One-pot chicken and rice

1/2 c chopped shallots
3-4 cloves garlic chopped
8 dried mushroom rehydrated and sliced
3/4 lb chicken thighs, cut into 1/2 in pieces
1 1/2 c long grain brown rice, washed

2 c chicken stock (or combination with mushroom soaking liquid)
3 T soy sauce
2 T oyster sauce
1 t sesame oil
pepper
sliced scallions

heat dutch oven with oil. stir fry shallots and garlic until fragrant. Add chicken and mushrooms and cook until rawness of the chicken disappears. add liquid mixture and bring to a boil. stir in rice. Cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for 45 minutes. Take off heat and add scallions. Rest for 10 minutes. mix up mixture.

Black Bean and Espresso Chili

from epicurious
1/2 cup olive oil
5 large onions, chopped
1/4 cup instant espresso powder
1/4 cup chili powder
1/4 cup ground cumin
1/4 cup dried oregano leaves
2 28-ounce cans crushed tomatoes with added puree
1/3 cup honey
6 large garlic cloves, minced
7 15-ounce cans black beans, rinsed, drained
2 cups water
1 tablespoon salt
1/4 teaspoon chipotle chili powder or chili powder
Large pinch of ground cinnamon


Assorted toppings: sour cream, chopped fresh cilantro, chopped green onions, shredded cheese, sliced jalapeños, and shaved bittersweet chocolate

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and sauté until tender, about 8 minutes. Mix in espresso powder, 1/4 cup chili powder, cumin, and oregano. Cook 1 minute. Mix in tomatoes, honey, and garlic. Bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer 30 minutes. Add beans, 2 cups water, salt, chipotle chili powder, and cinnamon. Bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer uncovered until mixture thickens slightly, stirring often, about 30 minutes. Season with salt. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cool slightly. Refrigerate uncovered until cold, then cover and refrigerate. Rewarm before serving.)

Place toppings in individual condiment bowls. Ladle chili into bowl and serve toppings alongside.

 

Apple cider vinegar english muffins - Take two

This is a combination of the Peter Reinhart english muffin recipe and the apple cider vinegar recipe i found on Foodbeam. the technique is from the Reinhart recipe and the ingredients from Foodbeam.

 

I made sure to divide the dough into 12 portions which turned out perfect sized muffins. 

After grilling them on a pan for 4-5 minutes per side (6 rolls at a time), i put them in a 350 oven for 10 minutes to finish baking the interior. the timing worked perfectly; while the first batch was in the oven, i grilled the second batch (total 10 minutes)

Let rest....

I liked this recipe better than the PR which turned out more like a bun with tight texture. as you can see above, there are relatively large grooves and crags. the flavor was tangy, chewy. i'm still trying to get spongier, chewier, groovy muffin while using whole wheat. Next up i'll try the KA recipe. 

The night before:
2 T unsalted butter, softened
1 T apple cider vinegar
100g live yogurt
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 tsp salt
Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk until smooth.

Add:
375g flour (whole wheat and ap flour)
2tsp easy-blend yeast
100g warm water (1/2 c)

Combine water and yeast and let rest 10 minutes. Add flour and yeast mixture to the wet ingredients. knead with dough hook for 8 minutes. The dough should be tacky, not sticky. Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.

Ferment at room temp 8-12 hours. Or refrigerate overnight after proofing 1-2 hours.

Wipe the counter with a damp cloth and transfer the dough to the counter.  Roll into a log and divide into 12. Roll into balls allow to proof for at least 2 hours.

Preheat oven 350. Place a heavy-bottomed frying pan onto moderate heat spray with oil, then slide the muffins into the pan. Cook for 3 minutes then flip over and cook for a further 4 minutes. The dough will flatten in the pan and spread slightly, then the pieces will puff somewhat. The bottoms should be a rich golden brown; they will brown quickly but will not burn for awhile, so resist the temptation to turn them prematurely or they will fall when you flip them over. transfer the pieces to a sheet pan and place the pan in the oven (don’t wait for the still uncooked pieces, or the ones just out of the pan will cool down and will not respond to the oven stage). Bake for 5 to 8 minutes on the middle shelf in the oven to ensure that the center is baked. Meanwhile, return to the uncooked pieces and cook them, then bake them, as you did the first round.Transfer to a wire rack and get on with the remaining discs of dough.

Sour Cream Coffee Cake -- Two ways

both cakes are based on a basic sour cream coffee cake recipe from Martha Stewart. the first one follows the recipe to the T (except I reduced the sugar to 2/3 c). I ended up just using around half of the filling recipe and since I had about a cup of sour cream left, i decided to make another cake but using oil instead of butter.

i love sour cream cakes; they always produce the most tender, moist cakes. for the oil-based cake, i also substituted a third of the flour for whole wheat white flour.


FOR THE FILLING (halve recipe)
3 tablespoons sugar
4 1/2 teaspoons instant coffee granules
4 1/2 teaspoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
FOR THE BATTER
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for pan
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup sour cream, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make the filling: Stir together sugar, coffee, and cocoa powder in a small bowl; set aside.
2. Butter a 10-inch (12-cup) Bundt (loaf) pan. Dust with flour, and tap out excess. Make the batter: Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Put butter and sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Reduce speed to medium. Mix in eggs, one at a time. Mix in flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with sour cream. Add vanilla, and mix 1 minute.
3. Spread 1/3 of the batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle with half the filling. Spread another third of the batter on top, followed by the remaining filling. Spread remaining batter over top. Run a thin knife through batter to marbleize.
4. Bake until a cake tester inserted into center comes out clean, 35 to 38 minutes. Let cool 30 minutes. Invert onto a plate.

