LtDan'sKitchen.com

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Eggplant Fritters

Eggplants are fairly abundant back home. The common varieties we have are the Japanese and the small and round ones which is like a miniature version of the eggplants sold in the grocery stores here. We usually cook them using a charcoal grill until the skin is charred. At that point, you peel off the skin and you either turn it into a cold salad by adding diced tomatoes and onions and seasoned with salt and pepper or you can turn the soft meat into fritters. Growing up, eggplant fritters are one of my favorite lunch meals with rice. The fritter itself is very simple and is prepared by adding an egg to the mashed grilled eggplant meat and flavored with salt and pepper. It is then fried over hot oil until golden brown.

The eggplants here in the US are on the larger scale and the meat, though fleshy and having less seeds are on the bland side. To remedy this, I have adjusted my fritter recipe by adding Italian bread crumb mix to add more flavor to the fritter. You can either bake the eggplant at 350°F for about an hour until the skin if fairly browned or you can boil the eggplant which saves you some cooking time. Make sure that you poke some holes into the skin before baking or broiling though to ensure that the heat penetrates into the meaty flesh. Once cooked, you peel off the skin and mash the meat. For each eggplant, I add 1/3 cup of the Italian bread crumb mix, 1/4 cup of diced onions, a clove of minced garlic, an egg and season with salt and pepper. To fry, just add enough oil to cover the frying pan and at medium heat, fry the flattened dollops of the fritter mix until golden brown. Great eaten as is or served with steamed rice.

Schweddy Balls

One of my favorite regular guest host on SNL is Alec Baldwin. Coincidentally, one of my favorite sketches involves his character Pete Schweddy hawking his family products from rum balls to baseball wieners. Today, Ben and Jerry's unveiled their Schweddy Balls ice cream flavor in honor of the sketch and I, and I'm sure quite a few others as well, flocked to get hold of this new flavor to see and savor what it was all about. I myself bought two pints and after the first taste, I have to say it is very good. It is very adult in taste though. The fudge-covered rum and malt balls are quite intense. Very good rum flavor actually, even the vanilla ice cream base is flavored with rum as well. I say, give it a try. And, if you are curious enough and are wondering what's so special with the sketch, just go find it at Youtube. Make sure that you take a large dose of a wicked sense of humor though before watching.

Monday, September 5, 2011

Tres Leches Cake - Latin American Version

Tres Leches Cake is one of those cakes that taste really good but is somewhat challenging. The process of soaking the cake in a dairy trifecta of cream, evaporated milk and condensed milk suggests a soggy mass in cake form but in reality, this cake is very light and perfectly moist. Another issue is how to contain all this liquid from oozing out without serving a cake that looked like it peed on itself (sorry, bleach that thought). The recipe is courtesy of Emeril Lagasse and although I don't usually watch his shows, I needed a recipe for this cake and he has two versions. I've made both of them but I think I prefer this second version. One consideration is that the cake is almost usually baked in a 9x13 baking pan but I prefer a round cake so I used a 10-inch springform pan. One worry I had was how the change in cake pans will affect the cake and indeed, I had to do some sculpting. The cake came out a bit uneven with the sides rising more than the center portion so I had to surgically even out the cake using a serrated knife before soaking it with the milk. The extra mounds were actually really good with a cup of hot coffee so no complaints there.

The first time I made this cake, it was too stressful for me thinking of ways to prevent this cake from "leaking" although it really was meant to do that. I prefer to bake a cake that presents itself well generating oohs and aahs while satisfying my guests at the same time. Although this cake did do just that, I had to tweak the recipe to contain the plumbing issues. To achieve this goal, I used only half of the soaking liquid and used only portions of it to soak the cake. The recipe below is the second version that Emeril have on his show, is of Latin American origin and uses a lot less of the soaking liquid compared to the first recipe that I tried. The cake is also completed with a frosting of boiled icing instead of whipped cream. Of the two I made, I prefer this cake a bit more.

*Tres Leches Cake -Adapted

2 cups all-purpose flour

6 large eggs, separated

2 cups granulated sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup whole milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

Soaking liquid:
12 oz can evaporated milk

14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

1 cup heavy cream

Frosting:
6 tbsp water
1 1/2 cup white sugar
6 egg whites

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2. Lightly grease and flour a 10-inch springform pan. Set aside. In a
small mixing bowl, sift together the 2 cups flour and baking powder.

3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment,

beat the egg whites on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually
add 1/2 cup of granulated sugar with the mixer running, beating until
stiff peaks form. Transfer to another bowl.

4. Mix the egg yolks with the remaining white sugar and beat on high until
triple in volume. Fold in the beaten egg whites. Add the flour mixture
to the batter in stages, alternating with the whole milk, beginning and
ending with the flour. Add the vanilla extract.

5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and place in the oven and bake
    for 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes
    out clean. Remove the cake from the oven and place on a wire rack
    to cool for 10 minutes.

6. In a blender, combine the evaporated milk, sweetened condensed
milk, and 1 cup of the heavy cream. Cover and blend on high for 45
seconds. Save half of the milk mixture, cover, and refrigerate until
ready to serve the cake.

