Winter Zen

the view from inside my front door

and from the rear of the house

There's only 4 inches of snow on the ground but it is still snowing steadily which looks like we'll get a foot or not....Thankfully it's a Sunday and people are sleeping in or maybe like me catching up on my movie and book lists (just finished the mediocre and adjective heavy THE DOUBLE BIND by Christ Bohjalian - not recommended). Hmm, this weather is urging me to bake an apple tart or fry some churros.

Sauteed Ground Beef and Fried Egg

This is a Filipino dish called arroz a la Cubana, I guess because it is eaten with fried ripe saba banana which is a little bit similar to plantains. I can't find any similar dish in my Cuban cookbook but there is a note that says fried ripe plantains are usually eaten as a side dish to beef or chicken dishes.

Philippine Arroz a la Cubana
1 pound lean ground beef
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tablespoons soy sauce
salt & ground black pepper to taste
hot steamed rice
fried ripe plantain or saba if available
fried eggs

• In a wok or pan, heat olive oil and add garlic and onion, cook for 3 minutes. Add beef and saute for 5 minutes, stirring constantly, then add soy sauce and pepper. Cook for another 3 minutes, adding a little water if it appears dry. Taste and add salt if needed. Serve with steamed rice, fried eggs, fried plantains and tomato or banana ketchup.

• I prefer my sunny side up fried eggs with runny yolks like this one. Cook on a medium-low heat, covered, for exactly 3 minutes. For fully cooked but not hard yolks, cook for a further 1½ minutes.

The Prestige vs The Illusionist

I watched THE PRESTIGE yesterday and THE ILLUSIONIST about 2 months ago. I declare The Prestige won by a mile. First, Jessica Biel is no match to Scarlett Johansson, heheh. Seriously, The Prestige is more thrilling, darker, more "magical", and the acting is a lot better and with David Bowie playing the eccentric inventor Nikola Tesla, how can The Illusionist top that? The Illusionist has Paul Giametti, who is a good actor, but failed in this movie because of his fake accent, Edward Norton was lifeless and one-dimensional, and Jessica Biel with her simian mouth does not look THAT desirable for the men to fight over her, no not believable at all.
Actually these movies don't have the same story line, they are very different and the only thing they have in common is the magicians and their magic tricks and nothing else. So I shouldn't compare the two, I just want to make fun of Jessica Biel.:D

THE PRESTIGE 5 stars
Two illusionists (Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman) who used to be friends and equal participants in performances when they were younger try to steal each other's secrets and outdo each other that it becomes an obssession for both of them. Christian Bale's character is more gifted and Hugh Jackman's is an excellent showman. When HJ's wife accidentally died during a performance, he partially blames CB and begrudges him for being successful and happy with a wife and daughter. Both of them tried to deceive and sabotage each other and you won't know who the real antagonist is until the very end. This is a very intelligent magic/sci-fi movie that is worth watching over and over again. One negative, Scarlett Johansson is out of place in this movie and should have played an American because her accent was plain awful. David Bowie just for being in the movie saves it from getting a four star from me. I will read the book that this movie is based on, THE PRESTIGE by Christopher Priest.

THE ILLUSIONIST 2 Stars
A gifted magician who performs in Vienna (why Vienna when all the actors are American and British, some low-class people had cockney accents, in Vienna?) reunites with his childhood love and tries to get her back from an evil aristrocrat by using his magic. ZZZZ. Boring. Bad accents from all performers, except Edward Norton who has no accent at all, baffling. Not recommended.

Gingerbread Cake With Candied Kumquats

I have been buying kumquats regularly and eating them like candies, but have not tried making them into marmalade. I was looking for recipes that have candied kumquat and found this gingerbread cake. The cake is so moist and not overly sweet, it tastes so Christmassy and I will definitely make this again next Christmas. For the candied kumquats I used ¼ C of white sugar, 2 T water and 1 pound of thick sliced kumquats, a dash of ground cinnamon and a piece of clove is optional. Cook for 5 minutes until thick. I left the cooked fruits in syrup and the orange color deepened overnight.

Gingerbread Cake with Candied Kumquats
cake
1 cup unsulfured light molasses
¾ cup hot water
½ cup grapeseed oil
1 egg
2 1/3 cups flour
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinammon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cloves

caramel cream cheese frosting
¾ cup dark brown sugar
½ cup heavy whipping cream
2 8-oz bricks cream cheese, at room temperature
¼ cup butter, softened

• Cake: Line three 8-inch round cake pans with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 325°F. In a large bowl mix water and molasses, mix the rest of the ingredients and beat for 3 minutes. Divide batter equally and pour into the pans and bake for 25 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean. Remove from pans and let cool on a wire rack.
• Frosting: In a small saucepan combine brown sugar and whipping cream, let boil once stirring constantly. Let cool. In a medium bowl, beat butter and cream cheese until fluffy, beat in cooled caramel, continue beating for 3 minutes.
• Assemble the cake: Reserve a plateful of candied kumquats to decorate the top of cake. Chop the rest and divide into 2 portions, set aside. Set one cake layer on a flat plate or cake board, spread half of the chopped kumquats, then frost. Repeat with the second cake layer. Frost the sides and the top layer. Arrange the sliced candied kumquats on top. Optional: decorate lower half of cake with chopped candied ginger. Refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight before slicing. Enjoy this super moist, spicy, rich cake enhanced with the sweetness and tang of kumquats with a cup of steaming hot unsweetened jasmine tea, sooo good.