Cheese Straws

I made these Cheese Straws using Mark Bittman's recipe because I wanted to have some salty snacks in the afternoon and also use them as substitutes for croutons for our salad. They are pretty easy and tasty but I noticed that the direction and measurement in the book are not very clear - I had to add more water than 'a few drops of ice water' because the dough was not doughy enough and baked them for twice as long. I think next time I make them, I would use Smitten Kitchen's recipe since hers is clearer and easier for me to follow.


Ingredients:
1/2 lb cheddar or other flavorful hard cheese
1/3 lb Parmesan cheese
2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper powder
8 tablespoons (1 stick) chilled butter, cut into chunks
~1/4 cup of ice cold water
coarse salt (optional)

Directions:

• Heat oven to 450F.
• Grate the cheese in a food processor, then remove from the bowl.
• Add flour and cayenne to the processor and pulse to mix.
• Add butter and process to combine, pulse in the grated cheese.
• Knead the dough by hand until the dough comes together, adding ice water one tablespoon at a time.
• Roll the dough out into a rectangle about 1/4 inch thick, using flour as necessary, and cut into long strips and about 1/4-1/2 inch wide.
• Put on a lightly greased baking sheet or a silicone mat and sprinkle with salt.
• Bake until golden brown, 12-15 minutes.
  

Carrot Raisin Muffins

The weather had been so bad in San Francisco lately and the forecast called for another wet and stormy night on Friday. Since I didn't want to go out in the rain by myself while Porgy did some work, I went to the Whole Foods during a rain break and got the ingredients to make Carrot Raisin Muffins. I had a similar muffin from the Golden West earlier in the week and totally loving it. I used the recipe from Craft: (check out their site for step-by-step directions and pictures) and added some extra raisins and almonds to add some sweetness and crunchiness to the muffins.


Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups white flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
3 cups grated carrot
1 cup raisins, soaked in rum for 5 minutes and drained
1/2 cup sliced almonds
8 tablespoons (1/2 cup) butter, melted
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Zest of 1 orange
Juice of 1 orange
2/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon fresh ginger
powdered sugar (optional)

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 350° F.
  
• Peel and grate about 4-5 carrots, using the regular-sized hole on a box-type cheese grater. Set aside.
• Grate the ginger with a microplane grater until you have a fine pulp. Set aside.
• In a medium bowl, mix together the sugars, eggs, vanilla, orange zest and juice, milk, and ginger until well combined. Stir in the melted butter.
• In a large bowl, stir together the white and wheat flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Mix to combine well.
• Add the grated carrot to the flour mixture and stir to coat and evenly distribute. Make a well in the center of the flour and carrot mixture.
  
• Add in the raisins in the liquid mixture and pour everything into the flour mixture. Add ub the sliced almonds and, using a wooden spoon, stir until combined and moistened. Do not over mix.
• Line muffin cups with paper liners and pour 1/4 cup batter per muffin cup. Bake on the middle rack for ~25 minutes until the muffins are golden brown or until a toothpick inserted into the muffins comes out clean.
• Set on a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes, remove the muffins from the tin and let them cool another 10 minutes.
• Sprinkle powdered sugar and some more sliced almonds on top.
  

Meyer Lemon and Blood Orange Marmalade

Since the Alameda antique fair was canceled because of the rain, I found myself with plenty of time to kill today. We went to grab coffee at Contraband, had brunch at a mom-and-pop diner nearby, cleaned up the aquarium and the house, finished off tax documents, cooked Roast Pork Shoulder (which is still cooking in the oven as I'm blogging) and it's not even dinner time yet. So I decided to catch up with my blog and post this Meyer Lemon and Blood Orange Marmalade that I made about a month ago.

I have never made jams or marmalade before but after having my neighbor's tasty apricot jam, I was compelled to try making it and found that this NYTimes marmalade recipe is easy enough for me to follow. It turned out pretty good although next time I would not use the white part of the orange as it makes the marmalade a bit bitter.


