My favorite dish at Thanksgiving, excluding dessert, is dressing. I adore bread stuffing. My Mom’s version is delicious. It’s a pretty traditional bread dressing with the one Asian tweak of dried oysters added to it. I asked my mom to write her recipe down…and she did! Thank goodness, since she rarely cooked from recipes and relied on the look, taste, adjust method.
As much as I love her bread stuffing, I never get to make it! I am immediately “voted off the island” if I suggest anything but the Chinese contribution to Turkey Day-Sweet Rice Stuffing or Gnaw Mai Fan. My fam LOVES Sweet Rice Stuffing and it just wouldn’t feel right if it were missing from the Thanksgiving table.
My oldest lives in the city and has started his own tradition of having Friendsgiving with his co-workers. I made a batch of Sticky Rice (recipe here!), walked him through roasting the turkey and the rest was up to him.
TWEAKS
I’m not a big fan of super sticky rice so I use a combination of 50% long grain rice and 50% glutinous sweet (sticky) rice. But if you like sticky rice change the proportions to 3 cups glutinous rice and 1 cup long grain.
If you are feeling ambitious, here is a quick and easy recipe for the char siu (bbq pork) It adds a touch of sweetness to the rice.
This would be a perfect gluten-free choice for bread stuffing. The “Rice” Stuff. There are gluten-free soy sauces and substitutes for oyster sauce, gluten-free mushroom soy or fish sauce would work well.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Kindness of Strangers: Three Amigos Soup (Beef and Vegetable Soup)
Last week I headed up to the City to run some errands, check on my mom’s house and visit her at the assisted-living home. We moved mom to a care facility after a couple of health emergencies and declining cognitive ability, sadly she could no longer live independently.
I arrived at her place around lunchtime and it was such a beautiful day, I decided to take her to Los Trinos, a little hole-in-the-wall down the block that serves delicious El Salvadorean food. Using the walker to steady herself, we slowly made our way to Los Trinos. The most difficult part of the walk is the Mission Street crossing. She made it across like a real trooper.
A Hole in the Wall but Not in My Soul
Los Trinos, a tiny unassuming place with about 10 tables, serves the surrounding neighborhood. It’s down-home cooking-Pupusas, Tacos, Churrasco, Sopa de Res, all made in a tiny family-run kitchen. We settled on Carne Asada Tacos, pupusas filled with cheese and chicken, and a bowl of their Sopa de Res (beef and vegetable soup). The soup is the epitome of comfort food, filled with carrots, chayote, zucchini, corn on the cob, and chunks of beef, it nourishes the body and the soul. Beef shank is part of the leg, the meat is tough, sinewy, and lean (it does a lot of work after all) but with long slow cooking, morphs into tender and flavorful morsels and develops into a tasty stock. Oxtails would be a good (but pricey) substitute for both flavor and texture.
On the way back, mom’s legs gave out and she collapsed crossing the street (Mission is a big fast street). I frantically tried to pick her up while grabbing her walker. Immediately 3 guys came running to help us, literally carrying mom to the corner out of harm’s way. Luckily there is a bus stop there with seats. I told her I would run and grab a wheelchair. One of the guys immediately said he would stay with her until I got back. I was so grateful to them. With all the craziness going on right now its acts of kindness and decency that restore your faith in people. They probably won’t see this but I wanted to thank the three of them who without hesitation jumped in to help us.
I got mom back and settled her in, told her she almost gave me a heart attack, she laughed. She Was OK
In appreciation of the three guys who helped us, I have named my version of Caldo or Sopa de Res, Three Amigos Soup. It is soul food. Comfort food made with love and made to be shared with family and friends. My mom, notorious for not being a great cook (she left the cooking to my dad), somehow could fill a pot with water and like magic turn it into the most delicious soups. Her beef and veggie soup, one of my favorites, starts like Three Amigos soup with beef shanks but veers Asian with the addition of ginger and shiitake mushrooms.
Inspired by the three gentlemen who helped me it felt right to make a pot of soup. I made the soup in a pressure cooker and it takes half the amount of time. If you have a 6-quart pressure cooker like me, half the recipe. If you have the big Kahuna of Instant Pots, you can make the full recipe.
Confession time, I cheat by adding a heaping tablespoon of Better Than Bouillon Base, totally optional. Or start with beef broth or stock instead of water for a richer flavor.
