Butternut squash caramelized onion gratin

Pichet Ong's Kabocha Squash Cheesecake

I've beeing wanting to make this cheesecake for years. it's been in the NY times as well as in his cookbook, Sweet Spot. well finally came around to it. the grahm cracker-walnut crust is crisp, strumptious (though maybe more butter than called for to firm and crisp up). the custard is sweet, creamy and not-too-leaden as most cheesecakes tend to be. (afterall it calls for just one package of cream cheese as opposed to most other recipes which average around 3 packages!

the recipe calls for steaming the squash as opposed to roasting (or using canned pumpkin) as typically suggested. i found Kabocha to be denser than butternut so this worked well but not sure if it would with less denser species.

after our rich and extended portguese dinner, the family didn't seem too enthused about this one. but i'm willing to bet it was more about timing and state of stomach than the actual results and am willing to make (after some tweaks) this one more often. (perhaps in the form of mini cheesecakes.

Spinach mushroom mini quiches

This is one of my first recipes from "The Sweet Side of Amy's Bread," fast becoming one of my most trusted and useful cookbooks. the cust is a butter/cream cheese, whole wheat flour concoction which ends up being more short than flakey which isn't to say i minded that. i loved using my mini tart pans as these yielded perfectly portioned meals; great for storing in the freezer and ready on command (after a brief whirl in the microwave) on those desperate nights with nothing but celery in the fridge.

spinach and mushrooms sauteed in butter...3 eggs and 1 cup half and half (or my adaptation: 2/3 skim milk, 1/3 heavy cream) the perfect "filler" for baked tarts/quiches.

Olive, Rosemary No-Knead Bread

PB Fudge Brownies

I made these for a potluck this weekend. It's from a Dorie Greenspan recipe found here.

What's not to love, right? We're talking salted peanuts in a fudgy brownie, topped by a crunch pb frosting with an added coat of chocolate ganache. If this sounds overly decadent and rich, it definitely is which explains the necessity to cut them into small portions.

perfect for parties and make ahead.

Vietnamese Style Noodle Sald

Strawberry shortcake birthday cake

further to my preference for asian-style desserts, i made this strawberry shortcake for dad's 70th birthday. i used a sponge cake recipe from America's Test Kitchen and for the frosting i whipped 2 cups of heavy cream with 2 T of sugar. i tried using some soften gelatin to stabilize the frosting since i had to make this a day before (too much to do for dad's big day). the gelatin didn't quite combine completely with the cream creating some unappealing web-like clumps. turns out the whipped cream held up pretty well (for at least 2 days) on the cake so i don't think it's necessary for future whipped-cream frostings.

in any case, this is my favorite kind of dessert: light, fresh, not-too-sweet. i'll definitely beef up the strawberry middle layer (the sponge cake can take the load as i've learned) and continue to experiment to perfect this.

Citrus Shrimp, Rice, and Black Bean Salad

I had lunch at Asia de Cuba for lunch (a great deal during restaurant week: $25 for a ton a food) and had a delicious braised short ribs with a black bean rice pilaf. the rice dish was great, spicy, sweet/sour. the short ribs weren't too greasey or fatty but meltingly tender.

i loved the rice pilaf the dish came with and thought it'd be an easy and versatile recipe to experiment with and this is the outcome. I used some long grain brown rice i've had since god knows when to make this simple, refreshing shrimp salad from Epicurious. Instead of the orange juice called for (i didn't have any) i used some mirin and fish sauce to give it an Asian spin. Instead of red peppers, I used 310 shishito peppers so this was a decidedly spicy salad. wasn't exactly what i was looking for (more of a "salad" than a rice accompaniment) but a nice light meal nonetheless.

Honey Castella

I’ve always been on an enthusiastic quest for recreating desserts from the Korean bakeries I frequented as a kid in Seoul. From anko-pang to soboro, being able to make these treats that are a staple in asian bakeries at home is especially comforting and exciting when it’s a success.
That’s why I was thrilled with this Honey Castella recipe from Pichet Ong's "The Sweet Spot." It definitely goes down as a favorite. For whatever reason, these “traditional” western-style asian desserts tend to be on the drier, less sweet side, which may be why this cake really appeals. Its dry spongy texture and subtle honeyed flavor really took me back….

