Hiatus

Friends, readers, blog surfers, I bid thee farewell – temporarily anyway. The next 7 weeks leading up to graduation are going to be the most difficult 7 weeks of my life thus-far, and I am unable to continue producing these entries for your viewing pleasure. I will, however, continue to post pictures and recipes when I have the time, but for the most part, this blog is going into a short-term hibernation. I will be back in exactly 7 weeks, so mark your calendars.

Love and thank you so much for your continued support.
AnhD

Rustic Pear Galette
Quick notes: (1) Play with the filling to your heart’s content! This time I used an anise-clove-cinnamon syrup that I had make a while ago for baklava to poach the pears, giving this this wonderfully aromatic and spiced warmth that complements these autumn pears sooo well. Contrarily, you can just as easily douse the sliced pears with a few tablespoons of melted butter, then dust with sugar. Play around and have fun. (2) This is my favorite dough recipe. Super easy and very quick to make – even if just using your own hands. (3) I actually made mini-galettes from this dough, and they turned out very cute and convenient for controlling portions.

Ingredients
Dough:
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, just softened, cut in 1/2-inch pieces
3 1/2 tablespoons chilled water
1 egg, beaten
Raw sugar for sprinkling, optional

Filling:
4-5 pears, peeled and sliced [I used a variety]
*Please read quick note above.
Poaching Syrup (1/2 c honey + 1/2 c water + 1 stick cinnamon + 1 whole dried anise flower + 1/4 tsp clove; bring to simmer in saucepan and allow to cook until syrup infused with spice flavors)

Directions
For dough: mix flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add 2 tbs of butter, and blend until dough resembles coarse cornmeal. Add remaining butter, mixing until biggest pieces look like large peas. I like to use a wooden rice paddle to work this all in, when I don’t have a food processor handy. Just remember, minimal heat and as little working as possible to prevent a tough dough.

Sprinkle in 1 tbs water, mix, then add in 1 tbs more, just until dough holds together. Toss with hands, letting it fall through fingers, until it’s ropy with some dry patches. If dry patches predominate, add another tablespoon water. Keep tossing until you can roll dough into a ball. Flatten into a thick disk, cover, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400*F. Before using, allow to soften until malleable, but still cold. Roll out onto a floured surface, about 1/8″ thick. To make a free style galette, simply place dough onto baking sheet. Arrange pear slices in the center of the dough. You can arrange them nicely in a flower patter, or if you are constrained for time, just dump your pear slices onto the center and just arrange to even it out. Leave about a 1.5″ edge to form the galette.

Taking the sections of the dough’s edge, fold toward the center so it covers the closest pears. This is free-form, so don’t worry too much about shape. Brush the crust exterior with egg wash, then sprinkle a healthy amount of raw sugar crystals. Bake for about 40-50 mins or until golden brown and beautiful. Enjoy.

The Doldrums

All silent on the kitchen counter. No splattering pots, no simmering pans, no sizzling plates. Static. There are no fragrances of freshly grated ginger for molasses cookies, nor pungent balsamic vinegar deglazing a hot pan. The inactivity is quelling. Somewhere in the dark cabinet corner, a neglected bay leaf longs for attention. Thus is the sad state of my kitchen – Stagnant. Insipid. Stale. At some point over the last few days/weeks/months, I lost my motivation. I lost my personal inspiration. I lost the voice that urged me to keep going. I lost a companion to appreciate and fuel my passion. And it’s metastasized to other parts of my life – blog senescence; my mechanical/zombie-like attitude; my apathy toward most things; my aversion to crowded places; my inability to FEEL and EXPERIENCE like I use to. That SPARK, that EXCITEMENT, that PASSION is gone. Where’d you go? I miss you dearly, and would greatly appreciate it if you came back.

Despite having an amazing support system, I know I’m not functioning optimally. But not all is in the doldrums. I found out that I’m graduating a semester early – that’s 3.5 years to complete my bachelors at Cal. Woo!! This, of course, opens a whole new can of worms… I am also teaching 2 sections for Public Health 116, applying to grad school, preparing for the GRE, developing a curriculum for my new Vietnamese class, working 20 hours a week, juggling family, friendships and boyfriend. You think I have any energy left to pursue my kitchen passion? But then again, I’ve always been this busy… what makes it different this time?

Corn & Cheese Arepas
Source: Mark Bittman
Today’s recipe is for Argentinian Arepas, which Mark Bittman demonstrated on Bitten not too long ago. This is honestly the most satisfying one-person-meal I have ever made! It is very quick to whip together (15 min. tops), and absolutely hits the spot. They can be used like English muffins (sandwich buns), but I honestly just munch on the individual pancakes plain. Hit then with some sour cream and guacamole and you’re good to go. I can totally see myself making this for my kids (if I ever have any) as an after school snack… you know, like between extracurriculars and before homework time and dinner? And once you’ve got it the first time, tweaking the recipe is cake… or rather, Arepas! My changes/suggests are in [brackets].