Food for the soul, this beef and vegetable soup is nourishing, comforting, and just plain delicious. Filled with a variety of vegetables, including, carrots, potatoes, chayote and onions it makes a wonderful meal in a bowl.
Course Soup
Cuisine Mexican
Keyword Beef and Vegetable Soup, Beef shank, Caldo de Res, Carrots, chayote, comfort food, food for the soul, onions, potatoes
Prep Time 30 minutesminutes
Cook Time 3 hourshours
Instant Pot 1 hourhour
Total Time 1 hourhour
Servings 10
Equipment
Instant Pot
Ingredients
The Stock
10cupswaterdivided, for a richer stock, use beef stock instead of water or 1:1 water:stock
2poundsbone-in beef shankSubstitute 2-2.5 pounds of oxtails, or a mix of both, chuck roast cut into 2-3 inch chunks would also work
4clovesgarlicpeeled
2bay leaves
1.5tablespooncoarse kosher salt
1-2TbspBetter than Bouillon Beef Baseoptional, not necessary if using beef stock
The Veggies
1white or yellow onionDiced
2potatoescut into eighths (Idaho, Russet or Yukon Gold)
2-3medium ears of cornshucked and cut into 2 inch pieces
2zucchinicut into thick chunks
4carrotssliced into thick coins
1/2head cabbagecut into eighths, leave the center stalk to keep cabbage together
2fresh tomatoes, cut in wedgesoptional but recommended, adds sweetness
Garnishes
1cupchopped cilantrofor serving
4limescut into wedges for serving
diced jalapenos, optionalfor serving
Mom's Beef and Vegetable soup
Omit bay leaves, chayote, lime and jalapeños
4-6dried Shiitake Mushrooms, Cleaned and soaked in warm water for 10-15 minutes. reserve soaking liquid to use as stock for soup
4stalkscelery, cut into 2-inch pieces
11-inchpiece fresh gingerSmashed Or cut into slices, in place of bay leaves
1/4 CupRice wine or Shaoxing WineAdd with beef
1-2Fuzzy melons or piece of winter melon (1.5 pounds) Daikon or Korean radish would also workIn place of zucchini and chayote,
1 TbspLight soy sauceJust before serving, stir into soup
1-2Green onionssliced, to add when serving
Instructions
In a large dutch oven or soup pot, add 10 cups of water, beef shanks, garlic, bay leaves, and salt. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to a low simmer and continue cooking for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the meat Is tender.
Skim off and discard any white or brown foam floating at the top of the pot as well as the bay leaves and garlic cloves. Transfer the cooked bone-in beef shank to a medium bowl and set aside to cool slightly.
Add the onions, potatoes, corn, zucchini, carrots, cabbage and remaining 2 cups of water to the pot.
Bring soup to a boil, reduce heat to a low simmer and continue cooking until all the vegetables are tender and cooked through, about 15 minutes.
While the vegetables are cooking, remove the bones and any tough sinewy parts from the beef shank and discard. Cut the tender meat into small bite-sized chunks. When the vegetables are fully cooked, add the meat.
Stir everything together and taste. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.
Ladle soup into large bowls, each bowl should have bit of everything. Garnish each bowl with cilantro, freshly squeezed lime juice and diced jalapeño peppers or a few dashes of Tobasco hot sauce (optional).
Instant Pot Version
Place beef, shiitake, garlic, salt and 1/2 of diced onions in pot. Fill pot to 10 cup line.
Seal pot and set to cook at high pressure for 35-40 minutes. NPR for 10 minutes
While soup is cooking, prep vegetables. Remove meat from stock and add vegetables to Instant Pot, you might have to leave some out, it’s a lot of veggies. Seal and set cooktime for 15 minutes.
Quick release, season with salt and pepper. Ladle soup and goodies into large bowls. Garnish with cilantro and green onions and serve. Enjoy!
