Chunky Triple Nut and Chocolate Biscotti

Despite seeing countless variations of biscotti featured on Everyday Italian, I was never inspired to make any myself until recently. The problem is that anytime I think of biscotti, I think of the rock hard, tasteless stuff that shows up in places like Starbucks. However, I finally decided to try it out the other day after I saw Gina DePalma, a pastry chef from Babbo, do a demo of the Mosaic Biscotti recipe from her new book.

I loved listening to Gina tell her story. She seemed very genuine, talking about herself and her career openly and with a sense of humor. She is obviously passionate about food, and her approach to cooking emphasizes tradition, attention to detail, and quality ingredients.

One thing I thought was interesting is that she stressed the importance of whisking together the dry ingredients before adding them to the wet ingredients. When I bake I'm always tempted to skip this step because I'm never sure how necessary it is, so it was nice to hear an opinion on that from someone as experienced as her.

Gina talked about how she got into the food business and how she started culinary school intending to become a chef, falling into the pastry side of things when she did an internship and found that she really enjoyed it. She said that she thinks this background helps her as a pastry chef since it's important to understand the savory aspects of a menu to do the dessert part well. I think that makes a lot of sense, and I would imagine that this might help her to be more creative with flavor combinations in her desserts.

As a slight tangent, could someone please explain why there is such a rigid division between being a pastry chef and a chef? If you watch shows like Top Chef, you'll know what I mean - the downfall of several of the very talented chefs on that show has been a dessert that they threw together with the disclaimer "I am not a pastry chef". It seems like a well rounded chef ought to be able to do both, so it doesn't really make sense to me that there is such a separation between the two specialties.

Anyway, back to biscotti. I followed Gina's biscotti recipe exactly, except I changed the types of nuts in the biscotti and used three different kinds of nuts instead of two. The quantity of nuts and chocolate in this biscotti astounded me. When you get the dough mixed together, there's very little dough to actually hold all of the filler together. I think that's what makes it so good - the result is chunky, chocolaty, and packed with nuts.

Biscotti is actually just one big cookie, baked in a long log and then cut into slices and baked again. It's actually easier than making regular cookies in a way, since you don't have to portion the dough for each cookie. Another great thing about biscotti is that it keeps for a long time. These should be good for at least 2 weeks.

Chunky Triple Nut and Chocolate Biscotti
based on Mosaic Biscotti from Dolce Italiano

For the biscotti:
1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1 large egg yolk, reserve the egg white for the glaze
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
6 ounces chocolate, coarsely chopped, whatever type you prefer, I used 4 ounces of bittersweet and 2 ounces of semi-sweet
1 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup coarsely chopped macadamia nuts
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

For the glaze:
1 egg white, reserved from above
3/4 Tbsp sugar

Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt and stir so that the salt and baking powder are evenly distributed.

In a separate bowl, mix the eggs, egg yolk, sugar, and vanilla extract on medium speed for several minutes, until well combined. Change the speed of the mixer to low and add the dry ingredients gradually, allowing each portion to incorporate before adding more.

Add the chocolate and nuts and stir in by hand. Place the dough onto a cookie sheet that is lined with a silpat or greased. Form a long log that runs the length of the cookie sheet, about 4 inches wide and 1-2 inches high. The dough will be pretty sticky, so you might want to flour your hands before forming the logs to make it easier, and prepare to get messy.

Lightly beat the reserved egg white to break it up a little (Gina says you just want to break up the protein a bit) and brush the top of the log with it. Then sprinkle granulated sugar on top.

Bake at 325 for 20-25 minutes until lightly brown and firm to the touch.

Wait for it to cool completely, about an hour. Then use a serrated knife to cut into slices, on a slight diagonal, to form individual cookies. I like the slices to be about 1/2 inch wide, but you can personalize this to whatever you like.

Put the slices back on the baking sheet and bake at 200 degrees until the biscotti dries out a bit and is a little crisp to the touch, about 25 minutes.

Spicy Fennel Cupcakes with Date Buttercream Icing

I came up with the idea for these cupcakes when I saw the theme of this cupcake roundup: "Re-Invention". I had just made the lamb tagine, and when I saw the theme it occurred to me that the date and fennel flavors in the tagine might actually translate well to a dessert. If you've been following my blog, you'll recall that the first time I experimented with a baking recipe wasn't that long ago. So, I approached the project of creating my own cupcake recipe with excitement and a bit of trepidation.

I began by doing a little research online to find out what mix of ingredients is usually used as a base for cupcakes. I discovered that most recipes have a similar proportion of butter, sugar, eggs, and flour, so I started out with that base as well. Since I love the spicy/sweet contrast of the tagine, I wanted that flavor to resonate in the cupcakes. To achieve this contrast, I decided to put fennel in the cake part, with some of the tagine spices, and to use the dates to enhance the sweet flavor of the icing.

I ended up trying this cupcake recipe 3 times before settling on a version that I liked. You may think I'm crazy, but one of the biggest surprises to me was that none of the tries actually flopped! I mean, I was always taught that you need to be very careful about measuring everything when you bake, but the more I experiment the more I realize that you can play around with many of the ingredients without compromising the end result.

The biggest challenge for me in making this recipe was creating the flavor profile that I wanted. For example, a decision I struggled with was which spices I should add to the cake. Ginger and cinnamon seemed like obvious choices, as they are commonly found in Moroccan food, and they are also often used in sweet recipes. I was pretty hesitant at first with spices like coriander and cumin, since I wasn't really sure they belonged in a dessert. However, I ended up increasing the amount of these spices as I tested the recipe, since I found that they made the final product really unique and spicy.

Another important decision was how to incorporate the fennel and date into the cupcake. One of the things I've heard about fennel is that roasting it can really bring out the flavor, so I decided to roast the fennel before adding it to the cupcake. I pureed the fennel in a bit of milk, which helped to incorporate it into the cupcake. For the date, I didn't want the peel to interfere with the smooth texture of the icing, so I ended up making a date puree.

One idea I had didn't work. You guessed it - I tried throwing some cilantro into the cake. Unfortunately, I found that the baking process dilutes the flavor to the point where you can't even taste the cilantro anymore, so I removed it from the recipe.

I think the color of these cupcakes could use some work. However, overall I was very pleased with the result of my first very own cupcake recipe!

Spicy Fennel Cupcakes with Date Buttercream Icing
(makes 12 cupcakes)

For the fennel cake:
2 fennel bulbs, about 1 1/2 cups after roasting
olive oil, enough to coat the fennel before roasting
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp ginger
1 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cinnamon

For the icing:
5-6 dates, chopped into large pieces, about 1/2 cup after chopping
1/4 cup water
1 cinnamon stick
1 stick butter, room temperature
2 cups confectioners sugar, or less if you don't like very sweet icing
1/2 tsp vanilla

First, roast the fennel. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Chop the fennel bulb in half and then into chunks about 1/2 inch thick. Place on a baking pan and drizzle with a bit of olive oil. Mix to fully coat in olive oil. Cook for 15-20 minutes, turning the fennel pieces over halfway through, until the fennel is soft and beginning to brown.

