Thanksgiving Part I

I've pretty much given up on an All-American Thanksgiving dinner with slow roasted turkey, ladles of grubby sides, and warm pumpkin pie. When mother called me a week before my trip home to Texas, she asked if I wanted to do an American or a Chinese Thanksgiving. It was a no brainer--home cooked, Mama Lin's Chinese, of course. My mom doesn't tread the unfamiliar waters of "Western" style cooking, but she's a natural at whipping up my tummy's favorite Chinese dishes. And as always, I took charge of the dessert. My dad's only job of the night was to taste test, and that's exactly what he did.

I love my mom's cooking because she's health conscious using only the best quality items and the leanest cuts of meat. I'm still not sure how she does it, but her fist-sized meatballs are greaseless yet are packed with flavor and super moist and tender. For the lucky ones in New York, I already claimed dibs on left-overs to bring to the city! You just might get a taste. It's like packing my mom to go, hehe.

Mama Lin's Thanksgiving Dinner
Chilled Pickled Vegetables
Dried Tofu Cold Noodles
Vietnamese Egg Rolls
Roasted Chinese BBQ Platter: Pork, Duck, Sausage
Soy Garlic Marinated Cuttlefish
Stewed Beef with Carrots
Ja Chiang Noodles
Lion Head Meatballs with Braised Napa Cabbage
Spare-rib Meatball Turnip Soup
Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Cinnamon Ice Cream
Polka Dot Riesling (2007)

Cold Platter.

Chinese BBQ Pork.

Simple sea scallops.



Vietnamese style egg rolls.

Mother's famous meatballs with Shiitake and Braised Napa Cabbage.



Slow-simmered beef and carrots.



One of my all-time favorite noodle dishes: ja chiang noodles.



Classic Chinese bone soup.



My plate!



I chose this bottle because of the packaging, not gonna lie, but it was crisp, sweet and delightful.



Totally not Chinese, but my Pumpkin Cinnamon Raisin Bread Pudding with Cinnamon Ice Cream and Hazelnut Chai Cream Bark.



Mama Lin's Thanksgiving Feast

Part II of the Thanksgiving blog with feature my pumpkin bread pudding recipe. Stay tuned and Happy Turkey Day!

Pumpkin or anything related...

has won over my heart the past month as I desperately search for all sweets related to the Fall gourd. I've tasted multiple jars of pumpkin butters, obsessively hoarded Hershey's pumpkin spice kisses, and attempted my own ghoulish sweet treat.

Now I'm not sure what to call this, but it was goooood--messy, comforting, and ultimately satisfying. Perfect for a rainy, glum night alone. Think roasted marshmallows: crisp and burnt on the outside but gooey on the inside. Think spices: cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Think melted chocolate, dark chocolate peanut butter, and chewy slices of baguette. Think about a hybrid between peanut butter sandwiches and s'mores. Think pumpkin peanut butter s'morwiches. Yum.









Pumpkin Peanut Butter S'morwiches

2 slices baguette
1 Tbsp pecan pumpkin butter
1 Tbsp dark chocolate peanut butter
1 large marshmallow
1 pumpkin spice kiss

Slather one side of baguette slices with pumpkin butter and peanut butter. Place the kiss in the middle of one baguette slice. Toast marshmallow over a candle until crisp and browned. Sandwich melted marshmallow over chocolate. Eat!

I've given the same...

lame excuse--work and school--but it's true. Moving past sauteing, pan-frying, deep-frying, and roasting, class is now focusing on braising. I loved roasting; the smell of lemony, herbed whole chickens and natural pan au jus for the gravy isn't just for Thanksgiving dinners. And seriously, who knew roasting sweet potatoes could be so simple? It requires time, but a little patience never hurt.

Think about Fall and the glory of all these autumn vegetables like pumpkin, patty squash, and cauliflower popping up at the Farmer's Market. I've never been a fan of overindulging on meat, but the black truffle, oyster mushroom cream sauce made every bite of our roasted veal loin worthy. I've also never been an advocate of lamb, especially when it's cooked improperly, but an afternoon of braising lamb shanks in a wonderful, homemade chicken stock took away all the gamey flavor.

I want to give recipes for my favorites though. For a dinner with girl friends, I prepared French Onion Soup, Crab Cakes in a Trio of Sauces (Salsa Verde, Roasted Red Pepper, Avocado Cream), Potato Galette, Pumpkin Ice Cream, and Roasted Banana Ice Cream.



