Szechuan Peppercorns

Okay, so I'm not actually celebrating my birthday today. I've had a very bad week so I'm postponing my birthday until Saturday. However, I had to share one gift that I received in the mail today.

My husband was very smart this year and got me gifts from my Amazon wish list rather than trying to surprise me with gifts I don't want. I know, that sounds terrible but he has a habit of getting me things I don't like even though I make it easy for him by always giving him several options. So this year I made a long list on Amazon so that he felt like it was more of a surprise.

I'm so happy because my first gift arrived today: Szechuan peppercorns! Not just szechuan peppercorns; 1 POUND of them!

Aren't they beautiful!?! I can't wait to use them. They smell like heaven and make me feel like I now own a pound of some illegal substance rather than a spice. Nothing beats that "ma la" (tongue-numbing spicy) high. No drugs for me, thank you. Just szechuan peppercorns!

So expect to see more dishes with this spice in it. If you can't find them at your local Asian market (I couldn't) then you can buy a smaller amount from Dean and Deluca and other retailers via Amazon. Mine are from J.R. Mushrooms & Specialties.

Note: Szechuan Peppercorns are not actually a pepper. They are dried ash berries from a tree that is a member of the citrus family. From 1968 until 2005 they were illegal in the U.S. since they carried a citrus canker virus. Now they are legal but must be heat-treated to kill the canker virus before being sent to the U.S.

Calamari Fritti

Last night I knew I had to use the calamari that I had de-thawed in my fridge before it went bad. Since it was already 10pm and we were starving, I decided to make a quick calamari; something I've never done before. Now that I own a deep fryer it's a fairly easy meal to make.

I had an unopened box of corn flakes and heard that they made a good coating for calamari. So, I coated the squid in flour, then an egg/milk mixture (1 egg, 1 T. milk), and a final coating of crunched up corn flakes. Then I deep fried each batch for 1-2 minutes until golden.

The calamari were really good. I served them with a roasted red pepper marinara sauce on the side. The calamari were much more tender than I expected (since they had been previously frozen) and the corn flakes provided the perfect crunch and flavor. It didn't even need any spices (although some spice wouldn't have hurt the dish).

For a quick snack or appetizer I definitely recommend making calamari fritti with corn flakes! Or, if you're like me, it can make a quick late-night meal.

Shrimp Stir-fry Tip

The other week my husband and I unintentionally had a fabulous meal. I needed to make something quick so I decided on a shrimp stir-fry with walnuts (any excuse to use those fresh walnuts my mom gave me).

I remembered that back in college a friend had recommended coating the shrimp in tapioca starch before frying. I tried it and was impressed with the crispness it provided not to mention how easy it was to coat the damp shrimp in the starch (no egg or flour needed!).

You can find tapioca starch at your local Asian market. Just coat the shrimp in the starch and stir fry in your wok for approximately 2 minutes per side; add the walnuts towards the end so that they toast lightly. Drain on a paper towel while you stir-fry your vegetables and some thin slices of fresh ginger. Be sure not to overcook the vegetables and add the sauce (I recommend a simple sauce of 2 T. soy sauce, 2 T. Shaoxing rice wine, and 2 tsp. of brown sugar) right before serving. Don't let vegetable steam in the sauce for too long or they will get mushy.

I served the shrimp separately from the stir-fried veggies so that they stayed crisp. We piled the shrimp and vegetables on top of a mound of jasmine rice.

It was the simplest and most delicious meal that I have ever prepared that quickly. The tapioca starch not only makes the shrimp crispy but it adds a subtle nutty flavor that's not too overpowering. We ended up eating the entire dish despite the fact that I had made enough for 4 people.

(not the most appetizing picture but you get the idea)

Hot German Potato Salad

As much as I love Tip Top Meats, I wasn't satsified by their German potato salad. Determined to make a batch of my own GPS, I searched through my cookbook collection for the perfect recipe.

Betty Crocker's Picture Cook Book from 1956 provided my recipe. It was hot, rich, and full of fat. Therefore, fully authentic in the eyes of this German girl.

I was very satisfied with the turnout and would recommend this recipe to anyone wanting to make a true hot German potato salad. However, I would like to live to a ripe old age so I probably won't make this again. Why? you ask. Read on.....

