pies galore

It feels like a million years since I've been in the kitchen. My table, counter, and sink became a complete mess afterwards, a result of losing the touch of a seasoned cook. Despite all the soap and hot water, it nonetheless felt nice and comforting to be surrounded by ingredients and smells of a dinner coming together. 

After a month of nonstop extra early mornings to work, nights at school, and lost weekends to overtime hours, I needed something special, something beyond a normal kitchen session. My solution was to break open the spur of the moment purchase of a Breville Pie Maker. I was dying to try it out since the sale over a month ago. It was just left in the corner, completely neglected in it's box and styrofoam encase packaging.

And, what could be more perfect and comforting than a chicken pot pie dinner and apple pie for dessert?

Chicken pot pies seem to have a special place in all of our hearts, with it's dome-shaped top that you break with a fork to release a steaming aroma of childhood memories. It's a classic that probably every household in America had stashed in the freezer, ready for any dinner emergency at some point in time. When we were kids, my house was guilty, generally having a few Swanson packages ready to heat in the toaster over and serve over a plate of white rice. Yes, even this time around, my Mom asked if she should make rice, and I just laughed.

I wanted that memorable flavor, and turned to my Cook's Illustrated cookbook for the answer. I made a few tweaks just for my own palette. And, as my friends will know, I generally refuse to use store bought pre-made ingredients, but when the saleslady at Williams Sonoma fervently insisted, I listened.

For the apple pies, a lattice top added a nice decoratively dessert distinction from the savory pot pie. Since the puff pastry crust was pre-made, spending the extra few minutes was not that much more work. The mini pies were small serving sizes, perfect if you want one of each. I did exactly that, for my pie day dinner. The leftover chicken pot pies became lunches for my little department at work.

Chicken Pot Pie adapted from Cook's Illustrated


serves 8

1 1/2 lbs chicken breasts
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
4 1/2 tsp olive oil
1 large onion, diced
3 carrots, peeled and diced
3 celery ribs, diced
4 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup AP flour
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
3 fresh thyme sprigs
3/4 cup frozen corn, thawed
1 package frozen pie crust
1 package frozen puff pasty

Bring chicken and broth to simmer in covered Dutch oven and cook until chicken is tender and cooked through, about 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer chicken to large bowl and pour broth into cup to set aside. Do not wash pot.

Heat oil in now-empty pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, celery, and 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper and cook until softened. Add corn and warm through. While vegetables are cooking, shred chicken into bite-sized pieces with two forks. Transfer vegetables to bowl with chicken and set aside.

Melt butter in again-empty port over medium heat. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Slowly whisk reserved chicken broth, milk, cream, and thyme sprigs. Bring to simmer and cook until sauce thickens. Remove thyme sprigs. Off heat, stir in chicken-vegetable mixture and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Preheat pie maker. Cut pre-made pie crust and puff pastry into rounds. Line bottom on pie slot with cut pie crust, spoon pot pie mixture, about 1/3 cup, and cover with cut puff pastry. Close pie maker lid and cook for about 10 minutes, until golden.

Apple Pie adapted from Cooks Illustrated


serves 6

3/8 cup sugar
1 tsp grated lemon zest plus 1 tbsp lemon juice
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground allspice
1 lb Washington apples, peeled, cored, and diced
3/4 lb Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and diced
1 package frozen pie crust
1 package frozen puff pastry

Mix sugar, lemon zest, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, and allspice together in bowl. Add lemon juice and apples and toss until combined.

Preheat pie maker. Cut pre-made pie crust and puff pastry into rounds. Slice the puff pastry round into strips and using two rounds, create a lattice top.

Line bottom on pie slot with cut pie crust, spoon pot pie mixture, about 1/3 cup, and cover with cut puff pastry. Close pie maker lid and cook for about 10 minutes, until golden.

smoked salmon canapes

I know, I know, it's been a long time since I've updated. I've been having difficulties finding a balance between work and school to have some time for myself, and my cooking. Yes, I'm finally employed once again, and to add to that full time schedule, I've taken up the idea of a night class after almost three years since finishing college. Once I get home, turning on the computer is the last thing I want to do. But here I am, on a sunny Sunday morning, tapping away at the keyboard. 