After the fennel cools, it needs to be chopped before adding to the cupcakes. Put the fennel in a food processor and pulse it several times while adding the milk. If you don't have a food processor, you can also chop by hand.

While the fennel is cooling, begin the batter for the cupcakes. Mix the butter and sugar and beat on high speed for a couple of minutes, until the butter begins to lighten in color and the texture becomes smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix until fully combined.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees for the cupcakes.

Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices in a separate bowl. On low speed, add the dry ingredients to the batter, mixing until just combined. Now add the fennel and milk mixture, stirring until just combined.

Use an ice cream scoop to portion the batter into 12 cupcakes. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

For the icing, first make the date puree. Put the chopped dates, water, and cinnamon stick in a small pot. Cook over low heat for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally until the dates begin to break down and fall apart. Set aside to cool.

For the icing, combine the butter, confectioners sugar, and vanilla and beat on high speed for 5 minutes until light and fluffy, stopping a couple of times to wipe down the sides of the bowl.

After the date mixture is cool, pass the mixture through a sieve. You should end up with about 1/3 cup of date puree that passes through the sieve. Add the date puree to the icing and stir just until combined.

After the cupcakes cool, ice them and enjoy!

Rich Rolled Cinnamon Cookies

A couple of weeks ago we celebrated Eid, the holiday marking the end of Ramadan. Traditionally, Muslims go to the mosque for a quick prayer in the morning and celebrate afterwards by eating with family and friends.

This year I made these cut out cookies for Eid, following a recipe that we used often when I was growing up. These cookies are thin and rich, but not too sweet, with a hint of cinnamon. There is something about their simplicity that makes them addictive.

I have so many childhood memories attached to these cookies. As kids, we painstakingly cut them out and decorated them, carefully adding details like a nose and eyes, as if they wouldn't be eaten hot out of the oven in 10 minutes. These days, I just use decorative sugar to add some color to the cookies.

The key to getting these cookies right is rolling the dough out to the right thickness. Too thin and they will be crisp and hard. Too thick and the cookies will not cook through. If you aren't sure that you have the right thickness, you can always try a few out before making a full batch.

I prefer to use plastic cookie cutters whenever possible, since I find them to be more durable and easier to maintain than the metal ones. Also, I've found that the cookie cutter shape actually makes a difference in the finished product. Choose a larger shape with fewer thin, sharp projections and it will result in a cookie that has a more even texture.

These cookies are perfect for any holiday and are especially fun for kids to decorate. Hope you enjoy!


Here is the recipe, adapted from Joy of Cooking:

Rich Rolled Cinnamon Cookies
(makes about 40 medium sized cookies)

For the cookie dough:
1 cup butter, room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 Tbsp cinnamon

For making the cookies:
cookie cutters
rolling pin
decorative sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Beat the butter and sugar on medium speed for several minutes until the butter lightens in color and becomes fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until combined.

Sift together the flour, salt, and cinnamon, or mix so the cinnamon is evenly spread throughout the flour. On low speed, add the dry ingredients gradually, mixing until just incorporated.

The dough should be rather thick at this point. Divide into two pieces, form them into flat balls, and cover them with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least a couple of hours, until hard. If you don't chill it long enough, it will be sticky and the cookies will be difficult to cut out.

Place a piece of chilled dough between two sheets of wax paper and roll out to about 1/8 of an inch thick. Use your cookie cutters to cut as many cookies as you can from the dough, and then place each one on your cookie sheet. You should try to work rather quickly to cut them out, as the dough will become more difficult to work with as it warms up. Gather the remaining dough scraps, roll them into a ball, and return them to the fridge to keep chilled. Once the cookies are on the sheet, you can take your time to decorate them.

Alternate to the other dough piece still in the fridge, and repeat this process until you finish all the dough.

Bake for 6-9 minutes, until the cookie feels firm when you push on the top. If you can see visible brown spots around the side, you've taken it too far and may need to adjust the thickness of the dough or the cooking time.

Moroccan Lamb Tagine with Fennel and Dates

When I wrote about Moroccan Style Chicken and Chickpeas, I promised to tell you more about tagines. The word tagine refers to both a North African stew-like food, as well as the cooking vessel it is made in. Tagines are easy to make and full of exotic flavor, so if you haven't made one yet I highly recommend it.

The tagine pot is ideal for slow cooking. It has a cone shaped top, which allows liquid to condense and drip back down into the stew, creating a moist, flavorful dish. These days, mainstream brands like Le Creuset and Emily Henry have come up with their own westernized (and pricy) versions of the tagine.

I first started making tagines when my mom got me the Le Creuset tagine for my birthday last year. At first it was pretty amazing to me that something which looks so decorative can actually be used on the stovetop like any other pot. One of the few things that is different about cooking with a tagine is that you generally want to keep it over low heat after putting the top on.

Usually in tagine recipes there is some kind of sweet ingredient (like honey, dates, raisins, or other dried fruit) which contrasts with spices (like cumin, coriander, and ginger). The practice of cooking savory food with fruit is thought to have been brought to Morocco originally by Arabs who migrated to the country long ago. Tagine recipes traditionally call for slow cooking, which produces some fantastic aromas and allows the sweet and savory flavors to blend.

This recipe is taken from the Le Creuset website and uses dates, fennel, and lamb as the primary ingredients. While the original recipe calls for several hours of cooking, I've found that you can often get away with somewhere between an hour and an hour and a half, while still producing a tender stew. If you don't own a tagine of your own, I think this recipe would work just fine cooked in a regular pot. However, I love the visual appeal of serving the finished product in such a beautiful dish! :-)

Moroccan Lamb Tagine with Fennel and Dates
(serves 3-4)

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, sliced thinly
1 fennel bulb, sliced thinly
1.5 lbs lamb, cut into 1-1.5 inch cubes (I usually ask the butcher for a piece of lamb that would work well in a stew. Also they are generally willing to cut into cubes for you if you ask.)
2-3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tsp ginger
2 tsp coriander
2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, or chili powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup chopped dates
1 cup broth, or water
cilantro

Heat olive oil in the base of the tagine over medium heat. Add the fennel and red onion and sautee until translucent. Remove onion and fennel to a bowl.

Add the lamb pieces to the tagine base and cook a few minutes until just browned on all sides. Then add the spices and salt, stirring to combine evenly.

Finally, return the onion and fennel to the tagine, and add the dates and broth. (Depending on the tagine you are using, you may want more or less broth. It should be covering the ingredients most of the way, but should not be so close to the top that it will overflow during cooking.) Reduce heat to low and cover. Cook for 1 to 1.5 hours, until the meat is tender and soft.

Serve over a bed of couscous and garnish with cilantro.

Chopped Dates in Milk

It's been an exciting time for me lately. My husband and I just bought a condo and we've been spending the last couple of weeks unpacking. I really love the new place and can't wait until we finish settling in.

