Baking – Page 8 – morestomach

strawberry ice cream cookie sandwiches

Published on July 1, 2015February 14, 2016 by Lan | MoreStomach6 Comments

strawberry season has come & gone,
around these parts anyway.
they’re still available at markets,
fret not,
but once they’re no longer pick-able for us
the season is done.
what we do is we pick more than we’re able to consume,
freezing the rest
for smoothies
for ice cream
for breakfast
for dessert
this year’s yield ,
while beautiful,
did not taste as they looked.
as a result
this year’s batch of ice cream wasn’t the best.
in lieu of chucking it
i figured sandwiching them would solve mediocrity.
thank goodness i was correct.
*note: any kind of ice cream flavor,
at any level of mediocrity or awesomeness,
will work.

PS. happy independence week! be safe, be good.

strawberry ice cream cookie sandwiches
cookie recipe makes about 30 cookies

4 ounces room temp ghee
4 ounces coconut oil, softened, just on the other side of solid
3/4 cup sugar, scant
3/4 cup light brown sugar, scant
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups ap flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
super intense strawberry ice cream, or whatever flavor you want

in mixing bowl, with paddle attachment, cream butter + coconut oil + sugars. add the eggs, followed by the flour, salt and baking soda. scrape the sides of the bowl, you’re aiming for an incorporated batter.

cover and fridge, for at least an hour, up to over night.

preheat oven to 325, prepare baking sheet with parchment paper.

using a ice cream scooper (ours is just shy of 1 TBL), scoop out the dough onto prepared baking sheet. leave a few inches between cookies as they will spread.

bake for 12-14 minutes, i aimed for 13 minutes.

allow to cool completely on cookie rack, then freeze them.

to assemble, scoop out ice cream and sandwich between two cookies. consume immediately, or stick back in freezer, covered until ready to devour.

if you’re like dw, you could freeze the ice cream in a casserole dish. allow it to thaw a bit, then using a biscuit cutter almost the same size at the cookies cut out the ice cream.
then, if you’re like me, you could use an off-set spatula to smooth out any bumps that the biscuit cutter didn’t smooth out and run it along the edges.

BAM!

1 year ago: diy linen board
2 years ago: tiny, beautiful things – i read a book!

other ice cream concoctions:
coffee chocolate chip ice cream – lactose free
peppermint chocolate chip ice cream – lactose free
spiced coconut pecan ice cream – dairy free
strawberry ice cream + almond waffle cones – dairy free
tangerine ice cream – lactose free
cayenne chocolate ice cream – lactose free

meringue cups + mango curd

Published on June 24, 2015June 23, 2015 by Lan | MoreStomach14 Comments

growing up i never had dessert after dinner,
maybe an apple or orange slices.
sugar and sweets were for
Special Occasions,
they were not on the forefront of
gma’s menu planning for the week.
now that i’m ~~a grown up~~ in charge of my diet
dessert is a must.
on the evenings we don’t have
anything sweet to nibble on
i feel a loss,
like,
bereft.
my waistline has suffered
my sweet tooth is more ferocious
i don’t know which was worse –
with or without!
just kidding,
that’s a no brainer.

meringue cups + mango curd
gluten free, lactose free

*note: it was super hot and muggy the days i made these. if i were to serve this at a party, i’d make the morning of and pipe just before serving. you want the meringues to be light and crispy with just a touch of chew. doing it the way i did it allowed the meringues to be a little on the chewy side and not enough of the crisp. the winter, when the air is chill and dry, would be best for the over night method i used this time.

5 egg whites, at room temp
1/4 -1/2 cup sugar, sweetness level entirely up to you, depending on how sweet the curd is
1/2 tsp cream of tartar

preheat oven to 300F. prepare baking sheet with parchment paper.

in a clean mixing bowl using a the whisk attachment, mix the egg whites for about a minute. add the cream of tartar and then incrementally add the sugar. you’re going for stiff peaks, this could take up to 15 minutes. take your time, scrape the bowl to ensure you get all the sugar. you’re done when you’re able to turn the bowl over and nothing falls on your face.

fill piping bag, if you’re feeling fancy add a tip, though i don’t think it’s necessary. on the prepared baking sheet, pipe a base and then stick to the edge of the base and work your way up to make a cup/nest. keep going until done, i think i ended up with about 40.

bake for 20 minutes, lower heat to 250F and bake further 15 minutes. turn off off, ignore overnight.

mango curd
lactose free

1-2 mangos, depending on size, ending up with about 1 cup mango puree
1/8 – 1/4 cup sugar, depending on how sweet you want it to be
pinch of salt
1 egg yolk
zest of 1 lemon
zest of 1 lime
4 TBL ghee
juice of half lemon

in a sauce pan, mix the mango puree with the egg yolk on low heat. whisk steadily until warmed through, you don’t want to scramble the yolk. add in the flavors: sugar, salt, zests and lemon juice. raise heat to medium and keep whisking until further thickened. turn off the heat and add in the ghee, mixing thoroughly.

set aside to cool, if needed, strain through a fine mesh sieve.

allow to cool and then fridge. will keep for about a week.

to assemble:
you can be fancy and pipe the curd into the meringue cups, or you can be lazy like me and use a small spoon to fill the curd in.

