I was having major chocolate cravings the other day and you know me and should know by now, when I crave, I HAVE to have it! This time it was for some rich dark chocolate cake! Mmmmm but generally, this is a hard craving to get rid of because the only way out of this is to just create a craving satisfying cake that you can stuff in your mouth! --Then go for a 5 mile run to burn it off so you can fit in your wedding dress coming up so very soon!;)
You could either spend a buck or 2 and just succomb to boxed cake mix or find your perfect cake recipe but the problem with that is you are left with a whole cake! Can you let a cake go to waste just to satisfy a craving? Or stuff your face with it and have huge regrets that you can never take back!
So with all this, there is one solution that could help you out in a major way: cake in a mug ~ microwave style!
There are tons and tons of these recipes online and yes I have tested out MANY of them!!;) With all the ones I've tried, they've cured my chocolate craving but they fail in how a cake should be! The texture is always spongey and sometimes tough at the same time. Which led me to giving up on each recipe and starting over from scratch.
But just the other day, I think I came up with the perfect recipe for me. Cured the craving and I was satisfied with the overall outcome of the cake. Below is the recipe!
If you're wondering why there is no picture for this post, it's because I got really excited and just ate majority of the cake! When I was halfway done, that's when I realized I didn't take the picture! But please take my word for it, you will not be disappointed in this recipe. Have I ever let you down?
Chocolate Mug Cake for two
1 egg
3 Tbsp coconut oil
3 Tbsp milk
2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa
1/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
1/4 tsp vinegar
Top with any of your favorite frostings or toppings
Whisk egg and oil in one of the mugs.
Mix in milk, vanilla, and sugar.
On the side, combine cocoa, flour, baking powder, and salt in another bowl and add to the wet ingredients.
Mix in vinegar and beat batter until smooth. Split into two mugs and microwave separately for about 1 minute to 1 minute 30 seconds. I'd say it's ready closer to 1 minute but all microwaves are different. Serve cooled down or if you are like me, let it sit for a few minutes and indulge right away!;)
Showing posts with label Kitchen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kitchen. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
Thursday, December 26, 2013
Baked Macaroni & Cheese
While waiting for some family to head over to the house the other day, I decided to just chill, flip through some channels, and settle down a bit.
And naturally, I stopped on the Food Network.
I rarely watch TV nowadays and even the Food Network has less and less captivated me now that the shows aren't as innovative but I still love some of the competitive shows when I get a chance.
Before I go any further, I just have to say I still love Ina Garten. Possibly the only one on that channel that can actually cook pretty darn well and keeping it classy in the Hampton's.
So to continue my 'hang out time' story, Ina Garten's show was on and I decided to make a pit stop and watch it.
She announced she was going to make one of her favorite recipes, the fantastic:
I took one look at the lobster....
And had a major foodgasm.
I am not even kidding!
Even just thinking about it now...
Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!
I just had to have it baaad!
Lobster is one of those delicacies that I WISH I could have everyday. I promise I won't get bored of it! Of course it's expenisve to buy out here in the wonderful sunny state of California so I rarely get to enjoy it. So in the case of wanting to make Lobster Mac and Cheese right then and there, it was impossible.
What is a girl to do?
Well I didn't let it stop me. I just made my own Mac and Cheese, just sadly without the Lobster.
My Macaroni and Cheese is pretty darn good, moist, cheesy, and comforting. Everything it is supposed to have and do. It's open to most pastas. Any cheese you'd like. Perfectly seasoned. Each bite was made to be loved.
PLEASE DON'T BE MAD AT ME! I forgot to snap a pic before the dish was served. I did however get a picture in for Instagram so just find me on there if you need to match the picture with the recipe!
Below I just mention cheese. You can use any of your favorite combinations. This time around, I used Muenster and Mozzarella and sprinkled Parmesan and Crumbled Turkey Bacon on top. Go with what you love.
Baked Macaroni and Cheese
Serves: 8 people
1 - 1 lb (16 oz) pasta
4 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp flour
4 cups of milk
1 egg (optional)
~ 4-5 cups of cheese
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 1/4 tsp mustard powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
Parmesan OR Breadcrumbs OR Crushed Unsalted Pretzel, for topping
Crumbled bacon, for topping (optional)
Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 pan and set aside.
2) Boil water on the stove, salt it, and cook the pasta noodles. Take off stove after cooking for about 5-7 minutes, drain, and place back into the pot.
3) While noodles are cooking, melt butter over medium heat, add the flour, and make a roux. Once combined, add the milk and mix. If using an egg, mix separately than add to the milk. While the milk is thickening, start seasoning with salt, pepper, mustard, garlic, paprika, and red pepper flakes.
4)Once it starts to thicken, add the cheese and combine until melted.
5)When ready, pour over the pasta and make sure every noodle is covered in the sauce. Then get the noodles into the pan, cover with your preferred topping(s), and bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes. Serve warm and enjoy!
Sunday, December 22, 2013
Eggless Cookie Recipe
Have you ever been in the middle of creating something wonderful in your kitchen and you get to the part of the recipe when you need to add - butter, eggs, oil, baking powder...etc and when you go to reach for the next ingredient, you discover that you are out of it?
It happens to the best of us. No one is perfect in the kitchen. I know I've made a lot of mistakes. Especially those mistakes that consist of the same missing ingredient scenario like the above problem. I can't help it though. When I have the huge urge to bake, I bake. When I am craving something bad, I'll cook it! And when I get in one of those experimentive kitchen nerd moods, nothing can stop me! Whether or not I have all the ingredients for success!
Yes, you can be one of those cooks that always makes sure you have everything in stock and if you find something low, you go and buy it just so you are prepared for future baking/cooking moments.
But most likely you can be one of those bakers that buys things at the moment of your decision to make a dish.
I'd say I'm in the middle. Yes I have the usual flour, salt, sugar, baking soda, and powder in my kitchen pantry but I prefer to save my money and not always buying things just because I'm low on corn starch! Which now reminds me, I've been out of mirin for awhile now. Something that keeps slipping my mind. I usually don't mind taking a trip to the grocery store because I could be there for hours and not get bored. But there are those days that it can be inconvenient to have to make a trip at the last minute in order to complete a step in a recipe, worry about gas, AND going out in public looking like a hot mess. ;) I kid sometimes!
I know I'm not the only one who has been in a crunch like this! What's the one thing you always seem to be out of when you need it the most?
So today it happened again. I was in the middle of making some fantastic Dark Chocolate Pistachio cookies with a sprinkle of sea salt on top and when I got to the egg part of the recipe, I went to the fridge and looked....looked....and looked some more. I WAS OUT OF EGGS! AHHHHHH! WHAT DO I DO??