Charles Pham Caramel Chicken

Chicken in Caramel Sauce
adapted from SF Gate

Serves 4 to 6
The inspiration for this dish that Charles Phan serves at his Slanted Door restaurant in San Francisco came from a street cart in Vietnam. It's a good example of the great food that is served from street stands throughout that country.

1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup Asian fish sauce (see Note)
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon dark or regular soy sauce (double/triple)
1 teaspoon slivered ginger (double/triple)1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 small Thai chiles (fresh or dried), broken in half
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 shallot, sliced (double/triple)
1 3/4 pounds skinless, boneless dark-meat chicken, cut into bite-size pieces
1/4 pound skinless, boneless white-meat chicken, cut into bite-size pieces
Steamed white rice
Cilantro sprigs for garnish

Combine the brown sugar, water, fish sauce, vinegar, garlic, soy sauce, ginger, pepper and chiles in a small bowl. Mix well, and set aside.
Heat the oil in a large pot over high heat. Add the shallot and saute until brown, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the chicken and saute until it is slightly browned, about 5 minutes.
Add the sauce mixture and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has reduced by half, about 12 to 20 minutes depending on the pot size. Serve over rice and garnish with cilantro.
Note: Fish sauce is available in Asian markets and upscale supermarkets.
Per serving: 400 calories, 41 g protein, 22 g carbohydrate, 15 g fat (4 g saturated), 131 mg cholesterol, 903 mg sodium, 0 fiber
The secrets: The interplay between the fish sauce and brown sugar creates a complex flavor. The combination of white and dark meat gives interesting texture to the dish.

Whole Wheat English Muffins

English muffins are some of the best stuff to eat. they're perfect for breakfast with a thick layer of PB&J or the perfect compliment for egg whatever way. They're also perfect to have for tuna melts (or more recently sardine and avocado salads) for simple, fast dinners.
I've tried making english muffins before but don't think i was all that happy with the results. So i helplessly have been getting the "Wheat English Muffins" from Whole Foods for all these years. week after week. If there was a recipe to master to save $, this would be it.


after the first rise
These turned out really well and i think with some practice it'll be a keeper. It didn't produce the crags and holes of storebought. I'm going to experiment with a "no-knead"-style dough (with higher hydration and fermentation) or I wonder if using buttermilk instead of the milk (option given in the recipe) would create bigger holes. i substituted half the flour with white whole wheat. These produced huge muffins so next time i'll divide them into 8.
English Muffins
(From The Bread Baker’s Apprentice by Peter Reinhart)
Makes 6 English muffins -- (these were huge. make 8 muffins next time)

2¼ cups (10 ounces) unbleached bread flour (I used white whole wheat flour)
½ tablespoon (.25 ounce) granulated sugar
¾ teaspoon (.19 ounce) salt
1¼ teaspoons (.14 ounce) instant yeast
1 tablespoon (.5 ounce) shortening or unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ to 1 cup (6 to 8 ounces) milk or buttermilk, at room temperature
Cornmeal for dusting
1. Stir together the flour, sugar, salt, and yeast in a mixing bowl (or in the bowl of an electric mixer). Stir in (or mix in on low speed with the paddle attachment) the shortening and ¾ cup milk until the ingredients form a ball. If there is still loose flour in the bowl, dribble in some of the remaining ¼ cup milk. The dough should be soft and pliable, not stiff.
2. Sprinkle flour on the counter, transfer the dough to the counter, and begin kneading (or mixing on medium speed with the dough hook). Knead the dough for about 10 minutes (or mix for about 8 minutes), sprinkling in more flour if needed to make a tacky, but not sticky, dough. It should pass the windowpane test and register 77° to 81° degrees F. Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.
3. Ferment at room temperature for 60 to 90 minutes, or until the dough doubles in size.
4. Wipe the counter with a damp cloth and transfer the dough to the counter. Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces of 3 ounces each. Shape the pieces into boules (or round rolls). Line a sheet pan with baking parchment, mist the parchment lightly with spray oil, and dust with cornmeal. Transfer the balls of dough to the sheet pan, spacing them about 3 inches apart. Mist them lightly with spray oil, sprinkle them loosely with cornmeal, and cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap or a towel.
5. Proof at room temperature for 60 to 90 minutes, or until the pieces nearly double in size and swell both up and out.
6. Heat a skillet or flat griddle to medium (350°F if you have a thermometer setting). Also, preheat the oven to 350°F with the oven rack on the middle shelf.
7. Brush the pan or griddle with vegetable oil or mist with spray oil. Uncover the muffin rounds and gently transfer them to the pan, sliding a metal spatula under them and lifting them to the pan. Fill the pan so that the pieces are at least 1 inch apart, not touching. Cover the pieces still on the sheet pan with the plastic wrap or a towel to prevent them from developing a skin. The dough that is being cooked will flatten in the pan and spread slightly, then the pieces will puff somewhat. Cook them for 5 to 8 minutes, or until the bottom of the dough cannot cook any longer without burning. The bottoms should be a rich golden brown; they will brown quickly but will not burn for awhile, so resist the temptation to turn them prematurely or they will fall when you flip them over. Carefully flip the pieces over with the metal spatula and cook on the other side for 5 to 8 minutes in the same manner. Both sides will now be flat. When the dough seems as if it cannot endure any further cooking without burning, transfer the pieces to a sheet pan and place the pan in the oven (don’t wait for the still uncooked pieces, or the ones just out of the pan will cool down and will not respond to the oven stage). Bake for 5 to 8 minutes on the middle shelf in the oven to ensure that the center is baked. Meanwhile, return to the uncooked pieces and cook them, then bake them, as you did the first round.
8. Transfer the baked muffins to a cooling rack and cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing or serving.