Mr. S Birthday Feast 2012

It's another year of Mr. S Birthday Feast. Every year, I would make a multiple courses meal to celebrate Mr. S's birthday. Click here to see Mr. S Birthday Feast 2011.

Menu for Mr. S Birthday Feast 2012:
Tuna Poke
Chicken-Orzo Soup
Saffron Risotto with Butternut Squash
Crab Cakes with Tarragon Aioli
Maple-Gingerbread Pots de Crème

Mr. S's birthday was on a Wednesday, so I spent around 1 hour the night before to prep some of the food, including roasting the butternut squash, marinate the crab cake and making the tarragon aioli. Then I spent around 2 1/2 to 3 hours on Wednesday to prepare the meal.

Spicy Coconut Chicken Casserole

I like cooking with coconut milk. They enhance the flavor of all dishes and they are very nutritious.  The flavor of this dish is amazing and it is a good weeknight dinner option.

Ingredients

*1 tablespoon olive oil

*4 whole chicken legs (about 3 pounds total)

*Coarse salt and ground pepper

*1 can (14.5 ounces) light coconut milk

*1 1/2 cups canned reduced-sodium chicken broth

*1 to 2 teaspoons Thai red curry paste

*1 cup jasmine rice

*2 red bell peppers (ribs and seeds removed), cut into 1-inch pieces

*8 ounces green beans (stem ends removed), cut into 1-inch lengths

*1/2 lemon, cut into wedges, for serving

Directions

1) In a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat oil over medium-high. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Working in two batches, cook chicken until browned, 6 to 8 minutes; transfer to a plate.

2) To pot, add coconut milk, broth, 1/2 cup water, and curry paste; bring to a boil, and stir in rice. Add chicken (with any juices), arranging pieces in a single layer. Cover, and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, without stirring, until rice is almost tender, 15 minutes.

3) Scatter bell peppers and green beans on top of chicken mixture; cover, and cook until vegetables are crisp-tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges on the side.

Chinese Style Pork Jerky

Some of my Chinese friends were talking about homemade pork jerky.  The Chinese jerky is soft and juicy while American jerky is hard and dry!  Outside of using pork, you can find beef, chicken and boar jerky.  The best place to get Chinese jerky is from Macau.  I am challenging myself for some homemade jerky to comfort my homesick. Ingredients *1 pound ground pork  *4 tablespoon sugar *1 tablespoon honey + 1 tablespoon honey (for basting) *1 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce *1 tablespoon rose cooking wine (optional, will taste different without) *1/3 teaspoon salt *pinch black pepper *pinch white pepper Directions 1) Put all the ingredients in a medium size bowl, except 1 tablespoon of honey for basting, stir them quickly for about 4-5 minutes.  Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least half an hour. 2) Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.  Prepare basting sauce with mixing 1 tablespoon of honey with 1 teaspoon of warm water. 3) Place a piece of plastic wrap on the counter top, then put 1/3 of ground pork on the wrap, finally place another piece of plastic wrap on top of the pork. Roll the pork into 2mm thick.  Transfer the pork to a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes each side. Baste the pork with honey water. Increase heat of the oven to 350 degrees F, bake for 8 minutes each side. Cool down on rack. Cut into bite size.

Recipe from here

Balsamic and Onion Pot Roast

I love slow cooking because I can come home with a delicious meal waiting for me. CC and I and some friends shared a pastured grass-fed cow again this year and I got a quarter cow from this local farmer.

This is what my second freezer look like with a quarter of beef.

Tonight, I made a recipe that is similar to a recipe that I made before, but this time I used less ingredients and the flavor is as good as that recipe.


Ingredients
*3-4 pound boneless chuck roast
*1-2 T steak rub
*black pepper to taste
*1-2 T olive oil
*1/4 cup water
*2-3 large onions, peeled and thickly sliced
*1 cup homemade beef stock
*1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
*1/2 cup tomato sauce (You can substitute one can diced tomatoes, drained well)


Direction
1) Trim the fat from the roast. Rub meat well with steak seasoning and black pepper. Heat heavy pan with small amount of olive oil and brown roast well on both sides. Deglaze pan with 1/4 cup water and add to sauce mixture.

2) Bring 1 cup beef broth to a boil and cook until reduced to 1/2 cup, then let cool slightly and mix in balsamic vinegar and tomato sauce.

3) Place onions in bottom of slow cooker. Put meat on top of onions and pour beef stock mixture over. Set slow cooker to low and cook 6-8 hours, until beef is tender.

4) Remove meat from slow cooker and cover with foil to keep warm. Drain liquid from slow cooker and remove as much of the fat as you can with fat separator or skimmer. Cook down liquid by about 1/3, and serve sauce with meat and onions.

Cream Cheese Walnut Cookies

I have been very busy with work lately so I was thinking of an easy cookie recipe to bring to the cookies exchange party tonight. This recipe allows you to make the dough a couple days in advance and bake it on the day of the party.

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Ingredients
*4 cups all-purpose flour
*1 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt
*2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
*6 ounces cream cheese (not whipped), room temperature
*1 1/4 cups sugar
*2 tablespoons plus 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
*2 1/2 cups walnut halves (1 1/2 cups toasted and coarsely chopped and 1 cup finely chopped)

Directions
1) Whisk together flour and salt in a large bowl; set aside. Put butter and cream cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in sugar and vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture, and mix until just combined (do not overmix). Mix in toasted walnuts.
2) Transfer dough to a work surface. Divide in half; shape each half into an 8 1/2-inch long log about 2 inches in diameter. Wrap each log in parchment paper; freeze until firm, about 30 minutes or up to 2 weeks.
3) Preheat oven to 350 degrees with racks in upper and lower thirds. Unwrap 1 log, and roll in 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, coating completely. Cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Space 1 inch apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
4) Bake cookies, rotating halfway through, until golden around edges, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks. Repeat with remaining log and remaining 1/2 cup chopped walnuts.