I'm well aware of all those vegan recipes out there, but to be honest, I really am not a fan of them. They always come out odd, too thick, and no texture. And yes, I've made a batch of vegan cookies once just to see what these recipes are all about! So when I realized I was out of eggs, that was the first thing that came to mind. The cookies were going to be ruined.
So I decided to experiment a little. Take a chance. I am a HUGE science nerd - both in the kitchen and working in a hospital setting. I have no problem saying I'm a geek and loving it!
I looked to see what I had available at that exact moment and I found corn starch and lowfat plain yogurt. The corn starch adds to the texture and binds the ingredients of the cookie with the butter and the yogurt makes the dough moist and keep together. Will this make or break the cookie?
So here's the basic cookie recipe that I came up with and then you can come up with your own cookie combinations to satisfy your craving, your likings, or for any special events and holidays. For one ingredient, 1 1/2 - 2 cups would be just fine, for a combo of two, 1 cup of each would be perfect to add to the cookie dough, and for three or more, I'd lessen the amount in order not to overcrowd the cookie, which will change the end results of your cookie. Today I used dark chocolate, pistachio, and coarse sea salt so I'll write what I did and the end result of my experiment.
Eggless Cookie Recipe
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup bread flour
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
1 stick of butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 Tbsp corn starch
2 Tbsp water
1/4 cup plain lowfat (or nonfat) yogurt
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup pistachios, chopped
1 cup Valrhona dark chocolate, chopped or any semi to dark chocolate chips
Coarse sea salt
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
2) Combine dry ingredients; set aside.
3) Cream butter and sugars in a large mixing bowl; set aside. Combine cornstarch and water in a small bowl, then add to the butter-sugar and mix. Then add the yogurt and vanilla. Beat thoroughly.
4) In small batches, add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. (Stir in the pistachios and chocolate well.) *Add your own ingredients here.
5) Use an ice cream scoop and place the rounded cookie dough onto the baking sheets. (Sprinkle the coarse sea salt over the cookie dough.) Bake for around 10-12 minutes for Tbsp sized cookie dough and 15-17 minutes for ice cream scoop sized dough.
6) Allow to cool on the sheets for 3-4 minutes before removing onto cooling racks.
NOOOOO! This can't be happening right now!
It happens to the best of us. No one is perfect in the kitchen. I know I've made a lot of mistakes. Especially those mistakes that consist of the same missing ingredient scenario like the above problem. I can't help it though. When I have the huge urge to bake, I bake. When I am craving something bad, I'll cook it! And when I get in one of those experimentive kitchen nerd moods, nothing can stop me! Whether or not I have all the ingredients for success!
Yes, you can be one of those cooks that always makes sure you have everything in stock and if you find something low, you go and buy it just so you are prepared for future baking/cooking moments.
But most likely you can be one of those bakers that buys things at the moment of your decision to make a dish.
I'd say I'm in the middle. Yes I have the usual flour, salt, sugar, baking soda, and powder in my kitchen pantry but I prefer to save my money and not always buying things just because I'm low on corn starch! Which now reminds me, I've been out of mirin for awhile now. Something that keeps slipping my mind. I usually don't mind taking a trip to the grocery store because I could be there for hours and not get bored. But there are those days that it can be inconvenient to have to make a trip at the last minute in order to complete a step in a recipe, worry about gas, AND going out in public looking like a hot mess. ;) I kid sometimes!
I know I'm not the only one who has been in a crunch like this! What's the one thing you always seem to be out of when you need it the most?
So today it happened again. I was in the middle of making some fantastic Dark Chocolate Pistachio cookies with a sprinkle of sea salt on top and when I got to the egg part of the recipe, I went to the fridge and looked....looked....and looked some more. I WAS OUT OF EGGS! AHHHHHH! WHAT DO I DO??
I'm well aware of all those vegan recipes out there, but to be honest, I really am not a fan of them. They always come out odd, too thick, and no texture. And yes, I've made a batch of vegan cookies once just to see what these recipes are all about! So when I realized I was out of eggs, that was the first thing that came to mind. The cookies were going to be ruined.
So I decided to experiment a little. Take a chance. I am a HUGE science nerd - both in the kitchen and working in a hospital setting. I have no problem saying I'm a geek and loving it!
I looked to see what I had available at that exact moment and I found corn starch and lowfat plain yogurt. The corn starch adds to the texture and binds the ingredients of the cookie with the butter and the yogurt makes the dough moist and keep together. Will this make or break the cookie?
So here's the basic cookie recipe that I came up with and then you can come up with your own cookie combinations to satisfy your craving, your likings, or for any special events and holidays. For one ingredient, 1 1/2 - 2 cups would be just fine, for a combo of two, 1 cup of each would be perfect to add to the cookie dough, and for three or more, I'd lessen the amount in order not to overcrowd the cookie, which will change the end results of your cookie. Today I used dark chocolate, pistachio, and coarse sea salt so I'll write what I did and the end result of my experiment.
Eggless Cookie Recipe
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup bread flour
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
1 stick of butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 Tbsp corn starch
2 Tbsp water
1/4 cup plain lowfat (or nonfat) yogurt
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup pistachios, chopped
1 cup Valrhona dark chocolate, chopped or any semi to dark chocolate chips
Coarse sea salt
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
2) Combine dry ingredients; set aside.
3) Cream butter and sugars in a large mixing bowl; set aside. Combine cornstarch and water in a small bowl, then add to the butter-sugar and mix. Then add the yogurt and vanilla. Beat thoroughly.
4) In small batches, add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. (Stir in the pistachios and chocolate well.) *Add your own ingredients here.
5) Use an ice cream scoop and place the rounded cookie dough onto the baking sheets. (Sprinkle the coarse sea salt over the cookie dough.) Bake for around 10-12 minutes for Tbsp sized cookie dough and 15-17 minutes for ice cream scoop sized dough.
6) Allow to cool on the sheets for 3-4 minutes before removing onto cooling racks.
What was the end result?
I'll be 100% honest. If someone else had made this recipe and did not tell me about the changes that were made, I definitely would not have known there was no egg in the cookie. They were absolutely perfect! And I'm not just saying this because I made them.
Crisp on the outside with a slight chewiness in the middle. Most definitely not like the vegan recipes you find online or in a cookbook. For the record, I know this isn't a 'vegan' recipe but I do put this cookie in a category similar to that of one. I was completely shocked by how good these cookies were. This girl patted herself on the back for a job well done. First times the charm!
*I'd like to point out some things in the way I usually bake and also how I baked these cookies before you try these out for yourself:
-When it comes to sugar, I NEVER measure accurately. I have never been a super sweet dessert fan so I loosely measure less than the right amount called for in any recipe, whether I create it myself or use someone elses recipe. I measured less sugar than what I put in this recipe. I might even go a little less next time, but I did not want to adjust that above since everyone has their own tastes.
