Breakfast Eats Archives - Page 3 of 5

A Tale of Two Pancakes and Sushi

By threejamigos | May 20, 2019 | Comments 2 comments

Nothing beats coming home. Though we had a blast on our trip to Korea and Japan, it always feels good to open the front door, drop the bags and sleep in my OWN bed! Aaaaahhhh, bliss.

What else is nice, hmmmmmm

HOME COOKING

Yep, time to get back in my kitchen and make a mess. I envisioned our first day back, a big pot of rice soup (congee), kick up our feet, and flip on the telly to catch up with the Warriors and Sharks.

But before going home we spent our last day in Japan running around Osaka looking for early morning sushi, soufflé pancakes and Michelin starred Instant Ramen. We went 2 for 3, couldn’t find the Instant Ramen which was just as well since I couldn’t fit much more in my suitcase anyway.

Breakfast of Champions

At 6:30 am we found ourselves sitting in a small sushi place at the Osaka Fish Market, Endo Sushi. Surprisingly, we were not alone nor the first ones there. To make it easy, there is a set menu of sushi flights. Each flight focus was different, shellfish, fish, tuna. Fresh and delicious we ordered a set each, then another, then another to share. Not a bad way to start the day.

My Happy Place

From there we headed back to town. It was only 8:30. Yes, enough time to find soufflé pancakes, the current rage. So we head to Happy Pancake which doesn’t open until 10AM. First in line baby, uh-huh. The perks of getting up early.

Happy Pancakes with butter and syrup. Number two on the bucket list, checked off.

Light, fluffy, souffle-like, and EGGY. Now, this might be your cup of tea…but for me, they were just way too eggy tasting, reminded me of a French omelet. Y’all, if I wanted eggs, I would have ordered eggs. I hear there is a joint in Stonestown in San Francisco, and after a three-hour wait, you can try them…Me? Nah. I want real pancakes.

When we finally made it home, top on my breakfast bucket list (or due to my screwed up time-clock, dinner bucket list), PANCAKES of course. I pulled out my current favorite cookbook, A Common Table by Cynthia Chen McTernan of the blog Two Red Bowls and flipped to her recipe for Buttermilk Mochi Pancakes.

Her little tweak is genius. Using half all-purpose flour and half sweet rice flour, you end up with a light fluffy pancake with a nice, subtle, chew or elasticity and a tiny hint of that rice/mochi flavor. It’s not eggy. It’s pancakey! I love it. It’s delicious. If you are a fan of the latest rage..mochi donuts and muffins, you’ll love these griddlecakes.

It’s an easy batter to whip up. I did stray from the recipe a bit. I decided to whip the egg white and gently fold it into batter. The recipe calls for just adding in the unbeaten egg white, but whipping the whites hopefully, adds air and lightness to the batter so I took the extra step.

Mix wet ingredients with dry ingredients just to incorporate.

Whip egg white until soft peaks and gently fold into batter

CHEAT tip: Use an ice cream scoop to dole out the batter.

If you use a non-stick pan, you won’t need oil or butter on your pan.

These babies are so badass. You need to try them. If you don’t have sweet rice flour, use 100% AP flour, you’ll get perfectly respectable traditional pancakes but really, get yourself some sweet rice flour. You’ll thank me, plus you now have rice flour to make her delicious Peanut Butter Mochi.

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Buttermilk Mochi Pancakes

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Keyword Butttermilk Mochi Pancakes

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 10

Servings 3

Ingredients

1/2 cup 63gm all-purpose flour
1/2 cup 70gm sweet rice flour like Mochiko Blue Star
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg separated
1/2 cup Greek yogurt whole yogurt
1/2 cup milk of your choice I used 2%, I also warmed the milk before combining milk, butter and egg
2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled, plus more for the pan and for serving
maple syrup or syrup of your choice for serving

Instructions

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Separate egg, reserve egg yolk in small bowl. Place egg white in a medium small bowl and whisk until soft peaks are formed.
Add the egg yolk, yogurt, milk, and melted butter, and stir until just incorporated.
Gently fold egg white into batter.
Heat a 10-inch or 12-inch cast-iron or nonstick skillet over medium flame until a drop of water sizzles when it hits the pan. Lightly grease the skillet with butter (or flavorless vegetable oil), or if using a non-stick pan, forego greasing.
Use a measuring cup or a large ice cream scoop to drop 1/4 cup batter onto the pan.
When the edges of the pancake look dry and bubbles begin to form in the center, approximately 2 minutes, flip and cook on the second side until lightly golden, 1 to 2 more minutes.
Remove to a plate and repeat with the remaining batter. If desired, use an ovenproof plate (or a metal rack on a baking sheeand place the finished pancakes in the oven on its lowest heat setting to keep them warm while you cook the rest.
Serve immediately, with butter and maple syrup.