Greetings from rainy Quebec City! Hubby and I decided to take a quick trip to Montreal and Quebec City. Our last trip to the eastern side of Canada was for a hockey tournament for Jeffrey quite a few years ago. We made it as far as Toronto that time. This time we were off to Montreal. W (the hubs) has decided that his criteria for traveling is “what sporting event can I go to”. The Sharks versus the Montreal Canadians met this criteria. Hmmm, would I go along? I am a sports junkie too, but maybe not to the same extent. BUT, (picture me looking very sheepish as I type this), I am a HUGE Korean drama fan. It’s my escape. Even though their political dramas do hit a little too close to home, I am hooked. Every politician in the K-Drama World is corrupt, all the way up to the top banana (or should I say orange?). Imagine that.
So, besides going to a hockey game in Montreal, I bartered for a couple of days in Quebec City. My favorite K-Drama, Goblin-The Great and Lonely God, features this beautiful city. So, like a drama groupie, I wanted to visit the different sites featured in Goblin. Think I’m crazy? At least I’m not alone, check this out Asian Tourism to Quebec City. Curious about the door? Wait for my Quebec City post!
Just before heading to Canada, I went to my favorite little cookbook store in the City, Omnivore Booksfor a book signing event. Ivan Orkin and Chris Ying stopped by to introduce their new book, The Gaijin Cookbook-Japanese Recipes from a Chef, Eater, Father, and Lifelong Outsider.
While his ramen book can be intimidating, this book is very user friendly and kid friendly, win-win. Food you feed your family everyday, from classic Japanese recipes to off-beat recipes that are definitely mash-ups from his life in New York and Japan.
I pulled Korean style short ribs out of the fridge and decided to marinade half in my go-to Kalbi recipe and for the other half, I made the Teriyaki Sauce recipe from Ivan Orkin’s book. Incredibly easy with just 5 ingredients (so user friendly-amirite?). His tweak is genius, he adds oyster sauce to his recipe, so good. Yep, short rib, two ways, perfect for the Goblin who only eats meat, and perfect for the rest of us who love Teriyaki.
The Teriyaki Sauce can be made ahead of time and keeps in the fridge. It is delicious on not just beef, but chicken, salmon or pork. I mean, really, what isn’t tasty with Teriyaki sauce on it.
I’m pretty jazzed, a friend is gifting me a fig tree! She took a cutting, threw it in dirt and whaddya know, it grew into a full-fledged tree. I’m going to be really embarrassed if it doesn’t survive on my watch. Farmer Deb is not a moniker associated with me.
I am content to be the recipient of anyone else’s green thumb bounty. This includes figs, which I adore. Until my little tree matures, I will happily take extra figs off your hands. Put that right in the box, next to the “what am I going to do with all these” zucchinis and persimmons.
Yep, bring it on.
Lucky for me, Snookies brought me a couple of generously filled baskets of green and purple figs. After popping a couple of them into my mouth (yum), I got online to FIG-ure out delicious ways to use these little bad boys.
A Fig & Honey Tart from The Little Epicurean caught my eye instantly. The tart is as beautiful as it is delicious AND it is pretty darn easy to make. Your friends and family will be SO impressed. Word.
To start the crust is very easy to work with. Don’t be intimidated by the whole pie crust thang. The addition of almond flour and sugar creates a tender, cookie like crust that oozes with buttery goodness. A couple of interruptions had me taking the dough in and out of the fridge before finally fitting it into the tart pan and baking it off. If the crust gets a little soft, toss it back in the fridge. By the time I rolled out the dough and placed it in the pan, talked to Jamie on the phone for a bit, it was getting pretty soft. I ended up pressing pieces into the pan, worked like a charm.
The filling is stupid easy. Combine cream cheese with honey and sugar, give it a good mix and that’s it. I added a teaspoon of vanilla to add depth. Quarter the figs and place in concentric circles on top of the filling. Dust with raw or Demerara Sugar. Go to the garage and grab your blow torch and caramelize the sugar. Drizzle honey over tart and sprinkle chopped pistachios on top. I used hazelnuts cuz that’s what I had on hand, Yums.
In a food process, combine flour, almond flour, salt, and sugar. Pulse to mix.
Add cold butter. Pulse 4 times at 3 second intervals to lightly mix together the ingredients. Add egg yolk and pulse until dough begins to come together.
Dump the dough onto a clean working surface. Gather the dough together and push into a ball. Flatten dough to about 1-inch thickness.
Wrap dough in plastic wrap and let chill in the fridge for 30 minutes, or until well chilled.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Roll dough out on a lightly floured work surface. Press dough onto the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom.
Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown. Let cool on wire rack to room temperature before filling with cream cheese.
Filling
Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar and honey. Mix until combined. Spread cream cheese filling into cooled tart shell.
Arrange cut figs on top of cream cheese filling. Cover with plastic wrap and keep chilled in the fridge until ready to serve.
Before serving, sprinkle with Demerara Sugar and caramelize.
We were invited to Rosh Hashanah dinner the other night and I volunteered to bring dessert. It’s usually a no brainer since our host LOVES Lemon Bars. But then I remembered I had promised to post Mrs. S’s Pecan Tartlet recipe. The Lemon Bars would have to wait for another occasion.
Mrs. S, for all of you that have not read my Toffee Bars post (hint, hint), is my baking muse and mom of my BFF, Joy. Every Christmas, since I met Joy in middle school, I have been the lucky recipient of a plate of Mrs. S’s holiday cookies. They were delicious and beautiful. She was meticulous and something of a control freak (I can SO relate) so she would shoo us out of the kitchen when she started her holiday baking. Occasionally she would let us help with just the finishing touches, placing the pecan halves in her chocolate thumbprints or rolling her meltingly tender almond crescents in powdered sugar. But mixing the cookie dough itself, nope, that was her domain.
My Favorites
Her Toffee Bars and Pecan Tartlets. When I became interested in cooking and baking and not just eating, I asked for her cookie recipes and she was gracious enough to share them with me. For Mrs. S making these cookies became second nature. Details and how-to’s were committed to memory, not to paper. Over the years I have figured out the little extra steps she took that elevated her cookies, especially her Pecan Tartlets, above the rest. I’ve also added my tweaks to make the process easier and faster.
How-Tos:
The tart crust is butter and cream cheese-based and similar to a cookie dough. It does not include any liquids so it won’t shrink much. I make the dough in a food processor, much like tart dough. The dry ingredients are placed in the food processor bowl and pulsed a couple of times to combine. The original recipe includes up to half a cup of sugar in the dough, way too much. I often don’t add any sugar but if you like a sweeter crust, add a MAX of 1/4 cup. Note that the more sugar you add, the quicker you will need to roll out the dough as the sugar makes the dough stickier and tougher to work with. Add the butter and cream cheese and pulse until the dough just starts to clump. Do not overprocess. Gather the dough and chill for approximately 2 hours.
You could scoop out dough, roll it into balls and press each into tiny muffin tins which is pretty easy, but then you wouldn’t get those cute scalloped edges. Mrs. S’s method was to roll the dough out approximately 3/16 inch thick and cut it with a flower petal cookie cutter. I know, lots of work but, look at how nice they look. The genius of using the petal cutter is the shape makes it very easy to press the dough into the muffin tins.
Next Step:
Make the filling while the dough chills in the fridge. Here’s the cheat. Pour the filling into a squeeze bottle. I replace the top with the lid from the honey I buy at TJ’s. The spout is bigger which allows the filling to flow easily…a nice squirt into each muffin cup. How EASY is that? Ingenuity being the mother of invention, my cheapie wine opener works perfectly for pressing the dough evenly into the muffin tin.
Fill the tarts to where the petals meet and sprinkle the pecans on top. Walnuts or a mix of different nuts would be delicious too. Follow the baking instructions. When slightly cooled, dust the tarts with a nice layer of powdered sugar.
Enjoy these little bites of bliss. Don’t wait until the holidays to make them!
Bite-sized pecan tarts, sweet, nutty and delicious!
Course cookies, Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword cookies, holiday baking, Mini Pecan Tarts, pecans
Prep Time 45 minutesminutes
35 minutesminutes
Equipment
mini-muffin tin
2 inch petal cookie cutter optional
Ingredients
Cream Cheese pastry
Mix together:
3ouncecream cheese
1stick buttersalted, or if using unsalted add 1/4 tsp salt
1cupall-purpose flour preferably Gold Medal but any will work
Filling
Blend together:
1tablespoonsoftened butter
1cupfirmly packed brown sugarlight brown sugar
1egglarge
1teaspoonvanilla
1cupchopped pecanssubstitute mixed nuts if you like, walnuts
Instructions
Dough
Original instructions: Combine well and refrigerate. Cut into small circles and press into mini-muffin tin.
