Steak Salad with Cilantro-Lime Mayo

 

I got this recipe while leafing through The Whole 30, by Melissa Hartwig and Dallas Hartwig. It’s different from the meals I usually make, but it was a welcome change! Note that the recipe below makes 2 generous or 4 small servings, so feel free to double it. We really enjoyed this!

For the cilantro-lime mayonnaise (my adaptation)
¾ cup mayonnaise
1 lime, juiced
¼ cup minced fresh cilantro
1 clove garlic, minced


Mix the ingredients together and set aside. (You might want to add a tablespoon of water or two to get the consistency of salad dressing.)


For the steak salad
½ cup EVOO
4 limes, juiced
¼ cup onion, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp. roughly chopped fresh cilantro
1 tsp. mustard powder
1 lb. beef (flank steak, sirloin, or strip steak)
4 cups greens
1 avocado
½ cup halved cherry tomatoes
1 bell pepper (red, yellow, or orange), diced

Combine oil, lime juice, onion, garlic, cilantro, and mustard powder in a food processor and blend on low speed. Place beef in a resealable plastic bag or nonreactive bowl with a lid and add the marinade. Seal and marinate in fridge for 1-8 hours (more is better, especially for tougher cuts).

Remove steak from fridge 30 minutes before cooking. Preheat oven to 350 °F. Heat a grill to high heat or heat a heavy skillet over high heat on stovetop. Line a baking sheet with foil.

Remove the beef from marinade; discard the marinade. On the grill or in the skillet on the stovetop, sear the beef over high heat until a light crust is formed (2-3 minutes each side). Transfer the beef to the prepared baking sheet. Roast in the oven for 8-15 minutes. Let the steak rest for 5-10 minutes, then thinly slice.

While beef rests, toss the salad greens with the avocado, tomato, and bell pepper in a large bowl, then divide between 2 plates.

Place slices of steak on top of the greens. Drizzle the dressing over the steak and salad and serve.

Late 2024 outings

I haven’t been great at updating these past six months or so, but I am still alive and well! I’ve been working on my business (did you know I’m a professional organizer and KonMari Consultant?) and it’s been busy, even though sadly not all work hours are billable hours.

In August, I did this crazy thing where I flew to Montreal on a Thursday, drove with Dear Sister and Dear Brother-In-Law to (and back from) a small town south of Quebec City for my grandmother’s funeral on Friday, flew to Dallas-Forth Worth on Saturday to meet up with the Engineer and our kids for a concert, then drove home to San Antonio with them on Sunday. I had never been so jet set in my life! Anyway, this gave me the opportunity to see a bit of Forth Worth. Of course we made it to the Stockyard for the cattle drive and walked around that part of town. We also went to Bass Performance Hall, where the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra was performing the music from Final Fantasy VII. It was a beautiful building, in a nice part of town, and we really enjoyed the show!

 

In September, my friend Jen from Montreal was in town for a conference. She was staying at the JW Marriott Hill Country Resort & Spa. I had been dying to try out their famous lazy river, so this was the perfect opportunity to spend time with a friend WHILE lazing down a river – 10/10, highly recommend.

October flew by and I don’t remember a special outing that month.

Finally, in November, we went to Escape Room San Antonio, where we escaped from the Harry Potter room with minutes to spare! It was the second escape room puzzle for the Engineer and I, but the first for the kids and my mother-in-law. We really had fun! There were a few times when we needed a hint – funnily enough, each time, one of the kids had obscured (or absconded with) an essential piece of the puzzle without us realizing it! Anyway, I loved it; I feel like it’s a great activity, it’s fun and works my brain in a different way than I’m used to, and hopefully we’ll go again next year.

This month, we’ll probably stick to driving around neighborhoods with beautiful holiday lights and enjoy the season.

Thai Turkey Lettuce Wraps

 

This meal was a hit with my family! I saw the recipe on Sweet Peas and Saffron, though Coup de Pouce has a very similar one. I wanted to make sure we had leftovers, so I used 2 pounds of ground turkey and increased the quantity of carrots as well. I’ll be sure to make it again – we all really liked it!

