Katharine Hepburn Brownies (Adapted)

There isn't really a reason to make any other brownie, because these are basically amazing.  I adapted it from Katharine Hepburn's family brownie recipe--reducing the sugar a bit, using chocolate chips instead of unsweetened baking chocolate and adding in unsweetened cocoa powder.

One of my most favorite things on this earth is one of these warm brownies with a scoop of vanilla ice cream drizzled with hot fudge. Seriously delicious.  

I usually make the batter in a two or four cup glass measuring cup since it can go in the microwave. This recipe is for an 8 x 8 pan, but can easily be doubled for a 9 x 13 pan.

Katharine Hepburn Brownies (Adapted)
9 brownies

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup butter
4 teaspoon cocoa powder
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup walnuts or pecans (optional)

Preheat oven 325 degrees. Place butter and chocolate chips in a 2-4 cup glass measuring cup, and melt in the microwave (30-90 seconds depending on your microwave).  This can be done in a double boiler if preferred. Stir to ensure all the chocolate has evenly melted.  Stir in cocoa powder and sugar.  Add 2 eggs, whisking after each addition.  Stir in vanilla.  Sprinkle the flour and salt over the batter, whisk in until smooth.  Add the optional nuts.  Pour batter into an un-greased 8 x8 pan. Bake 40 minutes at 325 degrees.

Hazelnut Torte

(Photo credit: Chava)

Another classic recipe, and a favorite of many.  This recipe isn't too sweet and has plenty of protein. 

Hazelnut Torte

Serves 8-12

2 1/2 cup hazelnuts

1 slice bread

8 eggs, separated

1/2 cup sugar plus 1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Frosting

2 cup heavy whipping cream

Powdered sugar

Raspberry jam

Preheat oven 300 degrees.  Prepare three 9 inch round cake pans: grease lightly with butter and dust with flour; cut out rounds of parchment paper to fit the bottom of the pans.  (The parchment may not be necessary depending on your pan).  

Pour the hazelnuts onto a baking sheet with raised edges.  Roast hazelnuts in the oven until the skins begin to loosen.  Remove from oven, cool to touch and rub between your hands to remove as much skin as possible.  Set aside 13 nuts for decoration.  Grind the hazelnuts in a food processor.  Set aside 1/2 cup of the ground nuts for decoration.  Transfer remaining hazelnuts to a bowl.  Grind the slice of bread in a food processor and transfer to the bowl of hazelnuts.  Add the egg yolks, 1/2 cup sugar and vanilla to the bowl.  In a separate bowl add the egg whites and beat until soft peaks form.  Gradually add the other 1/2 cup sugar to the egg whites and continue beating until stiff peaks form.  Fold the egg whites into the hazelnut mixture.  Divide the batter between the three prepared cake pans.  Bake 20 minutes at 300 degrees.  Cool and remove from pans.

To finish beat the whipping cream and add powdered sugar to taste.  It should be stiff enough to spread, but not so stiff that it is lumpy.  Place a layer of cake down on your serving platter and spread the cake with a generous layer of raspberry jam.  Spread a layer of whipping cream.  Repeat with the other two layers of cake--spreading first with jam, then whipping cream.  Frost the top and the sides of the cake with whipping cream.  Pat the reserved ground nuts around the sides of the cake--it should stick to the whipping cream.  Decorate the top with edible flowers and the 13 reserved whole hazelnuts.  Keep refrigerated until ready to serve. 

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies

Welcome to the new (free) home of thesugaredpeach blog.  I've moved all the recipes and photos over from the old blog.  I've decided to upload more recipes with or without photos...just so that we have them available.  I will add photos organically as it becomes convenient, but honestly it's been a barrier to posting new recipes.  I would love to crowd source some of the photography, so if any of you take any great pics of the recipes, please email, text or instagram them and I will add them to the blog entry...

Here is the recipe for another one of my go to delicious cookies.  The recipe hails from my time in The South...like the type of cookie you might eat on a covered porch with cool glass of lemonade. But it's just as good in Sequim with a glass of milk...

