September 12, 2009
September 11, 2009
Bagoong Fried Rice
Labels: bagoong, Filipino, fried rice
bagoong fried rice and bacon
One of the food fads in the Philippines that I keep reading about is Bagoong (fermented shrimp paste) Fried Rice. I didn't know that this dish is adapted by Filipinos from a Thai recipe for fried rice, Kao Kluk Gapi, substituting bagoong for the Thai shrimp paste called kapi or gapi. I can't recall if I have ever made this dish which is usually served with Moo Wan (sweet pork). Moo Wan is one of our favorite Thai meat dishes but I paired the Filipino bagoong version of the rice dish with deep fried thick pieces of [home cured with maple sugar] bacon.
September 9, 2009
Stuffed Whole Boneless Chicken
Labels: rice stuffing, whole boneless chicken
A few weeks ago a friend and her husband were in town to visit family and friends. They gifted me with a package each of Smoked German Sausages With Jalapeno Peppers and Whole Boneless Chicken With Crawfish Dressing. Both are utterly delicious.
It was only a matter of time before getting this grand idea of recreating the rice-stuffed boneless chicken dish. I've deboned a whole chicken just once last Christmas, not an easy thing to do, took me almost an hour. I don't know why I decided to cook it, I'm either nuts or obsessed, or both. First, I didn't have crawfish which is okay because my husband does not like crawfish that much, or any seafood. I was thinking of bagoong (fermented shrimp paste) rice but darn, it's also fish. (BTW, he actually loves bagoong in Kare-kare).
Inspired by Chicken Jambalaya, I cooked up the rice stuffing with whatever I have: some chopped home cured bacon, abundant cherry tomatoes from the backyard, green and red shishito peppers, and red hot chili peppers. Deboning the chicken this time was easier and quicker too, I finished in 15 minutes using a good deboning knife and kitchen shears.
overstuffed the chicken and the thread came off the skin during baking
Stuffed Whole Boneless Chicken
1 whole boneless (or with bones) chicken
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cayenne
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 ounces diced thick-sliced bacon (or smoked ham)
6 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 medium sweet onion, finely chopped
1 cup chopped red and green shishito or bell peppers
2 fresh red hot peppers, finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground cayenne, or to taste
2 cups chopped tomatoes
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
1 tablespoon chopped Italian parsley
1 cup uncooked rice
3 cups chicken broth
salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 whole boneless (or with bones) chicken
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cayenne
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 ounces diced thick-sliced bacon (or smoked ham)
6 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 medium sweet onion, finely chopped
1 cup chopped red and green shishito or bell peppers
2 fresh red hot peppers, finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground cayenne, or to taste
2 cups chopped tomatoes
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
1 tablespoon chopped Italian parsley
1 cup uncooked rice
3 cups chicken broth
salt and ground black pepper to taste
- Season the chicken inside and out with salt, pepper, and cayenne. Set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, cook the bacon until it renders its fat and turns golden brown. Add the next 5 ingredients and saute for 5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, thyme, parsley, and rice. Stir fry for 2 minutes then add the chicken broth, 2 teaspoons salt and ¼ teaspoon ground black papper. Let come to a boil, turn heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Fill the chicken with the cooked rice and bake for 1 hour in a preheated 400°F oven for boneless, or 350°F for 1½ hours if with bones.
September 8, 2009
BBAC 18: Light Wheat Bread
Labels: atta flour, Light Wheat Bread, The Bread Baker's Apprentice Challenge
There's nothing much to write about Light Wheat Bread, The Bread Baker's Apprentice Challenge 18th recipe. All I can say is it's another winner from Peter Reinhart. The bread is light as white bread, very soft, yummy [with added honey], and the recipe is one of the simplest and easiest to follow; mix, knead, let rise, shape/rise, bake. I love the slices toasted or right out of the bag.
Rating:
flavor 5
texture 5
visual appeal 5
ease of preparation 5
performance 5
worth 5
Total: 30
Average: 5
Note: The bread is very light in color because I used whole wheat atta flour which is lighter both in color and texture than KA and Gold Medal whole wheat flours. I am loving all the breads made with this flour and have been ignoring the KA whole wheat in my pantry. I buy atta from the Korean grocery store and it now stocks different brands that come from USA, Canada, India, and Lebanon; prices range between $10 and $12 for a 20-pound bag. Recently, I have noticed that atta flour is becoming more available in my area. I have spotted 20-pound bags at Wegmans grocery stores and Costco (the cheapest so far at $9).
