Sesame chicken

Via Budget Bytes.

Sesame Chicken
serves 4

Combine in a small bowl: 
2 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. water
1.5 tsp. (0.5 tbsp) sesame oil
4.5 tsp. (1.5 tbsp) brown sugar
4.5 tsp. (1.5 tbsp) rice vinegar
1 inch fresh ginger, grated or finely minced
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 tbsp. cornstarch
2 tbsp. sesame seeds

In a large bowl, whisk together: 
1 egg
2 tbsp cornstarch
a pinch of salt and pepper

Take 1 lb. of boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Trim any excess fat, then cut them into small 1 inch pieces. Toss the chicken in the egg and cornstarch mixture (a technique called "velveting").

Heat a large skillet with ~2 tbsp. of vegetable oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is shimmering, add the chicken and all of the egg mixture. Cook the chicken for 7-10 minutes, until it's golden brown and cooked through. Stir occasionally to break up the chicken chunks (and avoid making an omelet).

Once the chicken is cooked through and golden brown, pour the sauce over top. Toss the chicken to coat it. Thanks to the cornstarch, the sauce will begin to thicken as soon as it hits the hot skillet. Once the chicken is coated and the sauce has thickened, turn off the heat.

Serve over rice.

Pancakes for 2

Alton Brown makes a mean pancake recipe. However, his is designed to feed a family of four, three times over if you count the volume of dry ingredients (which he says to split into 3 and freeze). Even a single batch makes about 18 4-inch pancakes, which is far too much for just me and my husband on a Sunday morning. Since doing mental math before noon on a weekend should be illegal, I've cut down the recipe and recorded it here.

Pancakes for 2
makes 8-10 pancakes

Dry ingredients
Combine in a large bowl:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda

Wet ingredients
If you don't have buttermilk on hand, combine 1 cup milk and 1 tbsp. lemon juice. Let stand for 5-10 minutes.

Pour into a medium bowl:
1 cup buttermilk

Melt in the microwave:
2 tbsp. butter

Separate 1 egg, adding the yolk to the melted butter and the white to the buttermilk.

Whisk each mixture together. Then pour the yolks/butter into the buttermilk/whites, and whisk thoroughly to combine.

Pour the combined wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Whisk until just combined (some lumps will remain). If you would like to add blueberries, chocolate chips, etc., stir in about 1/2 cup at this point.

Heat a non-stick skillet or griddle until a drop of water will dance across the surface. Lightly butter the surface, then wipe it thoroughly with a paper towel until no butter is visible.

Using a 1/4 cup measure, ladle the pancake batter onto the hot skillet. When bubbles begin to set around the edges of the pancake, flip the pancakes. Continue to cook for 2-3 minutes until the middle of the pancake is set.

Hold the finished pancakes on a plate in a warm oven until ready to serve.

Tiki drinks

We've started experimenting with making classic tiki drinks, so I'm making a standing post that will be updated with our successful experiments and favorite versions.

Rum recommendations:
Jamaican, dark Jamaican: Appleton Estate
dark: Koloa dark
Demerara: El Dorado 5 year
white, light: Mount Gay


Demerara Dry Float
Discovered at the bar Smuggler's Cove. This recipe was found on TikiRoom.com. The original calls for Luxardo, but I find that Cherry Heering, which is sweeter, better balances the citrus in the drink and adds a nice depth of flavor.

2 oz El Dorado 80 proof Demerara rum
0.5 oz Lemon Hart 151 Demerara rum (float)
0.5 oz Cherry Heering or Luxardo maraschino liqueur
2 oz fresh lime juice
0.5 oz fresh lemon juice
1 oz Small Hand passion fruit syrup
0.5 oz simple syrup

Shake all ingredients with ice except the 151. Strain into an empty glass and float the 151.

Mai Tai
The original recipe, as determined by Beachbum Berry. Use quality rum.

2 oz. rum, pref. Appleton Estate (options: gold, spiced, or 50/50 light/dark rum)
0.5 oz Grand Marnier orange curacao
1 oz. fresh lime juice
0.25 oz Small Hand orgeat syrup
0.25 oz simple syrup

Sidewinder's Fang
http://www.killingtime.com/Pegu/2012/02/02/tiki-drink-sidewinders-fang/

1 oz. dark Jamaican rum
1 oz. demerara rum
1.5 oz. fresh lime juice
1.5 oz. orange juice
1.5 oz. Small Hand passion fruit syrup
2 oz. soda water

Painkiller
http://tikiloungetalk.com/2011/11/25/painkiller-cocktail-recipe-your-weekend-tiki-drink/

2 oz. dark rum
1 oz. cream of coconut
4 oz. pineapple juice
1 oz. orange juice

Puka Punch
http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Puka-Punch

2 oz. white rum
0.75 oz. dark Jamaican rum
0.25 oz. 151-proof rum (optional)
0.25 oz. falernum
1 oz. fresh lime juice
0.75 oz. fresh orange juice
0.75 oz. pineapple juice
0.75 oz. Small Hand passion fruit syrup
2 tsp. honey mixed with 2 tsp. hot water, chilled
1 dash Angostura bitters

Garnish with pineapple slice, orange wedge, and maraschino cherry.

Gazpacho from scratch

Food processors aren't designed to hold large volumes of liquid! If the liquid level rises above the spindle in the center, your gazpacho will start to leak out all over your countertop. So make sure to blend the vegetables in smaller batches and transfer them to a secondary container.

