March 2009 - Posts
I know what you're thinking. Tofu? But it is cut up into small chunks and mixed with lots of other things, so it won't be all that bad. AND, it is good for ya. Lots of protein contained in those little jiggly cubes. So buck up. Take it like a man. You can handle it, right?
Not a lot of ingredients go into this soup. It's more about flavor than quantity. And of course if you HAVE to, you can leave the tofu out. But try it at least once, promise?
Ok, so we have Sesame Oil, Chicken Broth, Aged (or regular) soy sauce, Chicken, Tofu, Mushrooms, Wheat Spaghetti Noodles (or soba), chives and a jar of gourmet mushrooms that I left out of the picture. Sorry.
Get your water on to boil and add the pasta.
Saute the chicken in a Tablespoon of hot olive oil till browned. Remove to a bowl. Don't clean the pan out. Goodness Gracious! You would lose all that deliciousness just sitting there on the bottom of the pan!
Add the chicken broth, soy sauce, and sesame oil. You could also add ginger if you like that sort of thing. I, however, didn't have any in the fridge. Let it simmer uncovered for 5 minutes.
Here is the extent of the gourmet mushrooms available in my local grocery store. Living out here in the country we really don't get too many of them there gour-met fungi! But the jarred kind is fine. Drain them please. They are packed in brine. Yuck! Then add them and the chopped mushrooms to the broth.
Then add the chicken and simmer the soup for another 15 min.
Drain the pasta and put some in a bowl.
Now, ladle the soup over the noodles. That's it. Good job!
Add the tofu, toss, and top with chives. There ya have it! Easy peasy! And if you really feel it necessary, you can leave the tofu out. It's still a really great meal!
Mushroom and Tofu soup with Noodles
adapted from Weight Watchers 20 minute meals
Makes enough for about 6 servings
1 chicken breast, boneless, skinless, cubed
1/2 pkg firm tofu, cubed
1/2 lb mushrooms, quartered
1 jar or can of gourmet mushrooms (fresh if they're available in your area)
1/2 lb whole wheat noodles or soba noodles
4 cups chicken broth
1 Tbls soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
2 Tbls chives, chopped
Boil water for the noodles. Cook noodles, set aside. Pan fry the chicken in a little olive oil or pan spray. Set aside. Bring broth, soy sauce sesame oil to a boil in a large sauce pan. Boil for 5 min. Add all the mushrooms and the cooked chicken and reduce heat to simmer for 15 min. Laddle the mushroom broth over the noodles in a bowl. Add tofu and stir to combine. Top with chives.
I recently received a request for a soup recipe. Preferably with a tomato-y flair. I reallllly need to contact my Grandmother to get her homemade tomato soup recipe, it was AWESOME. However, since I don't have that one now, and it is so predictable, I decided to try something a little different. The ingredients are simple enough: can diced tomatoes (or fresh), mushrooms, onion, garlic, olive oil, italian seasonings and chicken. This can be served with a loaf of crusty french bread or with rice if you want a little more texture. Also, my can of tomatoes weren't very juicy so I ended up adding some chicken broth to the pot.
Chicken Cacciatore is a classic Italian dish that has sometimes been referred to as Hunter's Stew. Early recipes were often made with rabbit as those preparing it were often traveling or hunting for several days and needed an easy and quick meal to prepare outside. It was orginally made just using chicken (or rabbit), mushrooms, possibly garlic and onions, and spices. Tomatoes were a more modern addition. Mostly dark meat would have been used, rendering a darker sauce and deeper flavor. However, to lighten the fat content and make it quicker to prepare, white meat has become more common. Wine can also be added as another layer of flavor and an extra italian touch.
Start by seasoning the chicken with salt and pepper. Then brown in a skillet on medium heat with olive oil.
Dice onion and chop mushrooms.
Here's the garlic I left out of the picture of ingredients.
Remove the skin and finely dice.
After the chicken is opaque, remove to a plate and keep warm. Add the mushrooms and onion and cook till soft. Add the tomatoes, seasonings and garlic to the pan and simmer for 5 min.
