You Gonna Eat All That?

A fork in one hand, a pen in the other.

My Photo
Name:
Location: Virginia, United States

(Biscuit Girl)

Saturday, February 19, 2005

Recipes from my previous posts

I'm not sure why I didn't include these to begin with but will try to do better in the future. Here are the recipes I used for the yummies I posted earlier.

Black and White Cookies
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
4 large eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon lemon extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups cake flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder

Frosting:
4 cups Confectioners sugar
1/2 cup boiling water
1 ounce bitter or semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 2 baking sheets, set aside.
In a large bowl combine the sugar and butter, mix until fluffy. Add the eggs, milk, and extracts. Mix until smooth.
In another bowl, combine all the dry ingredients. Add slowly to the egg mixture. Stir well to combine.
Using a large soup spoon, drop spoonfuls of dough about 2 inches apart on the prepared cooking sheets. Bake about 20-25 minutes, or until the edges begin to brown. Place on cooling racks to completely cool.
To make the frosting: Place the Confectioners sugar in a large bowl. Gradually add the boiling water a little bit at a time until the mixture is thick and spreadable. Remove half of the mixture and place in bowl over simmering water. When the mixture is warm, add the chocolate and stir until melted and smooth. Remove from the heat. Brush the cookies with the white frosting on one half the chocolate on the other.


Cinnamon Raisin Bread (from Baking Bits)
1 package dry active yeast
2 1/4 cups warm water (about 105 degrees)
3 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. salt
2 Tbsp. butter
6-7 Cups all-purpose flour
1 Cup raisins
1/4 Cup sugar
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
2 Tbsp. water
2 Tbsp. melted butter

Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup of the warm water and 1 Tbsp. of the sugar. Let stand for 5 minutes.
Stir in the remaining 1 3/4 cups warm water, 2 Tbsp. sugar, salt, butter and 3 1/2 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Mix in the raisins and enough remaining flour to make dough easy to handle.

Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Place the dough in a greased bowl, turn to coat all over, then cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place until double in size (30-60 minutes).
Mix together 1/4 sugar and the cinnamon in a small bowl. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide in half. Roll each half into a 9X18" rectangle. Brush each with 1 Tbsp.. water then sprinkle with the cinnamon/sugar mixture. Roll dough from the short side and pinch seams shut (to keep the sugar mixture from leaking out). Place into prepared pans and brush the tops with the melted butter. Cover and let rise about 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. When dough finishes rising, bake for 25-30 minutes. Remove from the pan and place on baking rack to cool.



Mapo Tofu (modified from Land of Plenty cookbook)
1 pound firm tofu
4 green onions
1/2 canola oil
6 ounces ground beef or pork
2 1/2 Tbsp. Szechuan chili bean paste*
2 tsp. ground szechuan chiles (if you want to add more heat)
1 Cup chicken stock
1 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. soy sauce
4 Tbsp. corn starch mixed with 6 Tbsp, cold water
1/2 tsp. ground roasted szechuan peppercorns **

Cut the tofu into 1 inch cubes and steep in very hot (lightly salted) water for about 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Slice the green onions at a steep angle into 'horse ear" slices. Set aside.
Heat your wok or large saute pan (I use a saute pan) over high heat and the ground beef or pork. Stir fry until brown.
Turn the heat to medium, add the chili bean paste and stir fry for 30 seconds. Add ground chiles (if using) and stir fry for another 20-30 seconds. Pour in the chicken stock and tofu. Mix it gently so you don't break up the tofu. Combine sugar and soy sauce, add to pan. Stir gently to combine. Let simmer about 5 minutes.
Add the green onions. Gently stir in. Add the cornstarch a little at a time until the sauce thickens and clings to the tofu.
Pour into a large bowl, sprinkle with the szechuan peppercorns and serve.

* Use a bean paste that lists long beans or fava beans as the first ingredient. If you like your food insanely hot, you can use a bean paste that lists chiles as the first ingredient, but don't say I didn't warn ya. Read my post on Mapo Tofu in case you need a reminder.

** Szechuan peppercorns are not as much hot as they are numbing and add a distinct flavor to the dish. If you don't have a good Chinese market in your area, search the internet for places that sell them online. To use them, you'll want to take the required amount and place in a dry skillet over medium high heat. Roll them around just until they become fragrant. Remove from the heat and place them in a mortar and grind them up.




Pan Fried Dumplings (modified from Land of Plenty cookbook)
Dumpling wrappers: 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1/4 tsp. salt 1/2 cup boiling water Filling: 1-inch piece of ginger
1 green onion, white part only
1/3 lb. ground pork
1/4 cup chicken stock
1 tsp. rice wine (or sake)
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. sugar
6-8 twists of black pepper
1 1/2 tsp. sesame oil

Crush the ginger and green onion and soak in 1/4 cup cold water for about 5 minutes. Drain water into a cup and set aside. Discard ginger and green onion.
Place the pork in a bowl. Add the ginger scented water and mix well until it absorbs. Gradually add the chicken stock and mix well to help it absorb. The mixture will be very loose and moist. Add the rice wine, salt, sugar, pepper and sesame oil. Mix well.

Wrappers: Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl, making a well in the center. Add the boiling water and mix quickly with a pair of chopstick or the handle of a wooden spoon. When the mixture is cool enough to handle, transfer it to a lightly floured surface and knead into a smooth dough, about 5 minutes.
Break the dough into two or three pieces. Roll each one into a log about one inch thick. Cut teaspoon size pieces and set them aside (keep them covered so they don't dry out). Repeat with remaining dough.
Take each piece and flatten it. Roll it out into a circle about 2 inches in diameter. Place a generous teaspoonful of the filling into the center of the wrapper. Fold it gently in half and, starting at one end, press and seal the two sides together, making about 6 pleats as you go along. Set aside in a lightly floured surface until all the dumplings are assembled.

To cook the dumplings: Heat a heavy skillet or frying pan over medium heat. Pour enough oil in the bottom to coat the surface. When the oil is hot, arrange as many dumplings as you can in the skillet, leaving about 1/2 inch between each one. Sprinkle a little water over the dumplings, cover and let them cook for about 5 minutes. Remove the lid, drizzle them dumplings with a little oil, place the lid back on the skillet and cook an additional 2-3 minutes until the bottoms are nicely browned and crispy. To serve, remove them with a spatula and place on their sides on a plate. Serve with a little soy sauce for dipping.



Labels: , , , , ,

1 Comments:

Blogger Randi said...

ok, now i see the BW recipe. LOL

11:53 PM  

Post a Comment

<< Home