baby rambutan

for days now i’ve been planning to make croissant dough just so i can make these…but time is so so running short, i can barely keep up! (more…)

or eureka!!! moments.
first up, the best pizza recipe we’ve tried, so far.
it’s just that i have three “pizza monsters” at home, who must. be. fed. pizza. they love it so much, that our college boy, #1son, proclaimed that when he got to college, he would eat pizza everyday. well he doesn’t, but let’s just say he eats it whenever he feels like it, and that’s pretty often.

i can’t though. not those greasy soggy ones from the take-out chains anyway.
lately we had been ordering from a local “mom and pop” kind of pizza joint, the kind that uses home made tomato marinara sauce and REAL parmesan and romano and mozzarella cheeses.
but we didn’t like their crust, which was so thin that the sauces soaked through and got soggy.
so husband suggested to the kids that we should make our own pizza. what he had in mind though, was buying pizza crusts and all the toppings.
the control freak in me dug in, and took charge. i searched for deep-dish recipes, Chicago Style, for its thick hearty bready crust, capable of standing up to the toppings and cheeses. and the one i had a hunch would work out came from a “local” boy, Emeril BAM!!! Lagasse, who hails from Fall River, Massachusetts.



i guarantee you will love this thick and hearty pizza crust, which intrigued me for its inclusion of semolina flour.
so easy, so good, and best of all, you can pick what toppings you want to put on.
for the first try i followed the recipe faithfully, except for husband stirring in a bit more sugar (about 1 & 1/2 tsps. more) for the tomato sauce, and little pizza chef #2son adding a bit of packaged shredded “Italian mix” cheeses from the dairy case.

it’s definitely a keeper! thanks Chef Emeril!
from Emeril “BAM!!!” Lagasse, foodtv.com.

i’m almost reluctant to share this next secret. after all, it’s a tiny little joint from a bunch of “mutineers”, defiant ex-employees from the most famous Chinese Restaurant in Boston, who set up a David-versus-Goliath establishment right in front of Goliath!!!! we went in for our dimsum fix and we were smitten.

finely crafted dumplings and noodles but in a teeny weeny location. so tiny they can’t have carts, you have to order from a menu. i know it’s risky, it might be inciting an even longer queue by talking about their impeccable dim sum delights but i want them to become famous, and to stick around, but at the same time i hope any fame won’t compromise the quality of the goods and services thus far.
that’s why y’all good citizens of metropolitan Boston go down there and order the siu mai and the foon and the har gao and the crab dumplings in soup.

i only hope they can find a bigger and better place, far away from Goliath!
Winsor Dim Sum Cafe, 10 Tyler St., Boston, 617 338 1688 “order to take out, dim sum, congee, noodles, rice”

this is the time of the year when my life goes on fast forward, the pace going non-stop until the new year arrives.
because we party!!!
with the two younger children’s birthdays so close together, it somehow adds up to 3 or sometimes 4 celebrations: each child on the real date and a family get-together. one year we had two parties in two weeks! i’ve acknowledged that i can’t do that anymore, my spirit is willing but my flesh bones are weak and aching now…
so in addition to the family favorites and take-out food, i cooked this as “something” new, and different to try.
this is a reconstructed? or deconstructed? shrimp toast. camarron rebosado, as i remember it, is a shrimp paste mixture slathered into little triangles of white bread then battered and deep-fried, then served with a sweet and sour dip. it was my Lolo’s favorite treat!

i’ve heard husband lamenting it’s absence from most of the appetizer menus of restaurants.

flipping through the Gourmet cookbook that i checked out of the library, i was immediately intrigued by the idea of this.

a tasty shrimp mixture rolled in tiny little bread cubes then double deep-fried, i chose to deep-fry only once, literally at the last minute, with guests hovering around and watching all the action.

this looks like little tiny pieces of edible sculpture. the recipe suggests Szechuan pepper and salt dip; i made a coconut vinegar and soy dip from Corinne Trang’s Essentials of Asian Cuisine*.

hundred corner shrimp balls ( from both online and book versions at Gourmet/epicurious.com)

1 1/2 lb large shrimp (30), peeled and deveined
1/2 cup water chestnuts , rinsed and finely chopped (if using canned, first blanch for 1 minute in boiling water before chopping)
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons finely chopped chilled fresh pork fat or lard
1 tablespoons rice wine

1 & 1/2 tsps. finely grated peeled fresh ginger
1 & 1/2 tsps. finely chopped scallion greens
3/4 teaspoons coarse salt
1& 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
20 slices thinly-sliced white sandwich bread, crusts removed, cubed into 1/4 inch dice, left to dry out at least 3 hours or up to 12 hours

click for a larger photo

About 8 cups vegetable oil

Pulse shrimp in a food processor until finely chopped. Transfer to a large bowl, then stir in water chestnuts, egg white, pork fat, rice wine, ginger, scallion, salt, and cornstarch. Beat shrimp mixture vigorously with a wooden spoon and throw it against side of bowl until combined well and compacted. Wet your hands with cold water and form teaspoons of shrimp mixture into balls, arranging in 1 layer on a wax-paper–lined tray. Coat balls, 1 at a time, bread cubes, then arrange in 1 layer on another wax-paper–lined tray.