My instructions: Mix the dough in a food processor. Place flour in fp bowl. Add butter and cream cheese to flour. Pulse mixture just until it begins to clump. Do not overprocess. Pour onto wax paper or plastic wrap and pat into a disc shape. Chill for at least 2 hours.
On a lightly floured surface, roll pastry out to 3/16-1/4 inch thickness. Cut into small circles. I use a petal cutter 2.5-inch or a plain round 2-inch cutter. Press circles into ungreased muffin tins. Chill muffin tins while making the filling.
Filling
Blend filling ingredients well. Pour into a squeeze bottle. I use a plastic TJ honey container that has an opening about 1/8inch. This is a quick way to fill the muffin tins. You could use a spoon.
Fill prepared muffin tins about 3/4 full. Allow filling to settle slightly. Fill each muffin tin to the top with finely chopped pecans (about 1 cup) Chill.
Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 250 degrees and bake 20 minutes longer. Allow tarts to cool and carefully remove from tins.
Sprinkle lightly with powdered sugar while still warm. Allow to cool before removing from tins.
Notes
There aren't instructions for the prepared muffin tins. I'm guessing at lightly greased. I generally don't grease the tins and occasionally I lose a tartlet to sticking but for the most part a little pry with a thin bladed knife and the tarts come out of the pan.
Cheesy Corn, Are You Ready for Some Football Food?
I love the fall season. Aside from all things pumpkin and apples, I start thinking about foods that go hand in hand with watching football. My dad was a sport’s junkie and he definitely passed the sports-watching gene to my brother and me. He also liked to cook. Every Sunday he would have a big pot of Rice Soup or Congee simmering just for the 49er game. I’m not sure what I looked forward to more, the Rice Soup (Instant Pot) filled with bits of chicken, potatoes, tiny pork meatballs, topped with green onions and cilantro, or the football game.
Football Food
In addition to the soup, football watching requires yummy totally bad for you snack food and I just discovered one that would fit in perfectly with a sport-watching spread. One of my favorite cookbooks this year, A Common Table, has a popular Korean snack that must have been created to go with beer and fried chicken and therefore football. Korean Cheesy Corn. Yep, the best thing since sliced bread. Okay, I’m kidding but it is good and stupid easy.
Start with fresh corn from the Farmer’s Market. It is so good right now. Frozen corn or canned corn (lots of Korean recipes start with canned corn) would work, but, come on, go fresh and support your local farms.
And now a public service announcement, a video on how to take corn off the cob from Saveurusing a bundt pan! It works like a charm!
From here on in it’s a downhill slide. Stir-fry corn in oil or butter until it is soft. Combine corn with mayonnaise and place in an ovenproof dish. I use Kewpie Mayo which is slightly sweet but use whatever mayo (better be Best Foods) you have in the fridge. Sprinkle a crap ton of Mozarella cheese on the corn and bake at 500 until the cheese is browned, gooey and melty. So delicious. Versions of Korean Cheesy Corn add sugar. If your corn is sweet you won’t need to, but if you like it sweeter add 1-2 teaspoons of sugar. If you use Best Foods or Hellman’s add 1 tsp of sugar.
The corn, mozzarella, mayo, green onions, and cilantro are the basic ingredients for this yummy super easy dish. Of course, you can go CRAZY and add extra fixings to bring it to a whole new level. A bucket list of add-ons includes bell pepper, red onion, jalapeno peppers, or crumble in bacon (cuz everything is better with bacon). You can also add cut-up rice cakes cause what’s a few more calories in a totally not-on-your diet dish.
Delicious, decadent and easy. Korean Cheesy Corn a popular Korean dish. Perfect as a side dish or snack.
Course Side Dish
Cuisine Asian
Keyword cheese, Corn, Korean, Korean Cheesy Corn, snack
Prep Time 15 minutesminutes
Cook Time 5 minutesminutes
Servings 4servings
Ingredients
1-1/2cups fresh corn about 2 ears, canned or frozen can be used
2 tbspmayonnaise, preferably Kewpieadd 1-2 teaspoons sugar if using regular mayo
1 tbspunsalted butter or vegetable oil
1/4tspsalt
1/4 tspfresh ground pepper
1/2 cup shredded mozzarellaor more if you are a cheese freak. Additional 1/4 cup stirred into corn with mayo.
