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!

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!!

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!

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!!