30 December 2006

Christmas First—Yorkshire pudding



I had Yorkshire pudding for the first time this Christmas. It went with a dinner that included an excellent prime rib, creamy mashed potatoes, lush burata cheese with heirloom tomatoes, and a rich lemony panna cotta. I was particular excited to see the Yorkshire pudding puff up in the oven like hot air balloons inflated for flight. I had my doubts the runny egg mixture would obtain such heights, although my friend S., the chef of the fine meal, assured me it would. But seeing is believing and the proof is in the pudding, literally.




The Yorkshire pudding was adapted from several recipes from the Food TV Network website, because it was improvised and altered as S. and I found a couple cracked eggs in the carton and came up one short in the proportion. We also discovered the kitchen didn't have flour, but a quick dash to a Chinese grocery store by S.'s husband, D., saved a the day with that ingredient.

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28 December 2006

Finding Malaysia in LA

I pity any Malaysian restaurant I walk into because I have impossibly high standards for the food as I was raised on my grandmother's fine cooking that few public places can match even in Malaysia. So when a cousin whose grandmother's food is on par with mine said she'd been to a restaurant she thought good, I was intrigued and very curious to check it out myself—plans were made for a visit as soon as possible.

On what the Brits call Boxing Day, my cousin, C., and I set off to Little Malaysia in El Monte. I was licking my chops as she drove, more than eager to judge the restaurant worthy (or not) and wondering if I would still respect C. after the meal—her food reputation was hanging in the balance.

The menu was typical, serving all the Malaysian food standards—Satay, Rendang, Laska etc.... I wanted to try it all, but even with 3 people, C. brought her roommate, it was an ambitious plan. Instead, C. and I conferred and settled on 4 dishes: Char kway teow (fried rice noddles), Assam curry ikan pali (sour curry with skate), Kankung belacan or shrimp paste, and Hainanese chicken rice.

(Dishes below, starting top left, going clockwise)



The Char kway teow came out first and I was happy it didn't disappoint. It was nicely done, good enough to make me not regret my trip to El Monte. The rice noodles were appropriately scorched in a hot wok—the mark of good Char kway teow. Smokey charred flavor is essential in this noodle dish like macaroni-n-cheese needs to creamy.

I enjoyed the Assam curry ikan pali more as a novelty, because it was my first time eating skate. If there was such a thing as dark meat fish, skate would fall into that category. Its flesh was firm with a texture I would describe as slightly muscular, although not in anyway tough. As for the curry, I though it could use more assam; it wasn't sour enough for my palate and conversely too sweet. The Kankung was fresh and stir-fried well to bring out its vibrant green color, but I was expecting it with fermented shrimp paste, instead of the dried shrimp which I felt was a cop-out from an authenticity point of view.

The Hainanese chicken rice was a risk as both C. and I have family who can make this dish really well, and unfortunately the chance we took didn't pay off. The chicken was dry and over cooked; and while the rice had a good chicken essence, it lacked ginger to give it depth and additional flavor.

While not all the dishes I had at Little Malaysia were hits, the food was still worthy enough to warrant future visits for other entrées I didn't get to the first time around. And I need to thank C. for bring the place to my attention; her honor is still intact in my eyes, and palate.


Little Malaysia
3944 North Peck Rd., #8
El Monte, CA 91732
(626) 401-3188

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22 December 2006

A Little Bundt

I should have seen the warning signs—1 cup flour, 3/4 cup sugar—and known the recipe would make a small-size cake, little and sad, but, alas, I didn't. While the cake was tender and tasty with a hint of spice, it didn't look very impressive when I brought it for a holiday potluck lunch at work. I had to decorate my cake plate with ginger candy to fill it out, which I had leftover after chopping pieces into bits to sprinkle on the lemon icing.

It's still a good recipe, although it doesn't replace my other lemon poundcake recipe I've been using for years; I'm saving it none the less, but remembering to double it the next time.




LEMON-GINGER POUNDCAKE

For cake
3 tablespoons finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons finely grated fresh lemon zest
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
For glaze
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Special equipment: a 4- to 5-cup nonstick bundt, kugelhopf, or loaf pan 


Make cake: Preheat oven to 325°F. Generously butter pan, then flour it, knocking out excess. Chill 10 minutes.

Finely grind together fresh ginger and 1/4 cup sugar in a food processor (mixture will be wet).

Whisk together flour, baking powder, ground ginger, and salt.

Stir together milk and vanilla in a small bowl.

Beat together butter, remaining 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, and zest in a large bowl with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.

Alternately add flour and milk mixtures to butter and eggs in 4 batches, beginning with flour and mixing at low speed until each batch is just incorporated. Mix in ginger sugar until just combined, then lemon juice.

Spoon batter into pan, smoothing top, and bake in middle of oven until golden brown on top and a tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 40 minutes (about 1 hour for loaf pan). Carefully loosen edges with a knife and immediately invert cake onto a rack to cool completely.

Make glaze: Gradually add confectioners sugar to 1 tablespoon lemon juice, whisking until smooth and adding more juice, 1 drop at a time, if glaze is too thick. Drizzle decoratively over top of cake.

 Makes 6 servings.


