Strawberry Frozen Yogurt Sorbet

Well, well, well. Look what I found sitting in my drafts page... a complete recipe that I never got around posting! 

I still remember that day when I bought a kilo of strawberries from a street vendor downtown and all these ideas of what to do with them were running through my head. I wish I had half of the creativity I had back then, 青春啊~~ Now I'm satisfied just by browsing through food blogs or skimming through a cookbook... absolutely have no urge to make it myself. 

I bought a Kitchenaid ice cream maker attachment 2 years ago and made coconut mango ice cream that ended up sitting in my freezer, untouched. That may be because I lost my sweet tooth, or maybe my metabolism slowed down and I can no longer eat without consequences. Whatever the case, I can't believe I spent 3 hours making this sorbet with a handheld mixer and won't even pick up my ice cream maker now because I'm just too.damn.lazy. Maybe when Nolan's old enough to appreciate my cooking/baking/churning then I'll finally get my motivation back. Looking forward to that day, BUT OMG PLEASE DON'T GROW UP AND BE MY BABY FOREVER.  OK BYE, LOVE, MOM. 

Strawberry Frozen Yogurt Sorbet
INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pound (450g) strawberries, rinsed and hulled
• 2/3 cup (130g) sugar
• 2 teaspoons vodka or kirsch (optional)
• 1 cup (240g) plain yogurt
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

DIRECTIONS:

1. Slice the strawberries into small pieces. Toss in a bowl with the sugar and vodka or kirsch (if using) until the sugar begins to dissolve [picture 1].
2. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature for 2 hours, stirring once in a while [picture 2].
3. Transfer the strawberries and their juice to a blender or food processor. Add the yogurt and fresh lemon juice [picture 3]. Pulse the machine until the mixture is smooth. If you wish, press mixture through a mesh strainer to remove any seeds [picture 4].
4. Chill mixture in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
5. Place the chilled ice cream mixture in the freezer for 30 minutes.
6. Beat ice cream mixture with an electric mixer until smooth (you can use a fork instead of an electric mixer, but the ice cream will be less smooth and creamy) [picture 5].
7. Place ice cream in the freezer for another 40 minutes- then beat with an electric mixer again.
8. Repeat "40 minute freeze-then-beat cycle" 3 times. This should total 2 1/2 hours of freezing [picture 6].
9. You can choose to either beat your ice cream mixture every 40 minutes until frozen or let your ice cream mixture freeze on its own. Either method works fine. The more you beat it and the more air incoorporated, the softer it will be. Total freezing time can take anywhere between 3-5 hours.

Strawberry Frozen Yogurt Sorbet

Hello, again.

#jloalofamily

WOW. It’s been almost 6 years since I’ve abandoned this blog, 4 years since graduating from med school, 3 years since my hospital internship, 3 years since Mr. Lo and I have gotten married, 2 years since my PGY training, and 1.5 years since I’ve started my family medicine residency. But most important of all, it’s been 1 year since I gave birth to my baby boy, Nolan.

Time didn’t fly. It just took off in supersonic speed without notice.

I guess I just never realized how fast things were moving until Nolan came along. Now when I look at him, I can’t help but wonder if this 90th percentile Energizer baby giant ate my 2904g newborn.  As happy as I am seeing him grow bigger and stronger, my heart bleeds a little every time I put his outgrown onesies away. Where did my chill, sleepy, wiggly baby burrito go?? Daily videos and photos capturing his moments just don’t seem enough anymore… sometimes it feels like he’s slipping away day by day, and all of this is amounting to the day my baby leaves home for college. LOL, what a melodramatic mother I am. But seriously, I can’t be the only mother that feels this way. Which brings me here, typing away in the dark with Nolan sleeping beside me… It’s time to revive this thing! Just a place where I can keep record of little things happening in our family or share the ups and downs of mother/parenthood.  But most importantly, food blogging! I must admit, I've gotten a little rusty with the whole blogging business... I still don't know which camera I should use to document my cooking, or if just completely rely on my cellphone. Do I even have time to cook or blog?? Who knows, none of it matters if I can’t keep this up, so less worrying and more doing... Keeping my fingers crossed! 

