I never really understood the concept of evaporated milk. To me it doesn’t really taste like milk at all, and in this modern era of refrigeration, what’s the point? When a recipe calls for it I tend to sub half and half or heavy cream, because they taste better to me. But this recipe called for both light cream and evaporated milk so I decided to just go with it.
I was a little dubious pouring the three-milk mixture all over a perfectly good cake, but in the end it was totally worth it. After bathing in cream (spiked with a little rum and vanilla) in the refrigerator for a few days, this turns into a rich, creamy concoction somewhere between pudding and cake. I don’t normally like things like bread pudding or custard, but I absolutely loved this! It tastes a lot like horchata (creamy and cinnamon-y), and the fluffy meringue topping is sublime.
Recipe:
(adapted from The Cake Book by Tish Boyle)
Cake:
1 2/3 cup cake flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
2/3 cup brown sugar (firmly packed
3/4 cup 2% milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp cream of tarter
1/4 cup granulated sugar
Tres Leches:
1/2 cup half and half
one 12-ounce can evaporated milk
one 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
3 tbsp dark rum
1 tsp vanilla extract
Meringue Topping:
2 large egg whites
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tbsp water
pinch cream of tartar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
To make the cake: Preheat the oven to 325 F. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9″ square baking pan.
Sift the cake flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt together onto a sheet of wax paper.
Beat the butter int the bowl of a stand mixer until smooth and creamy, then add the brown sugar and beat for about 2 minutes. Mix the milk and vanilla extract together in a small bowl.
Add half the flour mixture to the butter, mixing on low until just combined. Add the milk and mix on low. Add the remaining flour and stir until homogeneous.
With a hand mixer, beat the egg whites until light and foamy. Add the cream of tarter and beat until the egg whites hold soft peaks. Add the sugar and beat until the egg whites hold stiff, shiny peaks.
Using a rubber spatula, carefully fold the egg whites into the cake batter. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack, then poke holes with a toothpick at 1″ intervals.
After the cake has cooled, make the soaking mixture. Stir together the half and half, evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, dark rum, and vanilla. Pour all over the cake (in the pan) so it is completely covered.
Wrap the cake with plastic wrap, and refrigerate between 4 hours and 4 days.
Within a few hours of serving the cake, make the meringue topping. Stir together the egg whites, sugar, water and cream of tartar and beat for about a minute with a handheld mixer.
Set the bowl over a pan of simmering water and beat with the mixer until the egg white temperature reaches 140 F (about 7 minutes). Remove from the heat, pour in the vanilla, and beat until the egg whites hold stiff peaks. Transfer the meringue to a piping bag fitted with a large start tip.
Invert the cake onto a plate, then pipe swirls of meringue over the top. Cut into squares to serve.
I’ve been on such a barley kick lately that quinoa kind of fell off the radar for a little while. While perusing the bulk bins at our local natural foods store, I saw the bin of quinoa and realized it had been too long since it made an appearance in our kitchen.
I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with it, though, so I started browsing through my cookbook collection and this quinoa salad with classic Thai flavors caught my eye. It reminds me a lot of tabouli, but with lemongrass, kaffir lime leaf, and cilantro instead of lemon and parsley. Obviously, it’s not a classic Thai recipe, but I love the flavor and healthy ingredients.
I added tempeh to the original recipe so it could stand alone as a main dish salad. I sliced it into really thin pieces, pan fried them until golden brown, then crumbled it up (a technique borrowed from this recipe on Herbivoracious). If you’re hesitant about trying tempeh, this is a great way to do it because you hardly notice it’s there!
Recipe:
(adapted from A New Way to Cook by Sally Schneider)
1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
1 stalk of lemongrass (bottom 3″ only), finely chopped
1 kaffir lime leaf, finely chopped
3 small red Thai chiles, finely chopped (optional)
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 tbsp vegetable oil
8 ounces tempeh, sliced very thinly
2/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
1 shallot, chopped and rinsed with cold water
4 tbsp fresh lime juice
4 tbsp unsweetened coconut milk
3 tbsp dry-roasted peanuts, chopped
Toast the quinoa in a dry skillet over medium heat for about five minutes.
Transfer to a large saucepan and add the water, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaf, chiles, and salt. Bring to a boil, then cover, turn down the heat, and simmer for about 12 minutes, or until all the liquid is absorbed.
Remove from the heat and fluff with a fork. Spread in a shallow dish to cool completely.
