-4 tbsp olive oil
- 2-3 tsp fresh or dried herbs of your choice (suggestions: Italian seasoning, rosemary, oregano, basil)
- 2-3 tbsp grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder (optional)
- Freshly ground black pepper (optional)

Place liquid ingredients in bottom of bread machine pan, then add flour and other dry ingredients on top. Set machine to Dough cycle and let run until done (mine takes 1 hr 30 min). If using immediately, transfer dough to a floured board. If saving for later, place in a bowl greased with olive oil, turn dough over to coat it in the oil, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.

For pizza dough: Heat oven to 400°F. If you made 2 lb dough, divide it into two equal pieces. Pat with your hands or roll the dough with a floured rolling pin into a 12 in or 15 in circle (depending on the size of your batch of dough). Transfer to a baking sheet or pizza peel/stone dusted with cornmeal or flour. Spread pizza sauce over dough, leaving at least 1/2" at the outer edge. Sprinkle cheese in an even layer over the top of the sauce. Place toppings over the cheese. Bake for 13-17 minutes or until edges are lightly golden brown and cheese is bubbly.

For focaccia: Heat oven to 400°F. On a board or other surface dusted with flour, pat the dough into a circle about 1/2 in thick. Place on a baking sheet dusted with cornmeal or flour. Spread 2 tbsp olive oil on the top surface of the dough with your hands and dimple the top of the dough with your fingertips (deep enough so that oil will pool in the indentations). Once done, drizzle 1-2 more tbsp of olive oil over the top and sprinkle herbs, cheese, salt, and any optional toppings over the top. Let rise for 15-20 minutes. Bake until golden brown (this took about 20-22 minutes for 1 lb dough in my oven). Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.

September 13, 2021

Matcha Green Tea Cookies with Almonds and White Chocolate


I made these because I wanted something with matcha and to use up a few odds and ends in the baking pantry, and these sounded great. I have been looking for a solid green tea cookie recipe.

Notes:

  • I only had about half of the amount of white chocolate the recipe called for. Even with that amount it was plenty sweet.
  • I only had whole almonds in my pantry, so I used those instead of slivered almonds. I gave them a rough chop before mixing them in. They had a nice rubble-y texture, and I liked that because they still had the skins on, they were visually easy to tell apart from the white chocolate chunks.

Verdict: I loved them! They had enough green tea in them to be appropriately green and you could taste the green tea flavor clearly. Some green tea cookies I've tried before ended up very dry and crumbly, but these stayed together nicely and had a pleasant soft texture. I would definitely make them again.

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RECIPE: Almond White Chocolate Matcha Cookies (Jacinta Halim/Jaja Bakes)

September 9, 2021

Purple Plum Torte

so good I didn't even get a shot of the entire thing.

I first made this in 2013 for a housewarming party for my sister (at her apartment because my oven was broken!). This is the second time I've made it and as soon as I tasted it I wondered why I'd waited so long to make it again. Pumpkin spice who? Cinnamon and plums are where it's at for fall. I made it exactly as written. This particular batch had fewer plums in it than the recipe called for because I was distracted and didn't buy enough, but I think it's better with the full amount, for sure.

before baking

Verdict: Tastes way better than you'd think it might for how easy it is to make. If you can find prune plums, absolutely give it a try. The combination of cinnamon and plums together is magical. It might be my German roots talking but it's the truth.

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RECIPE: Purple Plum Torte (Smitten Kitchen)