French Onion Soup
From ICE

8 oz unsalted butter
4 quarts onions, sliced
Salt and Pepper
8 oz sherry
5 quarts veal stock
Sachet d'epices (Thyme, Bay Leaf, Peppercorns, Parsley)
Croutons, Pramesan Reggiano, Gruyere

Melt unsalted butter in a large pot over medium high heat. Add in onions and stir to cover in butter. Reduce the heat to low and begin seasoning the onions. Let the onions sweat and caramelize over low heat until a nice golden brown appears. Pour in the sherry and let the alcohol reduce completely. Add in veal stock and tie the sachet to the side of the pot. Let the soup simmer over low heat for a few hours stirring occassionaly and seasoning with salt and pepper. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F. Slice a few pieces of baguette about 1/4 inch in thickness. Coat in olive oil and season. Place sliced baguette into the oven for about 5 minutes or until they begin to brown. Fill ramekins with onion soup, top with homemade croutons, and cover with slices of Parmesan Reggiano and Gruyere cheese. Place filled ramekins into the oven and let the cheese brown and crisp before serving.



Potato Galette

Clarified butter
2 medium potatoes
Salt and Pepper
1 tsp Basil Oil
1 Tbsp Mayonaisse

Peel potatoes and julienne them with a French Mandolin. Toss them into a bowl with salt and pepper. Heat a sautoir over medium high heat and melt clarified butter into the pan. Place julienned potatoes into the pan forming a circle around the pan. Let the bottom cook over medium heat until it begins to brown and firm. Flip the galette to the other side and let it brown. Combine the basil oil and mayonnaise for a dipping sauce. Remove and potato galette from the heat and serve with the basil mayonnaise.



Pumpkin Ice Cream
(A variation of my condensed milk ice cream).

1.5 cups heavy cream
1 can condensed milk
1/2 can of pumpkin puree
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg, grated
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp honey

Beat the heavy cream with an electric mixer on high until a stiff whipped cream forms. Reduce the speed to low and mix in the condensed milk until thoroughly combined. Combine pumpkin puree with spices, extract, and honey in a separate bowl. Gently fold in pumpkin mixture into ice cream base. Freeze in a plastic container for at least four hours. Enjoy with some crushed graham crackers!

Roasted Banana Ice Cream
(A variation of my condensed milk ice cream).

1 very ripe banana, mashed
1 Tbsp brown sugar
2 cups heavy cream
1 can condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp banana extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Mash the banana in a bowl and mix in sugar. Spread banana over a lined baking sheet and roast in the over for about 15 minutes or until fragrant and caramelized. Remove banana and set aside to cool. Beat the heavy cream with an electric mixer on high until a stiff whipped cream forms. Reduce the speed to low and mix in the condensed milk and extracts until thoroughly combined. Fold in mashed bananas lightly. If you don't want the banana chunks, strain the entire mixture through a sieve. Freeze the ice cream in a plastic container for at least four hours before serving.



Trio of sauces for the crab cakes.



Crab Cake with a touch of homemade mayonnaise over salsa verde.

To the people who copy recipes without acknowledging the source: you can't rearrange sentences with a few new punctuation marks, change a ratio, and then dub the recipes as your own. That's just cheating.

Seems like a trend…

each blog update takes longer; my apologies. Anyway, after countless trashed medium diced potatoes, the chefs finally gave us a use for them. I’m happy to announce: pomme persillades, similar to pomme frites or french fries with its crispy exterior and tender interior. A faux deep-frying in the sautoir and a generous coating of butter, garlic, parsley, and sea salt makes these snackables an addicting treat as you plow through the kitchen.



Pomme Persillades

I've been bad about keeping track of all the recipes and goodies made, but some of it include: Roasted Corn Red Pepper Salsa, Mango Chutney, Duck Consomme, Cream of Broccoli, French Onion, Gazpacho, Lobster Bisque, Pan Fried Rabbit Chops, NY Strip Steak, Beef Steaks in Red Wine Sauce, Chicken in White Wine Sauce, Seared Scallops with Onion Sauce, Seared Pork Loin in Red Pepper Sauce, and a bunch of other different mother sauces.



Duck Consomme



Rabbit Chop in Tomato Coulis

Rabbit Chop in Tomato Coulis

Chops

6 rabbit chops
3 Tbsp herbed butter

Heat a small skillet to medium high heat and add butter to the pan. Quickly sear rabbit chops in pan for about 30 seconds and remove.

Tomato Coulis

1 cup Plum Tomatoes, seeded and quartered
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and pepper
Thyme
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup olive oil

Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Drizzle olive oil, salt, pepper, and thyme over tomatoes in a baking pan. Roast tomatoes for about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the tomatoes and let them cool. Place roasted tomatoes in blender with garlic and start puree. Slowly pour in infused olive oil. Reserve and serve with rabbit chop.



Cream of Broccoli with Shaved Parmesan

Cream of Broccoli

My chef instructor's recipe used for our practical exam. It's delicious.

