recent lunches

Top left to bottom right: grilled chicken, caramelized onions, and arugula in toasted pita with jalepeno hummus; peanut butter and banana stuffed wheat french toast; stir fried chicken and scallions over noodle soup; pizza close up; french toast close up; grilled chicken and caramelized onions pizza with ricotta and spinach.

Just wanted to share some of the lunches I made recently. Sometimes it's hard to cook for just one person, so not surprisingly some of these became dinner as well.

chocolate chip mini muffins

I decided to make some mini muffins to finish off the buttermilk last week. Never understood why buttermilk is only sold in the quart size. I always have a bunch left over, trying to figure out how to use as much as I can before I have to throw it out.

These were just whipped up from pantry items that I always keep on hand. I added some nuts for texture, and because A. always liked the walnut squares from See's Candies. Gave them to A. to distribute at her office. 

Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins adapted from Williams Sonoma

makes about 20 mini muffins

1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

3/8 cup buttermilk

1 large egg

1/2 tbsp vanilla extract

1 cup AP flour

3/8 cup sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup walnut, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 350. Line mini muffin pan.

In a bowl, whisk together the melted butter, buttermilk, egg, and vanilla until smooth.

In another bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture, add the buttermilk mixture, and beat until smooth and well mixed, about 1-2 minutes. Fold in chocolate chips and then walnuts until evenly distributed. Do not overmix. Spoon batter into muffin cups, filling it level with the rim.

Bake the muffins until golden, dry, and springy to the touch, about 12 minutes. A toothpick inserted should come out clean.



fontina risotto balls

Having left over fontina cheese, I flipped through the Hors d'Oeuvres Handbook. This was one of the few recipes I found. I've made risotto before and found it relatively easy to make, but time consuming, so I decided to break this into a two day affair.

I made some minor adjustments due to refrigerator and pantry restrictions. For the risotto, I used fresh thyme instead of parsley. Whenever I buy parsley, I barely use a third of it and the rest just go to waste, drying out in my fridge. Since I already had thyme and thought that the lemony flavor would go well in the mild risotto, I made the substitution.

Since some of these were being given to A., I asked her if she had any ideas. Her request? Add some meat and bake instead of fry. I thought both suggestions were good so I stir fried some ground chicken, marinated in my standard Chinese marinade.

The results? Crunchy little bites with a creamy and flavorful center. A.'s dad ate all but one of the sampling I gave her, leaving just a taste to her mom. I just so happened to see my brother the following night, so I gave him a few to sample as well, he gobbled them up. I had to stop him in order to heat it up. Seems like this was a boy's dish.

Fontina Risotto Balls adapted

makes about 18

2 cups low-sodium canned chicken broth

1 large shallot, finely chopped

1/2 cup Arborio rice

1/4 cup dry white wine, like a Sauvignon Blanc

1 tsp fresh thyme, finely chopped

1/2 oz Parmesan cheese, grated

1/2 of a chicken breast, ground

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp white pepper

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp Chinese cooking wine, like a rice wine

1/2 tsp cornstarch

1 large garlic clove, minced

1/2 oz fontina cheese, cut into 1/4-inch cubes

1/4 cup AP flour

1 large egg, beaten

1 cup panko

olive oil

sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

Bring chicken stock to a simmer, keep over heat at a low simmer. Heat some olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots and cook until translucent. Add rice to pan and toast until the edges become translucent. Add wine and cook, stirring, until nearly all the wine is absorbed into the rice. Add a ladleful of stock and cook, stirring constantly, until nearly all of the stock is absorbed. Continue adding stock, one ladle at a time, stirring constantly, until the rice is creamy, about 15 minutes. Add the thyme and season with salt and pepper to taste. Continue to cook until the rice is al dente, about 5 minutes. Stir in Parmesan and transfer to a bowl. Allow to cool, then cover and refrigerate until firm and thoroughly chilled, 3 to 4 hours or overnight.

Marinate ground chicken breast with the soy sauce, salt, white pepper, sugar, sesame oil, rice wine, and cornstarch. Marinate for at least an hour or overnight. Heat medium skillet, add olive oil. Add garlic and cook until aromatic. Add marinated chicken breast. Cook until thoroughly cooked through, using a spatula to keep the pieces small. Transfer and allow to cool.

