Tag Archives: viking.dessert recipes

Cures for the Common February: Two New Recipes

18 Feb

As I was going through my artwork from the past six years to assemble my new portfolio, it became apparent that I create a disproportionate amount of art during the month of February. Last year, I had an art school application due in February, so naturally I finished up more drawings and designs that month than I usually would, but I think the main reason I draw so much in February year after year is to distract myself from how much I dislike the weather that month. It is a terrible, emo month, maybe even worse than November.

November sucks (and pardon my northern hemisphere/temperate climate-centrism here) because that’s when winter really hits. You can feel winter coming in October, but there are still leaves on the trees, the days are reasonably long, and it isn’t too cold just yet. But when November rolls around, it’s full-on winter: all grey skies, lifeless landscapes, and unpleasant wetness. But it is a month of adjustment; by December, I’m used to it. By February, however, I’m sick of it; it is the nadir of the year. February isn’t the darkest month of the year, and in most of the places I’ve lived, it isn’t the coldest and it isn’t the wettest, but it sure does feel like it (surprisingly, in London February is actually the least wet month on average). Even sunny Los Angeles is not immune to the climatological ills of February:

february
(Color altered for effect.)

So what to do to cope with February, Old Man Winter’s loathsome last hurrah? I offer three solutions:

  1. Draw anthropomorphic squirrels ad nauseam. Works for me!
  2. Celebrate St. Valentine’s Day. If you’re single, just take it as an excuse to drink Scotch and eat chocolate.
  3. Try your hand at baking. I don’t bake very often, but now that I’m unemployed and have easy access to a convection oven, I have no excuse not to. Baking is meditative, time-consuming, and fun, and it fills the kitchen with delightful smells and warm air. And did I mention that when you’ve finished, you get baked goods?

Here are a couple of easy recipes I made last week for a party. And I say they’re easy because even I, a complete novice to baking, made them without any trouble. The main inspiration behind them both was the always delightful Borough Market.

cookies

Red Currant, Pine Nut, and Cardamom Oatmeal Cookies

In the United States, currants are eaten rarely and almost exclusively dried. I don’t know why – it’s not like we can’t grow them there. In England, and I think in much of central Europe, both black and red currants are a favorite flavor in baked goods, candies, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages as well as savory dishes. The red ones are perky and sharp, with a cranberry-like sourness, while the black ones have a richer, plummy, pruney taste. This recipe would work well with both; red is what I found, so red is what I used.

I liked the way the fresh berries popped open in the oven; when they came out, the heat had turned them into little patches of sweet red goo. They still hung on to their tartness, which complemented the buttery pine nuts and spicy, aromatic cardamom nicely.

If you can’t get fresh currants, you can use chopped cranberries or cherries, or you can try it with dried currants. This is based on a recipe from Bon Apétit.

2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2/3 cup fresh currants
1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted
1 2/3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups (packed) dark brown sugar
2 cups oats

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. Whisk eggs and vanilla in small bowl to blend. Stir in currants.
  3. Sift flour, baking soda, salt, and spices into medium bowl.
  4. Using an electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until fluffy. Add sugar and beat until smooth.
  5. Add currant and egg mixture and whisk to blend.
  6. Stir in flour mixture, then oats.
  7. Butter and flour baking sheets. Drop batter by spoonfuls onto sheets, spacing 1 1/2 inches apart. Using moistened fingertips, flatten cookies slightly.
  8. Bake one sheet at a time until cookies are golden brown, about 13 minutes. Cool on sheets.

Chestnut and Ginger Brownies with Kinako Frosting

Cravings for Japanese junk food, rediscovering one of my favorite blogs, and my inability to leave recipes alone led to this recipe. Laura has a Marie Claire cookbook with a good brownie recipe in it, but I knew I wanted to tweak it somehow – originally I was thinking mochi brownies with black beans and kinako frosting, but I wasn’t sure how it would turn out, and besides, we were out of mochi.

