The Seven Deadly Sins

I apologize readers. I have been remiss in my blogging duties, and I have no excuse or pretense or explanation. I’ve just been lazy. And gluttonous (I can’t stop eating!). And greedy (I can’t resist online shopping). And when I’m at work, wrathful (toward my customers). And envious (of others who seem to have a grip on their lives). My poor soul is pretty much doomed, it seems, to a lifetime in limbo (if not worse). God, what’s wrong with me?!?!?!????

But of course, my psyche kicks in, and my endorphins begin to smooth away those harsh, negative feelings, and instead replace them with self-assurance and rational (psych majors, you know what I’m talking about)— I may be damned, but at least I ate well on Earth! And boy, do I.

I’ve been having this strong craving for La Med’s Chicken Cilicia, but it’s expensive and I’ve been too lazy to walk down College Avenue. So I tried my hand at making the dish – the only problem is, there is NO recipe for ‘Chicken Cilicia’ on Google. How utterly frustrating that La Med had to create some ridiculously unique dish that didn’t even exist on Google – it was infuriating! So, I resorted to Googling up the ingredients together – currants, almonds, chicken, cinnamon, sugar, etc… and lo and behold. The dish does exist outside of La Med’s esoteric menu.

Moroccan Bisteeya is traditionally a savory-sweet meat pie with a flaky phyllo shell. It is unique in that the filling is meaty and full of wonderful spices (saffron, turmeric, cumin, etc), but the outside is dusted with a sweet and fragrant cinnamon-sugar coating. And once baked, the cinnamon-sugar just melts and becomes like a sticky glaze – sounds strange, but you MUST try it. It’s sooo good, it’s sinful.

Moroccan Bisteeya
Source
As always, I only loosely follow recipes, any additional kitchen notes will be in [brackets].

*Note: I recently re-made this and stuffed puff pastry dough – INFINITELY BETTER! Thaw, then roll out puff pastry sheets. Drop chicken filling by the spoonful and seal the puff pastry. Brush with egg wash and bake. Delicious!

Ingredients
Chicken Filling:
2 tbs unsalted butter
1 large [red] onion, finely chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp saffron threads
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tbs fresh ginger, grated [ground]
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cumin seeds [ground]
2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1/2 can chicken broth [not in original recipe]
2 pounds boneless chicken thighs, [minced by hand]
3/4 cup golden raisins, chopped [omitted]
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup slivered almonds, lightly toasted and chopped
1/3 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

3/4 lb phyllo dough, thawed & kept under damp towel
1/2 cup melted butter
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 cup powdered sugar [used granulated, so it didn't melt as well, but still good]

Directions
Preheat oven to 375ºF.
Melt butter in large sauté pan. [Tip: I also added a splash of olive oil so my butter wouldn't burn.] Add chopped onion. Cook on medium heat until begin to brown and sweat, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and stir in saffron, turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, cumin, salt and pepper and cook 1 more minute. It should resemble a thick paste. Stir in chicken broth, add minced chicken, cover pot, and cook over low heat until cooked through, about 7 minutes. Unlid your pot, and allow to cook until most of the liquid has evaporated, but not dry.

Once cooked, slowly stream the beaten eggs into the pot, constantly stirring until set. The meat will resemble, hm [how to put this delicately?]… The mixture will look curdled. You will understand what I mean, when you get to this step. Remove from heat, and allow to cool completely before adding almonds, chopped parsley and cilantro.
All the while, set up your phyllo, making sure it is kept covered and moist at all times.
Removing one sheet from the stack, lightly brush melted butter over the sheet, then fold the sheet horizontally (hotdog) in half.

Spoon a large tablespoon of meat filling onto one end of the long sheet, and use your fingers to mold the filling into a log, parallel to the short side of the folded phyllo. I prefer long and skinny, Kari likes them short and stubby. It all depends on how you want your final product. Just be consistent, as it affects baking time and presentation.

Fold the long sides inward.

Beginning at the filling end, roll the log along the length of the phyllo.

Tuck in the sheet and guiding the roll with your fingers as you go. Be gentle, phyllo can be delicate.

The unbaked product. Keep it covered with a damp towel!

After rolling, your pot should look like this.

Before baking, lightly brush each roll with butter and sprinkle cinnamon-sugar over the top. Bake in oven until golden brown and beautiful. Remove, and this is what you get.

These can be served warm or at room temperature. Dig in folks.

So, in theory, I haven’t been all that lazy. I hauled myself out of bed to make bisteeya. That shows a bit of diligence, I think. Also, I recently committed myself to making Thanksgiving Dinner for 20+ of my friends – there is a monster of a bird sitting in my fridge, some 20+ pounds. That can’t be a sign of laziness- gluttonous, I’ll give you that, but not lazy. My pre-mature Turkey Dinner will feature a Pomegrante Glazed Turkey with Couscous stuffing. The dinner itself will favor strong Mediterranean and Middle Eastern influences with my Turkish bell pepper soup (served in a pumpkin!), batata harra (spicy potatoes), homemade meat pastries and spreads. Additionally, I want a cookie stand – filled with shortbread, molasses spice, double chocolate chip, the works. I want to WOW my guests. I’ll be in the kitchen at all hours for the next 2.5 days. Stay tuned!

