Tag: #NYTcooking
Eric Kim’s Grape Tomato “Quick Kimchi” (Rock-Paper-Scissors)

Eric Kim’s Grape Tomato “Quick Kimchi” (Rock-Paper-Scissors)

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Every Sunday I meet up with friends for coffee then we walk to our local farmer’s market to stock up for the week.  Every year, like clockwork, when summer is upon us, the following conversation takes place between us…

While Walking Back From the Market…

She who shall not be named Person #1 So, who is going to buy the Granny Cart?  I can’t lug any more melons, corn, and peaches.  We need wheels.  I feel like a Sherpa and my shoulder hurts.

She who shall not be named Person #2  Aren’t you the one on Medicare already?  You should get it.

She who shall not be named Person #3 But you’re the one with the watermelon, half flat of strawberries, and 6 ears of corn!

She who shall not be named Person #1 Wait a minute, you’re the one with grandkids, you get it.

She who shall not be named Person #2 I’m the youngest, I’m not getting it.

Needless to say, due to vanity, we are still schlepping our haul in multiple tote bags, occasionally stopping for a breather.  This Sunday may have been the breaking point, none of us could resist, so much amazing fruit right now. We loaded up on berries, peaches (Biscuit Berry Peach Cobbler), cantaloupes, (Melon, Prosciutto & Mozzarella with Basil Oil), and watermelons, (Watermelon and Tomato Salad).  Somebody has to bite the bullet and get that cart!

Tomatoes Are Coming…Update They’re Here!

And I bought my first baskets of cherry tomatoes of the season today.  One of my favorite dishes, especially with the 90-degree weather we are having, is Eric Kim’s Grape Tomato Quick Kimchi.  I’m staying away from the stove as much as possible and this dish fits the bill. It’s the perfect way to enjoy those lovely tomatoes.

Side Dish Today…Lunch Tomorrow

Simple to make, the time-consuming part is salting and allowing the tomatoes to drain.  Use any variety of cherry tomatoes.  The dressing consists of vinegar, fish sauce, sugar, and Gochugaru.  Red Boat or Three Crabs, are good choices for fish sauce.   Either can be found in any Asian store.  Gochugaru is Korean chili powder that can also be found in most Asian stores.  Your best bet would be a Korean market or online.  If you can’t find it feel free to substitute with chili flakes (1/4 tsp or to taste) or Aleppo pepper powder (1:1).  Toasted sesame oil provides a nutty, sweet finish to the dressing.

Serve it as a salad or side dish, like Banchan, it goes well with any kind of meal.  I make a big batch so I have extra for an easy lunch the next day. Just cook up some pasta, either ramen noodles or Angel Hair pasta, and toss it with the leftover tomatoes and sauce.  The pasta warms the tomatoes and picks up the flavors of the dressing, it’s delicious.

With tomatoes coming into season now and the weather warming up, this easy-to-make dish is perfect.

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Grape Tomato ‘Quick Kimchi’

Eric Kim's Quick Tomato Kimchi. Refreshing, easy to prepare banchan using fresh cherry tomatoes is the perfect summer dish
Course Appetizer
Cuisine Korean-American
Keyword Banchan, cherry tomatoes, Cold Noodles with Tomatoes, grape tomatoes
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes

Ingredients

Tomatoes

  • 1 pound grape tomatoes (or any ripe cherry tomato) about 2 to 3 cups, halved lengthwise
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Banchan Dressing

  • 2 tablespoons white distilled vinegar substitute with rice vinegar
  • ½ teaspoon finely grated garlic
  • 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sesame oil Toasted sesame oil like Kadoya
  • 1 tablespoon gochugaru powder of flakes
  • 2 teaspoons fish sauce
  • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar

Garnish

  • Thinly sliced scallions chopped chives, or cilantro or flat-leaf parsley leaves for garnish (optional)

Instructions

  • In a medium bowl, toss the tomatoes with the salt, transfer to a colander, and let drain about 30 minutes. In the same bowl, add vinegar and garlic and set aside.
  • After 30 minutes, add the sesame oil, gochugaru, fish sauce and sugar to bowl with the vinegar and garlic and whisk to combine. Pat the tomatoes dry, then add the tomatoes to the dressing and toss until well coated.
  • Garnish with the optional herbs before serving. This is best eaten right away, but can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours.
  • Make this for banchan for dinner and use any remaining as a pasta sauce the next day. It is delicious with somen noodles. Cook as directed. Add tomatoes to hot noods and mix. Serve immediately.
Gochujang Buttered Noodles (Ketchup Noodles 2.0)

Gochujang Buttered Noodles (Ketchup Noodles 2.0)

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My Dad made dinner most of the time.  Every evening he would leave the office, shop for dinner ingredients, go back to the office, pick up my mom, then go home.  Once home, he donned his apron and cranked out a typical Chinese meal in about 30-45 minutes.  A typical meal consisted of a quick soup, stir-fried beef with vegetables, and steamed fish.  It takes me 30 minutes just to decide what to make let alone have it on the table. Yep, my Pop was Dinner Dad Extraordinaire.

But when I stop and think about it, my mom was the one who got us up, made us breakfast, packed our lunches, and made most of the non-Asian holiday meals.  I have been giving short shrift to my mom all these years.  She accounted for 2/3 of our daily meals and my favorite lasagne.  Aiyah, I can’t believe I “marginalized” my own mom.

The Real Deal

My mom was instrumental in trying new things in our house.  An early adopter of the microwave, yogurt (before it was fashionable and filled with fruit and sugar), and frozen food.  Fridays meant Date Night for the parents and Swanson’s TV Dinners for us, and thanks to Swanson’s genius ad campaign, we got to eat in front of the TV.