These canapes were part of one of my favorite photo spreads in the book. Simple, classic, and clean. Smoked salmon always conjured up ideas of a fancy tea party or hors d'oeuvres platter. Smoky and salty, the seemingly raw slices would just melt in your mouth. And when I visited New York a couple of years ago, I fell in love with a smoked salmon and cream cheese bagel around the corner from my friend's dorm. There are still days when I think about that round little breakfast sandwich, with a cup of coffee of course. What could be more perfect?

These, however, were a much more aesthetically pleasing take on the classic, grown up and dressed up. I practically doubled the amount of salmon in the cucumber triangles above, wanting a greater salmon to cream cheese ratio. I'm not a big fan of cream cheese, generally spreading it thin, just enough to add some creaminess and moisture. That's one of the best thing with food, you can always adjust to your palette. 

  

I liked the salmon flower more, with its assertive herbaceous and lemony flavor. Plus, it was just so much cuter, dainty and perfect for a tea party. The salmon and cucumber was definitely cleaner tasting though, with the cucumber adding a nice fresh crisp bite. Perhaps, a combination of the two would be the best combination of flavor and texture. 

Smoked Salmon Cream Cheese and Cucumber Canapes


makes two dozen

1 cup roughly chopped smoked salmon
1/2 cup cream cheese, at room temperature
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp prepared horseradish
12 slices of wheat bread
2 large seedless cucumbers, peel on

In a small bowl, use a fork to combine the salmon, cream cheese, lemon juice, and horseradish. Set aside, covered in plastic wrap, in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Toast bread slices until dry and toasted slightly. Cool.

Generously spread each bread slice with the salmon cream cheese. Using a mandoline, thinly slice the cucumbers lengthwise about 1/8-inch thick. Arrange the cucumber slices, overlapping slightly, on each bread slice. Trim the crusts. Slice each canape in half on the diagonal with a sharp knife. Finish remaining ingredients. Serve slightly chilled.

Smoked Salmon Flower Canapes


makes 2 dozen

12 slices of wheat bread
3 oz dill butter, at room temperature (recipe below)
6 oz thinly sliced smoked salmon
24 small sprigs fresh dill

Toast bread slices until dry and toasted slightly. Cool.

Spread each bread slice with the butter. Arrange a single layer of smoked salmon over each slice. Use a 2-inch flower-shaped cookie cutter to cut out 24 canapes. Garnish each with a sprig of dill and serve.


Dill Butter:

4 tsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 tsp lemon zest
1/2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp chopped fresh dill
1/4 tsp kosher salt

Place butter, cream cheese, lemon zest and juice, dill, and salt in bowl. Smash with back of fork until well combined. Refrigerate until ready to use.

bacon potato pizza

It's been way too long, and I can't believe I've put this post on hold, collecting micro-dust in my laptop's hard drive. There's definitely a certain fondness for the salty goodness in a crispy bacon bite in everyone's heart, at least everyone I know. So how can a thin crusty pizza topped with bacon go wrong? Add potato and cheese to the mix and you have a match made in finger food heaven.

My cracker-like pie began when I found smoked mozzarella and a bag of medley potatoes at Trader Joe's. I saved the red ones and used the remaining to make roasted garlic potatoes. Luckily, I had some bacon in the freezer, a purchase induced by the half off sale at my local market. The traditional pizza dough was replaced by a St. Louis style cracker thin crust, which I saw on an episode of America's Test Kitchen. I love paper thin crust, so I couldn't resist changing it up.

A mandoline was completely the key to getting the small potatoes translucently thin. The shingling of the slices reminded me of scales and another dish I made years ago where halibut is wrapped in potato scales and pan fried. That was a delicious fish dish, something I saw on an episode of Top Chef and used the recipe from Anne Burrell. It was so aromatic and perfect, I was stunned at the delicate dish. But back to pizza...I didn't have any rosemary, as my plant decided to give out despite hearing how other people's rosemary plants growing into bushes. Perhaps my final product lacked the herbal aroma of the original recipe, but lacking in its complexity, it exuded simple and hearty bar food bites.