3 oz onions, sliced
1.75 oz butter, weighed
1.25 oz flour, weighed
2.5 cups chicken stock
3 oz heavy cream
10 oz broccoli florets
Sachet d'epices (thyme, bay leaf, parsley, peppercorn)
Salt and pepper

Melt butter, add onions, and season with salt and pepper. Cook onions until translucent with no color. Add flour to make a roux and cook for a few minutes. Add a cup of stock at a time and mix until roux is thoroughly incorporated. Tie sachet d'epices to the side of th pot and add cream to stock mixture. Let cream base come to a boil and reduce to a simmer for 30 minutes until thickened. Cook broccoli in boiling water for a few minutes until the florets turn an intense green. Remove from hot water and shock in an ice bath. Drain water and have it ready for the soup base. Remove sachet d'epices when the soup has thickened. Puree the cream stock in a blender until a smooth puree forms. Combine 2 cups of cream base and cooked broccoli and puree until no chunks remain. Serve in a warmed bowl with bite-sized pieces of cooked broccoli.



Pappardelle with Classic Tomato Sauce



Mac n Cheese



Pan Seared Chicken Breast in White Wine Sauce



Might I add that I love this idea of “sharing” at ICE—it means the pastry and baking ladies pass on over the pretty treats for dessert. Win.

I've cooked a number...

of delicious meals this past week (if I may say so myself). Thanks to culinary school, I'm bringing back expensive pounds of fresh cut meats and produce that we prepare in class. Two weeks ago was a fantastic seven days of fish. This week is all sorts of hearty meats.

On the menu as of late: Pan-Seared Duck with Curried Peach Glaze, Shrimp Bisque, Rosemary Butter Filet Mignon, Sesame Encrusted Curry Scallops, Cajun Shrimp, NY Strip Steak in Tomato Sauce, Affogato, Veggie Chip Encrusted Chicken, Roasted Pepper Linguine, Skirt Steak Fajitas with Spicy Sour Cream, Avocado-Corn Salsa, and Roasted Peppers, and Homemade Sesame Ice Cream.

By far the best of this week's running was the NY Strip and Affogato, but the Fajita Dinner came in close. So, two sets of dinner recipes this time! You can debate with me that fat tastes great on meat, but I stick to a lean diet especially when cooking at home.

Because I butchered my own meats, I spent sweat soaking hours patiently trimming off every last piece of fat I could find on this slab of beef. Season it, grill it, and pan sear it, and there's no reason you won't get a juicy medium-rare steak.

Think Vietnamese drip coffee for my affogato. I didn't slow drip the coffee grinds, but my little stove top espresso maker brews some mean coffee. Pour half a shot of it over my condensed milk ice cream, and you'll be fighting for the last drop. I've somehow stumbled upon a super simple ice cream because I'm too lazy to make real ice cream slash don't own an ice cream machine. But thank goodness I did. I am tempted to toy around with many flavors using condensed milk as my base in the future. It somehow becomes the creamiest thing ever. It's so BAD but so, so GOOD.




NY Strip in Tomato Sauce

2 NY Strip Steaks
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1 clove shallots, minced
¼ cup onion, diced
2 small tomatoes, diced
½ cup tomato paste
½ cup water
½ tsp oregano

Season the steaks with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Heat grill and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Grill steaks for 5 minutes until nice grill marks form on both sides. In a skillet, heat olive oil on medium high heat and add garlic, shallots and onions. Once fragrant, reduce heat and let onions caramelize. Add in tomatoes, tomato paste, and oregano. Stir to combine and slowly add in water a bit at a time. Let sauce simmer on low until everything is well combined. Move steaks into tomato sauce and let cook for 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer sauce and steak into a plate. Garnish with parsley.

Condensed Milk Ice Cream

1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla
1 14 ounce can condensed milk

Beat heavy cream with an electric mixer until it begins to thicken. Add in vanilla and continue beating until a light whipped cream forms. Gradually pour in condensed milk and keep beating until mixture thickens to a nice cream. Put in the freezer for at least four hours. Serve with half a shot of hot espresso.

Steak...medium rare.

Skirt Steak Fajitas

2 Tbsp lemon juice

2 Tbsp lime juice

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp cajun seasoning

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp cumin

1 pound flank steak, trimmed

1 package tortillas

In a resealable plastic bag, combine lemon juice, lime juice, olive oil, garlic, seasoning, spices, and steak. Seal and toss the bag around to coat. Marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Warm oven to 150 degrees F and place tortillas inside. Preheat grill and spray with non-stick spray. Season the steak with salt and pepper. Grill the steak for 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer the steak to a cutting surface and allow steak to stand for 5 minutes. Cut steak across the grain into thin slices or chop into 1/2-inch pieces. Serve immediately with warm tortillas, roasted red peppers, avocado-corn salsa, green onions, and sour cream.

Avocado-Corn Salsa

1 Hass avocado, diced

2 Tbsp lime juice

1/2 cup tomato, diced

1/2 cup corn

1/4 cup onion, minced

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Salt and Pepper

In a bowl, toss the avocado, tomato, and corn with lemon juice. Mix in onion, jalapeno, and cilantro before serving. Season with salt and pepper.

Ice Cream unadorned.

Beignets > Donuts

My adorable taste testers/guests!