Enter Borough Market, where I happened to stumble upon a pack of prepared chestnuts. Later I spotted a bit of ginger chocolate at Sainsbury’s, and I had my new recipe (I’m rewriting it here with simply ginger and chocolate). The kinako frosting recipe is from Delicious Coma, which has always been my favorite Japanese food blog, and it’s becoming one of my favorite Los Angeles food blogs since the author moved there last year. The frosting is amazing, by the way.

150 grams butter
250 grams dark chocolate
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1/2 tablespoon baking soda
1 cup prepared chestnuts or marrons glaces, chopped
1 tablespoon grated ginger
2 generous tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted

  1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
  2. Melt 150 grams of chocolate and butter together in a double boiler or in the microwave. Stir until smooth.
  3. Beat eggs and sugar together until mixture is pale and thick.
  4. Fold in chocolate mixture, followed by sifted flour and baking soda, ginger, chestnuts, and remaining chocolate, chopped.
  5. Butter an 8″x8″ square baking pan and pour in batter. Bake for 30 minutes or until brownies are set.
  6. Allow brownies to cool for at least 30 minutes, then spread evenly with kinako frosting and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Cut into squares and serve.

I don’t have a photo of the brownies, but please enjoy this picture of what I made for lunch on Valentine’s day instead:

valentines

Mmmmmmm.

Five Summer Recipes ５つの夏レシピー

15 Jul

On account that July is crazy (Kokura Gion, many many birthdays, packing and preparing to go home, sayonara parties, etc.), this may be my last post for a while. But luckily I’ve upped the ante on last year’s summer recipes, bringing you not three, not four, but five original recipes to keep you well-fed until Labor Day. Enjoy!

第一　Thai Rice Salad

A friend of mine made something similar to this in college, and I recreated it on my birthday using red, purple, and black rice I bought in Thailand. With lime juice, coconut milk, sesame oil, chili oil, Thai herbs, and fresh fruit, this salad tastes just as colorful as it looks, an excellent side for all manner of grilled meat.

2 cups (uncooked) red, purple, and/or black Thai rice (substitute brown or wild rice)
1 cup coconut milk
4 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon nam pla (fish sauce; substitute soy or Worcestershire sauce)
1 tablespoon honey or sugar
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 slightly unripe mango or papaya, peeled, seeded, and chopped
1/2 cup (packed) chopped cilantro
5-6 green onions, thinly sliced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup cashews, toasted and roughly chopped
2 Kaffir lime leaves, grated or minced
1/4 cup chopped Thai basil (substitute basil)
1-2 teaspoons chili oil
1-2 teaspoons cayenne (optional)
salt and pepper, to taste

  1. Gently rinse rice under cold water. Soak in 3-4 cups water (less water for firmer rice) for 6-7 hours and cook in the same water with a pinch of salt. Refrigerate and cool thoroughly before using.
  2. Whisk together coconut milk, lime juice, sesame oil, soy sauce, nam pla, honey or sugar, garlic, Kaffir lime leaves, Thai basil, chili oil, cayenne, salt, and pepper until well-blended.
  3. Toss together rice, red pepper, green pepper, mango or papaya, cilantro, and green onions. Pour on dressing and cashews and toss again just before serving

第二　Orange and Yuzu Koshō Crème Fraiche for Shellfish

This is adopted from a recipe for lobster that I wanted to make for Laura on her birthday. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any lobster, but it worked nicely with seared scallops and crab (especially crab), with a sneaky heat from the yuzu koshō that gives this simple sauce a delightfully cool-then-hot flavor.

2/3 cup sour cream
1 cup cream
2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest
2 teaspoons yuzu-kosho (substitute 1 teaspoon lemon zest and 1teaspoon cayenne)
2 teaspoons finely grated ginger
1 tablespoon orange juice
salt, to taste

Blend all ingredients in a bowl until smooth and refrigerate for at least two hours. Dollop onto peeled, prepared shellfish like crab, scallops, or lobster. Garnish with green onion.