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Heat oil in a 5-quart pot until a deep-fat thermometer registers 375°F and fry balls in 4 batches, turning, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, or until golden and just cooked through. (Return oil to 375°F between batches.) Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. When all shrimp balls are fried, reheat on a rack set in a shallow baking pan in middle of oven until just hot, about 2 minutes.

Cooks’ note:
• Shrimp balls may be coated and fried 1 day ahead, cooled completely, then chilled, covered. Bring to room temperature before reheating.
#2son still counts each day after his real birthdate, but leading up to the family party, as the birthday week.
i looked for a recipe to use up most of the apples from our apple picking adventure and found this,apple bundt cake, deliciously moist and fragrant, again from epicurious.com.

running out of time, i persuaded daughter to pick out a cake from our favorite cake shop. she chose black forest cake, a toned-down kid-friendly version–it used to be drenched in kirsch and kids used to wrinkle up their noses at it–much more subtly flavored but still deeply darkly chocolatey.

it sure is nice to see the cousins hanging out but wow, they have all grown so fast….

p.s. i thought i could breathe a sigh of relief and start on our Christmas prepping. but husband’s siblings decided to draw lots for who’ll be hosting Thanskgiving dinner this year. guess who “won”?

*coconut vinegar dipping sauce recipe…. (more…)

a lovely little appetizer from The Encyclopedia of Italian Cooking, Reader’s Digest Books. i wanted to taste the difference when almonds are added into the breading mix…it enhanced the squid’s sweetness and added crunch and munch.

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inspiration from nobu matsuhisa, via thess and food network.

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i’ve been gorging oncraving nuts lately: macadamias, almonds, cashews, peanuts. i try to get dry-roasted (cooked in water not oil)… i discovered jalapeno flavored peanuts and from then on it’s been a fun ride looking for others, until i came upon this newfangled combination…

my kids have 5 doting goo goo’s(paternal aunties) and one of them gifted us with a flavored nut sampler from this company above. butter rum, cranberry,chipotle, curry….they’re not available in any food stores around here–i searched!–so i ordered from www.mamamellace.com….and no i am not being paid to endorse this, i wish wish wish! (i’d take free samples :glasses-slip:) they sent me a free mug too (although a beer stein is more appropriate for moi:rootbeer:drunk:).

sweet onion?! i was skeptical but i tore open the seals and it was love at first bite.

….needed some siopao, or char sui bao (roast pork buns).

i tried to explain this to husband while i was rolling out the dough, that while i can easily (and cheaply) buy the chicken and vegetable buns at the Asian Market, it is the pork asado (roast) that is my must-have for a quick snack. growing up it was such a treat to get a bag from Ongpin (in Manila Chinatown, near my dad’s office) until the Chinese restaurant on Matalino Street came along. the other variations, i remember like meatball with salted egg, are tasty too. but asado filling is my favorite.

i need to work on the dough some more, it just didn’t puff up and get fluffy the way i like, but the taste is pretty close to the real thing.

the roast pork marinade is truly delicious, and i would use this for spareribs next time. if you’re pressed for time, just buy char siu from the Chinese deli, but i like to make it at home so i can use the marinade for the filling as well.

based on recipes from the food of China by  Deh-ta Hsiung and Nina Simonds.

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the mad scientist has been experimenting on her lab subjects…er ahem! i mean the cook has been trying out new dishes for the family.

the one that got a standing ovation from the kids: the Original Toblerone fondue from Rick Rodgers’ Fondue! book.

four 3.5 ounce triangles of the honey nougat chocolate bar plus 2/3 cup of heavy cream and 1 tbsp. of Frangelico liqueur (or cognac) equals a fun-to-do fondue! interactive dessert, yes!

for dunking banana, apple, and white peach slices; well rinsed and dried blackberries and strawberries, cubes of pound cake.
then there were the buckwheat blinis, adapted from Rose Levy Beranbaum’s Rosie’s Celebrations. spread with creme fraiche, smoked salmon and caviar (from Iceland, via Trader Joe’s :penguin:).

more on the plett pan with a recipe for Swedish pancakes

…and finally a salade named for “slimming shopgirls,” at least according to the Patricia Bourne’s French Vegetable Cookbook.

salade midenette: sliced boiled beets (i added potatoes for more body and carbs) mounded on top of watercress leaves and topped with hardboiled eggs and anchovies, sprinkled with parsley, dressed with vinaigrette (3/4 cup olive oil plus 1/4 cup Jerez sherry wine vinegar, salt, pepper, and a tiny plop of Dijon mustard)…

welcome 2007! please be nice to us, pretty please?

“the Christmas stuff” has been derailed, hit a snag, sidelined…i have two sick boys at home so it is very clear that i have to prioritize well and just…yield to the circumstances. i am anxious about my boys, but i do like this little break from the frantic pace.

i made them steak burritos for dinner.
while on a quick trip to the supermarket, with no idea what to cook, anxious, no appetite, but knowing i had to make something easy, at the meat case i found skirt steak which husband has been hankering to try as a main-course pan-grilled steak. then i remembered this bean dish i read about in “fine Cooking” magazine (december 2006). so steak burritos to the rescue…

essential to this recipe is this little can of hot smoked jalapenos (chipotles) in adobo sauce (no relation to Pinoy adobo). the recipe calls for two peppers and three tablespoons of the sauce, but if milder is better, just use the sauce.

party food? great as a dip or to wrap up with sliced grilled steaks in soft tortillas. a warning, though: it’ll make you want to drink a lot of tall frosty cervezas…
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