Egg – Page 4 – morestomach

NY Style Cheesecake

Published on March 3, 2016March 2, 2016 by Lan | MoreStomach5 Comments

because a birthday should always be celebrated
happy birthday, ridiculous nuria,
who always manages to make me
laugh
swear
blush
you are exactly the annoying
kid sister i always imagined
other people having
but never thought i’d hafta experience.

new york style cheesecake
adapted from america’s test kitchen family baking cookbook

crust:
8 graham crackers, crumbled
6 TBL butter, melted and cooled
3 TBL sugar

filling:
2 1/2 lbs cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
pinch of salt
1/3 cup kefir yogurt (or plain yogurt, or sour cream)
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 large egg yolks
6 large eggs

preheat oven to 325°

in a food processor, blitz the crackers until they’re fine crumbles. pour in the melted butter and sugar and pulse until incorporated. dump the mixture into a 9″ springfoam pan. press the crumbs into an even layer. bake crust about 10-15 minutes, i aimed for the middle and took it out at 12:30, because i’m obnoxious. remove from oven, allow to cool, about 30 minutes.

increase oven heat to 500°.

put a pot or a kettle of water to boil. (optional)

meanwhile, make the filling. in a mixer beat the cream cheese until smooth, constantly scraping down the side of the bowl and beaters.

mix in the yogurt (or sour cream), lemon juice and vanilla. add in the yolks and the eggs, 2 at a time until well incorporated.

very carefully pour the mix into the pan.

in the oven, at the bottom level, pour the hot water into the pan. (optional step)

bake the cheesecake for 10 minutes.

without opening the oven door, lower the heat to 200° and continue to bake for 1 1/2 hours.

don’t open the oven door, turn off the oven and ignore the cheesecake until cooled, about 2-3 hours.

when you’re feeling brave, take out the cheesecake and carefully run a knife around the edge.

chill in fridge, ideally overnight.

serve as is or if you’re felling fancy, drizzle a bit of chocolate ganache.

BAM!

previous nuria bday concoctions:
vegan pb cups
the angry birds project
suisse mocha cheesecake
coffee cheesecake

2 years ago: ultimate white cake
1 year ago: overnight steel cut oats

crock pot baked beans

Published on February 1, 2016January 28, 2016 by Lan | MoreStomach3 Comments

the city streets are littered
with snow piles now.
just earlier in the week
it was pristine, uninterrupted white.
while it was still in that phase
dw & i (and nuria)
were holed up at home.
we completed the Blacklist on Netflix
(just up to season 2)
and contemplated starting
something about making murderers.
3 people with 1 tv
makes for difficult Netflix
decision making.

meanwhile, with an out of commissioned kitchen
and all appliances in the living room,
none plugged in,
save the fridge,
it made for creative meal planning.
the slow cooker was in use,
and it’s pretty much the hero
and these beans are saving our lives
while we do daily dig outs.

crock pot baked beans
makes an assclown amount

*note: these are reminiscent of the baked beans eaten with hot dogs or hamburgers while camping, or during the 4th of july. kinda sweet, kinda smokey, and all sorts of warming. we’ve had it with just crusty bread for dinner, with rice for lunch and my fave: topped with a fried egg for breakfast. all i know is, it makes a lot and has kept me and two adults fed during the week as we muddle our way through snow and sludge and not much motivation to cook on a hot plate.

1 lb dry cranberry beans (really, any dry beans would work)
1 onion, chopped
4 strips center cut smokey bacon, chopped
1/4 cup molasses
1/8 cup brown sugar
1/8 cup tomato paste
2 TBL spicy mustard
1 very generous TBL cocoa powder
1/2 cup apple juice (an delicious option, in lieu of the juice, use coffee)
2 C water
salt/pepper to taste

depending on where you source your beans, soak them overnight.

in a crock pot put all the ingredients in, turn it on to LOW and ignore for 10 hours. if you think of it, around the 7 hour mark, stir and check the softness of the beans. you’re aiming for creamy beans and thickened sauce.

serve with crusty bread, or with an egg on top for a hearty breakfast.

BAM!