The potato cooked just enough to soften, but remained texturally pronounced, and the bacon provided the appropriate saltiness as usual. The smoked mozzarella was definitely something I would probably enjoy more than Parmesan as in the original recipe. The smokiness played off well with the bacon. These little squares were quite tasty with a bottle of ice cold beer.

Potato Bacon Pizza adapted from Martha Stewart and America's Test Kitchen


makes two 14 x 4-inch pizzas

4 oz sliced bacon
1 recipe St. Louis style pizza dough
AP flour, for dusting
4 oz small red potatoes, skin on
olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 oz smoked mozzarella

Dough:
2 cups AP flour
2 tbsp cornstarch
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp water
2 tbsp olive oil

To make dough: Combine flour, cornstarch, sugar, baking powder, and salt in large bowl. Combine water and olive oil and stir into dry ingredients, until dough comes together. Turn dough onto floured surface and knead 3-4 times until cohesive. Divide dough into two equal portions and roll out each dough portion on a parchment lined into about 14 x 4-inch pizzas. Transfer to baking sheets.

Preheat oven to 475 degrees and adjust rack to lower-middle position. Slice the bacon crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces. Place the bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium-low heat until most of the fat is rendered and the bacon is just beginning to brown, 4-6 minutes. Drain on paper towel and set aside.

Using a mandoline, cut the potatoes into 1/16-inch-thick slices. Arrange the slices, overlapping slightly, on the pizza. Brush with oil and season lightly with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with half of the bacon and mozzarella. Bake about 9 minutes, until crust is golden, rotating pizza halfway through baking. Slice into squares and serve warm with your beer of choice.

lemon curd brioche bun

Growing up, my breakfast wasn't the typical cereal and juice. Instead, I had pineapple buns and red bean swirl bread. I think my love for bread started out very young. Finding a left over bag of lemons, I began googling anything lemon and bread related. Finally deciding to take a stab at making a filled bread bun. Luckily, my Cooks Illustrated cookbook has a recipe for a quick brioche dough, perfect for turning into buns rather than the typical brioche a tete.

The brioche recipe was probably one of the more simply and less time consuming bread recipes I've experimented with over the last year. The original recipe only required one rise! Unheard of in bread baking, I thought, but how could Cooks Illustrated do me wrong? And of course, Cooks Illustrated is virtually never wrong, since the bread did come out super soft and texturally authentic to is French heritage.

The lemon curd was just a bit tangy for the barely sweet bread. Tasting the curd alone was fine, but when paired with the brioche, it overpowered the subtle buttery flavor. I would suggest adding a bit more sugar to the curd to ensure a better balanced bread bun. For a first try in filled buns, it was still a delightful breakfast item with a perky tangy bite.

Lemon Curd from Cooks Illustrated


1/4 cup lemon juice
3/8 cup sugar
small pinch of salt
1 large egg plus 1 1/2 large yolks
2 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces and chilled

Heat lemon juice, sugar, and salt in small saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves and mixture is hot but not boiling, about 1 minute.

Whisk egg and egg yolks together in a medium bowl, then slowly whisk in hot lemon mixture to temper. Return mixture to saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is thickened and 170 degrees.

Off heat, stir in butter until melted and incorporated. Press plastic wrap to surface and chill.

Quick Brioche adapted from Cooks Illustrated


1/2 cup milk, heated to 110 degrees
2 1/4 tsp rapid-rise yeast
2 1/4 cups AP flour
6 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces
3 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 large eggs

Whisk milk and yeast together in medium bowl, then stir in 1 cup flour. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside.

