Vegetarian – Page 12

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

cayenne chocolate ice cream

Published on June 10, 2015June 9, 2015 by Lan | MoreStomach38 Comments

making ice cream at our house is a production
— a happy one
but a production nonetheless
i’ll ask dw to put our ice cream canister thing in the freezer
which means we play frozen food tetris
to make room for it.
we’ll return to whatever we were doing:
washing the dishes
playing crossword puzzles
5 minutes will pass,
sometimes hours.
then the question will come up:
what flavor are we making??
likely i don’t have a flavor in mind,
not exactly.
dw is always game for whatever i concoct,
as long as it’s not chocolate + fruit
i know, i know, I KNOW.
during a recent very quick skim of pantry items
we kept it simple.
kinda.

cayenne chocolate ice cream
makes about 3 1/2 cups

*note: the spicy kick creeps up on you. you’re busy savoring the creaminess and cold and chocolate and then there’s heat. it’s not unpleasant.

4 egg yolks, from large eggs
scant 1/2 cup coconut sugar
3 cups lactose free half/half (this was on hand, i’d make this with canned coconut milk, or any plant/nut based milk)
1/2 TBL cornstarch or potato starch
3-4 TBL good quality cocoa powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper (more or less to taste)

in a saucepan gently heat the half/half with the sugar and cocoa powder, medium heat. whisk until warmed though and the sugar has incorporated. in a bowl have your egg yolks ready. ladle in a bit of the warmed milk, whisking the yolks all the while. add in another 2 ladle-fuls and whisk. the temp of the yolks should be warmed through. add the yolk mixture to the saucepan, but leave about a ladle-ful in the bowl, and continue whisking all the while. the mixture will thicken slightly.

for the remaining mixture in the bowl, add the cornstarch or potato starch and mix until incorporated. add to the saucepan. mix some more.

sprinkle a dash or two of cayenne pepper, i would say it was about 1 tsp, but use at your discretion to your liking.

pour into a clean bowl and cover with plastic wrap. allow to cool completely, ideally overnight.

when ready, pour into ice cream maker and churn according to machine’s instructions.

BAM!

————-

1 year ago: diy sperm cornhole
2 years ago: vegan strawberry sweet biscuit

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
not interested in ice cream, try the spicy pudding version

sương sáo (grass jelly) with chia seeds

Published on May 29, 2015May 28, 2015 by Lan | MoreStomach9 Comments

we got new windows installed last week
i can’t tell you how incredibly excited
and grown up i feel saying that.
serendipitously the temps have been pleasant,
as only may should be.
the windows have been flung open,
letting the breeze in,
though, i realize that the windows
could also be enjoyed closed,
especially since the insulation is finally on point.
still.
sitting on our sagging red elephant patterned couch,
with some home improvement show on tv,
after being without
it’s a treat to feel Spring.
it’s also a treat to have a childhood dessert to tuck into,
a cooling dessert that i don’t make often enough.

sương sáo (grass jelly) with chia seeds

*note: this is canned, which is not something we partake in usually. this isn’t so much a recipe, but more of a “oh hey, lemme put this all together and call it a day”. i will say, dw is not the biggest fan, which basically means more for me, BUT! it doesn’t mean that this sucks.
**note: the chia seeds gives this dessert a pudding-like texture. you can add as much as you want, though the more you add the thicker it is. alternatively, if you add more liquid, it makes the dessert runnier and not so overridden by the seeds.
***note: prior to my current love affair with chia seeds, i made this dessert with basil seeds which has the added crunch and something something that chia seeds have, but minus the thickening texture.
****note: last, dw thinks this tastes kinda medicinal, whereas i don’t. it has an herby-tea flavor to me.

1 can of sương sáo (grass jelly), found in the canned fruit aisle of asian markets
4 TBL simple syrup, 1:1 bee free honee and water
juice of one lemon or lime
3 TBL chia seeds
water, amount up to you, i probably had about 1/2 cups worth

so, the canned grass jelly, when taken out of the can will be like canned cranberry sauce that you see during thanksgiving. don’t be turned off. cut into cubes. i normally cut them into 6 horizontal pieces, then with one layer in my left hand, cut strips and then cubes. like this.

add in desired amount of simple syrup and squeeze that citrus over top. sprinkle the chia seeds and gently mix.

leave in fridge for at least 1 hour, to chill the grass jelly and bloom the seeds.

serve chilled.