There are a couple of dishes that my mom made that trumped (sorry) everything else.  First, Avocado Sandwiches.  My mom was ahead of her time-avocados, mashed with a little bit of mayo, S & P, and a squirt of lemon juice, slathered on white bread.  The OG of Avocado Toast. She’d make a killing.

Second, Ketchup Noodles. Butter, noods, ketchup,  a little salt and pepper.  There you have it, perfection.

Which Brings Me to…

Gochujang Buttered Noodles.  A trademark Eric Kim recipe, easy, fast, and absolutely delicious.  I can’t give him 100 percent credit, this dish reminds me of my Mom’s Ketchup Noodles, think of his version as Ketchup Noodles 2.0.  Gochujang, the Korean, sweet and spicy chili paste replaces ketchup, and honey and vinegar bring a balanced sweet-tart flavor.  Fresh garlic adds punch. It’s delicious.  Another Eric recipe goes viral.

The Sauce

Gochujang or Korean Chili Paste comes in mild, medium or hot and can be found at most Asian grocery stores.  Trader Joe’s also carries a gochujang paste.  Do not confuse this with Gochujang Sauce which is thinner in consistency and probably contains sweeteners.   Use mild honey or agave syrup for the sweetener and rice vinegar or sherry vinegar for the acid, together they bring balance to the dish.

Reduce the sauce until you you run your spatula through it and it stays separate for a couple of seconds.  It will be syrupy and have a nice sheen.  Add your pasta and reserved pasta water (a little at a time to desired consistency).

The Noods

Asian pasta, like ramen or Taiwanese dry noodles, is my favorite for its texture, but spaghettini or linguine works in this dish.  The bottom line, use your favorite pasta.

Finish the dish by garnishing it with chopped scallions, sesame seeds, and crushed seaweed.  I also like to drizzle some sesame oil on top.

Enjoy!

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Gochujang Buttered Noodles

Ingredients

  • 1 pound spaghetti or other long pasta
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 12 garlic cloves finely chopped (about ⅓ cup)
  • Kosher salt and black pepper
  • ¼ cup gochujang paste
  • ¼ cup honey
  • ¼ cup sherry vinegar or rice vinegar
  • Finely chopped cilantro or thinly sliced scallions optional

Instructions

  • Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook according to package instructions. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water. Drain the spaghetti and return to its pot.
  • While the pasta cooks, melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in a skillet over medium-low. Add the garlic and season generously with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic starts to soften but not brown, 1 to 3 minutes.
  • Stir in the gochujang, honey and vinegar, and bring to a simmer over medium-high. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture reduces significantly, 3 to 4 minutes; when you drag a spatula across the bottom of the pan, it should leave behind a trail that stays put for about 3 seconds. Remove from the heat.
  • Transfer the sauce to the pot with the spaghetti and add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Vigorously stir until the butter melts. Add splashes of the pasta cooking water, as needed, to thin out the sauce. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Top with the cilantro or scallions (if using) and serve immediately.
Miso-Honey Chicken with Asparagus Sheet Pan-tabulous!

Miso-Honey Chicken with Asparagus Sheet Pan-tabulous!

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Sam Sifton’s What to Cook column in the NY Times is my usual starting point for what should I make for dinner during the week.  I found Yossy Arefi’s Sheet Pan Miso-Honey Chicken and Asparagus in his column a little while ago and bookmarked it.  Like so many others, I have jumped on the sheet pan meal train.  I love a cooking method that includes hashtags like #quick, #easy, and #delicious.  This recipe was simply yummy and had me licking my plate clean at the end.

Da Sauce

The flavor from the marinade manages to hit every note-sweet from honey, and spicy from chili sauce.  Eartiness and salty from the miso.  The ginger and garlic create an added one-two flavor punch.  It is absolutely delicious.  Reserve half of it to serve at the table for those who just can’t get enough of it, like me!

Most of the ingredients for the marinade are items that you probably have in your pantry or fridge, especially if you like Asian cuisine.  For those not familiar with miso-the star of this marinade, miso is a cornerstone in Japanese cooking.  It is made from soybeans that is fermented and it is responsible for that salty, slightly funky flavor and umami.  It comes in two basic types, white and red.  White miso is milder and if I could only have one miso, this would be it.  Here is a primer on miso from Spruce Eats.  Look for it in Asian grocery stores and many of the larger supermarkets.  There really isn’t a substitute so if your local markets don’t carry it, try online.

Improvising for the lack of asparagus, I grabbed a head of cauliflower from my crisper and I was in business.  I prefer bone-in chicken so I slathered the marinade on bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and opted to roast it.  Roast the chicken and cauliflower in a 425-degree oven for approximately 25-30 minutes until the chicken is crispy and browned, and the cauliflower is tender and golden.  It would be tough to broil bone-in chicken and have it cook through, high-heat roasting works well.

