California Love

{I made it!}

In case you missed my Blushington, celebrity sighting, or In-N-Out Burger recaps, I should probably let you know that I went to California last weekend for Labor Day with Kyle to visit his brother and sister-in-law. I think I was meant to live in LA--theres ridiculously delicious food, unreal humidity-free weather, and of course, ridiculously good looking people everywhere. Here are a few of the photos I felt compelled to share with you.

 {Venice Beachs famous Muscle Beach gym. I was actually really
unimpressed with the specimens working out, so it was only kind of intriguing.}

 {A real live "Freak Show" in Venice. I promise you dont have to pay an admission to see freaks here.}

 {Theres an amazing outdoor gym/playground situation close to Santa Monica with rings, bars, and ropes to climb. Its all free. And if you use it, youre probably a douchebag. Just sayin!}

 {Next to the gym/playground is this grassy knoll where people practice yoga and acrobatics and general attention-seeking behavior. Heres an old guy doing a handstand!}

 {Obligatory beach shot. Those mountains over there are supposedly Malibu. Thats where the rich people live. We didnt have the chance to make it to the bu, but it will be one of the first spots I hit on my next visit.}

 {Not only is there a ferris wheel on the Santa Monica pier, theres also a roller coaster and other rides. Its like a full carnival every day.}

 {Like I said...weirdos all over the beach.}

 {At the Grove, this guys only job is to stand here and be gawked at by passers-by. I told him he was doing a great job.}

 {At Dylans Candy Bar, a dollar got you a marshmallow, pretzel rod, or rice krispie treat passed through a waterfall of chocolate. I had a chocolate-covered marshmallow while Kyle had a pretzel rod.}

{Obligatory blogger macaron shot.}

{My outfit on the last night out--I couldnt help but break out the oxblood jeans in anticipation of fall. They, along with this blush top (similar) are probably the most amazing Forever 21 finds Ive ever encountered. The jeans (similar) are unbelievable comfortable, and at $15, Im planning on getting them in every color.}

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My Great Northwest Cheeseburger Experience The Seattle by the Cheese Burger Society

When I was asked by the Cheese & Burger Society to be one of ten food bloggers brought together to celebrate ten distinctive cheeseburgers, each representing unique regional flavors of some of our countrys greatest food cities, I couldnt say yes fast enough. There are few things I enjoy more than a great cheeseburger.

I was expecting to make "The San Francisco," but since that was already spoken for, I decided to take on "The Seattle," which was described as, "a cheeseburger generously topped with Wisconsin Brie cheese, Pinot Noir-glazed mushrooms, sautéed onions, arugula, and coffee-spiked mayo on a whole grain bun." Now that was a cheeseburger I wanted to try.

Did it work? Yes, yes, and yes. I thought it was a wonderful combination of flavors and textures, and one Ill definitely be making again. The coffee-spiked mayo was the biggest surprise, as its subtle bitterness really pulled the other sweeter, richer elements together nicely. By the way, due to a time limit, this is a pretty quick presentation; so if you need any more info, just ask!

Please Note: This video recipe was sponsored by the Cheese & Burger Society and Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board. To see all ten "Cheeseburgers Across America," featuring Wisconsin Cheese, check out the official Cheese & Burger Society website here. Enjoy!

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Unbaked Ginger Lime Cheese Pie with Berry Sauce

Strawberries are here! And they are delicious as a sauce to this cool, creamy, tart pie. Later you can use blueberries, blackberries or pitted cherries to make the sauce, and eat it all summer long. Not that you couldnt make this in the winter too, with frozen berries, but this seems very summery to me.

Its very easy, too; almost no-bake, just the crust. Just remember to allow time for it to set and chill. You could omit the ginger if you dont care for it (or have it), but I have to say I love the combo of lime and ginger.

8 servings
30 minutes prep time; add 15 minutes for Berry Sauce
2 hours or more chill time

Make the Graham Crust:
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup unsalted butter

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Crush the crackers to fine crumbs. Melt the butter. If you are using a glass pie plate, the butter can be put right into the plate and melted in the microwave. Add the crumbs to the butter and mix well, until there are no dry crumbs left. Press them against the edges and bottom of the pie plate to form a crust.

Bake the crust for 10 minutes.

Make the Filling:
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon plain gelatine
400 grams cream cheese
the zest of 2 medium limes
2 tablespoons chopped preserved ginger
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup lime juice (the juice of 4 to 6 medium-large)

Put the water into a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatine over it. Let soak for 5 minutes.

Put the cream cheese, lime zest, ginger, sugar and lime juice into a food processor and process until fairly well blended. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add the water and gelatine, and process again, until very well blended.

Scrape the filling into the cooled, baked crust, and chill until set; about 2 hours.

