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Monday, May 31, 2010

Quick Yellow Cake

I whipped this up last night because we were craving cake. It tastes like pancakes which is odd but good. Mainly I liked this recipe because it was so quick and easy. I used a half recipe of chocolate frosting to top it off.

Quick Yellow Cake

1 c flour
2/3 c sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 c butter
1/2 c milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 egg

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2) Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl.
3) Add butter, milk and vanilla; beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.
4) Add egg; beat for an additional 30 seconds.
5) Bake in greased 8x8 pan for 25 minutes.

Sunday, May 30, 2010

Chive Risotto Cakes

I saw these made on Barefoot Contessa and knew that we had to try them. The original recipe made way too much risotto, so I've cut everything in half below. This should make about 5 or 6 good-sized cakes. They are very rich, so you need a salad or other light side to round out this meal.

Chive Risotto Cakes

3/4 tsp kosher salt, divided
1/2 c uncooked arborio rice
1/4 c greek yogurt
1 large egg
1 1/2 T chives, minced
3/4 c (2.5 oz) fontina cheese, grated
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/3 c panko bread crumbs
3 T olive oil

1) Bring a pot of water to boil over med-high heat (you will need about 3 times as much liquid as rice).
2) Add 1/4 tsp salt and the rice; cook, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes.
3) Drain the rice in a sieve and run under cold water until cool; drain well.
4) Meanwhile, whisk together yogurt, egg, chives, cheese, pepper and 1/2 tsp salt in a medium bowl.
5) Add the cool rice and mix well; refrigerate 2 hours or overnight.
6) Form the rice mixture into about six 3-inch patties.
7) Spread panko in a shallow dish; place patties in panko, turning to coat.
8) Heat oil in skillet over medium heat; cook patties about 3 minutes on each side or until nicely browned.

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Angel Food Cake

I wanted to use this recipe for a strawberry shortcake-like dessert, so I cut it in half and made cupcakes. I baked them for 20 minutes at 350 degrees (no cupcake papers). They turned out perfectly. Next time I will overfill the cupcake tins since these don't rise at all.

Angel Food Cake

1 1/2 c egg whites (10 - 12 eggs)
1 1/4 c confectioner's sugar
1 c all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/4 tsp salt
1 c sugar

1) Place egg whites in a large mixing bowl; let stand at room temperature for 30 mins.
2) Meanwhile, sift flour and confectioner's sugar three times; set aside.
3) Add cream of tartar, extracts and salt to egg whites; beat on high speed.
4) Gradually add sugar, beating until sugar is dissolved and stiff peaks form.
5) Fold in flour mixture 1/4 c at a time.
6) Gently spoon into an ungreased 10-in tube pan.
7) Cut through batter with a knife to remove air pockets.
8) Bake at 350 degrees for 40 - 45 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched.
9) Invert pan immediately; cool completely before removing cake from pan.

Chocolate Pudding

This recipe is really easy, but it takes a while to make. I probably whisked for 10-15 mins before the mixture started to thicken. Good thing I had a book handy!

Chocolate Pudding


2 c milk
2 T cornstarch
1 c sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 oz unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
2 egg yolks
2 T butter
2 tsp vanilla extract

1) Dissolve cornstarch in milk.
2) In medium saucepan, combine sugar, salt, chocolate and milk mixture over medium heat.
3) Whisk constantly until chocolate melts and mixture thickens.
4) Temper egg yolks with 1/4 c of mixture then add to the main pot.
5) Cook (still whisking) for an additional two minutes.
6) Remove from heat; add butter and vanilla.
7) Chill before serving.

Sushi Rolls

These were surprisingly easy. We of course made way too much of everything, so I've tried to scale back the amounts below to reflect what I think we will need next time. We used all of the spicy tuna filling to make 3 rolls. We only made 2 philly rolls (because we just couldn't eat anymore), but we had more than enough supplies for another roll.