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Sheet-Pan Miso Honey Chicken with Asparagus

An easy and delicious one-pan meal. Chicken thighs are marinaded in honey, miso, and soy sauce elevated with the addition of minced garlic and ginger. Delicious!
Course Main Course, Meat
Cuisine Asian-American
Keyword Chicken thighs, gochujang, NYTcooking, sheet pan meal
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

Marinade

  • 3 tablespoons white miso
  • 3 tablespoons mild honey
  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger
  • 2 teaspoons finely grated garlic
  • 2 teaspoons chile-garlic sauce or other hot sauce
  • 1 tablespoon neutral oil + 1 tablespoon water for marinade

The Stars

  • 1 Pound large bunch asparagus trimmed
  • 2 teaspoons neutral oil for asparagus
  • 1½ to 2 pounds chicken thighs boneless, skinless (although I like leaving the skin on

The Garnish

  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 scallions thinly sliced

Instructions

  • Make the marinade: In a bowl, whisk together the miso, honey, soy sauce, rice vinegar, ginger, garlic, chile-garlic sauce, 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon water. Refrigerate half the marinade for serving.
  • Place the chicken in a shallow dish or zip-top bag and pour the remaining marinade over the top. Toss the chicken until coated and let marinate in the refrigerator for up to 30 minutes.
  • When you are ready to cook, heat the broiler with a rack set 6 inches below it. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil. * See notes for directions to roast chicken instead of broiling.
  • Remove the chicken from the marinade, scraping off and discarding any excess. Place the chicken in a single layer on one side of the baking sheet, with the flatter side up. Place the asparagus on the other side. Drizzle the asparagus with remaining oil, then season the asparagus; toss to coat.
  • Broil until the chicken is cooked through with some charred spots and the asparagus is browned, about 10 minutes.
  • To serve, top the chicken with a drizzle of the reserved marinade and a sprinkle of scallions.
  • Serve with rice, if desired.

Notes

A variety of vegetables can be substituted for asparagus such as bok chop, broccoli, or chard. I had a head of cauliflower in my crisper and thought, why not?  I was in business.  Too lazy to debone the chicken I slathered the marinade on bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and roasted the chicken and cauliflower in a 425-degree oven for approximately 25-30 minutes until the chicken was crispy and browned, and the cauliflower tender and golden. Just know the bone in chicken will take approximately 35 minutes to roast so cut your vegetables to a size that needs the same amount of time.
Another Biscuit? SWEET!!!

Another Biscuit? SWEET!!!

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Bleary-eyed, I arrived home at 6:15 AM after dropping off Jamie at the airport at 5 AM.  I actually live only 10 minutes from the airport.  Are you wondering is California traffic that bad?  A protracted goodbye with the kid? A flat tire?

NOPE

Being very nice, enabling parents, we offered to drop her off for her flight and return the rental car.  The plan went smoothly, I dropped her off curbside and headed to the car rental lot to pick up the Hubster.  As soon as I entered the return lot a voice in my sleep-deprived brain said…hmmm, is this a good idea?  Apparently not.  The parking guys that man the exit booth do not arrive until 6 AM.  I guess it stands to reason if you are dropping off a rental car, you are probably catching a flight. 🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️. So we sat in the car for 50 minutes, the Hubster occasionally looking over at me and shaking his head while playing Spelling Bee.  I ignored him.

By the time we got home, I was wide awake.  I might as well bake, I deserve a morning treat (ok, not really).  A recent article by my fav NYT cooking columnist, Eric Kim, highlighted (glowingly) the Buttermilk Sugar Biscuits from Tandem Coffee + Bakery in Portland, Maine.  I LOVE biscuits and a recommendation from Eric…turn on the oven now, please.

These biscuits are sweeter than most biscuits.  They have a crunchy exterior due to the high sugar content and yet are still flaky and tender inside.  This makes them sturdy enough for biscuit sandwiches, think ham or fried chicken.

First, grate cold butter and lightly blend it with flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.  This eliminates cutting the butter into the flour step.  By grating the butter you have strands of butter that help create those flaky layers.

Let’s Skip to the Good Part

Pour the crumbly mass of butter and flour onto your counter. Take out your bench scraper and push your dough mass together and gently press down to compress, you want to roll or pat the dough into a rectangle.

Fold one half over on top of the other half using the bench scraper, gather the escaped bits, and press them into the dough. Then roll the dough out again into a rectangle.  Repeat the process a total of 5 times, rotating your dough ninety degrees each time.  The dough will come together and be less crumbly.  This is the process of lamination, creating layers of butter and flour in pursuit of flakiness.

With the last fold, shape the dough into a square.  Use your bench scraper to cut the dough in thirds both lengthwise and crosswise yielding 9 squares.  Cut straight down without sawing through the dough.  Sawing would smoosh the layers creating an uneven rise while baking.

Next time I will trim the outside of the dough to help with an even rise.

Flaky, crispy, buttery, and sweet. Brush the biscuits with butter and sprinkle them with Maldon salt or any coarse finishing salt you like to highlight the sweet-salty vibe.  Enjoy!

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Buttermilk Sugar Biscuits

Course Biscuits and scones, Breakfast
Cuisine American
Prep Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 cup cold unsalted butter 227 grams
  • 3⅓ cups all-purpose flour 425 grams plus more for rolling
  • ½ cup granulated sugar 100 grams
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 2½ teaspoons kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) or 1¾ teaspoons fine sea salt
  • 1¼ cups cold buttermilk 300 grams
  • Melted butter and flaky sea salt both optional, for finishing

Instructions

  • Heat oven to 375 degrees and line a large sheet pan with parchment paper or foil.
  • Coarsely grate the butter onto a plate, then freeze until cold and hard, at least 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
  • Add the butter to the dry ingredients. Using a spoon, toss together until all of the butter is coated with flour.
  • Add half the buttermilk and toss with the spoon. When incorporated, add the rest of the buttermilk and gently toss again, without mashing together or overmixing, until the dry ingredients are lightly hydrated throughout. The mixture will be crumbly.
  • Flour a clean surface and dump the mixture directly onto it. Using your hands, gently press the crumbs together and then use a floured rolling pin to roll the mass gently but firmly into a 1-inch-thick rectangle.
  • Fold the dough in half: Using a bench scraper, lift the top half off the surface and fold it over the bottom half. This step may be crumbly and messy at first, but just go for it and fold what you can down from the top. Repeat this roll-and-fold motion 5 times, flouring the surface and dough as needed and using the bench scraper to straighten the edges as
  • Build the final layer: Fold the dough in half one last time, then roll to about 1½ inches thick to create a 6-inch square, using the bench scraper to straighten out the edges.
  • Using the bench scraper or a sharp knife, cut straight down into
  • the square to create a 3-by-3 grid of 9 squares, then place them on your sheet pan, upside down if you’d like taller biscuits.
  • Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, until risen, golden brown on top, and slightly pale on the sides.
  • Don’t worry if a couple of the biscuits tip over or if melted butter pools underneath. Brush the tops with melted butter and sprinkle with flaky sea salt, if using
Roasted Chicken & Croutons with Fish-Sauce Butter-Sheet Pan Magic