For the sauce
¼ cup natural peanut butter
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 Tbsp. rice vinegar
2 Tbsp. water (or more, if your peanut butter is stiff)
1 tsp. sesame oil
1 Tbsp. lime juice

For the filling
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
3 cloves, garlic minced
1 Tbsp. Thai red curry paste
1 lb. lean ground turkey
1 cup shredded carrots

To serve
romaine lettuce leaves
green onions, to garnish
peanuts, to garnish

In a small jar or salad dressing shaker, put the peanut butter, soy sauce, rice vinegar, water, sesame oil and lime juice. Shake it up until smooth.

Heat oil in a large pan and add the onions, garlic, and Thai red curry paste. Stir until red curry paste is heated through and mixed in evenly with the onions (2-3 minutes).

Add the ground turkey and cook, breaking it up with a spatula, for 5-7 minutes, until no pink remains and the turkey is cooked through.

Stir in the shredded carrots, then the peanut sauce. Stir to combine. Toss until everything is evenly coated, then set aside to cool slightly.

To serve, spoon the filling into romaine lettuce leaves. Sprinkle with green onions and/or peanuts, and enjoy!

Biscuits déjeuner au beurre d'arachides et à la framboise

 

Encore une recette de Déjeuners protéinés d’Hubert Cormier! J’ai décidé de faire les biscuits déjeuner au beurre d’arachides et à la framboise. Il s’agit de biscuits de style « thumbprint » que les enfants étaient bien contents d’essayer. C’est un bon accompagnement au déjeuner ou encore une bonne collation!

Pour la garniture aux framboises
½ tasse de framboises fraiches ou surgelées
1 c. à soupe de graines de chia

Pour les biscuits déjeuner
2 tasses de flocons d’avoine à cuisson rapide
¼ tasse de cassonade
1 banane, légèrement écrasée
3 c. à soupe de graines de lin, moulues
¼ tasse d’eau
1 pincée de sel
¼ tasse de beurre d’arachides en poudre
¼ tasse d’eau
¼ tasse de beurre d’arachides naturel

Préchauffer tout d’abord le four à 350 °F. Tapisser une plaque de cuisson d’un tapis de silicone ou de papier parchemin.

Dans une casserole, chauffer à feu moyen les framboises et les graines de chia environ 15 minutes en remuant fréquemment. Écraser grossièrement à l’aide d’une fourchette et réserver.

Dans un grand bol, bien mélanger tous les ingrédients des biscuits.

Former ensuite 12 boules de pâte d’environ 1 c. à soupe (j’en avais 15). Déposer sur la plaque de cuisson.

À l’aide du pouce, creuser une petite cavité en pressant sur chaque biscuit.

Déposer environ 1 c. à thé de confiture de framboises dans chaque cavité et enfourner 12 minutes.

Si désiré, garnir d’un filet de beurre d’arachides fondu.

Chicken Cucumber Avocado Salad

 

This was a simple meal that was right up my alley! You can buy a rôtisserie chicken or use leftover cooked chicken. As always, I prefer to prep the salad just before serving; leftovers keep better separately.

1 rôtisserie chicken, deboned and shredded, skin on or off
1 large English cucumber or continental, halved lengthways and sliced into ¼-inch thick slices
4-5 large Roma tomatoes, sliced or chopped
¼ red onion, thinly sliced
2 avocados, peeled, pitted and diced
½ cup flat leaf parsley, chopped (cilantro would be more my thing here; basil might be nice too)
3 Tbsp. olive oil
2-3 Tbsp. lemon juice or the juice of 2 limes
1 pinch salt, to taste
1 pinch pepper, to taste

Mix together shredded chicken, cucumbers, tomatoes, onion, avocados, and chopped parsley in a large salad bowl.

Drizzle with the olive oil and lemon juice (or lime juice), and season with salt and pepper. Toss gently to mix all of the flavors through.

Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins

 

I found this recipe on Cup of Jo, though it’s originally by Sara Forte of Sprouted Kitchen. I adapted it a bit by reordering the ingredients and steps and, the second time I made it, by using miniature chocolate chips, which I think was an improvement. The Engineer loves these, and the Little Prince said they are now his favorite! These muffins are moist with a crisp top, and they have fewer carbs than regular muffins. I’ll be making these again!

