Popovers

I became obsessed with popovers before I even tried them. I was a weirdo advocate based solely upon words; reading about them made me drool.  Fluffy, airy, and hollow? How can something so light and empty be so rich and heartwarming? Butter, eggs, flour, salt, milk. The simplicity of it is genius. They are really little puffs of buttery joy. 

Last week, I popped these in the oven while I prepared a “quick and easy” recipe I found for hanger steak with wild mushrooms and red wine sauce. The steak was cooked perfectly thanks to Rob, but was very underwhelming, thanks to moi. 

 

 

The aromatics of the garlic and rosemary were there, but the tastes of them were not.  Sometimes, you just have to give the flavors time: time to develop and blend.  In trying to get dinner on the table before 8pm, I completely lost my tasting instincts. I won’t share the recipe. I will wait until I can post one that I am proud of. But while you can strike the steak down as another Lo failure (although I wouldn’t call it as disastrous as, let’s say, bon bons), I wasn’t totally defeated.

 

Thanks to Alton Brown, I was able to snap out of my pity party and be happy with my popovers! They were a bit on the smaller side, but, while they weren’t perfect, one bite made me pause and sigh with happiness. Not under-salted, not too salted, simple- but not plain. When I couldn’t stand the steak anymore, I ate two more. Accompanied by a big glass of merlot and Glee, it would be hard not to just relax and be happy. I was so excited for the earthly flavors from the sauce, but unfortunately that too was boring. 

Proof of popover 

Recipe for Basic Popover

Adapted from Alton Brown

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus 1 teaspoon for the pan
• 4 3/4 ounces all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoons kosher salt *
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 cup whole milk, at room temperature **

Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Grease a 6-cup popover pan with the 1 teaspoon of butter.

Combine the 1 tablespoon of butter, the flour, salt, eggs and milk in a food processor or blender and process for 30 seconds.

Divide the batter evenly among the cups of the popover pan, filling each one-third to one-half full. 

Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 40 minutes, taking care not to open the oven door. Remove the popovers to a cooling rack and pierce each one in the top with a knife to allow steam to escape. 

Serve warm. 

* Based on user reviews- I reduced salt to 1 tbsp

** I only had skim milk handy. Yes- I know whole milk would make a world a difference, but I am on a budget!  

Tagliatelle with Saffron Chicken

Little sis ready to cook

Tagliatelle with Saffron Chicken. YES, saffron and yes, yum. I knew that I had to try this recipe when I was browsing through my dad's cookbooks and saw kitchen splatters on the pages. "Papa Miyashiro gave it the time of day, so the recipe must be good," I thought.

Before I share details of the pasta, I must say its been quite a while since I’ve written anything. I am well aware that with the exception of my small loyal following, my absence in the blogging hemisphere has probably gone unnoticed. Even still, I feel a small dose of guilt for being MIA. About two months ago, I left my finance job and journeyed over to the fabulous Food Network. Next to being Ina Garten’s personal assistant, this is it: my big dream.

So where has all the blogging gone?

I’m inspired each day at work by the creative minds and delicious food, but I’ve also lost some of my kitchen sass and confidence. I’ve suddenly become hyper aware that I am a small fish in a big sea, or perhaps a small sprinkle on a big cake? I've realized though, that if I really want to be successful here, I need to continue to do the things that make me happy. Cooking is a huge part of that, and even if my little voice isn't heard by many, sharing my passion is part of what contributes to this happiness. That’s how I came to this job to begin with.

But enough of that, this recipe is what I made with my little sister after my very first day working at Food Network. It went very smoothly aside from the fact that I doubled the amount of pasta. Unfortunately the creamy, delicious sauce really had to spread itself thin amongst too many big noodles. Next time, I will make this when I am in a less frazzled emotional state so that I am able to think clearly and logically. But aside from this small (or I guess realistically- big) mishap, the taste was all there. The touch of saffron adds a certain depth of flavor that I cannot describe quite yet.

And fine-I also have to admit that the chicken was bit overcooked. Womp. I was waiting for it to brown, and it never did! I'm slowly but surely learning the virtue of patience in the kitchen. I won't be a savvy chef overnight, and however obvious that may seem to everyone else, I am finally coming to grips with that for myself. However, I still consider the dish a success, and a very suitable, self-congratulatory dinner to myself. At its core it is a no-fuss, comfort food--just a little more grown up, like me.