You can make a lot of delicious variations to this recipe.  Additions might include chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, shredded coconut, walnuts, pecans, dried cherries, dried cranberries or almonds.  The classic combination is semi sweet chocolate chips and pecan, but I also really enjoy sour dried cherries and chocolate, as well as coconut, pecan & chocolate.   Keep the additions around 3 cups total, but I've certainly done closer to 4 cups at times.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies

4 dozen

1 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups rolled oats
2 cups chocolate chips
1 cups pecans or walnuts

Preheat oven 350 degrees. Cream butter, brown sugar and white sugar with a hand mixer or in a stand mixer.  Beat in eggs and vanilla.  Sift flour with salt and baking soda.  Add sifted dry ingredients and oats to the butter mixture.  Mix on medium speed for about 30 seconds.  Add the chocolate chips, pecans and/or any other additions, mix on medium for another 10 seconds.  Drop cookie dough in generous tablespoons onto an ungreased baking sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees for 11-12 minutes.  Store in an airtight container.

Moroccan Chermoula Sauce over Pan Fried Fish Fillet

You may have noticed the paucity of seafood recipes on this blog–mainly owing to the fact that I’m not a fan.  I wouldn’t eat anything “fishy” for the first two decades of my life, and have only recently found a few recipes I can tolerate.  This traditional Moroccan sauce is pungent and citrusy, and adequately covers any trace of fishiness.

And though I haven’t tried it yet, I expect I would like actually prefer it on a chicken, thus avoiding the fish altogether.  The recipe is from The New Book of Middle Eastern Food by Claudia Roden.  She shares that every town and every family has its own special variation of chermoula.  I’ve included my favorite below, but it is definitely a recipe that can be further adjusted to taste.

Moroccan Chermoula Sauce with Pan Fried Fish Fillet

Serves 4

For the sauce:

1/2 cup cilantro

1/2 cup flat leaf parsley

3 large garlic cloves, crushed

1/2 to 1 teaspoon ground cumin (I prefer less)

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1 1/2 teaspoons paprika

1/4 teaspoon ground chili pepper

Juice of 1 lemon

1/3 cup olive oil

Put all the sauce ingredients into a food processor and blend until there are no large chunks.  Salt to taste. Set aside and prepare the fish.

For the fish:

2 pounds white fish fillets such as turbot, hake, cod, etc

At this point you can either marinate the fish in half of the chermoula sauce for 20-30 minutes, or you can dredge it in flour.  I attempted to marinate it and then dredge in flour once, and it got a little messy– though still tasty.  The photos show fish that has been dredged in flour and not marinated.  In any case, heat a large (nonstick) skillet with olive oil over medium heat.  Cook, turning fillets once, for 3-8 minutes total, or until the fish begins to flake.  Serve with the remaining chermoula poured over top.

Strawberry Caprese Salad

I took these pictures during the height of strawberry season, but have obviously been slightly tardy in my posting. I enjoyed this salad, and variations of it all summer…strawberry-basil, strawberry-cucumber-lemon-basil, blueberry-peach…all with fresh mozzarella, olive oil and balsamic.  The blueberry peach version packs the best, and is great to carry to work.  I generally don’t measure the olive oil and vinegar, just drizzle it on, but have given rough estimates below.  Super quick, super tasty!

Strawberry “Caprese” Salad

Serves 1

1 cup fresh strawberries, sliced

1/2 cup fresh mozzarella, bite sized type or large type torn into pieces

1/2-1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1/2-1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Optional:

1/2 cup cucumber, seeded and chopped bite size

1-2 basil leaves, chopped

Juice of 1/4 lemon

Salt & Pepper

A little sugar if your fruit is sour

**For the blueberry peach version, I typically use 1 extra large peach, sliced and about 1/2 cup blueberries instead of strawberry and only use balsamic, olive oil and a little sugar as dressing.

Toss all desired ingredients together and serve.  If nice to sop up the juice with piece of baguette…

Frozen Chocolate Mousse Torte

Flourless chocolate cake meets chocolate mousse meets ice cream cake.  It’s awesome and it’s been too long since I’ve made it.  It’s one of my mother’s recipes, and I think she originally sourced it from a nameless tiny cooking magazine several decades ago.

The ingredients are pretty simple, but the recipe is slightly annoying given the shear number of bowls you dirty in the process (one for egg whites, one for melting chocolate, one for egg yolks, one for whipped cream…).  The top and bottom layers are nearly the same, except the bottom is baked and the top has whipped cream folded into it.  There is a thin layer of raspberry preserves spread between the top and bottom layer.

Be sure to start it early enough to allow time for it to freeze before serving–better yet make it a day or two in advance.  Since the top layer is not baked, it does contain raw (albeit frozen) eggs.

