International Experiments from the past two weeks:

-shrimp wontons...could use a 'lil help
-Chinese vegetarian dumplings...coulda used a bit more salt and practice with forming perfectly round pieces of dough... but getting there...
-samosas...filling worked, need to remember to cut the dough into semi-circles instead of circles
-scallion pancakes (!)--perfect! :D :D :D
-pasta salad with grilled Japanese eggplant, roasted red peppers, and homemade Italian-style paneer...will tell ya tomorrow how this fusion creation works
-spoon bread...needed salt but will be great for putting eggs over, or for a casserole bake


Toldya I was keeping busy! ;)

The perfect chocolate chip cookie

I'm still here. Still cooking too. I've just been a bit distracted by long car trips to Canada and drama. But drama is correlated with stress. And stress is correlated with cooking. Insane amounts of cooking. Which leads me to this post.

There was a great NYTimes article about the perfect chocolate chip cookie, if such a thing exists.


Of course, I was naturally curious and skeptical. And so I began to take steps in achieving my new goal for the summer (either in addition to or instead of my dissertation proposal). The overarching aim is to find "the perfect chocolate chip cookie" that does not require buying mail-order gourmet $30 chocolate feves. In fact, it would be great if making a batch of cookies could cost $10 or less.

Aim 1. Compare the texture of cookies after dough has sat out at 0h, 24h, 36h, and 48h
Hypothesis 1, based on the NYTimes test: Cookies will have the best texture at 36h.
Result. Cookies at 24h had the best texture after baking. 36h and 48h Cookies have better texture than 0h cookies while warm. 0h cookies have better texture than 48h cookies the next day. Results on next-day quality could not be obtained for the 36h cookies due to consumption. This is a limitation to be considered for future studies. Next-day results on the 24h cookies have yet to be determined.


Aim 2. Compare the taste of cookies after dough has sat out at 0h, 24h, 36h, and 48h.
Hypothesis 2. The longer the tastier
Results. Hypothesis 2 was confirmed by three taste testers. This pattern of results remained the next day for 0h and 48h cookies.


Aim 3. Compare the taste of cookies made with Cabot butter and Land O Lakes butter.
Hypothesis 3. Cookies made with Cabot all natural butter will taste better

Aim 4. Compare the taste of cookies made with Gold Medal and King Arthur flour.
Hypothesis 4. Cookies made with King Arthur flour will taste better.

Aim 5. Compare the taste of cookies made with all coarse kosher salt, sea salt, 50-50 coarse kosher and sea salt, and regular NaCl
Hypothesis 5. Cookies made with a mix of coarse and sea salt will taste best. Regular table salt can continue to live outside the house.

Aim 6. Compare the taste of cookies made with hormone-free eggs and regular eggs
Hypothesis 6. Cookies made with the good eggs will taste better.

Aim 7. Compare chocolate chip cookie recipes that use reasonable ingredients. Accepting submissions. Received so far: 2

Aim 8. Compare results of softened butter and melted butter.

Aim 9. Compare cookies that are baked, frozen, and reheated with frozen cookie dough that is then baked.

Aims 1 and 2 were tested with the following recipe adapted from Ghiradelli

1 1/4 cup King Arthur flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp Hain sea salt
1/8 tsp Morton coarse kosher salt
1 stick Cabot butter, softened
1/2c Florida natural sugar
1/2c Domino light brown sugar
vanilla extract
1 large egg
1c Ghiradelli semi-sweet chocolate chips

Best results were made with balls about 2-3 in in diameter and slightly flattened. Our oven temp is off. The recipe says 375...our oven does cookies best at about 315.

Aims beyond 1 and 2 have yet to be fulfilled... taste testers who are willing to travel and donations are welcome

The Perfect Hard Boiled Egg
Juuuuust in case they ever take the site down and so that I don't always have to google it, I'm cut and pasting this "recipe" here...I'm a fan... I love hard boiled eggs but hate it when you get that icky green around the yolk. I've never gotten the icky green since following these instructions

* Exported from MasterCook *



Recipe By : Julia Child, "The Way to Cook"
Serving Size : 1 Preparation Time :0:40
Categories : Cheese/Eggs Family Recipes

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
For 1-4 Eggs:
1 to 4 Eggs
2 quarts water -- * see note
For 12 Eggs:
12 Eggs
3 1/2 quarts water -- * see note
For 24 Eggs:
24 Eggs
6 quarts water -- * see note
Special Equipment_________________________
High (not wide) Saucepan with cover
Bowl w/ice cubes & water (large enough to
completely cover eggs)

*note: water should cover the eggs by 1 inch, so use a tall pan, and limit
cooking to 2 dozen eggs at a time.