Roasted Chicken & Croutons with Fish-Sauce Butter-Sheet Pan Magic

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I couldn’t help but tweak Eric Kim’s Roasted Chicken with Fish-Sauce Butter title.  I added Croutons to the title because… lets be real, the croutons are the star of this dish.  It reminds me of Roti Roti, a food truck fixture in the Bay Area.  A simple winning formula of chickens roasting on a spit, dripping all that deliciousness onto a bed of potatoes below it.  Well, that’s this dish but with bread and your own oven.

First, roast chicken thighs on a sheet pan (the operative words for an easy meal) in a 450-degree oven.  This gives you crispy skin chicken and a pool of deliciousness aka SCHMALTZ on the pan.  Then toss flakes (yes flakes, more on that later) of bread onto the pan and smoosh it around so it soaks up the chicken fat.  Shove it back into the oven, and fifteen minutes later those bread flakes have morphed into golden, crunchy, umami bombs.

It’s Soooo Good

I divide the dish evenly between me and the hubsters, he gets the chicken,  I get the croutons, yep, 50-50 all the way.

Let’s talk flakes.  You can use any bread you like, sourdough, milk bread, or my favorite, ciabatta.  The key is to tear the bread so you get shards or flakes.  Cubes don’t cut it for this dish, not enough surface area. Try to tear or split the bread to form flakes for ultimate crispness.

The rest is easy-peasy.  Place chicken on a sheet pan, and season with salt and pepper.  Go easy with the salt as the fish sauce has salt. Drizzle olive oil on the chicken and flip each piece around to coat each piece.  Roast for approximately 25 minutes.  I prefer bigger pieces of chicken so the skin crisps without drying out the chicken.  Pull the chicken out, there should be a nice puddle of schmaltz in the pan.  Add the croutons to the pan and toss the bread in the chicken fat.  Slide the pan back into the oven to crisp the croutons and finish the chicken.  If the chicken is cooked through before the croutons, pull them out and continue to bake the croutons.

Meanwhile…

While the chicken and croutons are roasting, make the Fish-Sauce Butter.  The sauce is genius, easy to make, and delish with just four ingredients, fish sauce (I use 3 Crab Vietnamese Fish Sauce), lemon juice, brown sugar, and BUTTER.  Reduce the first 3 ingredients to a syrupy consistency.  When the surface of the sauce is covered with bubbles, turn the heat off and add the chunk of COLD butter to the pan and swirl to create an emulsion.

Leave the chicken and croutons in the pan, drizzle some of the sauce on the chicken and croutons, garnish with cilantro and green onions, and bring the pan to the table.  So easy. Serve the remaining sauce on the side. If you want to be fancy, transfer chicken and croutons to a serving platter.

Accompaniments?  Rice, double carb, is always yummy, or I like serving it with mashed cauliflower.  Another winner from Eric Kim.  Sheet pan magic happening here.

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Roasted Chicken and Croutons with Fish-Sauce Butter

From Eric Kim via NYTCooking, roasted chicken thighs, toasty croutons, and a scrumptious, quick sauce made with Vietnamese Fish Sauce, brown sugar, lemon, and butter. The perfect weekday meal.
Course dinner, Main Course
Cuisine Asian-American
Keyword brown butter, Chicken thighs, croutons, fish sauce, oven-baked
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Servings 2 servings

Ingredients

  • 4 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs (about 2 pounds)
  • Kosher salt such as Diamond Crystal and black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • ¾ pound bread crusts removed, bread torn into bite-size pieces about 4 cups;
  • 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon fish sauce
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 3 tablespoons COLD unsalted butter kept in one piece
  • Cilantro leaves with tender stems for serving
  • scallions or chives, chopped garnish for serving

Instructions

  • Heat oven to 450 degrees. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season lightly with salt and pepper. (The fish-sauce butter is plenty salty, so don’t overdo the salt here.)
  • Arrange the chicken skin-side up on a sheet pan and drizzle the oil over the chicken skin, coating it evenly.
  • Roast until the chicken is light gold and the sheet pan is a pool of hot, rendered chicken fat, SCHMALTZ, about 20-25 minutes.
  • Take the sheet pan out of the oven, scatter the bread around the chicken. Using tongs toss gently to coat in the chicken fat.
  • Place the pan back in the oven and roast until the chicken is golden, crispy and sizzling (you’ll hear it), about 15 minutes.
  • While the chicken roasts, combine the brown sugar, fish sauce and lemon juice in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook, occasionally swirling the pan or stirring the sauce with a wooden spoon, until it bubbling vigorously and the mixture has reduced by about half, 2 to 3 minutes.
  • Turn off the heat and add the butter, constantly swirling the pan or stirring with a wooden spoon, until all of the butter has melted and incorporated into the fish sauce mixture. It should be a heavy syrup consistency.
  • To serve, scatter the cilantro and scallions or chives over the chicken and croutons. Spoon some of the fish-sauce butter over each chicken thigh, reserving some to add to each plate for dipping the chicken and croutons while eating, so yummy.