Ingredients:
3 medium Meyer lemons, ends trimmed
1 medium blood orange, ends trimmed
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 1/4 cups Demerara (raw) sugar

Directions:

• Place several small plates or saucers in the freezer.
• Wash the citrus well under warm running water. Cut the lemons and orange in half lengthwise. Cut each half into 1/8-inch segments, lengthwise. Pluck out any exposed membrane and remove the seeds.
• Measure the cut citrus. You should have 2 1/2 cups, but if you have less, use the same volume of water and sugar as you have citrus. (If there are only 2 cups, for example, use 2 cups water and 2 cups sugar.) Place the citrus and the same volume of water into a large, heavy-bottomed pot. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook until the peels are very soft and fully cooked, about 20 to 30 minutes.
• Add the sugar to the pot, stir to combine. Turn the heat up to high and bring back to a boil. Lower the heat to medium and let the marmalade simmer until set. It should take about 20 to 30 minutes, but start checking after 15 minutes to see if it is set by spooning a little onto a chilled plate from the freezer. If it looks like jam and not runny syrup, it’s ready. (If you want to use a candy thermometer, you are looking for 222 degrees.)
• Allow marmalade to cool to room temperature before serving. Store leftovers in the refrigerator and use within a month.

Thomas Keller's Gruyère Gougères

I first heard of gougères from Ruth Reichl's book Garlic and Sapphires. The way she described these little cheesy wonders that are so simple, elegant, and so frequently made in the household of a former NYT food critic really makes you salivate. Since then, I have made gruyère gougères several times. The most recent time I opted to use a Thomas Keller recipe. As usual, any recipe touched by Thomas Keller is instantly 50% more complicated than any other recipes. But hey, what other Thomas Keller dishes can be done under an hour (even by a slow cook like me)?

So next time you have friends over and need an appetizer or snack to munch on, make gougères. And make sure they are hot out of the oven when you serve them. That's when they are the puffiest, butteriest, and tastiest.

Note: The recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of salt and the gougères ended up way too salty for me. Since the cheese already has a salty flavor, I'd adjust the salt amount by half next time. Also, add some cayenne pepper! It will make the flavors richer and more intense.

Ingredients:
1 cup water
7 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon kosher salt (I suggest using much less)
1 pinch of sugar
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour4 large eggs (up to 5 eggs)
1 1/4 cups grated Gruyère
Freshly ground white pepper
1 pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with Silpats or parchment paper.
• In a medium saucepan, combine the water, butter, salt and sugar and bring to a boil. Add all the flour at once, reduce the heat to medium, and stir with a wooden spoon for 2 minutes, or until the mixture forms a ball and the excess moisture has evaporated. (If the ball forms more quickly, continue to cook and stir for a full 2 minutes.)
• Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle and beat for about 30 seconds at medium speed to cool slightly. Add 4 eggs and continue to mix until completely combined and the batter has a smooth, silky texture. Stop the machine and lift up the beater to check the consistency of the batter. The batter in the mixing bowl should form a peak with a tip that falls over. If it is too stiff, beat in the white of the remaining egg. Check again and, if necessary, add the yolk. Finally, mix in 3/4 cup of the Gruyère and adjust the seasoning with salt and white pepper.
• Fill a pastry bag fitted with a 3/8-inch plain pastry tip with the gougère batter. Pipe the batter into one-tablespoon mounds on the baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between the gougères as the mixture will spread during the baking. Sprinkle the top of each gougère with about 1/2 teaspoon of the remaining grated cheese.
• Bake for 7 to 8 minutes or until they puff and hold their shape. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees F and bake for an additional 20 to 25 minutes. When the gougères are done, they should be a light golden brown color. When you break one open, it should be hollow; the inside should be cooked but still slightly moist. Remove the pans from the oven and serve the gougères while hot.