BAM!

use real butter made her version too
wandering chopsticks adds hers with fruit and almond jelly – tropical fruit cocktail delight

1 year ago – miso ramen
2 years ago – dutch oven bread

tangerine ice cream

Published on May 1, 2015June 3, 2015 by Lan | MoreStomach13 Comments

because we are all hurting
and baltimore burned this week:
ice cream.
it’s the start of a new month,
new season,
and hopefully,
a new city.

————-

tangerine ice cream
makes about 3 1/2 cups

*note: use organic tangerines (or any citrus fruit) as you’ll be using the zest of the fruit.

4 egg yolks, from large eggs
scant 1/2 cup sugar
3 cups lactose free half/half (this was on hand, i’d make this with canned coconut milk, or any plant/nut based milk)
1/2 TBL cornstarch or potato starch
zest of 3-4 tangerines
juice of said tangerines, reduced down to 1/3 cup syrup

in a saucepan gently heat the half/half with the sugar, medium heat. whisk until warmed though and the sugar has incorporated. in a bowl have your egg yolks ready. ladle in a bit of the warmed milk, whisking the yolks all the while. add in another 2 ladle-fuls and whisk. the temp of the yolks should be warmed through. add the yolk mixture to the saucepan, but leave about a ladle-ful in the bowl, and continue whisking all the while. the mixture will thicken slightly.

for the remaining mixture in the bowl, add the cornstarch or potato starch and mix until incorporated. add to the saucepan. mix some more. throw in the zest and take off heat.

pour into a clean bowl and cover with plastic wrap. allow to cool completely, ideally overnight.

when ready, combined the custard base with the reduced tangerine juice. pour into ice cream maker and churn according to machine’s instructions.

BAM!

————-

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, gluten free
strawberry ice cream + almond waffle cones – gluten free, dairy free

seaweed sushi bites

Published on March 5, 2015March 4, 2015 by Lan | MoreStomach8 Comments

in lieu of our staple winter soup/stew/chili this week
i made a finger food for our lunch
it was not warming
or even thoroughly filling
(though, it’s not like it left us starving after consumption)
it made me realize that
i apparently harbored some kind of
HOPE in my heart for spring,
seeing as how it’s MARCH.
but no.
the sky is still shitting.
you know what henry rollins said about hope:
“Hope is the last thing a person does before they are defeated.”
i’m pretty much defeated,
friends,
with this cold weather.

seaweed sushi bites
adapted & inspired by thirsty for tea
makes about 27 balls. i have a 1.5 TBL ice cream scoop, whereas bonnie used a 2 TBL cookie dough scoop

*note: bonnie has a great recipe write up so head there for detailed instructions. i just winged it and it worked out.
**note: i made this sunday night with the intent of it being our lunches for monday and tuesday. monday was fine, but by tuesday the rice had gotten hard and dried, despite being covered. so ideally, halve the recipe if you’re not able to eat right away or just be pigs and eat it all at once.
***note: i call these bites, when you wait for the last second like i do to have lunch you shove stuff in your mouth cus you’re hangry, no matter how big. if you’re a civilized person, it’s actually two bites.

2 cups of sushi rice, cooked according to package or machine instructions, and cooled slightly
2 TBL seasoned rice vinegar, i use the marukan brand
furikake: homemade mix of shredded seaweed, sesame seeds, black sesame seeds, and salt

topping options:
thin sliced avocado
thin sliced cukes
smoked salmon

cook the sushi rice according to package or machine instructions. we’re a lazy folk and we rely on our rice maker to do the measuring and cooking for us. i know.

allow the rice to cool a smidge before drizzling with the seasoned rice vinegar. also sprinkle on the fuikake. gently mix through . (honestly, i wasn’t very gentle…just make sure the rice doesn’t break)

lay out a piece of plastic wrap. lay your sushi topping in the middle of the wrap.

wet your hands with a little bit of cold water. you may want to keep the ice cream scoop in the cold water too, it keeps the rice from sticking.

scoop out the rice and mold into balls. lay it on top of your topping that’s on the wrap. gather the plastic wrap around the ball tightly.

remove from plastic wrap and finish the rest.

garnish with a bit of the fuikake, for a kick.

serve immediately or as soon as possible, with soy sauce.

BAM!