Potato Roses – A Side Dish That's Stacked

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Make Potato Roses – A Side Dish That's Stacked

I saw a picture of something called “potato stacks,” online last year, on a blog called Home Cooking Adventure, and I thought to myself, those sure look a lot more like roses than stacks. So, long story short, I stole the idea, and now that it has a much more social media-friendly name, I fully expect this to go viral.

The technique is straightforward, but make sure you season the potatoes generously. I use about two teaspoons of kosher salt in this, and along with the cheese, that seems to be just about right. Having said that, taste for salt varies greatly from person to person, so remember what you used, and adjust next time if need be. These would be great for entertaining, since you can make them ahead, and keep them warm in the pan, or cool and reheat in the oven when you are ready to serve. I really hope you give these a try soon. Enjoy!

Makes 12 Potato Roses:

3 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/3 to 1/2 cup melted butter (1 stick)

1 tablespoon minced rosemary or 2 tablespoon thyme leaves

freshly ground black pepper and cayenne to taste

3/4 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

- 400 F. for 45-60 minutes

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Next Up: Something with Potatoes

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Pourable Pizza – The Great Liquid Dough Experiment

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Make Pourable Pizza – The Great Liquid Dough Experiment

I once made a mini-pizza using a crumpet. No, I’m not starting a limerick.  Anyway, I toasted it nice and crisp, topped it with sauce and cheese, and it really was not bad. So I thought, what if this was much thinner, and made from the same ingredients as pizza dough? After a few tests, this pourable pizza was born.

Besides being kind of fun to make, this method features a few nice perks. There’s no kneading required, nor do you have to roll/stretch/spin your dough into shape. While thick crust pizza is relative easy to form at home, few can pull off stretching the dough really thin, so this is a very easy way to achieve that.

Also, the great challenge with homemade pizza is the under-cooked crust bottom, and this method allows for that crispy, near-charred bottom you usually only get from a pizza oven. Once topped, I like to finish under the broiler, but a 500 F. oven will also do the job nicely.

Please note, I’m not trying to replace the classic method with this drippy dough, but rather offer a possibly easier-in-some-ways alternative for your next pizza night. And yes, this does work for making thicker crusts. I hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 eight-inch pizzas:

3 cups (14 ounces by weight) *flour

2 cups warm water (105-110 F)

1 package dry active yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 1/2 teaspoons honey

1 tablespoon olive oil 

Note: Like I said in the video, use a whisk attachment, not a dough hook! You can also simply whisk this by hand for 5 minutes. 

* I used something called double-zero flour or “00” flour, which is an Italian flour used for pasta and pizza making. It is very finely milled, and lovely to work with. If you can’t get or find, just use all-purpose.

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Next Up: A Pizza You Can Pour

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Bacon & Asparagus Dutch Baby, Baby!

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Make Bacon & Asparagus Dutch Baby, Baby!

I’ve been seeing savory, non-breakfast versions of Dutch Babies pop up on menus lately, and while I’m not sure that means it’s a hot new trend, I figured I would get in on the ground floor with this amazing bacon and asparagus version, just in case.

Above and beyond the ingredients, the most important thing here is using a cast iron pan similar to, or better yet, exactly like, the 12-inch example seen herein. These relatively cheap and indestructible pans are one of the best kitchen investments of all time, but if you don’t have one, there is a Plan B.

You’ll have to do the bacon and asparagus steps in a frying pan, and then transfer everything to a similarly sized casserole dish. Make sure the sides are coated with your bacon fat, and then pour in your batter, and bake as shown.

It will take a few extra minutes in the oven, but just simply bake it until it’s browned, and properly puffed. It won’t work as well, but you should get similar results. Either way, I really hope you give this wonderful bacon and asparagus Dutch Baby a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 2 large or 4 small portions:

3 large eggs

2/3 cup milk

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (1/4 cup if packed, but don’t pack it)

freshly ground black pepper and cayenne to taste
1 tsp lemon zest

1/2 cup all-purpose flour *packed 
*push and pack as much flour as you can fit into the 1/2 cup measure)

1 tbsp olive oil

6 strips bacon

1 generous cup sliced fresh asparagus

- Bake at 475 F for about 12-13 minutes, or until browned and puffed

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Next Up: Something Amazing with Asparagus

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Antwerp Film Travel Guide - What To See?