Sausage Parmesan Corn Muffin

Last week I had sweet blueberry muffins for my breakfast and afternoon snacks and Italian pasta for my lunches for the week. To change it up, I decided to do something savory and Asian ... Sausage Parmesan Corn Muffin for my breakfast and afternoon snacks and a Thai-style Chicken with Basil, Celery and Red Cabbage for my lunch.

Since I was too lazy to go to the grocery, I used what I've already had in my fridge & pantry and I followed the super simple sweet corn muffin recipe on the Albers yellow corn meal box and just added the cooked Italian sausage, jalapeno and grated Parmesan cheese when mixing the dry and wet ingredients together. I baked the muffins a couple minutes longer than what the box recommended to compensate for the extra ingredients. Although the color of the muffin is not a bright yellow as some other corn muffins that I've seen before, I really love the taste and the texture of these savory muffins... I can't wait to have them again tomorrow.


Ingredients:
16oz Italian sausage, remove from casing
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup Albers yellow corn meal
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups milk
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 tablespoon butter, melted

Note: I used Parmesan cheese because I don't have any other cheese. You can use other types of cheese like Cheddar or Jack cheese to make the color pops and the muffins a bit more cheesy gooey.

Directions:

• Cook the sausage and minced jalapeno in a pan over a medium heat with 2 tablespoons of oil for 5-8 minutes. Drain the oil off the sausage mixture and set aside to cool.
• Preheat oven to 350F and grease or paper-line the muffin cups.
• Combine flour, sugar, corn meal, baking powder, 2/3 cup of the Parmesan cheese and salt in a large bowl.
• Combine the milk, eggs, oil and slightly cooled melted butter in a small bowl, mix well.
• Add the milk-&-egg mixture to the flour mixture; stir a couple of times and then add the sausage and the jalapeno and mix some more until just blended.
• Pour into prepared muffin cups filling about 2/3 cup full and top with the rest of grated Parmesan cheese.
• Bake for 20-22 minutes until golden brown and when a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Cool in pans or wire racks for 5 minutes, serve warm.

Greek Zuchini and Herb Pie

Continuing my urge to bake this weekend, I made this Greek Zucchini and Herb Pie (another recipe from NYTimes!) using some leftover frozen phyllo dough and zucchini that I bought earlier in the week. To add extra flavor into the pie and to make it not too healthy, I added the leftover ham cubes that I used in Savory Ham and Gruyere Bread earlier.


Ingredients:
2 1/2 pounds zucchini, ends trimmed
salt to taste
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus additional for brushing the phyllo dough
1 large onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup chopped ham
2 teaspoons dried dill
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1/4 cup chopped scallion
1 cup crumbled feta
3 eggs, beaten
freshly ground pepper
14 sheets phyllo dough

Directions:

• Grate the zucchini using a food processor or a hand grater. Place in a large colander, salt generously and let drain for 1 hour, pressing down on it occasionally to squeeze out liquid. After an hour, take up a couple handfuls and squeeze out moisture. Place in a bowl.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat in a large, heavy nonstick skillet over medium heat, and add the onion. Cook, stirring, until tender about five minutes, then add the garlic and chopped ham. Cook, stirring, until the garlic is fragrant, about one minute. Add in the dill, parsley and scallion and cook for a few more minutes. Transfer to the bowl with the zucchini. Stir in the feta, eggs and pepper.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter a 10-inch pie pan. Line the pie dish with seven pieces of phyllo, lightly brushing each piece with oil and turning the dish after each addition so that the edges of the phyllo drape evenly over the pan.
  
• Fill with the zucchini mixture. Fold the draped edges in over the filling, lightly brushing the folded sheets of phyllo, then layer the remaining pieces on top, brushing each piece with olive oil. Stuff the edges into the sides of the pan.
• Make a few slashed in the top crust so that steam can escape as the pie bakes. Score in a few places with the tip of a knife, and brush with olive oil. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown. Remove from the heat, and allow to cool for 15 to 30 minutes or to room temperature. Slice in wedges and serve.
  

