Rainbow Cream Cheese Cupcakes

This is a simple cream cheese pound cake recipe with a little variation - the inside is multi-coloured. I was about to write this as being for the kids, but I sure enjoy a rainbow cake as much as any kid, and I'm nearly 30. The frosting is a simple buttercream with a couple drops of blue food coloring, but I left the decoration to the "kids" (read: the man of the house) so it tastes better than it looks in the picture. Buttercream frosting is easy to handle and keeps its shape, so this is not only easy to make, but interactive enough to be fun.


Ingredients:

3 sticks butter, softened

8 oz cream cheese, softened

3 cups sugar

6 eggs, at room temperature

3 cups sifted cake flour

1 1/2 tbsp vanilla

Confectioner's sugar

Three (or more) colors of food coloring.

 Directions:

1) In a large bowl, cream together butter, cream cheese and sugar until smooth and fluffy.

2) Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each.

3) Add flour a little at a time, beating until smooth. Add vanilla.

4) Separate batter into 5 small bowls, then add food coloring to each to make five colors. (I usually go the standard route – red, yellow, green, blue, purple.)

5) Prepare a cupcake pan, inserting cupcake papers into each of the muffin holes, and then use a spoon to ladle the batter carefully into each cup. Then, alternate colors by ladling different colors of batter on top of each other. The cups should be about 3/4 of the way full.

6) Bake in the oven at 180 Celsius for about 30 minutes or until you can stick in a toothpick and pull it out clean.

Tips:

* This method can be used for any kind of pound cake - if you want to make rainbow colored bundt cake, layer cake, etc just spoon the batter into the cake tin the same way you might have spooned it into the cups.

Goya Champuru Yakisoba

Guess what - we got GOYA! In case you don't know, goya is a bitter melon that looks like a bumpy cucumber and is indigenous to Asia. Right now in Tokyo, people are finding other ways to stay cool besides using the AC, so planting goya as a "green curtain" in front of your windows and veranda is all the rage. As a result, we have a surplus of goya everywhere, including our own garden.

The most famous dish using goya is an Okinawan one called "Goya Champuru," which I will show you how to make one of these days. This is a variation on this dish using yakisoba, which is a treat that Japanese eat during festivals around the country. It has a real feel of summer, the way watermelon and hot dogs do in America.

This dish uses a number of items that may only be available at an Asian foods market, but unless you've lived in Japan, I guarantee you've never had anything like it.

Ingredients:

2 mounds of yakisoba
1/2 goya, cut lengthwise
80g spam (yep, they love this stuff in Okinawa)
2 tbsp salad oil
2 tbsp chicken broth
60 cc water
2 eggs
2 tsp soy sauce

Directions:

1)  Cut the goya into thin slices to resemble half-moon shapes. Soak them in saltwater for 10 minutes.
2) Heat up the vegetable oil in the frying pan, and add the goya and the spam. Cook until the spam has just begun to darken.
3) Add the yakisoba noodles and the water, and stir fry, tossing gently until the water has evaporated. Add the chicken broth and mix.
4) Mix the eggs in a small bowl, then pour in the saucepan. Cook until eggs are gently hardened.
5) Add soy sauce, mix and serve.

Tips:
* Goya is very bitter, and when it is cooked it it usually soaked in salt water to remove some of the bitterness. This is done to taste - some people prefer it bitter and others prefer it cucumber sweet. After a few times eating it you should be able to judge how long you want to soak your goya.

Zucchini and Shrimp Capellini

My favorite pasta is capellini. When I was a kid I was unfortunately subject to some very bad pasta that was always thick and sticky, so for many years I did not like pasta. It was capellini (from a different source than the said thick and sticky) that freed me from the curse.

This quick and easy recipe was designed especially for summer, and goes perfectly with the light and fluffy capellini. It will not bog you down or having you feel hot tired and sticky as we so often do this time of year.

For the sauce:
6 deepwater prawns ("northern prawns", or "pink shrimp")
200 g tomato sauce
1/2 a small-medium sized eggplant
20 g celery (finely chopped)
20 g bulb onion (finely chopped)
20 g red pepper (finely chopped)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp vinegar
1 head of garlic
Pinch of salt

Directions:
1) Start by cooking the olive oil and chopped garlic in a saucepan.
2) Add the shrimp when the garlic has been browned, and cook on low heat.
3) Add the onions and celery to the mixture and let them cook until soft.
4) Then add the remainder of the vegetables, and a little salt.
5) Add the tomato sauce, vinegar, salt and pepper to taste, and cook for about 3 minutes until done. Be sure there is just a little extra moisture in the sauce for when you add the pasta.