From my kitchen to yours and happy holidays!

Anh

First Impressions

First impressions are important. Your prospective employer. Your dean of admissions. Your future in-laws. You either make it or break it with that initial meeting, and pretty much nothing you do after will change their minds about you. If anything, the future only worsens how they perceive you. I’m sure you know exactly what I mean; tough luck, don’t you agree?

Personally, I have this innate need to be ‘approved’ or affirmed by those around me. No, don’t flatter me. No, don’t spoon feed me compliments. I just need to know that I have someone’s approval – either a friend, a parent, a professor, a co-worker, etc. This past weekend, I felt that strong urge – and though there was no pressure to impress or even a remote expectation, I felt the need to win over a group of someoneiknow’s friends. I wanted them to know that I was worthy, that I was good enough, that I was everything they had expected and more. And what better way to impress than to showcase my efforts, my time, my passion?

Hello. Nice to meet you. I made you caramel apples. I hope you like them.

This was my first attempt at making caramel apples, but I am soo pleased with the results! They are fairly simple to make, and your taste buds will forever be spoiled and pampered as they will never settle for anything less than homemade caramel apples. What a world of difference. And because you actually make your own caramel, there is a complexity in flavor that you will never get from just melting caramel candies. The condensed milk has an intense sweetness that pairs soo well with that combination of melted sweet cream butter, golden brown sugar, dark maple syrup, and a hint (just enough to make you whet) of sugarcane molasses (‘That’s Molasses to you, biatch,’ as my manager Aaron would say). Kari and Carina loved the caramel so much, they ate it by the spoonful – warm and straight off the stove. What’s worse, they even scraped the caramel drippings on my baking sheet and ate that too. It’s THAT good.

Also, you can get soo creative with Caramel Apples. Decorate and coat to your heart’s desire! Crushed nuts, white/milk/semi/dark chocolate, toffee bits, cocoa nib, praline, brittle, shredded coconut, dried fruit (craisins!), mini m&ms, crushed candy bits, marshmallows, graham crackers – do you see how the possibilities are just endless??? Caramel Apples are a fall favorite – a definite compliment-winner that is sure to make amazing first impressions.

*Kitchen Notes*
This recipe coats 15 medium Granny Smith apples, with left over caramel to snack on. A candy thermometer is a must if you want the caramel to solidify. If not, you can cook the caramel until crystals have dissolved and liquified, then fondue it – great for parties and large crowds. Alternatively, you do not have to use all the caramel at once. It can be tightly plastic-wrapped and placed in the fridge for a week. Simply reheat in a double boiler until you have a liquid consistency, and you are ready to dip. Don’t waste your time looking for special sticks to spear your apples – run down to your favorite Chinese take-out and steal a bunch of chopsticks because they are sturdier than any of the other options out there. Freeze your cookie sheets before you dip the apples and clear some space in the fridge!! The former will help set the caramel faster, and the latter is just strategic. After dipping, the caramel will inevitably pool at the bottom of the apples as it sets in the fridge. There are several options here. (1) If you don’t mind wasting a bit of the caramel, then pull your dipped caramel apples straight upward when you remove from the baking sheet, or else you are going to get these ugly caramel strands. (2) Immediately after dipping in hot caramel, sit the caramel apple bottom in a bowl of chopped nuts. Then place on a baking sheet, and fridge. Why? When the caramel does begin to pool and slide off the apple, the nuts will slow that process. AND because the caramel is pliable, you can simply push/press the nut/caramel mass right back onto the apple. No big deal. Further hints/tips are noted in [brackets] below.

Sticky Sweet Caramel Apples
source: Epicurious, Bon Appétit (Oct 1999)

Equipment
clip-on candy thermometer
chopsticks
buttered parchment/foil
baking sheets

Ingredients
1 1-pound box brown sugar [light is fine; about 2.25 cups]
16 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
2/3 cup dark corn syrup
1/3 cup pure maple syrup [any grade, I like the dark stuff]
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp robust-flavored (dark) molasses [mild is great]
1/4 tsp salt
15 medium Granny Smith apples [any tart variety]
Assorted decorations
Melted dark, milk and/or white chocolates

Directions

Melt first 8 ingredients in a large saucepan or pot. Stir with large wooden spoon over medium-low heat until the crystals disappear. Occasionally, brush down the sides with a wet pastry brush. [15-20 minutes]

Increase heat to medium-high. Attach clip-on candy thermometer. Boil caramel until temperature reads 236°F, consistently stirring and continuing to brush down the sides of the pot with your wet pastry brush [12 minutes]. At 236-240°F, remove from heat and pour caramel into metal bowl (do not scrape pan). Submerge thermometer bulb in caramel and cool without stirring to 200°F [about 30 minutes].

