Pumpkin Bread

This past weekend I attended a pumpkin carving party hosted by a friend. The best thing about a pumpkin party is seeing all the interesting designs that people come up with. These Halloween pumpkins don't just consist of your typical triangular eyes and noses, but they consist of images of flying witches, haunted house, headless horsemen, and even Garfield.

The next best thing besides being able to witness those creative designs is being able to taste all the yummy Halloween sweets that the guests bring. It's like a fat's kid heaven.

To go with the theme, I brought some pumpkin bread made from a wonderful recipe that I got from Joy of Baking. No recipes that I have tried from there has ever failed. The look and taste of this bread just creams Fall. It has just the right sweetness and moisture, and the cream cheese adds very nice contrast to the pumpkin flavor.

Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients:

Cream Cheese Filling:
8 ounce package (227 grams) cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated white sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tablespoons all purpose flour

Pumpkin Bread:
1 cup (110 grams) pecans or walnuts
3 1/2 cups (490 grams) all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
4 large eggs
2 cups (400 grams) granulated white sugar
1 cup (226 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 - 15 ounce (425 grams) can pure pumpkin
1/2 cup (120 ml) water or milk
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place rack in the center of the oven. Butter and lightly flour two - 9 by 5 x 3 inch (23 x 13 x 8 cm) loaf pans. Set aside.

Cream Cheese Filling: In your food processor, process the cream cheese until smooth. Add the sugar and process until smooth and creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, processing until well incorporated. Stir in the flour. Set aside.

Pumpkin Bread: In a large bowl, sift or whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.

In another large bowl, whisk the eggs until lightly beaten. Add the sugar and melted butter and whisk until blended. Whisk or stir in the pumpkin, water, vanilla extract, and nuts.

Add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture and stir just until the ingredients are combined. (A few streaks of flour is fine.) Do not over mix as it will make the bread tough.

Divide the batter in half. Take one half and divide it evenly between the two prepared pans. Divide the cream cheese filling in half and place each half of filling on top the two pans of batter, smoothing the tops. Top with the remaining half of batter. Bake the breads for about 50 - 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Place pans on a wire rack and let cool for about 10 minutes before removing breads from pans. Can serve warm, cold, or at room temperature. Store leftovers in the refrigerator or else freeze for later use.

Makes 2 loaves.

Garlic Roasted Chicken and Potatoes

Want to keep the vampires away this Halloween? I do ;) So when my soon-to-be-husband showed me this roasted chicken recipe that he found in the food section of the Washington Post, I was ecstatic! I quickly skimmed through the recipe and when I noted that it calls for three heads of garlic, I gloated with glee. I began to fantasize about how intoxicating the garlicky aroma would be with three whole heads of garlic roasting in my oven. Garlic is something that is never scarce in my kitchen, so I set out to test try this recipe right away. I also decided that three heads of garlic just wasn't enough so I whipped up a batch of garlic roasted potatoes (this uses one head of garlic), which paired perfectly with the chicken. I guarantee that if you have these two dishes cooking in your oven, no vampire...nor date...would come near you.

This garlic roasted chicken is nice and tangy with lemon, and with a sweet garlicky aroma that will be sure to fill up your house - a preparation for dark meat.

Garlic Roasted Chicken



Ingredients:
3 heads of garlic, peeled, separated and minced (I used a food processor to chop the garlic after I peeled the gloves and this worked superbly)
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (from about 4 large lemons)
1/4 cup olive oil
2 1/2 tbsp dried oregano
1 to 2 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
3/4 to 1 tbsp kosher salt, or to taste
8 chicken legs (thighs and drumsticks attached; about 5 pounds)
1/2 cup boiling water
1/4 cup chopped parsley

Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees, have ready a large (about 12X17 inch) baking pan.

2. Combine the minced garlic, lemon juice, oil, oregano, pepper and salt to taste in a medium bowl, stirring to mix well.

3. Evenly coat the chicken pieces on all sides with the garlic mixture and arrange in single layer, cut side down, in the pan

4. Bake for about 55 minutes, until the skin is nicely browned, for the remaining 15 minutes' baking time, basted and cover with aluminum foil (to keep the garlic bits from burning). Baste once more before the chicken is done

5. Transfer the chicken to a warm platter.

6. Pour the fat from the pan; add just boiled water and stir to dislodge any browned bits, creating a sauce. Pour into a bowl.