1 cup grated zucchini (about 1 medium/large)
¾ cup almond flour
¾ cup all-purpose flour (or superfine rice flour – I actually used white whole wheat)
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. sea salt
½ tsp. cinnamon
½ cup cane sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup olive oil (or avocado oil or coconut oil)
½ tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
¼ cup lactose-free buttermilk substitute or plain yogurt
½ cup semisweet miniature chocolate chips
turbinado sugar, to finish, optional

Start by grating the zucchini. Put the gratings in a fine mesh sieve and press out excess water. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 360 °F and grease a muffin tin. (I got 12 muffins each time I made it.)

In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and sugar. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, oil, vanilla, vinegar and buttermilk or yogurt, until well combined. Add dry ingredients and stir until combined. Add the zucchini and chocolate and fold it all in.

Fill the muffin tins about 2/3 full (they don’t rise much) and sprinkle turbinado sugar on top, if using.

Bake on the middle rack for 20 minutes, or until golden around the edge and a little tap on the center bounces back (I used the good old toothpick method).

Vegetables Pancakes with Sesame Fried Eggs

 

I got this recipe from Real Simple. It’s inspired by Korean vegetable pancakes, and it was really good! I used the food processor to make fast work of all the vegetables. This was great for lunch!

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
5 Tbsp. cornstarch or potato starch
2 tsp. kosher salt, divided
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into matchsticks
8 oz. cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 large bunch of scallions, trimmed, halved lengthwise, and cut crosswise into 3-in. lengths; plus more, thinly sliced, for topping
6 Tbsp. neutral oil (such as canola), divided
2 Tbsp. sesame seeds
4 large eggs

Preheat oven to 250 °F and place a wire rack inside a baking sheet.

Whisk flour, cornstarch, and 1 ½ teaspoons salt in a large bowl until combined. Gradually whisk in 1 ½ cups ice-cold water until smooth (batter will be thin). Stir in sweet potato, mushrooms, and scallions.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high. Using tongs and letting excess batter drip back into bowl, add about 1 ½ cups vegetable mixture to skillet and pat into an even layer (about ½ inch thick). Cook until browned on both sides, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer cooked pancake to prepared rack and place in oven to keep warm. Repeat with remaining vegetable mixture to yield 4 pancakes total, wiping skillet clean and adding 1 tablespoon oil between each pancake.

While last pancake is cooking, heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high. Add sesame seeds; cook, stirring often, until seeds turn pale gold, about 1 minute. Add eggs and sprinkle with remaining ½ teaspoon salt. Cook, spooning hot oil and sesame seeds over eggs, until whites are set and yolks are still runny, about 3 minutes.

Serve eggs on vegetable pancakes. Top with thinly sliced scallions.

Pepperoni Pizza Hand Pies

 

I’m always open to variations of pizzas for the kids’ lunches, because that’s an easy sell with them. We all really liked these pepperoni pizza hand pies! They were great warm and dipped in pizza sauce. If they are going to school in a lunchbox, it might be a better idea to include a bit of pizza sauce in the pies themselves instead of dipping them.

1 box refrigerated pie crust, at room temperature (14 oz.)
3 oz. sliced pepperoni
1 ½ cups lactose-free shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup pizza sauce

Preheat oven to 425 °F. Allow pie crust to come to room temperature before unrolling (see package directions).

Unroll pie crusts and cut 6 circles from each crust using a 4-inch biscuit cutter. You may have to re-roll the scraps to get the 6th (or 7th) circle. I got a total of 15 little hand pies.

Place about 3 pieces of pepperoni and a big pinch of cheese in the center of each circle. Fold the sides over and pinch the edges closed. Press the edges with the tines of a fork to seal.

Bake on a parchment paper lined baking sheet (1 inch apart) for about 13-15 minutes, until browned.

Serve immediately, with pizza sauce, if eating at home.

 

Mrs. Bean's Nutmeg Apple Ginger Snaps

 

The Fox (my youngest) was obsessed with Fantastic Mr. Fox (the movie), so I decided to make Mrs. Bean’s nutmeg apple ginger snaps – a recipe created by The Live-In Kitchen. This is a great fall cookie for anyone, but even better if you’re a fan of the movie! (Full disclosure: while the Fox was tickled that I made the cookies from the movie, and while he thought they looked nice, he still refused to taste them.)