Notes

Roasting chicken thighs in a hot oven is a hands-off way to achieve two of life’s greatest pleasures: crispy skin and golden schmaltz. And you want that chicken fat because it will crisp hand-torn bread into croutons. A bold but balanced fish-sauce butter that you whip up on the stovetop while the rest of the meal takes care of itself in the oven, takes this over the top. Be sure to start with cold butter; the gradual melting of the fat helps thicken the sauce without breaking it.
After making this dish...go get his cookbook, Korean American, another winner.
Everything Everywhere All At Eri-onCe (Cream Cheese Pound Cake)

Everything Everywhere All At Eri-onCe (Cream Cheese Pound Cake)

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I am seriously thinking about adding a new category to 3Jamigos. I’m going to call it “Everything Everywhere All at Eric”.  Serving a dual purpose, a nod to the movie EEAAO and its amazing cast, and of course to Eric.  For those of you not “in the know”, I am referring to Eric Kim, food writer, cookbook author (Korean American: Food that Tastes Like Home), Food52 alum, and current columnist of lots of yummy stuff at the New York Times.

I’ve been following him since his days at Food52 where he wrote a column, Cooking for One.  His writing is gorgeous and his recipes are simple, straightforward, and delicious.  I have a backlog of his recipes I have made but just haven’t had the time to do them justice in a post.  I will get to them soon, promise!  During the holidays I made his Cream Cheese Pound Cake, it’s divine. Posting about it is long overdue! So here is the list of Eric recipes I have made and love. Links to the ones I have posted. Hope you will try them!

Savory

Sweet

Well, the list of savory is overwhelming at this point so I am going to finish off the Sweet category with his Cream Cheese Pound Cake.  It’s delicious and something you should bake right now. It will fill your home with the aroma of butter and sugar and help keep the house warm, since our cold, wet, weather is back again.  This is the perfect antidote.

Does it bother you when you make something from scratch and the person eating it says, “wow this tastes just like the one in the grocery store!” Unless it is your hubby, who you would slug, you politely smile, laugh, and let it go.  Well, this cake is reminiscent of the Sara Lee Poundcake we all grew up with.  Don’t be surprised if someone exclaims “this is like Sara Lee’s” and definitely take it as a compliment.

Lets Get Baking

Make sure your butter and cream cheese are at room temperature (about 68 degrees).  Cream cheese adds moisture, richness, and flavor to the cake. Three cups of sugar is pretty typical for a pound cake although this cake may be a little sweeter since it has a smaller amount of flour.  Cream the butter, cream cheese, sugar, salt, and vanilla.  Then add the eggs, one at a time, beating until smooth.  Finally, add the dry ingredients at low speed.  Do not overbeat after adding the flour, this would toughen the cake.

I cut the recipe in half using weights to split it and baked it in an 8×8 square pan. The cake dipped in the middle despite being fully baked. Looking at a couple of recipes for pound cake, for the equivalent amount of butter and sugar, most used 3 cups of flour. Using less flour, in this case, 2.5 cups, may make a softer cake with less structure and therefore lower in the center.   It was still delicious and nothing a nice dollop of whipped cream couldn’t hide.

The whipped cream, jam and raspberry dust are nice additions to the cake but not absolutely necessary.  I skipped the jam and the cake was delicious with just whipped cream and a dusting of ground freeze-dried raspberry.  Fresh berries instead of jam would be lovely too.

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Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Just like Sara Lee's Pound Cake! Buttery, slightly dense but tender with a fine crumb. From Eric Kim and the NYT, an absolutely delicious pound cake that will transport you to your childhood.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword buttery, Dessert, ERic KIm, freeze-dried raspberries, NYT Cooking, pound cake, whipped cream
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 5 minutes

Ingredients

It's All About the Cake

  • 2½ cups all-purpose flour (320 grams)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1½ cups unsalted butter (345 grams) at room temperature
  • 8 ounces cream cheese (226 grams) at room temperature
  • 3 cups granulated sugar (600 grams)
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1¼ teaspoons fine sea salt
  • 5 large eggs at room temperature

The Bling Finish

  • 2 cups cold heavy whipping cream (473 milliliters)
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 cup raspberry preserves (305 grams) see notes
  • 1½ cups freeze-dried raspberries (34 grams)

Instructions

Make the cake:

  • Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking pan; line the bottom and long sides with parchment.
  • In a medium bowl, add the flour and baking powder. Whisk to combine and to break up any lumps. Set aside.
  • Add the butter,cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed to combine. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until fluffy, almost white, and the sugar is mostly dissolved about 5 to 7 minutes. With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs one at a time, mixing until smooth after each addition. Use a flexible spatula to scrape the bowl, then beat over medium speed for another minute.
  • With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients and mix until most of the flour streaks have disappeared. Using the spatula, scrape the bowl and gently stir until you eliminate the flour streaks. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, then smooth out the top.
  • Bake, rotating the pan halfway through, until golden brown and a skewer or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 60 to 65 minutes. When you gently press on the center of the cake with your fingertip, you shouldn’t leave a dent. The internal temperature of the cake should be about 205 degrees. Let cool completely in the pan. (The cooled cake can be covered and kept at room temperature for up to 3 or 4 days.)