7. To serve, sprinkle chopped parsley over the chicken an either pour the sauce on top or pass it at the table. Serve warm.

Garlic Roasted Potatoes

Ingredients:
2 pounds small red potatoes
2 tbsp of olive oil
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 head of garlic - minced garlic
1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees

2. Cut the potatoes in half or quarters and place in a bowl with the olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic; toss until the potatoes are well coated.

3. Transfer the potatoes to a baking pan. Roast in the oven for 45 minutes. Flip with a spatula every 15 minutes during cooking in order to ensure even browning.

4. During the last 15 minute of cooking, add the parmesan cheese and mix well using a spatula.

5. Remove the potatoes from the oven, toss with parsley, season to taste, and serve hot.

Thai Green Curry

The first time I was introduced to this dish, I was amazed that there is such a thing called green curry. Being Vietnamese, I have always been accustomed to yellow curry, adapted from Indian cuisine, which consists of boned-in chicken, onions, coconut milk, potatoes, and yellow curry powder. Thai green curry on the other hand has tender chunks of chicken, the sweetness of the coconut milk, vegetables such as bamboo shoots and tomatoes, and a the strong aroma of the green curry paste and kaffir lime leaves.

Green curry paste can be made from scratch, though for your convenience, they can be found in the spice section of your local Asian market.


The kaffir lime leaves is one of the key ingredients as it adds to the strong aroma of the dish. This, can also be found at your local Asian market in the frozen section.


Thai Green Curry with Chicken (Adapted from The Best of Vietnamese and Thai Cooking by Mai Pham)


Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut milk
2 tbsp green curry paste (use 1 tbsp if you want a less spicy taste)
1 stalk lemon grass, cut into 1-inch pieces and bruised with the back of a knife
1 cup homemade unsalted or canned low-sodium chicken stock
2 tbsp sugar
2 kaffir lime leaves, cut into thin slivers
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, sliced into 1/4-inch-thick strips
2 cups bamboo shoots
2 red ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges

Instructions:
1. Heat 1/3 cup of the coconut milk into a nonstick stir-fry pan over moderate heat until bubbly and hot.

2. Add the curry paste and lemon grass, and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute.

3. Add the chicken stock, fish sauce, sugar, and lime leaves. Bring to a boil.

4. Add the chicken and cook until it turns white, 3 to 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low.

5. Add the remaining coconut milk, bamboo shoots, and tomatoes.

6. Continue to simmer until the vegetables are thoroughly hot, about 3 minutes. Do not allow coconut milk to boil vigorously, as it will separate.

7. Remove from heat an garnish with basil and cilantro.

Mongolian Beef

While Mongolian Beef isn't an authentic Chinese dish, it gives an example of the ingredients and seasonings used in Chinese cooking, and is usually served in Chinese-American restaurants (such as P.F. Chang).



This is a simple form of Mongolian beef with only the strips of beef and scallions and can be served with rice. You can also add other vegetables such as bell peppers, onion, or bamboo shoots. For me, my vegetable of choice to pair with any stir-fried Chinese meat dish is baby bok choy. This, I stir-fried lightly with some garlic, oyster sauce, and soy sauce.

To achieve a somewhat crispy texture, this Mongolian Beef recipe recommends deep frying the strips of beef for a short time before stir-frying to finish things off. I am not a big fan of fried food, so usually just stir-fry the the beef with about two teaspoon of oil before adding the sauce. The beef does not come out as crispy, but it makes me happy that it's not oily.

Mongolian Beef

Sauce
2 tsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp minced ginger
1 tbsp chopped garlic
3 tbsp of soy sauce
1/4 cup of water
1/4 cup dark brown sugar

For the Beef
1 cup vegetable oil
1 lb flank steak
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 large chopped scallions

1. Make the sauce by heating 2 tsp of vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over med/low heat. Don't get the oild too hot or you'll get a major spatter when adding the other liquids.

2. Add ginger and garlic to the pan and quickly add the soy sauce and water before the garlic scorches.

3. Dissolve the brown sugar in the sauce, then raise the heat to about medium and boil the sauce for 2-3 minutes or until the sauce thickens. Remove from heat.