-I ended up adding the corn starch/water liquid and vanilla first, the dry ingredients, and then mixed in the yogurt before the pistachio and chocolate so I could see the dough pre-yogurt and with the yogurt. Pre-yogurt, the dough was somewhat dry and only slightly moist. After the addition of yogurt, the dough resembled the regular cookie dough 'look with the addition of egg(s)'. I can assume that if you add the yogurt in before the flour, it'll be just fine?
-And I'm guilty of always putting more vanilla than asked...does that make me a bad girl? ;)
-But I ALWAYS measure the other dry ingredients accurately. Sometimes I do follow the rules. :)
I hope you'll try these out for yourself. And of course, please let me know what you think!
Sunday, November 17, 2013
Banana Nut Bread
Tis the season to bake, bake, and bake some more! Carb load all you want and then go for a great and long run after! ;) I love baking this time of year and the smells that come out of the kitchen in the fall....WOW. It just puts you in a great mood 24/7. I was just given the task of writing my first recommendation letter for one of my high school students so before this procastinator types away on the computer, I thought I'd indulge in some baking to get me in the mood!
So far this fall, I've made Pumpkin White Chocolate Popcorn, Pumpkin Marshmallows, and of course Pumpkin pie! You can NEVER have enough of pumpkin! Next up on my list was pumpkin bread and white chocolate pumpkin cheesecakes (Reese's Pieces Peanut But Cups status) but right before I reached for my pumpkin puree, I noticed 4 small and very ripe bananas hanging out in the fruit bowl. I do not like to let anything go to waste so I decided to make good old banana nut bread with my newly made recipe! And you are going to love this!
My go to banana recipe. It has everything you've been looking for in a banana bread. First, I've been enjoying baking with yogurt for quite some time now, so I love the addition of it to my banana bread. This makes for some scrumptious and moist banana bread. One of the best you'll ever have! Just believe me. :-) I always love the addition of nuts to any of the breads I make, but if you do not, it's perfectly fine to make the bread without. If you love chocolate chips or chunks in your bread, add a cup of it to the mix! I prefer without but everyone has their own preferences of course.
My favorite part of this bread is.....the cardamom! I love the slight hint of it when you take each bite. Makes for one unique banana bread experience. And to throw in some healthy, I added in flaxseeds. Does it make you feel less guilty now? :)) When you smash the bananas, don't go completely smashed or else the baking process takes longer...and do you really want to wait longer?? Just slightly smash them so they are somewhat chunky, yet smooth. Now go ahead and make this bread. I dare you! :)
Banana Nut Bread
1/4 cup nonfat plain yogurt
1 tsp baking soda
1 stick of butter, softened
1/4 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 Tbsp vanilla
1/2 cup bread flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp flaxseeds
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cardamom
1 cup coarsely mashed bananas (yields a little over a cup with 4 small and very ripe bananas)
1 cup of walnuts, chopped
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease loaf pan (or 3 mini loaf pans).
2) Combine yogurt and soda in a small bowl. Set aside.
3) Cream butter and sugars. Add eggs one at a time and beat well. Add vanilla. Then beat in the yogurt.
4) Add the flours, flaxseeds, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom. Beat gently and do not overmix. Before thoroughly combined, add the bananas and walnuts.
5) Bake the bread for 45 minutes or until a toothpick or cake test comes out clean. If using 3 mini loaf pans, they should bake in 40 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
6) When removed from the oven, let cool in the pan for about 15 minutes and then remove and fully cool on a cooling rack. Once cool, wrap with plastic wrap and let sit in the fridge overnight. Or if you are like me, cut the bread into slices and eat right away! :)
Enjoy! :-)
So far this fall, I've made Pumpkin White Chocolate Popcorn, Pumpkin Marshmallows, and of course Pumpkin pie! You can NEVER have enough of pumpkin! Next up on my list was pumpkin bread and white chocolate pumpkin cheesecakes (Reese's Pieces Peanut But Cups status) but right before I reached for my pumpkin puree, I noticed 4 small and very ripe bananas hanging out in the fruit bowl. I do not like to let anything go to waste so I decided to make good old banana nut bread with my newly made recipe! And you are going to love this!
My go to banana recipe. It has everything you've been looking for in a banana bread. First, I've been enjoying baking with yogurt for quite some time now, so I love the addition of it to my banana bread. This makes for some scrumptious and moist banana bread. One of the best you'll ever have! Just believe me. :-) I always love the addition of nuts to any of the breads I make, but if you do not, it's perfectly fine to make the bread without. If you love chocolate chips or chunks in your bread, add a cup of it to the mix! I prefer without but everyone has their own preferences of course.
My favorite part of this bread is.....the cardamom! I love the slight hint of it when you take each bite. Makes for one unique banana bread experience. And to throw in some healthy, I added in flaxseeds. Does it make you feel less guilty now? :)) When you smash the bananas, don't go completely smashed or else the baking process takes longer...and do you really want to wait longer?? Just slightly smash them so they are somewhat chunky, yet smooth. Now go ahead and make this bread. I dare you! :)
Banana Nut Bread
1/4 cup nonfat plain yogurt
1 tsp baking soda
1 stick of butter, softened
1/4 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 Tbsp vanilla
1/2 cup bread flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp flaxseeds
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cardamom
1 cup coarsely mashed bananas (yields a little over a cup with 4 small and very ripe bananas)
1 cup of walnuts, chopped
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease loaf pan (or 3 mini loaf pans).
2) Combine yogurt and soda in a small bowl. Set aside.
3) Cream butter and sugars. Add eggs one at a time and beat well. Add vanilla. Then beat in the yogurt.
4) Add the flours, flaxseeds, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom. Beat gently and do not overmix. Before thoroughly combined, add the bananas and walnuts.
5) Bake the bread for 45 minutes or until a toothpick or cake test comes out clean. If using 3 mini loaf pans, they should bake in 40 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
6) When removed from the oven, let cool in the pan for about 15 minutes and then remove and fully cool on a cooling rack. Once cool, wrap with plastic wrap and let sit in the fridge overnight. Or if you are like me, cut the bread into slices and eat right away! :)
Enjoy! :-)
Saturday, December 1, 2012
Persimmon Banana Nut Muffins
So I woke up in the mood to bake today -specifically muffins- and when I get like that, I have to get in the kitchen STAT! What's sleeping in on a weekend? I don't know. I try. I even got in the mood to do the dishes too...my least favorite part of being in the kitchen!
I have my own tried and true recipes but I felt like finding another recipe and tweaking it because that's just what I like to do. I love kitchen science. That and everyone has to have a few good muffin recipes lying around somewhere! So after searching and searching, I found a recipe with positive feedback that somehow made me want to experiment with.