Ingredients
1 cup yellow cornmeal [1.5 cups]
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup grated Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup milk
2 tbsp butter, more for serving, optional
1/2-3/4 cup fresh sweet corn kernels, or frozen kernels, thawed
1/4 cup chopped scallion
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 jalapeño, seeded and minced, optional
corn oil
[*I think a diced red onion would be nice]

Put milk in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until steam rises, then add butter and stir until melted. Remove from heat. In a large bow, combine cornmeal, salt and cheese. Stir milk-butter mixture into cormeal until thick batter is formed. Fold in the corn kernels, scallion, cilantro and chili if using.
Allow batter to rest until it thickens into a soft dough, about 15 minutes. Gently shape 1/2″ thick patties, using your palms. Or if you are too impatient (like me!), my batter tends to be a bit runny, and I just spoon the batter into a hot skillet like pancakes.
Heat oil in a large skillet on medium and cook arepas, working in batches, until golden brown, about 5 minutes, then flip and cook for another 3 minutes on other side. DO NOT USE HIGH HEAT, as these BURN very very quickly.
Optional: When all arepas are cooked and cool enough to handle, carefully slice them through the middle. If desired, serve with butter or stuff with beans, vegetables or sour cream (sour cream + salt + dill + cilantro = delicious) .

So when I am not sulking about how absolutely uninspired I’ve been, I waver between anxious/nervous and just very stressed. And all this coincides with my new Donna Hay coming in the mail. I used to be so excited and expectant, but now it’s just an unwanted reminder. So to sum it up, my week has been less than ideal. I’ve been cranky and irritable and overall just very unpleasant (I apologize if you’ve been on the receiving end of this), resulting in unclear skin and ugly frown lines. I left Berkeley in a hurry, and with each blur in the scenery, each bend in the road, each passing exit, the negativity gradually dissipated out of me. And when I got to San Jose, all it took was a smile, a kiss, a tight bear hug, to remove the remnants of it. Enough to encourage me to hop back into the kitchen again anyway…

Thank you.
AnhD

Spice of Life

A few months ago, I began to notice a strange, unidentifiable odor coming from our heavily stocked kitchen spice cabinet. It seemed as though the contents were leaking fumes from behind shut doors – and once open, I was accosted by the mixed fragrances from open bags of garam masala and caraway along with half bottles of fish sauce and spilled balsamic vinegar. Not to forget stale (oddly alien-bright green in color) dried oregano and parsley, and solid lumps of achiote powder that dusted the cabinet base. A disaster of a cabinet – the kitchen gods must have been soo offended!

Over time, we have managed to clean out the mess – scrape the bottoms free of sticky honey and balsamic vinegar, and sweep away all the spice dusts that have accumulated over the years. We were super ambitious and even arrange all the jars, bottles and spice pouches alphabetically, in hopes of a more efficient identification system. It is just soo frustrating when you can’t find the little nutmeg container because it is obstructed by the damned salt shaker. I’m sure you (unorganized like myself) know exactly how I feel. Through the process of cleaning, however, I had a bit of a (late) revelation. I had spices and ingredients for an international kitchen. I mean come on – caraway and fish sauce in the same cabinet? Really? Herbes de Provence next to tamarind pulp? And all so unique! Some sweet, some peppery. Others spicy and salty. Life is no different, you know… But what an abundance of tastes and colors and flavors! How absolutely wonderful that all these random ingredients should congregate in my kitchen! I think it is a testament to my blessed environment – rich in diversity and culture and cuisines and traditions. And today, I celebrate that – a Vietnamese girl makes Indian samosas!

Samosas
This is probably a gross imitation of what an authentic samosa is – but please do not be offended, my friend. I’ve read several recipes on the Internet, and managed to come up with my own. Yes, I do the most blasphemous thing of all – I used flour tortillas to form the outside pastry of a samosa. In defense of myself – I’ve seen this used in an Indian restaurant in Emeryville, so I thought I was perfectly at liberty to do it as well – and I am so glad I did! Golden brown and beautifully flaky!! So, if you are still scoffing at me, have a bite of these and banish those frowns of disapproval.

Ingredients
3-4 large baking potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/2 cup diced yellow onion
2 tsp minced fresh ginger
2 tsp minced garlic
1 1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
fresh parsley and cilantro, chopped
cooking oil
12 10″ flour tortillas
1 egg, beaten

Directions
In a large pot, place diced potatoes and fill with enough water to cover. Generously salt (as you would mash potatoes), bring to a boil and cook until tender. Drain and with a potato masher or large wooden spoon, mash the potatoes until light and fluffy. Set aside.
Meanwhile, heat a large pot on medium heat. Drizzle enough oil to cover bottom and sautée garlic and onions until soft and translucent. Add peas and carrots, cooking until soft. Stir in garam masala, cayenne pepper, and turmeric and allow to meld with the other flavors. Turn off heat, add the mashed potatoes and continue to mix until the flavors are evenly incorporated. Add a handful of freshly chopped parsley and cilantro, just to lighten up the filling. Allow to cool to room temperature before further handling.

To form the samosa pastry, cut all flour tortillas in half circles and place a rounded tablespoon of potato filling on the left third wedge of the halved-tortilla. See pictures below for further folding/sealing method.

Fold the other flap so forms a conical shape. Use the beaten egg to seal the edges.

In a deep pot, add 1.5 inches of oil and preheat until almost smokey (350*F or so). Add a few samosas at a time, as to not decrease the oil temperature, and fry until golden brown. Remove and let drain on a paper towel before serving with your favorite dipping sauce. I used Sriracha, but your favorite cilantro-yogurt dip is equally satisfying.

So, my first attempt at making Samosas. They are certainly satisfactory and definitely hit the spot, but if you have a suggestions, critique, tips, etc, please feel free to send them my way. I am ALWAYS looking to improve my self-made recipes. Take a whirl, tell me what you think!

<3 AnhD.