Make the Berry Sauce:
3 cups fresh berries
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cold water
1 tablespoon arrowroot or cornstarch

Wash and hull the berries, and put them in a pot with the sugar. Dont drain them too well; a little moisture ill help get them going. Bring them to a boil, and simmer  until they soften and exude enough juice to constitute a sauce. Mix the  arrowroot or cornstarch with the cold water, and pour it slowly into the strawberries, stirring constantly as you pour. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens. Let cool before ladling over slices of the pie.





Last year at this time I made Strawberry Gelatine.

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Simple cauliflower mash Gobhi bharta

Dear Readers,
I have managed to update the recipe index and the blog template after ages. Hope the index is helpful and the colours of the template are cheery enough for you to spend time on the blog.
Your constructive feedback is welcome.


Coming to this post, this is one of the simplest ways of preparing cauliflower, as I discovered only recently. A perfect recipe for a beginner and quick to prepare. Delicately spiced by way of a simple tadka (tempering) this mash is a good match for rotis, bread and as a low-carb filling for masala dosa alike. I served it with toasted bread for a light dinner and it tasted just right. 

All this onion-tomato-ginger-garlic fry up with lots of other spices works fine but sometimes you just crave the simple taste of veggies with some essential spices that gently lend their flavour to the dish without getting overwhelming. This is just that sort of recipe. If you are a newbie in the kitchen, Id highly recommend you try this with the freshest cauliflower you can find and the results will surprise you.

Please choose fresh cauliflower with tightly bound florets and no discolouration as it is the star of this dish.

Ingredients

2 cups cauliflower florets (broken into medium size)

1 medium potato, peeled and cubed

 1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

2 tsp rice bran or any other cooking oil

Pinch of asafoetida

1 green chilli, finely minced

1 tsp finely minced ginger

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

Directions

1. Soak the cauliflower florets in salted water for 10-15 minutes while you cut the potatoes, chillies, ginger and get the ingredients ready.
2. In a pan with a lid, place 2 cups water with the salt and turmeric powder. Bring it to a boil. Drain the cauliflower and add this to the boiling water with the cubed potato. 
3. This will take around 8 minutes to be fork tender. Drain the boiled vegetables, transfer to a bowl and mash with a fork to a rough puree. Do not throw away the residual water. Use it in soup, rasam or dal.
4. In a small wok, heat the oil. Add the asafoetida,splutter the cumin and mustard seeds. Saute the chilli and ginger for a few seconds and transfer the tempering to the boiled, mashed vegetables.
5. Lightly mix around with a fork to flavour the vegetables evenly. Check for salt and adjust if required.

This tasted divine to my taste buds and the pure tastes of the vegetables came shining through, with the ginger giving the right spice hit.


Try this for your toddlers to go with rotis or soft bread, Im sure they will like it too.


A lot of my bachelor friends on Twitter have been asking me to post bachelor-friendly recipes and this one is the first of many to come.

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“Mango Cranbango” – Fresh Cranberry Sauce with Dried Mango and Ghost Pepper

Don’t let the ridiculous name fool you; this delicious cranberry sauce recipe would make a wonderful condiment for your Thanksgiving turkey. My wife Michele, a cranberry sauce aficionado, says it’s the best she’s ever tasted.

Conservative estimates have the number of different cranberry sauces she’s tasted over the years at somewhere around 37, so that’s very high praise indeed. While the taste of this sauce is an unmitigated success, the name is another story.

You’ll have to forgive me, but when you post as many recipes as I do, once in a while you just have to give “half the peace sign” to those search engine algorithms, and simply amuse yourself. The “mango” and the “cran” in the name are obvious, but the “bango” comes from a few drops of hot sauce featuring the infamous ghost pepper.

I’m not sure if it’s the hottest pepper in the world, but the Bhut Jolokia is right up there. You can get the actual pepper if you look hard enough, but I had a bottle of Daves Ghost Pepper Hot Sauce in the fridge, which worked perfectly.

It’s amazing how hot this stuff really is, and a few drops were all I needed. Believe it or not, more than just providing a searing heat, the pepper is actually celebrated for its fruity sweetness as well. By the way, while it may look like blatant product placement in the video, I can assure you I was not paid to use this specific brand (not that I’d be above such a thing…Dave, call me).

Anyway, if you’re looking for a creative, unusual, yet still relatively familiar fresh cranberry sauce for your holiday table, I hope you give this a try. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

12 oz fresh whole cranberries

4 oz dried candied mango

zest of 1 lemon

zest of 1 orange

1 cup fresh orange juice, plus the juice of 1 lemon

1/3 cup water

1 cup sugar

1 star anise

1 cinnamon stick

1 tsp finely grated fresh ginger

1 tsp garam masala (or other Indian-style curry spice blend)
dash of hot sauce, to taste

pinch of salt

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Fried Halloumi Cheese on Polenta Cakes with Tomato Sauce

Ive been obsessing about polenta cakes since I discovered that I love the polenta "fries" at a local restaurant. Seven dollars seems a lot to pay for some cornmeal and (tasty, tasty) grease though. I dont think mine are quite as good (the lack of a deep-fryer shows) but they arent half bad, and they certainly arent half price either (they are much less, in case you couldnt tell). Use the money saved to top them with fried halloumi cheese and tomato sauce, and then they are a complete meal, at least with the addition of something green on the plate. They also make an excellent little appetizer for a more formal dinner. 