It's Giada De Laurentiis' recipe for Banana Muffins. Also comes with a frosting recipe but I like to leave frosting for cupcakes. Copy and Paste the links/Recipe Below:
http://www.browneyedbaker.com/2008/01/09/banana-muffins-2/ or http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/banana-muffins-with-mascarpone-cream-frosting-recipe2/index.html
Banana Muffins
(Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis)
Ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
4 ripe bananas, peeled and coarsely mashed
Directions:
Line 18 muffin cups with paper liners. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.Whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, and baking powder in a medium bowl to blend. Beat the sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl to blend. Stir in the banana. Add the dry ingredients and stir just until blended.
Divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups. Bake the muffins on the middle rack until the tops are golden brown and a tester inserted into the center comes out with no crumbs attached, about 25 minutes. Transfer the muffins to a rack and cool slightly. The muffins may be eaten warm or cooled completely and frosted.
My thoughts
Only three things here in the recipe made me want to change it: (1) The oil content, (2)the sugar, and (3) the flavor. I felt the oil is too much for a muffin --no matter how big the batter ends up being and the sugar was also just too high for me. Why not let the fruit add to the sweetness of the muffin? And I love utilizing spices in my baking. I'm no plain Jane. :)
This is what I did
♥ 2 cups sugar = 1 1/2 cups = 1 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup white sugar
I love the different flavor brown sugar gives on top of its sweetness. I prefer to add more brown sugar than white in most of my baking recipes. The muffins were just fine the way they were. Not too sweet but not under sweet. The recipe, although it says it makes 18 muffins, I got 24 out of it so I didn't want to chance taking out too much sugar.
♥ 1 cup vegetable oil = 1/2 vegetable oil and 1/2 cup milk
Perfect lowering of oil and love the addition of milk. Could have eliminated the oil and used applesauce but I'm not completely a fan of that. That and I would have had to wait awhile to bake if I ended up making the applesauce! I processed two soft persimmons just to add to the moistness of the muffin (mentioned below).
♥ 1 tsp salt = 1 tsp sea salt
Just for the heck of it. I only use sea salt now. Salt is not really good for you but sea salt is better than that iodized salt if you're going to use it.
♥ 4 ripe bananas = 2 bananas mashed and 2 bananas, chunky
Because I like muffins with chunky fruit.
Now you can leave the recipe as is and go ahead and bake for yummy and moist banana muffins or you can continue on and do more.
My add-ins to the recipe
♥ 4 persimmons = 2 firm persimmons peeled and diced. 2 soft persimmons, peeled and processed in the food processor
I like persimmon and banana together. There are other good combinations of course, but today I used persimmon. I processed the two persimmons because I lowered the amount of oil and sugar so I wanted to make sure I made up for that.
♥ Chopped walnuts. Yes please!
♥ And I added: Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Allspice, and Ginger. Got the hint of them but not overpowering at all.
The result?
Perfectly flavored and moist muffins. Fruity. Spiced up. Can't get better than that. Giada had a good recipe but I just made it a tad bit healthier and got a little creative.
Now to go outside and enjoy this beautiful rain...
I have my own tried and true recipes but I felt like finding another recipe and tweaking it because that's just what I like to do. I love kitchen science. That and everyone has to have a few good muffin recipes lying around somewhere! So after searching and searching, I found a recipe with positive feedback that somehow made me want to experiment with.
It's Giada De Laurentiis' recipe for Banana Muffins. Also comes with a frosting recipe but I like to leave frosting for cupcakes. Copy and Paste the links/Recipe Below:
http://www.browneyedbaker.com/2008/01/09/banana-muffins-2/ or http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/banana-muffins-with-mascarpone-cream-frosting-recipe2/index.html
Banana Muffins
(Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis)
Ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
4 ripe bananas, peeled and coarsely mashed
Directions:
Line 18 muffin cups with paper liners. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.Whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, and baking powder in a medium bowl to blend. Beat the sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl to blend. Stir in the banana. Add the dry ingredients and stir just until blended.
Divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups. Bake the muffins on the middle rack until the tops are golden brown and a tester inserted into the center comes out with no crumbs attached, about 25 minutes. Transfer the muffins to a rack and cool slightly. The muffins may be eaten warm or cooled completely and frosted.
Only three things here in the recipe made me want to change it: (1) The oil content, (2)the sugar, and (3) the flavor. I felt the oil is too much for a muffin --no matter how big the batter ends up being and the sugar was also just too high for me. Why not let the fruit add to the sweetness of the muffin? And I love utilizing spices in my baking. I'm no plain Jane. :)
♥ 2 cups sugar = 1 1/2 cups = 1 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup white sugar
I love the different flavor brown sugar gives on top of its sweetness. I prefer to add more brown sugar than white in most of my baking recipes. The muffins were just fine the way they were. Not too sweet but not under sweet. The recipe, although it says it makes 18 muffins, I got 24 out of it so I didn't want to chance taking out too much sugar.
♥ 1 cup vegetable oil = 1/2 vegetable oil and 1/2 cup milk
Perfect lowering of oil and love the addition of milk. Could have eliminated the oil and used applesauce but I'm not completely a fan of that. That and I would have had to wait awhile to bake if I ended up making the applesauce! I processed two soft persimmons just to add to the moistness of the muffin (mentioned below).
♥ 1 tsp salt = 1 tsp sea salt
Just for the heck of it. I only use sea salt now. Salt is not really good for you but sea salt is better than that iodized salt if you're going to use it.
♥ 4 ripe bananas = 2 bananas mashed and 2 bananas, chunky
Because I like muffins with chunky fruit.
Now you can leave the recipe as is and go ahead and bake for yummy and moist banana muffins or you can continue on and do more.
♥ 4 persimmons = 2 firm persimmons peeled and diced. 2 soft persimmons, peeled and processed in the food processor
I like persimmon and banana together. There are other good combinations of course, but today I used persimmon. I processed the two persimmons because I lowered the amount of oil and sugar so I wanted to make sure I made up for that.
♥ Chopped walnuts. Yes please!
♥ And I added: Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Allspice, and Ginger. Got the hint of them but not overpowering at all.
Perfectly flavored and moist muffins. Fruity. Spiced up. Can't get better than that. Giada had a good recipe but I just made it a tad bit healthier and got a little creative.
Now to go outside and enjoy this beautiful rain...
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Pinterest Recipe Testing
Instead of the usual work potluck, someone at work thought it would be fun to test recipes that people pin on Pinterest and see if they are any good and actually 'pin-worthy'. Great idea except I never follow recipes and had to this time. So I ended up testing out the recipe, "Nutella Brownies". This was the first time I tried Nutella. I think I'd be fine with only eating Nutella this way!
Here's the link to the recipe. Copy and Paste:
http://m.instructables.com/id/Nutella-Brownies-Three-Ingredients/
The result?