September 7, 2009
Cincinnati Chili
Labels: Cincinnati chili
a layer each of spaghetti, chili, kidney beans, chopped red onion, grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese, and sprinkled with a few oyster crackers
I make Authentic Texas Border chili often and eat it without beans. We also like it on spaghetti topped with grated cheddar cheese. A few weeks ago I watched an episode of America's Test Kitchen preparing 5-Way Cincinnati Chili which has one layer each of spaghetti, chili, kidney beans, chopped onions, and finely grated cheese in that order. We didn't know we've been eating 3-Way Cincinnati Chili with a Texan accent, i.e. hot spicy chili. I adapted and combined 2 recipes, one from my cookbook CHILI MADNESS and the Test Kitchen's using both fresh and powdered cayenne. I think the Test Kitchen's is too bland and uses bottled chili powder but I like the idea of boiling the beef and the addition of cocoa powder.
I am surprised that I love Cincinnati Chili which is rather saucy or soupy, and the aroma of the sweet and hot spices is wonderful. I was expecting the combination of flavors to taste funny or weird but they are all subtle and amazingly blend well together. I even added a sixth topping, a few pieces of oyster crackers which give it a good crunch and found myself eating them with some of the sauce remaining on the plate. And this is the first time that I didn't dislike beans in my chili. In fact I like it and IMHO the dish wouldn't taste the same without them.
Try one or both recipes and find out for yourself just how good and different this chili is. I read that the better way to eat Cincinnati chili is to cut the spaghetti instead of twirling with fork because twirling makes such a mess on the table, not to mention your clothes. So I started cutting and eating all 5 layers by the forkful and I agree, cutting makes a lot of sense. Anyway, 5-way Cincinnati chili is delicious any way you eat it.
Murray's Girlfriend's Cincinnati Chili
from CHILI MADNESS by Jane Butel
2 teaspoons butter
2 pounds ground beef
6 bay leaves
1 large onion, finely chopped
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons allspice
6 whole cloves, crushed
4 tablespoons vinegar
1 teaspoon dried whole red pepper, crushed
1½ teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons pure ground red hot chile
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon oregano, preferably Mexican
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
6 cups water
cooked kidney beans
8 ounces vermicelli, cooked according to package directions
½ cup grated cheddar cheese
1 small onion, finely chopped
- Heat the butter in a large heavy skillet/pot over medium-high heat. Add the meat to the skillet. Break up any lumps with a fork and cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is evenly browned.
- Stir in all the ingredients up through the water. Taste and adjust seasonings. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower heat and simmer, uncovered, for 2 to 4 hours. Add the kidney beans to the mixture half an hour before serving.
- Place a small amount of vermicelli in individual bowls. Spoon a generous amount of chili. Top with grated cheese and chopped onion.
Cincinnati Chili
8 cups water
2 pounds minced beef
3 bay leaves
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cloves
2 teaspoons allspice
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoons oregano
2 teaspoons ground cayenne
2 fresh cayenne, finely minced (or more)
2 teaspoons cocoa powder
2 medium onions, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon sea salt
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 teaspoon dark brown sugar
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
- Put water into a large pot, bring to a boil. Crumble ground beef into the boiling water, break up any lumps with a potato masher. Boil for 30 minutes. Add all the remaining ingredients and return to boiling. Stir, reduce heat, and let simmer, uncovered, for 3 hours. Remove bay leaves. Transfer into a serving dish.
- To serve: In individual bowls, place a layer each in this order: spaghetti, chili, kidney beans, onions, and cheese (you can be as cheesy as you want). Adding oyster crackers is optional. Enjoy!
September 5, 2009
September 3, 2009
Lavash Crackers
Labels: lavash crackers, The Bread Baker's Apprentice Challenge
I've always wanted to make thin crispy crackers but the work involved discourages me from doing so. Besides, why bake when I can buy them cheap from the stores. However, The Bread Baker's Apprentice Challenge 17, Lavash Crackers, compelled me to bake them. I used to buy soft lavash before but I have never heard of lavash crackers. Well, now I have and can say that they are very yummy, super crunchy, and totally addicting. I love these crackers!
