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Garlic Herb Lamb Chops

2/15/2017

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Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 6 minutes
Serves: 2 people

INGREDIENTS 

  • 8 half-inch-thick lamb loin chops
  • Salt and Pepper
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 6 garlic cloves
  • 3 tablespoon water
  • 2 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoon minced parsley
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme 

INSTRUCTIONS 

  1. Season lamb chops with salt, pepper, and dried thyme. Add olive oil to pan and heat until almost smokey. Place the lamb and garlic into the pan and reduce the heat to medium. Cook the lamb on both sides for about 3 minutes. Transfer lamb onto a plate and leave the garlic in the pan.
  2. Add water, lemon juice, parsley, and fresh thyme into the pan. Scrape the brown bits stuck on the bottom and let sizzle for about 1 minute. Pour the sauce over the lamb chops and serve. 
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NAKED FRUIT CAKE

2/1/2017

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Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 25 – 30 minutes
Serves: 8 people

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup of butter, softened
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 3/4 cup butter, softened
  • 2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 2/3 cup powdered sugar
  • 100 gram white chocolate, melted
  • Berries
  • Mint
  • Sugar (to coat berries and mint)

INSTRUCTIONS

Vanilla Cake
  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease two 6″ cake pans with oil and cut out 2 circles of parchment paper to place at the bottom of each pan. In a large bowl, combine the flour and baking powder. Then add sugar, butter, milk, eggs, and vanilla. Beat at a low speed until fully mixed. Increase speed until you achieve a more pale yellow color. Divide mixture evenly among the cake pans.
  2. Bake for 25 – 30 minutes. Check with a skewer (or a chopstick in my case) to see if no batter sticks to it and comes out clean. Let cake cool in pan for 5 minutes then transfer to cooling rack to completely cool.
  3. Cut the excess cake on top of each cake so it has a flat surface.
White Chocolate Butter Cream Icing
  1. Beat butter and vanilla until pale yellow. Gradually beat in powdered sugar then add in white chocolate until smooth.
  2. Spread a generous amount of butter cream between both layers of cake and add some rinsed and sliced strawberries. Spread a thin layer on top of the second layer. Rinse berries and mint leaves and roll them in sugar. Decorate the cake with the sugared berries and mint.
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MASHED POTATOES

2/1/2017

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​Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Serves: 6-8 people

INGREDIENTS

  • 4 russet potatoes
  • 10-12 cups of water (just enough to submerge the potatoes)
  • 1/2 cup cream cheese
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 1/4 cup cooked bacon
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
  • salt and pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Place water into a medium sized pot and add a generous amount of salt (about 4 tablespoons).
  2. Peel and slice the potatoes into equal sized pieces and transfer them into the salted water. Set heat on medium high and boil for about 20 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender.
  3. Drain the potatoes and place back into the pot. Add cream cheese, butter, milk, mozzarella cheese, bacon, garlic powder, thyme, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix all together until light and fluffy.
  4. Garnish with more bacon and thyme.
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BEEF WELLINGTON

2/1/2017

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​Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Serves: 6-8 people

INGREDIENTS

Duxelles
  • 1 1/2 lbs white button mushrooms
  • 1/2 cup walnuts
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
Beef
  • 3 lb center cut beef tenderloin (filet mignon)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 10 slices prosciutto
  • 1 tablespoon dijion mustard
  • 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
  • 1 large egg
  • salt and pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