They were really good. Simply devine. Chocolate craving satisfied. Moist yet more cake-like. Stomach pleasing. Mood enhancer. One of my favorite combinations: hazelnut and chocolate. Seriously, what girl doesn't love (semi-sweet (35%) to dark (70%)) chocolate? Enough said.
I actually don't feel the need to adjust the recipe too much. I don't want to change the flavor and easiness of the brownies but I would probably add a teaspoon of vanilla to the batter and maybe take out a tablespoon or two of the flour for more moist brownies.
Would have liked more times given for different brownie methods instead of having to estimate the times. I gave the brownies about 15-17 minutes in the oven. That may be adjusted again if, or I mean, when I make them again. I personally would like to rewrite the directions too. I don't just throw things in a bowl and mash things up. You have to love what you are doing in the kitchen.
'Pin-worthy'?
Yes, but with some adjustments!
Happy Thanksgiving! One of my favorite days of the year. :) Gotta love all the food and always be thankful for what you have and who you have in your life. Appreciate life each and every day.
Here's the link to the recipe. Copy and Paste:
The result?
They were really good. Simply devine. Chocolate craving satisfied. Moist yet more cake-like. Stomach pleasing. Mood enhancer. One of my favorite combinations: hazelnut and chocolate. Seriously, what girl doesn't love (semi-sweet (35%) to dark (70%)) chocolate? Enough said.
I actually don't feel the need to adjust the recipe too much. I don't want to change the flavor and easiness of the brownies but I would probably add a teaspoon of vanilla to the batter and maybe take out a tablespoon or two of the flour for more moist brownies.
Would have liked more times given for different brownie methods instead of having to estimate the times. I gave the brownies about 15-17 minutes in the oven. That may be adjusted again if, or I mean, when I make them again. I personally would like to rewrite the directions too. I don't just throw things in a bowl and mash things up. You have to love what you are doing in the kitchen.
Yes, but with some adjustments!
Happy Thanksgiving! One of my favorite days of the year. :) Gotta love all the food and always be thankful for what you have and who you have in your life. Appreciate life each and every day.
Mollusks
On the menu today: Baked New Zealand Green Mussels in Dynamite Sauce and Machas a la Parmesana
Baked Green Mussels in Dynamite Sauce
Why do they call it dynamite, you wonder?
When they are under the broiler, listen to the smelt eggs explode as they are heating up!
You can spend tons of money at a Japanese restaurant and get a few mussels or you could just make it at home and enjoy more than a few. And really, it is so easy that it's ridiculous to go to a restaurant and order them. To make this my own, I added one of my favorite seasonings to the sauce: Garlic. Garlic makes everything better! One time I used fish sauce and they were great as well. -Shrimp also goes well in this appetizer. Shrimp--Probably one of my biggest weaknesses!- And as for the mayo, you have to go with Kewpie, not regular mayo in the fridge. They aren't the same. And don't skip out on it because it has MSG.
Just estimate how much Kewpie mayo you'll need and squeeze it into a bowl. I'd say a cup shall do. Add as much garlic as you'd like. Start with a teaspoon of Sriracha and continue until it's to your spicy liking. And scoop a couple spoons of Smelt Egg/Masago.
Top each fresh mussel half with the sauce, more masago (or after broiling; whichever) and broil them in the oven for about 5-7 minutes. When ready, top them with green onion and masago and serve warm.
Machas a la Parmesana
Now this is one of the typical dishes you'll find in Chile. It's the only memorable dish that I recall eating in Santiago. The first thing I ate there. I strangely had a harder time in Chile with the food more than any other country I've been to. Can't really explain why that is though. Food is easy to find on every street and with plenty of options to choose from. Seafood is of abundance of course, but they say it's only good in the coastal towns from what I heard. I did get sick after eating a few seafood dishes after the clams. That I remember! Maybe if I read more into Chile's history, it'll help to understand their culture and food. It was a last minute trip from Ecuador so I didn't really read up on it until I arrived there. Beautiful country for sure that I definitely plan on exploring more and hoping to take that time to really taste their creations. Just gotta dig a little deeper.
Now this is an easy meal/app to make. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Shuck your clams and clean both the meat and shells. I'll be honest. I quickly steamed them instead of opening them myself because I was exhausted and just didn't feel like doing it! I'd say it's better to get a man with his strong hands and muscles to do it for you.;) I ended up using Manila clams. Money saver than the other ones available and the ones they recommend you use for this dish.
When the clams were ready, I squeezed lemon juice on them, freshly grated black pepper, added a small scoop of butter, and then freshly grated Parmesan cheese on top.
*Find a Parmesan that hasn't been aged for too long. It's preferred to use a milder cheese for this dish so I ended up using a Parmesan that was aged for 10 months.
Baked them for 5 minutes and they were ready to devour.
Best part of the day? None of the mussels and clams were dead! I did a good job picking them out. :) I've got good eyes and awesome guessing skills.
Why do they call it dynamite, you wonder?
When they are under the broiler, listen to the smelt eggs explode as they are heating up!
You can spend tons of money at a Japanese restaurant and get a few mussels or you could just make it at home and enjoy more than a few. And really, it is so easy that it's ridiculous to go to a restaurant and order them. To make this my own, I added one of my favorite seasonings to the sauce: Garlic. Garlic makes everything better! One time I used fish sauce and they were great as well. -Shrimp also goes well in this appetizer. Shrimp--Probably one of my biggest weaknesses!- And as for the mayo, you have to go with Kewpie, not regular mayo in the fridge. They aren't the same. And don't skip out on it because it has MSG.
Just estimate how much Kewpie mayo you'll need and squeeze it into a bowl. I'd say a cup shall do. Add as much garlic as you'd like. Start with a teaspoon of Sriracha and continue until it's to your spicy liking. And scoop a couple spoons of Smelt Egg/Masago.
Top each fresh mussel half with the sauce, more masago (or after broiling; whichever) and broil them in the oven for about 5-7 minutes. When ready, top them with green onion and masago and serve warm.
Now this is one of the typical dishes you'll find in Chile. It's the only memorable dish that I recall eating in Santiago. The first thing I ate there. I strangely had a harder time in Chile with the food more than any other country I've been to. Can't really explain why that is though. Food is easy to find on every street and with plenty of options to choose from. Seafood is of abundance of course, but they say it's only good in the coastal towns from what I heard. I did get sick after eating a few seafood dishes after the clams. That I remember! Maybe if I read more into Chile's history, it'll help to understand their culture and food. It was a last minute trip from Ecuador so I didn't really read up on it until I arrived there. Beautiful country for sure that I definitely plan on exploring more and hoping to take that time to really taste their creations. Just gotta dig a little deeper.
Now this is an easy meal/app to make. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Shuck your clams and clean both the meat and shells. I'll be honest. I quickly steamed them instead of opening them myself because I was exhausted and just didn't feel like doing it! I'd say it's better to get a man with his strong hands and muscles to do it for you.;) I ended up using Manila clams. Money saver than the other ones available and the ones they recommend you use for this dish.