Pasta: 
120 g capellini,
half a zucchini (cut lengthwise)

Directions:
1) Use a peeler to slice sheets off the zucchini.
2) Slice the sheets lengthwise into very thin strips, like pasta.
3) Boil the zucchini with the pasta (approx two minutes) until the pasta is slightly al dente
4) Quickly cool the pasta by dumping it in a sieve and running it under cold water.
5) Add the pasta to the sauce pan and mix it all up on low heat, tossing until the sauce has coated the noodles. Then, serve.

Tips:

* My recipe does not use a lot of sauce - you may want to double the recipe if you prefer extra sauce.
* By the way, up there the picture has been taken with the sauce set on top only to show you the contrast of the zucchini strips with the noodles. As all pasta lovers know, proper pasta is served with the sauce mixed in with the pasta - it doesn't make for a good picture but sure makes for a good mouthful! I gave the instructions above as adding the pasta to the sauce, but you serve it any way you wish.

Halva

Arabian recipe number two - one after the other, because I am on a kick and made them both on the same day (with a nice curry that Avanator will probably get around to before me!)

Halva is a kind of simple cake that goes well with tea and coffee and has a unique flaky texture you won't find anywhere else. There are many, many ways to make it - some households add nuts, beans and yams, others use tahini or special flour, others use honey. But just to start, if you never made it before, you'll need a simple recipe for your base. I'll leave the rest up to you from there!

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup rosewater
3-4 threads of saffron (or about 1/2 teaspoon of the ground up variety)
340 grams of tahini (pre-beaten)

Directions:

1) Boil sugar and water in a saucepan over medium heat.
2) Once sugar is dissolved, add saffron and rosewater. Remove from heat.
3) Add tahini and whisk carefully to fully integrate.
4) Next, spread it evenly on a platter. Add any decorations you would like on top at this time.
5) Cover and stick it in the fridge until it cools.
6) Serve by cutting it into wedges like fudge.

Tips:

* You can use a fork to make patterns in the top of the Halva for decorations before it cools, and they'll stay. You can also add decorative nuts and raisins on the top to your liking. Do all this after you pour the mixture into the platter and before you put it in the fridge.
* Rosewater can be bought at most specialty shops, but in case you can't find it, you can make it yourself. Just take a cup of fresh, clean rose petals (you can buy them from a flower shop if you need to),  pour two cups of boiling water on top, cover and steep until the water cools. Then use a strainer to remove the rose petals and squeeze them out, and voila, you have rose water left over.
* Remember that Lavender cheesecake I made for you guys last week? You can also easily use lavender in this recipe. But beware - lavender is like perfume. Don't add too much - a little goes a long way.

Hummus

I decided to post two easy middle-eastern recipes in order, because nothing beats the heat like food designed for people who know nothing but heat. Both recipes take less than 30 minutes and require little preparation.

This one is called Hummus, and is a great way to get kids to eat chick peas. I hated chick peas as a kid. But this is one way that beans don't taste like beans. You can use this as a dip for chips and crackers, for pita bread, raisin bread, vegetables, or (as a nice Turkish guy taught me) even to spread on kebob meat.

Ingredients:

2 cups canned chickpeas
1/4 cup tahini
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup virgin olive oil
3 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup water
salt
black pepper
paprika and parsley for decoration

Directions:

1) Gently brown garlic over low heat, being careful not to burn.
2) Blend garlic, chickpeas, tahini, olive oil and lemon juice in a blender until the consistency is smooth like a milkshake.
3) Add water, salt and pepper to the blender until it tastes just right.
4) transfer it to a tupperware or a covered dish and leave in the fridge overnight. Though you can serve it right away, hummus always tastes best the next day.

Tips:

* Hummus is often served with a dash of olive oil on the top. Other garnishes include black olives, cayenne pepper, and pine nuts.
* This dip keeps very well, so you can easily refrigerate it for a week or so and pull it out for those times you have the munchies.
* In Palestine, the tahini is replaced with yoghurt. So if you find yourself without tahini one day, substitute plain yoghurt and you'll be fine.
* Hummus is useful in vegetarian and vegan diets, and has tons of vitamin C, iron and vitamin B6. Fat is also all non-saturated, so this stuff won't make you fat like some other dips might.

