Tom Yum Goong Soup

This is a simple recipe that builds an awesome base for Tom Yum soup. Even though I'm pretty sure that the Food Network has taken some potential shortcuts on technique, I love the flavor this recipe makes. I also agree that this produces 4 servings (if anything potentially 3.5). I really kick my version of this up with a good number of Thai chiles. I also have had good results substituting regular ginger for the galangal called for in the recipe. Kaffir lime leaves are a must here and I recommend finding fresh  or frozen ones if possible vs. dried leaves. When Pedro and I were in Thailand, we found that all restaurants served this soup with the inedible chunks of lemon grass, ginger and lime leaves for diners to sift through. Recently, I've been straining as many of these out as possible before serving so that Pedro and I can enjoy the soup more easily. I've found this works fine since most are for aromatics and fully steeped by the time the soup finishes. Finally, I like to boil rice noodles directly in the soup to make it a more filling meal.

Hot and Sour Thai Soup: Tom Yum Goong
Recipe courtesy of Tyler Florence
Total Time:
50 min
Prep:
20 min
Cook:
30 min

Yield:4 servings
Level:Intermediate
Ingredients

2 quarts chicken broth
2 stalks fresh lemongrass, sliced on a bias in 2-inch pieces
4 kaffir lime leaves
1 -inch piece fresh galangal or ginger, sliced
2 red chiles, sliced
2 tablespoons fish sauce, such as nam pla
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 (8-ounce) can straw mushrooms, rinsed and halved
1 pound large shrimp, peeled with tails on
2 limes, juiced
2 green onions, sliced
1 handful fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions

Bring the stock to the boil over medium heat in a saucepan. Add the lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, galangal, and chiles. Lower the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes to let the spices infuse the broth.
Uncover and add the fish sauce, sugar, and mushrooms. Simmer for 5 minutes. Toss in the shrimp and cook for about 8 minutes until they turn pink. Remove from the heat and add the lime juice, green onions, and cilantro. Taste for salt and spices; you should have an equal balance of spicy, salty, and sour. It's a good idea to tell your guest's that the lemongrass and lime leaves are for flavor only and should be avoided when eating the soup.
Recipe courtesy of Tyler Florence

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/hot-and-sour-thai-soup-tom-yum-goong-recipe.print.html?oc=linkback

Spring roll rainbow tray

Pedro and I love spring rolls - especially when we can grab half the ingredients from our herb garden. I thought this "rainbow tray" was a creative way to put together the presentation of ingredients. I also really liked the peanut ginger dipping sauce recipe that we used for this particular Sunday-evening, back-to-work treat.

GINGER PEANUT SAUCE

• 1/2 cup salted natural peanut or almond butter
• 1 1/2 Tbsp soy sauce (GF for gluten free eaters)
• 2-3 Tbsp brown sugar or maple syrup (add to taste)
• 1/2 lime, juiced
• 1/2 tsp chili garlic sauce
• 1/2 tsp fresh grated ginger (optional)
• hot water to thin

Wine in a tube!

Saw this on a recent business trip to Amsterdam while staying at the Waldorf Astoria. Pedro and I agree that it's a pretty innovative way to package an individual serving of wine!

Missouri Feels Just Like Home

Pedro and I had a blast at the Holiday Acres lake cabin with Grammy and Grandad over Memorial Day weekend. It was also great to spend time with Janice, Daryl, Brandon and Dana. We enjoyed some yummy food throughout the weekend but a few of our favorites were fresh caught crappie and blue gill fried filets and Grammy's homemade peach pie. Whatever you do, make sure you find the Aunt Jemima's yellow course-ground corn meal for the fish! (Grammy sent us to Walmart to refill her  stock :)) Time at the cabin with Grammy and Grandad will always be home.

Insalata di Radicchio e Rughetta

This salad is totally awesome and simple. We served it beside a secondo plato of chicken cacciatore this winter during a dinner party with my parents and Skip and Ruthann. It really paired well with the acidity of the tomato sauce on the chicken. It's an easy, go-to mixture. The only unfortunate part about this salad is the price of Radicchio in Pittsburgh - about $9 per head. Perhaps we'll have to try growing out own at some point. :)

The Stinker (Pizza)

Pedro and I hosted the Loan family and my parents for a pizza party over 4th of July weekend this year. We made 10 pizzas. One of our favorite new topping ideas is the combo of asparagus and blue cheese. Pedro coined it "The Stinker - on the way in and on the way out!" :)

Warm Summer Tomato Caprese Salad

Basically one of the best salads I've had this summer. I love using my small all-clad bakers for this salad. I slice locally grown, perfectly ripe tomatoes into thick slices and drizzle olive oil, salt and pepper on top. Then I top the tomatoes with shredded mozzarella and place under the broiler for about 8 - 10 minutes. Finish off the salad with fresh cut basil and a drizzle of high quality olive oil. Serve with sliced baguette to sop up the juices. Summer time!