It was difficult at first to roll but after a few tries and letting the dough rest for 5 minutes between rolling as Peter suggests [and with a little bit of patience] I was able to roll the dough as thin as I wanted. I divided the dough into 3 portions because I wanted to use different toppings and found a smaller dough is easier to handle. I rolled the first one on the kitchen counter but when I transferred it to the parchment, the edges folded back into itself. I had to re-roll on the parchment paper which was very frustrating because the paper bunches up and won't stay put. I managed to keep the very thin dough and trimmed the folded edges which I twisted and made into bread sticks. Also very good. After that minor mishap I eliminated the step of transferring to the parchment and rolled the next pieces of dough directly on the pan. I think rolling the dough on an inverted pan or a cookie sheet without sides would be even more convenient and practical.
I rolled the first sheet really thin then sprinkled the top with sesame seeds. I passed a pastry roller on top of the dough a few times to embed the seeds so they don't fall off. Because I have a sweet tooth, I cut a small portion of the very thin dough and sprinkled coarse raw sugar on top, very very good with ice cream. The other 2 pieces of dough were rolled just thin enough but not as thin as the first one and I sprinkled one with flaked sea salt and ground sumac, and the other one with flaked sea salt and chipotle powder. I didn't want to add strong flavors like cumin nor strong colors that stain like paprika so I stayed away from those. I'm satisfied with these two flavors which are mild but very tasty. Both came out very crispy all throughout without any soft spots.
I will definitely make these crackers again and for a yummy healthy crunchy snack I will substitute chickpea flour for some of the flour. And with this experience I have gained enough confidence and will try rolling out thin dough such as strudel or filo. This is why I love this challenge, I learn and eat something new every week.
topped with coarse raw sugar
Rating:
flavor 5
texture 5
visual appeal 5
ease of preparation 4
performance 5
worth 5
Total: 29
Average: 4.8
September 2, 2009
BBAC And The Washington Post
Labels: BBAC, Peter Reinhart, The Bread Baker's Apprentice Challenge

A photo collage of baked goodies from 8 BBAC bakers are included on the front page of the section, the shortened version here is from their website, and there are several larger beautiful photos of breads inside the pages.
The Bread Baker's Apprentice Challenge is created by Nicole of Pinch My Salt.
August 31, 2009
Wasabi Ice Cream
Labels: ice cream, wasabi, weird
wasabi ice cream and a ginger thin
One of the ice cream flavors in an Ice Cream parlor in Singapore that G over at Kitchenmaus mentioned is called Wassup Babe which has, you guessed it, Wasabi. I like wasabi with Japanese food but never imagined it will taste good in ice cream. I have made Black Pepper ice cream before which is not unusual and wasabi doesn't sound any more weird than chicken wing, crab, or octopus ice cream.
The wasabi flavor is distinct and surprisingly really good but the wasabi sting is absent. Maybe it cools off immediately on the tongue or I should have doubled the amount of wasabi powder. I like it with ginger thins and I'm also thinking of making it into an ice cream sandwich with chocolate chip cookies. What do you think will go well with wasabi ice cream, candied eel?
Wasabi Ice Cream
1 cup whole milk
2 tablespoons green wasabi powder
1 extra-large whole egg or 2 small
½ cup sugar, more or less to taste
2 cups heavy cream
- In a medium saucepan mix milk and wasabi powder, heat the mixture to scalding. In a small bowl, beat the egg and sugar. Add the hot milk while stirring continuously. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook, stirring constantly, without boiling until custard coats the spatula. Strain into a 4-cup measuring bowl, cover, and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Stir in the heavy cream. Process in an ice cream maker. Transfer into an ice cream container and freeze until firm.
August 30, 2009
Kaiser Rolls And Smoked Home Cured Bacon
Labels: home cured bacon, Kaiser Rolls, The Bread Baker's Apprentice Challenge
I can't remember the last time I bought these sandwich rolls which used to be a favorite in our house. I have forgotten about them after I started baking all of our bread almost two years ago. I never thought they would be so much fun to make and they're very yummy too. I love its chew and the crunch of the crust when toasted, excellent for BLT or simply smeared with whipped cream cheese.
The dough is very easy to work with but shaping the rolls using the traditional folding method takes a bit of practice. After the shaped pieces have risen for 10 minutes I had to re-shape them because the design disappeared. I remedied that by dusting the bottoms with lots of rye flour and pressing harder in-between folds. Sorry I didn't take photos of the process but you can watch this [rather fuzzy] video of a baker applying karate chops on the dough.