Basic Ice Cream

I love the Japanese word "kufu." It means to "alter" or to "improvise." The best examples of this come from the kitchen - you might have a recipe that calls for apples, but you only have cherries, so you make the same recipe using cherries instead!

One super-easy recipe that calls for this creativity is ice cream. What? You've never made ice cream before? Why - because you don't have an ice-cream maker? Well, neither do I, and neither did the rest of the kitchens of the world until about 30 years ago - and they still had ice cream.

Ingredients:

1 cup milk
2 cups cream
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2-3 tablespoons of whatever you want to add to the ice cream

Suggestions:
* coffee (instant)
* vanilla (only need a teaspoon of this)
* lavender extract (remember how I told you how to make this?) or fresh lavender flowers
* chamomile or rose petals (fresh only!)
* instant cocoa
* cherries, strawberries, blueberries
* Mint
* Chocolate chips or M&Ms
* cinnamon (this too, only needs a teaspoon or so)

Directions:

1) Place a stainless steel bowl into the freezer. Make sure it is level.
2) Heat up the milk until scalding.
3) Add the cream and sugar.
4) Stir in whatever you want to add to the ice cream.
5) Carefully pour the mixture into the (now cool) steel bowl in the freezer. Close the freezer.
6) Leave for about 40 minutes, then go back to the freezer and whisk the mixture.
7) Whisk the mixture every 30-40 minutes until it is completely frozen. (Takes about 3-4 hours.)

And that's it! There are ice-creams that call for eggs, but this one is just a simple summer ice-cream, nothing fancy, and the easiest sweet in the world to "kufu."

Hungarian Eszterházy Torta (cake)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY To AVANATOR!!
(The other, more culinarily talented Californian sister who is posting on this yummy blog)

For today's birthday I have decided to make an Eszterházy Torta, another Victorian Era Hungarian delicacy of the layered variety. Although it looks at first glance similar to the Dobos, it is not - in fact it may be a little easier to make. It also happens to be my favourite of the two.

Ingredients (three part):

For the sponge layers:

* 5 egg whites
* 1 whole egg
* 210 grams of sugar
* 120 grams ground walnut
* 120 grams ground almond
* 50 grams flour
* 50 grams butter

For the cream filling:


* 4/5 cup milk
* 40 grams sugar
* 20 grams vanilla pudding powder (for cooking)
* 2 egg yolks
* 250 grams
* 1 cup of heavy cream
* 1 tbsp cognac
* 10 grams of gelatin
* 2/5 cup water

For the decoration:

* 80 grams sugar
* 1-2 tbsp lemon juice
* 10 grams melted cooking chocolate (black)
* 40 grams chopped almonds
* 3-4 tbsp apricot jam

Directions:

1) Beat the egg whites with the sugar until firm. All the ground walnut and almond, then slowly add the flour and finally the butter. The point is, you don't want to wreck your puffy egg whites, so add everything slowly.
2) Bake 1/6 of the batter in a round lightly buttered and floured baking tin (21 cm) at 180-200 degrees celcius for 3 minutes each. Watch them to make sure they do not burn. When they are done remove each layer and cool on pastry sheets.
3) While they cool, let's bake the filling. First, mix the pudding powder with the sugar, half of the milk, and the egg yolks.
4) Heat up the rest of the milk in a saucepan, then add the rest of the mixture to the saucepan. Once it has been heated, turn off the heat and let it cool.
5) While it cools, whip the heavy cream and set aside, and mix the gelatin with cold water and set aside.
6) Add the cognac to the (cooled down) filling from the saucepan, then gradually add the whipped cream and the gelatin.
7) Smear the filling on five of the six layers of cake, allowing the filling to run down the sides of the cake evenly.
8) Finally, we make the top frosting. First, add the sugar to about 3 tablespoons of water and boil for about two minutes in a small pan.  Take it off the stove and add lemon juice, then put the small pan in a larger pan full of cold water. Stir the mixture until the frosting turns white.
9) Spread a very thin layer of apricot jam on one side of the very top layer of cake... and then FLIP IT OVER onto the top of your cake. (You want a dry layer on top.)
10) Spread the fondant frosting over the top of the cake. Use the melted black chocolate to make designs on the top of the cake, and coat the outside of the cake with almonds.

Tips:

* This cake is creamy though a bit lighter than the Dobos Torta from last week. Both cakes go very well with after-dinner coffee.
* The layers are much easier to handle when cooled to room temperature. Especially the top layer flip.
* Do not use too much apricot jam - think of it like perfume, not like toast. If you add too much jam, the cake will be slippery and difficult to cut.