After a bit of trial and error, I decided that it is best to shape each cookie with a scant 1.5-oz scoop of batter; I got a total of 30 cookies, of which 4 were not topped with sliced apple, but the Fox still didn’t want them. I would have gotten a few more cookies had I figured out my scoop measurement from the start.

4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. ground cinnamon, plus more for topping if desired
2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. grated nutmeg
1 pinch ground cloves
1 pinch salt
2 cups butter, softened
½ cup granulated sugar
6 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. molasses
1 Tbsp. fresh grated ginger root
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs
4 Gala apples (Braeburn or Honeycrisp would be good, too)
organic refined sugar and cake sparkles for sprinkling, or any coarse sugar, like turbinado

Preheat the oven to 325 °F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. Set aside.

In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter on medium speed until light. Add the granulated sugar, brown sugar, molasses, and fresh ginger and beat until fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla extract. Beat on medium speed until fully blended.

Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in three parts, carefully and on low speed, until the ingredients are fully blended.

Working in batches as necessary, roll 2-3 tablespoons of dough into balls and use your hand to flatten them on the prepared cookie sheet to about ¼ inch high and 2 inches apart.

Slice the apples as thinly as you can (crosswise so you can see the star of the core in the middle) and press slices firmly into the center of each cookie. Sprinkle coarse sugar and extra cinnamon evenly over cookies to coat, making sure to cover the edges (I had turbinado sugar, but it would have been prettier with white cake sparkles).

Bake 20 minutes or until the edges are golden. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with more sugar, if desired, and cake sparkles. Let cool a few minutes on the cookie sheet before moving to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Acai Bowl

 

It was inevitable that I would make an acai bowl at some point, right? Acai is regarded as a superfood for its antioxidants; I don’t think it has more than most berries, though it does have less sugar. For this recipe, I didn’t freeze all the fruit, because I felt like the mixture would be too stiff, but as a result my smoothie bowl was actually too liquid. I guess you should follow instructions; just remember that you need enough liquid in your blender to get things moving.

1 banana - sliced and frozen
½ cup blueberries - frozen
½ cup strawberries - frozen
¾ cup milk or juice - use your favorite milk (lactose-free dairy milk, soy, almond, etc.) or juice (apple or grape)
½ cup lactose-free plain yogurt - (substitute with lactose-free milk or juice if desired)
200 g (2 packets) frozen acai purée - broken into pieces
assorted toppings - nuts, seeds, fresh fruit, granola, coconut, etc.

If you haven’t done so ahead of time, slice your banana and transfer it to a small baking sheet or plate lined with parchment paper. To the same plate, add the blueberries and strawberries (store-bought frozen fruit will work just as well). Transfer tray or plate to the freezer and allow fruit to freeze completely.

Put the milk and yogurt in the bowl of a large, high-speed blender with a tamper (I have a Vitamix). Add the frozen blueberries, strawberries, banana, and broken up acai. With the blender on low, use the tamper to push the frozen fruit down, mixing around as much as possible. Continue to blend on low until smooth, only adding additional liquid when needed.

Divide the smoothie into two bowls and top with all your favorite toppings. Popular additions include sliced banana, nuts, seeds, granola, and berries. Serve immediately.

Poêlée de gnocchis à la pancetta, aux tomates cerises et à la sauge

Voici une recette simple de Coup de Pouce que j’ai bien aimée!

Pour la sauge frite
¼ tasse d'huile d'olive
16 feuilles de sauge

Dans un petit poêlon, chauffer l’huile d’olive à feu moyen-vif. Ajouter les feuilles de sauge et cuire, en brassant, 30 secondes ou jusqu’à ce qu’elles soient croustillantes. À l’aide d’une fourchette, déposer les feuilles de sauge dans une assiette tapissée d’essuie-tout et laisser égoutter.