Daring Cooks' Nut Butter & Taiwanese Cold Noodles

The July 2010 Daring Cooks’ Challenge was hosted by Margie of More Please and Natashya of Living in the Kitchen with Puppies. They chose to challenge Daring Cooks to make their own nut butter from scratch, and use the nut butter in a recipe. Their sources include Better with Nut Butter by Cooking Light Magazine, Asian Noodles by Nina Simonds, and Food Network online.

This months' challenge was revealed 2 days before my flight back to Taiwan. When i found out that we had to make nut butters using food processors, i knew i had to act quickly and finish the challenge before i went back to TW where i would be lacking in all sorts of kitchen appliances. But with all the packing, moving, and world cup games going on, nut butter was the last thing on my mind. I wasn't reminded of my challenge until i got to unplugging the food processor cord from the wall... so with 30 minutes left before leaving for the airport, i quickly grounded some sliced almonds, packed it up, threw it in my check-in bag and said good-bye to my room!

So after a few days of rest, i finally dragged my lazy ass off the couch and made Taiwanese Cold Noodles (涼麵) with the Almond butter that flew back with me. I replaced the traditionally used oil noodles with no-carb, no-calorie Shirataki / Konjac noodles and topped it off with bean sprouts, carrots, cucumbers, eggs, and chicken breasts. This makes a very light and refreshing meal, perfect to combat the fiery summer heat of Taiwan. Thanks for the challenge, Margie & Natashya!

Homemade Nut Butters

• The process for making various types of nut butters is essentially the same. Pour nuts into bowl of food processor [picture 1]. Grind the nuts in the processor until they form a paste or butter. The nuts first turn into powdery or grainy bits [picture 2], then start to clump and pull away from the side of the bowl, and finally form a paste or butter [picture 3, 4]. The total time required depends on the fat and moisture content of the nuts; grinding time will vary from roughly 1 to 4 minutes (assuming a starting volume of 1 to 2 cups [240 to 480 ml] nuts). Processing times for a variety of nuts are described below.
• You may add oil as desired during grinding to make the nut butter smoother and creamier or to facilitate grinding. Add oil in small increments, by the teaspoon for oily nuts like cashews or by the tablespoon for dryer/harder nuts like almonds. You may use the corresponding nut oil or a neutral vegetable oil like canola.
• The inclusion of salt in the nut butters is optional and to taste. If you make nut butters from salted nuts, peanuts or cashews for example, you will not need additional salt. We recommend making unsalted nut butters for use in the challenge recipes (and other savory recipes) since the recipes call for salt or salty ingredients. You can then adjust the salt to taste. If you are making nut butter for use as a spread, you should add salt according to your preference.
• Roasting the nuts before making nut butters is optional according to your preference. To roast nuts in the oven, preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C/Gas Mark 4). Spread nuts in a single layer on a baking sheet or roasting pan. Bake for approximately 10 minutes or until nuts are fragrant and a shade darker in color. Allow nuts to cool before grinding. Roasted nuts will make butter with darker color than raw nuts.
• It’s helpful to keep in mind that the yield of nut butter is about half the original volume of nuts. If you start with 1 cup nuts, you’ll get about ½ cup nut butter.
• The consistency of nut butters varies from thin & soft (almost pourable) to very thick and hard depending on the fat content of the nut. Homemade nut butters will probably not be as smooth as commercial products.
• Homemade nut butters are more perishable than commercial products and should be stored in the refrigerator. The nut butters harden & thicken somewhat upon chilling.

Approximate Processing Times in Food Processor for Nut Butters:

• Almonds: form a thick butter in about 2 to 3 minutes for slivered almonds, or 3 to 4 minutes for whole almonds; the skin of whole almonds will leave dark flecks in the butter
• Cashews: form a smooth, spreadable butter after about 2 minutes of processing
• Hazelnuts: form a firm, thick, and grainy butter in about 2 to 3 minutes; to remove the skin from whole hazelnuts, roast in a 400 degree F oven (200 degrees C/Gas Mark 6) for about 5 minutes or till skins loosen, then rub hazelnuts in a clean dishtowel to remove some of the skin; the remaining skin will leave dark flecks in the butter
• Macadamias: form a soft and smooth butter in about 2 minutes
• Peanuts: form a thick, grainy butter in about 2 or 3 minutes
• Pecans: form a very soft, oily, pourable butter in 1 or 2 minutes; the skins give pecan butter a slightly tannic and bitter flavor
• Walnuts: form a very soft, oily, pourable butter in 1 or 2 minutes; the skins give walnut butter a slightly tannic and bitter flavor
• Pistachios: According to the Nut Butter Primer from Cooking Light, pistachio butter is dry and crumbly with a tendency to clump during processing; they recommend combining it with softened cream cheese for easy spreading and report a processing time of 3.5 to 4 minutes. Please note, we did not test pistachio butter.