When the clams were ready, I squeezed lemon juice on them, freshly grated black pepper, added a small scoop of butter, and then freshly grated Parmesan cheese on top.
*Find a Parmesan that hasn't been aged for too long. It's preferred to use a milder cheese for this dish so I ended up using a Parmesan that was aged for 10 months.
Baked them for 5 minutes and they were ready to devour.
Best part of the day? None of the mussels and clams were dead! I did a good job picking them out. :) I've got good eyes and awesome guessing skills.
Friday, October 14, 2011
Ice Cream...In the Fall
We all know California is known for the sun and its hot weather. It is both a good and bad thing. Bad because well, I've never really been a fan of our hot summers and the fact that it still feels like summer in the fall. But at the same time, it feeling like summer now in the fall gives me the excuse to make ice cream! So the first ice cream to churn in my new ice cream maker is...... TARO ROOT! Perfect choice I'd say! I'm all about trying different flavors. Don't worry, the classics are still in my heart. Especially ROCKY ROAD! My favorite. I chose to make taro root ice cream first mainly because I like this versatile root vegetable. You can take it and make a wonderful meal or side dish out of it AND take it and turn it into a treat. Take my word for it. You will love it!
Saturday, October 8, 2011
I scream YOU scream WE ALL scream for ICE CREAM!
Excited to say I just upgraded to a new Ice Cream Maker! I'll follow up with my first ice cream flavor and recipe soon...
That is currently on hold today since I am getting a pair of TOMS custom designed by an artist for free! Pictures of that will shortly follow as well.
Happy Fall!
That is currently on hold today since I am getting a pair of TOMS custom designed by an artist for free! Pictures of that will shortly follow as well.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Vinegar Rice
Definition of Sushi: Cooked Rice with vinegar. Su=vinegar shi=rice. The term "sushi" has nothing to do with fish, as most people think it is. Sushi is not sushi without "vinegar rice".
As I mentioned previously, I signed up to take a sushi class with a friend and the class was held yesterday. I gained a lot of useful information to be a "beginner" sushi chef. Nothing too exciting to make me a professional (of course that takes years and years to reach that status), but it was enough to make me knowledgeable, comfortable, and confident enough in making my own and understanding what to expect with sushi from now on. Will definitely be able to tell which sushi chefs really care about the art of sushi from now on. I will share information throughout.
I pretty much documented the whole class via my camera because I am a visual/kinesthetic learner and would not have remembered anything by just listening to the instructor! The photos show the process of making four different ways of sushi: Cut roll (Makizushi or Hosomaki), Inside-out roll (Uramaki), Hand roll (Temaki), and Fish on sushi rice (Nigiri). I also show what you need to create pieces of art and to make the process of making it easier.
The Sushi Instructor, Nikki. She was wonderful, knowledgeable, and after hearing all her stories from Japan, it made me want to go to Japan even more now than before!
Came prepared with a cutting board, a couple hand towels, and a sharp knife.
Things you need to create works of art:
Makisu. Bamboo rolling mat.
Saucer for your soy dipping sauce.
Bowl of water. A must for working with sushi rice. And whatever you do, do not touch nori (seaweed) with wet hands because it will stick to you. And do not touch your sushi rice without water or it will stick!
Wasabi. "Japanese Horseradish". The instructor recommended buying the powder and making it versus buying it ready-made, due to the shelf-life of already prepared wasabi.
Not pictured: Your hands, chopsticks, and ginger.
Preparing your Makisu:
Lay out a long piece of saran wrap and place the Makisu on top and in the middle.
Pull over one side of the wrap over the Makisu and do the same with the other side as well.
Then grab the edges of the saran wrap from both sides and pull hard to tighten over the Makisu. Then fold over the edges.
Peeling and Slicing a Cucumber:
The instructor demonstrating it for us first.
Starting the Cucumber Process:
Slice off the ends of the cucumber and stand it up on your cutting board.
Take the knife (grip it as closely and as tightly as you can for more control of the knife) and thinly slice the skin away. You don't need to get it all off in one try.
Next, you need to deseed the cucumber so put the knife as close as you can to the seeds and slice one side down.
Now you can put it down on that side to prevent the cucumber from moving around on your board and cut off the remainder three sides.
All four sides are cut.
The seeds are discarded.
The remainder skin is sliced off to your liking.
Cut the cucumber into sticks.
And move them off to the side of your cutting board. I think I did a good job!
Wasabi:
The instructor showing us the wasabi powder. Just added a little water to it to mix until it becomes paste-like.
Wasabi. Ready to flavor anything.
Next up we have Nori. If you didn't know, Nori has two different sides. One side is rough:
Not appealing to the eye, so they usually place the sushi rice on this side.
The other side is the shiny, smooth side:
They place this side up for aesthetic purposes.
Sushi Rice (no picture) is made to the ratio of 1:1. One cup rice=1 cup water; 5 cups rice:5 cups water=10 cups rice. And for every 10 cups of (medium grain) rice, it requires 1 cup sushi vinegar. That is the requirement to calling this rice "sushi rice". Once the rice is cooked, place into a big bowl, pour the sushi vinegar, mix it around, and let it set. I can make rice on the stove, but I'm thinking about investing in a rice cooker!
The rice must be warm. Ideally, you want the fish cold and the rice warm, and then you eat it right away. You can tell if a sushi chef doesn't care or doesn't know this if you receive cold fish and cold rice or warm fish and warm rice. I'm watching out for this now! And the soy sauce is meant for the fish, not the rice. I notice people dip their Nigiri in the soy sauce rice first, but you need to dip the fish in the sauce to avoid rice breaking apart. Your tongue should taste the soy sauce, the fish, and then the rice.
Sushi four different ways. Take these four styles and create any type of roll you would like.
Makizushi (The cut roll)
The example the instructor used to show us this style was the Cucumber roll.
Wet your hands by dipping your fingers into the bowl of water, rub your hands together, and then shake off the excess water. (Excess water will go from the rice to the seaweed and make your roll soggy.) Then grab a decent handful of the rice, working quickly, and place it onto the Nori. Also, notice how I placed a package of chopsticks on one of the edges. This is to leave space so when you roll your sushi, there will be an empty edge to seal the roll and prevent the roll from falling apart.
Gently spread the rice onto the Nori. You do not need to apply pressure to the rice. The rice will stick to the Nori.
If you want wasabi, like I did, just take a small amount with a finger and quickly rub it in a straight line over the rice.
Take two sticks of the cucumber and place them in a long row in the middle of the rice. Do not overlap them.
When rolling it, place your fingers on the cucumber and roll it by taking the Makisu, roll and tuck the cucumber, then pull it back, put the Makisu down, and close the roll shut.