Frozen Chocolate Mousse Torte

Serves 10-12

8 eggs, separated

1/8 tsp cream of tartar (okay to leave it out if you don’t have it)

1 cup sugar, divided

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted (in a double boiler or in the microwave)

1 tsp vanilla

1/3 c raspberry preserves

1 cup whipping cream

Optional: fresh raspberries, mint leaves for decoration

Heat oven 350 degrees.  Grease a 9 or 10 inch spring form pan.  In a large bowl, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar until soft peaks form.  Add 1/4 cup sugar and beat until stiff peaks form; set aside.  In another large bowl beat the egg yolks with the remaining 3/4 cup sugar for about five minutes.  They will be fluffy and lemon yellow.  Add the vanilla and melted chocolate, fold together.  Next, fold the egg white mixture into the chocolate batter.  Once it is well combined, pour half of the batter into the prepared springform pan.  Bake for 15-20 minutes.  Refrigerate the remaining batter while the bottom layer is baking and cooling.

Once the bottom layer is cooled, spread with the raspberry preserves.  Beat the whipping cream until soft peaks form.  Fold the whipping cream into the remaining refrigerated chocolate batter.  Spread over the raspberry preserves.  Cover the torte with plastic wrap and freeze for several hours or until firm.  Shortly before serving, remove the sides of the springform pan.  Arrange optional fresh raspberries in a band around edges of the torte as well as a few in the center with the sprigs of mint.

Hollandaise Sauce

Homemade hollandaise sauce is a thousand times more satisfying than anything out of a jar, packet or can.  It takes less than five minutes, and is essential for Eggs Benedict.   It’s also great on artichokes, asparagus, green beans, or plain poached eggs.  We went through a lot of hollandaise during the holidays, often preparing several cups at a time–though in our defense there were 16 people at most meals.  I’ve done the double boiler method a bunch, and am pretty good at it, but its more finicky than the blender method.  So if you have a blender, and are making at least a cup of sauce, this is my recommendation.  Quick disclaimer about the sauce in these photos–I added a little too much water and thinned it more than I usually do.  I will improve the photos next time I have good lighting and a thicker sauce…It was still super tasty in its thinness.

When not with my massive family, I sometimes need a smaller quantity of sauce, and I’ve included that version below as well.  And I know it sounds completely blasphemous to use microwave and hollandaise in the same sentence.  But, my older brother convinced me to try it, and I’ve had good results.

Time Out For Safety.  If you are feeding pregnant ladies, children, elderly or immunocompromised individuals you may worry a little more about salmonella.  For the rest of us, salmonella is unpleasant, but probably won’t cause our death.  We used to only worry about cracked eggs, but it turns out that yolks can be infected even in intact eggs as its transferred directly from the mother chicken’s ovary (probably more than you wanted to know….)  Anyway, the lemon juice puts the sauce at 4.15% acid in aqueous phase with a finished pH of around 3.8, which can help destroy salmonella by itself.  However, if you are using the utmost caution, then you’ll want to mix the yolks and lemon together in a double boiler, and whisk it constantly until it reaches 150F on an instant thermometer.  Diluting the egg yolks with the acidic lemon juice before heating will help prevent the yolks from coagulating while you raise them to the necessary safe temperature.  You can then proceed with the recipe normally.

Blender Hollandaise Sauce

Adapted from Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking

Makes 1 cup

3 egg yolks

1 1/2-2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup hot melted butter (foamy not browned)

Optional additions: dijon mustard, cayenne, fresh herbs, etc

Place egg yolks,  lemon juice,  and salt into the jar of a blender.  (The sauce in the photo is very thin, and probably had 3-4 tablespoons of water...it should be left out...will update the photo at some point). Blend for a few seconds.  Remove the inner portion of the blender lid, turn the blender on high and begin pouring a slow, steady stream of butter to the egg mixture.  Continue blending until all the butter is poured in–about 30 seconds–and the sauce should be done.  At this point, you can add a little more lemon to taste, a bit more hot water to thin it out if needed, or optional flavor additions-just blend for a few more seconds after the additions.

