Tuesday, April 28, 2009

TWD - Chocolate Ice Cream

So this week's Tuesdays with Dorie was supposed to be a Chocolate Cream Tart as chosen by Kim of Scrumptious Photography. But, as I read the P&Q section, Katya of Second Dinner suggested that the pastry cream used in the pie made excellent ice cream. And, as my ice cream maker was feeling a bit left out lately, I decided it was time to let it shine! It didn't hurt that I was saving myself the calories from the pie crust and whipped cream topping either...

Well, in any case, Katya was right! This makes the most fantastic chocolate ice cream I've ever tasted. A little caramel drizzled in at the last minutes of churning also adds a little "je ne sais quoi"... Really makes this a special treat! So if you're in the mood for something easy, chocolaty, creamy and cold, go for the ice cream. If you're looking for something a little more dressed up and classy, check out the other Tuesdays with Dorie bakers for Chocolate Cream Tarts galore. Have fun today!



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Friday, April 24, 2009

California Rolls or Beginner Sushi

One very good thing about having friends who love to bake/cook/eat as much as I do is that sometimes they make me discover something that I might not have tried out for myself. Take sushi, for example. Martin loves sushi, but when he had it for the first time, at a party at work, I was pregnant and raw fish just wasn't something that was very appetizing, at the time.

Fast forward almost 2 years and a friend invites the kids and I for dinner as both our guys would be working late and wouldn't that be a good excuse to get together, have a glass of wine and just talk each others' ears off. She had recently tried making sushi and she was so excited to make some for us and show me how easy it was. I was very intrigued and let me tell you, it is easy and really, really delicious! She made a few variations of California rolls, no raw fish, and I was hooked! I didn't think you could make so many different kinds of rolls; there was imitation crab, spicy shrimp, smoked salmon and vegetarian. Needless to say, I couldn't wait to try making some myself so, the next weekend, I got everything I needed and set up shop!

These days you don't really need to go to a specialty store to get ingredients for your sushi. Most supermarkets even have little sushi shops where you can buy the rolls already made or ask the sushi chef for tips and tricks. I've found that they're always happy to help, even if they do seem to find it a little odd that you'd want to make sushi yourself when you can buy it right then and there. Imagine if I had tried to bring my camera and take pictures in the supermarket, that would have gotten me a few weird looks!

Please remember that I am by no means an expert, and there are a lot of more experienced sushi makers out there with how-to posts you can check out too. But I had fun making these and I'll try to show you how I made my sushi and maybe you'll be intrigued and try to make some too. If I could do it, anyone can!

What you'll need for each roll:
1 sheet of nori
1 cup of cooked sushi rice*
Black sesame seeds, or regular sesame seeds, roasted
Grated carrots
Cucumber, sliced lengthwise into thin strips
Avocado, sliced thinly
Your choice of smoked salmon, shrimp or imitation crab
Cream cheese, if you're using smoked salmon
Fried egg roll wrappers, crushed (adds a little crunch)

You can make things easier on yourself by having all of your ingredients ready and close-by, because once you start you don't want to have to run around looking for this and that. Also, a good trick is to wrap your bamboo rolling mat with plastic wrap before you start, it'll make it a lot easier to clean. Oh, and have a bowl of water near by so you can wet your hands from time to time, otherwise you'll end up with sticky rice everywhere.

Place a sheet of nori on your bamboo mat (shiny side down) and spread 1 cup of rice on top of it, leaving a 1 inch space at the end. Sprinkle some black sesame seeds onto the rice. Arrange your choice of ingredients into a strip and start rolling at the edge closest to you. Use the bamboo mat to roll the sushi firmly. You can use a few drops of water at the seem to help the seaweed to stick at the end of the roll.

Use a sharp knife to cut the roll into about 8 pieces. It's easier if you cut the roll in half and then cut the ends into equal pieces. Serve the sushi with soy sauce, wasabi and pickled ginger.

The variations for the rolls are endless. You can make a shrimp salad using a little bit of hot sauce and mayonnaise and adding it to chopped shrimp. You can spread a little cream cheese onto the rice before adding the smoked salmon. You can do all veggies and use red bell pepper for even more color and crunch. Use your imagination and have fun!