Bon appetit and happy holidays! Top on my 2012 New Year's resolutions, eat and make more delicious food.

What the pasta should've looked like

My pasta, with too little sauce

Tagliatelle with Saffron Chicken
From Chicken and Egg by Janice Cole

Cook the tagliatelle in a large pot of boiling salted water for 4 to 6 minutes, or according to the package directions, and drain.

Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and heat the olive oil. Cook the chicken for 3 to 4 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally. Remove to a plate. Stir in the celery and cook for 1 minute. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds.

Increase the heat to hight. Pour in the wine and bring to a boil, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Boil until the wine is reduced by about half. Pour in the tomatoes and stir in the rosemary, saffron, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, and cook for 1 minute.

Add the cream and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Return the chicken to the skillet and cook for 2 minutes or until the chicken is no longer pink in the center and the sauce has thickened slightly. Add the pasta to the sauce and heat until hot. Stir in the parsley.

Serve immediately.

Boardwalk Cake

Last year I made carrot cake the same night of the series premiere for Boardwalk Empire. My friend Andrew called it "Boardwalk cake." The name stuck, and now we have a nice (though weird) tradition.

I only plan on making this cake once a year. With no food processor handy in my humble abode, shredding the carrots is a daunting task that has left me needing band aides both years. However, even if it is just as unhealthy as any other cake, which I suspect it is, it is such a nostalgic and fun cake to eat. No- I don't have fond childhood memories of carrot cake, but something about it just makes me feel like everything is okay and I am right where I am supposed to be.

This year, I made a different icing. I added some lemon zest and lemon juice. Definitely adds a good amount of zing. My roommate Chris responded to his first bite with, "The frosting is interesting." At first I took this as an insult. Interesting? But he assured me that it was good, and his finished plate confirmed his assertion. The added flavor seemed to capture the attention of other taste-testers as well, all of whom appeared to enjoy it. I draw the conclusion that the recipe is a keeper, but be cautious. Perhaps tone down the lemon if you want a more mild flavor. On the other hand, the vibrant frosting helped me with quantity control. With so much pow in a bit, just a little slice was perfect.

Old Fashion Carrot Cake
Bon Appétit, March 2001

2 cups sugar

1 cup canola oil

4 large eggs

2 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 cups finely grated peeled carrots

1 cup walnuts, toasted, chopped

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Butter and flour sheet pan or two 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 1 1/2-inch-high sides. Using electric mixer, beat sugar, oil and eggs in large bowl until well blended. Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and salt; beat until blended. Stir in carrots and walnuts. Divide batter between pans.

Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 32 minutes**. Cool cakes in pans on rack 15 minutes. Run small knife between pan sides and cakes to loosen. Turn cakes out onto racks; cool completely.

Place 1 cake layer, flat side up, on platter. Spread 1 cup icing over. Top with second cake layer, flat side down. Spread remaining icing over top and sides of cake. Refrigerate cake 1 hour or up to 1 day. Serve at room temperature.

**Directions for two cake pans. I baked a single layer cake and it took about 45 min. 

Cream Cheese- Lemon Zest Frosting

Sarah Magid, Organic and Chic

Whip the cream cheese and butter on medium-high speed until combined and airy, about 2 minutes. Mix in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla.

Sift the powdered sugar onto a piece of parchment or wax paper. With the mixer on low speed, slowly pour the sifted powdered sugar into the frosting (use both hands to bend the paper so the sugar pours slowly into the bowl).

Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. If the frosting seems too soft to spread, allow it to chill for 15 minutes in the refrigerator.

Ina's Italian Wedding Soup

If you know me at all, you know I love Ina. And by way of transitive property, I love this soup. Math.

A couple weeks ago, I went home to California. Yes. It was 80 degrees, sunny, and fantabulous. But weather was not the only thing I had going for me. I was fed. Very good food, from out-and-about and from home.

I was a big fan of this soup when my dad made it for the first time last year, so I was very excited when he suggested it for a Monday night dinner. There was one catch: he would be at work and would have to pass on the apron to me. Pressure, pressure, pressure.

Perhaps I am being a bit dramatic, as my dad already had already assembled the meatballs, chopped the vegetables, and left the recipe on the counter. And despite the fact that the only attendees would be myself, Papa Miyashiro, and Mum, I was still nervous that the soup wouldn't be quite as good.