Taiwanese Cold Noodles with Almond Dressing:

INGREDIENTS:

• For the ALMOND DRESSING:
• 1/2 cup almond butter
• 1 tablespoon finely shredded garlic (making a paste)
• 3 tablespoons Chinese black vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil (or to taste)
• 1 tablespoon rice wine (or to taste)
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce (or to taste)
• 1 tablespoon sugar (or to taste)
• Water, adjust to desired consistency
  
  
• For the COLD NOODLES:
• Chinese egg noodles /oil noodles, cooked and drained
• Chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
• Fresh bean sprouts and Chinese chives, boiled and drained
• Fresh carrots, julienned
• Fresh cucumbers, julienned
• Pan-fried egg omelettes, sliced into thin strips.

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine all dressing ingredients together in a large bow and mix until well blended. Adjust the consistency by adding more water or more almond butter. Set Aside.
2. Place the cooked noodles onto a plate and top with shredded chicken breasts, bean sprouts, carrots, cucumbers, and egg. Drizzle with desired amount of almond dressing, gently toss and enjoy.

Taiwanese Cold Noodles

Daring Baker's (chocolate) Pavlova

The June 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Dawn of Doable and Delicious. Dawn challenged the Daring Bakers’ to make Chocolate Pavlovas and Chocolate Mascarpone Mousse. The challenge recipe is based on a recipe from the book Chocolate Epiphany by Francois Payard.

I had the worst luck making Chocolate Pavlovas this month. I really don't know what happened, i followed Dawn's recipe exactly and i ended up with a Chocolate Pavlova with colors that were opposite from everybody else's masterpiece... I'm talking about having a DARK brown pavlova base and a LIGHT brown chocolate mousse! I'm guessing the mistake happened when i was folding in the coco powder into the egg whites... cuz after sifting in the 1/3 cup of cocoa powder, everything felt heavy as i was trying to fold it together. The folding took forever to blend and by the time i was done, the egg whites were already half-deflated. I didn't want to waste the ingredients so i baked it anyways... and luckily for me, what came out was a lovely flourless chocolate cake topped with yummy mousse and strawberries! LOL, it was the best mistake i've ever made ;)

But i thought you should know that i redeemed myself the next day and made a traditional Pavlova (without chocolate). It turned out soooo much better and i finally understood what the fuss is all about-- that crispy crust and chewy marshmallow cloud is to die for! The layer of mascarpone cream topped with kiwis gave it the perfect balance of sweet and sour. Sigh, i wish i had an oven here in Taiwan... so want to make this again!

1- Chocolate Meringue
(for the chocolate Pavlova):

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 large egg whites
• ½ cup plus 1 tbsp (110 grams) white granulated sugar
• ¼ cup (30 grams) confectioner’s (icing) sugar
• 1/3 cup (30 grams) cocoa powder

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 200º F (95º C) degrees. Line two baking sheets with silpat or parchment and set aside.
2. Put the egg whites in a bowl and whip until soft peaks form. Increase speed to high and gradually add granulated sugar about 1 tbsp at a time until stiff peaks form [picture 1, 2]. (The whites should be firm but moist.)
3. Sift the confectioner’s sugar and cocoa powder over the egg whites and fold the dry ingredients into the white [picture 3]. (This looks like it will not happen. Fold gently and it will eventually come together.)
4. Fill a pastry bag with the meringue. Pipe the meringue into whatever shapes you desire. Alternatively, you could just free form your shapes and level them a bit with the back of a spoon [picture 4].
5. Bake for 2-3 hours until the meringues become dry and crisp. Cool and store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

2: Chocolate Mascarpone Mousse
(for the top of the Pavlova base):

