curry in a hurry.

Whenever I go to the bookstore, I almost always hit up the bargain book section. Call me a cheapskate, but I love me a discount. Especially if it's a cookbook! Now, I know that most of the bargain cookbooks out there are crap, but I love finding one that has a variety of recipes, a nice layout, lots of pictures, and (most importantly) has actual GOOD tasting recipes.

Surprisingly, I found that in Food Lovers: Simply Chicken. The cookbook's divided in three sections with the main course sub-divided even further into types of preparation. The ingredient lists for the recipes were actually surprising; it can call for everyday pantry items to harder to find ethnic ingredients. Instructions are clear and straightforward with approximate cooking and prep times with a picture for every recipe in the the book (which I like, since I'm one of those people that need to see what it's supposed to look like in the end).

Another interesting thing about the book was the variety of recipes it had. It had everything from chicken noodle soup, to chicken korma, to pad thai, to paella. I love the global scope of the recipes and I feel like I can actually successfully make each and every one! For $5.00, this was a great deal!

So, If this was a chicken cookbook, why does it look like I have fish in my curry?? Well, because it is fish. :) A recipe has to be adaptable, in my opinion. Just because it's a chicken cookbook, doesn't mean I have to necessarily use it exclusively for that protein. So when I tested a couple of recipes in the book for different proteins, it passed with flying colors! One such recipe was a "Chicken Curry with Broccoli".

Now, I love me some curry, be it Indian, Thai, what have you. This book has several interesting curries that I'm dying to try out. For "Chicken Curry with Broccoli", I decided to experiment and make it into a fish curry instead (See?! I'm turning pescatarian, I tell you!).

This curry turned out amazing! Going by the ingredient list, I'm guessing this is supposed to be Thai-inspired. The shrimp paste and lime really worked together with the coconut milk to give you that tell-tale Asian flavor. The original recipe actually called for actual chili peppers, but since I didn't have any, crushed red pepper flakes from McCormick made a fine substitute.

And actual kaffir limes? Pfft! Bottled lime juice, my friend, and some regular limes did the trick. Also, since I'm Filipino, I used spicy bagoong for the shrimp paste. From start to finish, this took all of 30 minutes for lick-the-plate-clean goodness! Huzzah for a quick weeknight dinner!

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Fish and Vegetable Curry
(adapted from Food Lovers: Simply Chicken)

For the Curry Paste:
1/4 to 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp minced ginger
1 tbsp bottled lime juice
1 tsp spicy shrimp paste (spicy bagoong)

For the Curry:
4 to 5 (5.oz) skinless white fish fillets, about ⅓-inch thick (cod, flounder, catfish, etc . . .)
1 large red onion, sliced
2 scallions, chopped
2 bell peppers, sliced (orange, yellow, and/or red)
1 lbs. broccoli, cut to florets
2 tbsp vegetable oil
3/4 to 1 cup coconut milk
3/4 to 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 tbsp grated ginger
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 a lime plus more for garnish

 
Make the paste:
Put all curry paste ingredients into a small bowl and mix well. Set aside

Make the curry:
In alarge pan, heat oil and saute the onion, broccoli, and bell peppers. Add the curry paste and the scallions, sauteing briefly. Add the coconut milk and chicken broth then simmer for 2 to 3 minutes.

Stir in the grated ginger then top with the fish fillets. Let cook, turning the fish once, for 8 to 10 minutes or until fish is done. To finish, squeeze 1/2 a lime over the curry then season with salt and pepper as needed.

Serve with rice and an additional wedge of lime for garnish. Makes about 4 servings.

Note: If the gravy is too thin, add a little cornstarch with water to achieve desired consistency.

please, with a cherry inside?

I love sweet things. I've got a pretty hardcore sweet tooth. In fact, I'm one of those people who gets the frosting from other people's cake. :) And since Valentine's Day is just around the corner, that means a plethora of chocolates, cookies, and candies available in the stores. And did I mention cakes and brownies? Yumm!

Speaking of brownies, I tried making some a few months ago. When I was going through my pantry, however, I found that I was unfortunately out of cocoa powder. So what's the alternative? Blondies, of course! I found a great decadent recipe for white chocolate cherry almond blodies and, boy, were they rich! I guess 1 1/2 stick of butter will do that. I think the main issue I had was all that butter. While they tastes sinfully good, I just couldn't get the butter factor out of my mind each time I took a bite. I've been on a hunt for a better recipe ever since.

This recipe piqued my interest. With a title of No Butter Baking. on the blog, I thought that I finally hit jackpot! No butter in sight and the blodies themselves looked decent. There is, however, a half cup of oil. Hmm...

