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.