I could just spoon this on some bread and be happy! And it smells oooooo sooo good.
Ok, Ok, back to it. Add the chicken along with any juices back to the pan. If the mixture appears to dry (like mine did) add some chicken broth and simmer for 25 min.
As you can see here I served mine over rice. It was pretty good and flavorful, however, next time I think I will add some wine and see how the flavor profile changes. Like I know what I'm talking about! Anyway, try it, you'll like it!
Later, Peace out!
Chicken Cacciatore "Stoup"
2 Large boneless, skinless chicken breast or 6 tenders, cut into manageable pieces
2 Tbls olive oil.
1/2 lb mushrooms, chopped
1 small onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 can diced tomatoes
2 Tbls italian seasoning
chicken broth and wine are optional
Season chicken with salt and pepper and brown in olive oil in a skillet set to medium heat. Remove from pan. Add onions and mushrooms and cook till onion is translucent. Add tomatoes, seasonings and garlic. Simmer, uncovered, for 5 min. Add chicken along with any juices that have accumulated back to pan. If mixture is dry add some chicken broth and/or wine. Simmer covered for 20-25 min. Serve over rice or with crusty bread.
I have found the nirvana of Buttercream. The top of the top of the line. This is nothing like the jaw-puckering sickeningly sweet fluff you get at the grocery bakery. I'm talking smooth, creamy and vanilla bean-y! Although the instructions seem a bit complicated and fraught with possible disaster it is actually very easy and, hey, it's mostly butter, egg whites and sugar. How hard could it be? Well, I have made it several times in the past couple weeks and I am here to tell you that you don't have to be perfect at every step. Cause, lawsy mercy, we all know I haven't been able to breach that bar! I am blessed enough to be able to practice and practice at my own leisure without having anyone to please. Well, I do have clients that need impressing at time's so there is that. But I also am able to play and change up and fix and trash anything that I don't like. Which makes for great "treats" for the kids! Just for the kids, of course! (snicker snicker). Ok, so. Here we go, lets get started!
Sometimes I find it interesting how some dishes that taste so incredible are so simple. This is all we are starting with.
White chocolate, Creme de cacao, water, sugar and egg whites.
Oh, and a whole heck of a lot of this deliciousness! Unsalted sweet cream butter. The better the quality of butter the better flavor you will have also, so be mindful of that when buying your ingredients. Of course, if you just wanted to buy the cheap stuff to start and practice with, then by all means feel free. Make notes and compare the taste.
We start by putting the sugar and water into a pan on medium high heat. Then stir slowly until the sugar dissolves. STOP STIRRING. Then take a pastry brush dabbed in water and brush it around the inside of the pan just above the sugar to allow the water to run down into the mixture carrying any sugar crystals accumulated with it. This helps prevent a lot of crystalization later on. Don't stir or shake the pan anymore. Ya don't want to agitate the mixture or a mess will ensue!
While the sugar is coming up to temp, put the egg whites in your clean mixing bowl. (To ensure properly whipped egg whites, clean the inside of the bowl and your whisk with vinegar) And melt the chocolate. I am not a double boiler kinda gal. I am not fond of the length of time it takes and the extra dishes it creates. So I just melted my slowly at 70% in my microwave stirring after every 30 seconds.
After the chocolate is melted and your sugar has reached 230 degrees, start them egg whites a whipping! Also, briefly heat up the liquor. Cold alcohol doesn't mix in well with hot chocolate, trust me! So now mix the two together and cool.
Keep an eye on your egg whites and sugar. You want the egg whites whipped at stiff peaks by the time the sugar mixture reaches 240 degrees.
When the sugar is at temp slowly start pouring it into the mixer just at the edge of the bowl. Your aim here is to let the syrup fall just above the whisk between the whites and the side of the bowl. You don't want the syrup to catch the whisk as it will throw it all over the top of the bowl instead of down into the whites.
Then you will end up with this. Lower the speed to medium and let it continue until the bowl cools. Sometimes this takes up to 15-20 minutes. However,......