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Entre melhores amigos há descoberta das surpresas de Antuérpia, a portuária cidade no norte da Bélgica, capital da Flandres e dos diamantes, lugar de uma das mais bonitas estações de caminhos-de-ferro e de um bairro de arquitectura belle époque.

O pulso da cidade faz-se sentir desde o boémio red light disctrict com todas as suas excentricidades e pela vida agitada de uma cidade que tem a bicicleta como o meio de transporte favorito. Faz-se sentir numa pausa para cappuccino no Normo Coffeebar, num almoço no simpático Jam., com a melhor sandes de hummus ou um bagel e limonada na esplanada do colorido Barnini, nesses belos dias de primavera.

Faz-se sentir ao percorrer, no quarteirão da moda a sul da cidade, a estreita e arborizada Nationalestraat, de belos edifícios e eléctricos, onde se encontram a Royal Academy of Fine Arts e a Boutique de Dries Van Noten e que desagua na Marnixplaats, repleta de bares e cafés onde o Buchbar é uma escolha óbvia pela sua simplicidade ou o Vitrin Café para um brunch de domingo.

Faz-se sentir ao contemplar a Grote Markt e seus edifícios do século XVI, ao calcorrear as ruas estreitas que envolvem a imponente catedral e também naquele momento que entre melhores amigos nos sentimos como em casa e deliciamos num qualquer bar com duas típicas formas de ser belga, a beber cerveja e comer batatas fritas.

Among best friends discovering the surprises of Antwerp, a port city in northern Belgium, the capital of Flandres and diamonds, place of one of the most beautiful train station and a belle époque architecture neighbourhood.

You can feel the pulse of the city on it's bohemian red light district with all its eccentricities and on it's busy lifestyle of a city that has the bicycle as their favourite for of transport. You can feel it when on a break for a cappuccino at Normo Coffeebar, on a lunch at the friendly Jam., that has the best hummus sandwich or when stopping for a bagel and a lemonade on the terrace of the colourful Barnini, on those lovely spring days.

You can feel it when strolling around the fashion quarter in the south of the city, in the narrow and tree lined Nationalestraat, of beautiful buildings and electric cars, where is the Royal Academy of Fine Arts and the Dries Van Noten Boutique, that it will guide you to Marnixplaats, full of bars and cafes where buchbar is an obvious choice for is simplicity or the Vitrin Café for a sunday brunch.

You can feel it when contemplating Grote Mark and is sixteenth century buildings, when wandering around the narrow streets around the Cathedral and also in that moment when between best friends, we feel just like at home and we delight in a random bar in two typical ways of being Belgian, drinking beer and eating chips.

a ver // to see

~ ModeNatie

~ Stadsschouwburg

~ Boerentoren

~ Sint-Annatunnel

~ Steenplein

~ Grote Markt

~ Groenplaats

~ Sint-Carolus Borromeuskerk

~ Vrijdagmarkt

~ Graanmarkt 

~ Rubenshuis

~ Royal Academy of Fine Arts

a explorar // to explore

~ Old Town
~ Sint-Andries & Zuid
~ Zurenborg
~ Universiteitsbuurt
~ Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal
~ Museum aan de Stroom (MAS)
~ Dries Van Noten (Shop)
~ Meir
~ Red Light District (Schipperskwartier)
~ Graanmarkt (Sunday Market)

a tirar fotografias // to take pictures

~ Centraal Station
~ Boerentoren
~ Grote Markt
~ Nationalestraat

~ ModeNatie
~ Trams & Bikes
~ Wolstraat
~ Sint-Carolus Borromeuskerk

a percorrer // to walk

~ Meir
~ Nationalestraat & Volkstraat
~ Marnixplaats
~ Zurenborg
~ Wolstraat
~ Minderbroedersrui
~ Hoogstraat

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Thai-Style Sweet Chili Sauce – Nam Jim for the Win

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Make Thai-Style Sweet Chili Sauce – Nam Jim for the Win

As promised, here is my take on Thai-style sweet chili sauce, or Nam Jim, if you want to sound cool. I do a sort of hybrid between the cooked and fresh versions, and using this technique, I think you get the best of both worlds.