I used this loaf pan instead of the cake pan called for in the recipe (since that's how it's done in Korea). The pan which I got from IKEA turned about to be perfect for half the recipe.

Brioche Nectarine Tart

This is my first attempt using a brioche dough for a not-too-sweet, but absolutely tempting and scrumptious tart. I used Dorie Greenspan's recipe but used ripe-firm nectarines instead of the Italian plums called for. I wasn't sure about whether the brioche was made correctly (it always seem to be a crap shoot when it comes to me and yeasted doughs) as it didn't seem to rise as much/easily as the recipe indicated. but i followed the direction anyway (with an overnight rest in the refrig) and it came out looking like this...

Couldn't be happier. Did overbake it slightly (probably would use a lower than 425 oven next time) so the bottom crust was a overly browned and a little hard. Otherwise, i'm looking forward to using this recipe with a variety of summer/fall fruits.

Roasted chicken breast with chickpeas and tomatoes

Here's a simple and delicious way to roast chicken breast. The recipe from Bon Appetit. Very convenient recipe as it minimizes many the step, dirty bowls, mixing and fidgeting. basically dump the beans, tomoatoes in a spice paste (leaving a few tablespoons to rub on the chicken breasts) and then roast the whole thing together in a high oven.

Some recent asian-inspired meals.

Vietnamese squid salad (recipe from Food Network).

Salad with poached chicken topped with Bittman carrot miso dressing.

Yogurt & Granola

I've been making yogurt pretty consistently every week. it's become a saturday morning ritual. I wanted to add some crunch so decided to test out granola recipes. here's a pretty simple one (in the best possible way) - a combination of oats, cocout and chopped almonds. sweetened with an equal combination of honey and brown rice syrup, it was the perfect level of sweetness.

toasted in a low oven (300) for 30 minutes, it took on a warm, toasty color and crunch.

Breakfast to go.

Mocha walnut marbled bundt

Here's the mocha-walnut marbled bundt cake from Dorie Greenspan's baking book i made for dad's confirmation. After much going back and forth, I made a last minute decision to go with this. it was my first attempt at "marbling" and thought it turned out pretty well.

Super moist and on the dense side; i'm not sure if I needed to beat the eggs and sugar longer for a lighter crumb or if this is how it's supposed to taste/look. Nonetheless, pretty delicious and one of those desserts that melded together and improved in flavor as the days went by.

This was dinner tonight. I sauteed ground beef with some garlic, chili paste, ground pepper. then added schuan peppercorn, chinese black beans. Then i added chicken broth/soy sauce and simmered the tofu. Delicious. fast. very filling and flavorful. My tongue's still numb and tingly from the sechuan peppers.

Pilar picking ingredients for the lunch.

Making tomatillo salsa

Mother's Day walk to school

Our weekend in Williamstown with dad, Wk and Samchon. peak leafing season, PapaC's, Hobson's Choice. run and walk on Gail. thought dad might freeze to death but he was a trooper, seeming genuinely exilerated and proud after finishing out walk.

The outdoor bazaars along the Silk Road may be the best examples of food being a universal bridge that brings people and culture together. This bazaar in Urumqui (Xinjiang, China) was typical of the outdoor markets we saw all over Western China. Rows of street vendors selling nuts, dates, fresh/dried fruits, tea, spices etc. Amidst the funkier looking things, seeing all the familiar foodstuff, from Saudi dates, to Vietnamese cinnamon, was a reminder of how compressed the world is. These Bazaars were, it's said, the original source of cultural exchange and the means through which great culinary ideas passed through. This explains the noodle heavy cuisine (sometimes not a far just from spagetti smothered in a tomato-based sauce, sometimes more like a Vietnamese pho) or the grilled meats that would feel familiar in Turkey or India. Pretty amazing to consider the kind of influence and cross-pollination that goes on from such disparate regions. See where a little openness can take you?