第三　Saffron and Chevre Mashed Potatoes

The idea for this also came from the lobster recipe I mentioned above, but I thought mashed potatoes would be more to Laura’s liking than potato soup. The cheese here gives the potatoes an exquisitely dense and smooth texture and a light tang to underscore the delicate fragrance of saffron.

2 medium-size potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 medium-size sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
2/3 cup Chevre, crumbled
1/2 cup mild Cheddar, crumbled
1 cup cream
1/3 cup butter
about 3/4 tablespoon saffron, torn
1teaspoon oregano
salt and white pepper, to taste

  1. Boil or steam potatoes for 15 minutes or until fork-tender. Drain and return to pot.
  2. Over low heat, add butter, cream, saffron, salt, and pepper to potatoes and mash them together.
  3. Add cheeses and continue to mash until cheese is melted and incorporated with potatoes and potatoes have reached desired consistency.
  4. Cook until mixture is bright yellow-orange and saffron threads have softened.

第四　Green Salad with Feta Cheese and Cranberry Vinaigrette

Cranberries aren’t a summer fruit, but their brisk sourness lends itself nicely to summery meals. This salad counters a tart cranberry vinaigrette with buttery pine nuts and the ripe, salty creaminess of feta cheese.

3 cups mixed baby greens
1/2 green bell pepper, sliced
1/4 cup broccoli sprouts
1/4 cup Feta, crumbled
1 1/2 teaspoons pine nuts, toasted

1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup cranberry juice
1/2 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons finely-chopped red onion
1 1/2 tablespoon cider or red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh mint
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons dill
salt and pepper, to taste

  1. In a saucepan, boil cranberries in cranberry juice and orange juice for about 15-20 minutes, or until cranberries have plumped and softened and liquid has reduced slightly.
  2. Pour cranberries and juice into a blender with onions, mint, dill, salt, and pepper and blend into a paste.
  3. Add olive oil, vinegar, and honey and continue to blend until mixture is completely homogenous and smooth. Refrigerate until ready to use.
  4. Toss baby greens and bell pepper together. Top with broccoli sprouts, cheese, and pine nuts. Pour on vinaigrette just before serving.

第五　Passion Fruit-Raspberry Sauce

This is a simple yet noticeable twist on a standard dessert condiment, inspired by an impulse buy while out grocery shopping. For the liqueur, I wanted to use something anise-based like Sambuca or Ouzo, but couldn’t find any. Cointreau worked splendidly as a substitute, but you can use whatever you like to add an extra tangent of flavor to this versatile sauce.

about 1/2 pound fresh or frozen raspberries (1 1/2-2 cups)
2 passion fruits
2 teaspoons fruit or herbal liqueur
1/3 cup sugar
juice of 1/4 lemon

  1. Halve each passion fruit and scoop out the seeds. Add to a saucepan along with all other ingredients and stir to combine.
  2. Cook over medium-high heat until fruit has liquefied.
  3. Press mixture through a strainer or sieve to remove seeds. Serve warm or chilled over ice cream or cake.

More Recipes for Romance もう２つロマンスの作り方

7 May

Our Golden Week plans (and by “plans” I mean “half-assed, too-late attempt to book a trip to Pusan”) fell through, which left Laura and I with lots and lots of precious, precious free time to enjoy ourselves and the gorgeous late-spring weather. On Monday I spent the whole day cooking, and the whole night eating (and drinking and playing truth or dare). Here is the meal around which that wonderful day off revolved: two recipes for two, one very complicated, one very simple, both very delicious and, as always, completely original!

Viking Lasagna

Pasta (adapted from a recipe by Mario Batali)

3 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup rice bran
4 large eggs
2 tablespoons sweet vermouth
1 teaspoon olive oil

  1. Mix all ingredients using either the well method or with a food processor or electric mixer.
  2. Dust your countertop with additional flour or bran and knead the dough until it is firm, homogeneous, and dry. The dough should not stick to the countertop.
  3. Form the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and allow to rest at room temperature for one hour.
  4. Cut the dough into eighths and process into lasagne, about nine inches long, according to your pasta maker’s instructions. Alternatively, the dough may be rolled out into very thin sheets and then cut into lasagne.
  5. Dust finished lasagne with a small amount of bran to prevent sticking, cover, and set aside.