If you can’t find these beautiful Thai bird’s eye chilies, you can make this sauce with any other combination of fresh, preserved, and/or dried chilies. Things like jalapeno, red Fresno, or Serrano chilies work great, as does habanero. If it’s hot, give it a shot.

Above and beyond the array of deep-fried treats you enjoy this stuff with at your favorite southeast-Asian restaurant, it also makes an incredibly good sauce for grilled meats, especially chicken and pork. Even the most insipid boneless-skinless breast shines, once shined with this sauce.

And I wasn’t kidding about the fish sauce being mandatory. It really is a key ingredient here, so I’m counting on you to either get some, or maybe sit this one out. As always, the amounts listed below are what tastes “perfect” to me, but what do I know? So, be sure to taste and adjust before you serve. I really hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for about 1 cup of Thai-Style Sweet Chili Sauce:

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup white distilled vinegar

2 tablespoons fish sauce

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon ketchup

2 teaspoons sambal chili sauce

1 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch

6 cloves finely crushed garlic

2 tablespoons finely minced Thai chili peppers (or more of a less spicy pepper like Frenso, Jalapeno, or Serrano)

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

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Strawberry Custard Tartelettes

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Make Strawberry Custard Tartelettes

o fim de mais uma etapa. os últimos trabalhos universitários. a conclusão de mais um objectivo. agora é modo férias. mode de calor. aproveitar o bom tempo. aproveitar as festas são joaninas que se avizinham. aproveitar o tempo entre amigos. almoços na esplanada. cafés pela noite dentro. e desfrutar de todo o tempo livre. de preferência com tartelettes. assim como estas. frescas, cremosas e com fruta fresca, para saborear neste final de primavera.

the end of another journey. the last university works. another goal achieved. holiday mood is now on. warm weather mood. enjoying these sunny days. enjoy the popular portuguese celebrations. enjoying the good weather with friends. lunch outdoors. going for coffee at night. and enjoying all this free time. especially with some homemade tartelettes. like these ones. fresh, creamy and with loads of fruit, to enjoy in these last few days of spring.

Receita de Tartelettes de Morango e Leite Creme

faz 4

Uma receita de primavera, com o sabor fresco dos morangos, a cremosidade do recheio e a textura estaladiça da massa. 

ingredientes para a massa:

150 g farinha

70 g manteiga sem sal

35 g açúcar

1 gema

1 c. sopa de leite

Num recipiente, misturar a manteiga, a farinha, o açúcar até obter migalhas finas. Depois adicionar a gema e bater bem, de seguida a colher de leite e envolver tudo muito bem. Numa superfície enfarinhada por a mistura, moldar a massa para que fique em forma rolo, embrulhar em película aderente e deixar no frigorífico durante uma meia hora.

Por fim, quando a massa estiver pronta, desenrolar em película aderente, cortar em 4 rodelas iguais e com o rolo da massa estender a massa das tartes. Moldar então a massa nas formas previamente untadas com manteiga e polvilhadas com farinha, pressionado cuidadosamente no fundo e nos lados e furando levemente o fundo com um garfo. 

Levar ao forno previamente aquecido a 175º C durante 20 minutos.

Quando estiverem prontas, retirar das formas e deixar arrefecer.

ingredientes para o recheio:

400 ml de leite

4 gemas

70 g açúcar

25 g farinha

1/2 vagem de baunilha

Num tacho, misturar todos os ingredientes bem com uma vara de arames. Levar ao lume médio-fraco, até levantar fervura. Ir mexendo, cerca de 5-7 minutos, sempre com a vara até engrossar. 

Retirar do lume e deixar arrefecer .

Servir as tartelettes recheadas com creme, cobrir com alguns morangos e polvilhar com açúcar em pó.

Strawberry Custard Tartelettes Recipe

makes 4

A spring recipe, with strawberries fresh flavour, a creamy filling and the dough's crunchy texture.

ingredients for the dough:

150 g plain flour

70 unsalted butter

35 g sugar

1 egg yolk

1 tbsp. milk

On a bowl, mix the butter, flour, sugar until you get fine crumbs. Then the egg yolk and mix very well and then the spoon of milk. On a floured surface place the mixture, shaping the dough until you get a roll shape, wrap with some cling film and leave it to cool in the refrigerator for around half an hour. 