Notes

Add rice flour to your pancakes for a delightful twist! The rice flour adds a bit of elasticity and flavor while the pancake is still tender and fluffy. The best of both worlds for these mochi pancakes!

Yeh! A Delicious Chocolate Marzipan Scone Loaf

By threejamigos | April 24, 2019 | Comments 0 Comment

I recently added the cookbook Molly on the Range to the 3Jamigos shop. I couldn’t resist, the Kindle edition is going for a buck ninety-nine. That’s just ridiculous, you can’t even get a cup of joe for that. Molly on the Range has been out a couple of years and every now and then it would dance across my feed. I’d think, cute book from that blogger, My Name is Yeh, and keep going. Fast forward a couple of years, and well whaddya know, her book took off and she has a television show, Girl Meets Farm. Overachiever, just kidding…but it piqued my interest so I got a copy. I started reading… Julliard trained percussionist, city girl who moved from Chicago to the Big Apple to a farm in North Dakota. Huh?

Well, the book is delightful. Her writing is warm, friendly, and spunky. Her photos make me hungry and the drawn illustrations are a really nice touch. I love cookbooks that tell a story. Just like A Common Table, the recipes are the icing on the cake and the cake is the delicious stories of family, friends, and discovery.

Her riff on a Midwest tradition the “hot dish”, a casserole with wild rice or some sort of starch, canned cream soup, and frozen veggies Come on now, who didn’t grow up with a casserole that started with Cream of Mushroom or Chicken Soup, hmm, hmm, good. Her version is a made from scratch, a chicken pot pie filling topped with loads of tater tots. SOUNDS GOOD TO ME. As much as I love pie crust, I do have a soft spot for tots.

Plus, she had me laughing with “You cover the bitch with Tater Tots”. Cute with attitude, I like that.

But before trying the classic hot dish, another one of her recipes beckoned my baker side, Dark Chocolate Marzipan Scone Loaf. Whaat? Scone loaf? Yep, scone dough baked in a loaf pan. The texture is much like a scone, buttery, crumbly, not too sweet, PERFECT with coffee or tea. The kicker? Little chunks of marzipan provide a burst of sweet almond flavor in each bite tempered by the bitterness of dark chocolate. Like a rumble in your mouth. Soooo good.

The dough is a snap to put together. Dry ingredients go into your food processor, pulse cold chunks of butter into the flour mixture. Pour butter-flour mixture into a bowl with marzipan and chocolate chunks. Stir in eggs, cream, and extracts just until combined. Don’t overmix and keep ingredients cold (just like biscuits and scones). Scoop the dough into a loaf pan, gently shaping it so the dough is even. Sprinkle the top with sugar and bake. Before you know it you’ll be sitting down enjoying a delicious slice of chocolatey-almondy scone bread. Yum!

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Dark chocolate Marzipan Scone Loaf

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword Dark chocolate, marzipan, quick bread, scone loaf

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 45

Total Time 1 5

Servings 8 servings

Ingredients

7 or 8 ounces marzipan chopped into ½-inch pieces
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
½ cup dark chocolate chips
2 cups flour plus more for dusting
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons sugar plus 1 teaspoon
¾ cup cold unsalted butter cut into ½-inch cubes
2 large eggs
½ cup buttermilk or heavy cream
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon almond extract
Jam for serving

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Line an 8 x 4-inch loaf pan with parchment paper, allowing 1-inch wings to hang over the edges on the long sides.
In a large bowl, toss together the marzipan and powdered sugar to coat. Add the chocolate and set aside.
In a food processor, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and 2 tablespoons of the sugar and pulse to combine.
Add the butter cubes and pulse until the butter is the size of peas. Add this to the bowl with the marzipan.
In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk or cream, and extracts and add to the dry ingredients. Use a spatula to stir just until combined.
Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf pan and spread it out evenly.
Sprinkle the top with the remaining 1 teaspoon sugar and bake until golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Begin checking for doneness at 40 minutes.
Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove to the rack to cool completely.
Slice with a serrated knife and serve with jam.

Crazy 8 Day: It’s Crack Not A Cookie but It Deserves to be on the List

By threejamigos | December 26, 2018 | Comments 0 Comment

This year I joined in on Food52’s Holiday Gift Swap. It was simple, all I had to do was make a donation to their designated charity and promise to send a food-centric gift by Dec. 10th. A couple of days later, I received my “Secret Santa” swapee’s name and address. My swappee lives in Colorado, I already had a list of go to items I wanted to send her like Jule’s granola and my cousin’s spiced pecans.