Pulse butter, sugar, and salt in food processor until mixture is soft and smooth, about 5 pulses, scraping down bowl as needed. Add eggs, one at a time, and process after each addition until fully incorporated. Add remaining 1 1/4 cups flour and yeast-flour mixture, pulse until mixture forms soft, smooth dough, then process continuously for 15 seconds. Transfer dough to well-floured counter and knead by hand to form smooth and elastic ball. Transfer to oiled bowl, cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise until about doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Assemble and Bake


Scrape out dough and cut into six pieces. Form a piece into a ball and flatten slight to prepare for filling. Spoon about a tbsp of the chilled curd in the center and wrap dough around to form a filled ball. Repeat with the remaining dough. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and cover lightly for about 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400. Bake for about 10-15 minutes, turning halfway through.

grilled beef rolls

With the available recipe choices narrowing, I realize I'm having a harder time finding a corresponding recipe to the ingredients in my refrigerator. Finally, I had a leftover bag of small sweet peppers from a recent dinner. These were perfect to julienne into strips for this application, since they were short to begin with, reducing the chance of wasting food. However, regular bell peppers are fine as well, just make sure you trim the length. I love simple recipes, and this one is definitely one of the simplest in the book, requiring only a few ingredients. All I had to buy was the meat, which I substituted a sirloin steak for the original beef tenderloin.

The vibrant colors of the peppers were beautiful, and since we eat with our eyes first, they definitely poke interest through the thin slice of beef. My strips were just right in terms of length. If using regular sized bell pepper, you may want to trim each strip in half. As with most recipes, mise en place is crucial for the assembly of these rolls.

A word of advice when toothpicking the rolls: skewer in the same direction as the seam and peppers. As seen in the above picture, I skewered in every direction, thinking it wouldn't make a significant difference, especially since the photo in the book has the toothpicks perpendicular. I was wrong. Having the toothpick in the same direction as the peppers is more conducive to cooking, allowing all sides of the beef opportunity to sear on the grill. I found the perpendicular rolls undercooked on two sides due to the toothpick.

Pounding the beef thin allowed for it to remain tender with quick cooking over the grill. I purposely under seasoned, given that we intake too much sodium as it is and after hearing reports of how high sodium intake can harm our health. In that regard, I served it with a side of the sauce, in case it needed an extra oomph. The beef gave way to sweet and crisp peppers all in one bite. This was finger food with an Asian flair, reminiscent of Japanese enoki and beef rolls.

Grilled Beef Rolls with Scallion Soy Dipping Sauce

makes 2 1/2 dozen

1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce

1/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1 1/2 pounds beef sirloin steak, well trimmed

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 scallions, green tops cut into 3-inch lengths and sliced lengthwise; whites cut into 1/8-inch rings

12 small sweet peppers (4 each of red, orange, and yellow), trimmed, seeded, and cut into long, thin matchsticks

1 tsp olive oil

In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce and the brown sugar until dissolved; set aside. Slice the steak into 4, 1/4-inch, slices. Trim off any fat or connective tissue. Place 1 slice between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Using the flat side of a meat pounder, evenly pound out the slice, keeping it roughly rectangular, until it is 1/8-inch thick. Do not overpound or they will disintegrate. Remove the plastic wrap, cut into 2x4 inch pieces, and transfer to a large plate. Continue with remaining slices.

Brush 1 slice of beef with the soy sauce mixture and place it on a clean surface. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place 2 pieces of scallion green and 1 piece of each pepper across the shorter length of the beef. Roll up lengthwise, and skewer along the seam with one toothpick. Repeat with remaining beef and vegetables.

Lightly brush a grill pan with olive oil and heat until hot. Grill the beef rolls, turning until medium rare, 2-4 minutes. In a small saucepan, bring the remaining sauce to a boil for 3-5 minutes. Pour into a small bowl and add scallion rings.

beer batter gruyere pull apart bread

A few weeks back, I stumbled upon Smitten Kitchen's awesome post on this ingenious pull apart bread. Doesn't it just look amazing? And with my affinity for anything bread, I couldn't help but drool a little bit. Since I had a leftover block of Gruyere from the petit croque monsieurs, it felt like a sign to break out the yeast and beer. Luckily for me, the Cook's Illustrated Cookbook that V. sent me (plenty of thanks again), had a beer batter cheese bread that called for Gruyere and a lighter beer (which I prefer to drink and also just so happened to have sitting in the fridge). I must say that was another sign, don't you agree? Naturally, I went on my merry way to blend two recipes to make something all my own.

