Ginger Almond Egg Custard

I first tried ginger egg custard when I was in Hong Kong. Initially, I was skeptical - how could shops make only steamed egg custard and turn a profit? It can't be THAT good. But it was. It was warm and silky and just a touch sweet. It was fragrant and just a little spicy. And in cute little cups, its downright classy. Until now I haven't been brave enough to try my own - but its pretty easy if you're comfortable with steaming.

Ginger Almond Egg Custard
Serves 4

3 large eggs
3 tbsp sugar
1.5 cups milk (2% in my case)
4 tsp ginger juice*
1 tsp almond extract

Special equipment:
Grater
Strainer/fine sieve (tea strainer works well if its fine enough)
Steamer**

*Ginger juice - grate a fresh piece of ginger over a bowl. Squeeze the ginger pulp to separate the juice from the ginger solids. Discard solids. For 4 teaspoons I had to grate about 1.5 inches.

**I'm a bad Chinese person - I don't own a steamer or the little metal trivet that most families own! So I had to ninja a steamer using:
Large pot with lid
Metal colander
Aluminum foil

If your colander has feet and fits at the bottom of the pot, you can fill water just to the bottom of the colander. Mine had handles, so it actually hung from the top of the pot and I had to seal the open edges with aluminum
foil. The key to steaming is to gently heat the food using the pressure and moisture. The food should not touch the boiling water and the pot must trap all the steam.

1. Set up your steamer. Fill with several cups of water and set to boil. When it boils, reduce heat to medium.
2. In a mixing bowl, preferably with a spout, whip the eggs with a whisk.
3. Whisk in the sugar a little at a time until dissolved.
4. Whisk in the milk and almond extract.
5. Add in the ginger juice and stir slowly. Don't whisk.
6. Pour the mixture through the strainer to remove ginger pulp, bubbles, and egg strands. It should fill four ramekins.
7. Place the four ramekins in the steamer. Steam on medium heat for five minutes.
8. The custard is set when jiggly but not liquidy. It will look exactly the same so you'll want to test with the back of a spoon. Enjoy warm. Okay as cold.

Cheater's Baked Eggplant Parmesan Casserole

I really like eggplant. Not only do I like it in French cooking, I also love it in Chinese food. And now, Italian! However, traditional eggplant parmesan or rollatini tends to be breaded and fried. These dishes are tasty, but high on oil and preparation time. What's a Suli to do?


Blogger FoodWishes solves that problem for me with a very nifty video on Eggplant Parmesan Casserole. I've modified the recipe for the materials I had on hand for tonight, time, a smaller portion, and my particular tastes. I know the ingredient list looks long, but most of it is for amping up the sauce, which is totally optional.

Baked Eggplant Parmesan Casserole
Serves 6

The layers:
2 Chinese eggplant (the long kind) sliced diagonally 1/3rd inch thick. You need enough for two layers in a 9x9 inch glass casserole dish. (all excess should be cubed and added to sauce)
1 tomato, sliced 1/2 inch thick. You need enough for one layer. Extra goes to sauce.

Sauce:
1 jar marinara sauce
4 cloves garlic, sliced
1 onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
2 tsp sugar (optional. used to cut the acid in the sauce)
Large pinch red pepper flakes
Large pinch dried basil

Cheese Mix:
4 mozzarella sticks, pulled into thin strips
1/2 cup grated parmesan
3/4 cup ricotta (1/2 cup cream cheese for me - I was out of ricotta!)
large pinch oregano and basil

Breadcrumb mix:
1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs (a slice of wheat and sourdough crumbled)
1/2 cup grated parmesan
1 tbsp olive oil

1. SAUCE: Heat a saute pan with 1 tsp olive oil. When warm, add onion and garlic and cook on medium heat.
2. When onions are translucent, add green pepper. Add the extra eggplant or tomato from the prep too.
3. Allow sauce to simmer as you prep other ingredients. Watch the sauce and add water if the sauce becomes too dry/crumbly. 
4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F with the rack in the middle.
5. CHEESE: Mix together the ricotta, parmesan, and herbs. If the mix is a little tough to come together, add a little hot water or microwave for a few seconds.
6. BREADCRUMBS: Mix the breadcrumbs with the parmesan and olive oil. 
7. Assemble the casserole. Pour in about 1 1/2 cup of the sauce to cover the bottom of the dish (may take a little more or less). 
8. Place the eggplant slices in a single layer. Top with the ricotta/parmesan mixture.
9. Add the single layer of tomato. Top with the shredded mozzarella.
10. Add the last layer of eggplant. Top with another 1 1/2 cup of sauce. making sure to fully cover the eggplant and get the sauce into the crevices. Do not pack the sauce down.
11. Top with the breadcrumb mixture.
12. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake for about 40 minutes. 
13. Remove foil and bake for another 20 minutes until top is golden brown and casserole is bubbling.
14. Insert a knife into the casserole. If the knife goes through without resistance, its cooked through. Otherwise, continue baking for 10 minute increments.
15. Allow casserole to cool for 15 minutes before serving so that the slices will come out neater and you don't burn the roof of your mouth!

Optional: Add a layer of frozen chopped spinach to the sauce or as an additional layer! 