While the quinoa is cooling, heat the oil in a wide nonstick skillet. When hot, add the tempeh slices in a single layer and fry until golden brown, then flip and cook the other side. (This may need to be done in batches) Transfer to a plate to cool, then crumble between your fingers
Transfer the cooled quinoa to a medium bowl and add the mint, cilantro, crumbled tempeh and shallot. Toss with the lime juice, coconut milk, and sprinkle with chopped peanuts to serve.
I still can’t really believe that with all the cooking I did in Korea, I never made my own kimchi. A few weeks ago I picked up a GIANT head of Napa cabbage (practically the size of my torso) at the farmer’s market and decided it was time to make some. I used a recipe out of one of my Korean cookbooks, but figured I didn’t really need gochugaru (ground Korean red pepper), I could just use regular red pepper flakes instead. WRONG. That kimchi left a LOT to be desired, because it’s basically totally lacking in spiciness. I didn’t want to throw it away, though, so I bought a big bag of gochugaru (like I should have done in the first place) and decided to add it in whenever I use kimchi from this batch. That’s what I did here, and it worked perfectly.
I ate a lot of kimchi chigae in Korea. It’s just the right amount of tangy and spicy, and if you believe the students I taught, will cure absolutely any ailment you may have. I don’t know about that, but I do love the stuff. I found a recipe for it on No Recipes, and with a few changes, had this beautiful bowl of vegetarian kimchi chigae steaming in front of me in about 30 minutes. Every bowl of it I ate in Korea had silken tofu, which was delicious, but all I had on hand was extra firm, and I like how hearty it makes the soup, especially since I didn’t use any meat. I started with 1/2 cup of kimchi juice (just the liquid left over in the package or jar) and 1 cup of water, but as you can see in the picture, it’s not terribly soupy because I got distracted and let it boil a little too much. If yours starts looking dry, just add a little extra water or kimchi juice. I also completely forgot to add the gojuchang listed in the original recipe, and it still tasted great.
If you’re a strict vegetarian, read the label of your kimchi carefully – a lot of brands use fish products. I highly recommend making your own, and as soon as I make an acceptable batch, I will post a recipe!
Recipe:
(adapted from No Recipes)
Serves 2-3
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/2 cups kimchi, sliced
1/2 cup kimchi juice
1 cup water
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp yellow miso (or if you want to be really authentic, use doenjang)
pinch sugar
a few spoonfuls of gochugaru (if you want it spicy)
10 ounces extra firm tofu, diced
3 tbsp thinly sliced green onions
Heat the oil in a dutch oven over medium high heat.
Add the onion and cook, stirring until soft.
Stir in the garlic and kimchi and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until very fragrant.
Add the water, kimchi juice, ginger, wine, soy sauce, miso, sugar, and gochugaru (if using) and stir well.
Mix in the tofu, then partially cover and simmer for about 20 minutes. Add additional liquid if it begins to look dry.
Sprinkle the green onions over the top, and serve alongside bowls of steamed rice.
This comes from a recipe that isn’t new. In fact, I’ve seen it on so many food blogs I lost count long ago. I’ve made it a handful of times as well, but it always seemed there was something missing. Then today, on my run it occurred to me: crunch and green. Yes, the original recipe calls for cilantro, but I needed more. And the original recipe has red onion, which provides a little crunch, but not enough. So here, just for you, is a new (and I think, improved, although if you disagree I won’t take offense) version of the ever-popular Warm Butternut and Chickpea salad with tahini.
I think I’ve mentioned it before, but chickpeas are so insanely easy to cook up in the slow cooker (I just cover them with a few inches of water, a teaspoon of salt, and cook on high for 3-4 hours), I never buy cans anymore. I timed it so they were ready just as I was making the salad, so the heat from the squash (fresh out of the oven) and the chickpeas (fresh out of the crockpot) helped the spinach wilt nicely. I know that wilted spinach doesn’t sound appealing under most circumstances, but here I think it’s ideal.
Recipe:
(adapted from Orangette)
Salad:
1 2-lb butternut squash
1 medium garlic clove, smashed and broken into a few pieces
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 tbsp. olive oil
Salt
2 cups cooked chickpeas (drained) or 1 15 ounce can, drained and rinsed
1/4 of a medium red onion, thinly sliced
3 handfuls roughly chopped spinach
3 tbsp pepitas (hulled pumpkin seeds), toasted in a skillet
Dressing:
3 tbsp tahini
3 tbsp warm water
3 tbsp lemon juice
pinch salt
1 clove garlic, finely minced
2 tbsp olive oil
Preheat the oven to 425.
