Culinary Goods

Jared made this over the weekend and it had awesome flavor. The brie wasn't overpowering and the cumin on the steaks tasted lovely. He got the recipe from my Fine Cooking magazine and I give it a 7. 4 oz. Brie, rind removed, softened 3 Tbs. unsalted butter, softened 1 Tbs. thinly sliced fresh chives He used green onions instead  Pinch chipotle chile powder Fresh coarsely cracked black pepper and kosher salt 1 Tbs. ground cumin 2 6- to 7-oz. beef tenderloin steaks, preferably 1-1/2 to 2 inches thick 2 Tbs. olive oil Here's the link to the directions:  http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/filet-mignon-with-brie-butter.aspx

These babies deserve a close-up picture, and a rating of 9. I made up the recipe, so I don’t have a source, but here is what I did. Make tart crust using the recipe you can find for any of my tart recipes. Next, make the caramel filling. I used the caramel sauce from the caramel cheesecake and added chopped macadamia nuts (make sure this layer is mostly caramel not mostly nuts). Top with the coconut caramel ganache from last week’s samoa cupcakes. Here it is again: 8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped ½ cup caramel sauce (homemade) ½ cup heavy cream 1/2 tsp. coconut extract That’s it. They’re good and worth the work.

These were good, and as a food snob, I was hesitant to try a recipe from Good Housekeeping magazine. However, they were probably a 7.5 easily.  First, these are an oatmeal pancake. Secondly, they have no sugar in them, so this was a great way to get a low-sugar breakfast that feels more indulgent than it actually is. We had to triple the recipe and it was perfect to feed my family. We also served them with cream, which I think is a must. I put my changes below in bold.   1/4 c. old-fashioned oats We used quick cooking 3/4 c. buttermilk 1/2 c. white whole wheat flour We used 100% whole wheat 1 tsp. baking powder 1/4 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice I didn’t have this, so for the triple batch I just did 1 tsp. cinnamon, 1/2 tsp. ginger, 1/4 tsp. nutmeg and 1/4 tsp. cloves 1/8 tsp. salt 1 large egg 1 tbsp. canola oil 2 tsp. vanilla Walnuts, for serving We used pecans Berries, for serving Pureed raspberries, for serving We also put whipped cream on t...

These were disgustingly sweet even after I cut down the sugar. I actually ended up throwing them all away because they were so sugary that they didn't event taste good. Major fail. 8 oz. semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped 4 tbsp. unsalted butter 2/3 cup all-purpose flour ½ tsp. baking powder ¾ tsp. fleur de sel (sea salt), plus more for sprinkling 2 large eggs, at room temperature ¾ cup packed light brown sugar I used 1/2 C.  1 tsp. vanilla extract 12 oz. semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped I used 8 oz.  Here's the link for the instructions: http://www.annies-eats.com/2010/08/31/salted-double-chocolate-chunk-cookies/

I got this recipe from annies-eats.com, and it was fantastic. I give these a 9. However, they could be much better. The problem is that I made homemade caramel, which you normally have to cook to firm ball stage. This makes the caramel too firm for this recipe. The caramel should be softer, so next time I am either going to just cook it a lot less or just put caramel sauce on top of the ganache and then add toasted coconut. Also, I had made the caramel the day before, which was the problem. Make it day off or just use the store caramels like is suggested. This cupcake recipe though is a keeper for sure. It’s the best I’ve had and they domed on top.   Samoa Cupcakes Yield: about 21 cupcakes   I got 24 cupcakes Ingredients For the cupcakes: About 21 (1.75-inch) round shortbread cookies* I used the round ones I buy at Costco at Christmas time 6 tbsp. Dutch-process cocoa powder 6 tbsp. hot water 1½ cups all-purpose flour ½ tsp. baking soda ½ tsp. baking powder ½ tsp. sal...

Jared and I made Chinese food for Christmas Eve dinner and it turned out pretty well. This dish was great, but needed a bit more beef. Jared gave it a 7 and I gave it a 7.5. The recipe came from serious eats.com.  For the Beef: 1/2 pound flank or skirt steak,  sliced thin for stir-frying 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon sugar 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper 1/2 teaspoon Shaoxing wine 1/2 teaspoon light soy sauce 1 teaspoon oil 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch For the Sauce: 1 tablespoon sesame oil 2 teaspoon light soy sauce 2 teaspoon dark soy sauce 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon sugar 1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine 1 tablespoon water For the Noodles: Kosher salt 1 pound fresh lo mein noodles 4 tablespoons vegetable oil 1/2 pound broccoli, cut into bite-sized florets 3 medium cloves garlic, finely minced (about 1 tablespoon) Here's the link to the instructions:  http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2014/04/stir-fried-lo-m...

This had good flavor, but the texture wasn't great. We doubled the sauce, which made the breading kind of soggy. The sauce itself was good, so next time we'll skip the breading and frying part and just pour it over grilled chicken. As it was, it got a 6.5 and the recipe came from rasamalaysia.com.  Ingredients: 8 oz boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized cubes 2 teaspoons cooking oil 2 cloves garlic, minced Orange Sauce Oil for deep-frying Salt and sugar, to taste Chopped scallion, for garnishing White sesame, for garnishing Frying Batter: 1 egg 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, sifted 2 tablespoon cornstarch 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 cup water, ice cold 1/2 tablespoon cooking oil Dash of salt Orange Sauce: 1/4 cup orange juice 1/2 teaspoon orange zest 1 tablespoon  Rooster brand Huy Fong Garlic Chili Sauce , optional 3 tablespoons chicken broth, or water 1 tablespoon soy sauce 5 teaspoons sugar 1 teaspoon Apple cider vinegar, red wine or Chinese white v...