Filling

3 small eggplants, thinly sliced into long strips
3/4 bunch maitake mushrooms, roughly chopped
about 3/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano
about 3/4 cup grated Mozzarella
about 1/2 cup Ricotta
about 1/2 pound mixed ground beef and ground pork
1 tablespoon pine nuts
1/2 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 or 3 large green olives, minced
7 or 8 capers, halved
1/4 teaspoon garam masala (substitute five-spice and curry powder)
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
salt and pepper, to taste
olive oil, for frying

  1. Salt sliced eggplant and allow to sit for about 15 minutes to sweat.
  2. Mix cheeses together and set aside, reserving about 1/4 cup Pecorino Romano.
  3. Combine meat, capers, garam masala, marjoram, fennel seeds, and pepper in a mixing bowl.
  4. Rinse off salted eggplant and drain and dry well. Toss or brush eggplant with about 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
  5. Warm a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add eggplant and fry until both sides are browned, about 2 or 3 minutes on each side.
  6. Remove eggplant from heat and set aside on paper towel to drain excess oil.
  7. Add about 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the same non-stick skillet. Sauté pine nuts, onion, garlic, and olives until slightly browned.
  8. Add meat and cook just through, making sure to break up any large chunks. Drain excess fat and reserve.

Sauce

about 20 ounces diced canned tomatoes in juice
1 small eggplant, peeled and diced
1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 bunch maitake mushrooms, roughly chopped
2 or 3 large green olives, chopped
2 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup red wine or fruit liqueur
dried thyme, to taste
dried basil, to taste
dried oregano, to taste
1 bay leaf
1 dash Tabasco sauce
salt and pepper
reserved fat from meat (see above)

  1. Warm reserved fat over medium-high heat. Add eggplant, onion, garlic, mushrooms, olives, salt, and pepper and cook until onions become translucent.
  2. Add tomatoes, vinegar, wine or liqueur, herbs, and Tabasco sauce and bring to a boil.
  3. Cook uncovered to reduce until sauce reaches desired consistency

Assembly

fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
olive oil

  1. Boil about 6 cups water in a large pot. Brush excess flour or bran from fresh lasagne and add to water.
  2. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until firmly al dente. Remove from pot and rinse under cold water, then drain and dry on paper towel.
  3. Lightly coat a 9-inch bread pan with olive oil.
  4. Layer pasta, eggplant, mushrooms, meat, sauce, and cheese two or three times until pan is full. Top with pasta, sauce, parsley, and grated Pecorino Romano.
  5. Cover with foil and bake at 350º (180ºC) for about 20 minutes, then remove foil and continue cooking for another 15-20 minutes.

In the end, I had extra ingredients, especially pasta, so I made another lasagna-moussaka type thing with extra sauce, sliced onions, and a mixture of beaten eggs. That’s in my freezer now. I’ll let you know how it turns out. After that I still had extra pasta, which I microwaved with clotted cream, dried herbs, and a splash of sweet vermouth. It was delicious.

Simple Almond and Raspberry Tiramisu

about 12 ounces Mascarpone
about 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
about 12-15 lady fingers or amaretti cookies
1/2 cup espresso or strong coffee, cooled
1/4 cup Amaretto
1/4 cup Crème de Framboise
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon roasted almond oil (optional)
about 1/2 tablespoon cocoa powder
freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
fresh raspberries (optional)

  1. Blend together cheese, sugar, almond extract, vanilla, and almond oil until homogeneous and set aside.
  2. Combine coffee, Amaretto, and Framboise in a bowl. Dip lady fingers into coffee mixture until soaked (but not soggy) and arrange on the bottom of bowls or a baking pan.
  3. Spread out one half of the cheese on top of the first layer of lady fingers.
  4. Add another layer of soaked lady fingers and then another layer of cheese.
  5. Dust with cocoa powder, cover, and refrigerate 1-4 hours before serving. Serve with fresh nutmeg and raspberries.
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