Sunday, May 13, 2012

Peking Duck Sauce

Mix hoisin with a little water and a couple of drops of toasted sesame seed oil.

In my opinion, this is the best brand of Hoisin sauce: Lee Kum Kee.

Mandarin Pancakes for Peking Duck or Moo Shu Pork

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 to 1 cup boiling water, as needed
3 tablespoons sesame oil, or as needed
Preparation:

In a large bowl, add the boiling water to the flour and begin stirring it in immediately. Knead the warm dough until you have a smooth dough. Cover the dough and let it rest for 30 minutes.

Turn the rested dough out onto a floured surface. Cut the dough in half. Use a lightly floured rolling pin to roll each half out until it is 1/4-inch thick. Use a cookie cutter to cut out 3-inch circles of dough.

Use a pastry brush to brush 1/2 teaspoon of sesame oil over the top of 2 dough circles. Lay one pancake on top of each other, so that the oiled sides are together. (Don't worry if one of the edges hangs over the other). Roll out the pancakes to form a 6-inch circle. Continue with the remainder of the pancakes. Use a damp towel to cover the prepared pancakes and keep them from drying out while making the remainder.

Heat a heavy frying pan over low heat. Add one of the pancake pairs and cook until browned on both sides (about 3 minutes altogether; the second side will cook more quickly than the first side). Remove the paired pancakes from the pan and pull them apart. Continue with the remainder of the pancakes. Serve immediately.

These pancakes can be made ahead and frozen. If using in Sweet Red Bean Paste Pancakes, bring back to room temperature before cooking with the red bean paste. Otherwise, reheat before serving.

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Seeded Hamburger Buns

Ingredients:

6 ounces lukewarm water
1 large egg
1 ounce butter or oil
7/8 ounce sugar
2 tablespoons sesame seeds whole golden flax seeds or Everything Bread and Bagel Topping
2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon onion powder, optional
11 ½ ounces King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
topping
2 tablespoons Everything Bread and Bagel Topping or whole flax seeds
1 large egg white, or Quick Shine spray

Directions:

1) To make the dough: Combine all of the dough ingredients, and mix and knead them, by hand, mixer, or bread machine, to make a soft dough.

2) Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let it rise in a warm place for an hour, until it's almost doubled in size.

3) Turn the dough out onto a lightly greased surface, flatten it slightly, and divide it into 6 pieces, each weighing about 3 1/2 to 4 ounces.

4) Roll each piece into a ball.

5) Place balls into the greased cups of a hamburger bun pan, flattening gently.

6) Cover and let rise until the buns have doubled in size. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 375°F.

7) Bake the buns for 10 minutes. Remove them from the oven, brush with lightly beaten egg white (or spray with Quick Shine) and sprinkle with seed topping; do this quickly, or the seeds won't stick!

8) Return the buns to the oven and bake for 5 to 8 minutes, until they're golden brown. Remove from the oven, and cool on a rack.

Tuesday, May 08, 2012

Chicken and Rice Casserole with Black Beans, Chilies, Corn, and Cheese

Servings: 10

Ingredients:

2 3/4 cups corn chips crumb topping
6 ounces corn tortilla chips
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
salt and pepper (omit or reduce if using salted corn chips)

Casserole:

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium yellow onion, chopped fine
2 medium red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded and chopped medium
2 medium jalapeno chiles, seeds and ribs removed, minced
salt
3 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 cup flour
6 cups chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
2 lbs chicken breasts, trimmed (about 5 breasts)
1 1/2 cups long grain white rice
8 ounces pepper jack cheese, shredded (about 2 cups)
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cups frozen corn, thawed and drained
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
ground black pepper
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro leaves

Directions:

1 Make the topping and set aside* (see below).
2 Melt the butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the bell peppers, onion, jalapeños, and 1 t. salt and cook until softened, about 5 – 7 minutes.
3 Stir in the garlic and cumin and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until golden, about 1 minute.
4 Slowly whisk in the broth and the cream.
5 Add the chicken breasts, partially cover, and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low, cover completely, and cook until the chicken is done, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the chicken and set aside to cool.
6 Stir the rice into the pot, cover and continue to cook over low heat, stirring often, until the rice has absorbed 25 minutes.
7 When the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred into bite-size pieces.
8 Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the shredded chicken, cheese, black beans, corn and lime juice and season with salt and pepper to taste.
9 Pour the mixture into a 10 x 15 that has been sprayed and sprinkle wit crumb topping.
10 Bake the casserole in a 400º oven on the middle rack, uncovered, until the sauce is bubbling and and the crumbs are crisp, 35 to 45 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro before serving. Serves 10.
*11 Corn Chip Topping: Combine 6 oz. of corn tortilla chips or Frito corn chips with 2 T. unsalted butter, melted in a food processor. Pulse to make coarse crumbs, about 10 pulses. Toss crumbs with 2 T. fresh minced parsley and season with pepper. Set aside.
12 To store: Wrap the dish with plastic wrap and then foil and refrigerate up to two days or freeze up to one month (if frozen, the casserole must be thawed completely in the refrigerator, about 24 hours. To serve: Adjust rack to middle position and heat oven to 400º. Unwrap the dish and cover tightly with foil. Bake until the casserole is bubbly and hot throughout, about 1 hour. Remove the foil and continue to bake until the crumbs are crisp, 15 to 25 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro before serving.

Friday, May 04, 2012

Chicken with Artichokes and Angel Hair

A simple, fast recipe that is amazing good! We enjoy it.

Ingredients

Coarse salt and ground pepper
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
8 thin chicken cutlets (about 1 1/2 pounds total)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 can (14 ounces) artichoke hearts packed in water, rinsed, drained, and quartered
2 tablespoons rinsed and drained capers
2 tablespoons butter
8 ounces angel-hair pasta
1/2 cup parsley leaves
Directions

Set a large pot of salted water to boil. Place flour in a shallow dish, and season with salt and pepper. Dredge cutlets, shaking off excess. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high. Cook chicken in batches, adding remaining oil as needed, until light golden, 1 to 3 minutes per side; transfer to a dish.

Add broth to skillet, and bring to a boil; cook until reduced by half. Add artichokes, capers, and the chicken with any juices. Gently swirl to combine, and bring just to a boil. Remove skillet from heat. Swirl in butter, and cover to keep warm.

Add pasta to boiling water. Cook until al dente; drain. Serve chicken and sauce over pasta, topped with parsley.

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