Banana Walnut Bread

My new rotation has started and I have finally settled in to Yardley, PA. I anticipate many more days of baking and cooking as there is nothing to do here.. seriously, I live next to a farm. Great.

Now that I've moved to my new apartment, I finally was able to buy my standing mixer!! You can ask anybody.. I've been wanting a standing mixer for months now! 

I especially wanted it when my hand mixer broke right as I was making my Banana Walnut Bread a few weeks ago..... Good thing I'm really buff and can mix bread batter by hand. 

The recipe follows (courtesy of Food Network):

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• 1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for preparing the pan
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 very ripe bananas, peeled, and mashed with a fork (about 1 cup)
• 1/2 cup toasted walnut pieces

Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl, set aside. Whisk the eggs and vanilla together in a liquid measuring cup with a spout, set aside. Lightly brush a 9 by 5 by 3-inch loaf pan with butter. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or with an electric hand-held mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually pour the egg mixture into the butter while mixing until incorporated. Add the bananas (the mixture will appear to be curdled, so don't worry), and remove the bowl from the mixer.

With a rubber spatula, mix in the flour mixture until just incorporated. Fold in the nuts and transfer thebatter to the prepared pan. Bake for 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean. Cool the bread in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Turn the bread out of the pan and let cool completely on the rack. Wrap in plastic wrap. The banana bread is best if served the next day.

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So most of you know that I usually bake these goods and rarely eat them myself. (I more enjoy the baking itself than the treats that result from it!) Well this time it was different!

I usually only have a bite of my creations and bring them into work the next day to share with a few coworkers... Well after my first bite, I did not want to share. The slightly crispy crust on the outside paired with the sweet, moist bread on the inside was delicious. The banana flavor was out of this world and the small walnut pieces added a bit of extra crunch you wouldn't expect!

Such a simple recipe (and yes, I mixed this by hand!!!) with amazing, delicious results. 

Being that this is Eric's favorite, I would have to say that I am putting this one in the permanent recipe pile and will be making this again and again!

Give it a try- it will surely be a hit!

Difficulty: Easy

Taste: A

Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Scallops Provencal

After making my Traditional Osso Bucco again, I realized that I needed to venture into something new, and give up the meat- just this once.

After a nice dinner with a few Pikes in the city, I was inspired to try something new- especially after Dorian ordered his scallops!

So scallops it is!

I made Scallops Provencal- an Ina Garten dish (so I knew it would be good and fattening, just like her)

Recipe follows:

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• 1 pound fresh bay or sea scallops
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• All-purpose flour, for dredging
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, divided
• 1/2 cup chopped shallots (2 large)
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
• 1/3 cup dry white wine
• 1 lemon, cut in 1/2

If you're using bay scallops, keep them whole. If you're using sea scallops, cut each 1 in half horizontally. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, toss with flour, and shake off the excess.

In a very large saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons of the butter over high heat until sizzling and add the scallops in 1 layer. Lower the heat to medium and allow the scallops to brown lightly on 1 side without moving them, then turn and brown lightly on the other side. This should take 3 to 4 minutes, total. Melt the rest of the butter in the pan with the scallops, then add the shallots, garlic, and parsley and saute for 2 more minutes, tossing the seasonings with the scallops. Add the wine, cook for 1 minute, and taste for seasoning. Serve hot with a squeeze of lemon juice.

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Who knew making something that sounds so complicated could be so simple? Pretty easy huh?

This dish is meant to serve 3 and has around 350 calories for each serving- not bad huh?

I cut my portions so that it ended up being 4 meals and served it with some crimini mushroom quinoa to add a little more protein and sustenance. I also used bay scallops (they're cheaper and helped me control my portions better)

So yes, this does have butter and thus is fattening, but its deliciously filling! Hey at least I added some color to make it prettier?

