Whole new appreciation for Iron Chef...

In my last posting, I mentioned that I'd be cooking a few dishes for my almost sister. I had a lot of dishes to make in a short period of time, so I had to come up with a battle plan. Namely, a work back schedule. Up at 7:00 a.m. to light the fire place so that the dough for my cinnamon buns would have a warm place to rise. 7:15 - 7:30 mixing dough (which, is AWESOME with my red KitchenAid mixer). The ultimate goal was to be done cooking by 11:45. Let's just say that when I was done, I had a whole new appreciation for Iron Chef. Cooking quickly is one thing, but to cook, plate, and then transport...let's just say that my own version of Iron Chef took much longer than an hour.

The end result? Foods that brought a smile to my baby sister's face. Which made the five hours of non-stop cooking completely worth it.

I used this recipe from the Food Network as a base for the cinnamon buns. However, I did change one thing - I mixed brown sugar with white sugar.

Ingredients
For the Dough:
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 1/4-ounce packet active dry yeast
- 1/4 cup plus 1/4 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for the bowl
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more if needed
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

For the Filling:
- All-purpose flour, for dusting
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus more for the pan
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons ground cinnamon

For the Glaze:
- 2 cups confectioners' sugar
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Directions
Make the dough:
- Warm the milk in a medium saucepan over low heat until it reaches about 100.
- Remove from the heat and sprinkle in the yeast and 1/4 teaspoon sugar (don't stir). Set aside until foamy, 5 minutes.
- Whisk in the melted butter, egg yolk and vanilla.

- Whisk the flour, the remaining 1/4 cup sugar, the salt and nutmeg in the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Make a well in the center and pour in the yeast mixture.
- Mix on low speed with the dough hook until thick and slightly sticky. Knead on medium speed until the dough gathers around the hook, 6 minutes. (Add up to 2 more tablespoons flour if necessary.)
- Remove the dough and shape into a ball.
- Butter the mixer bowl and return the dough to the bowl, turning to coat with butter. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, 1 hour 15 minutes.

See how to form these Cinnamon Buns

- Roll out the dough, fill and cut into buns (see instructions below).

- Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking pan; place the buns cut-side down in the pan, leaving space between each.
- Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, 40 minutes. Preheat the oven to 325.
- Bake the buns until golden brown, about 35 minutes.
- Cool in the pan 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the glaze:
- Sift the confectioners' sugar into a bowl, then whisk in the cream and melted butter.
- Transfer the buns to a rack and spoon the glaze on top while still warm.

How to Form Cinnamon Buns
1. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a 12-by-14-inch rectangle with the longer side facing you.

2. Spread with the softened butter, leaving a 1/2-inch border on the far long edge. Mix the sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over the butter.

3. Brush the unbuttered far edge with water. Roll the dough away from you into a tight cylinder and press on the long edge to seal.

4. Cut the cylinder with a sharp knife to make 6 equal-size buns.

The cooking motivation

My mother hates cooking and often wonders what motivates me to cook. Oftentimes, it's to release stress and sometimes, it's just plain necessity (eating to survive).

But by far, the biggest motivation for me is cooking for those I care about. Like tonight - I spent a few hours grocery shopping and doing general prep work...all so that I can get up at 7:00 a.m. on a weekend to cook for my (almost) little sister.

I love how food can bring a smile to people's face and I love that sometimes, food can bring comfort. The joy of tasting something new or something familiar - it doesn't matter which because the emotion is the same. The fact that I can bring joy to others makes me happy.

On the menu for tomorrow:
- Mini chicken pot pies
- Mini bocconcini salads
- Cheese puff pastries
- Fresh cinnamon buns (fingers crossed because I've never made these by hand before)
- Fresh guacamole and salsa (with store bought chips)

Wish me luck.

Raw oysters

My family decided to take part in a raw oyster fest last night. Normally, I'm a fan of raw oysters, but since I just got over food poisoning, I opted for cooked chicken.

I did, however, observe the process. To start, the oysters came from a fishmonger who just received a fresh shipment from Vancouver. Armed with lemons, Tabasco Sauce and some shucking knives, I watched as my family began the process of cracking open those shells.