There are some things that I miss about our old place, like the view from the balcony, but let me tell you, I don't miss the stove. It was electric, and really small - just big enough to fit a cookie sheet. It was the kind that has one full size burner, with three that are smaller.

And now for the exciting part. Check out our new stove!


I'm really excited to start experimenting with it.

Another thing that has been keeping me busy lately is Ramadan, the month of fasting that Muslims observe once a year. The fast lasts during daylight hours, so traditionally you wake up before sunrise to eat a meal called suhor and break your fast after sunset with a meal called iftar.

I have a lot of food related memories surrounding Ramadan, since there are certain dishes that my family makes during this time. For example, one traditional food to break fast with is dates and milk. My mom likes to let the dates sit for few minutes in the milk before eating, so the sweet flavor of the dates seeps into the milk.

I've seen variations of this that include nuts, but for me the plain version is great as is. It's the perfect refreshing snack to have at the end of a day of fasting.

Chopped Dates and Milk

(appetizer/snack for 4)

12 dates, about 3 per ramekin
4 ramekins
milk, about 2 cups
couple dashes of cinnamon, optional

Chop the dates into bite sized pieces, removing the seed. Divide evenly between the ramekins and then fill to the top with milk. Sprinkle with some cinnamon if you'd like. Allow to site for at least 5 minutes before enjoying.

Slow-Cooked Shrimp with Spicy Tomato Sauce

Remember the kifta kebab, and how I said that was my favorite meal to request when I visit my family? Well, this shrimp dish is my husband's favorite when we visit his family. The texture of this shrimp is unlike any I've ever had before. It's extremely soft and almost falls apart when you cut it. A spicy tomato based sauce really seeps into the shrimp, and the occasional olive provides a tart contrast in flavor.

The secret to achieving the soft texture of the shrimp is cooking the crap out it. This was a little bizarre to me at first, since I had always heard that you generally cook shrimp briefly. I thought anything more than a few minutes and you would end up with overcooked shrimp. However, it turns out that as with other slow cooked foods, you really can achieve a different texture in the shrimp by giving it plenty of time to cook.

Let me tell you, the first time I tried to make this at home it was a disaster. We got the recipe from my husband's mom by asking her over the phone. We didn't get it right. For example, she said to let it cook for "awhile" which we interpreted as 15-20 minutes, when in fact she meant more than an hour! We also added far too much tomato paste, which obscured all of the other spices in the dish. The shrimp turned out tough and flavorless. Let's just say that the food didn't remind my husband of home :-)

As is often the case with recipes like this that have never been written down, it turned out that the best thing to do was to wait until we visited the east coast again and watch over her shoulder as she made it. She was really excited to show off her recipe, and we all had a good time cooking together.

My husband's mom uses Adobo seasoning and Sazon Goya packets, but I wanted to be able to make it from the spices that I always have on hand at home, so I've modified the recipe a bit. Instead, I use spices that are found in those Goya mixtures in my own combination.

Also, this recipe calls for jumbo shrimp, but my husband's mom says she substitutes regular shrimp sometimes and it works out just fine.

Slow-Cooked Shrimp with Spicy Tomato Sauce
(serves 3-4)

To marinade the shrimp:
2 lbs jumbo shrimp, peeled, tail removed, and deveined (See this video for tips on how to devein, or you can buy them already peeled and deveined.)
1 lime
1/4 cup red wine
1 1/2 tsp oregano
black pepper, several generous grinds
4 cloves garlic, mashed or finely chopped
1 1/2 tsp salt

For the sauce:
2 Tbsp refined corn oil, or other high heat oil
cilantro
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1/2 red pepper, finely chopped
1/2 green pepper, finely chopped
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp achiote, (see the pinon post for information on achiote)
1 Tbsp tomato paste
handful of green olives, with pimento (optional)
broth, or water, about 2-3 cups

Put the peeled, deveined shrimp in a large bowl and rinse thoroughly under cold water. Leaving a little water in the bottom of the bowl, squeeze the juice of a full lime all over the shrimp, mixing with the water as you go. Add more water and rinse the shrimp once more. Finally, drain all of the water.

Add to the bowl the wine, oregano, black pepper, garlic, and salt. Mix everything together thoroughly. Optionally, you can let this sit for up to 30 minutes to marinade.

Put a large pot on medium-high heat and add corn oil. After the oil is hot, lower the heat to medium and prepare to spoon in the shrimp. Use a lid to cover the top as you spoon in the shrimp gradually, to prevent splattering. Finally, pour in the remaining marinade. Add a handful of cilantro, stems included. Stir the mixture to combine and cover. At this point, the liquid should be simmering/boiling.

Let it cook like this, covered, for about 45 minutes to an hour, but make sure to check it regularly and add broth or water if the liquid starts to dry up.

After cooking for 45 minutes to an hour, push all the shrimp to the sides making space in the middle of the pot. Add the onion, red and green pepper, coriander, achiote, and tomato paste. Let that cook for awhile in the center, stirring occasionally. When the onion starts to become translucent, stir everything together and add olives if desired.

Add another cup and a half of broth or water and cook for another 15-20 minutes. At this point, you can uncover and let the sauce dry up a bit, to the desired consistency. The sauce should be relatively thick. Don't forget to check your seasoning too.

Enjoy the shrimp over a bed of rice. I, of course, like to garnish with cilantro too. :-)

Mini Banana-Peach Cakes

Let me just start out by saying that Alton Brown is a genius. I don't necessarily think he's the best chef out there, but he knows how to teach about cooking in a way that grabs your attention and sucks you in. His show Good Eats is unique, fast paced, and full of interesting information about food. The depth of his food knowledge is also demonstrated weekly when he hosts Iron Chef America. He's got to be the smartest person on the Food Network today.

There are also things about his philosophy on food that resonate with me. For example, let me share my favorite Alton Brown quote with you:
"You know we fixate on the food so much itself: 'Oh, the ultimate brownie or the ultimate this or that' -- well, let me tell you something: It’s all poop in about 12 hours, okay? The real power that food has is its ability to connect human beings to each other -- that’s the stuff right there and, to me, everything else is secondary to that."
Amen. I have to agree that this is exactly why food is such a powerful thing.

Anyway, back to the recipe. This cake is based on Alton Brown's Individual Peach Upside-Down Cake, a recipe that I picked up from an episode of Good Eats. I like it because it's really easy, but it looks great and it's pretty healthy for a dessert. Each cake is an individual serving, cooked in a ramekin. After baking, the ramekin is flipped upside down, and the vibrant orange of the peach makes for a pretty top to the dessert.

The juicy peach sits on top of a fluffy vanilla flavored cake. In my version, I added banana as a second layer of fruit under the peach, to add a bit more variety. I also used cinnamon instead of candied ginger, since its an ingredient I'm more likely to have around the house.

Another substitution I made was using yogurt and milk instead of buttermilk. I rarely use buttermilk in my cooking, and it's always annoying to have to buy an ingredient just for one recipe. So, after a little searching online I found that yogurt, thinned with a bit of milk can be a buttermilk substitute. I had some yogurt leftover from making pancakes so I decided to give it a try. It made the batter a little thicker, but worked great!