BAM!

1 year ago: 3 veggies dumplings in spicy sauce
2 years: baked yeast s’mores donuts

other curd and/or meringue desserts:
citrus curd mille feuilles – dairy free
meyer lemon bars – lactose free
chocolate meringue kisses – gluten free, dairy free
strawberries + cream pavlovas – gluten free

salt & pepper shrimp – tôm rang muối

Published on May 20, 2015May 19, 2015 by Lan | MoreStomach26 Comments

my grandfather appreciated food.
likely, too much.
upon further reflection
i cannot decide what he loved more:
the sweet or the savory.
let’s say he liked both,
and the everything in between.
he enjoyed all the bad things that caused
his cholesterol to spike:
sunny side up eggs
liver, specifically my grandmother’s homemade pâté
seafood, in particular fried and heavily salted

this week marks a year since his passing.
in the last 12 months,
at the most random moments,
i will turn to dw and say:
oh gpa would love this dish!
or
gpa loved him some spice and salt.
more often than not
my memories of him are about food.
in memory of him,
i made one of his favorite dishes,
a dish we grandchildren would sneak to him
as it was something gma would expressly forbid him from having.

tôm rang muối – vietnamese salt & pepper shrimp
adapted from Luke Nguyen

*note: this is inauthentic, in that i did not deep-fry the shrimp. click on the link if you want to make it the “correct” way. i broiled them super quick in the oven. to keep the shrimp on the side of under-done, i worked quickly, make sure your mise-en-place is done accordingly.
**note: also, this dish is best with head on but the local Whole Foods doesn’t carry it. asian markets will carry head on prawns, but it’s not guaranteed organic and/or sustainably caught.
***note: this is a finger food, meant to be consumed in a group, with ice-cold beers and plenty of napkins. which is why, dw and i ate with a side of carrot+celery salad and brown rice, with chopsticks.

1/2 lb prawns, with head on, or in our case, large shrimp, cleaned/deveined, careful to keep shell on
2 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp fresh ground pepper
1 tsp five spice powder
1 tsp sugar
1/2 cup give or take corn starch or potato starch
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 jalapeno, sliced
1/4 red onion, diced
2 green scallions, sliced on the diagonal
drizzle of oil
lemon or lime wedges, optional

first, preheat oven to highest it’ll go, broil or in my case, 550F.

next, prep everything and have all the ingredients ready to go. clean/devein the shrimp. there were some shrimps that lost their shell because i was a little indelicate but it was a price i was willing to pay to not eat poop. wandering chopsticks has a pic tutorial you can refer to. pat dry the shrimp.

dry roast the salt, ground pepper and 5 spice powder. (NOTE: you will not be using ALL of the blend in this recipe). set aside to cool. when cool, mix in the sugar.

line a shallow cookie sheet with foil or parchment paper. if using foil, oil it. dust the shrimp with potato or corn starch. or you can do it my lazy way, holding by the tail, dip the shrimp into the starch and shake semi-vigorously to let loose excess powder. lay on the prepared sheet. broil in oven for TWO MINUTES.

meanwhile, in a frying pan, heat up a drizzle of oil on medium high. saute the garlic, onion, green scallions and jalapeno. you’re aiming for fragrance, not so much burning or caramelization. this can be anywhere from 3-5 minutes. which means, in the middle of this sauteing you’re doing, you need to take the shrimp out of the oven. make haste. set aside the shrimp. when the onions and garlic have softened, add in the shrimp. WORK QUICKLY. sprinkle the shrimp with a few teaspoons of the salt/sugar/pepper/five spice mixture. (i ended up using 3 teaspoons, season to your taste). gently mix everything, heating the shrimp through. REMOVE from heat. this step should take 2 minutes, 3 minutes TOPS.

the end result should be on the dry side, unless you’re like me and gpa and got a little generous with the drizzle of oil.

serve with lemon or lime wedges.

BAM!

last year’s gpa post: citrus curd mille-feuille
1 year ago: spiced coconut pecan ice cream
2 years ago: portuguese chicken curry with chorizo + olives

roasted banana bread

Published on February 23, 2015June 14, 2016 by Lan | MoreStomach20 Comments

we’re back to feeling human again.
well, almost human.
i’m not quite 100%
but we’ll get there.

lately it’s been a fallback
on all things comfort
the comfort foods of my childhood
soups
dw’s old high school sweatshirt
tom selleck on netflix
and this bread.
it’s a little pedestrian,
banana bread,
and that’s what i needed,
something familiar
with ingredients already on hand.
the roasting is optional
but it perfumes the whole abode
beautifully,
and when sick,
i’m not in the habit of
denying myself such comfort.

