Takoyaki Adventures ~ たこ焼き!

Angela has a takoyaki maker and uses it all the time, just because she can - and of course because of how satisfying these little "dumplings" are. ;D One evening she invited me over for dinner and we had a blast creating and devouring these delicious Japanese octopus balls! Want your own? You can get one online - here's a fancy one.

Batter Ingredients:

• 1 2/3 cups flour
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 lb boiled octopus (chopped)
• 1/4 cup green onion (chopped)

Toppings

• Bonito flakes (katsuobushi)
• Japanese mayonaise
• Takoyaki sauce
• Dried seaweed powder (aonori)

The batter is relatively easy to prepare. Combine the above ingredients into a bowl, and then drop a large spoonful into each of the molds.

Leave until golden brown. You can check to see if it is ready by poking it with a toothpick - it is cooked if the toothpick comes out clean.

Time for toppings! Add the takoyaki sauce, mayonaise, seaweed powder, and bonito flakes in that order.

We ate until we couldn't fit anymore into our tummies...

Thanks Angela! :D

- Candice

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Okonomiyaki

After trying out Genki Living in Rowland Heights, Lemony and friends were disappointed to find that the Osaka-style okonomiyaki was not quite Osaka-style, and failed to meet our standards. At this time, it was decided that we would create our own amazing version of okonomiyaki, and this served as the basis of our next cooking adventure!

We began by gathering all the necessary ingredients:

• Okonomiyaki batter
• Green onion
• Bacon strips
• Cabbage
• Yakisoba
• Japanese mayonaise
• Bonito flakes
• Okonomiyaki/takoyaki sweet sauce

The first step was to prepare the batter in a large bowl. This was done by chopping up the cabbage and green onion into small strips, and adding water (as directed on the batter mix instructions) to the powdered batter mix.

Next, the yakisoba was pan-fried in a skillet and set aside.

Now it was time to cook the batter. A generous scoop was placed onto the skillet with a few slices of bacon sandwiched in the middle. For presentation purposes, it was shaped into a circle.

This was thoroughly cooked until the bacon was ready and the batter was slightly browned on both sides.

Finally, the fun part - putting it all together!

Start by placing the batter onto a large plate. Add a nice portion of yakisoba on top, and then a sprinkle of bonito flakes.

Lastly, serve with the okonomiyaki sauce and Japanese mustard (criss-crossed over the top!). :D

Lemony's version

My version!

- Candice

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Panna Cotta

Panna cotta is an amazingly easy dessert to make that provides a light yet creamy finish to any meal. I fell in love with panna cotta after trying it at a bakery served with fresh mangoes as a topping. The consistency is so smooth, and it practically melts in your mouth. I used blueberries as a topping in this recipe. The recipe calls for only a few basic ingredients:

4 cups (1L) heavy cream

1/2 cup sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 packets powdered gelatin

6 tbsp cold water

fresh fruits for topping

1. The heavy cream and sugar were heated in a saucepan.

2. Vanilla extract was added as soon as the sugar was dissolved.

3. In a bowl, the gelatin powder was sprinkled over 6 tbsp of cold water. This was left to stand for about 7 minutes.

4. The heavy cream mixture was added to the gelatin mixture, and mixed.

5. The panna cotta mix was then divided and poured into separate bowl. It should be left in the fridge for at least 2 hours to allow time for it to become firm. If you don't want to serve it in the bowl, lightly grease the sides of the bowl/container with olive oil to allow easy unmolding.

6. Serve with fresh fruits!!

The end result: deliciously smooth and so rich in flavor!

- Candice

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Beef Bourguignon

Inspired by Julia Child and adapted by Ina Garten, this recipe should be rated as one of the most challenging I've tried! If you haven't already, pick up a copy of "Julia and Julia", and inspire yourself to take a stab at recreating this slow-cooked comfort dish. My motivation was to create a dinner just for Angela, and the hours poured into preparing this meal were well worth it. Gathering the ingredients alone was already a challenge, as shown below:

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon good olive oil
• 8 ounces dry cured center cut applewood smoked bacon, diced
• 2 1/2 pounds chuck beef cut into 1-inch cubes
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound carrots, sliced diagonally into 1-inch chunks
• 2 yellow onions, sliced
• 2 teaspoons chopped garlic (2 cloves)
• 1/2 cup Cognac
• 1 (750 ml.) bottle good dry red wine such as Cote du Rhone or Pinot Noir
• 1 can (2 cups) beef broth
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (1/2 teaspoon dried)
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature, divided
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 pound frozen whole onions
• 1 pound fresh mushrooms stems discarded, caps thickly sliced

For serving:

• Country bread or Sour Dough, toasted or grilled and rubbed with garlic clove
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley, optional

The first step was to dice the applewood smoked bacon and sautee in a pan.

• 

Next, the beef cubes were seasoned with salt and pepper and seared.

I decided to add some cucumbers and italian squash for a better variety of vegetables, and also because I like my dishes colorful! These were all chopped and stir-fried in a skillet.

I had fun finding out exactly what cognac was suitable for cooking, and went with Hennessy. This was added to the huge pot of veggies.

And of course, a whole bottle of pinot noir.

Look good?

Next, the mushrooms and onions were chopped and sauteed.

Let simmer for a few hours, however tender you like your meat to be. I left this for about 2 hours. And the final result:

Serve with a side of toasted baguette and butter.

Angela approves!!!

What a fun experience, do try it yourself if you're up for a challenging day of cooking. ;D

- Candice

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Wow, Crab Cakes!

My good friend, Lemon Square'd puts me to shame when it comes to cooking. I had the delightful opportunity to taste a few of her dishes this weekend, and I wanted to share my favorite with you: crab cakes! I was very impressed that real crab was prepared for this.


Add mayonaise, veggies, and bread crumbs to the crab mixture.

Scoop out spoonfuls of the mix and use your hands to shape into the size and shape of your choice.Cover in tempura batter!

Fry in a skillet until each side is browned and crisp. (Emeril cast-iron skillet shown =P)
Place on towel to absorb some of the oil.


Serve with lemon juice or other sauce, such as pesto. So delicious!!!!!!

- Candice