I like to eat the cake by itself, but it would also be great with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Mini Banana-Peach Cakes
(makes 4 cakes)

Fruit layer:
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 peach, peeled and cut into 1/3 inch slices
1/2 tsp cinnamon, or enough to generously sprinkle each ramekin
1 banana, sliced into 1/3 inch thick rounds

Cake layer:
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1/3 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. butter, melted
3 Tbsp milk
5 Tbsp yogurt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Divide 2 Tbsp. of the butter evenly between 4 ramekins, cutting into small pieces to cover the bottom. Sprinkle brown sugar on top of the butter, dividing evenly between the ramekins.

Lay peach slices on top of the sugar, forming a layer of peach on the bottom. Remember that the peach slices will shrink when cooked, so make it a generous layer, overlapping as necessary. On top of this, sprinkle some cinnamon into each ramekin. Then add the banana on top, forming another layer.

For the cake, in a large bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl (I usually just use a liquid cup measure), mix together sugar, melted butter, milk, yogurt, and vanilla. Add the wet to the dry and mix until just combined. At this point, the batter should be relatively thick, but thin enough to pour. If it seems too thick, add some more milk until it's the right consistency. Pour evenly into the ramekins, filling just up to the top.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until top is beginning to brown and juices are bubbling. Warning: be sure to put something under the ramekins, since they are likely to leak fruit juice. I like to use a piece of tin foil on the rack below.

Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Run a knife around the outside edge to loosen and flip upside down on a plate. Enjoy alone, or with ice cream.

Pinon: Carribean style beef and plantains

My husband's family is from the Dominican Republic, so plantains were a staple when he was growing up. When we started cooking together, I was introduced to plantains, and they quickly became a regular part of our cooking. However, I only know a limited number of ways to cook with them, most of which feature the plantain as the main ingredient. This recipe on the Food Network site caught my eye because it includes plantains, but incorporates a lot of other ingredients and flavors.

Plantains have a bit of a dual personality. When they are not ripe, they are green, hard, and taste similar to potatoes. However, when they ripen they turn yellow/brown, soften, and have a sweet flavor, like bananas. It always amazes me that you can get such a wide range of textures and flavors from a single ingredient!

Some traditional uses of green plantains include mangu, which tastes similar to textured mashed potatoes, and tostones, which are basically french fries made from plantains. Platanos maduros is a dish where the ripe plantains are fried and is reminiscent of banana flambe.

This recipe calls for semi-ripe plantains, which means that they are yellow, with brown spots. Usually you can find both green and ripe plantains for sale. However, if you can only find green plantains, you can also keep them on your counter until they ripen. While I haven't done this myself, this site says that keeping them for a week in a paper bag will do the trick.

This interpretation of pinon is like a lasagna, with plantains instead of noodles, and Spanish spices that heighten the flavor. The ground beef is spicy and contrasts with the sweetness of the raisins and plantains. (Did I mention that one of my favorite flavor combinations is spicy and sweet??) The Parmesan cheese in this dish is definitely an Italian inspired addition, and makes it feel more like a lasagna. As far as I can tell from poking around online, this recipe is based on a traditional Puerto Rican omelette, but it takes some diversions from the authentic version.

One ingredient in this recipe that was new to me was achiote, a spice commonly used in Latin American cuisine. I picked some up when I first made this dish and I have found that it is generally useful in other things that I make. However, if you don't feel like getting any, I think a good substitute would be paprika. It has the same bold color and mild smoky flavor.

One thing that I would like to experiment with next time I make this is baking the plantains, instead of frying them. I suspect you could get pretty much the same flavor, and it would be a lot healthier, as well as less time consuming.

Here is what it looks like:


And here is the recipe, based on this Food Network recipe:

Pinon: Carribean style beef and plantains
(serves 5-6)

Ground beef filling:
1.25 lbs ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 tsp salt, to taste
1/2 tsp pepper, to taste
2 bay leaves
1 tsp ground achiote
1/2 tsp coriander
1/4 - 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
1 16 ounce can whole tomatoes, drained (juices reserved), and chopped
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1/4 cup raisins
1.5 Tbsp red wine vinegar

For the lasagna layers:
4 semi-ripe plantains, yellow with some spots
olive oil, enough to coat the bottom of a pan
2 eggs
2-3 Tbsp. milk, or water
1/2 - 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
cilantro, optional for garnish

Note that you can make the ground beef filling in advance and store in the fridge until you are ready to make the rest.

Also a tip on cooking this for 2-3 people. Instead of just cutting the whole recipe in half, usually I cook all of the ground beef filling and save half of it for the next day. Then I halve the ingredients used for the other lasagna layers. For example, only 2 plantains, 1 egg, etc. A loaf pan works perfectly for the halved recipe.

Cook ground beef in a large pot over medium heat until no longer pink. Add the onion, red and green bell pepper, bay leaves, and spices. Cook for a few more minutes until the onions and peppers begin to soften.

Add all remaining ingredients to the beef, including the chopped tomatoes and reserved juice, tomato sauce, raisins, and vinegar. Bring to a simmer and let the flavors combine for 10-15 minutes. At this point, taste and adjust the spices to your liking.

Set the beef aside to cool while you prepare the plantains.

Peel the plantains and cut diagonally into 1/4-1/3 inch thick slices. (Tip for peeling a plantain: the skin is a little thicker than bananas, so you'll want to cut one end off and slice through the skin lengthwise three times, spaced evenly around the plantain. Then the skin will peel off easily.)

Heat a large pan on medium heat and lightly coat the bottom of the pan with olive oil. When the oil is hot (bubbles when you add a small piece of plantain), add enough slices to cover the bottom of the pan. When the bottom is browned (after a couple minutes), flip to cook the other side. Remove when both sides are lightly browned. (Note the dark brown color on some of the plantain slices in the middle of my picture - that's probably a little too brown :-))

Remove slices to a paper towel to drain and repeat the process for the remaining plantain slices. Add more oil if the pan gets dry in some areas.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Lightly oil a large rectangular baking pan (3 quart capacity). Combine eggs and milk in a bowl and lightly beat. Add half of the egg mixture to the bottom of the pan. Follow with a layer of 1/3 of the plantains, 1/2 of the beef mixture, and 1/2 of the cheese mixture. Repeat another 1/3 of the plantains, remaining beef, and remaining cheese. Top with a layer of plantains. Finally, pour the remaining egg mixture evenly over the top.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake until hot and bubbling. If you started with freshly cooked beef (not out of the fridge), usually all the ingredients start warm and you only need to bake for 30 minutes. However, starting with cold beef, you really need to bake for about an hour to heat through.

Remove the foil, sprinkle with cilantro, and enjoy!

Featherlight Yogurt Pancakes

I'm not generally someone who craves a pancake in the morning. Oh, don't act all shocked. It's not that I don't like pancakes. It's just that many times I feel that pancakes are too heavy and have no substance besides bread.