2 years ago: Chocolate Ginger Molasses Cookies
1 year ago: brinjal pickle hummus

chili + fennel seed pork pie

Published on January 11, 2016January 9, 2016 by Lan | MoreStomach5 Comments

with the arrival of 2016
i know i should be thinking about
goals and resolutions
clean slates
good intentions
and yet, as per usual,
i spend an inordinate amount of
time and brain cells
on food –
the making of it,
the consumption of it.
not the best use of my time
for sure,
but i’m not too pressed about it,
it is what it is,
and when i convince dw to
join in my frivolity,
it’s all the better.

he put together this here meal,
that we shared on new year’s day,
all because i saw it on
The Great British Bake Off,
and would not shut up about
Hot Water Pastry.
we spent the morning laboring
over the dough,
dicing the pork,
shaping the pies,
and then enjoying the
remainder of the day doing nothing.
time well spent methinks.

chili + fennel seed pork pies
adapted from ruby tandoh
makes 3 4″ pies

*note: this is a dish usually served on the cold side, which honestly, weirds me out. from my understanding, when the pastry is hot, it’s greasy and the lard is all melted and not at all palatable. so we ate the pies just as they were cooling at room temp, which i felt was a good compromise. we also had sides of roasted maple carrots and an arugula salad. even though these pies were about 4″ in diameter they were hefty – we only consumed half. to reheat, dw scraped out the meat and heated it up separately in a pan. we let the pastry warm to room temp and then put the meat back in. no judgement.

dough

75g cubed butter, firm but not chilled
300g AP flour
¼ tsp salt
135ml water
75g lard

filling
400g pork shoulder, diced
150g smoked bacon
2 tsp fennel seeds, toasted and ground
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper
salt, to taste

preheat oven 400F

add the butter and flour in a bowl, and crumble them together with your hands until the mixture is like breadcrumbs. add in the salt.

meanwhile, in a small pan heat the water and lard over low heat, just until the fat melts. pour the liquid over the flour mixture and stir to combine. (at first we used a wooden spoon but then went back to using our hands, but take care, it is hot). press the pastry into a ball and knead it a few times to stretch it. set aside, uncovered while you do the other steps.

in a large bowl, mix the pork shoulder, bacon and spices. use your hands. season with salt/pepper, though be mindful, the bacon is likely salty.

the pastry should be cool to the touch. fyi: hot pastry is too pliable and oily, whereas cold pastry is hard and difficult to work with. you want something in the middle (i know, could i be more vague?).

portion 2/3 of the dough, and with that, cut into 3 equal pieces. set the remaining 1/3 piece aside. take one of the 3 pieces and roll out on lightly floured counter top, aim for about 8″ diameter, you’re aiming to cover the base of the pan and pull the pastry up the sides of it as well. the dough is so forgiving, slide it into the pan and use your fingers to press into corners and up the sides. repeat for remaining 2 pans.

firmly pack the meat mixture into the pans. with the remaining 1/3 dough, cut into 3 equal pieces and roll out to about 4 1/2″. transfer to top of the pies. seal the lid and sides together as best as possible. i used a fork to press down on the sides and make a pretty design, it’s not necessary. (i also used a star cookie cutter to lightly decorate the top, but i will tell you during the bake, it puffed up and the star kinda sorta disappeared. press down hard if you want to keep the design.) stab a hole in the middle with a knife to let the steam out during baking. before pies in oven, brush with beaten egg.

bake for 15 minutes and then lower temp to 350F and bake for additional 45 min to 1 hour. you’re looking for a golden brown crust.

cool completely in the pan, on a wire rack. once cool, refrigerate until ready to serve.

BAM!

1 year ago: lentil tacos – vegan
2 years ago: red pepper & baked egg galette – dairy free

spiced mexican cookies – dairy free

Published on January 4, 2016December 31, 2015 by Lan | MoreStomach5 Comments

4 days into 2016
no complaints

when i look back on the past year
i remember a burning city —
no.
an angry country,
one that is still simmering.
in our little corner of the world
we are watching with ever shifty eyes
and forced discernment.

in the coming months
there’s going to be a shift.
i don’t say that to be ominous,
but it would be dishonest to say i was hopeful.
instead i will say:
have cookies,
specifically,
Mexican Wedding Cookies.
~~take that d.trump.~~

spiced mexican wedding cookies
generously adapted from the kitchn
Makes 2 1/2 dozen

1 cup scant coconut oil, still solid at room temp
1 cup powdered sugar, plus more for dusting
1 large egg, beaten
2 cups AP flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup ground cashews

preheat oven 350F.

in a mixer, cream the coconut oil with 1 cup of powdered sugar until well blended and smooth. beat in the egg. add in the flour and spices. turn off mixer. with a spatula mix in the ground cashews.

cover with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge, about 10 minutes.

line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

remove dough from fridge and form bite sized balls. i used a regular teaspoon. work quickly, coconut oil has a low melt temp, your body temp can easily melt it.

place the balls on prepared baking sheet about an inch or two apart. bake for 15 minutes.

allow to cool just until you’re able to handle them and using a mesh sieve, dust the tops with powdered sugar, amount at your discretion.

cookies kept for up to a week, covered at room temp, on the counter.