1. Lay the eggs in the pan and add the amount of cold water specified. Set
over high heat and bring just to the boil; remove from heat, cover the pan,
and let sit exactly 17 minutes.

2. When the time is up, transfer the eggs to the bowl of ice cubes and
water. Chill for 2 minutes while bringing the cooking water to the boil
again. (This 2 minute chilling shrinks the body of the egg from the shell.)

3. Transfer the eggs (6 at a time only) to the boiling water, bring to the
boil again, and let boil for 10 seconds - this expands the shell from the
egg. Remove eggs, and place back into the ice water.


Chilling the eggs promptly after each step prevents that dark line from
forming, and if time allows, leave the eggs in the ice water after the last
step for 15 to 20 minutes. Chilled eggs are easier to peel, as well.

The peeled eggs will keep perfectly in the refrigerator, submerged in water
in an uncovered container, for 2 to 3 days.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

NOTES : The perfect hard boiled egg has a tender white, and a yolk properly
set. There is not the faintest darkening of yolk where the white encircles
it (a chemical reaction caused by too much heat in the cooking process).
Eggs cooked this way can also be peeled neatly. The system described here, developed by the Georgia Egg Board, takes a bit of fussing - but it really does produce an absolutely Perfect Hard Boiled Egg!

Millet Yam Cakes, Quinoa Cakes, and Chicago

I was looking for a healthy snack at Whole Foods the other day and ended up getting these yummy little gems. Like any good snoop, I took note of the ingredients list and will be trying to replicate the gems in the home kitchen some time soon. If anyone has real recipes for making these treats, please pass along :)

Ingredients:

millet yam cakes:
millet, sweet potatoes, onions, leeks, tamari, oil

quinoia cakes:
quinoa, spinach, carrots, zucchini, "vegetable base--onions tomatoes potatoes carrots celery) salt yeast extract corn starch, onion powder, sugar,lemon juice, garlic, oil pepper

In other news, Chicago was very very cold, but enjoyable. The concept of snow in March now eludes me and you'd never know I was from Boston. We had a lot of good food in Chicago and a lot of it was quite reasonably priced. It's amazing what you get used to paying in Miami!

Heaven on 7 for lunch/brunch--R got the oyster po boy [sandwich with fried oysters and lettuce and other stuff in it] and I got cheese grits and cajun shrimp. It was a fun place with bottles of hot sauce lining the walls. I'm not quite accustomed to the way things are packed in Chicago and therefore, how common it is for things to happen above the ground floor. The restaurant was on the seventh floor. Passing by the building, you'd never really suspect that there'd be a full blown restaurant upstairs. It felt like I constantly had to look upwards in the streets to see what other stores and businesses I was missing--shoe repair places, clothing stores, hair salons all on upper levels. It reminded me a bit of Shanghai in the way you could find restaurants on the 35th floor of some otherwise normal tall building.


Lou Malnati's for deep dish pizza--I'm realizing that I might not like real deep dish pizza, having been trained on Uno's and Pizza Hut... I'm so accustomed to equating deep dish with grease fest that it was a bit disappointing that the pizza here wasn't greasy. Everyone else liked it and I assume I just have very unsophisticated tastes in deep dish... I guess it's the quivalent of people liking crab rangoons at Americanized Chinese restaurants.

Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba for tapas--we went here a few years ago for ABCT but I loved it so much, I wanted to come again. We sat at the bar since the place was packed... We got shrimp in garlic sauce, manchego and spinach stuffed mushrooms, a cheese plate, and seared scallops with couscous. After 10, tapas were $3 and we ordered a grilled calamari and potatos bravas... After reading some NYTimes article, I've started ordering potato bravas at every tapas restaurant I go to... True to the article, everyone does seem to make it differently. The Ba Ba Reeba version was delicious. It was such a super yummy restaurant. There's no question that I'd go...again.