Mad About Macarons

This post could easily become the longest post I've ever written. I'm on week 6 of my obsession with making macarons. It started with a "just-for-fun" search on YouTube (Pedro's fault) and has since turned into a literal obsession with making macarons. So far I've tried lemon shells (zest) with vanilla buttercream, coffee shells with vanilla buttercream, almond shells with strawberry buttercream, mint shells with dark chocolate ganache (don't be such a ganache!) and sea salt, and lavender shells with vanilla buttercream. In addition to making the macarons, I've gotten into packaging the macarons as gifts for people (I told you I was obsessed). I'm copying the base recipe below that's been working for me with a few notes about each step.

Update: 10.29.16 I continue to make macarons. I've now tried cardamom shells with lemon curd filling, pumpkin pie spice shells with dulce de leche filling (don't use the isotopic leche de cabra!).

For dry flavoring in the shell, it's best to use about a tablespoon of flavoring. For wet flavoring, you only need a teaspoon and it almost always messes with the shell's macronage.

Beth's Foolproof French Macaron Recipe

Prep time

40 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

1 hour

Author: Beth Le Manach

Recipe type: Dessert

Cuisine: French

Serves: 24 sandwiched cookies

Ingredients (CW: Measure all ingredients by weight, not volume)

• 3 Egg Whites (at room temperature)
• ¼ cup white sugar (50 g)
• 2 cups confectioners sugar (200 g)
• 1 cup almond flour (120 g) (CW: 3 lb bag available from Costco for same price as 1/2 lb bags at super markets - make sure to use almond flour, not meal. Just look at the picture of my first attempt at macarons to see the difference. The finer ground the product, the better).
• pinch of salt
• ¼ tsp cream of tartar (2 ml)
• RASPBERRY BUTTER CREAM
• ¼ cup salted butter (60g)
• ¾ cup powdered sugar (75 g)
• 1 cup (150 g) fresh raspberries, worked through a sieve to extract 3 tbsp of juice (CW: Can replace this with vanilla from a bean, or zest from an orange, etc.)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 300F degrees
2. Beat egg whites until foamy, then add salt, cream of tartar and white sugar for 8-10 mins. TIP: #1 egg whites should be room temp. To create room temp eggs, submerge in warm water for 5 mins.
3. Whip until they form a peak that stands upright. Think Seattle Space needle.
4. Then add the food coloring. TIP#2 Color does fade as it cooks, so do a shade or two darker than you want them to be.
5. TIP#3 Sift almond flour, and powdered sugar. What remains will be the larger lumps of almond pieces. Just discard those, or use them to snack on :) You want a really fine powder mixture to create a smooth and pretty on top to your cookie.
6. Fold flour/sugar mixture into the egg white mixture. TIP#4 This is where all your hard work can really go wrong. Under mix and your macaroons will be lumpy and cracked when the bake with no feet, over mix and your macaroons will be flat and won't have feet, the mark of a well-made macaron. In my experience 65-75 turns of your spatula when folding is about the right amount of time. But again, it can be tricky, depends on how strong you are, Ha! So it can take a few tries to get it right. But when you do, the trumpets will blare and you will feel SO accomplished!
7. Transfer batter to a pastry bag.
8. Pipe out 1 inch rounds on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
9. TIP#5: tap the pan hard at least 2-3 times to release the air bubbles. This will prevent the tops of your macaroons from cracking.
10. TIP#6 Let them sit out for 20-30 mins, or up to an hour if you want. This will allow them time to dry out a bit before hitting the hot oven. They should be "tacky" to the touch, but not stick to your fingertips. This is another important step to assuring your macarons develop feet! When they dry out they can't spread out in the oven, and are forced to rise up. That's what creates the feet!
11. Bake for 20 mins. DO NOT UNDER BAKE, even if they look done! Otherwise they will stick to your tray.
12. Meanwhile mix the buttercream. Whip butter with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Slowly add sugar. Then place sieve on top of a bowl the same size. Work raspberries through the sieve with a spatula, pushing them through, mashing them around until you extract their juice. You want 3 tablespoons of juice.
13. Add juice to buttercream, and whip until combined. Transfer to a pastry bag, fitted with a small tip (about ¼ " in diameter)
14. Reverse cookie shells on their backs, and pipe a small mound of filling on one of them. Top with the other shell et Voila!
15. If not eating right away, keep refrigerated.

Recipe by Entertaining with Beth at http://entertainingwithbeth.com/foolproof-french-macaron-recipe/

Don't make fun of this one! :)