Real quick for pizza lovers...

One of the things I started this blog with was pizza. With our company this weekend, I perfected a couple of things and wanted to share...

(1) My sauce this weekend was PERFECT. Saute 1/2 of an onion (diced) with 2-3 large cloves of garlic put through a press or zester (minced if not an option) and olive oil. Once all nice and sweaty, dump in a can of diced tomatoes juices and all. Saute until the mixture turns pretty "dry" (most of the excess is out). Then add a can of paste, the volume of the can in water, and mix well over heat. The sauce will be pretty thick, and not simmer right (read: hot tomato sauce splattering all over the kitchen and you), so you just want to bring it up to heat. Process in a blender or with an immersion blender for a nice smooth consistency and flavor with salt and pepper to taste. If you want to add some herbs, feel free to do so with the diced tomatoes. We like fresh basil ON the pizza, so I opt to leave the sauce more plain.

(2) The crust was the same recipe, but I spread the dough out on parchment paper pieces to rise a little again (in little personal-pizza sized portions). At cooking time, I flipped the pieces over onto the grill (paper on top), and peeled the parchment off once placed. It worked PERFECTLY and yielded beautiful, crunchy on the outside/fluffy on the inside, crust. Usually the crust gets sort of mashed down, but this was GREAT. I also, as a first layer, spread garlic butter over the whole crust (after it was flipped like a pancake and the cooked side was up). THEN I put sauce down and made pizza as usual. Gave the part of the crust that didn't have sauce on it a nice taste.

Once the dough was on the grill, everything I'd done in the past was the same.

I totally need to do a tutorial on grilled pizza with everything and delete the old posts...put that as a "to-do" :)

A great weekend comes to a close...

... and I am exhausted. Happy, but exhausted. Much loved an appreciated family came into town this weekend, and in typical "me" style I planned menus and cooked up a storm. They left satisfied, so I guess I did my "job." I really didn't push myself too hard - the menu left itself open to socializing as well as working. And, lets be real here, I love making a fuss for people in the kitchen. I made tomato soup and panini on Friday night, pizza on the grill Saturday (Love that FL winter weather), and for breakfast this morning I made waffles and scrambled eggs.

Although we didn't have this today, it would have been a perfect addition to a guest brunch. Especially this time of year, people like to eat healthy. This is easily accomplished by eating fresh (versus processed). Today, we piled fresh, halved strawberries on top of our waffles - but a side of fruit salad would have been just as apropos.

I'm sorry that this one is short. We have had one HECK of a week over here, and the old blogging energy is a little low today. Next week is finals, but hopefully I'll be able to sneak in another post before the week's out. That is, unless, we have another unexpected drama pop up early.

Berry-Pom fruit salad

Blackberries (or any sort of berry, really)
"clementine" orange segments (readily available during winter)
banana
Pomegranates

Dressing: lemonade (enough to coat fruit), touch of honey (sweeten to desired taste and calorie level), and a couple of pinches of garam masala. Mix well, then pour over fruit. The Pomegranate idea came from a middle-eastern family that I used to tutor for, as did the garam masala. It adds an interesting complexity and depth to an otherwise predictable fruit salad!

It doesn't hurt that it's pretty too.

An easy spin on Miso...

So, to counter my devilish New Years recipe, I thought I would offer something lighter and healthier.

Ozoni is a traditional breakfast/brunch food fed to Japanese families on New Years Day. It has a history of being served to the elite in historic Japan - offered to Samurais and royalty alike. Today, commoners and elite share in the tradition as it is served in the hopes of bringing prosperity all year long. As a point of interest, many New Year's Day foods are served in Japan for reasons other than taste.

However, my reasons are found in the flavor. It's similar to miso, but has more vegetables. Moreover, it is often served with an un-sweet mochi that I just LOVE. I also have a bit of a confession - while I love the stuff on New Years, I usually get on a kick and make this throughout the colder months of January and February. It's simple, and fast. Now, I will admit that this is not traditional - but it is adopted from a family friend of Japanese ancestry. I say adopted because some of the "traditional" vegetables are hard for me to come by, and I don't add the chicken. Here's the "available in Florida" recipe (and I'll point out where the chicken comes in):

Ozoni Soup:

Per 3 cups of water in a pot (double and triple as necessary), add 1 teaspoon dashi, and one tablespoon of soy sauce. Bring to a boil in a pot big enough to add the following vegetables (pick and choose with your tastes) -

mushrooms (shittake - but I cheated and added baby portobellos)
scallions
julienned carrots
Daikon (Japanese radish)
Napa Cabbage
And really just about any other kind of vegetable that suits your fancy.