Gourmet
, April 2001

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11 December 2006

Bags of Biscotti



The baking bug struck last weekend and left me with bags of biscotti which I'll be giving a gifts during the holiday season.

I baked 2 kinds of biscotti: 1) cranberry-n-pistachio & 2) apricot-n-almond. I used a recipe from Bon Appétit—Holiday Biscotti with Cranberries and Pistachios. I swapped orange peel for lemon peel, because I like the cranberry and orange flavor combo more than the cranberries and lemons pairing—I've said this before. I also omitted aniseed, because I forgot to get some at the grocery store. Although I didn't necessarily miss it, I think it would had added something "extra special" to the biscotti and I want to be sure to use it when I make this recipe again, sometime, if there's a next time.

For the apricot and almond version, I used them instead cranberries and pistachios, in the same amounts, and I left out the lemon peel and aniseed which I never had.




HOLIDAY BISCOTTI WITH CRANBERRIES AND PISTACHIOS

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon whole aniseed
1 cup dried sweetened cranberries
3/4 cup shelled natural unsalted pistachios
6 ounces imported white chocolate, chopped 


Preheat oven to 325°F. Line 3 large baking sheets with parchment paper.

Sift first 3 ingredients into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter and sugar in large bowl to blend well. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Mix in lemon peel, vanilla, and aniseed. Beat in flour mixture just until blended. Stir in cranberries and pistachios (dough will be sticky).

Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface. Gather dough together; divide in half. Roll each half into 15-inch-long log (about 1 1/4 inches wide). Carefully transfer logs to 1 prepared baking sheet, spacing 3 inches apart.

Bake logs until almost firm to touch but still pale, about 28 minutes. Cool logs on baking sheet 10 minutes. Maintain oven temperature.

Carefully transfer logs still on parchment to cutting board. Using serrated knife and gentle sawing motion, cut logs crosswise into generous 1/2-inch-thick slices. Place slices, 1 cut side down, on remaining 2 prepared sheets. Bake until firm and pale golden, about 9 minutes per side.

Transfer cookies to racks and cool.

(I didn't dip my biscotti in white chocolate, but you want to the directions are below.)

Line another baking sheet with waxed paper. Stir white chocolate in top of double boiler over barely simmering water just until smooth. Remove from over water. Dip 1 end of each cookie into melted chocolate, tilting pan if necessary; shake off excess chocolate.

Place cookies on prepared sheet. Chill until chocolate is firm, about 30 minutes. (Can be made 5 days ahead. Store airtight between sheets of waxed paper at room temperature.)

 Makes about 3 1/2 dozen.


Bon Appétit
, 
December 2003

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04 December 2006

Ready, Set, Roast

Roasted vegetables are so easy to do it's a shame I don't make them more often, but I took a step to remedy that situation over the weekend and roasted some red beets and a fennel bulb.

I have a real fondness for beets. It was a love affair that began in childhood, because I was fortunate enough to given "real" beets as oppose to canned beets, making all the difference in the world. Canned beets are a poor representation of their kind and really should be avoid if possible; and once you've eaten fresh beets you'll never go back—I haven't since I was five.

While beets are an old friend, fennel is rather new in my life. I was wary at first, because I don't like licorice candy, but I started slow, sampling sliced fennel from the salad bar. It's mild licorice flavor grew on me. Now fennel is find with me, but I'm still a hold out with the candy.



I peeled and chopped the beets, cleaned and sliced the fennel, tossed everything in olive oil, threw it all on a baking sheet, and sprinkled with salt and pepper. Then I baked it in a 375˚F oven until all was soft and tender.

The roasted veggies shared the plate with a red snapper fillet baked in parchment paper with lemon, olives, artichoke hearts, and capers.

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Table d'hôte in Print

Table d'hôte was mentioned in East West magazine, on newsstands December 8.

"...the charming www.tabledhote.blogspot.com on comfort foods and the single gal...."

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01 December 2006

Apple & Cranberry Take II



I had extra apples and cranberries left over from the apple cranberry pie of Thanksgiving 2006, so I turned them into cranberry applesauce, using a recipe from Gourmet as a guide. I didn't have any lemons, so I substituted orange zest, which I think worked out well, if not better—I think orange is a more natural combination for cranberries than lemon. I also used half the sugar, just to be "healthier", so the applesauce was really, really tart, almost unbearably so if eaten by itself; but I've been putting in oatmeal and spreading it on toast, so it's somewhat okay.


CRANBERRY APPLESAUCE

4 apples (about 2 pounds), peeled, cored, and chopped
1 cup fresh cranberries, picked over
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup apple juice or water
a 3-inch cinnamon stick
a 3-inch strip of lemon zest removed with a vegetable peeler
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

In a heavy saucepan cook the apples, the cranberries, the sugar, the apple juice or water, the cinnamon stick, and the zest over moderate heat, stirring, for 15 minutes, or until the apples are very soft. Discard the cinnamon stick and teh zest, force the apple mixture through the medium disk of a food mill into a bowl, and stir in the butter. Serve the applesauce warm or chilled. The applesauce keeps, covered and chilled, for 1 week.

Makes about 3 cups.

Gourmet, November 1993

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