Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Sake Sangria


Nigori sake is perfect for making sangria because it’s already sweet and muddy.  I’ve noticed there are lots of different sangrias in restaurants now.  I love every one of them!!!

Ingredients
Sake                         ½ cup
Lemon juice              2 tablespoon
Peach, cubed           ¼ cup
Sugar                       1 teaspoon

Directions:
1. Muddle the peach cubes in goblets to release the juice.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients into the goblet to stir, add ice. 

Serving: 2

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Chicken Piccata


Many of you might have noticed the ingredients aren’t classic.  I added capers and cream to the sauce, but hey, it works.  Give it a try.  If you can’t handle too much lemon juice, then you can reduce the amount to ½ cup of lemon juice.  All the ingredients are just stuff we usually have ready in the refrigerator, so easy to make.  Enjoy. 

A Ingredients
Chicken cutlet              4 pieces
Salt and pepper               to taste

B Ingredients
All purpose flour             ½ cup
Salt                                  ½ teaspoon
Ground black pepper       ½ teaspoon

C Ingredients
Egg                           1 piece
Water                       1 ½ teaspoon

D Ingredients
Breadcrumbs                 1 cup
Olive oil                         1 tablespoon

E Ingredients
Unsalted butter                  2 tablespoon
Lemon juice                      2/3 cup
White wine                         1 cup
Capers                                1 tablespoon
Juiced lemon wedges         4 pieces
Sugar                                  1 teaspoon
Ground black pepper       ½ teaspoon

F Ingredients
Unsalted butter                 2 tablespoon
Heavy whipping cream    ¼ cup
Minced parsley                 2 tablespoon

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Place the thinly sliced chicken in between two pieces of parchment paper, beat the thicker parts with a meat hammer or rolling pin, so the chicken cooks evenly later.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
2. Mix B, C, D, ingredients separately, place in 3 different shallow dishes to make a dipping station.
3. Heat up the olive oil in a skillet.  Dip both the chicken into the flour, then into the egg wash, then into the breadcrumbs, place into the hot skillet to cook till golden brown n both sides, then place on a foil lined baking sheet, bake in the oven for 5-10 minutes.
4. Place the E Ingredients into a small sauce pan, cook until reduced to half and thicken, remove from heat, add the unsalted butter and heavy whipping cream, pour about ¼ cup onto the bottom of the plate, place a chicken steak onto the sauce, sprinkle with some minced parsley, serve with some angel hair pasta.  

Serving: 4

Friday, June 24, 2011

Waldorf Salad


It’s hard to believe this salad is more than 115 years old.  It was invented in 1896 by a maître d'hôtel(dining room manager) at the landmark Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City.  It’s such a wonderful combination of fruits and dressing, classic. 

A Ingredients
Fuji apple, chunks         2 heads
Celery, thinly sliced       1 cup
Seedless red grapes        1 cup
Roast chicken cubes       1 cup

B Ingredients
Mayonnaise                ½ cup
Sour cream                   3 tablespoon
Lemon juice                 2 tablespoon
Sugar or honey            1 teaspoon

C Ingredients
Dried cranberries, soaked, drained           ½ cup
Lettuce blend                                          3-4 cups
Candied pecan                                         ½ cup

Directions:
1. Mix B Ingredients in a bowl, salt and pepper to taste.
2. Stir B sauce into S ingredients in a mixing bowl, then add the cherries and candied pecan, toss to blend, salt and pepper to taste. 
3. Scoop the fruit salad onto a plate of lettuces, can also add some cubes of roast chicken or ham to the salad. 


Serving: 4

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Multi-Grain Mini Loaf


I know now that people invent new things to get away with being lazy. My mom told me that she didn’t wanna cut the long loaf of breads I usually make. So here we are with individual portions, perfect for breakfast!!!