Roasted Banana Bread
loosely adapted from terri wu

*note: i’ve been making this bread for a few years now, i cheat and use other recipes but i find myself falling back to this one. like all sweet breads this is flexible, you can add nuts or dried fruit, chocolate chips, whatever is available in your pantry. i like that. also, the liquid can be anything – water, coffee and admittedly, this past week i forgot to brew fresh and just added water to my already used up coffee grounds. obviously, the most flavorable loaf was the one with the super strong brewed coffee but you won’t die if you use weak coffee or just plain water.
**note: you don’t have to roast the bananas, especially if they’re super ripe. i just like the flavor it imparts, and it makes to mashing them up so nicely. this recipe doesn’t use eggs so i’m not worried about cooking the eggs in the batter before they even make it to the oven. should you decide to roast your bananas for your go-to banana bread recipe that uses eggs, be sure to cool them sufficiently before adding to the batter.

1/4 cup flaxseeds
1/4 cup + 2 TBL hot coffee (or hot water)
1/2 cup apple sauce (or neutral oil, like grapeseed or sunflower)
1 2/3 cups einkorn flour (or AP)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
4 large ripe bananas
2 TBL vegan mayonnaise (or vegan yogurt)
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup sugar
1 TBL brown sugar
dash of cinnamon
1/2 cup cranberries, optional

preheat oven to 350F.

in a oven safe pan, or pie pan, lay the bananas down. sprinkle brown sugar and cinnamon over top. optional: slice the bananas length-wise first. the flavor difference is negligible. put in oven as it heats up. you’re aiming for anywhere from 15-30 minutes, however long it takes for the oven to warm up fully and/or do up the batter.

in grinder, grind up the flaxseed. add to hot coffee (or water). mix, and ignore, 15 minutes.

in a mixing bowl add the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda and ground cinnamon.

in the flaxseed container add the sugar and apple sauce (or oil). mix it up. fold this mixture into the flour mixing bowl until few dry streaks remain.

remove pie pan of banana goodness from the oven. use your best judgement: there have been times when it got quite mushy & liquidy and it strained it, and other times the moisture level wasn’t alarming. it’s up to you. to the pie pan add the vegan mayo (or yogurt), along with the salt, and stir to mix through. fold the mixture into the mixing bowl. add in the cranberries if using, combine completely.

transfer batter to greased loaf pan.

bake for 1 hour.

allow to cool completely in pan, invert onto wire rack.

to serve, i like to slice 1 thick piece and toast it, until the edges are nice and crunchy and dark.

BAM!

update:
my blog friend dixya made some banana bread today too, though hers is more like a bananas foster! her recipe.

chocolate meringue kisses

Published on February 16, 2015February 15, 2015 by Lan | MoreStomach23 Comments

there’s been no kissing for us lately:
dw was sick last week
and i’m fighting UFC-style
to not get what he had.
it’s too soon to determine
who the winner is.
in the meantime,
i managed to whip up this treat
for our valentine’s day/
4 year anniversary of our first date.
it’s just one egg
a whole lot of mixer action
and the end result is
the perfect sub
for kisses,
but without the germs.
stay warm and healthy friends.

chocolate meringue kisses
adapted from movita beaucoup
makes 40

*note: movita’s bossy, and in this case, correct: don’t be lazy and do your mise en place.
**note: if you’re like me, and forget to leave your egg out to reach room temp, put your egg in some hot TAP water for about 5 minutes. you should be good. scientifically speaking i might be off a few degrees but whatever.

1 large egg white, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp white vinegar
1 tsp chocolate extract
2 TBL boiling water

preheat oven to 225F.

in a stand mixer bowl, add your egg white with sugar, cocoa powder, cornstarch, chocolate extract, and vinegar and with your whisk attachment, mix on low. it’s going to look like a hot mess, just keep at it. at some point that tickles your fancy use a spatula and scrape the bottom of the bowl. you want the cocoa powder to be fully incorporated. keeping the mixer on low speed, add in the 2 TBL of boiling water.

incrementally pump up the speed until medium-high and let it go. you’re aiming for glossy stiff peaks, about 15 minutes.

pipe meringue on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. i used a Wilton 1M tip, cus it was the first one i grabbed and let’s be honest, the easiest tip to wash. i came up with exactly 40.

bake for an hour. movita says to check around 45 minutes. i live on the edge. and i was too lazy to get off the couch and i let it go the full hour. turn off oven, ignore for an hour to allow to cool and dry completely.

serve with whipped cream + berries, like a fancy pavlova or an eton mess, or just on its own.

BAM!