I folded 4 of the rolls and the other 5 dough balls I shaped into knotted ropes. I like the looks of the baked folded rolls better, they are prettier, more rounded and even. Two of the knotted rolls were misshapen, they came out sort of oval-triangular and one has a slight bump on one side. I don't know if I should get a stamp for easier and faster shaping next time I make these, all you do is shape into rounds and press. The stamp also retains the round shape of the rolls. On the other hand, I love the rustic appearance of the rolls.
Although I love poppy and sesame seeds, I didn't bother to top the rolls because they will just fall off and get scattered all over when they are sliced. I also prefer the clean look of the rolls without them.
For my first taste of the roll, I fried thick slices of home cured bacon, sliced yellow tomatoes from my garden, and baby romaine lettuce. Simply delicious! I could have this everyday for lunch. Okay, maybe not the bacon.^__^
Rating:
flavor 5
texture 5
visual appeal 5
ease of preparation 5
performance 5
worth 5
Total: 30
Average: 5
Here's my recipe for smoked home cured bacon. It's very rare to find where I live whole slabs of pork belly so I used thick pieces instead. I used Twinings® lapsang souchong tea available at most grocery stores. The tea gives a smokey flavor without being overwhelming. Soaked applewood chips are also very good with bacon.
Smoked Home Cured Bacon
three 1½-inch thick pieces of skinless pork belly
3 tablespoons dry cure (mixture of 1 pound kosher salt, 8 pounds of sugar, and 2 ounces of pink salt, recipe from CHARCUTERIE by Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn)
2 tablespoons maple sugar crystals or syrup
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
6 lapsang souchong teabags
aluminum disposable deep roasting pan and small metal rack
- Mix the dry cure, maple sugar, and garlic powder. Spread the cure on the pork belly evenly. Place the pork pieces in a gallon freezer bag and refrigerate for 5 days, turning the bag every day to cure evenly.
- Rinse pork under running water and pat dry with paper towels. Open the teabags and place all the loose tea leaves in the middle of the roasting pan, discard the bags. Place the rack on the pan and the pan on top of the stove. Turn the heat to the lowest setting, place the pork on the rack, cover tightly with aluminum foil and smoke for 1 hour. Remove the pork, let cool, and store in the freezer. Slice and fry until crispy.
August 28, 2009
Butternut Squash Flan
Labels: butternut squash, Filipino, flan
I heard about a layered cake-flan from a Filipino reader of my blog a year ago but have never tried making it. The flan when finished cooking and flipped over is supposed to have a layer of fluffy chiffon cake at the bottom and caramel custard on top. Googling for tips on how to make the cake flan I found the Filipino recipe for Kalabasa (squash) Flan and made that instead. The recipe has 5 ingredients: 1 cup condensed milk, 3 eggs, 2 cups cooked and mashed squash, vanilla extract or key lime juice, and sugar for the caramel. The flan is very easy to put together and bake; I nuked the squash for 3 minutes, then took about 10 minutes to mix together. The finished flan is like pudding but tastes as delicious as a regular flan. Very yummy.
When I saw a very tiny butternut squash at the grocery store I thought it was the perfect size to make into a pumpkin flan. I adapted the recipe by using half-and-half in place of condensed milk, adding a third of a cup of sugar and 2 teaspoons of calamansi juice.
Butternut Squash Flan
2 cups diced and cooked butternut or kabocha squash
1 cup half-and-half
1/3 - ½ cup sugar
3 eggs, slightly beaten
6 tablespoons sugar for caramel
2 teaspoons vanilla extract or calamansi juice
- Mash the squash and set aside. Caramelize sugar until golden brown and pour evenly on the bottom of a flan mold.
- In a medium bowl, mix half-and-half, sugar, eggs, and flavoring until thoroughly combined. Stir in mashed squash. Pour into the prepared mold. Bake in a bain-marie in a preheated 350°F oven for 40 minutes to 1 hour, or until set. Refrigerate overnight or for 4 hours before unmolding.
August 27, 2009
The Bread Baker's Apprentice Challenge 15: Italian Bread
Labels: Italian Bread, The Bread Baker's Apprentice Challenge
After eating a few slices, I think I may have found our daily bread, it's The Bread Baker's Apprentice Challenge recipe 15, Italian Bread. I love everything about it, from the wonderful aroma to the slightly chewy crust and soft [milky] chewy moist delicious sweetish crumb, this is the perfect everyday breakfast or sandwich bread.