7. Pour 1/2 of the remaining milk mixture over the warm cake. When
    the cake has soaked up most of the liquid, pour the remaining half
    of the milk mixture over the cake, and cool to room temperature.
    Cover and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 4 hours or
    overnight. Make sure the top part of the cake is even.

8. To make the frosting, boil the sugar with the water over medium low
heat without stirring until it reaches 230°F on a candy thermometer.
When you are close to reaching this stage, whip the egg whites until
soft peak forms. Over medium speed, drizzle in the sugar syrup and
once added, raise the speed to high until stiff peaks are formed.
Frost the cake and pipe rosettes if desired.

9. Serve the cake with the reserved chilled milk sauce.

*Food Network Channels: Emeril Live: Latin Flavors episode: 2002

Chicken and Pork Mole de La Abuela Ramoncita

I've had chicken mole back in graduate school when my friend Luis invited us over for dinner at his apartment. Luis is Mexican from the town of Queretaro. It was my first foray into authentic Mexican food and it was quite an experience. Luis is quite the chef and it was the first time I also tried pickled cactus at his urging. I did not like it but it was not an unpleasant experience and I'm just glad I gave it a try. I just don't like pickled anything so it was not the cacti's fault. The mole sauce that he made though was really very good and I seem to remember asking for the recipe but it is all very fuzzy now so he might have a better answer as to why I did not get the recipe back then.

I made my own version of Chciken Mole Poblano using Tyler Florence's recipe while at Emory. On a whim, I thought I'll send it over to Luis for him to check if the recipe is credible enough to pass as authentic as I planned to make chicken mole this weekend. Let me just put it this way, his first response was, STTOOOOOOPP! This was followed by, "I'll have my wife send you a real recipe of mole." That was good enough for me. While I patiently waited, I was not ready for the surprise that came my way when the recipe arrived. It was a lot more different than what I thought it would be. My idea of mole is a bunch of dried chilies reconstituted in broth and flavored with chocolate. I did not anticipate the inclusion of animal crackers, plantain bananas and lard. So, without further ado, I'm sharing the recipe that Luis and his wife, Teresa graciously shared with me that belonged to Teresa's Grandmother, Ramoncita.

Chicken and Pork Mole de La Abuela Ramoncita

6 dried poblano peppers (ancho)
4 dried pasilla chili (chili   con negra)
1 banana plantain
1 Fuji apple, peeled
1 1/2 cup animal crackers
3/4 cup raisins
1 tsp cinnamon powder
1/2 tsp anise seeds
1/2 cup sesame seeds,   toasted
1/2 cup skinless almonds,   toasted
1 cup peanuts, roasted
6 cloves garlic, peeled
1 onion, sliced
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 chocolate tablet
1/2 lb lard
2-4 tbsp vegetable oil
salt
2 lbs pork, cut in large pieces
4 lbs chicken, cut in large pieces

1. Cook the pork in water and season with salt and pepper and a clove of
garlic. Boil for about 30 minutes. In a separate pot, do the same for the
chicken. Set aside.

2. Deseed the dried chilies and dry toast in a non stick pan over medium
heat. Be careful not to burn them. Once toasted, put in a glass bowl
and pour enough hot water the soak them, about 1 cup. Set aside.

3. On the same pan, dry toast the onions and garlic until browned on both
side. Set aside.

4. In succession, dry toast the almonds, peanuts and sesame seeds. Set
them aside. Lastly, toast the anise seeds and the cinnamon for about
a minute. Set aside.

5. On the same pan, add 2 tbsp of oil and fry the bananas and apples
until caramelized on both sides. You may have to do this in batches.
Set aside. Add 2 more tbsp of oil and fry the raisins.

6. To make the chili paste, take the reconstituted chilies and the liquid
and put them in a blender. Blitz until you get a smooth paste. If you
need more liquid, use the pork broth until you achieve a thick dark
paste, about 2 cups.

7. To make the spice paste, blitz the rest of the toasted and fried
ingredients. Use the pork broth to aid in the blending. You will end up
with about 8 - 10 cups of spice paste.

8. In a deep sauce pot, warm the lard over medium heat. Once melted,
add the sugar and the chocolate tablet. Stir until the chocolate is fully
incorporated.

9. Add the chili paste and mix. Lower the heat and simmer for about 15
minutes. Add the spice paste and simmer for another 30 minutes. Check
for flavor and correct with salt.

10. In a large deep sauce pan, take about half of the mole and add about
1/2 cup of water to thin out the mole paste. Add the chicken and pork
pieces and simmer for another 15 minutes. The mole should have the
consistency of ketchup. Add more mole paste if needed. Garnish with
toasted sesame seeds and serve with Mexican rice.

The mole paste you get from this recipe is more than you will need unless you are making a giant batch. You can freeze the rest of the mole paste. I doubled the recipe and I obtained a whole pot of mole paste which I plan to cook over the next few months.

Mexican Rice

Mexican rice is the perfect accompaniment to the dinner I was preparing for my friends tonight. It has just enough flavor to hold its own and yet, it is subtle enough to not take away from the main dish. The process of cooking the rice is the same way that I usually cook rice be it regular or as a pilaf. The key to this dish is to make sure that the rice is sauted first before the liquids are added to prevent them from clumping when cooked.