1/4cupsliced green onions
1/4cup cilantrocoarsely chopped
1/8-1/4cupadditions ie. bell pepper, diced red onions, bacon,optional
Instructions
Preheat oven to 500 degrees
In a large non-stick skillet, heat butter or oil. Over medium heat, add corn and if using bell peppers, jalapeno or onions. Cook, stirring frequently until soft about 4-5 minutes. Season with the salt and pepper.
Transfer corn to an ovenproof dish, stir in mayo and sugar if using.
Sprinkle cheese evenly over the surface and bake for 5-7 minutes until cheese is melted, bubbling and starts to brown. Like a pizza!
Garnish with green onions and cilantro and serve immediately.
Joy is one of my oldest friends. We went to school together and I mean that literally. We lived a few blocks from each other, every day we would meet on the street corner halfway between our houses to walk and talk the final mile to school. Sometimes, on the walk home, we wouldn’t be done talking so we would walk to one of our houses, turn around and walk back to the meeting point together before parting ways. Silly, huh. Yep, BFFs.
Holiday Highlight
Every Christmas I eagerly awaited her mom’s plate of holiday cookies. Joy’s mom, whom I affectionately called Mrs. S, was an amazing baker (and a marvelous cook too). During the holidays, you could find her holed up in her kitchen busy baking no less than 6-8 different kinds of cookies. Almond Crescents, Spritz Cookies shaped into wreaths decorated with red and green sugar, Chocolate Pecan Thumbprints, Pecan Tartlets, Chocolate Chippers, and Lemon Bars. Her crescents were perfect, her scalloped-edged Pecan Tartlets were the gold standard of bite-sized pies.
In short, she was my muse for holiday cookies. I love all of her cookies, but my favorite? Hands down, her Toffee Bars. A shortbread crust, buttery and sweet, painted with milk chocolate and finished with a sprinkling of chopped almonds. Cookie Nirvana.
Attention to Detail
I have most of Mrs. S’s recipes. Her Pecan Tartlets find their way into every holiday cookie box. The Hubster considers it blasphemous if they are not included. I am religious about following her recipes, I mimic each step. I cut out each tiny pie crust with a flower petal cookie cutter. How else do you get cute scalloped edges? I meticulously shape each ball of almond-infused dough into crescent-shaped moons. Warm from the oven, I roll each cookie in powdered sugar and place it on a cooling rack. Then, sift powdered sugar over the cookies for that snow-capped look. Yep, that little extra step. Her attention to detail was what set her cookies apart and that’s what I learned from her.
It’s been a few years since she left us. Every Christmas since, as I am perusing recipes and pulling out my butter, flour, and sugar- I think of her. I imagine her scurrying around her kitchen churning out tray after tray of her delicious cookies. Then I hear her voice prodding me, it’s time to get busy and bake.
A Fine Understudy
Unfortunately, I don’t have Mrs. S’s recipe for those Toffee Bars that I love so much. (Update: Found it! Mrs. S’s Toffee Squares) But Alice Medrich does. Her Cookies and Brownies book contains toffee bars that are so good, they would make Mrs. S proud. The crust starts with melted butter making these incredibly easy to make. Stir together brown sugar and flour with the butter, press into a pan and bake to a golden brown. For this batch, I scattered a combo of semi-sweet and milk chocolate chips on the warm crust, let them melt, and ice the melted chips over the crust. For the final touch, sprinkle toasted hazelnuts over the chocolate. Next batch? Endless possibilities, limited only by your imagination.
Kid version: Use all milk chocolate and either toasted almonds or pecans. Got milk?
Adult version: Use semi-sweet chocolate or dark chocolate and toasted hazelnuts, finish with Maldon Salt. Serve with some bubbly.
Sporty twist version: Perfect during a ballgame, your choice of chocolate and salted or honey-roasted peanuts. Play ball!
Allow bars to cool on a rack. Use a serrated knife to cut the pan into bars or wedges.
A buttery, brown sugar crust topped with chocolate and hazelnuts. A riff on Alice Medrich's Toffee Bars.
Course cookies, Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword toffee, toffee bar recipe, Toffee Bars
Prep Time 15 minutesminutes
Cook Time 30 minutesminutes
Equipment
8x8 inch square pan or 9' tart pan with removable bottom. Any pan with roughly same area I like to use a 12x5 rectangular tart pan and cut the cookies into wedges.