White House Fruit and Oat Bars

Continuing my attempt to eat and snack healthier, I decided to make White House Fruit and Oat bars. They are perfect for mid-morning and mid-afternoon snacks and definitely are better than opening up a bag of chips or candies.


Ingredients:
9 tablespoons grapeseed oil, plus extra for brushing pan
3 cups rolled oats
3/4 cup mixed seeds, such as pumpkin, sunflower and sesame
3/4 cup honey
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup
pinch of salt
2 cups mixed dried fruit, such as raisins, cranberries, apricots, etc.
1.5 teaspoons ground cinnamon or cardamom

Directions:

• Heat oven to 350 F, line a 9x13-inch baking pan with parchment paper or foil, letting a few inches hang over side of pan. Brush with oil.
• Spread oats and sees on another baking pan and toast in oven just until golden and fragrant, 6 to 8 minutes, shaking pan once.
• In a saucepan, combine oil, honey, brown sugar, maple syrup and salt. Stir over medium heat until smooth and hot.
• In a mixing bowl, toss together toasted oats and seeds, dried fruit and cinnamon (or cardamom. Pour hot sugar mixture over and stir until well combined.
• While mixture is warm, transfer to prepared pan, pressing into pan evenly with an offset spatula.
• Bake until brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer pan to a rack and let cool completely. Using the overhanging foil or paper, lift out of pan and place on a work surface. Cut into bars, about 1.5 inches by 3 inches.
  

Excelsior Bagelen Biscuit

When visiting my family a few weeks ago in Indonesia, I squealed for joy when I saw this turquoise-colored tin can. Although I have not had it in 20 plus years, somehow I still remember the name so I yelled out 'Bagelen!' and went on to grab a couple Bagelen Biscuit to munch on. Oh... these yummy butter spread biscuits are so airy and crunchy, full with some sweet and salty flavors.


According to the packaging, the company 'Excelsior' is located in Bandung (West Java). It's been around since 1919 and their biscuits only have wheat flour, eggs, sugar, butter, milk, vanilla powder and yeast as the ingredients. I don't know how they did it but the result is totally magic to me.

Indonesian Street Food

Here are some examples of Indonesian street food that I've had while in Indonesia. Our parents did not allow us to buy street foods when we were kids so it's definitely an exciting experience for me to have them now. Sometimes I wished that I was not such a picky eater growing up because I could have enjoyed all of these delicious food more often then especially since they are so cheap at US $ 1 for 10 of them. Oh well, I guess it's better late than never!

Bolang Baling in Semarang. I used to eat these donut-like fried dough about once every month or so growing up and, like the Western version, they're best when they just come out of the fryer. This one is located on Kampung Utri Road, near Dr.Cipto Road.


Kue Leker in Semarang. These are dry and crunchy crepes filled with either chocolate, caramel, banana, peanuts (for the sweet ones) or eggs, cheese, green onion, mini sausages (for the savory ones). Leker is loosely translated to 'delicious' and, boy..., they are indeed delicious! I love the sweet ones because eating them is just like eating light desserts. Kue Leker Pak Paimo is located in front of the Loyola high school on Karanganyar Road.


Putu Bumbung and Klepon in Jakarta. This gentleman pushes his cart passing through my sister's house in Permata Hijau almost every day. We can hear the cart's distinct steaming kettle-like sound from inside the house about 50 yards away so can rush outside to flag him and order these delicious Putu Bumbung (freshly made rice-flour with aren (palm) sugar and fresh coconut steamed inside 2-inch bamboo sections placed on top of a make-shift steamer - 3rd picture below) and Klepon (boiled sticky rice flour balls with aren sugar inside with fresh coconut shaving outside - foreground, 4th picture).

Fried Banana

If you enjoy Fried Banana at Thai or Indonesian restaurants, here is a simple recipe for you to try. I apologize for not knowing the exact measurement for this recipe because I only watched my Mom making them. Enjoy!