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 ½ cups (355 mls) heavy cream
• grated zest of 1 average sized lemon
• 9 ounces (255 grams) 72% chocolate, chopped
• 1 2/3 cups (390 mls) mascarpone
• pinch of nutmeg
• 2 tbsp (30 mls) Grand Marnier (or orange juice)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Put ½ cup (120 mls) of the heavy cream and the lemon zest in a saucepan over medium high heat. Once warm, add the chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and let sit at room temperature until cool.
2. Place the mascarpone, the remaining cup of cream and nutmeg in a bowl [picture 1]. Whip on low for a minute until the mascarpone is loose. Add the Grand Marnier and whip on medium speed until it holds soft peaks. (DO NOT OVERBEAT AS THE MASCARPONE WILL BREAK.)
3. Mix about ¼ of the mascarpone mixture into the chocolate to lighten [picture 2]. Fold in the remaining mascarpone until well incorporated. Fill a pastry bag with the mousse. Again, you could just free form mousse on top of the pavlova.

3: Mascarpone Cream (for drizzling):

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 recipe crème anglaise (recipe below)
• ½ cup (120 mls) mascarpone
• 2 tbsp (30 mls) Sambucca (optional)
• ½ cup (120 mls) heavy cream

DIRECTIONS:

1. Prepare the crème anglaise. Slowly whisk in the mascarpone and the Sambucca and let the mixture cool. Put the cream in a bowl and beat with electric mixer until very soft peaks are formed. Fold the cream into the mascarpone mixture.

4: Crème Anglaise
(a component of the Mascarpone Cream above):

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup (235 mls) whole milk
• 1 cup (235 mls) heavy cream
• 1 vanilla bean, split or 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 6 large egg yolks
• 6 tbsp (75 grams) sugar

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until the mixture turns pale yellow [picture 1, 2].
2. Combine the milk, cream and vanilla in a saucepan over medium high heat, bringing the mixture to a boil [picture 3]. Take off the heat.
3. Pour about ½ cup of the hot liquid into the yolk mixture, whisking constantly to keep from making scrambled eggs [picture 4].
4. Pour the yolk mixture into the pan with the remaining cream mixture and put the heat back on medium [picture 5]. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon until the mixture thickens enough to lightly coat the back of a wooden spoon [picture 6]. DO NOT OVERCOOK.
5. Remove the mixture from the heat and strain it through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl. Cover and refrigerate until the mixture is thoroughly chilled, about 2 hours or overnight.

Assembly of Chocolate Pavlova:

1. Pipe the mousse onto the pavlovas and drizzle with the mascarpone cream over the top.
2. Dust with confectioner’s sugar and fresh fruit if desired.

(failed) Chocolate Pavlova

Pavlova

Daring Cooks' Pâtés and Bread

Our hostesses this month, Evelyne of Cheap Ethnic Eatz, and Valerie of a The Chocolate Bunny, chose delicious pate with freshly baked bread as their June Daring Cook’s challenge! They’ve provided us with 4 different pate recipes to choose from and are allowing us to go wild with our homemade bread choice.

Ooops, i'm a day late for the challenge :( Life has been so busy these days that i just can't find the time and will to blog. JLo's graduating and he's busy packing and shipping his 5 years of junk away. Seeing his room empty out day by day makes me even more sad to do anything else, SIGHHHH, this sucks. We're both heading back to TW this weekend and thus starts our 1 year long-distance relationship, we'll see how that goes :(

On a brighter note, I was really excited when this months' Daring Cooks' challenge was revealed because one of my favorite bloggers, Valerie, whom i have followed for quite some time is the co-host! Valerie and Evelyne gave us many recipes for Pates to choose from and I went with a double-layered Vegetable Pâté (no pesto layer) and the Chicken Liver Terrine. Growing up in a Taiwanese household meant that chicken livers or any type of animal organs wasn't going to gross me out-- making AND tasting the Pâté was no problem for me! JLo also shared some with one of his friends and he told us that Pâté, or called "Pasztet" in Poland, is also very commonly eaten in Polish households. He said it tasted very much like the ones his grandmother makes! So thanks, Valerie and Evelyne, for sharing this awesome recipe with us!