Ingredients
Shortbread base
8tbspunsalted butter
1/2cuplight brown sugarpacked
1tspvanilla
1/8tspsalt
1cupall-purpose flour
Topping
6ouncesmilk or semisweet chocolatechopped, if bar or block or use chips
1/2cuptoasted nutsyour choice!
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Position rack in lower third of oven
Shortbread base
Cut butter into chunks and melt in a saucepan over medium heat or place in heatproof glass bowl, loosely cover and microwave at 40% power for 15 seconds, repeat if necessary.
Remove from heat and stir in brown sugar, salt and vanilla. Add flour and mix just until combined.
Press dough into a lined (parchment or foil) 8x8-inch pan or a tart pan with a removable bottom
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until well browned at the edges and golden brown in the center
Topping
Scatter chocolate evenly on top of warm crust. Let stand to allow the chocolate to melt. If necessary, place in the oven for a minute to help melt the chocolate. Spread chocolate evenly over the crust with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon.
Sprinkle toasted chopped nuts over chocolate. Set on rack to cool.
Lift and transfer bar to cutting board. Use a sharp knife (I like using a serrated knife)and cut into 2x2" squares or wedges. If necessary chill in fridge to set chocolate.
I walked out this morning and for the first time, there was a slight chill in the air. Is Fall finally here? Hmmm. Let me check. That crisp feeling in the air, apples instead of stone fruit at the farmer’s market (I found both last weekend) and PUMPKIN SPICE LATTES in every Starbucks.
Fall is coming.
With my postcard posse coming over, I didn’t want something light. I had a hankering for all things homey and satisfying. A little chill in the air will do that to you. I dug through my recipes and found the perfect dish, a Roasted Pork Loin with Garlic and Rosemary from Epicurious. Yum. Doing the happy dance, making an easy, delicious pork roast for dinner with friends.
The dish starts with a simple rub of finely chopped fresh rosemary, minced garlic, coarse salt and a couple of grinds of pepper. I like to smash my garlic and finely chop it but by all means, use a press if you like. My mom and dad insisted on mincing herbs and meat by hand using their trusty Chinese cleaver. I have adopted that practice. Maybe it’s a way to feel connected to them although I do think it improves the texture and flavor of a dish. Use coarse kosher salt but (I’m gritting my teeth as I write this) in a pinch you could use regular salt. Make sure to reduce the amount by half if you make the switch. I add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil to help bind the mixture and adhere to the pork roast.
Time to rub a dub-dub the spice mix onto the pork.
Don’t you love a beat-up looking well-used pan? This pan is hubby’s and dates back to his single days. Still going strong after all these years.
Like the Big Fig Newton, here’s the tricky part. Don’t overcook it! Pork is pretty lean nowadays so it can end up being dry if it is cooked too long. The original recipe calls for over an hour of cooking time…which is fine, IF YOU LIKE JERKY. Back in the day, the final temp for pork was around 160. The new recommendation is 145 with a 3 minute rest time. A little pink is A-OK. So, please, invest in an instant thermometer and don’t overcook your pork. If you come across an older recipe, use the new guidelines or your pork will be like the Sahara Desert.
Roast the pork loin, fat side down, for 25 minutes. Then flip and roast an additional 10-15 minutes. Start checking the meat temperature at 10 minutes! The roast will continue to cook as it rests, so if the temp is around 140, take it out and let it rest.
The tasty bits left in the pan make for a nice au jus so don’t toss it! Just pour them into a bowl and serve alongside the roast. You could gussy it up by deglazing the pan with some white wine and throwing in a bit of butter. Hmmm-killer.
Leftovers? Grab a loaf of ciabatta and make yourself one b*tchin sammie.
To finish off the meal with a Fall theme, I have a bushel of just-picked pears and apples from my friend Shannon. Her pears and apples worked perfectly in my go-to apple crisp recipe. Top with vanilla ice cream for a delicious sweet finale.