Ingredients:

• ripe but still firm bananas
• wheat flour
• rice flour
• a pinch of salt
• warm water
• peanut or canola oil for frying

Directions:

• Since the bananas that we used were already too ripe, we sliced it to smaller pieces so they cook better.
• Mix the 3 part of wheat flour to 1 part of rice flour with a pinch of salt and add the warm water a little bit at a time so that the mixture is not too thin.
• Put the banana slices in the flour mixture and mix slowly to make sure that each of them is coated with the flour mixture.
• Heat up oil in a frying pan or wok over low medium heat until hot.
• Fry a ladle of the banana and flour mixture a few at a time so not to crowd the pan for 4 to 5 minutes each sides until golden brown.
• Put the fried bananas over paper towel to soak the excess frying oil.

Berkshire Pigs in the Blanket

Tomorrow is the one year anniversary of my Food4Wibowo blog. Woo hoo! It's interesting to read the all comments and suggestions that you all wrote and to remember what I cooked or ate just a few months ago. I want to thank everybody who ever read my blog and those who encouraged me to keep it going even when I was not up for it. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Now I want to share with you the recipe of one of my favorite snacks introduced by Mo-Fo a few years ago - Pigs in the Blanket. Since it's a celebration, I decided to amp it up a little bit by using Berkshire little sausages instead of a regular hot dog, slathered some Dijon mustard on the dough, and simmer half of the sausages in a sweet ketchup sauce for 15 minutes or so.


Ingredients:
16 Berkshire mini sausages
1 can (8oz) of Pillsbury's Crescent dinner roll
2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon of tomato ketchup
1 tablespoon of Hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon of honey
1 tablespoon of soy sauce
1 teaspoon of Worchestershire sauce
1 tablespoon of Vermouth

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 375F.
• In the meantime, simmer half of the sausages in a ketchup, Hoisin sauce, honey, soy sauce, Worchestershire and Vermouth mixture for 15 minutes.
• Separate the dough into 16 triangles and brush the dough with Dijon mustard.
• Wrap dough triangles around each sausage.
• Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 12-13 minutes until golden brown.

Kimchee Pajeon

I saw this Kimchee Pajeon recipe at Tastespotting and thought that it's easy enough for me to make on a lazy Sunday afternoon when I'm craving some spicy and sour snacks. It's not a heavy pancake and, since it's all vegetables, I assume that it's a pretty darn healthy snack. What do you think? Whatever it is, I'd like to thank A Table for Two for this delicious recipe.


Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup Kimchee juice
1 cup cold water
1 egg
1.5 cup of napa cabbage Kimchee, roughly chopped
4 scallions, cut into 2-inch strips

Directions:

• Add flour, cold water and egg into a mixing bowl and stir until well mixed.
• Add the Kimchee juice, scallions and Napa cabbage Kimchee into the flour and egg mixture and stir until well mixed. The mixture should be thick like a pancake mixture. If it's too watery, add a tablespoon of flour at a time until the right consistency.
• Heat vegetable oil on a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Pour a cup of the batter into the pan using a ladle and spread it evenly across the pan.
• Cook the pancake for 3-4 minutes until golden brown and crisp on one side, flip over and cook for another 3-4 minutes on the other side.
• Repeat with the rest of the batter.
• Cut into slices and serve it with a sprinkle of sea salt and scallion or more chopped Kimchee on top.

Asian-styled Pickled Cucumber

One of my favorite snacks/side dishes growing up was Asian-style pickled cucumber. It's lighter and sweeter than the American-style ones. I love having on the side of spicy Chinese or Indonesian food in a hot weather. There are so many variations of the recipe online - one with just salt and sugar; with or without any of these ingredients - rice vinegar, fish sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, sesame seeds, onions, and shallots. I decided to use this one from Town and Country Markets with a slight modification because it's so simple and sounds so refreshing.