My box of goodies came from Catherine of Salt Lake City. Like a kid in a candy store, I quickly tore the box open and discovered a treasure trove of gifts, sweet and salty chocolate sprinkles, popcorn seasoning, salad toppings, a too cute kitchen towel and a delicious cereal mix- Ashure Cereal that I started munching on immediately. Luckily, Cathy included the recipe by Saimin Nosrat in the NY Times. It starts with a base of puffed wheat, nuts, and sesame seeds. Then spiced with cinnamon, cardamon and mahaleb, (a middle eastern spice from cherry seeds, think bitter almond) and finally toasted in the oven with brown sugar, honey and oil. It is addictively delicious.

After scarffing down the bag, I knew I had to make my own batch.

This is where the search begins…

I head to my favorite market, International Food Bazaar. I unwittingly thought that the spices would be the hardest to find. Surprisingly not true. Most of the ingredients and spices can also be found online.

With Mahaleb in hand, I head to my neighborhood grocery for the puffed wheat cereal…

4 STORES later, I walk out empty-handed and dejected. Not a bag or box of puffed wheat to be found. Apparently it is really hard to find puffed cereals without sugar added. Who would have “thunk” it?

I took to the internet, and found Vitacost, a supplement/health food site where I not only find Puffed Wheat, but Puffed Kamut (an ancient grain), Puffed Corn and Puffed Rice. You can find Puffed Rice by Quaker Oats in the supermarket, a great alternative for a gluten free version. I like Puffed Kamut. I would definitely cut a bit of the cereal and add more nuts and Mahaleb. Watch carefully when baking as it browns fairly quickly. I love it over yogurt and fresh fruit or straight out of hand.

So be forewarned, the most difficult ingredient to find will be the cereal. But it will be well worth it, Ashure Cereal is absolutely delicious.

Here, for you to drool over, my Food 52 holiday swap gift from Cathy!

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Ashure Cereal

Course Snack

Cuisine Middle Eastern

Keyword cereal

Cook Time 15

Servings 10 servings

Author Adapted from NYT

Ingredients

1/2 cup /85 grams neutral-tasting oil such as canola
6 tablespoons /110 grams honey
1⁄2 cup /110 grams dark brown sugar packed
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1⁄2 teaspoon ground mahaleb increase to 3/4 -1
1⁄2 teaspoon ground cardamom
10 cups /160 grams puffed wheat sub Puffed Kamut or Rice
3/4 Scant cup /85 grams halved pecans increase to 1 cup
1⁄3 cup /50 grams pumpkin seeds
3 tablespoons /30 grams sesame seeds
1⁄2 cup /85 grams almonds very roughly chopped, or left whole with skin

Instructions

Step 1

Adjust oven racks to lower-middle and upper-middle positions. Heat to 350. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, and set aside.

Step 2

Combine oil, honey and sugar in a medium saucepan, and set over medium-high heat. Whisk well, and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching.

Step 3

In a large bowl, combine remaining ingredients, and mix well. Once the honey mixture comes to a boil, carefully pour it over the dry ingredients. Working quickly, use a large silicone spatula to stir, turning the contents of the bowl over until everything is coated evenly with the syrup. Transfer mixture to baking sheets, and use spatula to flatten out cereal into an even layer.

Step 4

Place baking sheets on prepared oven racks, and bake for 10 minutes.
Carefully remove 1 tray at a time, and use spatula to stir cereal around. Rotate trays 180 degrees, and switch oven positions to ensure even baking. Bake for 4 to 6 minutes longer, until golden brown and well caramelized. Remove from oven, and allow to cool entirely on the trays before breaking cereal into large clusters.

Step 5

Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Happy holidays and happy baking!

“Bacon Up” Some Savory Scones

By threejamigos | October 18, 2018 | Comments 0 Comment

It is not surprising that I love scones. Scones are the British version of biscuits and as you all know, I am obsessed with biscuits. I will go in search of two things on my travels, BISCUITS and PIE. Yep, I have been known to detour far and wide for either. I may not go out of my way for a scone (who am I kidding, yes I will), but if I happen on a bakery and they have scones, that’s what will be sitting next to my cup of joe. At home, my favorite scone recipe is from Dorie Greenspan. Tender, crumbly, buttery, a touch of sweetness-downright delicious. Make it with currants for a classic cream scone, or change it up and add orange zest and dried cranberries or my personal favorite, lemon and wild blueberries.