Gazpacho
serves 4-6

Working in batches, blend until smooth in a food processor:
2 medium red bell peppers, seeded and roughly chopped
tops of one bunch of green onions

1 large cucumber, peeled and roughly chopped
4-5 medium ripe tomatoes, quartered

Transfer each batch of blended vegetables into one large container. Stir to combine.

Add and process until combined:
1-2 cups of blended vegetables

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp salt

5 dashes hot sauce

Return contents of blender to the larger container and stir until evenly mixed. Adjust seasoning to taste.

Refrigerate until cool. Garnish with croutons and small diced vegetables for texture (e.g. bell pepper, onion, cucumber) just before serving.

Pecan Pie

Pecan pie is a delicious Southern staple, and often makes an appearance at Thanksgiving.  However, most recipes for it are cloyingly, tooth-achingly sweet. This recipe actually has the proper ratio of pecan flavor to sugar! It comes to me via my friend Kathleen, who modified it slightly from the Farmhouse Cookbook by Susan Herrmann Loomis.

If you want to create a decorative pie, leave the pecans whole and arrange them in the pie shell in whatever pattern you desire. However, a pie made with whole pecans is harder to eat.  If you don't possess a food processor, you can easily buy crushed pecans and mix the pie filling by hand with a whisk.

Not-So-Sweet Pecan Pie

Ingredients
1.25 cups whole pecans
3 large eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup dark corn syrup (e.g. Karo brand)
1/4 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 pre-baked pie shell

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Briefly pulse 1.25 cups of whole pecans in a food processor to break them down slightly. Set aside.

Blend in a food processor until thoroughly combined: 
3 large eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup dark corn syrup

And and blend until smooth:
1/4 cup sour cream
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt

Pour the pecans in an even layer in the pre-baked pie shell. Carefully pour the blended egg mixture over them, transfer the pie to a baking sheet, and place it in the bottom third of the oven. Bake the pie at 350 for ~35 minutes until the filling is set. Remove it from the oven and let it cool to room temperature on a wire rack before serving.

Raspberry Coulis

Theoretically, you can make this coulis with any berry as a base, but the raspberry version is so very, very good that I've never felt the need to stray.  Peach sorbet? Chocolate mousse? Cheesecake?  Lemon souffle? It works really well on all of them.

This makes a LOT of coulis, so it will make plenty for whatever dessert you plan to top, even if you're serving a small army.

Raspberry Coulis
makes 1.5 cups

Cook in a sauce pan over medium, for ~5 minutes:
12 oz. individually quick frozen raspberries
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp. Chambord raspberry liqueur (optional)
6 tbsp. sugar
1/8 tsp. salt

Once the raspberries have mostly broken down, pour the hot mixture into a Cuisinart or blender.  Add 2 tsp. of lemon juice, then puree briefly.

To remove the seeds, pour the coulis through a fine mesh strainer, working it back and forth with a silicone spatula.

Refrigerate covered for ~1 hour before serving.

Summer Berry Pie

Credit once again goes to Cook's Illustrated for this gem.

Because berries are very acidic, it's best to use non-reactive cookware like stainless steel or non-stick saucepans, silicon spatulas, and wooden spoons for this recipe.

Summer Berry Pie
one 9-inch pie, serves 6-8


Graham cracker crust

• 9 graham crackers, broken into rough pieces
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 5 tablespoons butter, melted and warm

Adjust your oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Melt 5 tbsp. butter in the microwave.  In a food processor, process 9 graham crackers until evenly fine, about 30 seconds.  (This should yield about 1 cup of crumbs.)  Add 2 tbsp. of granulated sugar and pulse to combine. Continue to pulse while adding the warm melted butter in steady stream. Pulse until the mixture resembles wet sand.

Transfer the crust mixture to a 9-inch glass pie plate.  Form the crust by pressing down and around with a 1/2-cup dry measuring cup.

Bake the crust at 325 until fragrant and beginning to brown, 15 to 18 minutes.  Transfer the plate to a wire rack and let it cool completely while you make the filling.

Pie filling

• 2 cups fresh raspberries (~9 oz.)
• 2 cups fresh blackberries (~11 oz.)
• 2 cups fresh blueberries (~10 oz.)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 3 tbsp. cornstarch
• 1/8 tsp. table salt
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• 2 tsp. red currant or apple jelly

Combine all the berries in a large colander and rinse them gently, being careful not to bruise them.  Spread the washed berries on rimmed baking sheet lined with paper towels, and pat them dry.

In a food processor, puree 2.5 cups of the mixed berries for at least 1 minute, until smooth. To remove the seeds, strain the puree through a mesh strainer into a small nonreactive saucepan, scraping with a spatula to extract as much puree as possible.  This should yield 1.25 to 1.5 cups.  If not, keep scraping!

Whisk together in a small bowl:
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 tbsp. cornstarch
1/8 tsp. salt

Whisk this dry ingredient mixture into the puree.  Bring the puree to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly with a non-reactive spoon to avoid scorching the bottom.  When the mixture has thickened to the consistency of pudding, remove it from the heat and add 1 tsp. lemon juice.  Set it aside to cool slightly.

Place all the remaining whole berries into a medium bowl. Melt 2 tsp. red currant (or apple) jelly in second small saucepan over low heat.  Pour the melted jelly over the whole berries and toss gently to coat them.  (This increases their sweetness while giving them a beautiful glossy sheen.)

Pour the slightly cooled puree into the baked and cooled graham cracker pie shell, then add the whole fresh berries.  Loosely cover the pie with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for about 3 hours to set the puree.