Cut off excess that is sticking out, if you want. Cut the roll gently down the middle then cut into six pieces. Do not apply too much pressure when cutting the roll so that you don't smash it.
Enjoy with soy sauce flavored with wasabi!
Uramaki (Inside-out roll)
The instructor used the example of the California Roll to show us this technique.
She also explained to us that the CA Roll here in the US is the cheap, easy way of making it. The traditional California Roll uses a stick of crab (preferrably from Japan) and not torn apart and mixed with mayonnaise.
For the California Roll, you only need a fourth of an avocado. Use an avocado that is not mushy. Firm, but not tough. Cut the avocado in half, lengthwise, remove the pit, cut the halves in half again, stick the knife where the pit used to be, and slice the edges so the avocado is flat, take the peel off the avocado, and cut into sticks, and move alongside the cucumber sticks.
This time, since it is an inside-out roll, you are going to cover the whole side of Nori. I put too much rice on this, but that is okay.
Add toasted sesame seeds to the rice. Only use toasted seeds.
Grab two corners to pick up the roll. Don't worry, it won't fall apart, and flip it over so that the rice is now on the bottom.
Again, add wasabi if you would like it.
I changed the camera direction so you can see the whole thing. Take two cucumber sticks and place in one row. Take two avocado sticks and place next to the cucumber lengthwise, as well. Then take the crab stick, slice in half and place the sticks over the cucumber and avocado sticks, not next to them.
To make the roll, do the same thing you did with the cut roll, by placing your fingers on the inside and pull and tuck. When you move the Makisu, wet your fingers so you can finish and close the roll. You can shape it any way you want it. To make it circular, take the Makisu, wrap it over the roll, and roll it around for a little bit, like a rolling pin. To make it square, like I did, just wrap the Makisu over the roll and gently squeeze the sides and flatten the top. Cut the roll the same way you would to a regular cut roll, gently. The only thing different this time is that you need to dip your knife in the water, hit the handle of your knife on the table, and let the water drip and cover your knife so when you cut your roll, the rice won't stick to the knife.
The one piece on the right was a little flat, but that is okay! I've seen that before!
Temaki (Hand roll)
The example the instructor used to show us this hand roll was a Spicy Tuna Hand Roll.
Spicy tuna is made up of chili paste and mayonnaise. The pieces should be slightly chunky, not chopped up into small pieces.
Visually cut the Nori in half. Wet your hands and grab a small handfull of rice. Take the rice and half the square that you visually cut so that it makes two triangles.
Again rub wasabi on the rice if you want. We topped our rice with two sticks of cucumber, my remainder avocado stick, and a few pieces of the spicy tuna.
Take the lower corner and fold it over to touch the other corner of the "square". Take it and roll the rest of it slightly towards the bottom right corner of the other side of the Nori. To close the roll, wet a finger and stick a tiny bit of rice in the corner to seal the hand roll.
Due to its odd shape, you eat it with your hands. (Same thing with nigiri sushi, but now everyone uses chopsticks.
Nigiri (Fish on top of sushi rice)
The examples used for this were Shrimp, Yellowtail, and Octopus. Without the sushi rice, this is known as Sashimi. When slicing the fish, cut the fish at an angle so that it appears longer and is also able to grip the sushi rice better.
Look at that octopus!
To prepare the sushi rice, make three small handfuls of the rice and shape by pressing and shaping in the palm of your hand. Lengthwise, you shouldn't see the rice stick out behind two fingers.
Before adding the fish, you can quickly add wasabi to the top of the rice before you add the fish. When topping the sushi rice with the fish, shape the fish so that it sticks to the rice.
Notice the octopus is wrapped with a small strip of Nori, a technique usually used with eel or clam, for example. Place the strip of Nori over the fish and fold over the sides and stick together with a small piece of rice.
There you have it! Four styles of sushi. Most of these ingredients and items can be found in Japanese supermarkets. The instructor recommended just getting all supplies from the Japanese stores since it is more of their specialty. She also gave us the tip of not buying Nori in bulk due to its short shelf-life. She recommends buying in low numbers, even if it is expensive. You must use sushi vinegar in order for the rice to stick and to even call it "sushi". You can make this with the mixture of rice vinegar, sugar, salt, and sometimes kombu (edible kelp; which I found that I like this, in the past). But it was recommended to us to just buy sushi vinegar instead of going through the whole process. I'm hoping to host a sushi party sometime soon now!
Arigato!
As I mentioned previously, I signed up to take a sushi class with a friend and the class was held yesterday. I gained a lot of useful information to be a "beginner" sushi chef. Nothing too exciting to make me a professional (of course that takes years and years to reach that status), but it was enough to make me knowledgeable, comfortable, and confident enough in making my own and understanding what to expect with sushi from now on. Will definitely be able to tell which sushi chefs really care about the art of sushi from now on. I will share information throughout.
I pretty much documented the whole class via my camera because I am a visual/kinesthetic learner and would not have remembered anything by just listening to the instructor! The photos show the process of making four different ways of sushi: Cut roll (Makizushi or Hosomaki), Inside-out roll (Uramaki), Hand roll (Temaki), and Fish on sushi rice (Nigiri). I also show what you need to create pieces of art and to make the process of making it easier.
The Sushi Instructor, Nikki. She was wonderful, knowledgeable, and after hearing all her stories from Japan, it made me want to go to Japan even more now than before!
Came prepared with a cutting board, a couple hand towels, and a sharp knife.
Things you need to create works of art:
Makisu. Bamboo rolling mat.
Saucer for your soy dipping sauce.
Bowl of water. A must for working with sushi rice. And whatever you do, do not touch nori (seaweed) with wet hands because it will stick to you. And do not touch your sushi rice without water or it will stick!
Wasabi. "Japanese Horseradish". The instructor recommended buying the powder and making it versus buying it ready-made, due to the shelf-life of already prepared wasabi.
Not pictured: Your hands, chopsticks, and ginger.
Preparing your Makisu:
Lay out a long piece of saran wrap and place the Makisu on top and in the middle.
Pull over one side of the wrap over the Makisu and do the same with the other side as well.
Then grab the edges of the saran wrap from both sides and pull hard to tighten over the Makisu. Then fold over the edges.
Peeling and Slicing a Cucumber:
The instructor demonstrating it for us first.
Starting the Cucumber Process:
Slice off the ends of the cucumber and stand it up on your cutting board.
Take the knife (grip it as closely and as tightly as you can for more control of the knife) and thinly slice the skin away. You don't need to get it all off in one try.
Next, you need to deseed the cucumber so put the knife as close as you can to the seeds and slice one side down.
Now you can put it down on that side to prevent the cucumber from moving around on your board and cut off the remainder three sides.
All four sides are cut.
The seeds are discarded.
The remainder skin is sliced off to your liking.