WARNING: The following may cause heart attack, clogged arteries, high blood pressure, and other health problems. Make at your own risk.

Hot German Potato Salad
from Betty Crocker's Picture Cook Book c.1956
p.389

Boil 6 med. potatoes (or a bag of mini potatoes) in their jackets. Peel and slice thinly.

Fry slowly in skillet, then drain on paper...
6 slices bacon

Saute in bacon fat until golden brown...
3/4 cup chopped onion

Blend in...
2 T. glour
1 to 2 T. sugar
1 1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. celery seeds
dash of pepper (needs more than a dash in my opinion)

Cook over low heat, stirring until smooth and bubbly. Remove from heat. Stir in...
3/4 c. water
1/3 c. vinegar

Bring to boil, stirring constantly. Boil 1 minute. Stir in carefully the potatoes and the crumbled bits of bacon. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand until ready to serve.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Cream Cheese Ice Cream

Yet another attempt at making ice cream with my ancient ice cream maker. This time it worked but I didn't like it. Turns out I don't really like cheesecake/cream cheese flavors. My husband, on the other hand, enjoyed this cream cheese ice cream with blackberries and whip cream.

The nice thing about this ice cream is that it's extremely quick to make since it involved no eggs. As always, I replaced the milk and cream with half-and-half (but I still followed the directions exactly). You might want to scrape down the sides of the ice cream maker after a minute or two to keep the ice cream from sticking to the sides.

Lemon Ice Cream

I tried making the Lemon Meringue Ice Cream recipe from my Gourmet cookbook the other day but it didn't turn out as planned. I scrapped the meringue because I added 3 egg whites instead of 2 so it didn't crisp up enough. As far as the ice cream goes, it turned into scrambled eggs (even though I did everything right!) so I had to strain it 4 times and lost some of the egg in the process. However, I managed to save it and the taste was pretty impressive. This ice cream has quite a zip to it and tastes kind of like an intense frozen lemon curd. Very tasty.

My ancient ice cream maker is finally starting to give out on me so I was hoping some of you, readers, would have a suggestion as to what ice cream maker I should ask for (my birthday is coming up and I have hinted to my mom that I could use a new one). Anyone have a favorite brand?

Cherry Goat Cheese Bruschetta

This Cherry Goat Cheese Bruschetta couldn't be more simple. Slice a baguette and toast after drizzling with olive oil. Add crumbled goat cheese and diced cherries and serve. Top with frsehly ground black pepper if desired.

You could probably use cherries and goat cheese with a puff pastry base instead. It would end up being a bit more dessert-like but just as pleasing.

Surprise Cookies

I've been meaning to make these cookies for a long time. This recipe comes from my mom's collection and I'm sure she must have made these for me as a kid.

Originally I was thinking of putting jelly beans inside of these cookies but the reality of a cooked jelly bean inside a cookie didn't sound very good. So I ended up using candy-coated chocolates.

Surprise Cookies

3/4 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
candy coated chocolate or jelly beans or gumdrops or chocolate covered peanuts
3/4 cup sifted powdered sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. In a large mixer bowl beat butter with electric mixer on medium speed until softened (about 30 seconds). Add sugar and salt and beat until fluffy.

3. Add egg and vanilla. Beat well.

4. With mixer on low speed gradually beat in flour until well mixed.

5. Shape the dough into 1-inch balls. Press a piece of desired candy in center of each and shape the dough aroudn it so you can't see the candy. Place balls about 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.

6. Bake for about 15 minutes or until edges are golden. Place powdered sugar in a plastic bag. With a pancake turner transfer 2 or 3 cookies at a time to the bag of powdered sugar. Gently shake cookies in powdered sugar until coated. Cool on a cooling rack. When cool, gently shake cookies again in powdered sugar.

Surprise!

Local Food Events

Next Sunday there will be a fair in Hillcrest: City Fest 2006.

Taste of the Pacific: Pacific Islander's Festival on the 23rd and 24th of September.

Also on the 23rd of September: The San Elijo Hills Festival Del Mar

For more Southern CA food festivals in the upcoming months click here or here.