Pour les gnocchis
2 cuillères à table d'huile d'olive
2 paquets de gnocchis (500 g chacun)
1 paquet de pancetta cuite, en dés (175 g) (j’avais 8 oz de bacon)
2 gousses d'ail, hachées finement
1 barquette de tomates cerises (283 g)
¾ tasses de crème à cuisson 15%
1/3 tasse de fromage pecorino (ou parmesan) sans lactose, râpé
sel et poivre

Dans une grande poêle, à feu moyen, faire chauffer l’huile, puis faire revenir les gnocchis, en remuant occasionnellement, de 7 à 10 minutes ou jusqu’à ce que les gnocchis soient bien dorés. Réserver au chaud dans une assiette.

Ajouter la pancetta dans la poêle et faire revenir de 3 à 4 minutes ou jusqu’à ce qu’elle commence à dorer. Ajouter l’ail et les tomates cerises. Faire revenir de 2 à 3 minutes de plus, jusqu’à ce que les tomates commencent à ramollir.

Remettre les gnocchis dans la poêle, ajouter la crème et réchauffer les gnocchis en remuant délicatement pendant quelques minutes. Saupoudrer de pecorino (ou de parmesan). Garnir de sauge frite. Saler et poivrer.

Pain doré orange, banane et cardamome

 

Ça faisait longtemps que je n’avais pas fait de pain doré, et le Petit Prince m’en réclamait. J’ai donc essayé une recette dans La Presse, ce pain doré bananes, orange et cardamome. C’était délicieux, et très joli en plus!

Pour le pain doré
4 œufs
2 bananes bien mûres
½ c. à thé de cardamome moulue
¼ de c. à thé d’extrait de vanille
1 pincée de sel
2 c. à thé de zeste d’orange
beurre sans lactose ou huile de cuisson végétale
8 tranches de pain

Pour garnir (facultatif)
yogourt grec sans lactose
sirop d’érable, au goût
2 oranges en suprêmes

Au mélangeur, combiner les œufs, les bananes, la cardamome, la vanille et le sel jusqu’à l’obtention d’une texture lisse. Verser dans un bol de grosseur moyenne. Ajouter le zeste d’orange et mélanger.

Dans une grande poêle antiadhésive, faire fondre un morceau de beurre (ou chauffer un filet d’huile) à feu moyen. Tremper et bien imbiber deux tranches de pain dans la préparation d’œufs, puis laisser égoutter l’excédent du liquide. Cuire les tranches de pain environ 1 minute de chaque côté. Ajouter un autre morceau de beurre ou un filet d’huile et répéter l’opération pour les tranches de pain restantes.

Au moment de déguster, garnir de yogourt, de sirop d’érable et de tranches d’orange, au goût.

Tuna Poke with Coconut Rice and Pickled Onions

 

I don’t know where time goes. I had made some good progress in late summer to catch up on the backlog of recipes, but then I guess I got busy with my day job. Let me try to catch up again before the rest of the year gets away from me!

Bon Appétit had this article about sushi with recipes, and the one that looked best to me was the fluke with coconut rice and pickled onion. Except that I love tuna, so I used that instead, and omitted the jalapeño. My version is below.

1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
1 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
1/3 cup plus ½ tsp. sugar
2 tsp. kosher salt, plus more
1 ½ jasmine rice
¾ cup unsweetened coconut cream (from a 14-oz can)
1 ½ cups water
3 Tbsp. white soy sauce (I used regular soy sauce)
1 ½ tsp. finely grated lime zest
2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
1 ½ tsp. toasted sesame oil
½ tsp. finely grated peeled ginger
1 garlic clove, finely grated
12 oz sashimi-grade tuna, cut into small pieces
½ cup coarsely chopped unsalted, roasted macadamia nuts or cashews
½ cup torn cilantro leaves with tender stems
1 toasted nori sheet, torn into bite-size pieces

Place onion slices in a medium bowl. Bring vinegar, 1/3 cup sugar, 2 tsp. salt, and ½ cup water to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium-high heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes. Immediately pour brine over and let cool. Cover and chill at least 1 hour.

Meanwhile, rinse rice until water runs clear (this removes surface starch and keeps rice from getting gummy). Combine rice, coconut cream, and water in a medium saucepan, season lightly with salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until rice is tender, 15-18 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit (keep covered) for 10 minutes. Fluff coconut rice with a fork and keep warm.

Mix soy sauce, lime zest, lime juice, oil, ginger, garlic, and remaining ½ tsp. sugar in a medium bowl. All tuna, macadamia nuts, and drained pickled red onion; season lightly with salt and toss to combine. Add cilantro and toss again.