Putting it all together

  • If using the jam, spread layer on top of the cake. You could use strawberry or a mixed berry jam also.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk the heavy whipping cream, sugar and salt over medium-high until billowy soft peaks form. When you lift the whisk out of the bowl and turn it upside-down, a peak of cream should flop over slightly like a Santa hat. Evenly spread the whipped cream over the jam-topped cake.
  • Add the freeze-dried raspberries to a fine-mesh sieve and hold it over the cake. Using your fingers, pass them through until most of the magenta powder rests atop the frosting like fresh snow and most of the seeds are left behind in the sieve. The entire surface of the whipped cream should be covered in pink dust. Discard the raspberry seeds. Serve immediately.

Notes

Personally, the cake is so damn good, I don't think it needs the jam.  The whipped cream is great and the sprinkling of raspberry dust is more than enough. YOu could also substitute strawberry for raspberry.
This is from the original recipe
Look for a brand of raspberry preserves with minimal ingredients: They should consist of only raspberries, sugar, pectin and some kind of citrus. That will taste more tart and less artificial than one with, say, high-fructose corn syrup and other fruit juices that muddy the natural raspberry flavor. If your preserves taste especially sweet, you can stir in up to 3 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice for added tartness.
NCOTB #2 Orange, Pistachio and Chocolate Shortbread (New Cookies on the Block)

NCOTB #2 Orange, Pistachio and Chocolate Shortbread (New Cookies on the Block)

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Yay, the Twelve Seven Eight Days of Christmas Cookies!

The best-laid plans of mice and me…sometimes need a tweak.  Actually, not to pat myself on the back or anything, I think I did pretty “good”.  In between holiday baking we took a quick trip to Seattle. Four days of eating, walking, visiting the Space Needle and the Chihuly Garden and Glass, and watching the Forty-Niners beat the Seahawks!  I still managed to bake 8 days of Christmas cookies!

Our holiday cookie box is a mix of old and new cookies.  The tried and true include Scottish Shortbread, Jan Hagel’s (my mom’s favorite), Pecan Tartlets, and the mandatory jam-filled cookie, Dorie’s Jammers (the perfect choice).

The NCOTB (new cookies on the block, a nod to all you boy band fans) include a couple from this year’s New York Times Holiday Cookies.  My favorite of the bunch is Eric Kim’s Gochujang Caramel Cookies (I’ve made three batches already).  Crispy edges, chewy center, buttery with a sweet kick from the Gochujang paste, it’s different and delightful. My other favorite (can you have two favorites?) is Sue Li’s Orange, Pistachio, and Chocolate Shortbread.  Buttery shortbread studded with candied orange peel, green pistachios, and dark chocolate for a visually fun and tasty cookie.

Cookie Caveat

But, the first time I read through the recipe and NOTES (ALWAYS read the notes, foodies are not shy about sharing their opinion of a dish) it became clear that there were a couple of hitches in the recipe.  My OCD-Sherlockian-Watson persona took over.  I poured over the comments and scrutinized the measurements and directions (occupatinal hazard, I’m a pediatric pharmacist).

My dear NYTCooking – Something is afoot, there are discrepancies in the volumes and weights for this recipe, where are your editors? LOL. 3 cups of flour is not 419 grams.  3/4 cup of granulated sugar is not 175 grams.  So, I set about to modify the recipe as best I could:

  • I used 375 grams of King Arthur AP Flour aligning with std measurements for a cup since there were quite a few comments that the dough was too dry & crumbly.
  • Sue Li commented once to use 175 grams of sugar, so that’s what I used.  If there is wiggle room it would be with the sugar, use 150 grams for a not-as-sweet cookie.
  • The butter is also off, I opted to go by weight not volume.
  • I added 1 tsp vanilla, which couldn’t hurt plus added a bit more moisture.

The dough came together nicely.  Do not overmix, once it starts to clump, stop and gather together.

The 8-hour chilling time in the original recipe allows the flour to absorb moisture and hold together.  The modifications result in a nice, moist dough.  You may not need an 8-hour chill time.  The dough needs to be solid enough to slice and still hold its shape.

See how “purdy” the orange, green, and brown specks are?!

The finished cookie was buttery, with a fine crumb texture, with the candied orange, pistachios, and chocolate taking it over the holiday top.  Luckily I squirreled away some dough in the freezer (the beauty of slice-and-bake cookies) that will be lovely on New Year’s Eve with a glass of bubbly!

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5 from 1 vote

Orange, Pistachio and Chocolate Shortbread

From NYTcooking, a buttery shortbread studded with candied orange, pistachios, and chocolate perfect for the holidays!
Course cookies, Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword Dark chocolate, orange, pistachios, Shortbread
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Chilling Time 8 hours

Ingredients

Flour Mixture

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour (375 grams)
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt such as Diamond Crystal or 1/2 t table salt

Butter Mixture

  • 1-1/4 cups unsalted butter (284 grams) at room temperature
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar (175gms) 175gms =
  • 1 large egg yolk

Add-Ins

  • 1/2 cup candied orange peel (76 grams) roughly chopped
  • 1/2 cup shelled unsalted pistachios (76 grams) roughly chopped
  • 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate coarsely chopped