No worries- the soup was amazing. My dad came home early and was able to oversee the kitchen operations. I was clearly the sous chef (if that). When I added the wine, he added a little more. When I kept the heat on high, he turned it down to a simmer. Yet, instead of being a huge blow to my ego, I am glad that I was able to learn from his techniques while cooking by his side. The man knows his stuff, and I aspire to have that confidence and ease in the kitchen.

The meatballs are my favorite and can be eaten by themselves or in a sandy. The Pecorino Romano cheese make them incredibly savory without being too heavy. And at the same time, the soup tastes very fresh from the dill added in at the end. With all my time dedicated to finding the perfect burger in NYC with my boyfriend or grabbing a slice from Tom's Delicious Pizza, it is easy to forget that healthy can be yummy. This is a meal you will enjoy, feel good about, and crave again soon.

Italian Wedding Soup
by Ina Garten

For the meatballs:

• 3/4 pound ground chicken

• 1/2 pound chicken sausage, casings removed

• 2/3 cup fresh white bread crumbs

• 2 teaspoons minced garlic (2 cloves)

• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

• 1/4 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano

• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for serving

• 3 tablespoons milk

• 1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten

• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

•

For the soup:

• 2 tablespoons good olive oil

• 1 cup minced yellow onion

• 1 cup diced carrots (3 carrots), cut into 1/4 inch pieces

• 3/4 cup diced celery (2 stalks), cut into 1/4 inch pieces

• 10 cups homemade chicken stock

• 1/2 cup dry white wine

• 1 cup small pasta such as tubetini or stars

• 1/4 cup minced fresh dill

• 12 ounces baby spinach, washed and trimmed

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

For the meatballs, place the ground chicken, sausage, bread crumbs, garlic, parsley, Pecorino, Parmesan, milk, egg, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a bowl and combine gently with a fork. With a teaspoon, drop 1 to 1 1/4-inch meatballs onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. (You should have about 40 meatballs. They don't have to be perfectly round.) Bake for 30 minutes, until cooked through and lightly browned. Set aside.

In the meantime, for the soup, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat in a large heavy-bottomed soup pot. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and saute until softened, 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken stock and wine and bring to a boil. Add the pasta to the simmering broth and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until the pasta is tender. Add the fresh dill and then the meatballs to the soup and simmer for 1 minute. Taste for salt and pepper. Stir in the fresh spinach and cook for 1 minute, until the spinach is just wilted. Ladle into soup bowls and sprinkle each serving with extra grated Parmesan.

Pumpkin ravioli

Two Fridays ago, with no transition at all, fall began in New York City. By the next Monday, the autumn smell was undeniable. Hooray! 

Fall is my favorite time of the year (besides Christmas of course). I love the crisp, mild weather, the sweater and boot attire, and, most obviously, the food. Rich, warm flavors, often involving lots of butter. The kind of food that you just associate to good memories. Think Thanksgiving.

Anywho, when I began to sense autumn's presence, my thoughts naturally drifted to none other but pumpkin. I'm certainly not onto to something new, as evident with Starbucks pumpkin latte phenomenon. In fact, my friends just made delicious pumpkin whoopie pies this past weekend. I am, I suppose, a big cooking-with-pumpkin proponent. There are lots of recipes I have in mind for this fall season, but the one I decided to try first was pumpkin ravioli. I should clarify that I did not in fact handcraft the ravioli; the main ingredient was store bought. But hey, I am coming to grips with the fact that its often more sensible and enjoyable to save time with premade ingredients.

I took the recipe from Giada: ravioli with balsamic brown butter sauce. The recipe suggests cheese, mushroom or squash ravioli. I'm still confused as to whether pumpkin is considered a type of squash, but I decided regardless that it would be delicious. And I was right. The balsamic vinegar added some pizazz to the foamy butter. I'm not sure if it sounds a bit strange to some, but with such earthy flavors from the walnuts and the cheese, the tangy hint from the vinegar is actually quite nice.

The dish was not an immediate success. Lesson learned: taste test. I didn't use exact measurements, and I served myself before trying the sauce. Mistake. I had to add more cheese and more salt. While in most cases you have to be careful not to make a dish taste salty, salt is very important to enhance and highlight different flavors. Do not underestimate its power. (Example: every Food Network star will tell you to be generous in adding salt to cook pasta)

Giada knows her stuff. This recipe is as simple as melting butter and grating cheese, and is a perfect after-work meal. I enjoyed this dinner with a nice cold beer and the season premiere of Glee. It was a day when all I could think was my dad's favorite saying: life is good.