4 to 12 servings
40 minutes prep time - plus at least 1 hour cooling time

Cook the Polenta:
1 1/4 cups coarse cornmeal (polenta)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon rubbed oregano
2 1/2 cups water
about 1 tablespoon mild vegetable oil

Put the cornmeal, salt, oregano, and water into a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook until very thick, stirring constantly; this will take about 5 minutes.

Remove the pot from the heat and let the polenta cool enough to handle, while you use the vegetable oil to grease 12 muffin cups. Divide the polenta evenly between the muffin cups, and use the back of a wet spoon to press it  down and create a smooth top to each polenta cake. I find I have to dip my spoon in water for every second cake. Let these cool and set completely; at least one hour, but up to overnight. They should fall right out of the muffin cups when wanted, or at least be easily removed with a dull knife or shallow spoon.

Assemble the Final Dish:
2 cups tomato sauce
1/4 cup mild vegetable oil (about)

250 grams (1/2 pound) halloumi cheese

Heat the tomato sauce to a simmer, and keep it warm on the back of the stove until you are ready for it.  Slice the halloumi cheese into 12 even slices.

You will need two large skillets. Use a little oil to just brush one; put the remainder of the oil in the second pan, which should then have the surface well covered in a layer of oil. Heat only the oilier of the pans to start with, over medium-high heat (pancake or egg cooking temperature). When it is hot enough to make them sizzle, gently place all the polenta cakes in the pan, at least as many as will fit and allow you to manouvre them. You may need to fry them in 2 batches, keeping the finished ones warm in a 200°F oven until they are all done.

Cook the polenta cakes until a light golden brown on each side; about 15 to 20 minutes cooking time in total. When they are half done, heat the other pan to about the same temperature, and cook the slices of halloumi on each side until a nice dark golden brown on each side.

When everything is ready, remove the polenta cakes to the plates that people will be eating from (as opposed to a serving plate for people to help themselves, as they would lose a lot of the sauce that way.) Drizzle sauce over the cakes, and top each one with a slice of the hot browned halloumi. Drizzle a little more tomato sauce over the top, and serve at once.





Last year at this time I made Curried Shepherds Pie with Sweet Potato Topping.

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Breaded lamb cutlets Steiktar kótilettur í raspi

You can use either rib cutlets or leg cutlets to make this dish. This was one of my favourite Sunday dishes when I was growing up, and remains a comfort food for me.

The recipe works with pork or veal cutlets as well, but the traditional meat is lamb.

750 g of rib half-cutlets or leg cutlets of lamb
2 egg whites or 1 egg and 2 tbs milk
3 tbs bread crumbs (we generally use Paxo brand crumbs, but home-made or other brands are fine as long as they are unflavoured)
2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp pepper*
100 g butter or margarine
20 g butter

1-2 onions
extra butter as needed
2-3 tbs water

Traditionally, the cutlets are beaten with a meat mallet, but if you have nice, tender lamb, it really isnt necessary.

Set up a mise-en-place: frying pan on the stove, dish with bread crumbs and spices, dish with egg, dish with cutlets.

If using egg whites, whip them until they begin to froth. If using a whole egg, break and stir vigorously with the milk until slightly frothy. Mix together the bread crumbs and salt and pepper.

Melt the butter/margarine in the pan and when it is hot, start frying the cutlets: coat each cutlet with egg and then with bread crumbs and drop into the pan. When the crumbs on top begin to look damp, turn over. When both sides are evenly browned, put pats of butter on top of each cutlet and fry over low heat for about 10 minutes. Leg cutlets need longer cooking than rib cutlets. Remove the cutlets and keep warm in the oven until the onions are ready.

Alternatively, arrange the cutlets in a single layer in an oven-proof dish and bake for 30-40 minutes at 180°C, turning twice. Dot with butter for the last 10 minutes.

Slice the onions, turn up the heat and brown the onions in the remaining butter, adding more of needed. When golden, add water and cook until it evaporates.

Arrange the cutlets on a platter and either pour the onions over the cutlets or serve on the side in a bowl. Serve with fried or boiled potatoes and fresh or cooked vegetables, rhubarb jam and cooked green marrow peas for an authentic Icelandic flavour. I also love mushrooms fried in butter with this dish, but thats not traditional, and, strictly speaking, neither are fresh vegetables.


Note:
* for seasoning, I add Aromat and a spice mixture called Kød & Grill, both made by Knorr. If Aromat and Kød & Grill isnt available, you can use Accent and Season-All, or just use the basic salt and pepper.

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