Hungarian Dobos Torta (cake!)

My Dobos Torta

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my sisters! I am going to post two variations on a style of uniquely Hungarian cake - first the traditional Dobos Torta, and then on my next sister's birthday.... (this month on the 12th) the similar-looking nut-based Eszterházy Torta. These are both Victorian Era cakes of high class and high quality.

First of all - DO NOT DESPAIR!!!! While I was learning to bake this cake a couple years back, I found that many people found it frustrating. The reason for this is that there are seven layers to this luxurious legend, and yes, if you won't properly cool and actually WATCH your cake then it will indeed collapse. This is not a pop-in-oven-and-leave recipe. However, it is a very fast recipe, because from the time you pull out your ingredients to the time it is complete, the cake takes less than 45 minutes to complete.

Ingredients (three-parts): Try to be as accurate as possible (this is why they are in grams)

For the sponge cake:
* 6 egg yolks, 6 egg whites (separated)
* 105 grams of sugar
* 53 grams powdered sugar
* 105 grams flour
* 35 grams melted butter

For the filling cream:

* 4 eggs
* 210 grams powdered sugar
* 17 grams vanilla sugar
* 12 1/2 tablespoons butter (1 1/2 sticks)
* 30 grams cocoa butter
* 35 grams melted baking chocolate (black)

For the top: 150 grams of sugar cubes

Directions:

1) Mix the sugar and yolks.
2) In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites with the powdered sugar until they peak stiffly.
3) Mix the two carefully without damaging the egg whites, then gently add the flour and melted butter.
4) Pour 1/5 of the batter into a properly floured 21 cm round baking pan and bake at 180 degrees Celcius for 4-5 minutes. Watch it carefully so that is does not burn - it should be golden brown. When it is done, quickly remove it and place it on a pastry sheet to cool.
REPEAT THE ABOVE STEP SIX TIMES.

5) Next we make the cream (while the six layers are cooling). Warm up the eggs a little above room temperature, and beat with the powdered sugar and vanilla sugar until they cool down.
6) In a separate bowl, mix the butter, cocoa butter and melted black chocolate.
7) Mix the two together and then, smear the chocolate on the top of four of the sponge cake layers you had cooling. Layer one on top of the other while you do this, and allow the chocolate to evenly smear down the sides of the cake as well.
8) When you have the four layers done,  dust the sides gently with powdered sugar and place the cake in the fridge right away.

9) Finally, we make the infamous top layer. My version above has a different version of this, but...

Traditional recipe: 
First, we caramelize the sugar cubes. To do this we add about 3 tablespoons of water to the sugar cubes in a saucepan, and gradually melt the sugar over low heat. After the sugar has melted, we STOP STIRRING and let it simmer for 8-10 minutes until the sugar turns a deep golden brown.
10) Take the caramel of the heat and spread it over the final sheet of sponge cake. Let the caramel set for about 3 minutes until it holds its shape (but do NOT let it cool yet), then cut the layer into the desired number of slices (traditionally 16 pieces).
11) Place the pieces on the top of the cake, and once it has cooled, cut along the lines and serve.

or 10)  Take the caramel off the heat and drip it onto baking sheets, then wait for it to cool. Peel the hardened caramel chips off the paper and use to decorate the cake with the remaining frosting.
(pictured above)

Tips:
That wasn't so bad, was it? Practice makes perfect, however, and if you don't get it right, try, try again. I used to practice by making mini cakes until I felt confident enough to make a big one.

Gerbeaud Dobos Torta

* The traditional Gerbeaud design has squirts of chocolate buttercream holding the caramelized top on an angle. You can try that if you like (see right).
* Also, the traditional Gerbeaud has six layers, not five. Only use the six-layer recipe (which is the same except for dividing the batter) if you intend to cut REALLY BIG slices.
* Do NOT allow the caramel top to harden before you cut - for obvious reasons. You will not be able to cut it once it cools.
* Do not spread, smear, or stack while creams and cakes are piping hot. This seems to be the reason why these cakes collapse - this cake, aside from the baking itself, is meant to be dealt with at room temperature and served chilled.

Lavender Cheese Cake

I'm going to post two recipes in coming weeks that use flowers for flavor. Have you ever had lavender cheesecake? How about roses? There are many flowers you can use in desserts - there's a pretty good list of them here. This recipe (a no-bake cheesecake called "Rare Cheesecake" in Japan) calls for an infusion of lavender, but if you feel like substituting the lavender with rose, chamomile, or even jasmine or hibiscus, go ahead and try! Just be sure that the flowers are grown without chemicals and are food-ready.