I loved Smitten Kitchen's idea of incorporating the flavors of a Welsh rarebit, which I never heard of until flipping through the pages of the Martha Stewart Hor's D'oeuvres book. Though it would have been nice to do the same, I decided that the assertive mustard and spice flavors would overpower my much milder Gruyere, not to mention the lighter Heineken. So I opted to use less Dijon that still offered a slight kick and amped up the amount of freshly ground black pepper.

The results? A kitchen filled with the savory aroma of a soft cheesy bread that pulls apart with ease. It reminisced of a larger, more palate intriguing, bread stick. As for my constant taste tester, Mom thought it reminded her of a bread she grew up eating as a child, finding the distinctively light yet unique flavor familiar. I instantly laughed, since this was a beer batter cheese bread that I'm almost certain you wouldn't find in Asia decades ago. It was probably the rye and wheat flours she recognized. The loaf was divided into a section for my brother and the rest went with me for snacking purposes on my trip to San Francisco.


Devil's Teeth Baking Company's cafe latte and donut muffin, Tea Way's boba milk green tea, Devil's Teeth's apple pie, Philz Coffee's tantalizing turkish, Devil's Teeth's beignets, and Saigon Sandwich's roast chicken banh mi


Speaking of SF, I couldn't resist sharing some of the delicious food that came my way all in one day. A very big thank you and hug to S., who spent the day taking me around the city and eating along the way.

Beer Batter Gruyere Pull Apart Bread adapted from Smitten Kitchen & Cook's Illustrated

Bread
4 tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 cup plus 1/2 cup light beer
3 cups AP flour, divided
2/3 cup rye flour, divided
2 tbsp sugar
2 1/4 tsp yeast
1 tsp salt
2 large eggs, room temperature

Filling
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups shredded Gruyere

In a small saucepan, melt butter for bread with 1/4 cup of beer, until the butter is just melted. Remove from heat and add remaining 1/2 cup of beer. Set aside to cool to between 110 and 116 degrees.

In bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, stir 2 cups of AP flour, sugar, yeast, and salt. With mixer on low, pour in beer-butter mixture, mixing until the flour is moistened. Add eggs, one at a time, until combined. Add 1/2 cup of AP flour and 1/3 cup of rye flour, mixing until combined. Slowly add the remaining rye flour until dough starts to pull away from sides of bowl. Add in remaining AP flour if necessary. Switch to dough hook and knead on low for 3 to 5 minutes.

Oil a large bowl and transfer dough into it. Turn dough over to completely oil the dough to prevent drying. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and set aside to double, about an hour.

Back in the same small saucepan, melt 2 tbsp butter. Remove from heat and whisk in mustard. Set aside. In a medium bowl, combine Gruyere with salt and pepper. Keep in fridge until ready to use.

Grease a loaf pan lightly with butter.

Turn out dough onto a well floured surface, and roll out into a 20x12 inch rectangle. Brush the mustard-butter mixture across the dough, all the way to the edges. Cut the dough into 5 strips, each 4x12 inches. Sprinkle 1/5th of the cheese mixture evenly on top of the first strip. Place another strip on top and cover with another 1/5th of the cheese mixture. Make sure to press lightly down after each strip to ensure good adhesion. Repeat until all the strips and cheese are used.