A Ingredients
Bread flour           200 g
Milk                       40 g
Water                    40 g
Eggs                        1 piece
Salt                        ½ teaspoon
Sugar                    40 g
Dry yeast                1 teaspoon

B Ingredients
Butter                                              10 g
Cream cheese                                 10 g
Pumpkin seeds                               10 g
Walnuts                                          10 g
Raisins, soak in water 5 min, drain   30 g

C Ingredients
Flax seeds                    2 teaspoon
Oats                             2 teaspoon
Almond slices               2 teaspoon
Wheat bran                  2 teaspoon
Wheat germ                  2 teaspoon

Directions:
1. Measure C Ingredients into a bowl, toast in a dry frying pan, around 3 minutes until fragrant.
2. Place A and C ingredients into the mixing bowl of a dough mixer, beat at low speed until incorporated and turn to medium speed, when all the dough are picked up from the bottom of the mixing bowl, add the butter and cream cheese. When the dough’s elastic and developed think layers of gluten, add the pumpkin seeds, walnuts, and raisins. Cover with wet towel and let rise 60 minutes until double. Take the dough out, punch down and seal and roll the dough into a ball, cover with wet towel, let rest 20 minutes. Then divide dough into 6 equal portions, roll up, covered with wet towel and rest 20 minutes.
3. Roll the dough out flat, roll up from the short end, pinch and roll the dough into a sealed ball, cover with wet towel and let rise 20 minutes, slice the top of bread, then cover with wet towel again and let rise an additional 15-20 minutes.
4. Preheat oven 350F。Brush dough with egg wash, bake for 14-16 minutes until golden brown.

Serving: 6

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Banana Walnut Bread

I made this because my mom was drooling over this Banana-Walnut-Bread-looking stuff at Costco the other day.  But these mass produced pastries are generally very sweet.  I’m talking about the kind that when you bite into it your mouth starts burning.  Sweetness is relative, not absolute.  When you gradually eat less sweet, you can taste the sweetness better.  Plus, it’s healthier and less calories.  Here is my take on a ½ sugar banana walnut bread.  

A Ingredients          1 ¾ cup
Sugar                           1 cup
Baking powder             2 teaspoon
Baking soda                 ½ teaspoon
Salt                              ¼ teaspoon

B Ingredients
Butter, slight soften      1/3 cup
Mashed banana                 3 banana
Honey                                2 tablespoon
Milk                                   2 tablespoon
Walnuts                             ¼ cup

C Ingredients
Rolled oats                   ¼ cup
Brown sugar                  2 tablespoon
Ground cinnamon       1/8 teaspoon
Butter, chilled                1 tablespoon
Walnuts                          2 tablespoon
 
Directions:
1. Preheat oven 350°F/180°CCut a piece of parchment paper big enough to cover the bottom of a loaf pan and comes up on both long sides, spray with cooking spary. 
2. Measure all A ingredients into a mixing bowl. 
3. Cream the butter in a mixing bowl, add the mashed banana, honey, and milk in batches, beat until blended. 
4. Add A ingredients in 3 batches, fold into butter mixture with a rubber spatula, do not over mix.  Stir in the walnuts last, then pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. 
5. Place all C Ingredients, except the walnuts, into a mixing bowl, cut the butter into the mix until the mixture resembled coarse crumbs, then stir in walnuts. Srinkle on top of prepared batter to create a streusel topping.  
6. Bake in the oven 55-55 minutes, until stick inserted into center comes out clean.  Remove from oven, let cool 15 minutes.  Pull the bread loaf out of the loaf pan by pulling the excess parchment paper, place onto wire rack, remove the parchment paper, let cool 15 more minutes before slicing. 

Serving: 1 loaf

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Chocolate Croissant

Many places sell these chocolate croissants, but none of them stuff enough chocolate into the croissants.  So here I am today, making my own chocolate croissants, and these babies are fully stuffed!!!

Ingredients
Croissants                                     2 pieces
Semi-sweet chocolate morsels     ½ cup
 
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Slice the croissants twice in front, once in the back to make 3 pockets. Don’t cut all the way through.
3. Stuff the pockets with chocolate morsels; place a few on top of the croissant for decoration. 
4. Place the stuffed croissant onto a baking sheet, bake in the oven for 6-8 minutes, until chocolate melted, serve hot and crispy!!

Serving: 2