Ingredients:

2 cups shortbread cookie crumbs
5 tbsp butter
3 tbsp lavender (dried or fresh)
3/4 cup honey
1/2 cup cream cheese (softened at about room temperature)
1 1/4 cups whipping cream

Directions:


1) Melt the butter, mix it with the cookie crumbs, and push into a cheesecake pan to form the crust. Make it as firm as possible, but not too thin (a half-centimeter should be enough).
2) Refrigerate for about 20-30 minutes. You can do this while making the filling.
3) Seep the lavender in about 3 tablespoons of boiling water. If you are using fresh lavender, you may seep for 15 minutes, but if you are using dried lavender, do not seep for more than 5 minutes. Strain and set aside.
4) Whisk together the honey and cream cheese.
5) Add the lavender.
6) Beat the whipping cream until it thickens and add it to the mixture.
7) Fold the two mixtures gently together, and pour it into the now hardened crust.
8) Refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving.

Tips:

* Do not seep the lavender too long, or else it will turn grey.
* You may leave small lavender beads in the cream cheese for decoration.
* Like I mentioned above, try using rose or chamomile for other flavors, too! Just be sure you're using edible flowers.

Angel Food Cake... and custard pudding!

Okay, here is a two-part recipe. Have you ever made angel food cake? Well, I did for the first time, and it turned out beautifully, as you can see in the photo on the right. But if you have ever made angel food cake, you will know that it uses only egg whites. What to do with the left over yolks? I have a simple solution, and added the recipe at the bottom.

Ingredients:

10-12 egg whites (save the yolks!!) at room temperature
1 1/2 cups of castor sugar
1 cup of sifted cake flour
1 tsp Cream of tartar
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract

Directions:

1) Mix together 3/4 cup of sugar and all the flour.
2) In another bowl, beat the egg whites until they become as frothy.
3) Add cream of tartar and salt, and beat until fully mixed.
4) Add sugar very gradually, beating the whole time. You want your mixture to be thick enough to peak gently, but not thick enough to stand peaked on its own.
5) Once it is softly peaking, add the vanilla and almond extract and beat gently once more to mix in.
6) Gently mix in the flour and sugar. Take your time - you need it evenly mixed but still fluffy.
7) Gently spoon the batter into an un-greased angel-food tube pan. Smooth it gently with a spatula and tap it a few times on the counter to release bubbles.
8) Bake for 50-60 minutes at 160 degrees celcius. The top of the cake should spring back when lightly pressed.

Cooking and serving tips:

* Do not grease your pan. I repeat: DO NOT GREASE YOUR PAN. If you do, the cake will not rise to its full fluffy potential.
* Be sure to cool the cake inside the pan. This is because the cake will set as it cools, so keeping it inverted will prevent it from collapsing.
* Turn your pan upside-down to cool for best results.
* Cakes like this are best cut with a serrated knife to avoid squishing it.
* Cake flour is much lighter than regular flour. Best not to substitute with this recipe.
* If you can't find castor sugar, you can make superfine sugar by running regular sugar in a blender or a couple minutes until it thins out.
* Ideally you should use a real tube pan for easy loading. Technically you can also use a bundt pan, but it is more difficult to remove the cake after it has cooled.


WHAT TO DO WITH THE LEFTOVER EGG YOLKS?

Oh those poor egg yolks, set aside with no hope of joining their brothers in the angel food! But not to fear - the perfect use is here. One thing that you must prepare in advance, though, are ramequins. For those of you living in Japan, you can get these cheap at 100-yen kitchen stores like Kitchen Kitchen.

Baked Egg Custard

Ingredients:

1 cup of canned evaporated milk (ideally) or whole milk
5 egg yolks (per batch, so make this twice to use them all - 4 servings per batch)
1/3 cup caster sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
a pinch of ground nutmeg for decoration

Directions:

1) Combine milk and 1 cup of water in a saucepan. Heat at medium until scalding. (Just before boiling point.)
2) Beat the yolks in a bowl, add sugar and vanilla.
3) Slowly pour into the hot milk, stirring constantly.
4) Pour mixture into four 1/2 cup ramequins (per batch) and place in a baking pan.
5) Fill the pan with hot water to come halfway up the sides of the ramequins.
6) Sprinkle with nutmeg and bake for 40-45 minutes at 160 degrees celcius.