Instructions

  • Whisk together flour and salt in a medium bowl. Combine butter and sugar in a large bowl, or in the bowl of a stand mixer. Using an electric mixer (fitted with the paddle attachment if using a stand mixer), beat at medium-high speed until the mixture is pale in color, about 2 minutes, periodically scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula (don't skip this, it makes a difference). Add egg yolk and blend until combined.
  • Add flour mixture and mix on low until combined. If there are dried bits of flour left around the bowl, use a rubber spatula to smoosh them in with the dough. Add orange peel, pistachios and chopped chocolate, fold in with a rubber spatula. (The dough will be crumbly (although with the modifications, less so). If necessary, use the electric mixer to add the mix-ins, or work them in with your hands until fully incorporated.)
  • To form the cookies, line an 8 by 8-inch baking pan with plastic wrap and leave a generous amount of overhang on all sides. Transfer the dough to the prepared pan and press firmly to flatten in an even layer. Cover with plastic wrap and chill dough for 8 hours or overnight before baking.
  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
  • Using the plastic wrap overhang, remove the dough from the pan and cut the square into three equal rectangles. It's going to be tough to get out of the pan but just be patient and pull gently on the plastic to gradually remove from pan.
  • Cut each rectangle crosswise into roughly 1⁄3-inch-thick slices and lay them flat on the prepared baking sheets, about 3⁄4-inch apart. (If the dough crumbles when slicing, simply push the mixture together to reform the cookie.) Bake until lightly golden on the bottom but still blonde on the edges, 15 to 17 minutes.
  • Remove from the oven, allow cookies to cool on the sheets. The cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Puttin’ On the Ritz…Chicken

Puttin’ On the Ritz…Chicken

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This past weekend the hubster went up to Tahoe to do maintenance on our cabin.  So I was flying solo at home with Sammy our dog who has a tough time traveling 😢 these days.

When dinnertime rolled around, I decided to open a bottle of wine and make myself a nice meal.  I had just seen Eric Kim’s recent post for NYTcooking, Ritzy Cheddar Chicken Breast and being a Ritz Cracker fiend, I immediately bookmarked the recipe.  This would be the perfect time to try his recipe.

Competitive Spirit

Aside from Carrot Cake and Good Cookies, if there is a meal that reigns supreme in our house, it is Wes’s Cornflake Chicken.  To be exact, Cornflake Chicken and Cream of Mushroom Soup.  How many of you remember your mom or dad fixing a version of this?  Come on, be honest, we have all had this precursor to Shake and Bake.  Instead of chicken perhaps pork chops?  Gotcha, didn’t I?

Being a card-carrying member of the ridiculous group “I am a foodie” and thus holding an unwarranted disdain for all foods I liked when I was twelve, I have never made cornflake chicken.  To this day, when the kids come home, they will request cornflake chicken or pork chops which Wes is more than happy to fulfill.

Could Eric’s version of chicken, marinated in sour cream, Dijon mustard and rolled in copious amounts of Ritz Crackers and Cheddar Cheese best the gold standard Cornflake Chicken?  I was determined to find out.

Easy Peasy, Chicken Cheesy

The prep for this dish is as easy and quick as Cornflake Chicken.  The chicken breasts are split in half and lightly pounded into cutlets then dropped into a marinade of Dijon mustard, salt, and sour cream which also tenderizes the chicken.

While the chicken marinates make your coating.  Crush a sleeve of Ritz Crackers, grate some sharp cheddar cheese, and season with garlic powder, onion powder, and salt. Next time I might just add more spices, maybe some paprika and thyme.  Finish with a glug of olive oil, which will help the coating stick to the chicken and crisp it.

Roll chicken in crumb mixture, really pressing it in so you have a nice coat.  If you have crumbs left, don’t waste them, sprinkle them on the chicken.

The chicken bakes at 450 (hot, hot, hot) and should only take about ten minutes (boneless, split in half, and pounded means quick cooking).

I made a salad of Romaine, ripe cherry tomatoes (thank you Snook), and Japanese cucumbers (very crispy and delicious) with a simple vinaigrette.

Sat down with a glass of wine and a gorgeous dinner plate in about 30 minutes.  How great is that?  Eric strikes again with another fabulous, easy, dish.  The cracker coating was crispy, cheesy and tangy from the mustard, the chicken was perfectly cooked, moist, and tender and the salad a nice counterpoint.

I know what you are all thinking…does this beat out Wes’s Cornflake Chicken?  Probably not.  Nothing beats a dish from your childhood.  Will I make it again?  Absolutely!

I saved the last 2 pieces of chicken, one for Wes to judge, and one which made an amazing sandwich for lunch…yummos!

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Ritzy Cheddar Cheese Chicken Breasts

A quick and easy baked Crispy Cheddar Chicken Breasts
Course dinner
Cuisine American
Keyword baked chicken, cheddar cheese, chicken breasts, easy recipe, ERic KIm, Ritz Crackers, sour cream
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

Da Marinade

  • ¼ cup sour cream
  • 1 large egg white
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • Kosher salt Diamond Crystal, use at least 1 teaspoon. For reg salt, start with 1/2 teaspoon

Da protein

  • 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1½ pounds total)
  • 1 sleeve Ritz crackers about 100 grams
  • 2 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar cheese coarsely grated (about 1 cup)
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil plus more for greasing wire rack
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, paprika or chili powder optional

Instructions

  • Position rack in the bottom third of the oven and heat oven to 450 degrees. Place an ovenproof wire rack over a sheet pan. Dab a folded-up paper towel with olive oil and rub it over the wire rack to grease it or use a brush. Place rack in oven to preheat.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the sour cream, egg white and Dijon mustard until smooth. Season with salt. Set aside.
  • Lay the chicken flat on a cutting board and carve each breast in half horizontally so you end up with four thin cutlets. Add the chicken to the sour cream mixture, and smear the sour cream all over the chicken.
  • In a large bowl, crush the Ritz crackers into coarse pieces with your fingers. Some crackers will turn to rubble while others turn to dust. Leave some chunks, which will crisp up nicely in the oven. Add the cheese, garlic powder, onion powder and olive oil (add some thyme and or paprika, 1/2 t each if you like) . Season with ½ teaspoon salt and toss until evenly distributed.
  • Hold chicken cutlet by its thinner end, add to the bowl with the crumbs, and using your hands, press the crumbs onto the chicken to create a thick coating. Transfer the breaded chicken to the rack in the sheet pan. Repeat with the remaining cutlets. If you have leftover crumb mixture, sprinkle if on chicken before baking.
  • Bake the cutlets until the outsides are crispy and the insides are no longer pink, 10 to 15 minutes (check at 10!!!). Let the chicken cool slightly so the coating can set, about 5 minutes, before transferring to plates.
  • Serve with with a nice crisp salad!
Cold Noodles with Tomatoes (Tomato Triple Play)

