Tag Archives: sugar

Baking, Cooking, Family, Food

Somebody Say Strawberry?

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My completed strawberry pie.

This old croaker of a former mechanic thought he could cook… again.

Will I ever learn?  Would someone padlock the kitchen please?

Actually, I had a request… for a homemade strawberry pie.

Daryl Strawberry first came to mind.

Duh.  I must have been on drugs, too.  What did I get myself into?  What was I thinking?  A strawberry pie?

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The key ingredients including the freaking huge strawberries.

So I found a recipe in Cook’s Illustrated once again.  It looked easy enough.

And there weren’t too many ingredients: sugar, cornstarch, pectin, fresh lemon juice and salt…… and strawberries.

Lots of strawberries.

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Well, Cook’s Illustrated failed me this time.

They didn’t write down what SIZE of strawberries to get – just a weight.

Blasphemy.

I thought strawberries were all about the same size.  You know.  Size doesn’t matter.

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Well, the FRESH strawberries I ended up buying were too big.  Freaking too HUGE.

Geez.

And there were LOTS of them.  And they needed to be hulled.  Heck, I knew I would eventually slice my fingers trying to hull them all with a knife so I cheated.  Mechanics love tools, right?  I bought this fancy-schmancy huller for seven bucks.

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For size comparison purposes, I took a picture of the gizmo alongside one of the freaking huge strawberries I bought. It is all Cook’s Illustrated’s fault indeed for not explaining what size strawberries to get.
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This is what it looks life after you press that green button on this fancy-schmancy gizmo made by Chef’N Corporation. You push it into the strawberry, let go of the button and twist. It worked great! But I learned it is better if you remove the sepals first (I found out that’s what the little green leaves on the top of the strawberry are called.).

What a deal.  Hulling was now a piece of cake!  (Shhh…  Quiet.  My little Cake Boss may hear.)

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The recipe called for whole strawberries.  But because the strawberries I bought were so freaking huge, they looked like bowling balls in the pie crust.  While I didn’t know if it was taboo or not but I decided to cut the strawberries in half.  I was worried that all that juice would leak out and make the crust feel like you were biting into a sponge.

(I cheated again and got pre-made crusts; it really shrunk big time after baking as you can see in the picture.  I will endeavor to make the crust from scratch next time.  Oops.  Someone stop me from trying that, please.)

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Well, aside from the glaze not becoming transparent enough and the incredible shrinking crust, the pie turned out tasting great.

I will write a scathing letter of complaint to Cook’s Illustrated.  They did not consider that old berry-brained former mechanics like me would actually try to follow their recipes.

I will also write a letter to President Obama and have him execute another Executive Order to change the law – that Cook’s Illustrated must write their recipes so that old former mechanics will understand.

But why complain.

I will just go to Marie Callendar’s next time and buy a strawberry pie for $8.99.

Cooking, Family, Food, Japan, Photography, Uncategorized

Mabo Dofu – Spicy and YUM-YUMMY!

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How’s about a little change-up – like in spicy heat?

Mabo Dofu!  Some call it Szechuan Tofu.  Whatever, it is a warm, tasty treat for a cool night…or any meal!

A spicy dinner treat!
A spicy dinner treat!

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It really is quite simple to throw together.  And you really don’t need a wok – a regular ol’ pot will do!

The key ingredients:

1/2 pound – ground pork

2  – 8 oz cartons of firm tofu (16 oz total) cut into the size of your big toe (If comparing, wash your toe first.)

2 – tbsp chili paste

1 or 2 – cloves garlic

For braising stock:

1 – cup chicken stock (I used to make my own but too lazy now – it does make a difference!)