BAM!

1 year ago: carne rustida de navidad
2 years ago: diy toy kitchen

Chocolate Espresso Dacquoise – lactose free

Published on December 16, 2015January 15, 2016 by Lan | MoreStomach4 Comments

did you watch the Great British Bake Off
earlier in the season?
are you watching the american dessert version now?
did you make your husband stream the recent british season?

i did/am doing all three.
then i re-watch an old season on netflix,
as well as a myriad of cooking/food shows
(as well THE BLACKLIST which befuddles me cus
i both hate it and love it)

this particular fancy concoction was
created on both the GBBO and America’s Test Kitchen.
obviously it had to be made.

nuria cried before and during the making
i cried before, but only because dw
gifted me a much desired gift,
this year has been so overfull with goodness
i can’t even begin to list them out.
instead, let’s have cake.

Chocolate Espresso Dacquoise – lactose free
adapted from America’s Test Kitchen

meringue
3/4 cup blanched sliced almonds, toasted
1/2 cup hazelnuts, toasted and skinned
1 TBL cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
4 large egg whites, room temperature
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

coco-cream
3/4 cup lactose free half/half
4 large egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
2 TBL water
1 1/2 TBL instant espresso powder
1 cup refined coconut oil, soft, but not liquid

ganache
8 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine
3/4 cup lactose free half/half
2 tsp honey or maple syrup or agave nectar
12 whole hazelnuts, toasted and skinned
1 cup blanched sliced almonds, toasted

for meringue:
preheat oven to 250F. using pencil, draw 4 6″ circles on parchment paper. grease baking sheet and place parchment on it, ink side down.

in a food processor, whiz the almonds, hazelnuts, cornstarch and salt until finely ground. add 1/2 cup of sugar and pulse to combine. set aside.

in a stand mixer with whisk, whip the egg whites + cream of tarter until it’s foamy. increase speed and whip until soft, and while the mixer still running, add in the remaining 1/2 cup sugar until mixture is glossy and stiff peaks form.

carefully fold the nut mixture into egg whites in two batches.

with offset spatula, spread the meringue evenly onto the prepared circles on parchment, stay within the lines.

bake for 1 1/2 hours, turn off oven and cool for another 1 1/2 hours. do not open oven at any time. remove from oven and cool to room temp.

for coco-cream:
in a small sauce pan heat up half/half until barely simmering. in a bowl whisk the yolks, sugar, cornstarch and salt until incorporated and smooth. remove half/half from heat, and while whisking constantly add a ladle-full of hot liquid into the yolk mixture to temper. keep whisking until liquid is incorporated. pour the tempered yolk-milk into the saucepan and return to heat, all the while whisking continuously, until mixture has thicked into pudding. transfer the pastry cream to bowl, cover and refrigerate until set, about 2 hours.

*when making the rest of the coco-cream, take the pastry cream out of the fridge and allow to get to room temp*

stir together the water + espresso powder, set aside.

in a stand mixer with paddle, beat the coconut oil until smooth, add the pastry cream in 2-3 batches. last add the espresso mixture and continue to beat until fully incorporated, scraping the bowl down often.

for ganache:
place chopped chocolate in heatproof bowl. warm up half/half and honey to simmer in small saucepan. Pour mixture over chocolate and allow to stand for 1 minute. stir mixture until smooth, set aside and it’ll cool slightly and thicken.

to assemble:

place 3 circles on wire rack. using an off set spatula spread ganache evenly over surface of each meringue (aim for a thin layer, you’re not using all of the ganache). refridgerate until ganache is firm, about 10-15 minutes. set aside remaining gananche.

with off set spatura, on the remaining circle spread about 1/2 cup of coco-cream. place on wire rack. invert 1 ganache coated meringue, placing it on top of the buttercream and press down. repeat with remaining meringues, spreading the meringues with 1/2 cup of coco-cream and topping another inverted ganache coated meringue. with remaining coco-cream spread all over the cake, sides and top. it doesn’t have to be pretty.. refrigerate until coco-cream is firm, about 2-3 hours.

when ready, warm up the leftover ganache over barely simmer water, stirring often until the mixture is fluid but not hot. with the coco-creamed cake on wire rack, pour ganache over the top and with off set spatula spread the ganache over the top of the cake, you’re aiming for an even, thin layer and letting the excess flow down the side. spread the ganache over sides in thin layer.

garnish the top layer with hazelnuts and for the sides, gently press the almonds onto the side. chill on wire rack, uncovered, for at least a few hours, or overnight. transfer to platter or stand.

slice and serve.
BAM!