Keyword easy recipe, garlic, pork roast, roast pork loin, roast pork with garlic and rosemary, rosemary
Prep Time 15 minutesminutes
Cook Time 50 minutesminutes
Servings 8servings
Calories 187kcal
Author Adapted from Epicurious
Equipment
roasting or baking pan
Ingredients
4large garlic clovespressed or chopped finely
4teaspoonschopped fresh rosemary or 2 teaspoons dried
1 1/2teaspoonscoarse kosher salt
1/2teaspoonground black pepper
1-2 tbspolive oil
1 2 1/2-poundboneless pork loin roastwell trimmed
Fresh rosemary sprigsoptional
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400°Line 13 x 9 x 2-inch roasting pan with foil.
Mix first 5 ingredients in a bowl. Rub garlic mixture all over pork.
Place pork, fat side down, in a roasting pan. Roast pork 25 minutes. Turn roast fat side up. Roast until thermometer inserted into the center of pork registers 140-145°F., about 15 minutes longer. Remove from oven; let stand 5 minutes.
Pour any juices from roasting pan into small saucepan; set over low heat to keep warm. Cut pork crosswise into 1/3-inch-thick slices. Arrange pork slices on a platter. Pour pan juices over. Garnish with rosemary sprigs, if desired.
Cool Hand Cuke (Cucumber Salad from A Common Table)
This summer I have been the lucky recipient of what seems like a bushel of cucumbers from the gardens of friends and neighbors. Luckily, I LOVE cucumbers. I saute’ julienned strips of cucumbers for Bi Bim Bap, put crispy slices in sandwiches in place of lettuce, and thrown every salad I toss together. What’s a cheeseboard with an array of dips without cucumbers to serve as a “dip-stick” (lol) for them? So much better than celery if you ask me.
But what is my favorite way to serve cucumbers? As a refreshing cold dish. I posted a simple Korean Cucumber Banchan (side dish) recently that is flavored with soy sauce, chilis, and sesame oil and sprinkled with green onions and Korean chili powder. It’s incredibly easy and TASTEE!
I also love the Smashed Cucumber Salad from A Common Table cookbook (love, love, love). A classic Chinese dish that is perfect on a hot summer day. Cukes, crisp and refreshing are dressed in a blend of soy sauce, vinegar, and chilis. The secret is to lightly smash the cut pieces of cucumber and salt them. The added surface area allows the salt to extract more moisture and the cucumbers to then absorb the dressing. It’s so simple, comes together in minutes, and makes a lovely side dish. I use English or Persian cucumbers, fewer seeds and the skin is much thinner, no peeling necessary! American cucumbers, on the other hand, have a thick waxy skin, which means peeling. They also have more seeds and higher water content. Stick to the English or Persian cucumbers, trust me.
As summer comes to an end and you fire up the barbecue for the last time, this would be a perfect, refreshing side dish.
A cool and refreshing cucumber salad which has its roots in Chinese cuisine.
Course Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine Chinese
Keyword cucumber salad
Prep Time 10 minutesminutes
Ingredients
1lbPersian or Kirby cucumbersunpeeled (2 to 3 small cucumbers if using Persian)
1/2teaspoonkosher saltor more to taste
1 to 2teaspoonsrice vinegarI use 1 teaspoon
1teaspoonsesame oil
1/2 to 1teaspoonsoy sauce1 teaspoon or more to taste, substitute Ponzu, Soy Dashi or Yuzu Soy Sauce
1/4teaspooncrushed red pepper flakesto taste or use Korean chili powder, Gochugaru
Instructions
Slice the cucumbers in half lengthwise, then into 1-inch pieces or cut at a diagonal and rotate cucumber 1/4 turn, cutting angled 1-inch pieces.
Place the pieces cut-side down on a cutting board. Working with a few pieces at a time, lay the broad side of a wide chef's knife or cleaver on top of the cucumbers, and carefully use the palm of your free hand to smash down lightly on the blade.
Place the smashed cucumbers in a colander and sprinkle them evenly with the salt. Set aside until cucumbers release water, 20 to 30 minutes.
Stir 1 teaspoon rice vinegar, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 1 teaspoon soy sauce, and red pepper flakes together and add to drained cucumbers. Taste and adjust seasonings, if desired. Let sit at room temperature or in the refrigerator for a minimum of 30 minutes to 1 hour (*note: the salad will taste better with more time, so if time allows, refrigerate and marinate for 6 hours or longer to let the flavors develop.
Notes
The key for crispy cucumbers is to smash and salt the cukes!