Peel the squash and scoop out the seeds. Cut into bite-sized (1″) pieces. Toss with olive oil, garlic, nutmeg, allspice, and salt.
Spread onto a parchment or Silpat-lined baking sheet and bake 15-20 minutes, or until squash is tender.
While squash is roasting, whisk all the dressing ingredients together, taste, and adjust seasonings if necessary.
When the squash is done, discard the garlic pieces, and put the squash, chickpeas, spinach, and onion in a large bowl.
Add the dressing and toss well, then serve sprinkled with pepitas.
Mike has been in Asia on a business trip (first Thailand, now Hong Kong) for what feels like approximately 27 months, although it’s only been about a week. For the vast majority of that time, I’ve had absolutely zero desire to cook. My dinners have been pitiful, with cereal playing a starring role. I just can’t get excited about cooking for one.
Or I couldn’t, until I remembered that I’d seen a recipe for Miso Slaw on the beautiful Sprouted Kitchen blog. Rather than pouring myself yet another bowl of Joe’s Os, I dug through the produce drawers and made my own version.
It’s like coleslaw, but healthier (spinach and broccoli, yes!) and with a more intriguingly sophisticated flavor (thank you, miso). Just after taking the picture above, I added sliced avocado and inhaled it so quickly I forgot to take another picture. I can assure you though, if you have an avocado handy, use it here!
Recipe:
(inspired by Sprouted Kitchen)
2-3 servings
Salad:
1 cup shredded broccoli stems (this was about 1 head’s worth for me)
1 English cucumber, shredded (I didn’t bother peeling it, but I removed the squishy part in the middle)
3 cups loosely packed fresh spinach, sliced into ribbons
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onion (green part only)
1 avocado, thinly sliced
2 tbsp sesame seeds
Dressing:
1/4 cup nonfat plain yogurt
1 1/2 tbsp yellow miso
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
pinch cayenne (optional)
Whisk together the dressing ingredients and set aside.
Toss the spinach, broccoli, cucumber, and green onions together in a medium bowl. Add the dressing and mix well. Divide among 4 plates, top with a few slices of avocado, and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
I didn’t know what a whoopie was until about a year ago, and didn’t try one for the first time until last night. According to the not-always-so-reliable Wikipedia, they started in Pennsylvania so maybe it’s taken awhile for them to get to California. Who knows. But I can definitely see why they’re popular!
I baked these when we had a few friends over, and I have to say, I can see why I usually make baking a solitary activity. About six of the cookies were grabbed off the cooling rack before I had a chance to frost them, and I was distracted when I was making the frosting so I added too much milk (which I know is easily corrected with more powdered sugar, but I didn’t bother). They could definitely be prettier (if I’d grated the apple instead of diced it) but the prospect of getting out my food processor just to grate one apple seemed like a little too much). I definitely need to invest in a box grater, right now!
I started with a recipe for carrot whoopie pies and just subbed apple for carrot. I didn’t have cream cheese around for the filling included with the recipe, so I made a half recipe of the cinnamon frosting from my Snickerdoodle Cupcakes. I think these are supposed to have more frosting between them, but I thought the cookie to frosting ratio was perfect.
Recipe:
(adapted from Epicurious via Abigail Goes Design Scouting)
1 1/8 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup diced or grated apple (peel the apple first)
Stir the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl and set aside.
Cream the butter and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer until fluffy.
Beat in the egg and vanilla, then stir in the flour mixture.
Mix in the grated apple, then put plastic wrap over the dough and chill for about an hour.
When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 325 F. Drop the dough by rounded teaspoon onto parchment-lined baking sheets and bake for about 12-15 minutes. Cool on the cookie sheets for about 2 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
Once the cookies are cool, mix up the frosting:
1/2 stick butter, softened
1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1-2 tbsp milk
Beat the butter, sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Add 2 tbsp milk, then add the rest of the milk 1 tsp at a time, stopping when the frosting has a nice spreadable consistency.
Match the cookies in pairs by size, then spread frosting between them.
I’m a fraud. I tell people I’m vegetarian but I still eat fish sauce, and I probably always will. I just can’t imagine the rest of my life without eating things like this salad, and they would NOT be the same without that pungent liquid that so many people can’t stand.