But this post takes a walk on the savory side. Recommended by my friend Mary, baker extraordinaire-Bacon, Cheddar, Chive Scones from King Arthur Flour are seriously addicting. That first bite fills your mouth with buttery crumbs, chunks of golden cheese, flecks of green chives, and then…wait for it..sweet, salty, crispy, bits of BACON. Hello? Are you smacking your lips right now? You should be.

These are quick and easy to make and you can freeze the unbaked scones, take them out in the morning, throw them in the oven and voila, 30 minutes later, you are enjoying freshly baked warm scones.

After cutting the butter into the flour mixture, add your flavor bombs.

Add cream and fold, smoosh the dough together and form a disc approximately 1 inch thick, cut into wedges. Do not overmix, but the dough should come together when pinched. Add cream in tablespoon increments if necessary.

Confession. The first time I made these was on a whim. I opened the door to my fridge, hmmm, no chives, scallions will have to do. What? No heavy cream, you’re kidding… well, I do have half & half, why not? The trifecta of substitutions, I had a medley of cheese, Monterey Jack, Cheddar, and Mozzarella no cheddar.

Last minute bakers cannot be choosy.

The scones turned out fine. Light, great bacon flavor, definitely a keeper and I saved all those calories using half-half. Not bad!

The next time I was prepared-heavy cream, pastry flour, chives, sharp cheddar cheese…you betcha’. This scone was a bit denser and moister, I could taste the sharp cheddar and overall the scone seemed richer.

Both scones were delicious. So I leave it to you. For a richer scone use heavy cream, for a lighter scone use half & half but definitely use sharp cheddar cheese for flavor. I might even add some chopped jalapeno next time to spice it up a bit. Woohoo!

**Alert** If you are a purist do not read the next paragraph. The recipe calls for approximately a cup of chopped bacon. That’s a lot of bacon. You COULD oven-bake or pan-fry (all that splatter, ugh) the half pound of bacon and crumble it into bits, OR you could go to Costco and buy ready to use REAL bacon bits. We are not talking imitation Bacobits but real bacon. Snap, So EASY.

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Bacon-Cheddar-Chive Scones

Course Breakfast, Snack

Cuisine American, British

Keyword scone

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 25

Total Time 55

Servings 8

Ingredients

2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour or Pastry Flour Blend either works fine
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons sugar
4 tablespoons cold butter
1 cup very coarsely grated or diced cheddar cheese grated works well
1/3 cup snipped fresh chives or finely diced scallion tops the green part
1/2 pound bacon cooked, cooled, and crumbled (about 1 cup)* see text above
3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons heavy cream or whipping cream or enough to make the dough cohesive

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425°F with a rack in the middle to upper third. Lightly grease a baking sheet, or line it with parchment.
Whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar. Work the butter into the flour until the mixture is unevenly crumbly, with some of the butter remaining in larger pieces.
Mix in the cheese, chives, and bacon until evenly distributed.
Add 3/4 cup of the cream, stirring to combine. Try squeezing the dough together; if it's crumbly and won't hang together, or if there are crumbs remaining in the bottom of the bowl, add cream until the dough comes together. Transfer the shaggy dough to a well-floured work surface.
Pat the dough into a smooth 7" disk about 3/4" thick. Transfer the disk to the prepared baking sheet. Use a knife or bench knife to cut the disk into 8 wedges, spreading the wedges apart a bit on the pan.
Brush the scones with a bit of cream; this will help their crust brown.
Bake the scones in the middle or upper third of the oven for 22 to 24 minutes, until they're golden brown. Remove them from the oven, and cool right on the pan.If they brown too quickly, cover loosely with foil. Serve warm, or at room temperature.
Refrigerate any leftover scones, well wrapped, for several days; reheat before serving. Freeze for longer storage.

Notes

Want to make scones now, freeze and bake later?

Make scones up to the point they're on the baking sheet, cut and ready to bake; don't brush them with cream. Freeze, then remove from the sheet, and wrap airtight in a plastic bag. When you're ready to bake, remove however many you want to bake from the freezer, place on a baking sheet, brush with cream, and bake in a preheated 425°F oven for 35 to 40 minutes, until golden brown.

Make mini-scones: Divide the dough in half, and roll each half into a 5" round. Cut each round into 8 wedges. Bake in a preheated 425°F oven till golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes; or for about 25 minutes if frozen.

Instant Pot Easy Jook (Rice Soup) Soul Food Breakfast

By threejamigos | August 1, 2018 | Comments 3 comments

Last weekend Jamie played her version of NYT’s 36 Hours. We picked her up at the airport (SFO NOT SJC, grrrr) at 1:00 am Friday night (ok Saturday morning, delays) and dropped her off Sunday at 11:00 AM. Her first words upon seeing her bleary-eyed parents? DID YOU BRING MY SUSHI WITH YOU? I AM STARVING! Lucky we like her.