I'm not that patient, so I add a bowl filled with ice underneath to help with the cooling process.
After it's cool, start adding the butter in small pieces. If the mixture starts to "curdle" don't worry, just keep whipping it will come back together. If after adding all the butter it doesn't come back together, then what I have done is to wet a hand towel with VERY hot water and wrap the bottom of the bowl in with it while the mixer is running. Take it off after it starts to smooth out.
Add the flavoring. It can be white chocolate, dark chocolate, vanilla beans, vanilla extract, citrus, or just about anything else.
Whip until the flavoring is completely incorporated and this is what you have! Creamy, buttery, smooth, utterly delicious bowl of heaven. It smooths on cake very nicely and once refrigerated it solidifies well making it very easy to decorate on. So? Go on! Try it and let me know how it worked for you.
**Note: Italian Buttercream is very similar to Swiss buttercream. The difference is with Swiss Buttercream the sugar and egg whites are mixed together in a heat proof bowl and whisked over a pan of steaming water till the sugar is dissolved. Then it is placed on the mixer and whipped. No extra water is added. Also, if you don't have a kitchen food scale and you like to bake, you really should consider getting one. It comes in very handy and is more exact in measuring. Here is the one I use. It comes in a variety of nifty colors too!
Here I used the Italian Buttercream recipe and added vanilla bean paste to it for flavoring. See the leeetle specks? And ya'll don't be making fun of my roses. It was my first try at them and I tried my best. It'll get better with practice, right?
White Chocolate Italian Buttercream
Adapted from "On Baking: A textbook of pastry and baking fundamentals"
Yield: Approximately 5 lbs
Ingredients:
1 lb. 14 oz. Granulated Sugar
8 fl. oz. Water
9 oz. (approx 9) Egg Whites
2 lb. 6 oz. Unsalted Butter, softened
3 fl. oz. White Creme de cacao
8 oz. White chocolate, melted
1. Cook the sugar and water to 242 degrees F, then pour into measuring container with a handle for ease in pouring.
2. Start whipping the egg whites when the sugar reaches 235 degrees F
3. When the whites are whipped to firm peaks, add the hot sugar syrup slowly while continuing to whip at low speed. Whip until completely cool.
4. Add the butter in small pieces and whip until smooth.
5. Add the creme de cacao to the white chocolate. Whip until smooth, and then add the chocolate to the buttercream.
Variations to add to basic buttercream icing.
Chocolate Italian Buttercream - Add 0.5 fl.oz. vanilla extract then stir in 10 oz melted and cooled bittersweet chocolate.
Lemon Buttercream - Add 2 fl. oz lemon extract and 0.4 oz grated lemon zest.
Coffee Italian Buttercream - Add 2 fl. oz. coffee extract or strong coffee.
This is the cake I made for my step-daughters for the baby shower I threw for them. Well it was one of many baby showers they were given. They are VERY loved. And deservedly so. I, at a very young age, am going to be a grandmother. Well, grandmother by marriage. But that counts, right? Anyway, I was ever so excited to get this opportunity and began planning right away. I went through several ideas on what kind of cake to make thinking I would do something like a "pregnant woman" cake. But had this weird feeling of someone cutting into the belly and couldn't go through with it. I thought about doing a "diaper bag" cake but didn't want to do it all in fondant. So I finally settled on this Baby Block cake.
The fondant I made the day before and colored it pastel green, blue and pink. The most taxing part of the decorating with the fondant was getting all the pieces equal in size. Ultimately they stretch and fit nicely on the cake.
I made flowers with fondant cutters and filled them with marzipan I had made. I made four layers of cake, 2-vanilla and 2-chocolate which, when stacked on top of each other, made a square.
The little characters I made out of fondant and allowed them to sit overnight and dry in position. Everyone at the party LOVED my little animals. I was fortunate enough to find several good links on the net that gave me great ideas! I also made little curly-q's and little pieces of confetti. All in all it was a great experience. I learn so much with every new cake I make. I am working on a Butterfly cake for a 4 year old's birthday party next. Off to my next cake adventure!
