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October 27, 2007
more cheesecake
honey ricotta cheesecake
8 ounces purchased biscotti
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 (12-ounce) container fresh whole milk ricotta, drained
2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup orange blossom or clover honey
1 tablespoon orange zest
4 large eggs
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Wrap the outside of a 9-inch springform pan with 2 3/4-inch-high sides with 2 layers of heavy-duty foil. Finely grind the biscotti in a food processor. Add the melted butter and process until the crumbs are moistened. Press the crumb mixture over the bottom (not the sides) of the prepared pan. Bake until the crust is golden, about 15 minutes. Cool the crust completely on a cooling rack.
Blend the ricotta in a clean food processor until smooth. Add the cream cheese and sugar and blend well, stopping the machine occasionally and scraping down the sides of the work bowl. Blend in the honey and orange zest. Add the eggs and pulse just until blended.
Pour the cheese mixture over the crust in the pan. Place the springform pan in a large roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into the roasting pan to come halfway up the sides of the springform pan. Bake until the cheesecake is golden and the center of the cake moves slightly when the pan is gently shaken, about 1 hour and 5 minutes (the cake will become firm when it is cold).
Transfer the cake to a rack and cool 1 hour. Refrigerate until the cheesecake is cold, at least 8 hours and up to 2 days. Cut the cake into wedges and serve.
Posted by renh at 03:59 PM | Comments (0)
mango cheesecake
recipe from foodnetwork.
the original one has basil lemon syrup. I think the combination of fresh basil with mango cheesecake seems rather bizarre to me. I'll leave that part out.
Mango Cheesecake:
8 ounces biscotti
3/4 cup butter, melted
2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese, room temperature
2 cups mango puree
4 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
Special equipment: 9-inch springform pan
For the Mango Cheesecake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Wrap the outside of a 9-inch springform pan with 2 3/4-inch-high sides with 2 layers of heavy-duty foil. Finely grind the biscotti in a food processor. Add the melted butter and process until the crumbs are moistened. Press the crumb mixture over the bottom (not the sides) of the prepared pan. Bake until the crust is golden, about 15 minutes. Cool the crust completely on a cooling rack.
Blend the cream cheese and ricotta in a food processor. Add the mango puree, eggs, and sugar and pulse until the mixture is smooth.
Pour the mango mixture over the crust in the pan. Place the springform pan in a large roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into the roasting pan to come halfway up the sides of the springform pan. Bake until the cheesecake is firm and moves slightly when the pan is gently shaken, about 1 hour 30 minutes. Transfer the cake to a cooling rack to cool for 30 minutes. Place in the refrigerator and cool completely, at least 8 hours and up to 2 days.
Posted by renh at 03:51 PM | Comments (0)
October 26, 2007
cabbage soup
choose the tender part of the chinese cabbage, coarsely chop it into big pieces.
thoroughly rinse the dried shrimp.
cut the soft tofu into small cubes.
put everything into the water to boil.
the shrimp is salty, so just add half a package of "seafood seasoning".
for decoration purpose, add some wakame seaweed.
subtle and fresh flavor.
Posted by renh at 02:10 PM | Comments (0)
October 24, 2007
between omelet and scrambled egg
This is a dish that I find hard to name.
mix 5 eggs with 1 package of masago fish eggs,
maybe too much fish eggs, the color turned orange, but I thought it's lovely.
I always like colorful dishes,
so put teared tiny bits of broccoli floret into the mixture.
white button mushroom quartered,
red bell pepper diced,
green banana pepper diced,
green onion finely chopped,
sautee together with EVOO,
I accidentally put slices of semi-dried gouda cheese in it,
season with salt, pepper, basil and italian seasoning.
Pour the egg mixture into a small shallow sauce pan with EVOO,
turn down the flame, cook covered.
once cooked, try to cut it into small pieces with wooden spoon.
put into big glass bowl, mix the basil pesto.
put cooked veggie into the same bowl.
dust parmesan on top.
Maybe, it's the sort of thing Remy would make. :)
Note: It's the exactly my taste. I think the accidental gouda turned out really well. My initial plan to have the cheese to melt in the pot, because I like the creamy flavor from gouda. Maybe the cheese is too dry or it simply doesn't melt that easily, I end up with cheese slices in the dish. I put the the cheese slices together with the rest of the dish into the pita pocket bread. Yum! Another thing to keep in mind is that the fish egg is already seasoned, so less salt should be put into the veggies.
Posted by renh at 10:40 PM | Comments (0)
a quotation
People often say that 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder,' and I say that the most liberating thing about beauty is realizing that you are the beholder. This empowers us to find beauty in places where others have not dared to look, including inside ourselves.