Cooking tips:

* You can serve them hot or cold.
* If you don't add the water in the pan while baking, the custard will come out dry and burnt. Imagine you are steaming them.
* Use whole milk instead of low-fat: the custard will set much better.

Fennel Coconut Curry

I had to finish off what I had in the fridge, and it was AMAZING!  I've been sick with a cold so I've been eating a lot of soups & curries.  Awful to be sick in the summer! 

2 TB olive or canola oil
3 shallots, finely sliced
3 small carrots, peeled, cut into ~1cm pieces
3 cloves garlic, sliced thin
3 slices fresh ginger or 1TB ginger powder
1 serrano pepper
1/2 TB fish sauce
1/2 TB chicken stock powder2 TB honey
2 lg tomatoes, organic & over-ripe (if possible), roughly chopped
1/3 small fennel thin sliced, fronds reserved
2 portabella caps, roughly chopped
~1 c. broccoli
1 can coconut milk, NOT LIGHT!
few kaffir lime leaves, finely sliced

cook shallots in oil on med-low heat, until translucent ~2 min
add carrot, cook ~3 min
add garlic, serrano, fish sauce & chicken stock, cook another 30 sec
add honey, tomatoes, fennel, & mushrooms.  cook med ~10-20 min, until vegetables cook thoroughly.
add broccoli & 1/2 kjaffir leaves, cook ~2 min

add coconut milk, turn off heat.  season with salt & pepper to taste (if necessary)
serve  w/ rice & garnish with fennel fronds & rest of kaffir

Notes:
- I know the carrot & broccoli are added at odd times, but this is my prefeernece for how I like these two vegetables.  I hate crunchy carrot & also hate over-done broccoli. Adjust your your own preference!
- The fennel might seem odd but it turned out beautiful!
- I add coconut milk belongs at the end.  It can turn kind of oily textured when boiled.  Don't use the light stuff - it is just diluted.
- Kaffir lime leaf can be sliced easily with scissors.  I bought a plant so I can have leaves whenever I like!

Thai Green Curry

Mmm, homemade Thai green curry!! Like Hungarian gulyás, curry varies between households and between restaurants, and certainly you can't call this authentic. But I am in Japan, and here in the world of Asian vegetables and hungry college students, this dish has always been a hit.

Ingredients:

400-600 grams of chicken thigh
2 medium eggplants, chopped
2-4 bell peppers, chopped
200 grams of mushrooms
4-5 tablespoons of green curry paste
400 ml of canned coconut milk
chili pepper (spice)
fish sauce
lemongrass

Directions:

1) In a large saucepan, brown the chicken with the skin facing downwards without oil. Use the oil of the chicken skin to cook the opposite side.
2) Add fish sauce to taste.
3) Remove the chicken from the pan and add a dash of oil, and stir-fry the chopped vegetables. Remove vegetables when cooked.
4) Cut up the chicken to bite-sized pieces.
5) Next, fry the green curry paste over a little oil until the scent starts to spread.
6) Add chicken, chili pepper, lemongrass and vegetables.
7) After cooking for a few minutes, add the coconut milk.
8) Add a half can of water to the mixture, and bring to boil.
9) Use the fish sauce to fix the flavor to your liking, and serve over rice.

* Serves 5-7.
* Can be stored overnight - always tastes better the next day.
* Though Spanish or Thai rice is the standard accompaniment, in Japan we use the thick Japanese rice. The benefit of this is that you can form it into mini bowls and add the curry in the middle, so the sauce doesn't make the rest of the rice too soupy while eating.
* Use minimal oil.
* One added benefit - this can all be made with one large saucepan, so it's perfect for small kitchens.

Cream Cheese Mints

A friend of mine gave me this recipe, which I tried today with fabulous results. This takes less than 30 minutes and requires no baking, but can last three weeks in the fridge. A very quick and easy treat for guests, and goes superbly well with coffee.

Ingredients:

3 tbsp of cream cheese
1/2 tsp mint extract
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup fine granulated sugar
few drops of food coloring (optional but recommended)


Directions:

1) Beat the cream cheese until it is soft and fluffy.
2) Add the mint and food coloring. Mix thoroughly.
3) Add the sugar slowly, mixing until it gets stiff like cookie batter.
4) Make balls of the mixture with your hands, then mould into desired shape.
5) 15 minutes in the fridge and they're done!