Since I wasn't sure how these were going to turn out, I decided to improvise a little and play with the recipe. Semi-solid coconut oil replaced the vegetable oil in order to mimic fluffiness of the butter. There isn't really any liquor in my house so the brandy was switched with pure vanilla extract. I added some whole wheat flour to help soak up the inevitable liquid that this was going to produce and added some walnuts, just because. Also, I wanted to see if I could lift the batter a little, so I added some leavening agents to the dry mixture.

So what did I end up with? Not a bad blondie. It was kind of greasy though, which I expected. But since I used coconut oil, I just popped them in the freezer for a bit which helped with the texture and cutting. I think if I added another 1/4 cup of whole wheat flour or reduced the oil just a bit, these might've turned out a little bit better. Although, I'd probably end up with a stiffer dough. I still have to play around with the recipe, but all in all, this didn't turn out too bad. :)

---- o o o o ---- 

White Chocolate Cherry Walnut Blondies
(adapted from No Butter Baking.)

1/2 cup semi-soft coconut oil
1 cup loosely packed dark brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup white chocolate chips
1/4 cup dried cherries
1/4 cup toasted chopped walnuts

 
Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Line

In a large bowl, cream together coconut oil and brown sugar. Add egg, vanilla, and salt, and whip until fluffy.

In a separate bowl, whisk together flours, baking soda, and baking powder until well combined. Add to wet ingredients along with white chocolate chips, cherries, and walnuts.

Pour batter into a parchment lined pan and level. Sprinkle top with additional cherries, chips, and walnuts and gently press into the batter.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until tester inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool completely in pan then chill in the freezer for 5 to 10 minutes for easier cutting. Remove from freezer then cut into 16 squares.

crustless wonder.

I was in the mood for some pie. I don't remember exactly what triggered the craving, but it was growing exponentially with each passing day. But just because I'm in the mood for pie doesn't mean I wanted to make it myself. Lazy much? Lol.

I think it's all the steps that goes into making a pie: Making the crust, doing the filling, then putting it all together. That's waaay too many steps to go through especially when I want it RIGHT NOW. So when I came across this Amish pie recipe, I was stoked! The pie looked interesting and easy enough to do. I had all the ingredients on hand, so what more could I ask for?

After blitzing this in the blender and pouring it in the pie dish, I was as curious to how this was going to turn out. Waiting patiently for 45 minutes and letting it cool until it was warm-ish, I cut into the pie and tasted it.

I had mixed feelings about the pie.

On one hand, I liked that it had an egg-custard-like texture to it but I was expecting something more like a velvety smooth Bavarian custard. And I don't know if I didn't blend it enough, but my pie turned out wet, like it wasn't blended properly or something and the eggs, milk, and butter didn't incorporate together fully. So, more blending maybe? The flavor was nice, although I wished it was a tad more sweeter.

So, would I make this again? Maybe. I'd probably tweak it a little so that I'd get a more smoother, velvety filling like that in the picture. And amp up the sugar a little. And add more coconut flakes. Hmmm . . . Looks like I might try another recipe for this pie. Damn, it had so many goo reviews too. :/

---- o o o o ---- 

Amish Crustless Coconut Custard Pie
(from Cookin' at Home)

2 cups milk, may use lower fat
4 large eggs
1⁄2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1 cup granulated sugar
1⁄2 cup butter, room temperature
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 
Place all ingredients into a blender and mix well until smooth. Pour into a 9" deep dish pie pan-- during the baking process, the flour drops to form the crust and the remaining ingredients will form the filling.

Bake at 350F degrees for 45 to 50 minutes. Cool on wire rack for 1 hour. Serve warm or at room temperature.

cooling off.

Today was hot. Like, "Oh my God, I'm gonna kill myself!" kind of hot. And not only that, it was also errand day. Talk about double torture...not only did I want to kill myself, I wanted to do it with little effort and as cold as possible... I'm thinkin' frostbite in Antarctica. Mmmm....snow.

Which leads me to the most awesomely fantastic find I found today in my grocery store: Shaved ice! I was in the produce section of the store when I noticed that they had some samples out for fruit. Being curious, I headed over to see what goodies to try and to my surprise, they had shaved ice! Not just one kind, but two!

What really stood out for these were the fact that they were majorly made from fresh, in-season fruit. They were also a take on Japanese and Hawaiian shaved ice except without the beans. For their version, they used crushed ice, rather than shaved, so it gave them a delightfully crunchy texture. The interesting part? They added tarragon to the tropical version! Wow!