Cut the cucumber into sticks.
And move them off to the side of your cutting board. I think I did a good job!
Wasabi:
The instructor showing us the wasabi powder. Just added a little water to it to mix until it becomes paste-like.
Wasabi. Ready to flavor anything.
Next up we have Nori. If you didn't know, Nori has two different sides. One side is rough:
Not appealing to the eye, so they usually place the sushi rice on this side.
The other side is the shiny, smooth side:
They place this side up for aesthetic purposes.
Sushi Rice (no picture) is made to the ratio of 1:1. One cup rice=1 cup water; 5 cups rice:5 cups water=10 cups rice. And for every 10 cups of (medium grain) rice, it requires 1 cup sushi vinegar. That is the requirement to calling this rice "sushi rice". Once the rice is cooked, place into a big bowl, pour the sushi vinegar, mix it around, and let it set. I can make rice on the stove, but I'm thinking about investing in a rice cooker!
The rice must be warm. Ideally, you want the fish cold and the rice warm, and then you eat it right away. You can tell if a sushi chef doesn't care or doesn't know this if you receive cold fish and cold rice or warm fish and warm rice. I'm watching out for this now! And the soy sauce is meant for the fish, not the rice. I notice people dip their Nigiri in the soy sauce rice first, but you need to dip the fish in the sauce to avoid rice breaking apart. Your tongue should taste the soy sauce, the fish, and then the rice.
Sushi four different ways. Take these four styles and create any type of roll you would like.
Makizushi (The cut roll)
The example the instructor used to show us this style was the Cucumber roll.
Wet your hands by dipping your fingers into the bowl of water, rub your hands together, and then shake off the excess water. (Excess water will go from the rice to the seaweed and make your roll soggy.) Then grab a decent handful of the rice, working quickly, and place it onto the Nori. Also, notice how I placed a package of chopsticks on one of the edges. This is to leave space so when you roll your sushi, there will be an empty edge to seal the roll and prevent the roll from falling apart.
Gently spread the rice onto the Nori. You do not need to apply pressure to the rice. The rice will stick to the Nori.
If you want wasabi, like I did, just take a small amount with a finger and quickly rub it in a straight line over the rice.
Take two sticks of the cucumber and place them in a long row in the middle of the rice. Do not overlap them.
When rolling it, place your fingers on the cucumber and roll it by taking the Makisu, roll and tuck the cucumber, then pull it back, put the Makisu down, and close the roll shut.
Cut off excess that is sticking out, if you want. Cut the roll gently down the middle then cut into six pieces. Do not apply too much pressure when cutting the roll so that you don't smash it.
Enjoy with soy sauce flavored with wasabi!
Uramaki (Inside-out roll)
The instructor used the example of the California Roll to show us this technique.
She also explained to us that the CA Roll here in the US is the cheap, easy way of making it. The traditional California Roll uses a stick of crab (preferrably from Japan) and not torn apart and mixed with mayonnaise.
For the California Roll, you only need a fourth of an avocado. Use an avocado that is not mushy. Firm, but not tough. Cut the avocado in half, lengthwise, remove the pit, cut the halves in half again, stick the knife where the pit used to be, and slice the edges so the avocado is flat, take the peel off the avocado, and cut into sticks, and move alongside the cucumber sticks.
This time, since it is an inside-out roll, you are going to cover the whole side of Nori. I put too much rice on this, but that is okay.
Add toasted sesame seeds to the rice. Only use toasted seeds.
Grab two corners to pick up the roll. Don't worry, it won't fall apart, and flip it over so that the rice is now on the bottom.
Again, add wasabi if you would like it.
I changed the camera direction so you can see the whole thing. Take two cucumber sticks and place in one row. Take two avocado sticks and place next to the cucumber lengthwise, as well. Then take the crab stick, slice in half and place the sticks over the cucumber and avocado sticks, not next to them.
To make the roll, do the same thing you did with the cut roll, by placing your fingers on the inside and pull and tuck. When you move the Makisu, wet your fingers so you can finish and close the roll. You can shape it any way you want it. To make it circular, take the Makisu, wrap it over the roll, and roll it around for a little bit, like a rolling pin. To make it square, like I did, just wrap the Makisu over the roll and gently squeeze the sides and flatten the top. Cut the roll the same way you would to a regular cut roll, gently. The only thing different this time is that you need to dip your knife in the water, hit the handle of your knife on the table, and let the water drip and cover your knife so when you cut your roll, the rice won't stick to the knife.
The one piece on the right was a little flat, but that is okay! I've seen that before!
Temaki (Hand roll)
The example the instructor used to show us this hand roll was a Spicy Tuna Hand Roll.
Spicy tuna is made up of chili paste and mayonnaise. The pieces should be slightly chunky, not chopped up into small pieces.
Visually cut the Nori in half. Wet your hands and grab a small handfull of rice. Take the rice and half the square that you visually cut so that it makes two triangles.
Again rub wasabi on the rice if you want. We topped our rice with two sticks of cucumber, my remainder avocado stick, and a few pieces of the spicy tuna.
Take the lower corner and fold it over to touch the other corner of the "square". Take it and roll the rest of it slightly towards the bottom right corner of the other side of the Nori. To close the roll, wet a finger and stick a tiny bit of rice in the corner to seal the hand roll.
Due to its odd shape, you eat it with your hands. (Same thing with nigiri sushi, but now everyone uses chopsticks.
Nigiri (Fish on top of sushi rice)
The examples used for this were Shrimp, Yellowtail, and Octopus. Without the sushi rice, this is known as Sashimi. When slicing the fish, cut the fish at an angle so that it appears longer and is also able to grip the sushi rice better.
Look at that octopus!
To prepare the sushi rice, make three small handfuls of the rice and shape by pressing and shaping in the palm of your hand. Lengthwise, you shouldn't see the rice stick out behind two fingers.
Before adding the fish, you can quickly add wasabi to the top of the rice before you add the fish. When topping the sushi rice with the fish, shape the fish so that it sticks to the rice.
Notice the octopus is wrapped with a small strip of Nori, a technique usually used with eel or clam, for example. Place the strip of Nori over the fish and fold over the sides and stick together with a small piece of rice.
There you have it! Four styles of sushi. Most of these ingredients and items can be found in Japanese supermarkets. The instructor recommended just getting all supplies from the Japanese stores since it is more of their specialty. She also gave us the tip of not buying Nori in bulk due to its short shelf-life. She recommends buying in low numbers, even if it is expensive. You must use sushi vinegar in order for the rice to stick and to even call it "sushi". You can make this with the mixture of rice vinegar, sugar, salt, and sometimes kombu (edible kelp; which I found that I like this, in the past). But it was recommended to us to just buy sushi vinegar instead of going through the whole process. I'm hoping to host a sushi party sometime soon now!
Arigato!
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