(Photo from Food Network website)

 Ravioli with Balsamic Brown Butter
Courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis

18 to 20 oz store-bought ravioli (cheese, mushroom, or squash)
6 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/3 c toasted, chopped walnuts *
1/4 c grated Parmesan

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the ravioli and cook 4 to 5 minutes, until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain ravioli onto a large serving platter.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan cook the butter over medium heat, stirring occasionally. When the foam subsides, and the butter begins to turn a golden brown, about 3 minutes, turn off the heat. Let cool for about 1 minute. Stir in the balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper.

Transfer the ravioli to the saucepan with the balsamic brown butter. Sprinkle walnuts and Parmesan over the top. Serve immediately.

* To toast the walnuts, you can heat them in a skillet over medium-heat for 3-4 minutes. The walnuts have plenty of natural oils, so no need to add anything else. Stir often and heat until they become fragrant.

Truffled mushroom quesadilla

A little bit of truffle salt goes a long way. The black truffle salt from Dean and Deluca is amazing. If you ever wander into the store, you must try it. My sister Maria surprised me with a jar, and its one of my favorite gifts because its not something I would have splurged for myself.


Anywho.. I'll give myself a nice pat on the back for this quesadilla. On a very ordinary night, with no special occasion, I casually whipped together a dinner that me very content. I mentioned in my last post that the truffle salt was not meant for the pizza I made. It should really be used in something where you are able to notice the depth of flavor it adds. A quesadilla is one option! I had a similar quesadilla a few months ago at a Bier International in Harlem. The service was terrible, the fries nothing special, but the quesadilla was pretty yummy. So I decided to create my own version.

What made this whole dinner even better, is that it didn't cost anything extra for me to make. I made use of the ingredients I already had. Typical me had gotten too many mushrooms in preparation for the pizza. I heated some olive oil in a cast iron skillet and sautéed them with truffle salt. At this point, they already began to smell marvelous and I was becoming more hungry, excited, and proud of myself by the minute. In the same skillet, I heated the tortillas and layered it with MONTEREY JACK cheese and some left over manchego cheese (I am not a fan of yellow cheese in quesadillas). Unfortunately, I didn't have any fresh herbs on hand, but I sprinkled a pinch of dried oregano on top of the cheese.

The combination of the cheeses and the mushrooms with the truffle salt has a rich, earthy flavor, making this the ultimate comfort food.  The quesadillas soaked up some of the oil from cooking the mushrooms, giving the tortilla a nice outside crisp and even more flavor. Obviously this does not avoid extra calories, but the added flavor was well worth it.

Truffled mushroom quesadilla 

makes 1 large quesadilla (8 small slices)

1/2 c sliced baby bella mushrooms

pinch of black truffle salt, to taste

tbsp olive oil

2 flour tortillas

1/2 c monterey jack cheese

1/8 c manchego cheese (optional)

1/8 tsp dried oregano

Heat olive oil in large pan. Sauté mushrooms with truffle salt until golden brown and tender. Transfer to plate. Place tortilla on same skillet. Add cheese with even layer on top and add mushrooms. Sprinkle with oregano. Place second tortilla on top. Heat until cheese begins to melt and flip. Remove when cheese is fully melted and to desired crispiness for tortilla. 

Pizza with mushrooms, pizza with corn?

Pizza was on the menu last week for date night with Rob. After we came up with the plan, pizza was everywhere. It wouldn't leave me alone! It came up in conversation, in daydreams, and as specials on Cooking Channel. The universe was speaking to me. I simply had to make pizza.

Being the yo pro (young professional) I am, my time for relaxing at night is limited. Therefore, I figured that I'd save some time and humiliation by buying pre-made dough. I was, on the other hand, ambitious in making two different types of pies.

 

Pizza #1:

For whatever reason, when I decided to make pizza, I also decided that one of them had to have mushrooms. I don't eat them too often, but they give pizza a very earthy flavor which I was craving. I based my recipe search around them and found a  Bon Appétit recipe for a three cheese pizza with mushroom and pancetta, which I later discovered was written by Giada. This was an obvious plus for me, since along with every other person in the world, I adore her. 