Happy Hour Any Hour

With Jamie coming home, the call went out for a happy hour, which, due to schedules, morphed into a Saturday morning breakfast happy hour. Any time of day is Happy Hour when it involves friends, food, and fun. It just means tweaking the menu that’s all. We decided on a bowl of fresh strawberries and summer peaches, Belgium Waffles, candied bacon, Jule’s Granola and yogurt. Jamie chimed in with “I want Jook (rice soup) too” Rice Soup is soul food, comfort food, each bite reminds one of being home. With its addition and the various toppings like shredded chicken, assorted sweet and salty pickles, and slivers of green onions to go along, our breakfast menu was complete.

A small stumbling block to this plan, who was going to make Jook (Rice Soup) in the morning? Ugh, the last thing I wanted to do was get up early after a late-night airport pickup. Then it hit me, hello…you have an INSTANT POT, Deb. A quick Google search yielded plenty of recipes so I decided on a mash-up of my Dad’s Jook and a couple of Instant Pot recipes I found online. Yay, I’ll get forty winks and have rice soup ready for breakfast.

Jook in an Instant Pot is so stupid easy it’s a crime. Saute a couple of slices of ginger in the Instant Pot add the washed rice, give it a few good stirs, add skinned chicken drumsticks, fill the pot with water and seasonings, seal it and set the timer for 20 minutes. That’s it. Jook Time. If you have chicken stock, use it for an extra rich and flavorful soup.

I have a confession, if I don’t have homemade stock or even low-sodium commercial chicken broth, I’ll add a tablespoon of a chicken stock base such as Better Than Boullion, or Chicken Powder by LKK or Knorr (a Chinese kitchen staple) just to kick it up a notch. It’s not necessary but it will add some depth of flavor. The soup will look thin when you first take off the lid. Stir it a couple of times to combine the rice and stock, hit the saute’ function, and bring it to a boil. Cook for an additional 5-10 minutes or until the Jook is the consistency you want.

*Notes from a Thanksgiving Table

My favorite post-Thanksgiving meals aka “What to do with your leftovers”.

Turkey Rice Soup (Congee or Jook)

DON’T THROW AWAY THE BONES AND CARCASS.

Get out your stockpot (or any really, really big pot). Throw the carcass, wings, drumsticks (sans stuffing) in and fill with water. Add a smashed chunk of ginger (2-inch piece) 1/2 cup of rice wine, a bunch of scallions, a large pinch of salt and bring it to a boil. Once it boils, reduce heat to a nice energetic simmer. Cover and fuggetaboutit for a couple of hours. You will end up with liquid gold to make any delicious soup you want. For a non-Asian bent, omit ginger and scallions and throw in carrots, celery, yellow onions instead. But honestly, it doesn’t matter, you could make jook with either stock.

I do make the stock separately so that I can strain the stock and remove all those little nasty bone fragments and seasoning vegetables. They have all done their job and can now exit stage left.

The stock will keep in the fridge for about a week or longer in the freezer.

Now go back to the top or to the bottom for the recipe on how to make jook….you’ll thank me, so so good.

Hello….Turkey Sammies a la Dagwood style which means all your Thanksgiving leftovers in between two slices of bread. Yep, turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, gravy, and a couple of slices of cheese from the appetizer plate. Don’t forget the leftover greens from the salad no one ate because WHO eats salad on Thanksgiving-puulease. Oh man-so good.

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Instant Pot Chicken Congee Recipe (Jook)

Jook or congee, the ultimate comfort food, when its cold outside, when you have a cold, anytime.

Course Soup

Cuisine Asian, Asian-American

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Total Time 45

Calories 140kcal

Ingredients

For the Soup:

1 cup long grain Jasmine rice honestly you can use any kind of rice, long, medium or short grain
1.5 Tsp vegetable oil
3 Slices thinly sliced fresh ginger size of quarters
1 tsp salt
3-4 skinless chicken drumsticks or thighs or 2 whole chicken legs, can also add pork such as pork butt 2-3 2 inch pieces
8 to 10 cups water, fill to the 10-cup mark on your IP or use stock and water 1:1
1/8 cup rice wine
1 tbsp Better Than Bouillon (optional) Skip if you are starting with stock

At the Finish Line

2 tsp sesame oil toasted, Asian sesame oil
1/3-1/2 cup scallions-sliced on the bias garnish
1/8 Cup finely shredded fresh ginger garnish
Salt and pepper to taste preferably white pepper

