Epic Fail Weekend Baking

Today is a beautiful day - the sun is shining, I can see the trees swaying gently outside my window. Ideally, I should be outside for a run, but instead I decided to stay in and bake.

Bad idea.

Hot day = horrible day for pastry.

I had the best intentions, heck, I even charted out what I wanted to accomplish!

Dulce de Leche - Slippin 'n slidin'!

One of my latest loves - dulce de leche. This South American (in origin) treat is basically caramelized condensed milk - either cow or goat milk. I find goat DdL has an earthier taste that has an interesting tang, cow DdL is pretty sweet, easy on the palate.  Do I have a preference? Not really! I love them both!

I was recently gifted a bottle of goat dulce de leche (with white wine!) and after gorging myself on the sweet treat, I decided to make proper use of it and incorporate it into my baking. The trick is to balance the sweetness of the dulce de leche with a cookie doesn't have too much sugar and generally has a neutral base. I revisited the madeleine pan cookies and made dulce de leche cookie sandwiches with hazelnut shortbread. The shortbread is not only subtle but the hazelnut added an almost-savoury feel to the cookie. In other words, it was a perfect pairing! I think another combination that could work would be a dark chocolate wafer or espresso cookie - using cocoa powder or espresso could add that dense bitterness that would offset the sweetness of the filling quite well.

Photographic evidence for your pleasure:

Fairly Simple Supper

If you've got a grill! One of the best investments I have ever made in my kitchen is my baby Weber - or the Weber BabyQ 100. Don't let the adorably cute name fool you! She is one lean, mean, propane-burning machine! For those considering investing in a bbq for a small space, I highly recommend the Weber model! I had done an extensive search last year, and I can confidently say that I made the right choice.

I present to you - grilled pork loin!

Mmmm. Oh yeah.
Take one pork loin (ribs optional) - take a paring knife and trim the fat. Also, while you've got the knife in your hand, pierce the loin liberally. Create a wet rub and lather liberally, remember to jam the rub into those knife crevasses as well!

(mmm...glistening caramelization...)

My mix that day: grapeseed oil, 3 cloves of crushed garlic, zest of 1 orange, 1 shallot finely chopped, dried thyme and salt and pepper.

My theory with grilling larger pieces of meat is to let it cook - let it sit on the grill on one side for about 10 min and then turn. Let the fat and meat sear and release - it will happen! Don't agitate the meat too much or it will become rubbery and dried out. Turning it evenly will ensure consistent cooking as well - remember to let the meat rest for the juices to resettle!

Pair with a crisp summer (or spring) coleslaw and a slice of reheated lasagne.

Long Weekend Projects

Some work on installing a new deck for the summer. Others - it is working on a painting.
For me, it's building a 20-odd layer lasagne.

Yes. You read that right - 20+ layers of noodle-y goodness packed into a casserole dish.

Happy Feet

As I type this, I am nibbling on a bit of "Oregon Brittle" - basically hazelnut brittle that I purchased on the Coast. It's delicious and crunchy with a savory tang that is both surprising and satisfying. I have been reflecting for the last few days on what I made this weekend - macarons! Yes, I did it! I finally made French macarons!

French macarons are pretty unique - they are almond-meringue sandwich cookies - usually intricately flavoured and brightly coloured. They are something I have always wanted to make - but it's never been high on my priority list. Let's face it - from what I have heard, they sound like a real pain to make and I have read so many disaster stories from other brave bakers. But after making a batch of ice cream, I had egg whites to use, so....why not?

I used a basic recipe & tutorial taken from Bakerella. If you are inspired to make macarons, I would highly recommend her method and explanation. It was very helpful and informative and I appreciated having a little bit of hand-holding through this first run.

Ahh...vacation.

Last week I took a four day trip to Portland and the Pacific Northwest Coast with a couple of friends. It was terrific trip that was fabulously cliche - lots of laughs, food, wine, and DVDs in an impossibly chic hotel downtown. I'm sure some girls, err...spoons, have done this trip when they were in their younger years but I think at the age I am at, I really appreciated the trip on another level. Perhaps it was because we weren't painfully frugral - granted, we got the hotel at a fantastic rate, but it is ALWAYS a luxury to stay in a 5-star hotel, to eat at the hippest restaurants and be driven to the restaurant in town in a 1930s classic car. Oh yeah, it was one of those trip. And it was fabulous, and I am sure I won't have another until one of us spoons gets hitched to a fork and we get to relive it all as a part of the sending-off festivities. But I have over a hundred photos to remember it by, I thought I would share some of them here.