Cut the stack into 6 or 7 segments 2 inch segments. Arrange stacks of dough down the length of the loaf pan. I placed the non-cheesed side of the first segment facing out toward the pan, preventing the cheese from potentially sticking to the pan. Continue stacking the segments, finishing with the last segment non-cheesed side facing out as well. Loosely cover with plastic wrap for second rise, about 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350. Bake loaf for about 35 minutes, until puffed and browned. Transfer to wire rack and cool for 5 minutes before flipping out to serve.

petit croque monsieur

Jus d'orange, dejeuner, steak frites, and of course croque monsieur were just a few of the vocabulary from a typical French cafe menu I was taught back in my high school French class. To be completely frank, I probably lost all but minimal ability to form a complete sentence in French, but would you be surprised if I told you that I still remember these words? Yes, food has a special place in my heart, and apparently mind, because just like my limited French vocabulary, my Chinese reading skill is also predominantly confined to a menu. The way I see it, what can be more important than being able to order a plate of food to comfort your growling stomach? Not much.

So there should be no surprise that I was glad to see a take on the classic French sandwich in the cookbook. Though it is generally a simple ham and cheese sandwich, Martha Stewart, as usual, puts a nice and somewhat fancier spin on it. And as usual, I put my own spin on it with the ingredients I already had and were able to find at the local supermarket. I swapped out the white bread for my healthier 100% whole wheat. With all that butter and Gruyere, I couldn't help but make a healthy substitution. It won't cancel out all that fat, but hopefully it will help a little bit.

With shelling out extra dough for the Gruyere, I just had to buy regular smoked ham that was on sale to save my wallet from even more damage. I added some freshly cracked pepper right on top of the ham layer to add the pronounced peppery bite it lacked compared to Black Forest. The sandwich was akin to an adult version of grilled cheese, with saltiness from the ham, robust nuttiness from the Gruyere, and slight sweet crispiness from the pears. One note: just make sure to serve this straight from the pan since the all the butter and cheese will coagulate once cold.

Petit Croque Monsieur adapted from Martha Stewart

makes 8 sandwiches

3 tbsp unsalted butter
3 small ripe but still firm Forelle pears, 1 cut into 1/4-inch dice, and 2 sliced vertically into 1/4-inch thickness
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
8 slices wheat bread, crusts removed
5 tsp Dijon mustard
8 slices smoked ham
8 thinly sliced Gruyere cheese
freshly ground black pepper

In a medium skillet over medium heat, melt 1 tbsp butter. Add the diced pears and cook, stirring, until just tender, 1 to 2 minutes, depending on ripeness. Increase the heat to medium-high, sprinkle with sugar, and cook until golden brown and caramelized, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the balsamic and swirl the pan until the liquid is absorbed. Removed from the heat and transfer to a plate to set aside.

Melt 1 tbsp butter in the same skillet over medium heat. Working in batches if necessary, add the pear slices and cook until lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Set aside.

Using the remaining 1 tbsp butter to spread over one side of each slice of bread. Flip the slices over and spread the other side with mustard. Slice the bread in half diagonally. Assemble each half sandwich, butter-side facing out, with 1 slice of ham folded to fit, 1 slice of cheese folded to fit, and slices of pears to fit.

Working in batches, cook 2 sandwich halves at a time over medium heat until the cheese is melted and the sandwich is golden brown. Garnish each half with 1 tsp of the diced pears.

lemon chicken salad on toast points

This has been long overdue, yes, I know. I've been having trouble finding the right ingredients in my fridge to relate to a recipe from the book. But after a good motivating complaint from A., I made adjustments to this recipe to accommodate my food supply. I defrosted a two pack Foster Farms chicken breast to start, and trimmed off a couple of ounces as a dinner treat for my dog.

Like I said, I made substitutions, and they ranged from carbohydrate to garnish. For such a small amount of chervil, I didn't want to drive out to the supermarket and waste money on a bunch that will most likely go bad in my refrigerator hopelessly waiting for another recipe. I did a bit of research online and found that chervil shares a similar flavor profile as parsley, so I snipped some from my herb garden. Since parsley has a more assertive taste, I reduced the amount to compensate.





After tasting the chicken salad, I would suggest adding some lemon zest, perhaps a teaspoon or two, to enhance the lemon flavor. The lemon that I used was neither particularly sour nor potent, therefore I always taste as I season. As for the amount of mayonnaise, I drastically decreased it, since I'm not a big fan of the emulsion. There was just enough added to moisten the chicken and give it that "chicken salad" look.