Instructions

Wash rice. Add the rice to a bowl, and add enough water to cover the rice. Swirl the rice around. Drain and repeat a few times until the water is clear. Let drain and dry.
Turn on Instant Pot with Saute function. When hot, add 1 -1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil and ginger. Saute for 30 seconds, add rice and 1 teaspoon salt. Stir to coat rice with oil approximately 1 minute.
Add chicken pieces, bouillon, and rice wine to the pot . **If you are in a rush or feeling lazy, skip sauteing the rice and ginger. Just throw them into the pot, fill with enough water until it reaches the 10 cup mark in the Instant Pot.
Turn off saute, close the lid and make sure the knob is on "Sealing". Choose the "Porridge" button and set the time to 20 minutes.
While congee is cooking, shred ginger and slice scallions and place in small bowls for serving.
When the time is up on the timer, turn the Instant Pot off. Wait 15 minutes natural release before turning the knob from 'Sealing' to 'Venting'. Rice soup tends to splatter a lot, do not do a quick release.
Remove the chicken from the pot, when it is cool enough to handle, shred the meat and discard the bones. If the jook seems thin, turn saute' function on (without the lid on) and cook until desired consistency. If it is too thick, add water or broth.
Add the chicken back into the congee or put it in a bowl and let folks add at the table. Taste, add salt if necessary.
Ladle into bowls and top with desired amount of ginger, white pepper, sesame oil and scallions. Let folks add their own.

Toppings and Fixins'

My Dad's Jook calls for potatoes, I love them in my soup. Any kind of potato will work, peeled and quartered for large potatoes. Add at the same time as the chicken when making the soup.
For meatballs, follow instructions under Dad's Jook. This can be added at the end after pressure cooking. Remove lid and press saute function. When the rice soup comes to a boil, add meatballs and cook until done 2-3 minutes.
Additional toppings include cilantro leaves, fried garlic slivers, shredded fresh ginger, salted peanuts, shredded lettuce (iceberg works well)...the list goes on. Anything you eat with rice can be added. NO Rules!

A Toast to Bostock (Brioche aux Amandes)

By threejamigos | May 5, 2018 | Comments 3 comments

Our weekend ritual of going to the Farmer’s Market is a two-pronged mission. After stocking up on fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables we turn our attention to the artisanal products that are peppered throughout the market. Smoked salts, leaf lard from the meat guy, olive oils from family orchards, bread, and fresh tofu. I invariably stop at the Manresa bread stall. I have a weak spot for their Kouign Aman and their Bostock.

Bostock? Yep, glorified TOAST, 4-5 bucks a slice. Call it a guilty pleasure. A slice of buttery brioche with a layer of orange marmalade or strawberry rhubarb jam, topped with an almond frangipane and a generous sprinkle of sliced almonds. Baked, finished with a blanket of powdered sugar. So good.

I probably won’t attempt to make Kouign Aman but Bostock, that’s a different story. It’s toast on steroids when you think about it. A recipe for Bostock from the blog The Little Epicurean looked delicious and sounded very doable. Time to stop the 5 dollar toast madness and make my own. I love her photo and as they say, imitation is the highest form of flattery. Making Bostock pictogram starts with brioche, slather with preserves, coat with almond frangipane and top with sliced almonds. Pop it in the oven. Badabing, badaboom, done.

Ok, I did cheat a little, store-bought brioche (Trader Joe’s Brioche-thumbs up) makes this a quick and easy recipe. I used a homemade strawberry-blueberry jam but feel free to use any jam you like. The almond frangipane is made of butter, almonds, sugar and an egg whirled to a smooth creamy paste in a food processor. As I pulled the slices out of the oven the aroma of butter, sugar and almond filled the kitchen. Life is good, especially if you have fresh baked Bostock.

A Toast to Bostock (Brioche aux Amandes)

Glorified toast which you should definitley make!

Course Breads, Breakfast

Cuisine French

Keyword Bostock

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 15

Ingredients

6 thick slices of brioche challah, or enriched milk bread
6 Tablespoons orange marmalade or your choice of jam
Almond frangipane spread recipe follows
Sliced almonds as needed
Confectioners' sugar to dust

Almond Frangipane Spread:

1 cup almonds sliced or whole
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup unsalted butter room temperature, softened
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
1 large egg
2 Tablespoons whole milk or heavy cream

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or nonstick silicone mat. Arrange bread on baking sheet. Spread 1 tablespoon of orange marmalade over bread. Top with 3 tablespoons of almond frangipane spread. Sprinkle sliced almonds on top.
Bake for 12-15 minutes until almonds are golden and bread is toasted.
Transfer bread to cool rack to prevent bottom from getting soggy. Dust warm bostock with sifted confections' sugar. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Almond Frangipane Spread:

In a food processor, pulse together almonds and half of sugar until nuts are finely ground. Transfer to a small bowl.
In same food processor, process together butter, remaining sugar, salt, vanilla, almond extract, egg, and cream until smooth.
Scrape down bowl as needed to ensure thorough mixing. Add ground nut mixture and pulse until thoroughly combined.
Use almond frangipane spread immediately, or store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. Allow to soften to room temperature before use.