Corner Bakery Cafe--The desserts are quite yummy. There really aren't enough bakeries in Miami!

Vong's Thai Kitchen--this place was delicious in that fushiony Thai kind of way. They operated as a fancier restaurant in terms of service and deco etc. but they were normally priced. Well, at least normally priced compared to Miami Thai food :). They didn't have space for us until 9pm but it was well worth the wait. Instead of bread, they started us off with a shredded daikon salad which tastes a lot like the ones my grandmother makes. Then we had the tuna sashimi roll--it was alright. I'd be curious to try a different appetizer in the future. I had the penang curry shrimp noodles--a dish with slightly fried and crispy fat rice noodles. The combination of flavors was amazing. R got the red curry pad thai--the flavor was wonderful as well. In both dishes, the ingredients came together perfectly. Each bite was a trip to happy town. Unfortunately, I was so full, that I missed out on the dessert that I had been looking forward to...next trip, I start with dessert! :p

Bistro 110--brunch. This was near the Waterworks and I'd definitely go back in a heartbeat. They start you off with a plate with a huge roasted garlic and fresh bread. I'm a sucker for roasted garlic on bread so I was smitten before I even ordered. I had the Louisiana Eggs which were very good. R's cousin-in-law had the croissant French Toast which also looked heavenly. I'd debated heavily between the two choices. Next trip, I'll try to toast! :) Unless it's fall, in which case his cousin in law says they serve pumpkin soup served in mini pumpkins. Now who wouldn't go for that?

duds:
Billy Goat Tavern. Granted, we first tried going to one under a street bridge late at night so it was completely empty. And then we walked to Timbuktu, well, technically, just another one which turned out to be closed.

Hancock Tower. We went to the 96th Floor to get a drink. After twenty minutes of waiting in line, getting shoved around by the hostess and host, treated rudely by then, and having others seated before us, and dealing with their general bitchiness and sneering, we decided to leave the damn line. Which was probably their goal but honestly, I can pay $12 for a drink in Miami with better service.

This is what else we're hoping to make later this week... [ok, update: made items...changes in italics]

*************************

Fettuccine and Tofu with Finger-Licking Peanut Sauce
[Using Asian rice noodles instead]

Ingredients

1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth [vegetarian version of no-chicken broth--NOT veggie broth!]
1/4 cup chunky peanut butter
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger
2 teaspoons chile paste with garlic
4 garlic cloves, minced
8 ounces uncooked fettuccine [used rice noodles]
1 pound firm tofu, drained and cubed [omitted but can be put in--stir fry in vegetable step]
1 cup (2-inch) sliced green onions
1 cup shredded carrot
[added summer squash--bean sprouts should work well too]
2 beaten eggs

Preparation
[First soak the rice noodles in a large covered bowl of hot water while you cut up vegetables, prepared the sauce, etc. The pyrex mixing bowls with covers work well--though a large bowl covered with a plate should have the same effect.

Second, in a large flat pan, sautee the vegetables in some oil with some salt, pepper, garlic, and onion and remove from the pan. Add more oil to the pan and cook the beaten eggs until just done. Remove the scrambled/pancake egg and cut into 1 in strips.]

Combine first 8 ingredients in a separate small saucepan. Cook over medium heat 5 minutes or until smooth, stirring frequently. Remove from heat.


Drain the rice noodles. Heat some more oil in the large flat pan that had been used for the veggies and egg. Then add the rice noodles. Stir fry for a few minutes and then add a tiny bit of water to the pan (1/4 cup?). Cover the pan with a large lid, lower the heat to medium, and cook until al dente to tender. Once noodles are done, stir in sauce and vegetables and stir fry for another few minutes. Enjoy!

Cook pasta in boiling water 8 minutes, omitting salt and fat. Add tofu, onions, and carrot; drain. Place pasta mixture in a large bowl. Add peanut butter mixture; toss gently.