Tips:
* If your hands get dry while forming the shapes, run them lightly under the sink before continuing. Moisture helps the sweets mould properly, but too much will make them soggy.
* Store in a tupperware in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.

Bacon Donut Burgers!

Not the healthiest creation, but hey - the rare meal of artery clogging gluttony is ok.  Everything in moderation, right?  Just remember to take your fish oil.  

Bacon:
This is a crucial component.  As is the cooking method.  Lay slices of bacon on a baking sheet.  Sprinkle just a little bit of brown sugar on them.  White sugar may substitute.  Bake at a low slow temperature - I never go over 300F.  Allow them to brown more than you normally would, as the sugar caramelizes and makes it get a deeper brown colour. This will take a long time, at least 20 min (possibly longer) so start this first, then continue to make the other components.

Bun:
This is the donut part.  There are many options.  You can buy a glazed donut, and cut in 1/2 horizontally to make your bun.  Otherwise, you can purchase or make any kind of refrigerated biscuit dough (with butter, shortening or lard in it).  Flatten the dough with a rolling pin or the back of your fist.  Pan fry until nice and crispy and light brown.  When hot, dip in powdered sugar or granulated sugar.

Burger:
I always buy 100% grass-fed beef, as local as possible.  I am very simple with my burgers, and just add plenty of salt & pepper to the meat, BEFORE forming the patties.  Grill or pan-fry. 


Other components, all optional:
-cheese (goat, cheddar, swiss, jack, etc)
-organic tomatoes (flavour is FAR superior to non-organic!)

-greens/lettuce (my favourite is arugula)
-carmalized onions (cook sliced onions low and slow about 30 min or more w/ olive oil until toasty brown and sweet)
-roasted red pepper, jalepeno, pickles, etc.


Mine pictured here is made with caramelized onions, roasted red pepper, cheddar cheese, organic tomato, & organic mixed greens.  The bun is a pan-fried store-bought refrigerated biscuit dough.  Delicious!!  NOT healthy, but will make you smile!!

Hungarian Paprikás and Nokedli (Spätzle)

Coming from a Hungarian family, my sisters and I grew up eating traditional Hungarian foods like Chicken Paprikás. An easy dish to make, it requires minimal spice and prep time, and can be on the table in about an hour. 


Ingredients:


2 large chicken breasts
1 1/2 TBSP butter
2 large onions, chopped
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced or crushed
2 TBSP Hungarian paprika
1 bouillon cube 
1/2 tsp salt (to taste)
2 tsp black pepper (to taste)
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 cup heavy cream


Directions:


1) Cut up chicken into bite-sized pieces and brown in skillet over butter. Remove the chicken and set aside.
2) Brown the chopped onions and garlic in the leftover butter in the pan. 
3) Move onions and chicken into a larger pot, make sure there is just enough water to cover the chicken. 
4) Bring to boil. Add bouillon cube, pepper, paprika and salt.
5) Cook on low heat until the chicken is extremely soft, usually 40 minutes. 
6) Remove chicken.
7) Add flour and heavy cream, stir until you get a gravy-like consistency.


Although this dish can be served with any kind of pasta (I often substitute fusilli) the traditional recipe calls for Nokedli (or Spätzle in German), a kind of miniature dumpling. 


Ingredients: 

• 1 cup flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground pepper
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup milk
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Directions:

1) Mix all ingredients in a large bowl until the batter is smooth. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes.

2) Bring a large pot of water to boil. Salt it well.

3) Nokedli are very small noodles. You can use a slotted spoon to squeeze through dough, roll it out and cut it into small pieces, or use a piping bag to squeeze out small chunks of the dough into the boiling water. (I use a piping bag.)

4) Boil the noodles until they float to the top. (2-3 minutes) Don't crowd the pot, lest they stick together. 

5) Fish them out using a sieve and toss them in a colander. 

6) When all done, toss them with some olive oil to keep them from sticking together and serve right away.

Serving: 

1 tablespoon of sour cream and a bit of parsley

Serve the paprikás by putting the chicken on top of the nokedli and covering it with the gravy. Add the sour cream on top, and parsley on top for color!

Madeleines

I had to go and purchase a Madeleine pan ($15).  I know it's a little silly since it's only useful for one recipe, but I'm confident I'll create other versions so the pan gets plenty of use!
I used browned butter to make my Madeleines.  It gave some additional nuttiness.  However, I did not like the level of sweetness, so I will make the recipe again slightly differently and repost once I do. 