Ingredients:
2 cucumbers, peeled and sliced 1/4-inch thick
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon mirin (Japanese rice wine)
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Directions:

• In a large bowl, sprinkle salt over cucumber slices and let sit for 20 minutes.
• Drain and cover with remaining ingredients.
• Refrigerate for at least 2 hour, or as long as overnight.

Spanakopita

Another dish that I served at my Mad Men Season 3 Premiere party was Spanakopita. I spent most of my Sunday afternoon in the kitchen making Bruschetta, Curried Chicken Wings, Ham and Chard Quiche (similar to this one that I made a couple months ago), and Spanakopita. I got the Spanakopita recipe from Closet Cooking and I decided to follow his directions completely because it was my first attempt using phyllo dough. Since I do not have an 8x8 inch baking pan, I used my 9x13 inch baking pan. I should have increased my spinach filling quantity so my Spanakopita was not as thick as it should be but it still tasted darn good.

Note: I stacked a couple slices of the Spanakopita to create height in the picture below.


Ingredients:
2 pounds spinach (steamed, drained, squeezed well and chopped)
6 oz feta (crumbled)
1/4 cup dill (chopped)
1/4 cup parsley (chopped)
3 green onions (sliced)
3 eggs (lightly beaten)
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup olive oil
phyllo dough

Directions:

• Mix the spinach, feta, dill, parsley, green onions, eggs, salt and pepper in a large bowl.
• Brush the bottom of 8x8 inch (or in my case 9x13 inch) baking pan with olive oil.
• Cut the phyllo dough to fit the pan and lay a sheet of phyllo dough on the pan.
• Brush the top with olive oil, and lay another sheet on top. Repeat until you have 6-9 layers.
• Place the spinach mixture on top of the phyllo dough.
• Repeat layering with phyllo dough until you have 6-9 layers.
• Bake in a preheated 350F oven until golden brown (about 30-40 minutes)
  

Bacon, Chard and Onion Quiche

In preparation for my upcoming trip to Las Vegas, I hosted the boys (Jeremy, Ryan and Stephen) for an afternoon Black Jack lesson (I was the student). I decided to serve Bacon, Chard and Onion Quiche and a simple salad for some nibbles and the boys brought Champagne + OJ and wine. I used Food Stories' Rainbow Chard and Parmesan Tart and Paula Deen's Spinach and Bacon Quiche recipes as ideas.


Ingredients:
1 frozen pie crust, fitted to a 9-inch glass pie plate
6 strips of bacon, cut into pieces and fried until crispy
1 red onion, sliced
4 green onion (red/white part only), sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch of rainbow chard, de-stemmed and cut into slices
1 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
1/2 cup shredder Parmesan cheese
200 mL half and half
4 eggs
1 teaspoon of thyme
1 teaspoon of marjoram
salt, pepper, nutmeg, chayenne pepper

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 400 F
• Bake the tart for 8-10 minutes
• Lower the oven to 350F
  
• Use some of the bacon fat to fry the onions for 10 minutes until the onions starts to caramelize
• Add in the garlic and fry for another minute
• Add in the chard and remove from the heat when chard is wilted
• Add in the bacon to the mixture and pour onto the pre-baked tart crust
  
• Spread the cheese on top of the mixture
• Mix the eggs, cream, thyme, marjoram, salt, pepper, nutmeg and cayenne pepper and pour on top
• Bake for approximately 60 minutes until the egg mixture is set

Roasted Spiced Chickpeas

Lately, I've been seeing a lot of blogs and articles online about chickpeas. Since I was not planning to go out tonight, I decided to make Roasted Spiced Chickpeas instead. I used the recipe from Kalyn's Kitchen as a template and improvised it according to the spices I had at home.


It turned out pretty good, I loved the crunchiness and spiced flavor. However, for some reason, I couldn't eat more than five chickpeas together because my mouth would get really dry. I guessed that's a good thing since I would not gorge myself.