3 – tbsp regular soy sauce

2 – tsp sugar

1/2 – tsp salt

Other ingredients:

Green onion

1 – tbsp sesame oil

1 – tsp “rayu” (chili oil)

Corn starch slurry

Ground white pepper to taste (not black pepper)

Key stuff
Key stuff

1. In hot 2 quart sauce pan, drizzle a little oil then brown ground pork over high heat.

2. When browned, quickly add the chili paste and crushed garlic then stir.  Cook until pungent, no more 30 seconds.

Add chili paste and garlic and cook until pungent
Add chili paste and garlic and cook until pungent (30 seconds)

3. Add braising sauce and carefully add cubed and drained tofu.

Carefully add tofu to braising sauce
Carefully add tofu to braising sauce

4. Stir gently then braise maybe ten five minutes, covered, stirring occasionally.

Bring to boil, then cover and braise for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally

5. Remove from heat.  Stir in sesame oil and chili oil (to your liking) and ground white pepper.  Stir in cornstarch slurry to desired thickness.

6. Top off with green onions and serve over rice, ramen or eat it by itself!  Easy!

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Enjoy!

Cooking, Food, Friends, Japan, Nisei, Photography, Uncategorized

Gyoza Anyone?

32 Comments

Gyoza anyone?  I guess we call them “dumplings” here in the US of A…

Simple to make.

Tastes great (or at least that’s what my kids say).

And it’s FREEEEE at Chez Mustang.Koji’s!  LOL

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Completed gyoza
Completed gyoza

Ingredients:

  1. Ground pork (kurobuta type preferred!)
  2. Green onions
  3. Napa cabbage or regular cabbage is just as fine
  4. Sesame oil
  5. Crushed garlic (raw)
  6. Sugar
  7. Salt and pepper
  8. Shredded ginger if you like
  9. Chopped water chestnuts if you like
Do not press meat mixture.
Do not press meat mixture.

Combine ingredients but do not press.  Spoon about a tablespoon of mixture into gyoza skin.  Fold.  Add a touch of oil to coat bottom of cast iron skillet (non-stick does not work!), medium high heat.  Cover, add about 2-3 tablespoons of water to steam.  Remove when botton is browned.

Serve with a dipping sauce made of soy sauce, “ra-yu” or chili oil, and Japanese vinegar if you like.

So simple, a mechanic can do it.

Oh…  Chopsticks are expected.

Cooking, Family, Food, Friends, Photography, Uncategorized

Crushed Raspberry and Mascarpone Dessert

21 Comments

 

The recipe is from my chef e-friend and former Food Editor of the Orange County Register, Cathy Thomas.

Since I’m a mechanic at heart, this should prove that anybody can “cuisin-ate” her easy-to-follow recipes.

I’m sure some of you pros out there can put the dessert together in a much more appealing presentation.

Cooking, Family, Food, Friends, Uncategorized

A Former Mechanic’s Almond Frangipane Tart

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Well, this former mechanic got his greasy hands back into the kitchen.  No explosion, either.

Strawberry and Almond Frangipane Tart

Another Cathy Thomas Cooks recipe, it was relatively straight forward.  Didn’t need a wrench.  Please click on the link for the recipe (since people seem to be asking).

Small kitchen appliances are rather skimpy in my kitchen so I had to improvise – my coffee grinder in place of a food processor.

Didn’t have a food processor so I improvised… A guy’s perogative.

I did find the pie weights to be a great tool.  Lucky I had some in my toolbox…not.  Went out and bought a bag.  You know – a guy thing.  A tool for every job.

A close up… Sorry about the tin foil but I only had one plate.

One of my best pals passed away so I made his widow a tart for Mother’s Day.

For the single guys out there…  The gals at the office love it.

(Cathy Thomas has some neat recipes on her website, too!)

Cooking, Family, Food

Chocolate Truffles by a Former Mechanic

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My homemade chocolate truffles are popular with the gals.  Unfortunately, they’re pretty popular with some of my buds, too.  Oh well.

Following the well explained recipe in my cooking bible, Cook’s Illustrated, I made a batch to take to a couple of my friend’s 4th of July block parties.  Frank Sinatra would’ve been jealous with all the attention I got from the ladies.

The ganache is the secret.
Rolling the ganache into balls is the tough part.
My knife skills are non-existent. But being a former mechanic, I cheat. The “hammer when in doubt” approach always prevails.