So yes, this isn't exactly for the health conscious, but I would say with 350 calories per serving, it isn't entirely bad. You can even substitute EVOO for the butter (it course, wouldn't taste as good)

This is a great dish to welcome the spring- each morsel is light but perfectly decadent at the same time. It's also something you can make very quickly if you don't have time after work but you're craving something delicious! Plus it saves you a ton of money if you're thinking about going out to a restaurant to get scallops to begin with!

So as my coworkers were ordering their chicken fingers from the cafe, I was eating my scalllops provencal with crimini mushroom quinoa, at half the price.

I'd say it was a job well done.

Taste: A

Time: 20 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Cupcakes.. ah, the little treat that makes everyone in the office smile!

This past weekend was a co-workers birthday and so I was inspired to bring in some Red Velvet Cupcakes to work yesterday! Deliciously sinful with cream cheese frosting, who could resist Red Velvet?!

Recipe follows (thanks Ina Garten):

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• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, such as Pernigotti
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup buttermilk, shaken
• 1 tablespoon liquid red food coloring
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
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• For the frosting:
• • 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 3 1/2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar (3/4 pound)

  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin tins with paper liners.

  In a small bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a large measuring cup, combine the buttermilk, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla.

  In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed for 1 minute, until light. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until combined. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients alternately in 3 parts, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients, and mix until combined. Stir with a rubber spatula to be sure the batter is mixed.

  Scoop the batter into the muffin cups with a 2 1/4-inch ice cream scoop or large spoon. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the centers comes out clean. Cool completely in the pans and frost the cupcakes with Red Velvet Frosting.

  
  

  Frosting Instructions:

  
  

  Place the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, and mix on medium speed just until combined. Don't whip! Add the sugar and mix until smooth.

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So first off, who knew that Red Velvet cupcakes were really just chocolate cupcakes with a lot of red food coloring? Surprising huh? Fortunately (or I guess, unfortunately) I ran out of red food coloring and was only able to add about a 1/2 tsp. Oops. So my cupcakes didn't really turn out red - but hey it was still delicious!

Moist and chocolate-ly, Ina Garten hits it out of the ball park again with her recipe. Pretty simple and quick to make, this was a hit in the office and people claimed that it was 'out of this world!'

Taste: A

Time: 1 hour

Difficulty: Easy

Traditional Osso Bucco

Recently, I've been trying out new recipes on allrecipes.com. I was getting a bit bored with Food Network and thought I could learn a lesson or two from some every-day cooks, rather than those celebrity chefs.

I found a great and simple recipe on Traditional Osso Bucco and have made it twice within the month! Now who doesn't like Osso Bucco?!

Recipe follows:

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• 2 pounds veal shanks, cut into short lengths
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup Butter
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 large carrot, chopped
• 2/3 cup dry white wine
• 2/3 cup beef stock
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

1. Dust the veal shanks lightly with flour. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add the veal, and cook until browned on the outside. Remove to a bowl, and keep warm. Add two cloves of crushed garlic and onion to the skillet; cook and stir until onion is tender. Return the veal to the pan and mix in the carrot and wine. Simmer for 10 minutes.
2. Pour in the tomatoes and beef stock, and season with salt and pepper. Cover, and simmer over low heat for 1 1/2 hours, basting the veal every 15 minutes or so. The meat should be tender, but not falling off the bone.
3. In a small bowl, mix together the parsley, 1 clove of garlic and lemon zest. Mix into the veal just before serving.

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Voila. Simple eh?

Alright, so this recipe does take quite some time to make, but believe me, it is all worth it at the end. The rich, fatty sauce with the tender veal meat is to die for (and sure beats the $40 price tag at the restaurant). Besides, who knew osso bucco was this easy to make?!

The recipe instructed us to not have the meat 'falling off the bone' but after a few warm-ups in the pot (contrary to popular belief, i can't eat 2 lbs of meat in one sitting) the tender meat just fell right off!

Packed full of flavor, this is a great recipe if you want to impress the boyfriend (or girlfriend)! Your house will also be filled with the delicious aroma! The first time I served it with some mushroom orzo but then opted for some plain rice the second go around.