However, last time I was home visiting my parents I discovered a pancake recipe that works for me. I could tell immediately that these pancakes were lighter than the average pancake. They were thick and airy, and the blueberries and bananas gave them more substance.

My mom got this recipe from a Breyers mailing advertising their yogurt. That's right, these pancakes have yogurt in them! I think it's the combination of the yogurt and a ton of baking soda/powder that makes them thick and fluffy.

One reason that I'm glad I discovered this recipe is that it makes me want to give pancakes another chance. I generally shy away from making pancakes because I expect them to be a certain way. This recipe reminded me that there are a ton of variations to experiment with, and many of them may be lighter and more complex than the average pancake.

One modification to this recipe that I'd like to explore next time is to add bananas and chocolate chips, instead of blueberries and bananas.

This is what it looks like:


And here is the recipe:

Featherlight Yogurt Pancakes
(makes about 9 4.5-inch pancakes)

1 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup yogurt, about 4 ounces
1/2 to 2/3 cup milk, start with 1/2 cup and add more as necessary to thin batter
1 egg, slightly beaten
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 small package of fresh blueberries, about 1 cup
1 banana, cut into slices, then quarter each slice.

Stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt.

In a separate bowl combine yogurt, milk (start with 1/2 cup), egg, and vanilla extract. Stir in melted butter.

Pour liquids into flour mixture, mixing just until dampened. Do not over mix or the pancakes will be tough. If there are still some lumps in the batter don't worry, they will disappear during cooking.

Add blueberries and bananas. Alternatively, if you want to make sure that the fruit is evenly spread between the pancakes, you can add the fruit to each pancake after pouring the batter onto the griddle (a tip from this post).

Heat a pan or griddle on medium heat. No butter is necessary as long as your pan is non-stick. Pour 1/4 cup batter for each pancake. You want a thick batter consistency so that it only spreads out a little when it hits the pan, but not so thick that it's difficult to pour out of the 1/4 cup measure. If the batter is too thick, add some more milk.

After a few minutes, when the top begins to bubble, flip to the other side. Let it cook on this side for a couple more minutes before removing.

Moroccan Style Chicken and Chickpeas

I love this dish because it's so easy to make, but so flavorful and satisfying. It's actually pretty healthy, too, aside from the olive oil used to brown the chicken. One of my favorite parts is the spice combination: cinnamon contrasts with ginger, and chili pepper adds a little heat. The aromas from these spices are just amazing.

I know what you are thinking - "cinnamon??". It may seem odd to use this spice in anything except for dessert. However, cinnamon is actually commonly used in savory dishes in middle eastern cooking. It's the kind of thing that you may never think about trying, but once you do, you'll love it. The key to cooking savory food with cinnamon is to keep it as a background flavor so that it doesn't overpower the rest of the spices in the dish.

This recipe is based on a recipe from The Joy of Cooking called "Chicken Tagine With Chickpeas". However, it isn't actually cooked in a tagine, nor is it slow cooked, so I've changed the name here. (More about tagines in a future post - I actually do have my very own tagine and I love cooking with it.)

The technique used in this recipe is to brown the ingredients in layers, and then combine everything in the pot with some liquid and spices. In this case, the meat is browned first and then removed from the pan, to make room for the onions. After softening the onions and scallions, the meat is added back to the pan, with chickpeas, spices and water, to form a spicy broth. Simmering the broth for a few minutes allows the flavors to combine and keeps the meat really tender.

I've modified the original recipe to use cubes of chicken breast, instead of whole chicken parts. I've also added some thinly sliced zucchini mid-way through cooking. The zucchini maintains some of it's crunch and compliments the other flavors in the dish nicely.

I like to serve this over a bed of white rice mixed with cilantro. The cilantro in the rice compliments the garnish and makes the rice a little less plain. In fact, you can use this trick any time you want to spice up your white rice.

I think it would be pretty straightforward to make a vegetarian version of this dish. You could substitute tofu for the chicken, or just leave it out altogether.

This is what it looks like:



And here is the recipe:

Moroccan Style Chicken and Chickpeas
(serves 2-3)

2 Tbsp olive oil, or 1 Tbsp butter and 1 Tbsp olive oil for extra flavor
1 chicken breast, about .5-.75 pounds
1 onion, small to medium, chopped
1 bunch of scallions, chopped (I like to use both the green part, as well as the white part, except for the bulb at the very bottom.)
2-3 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (I like to rinse them right in the can, using the lid as an aid to drain.)
3/4 cup of water, or broth, but be sure to adjust the seasoning if you use broth
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped finely
3/4 tsp ground ginger (I don't think that substituting fresh ginger would give quite the same flavor but let me know if you try it!)
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8-1/4 tsp chili pepper, to taste
1/4 tsp salt
black pepper, several generous grinds
1 zucchini, medium size, cut in half once lengthwise and thinly sliced, about 1.5-2 cups chopped zucchini
cilantro
1 cup uncooked white rice

Cut the chicken breast into 1 inch cubes. Add the olive oil to a large pot and heat up over medium heat. Add the chicken and brown just until no longer pink on all sides. The chicken shouldn't be cooked through at this stage - it will finish cooking later. Remove the chicken.

Add the onions and cook for a couple of minutes, adding more olive oil if the pan begins to dry out. Add the scallions and cook until the onions are softened and translucent.

Add the chickpeas, water, garlic, ginger, salt, pepper, cinnamon, and chili pepper. Return the chicken to the pan and stir everything together until well combined.

Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover, and then simmer for 8-10 minutes.

Add the zucchini, with a little more salt and pepper. Cover again and simmer for 5 more minutes.

At this point, it's time to uncover, taste the sauce, and adjust the seasoning. You could add up to another 1/4 tsp each of ginger, salt and/or cinnamon, so adjust to your taste. If desired, you can also raise the heat and boil some of the extra liquid off to make the sauce thicker.

Cook the rice according to the directions on the package. After cooking and while the rice is still warm, stir in a handful of roughly chopped cilantro. The heat of the rice will wilt the cilantro.

Serve the chicken and chickpeas over a bed of the rice, and garnish with cilantro.

Magic Cookie Bars

My mom made these cookie bars many times when we were growing up, and when I moved away from home I made sure to take the recipe with me. There is one word to describe them: decadent. Ok maybe two words: simple and decadent.

This is not a difficult recipe. Even my friend who hates baking should be able to handle this one. Graham cracker crumbs, coconut, walnuts, chocolate chips, and the kicker... sweetened condensed milk. The sweetened condensed milk holds these crumbly ingredients together, caramelizing a bit around the sides of the pan to make a chewy edge (my favorite part).

You could definitely use this same technique and modify the recipe to accommodate your favorite ingredients. For example, it would be great with a different kind of nut, or white chocolate. For even more variety, marshmallows or dried fruit would impart a totally different flavor.