****
Side note: if you live in Rancho Penasquitos, Carmel Mountain Ranch, Rancho Bernardo, Bernardo Heights, Bernardo Trails, Bernardo Oaks, Oaks North, Pomerado Park and the Lake Hodges area then you should boil your water until further notice as the water has tested positive for E.Coli. For more information click here.

Brownies, Walnut Chews, and Beer Bread

Double Chocolate Brownies

The other day I was trying to decide what to make for my friend's birthday. She loves food almost as much as I do and definitely has a sweet tooth. I know that she loves almond croissants, chocolate, and bakery items but isn't as fond of desserts like cookies. Since I had already gotten a birthday box (so cute! from Michael's) to put the dessert in, I had to make something that would fit. Plus her husband and daughter are a bit picky so I knew I couldn't make anything too fancy.



After deciding on brownies I tried to find a good recipe but none of the recipes I had looked good. I like a good chewy, fudgy brownie that isn't too dry or cake-like. Martha had several brownie recipes on her site so I finaly settled on the double chocolate brownies.

This was the first time I had ever used parchment paper (I finally found it for cheap at Target. Reynold's now makes it in a roll) as I usually use my silpats for anything that needs a nonstick surface. While I love my silpats, they don't work for brownies and bar cookies so I'm thrilled that I now know where to get parchment paper nearby. It makes such a HUGE difference when cutting them and keeping the brownies in perfect squares.

Walnut Chews

Right before Lisa stopped running her blog, Comfort Food/In a Nutshell, I copied down a recipe that she had made. She had started a nut theme and one of her first posts on nuts was for Chewy Walnut Squares from Tina Salter's Nuts: Sweet and Savory Recipes from Diamond of California.

Chewy Walnut Squares:

makes 16

1 c. chopped walnuts, 1/2 c. flour, 1/4 tsp. baking soda, 1/4 tsp. salt, 1 c. packed brown sugar, 1 tsp. vanilla extract, 1 egg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spread walnuts on a baking sheet or in a shallow pan. Bake, stirring once or twice, until lightly browned and fragrant, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool. Leave oven set to 350 degrees.

Line an 8-inch-square baking pan with a 16-inch sheet of aluminum foil; press foil firmly to make a snug fit, and let excess foil drape over edges. Coat foil generously with vegetable oil spray.

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt.

In a medium bowl, beat brown sugar, vanilla, and egg until smooth. Gradually stir in flour mixture until well blended. Stir in walnuts; batter will be quite stiff. Scrape into pan, spreading evenly.

Bake until lightly browned at the edges and the top no longer looks wet, 20 to 22 minutes. (The center will appear soft and underbaked but will firm as it cools.) Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Grasp the overhanging foil and lift from pan in one piece; place on a work surface. With a long, sharp knife, cut into 2-inch squares. Peel squares from the foil and serve at room temperature.

Store airtight at room temperature up to 5 days.

Notes: These bars are incredibly addictive. I am using all my willpower to keep from eating them all before my husband gets home. I used walnuts from a local farm near my mom's in the Santa Barbara wine country. This one farm also makes walnut oil that must be divine if it's as incredible as their walnut. They honestly taste nothing like the walnuts you buy in the store. It's not just that they are super fresh. They have a special almost "smoky" flavor. I couldn't find a website for the walnuts but I found the website for the company that makes the walnut oil.

Thanks to Lisa for originally posting this recipe. Since her blog is no longer published I decided to repost the recipe so you could all try it.

Whole Wheat Beer Bread

There are many recipes for beer bread out there but I think this one is perfect because it's so simple and fast. Plus it's easy to memorize.

Thanks to Susan from Farmgirl Fare for posting both the original beer bread recipe as well as coming up with this alternative whole wheat version. Check it out. I decided to make the whole wheat version one night because we were out of milk for the following morning and my husband must have milk with his cereal. So I took the lonely bottle of beer in the back of the fridge and made the whole wheat version since it lasts longer in your belly. I'm sure the original beer bread recipe she posted with cheddar cheese is just as good. I liked the whole wheat version because we could eat it with cheese, jam, butter, or Nutella. It was so satisfying with Nutella. Just two thick slices can keep you going all morning long.