Yes, i did spend around $10-$12 a pound for the meat, but it sure beats buying the entree in a restaurant!

Give it a try, you'll be impressed (and full), promise.

Difficulty: Medium

Time: 2 hours

Taste: A

Wow, did I really just make this?

This week is getting to be a drag....

After seeing Eric this weekend for one short night, this week has become so unbearably long! All I want to do is have some more fun and go on my Asia trip already! (Yes! I am going to Asia in a week and a half!)

As my trip is soon approaching, I have been trying my best to use up all the food I have in my apartment (not to mention, save some money and not buy any more food). I have been staring at my white truffle oil for a while and have been getting very upset with myself since I haven't been using it as frequently as I would have liked to. Well I changed that this week!!

After being upset that Eric and I couldn't go to Le Bernardin over the weekend for some delicious creations by Chef Eric Ripert, I decided to create my own Eric Ripert dish in my own home! Portobello 'Fries' with Truffle Aioli- Eric Ripert is a genius!

The recipe follows:

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THE FRIES

8 Portobello mushrooms

3 eggs, lightly beaten

3 cups fine bread crumbs

1 cups grated Pecorino Romano

1 tsp dried thyme

1.5 tsp salt

2 tsp ground fresh pepper

Canola oil for frying

THE AIOLI

2 egg yolks

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1 tsp minced garlic

1 cup canola oil

1/2 cup olive oil

2 tbl white truffle oil

fine sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

Combine the yolks, lemon juice and garlic in a blender. With the blender on medium speed, drizzle the canola oil and olive oil into the yolk mixture in a slow steady stream until the aïoli is emulsified and well blended. Season with the truffle oil, salt and pepper. Transfer the aïoli to a small bowl and set aside.

Trim the stems from the mushrooms, scrape out the gills, and gently wipe the mushroom caps with a damp cloth. Cut the mushroom caps into 1/2-inch-wide strips.

Combine the bread crumbs, cheese, pepper, salt and thyme in a shallow dish. Place the flour and eggs in separate shallow dishes. Toss the mushroom strips in the flour to coat evenly, then dip them into the eggs and roll them in the bread crumb mixture.

Heat about 1 inch of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Working in batches, place the breaded mushroom strips in the hot oil and cook on all sides until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a tray lined with paper towels. Serve hot with the aïoli.

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Delicious.

So I cut down this recipe a bit as I couldn't really eat 8 portobello mushrooms in a sitting, but boy, that would have been GREAT if I could! (Try doing one mushroom per serving/person)

The portobello fries were absolutely delicious- the crunchy exterior with the soft interior was perfect and the truffle aioli was insanely addicting!

I was at first a bit worried about the fact that I was frying these mushrooms and that they would turn out oily and greasy, but in fact it was just the opposite! Very light and airy, it was the perfect appetizer to the rest of my meal (ok I lie, I couldn't stop eating them and it turned out to be my main course). One thing I would suggest you look out for is the temperature of the oil (I lost some good pieces of 'fries' thanks to my oil being too hot/cold).

Nevertheless, I was the most excited about my aioli- I have never made aioli before and was very excited to be able to try this recipe out and make my own sauce! I definitely had some left over and plan to use them as a compliment to other appetizers (yum, I can't wait).

After making this recipe, I was pleasantly surprised to find out how easy this was and was even more impressed with myself! I remember thinking 'wow, did i really just make this?'. What a great recipe (and it's vegetarian friendly too!)

Thanks Chef Eric Ripert- I can't wait to try out Le Bernardin in the near future! If you can make something this simple taste this good, I can only imagine how amazing your dishes at Le Bernardin are!

Looking to impress yourself?- this is a must try!

Taste: 9.8

Difficulty: Moderate

Time: 30 minutes

Brown Rice Pilaf with Sun Dried Tomatoes and Proscuitto

So, naturally, I love rice. Maybe it's because I'm asian but there really is nothing out there that can take the place of rice. Yeah, quinoa's great and all but honestly.... it doesn't hold a candle to good ol' rice.

