Kitchening: Haitian Chicken Puffs

When I have a catering gig at twocities gallery, I do a massive search to find new appetizers. They're not the easiest thing for me to drum up off the top of my head and I like trying to recipes. I found these Haitian Chicken Puffs on a blog called First Look, Then Cook and they looks delish and something that Chinese and Foreigner taste buds would enjoy. Thankfully, I was right. They had a great combination of spices and veggies that I would never think of putting together on my own. Plus they use puff pastry which pretty much makes everything better.

Also, doesn't this picture make it look like I have a personal butler who carries around appetizers for me?

Haitian Chicken Puffs
slightly adapted from First Look, Then Cook 

Ingredients

• Cooking oil (I used olive oil but you might go for something with less flavor)
• 1/4  cup  chopped yellow or red onion
• 2  tsp minced garlic
• 1/2  pound ground chicken breast (hard to find here so I ground some chicken in my food processor. worked great)
• 1/4  cup shredded carrot
• 2  tsp  no-salt-added tomato paste
• 2  tsp  fresh lime juice
• 1  tsp  cider vinegar
• 1  tsp  chopped green onions
• 1  tsp  chopped fresh parsley
• 1  tsp  chopped fresh thyme
• 1/2  tsp  freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4  tsp  salt
• 1/8  tsp  ground cloves
• 1/8  tsp  grated nutmeg
• Tabasco sauce (or your choice of hot sauce), to taste
• 1  (14-ounce) package frozen puff pastry, thawed
• 1  large egg
• 1  tablespoon water

Preparation

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with a tablespoon of cooking oil. Add  onion, and garlic to pan; sauté 3 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Add chicken and cook 5 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Add carrot and cook 2 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add lime juice and vinegar, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Add green onions and next 6 ingredients (through nutmeg); stir well. Remove from heat; cool mixture to room temperature.

Add a few or more than a few drops of Tabasco sauce to the mixture, depending on your audience. Place cooled chicken mixture in a food processor; process until almost smooth (mixture will begin to clump).

Preheat oven to 400°.

Roll puff pastry into a 15 x 12–inch rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Cut puff pastry into 20 (3-inch) squares. Combine egg and water, stirring with a whisk. Brush egg mixture along edges of pastry squares; spoon about 1 scant tablespoon filling in center of each pastry square. Fold each pastry square in half; press edges closed with tines of a fork. Brush top with egg wash; arrange 1 inch apart on a baking sheet. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until puffed and golden brown.

Makes 20 small puffs.

Kitchening: Healthier Pumpkin Bread with Molasses

Even though pumpkins are available here year round, pumpkin bread, butter, cookies, pasta, etc, etc just aren't as appealing in warm winter months. I've been doing my own pumpkin puree the past two years and it totally pays off. I get sweet orange organic pumpkins. Cut them in half. Scoop out the seeds and roast them cut side down at 350 until tender. Scoop flesh and ta da. I don't actually puree. If they're cooked long enough, they fall apart on their own so no need to muck up another appliance!

But the recipe...(it got a little brown in the oven, by the way. I blame China.) I was searching high and low for a molasses pumpkin bread with no luck–it was eithe r plain pumpkin or have-a-little-pumpkin-with-your-molasses bread. So I found one with honey and tweaked the bejuizes out of it. It turned out delish and since people were still talking about it this week, I thought I'd share it with the world (or the 5 people who read my blog)...

Pumpkin Molasses Bread
Adapted from Cooking Light

1/2  cup  sugar
2  large eggs (or 4 egg whites)
1  cup   pumpkin puree
1/2  cup  plain low-fat yogurt
1/4  cup molasses
1/4  cup  honey
1  teaspoon  vanilla extract


2   cups whole wheat flour (or AP flour)
1  teaspoon  baking soda
1  teaspoon  salt
1/2  teaspoon  ground cinnamon
1/2  teaspoon  ground cloves
1/2  teaspoon  ground nutmeg

1/2  cup (ish)  raisins (or craisins)
1/3  cup (ish)  pecans

Kitchening: Smoked Salmon Mousse Cucumber Cups

That is quite the mouthful, ya? I was trying to decide what appetizers to make for catering at twocities gallery a few weeks ago, and an old Martha Stewart Weddings magazine on my shelf had this recipe. No, I'm not married, and no, you should not judge me for owning Wedding magazines...I promise they're all Martha's, no Southern Bride or Bridal Living.