I'm not sure where my mom got this recipe from, but I'm guessing it was from the side of a jar of sweetened condensed milk, since I was able to find a suspiciously similar recipe over on the Nestle website. While I was making these cookie bars for a friend's barbecue recently, it occurred to me that I didn't really know what sweetened condensed milk is, nor how it is different from its commonly used counterpart, evaporated milk.

I did a little research and it turns out that both sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk were developed in the mid 1800s as a way to preserve milk for long periods of time. Both products consist of milk that has had some water removed. However, evaporated milk requires more processing to preserve the milk, since the sugar in sweetened condensed milk acts as a preservative.

These days both ingredients are found most commonly in baking applications. For example, tres leches contains both condensed milk and evaporated milk. But that is for another post...

Here is what it looks like:



And here is the recipe:

Magic Cookie Bars

1 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs (You can buy graham cracker crumbs, or put graham crackers in a ziploc bag and use a rolling pin to crush them. About 11 graham crackers make 1 1/2 cups crumbs.)
3 Tbsp sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup coursely chopped walnuts
1 cup chocolate chips
1 1/3 cup flaked coconut
1 can sweetened condensed milk

Measure graham cracker crumbs and sugar into a 13x9x2 inch pan and mix together. Pour the melted butter on top and combine with the crumbs. With the back of a spoon, press mixture firmly and evenly in the bottom of the pan to form a crust.

Sprinkle walnuts evenly over crust. Scatter chocolate bits over walnuts. Sprinkle coconut evenly over chocolate bits. Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over coconut.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes, or until lightly browned around edges.

Let it cool for at least 15 minutes before cutting into bars.

My Favorite Burger

When I first started experimenting with burgers, I began by using the spices that I always cook with, like ginger, coriander, and cumin. I discovered that burgers really stand up well to a vast variety of ingredients. In fact, I even threw red wine vinegar in my burgers a few times and it still turned out great!

My favorite burger doesn't involve eggs or breadcrumbs - that's just filler. If you are careful to cut the onions finely, you really don't need any extra ingredients to hold the burger together. I like to compliment the meat with some spices, garlic, and onion, but otherwise let the meat speak for itself. One of my favorite flavor combinations is cumin and paprika for a smoky flavor and chili pepper for heat.

Recently, I picked up a book called Build a Better Burger. This book covers everything from your standard beef burger to ahi tuni burgers and lamb burgers. There are a ton of great new ideas for toppings and ingredients. I can't wait to try some of the more eccentric recipes, but this time around I decided to stick to my favorite burger, with a new topping from this book.

The topping that I chose to try is caramelized chipotle onions. The recipe for these onions includes chipotle tabasco sauce for some kick and brown sugar for sweetness. I also added a dash of cumin to compliment the spice in the burger.

One new ingredient for me in this recipe was the chipotle tabasco sauce. I discovered that it is slightly less spicy than the normal tabasco hot sauce, and I thought it added great flavor to the onions.

I am a sucker for spicy/sweet flavor combinations and this was no exception. I thought the onions turned out great and would definitely make them again in the future.

Here is what it looks like:


And here is the recipe:

My Favorite Burger
(makes 4 burgers)

Burger:

1 1/4 lbs ground beef (I like my burgers to be just over a quarter pound, but feel free to adjust as you like)
1/4 cup onion, chopped finely
couple of garlic cloves, chopped finely, about 1 Tbsp.
2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. cumin (sometimes for a mellower flavor I use coriander instead)
1/4 tsp. chile pepper, or more if you like heat
1/2 tsp. salt
several generous pepper grinds
splash of red wine, about 2 Tbsp.

Caramelized Chipotle Onions (adapted from Build a Better Burger):
1 large sweet onion, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp TABASCO Chipotle Pepper Sauce
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp olive oil
couple of garlic cloves, chopped finely, about 1 Tbsp.
1 Tbsp brown sugar
couple dashes of cumin (or coriander, if that's what you put in the burger)

whole wheat buns
toppings (I like avocado, tomato, and bleu cheese with this burger)

For the burger, mix all ingredients together until well blended. Split the mixture into four equal parts and make thin patties. Make them thinner than you actually want the final burger to turn out, as they will fatten during cooking.

For the onions, combine all ingredients and cook over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes, until onions are caramelized and golden brown.

Cook the burgers on the grill until cooked to desired doneness (I like about 5 minutes on each side, about medium rare). Grill the buns for a few seconds and then stack with the burger, the onions, and your favorite toppings.

Grilled Balsamic Zucchini Bites

Is it just me or does everything taste better with balsamic on it? Seriously, I use it for everything from salad dressings to marinades and sauces, and it always adds just the right flavor. For example, one simple grilling trick my brother taught me is to marinade vegetables in balsamic before throwing them on the grill.

One variation of this that results in a delicious side dish is zucchini sliced into thin strips lengthwise, dipped in balsamic, and grilled. (By the way, I still have yet to find a reasonable way to cut zucchini into thin strips lengthwise without occasionally putting my fingers in danger. Please enlighten me if you know how.)

I was making this zucchini dish the other day when we were grilling burgers and was trying to think about how I could make it more fancy - like something you could do as appetizers at a party. It definitely needed more color and I thought it would be nice to have an additional flavor that would compliment the balsamic flavor.

I decided that goat cheese and roasted red pepper would do the trick. Since we already had the grill running, I did a roasted red pepper on the grill. To make it easier to eat, I rolled the zucchini up around the cheese and pepper and stuck a toothpick in. The result? Excellent! The goat cheese and balsamic flavors really go together very nicely. The roasted red pepper added color, without taking away from the other flavors.

One thing that I might try next time is to actually blend some roasted red pepper and some other spices with the goat cheese to make a spread. Also, since it's a little time consuming to roll each appetizer, next time I'll try to have everything portioned out and ready to roll before the zucchini comes off the grill.

Here's what it looks like:




And here's the recipe:

Grilled Balsamic Zucchini Bites
(makes appetizer potion for 4)

Roasted red pepper:
1 red pepper
1 Tbsp olive oil

Grilled zucchini:
3 zucchini, cut into thin (1/8 inch thick) lengthwise slices
balsamic vinegar, enough to coat zucchini, about half a cup
salt and pepper, to taste

goat cheese, one small package
toothpicks

For the roasted red pepper, poke some holes in the pepper with a fork. Then coat the outside with olive oil. Finally, put on the grill, rotating periodically, until the outside is fully blackened. It will take about 15-20 minutes.

After taking the pepper off the grill, put it in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let it sit for 5 minutes. After that, the skin will peel off easily. Cut it in half, removing the seeds and the skin. Then cut into thin strips. Cut the strips into pieces so that each piece is about the width of the zucchini.

For the zucchini, line up as many slices as you can fit on a plate. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and make sure they are fully coated by flipping them over a few times. Season all slices liberally with salt and pepper, flip, and do the same on the other side. Stack these slices on the side and repeat with another layer until all slices are done.

Grill the zucchini slices for a couple minutes on each side, until they develop a nice golden color. Adjust the cooking time to the thickness of the slices. They should be very soft, but not blackened.