Chicken Liver Terrine

Yields one 25 by 12,5 cm (10 by 5 inch) terrine or loaf pan

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 tbsp duck fat, or butter
• 2 onions, coarsely chopped
• 300g (11 oz) chicken livers, trimmed
• 3 tbsp brandy, or any other liqueur (optional)
• 100g (3 1/2 oz, 1/2 cup) smoked bacon, diced
• 300g (11 oz) boneless pork belly, coarsely ground
• 200g (7 oz) boneless pork blade (shoulder), coarsely ground (or ground pork see note below)
• 2 shallots, chopped
• 1 tsp quatre-épices (or 1/4tsp each of ground pepper, cloves, nutmeg and ginger is close enough)
• 2 eggs
• 200 ml (7 fl oz, 3/4 cup + 2 tbsp) heavy cream
• 2 fresh thyme sprigs, chopped
• Salt and pepper
  
  NOTE: If you cannot find ground pork belly or blade, buy it whole, cut it into chunks, and pulse in the food processor. You can also replace the pork blade with regular ground pork

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 200ºC (400ºF, Gas Mark 6).
2. Melt the fat or butter in a heavy frying pan over low heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, until softened. Add the chicken livers and cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes, until browned but still slightly pink on the inside [picture 1].
3. Remove the pan from heat. Pour in the brandy, light a match and carefully ignite the alcohol to flambé. Wait for the flames to go out on their own, carefully tilting the pan to ensure even flavoring [picture 2]. Set aside.
4. Put the minced pork belly and blade in a food processor, then add the onion-liver mixture and the chopped shallots, and pulse until you obtain a homogenous mixture – make sure not to reduce it to a slurry [picture 3, 4].
5. Transfer to a bowl, and gradually stir in the chopped bacon, quatre-épices, cream, eggs, and thyme. Season with salt and pepper, and mix well [picture 5]. Spoon the mixture into a terrine or loaf pan, and cover with the terrine lid or with aluminum foil [picture 6].
6. Prepare a water bath: place the loaf pan in a larger, deep ovenproof dish (such as a brownie pan or a baking dish). Bring some water to a simmer and carefully pour it in the larger dish. The water should reach approximately halfway up the loaf pan.
7. Put the water bath and the loaf pan in the oven, and bake for 2 hours. Uncover and bake for another 30 minutes. The terrine should be cooked through, and you should be able to slice into it with a knife and leave a mark, but it shouldn’t be too dry. Refrigerate, as this pâté needs to be served cold. Unmold onto a serving platter, cut into slices, and serve with bread.
8. NOTE: This pâté freezes well. Divide it into manageable portions, wrap tightly in plastic film, put in a freezer Ziploc bag, and freeze. Defrost overnight in the fridge before eating.

Chicken Liver Terrine

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Vegetable Pâté

Yields one 25 by 12,5 cm (10 by 5 inch) terrine or loaf pan

1. Line your pan with plastic wrap, overlapping sides.

White Bean Layer

• 2 x 15-ounce / 900 ml cans cannellini (white kidney beans), rinsed, drained thoroughly
• 1 tbsp / 15 ml fresh lemon juice
• 1 tbsp / 15 ml olive oil
• 1 tbsp / 15 ml minced fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried
• 2 garlic cloves, pressed

2. Mash beans in large bowl. Add lemon juice, olive oil, oregano and garlic and blend until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spread bean mixture evenly on bottom of prepared pan [picture 1, 2].

Red Pepper Layer

• 7-ounce / 210 ml jar roasted red bell peppers, drained, chopped
• 3/4 cup / 180 ml crumbled feta cheese (about 4 ounces)

3. Combine peppers and feta in processor and blend until smooth. Spread pepper mixture evenly over bean layer in prepared dish [picture 3, 4].

4. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

5. To unmold, invert pâté onto serving platter. Peel off plastic wrap from pâté. Garnish with herb sprigs and serve with sourdough bread slices.

Vegetable

Pâté

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Peter Reinhart's French Bread
via www.applepiepatispate.com

I stumbled across this wonderful recipe through Judes' Apple pie, Patis, and Pâté. The recipe can also be found in Peter Reinhart’s The Bread Baker’s Apprentice.

Homemade French Bread