The rice is usually cooked with tomato sauce but I prefer to used diced tomatoes and its liquid. It gives the dish a more organic feel and a much lighter texture and taste.

Mexican Rice

3 cups white rice
1/2 cup diced onions
3 cloves garlic, diced
14 oz diced tomatoes
1 tsp chicken broth powder
2 tbsp oil
salt and pepper

1. Saute the onions and garlic in the oil at medium heat. Season with salt
and pepper. Add the broth powder and the rice. Saute until the rice has
absorbed the oil.

2. Add the diced tomatoes and about 2 cups of water. Bring the liquids to a
boil uncovered.

3. When the liquid has been mostly absorbed, cover the pot and lower the
heat to low and let it steam cook for about 30 minutes.

4. Fluff with a fork and serve immediately.

Cheese Enchiladas

Another Mexican dish I learned by watching my friend Luis cook is cheese enchiladas. The technique was the most important lesson that I learned from him since the rest of the ingredients were easy to come by. Canned enchilada sauce was available in several brands ranging from mild to hot in terms of spice heat which was my saving grace until now. The filling was very simple and had only two ingredients. The choice of tortilla became important as I used to prefer flour tortilla but most of my Mexican friends seem to prefer the corn variety.

In the spirit of the Mexican dinner I was preparing for my friends, I figured, I'd prepare everything from scratch. The first order of business is the enchilada sauce. I found a recipe that was supposedly Mexican in origin so I started from there and made it my own by changing some of the ingredients. For the filling, I made the choice to add jalapenos and together with the onions, caramelized it slightly to enhance the flavor of the onions while playing down the heat from the peppers. The other important ingredient to this dish is the cheese. I usually prefer Mozzarella but in this instance, I used Queso Fresco which I really believe now is a lot better in terms of texture and flavor. Muy delicioso!

Cheese Enchiladas

Enchilada Sauce:

3 tbsp flour
3 tbsp California chili powder
1 tbsp cocoa powder
salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup diced tomatoes
4 cups water
3 tbsp tomato paste
3 sprigs of fresh oregano (1 tsp dried)

Filling:
2 cups diced onions
4 jalapeno peppers, deseeded and sliced thinly
1 1/2 lb Queso Fresco, shredded
2 tbsp oil
salt and pepper

24 6-inch corn tortillas

1. In a sauce pot, mix the chili powder, flour and cocoa powder. Add 3 cups
of water and mix well. Cook over medium heat until the mixture
thickens. Stir occasionally.

2. Add the oregano, a tsp of salt, tomato paste, garlic and the remaining
cup of water. Simmer for another 10 minutes. Let cool for about 5
minutes and blitz in a blender. Check for flavor and adjust with more
salt. Set aside. You will get about 5 cups of sauce.

3. To prepare the filling, heat the oil in a medium saute pan. Add the onions
and peppers and season with salt and pepper. Cover and allow to
caramelize until slightly browned. Check and move the mixture around
every now and them to prevent them from burning. Set aside and cool.
Once cooled, add the shredded cheese.

4. In another saute pan, spoon about a cup of the sauce and at medium
heat add a tortilla to soften on both sides. Use a tong to lift the tortilla
out of the sauce and fill with about two tsbps of the filling mix. Roll and
lay on a baking pan that has been covered with a thin layer of the sauce.
Do the same for the rest of the tortilla or until all the filling has been used
up. You will end up with two 9X13 baking pans.

5. Cover the baking pans with foil and bake for about 45 minutes at 350°F.

Ensalada de Naranjas - Orange Salad

My Mexican friends used to serve a very simple salad made with lettuce and bits of cucumber. They dressed their salad simply with lime and olive oil. However, I needed a salad recipe that made use of oranges which I had in excess and I was pleased to find a recipe that is Mexican in origin and made use of oranges and cucumbers. The salad called for lettuce which I did not have but I do have organic spinach leaves so I substituted the spinach leaves for the lettuce. The salad is dressed with a French dressing which I spiced up with a jalapeno pepper.

*Ensalada de Naranjas - Adapted

4 oranges
1 cucumber
4 cups spinach leaves

Dressing:
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 jalapeno pepper, deseeded and finely diced
1/4 cup green onions, diced
1 tbsp honey
1/2 lime
salt and pepper
1/4 cup olive oil + more if needed

1. To make the dressing, combine the vinegar, juice of lime and honey and
mix well. With a whisk, drizzle in the olive oil until a thick emulsion is
formed. Season with salt and pepper. Add the jalapeno and the onions
and mix well. Set aside.

2. Peel the oranges and slice into rounds. Peel the cucumber and slice
crosswise into thin slices. Wash the spinach leaves.

3. To assemble, arrange the spinach leaves on a wide bowl and top with
the orange and cucumber slices in a decorative manner. Drizzle with
the dressing and serve immediately.

* Brown, H. E., Woman's Day Encyclopedia of Cookery: Volume 7, Fawcett Publications Inc., New York: 1966

Recipes

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Monday, September 5, 2011