NOTE: I recommend watching how Gordon Ramsey prepares his beef wellington because I believe he has one of the best methods (Link).
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Preheat cast iron pan (or any pan) to medium high heat with olive oil.
  3. Place beef in pan and sear the outside for 5 minutes.
  4. Let the beef cool and prepare the duxelle. In a food processor (or in my case, a nutribullet) place the mushrooms, walnuts, garlic, and thyme and blitz until finely chopped. Place the duxelle in a hot try pan on medium until all the water has evaporated for the mixture. Transfer onto a plate to cool.
  5. Pull out some cling wrap onto a flat surface and carefully create a layer of prosciutto (The point of this is to make sure we create a blanket to seal the beef filet so the juices don’t cause the puff pastry to be soggy). Sprinkle pepper of the prosciutto.
  6. Spread the duxelles onto the prosciutto in a thin even layer. Place the beef filet onto the duxelles and brush it with dijion mustard.
  7. Carefully wrap the beef with the blanket of prosciutto and chill in the fridge for 15 minutes.
  8. Place cling wrap on working surface and place a sheet of puff pastry on it. Unwrap the beef filet and place it on the dough. Use the cling wrap to wrap up the beef wellington and place it in the fridge for 5 minutes.
  9. Unwrap the beef wellington and place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Beat the egg and brush it over the puff pastry as an egg wash.
  10. Bake for 35 minutes (you may adjust the time depending on how well you like your beef cooked. This time will give you medium rare).
  11. Let cool for 10 minutes and serve.
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TIRAMISU

2/1/2017

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​Prep Time: 10-15 minutes
Chill: minimum 3 hours 
Serves: 12 people

INGREDIENTS

  • 6 eggs, separated
  • 16 ounces Mascarpone Cheese
  • 1/2 cup white sugar, divided
  • 2 cup coffee, cooled
  • 1/2 cup Kahula (optional)
  • 36 lady fingers**
  • 1 cup grated bitter sweet chocolate
  • 3 tablespoons cocoa powder

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Prepare coffee and let cool on the side.
  2. Whisk egg whites until foamy. Pour in 1/4 of sugar and continue to whisk until soft peaks form. Set mixture aside.
  3. In another bowl, combine egg yolks and 1/4 cup of sugar. Whisk until it turns into a pale yellow color and is thick. Whisk in the mascarpone cheese until smooth. Fold in the egg white mixture until fully combined.
  4. In a shallow bowl combine the coffee and Kahula together. Dunk the lady fingers 1 at a time for 1-2 seconds in the mixture and create 1 layer in a 13×9 baking dish (you may have to break some in half in order for it to all fit). Add 1/3 of the mascarpone mixture on top of the first layer of lady fingers and spread it out evenly. Add a few tablespoons of grated chocolate on top. Repeat the process 2 more times in order to get 3 layers.
  5. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours (over night is best).
  6. Dust the top with cocoa powder and the remaining grated chocolate.
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KOREAN FRIED CHICKEN

2/1/2017

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Prep Time: 15-20 minutes + 1 hour (minimum) to marinate
Cook Time: 15 minutes per batch
Serves: 4-6 people

INGREDIENTS

​Fried Chicken
  • 20 chicken wings/drum sticks
  • 4 cups of Korean tempura batter mix (separated into 2 cups)
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 cups of milk
  • 1 teaspoon salt
Dipping Sauce
  • 4 tablespoons of Gochujang (Korean red chili pepper paste)
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 tablespoon ketchup
  • 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
**Note: amount of Gochujang can vary based on taste preference**

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Marinate the chicken in milk for a minimum of 1 hour in the refrigerator.
  2.  Beat the eggs into a shallow bowl and set aside. Put 2 cups of the tempura batter in a shallow bowl. Put the other 2 cups of batter in a container with a lid.
  3. Drain the chicken from the milk and place a few at a time in the shallow bowl with tempura batter and coat well. Transfer chicken to egg mixture and coat well. Lastly transfer to other tempura batter in container, close the lid, and shake well.
  4. Place the coated chicken on a cooling rack for easy transfer for frying. **If you have a deep fryer, place chicken in frying basket**
  5. Heat vegetable oil in a shallow pan or pot to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Measure with a candy thermometer or one that is able to withstand the extreme heat.
  6. Gently place chicken in the oil and fry for 5 minutes on each side or until almost golden brown.
  7. Set aside and let cool for a minimum of 5 minutes and fry again for 5 minutes or until golden brown.
  8. Let cool for 5 minutes and sprinkle salt over it while it’s still hot and serve with the spicy dipping sauce on the side!
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WONTON POTSTICKERS

2/1/2017

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Prep Time: 30-40 minutes
Cook Time: 10 Minutes
Serves: 4-6 people
(Note: You can add more or different types of vegetables and meat according to your preference. Make it yours!)