So, of course I had to ask for the recipes. They were so flattered that I asked but since they didn't measure anything out, they just gave me what they put in. I eyeballed the contents so I'll have to tweak the recipe when I actually make it. Without further ado...

---- o o o o ---- 

Tropical Island Shaved Ice
(from my friendly produce grocer!)

1 pineapple, cored and chopped small
1/2 cantaloupe, chopped small
1 (12oz) bottle macapuno/coconut sport
1 (14oz or so) can coconut milk
2-3 sprigs tarragon, chopped fine
condensed milk for topping
crushed or shaved ice

Combine pineapple and cantaloupe in a large refrigerable container. In a separate bowl, mix together the macapuno/coconut sport, coconut milk, and tarragon. Add to the fruit and stir gently to combine. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before use. To serve, spoon a generous portion over ice and drizzle condensed milk as desired.

---- o o o o ---- 

Berry Breeze Shaved Ice
(from my friendly produce grocer!)

1 (1-lbs shell) strawberries, chopped small
1 (6oz shell) blueberries
juice from one orange (about 1/4 to 1/2 cup)
1 sprig basil, julienned (optional)
condensed milk for topping
crushed or shaved ice

Combine strawberries and blueberries in a refrigerable container. Add orange juice and basil (if using) to the fruit and stir gently to combine. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before use. To serve, spoon a generous portion over ice and drizzle condensed milk as desired.

taste it and make it: cookies!

When I was back in San Diego, I used to work for this resort. At the resort, they had a little coffee shop that sold some fancy pastries and coffee drinks. I remember, I would stop by there every other day and get this big ass bakery cookie that they sold. It was a German chocolate flavored cookie that was just awesome!

What I liked about the cookie was that it had coconut flakes, pecans, and chocolate chips baked into the cookie itself. It sweet, compact, and had the taste of German chocolate cake but in cookie form. So, rather than buying the cookie at $3.50 every other day and the fact that I'm now living in Guam, I decided to look in the internet to see if I could recreate those delicious cookies.

The problem that I kept coming across was the fact that the cookies I found were either, filled, topped, had the wrong base, or had ingredients that I really didn't want in them (namely corn syrup). The closest recipe that I could find was this, which had a nice short ingredients list. Still...not what I wanted in the recipe. So I decided to do some experimenting.

Taking some pointers from this site, I decided to change the flour amounts. Since I definitely wanted a chewy cookie, I added an extra yolk to the recipe. I also took out the corn syrup as I didn't think that it needed it and bumped up the vanilla. While I normally love coconut, I thought that 2 1/4 cups seemed a bit excessive so that got cut too. Needless to say, this recipe got dissected, pulled apart, and brought back together again.

So what did I end up with? A fantastic cookie that was amazingly identical to the cookie I had from the resort's cafe! It was nice and chewy, nutty from the pecans, caramelly from the toasted coconut, and oh so chocolatey from the semi-sweet chocolate!

I packed a batch of this for my hubby to take to work and it was gone within minutes. Poor hubbs, he didn't even get to taste any. Luckily for him, there was a batch waiting for him when he got home. Now, whenever he wants to be a popular kid at work, his number one request is a batch of these German chocolate chip cookies. Please and thank you! ;D

German Chocolate Chip Cookies
(adapted from FabFood and Cook The TV!)

2 cups flaked sweetened coconut
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
1 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup bread flour
1 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 tsp or so kosher salt
1/2 cup brown sugar, tightly packed
1/2 cup white sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 large egg plus extra egg yolk
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 pkg semi-sweet chocolate disks, chunks, or chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray cookie sheet with non-stick spray.

Toast the coconut and pecans on a large skillet, stirring occasionally, for 7 to 9 minutes, or until lightly browned. Be careful not to burn. Let stand until cool. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, thoroughly stir together the flours, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat together the sugars and butter until very well blended and light (do not over beat or else the cookie will not spread properly). Beat in the egg, extra yolk, and vanilla until well blended. Beat or stir in the flour mixture, then the pecans, coconut and chocolate, until evenly incorporated.

Drop the dough onto the baking sheets by heaping measuring tablespoons, spacing about 3 inches apart. Using the tip of a table knife (or your palm), spread out the cookies to about 1-1/2 inches in diameter.

Bake the cookies, one sheet at a time, in the upper third of the oven for 6 to 9 minutes, or until lightly browned all over and slightly darker at the edges. Leave cookies on baking sheet until completely cooled. Makes about 45 cookies.