Posted by renh at 10:40 PM | Comments (0)
October 22, 2007
raisin banana breadpudding
1/3 cup raisins
3 Tbsp. dark rum
1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
2 medium bananas, halved lengthwise, sliced crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces
4 Tbsp. dark brown sugar
1 1/2 cups 1 percent milk
2 large eggs
3 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
4 cups 1/2-inch cubed French bread
In a small bowl, combine raisins and rum and let stand 10 minutes. Drain, reserving rum and raisins separately.
In a medium nonstick skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. When frothy, add banana slices and cook, stirring frequently, until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and add brown sugar and reserved rum. Return skillet to heat and cook until rum evaporates, about 30 seconds. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, whisk milk, eggs, granulated sugar, and cinnamon until blended. Stir in bread cubes. Let mixture stand 15 minutes, gently stirring a few times.
Spray four 8-ounce ramekins with cooking spray. Stir raisins into bread mixture. Spoon half of bread mixture among ramekins. Spoon half of bananas over top. Repeat with remaining bread mixture and bananas. Bake until puffed and golden, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool; serve warm or at room temperature.
Nutritional information per serving: 259 calories (35% from fat); 5.5 g fat (2.5 g saturated, 1.5 g monounsaturated, 1.5 g polyunsaturated); 7 g protein; 43 g carbohydrates; 2 g fiber; 79 mg cholesterol; 114 mg calcium
Posted by renh at 11:31 AM | Comments (0)
October 21, 2007
ratatouille and elizabeth
Anton Ego: In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgment. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read. But the bitter truth we critics must face is that, in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is more meaningful than our criticism designating it so. But there are times when a critic truly risks something, and that is in the discovery and defense of the new. Last night, I experienced something new, an extraordinary meal from a singularly unexpected source. To say that both the meal and its maker have challenged my preconceptions is a gross understatement. They have rocked me to my core. In the past, I have made no secret of my disdain for Chef Gusteau's famous motto: Anyone can cook. But I realize that only now do I truly understand what he meant. Not everyone can become a great artist, but a great artist can come from anywhere. It is difficult to imagine more humble origins than those of the genius now cooking at Gusteau's, who is, in this critic's opinion, nothing less than the finest chef in France. I will be returning to Gusteau's soon, hungry for more.
I went to see ratatouille in briawood mall this afternoon. The ticket was only 1 dollar. But, I think it was the most well spent dollar. This is a movie that I truly enjoy. It's warm and good-humored, but nor overly cheesy. It's a well-written story, a movie with good pace. I especially loved Ego's critics in the end, that I cited it above. The movie is family friendly, which is relatively rare nowadays. cooking and movies are my favourties. Now these are put together, how can I not like it. Remy is a great inspiration. Anyone can cook. I love the message!
I recently saw Elizabeth the golden age in Michigan theatre. It's OK. I like Cate Blanchett, and she delivered a solid performance again. The costumes were stunning, which I think is historically correct. It sort of reminded me of I, Elizabeth. I wish the movie could have less romantic part and more political/military parts. Like one review on IMDB said, it tried to put every genre together in one movie. And I aslo think it score could have been toned down a little bit.
Posted by renh at 09:53 PM | Comments (0)
about pumpkin
thoughts
Hallowen is coming again. The apartment complex organized pumpkin carving. I carved my pumpkin in a special way. I basically peeled the hard skin, scooped out the seeds, and cut into pieces. I plan to cook it. I think pumpkins should be put into better use than merely decoration. Hunger is a problem for a lot of people around the world, and we should respect the food. If the global warming and energy crisis are real, we human beings need to learn to reduce consumption.
recipes
It's a big pumpkin. So I have to think of idea to cook it. Well, trader joe's booklet says pumpkins grown for decoration tend to be watery, bland and have a lot more fibers, their suger pie pumpkins are better for cooking. I was a little nervous after reading this. But, my pumpkin things turn out to be more than OK.
1. pumpkin cake (sticky rice style). lay the pieces of pumpkins in the glass baking bowl, cover with foil, bake 375 - 400 degree until fork tender. mince with fork or spoon until smooth, add some brown sugar, mix well. add one package of sticky rice flour about 250g. mix well. add crasins, mix well. bake in the oven 375 degrees for about 45min. breakfast and snacks for a week.
2. pumpkin rice stoup. boil rice and sweet brown rice together. when almost done, add small pieces of pumpkin cubes, continue to boil. when use for breakfast, heat up and add milk. good for breakfast on a cold morning.
3. stir fry pumpkin. julienne pumpkin. stir fry with garlic, green onion, and prickly pepper. in the end, add salt, suger and chinese vinegar to taste. this is the stuff, my family used to make.
4. pumpkin pie - chinese style. thinnly shred pumpkin, mix with minced garlic, five-spice powder, salt, and egg. make a dough, and make two pieces of "pie crust". use the mixture as the filling. cook this "pie" in skillet with EVOO.
4. roast pumpkin seeds in the oven. yum-O.
Posted by renh at 09:52 PM | Comments (0)