INGREDIENTS

Potstickers
  • 1 lb ground pork
  • 1 cup shredded napa cabbage
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 3 green onions, thinly sliced
  • 1 tablespoon ginger, grated
  • 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
  • 2 teaspoons sesame oil
  • 1 teaspoon Sriracha (more/less to taste preference)
  • 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
  • 35-40 wonton wrappers
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 cup water
Dipping Sauce
  • 4 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 teaspoon Sriracha
  • 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. In a large bowl, add the pork, cabbage, garlic, green onion, ginger, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, Sriracha, and white pepper. Combine together using your hands or a kitchen utensil. (Hands are more fun though!)
  2. To prepare the potstickers, place the wonton wrappers on a work surface (eg. parchment lined baking sheet). Add a tablespoon of the pork mixture in the center of the wrapper. Dip your finger into water and rub the edge of the wrapper to make it wet. Carefully fold the potsticker in half then pinch and fold the edges to create a half moon shape. (This part can be pretty tricky if you have never wrapped dumplings so I  suggest watching a tutorial before trying this recipe out)
  3. Heat vegetable oil in a skillet on medium heat and place a single layer of potstickers onto the pan and sear for about 2-3 minutes or until golden brown on the bottom.
  4. Pour water into the hot pan and cover for about 5 minutes or until water has evaporated.
  5. Carefully scrap off the potstickers onto a plate (they will stick to the pan, hence the name “potstickers”) and serve with dipping sauce. Or use your own special sauce. Whatever makes you wanna eat these yummy guys!
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CHICKEN THIGHS IN SAFFRON RICE

2/1/2017

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Prep Time: 30-40 minutes
Cook Time: 35 Minutes
Serves: 4 people
(Disclaimer: picture includes roasted vegetables that will be in a future post)

INGREDIENTS

  • 8 bone-in and skin-on chicken thighs
  • 1 medium yellow onion, diced
  • 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 4 cups chicken broth
  • 2 cups white rice
  • 1 cup frozen peas
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 1 gram saffron
  • salt & pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Preheat large non-stick, oven-safe pan (about 13″ width and 2″ deep) over high heat for 1-2 minutes.
  3.  Dry chicken thighs thoroughly and trim excess skin off. Salt and pepper both sides.
  4. Place chicken thighs 4 at a time on pan skin side down on high heat. Sear the chicken on both sides (about 4 minutes each side) until golden brown. Transfer chicken on to a plate and repeat with other 4 thighs.
  5. Remove most oil left in the pan but leave 1 tsp. Add in chopped onions on medium heat and saute until translucent (about 5 minutes). Add garlic until fragrant (about 1 minute).
  6. Add in 2 cups of rice and stir for 1 minute. Then add 4 cups of chicken broth, 1 cup frozen peas, 1 gram of saffron and 1 tsp salt. Keep on medium heat until liquid begins to boil then turn off the heat.
  7. Add in the chicken thighs skin up. Place the pan in the oven uncovered until rice has absorbed all the liquid and the chicken is fully cooked (about 35 minutes).
  8. Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes. Then eat it and enjoy that expensive saffron.

NOTES

If you don’t have a big enough skillet pan then you should follow the instructions like normal but after the liquid boils, transfer the rice mixture and chicken thighs into a 9×13 baking dish instead. And then follow the rest of the instructions after as well!
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    Hello There...

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    I'm Becky and I have a passion for food and the people around it. I'm learning to make delicious food everyday. This blog captures the highlights of my never ending journey to explore the world of flavors.

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