Karma’s a Batch…of Meyer Lemon Scones

By threejamigos | April 23, 2018 | Comments 0 Comment

I got up this morning with scones on the brain. A while ago I had come across a recipe on the blog Dessert for Two for Small Batch Meyer Lemon Scones. They looked delicious. I filed it away under the “I should try these cause they look yummy” recesses of my mind. This past weekend my goal was to clean and reorganize the fridge (inspired by Sam Kass’s new book). As luck would have it, squirreled away in the back of the crisper drawer I found a forgotten bag of Meyer Lemons from my baking buddy, Kathy.

Karma, I was Meant to Make These Scones.

The recipe makes four more-than-generous scones so my first change was to make six instead. A nice size to accompany a breakfast plate or on its own as an afternoon tea treat. You can whip up a batch in no time flat and that’s without using a mixer. The keys are to keep everything as cold as possible and to not overwork the dough. The mantra for any scone, biscuit, or pie dough.

I used a pastry cutter to mix the butter in the flour. The butter should be in small pieces no bigger than petite peas. Add the wet ingredients and blend together. The mixture will not hold together but will be shaggy. Pour onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Fold and compress the dough to form a disc. The heat of your hands will help the dough clump together. Cut the disc into four to six pieces.

Separate the scones and paint the tops with heavy cream. Bake until golden. I made the icing but it didn’t stand out on the scones. It did add a nice sweet-tart finish though.

These scones are tender, buttery, and lemony sweet. The perfect beginning or ending to a day. It’s a good thing this is a small batch recipe…I’d be tempted to eat them all.

Karma’s a Batch…of Meyer Lemon Scones

A lovely buttery, light, lemony scone from Dessert for Two that is easy to make, a perfect weekend morning pick me up.

Course Biscuits and scones, Breakfast

Cuisine American

Keyword Cream Scones, meyer lemon scones, Meyer lemons

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 15

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder

Wet Ingredients

4 tablespoons unsalted butter cold
1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons heavy cream plus extra for brushing
1 large egg yolk
zest of 2 Meyer lemons* I'm thinking grapefruit or reg lemons would work well too.

For the optional glaze: Try not to skip it, it is a nice finish.

1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon heavy cream
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed Meyer lemon juice

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.
Dice the butter and add it to the flour mixture. Work the butter into the flour mixture until it's evenly distributed and smaller than peas. Use two knives, a pastry cutter, or your fingertips (quickly squeeze the butter pieces between your fingers pressing them into little flakes.
Whisk heavy cream, egg yolk and lemon zest in a small bowl. Pour ontothe flour mixture and stir until a shaggy dough forms. Don't overmix, but incorporate things well.
Scoop the dough out, place it on the baking sheet, and use the warmth of your hands to fold and press dough together until it sticks together into a round disc form.
Cut the dough circle into 4-6 even pieces. Brush each piece with extra heavy cream. (Cut by pressing knife in one downward motion, don't use a sawing motion which will cause uneven rising)
Bake for 13-15 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean and they lightly brown on the edges.
While the scones bake, whisk together the glaze ingredients.
Glaze the scones when cool.

Food Porn (Kristen Kish Cooking)