Perhaps I am feeling more confident in my own skills because surprisingly, I used Giada's pizza as a springboard for my own creation. I followed the basic baking directions, as well as used the suggested fontina, parmesan and mozzarella cheeses. However, for another reason unknown to me, I wasn't feeling the pancetta so much, and decided to substitute it with italian sausage (my pizza intuition was obviously very strong this week). 

Rob's into food with a kick these days, so we picked spicy italian sausage. After sautéing the meat, we added the mushrooms to the same pan with some olive oil and a tinnnny bit of truffle salt. I was very nervous about over-salting the pizza after reading some of reviews. To be honest, I am not sure the mushrooms needed any salt at all considering the other salty ingredients. Although I am a fan of matching truffle salt and mushrooms, I will save the combo for something where the flavor of the combo can really shine. As a final touch, my smart boyfriend suggested adding chopped basil, which obviously turned out to be an excellent decision. It gave the very hearty, cheesy pizza a fresh punch. Next time I will add it in towards the latter portion of the baking, or even at the very end, to make the basil more prominent. 

Pizza #2 

When talking to my sister recently about things I have been cooking, she loudly exclaimed, "What's up with your recent obsession with corn." Rob loves corn. And if you are now concerned that I may have actually put corn on the pizza, your suspisions would be correct...

Rob swears by it, and I reluctantly agreed to try it out. Shockingly, I found recipes and restaurant menus online featuring this odd combo. I began to think that perhaps he wasnt so crazy after all. It should also be noted that I am always telling him to be open-minded when it came to food, so it was time for me to follow my own advice.

I decided to pan roast the corn in a cast iron skillet to char it, trying to bring out a smoky flavor. To accompany the corn, I sautéed chopped red onion with some olive oil and a pinch of salt. We had two mini doughs ready for pizza #2, due to a drawn out struggle with the rolling process. One corn pizza was three cheese and the other just had mozzarella.

Corn on pizza? Yes. It is downright delicious. The corn added a nice texture to each bite, along with a hint of sweetness (No worries though- this pizza still falls under the savory category). The deliciousness  of the caramelized onions only added to the overall success. 

I was very unconvinced when Rob initially told me that I would like corn on pizza. I couldn't be more wrong. The pizza tasted equally good as left overs the next day. Try it!

Three Cheese Pizza with mushroom and sausage

inspired by recipe from March 2007 Bon Appétit

Premade pizza  dough
1/2 cup marinara sauce

1 cup coarsely grated (or chopped) fontina 

1/3 cup finely grated parmesan

1/2 cup grated mozzarella 

2 oz crimini (baby bella) mushrooms, finely sliced

1 italian sausage, casing removed

Basil, finely chopped

Olive oil for sautéing

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. 

Heat about a tablespoon of oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage and sauté until brown, breaking into small pieces with tongs while cooking. Transfer sausage to a plate covered with paper towel. Add mushrooms to skillet, with a small amount of oil if needed. Sprinkle with pepper and salt (if desired). Sauté until brown, about 5 minutes.

Roll out dough on lightly floured surface. Spread marinara sauce over pizza. Sprinkle cheeses over, then mushrooms and sausage. Sprinkle with basil (or wait until after pizza is cooked) Add salt and pep to taste if desired. 

Bake pizza until brown on bottom and cheese is melted, about 15 minutes.

Three cheese pizza with corn and red onion

Premade pizza dough
1/2 cup marinara sauce

1 cup coarsely grated (or chopped) fontina 

1/3 cup finely grated parmesan

1/2 cup grated mozzarella 

1 cup yellow corn (we used canned)

1/2 cup red onion, chopped

Basil, finely chopped

Olive oil for sautéing

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. 

Heat about a tablespoon of oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add corn and sauté until brown. Transfer corn to bowl. Add onions to skillet, with a small amount of oil if needed. Sprinkle with pepper and salt (if desired). Sauté until brown, about 5 minutes.

Roll out dough on lightly floured surface. Spread marinara sauce over pizza. Sprinkle cheeses over, then corn and onions. Sprinkle with basil (or wait until after pizza is cooked) Add salt and pep to taste if desired. 

Bake pizza until brown on bottom and cheese is melted, about 15 minutes.