2 c sushi rice, dry
2 c water
1/4 c rice vinegar
1 T + 1 tsp sugar
2/3 tsp salt
3 sheets nori, cut in half
sesame seeds, toasted

Spicy Tuna Roll

1 T mayo
1 tsp sriracha
4 oz tuna, minced
3 green onions, chopped

1) Combine mayo and sriacha, to taste.
2) Mix in tuna and green onions.

Philadelphia Roll

4 oz salmon, cut into strips
several 1/4" square strips of cream cheese
several 1/4" square strips of English cucumber

1) Put rice in small bowl; add water and swish around; strain.
2) Repeat until the water running off the rice is clear.
3) Use rice cooker to prepare rice.
4) In the meantime, combine vinegar, sugar and salt in small saucepan over medium heat; stir until dissolved; let cool.
5) Once rice is ready, transfer to large bowl.
6) Drizzle vinegar mixture over the rice using the wooden spatula to disperse evenly.
7) Use the spatula to "cut" the vinegar into the rice.
8) Cover bowl with damp towel and allow to cool.
6) Cover sushi mat with plastic wrap.
7) Cut nori sheets in half; lay a piece of nori on the mat, rough side up.
8) Take a handful of rice and gently press onto nori.
9) Sprinkle sesame seeds over the rice.
10) Turn the nori over (now it's rice side down).
11) Put a line of filling across the middle of the nori.
12) Use the mat the mold the roll (see how here).
13) Cut into small, evenly-sized pieces.

Fish Tacos

We really enjoyed these tacos. I'm posting the recipe as we made it, but I definitely want to experiment with a few changes. I think the honey/cumin mixture should have a more prominent role -- maybe as the coleslaw dressing.

Fish Tacos

1 lb tilapia, cut into chunks
5/6 c lime juice, divided
2 T honey
1 T olive oil
1 tsp cumin
1/2 c mayo
2 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
1 T adobo sauce
1/4 tsp sauce
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
2 c cabbage, shredded
1 c cilantro leaves, minced
3 green onions, finely chopped
1/3 c flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 c panko bread crumbs
salt & pepper, to taste
1 c grapeseed oil, for frying
flour tortillas

1) Place the tilapia chunks in a flat dish and marinate (refrigerated) in 1/2 c lime juice for several hours.
2) Whisk together remaining 1/3 c lime juice, honey, olive oil and cumin in a small bowl. Set aside.
3) Place the mayo, chipotles, adobo, salt and cayenne in the food processor. Pulse until smooth.
4) Combine cabbage, cilantro, green onions and half of the chipotle mayo. Set aside.
5) Place the flour, eggs and panko in three separate bowls.
6) Season the fish with salt and pepper, to taste.
7) Dip the fish first in the flour, then the eggs, then the panko. Set the fish on a plate.
8) Pour grapeseed oil into heavy skillet until 1/4 deep. Heat to 365 deg over medium heat.
9) Cook the fish, turning on all sides, until golden brown.
10) Drain the fish on paper towels. Brush the fish with the honey mixture.
11) Assemble the tacos by placing several pieces of fish, 1 T chipotle mayo and coleslaw on each tortilla.

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Pasta with Cream Sauce

This was extra tasty. We used fresh pasta (which comes in 10 oz packages), so I scaled the rest of the ingredients back a bit. Also, I was out of milk, so I used a little extra cream and made up the difference with water.

Pasta with Cream Sauce

1 lb dried pasta
1 1/2 c heavy cream
1/2 c whole milk
1 1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 c (4 oz) grated parmesan
1/2 c sliced mushrooms, sauteed
1/2 c frozen green peas
2 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

1) Cook the pasta according to package directions.
2) In the meantime, warm the cream, milk, salt and pepper in a saucepan over med-low heat.
3) Add the cooked pasta and cheese; stir until the cheese melts.
4) Add sauteed mushrooms, frozen peas and/or bacon crumbles.
5) Cook an additional 3-4 minutes until everything is warmed through and sauce thickens.