The wheat bread definitely gave it more of an open sandwich feel, which I don't mind, considering I love sandwiches. But if you're really looking to serve this for a fancier affair, the original poppy seed tartlet would be a better serving platform. As for the garnish, again, I did not want to buy a bag of grapes, only to use a few. Although the rest would have been a nice snack. However, I had some apples, and since apples pair well with chicken, I figured it would make a fine substitution. The thin slices added a nice slightly sweet crisp to the supple chicken breast. Hope you all enjoy the changes I've made to the original recipe!

Lemon Chicken Salad on Toast Points adapted from Martha Stewart

makes 32

2 cups low-sodium canned chicken broth
2 7-oz skinless, boneless chicken breast
3-4 tbsp fresh lemon juice
3 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tbsp chopped fresh Italian parsley
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 slices of whole wheat sandwich bread
1/2 Fuji apple, thinly sliced and trimmed to wedges
1-2 tsp lemon zest (optional)

Place the chicken stock in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Add chicken breast, reduce heat to low, and poach until breast is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Remove chicken breast and let cool. Remaining broth can be reserved for another application.

Shred the chicken into small pieces and place in a medium-sized bowl. Stir in lemon juice and zest, mayonnaise, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use. Can be made one day ahead.

Cut each slice of bread into four wedges. Toast in a 300F oven, about 6 minutes on each side, until dry and slightly toasted. Cool on wire rack.

Spoon a generous amount of the chicken salad onto each toast point. Garnish with a slice of apple.

shrimp ceviche in toasted corn cups & guacamole

After a holiday hiatus on the hors d'oeuvres, they're coming back with a refreshing seasonal start. It seems every grocery ad I look at, avocados and citrus are in abundance. And as with signs of large harvests, A. gave me a few extra ripe avocados last week, suggesting guacamole. I actually had something a bit different in mind when I first flipped through the book, this ceviche with avocado puree, a perfect application for such overly ripe avocados.

Now, the recipe originally called for scallops, but in an effort to save my wallet since my unemployment, I switched it up to a more cost effective, but still delicious and fitting seafood ... shrimp. I chose relatively smaller shrimps, since they will be served in small pieces, there's no need to spend the extra dollars a pound on whole jumbo shrimp. Just remember to de-vein the shrimps, you don't want any potential grittiness in your ceviche.

The corn cups were simple enough by using store bought corn tortillas, where I found a blend of wheat, blue corn, and flaxseed. The slight tinge of blue was calling to me at the market, and I couldn't resist the unusually intriguing color. These were warmed on a skillet, brushed with olive oil, cut into circles with a cookie cutter, and then formed into the cups of a mini muffin pan. I baked them at 350 for about 15-20 minutes until they were crisp and toasted in color. The sweetness of the blue corn definitely helped balance the acidity of the ceviche, and the wheat gave the chips a nice chew.

As with most dishes in my house, there were leftovers. So I used the shrimp ceviche and remaining components to form tacos for lunch the next day. As for the other avocados, I did end up making guacamole just as A. predicted, and served them with blue corn tortilla chips, cut into wedges and toasted in a 350 degree oven until browned and crisp.

The lightness of the shrimp augmented with citrus definitely was a nice and welcomed contrast to the heavier and more decadent meals of the holidays. I found the shrimp a perfectly acceptable substitute, with the only downfall lying in the gray, not pink, exterior color, because they were not technically cooked. But with the amount of money saved, I'm not complaining. The hors d'oeuvres were perfectly one bite, filled with freshness and crunch. But for those looking more for a meal, my tacos application would be more appropriate, and a quicker use of the ingredients.

Shrimp Ceviche with Avocado Puree in Toasted Corn Cups adapted 

makes a dozen

1/3 cup plus 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
5 tbsp chopped cilantro (reserve 1 tbsp for guacamole)
1 large jalapeno, sliced into thin rounds
1 small red onion, sliced into thin rings (reserve 1/4 for guacamole)
1/2 lb small shrimp
1 orange
1 ripe avocado
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
toasted corn cups from three tortillas (cutting four circles from each tortilla)

In a medium bowl, combine 1/3 cup lime juice, orange juice, vinegar, 2 tbsp of cilantro, jalapeno, and half of the red onion. Cut the shrimp into about 1/2 inch pieces and stir into the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours, stirring once or twice to ensure that all sides of the shrimps are covered by the marinade.