Ingredients:

12 oz butter
1c sugar, 1tsp vanilla, 1sp lemon zest
4 eggs
1c flour, 2 tsp baking powder, pinch kosher salt


Directions:

12 oz of butter in pan, cooked slowly until slightly brown & fragrant.
 Measure out 1c, and place in stand mixer. Wait until it is cool and semi-solid

.

Add 1c sugar, 1 tsp lemon zest, 1 tsp vanilla.
Combine, then add 2 eggs.  Combine, then add 1/2 the dry ingredients.  Combine, then add rest of egg. Combine, and add rest of dry.

 Fill Madeleine cups 2/3rds full, bake at 350F 8-10 min.  Pop them out after a minute of resting as they will continue to cook in the pan.

Tips:

-From the 3 sticks of butter there was about 1/4 c. left after browning - use it on popcorn!  You'll never use regular butter again, promise!
-Dip in chocolate, sprinkle with powdered sugar, or get creative!

Peanut Butter Cookies

Last night I had the spontaneous desire to make cookies, while my dinner guests were visiting in the parlor.  This recipe is so quick and easy that I had the cookies done before coffee was even served. Perfect last-minute sweets!

Ingredients: 

1.5 sticks butter
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
3 tsp. vegetable / peanut oil
2.5 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp cinnamon
2 1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cup peanut butter

Directions:

1) Beat softened butter cinnamon, brown sugar and sugar until fluffy.
2) Add eggs, oil, and vanilla. Beat until soft like meringue.
3) In a separate bowl, mix all dry ingredients.
4) Heat peanut butter (in microwave?) so that it pours easily.
5) Mix all ingredients together carefully in one bowl.
6) Refrigerate for 15-20 minutes.
7) Grease cookie sheets, shape dough into golf ball sized lumps.
8) Add the tell-tale crisscross marks on the top with a fork.
9) Bake at 180 degrees (c) for 9-12 minutes until golden brown and slightly crispy on top.

Extra cooking tips:
* Baking powder can be substituted for baking soda and vice-versa, but never bake without. Your cookies will end up flat without it.
* Butter and peanut butter mixes better if it's soft. I usually melt it in the microwave before mixing, but don't let it become liquid. If the batter is too soft, it won't shape properly. Ideally, you can leave the butter out for about an hour before cooking.
* If the cookies don't hold their shape during baking, try lowering the amount of butter or sugar in the batter.

Feasting in California!

Hi!  I am Avanator, the Californian witch sister.  I live in the beautiful Santa Cruz Mountains amongst so much amazing local produce as well as premier wineries.  I have loved cooking ever since I can remember, making batches of various Hungarian treats or lemon bread.  Now I see it as a challenge, to follow a recipe or rather your palate to create the Ultimate homemade dish.   
 
Due to far too many hours spent with foodie magazines, food shows/videos, and a gigantic library of cookbooks, I have a fairly decent knowledge of the culinary arts without any formal training.  However, I live in one of the most expensive regions in USA on a student's salary, and thus have a box-sized kitchen.  This makes gourmet cooking slightly more challenging.  I can easily find most ingredients here thanks to the odd health food stores in Santa Cruz and the Asian markets in Silicon Valley.  Santa Cruz is along the Pacific Ocean in the Central Coast, and we have a lot of fresh fish/seafood, but nothing like Nekohakase has in Japan!

I will also do my best to post once a week with photos as long as I can remember to keep my camera battery charged.  I may on occasion use a brand name/store name, but only where I feel it is important to give recognition to a rare/amazing or super-local product.  Hope you enjoy reading!!

Greetings from Japan!

Hi, call me Nekohakase. I'm the kitchen witch sister in Japan.
I have less experience in the kitchen than my more epicureanly talented sister, but my specialty is Hungarian food, and I'm good at presentation and variation as opposed to originality! I also have training in bread making and sweets - cooking school was a hobby of mine for a couple years.

Living abroad does limit me sometimes in the kitchen in certain ways - there are certain ingredients I need to make from scratch (like frosting - they don't sell canned frosting in Japan!) and certain kinds of cheese and meat that are simply not available at all (I simply can't find pepperoni! Would you believe that??).

But on the other hand, I have access to other ingredients that are less available in other places, like fresh mirin, raw wasabi and Japanese rice, and a fresher selection of fish and other exotic vegetables like goya and daikon.

I'll try to handle recipes using the metric system, and with substitutes where necessary, and will use no brand names.

I pledge to post one recipe, with pictures (good or bad!) per week on this blog! Circumstances permitting, of course.