Although it takes 2 days, most of it while the biga is resting in the refrigerator, the whole baking process including shaping is super easy. I will tweak and experiment with this recipe perhaps using sourdough starter along with instant yeast, and maybe adding a little whole wheat or rye flour. I'll be making it regularly with or without milk until I get tired of it or another superb recipe comes along. For now, this is my favorite bread.
I was never interested in baking Italian bread before because the loaves I've had from grocery stores and bakeries were bland and the crumb dry and fluffy. Thanks again Nicole for creating this challenge because I never would have tried baking it on my own and would not have known that homemade Italian Bread is so very yummy.
Although it takes 2 days, most of it while the biga is resting in the refrigerator, the whole baking process including shaping is super easy. I will tweak and experiment with this recipe perhaps using sourdough starter along with instant yeast, and maybe adding a little whole wheat or rye flour. I'll be making it regularly with or without milk until I get tired of it or another superb recipe comes along. For now, this is my favorite bread.
I was never interested in baking Italian bread before because the loaves I've had from grocery stores and bakeries were bland and the crumb dry and fluffy. Thanks again Nicole for creating this challenge because I never would have tried baking it on my own and would not have known that homemade Italian Bread is so very yummy.
I made six 4-ounce hoagie rolls and the rest of the dough into a 14-inch loaf. The rolls and loaf both had good oven spring.
Italian meatballs on a top-split hoagie roll, yum yum
Rating:
flavor 5
texture 5
visual appeal 5
ease of preparation 5
performance 5
worth 5
Total: 30
Average: 5
flavor 5
texture 5
visual appeal 5
ease of preparation 5
performance 5
worth 5
Total: 30
Average: 5
August 21, 2009
S'more Macarons
Labels: ganache, graham crackers, ground chipotle, macarons, s'mores, shishito peppers
sweet and crunchy graham cookies filled with spicy chipotle ganache
While browsing for recipes that have shishito peppers, I found one that uses the red mildly hot ones in a ganache filling for S'more Macarons. I adapted the recipe adding ground chipotle for extra zing. The cookies are crunchy, sweet and delightfully spicy.
unlike the regular green fruits these mildly hot but sweet shishito peppers emerge from the same plant early on with a red tint and becomes bright red when fully ripe, the fruits are shorter at 1 inch
S'more Macaronsmakes about 25 cookie sandwiches
macarons
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ cup confectioner's sugar
½ cup light brown sugar
3 egg whites
pinch of salt
ganache
6 tablespoons heavy cream
2 finely chopped red shishito peppers, optional
½ - ¾ teaspoon ground chipotle, more or less to taste
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch of salt
¾ cup milk chocolate, finely chopped
¼ cup bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
- Make the macarons: In a medium bowl, mix graham cracker crumbs with cinnamon and stir to combine. Place ground graham crackers on a cookie sheet and bake, stirring once, until toasted and fragrant, about 10 minutes. Cool, then put graham cracker mixture into food processor with confectioner's sugar. Grind to a fine powder, set aside.
- Finely grind brown sugar in a blender, set aside.
- In a mixer with a whisk attachment, beat egg whites and salt until foamy. Slowly add brown sugar, and continue mixing to a glossy medium soft peaks.
- Gently fold graham cracker mixture into meringue in two or three additions. Once combined, continue to fold until batter has deflated to a glossy, homogeneous mixture with soft peaks.
- Transfer batter into a disposable pastry bag, snip off the tip. On a parchment lined baking sheet/s, pipe even-sized rounds about 1 to 1½ inches in diameter and ¼ inch high, spacing the cookies 1 inch apart. When baking sheet is filled, firmly bang cookie sheet on a flat surface twice. If any peaks are still sticking up, pat peak gently with a lightly moistened fingertip. Allow to sit for 60 - 90 minutes for the cookies to settle slightly. Bake cookies in a preheated 350°F oven for 10 - 14 minutes until cookies are firm on top and just starting to brown on the edges. Cool on cookie sheets.
- Make the ganache: Place chopped chocolates in a glass bowl. In a small saucepan heat cream and spices to scalding and pour over chopped chocolate. [If using shishito, use 7 tablespoons of cream, heat cream, peppers, and spices to scalding then let steep for 30 minutes, reheat to scalding then strain cream before adding to chocolate.] Let sit for 3 minutes. Using a spatula, mix until cream and chocolate are combined. Leave on the kitchen counter for 1 hour or until firm with a frosting-like consistency.