First, I bought some English cucumbers (Chinese ones are long, skinny, worty, and have more juice so not the best for this experiment.) Then I hollowed them out and I've got this picture right here just to prove that even if you don't hollow out the cucumbers all pretty, no one will be able to tell. Also, I made them sort of striped by running a vegetable peeler down 3 sides (I know...cucumbers don't have sides). Even though they weren't even, it was hard to tell once they got cut into bite sized pieces.

I say all this so you won't be scared away by these little gems. They were a bit time consuming, but lots o' fun to make.

 Also, I made a double batch, which ended up with a lot of leftovers despite some 50 or 60 cucumber cups. Next time--more cucumber less mousse.

Smoked Salmon Mousse Cucumber Cups
adapted from Martha Stewart Weddings

1/2 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons boiling water
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped onion
1 1/2 teaspoons wasabi (or 2 to-go packets)
6 ounces smoked salmon
1/2 cup creme fraiche
1/8 teaspoon hot-pepper sauce
1/8 teaspoon paprika
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup heavy cream
4-5 English cucumbers (maybe more)

Dill sprigs, for garnish (after an unfortunate and unintentional binge of dill one summer, it's not my favorite herb, but it does go well with salmon)

Instructions

1. Put the lemon juice and 1 1/2 teaspoons cold water in a small bowl. Sprinkle the gelatin over it and let it soften for about 5 minutes. Whisk boiling water into gelatin mixture until incorporated. 
2. Puree gelatin mixture with onion and wasabi in a food processor until smooth. Add salmon, creme fraiche, hot-pepper sauce, and paprika. Season with salt and pepper. Process until smooth. Nobody wants lumpy fish mousse.
3. Whip cream in a medium bowl until stiff peaks form. Fold the cream into the pureed salmon mixture until mostly incorporated. Mine was a little streaky, but I thought it looked more interesting that way.
4. Slice cucumbers 1 inch thick. Scoop out some of the seeds from each slice to create a the cup. Had I a little melon balller, it would have worked perfectly. (Cucumber cups can be covered with a damp paper towel and stored in a plastic container; refrigerate for up to a day before using.) Using a pastry bag fitted with a fancy star tip of some sort, pipe mousse into cucumber cups. Garnish with dill. Chill cucumber cups until mousse is set, about 30 minutes. Pop into your mouth immediately.

Kitchening: Edamane, Mao Dou, Hairy Beans, Soy Bean!

When I first moved to China, soy beans were not terribly appetizing to me. That might be because they're called hairy beans in Mandarin. Recently, however, I've discovered just how good they are (and of course, they're so good for you.) Also, popping the beans out of their shell makes them a very satisfying and interactive snack.

Edamame: The Snack of the Future

1. Wash the edamame. Make sure to pick out any that are mushy. (I recently had a bad batch with some creepy crawlies, but that isn't normal...just keep a watch out.)

2. Cut off one end of each bean. This will help get in some of the briny water when you cook them. Some folks like to trim both ends, but I think that lets in too much salt water.

3. Salt is so good, right? In moderation of course. Throw your freshly trimmed edamame into a pot and sprinkle the salt over them. Toss to coat and then let sit for 20-30 minutes. I've found that the beans are more flavorful doing it this way rather than simply boiling them in salt water.

4. Fill the pot with just enough eater to cover all the beans. Bring the water to a boil and cook about 5 minutes once the water is bubbling. Be careful not to overcook them or they start tasting like vegetables at the Western Sizzling on Sunday.

5. Remove from heat. And drain the water. Allow the beans to cool a little because they can burn your tongue (or so I hear.) If you're not going to eat all the beans in one sitting (try not to, I dare you), then reserve some of the salt water and let it cool. Then place the cooled beans in it and store in the fridge to keep them fresh and to help the flavors meld a little more.

Kitchening: The Little Carrot Cake that Could

I think the carrot variety is my favorite kind of cake. Recently, I popped into a new western bakery shop (the kind that promises to be void of the formidable meat floss) and saw these small deepish dish carrot cakes all lathered up with cream cheese frosting. The cake was out of my price range and I'd much rather make it myself anyway. So, the next week I was down at the cookware supply market and saw cake pans of every shape and size including a little deep dish number with a removable bottom and a tiny price tag, so, of course, I put my money on the corner and made it my own.