Divide rice among bowls and top with tuna mixture and pieces of nori.

Chocolate Ripple Cheesecake

It’s hard to find my lactose-free cream cheese, but Whole Foods had some in stock, so I decided to make this chocolate ripple cheesecake. It was fabulous! (The kids didn’t like it, but one child doesn’t like cheesecake and the other is notoriously picky; it just meant more cheesecake for us, which was great!)

Note that I made a mistake when dividing the batter and adding the chocolate – I poured the amount intended for bowl 1 into bowl 2, and then ended up with the leftover batter in bowl 1. I compensated by adding melted chocolate as needed to make sure the gradient of brown still worked. However, since the chocolate parts were tastier than the white part, I have no regrets! I’ll write it down my way below. I used leftover chocolate to drizzle on top, but this is entirely optional.

24 chocolate sandwich cookies
4 Tbsp. lactose-free butter, melted
32 oz lactose-free cream cheese (4 8-oz packages)
¾ cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
4 cups lactose-free heavy cream (mine was vegan)
1 ½ Tbsp. gelatin powder
2 cups semisweet chocolate, melted, divided

Place cookies into a ziploc bag and crush using a rolling pin until fine crumbs form. Pour cookie crumbs into a bowl with melted butter and mix until well combined. (I did this whole step in a food processor.)

Pour crust mixture into a 9-inch (23-cm) springform cake pan. Use a measuring cup to press down on the cookies to form an even base. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes.

In a large bowl, whisk together cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth.

Heat the heavy cream until hot, then add the gelatin and let it rest for 1 minute.

Slowly whisk the heavy cream into the cream cheese until smooth.

Working quickly, divide the cheesecake batter in 4 bowls and add melted chocolate, as follows:
- bowl 1 – whatever is left over in your large bowl will become bowl 1
- bowl 2 – 3 cups batter + 1 Tbsp. melted chocolate
- bowl 3 – 2 ½ cups batter + 4 Tbsp. melted chocolate
- bowl 4 – 1 cup batter + 5 Tbsp. melted chocolate
Honestly, the exact measurements aren’t crucial; the important part is that each bowl should vary in color, so that bowl 1 is white and the batter gets progressively darker in each bowl. Feel free to add extra chocolate in the smaller bowls to achieve this.

To assemble the cheesecake, slowly pour the contents of bowl 1 into the center of the pan. Once batter has spread, repeat with the remaining bowls in numerical order. If your bowls have sat out too long and the consistency is too stiff, microwave for 30 seconds before pouring – the top of my cheesecake would have been smoother if I had done that.

Cover the top of the pan tightly with plastic wrap and chill for 4 hours or overnight in the fridge before serving.

Julia Turshen's Potato Salad

 

I saw this potato salad in Julia Turshen’s newsletter and immediately bookmarked it, even though I waited until the following summer to make it. It was absolutely delicious! I served it with paprika pork.

1 ½ lb. (680 g) baby yellow potatoes (about 30 small potatoes)
kosher salt
3 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 ½ Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
1 large celery stalk, finely chopped (about ½ cup)
½ small red onion, finely chopped (about ¼ cup)
3 Tbsp. mayonnaise
1 large handful fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped (a little stem is fine)

Place the potatoes and a very large pinch of salt in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Set the saucepan over high heat and bring the water to a boil. Turn the heat to low and simmer until the potatoes are tender (test with a paring knife), about 15 minutes. Drain the potatoes in a colander and let them rest until they're just cool enough to handle, but still warm.

While the potatoes are cooking and resting, place the mustard, vinegar, and pepper in a large bowl with 1 teaspoon salt and whisk well to combine. Stir in the celery and onion.

Once the potatoes are cool enough to handle (but still warm—don't forget!), cut them in half and stir them into the mustard mixture. Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature and then stir in the mayonnaise and parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 4 days (season to taste again if serving from cold).

Porc au paprika

 

Je me suis inspirée d’une recette de Coupe de Pouce, nommée brochettes de porc au paprika. La recette d’origine était pour le grill, mais je l’ai convertie pour le four, et tant qu’à faire, j’ai mis le tout sur une plaque au lieu de faire des brochettes. J’ai servi ça avec une salade de pommes de terre. Fait rare, tout le monde a aimé!