Bacon Wrapped Dates with Cream Cheese and Almond

My friend KW made bacon wrapped dates one time at her party and I thought it was the best idea ever. Today, I am invited to go to a cookie exchange party and decided to make the bacon wrapped dates with a twist. I added cream cheese and almond to increase the flavor.


serve 30
Ingredients
*30 (1 by 1/4-inch) pieces cream cheese
*30 pitted dates (preferably Medjool)
*30 salted and roasted whole almonds
*10 slices bacon cut crosswise into thirds
*30 wooden picks

Directions
1)Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2) Stuff 1 piece of cheese and 1 almond into each date, then wrap one piece of bacon around each date and secure bacon with a toothpick if desired. Arrange dates, bacon seam down and 1 inch apart in a shallow baking pan.
3) Bake 5 minutes, then turn dates over with tongs and bake until bacon is crisp, 5 to 6 minutes more. Drain on a paper towel or parchment. Serve immediately.

Moussaka

Mr. S and I went to Taverna Mazi the other night with some friends. I am new to Greek food so everything on the menu looked foreign to me. We discovered Moussaka and ordered it to try and ended up loving it!  I immediately looked for the recipe and I have to admit, it is not easy to make, but it was so delicious.

Ingredients

*3-4 eggplants, about 4 lbs. total

*1 lb. potatoes

*1 1/2 lbs. ground beef (or lamb)

*2 large onions, finely diced

*2 cloves garlic, minced

*1/2 cup red wine

*1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

*1 tsp. ground cinnamon

*1/4 tsp. ground allspice

*1 cup tomato puree (or crushed tomatoes)

*2 tbsp. tomato paste

*1 tsp. sugar

*Salt and pepper to taste

*2 cups plain breadcrumbs

*8 egg whites, lightly beaten (reserve yolks for bechamel)

*1 cup grated Kefalotyri or Parmesan cheese

Bechamel Sauce:

*1 cup salted butter (2 sticks)

*1 cup flour

*4 cups milk, warmed

*8 egg yolks, lightly beaten

*Pinch of ground nutmeg

Directions

1) Prep the Vegetables:  Using a sharp peeler, partially peel the eggplants, leaving strips of peel about 1 inch wide around the eggplant. Slice the eggplant in to 1/2 inch slices. Place the eggplant slices in a colander and salt them liberally. Cover them with an inverted plate that is weighted down by a heavy can or jar. Place the colander in the sink so that excess moisture can be drawn out. They will need to sit for at least 15-20 minutes, preferably an hour. The salt also helps to remove some of the bitterness of the eggplant.

2) Peel the potatoes and boil them whole until they are just done. They should not get too soft, just cooked enough so that they no longer crunch. Drain, cool and slice them in 1/4 inch slices. Set aside.

3) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line two baking sheets with aluminum foil and lightly grease. Add a splash of water to the egg whites and beat them lightly with a fork. Add breadcrumbs to a flat plate.

4) Rinse the eggplant slices and dry with paper towels. Dip the eggplant slices in the beaten egg whites and then dredge them in the breadcrumbs, coating both sides. Place breaded eggplant slices on baking sheets and bake at 400 degrees for 1/2 an hour, turning them over once during cooking.

5) When eggplant is finished cooking, lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees.

Make the Meat Filling:

6) In a large sauté pan, brown the ground beef (or lamb) until the pink color disappears. Add onion and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

7) Add wine to pan and allow it to simmer and reduce a bit before adding cinnamon, allspice, parsley, tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, and sugar. Allow the sauce to simmer uncovered for approximately 15 minutes so that excess liquid can evaporate. It should be a drier, chunkier, tomato sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

8) Make the Béchamel Sauce:

a- Melt butter over low heat. Using a whisk, add flour to melted butter whisking continuously to make a smooth paste. Allow the flour to cook for a minute but do not allow it to brown. 

b- Add warmed milk to mixture in a steady stream, whisking continuously.  Simmer over low heat until it thickens a bit but does not boil. 

c- Remove from heat, and stir in beaten egg yolks and pinch of nutmeg. Return to heat and stir until sauce thickens.

 9)Assemble the Moussaka:

Lightly grease a large deep baking pan (lasagna pan). Sprinkle the bottom of pan with breadcrumbs. Leaving a 1/4 inch space around the edges of the pan, place a layer of potatoes on the bottom. Top with a layer of eggplant slices.

10) Add meat sauce on top of eggplant layer and sprinkle with 1/4 of the grated cheese. Top with another layer of eggplant slices and sprinkle once again with 1/4 of the grated cheese.

11) Pour the béchamel sauce over the eggplant and be sure to allow sauce to fill the sides and corners of the pan. Smooth the béchamel on top with a spatula and sprinkle with remaining grated cheese. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 45 minutes or until béchamel sauce is a nice golden brown color. Allow to cool for 15 – 20 minutes before slicing and serving.

You can make this dish ahead up until the béchamel sauce and refrigerate. Make the béchamel sauce right before you intend to bake it.