While caramel cools, line 2 baking sheets with buttered foil or parchment. Push 1 chopstick into stem end of each apple. Roll each apple in boiling hot water for 1 minute. This will remove the wax and help the caramel adhere to the apple surface. Wipe dry.

Dip one apple straight down into the caramel, submurging all but the top crown. Pull straight out and allow for the excess to drip. Some sources say to turn the apple on its side, rotate it in mid-air to even out the caramel and help it set. Do a test trial and see for yourself. Place down on a baking sheet. Repeat for all apples, spacing them about 1-2″ apart. Place baking sheet in fridge for about 20 minutes, or until the apples partially set (no more dripping, still pliable).

In the meantime, start chopping the nuts, breaking the brittle, melting your chocolate and setting up your decoration station. Remove your apple baking sheet from the fridge, and pulling directly upward, remove an apple. You can press the pooled caramel back onto the apple or chose not to. You can now press your decorations onto the apple or drizzle on melted chocolate, or even submerge in melted chocolate. Your choice entirely. Just make sure that the decoration SETS before adding the next decoration. I personally rolled my apples in crushed almonds before drizzling melted dark and white chocolate over the apples. They turned out beautifully.

The holiday season is fast approaching, and I know that means a lot of first meetings with important people – long lost family members, new friends, friends of friends. So proceed with caution food friends. My best advice? Though it’s border-line cliché, I say, be yourself. It will put you at ease, and hopefully lessen your apprehension and your chances of committing a foible. And of course, a tray full of meticulously decorated Caramel Apples doesn’t hurt either.

Until soon friends!
AnhD

Early Autumn Reflections

The falling orange-yellow leaves make poets and dreamers of us all. There is the slightest nip in the early morning air as you walk out the front door. The sky is an intense expanse of azure, interrupted only by the occasional pillow patches of silver tinted clouds. The ground is moist from the newly fallen dew, visible droplets still hanging on the balding tree boughs and clinging to shy, late blooming petals. The monotony of those vapid summer days is supplanted by the mellow breezes that whisper through the leaves, and the leaves, in turn, whimsically dance to greet the wind. Like I said, the transition of the seasons make poets of us all.

Credit: Anthony Le

This reverie has me longing for some comforting companions – warm cider and spiced pumpkin goodies; hot coco and a good novel; quilted blankets and plush cushions – I’m all set for a day inside, as my window is illuminated by a contrasting scene of colored leaves ready to leave the branch with a grey sky backdrop. And if I’m daring, I’ll even step outside to catch the breeze, smell the damp earth, and step on that extra crunchy leaf. If you haven’t yet guessed it, autumn is upon us.

And to mark the passage of the seasons, this entry begins my celebration of the season’s best flavors – warm and deep coffees. Rich and creamy pumpkin. Spicy and bold ginger and cinnamon. Decadent dark chocolate. Sweet and crunchy persimmons. Oh, what joy awaits us! (Wordsworth)

Spiced Pumpkin Cupcakes
I found these on Patent and the Pantry. This is a wonderfully delicate alternative to a denser pumpkin muffin r cake, and not too heavy on the palate. It leaves room for a nice large mug of white chocolate mocha or spicy apple cinnamon cider, if that is more to your taste. Over the weekend, Kari and Piggy managed to clean out half the batch, without any help. Good thing I had already packed a few for Jamie & Hai, or else no one would have gotten any. These can be accompanied by a cream cheese frosting, but are beautiful standalone. I absolutely love pumpkin, and this recipe really showcases the pumpkin taste. The spices really complement the pumpkin, adding depth and complexity to such a simple recipe. Also, I glazed mine with a honey/powdered sugar, as I am not a huge fan of frosting, BUT these would be delicious with your favorite cream cheese frosting.

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (I doubled this because I love nutmeg.)
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice [didn't have, so used cloves instead]
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin puree

Directions
Preheat oven to 350F.
In one bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and the spices.

In another bowl, whisk together butter, both sugars, and eggs. Slowly add dry ingredients, and whisk until smooth. Add pumpkin puree last, and fold in thoroughly.

Fill prepared muffin pan (either cupcake liners or buttered) 2/3 of the way with batter. Bake for about 18-22 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean and the tops spring back when touched. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes before removing to rack to cool completely. Frost if desired. If not, EAT and ENJOY.

So this begins the first of many autumn entries. I know that our hectic lives can sometimes overwhelm us, and we can don’t even noticing the voluminous clouds overhead or the virginal mossy soil waiting to be stepped in. So stop for a moment – and appreciate the autumn leaves. They are calling to us. They are reminding us. They beckon us to remember and appreciate the present. The changing of time is swift, and many things in life are transitory and ephemeral, just like those leaves. But stop, just for a moment, and surrender yourself to it. And just for that moment, feel the entire world at peace. Feel the entire world, with all its worries and stress, held at bay.

Fall makes dreamers and poets of us all.
Correction.
Fall makes dreamser, poets, and philosophers of us all.

Farewell Fall Foodies!

AnhD