A glorious shot of the Pacific Northwest. It's not your typical picture, especially from the parts where I am from (more mountains), but I love the bright sky, giant looming clouds (rain always imminent), and tall trees.

(above left: my dinner at Clemente's in Astoria - local halibut and seasonal veggies, above right: my fantasy for the last few months - tacos from a food truck - this one is an asada (steak), below left: a Bacon Maple Bar from Voodoo Donuts - never has the marriage of salty and sweet been so satisfyingly dirty, below right: the 222 breakfast at Kenny & Zuke's)

If you're wondering where this spoon went - Astoria and Portland! If you're in the area, please take advantage of the wonderful food culture in Oregon. I think this part of the world takes particular care and investigation into where their food comes from and process between nature and your plate. It's an...ideology, I suppose, that I have been particularly interested in and it was wonderfully refreshing to hear, see, and experience people (in the restaurant industry or not) really take ownership of what goes on your plate. After all, you only get one body - take care of it!

Shimeji

I had a late start to that Saturday - the requisite "sleep-in" with a leisurely coffee and breakfast followed by catching up on some foodie TV. Note: that's not FoodTV, but 'foodie TV'. My viewing of choice is usually a combination of America's Test Kitchen, Nigella and the latest photogenic "It"-chef making his/her rounds. Eventually I scrubbed up and made my way to the grocery store to do my weekend shopping. This weekend, was a special occasion, I would be making my way to the nearest T&T Supermarket! Woo-hoo! T&T, if you're not familiar with this chain, is an Asian supermarket specializing in selling Asian groceries and produce, with a full-service Asian deli, fish market, butcher counter, bakery, etc. In short - my preferred destination on a Saturday afternoon! However, it is also the preferred destination of most people living in the vicinity. Yes, I can go at night on a weekday after work, but I like being able to spend a little time wandering the bustling aisles, picking one particular bottle of soy sauce (out of the dozens of brands offered) and waiting anxiously for my number to be called at the butcher counter.

Tip: If you're even remotely interested in getting a hunk of meat - go straight to the butcher first. Grab your number and THEN peruse the goods to pick out what you like. Better to stake your place in line than wait! Trawl the adjacent aisles during the wait to pick up any other groceries while waiting for "your moment". And it truly is "your moment" - the other shoppers eye you jealously while you walk up and down the case pointing and selecting the choice cuts of meat and receiving the undivided attention of the butcher. Ahhhh....it's a great time while it lasts.

Anyway! As I scoured the produce section with my list, some small bundles caught my eye - shimeji mushrooms! These earthy beauties are offered in two colours or types - buna (brown) or bunapi (white). These are also called Beech or Clamshell mushrooms. I promptly picked up a package of each.

 

 

(beautiful, aren't they? Almost other-worldly...)

I returned home, itching to open and use my purchases. The meat was put in the fridge, the pantry bottles put away, produce out on the counter baskets, and then - the shimeji...the best for last. I opened up the plastic packaging and a plume of scent hit my olfactory senses. The smell was unlike anything I had ever experienced - it was musky, earthy, and almost...wine-y. I couldn't wait to put them to use! I was inspired by a recipe on the momofuku-for-2 website - my foodie counterpart had made a dish with butter and miso. What a terrific combination with mushrooms!

Shimeji Mushrooms with Peas

1 head of Shimeji Mushrooms

1 clove of garlic, finely minced

1 1/2 tablespoons butter

2 teaspoons miso (lighter the better)

1/4 cup broth or water

1 teaspoon soy sauce

sesame oil

1/2 cup peas

salt & pepper

scallions for garnish (optional)

Gently clean the mushrooms - dust off any dirt and cut off the base root to roughly separate the mushroom stems.

In a small skillet, melt the butter over medium high heat. When the butter starts to bubble, add the garlic, cook until softened. 

Add the mushrooms and saute for 3-5 min until they have softened. Add salt and pepper (pinch or generous grind of each)

Add the miso first and then the water or broth. Gently dissolve or mix the miso into the liquid, careful not to disturb the mushrooms too much. Let the miso broth bubble for a few minutes. 

Add the peas - cook until tender.

Add the soy sauce and stir gently. Dab a few drops of sesame oil and mix.

Remove skillet from heat and plate - top with scallions.

(Suuuurved up with a side of sticky rice! Boo-yeah! And yes, I used more than 1/2 cup of peas....so I like peas!!)