Preheat oven to 375. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place 1 generous tablespoon of the risotto in the palm of your hand and form into a shallow cup. Place some chicken and one cube of fontina in the center and seal. It is important to keep the filling in the center. Place the risotto ball onto the baking sheet. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

Place flour in a shallow bowl, season with salt and pepper. Place eggs and panko in two separate shallow bowls. Roll risotto ball in the flour to coat, tap off excess. Dip ball into egg mixture and then into panko. Place back on the baking sheet. Repeat.

Bake in oven for about 15-20 minutes, turning half way through. The panko should look crisp and lightly golden. 

blueberry mini muffins

My mom requested "breakfast" late last week, since we ran out of bread, her usual staple. I still had buttermilk left over from the cupcakes order and decided to make muffins. She picked up some blueberries on the way home for me. I originally wanted to make apricot blueberry muffins, a Starbucks creation that they removed from their array of baked goods quite a while ago. They were my favorite, but unfortunately, apricots were not available at the market. So, just plain blueberry these became.

I've learned that using fresh blueberries is really important. I made something similar last year with frozen ones, and they turned a bit green, according to my friend A. The fresh blueberries stayed perfectly blue this time around, something I definitely want. The recipe was something that I melded from two recipes from my Williams Sonoma Baking Book. The sugary, nutty, crumbly top was for A., who got a tasting sample. It totally added a nice dimension to the spongy and moist muffin.

Probably my favorite blueberry muffin attempt so far. They were packaged and went on a plane with my mom for her vacation. Please note: don't seal the packaging cover, because the topping will get soggy and lose its crumbly texture.

Blueberry Mini Muffins adapted
please excuse the weird measurements, I halved the original recipe

makes about 16 mini muffins

For the topping:
1/6 cup sugar
1/6 cup golden brown sugar
1 1/2 tbsp AP flour
1 tbsp cold butter, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup walnuts, finely chopped

For the muffins:
1 cup AP flour
3/8 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 large egg, beaten
2 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup fresh blueberries

Preheat oven to 375. Line mini muffin pan.

Topping: in small bowl, stir together sugars and flour. Cut the butter into the mixture, forming course crumbs. Add walnuts and stir to combine.

Muffins: in a bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Make a well in the center and add the egg, melted butter, and buttermilk. Stir until just evenly moistened. The batter will be slightly lumpy, don't over mix. Fold in blueberries until evenly distributed, no more than a few strokes.

Spoon batter into muffin cups, filling just to the brim. Sprinkle each muffin with some of the topping, dividing evenly.

Bake until golden and springy to the touch, about 12 minutes. Toothpick inserted should come out clean. Transfer to wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes.

eggplant crisps

Eggplant is not a vegetable I typically enjoy. The texture is usually more on the mushy side, especially when cooked as part of a popular Cantonese dish. These are completely different! Light, thin, and crispy.

Panko was the secret to achieving an extra airy and crunchy crust. I had my workstation right next to the stove with oil ready for frying. I have this great plastic tray with three sections, each for flour, eggs, and panko; perfect for these situations. Make sure to tap off any excess flour to ensure a thin crust. I worked in batches of 6 to 8 slices when frying, making sure not to overcrowd the pot and to avoid lowering the temperature of the oil.

These were great little bites. Crunchy from the panko, soft centers from the eggplant, slight creaminess from the mozzarella, and a bit of acid from the tomato.

Eggplant Crisps adapted

makes about 2 dozen

2 oz fresh mozzarella
1/4 cup AP flour
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 cup panko
1 eggplant, cut crosswise into 1/4 inch thick slices
6 small tomatoes, cut into quarters
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
olive oil

Preheat oven to 350. Toss tomatoes in a bit of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Arrange cut-side up on a parchment lined baking sheet. Roast for about an hour, until the tomatoes begin to shrivel and shrink in size. This can be made ahead.

Preheat oven to 375 with rack at center. Heat olive oil in a deep, heavy bottomed pot until thermometer registers 360. Dredge eggplant slice in flour, then dip in beaten egg wash and finally into panko. Fry until golden brown, a couple of minutes on each side. Transfer to paper towel to drain.

Cut the mozzarella into small pieces, place on paper towel to drain if necessary. Arrange fried eggplant on parchment lined baking sheet. Top each slice with a piece of mozzarella and tomato. Bake until cheese melts, about 6 minutes.