Fridgg: What's For Dinner?

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate Chip Cookies, with a big glass of milk

Over the summer, there was a big hullabaloo about chocolate chip cookies. EVERYONE was making these cookies. Though I’m certainly not the biggest chocolate chip cookie fan out there, I thought I’d try my hand at them as well.

Of course, there are always setbacks. I couldn’t find cake flour at my normal grocery store, and didn’t have the time to try Whole Foods. I forgot about these cookies for a while, and it wasn’t until Deb of Smitten Kitchen posted about them that I remembered how much I wanted to make them. Finally I found me some cake flour at Whole Foods, and got around to making them!

Yum. And now, something odd about me. All my life, my favorite way to eat chocolate chip cookies was without the chocolate chips. I used to always eat around them, then eat all the chocolate chips together at the end. Because of this, my mom would always make two or three plain cookies just for me. Of course, I had to make at least one plain cookie for myself, and… oh man. That was good. Caramelized sugar, crunchy around the outside, soft in the inside, and chewy in-between. Definitely preferred to the Nestle Toll House chocolate chip cookies I grew up on (though those are still enjoyable!) As always, the cookies are at their best enjoyed fresh out of the oven, with a tall glass of cold milk. Mmmmmm.

So are they worth all the extra work? Well, all the different flours… maybe not. The salt on top… well, I forget it nearly every time, so until I actually remember to put it on, I can’t really tell you if it’s worth it. But the 24-36 hour refrigeration, YES. However, this method isn’t new to me at all – even with the Nestle Toll House recipe, my mother ALWAYS stuck the cookie dough in the refrigerator at least overnight. My mother is a wise woman indeed!

Soft, melty chocolate chip cookies.

Ingredients

• 2 c minus 2 tbsp (8 1/2 oz) cake flour
• 1 2/3 c (8 1/2 oz) bread flour
• 1 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp coarse salt
• 2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 c) unsalted butter
• 1 1/4 c (10 oz) light brown sugar
• 1 c plus 2 tbsp (8 ounces) granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 pounds bittersweet chocolate chips
• Sea salt

Cooking Directions

1. Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.
2. Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes.
3. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
4. Stir in the vanilla.
5. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds.
6. Drop chocolate pieces in and try to incorporate them without breaking them.
7. Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. Dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.
8. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees.
9. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat.
10. Form balls of dough a little smaller than golf balls, set on baking sheet about 2-3 inches apart.
11. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt.
12. Bake until golden brown but still soft, 18 to 20 minutes.
13. Transfer sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then slip cookies onto another rack to cool a bit more.
14. Repeat with remaining dough.
15. Enjoy with a big glass of milk!

Yum!

Vietnamese Curry

Vietnamese Curry

As I mentioned when I went to Hawaii, I’ve recently fallen in love with curry. All types of curry. To the point where I’ll randomly have major cravings for curry – any kind of curry.

Such was the case earlier this week. All of a sudden, on Tuesday, I wanted curry, but I didn’t have any S&B Golden Curry around – so no quick way to soothe my craving. However that wasn’t a problem – it was easy to make my own.

This recipe is for Vietnamese curry. Though similar, it has a very distinct taste – different from Japanese, Indian, or Thai curries. Depending on the curry you buy, the taste varies, and can range from mild to quite spicy, so make sure to check your curry package for ingredients and/or spice level before you buy!

Here is the recipe I used, adapted from RecipeZaar. My curry craving has been satisfied – for now.

Oh so flavorful…

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken, cut bite-size pieces
• 1 tsp salt, to taste
• 1 tsp pepper
• 2 tbsp good curry powder
• 3 large potatoes, skinned and cubed
• 2 large carrots, skinned and sliced
• 1 (13 1/2 ounce) can coconut milk
• 1 (13 1/2 ounce) can chicken stock

Cooking Directions

1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat and fry the onions and garlic for 1 minute.
2. Add the chicken, cook for three minutes.
3. Add the salt, pepper, and curry powder.
4. Stir in spices, let cook for a few minutes, or until the chicken is tender.
5. Add the remaining ingredients.
6. Bring to a boil, then let simmer for 30-60 minutes, or until the vegetables are at your preferred softness. We like the veggies soft, so we cooked the curry for an hour, but if you prefer harder/crunchier vegetables in your curry, then cook it for less time.
7. Serve over a bed of rice or with quality bread to dip in the curry.