- Assemble the cookies: Pairing cookies of similar size, create 2 rows of tops and bottoms. Pipe about 1 teaspoon of ganache onto the bottom of 1 cookie and place its partner on top. Refrigerate a few minutes before serving. Cookies can be stored for up to 2 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before serving.
August 20, 2009
The Bread Baker's Apprentice Challenge 14: French Bread
Labels: French Bread, The Bread Baker's Apprentice Challenge
I could have baked a more open crumbed French bread by altering the method, for example, applying the French fold instead of kneading, or any other methods available online or in baking books. But that would mean NOT following the recipe as written which IMHO would defeat the purpose of this challenge.
the loaf may not have a more open crumb

but it makes the yummiest French Toast

but it makes the yummiest French Toast
Rating:
flavor 5
texture 4
visual appeal 5
ease of preparation 5
performance 5
worth 5
Total: 29
Average: 4.86
flavor 5
texture 4
visual appeal 5
ease of preparation 5
performance 5
worth 5
Total: 29
Average: 4.86
For comparison this is PR's no-knead stretch-and-fold slack dough French bread recipe which makes delicious baguettes that have a more open crumb and thin crispy crust. The recipe requires half the time and effort as the BBA's. The recipe will be in his upcoming book Artisan Breads Everyday to be released end of October 2009.
August 15, 2009
Lychee Frozen Custard
Labels: food photography, frozen custard, Lasang Pinoy Sundays, lychee, sprinkles
Lasang Pinoy Sundays is a food photography meme, Filipino style, is hosted by SpiCes. I'm sprinkling some fun [and color] this week.
I don't normally put sprinkles on my ice cream or cupcakes but I keep a few containers of assorted colors and flavors including chocolate, butterscotch, and cinnamon.
The only ice cream I have in the freezer is lychee frozen custard and chopped candied ginger as topping would be best but they won't pop out visually since they have the same hue as the ice cream. Chocolate sprinkles don't match the flavor so I used the bright colored unflavored sprinkles. I feel like a kid again while eating the ice cream.
Lychee Frozen Custard
1 can lychee in syrup
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup milk
6 tablespoons sugar
3 well beaten egg yolks
1 teaspoon almond extract, optional
- Drain and finely chop lychee, reserve the syrup.
- Combine the cream, milk, ½ cup of the reserved syrup, and sugar in a saucepan or double boiler; heat until warm and the sugar is completely dissolved. Add 1 cup of the cream mixture to the beaten egg yolks while whisking lightly. Gradually pour the egg mixture back into the cream mixture while continuing to whisk lightly.
- Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula, until the spatula is thinly coated with the mixture, about 8 minutes. Do not allow to boil or the custard mixture will curdle.
- Stir in the lychee and almond extract if using. Transfer into a container, let cool on the kitchen counter for 20 minutes, cover with plastic film, and chill in the refrigerator overnight. Churn using an ice cream maker.
Or for a lighter version:
Lychee Sherbet
1 can lychee in syrup
1 packet unflavored gelatin
1 cup milk
1 cup very cold half & half
¼ cup sugar
- Drain lychee reserving ½ cup syrup. Finely chop lychee, leave to chill in the refrigerator.
- Sprinkle gelatin over reserved syrup and let stand 5 minutes. In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, scald milk. Turn heat off and add soaked gelatin, and stir until thoroughly dissolved. Add sugar and mix well. Let mixture cool in refrigerator. When cooled, add half & half and chilled lychee. Freeze in ice cream maker.
Julia
Labels: birthday, Julia Child, omelet, The Beatles, tribute
Let's sing a song of love for Julia. It's her birthday today.
JULIA by John Lennon
Half of what I say is meaningless
But I say it just to reach you,
Julia
Julia, Julia, ocean child calls me
So I sing a song of love, Julia
Julia, seashell eyes, windy smile, calls me
So I sing a song of love, Julia
Her hair of floating sky is shimmering, glimmering,
In the sun
Julia, Julia, morning moon, touch me
So I sing a song of love, Julia
When I cannot sing my heart
I can only speak my mind, Julia
Julia, sleeping sand, silent cloud, touch me
So I sing a song of love, Julia
Hum hum hum...calls me
So I sing a song of love for Julia, Julia, Julia