Microwave Hollandaise for One or Two

Just shy of 3 tablespoons of butter (2 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons)

1 egg yolk

2-3 teaspoons lemon juice

Salt

Put the butter in a two cup glass measuring cup,  and soften the butter in the microwave for a few seconds.  In a small bowl, mix the egg yolk and lemon juice.  Stir the egg mixture into the softened butter and allow to rest for one minute.  Microwave on high, stopping every 15 seconds to stir, until it is thick and smooth.  It may be lumpy at first, but keep stirring and cooking.  It will probably take 30 seconds-1 minutes total depending on your microwave.  If your microwave is crazy strong, stop every 5 seconds or turn it down to 60% power.  Salt to taste and adjust lemon juice.

Strawberry Shortcake

Having now completed my doctoral degree, I am so happy to have a bit more free time again.  I’ve been meaning to post this strawberry shortcake recipe for over a year, and actually did the photography when strawberries were in season.  I have a few more postings backlogged, and don’t want to withhold them any longer.  So, enjoy pictures of strawberry shortcake, completely out of season.  You can look forward to making it in June…

In the recipe you crush around one quarter to one third of the strawberries, and slice the rest.  You can see them combined above, which creates a delicious glazed strawberry concoction that will soak into the shortcake biscuits.

The shortcake are rich, slightly sweet, and best served still warm.  I like to dip my shortcake in sugar before baking them–sometimes with regular sugar, sometimes with a larger crystal like demerara.

Strawberry Shortcake

Adapted from Cooks Illustrated

Serves 6

Strawberries

About 2 pounds strawberries, washed and hulled (I usually just get two 1 lb clamshell containers)

1/3 cup sugar

Shortcake

2 cups all purpose flour

3 tablespoons sugar, plus another 2-3 tablespoons for dipping

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut in pieces

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon half-and-half or milk

1 egg, lightly beaten

Whipped Cream

1 cup heavy cream, chilled

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the strawberries: Crush one quarter of the strawberries in large bowl, using a tool like a potato masher.  Slice the remaining strawberries, and add to the crushed berries.  Stir in the sugar, adding more if your berries are sour.  Allow the mixture to marinate at room temperature for at least a half hour, and up to 2 hours.

For the shortcake biscuits:  Preheat the oven to 425.  Pulse flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a food processor until mixed.  Scatter in the butter pieces and pulse into a coarse meal.  Add the milk and egg, pulse until just combined.  Turn out mixture onto a lightly floured counter and bring the dough together into a ball. Pat into a 9 by 6 rectangle, about 3/4 inch thick.  Find a biscuit cutter or top of a glass that is around 3 inches, and cut dough into 6 rounds.   Pour a little sugar onto a small plate and dip one side of each shortcake in sugar, replenishing sugar as needed.  Place biscuits on a baking sheet, sugar side up and bake 12-14 minutes or until golden brown.  Allow biscuits to cool slightly before serving.

For the whipped cream: Add whipping cream, sugar and vanilla to the bowl of standmixer fitted with the whisk attachment.  Whip for about a minute on medium speed, then increase speed to high and whip until soft peaks form.

To assemble, split each warm biscuit in half on an individual serving plate.  Spoon 1/6 of the strawberries onto each biscuit, and top with 1/6 of the whipped cream.  Enjoy!

Seven Minute Frosting

This is a quick frosting option update for my chocolate cupcake posting.  I’ve made this version twice in two months for birthday celebrations.  Although I wasn’t able to do a full photography spread of the frosting recipe due to terrible winter lighting, I did take this one on my phone so you get the general idea.  I will update the posting sometime in the future when the lighting allows.

This marshmallow like frosting is super light and fluffy, and I made the above batch pink with the addition of a little red food coloring.  The frosting will harden a bit when it sets, so don’t wait long too frost your cupcakes.

Seven Minute Frosting

Adapted from Joy of Cooking

Makes enough for 12 cupcakes

2 egg whites

1 and 1/2 cups sugar

5 tablespoons cold water

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 teaspoon of vanilla

Place egg whites, sugar, water, and cream of tartar in a bowl over rapidly boiling water.  I use my standmixer bowl.  Beat the mixture continuously over the boiling water with a hand mixer on medium high speed for seven minutes (this is a loud, lengthy and somewhat torturous process).  At this point either transfer the bowl to the stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or move the bowl to the counter and continue with the hand mixer.  Add the vanilla (and optional food coloring). Continue beating a few more minutes over medium speed until the frosting is thick and spreadable.  It should hold its shape when you scoop a spoonful.   Use immediately.