By threejamigos | December 3, 2017 | Comments 0 Comment

I recently received Top Chef Winner Kristen Kish’s beautiful book, Kristen Kish Cooking: Recipes and Techniques from Blogging for Books. Right off the bat I am going to say I am torn. It is a DROP DEAD GORGEOUS book and I am in love with it…but from afar. This is like that “out of my league” guy I was never going to get and if he ever spoke to me, I would have sounded like a babbling idiot…intimidated by his awesomeness.
My first run through of the book, I literally drooled over every dish. All I could think was has she opened a restaurant yet? If so, where is it? I’m making reservations. Actually making one of her creations seemed daunting.
Each plate is a work of art, each plate reminds why she is a chef and I am a home cook with kids, a dog and a job that will pay for a visit to wherever she ends up creating her beautiful food. Her presentation is stunning simplicity that belies the complexity and thought she puts into each dish. Each recipe is accompanied by a story from her life or how the recipe came about. I loved reading these little vignettes. Her description and use of a variety of techniques in each recipe will no doubt make anyone a better cook.
The second time I picked up the book I knew I had to gather up the guts to pick a couple of things to try, after all I needed to review the book. The book is divided first by snacks, salads, sweets and by protein-meat or from the sea. Each recipe contains liners on what techniques are used in the recipe and ingredients in one column and directions in the inner column. Very well organized.
Confession, I looked for the easiest recipe I could try. A dish that didn’t require special ingredients or a multi-step process to make.
I decided on her Sour Cream Cake, Pecan, Malted Milk Creme Fraiche, baking is in my comfort zone. The batter was fairly straight forward, I have a 8-inch round cake pan and amazingly I also had the malted milk powder.
Things were going smoothly…right up until I put the batter in the pan. Hmm, it’s a lot of batter, it’s pretty dense, maybe it doesn’t rise that much.
WRONG. Though I knew better I wanted to follow the directions explicitly. Halfway through baking the batter oozed over the sides of the pan like the BLOB and dropped onto the floor of my oven. I quickly shoved some foil underneath, a little smoke but at least the smoke alarm didn’t go off, catastrophe partially averted.
I e-mailed Kristen and she was great. She recommended a springform pan or extending the walls of my pan with a parchment collar. Mine took well over an hour and was still undercooked in the center. The edge was delicious, the cake was buttery and tender. She texted me again after making the cake for her family. Hers took 49 minutes to bake and she used a deep 8 inch springform. Definitely going to try this again.

I tried a second time using a 9 inch springform and to prove you can teach an old dog new tricks I extended the sides with parchment. In my haste I used butter that was still cold, I thought I could get by. WRONG AGAIN. Mea culpa. Ugh, the cake came out a little dense. It required around 50 minutes to bake despite the larger pan.

Note to self and everyone, use a pan with at least 3 inch sides or taller and room temp butter! No shortcuts.

I will try again as the third time is always a charm. I think I would use light brown sugar instead of dark for a milder flavor. I love the nuttiness and the crunch of the pecans and the hit of salt in the topping.

Whew.

I then tried her recipe for Cavatelli, Corn, Roasted Tomato, Thai Basil.

Full disclosure. I CHEATED.

I bought pasta instead of making the cavatelli. The sauce was easy to prepare and delicious. I love the roasted tomatoes and charred corn and the creaminess of the sauce. Much like a carbonara, egg yolks and hard cheese (Romano) are stirred together and hot pasta is added to the mixture which creates a silky lovely sauce. I added a splash of the pasta water to thin it just a bit. Yummy. The Thai basil added color contrast to the dish but just a hint of flavor. I hope it’s not blasphemous but I think I would add a bit of bacon or pancetta next time..yummy

I was about to try her recipe for egg pudding but for 8 eggs (4 servings) it calls for 10 tablespoons of butter, some creme fraiche and a brown butter drizzle on top. Luckily, within the directions I could only account for 7 tablespoons of butter, I’m ok with not using the remaining 3 tablespoons. Decided to save this for a day when I work out first.

There are recipes I am definitely going to try. Even a couple that look pretty involved but sound deliciously worth making. Roasted chicken thighs and Labneh (but first gotta get those Calabrian chilis), Braised Potatoes with Pancetta and Comte, the Potato Puree with Chicken Skin Crisps and the Hamachi, Sweet Onion, Bacon, Miso and Potato are on my bucket list. Until then I will keep her book on my coffee table to salivate over and enjoy.

Jest Jammin’ (Strawberry Lime Jam)

By threejamigos | September 5, 2017 | Comments 0 Comment

From my weekly trip to the Farmer’s Market I once again came home with way too many strawberries…I should have bought one basket but noooo…I went bonkers and bought a HALF FLAT of strawberries. That’s 6 baskets of strawberries between the two of us.

Which means it’s JAM TIME. I pulled up the recipe for STUPID EASY JAM I posted a couple months ago, grabbed the lime instead of the lemon sitting on the counter and less than an hour later I’m spreading homemade jam on toast to go with my coffee. How easy is that? Yummos. The lime is a nice change from lemon it gives it a tropical twist.

I think the best thing about regattas and long bike rides is guilt free carb loading. There is nothing better than a pb&j sandwich. I love the saltiness of the peanut butter and the sweetness of the jam smooshed between two slices of Wonder Bread.

Even though I didn’t row or ride today, a loaf of soft white bread reminiscent of Wonder Bread, a jar of just made jam and summer’s last hurrah heat wave was the perfect excuse for a pb&j sandwich and a tall glass of ice cold milk for dinner. Nothing like starting the day with jam on buttered toast and ending it with a pb&j. Felt like a kid again.

So if you are like me and find yourself with too many strawberries. Make some jam!