I wasn’t always so into fish sauce. The first time we went to Thailand, the smell was so overpowering I swore I’d never eat anything that contained it. But then I realized that the flavor it adds just can’t be matched. Yes, it stinks and it is pretty in-your-face fishy, but in small doses it’s downright close to perfection.
Besides, I gave up meat because I hate all the hormones and drugs and inhumane factory farming practices that seem to be rampant in this country. I realize fish products aren’t entirely without controversy, but I’m okay with being 99% vegetarian. If I ever find vegetarian fish sauce (I know it’s out there) I’ll probably try it, but in the mean time, I’m just going to stick to my slightly fraudulent proclamation of vegetarianism. (And no, I won’t call myself pescatarian because I don’t eat fish. Just fish sauce.)
I think I ate this stuff just about every day when we were in Thailand. There’s just something so alluring about the fresh crunch of the green papaya, the hot-salty-sour-sweet dressing, and the cool smoothness of tomato that I will never get tired of. I like to make it so spicy it brings tears to my eyes, but you can definitely scale way back on the chiles. This is one of those recipes that can be tweaked so it’s just how you like it – taste as you go and adjust the fish sauce, lime, and sugar accordingly.
I make mine in a large wooden mortar and pestle that we brought back from Thailand, and I definitely think that’s the best way to do it, but I’ve given directions for people who don’t have one, because they aren’t exactly a common sight in most American kitchens (and they take up a ridiculous amount of counter space). I think palm sugar (which you can find in little round cakes in Asian grocery stores) is best – just whack away at the little cake with a cleaver til you have about 1 tbsp – but of course white sugar is an acceptable substitute.
If you have a box grater, that should work to shred the green papaya. If you want to be just like the lady that made the best papaya salad I ever had (in Bangkok), use a cleaver in your right hand while holding the papaya in your left (I don’t know how she still has all her fingers). If you can find one of these, buy it immediately; it’s my favorite way to create long, even pieces:
Recipe:
2 cloves garlic
as many Thai chiles as you like (substitue: a serrano or two)
1 tbsp palm sugar (substitute: granulated sugar)
1/2 lime
10 green beans, cut into 1″ lenghts
1 roma tomato, diced
3 cups shredded green papaya
1-2 tbsp fish sauce (essential!)
2 tbsp chopped peanuts
If you have a large wood mortar and pestle: Cut the 1/2 lime into about eight pieces. Mash the garlic, chiles, lime, and sugar together until nicely mixed. Add the green beans and tomatoes, and mash a few more times. Stir in the green papaya and fish sauce, and pound about a dozen more times, stirring in between so everything is mixed well. Taste and adjust seasonings, then serve topped with chopped peanuts. (You can remove the lime peels if you want, or people can just eat around them)
If you don’t have a large wood mortar and pestle: Juice the 1/2 lime. Finely chop the chiles and garlic and mix with the sugar. Stir in the lime juice and fish sauce and set aside. Toss the shredded papaya with the green beans and tomatoes, then add the lime juice mixture and toss well. Taste and adjust seasonings, then serve topped with chopped peanuts.
No, not the candy with caramel and nuts, the animal!
I work in an after school program for kindergartners, and they’ve had a pretty intense fascination with turtles lately. I guess I can’t really blame them. Turtles are cool. Especially when they’re made out of frosting! These were a huge hit with the kids.
You will need:
Cupcakes (I used 12 chocolate and 12 yellow)
Frosting: I started with one stick of butter, 4 cups of powdered sugar, 1 tsp of vanilla, and added milk in 1 tsp increments until it had a good consistency for piping.
– blue (I used Wilton color gel in Sky Blue) – this will be used for covering the tops of the cupcakes
– light green (I used Wilton color gel in leaf green) – this will be used for the turtle shells
– slightly darker green (I added a little black gel and a little blue gel to my light green) – this will be used for the heads and feet
– brown frosting (only a few tablespoons) – this will be used for the faces on the turtles
A Piping bag and tips:
- small and medium round tips (Wilton 4 and 7)
- a small basketweave tip (Wilton 46)
Spread all your cupcakes with an even layer of blue frosting.
Put the light green frosting in a piping bag fitted with the #4 (small round) tip.
Pipe the outline of the turtle shell:
Using the same light green frosting, switch to the #46 (small basketweave) tip. Pipe a checkerboard pattern, rotating the tip 90 degrees to make alternating squares.
Put the darker green frosting in a piping bag with the #7 (medium round) tip. Hold the piping bag in place and pipe a large ball for the head, then smaller balls for the feet (pull away slightly at the end as you stop squeezing).