To end, when the dough is ready, unroll it on plastic wrap, cut into 4 equal slices and with a pastry roll spread the pies dough. Then shape the dough in the previously greased with butter and and powdered with flour forms, pressing gently into the base and sides and prick the bases with a fork. Stuff each pie with pumpkin mixture and bake in a pre-heated oven at 175º C for 20 minutes.

When ready, just take them out of the forms and allow them to cool down.

ingredients for the lemon filling:

400 ml milk

4 egg yolks

70 g sugar

25 g flour

1/2 vanilla bean

In a saucepan mix all the ingredients and mix very well to combine. Bring the sauce pan to medium-low heat, until starts boiling. Keep stirring, for about 5-7 minutes until it's smooth and thick.

Remove from heat, allow it to cool down.

Serve the tartelettes stuffed with custard, top with some strawberries and sprinkle some powdered sugar.

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Next Up: Something with Bird's Eye Chili

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Spicy Shrimp Cakes – All Killer, No Filler

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Make Spicy Shrimp Cakes – All Killer, No Filler

I love Asian-style fish or shrimp cakes, but almost never order them at restaurants, and the reason is a little thing called “food cost. “While the best tasting, and textured shrimp cakes are made with pure shrimp, chefs have always added some type of cheap, starchy filler to make the dish more profitable.  

Oh sure, they call it a “binder,” but make no mistake, it’s there to stretch a pound of shrimp into two pounds of cakes. Home cooks have been known to do the same thing, for pretty much the exact same reasons, but if you want to enjoy shrimp cakes in their most pure form, I encourage you to give this a try. It only takes a few minutes to put together, assuming you have a food processor, but even if you don’t, they can still be yours.

You’ll just need to pile up your ingredients on a cutting board, and using a large knife or cleaver, chop until you get a paste, which will take less time and effort than you expect. Maybe five minutes of the ol' choppa choppa, and you should have something very similar to what I achieved.

You can play around with the flavorings here, and it’s not a bad idea to cook a small piece of the mixture to test for spiciness, salt, etc. And please, don’t overcook these. They only need a minute or two per side. Even if they are a little translucent inside, as they sit for a minute on the paper towel, they will finish cooking through. I really hope you give these a try soon. Enjoy! 

Ingredients for 8 appetizer sized portions:

NOTE: I made mine with 24-ounce of shrimp, but since it’s generally sold in pound units, these ingredients are for a two-pound batch

2 pounds raw peeled and deveined shrimp

1 rounded tablespoon finely crushed garlic

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves and stems

1 or 2 teaspoons sambal chili paste, or freshly minced hot peppers

1 teaspoon kosher salt (you can always start with 3/4 teaspoon, then cook some to taste, and adjust)

1/2 teaspoon fish sauce

1 teaspoon brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

pinch of cayenne

Panko breadcrumbs as needed

vegetable oil for frying

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Next Up: Something with Shrimp, Possibly in Cake Form

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We're still a day behind due to the long Memorial Day weekend, but tomorrow I'm excited to share one of my all-time favorite Asian-inspired seafood appetizers. Stay tuned! 

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Salami Bread – Fourteen Inches of Delicious Pizza-Related Serendipity

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Make Salami Bread – Fourteen Inches of Delicious Pizza-Related Serendipity

What started out as a frustrating attempt to test some pizza dough, turned into what we’re calling salami bread. This 14-inch long loaf of delicious serendipity was a revelation, and I didn’t even get to use it for it’s most obvious purpose…to make the world’s greatest Italian submarine sandwich.

As I mention in the video, I’m not even sure I’d do a meat sub with this, but instead may just load it up with lots of Italian cheeses, as well as fresh and pickled vegetables. Then I’d find a picnic, where I could sit back to soak in the sun, and the compliments.

There are hundreds of possible variations, so that’s going to be your homework. Why wait until the unlikely scenario of having pizza dough, but no toppings? Let’s be proactive. But no matter how you roll, and I really do hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for one salami bread:

12 to 16 ounce ball of pre-made pizza dough

8-10 slices salami or other similar meat

1/4 cup tomato sauce, or other crushed tomato product

freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano to cover

scattering of freshly chopped herbs, to taste

olive oil, as needed

- Bake at 400 F. for 25 to 30 minutes until browned and cooked through.

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