Now, if you want to add chicken, you should add and boil for about an hour BEFORE the vegetables - until the chicken is completely falling apart and easily broken up into pieces. If you're making this for a crowd,I see nothing wrong with making a whole chicken. But, if you're making it for a few, feel free to add a breast or a couple of thighs.

Let cook to desired tenderness (I let mine just barely Blanche, as I like crunchy veggies).

Serve as it is, or with savory mochi. To cook mochi, you can boil (my usual choice) or grill. I have to warn you, this is a very difficult ingredient to find online. You want to find a Japanese food store. The mochi pieces are shelf-stable, individually wrapped, and very hard. It has no bean paste inside, just plain mochi. If you're really stuck, and you want the full experience, ask the store owner for mochi used for ozoni. Otherwise, you can easily (and authentically) substitute tofu or serve with nothing at all!

I also should add that traditional ozoni is served with kamaboko, which is a difficult ingredient for me to find. If you can manage it - it should be included for authenticity!

And, just because I hate to leave you here without at least the knowledge of TRUE Ozoni (as in, made from someone who has had the recipe handed down to them), here are some links:

http://www.champuru.net/blog/2008/12/31/easy-ozoni-recipe/

http://1tess.wordpress.com/2009/01/02/ozoni-new-years-day-soup/

http://archives.cnn.com/2000/FOOD/news/12/29/ozoni.soup/

Happy and healthy 2009!

Like a cloud..

I didn't intend on this being the post I made today. I mean, this was the grand FINISH to our New Year's Eve dinner.

However, considering they are GONE - all 12 of them - just 24 hours later. Well, I thought the cupcakes deserved the most attention. Anything that good simply has to be shared. And soon. Before your New Year's resolutions really kick in. I know too many of us are thinking about the weight game again. I know I am. But really, these are worth the temptation. Just eat one, and send the rest to work with your partner. That's what I like to do! Or give them away to a cupcake-needing soul. Be charitable!

The inspiration for these came in the form of the Hawaiian luau-style coconut cake. This is very popular at Hawaiian parties. Truthfully, it don't see the appeal. It seems so westernized. In fact, if you Google "coconut cake" you get southern concoctions before you get anything Hawaiian. Still, in an effort to make Asian/Hawaiian foods, and keep my littlest taste-testers happy, I opted for cake instead of just all-too-foreign foods.

I am so glad I did.

I have been extremely happy with the Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World book I purchased a while back. Nearly everything I made has been heaven, and one unsuspecting carnivore happily told me they were the "best cupcakes he's ever eaten!" So, with that said, I pretty much stick to these recipes for most cake needs. I mean, why go to all the trouble of making a big old cake when I can simply decorate cute little cupcakes? Easier, and more FUN! The problem is that the cookbook doesn't have a coconut cake with coconut frosting recipe. So, I adapted from a couple of these recipes to suit my own needs.


Coconut Cupcakes (adapted from Golden Vanilla on Pg 33)
1 cup soy milk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 & 1/4 cups all purpose flour
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup canola oil
3/4 cups granulated sugar
1 & 1/2 teaspoons coconut extract.
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Coconut Butter cream Frosting (adapted from Coffee Butter cream frosting on pg 88)
1/4 cup shortening
1/4 cup margarine
2 cups confectioners sugar
2 tablespoons soy milk
1 & 1/2 teaspoons coconut extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract.

(1) Make toasted coconut (for garnish): Place in hot dry skillet and stir, toss, move until it turns a pretty golden color. Pieces will be differently colored, and that's okay. I liked the different shades and the textures it adds to the cupcake. Make as much or as little as you like. I liked the crunchy consistency it added, and the taste was simply wonderful. I would make enough to really douse the cupcake, but it's up to you and your decorating feel. At minimum I would make a 1/2 cup. When it's all done, put on a plate, spread out, to cool.

(2) Take the soy milk and vinegar, whisk together and set aside.

(3) Prepare your cupcake tin; with paper cups or oil.

(4) Beat oil, soy milk mixture, sugar, and extracts. Sift in all dry ingredients for the cake. Mix until all the big lumps have gone away.

(5) Fill cupcake tin. Bake for 20-22 minutes. When done, transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely.

(6) Make frosting: Take room temperature butter and shortening, and cream together using a hand mixture (there's not a ton here to mix, so the Kitchen aid Mixer is sort of overkill). Add in 1/2 cup of the sugar followed by 1/2 Tablespoon of milk and mix well. Continue to alternate by "1/2" until you have added all the sugar and milk. Blend in the extracts, and beat on medium until the frosting is nice and fluffy.

(7) When cupcakes are cool, frost away. I used a leaf tip to get the "feel" of coconut cascading down, but you could use a Ziploc bag with a corner to make a simple swirl. Or you could just use a knife and apply the frosting traditionally! (8) Garnish with coconut, and try not to eat the whole plate. I dare you!