My family, trying to eat healthier, has been a on brown rice kick. We obviously can't kick the rice habit, so why not eat something a little healthier!

I, of course, decide to make the healthy brown rice into a not-so-healthy brown rice pilaf with sun-dried tomatoes and proscuitto, hehe....oops?




Recipe follows (courtesy of Whole Foods):

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2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/4 pound thinly sliced prosciutto, roughly chopped

1 cup long-grain brown rice

2 cups water or broth

2 tablespoons tomato paste

Salt and ground black pepper to taste

1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, thinly sliced

1/4 cup basil leaves, torn

1/4 cup toasted pine nuts (optional)

In a medium saucepot, sauté garlic and prosciutto in warmed oil over medium-high heat, stirring often, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in rice, water or broth, tomato paste, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until liquid is completely absorbed, about 45 minutes. Remove covered pot from heat and let sit 10 minutes; uncover and fluff with fork. Transfer to a large bowl, add sun-dried tomatoes, basil and pine nuts (optional) and toss to combine.

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So simple and so delicious. I decided to include the pine nuts as I had some leftover when I was making some homemade pesto and I omitted the basil because my basil plant died and I refuse to buy another one :(

The pine nuts is a must add-in. The crunch of the toasted pine nuts is a great addition and I didn't miss the basil too much.

This recipe is great for a meal (all you need is some refreshing greens to start) or it can act as a side dish! Rich and hearty from the tomato paste, this is an adaptable dish that anyone would love!

Looking to kick up your meal a little and you're sick of plain old rice as a side dish? Try this recipe out! It's from Whole Foods- and you know they wouldn't steer you wrong ;)


Taste: A
Difficulty: Easy
Time: 60 minutes

Braised Chicken Thighs with Button Mushrooms

As I sit here and countdown to the Thanksgiving holiday, I can't help but to think about all the delicious food I will be having oh so soon! Since my family isn't a turkey fan, I suggested they try out the recipe I made last week- Braised Chicken Thights with Button Mushrooms! Thanks for another one, Emeril!

The recipe follows:

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1 tablespoon olive oil
6 chicken thighs
1 tablespoon Essence

1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons butter
16 ounces button mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 cup sliced yellow onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cups dark chicken stock
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
4 cups steamed white rice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

Set a 10-inch, straight-sided saute pan over medium-high heat and add the oil. Season the chicken thighs with the Essence, salt and pepper. Place the chicken, skin side down in the pan and sear until golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes. Turn the chicken over and sear on the second side for another 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan and add the butter and mushrooms. Saute the mushrooms, stirring occasionally, until browned and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the onions and garlic to the pan and saute for 3 to 4 minutes. Sprinkle the flour into the pan and cook, stirring often to make a light brown roux, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste, stock and rosemary to the pan, bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Return the chicken to the pan, skin side down and cook the chicken for 30 minutes. Turn the chicken over and cook until the meat is very tender, about 30 minutes. Serve the chicken over rice and garnish with the chopped parsley.

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Thre is always something special about Emeril's recipes. Although they aren't the easiest and simplest recipes to follow, and they do take a good amount of time, the rich and hearty meal you get out of your labor is completely worth it.

Sauteed onions and mushrooms

Surprisingly enough, I didn't make any changes to Emeril's recipe- I followed it exactly and it turned out great!

The sauce, unthickened

There are a number of reasons why I love this recipe. First off, I am a huge dark meat fan and I cannot stand dry white meat. Chicken breast (although, yes, healthier) is my foe and I really just refuse to make a dish with it because I know I won't eat all of it. Second, this recipe, although seemingly difficult, was fairly simple- it just requires some time. Lastly, it is surprisingly delicious. The chicken thighs are soft while the thick sauce is a perfect pairing with the rice. There is nothing I love more than eating rice with some delicious sauce.

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving holiday- hey maybe if you're not in the mood for some turkey, this dish may be just for you!

Taste: A

Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Difficulty: Intermediate