Pork Braised in Milk

I adapted this from Marcella Hazan’s recipe for pork loin braised in milk.  The recipe comes from Bolgona, Italy.  Marcella indicates that the dish expresses “the genius of the cuisine,” and I would agree that it’s simplicity is genius.   As the milk cooks down it creates a delicate sauce of nut-brown flavorful cluster, and the pork becomes incredibly tender and flavorful.  The photographs don’t really do the dish justice, and honestly I only sprinkled it with parsley to improve its looks.  The flavor needed no help.

I did prepare this once with the pork rib roast that Marcella suggests, but I actually like to use an inexpensive pork butt or shoulder for the recipe.  I’ve done it on the stove top and slow cooked in the oven, and both ways turn out well.

Pork Braised in Milk

Serves 4

Adapted from Marcella Hazan’s Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking

2-3 tablespoons of olive oil, vegetable oil or pastured lard

2-3 pound pork shoulder or other inexpensive pork roast, one that is well marbled with fat

2 cups, or more, of whole milk

Salt & Pepper

Heat a heavy bottom pot, one with a lid that fits the pork snugly, over medium high heat.  Add the oil, and then the meat.  Brown the meat on each side.  Add one cup of the milk, salt, and pepper.  Once the milk begins to boil, turn the heat down and simmer, with the lid partially covering.  Cook for an hour, turning the meat once or twice, and basting from time to time with the milk.   The milk is supposed to thicken, and turn into a nut brown sauce, at which point you add another 1/2-1 cup of milk.  You continue adding the milk like this, about 1/2 cup at a time, as the milk cooks down.  Altogether, it cooks for 2 1/2 to 3 hours.  For whatever reason, it never seems to thicken like it should early on for me, so now I generally just add all the milk at the beginning, and then baste and turn the pork occasionally.  Either way is fine.  If after 3 hours the milk hasn’t thickened, I remove the pork roast and boil down the milk on its own over medium high heat.  You need to stand there and stir the sauce during this thickening process to prevent it from burning; it is done when it is thickened and brown, like in the pictures.  Allow the roast to rest on a cutting board for a few minutes, then slice, transfer to a serving platter and cover with the milk sauce.

If you want to slow cook it in the oven, choose an oven safe pan and preheat the oven to 300.  Brown the pork, add the milk and bring it to a boil as in the above description.  Partially cover the pan and place in the oven and slow cook 3-4 hours.  Remove from the oven, place the roast on the cutting board to rest, and boil down milk if necessary as described above.

Variations on Butter Lettuce Salad with Rice Wine Vinaigrette

Butter lettuce is definitely my favorite lettuce, and buttercrunch is probably by favorite variety of the butter lettuce family.  As long as it isn’t a bitter crop, you pretty much can’t go wrong.  I have a couple standard salad dressing that I use for butter lettuce, and this is probably the one I make most frequently.  It is a light, nicely balanced dressing that doesn’t overpower the delicate lettuce leaves.  Definitely try to get the “seasoned” rice wine vinegar, otherwise it can be too biting and acrid. I tend to use a lighter vegetable or nut oil as I find the olive oil is a bit too heavy for this lettuce.

This salad is great just with just plain lettuce, but it can be nice to add a few extra ingredients.  Here are some of the combinations that I enjoy with this type of lettuce and dressing:

• Freshly grated parmesan (2-3 tablespoons)
• Toasted almonds (1/4 cup), toasted sesame (2 tablespoons) and crumbled bacon (2-4 tablespoons)
• Pear and toasted pecan (1/2 cup each)
• A huge pile of toasted hazelnuts (1 cup) and maybe a few minced shallots (1-2 tablespoons)
• Green apple and tomme de savoie cheese (1/2 cup of each) and may a few minced shallots
• Macadamia nut (1/2 cup), grapefruit segments (from 1 grapefruit), avocado slices (from 1 avocado)

Simple Butter Lettuce Salad
Serves 2-4 (depending on portion size)

1 head butter lettuce

Any desired additions

Dressing
1 tablespoon seasoned rice wine vinegar (i.e. Marukan with the orange label)
3 tablespoon oil of choice (canola, macadamia nut, olive etc)
2-3 smashed cloves of garlic
Pinch of sugar
Salt & pepper

Wash, spin dry and tear the lettuce into bite size pieces.  In a small bowl combine the salad dressing ingredients and beat with a fork. Toss the dressing and lettuce just before serving.  You can either arrange the optional additions on top or toss them together with the lettuce.