Prepare all the ingredients in an assembly line to put together the rolls. Take each piece of zucchini and place a piece of red pepper and a dollop of goat cheese at one end. Roll the zucchini starting at that end. Finally, stick in a toothpick to hold it all together.

Enjoy!

Egg Express: Breakfast on the go

When I'm in a hurry, one of my favorite things to have for breakfast is an egg sandwich. Often I'll stop by the local bagel shop and grab an egg and cheese on a bagel. However, there are a few things that I dislike about the store bought sandwich, which led me to create my own version.

First of all, it's really upsetting that the vast majority of places that I've been to in San Francisco dump the egg in the microwave. Too often this leads to a thick, flavorless mass of rubbery egg. Tell me what is so hard about having a grill in a bagel shop! :-)

Another problem is that often the bread-to-egg ratio is way off (a sentiment echoed here). Either the egg is falling out the sides or the bagel dwarfs the egg. Many times I feel that it ends up being way too filling for my taste.

For my version, I use a honey wheat English muffin, which adds a subtle sweet flavor to balance out the savory flavors. Add one fried egg, seasoned generously with salt and pepper, plus a slice of cheese, and sprinkle with any garnish leftover from last night's dinner (in this case it ended up being scallions). Perfect bread to egg ratio and plenty of flavor. Yum.

Here is the finished product:


And here is the (very simple) recipe:

Egg Express
(Serves 1)

1 egg, room temperature
1 honey wheat English muffin
small pat of butter
1 slice of cheese (I have to admit that I tend to use American cheese for this because it is so fast to melt. But really any cheese would work.)
salt and pepper
ketchup/extra garnish, if desired

Take a small non-stick pan and heat on medium low. You don't want to cook fried eggs over too high of a heat - otherwise they will cook too quickly and will have a tough texture. Add butter to lightly coat the bottom of the pan.

After the pan is completely heated, add your egg to the pan. One trick to keep the egg from spreading all over the pan (courtesy of Alton Brown) is to crack it into a bowl first, and then gently pour it into the pan.

Liberally season with salt and pepper. Since the top is still uncooked, it absorbs the seasoning nicely. Start toasting the English muffin while the egg cooks.

When the thickest part of the egg has turned from clear to opaque, it is ready to flip. If desired, you can pop the yolk a few seconds before turning. This spreads the yolk flavor a little bit through the sandwich and ensures that it won't be too runny in the finished product.

After flipping, season again with salt and pepper. Take the slice of cheese and place it on top of the egg, so it begins to melt. It shouldn't take much time on this side to complete cooking - less than a minute.

Place the egg on the toasted English muffin, folding or cutting as necessary to fit the shape. At this point, if the cheese still isn't fully melted, you can stick it in a toaster oven for a few seconds. Top with your favorite garnish and ketchup, if desired.

So simple, but delicious!

Not-so-red Velvet Cupcakes

I have to confess that I have been a bit obsessed with cupcakes lately. It started when I went to the local bakery and had an amazing carrot cupcake. Then I had a very tasty vanilla cupcake at Kara's Cupcakes in Ghirardelli Square. I even made a special trip to Magnolia when I was in New York City about a month ago, just to see why it is so popular. (Honestly, I still don't get why Magnolia is so famous - they weren't my favorite, although the icing was good.)

Then I saw a Paula Deen show on red velvet cupcakes. Paula Deen is a food network personality who is well known for her southern comfort food recipes, many of which involve a stick of butter or a package of cream cheese. Most of her food is too rich for my taste, but I figured that if anybody would know how to make a decadent dessert, it would be her. So, I decided to try out her recipe for red velvet cupcakes.

The result? The cupcakes were fluffy and moist, and the icing was just sinful. However, I couldn't taste the cocoa in the cake and they left me with a bit of a greasy/oily feeling. (As a side note I also noticed that they left a sizable puddle of oil in the cupcake pan, which is not all that surprising considering how much oil is in the recipe.)

Upon offering some of the cupcakes to my friends, they were generally well received, but I inevitably heard "Wow, what makes them so red??" and was somewhat ashamed to admit that it involved food coloring.

All of this left me thinking that I could probably improve upon the initial recipe. I've always been afraid to experiment when baking though. I mean, when you are cooking something savory, no big deal. Double the garlic, throw in a few extra spices, swap some ingredients, it all works out in the end. But with baking, I'm always afraid that I'll end up with a dense cake that doesn't rise.

I decided to give it a shot, while trying to be conservative about how much I changed in the recipe. I reduced the oil by 1/3 and added a couple of tablespoons of butter instead, hoping that this would give it a less greasy feel. I also decided to increase the cocoa powder, to allow for more of the chocolate flavor to come through, and I doubled the vanilla extract for more flavor. Finally, I ditched the food coloring, deciding that despite the southern tradition it was pretty unnecessary. Instead I topped with red crystallized sugar.

The result? The cupcake was definitely less oily and didn't leave me with a greasy feel like the original recipe. The cake did lose a bit of the light, airy feel that the original version had, though. This is possibly because of the butter substitution and possibly because I reduced the overall proportion of wet ingredients in the recipe. I think I might continue to experiment with this one, but not half bad for a first try! Any advice from baking experts out there??

Here is the finished product:


And here is the recipe:

Not-so-red Velvet Cupcakes
(makes 12 cupcakes)

Cupcakes:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon cocoa powder
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 Tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup buttermilk, room temperature
1 large egg, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Frosting:
1/2 lb. cream cheese, softened
1 stick butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups confectioners sugar, sifted

red crystallized sugar, to top

For the cupcakes:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake papers.

In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In a large bowl gently beat together the oil, melted butter, buttermilk, eggs, vinegar, and vanilla with a handheld electric mixer. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet and mix until smooth and thoroughly combined.

Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake tins about 2/3 filled. Bake in oven for about 20 to 22 minutes, turning the pan once, half way through. Test the cupcakes with a toothpick for doneness. Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting.

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
Be sure all your ingredients are at room temperature! That means leaving the butter and cream cheese out for at least a couple of hours. In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until smooth. Add the sugar and on low speed, beat until incorporated. Increase the speed to high and mix until very light and fluffy. You'll see the the icing lighten in color and increase in volume.

Frost the cupcakes, sprinkle with the crystallized sugar, and enjoy! The frosted cupcakes will keep in the fridge for several days.

Dad's Kifta Kebabs

This is one of the dishes that I beg for when I visit my parent's house in New Jersey. My dad is from Syria and I grew up enjoying many Arabic dishes that he cooked, like this one. This year I grilled these kebabs on my balcony in San Francisco for the fourth of July.

Kifta kebab is made with ground meat, usually lamb, which is mixed with spices, onions, and parsley for flavor. Do not confuse this with shish kebab, which is more common in the US and usually consists of chunks of meat and vegetables on a skewer. In my opinion, often the marinade used to make shish kebabs never quite penetrates to the center of the meat, and as a result they are far inferior to kifta kebab.