Section the orange to remove the membranes, and cut into smaller pieces. Cut the remaining onion rings into about 1-inch pieces. When ready to assemble, peel the avocado and cut into chunks. Mash the avocado with 2 tbsp lime juice until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste and place in a ziplock bag.

Snip off a corner of the ziplock bag and pipe a tsp into each corn cup. Top with a few pieces of the shrimp, and garnish with the orange, cilantro and red onions. Serve immediately.

Tacos

makes 3 (using leftovers of ceviche)

Warm tortillas on a skillet and assemble tacos by spooning the shrimp into a line onto the tortilla. Pipe a thick line of avocado along the shrimp mixture. Garnish with orange, cilantro, and red onions.

Guacamole adapted

makes about 1 1/2 cups

1/4 of a small red onion (reserved from above)
1 large jalapeno pepper, seeds and ribs removed, finely chopped
1 tbsp finely chopped cilantro (reserved from above)
2 ripe avocados
1 medium roma tomato, seeds removed, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

In medium bowl, combine onion, jalapeno, and cilantro, using the back of a wooden spoon. Cut and scoop out the avocados into the bowl and mix thoroughly. Add the tomatoes and lime juice. Season to taste. Serve with toasted corn chips.

If reserving for later, place in airtight container with a piece of plastic wrap laid directly on top sealing out any air. (The avocado will oxidize and brown if it touches air)

macarons to start off a new year

Happy 2012! I hope everyone had a great new year to wrap up the holiday season. So to start off this new year, I made French macarons. As I said before, I love tea, so I just had to flavor these little bites with matcha green tea and earl grey tea. Macarons have found a soft spot in high end bakeries in the past few years. And home bakers, like me, daring for a challenge, have researched extensively and experimented with recipes and techniques to try to achieve the perfect non-hollow, slightly moist, and footed sandwich cookie. Despite David Lebovitz's logic paralleling baking your own macarons to making your own hot dogs, us novices still venture to create these little almond cookies.



I made macarons before with A. and Audgbodge, following Tartelette's extensive array of recipes. But this time, I stumbled upon Not So Humble Pie's elaborate post and explanation of these treats that baffle a lot of us. I loved her mathematical and logical approach to deducing how macarons work. The graph that she used to compare different recipes made complete sense to me and begged me to question why I didn't think of that earlier. Since baking ultimately comes down to ratios of ingredients that result in the right chemical reaction, her comparison was brilliant.

I always found macarons to very overly sweet, so when her recipe called for a bit more almonds and egg whites to sugar, I was on board. I used one recipe to yield two batches, one flavored with two teaspoons of matcha green tea powder and the other with the  ground leaves of one teabag of earl grey. Most recipes tell you to pulverize almonds with the powdered sugar in a food processor all at once, but I found that it becomes hard to tell if the almonds are fully ground. I found it easier to blend the almonds with a few spoons of powdered sugar until mostly powdered, then sifted, and the remaining chunks of almonds blended again with another few spoons of powdered sugar. It was just easier to ensure that the almonds were ground in smaller batches, but make sure you add the powdered sugar as it keeps the almonds from turning into almond butter.  

I filled both of them with a bittersweet chocolate ganache from Epicurious, recipe halved and filled into a plastic bag to chill and then pipe. This time around, I read up about maturing macarons in the refrigerator for a few days and decided to try it out. They were in fact quite delicious, with the shell a bit more moist and flavorful. As usual, I gave some away to save myself. Surprisingly A. enjoyed the earl grey more and even her boyfriend, who normally doesn't like macarons liked mine. Most likely because these weren't as sweet, inherently from the almond/egg white ratio to sugar and additionally from the slightly bitter filling.