…and incredibly addictive.

Tofu Stir Fry

Tofu Stir-Fry

Ask anyone who knew me growing up, and they’ll tell you I’m a meat-and-potatoes girl. Who (*gasp*) refuses to eat her vegetables. Give me a big slab of steak and some sort of potato side dish, and I was happy. Of course, that was long ago, in my pickier years. I wouldn’t eat sashimi or most more exotic ethnic foods at that time either.

The rich tofu…

Nowadays, though I am by no means vegetarian, I’ve started to lean the other way. No longer does a big honkin’ piece of steak sound like the perfect meal – now I tend more towards fish (sashimi, anyone?) or even vegetarian dishes. Just a change in tastes, I suppose.

…the soft vegetables…

Recently we were at Son’s parents’ house for a Buddhist holiday where they couldn’t eat meat, and his mother made a vegetable stir-fry with this fried tofu. The old me would have turned up my nose at the dish but tried to choke it down to be polite, but nowadays? Well, needless to say, I loved it. So much, that I had to ask his mom for the recipe. She didn’t have actual measurements for anything, but I’ve tried my best to approximate the amounts that I used when I made the dish for dinner just a few hours ago… it was a success.

…all on a bed of rice.

Ingredients

• 1 container firm tofu
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 3 large zucchini, sliced
• about 20 mushrooms, quartered
• olive oil
• 1 cup shoyu
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup hoisin sauce
• 1 tbsp chili garlic sauce

Cooking Directions

1. Slice the tofu along the short side into slices at least 1 cm thick.
2. Pour a little bit of olive oil into a frying pan or wok, heat over medium heat.
3. Place the half of the slices of tofu into the pan in one layer.
4. Pour about 1/4 cup of shoyu over the tofu.
5. Sprinkle about 2 tbsp sugar over the tofu.
6. Spread about 1/2 tbsp hoisin sauce onto each piece of tofu.
7. After about a minute, flip the tofu using a pair of tongs. (I find that it’s really difficult to flip the tofu using chopsticks without breaking the tofu slices.)
8. Spread about 1/2 tbsp hoisin sauce onto the second side of each piece of tofu.
9. After another minute, flip the tofu again. Continue flipping every minute or so, until the tofu begins to brown and the sauces/sugar begin to caramelize.
10. Remove the tofu from the pan onto a plate.
11. Repeat with the remaining tofu.
12. When you have cooked and removed all the tofu, place the onion slices into the pan.
13. Sauté the onions until translucent, then pour 1/2 cup shoyu and 1/4 cup sugar over the onions.
14. Add the zucchini and mushrooms to the pan.
15. Add in the chili garlic sauce. If you want your stir-fry spicier, then you can add more, but 1 tbsp is just enough to give it a kick without being very spicy.
16. Sauté the vegetables until they are soft, about 5-10 minutes.
17. Serve the vegetable stir-fry over a bed of rice or noodles, topped with a couple slices of fried tofu.

Does it get any better?
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The Most Fantabulastic Pancakes

The Most Fantabulastic Pancakes

For many, many years, my family was a Bisquik family. Pancakes and waffles were always made from Bisquik mix. That is, until my sister came home with a pancake recipe from one of her friends, and insisted on using that recipe instead of our old stand-by. That was the day our pancake breakfasts changed forever.

The great thing about these pancakes is that they are open for interpretation. Want strawberry pancakes? Just press strawberries into the pancake after you pour the batter onto the griddle. Want chocolate chip pancakes? Mix chocolate chips into the batter. Want pumpkin pie pancakes (which I really recommend, they were delicious!)? Mix half a can of pumpkin puree into the batter, sprinkle a little nutmeg, ginger, and a bunch of cinnamon in, and enjoy!