Rhubarb Crisp

This time of year when I was child, I would cut big stalks of rhubarb from the garden, dip them in sugar and chew on the them for hours. Never mind the oxalate, there isn’t harm if you don’t eat too much. But these days, I prefer my rhubarb cooked. The recipe is from Chez Panisse Desserts by Lindsey Shere. Lindsey was the longtime pastry chef at the famous Chez Panisse in Berkeley, and I am humbled every time I open her book. The woman is a dessert genius, and I continually amazed that she decided to share her secrets with the rest of us. I love how exacting she is–often using measurements like ⅞ cup, indicating 1 cup was far too much but ¾ wouldn’t do. If you don’t own it yet, I would highly recommend tracking down a copy.

Many people detest squishy strawberries cooked in with their rhubarb, so this recipe is intended for the rhubarb purist. There is an optional strawberry variation though, for those that prefer. Also, the original recipe the topping has 1/8 teaspoon of cinnamon, which I left out, but feel free to go for it if it’s your thing. Almonds, pecans or hazelnuts could be potentially substituted for walnuts, but I think walnuts are my favorite with the rhubarb. Nuts are hands down a better option over the more traditional oatmeal crisp topping.

Rhubarb Crisp
Adapted from Chez Panisse Desserts by Lindsey Shere

Serves 6-8

Filling
6-7 cups (1 ½ to 2 pounds) rhubarb, chopped in ½ inch thick slices
¾ cup sugar
3 Tablespoons flour
Optional ½ pint strawberries, sliced

Topping
½ cup walnuts, chopped
⅞ cup flour
⅓ cup brown sugar
4 teaspoons granulated sugar
⅓ cup softened, salted butter

Preheat the oven to 375. Combine the rhubarb, ¾ cup sugar, 3 tablespoons flour, and strawberries, if using, in a medium size bowl. If you opt not to use the strawberries, this makes for a tart filling which I like, but you may want to add another ¼ cup sugar. Toss lightly and let stand until moistened.
Make the topping by combining the ⅞ cup flour (3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons), brown sugar, and the 4 teaspoons sugar. Work in the butter until well distributed and crumbly. Add the walnuts and combine.
Pile the filling into a 9 inch gratin dish or pie pan. Cover evenly with the topping mixture. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes. The juices will be bubbly and thick around the edges, and the topping golden brown. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Thai Cashew Nut Chicken

A few years ago, when I was traveling through  Thailand, I spent a few days at the Chiang Mai Thai Cookery School.  It was pretty touristy, but nonetheless, tasty food.  School was held at the chef’s house, where he had about twelve cooking stations set up outside with super powerful propane burners.  I haven’t been able to replicate that kind of heat power on my weak home stove, even turned up as high as it will go.   But, things still turn out pretty well.  I brought the school cookbook back with me, and it continues to be a source of great recipes.

Cashew Nut Chicken is traditionally a Chinese dish, but the Thai style is a nice variation.  The recipe requires that you deep fry the cashews over low heat until they just start to turn brown.  They will continue to cook once they are out of the oil, so don’t leave them too long.  The photos here show nuts that were a bit over browned.

Chicken with Cashew Nuts or Gai Phad Med Mamuang

From Chiang Mai Thai Cookery School cookbook by Sompon Nabnian

Serves 4

2 cups cashew nuts
1 cup oil for frying cashew nuts
1 1/2 cups chicken breast, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons oil, for frying
8 cloves garlic, crushed
1 medium onion, sliced
5 or more dried small red chillies
1/2 cup chicken broth or water
4 green onions, sliced in 3 inch pieces
1 tablespoon white wine or 1 teaspoon whisky

Sauce:
2 tablespoon Thai style oyster sauce (i.e. from Thailand)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon palm sugar or 1 teaspoon regular sugar

Heat the oil for deep frying cashew nuts in a small sauce pan over medium heat.  Fry the cashew nuts until the nuts begin to brown, then drain and set aside.  Prepare the sauce ingredients (oyster sauce, soy sauce, fish sauce and sugar) in a small bowl and set aside.  Put the 3 tablespoons of oil in a large saute pan or wok over high heat.  Add the garlic and red chillies, and once they start to brown, add the chicken and onions.  Stir fry for about 3 minutes.  Add the stock and stir to combine.  Add the sauce ingredients and stir-fry to combine.  Add the cashew nuts and green onions, and stir for another 15 seconds.  Add the wine or whisky, stir to combine.  Remove from heat and serve.