* For the sushi rice:

You absolutely have to use short grained rice. Use specialty sushi (or Japanese) rice. It's a lot like Arborio rice, the kind used for risotto. In a saucepan, add 1 1/4 cup of water and 1 cup of sushi rice. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and cook for 15 minutes, without stirring, until rice is tender and still shiny. Now here's where it gets interesting. To the cooked rice you can add 3 tablespoons of rice vinegar and 1 teaspoon of sifted confectioner's sugar. I didn't add the vinegar or the sugar as I wasn't sure I would like it but I might try it next time. You can then place the rice in a bowl or spread it on a baking sheet and let it cool to room temperature.

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Tuesday, April 21, 2009

TWD - Four Star Chocolate Bread Pudding

I've always thought of bread pudding as one of the most perfect of comfort foods but I'd never have thought to pair it with chocolate. It's usually cinnamon, raisins, cranberries, pecans and such for me. But thanks to Lauren of Upper East Side Chronicle (A Baking Blog), and Dorie, of course, I now know the joys of Chocolate Bread Pudding.

As I usually do for bread pudding, I didn't just use stale bread, I used stale cinnamon rolls from this little coffee shop we go to sometimes. The hint of cinnamon went really well with the chocolate, it gave it even more depth. And the richness of the cinnamon rolls made this even more sinful than it already was! Just as last week's Chocolate Amaretti Torte though, this recipe is for the serious chocolate lover. I paired it with a light fruit salad, for color and contrast.

I'm sure all the other Tuesdays with Dorie bakers have many surprises in store for us this week in the way of fantastic bread pudding variations. So with that, please check out Lauren's blog for the Chocolate Bread Pudding recipe and may you all have a fabulously chocolaty day!


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Tuesday, April 14, 2009

TWD - 15 Minute Magic: Chocolate Amaretti Torte

Chocolate lovers, listen up! This torte is not only chocolaty, it is chocolate overload. But, in a good way. The fabulous Holly of Phe.Mom.enon chose 15 Minute Magic: Chocolate Amaretti Torte for us as this week's installment of Tuesdays with Dorie and all I can say is: Thank you, Holly! Hints of amaretto from pulverized amaretti cookies which, along with ground almonds, take the place of flour in this pleasantly dense and moist cake.

I was really happy to have my mom over this weekend and she was one of the lucky taste testers. She loved it, no, she raved about it, as did everyone else! Even the kids, and we all know that they already are in chocolate overload after being gifted an impressive amount of chocolate by the Easter Bunny. Not enough, it seems... The torte is, as its name implies, quite easy to pull together, even without the use of a food processor. Add almond scented whipped cream and a few crushed amaretti cookies for effect, and you end up with an impressive dessert for remarkably little work. Score!

Please visit Holly's blog Phe.Mom.enon for the recipe (and other fun stuff!) and don't forget to visit the rest of the Tuesdays with Dorie bakers for further inspiration!

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Sunday, April 12, 2009

Happy Easter with See's Candies!

If your life has been as hectic as mine has lately, chances are you're enjoying a very well deserved long weekend with friends and family. I've been looking forward to this weekend for quite a while now, and it got even more interesting when I was contacted by See's Candies a few weeks ago and asked to sample their product. I had never heard about this company but after one look at their website I knew I had to say yes!

On the rainiest, coldest, most gray and dreary day last week, like a little ray of sunshine came a one pound (one pound!) custom mix box of See's Famous Old Time Candies. It took all the will power that I had to stop myself from tasting the candies right away, but I have to set an example for the kids, right? So, after dinner, we tasted what turned out to be some of the best chocolates we've ever had. Toffees, chocolate and coffee butter creams, nuts, caramels and marshmallows... You name it, it was in there. Seriously fantastic candy.

Now, I know there's no time for you to order anything for Easter, but, really, any occasion deserves a great box of chocolates. You could even order See's Candies for your next candy fundraiser. So go on and have a look at See's website and then enjoy a fabulous Easter day!
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