Cold Noodles with Tomatoes (Tomato Triple Play)

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I have taken over tomato duties from the hubby who has given up on becoming an urban farmer.  We just haven’t had any luck with turning our garden into a summer veggie paradise.  My bounty from 5 tomato plants so far has been a grand total of 4 tiny red orbs 🤦🏻‍♀️

FORTUNATELY, we have a wonderful farmer’s market in town.

My haul from last week’s farmer’s market included a variety of cherry tomatoes including Bronze Torch Cherry Tomatoes (pictured on the right above) from Live Earth Farm in Watsonville. We have been buying Live Earth produce since my kids were toddlers and they’re in their twenties now!  The Bronze Torch Cherry Tomatoes are simply AH-MAZING.  Sweet, tomatoey, delicious.

Tomato Trifecta

I am a big fan of Eric Kim.  He writes regularly for New York Times Cooking and just published a wonderful cookbook, Korean American.  It is hands down one of my favorite books. His recipes are easy and delicious and his writing is even better.  You can also find him on YouTube making many of his recipes, he’s funny, personable, and charming.  I went to his book signing at Omnivore Books in SF, fun, I’m such a food groupie.

I love his Grape Tomato Quick Kimchi which I make all the time.  Serve as Banchan (side dish-pictured on the right above) one day and as a sauce over noods the next day.  It is downright delicious.  As soon as I saw his Cold Noodle with Tomatoes recipe I jotted it down on my MAKE ASAP list.  It is so easy and incredibly delicious.  It should go on your list too.

Start with cherry tomatoes, slice them in half, and sprinkle with salt.  Let the tomatoes sit in the bowl while you put together the rest of the dish.  No need to use a strainer as the juices from the salted tomatoes become part of the broth.  Mince garlic, get out the rice vinegar, soy sauce, Dijon mustard, and sesame oil, and toss it all in a bowl along with the tomatoes.  Next, add cold-filtered or bottled water to the bowl (use water that tastes good).  Add diced scallions, and slices of radishes (the little red ones) or cucumbers to the broth. Set the broth aside.

Here’s the Hard Part

How to cook your somen.  DO NOT COOK YOUR SOMEN while you are getting the other components together. Make the broth and set it aside.  Focus on the noods so you don’t overcook them.  For somen (thin Japanese wheat noodles), start with plenty of unsalted water.  Somen has salt in it. If you use too little water, the noods will absorb too much water because of the salinity. Watch them like a hawk, and stir them with chopsticks or tongs while cooking to separate the noodles, this takes 3-4 minutes TOPS.  Remove from heat, rinse thoroughly under cold water and drain well.

Before serving, twirl noodles into a bundle and place them in a bowl.  Add crushed ice to the tomatoes and pour it over your noodles.  Garnish with additional scallions and sesame seeds.  It’s so refreshing, the perfect summer meal.  Carnivores, feel free to add shrimp or chicken or half of a hard-boiled egg.   Serve asap on a hot summer day.  Sooooooo good.

BONUS,  Ottolenghi’s Charred Tomatoes and Cold Yogurt.  Yes, my trifecta of tomato recipes.  Tomatoes, roasted with thyme, cumin seeds, lemon, and garlic,  served over yogurt or Labneh. It’s my go-to party appetizer, especially in the summer.  It’s “lick the bowl clean” good.  A showstopping, easy dish.  Make it, you’ll thank me.

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Cold Noodles with Tomatoes

Refreshing, delicious, and easy to prepare, Eric Kim's Cold Noodles with Tomatoes
Course noodles, one bowl meal, pasta, Soup
Cuisine Asian, Asian-American, Korean
Keyword cherry tomatoes, Cold noodles, Cold Noodles with Tomatoes, soup
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes

Ingredients

The Star

  • 2 pints ripe cherry tomatoes halved
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt (Diamond Crystal)

The Noods

  • 12 to 14 ounces somyeon somen, capellini or other thin wheat noodle

Soup and Seasonings

  • ¼ cup rice vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce Kikkoman, Sempio 501 or 701 or LKK Premium Soy
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 large garlic clove finely grated
  • ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • ½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
  • 2 cups cold filtered water or bottled water of your choice.
  • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

The Garnishes

  • 2 radishes thinly sliced, or cucumbers work in a pinch
  • 2 scallions thinly sliced at an angle
  • 2 cups crushed or cubed ice

Omnivore Options

  • cooked shrimp or shredded chicken
  • hard boiled eggs, but not too hard-boiled lol

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, toss together the tomatoes and salt. Let sit until juicy, about 10 minutes.
  • Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook the noodles according to package instructions, drain and rinse under cold water. Set aside. See post for how to cook somen noodles.
  • Add the vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, garlic, mustard and sesame oil to the tomatoes, and toss with a spoon until well combined. Stir water into the tomatoes and sprinkle the surface of the broth with the sesame seeds, radishes and scallions.
  • Right before serving, add the ice to the broth. Divide the noodles among bowls, and ladle in the broth and any unmelted ice, making sure each serving gets a nice sprinkling of tomatoes, radishes, scallions and sesame seeds.