2 petits filets de porc, en cubes de 1 po/2,5 cm (environ 1 ½ lb/750 g de viande en tout)
2 c. à table d’huile d'olive
1 c. à table de vinaigre de xérès (ou de vin rouge)
½ citron (jus et zeste)
1 c. à table de paprika doux
1 c. à thé de paprika fumé
sel et poivre
1 sac de mini-poivrons de couleur, entiers (équeutés, quand même)
1 oignon, pelé, en quartiers
coriandre fraîche, riz cuit et sauce piri-piri, pour servir (facultatif)

Préchauffer le four à 400 °F. Recouvrir une plaque de cuisson de papier parchemin et mettre de côté.

Pendant ce temps, déposer les cubes de porc dans un bol et mélanger avec l’huile, le vinaigre, le jus et le zeste de citron ainsi que le paprika. Saler et poivrer. Laisser reposer 5 minutes.

Ajouter les mini-poivrons et l’oignon au porc; bien mélanger pour les recouvrir d’huile, puis répartir le tout sur la plaque de cuisson. Cuire au four pendant 20 minutes.

Servir sur du riz, garni de coriandre, avec de la sauce piri-piri, si désiré.

Pomegranate Cake

 

This pomegranate cake was as delicious as it was beautiful. I mean, almond meal, rosewater, cardamon, plus the pomegranate arils – what’s not to love?

For the icing, I didn’t have pomegranate juice to make it pink, so I improvised with freeze-dried raspberry powder, less icing sugar, and more rosewater (because I love it). The version below is mine.


For the cake
¾ cup (100 g) all-purpose flour (plain flour)
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground cardamom
¼ teaspoon sea salt
3 cups (300 g) almond meal (ground almonds)
¾ cup (200 g) unsalted lactose-free butter at room temperature
¾ cup (150 g) caster sugar
4 eggs
1 Tbsp. rose water
zest and juice of 1 lemon

For the pomegranate icing
½ cup (50 g) powdered icing sugar, sifted
3 Tbsp. freeze-dried raspberry powder
2 Tbsp. rose water

For decorating
pomegranate arils/seeds
1 Tbsp. chopped pistachios
dried culinary rose petals or buds, optional (candied petals would be great!)


Preheat the oven to 325 °F. Lightly grease a 9-inch springform cake pan and line with baking parchment.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cardamom, salt, and ground almonds. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then beat in the rose water, lemon zest and juice. Stir in the dry ingredients.

Spoon the mixture into the cake pan, smooth to the edges, and bake in the oven for 45 minutes, or until a knife or toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Meanwhile, make the pomegranate drizzle by mixing the icing sugar, raspberry powder, and rose water together.

When the cake is completely cool, drizzle it with the pomegranate topping, then sprinkle with the pomegranate arils and chopped pistachios (and rose petals, if using).

Flower Hot Dog Buns

 

I made the flower hot dog buns from The Woks of Life recently. I had been hearing about them often on Spilled Milk, and they are for sure one of the best things to come out of my kitchen! Plus, they are gorgeous!

The recipe makes 16 buns, and they freeze very well. These were a big hit with both of my kids, for lunches at home as well as at school. I also took some with me on the plane recently (frozen solid upon departure from home, and they were fine for an early lunch on the plane). I’ll be adding these to the rotation!

2/3 cup lactose-free heavy cream – I used vegan cream (at room temperature)
1 cup lactose-free milk (at room temperature)
1 large egg (at room temperature)
1/3 cup sugar
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. active dry yeast
1 ½ tsp. salt
16 hot dog sausages
egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 Tbsp. water)
2 scallions (chopped)
simple syrup (1 Tbsp./12g sugar dissolved in 1 Tbsp. hot water)

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, add the room temperature heavy cream, milk, egg, sugar, flour, yeast, and salt (in that order).