This week I have a small dinner party to go to, which was a perfect opportunity to try out my shiny new pan...and here is the recipe:

The Little Carrot Cake That Could
(adapted from Emeril's Potluck--Gigi's Carrot Cake and my favorite carrot cakes in Shanghai)

Makes one 6 inch, deep dish carrot cake

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
1/4-1/3 cup raisins
1 1/2 cups grated carrots (I did half finely grated, half coarsely)
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup unrefined sugar (you can use refined too)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
generous dash of nutmeg
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Cream cheese frosting
250 grams (8.8 oz) cream cheese, softened (I used low-fat, Nufatel to make myself feel better)
2-3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/3-1/2 cup powdered sugar (depending on your sweet tooth)
1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice (or more to taste)
Zest of one lemon
Chopped pecans

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Cut a piece of parchment to fit the bottom of the pan. Butter pan and set aside.

2. Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Pour over grated carrots. Stir to combine and set it on its lonesome for a few.

3. I know you're supposed to sift all the dry ingredients but I never do...so throw everything into a large bowl. Mix together and then add the wet ingredients (eggs, vanilla, and carrot mixture) until combined.

4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and pop it in the oven for about 45 minutes. Test it with a toothpick to make sure it's ready. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack for ten minutes. Invert onto the rack and let cool completely.

5. For the frosting, cream the cream cheese and butter until smooth and airy. Add in the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and zest. Try it out and adjust for flavor and consistency. Be warned that you will see specs of the zest, so if you like smooth creamy spec-free frosting, then you've come to the wrong recipe.

6. If the cake is a little crumbly on the outside, put it in the fridge for a half hour or so to firm it up a bit. This will make it easier to frost. For the frosting, dollop, lather, spread, repeat. It's going to be thick and messy, which is it's M.O. Since this cake is so small, I just held it up on my palm and frosted around my hand. I then set it on a plate and dropped the pecans onto the top until I liked how it looked.

7. Serve immediately, or store in the fridge, unless you're making this during the winter in Shanghai, in which case your kitchen is cold enough, I'm sure.

*Full disclosure--when I transported mine, the frosting did run a bit. Therefore, I'd suggest putting it in the fridge longer, adding more butter, or eat it quick!

Enjoy.

(and look how easy it is to pack!)

Healthy, Hearty Pumpkin Muffins

[Adapted from Whole Living.com]

It's not quite cool enough here yet for pumpkin, but who cares. I had some fresh pumpkin  so I boiled it for a while and pureed it a la potato masher (if you're in China, make sure to use the pumpkins that are orange on the outside, green ones aren't as sweet). Finding a healthy pumpkin recipe proved more challenging than I realized. Even this one from Wholeliving.com was supposedly healthy but with 3/4 cup veggie oil and 3 eggs, not quite, so I made major adaptions and came up with a roommate approved recipe! (Note: I also made my own applesauce and sweetened it a bit with brown sugar so I reduced the sugar in the recipe.)

1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 Tablespoon (or more) pumpkin pie spice

1/2 cup applesauce

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 cups pumpkin puree

1 cup plain low-fat yogurt

2 egg whites, beaten

1 egg, beaten

1 Tbsn flaxseed

2 Tbsn water

3/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup raisins or dried cranberries, optional

1/3 cup pecans, optional

How to:

1. Preheat oven to 350F (175C). Prep 12 large muffin tins with paper or a little oil. (I used silicone muffin cups and the muffins didn't stick at all.
2. Combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl.
3. In a large bowl combine wet ingredients. Once combined add dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Add dried fruit and nuts, if adding.
4. Spoon batter into muffin tins, filling about 3/4 of the way. Bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean, 40 minutes to 50 minutes (It was very humid when I made these and I was using a Chinese oven so be careful that they cook in the middle. Don't put them too close to the top burner and let them cook longer if they seem to need it. Cool in pan for a few minutes and allow to finish cooling on a wire rack.

Serve warm with butter, cinnamon and sugar, or green rhubarb jam, if you're so lucky to possess some.