Yummy, yummy pancakes

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1 3/4 tbsp baking powder
• 2 eggs
• 3 tbsp melted butter
• 1 1/4 cup milk

Cooking Directions

1. Mix all ingredients together until just blended, but do not over-mix – it’s okay if the batter is a little lumpy.
2. Heat a griddle or pan over medium heat.
3. Spread melted butter around the griddle, or spray with cooking spray.
4. Pour 1/4 to 1/3 cup batter onto the griddle, depending on how large you want your pancakes.
5. When the bubbles begin to set on the pancake, check the underside for doneness (if it’s burning, the heat is too high). If it is at your preferred doneness, flip the pancake.
6. When you can easily slide a spatula under the flipped pancake (about 20-30 seconds after flipping it), remove the pancake from the griddle, onto a waiting platter.
7. Enjoy with butter and syrup, or jam, or peanut butter, or even whipped cream!

Ready to dig in!
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Caramel Apple Cheesecake – T&C

Caramel Apple Cheesecake

It’s Taste and Create time again! Wait… what? I’ve never posted about this Taste and Create thing before, what the heck am I talking about? Let me explain. Over on Sushi Day, I’ve participated in an event called Taste and Create every month for the past year. Now that I have Fridgg, I’ve brought all my non-sushi blogging over here, especially since a lot of my partners don’t seem to like sushi much. This month, I was partnered with Veronica of La Recette du Jour.

I chose to make her Caramel Apple Cheesecake because, well, I definitely love cheesecake. I had a few setbacks – no springform pan, but I borrowed one from my mom; didn’t have a dish large enough to fit the springform for a waterbath, so I just baked it a little longer at a lower temperature; wasn’t sure if the caramel would turn out well since I’ve definitely screwed up caramel before, but luckily it turned out wonderfully this time – but overall, the cheesecake turned out to be delicious.

Note: I am giving you the original recipe and directions, even though I didn’t use the water bath. I really recommend using the water bath but if you don’t, bake it at 250° for 1 hour and 45 minutes. I also omitted the toffee bits, and only used one apple for the topping, which was more than enough for me.

Just look at that yummy, gooey caramel!

Ingredients

Crust:

• 1 1/4 c graham cracker crumbs (about 8 graham crackers)
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1/4 c unsalted butter, melted

Cheesecake:

• 2 lbs cream cheese (4 bricks)
• 2 c sugar
• 2 tbsp flour
• 4 eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3/4 c toffee pieces

Apple Topping:

• 3 Granny Smith apples
• 3 tbsp butter
• 1/4 c sugar

Caramel:

• 1 1/4 c sugar
• 1/3 c water
• 2/3 c heavy cream

Cooking Directions

1. Combine the ingredients for the crust.
2. Press into the bottom of a 10 inch springform pan.
3. Bake crust for 10 minutes at 350° F and set aside.
4. Mix the cream cheese and sugar with paddle attachment on medium speed, about 3 minutes.
5. Add in the flour on low speed.
6. Add eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides and bottom after each egg.
7. Add the egg yolks and vanilla.
8. Fold in the toffee pieces.
9. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
10. Wrap aluminum foil on the outside of the ban and bake in a water bath at 350° F for approximately 1 1/2 hours.
11. A knife inserted should come out clean when the cake is done.
12. Chill the cake overnight and then remove from the pan.
13. To make the topping: Peel and core three apples. Slice apples thinly.
14. In a heavy saucepan melt the butter.
15. Stir in sugar and cook until it starts to caramelize.
16. Add the apples and cook them until they are tender. Cool.
17. To make the caramel: Pour the sugar into the center of a deep saucepan.
18. Carefully pour water around the walls of the pan, trying not to splash any of the sugar onto the walls.
19. Do not stir; gently draw you finger twice through the center of the sugar, making a cross, to moisten it.
20. Over high heat, bring to a full boil and cook without stirring, swirling the pan occasionally to even out the color, until the mixture is medium caramel in color, 5 to 10 minutes.
21. Immediately turn off the heat and use a wooden spoon to slowly and carefully stir in the cream (it will bubble up and may splatter).
22. Top cheesecake with apples. Drizzle caramel over top of the apples.