4. Slice the flank steak against the grain into 1/4" thick bite-size slices. Tilt the blade of your knife at about a forty five degree angle to the top of the steak so that you get wider cuts.

5. Dip the steak pieces into the cornstarch to apply a very thin dusting to both sides of each piece of beef. Let the beef sit for about 10 minutes so that the cornstarch sticks.

6. As the beef sits, heat up one cup of oil in a wok (you may also use a skillet for this step as long as the beef will be mostly covered with oil). Heat the oil over medium heat until it's nice and hot, but not smoking.

7. Add the beef to the oil and sauté for just two minutes, or until the beef just begins to darken on the edges. You don't need a thorough cooking here since the beef is going to go back on the heat later. Stir the meat around a little so that it cooks evenly.

8. After a couple minutes, use a large slotted spoon to take the meat out and onto paper towels, then pour the oil out of the wok or skillet.

9. Put the pan back over the heat, dump the meat back into it and simmer for one minute.

10. Add the sauce, cook for one minute while stirring, then add all the green onions. Cook for one more minute, then remove the beef and onions with tongs or a slotted spoon to a serving plate.

Guilty Pleasure

Guilty pleasure, for some people it's ice-cream. For some others, it's a big fat burger. For me, it's French buttercream frosting. I scoured the web for that perfect recipe and finally I found it! After the first try I was in love. Whenever I make a cake, I try to whip up a little extra frosting just so I can stash the left overs for myself. It's my ice-cream on a bad day. Just a spoonful of it and all stress just melts away. It's that good.

French Buttercream or "Creme au Beurre" is made by heating egg yolk, sugar, and brandy or some other liqueur (I use Bailey's Irish Creme) until it reaches a certain temperature. The egg mixture is then cooled and then added to butter and vanilla mixtures. The result of this is a smooth velvety buttercream as the sugar has been melted during the process. The great thing about this buttercream is that it is not sweet like the traditional American buttercream which is usually made from confectioner sugar. This creamy frosting is delightful with cakes and cupcakes, or simply right off the spoon ;)

If you are looking to use this buttercream for decorating, I would like to point out a few precautions. As this buttercream is butter based and not shortening based (like American buttercream), it tends to melt very fast. Especially for people who have warm hands like me. It's butter, and that's what butter does. The first time I decorated with this buttercream, it was a huge mess because after my third or fourth rose, everything came out like melted, eh, butter. The work around is to only fill the pastry bag just enough for three or four roses, then refill it when you run out. Another trick is to pipe your roses/flowers on piece of parchment paper using a flower nail and then immediately put your flowers in the freezer so that when it's time to decorate the cake you don't end up messing your beautiful creations because essentially they are how a harden pieces of butter. You can then use a pair of decorating scissors to place the flowers on the cake.

After you are done decorating the cake, be sure to refrigerate it for at least 20 minutes so the buttercream can have a chance to firm up before serving. If the cake was left in the fridge for a long period of time (e.g. over night), do the reverse - take it out and let it sit for about 20 minutes before serving.





Now on to the recipe. Three of these recipes are enough to frost and decorate a 9 inch two-layered cake...with plenty of left overs ;)

Tip: Make sure you use unsalted butter, also known as sweet butter.

Ingredients:
4 egg yolks
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tbsp. brandy or other liqueur of your choice (water may be substituted for the alcohol)
Dash of salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks/6 oz./170g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Instructions:
In the top pan of a double boiler or a heatproof bowl placed over but not touching simmering water, combine the egg yolks, sugar, brandy or other liqueur of your choice (or water, if using) and dash of salt. Whisk until very thick and pale, about 4 minutes. Remove the pan or bowl from over the water and let cool to room temperature.

In a bowl, combine the butter and vanilla. Using an electric mixer set on medium-high speed, beat until very soft and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Gradually beat in the cooled egg yolk mixture. Let the mixture stand at room temperature, stirring occasionally, until spreadable, about 20 minutes.

Use the frosting immediately, or cover and refrigerate overnight or freeze for up to 1 month. Before using, let stand at room temperature until softened, then beat with an electric mixer set on high speed until smooth and fluffy.

Makes about 1 1/2 cups.