Bavarian Apple Torte

It’s like apple pie, cheesecake and shortbread all at once.  Many years ago, my mother got this recipe from a family friend who previously worked as a pastry chef in a restaurant.  I have no idea what restaurant, or even where the restaurant was located–perhaps Chicago?  But in any case, it’s a great dessert.

The crust dough will not be cohesive, but rather dry and and in pieces.  Just pat it in the pan with a little pressure, and it will come together.  Be sure to beat the cream cheese by itself until light and fluffy–this helps prevent a lumpy filling.  Cooking the apples ahead of baking helps prevent them from getting too watery and affecting the cream cheese filling.

Bavarian Apple Torte

Serves 8-12

Crust
¾ cup butter
⅓ cup sugar
1 ½ cup flour
½ teaspoon vanilla

Filling
12 ounces cream cheese
¼ cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla

Topping
4 cups apples, peeled and sliced like for pie
1 tablespoon butter
⅓ cup sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ c slivered almonds

Preheat oven to 400.  Prepare the crust by combining the ¾ cup butter, ⅓ cup sugar, 1 ½ cup flour, and ½ teaspoon vanilla  in the bowl of a food processor.  Pulse 2 or 3 times for about 10 seconds each time.  Pat the dough around the bottom and 1 ½ inches high on the side of a 10 inch springform pan.

Prepare the filling by beating the cream cheese alone in the bowl of a standmixer until light and fluffy and without lumps.  Add the ¼ cup sugar, mix until combined.  Add the egg and 1 teaspoon vanilla, and mix again until well combined.  Pour over the pastry-lined pan.

Melt the 1 tablespoon of butter over medium in a large skillet.  Saute the apples 3-4 minutes, then add the ⅓ cup sugar and ½ teaspoon cinnamon and continue sauteing for another 1-2 minutes.  Spoon the apples over the cream cheese filling.  Bake at 400 for 10 minutes.  Reduce temperature to 350, sprinkle the apples with slivered almonds, and continue baking another 25 minutes.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature, then transfer to the refrigerator and allow to chill for several hours.  Cut around the edges of the springform pan to loosen the crust, then remove the side of the pan and serve.

Beef Braised in Beer

I was very confused to find this recipe in an Italian cookbook, since it seems so German to me, but apparently in the Trentino-Alto Adige region of northern Italy they braise beef in beer.  And add mustard.  Whether it be Italian or German, it’s tasty.  If you are going for an even more German flavor, add the pickles at the end.

My mom makes a German dish called rouladen, that is onions, bacon, mustard and pickles wrapped in a thin slice of beef.  Rouladen has a very similar in flavor to this, but requires a lot more work.  This is kind of like rouladen stew. It’s a slow cooked dish, and I would try to braise the meat for at least 2-3 hours on very low heat.  It is a good use for an inexpensive cut of beef, like a shoulder roast or chuck pot roast.

Beef Braised in Beer or Brasato alla Birra
Adapted from Lidia Cooks From the Heart of Italy by Lidia Bastianich
Serves 4

4 oz thick-sliced slab bacon, cut in chunks
2 medium onions, but in chunks
3-4 pound boneless shoulder or chuck roast
About 2-3 tablespoons of flour
1-2 tablespoons olive oil as needed
One 12 oz bottle of flavorful beer or ale
Salt.
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
½ cup dill pickles, chopped (optional)

Heat a heavy 4 quart saucepan over medium heat.  Add the bacon and fry until crisp.  Remove the bacon, reserving the bacon grease in the pan.  Dust the beef roast with flour to lightly cover.  Heat the pan with the bacon grease to just above medium heat.  Add the beef, and brown on all sides.  Remove the beef and set aside.   If the pan is dry at this point add the olive oil before the onions. Add the onions to the pan and saute until translucent.  Add the beef and bacon back to the pan, and pour in the beer.  Add salt to taste–I do about ½ teaspoon to start. Briefly bring to a boil, then cover and turn down to a simmer.  Make sure the simmer is just under a boil.  Braise like this for 2-3 hours, turning the beef once or twice in the process.  The beef is ready when it is tender and falls apart with a fork.  Remove the beef from the pan and set on a serving platter.  Reduce the remaining liquid until it is slightly thickened and coats the back of a spoon.  Add the mustard and pickles, adjust for salt, and cook over medium an additional 2-3 minutes.  Pour the sauce over the beef and serve.