Put the brown frosting in a plastic ziploc bag and cut a TINY piece off the corner. You will want a very fine point for putting the faces on the turtles. Carefully pipe a mouth and two eyes onto each turtle head.
I love how so many things in life just seem to work out. I have to admit, when I signed up for Adopt-A-Blogger #4 I was a little skeptical. After all, how do I qualify as a mentor? Yeah, I’ve been doing this for over a year, but I’d hardly call myself a blogging pro. What would I have to contribute? What if the adoptee thought I was lame?
But of course, I worried excessively for absolutely NO reason, because I was matched with Wizzy of Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and Punch. Not only are her pictures gorgeous and her writing witty and eloquent, but her recipes are unique and she lives in Trinidad! Since I’ve never been to or eaten food from the Caribbean (except for a Cuban restaurant years ago), it was pretty much a perfect match. Of course, I feel like I’m learning far more from her than I am offering in return, but I’ve been loving our emails back and forth.
I will undoubtedly make quite a few recipes off her site, but this one caught my eye immediately because Mike has been dying to go to Carnival in Trinidad and Tobago since before I knew him. You should probably take a look at her pictures because they are much better than mine, but trust me, this soup is fantastic. The yellow split peas make it thick and hearty, and how can anyone turn down dumplings and sweet corn?
Recipe:
(adapted from Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner & Punch)
Serves 6-8
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 onions, chopped
3 garlic cloves
1/3 cup chives, chopped
1/4 cup celery, finely chopped
1/3 cup fresh thyme, chopped
3/4 cup yellow split peas
8 cups vegetable stock
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 scotch bonnet or habanero pepper, left whole
2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
2 carrots, diced
6 ears corn, cut into 2inch pieces
8 dumplings
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tsp salt
black pepper
Dumplings:
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
pinch cayenne
1/2 tsp salt
whole milk
Heat the oil in a large, heavy soup pot. Add the onions and garlic and cook for a few minutes, until soft. Add the celery, thyme and chives and cook an additional five minutes.
Stir in the stock and split peas. Add salt and pepper to taste, then stir in the coconut milk. Simmer partially covered for about 55 minutes, or until the split peas are very tender. Puree with an immersion blender. Add the habanero, potatoes, carrots, and corn and simmer for another 20 minutes, until potato is soft. Stir in the cilantro. If the soup is too thick, stir in a little water until it has a desired consistency.
While the soup is simmering, make the dumplings: Toss the flour, salt, and
cayenne together, then gradually stir in enough milk to make a stiff dough. Knead until smooth, then roll into a thin log and cut in 1″ lengths. Drop them into the soup after the potatoes are cooked through, and wait until they rise to the surface.
Serve garnished with fresh cilantro.
Over the last two months, I’ve gone from thinking barley was just in weird soups at mediocre restaurants to being more than a little obsessed with it. I recently had a craving for risotto, and when I saw that Heidi Swanson had made some with barley in Super Natural Cooking, I was immediately inspired.
I made a few changes to the recipe in the book because using both orange and lemon seemed like it would be citrus overkill for me. I also used spinach instead of arugula because I just like spinach a whole lot more. This doesn’t get as creamy as risotto made with arborio rice, but it’s much healthier and Mike called it one of the best things I’ve made lately (which is probably because my attempt at vegan macaroni and cheese last night was a GIGANTIC flop). So, you want risotto but you’re trying to eat more whole grains? Here you go!
Recipe:
(inspired by Super Natural Cooking by Heidi Swanson)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 shallot, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
a few pinches of salt
2 cups pearled barley
1 cup white wine
5 cups vegetable broth
grated zest of 1 lemon
3 cups roughly chopped fresh spinach
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 tbsp sour cream
1/4 cup chopped toasted walnuts
Heat the oil over medium heat and add the onion, shallot, and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about five minutes.
Add the barley and salt and cook for another 5 minutes. Meanwhile, bring the broth to a simmer in a separate pan.
Stir in the wine and keep at a simmer. Stir in the broth, one cup at a time, waiting until most of the liquid is absorbed between additions. You may not need to add all the broth, but you’ll know when you’ve added enough because the barley will be tender and most of the liquid will be absorbed.
Stir in the lemon zest and spinach and stir until the spinach is wilted.
Remove from heat and stir in the parmesan and sour cream. Taste and add salt if needed, then serve, sprinkled with chopped walnuts.
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