Turn on the mixer to “stir.” Let it go for 15 minutes. You may want to stop the mixer once to push the dough together, though this isn't always necessary. The dough should stick to the bottom of the bowl, but not the sides – I did add a bit more flour. (Alternatively, you can knead the dough by hand. Just keep your hands lightly floured, but avoid adding too much additional flour to the dough, or it may become dense. The high amount of fat in the dough from the heavy cream should prevent it from sticking too badly to your hands.)

Cover the bowl with an overturned plate or kitchen towel (I actually use a freshly oiled bowl for this). Place it in a warm spot for 60-90 minutes, or until almost doubled in size.

After the hour of proofing, put the dough back in the mixer and stir for another 5 minutes to remove air bubbles (I skipped this step). Turn the dough out on a lightly floured surface and cut it into 16 equal pieces.

Roll each piece of dough into an oval that's about 4 inches wide and the same length as your hot dogs. Place the hot dog on one end of the dough and roll it tightly in the dough – you will get something that looks roughly like an oversized pig-in-a-blanket.

Use a metal bench scraper or knife to cut 6 slits crosswise into the dough/hot dog (creating 7 equal sections), without cutting all the way through. Then lay the hot dog pieces cut side up, and arrange the pieces alternately on either side of the central uncut part of the dough, or arrange the pieces in a rounder flower shape.

Cover the baking sheet with a kitchen towel and allow the buns to rise in a warm place for another hour.

When the buns are almost done proofing, preheat the oven to 350 °F.

Mix your egg wash together by beating with 1 egg with 1 tablespoon of water. Add the scallions to your egg wash. (Submerging the scallions this way will ensure that they stick to the buns.)

Use a pastry brush to lightly brush the buns with egg (brush only the dough, and not the hot dog pieces). Make sure to also get the scallions evenly onto the bun. Use the brush to gently spread out any pooling egg wash in the crevices of the buns.

Bake the buns for 18-20 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking.

Remove from the oven and immediately brush the buns with the simple syrup. This last step gives them that signature Chinese bakery shine.

Chrissy Teigen's Chocolate Mousse with Salty Rice Krispies-Hazelnut Crackle

 

Now that I can reliably find lactose-free vegan whipping cream, I am catching up on recipes I meant to try. Here’s one from Chrissy Teigen’s Cravings: Hungry for More, for an easy chocolate mousse with a more involved crackle topping. I’m going to be honest here: I had my doubts about the crackle. It looked a bit complicated, and I didn’t know if it would turn out to my liking, But I had a palmful of hazelnuts to use up, so I went for it. And it turns out it’s the best thing about this recipe! It was hard as opposed to sticky, and the perfect combination of sweet and salty. Seriously, do yourself a favor and double it, because you’ll end up eating some of it straight. This is a truly awesome dish!

For the mousse
1 cup (6 oz) good-quality dark chocolate chips or coarsely chopped chocolate (I used bittersweet)
1/3 cup lactose-free whole milk
¾ cup lactose-free heavy cream, cold

For the crackle
oil, for the pan
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbsp. water
4 tsp. light corn syrup
1/8 tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling
1 cup Rice Krispies cereal
1/3 cup chopped, toasted hazelnuts

For serving
½ cup lactose-free heavy cream, cold
1 tablespoon granulated sugar


For the mousse
Combine the chocolate and milk in a large, microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for 1 minute and 15 seconds. Remove and stir the mixture until melted and smooth; set aside to cool for 15 minutes. (I prefer doing this in a double boiler.)

Once the chocolate is cooled, whip the cream with a whisk or electric mixer until stiff peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. Gently fold the whipped cream into the cooled chocolate until uniform, making sure not to stir too hard or the mousse will deflate. Divide evenly among 4 smallish glasses, such as juice glasses or martini glasses. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 24.

For the crackle
Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and grease lightly with oil. Place the sugar, water, and corn syrup in a small (2-quart) saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Let it cook and bubble, swirling it occasionally, until the mixture turns toasty, the color of nice caramel, about 5 minutes from when it starts to bubble.

Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the baking soda and salt, then the rice cereal and hazelnuts. Working quickly (the stuff hardens), spread the mixture onto the parchment and sprinkle with more salt. Let it cool and harden, then break into pieces.

For serving
When ready to serve, whip the cream and the sugar to soft peaks with a whisk or electric mixer. Top each glass of mousse with some of the whipped cream and the broken crackle.