Now, I don't know what they were imagining, but I know from experience, shucking oysters is hard work. It takes awhile to get get your knife into the hinge of the shell and pry it open. Once you open the oyster, it's a good idea to rinse before you eat it, as it's often a little grainy and too salty.

And although it's rare to get bad oysters from a reputable fishmarket, it does happen. So SMELL the oyster BEFORE you open it. (Sadly, the oyster eaters learned this the hard way. Perfume, candles and two air vents helped to clear the smell a little, but us non-oyster eaters definitely felt a little ill).

The end result was a delicious meal (or so I was told). And it was a good experience to learn from. Whether or not it was worth all the work? Let's just say the consensus is to go out next time.

Oh...and there's a whole new respect to those who work at oyster bars.

The Food Network (in print)

It's no secret the Food Network has revolutionalized North America's interest in food and cooking, and made celebrities out of chefs. But I recall hearing in the news that most people who watch the Food Network don't actually cook. I guess this is why the creators came out with the Food Network Magazine - in case you're actually interested in seeing the recipes and getting to know the various chefs better.

I love the magazine, but find the reading goes by too quickly. With the purchase of the latest issue, I've added to my physical cooking library.

Betrayed by food

Food poisoning. Two words in the English language that should never go together. To be betrayed by something so close to my heart hurts - especially when its working its way through your system.

I fell victim to food poisoning 2 days ago, from what I suspect was my Japanese lunch (oddly enough, I only had cooked food). For nearly 13 hours after that, I writhed in pain, clutching my stomach, trying to keep my mouth tightly clamped until I made it to the nearest sink. There's something so wrong about having to taste food that way.

I'm fine now - a little worse for wear - but nonetheless, fine. I've got a bit of a food aversion (dry toast, grapes and broth are about the only things that won't gross me out). Hopefully, that will change quickly. Or this blog will be a bust.

My nemesis: the cake (or maybe even the egg)

I’ve been toying with the idea of talking about foods I’ve made that haven’t turned out so well. Do I only share my culinary triumphs or talk about foods that haven’t worked out, or plain failed? Afterall, I’m sure not even Bobby Flay gets all his dishes perfect the first time he makes it.

I guess my concession will be to not post any recipes that don’t work, but to talk about the dish itself.

I once said that cakes are my culinary nemesis. This is true. I other over beat or under beat the eggs, which makes the texture either too hard (think meringue: those white peaks are made by beating the eggs into submission), or too soft (think egg custard: you want to keep the texture denser and you don’t want it to rise). In this case, I didn’t beat the eggs enough, for fear of overbeating them.

I tried to make coconut pound cake (the cake in the picture is pink because of Chinese New Year). The taste is amazing, but the texture was just weird.
Will I try this recipe again? Most likely. But it might not be for awhile.

Chinese New Year goodies (Chinese almond cookies)

It's the night before Chinese New Year, which means a big family dinner with amazing dishes (see below).

There are certainly no shortage of goodies going around. From my mother's "lor bak go" (white radish pudding), to lucky red pocket candy (strawberry and cream), to sugared lotus roots, there are lots of options to fill my belly.

But as I grow bolder and gain more confidence to try new recipes, so does my willingness to contribute to the day. This year, it'll be something simple, such as Chinese Almond Cookies. The following recipe was given to me by an Aunt and then modified. (I added some red food coloring when I added the vanilla, egg and almond extract). Enjoy...and Happy New Year!

Chinese Almond Cookies (Makes about 100 cookies)

Ingredients
- 3/4 cup butter, softened at room temperature
- 3/4 cup shortening
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg (room temperature)
- 2 tsp almond extract
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup ground almonds
- 1-1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1 egg yolk (for the egg wash)

Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F in the middle rack of your oven
- Beat butter, shortening and sugar in a large bowl until it's fluffy
- Add egg, almond extract and vanilla, beating lightly (red food colouring - optional)
- In another bowl, use a fork and whisk flour, ground almonds and baking powder
- Add to the butter mixture and with a wooden spoon, stir to create a stiff dough
- Roll the dough into 1 inch balls
- Place on parchment paper to bake (2.5 - 3 inches apart)
- Mix 1 spoon of water with the egg yolk to create and egg wash; brush over the cookies (this is what gives it the pretty yellow shine)
- Bake for 12-15 minutes, until the edges are a light golden colour
- Take cookies off of the tray and place on cookie racks
- Cool completely

If you're not giving these cookies away, store them in an air-tight container (between waxed paper). You can also freeze them.