Usually the meat for kifta kebab is wrapped around a skewer for grilling. However, relatively recently my dad started making them in the same shape, without the skewer, like a fat hot dog or sausage. I've been told that the meat stays together better this way. There is also less cleanup, and as far as I can tell no compromise on taste, so I prefer this method.

The spices in kifta have a generally mild flavor, but they compliment the lamb perfectly. My dad serves with pita bread, a garlic yogurt sauce, and parsley or cilantro for sprinkling on top. (Actually he likes to sprinkle parsley and cilantro on top of pretty much everything but I think it works well in this case :-) ) I like to make a little pita bread sandwich out of it all.

Replicating a recipe from my dad is always interesting, as he has been cooking these dishes for years on feel, without actually measuring how much of each ingredient is added. I've estimated the amounts that I used when barbecuing last Wednesday, but feel free to experiment and add more or less of whichever ingredient is your favorite.

We enjoyed the kifta with a pilaf from one of my favorite food blogs and a tomato and cucumber salad

Here is what the kifta looks like:


And here is the recipe:

Dad's Kifta Kebabs

(Serves 4)

Kifta:
2 lbs. fatty ground lamb (or 50/50 ground beef and ground lamb), either way is delicious
1 Tablespoon allspice
1 Tablespoon paprika
1/4 cup parsley, cut very fine
1/4 cup onion, cut very fine
salt and pepper

Garlic Yogurt Sauce:
1 16 ounce tub of yogurt
1/4 cup cucumber, peeled and diced
1 garlic clove, crushed in a garlic press or very finely diced

Whole wheat pita bread
Chopped parsley or cilantro to garnish

For the yogurt sauce, mix the yogurt, cucumber, and garlic, and set aside for 30 minutes to allow the flavors to blend.

Mix the lamb and spices and form into kebabs, approximately 5 inches long and just over 1 inch wide. Grill until the outer surface just begins to blacken, or until cooked through.

Heat the pita bread on the grill during the last minute of cooking. Then place the warm bread on a serving plate. Remove the kifta from the grill and place immediately on top of the warm bread, to allow the bread to absorb any excess juices from the meat.

Serve with the yogurt sauce and extra parsley or cilantro for garnish.

Crispy Salmon with Warm Lentils and Balsamic Essence

I found this recipe in a cookbook that I picked up from the bookstore the other day. The cookbook is called "A New Way to Cook" and it caught my eye because it features a philosophy that appeals to me: cook healthy without compromising on flavor. I've only tried a couple of recipes from it so far, but they have both been amazing.

This dish consists of three components: the lentils, the salmon, and the balsamic based sauce.

The lentils I used are the Lentilles du Puy (or French green lentils), which are said to have a richer flavor than the standard brown lentil. I really enjoyed them and found that they have a nutty taste and a nice texture. The great thing about lentils of any variety is that there is no pre-soaking necessary and they cook relatively quickly.

The technique used to cook the lentils is to infuse flavor by simmering with potent ingredients in the cooking water, like garlic, bay leaves, and hot peppers. It works amazingly well and leaves me wondering what other dishes I could apply this to.

The recipe calls for cooking the salmon with skin on, but I prefer without. I also added some coriander to spice the salmon up a bit and to compliment the cilantro in the lentils. There isn't much to cooking the salmon, but be sure not to overcook so that you get a flaky texture inside. I went for a medium to medium-high heat, cooking only a few minutes on each side, until the color on the part of salmon that doesn't touch the pan lightens and appears uniform. I found it to be a bit fishy, so next time I would probably sprinkle with a little bit of lime before cooking.

The balsamic glaze is really very simple but it adds intense flavor to the dish. The recipe calls for adding either butter or olive oil to the glaze. I've tried both and didn't notice much of a flavor difference between the two, but it is harder to get the olive oil to incorporate into the glaze. By the way, I found that balsamic vinegar lets off some pungent fumes while reducing, so turn on your oven fan, or if (like me) you don't have a functional oven fan, stand back and open a window :-)

Here's a picture of the finished product. We enjoyed with a salad on the side.



And here is the recipe, from "A New Way to Cook", with my own modifications.

Crispy Salmon with Warm Lentils and Balsamic Essence
(serves 2-3)

A Bed of Lentils:
6 ounces lentils (3/4 cup), preferably French lentilles du Puy
4 garlic cloves, lightly crushed
1 serrano or jalapeno chile, cut lengthwise in half (one more if you are adventurous)
1 shallot, peeled and chopped into 2-3 large chunks
1 bay leaf
3/4 teaspoon salt, to taste

Buttery Balsamic Essence:
1 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon unsalted butter or extra-virgin olive oil

Crispy salmon:
2-3 5-ounce salmon fillets (or one larger fillet to split), skin off
1/2 teaspoon coriander (or enough to liberally season salmon)
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or more for some extra kick)
juice from 1/2 of a lime
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (or parsley as the original recipe specified)

To make the lentils, combine the lentils, garlic, chile pepper, shallot, and bay leaf in a medium saucepan with water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to a simmer over moderate heat, then reduce the heat to low. Cook the lentils at a bare simmer for 10 minutes. (Do not allow the lentils to boil, or they will become tough.) Add the salt and continue cooking until they are just tender but still hold their shape, about 10 minutes longer. (They will continue to cook as they cool.) Let the lentils cool for about 15 minutes in their cooking water.

To make the balsamic essence, bring the balsamic vinegar to a boil in a small nonreactive saucepan over moderate heat. Reduce the heat slightly and cook until reduced to 1/4 cup and thick and syrupy. Remove from the head and set aside. I found that this took about 15-20 minutes.

Sprinkle the salmon with the salt and freshly ground pepper, coriander, and cayenne, on both sides.

Add a couple of tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil to a large heavy nonstick skillet. Heat over moderate heat (medium to medium-high) until very hot. Slide the salmon into the pan and cook 3 to 4 minutes. Turn the salmon fillets over and cook for 1 to 2 minutes longer, until the fish is opaque and a two-pronged kitchen fork inserted straight down meets with no resistance.

Meanwhile, drain the lentils, reserving 1 tablespoon of the cooking liquid. Remove and discard the garlic, chile pepper, shallot, and bay leaf. Return the lentils to the saucepan and stir in the reserved cooking liquid and salt and pepper to taste. Heat the lentils over moderate heat, stirring frequently until hot. Toss in the cilantro, cover, and keep warm.

Let the salmon rest for a minute or two.

Return the balsamic sauce to moderate heat and bring to a simmer. Add the butter and stir until blended.

Mound the lentils in the center of four dinner plates. Place 1 salmon fillet on top of each mound, then spoon sauce around the lentils.

Tip for making in advance: You can prepare the lentils up to 3 days ahead; cover and refrigerate. Warm gently in a covered medum skillet, adding a few tablespoons of water if necessary. Add the cilantro just before serving. The balsamic vinegar can be reduced several hours ahead, and left in the pan at room temperature. Add the butter at the last minute.