Yield

4 servings (serving size: 2 cups)

********************************

Vietnamese Lettuce Rolls with Spicy Grilled Tofu

Ingredients

1 (16-ounce) package water-packed firm tofu, drained
1/2 cup fresh lime juice [I used half this amount]
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup thinly sliced peeled fresh lemongrass [I couldn't buy lemongrass but I'm sure it would be yummy!]
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
3/4 teaspoon chile paste with garlic
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
Cooking spray
1 head romaine lettuce
1/2 cup cilantro leaves
3 tablespoons chopped dry-roasted peanuts
36 small mint leaves
36 (2-inch) strips julienne-cut carrot
12 basil leaves
[I added long strips of starfruit and mango]

Preparation
[I omitted the tofu-drying steps in this first paragraph. I just took cut the tofu crosswise, lay them flat in a large flat ziploc container, and threw the marinade below over the whole deal] Cut tofu crosswise into 12 (1/2-inch) slices. Place tofu slices on several layers of heavy-duty paper towels. Cover tofu with additional paper towels. Place a cutting board on top of tofu; place a cast-iron skillet on top of cutting board. Let stand 30 minutes to 1 hour. (Tofu is ready when a slice bends easily without tearing or crumbling.) Arrange tofu in a single layer in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish.

Combine juice and the next 6 ingredients (juice through garlic) in a small saucepan, and bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute, stirring until honey dissolves. Pour over tofu. Cover and let stand at room temperature 1 hour.

[I didn't grill either--I took the tofu, laid them on an oiled piece of foil in a baking pan, and cooked the tofu at 350 until they looked done. Then I chopped up the tofu into smaller cubes]

Prepare grill.

Remove tofu from dish, and reserve marinade. Coat tofu with cooking spray. Place tofu on grill rack coated with cooking spray. Grill 3 minutes on each side or until browned.

Remove 12 large outer leaves from lettuce head; reserve remaining lettuce for another use. Remove bottom half of each lettuce leaf; reserve for another use. Place 1 tofu slice on each lettuce leaf top. Top each leaf top with 2 teaspoons cilantro, 3/4 teaspoon peanuts, 3 mint leaves, 3 carrot strips, and 1 basil leaf [and starfruit and mango...wasn't exact either about the cilantro/mint/basil ratio]. Wrap leaf around toppings. Serve with reserved marinade.
Yield

4 servings (serving size: 3 lettuce rolls and about 1/4 cup sauce)
Nutritional Information

CALORIES 294(29% from fat); FAT 9.5g (sat 1.5g,mono 2.5g,poly 4.9g); PROTEIN 14.8g; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 157mg; SODIUM 334mg; FIBER 2.8g; IRON 3.5mg; CARBOHYDRATE 44.9g

Cinnamon recipes

I decided to make this a participatory blog centered around things that make me and others happy... (in contrast to my myspace griping blog)...that includes cooking, music, books, poetry, outdoors, travels, art, and nerdy topics like mathematical formulas, science, and other things... we'll rotate.

Today's question centers around cinnamon ...which was mentioned as early as 2700 BC in Chinese texts...and later in the Bible as a token of friendship. It was also used for some less pleasant purposes as well but we'll forget about that.

Do you have a favorite recipe that calls for cinnamon? If it's not a secret recipe, please share! =) It could be someone else's recipe :) Just credit so I don't get sued or something ;) ...stayed tuned for a music question next...

Here's mine that I made up based on some experiments and tweeking of other brownie recipes. Based on the guinea pigs on third and fourth dot, my practicum site, lack of crumbs at the end of the day, and the fact that eating these cheered me up, I'm keeping the recipe in my list of Bad Week 101 solutions.

Olivia's Brownie Recipe

1 1/2 sticks of butter
3 oz semisweet chocolate
3 oz unsweetened chocolate
1 1/2 cups of sugar
2 tbsp vanilla (I tend just to poor...my guess it amounts to about two tablespoons)
1 cup flour
4 eggs
1 tsp salt
three generous shakes of cinnamon (maybe the equivalent of a teaspoon...shaking the bottle without measuring is easier and more fun)

Preheat oven to 350. Melt butter and chocolate together, either in the microwave or over low heat on the stove (microwave tends to be faster...just make sure it doesn't burn)...stir until smooth. Stir in vanilla and sugar. Then stir in one egg at a time and then add the flour and salt. Pour into greased 13x9 pan and bake. Check brownies at 18 minutes...most likely, they'll be done in 20 minutes.