Enjoy...and Happy New Year to all! <> :)

Curry makes feta taste better...

...or maybe it doesn't. I admit that I'm a little tipsy as I post this, but I had such an amazing dinner that I wanted to talk about it. Tonight is the first night of the Olympics, so the booze, sweets and yummy foods are aplenty.



I had the most amazing cucumber salad and deep fried/baked drumsticks. Add a bottle of pinot grigio and wow. Me, being super inquisitive, I wanted to know how everything was made. Here is an approximate recap of the recipes. I haven't tried these yet, but I will soon.

Cucumber salad ingredients
- Dill
- Cucumbers
- Lemon / lime juice (freshly squeezed)
- Feta cheese
- Olive oil
- Red peppers (if desired)
- Salt (to draw out the sweetness)
- White/Red onions


Double beer battered drumsticks
- Chicken drum sticks
- Beer + buttermilk mixture
- Flour
- Oil (for deepfrying)

After deep frying, bake.

I swear, it was really good. I'll most likely try these dishes in my own kitchen.

And, for those who are taking part. Happy Olympics. Go Canada, go!

Chocolate hazelnut cookies

I love the taste of hazelnut and chocolate, but I often find the combination to be too sweet. I came across this recipe on Foodnetwork.com, but have since modified it to have less sugar. One of my favourite cookies to make (and give away over the holidays).

- 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1/3 cup chocolate hazelnut spread (originally 1/2 cup)
- 1/3 cup sugar (originally 1/2 cup)
- 1/3 cup brown sugar (originally 1/2 cup)
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup chopped toasted hazelnuts

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In another medium bowl combine the butter, chocolate hazelnut spread, sugar, and brown sugar. Using an electric mixer, cream the ingredients together, about 4 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until smooth, about 1 minute. Using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, stir in the flour mixture until just combined. Add the hazelnuts and stir until just combined.

Using a tablespoon measure, spoon out the cookie dough onto a cookie sheet, spacing the mounds about 4 inches apart. Use the tines of a fork to flatten the cookie dough. Bake until lightly golden around the edges, about 8-10 (12 minutes max, because it'll start to burn). Use a metal spatula to transfer the cookies to a wire rack and let cool.

Breaking down the lingo

Culinary terms can be confusing - what is blanching, what is a sauté pan and how is it different from a frying pan? And in the end, does it make a difference? Yes and no, and it really depends on how precise the dish you're cooking needs to be.

For example, cakes (the bane of my existence) are not flexible when it comes to whipping time and speed (it messes with the texture) but savoury dishes like stir fry are. So how can you break it down?

With something like this (and this isn't a promo - I stumbled across this when I was searching for something to read on the train ride home). Canadian Living Magazine just ran a "special" cookbook issue, focusing on the basics of cooking (pans, techniques, types of meats). It's a great read and breaks information down into bite-sized (haha) pieces.

You can order this special issue here or hit your closest news stand).

Birth of a dumpling

I'm not sure when exactly, but at some point, I became a food snob. By that, I don't mean limiting myself to foods that are rare and expensive, but to good, tasty, food.

I like to spend time in the kitchen as much as I do in restaurants. Though every time I eat in a restaurant, I learn something new. Why something works, why something doesn't work, why I want to go running into my own kitchen.

I believe that cooking is strengthened by experience, in the form of eating and, rolling up my sleeves.

I once said that if I ever rule the world (or strike it rich, whichever comes first), I'd apply to chef school...first at George Brown, then Cordon Bleu, etc, etc, until I become a full-fledged chef.

Let's be clear - I don't ever want to own a restaurant. My passion for food lies in what I can make for my friends and family. To see the looks of surprise and pleasure when they try a new dish - either out of my own kitchen or from someone else's.

May this entry be the start of my culinary education, or at the very least, a place where I can share my love of food.