Sausage and Leek Stuffing

This is my favorite dish at Thanksgiving. It was one of tthe first things I cooked for Perry, way back before we started dating, that has haunted his taste buds since. Its a labor of love, since it requires a good amount of
prep work and plenty of ingredients. But I promise that its worth it.

Sausage and Leek Stuffing
Serves 6 as a side. Fits in an 9x13 inch glass casserole dish. Can fit 1/3rd to half of mix into a large chicken or all into a turkey if you want to be authentic.

2/3rd a loaf of sandwich bread, cut into inch cubes. I've used whole wheat here but white is great.
3 links italian sausage
1 leek, cut into 1/2 inch squares
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 ribs celery, cut in 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 package of mushrooms, cubed (I like chinese mushrooms because they're denser)
2 granny smith apples, cut in 1/2 inch cubes
1 tsp dried thyme or rosemary
2/3 cup sliced almonds
Optional - 1 cup chicken or vegetable stock

1. The night before, prep the bread and leave out overnight in a single layer to dry out a little. Or just use stale bread :)
2. Prep all fruit and vegetables and squeeze the sausage meat out of the casing.
3. In a large pot, heat 1 tbsp olive oil. Cook the sausage, crumbling it into smaller pieces (everything in this dish should be the same size).
4. After sausage is mostly cooked, add the leeks and garlic. Sweat for about 5 minutes until leeks turn a little transparent.
5. Add the celery and mushroom and herbs. Cook until tender.
6. Add the apple and nuts, mixing to incorporate.
7. If the mix is dry, add water, milk, or stock until the bread is fluffy and just begins to break down.
8. If you have a while until dinner, place in a 9x13 glass casserole dish and bake, covered with aluminum foil, at 350 until you're ready. The longer you bake, the more liquid you will want to add. Or you can serve straight out of the pot.
9. If stuffing into poultry, please make sure that the poultry is cooked through all the way. A meat thermometer is very useful here.

Rosemary Olive Oil Roasted Almonds

As part of my holiday gift giving, I noticed an alarming trend among my friends: They had terrible snacking habits. They considered lunch eating three 100-calorie packs of Oreos, or skipping breakfast altogether. They would inhale a half bowl of fiber cereal but later gorge a 1200 calorie dinner as a reward.

Me, being the perpetual meddler and know-it-all, will scold and admonish for poor dietary practices, but regardless of my well-intentioned advice, it ceased to impact the metabolisms or waistlines of my amigos. So the best way to a man's heart (and waistline) is through his stomach, so Suli Snack Packs were born! Basically, healthy snacks make 200-250 calorie packs to tide my buddies to dinner or a quick breakfast substitute for those days you can't help but rush. They aren't a permanent solution, but hopefully one that encourages better habits and tastes better than vending machine food. I'm making the packs in several flavors, which I'll post as I continue to experiment.

Rosemary Olive Oil Roasted Almonds
Makes 30 snack packs (1/4 cup nuts each)
adapted from gourmande in the kitchen who has absolutely stunning photography!

6 cups raw almonds
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup dried rosemary, finely chopped (Prep note: to avoid it bouncing everywhere, mix in a tablespoon of olive oil, then use a mortar & pestle or bowl and a scraper to pulverize. Spice grinder would be fab too.)
3 teaspoons kosher salt
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and arrange a rack in the middle.
2. In a large pot, heat the olive oil, rosemary, cayenne, paprika, and garlic powder. When fragrant, add the almonds an stir to coat.
3. Place nuts on a parchment lined baking sheet. Spread out nuts in a single layer on the baking sheet.
4. Bake until nuts are lightly browned and toasted, stirring occasionally, about 10 to 15 minutes.
5. Let cool on the baking sheet.
6. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 months.

Sauteed Squash

Simply a delicious, natural, and fast way to put some veggies into a meal! The squash has a natural sweetness to it that makes it a great complement to almost any meal. Makes sure to pick squash that is firm, thin (less seeds) and unblemished or bruised.

Sauteed Squash
Serves 4

2 yellow squash, cubed
2 zucchini, cubed
2 plum tomatoes, cubed
3 cloves garlic, smashed
1 heavy pinch oregano

1. In a saute pan, heat 1 tbsp olive oil.
2. Add the garlic and immediately reduce heat to medium. Allow garlic to infuse the oil until fragrant.
3. Add the squash, zucchini, and tomatoes. Stir to incorporate with the oil, then cover. Cook for about 5 minutes.
4. Uncover and add the oregano and a couple heavy pinches of salt.
5. Cook until tender.

Mustard Maple Pork Chops

While mustard and maple syrup may sound like an odd combination, if you're a lover of honey mustard, the recipe will definitely hit a sweet spot for you! The pork chops don't taste overly mustardy or mapley - they really just taste savory and a little hint of sweet. Its a strong and fantastic flavor that really complements the pork well. And trust me, these chops went faster than hotcakes!

Mustard Maple Pork Chops
5 pork chops (bone in for me)
3 tbsp maple syrup
3 tbsp american mustard
4 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp sesame oil

1. The night before, whisk together all ingredients in a casserole dish. Dip the pork chops to coat evenly, then arrange flat in the dish. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
2. When ready to cook, rotate the pork chops in the marinade to re-coat all surfaces.
3. Heat 1 tbsp canola oil in a skillet or large frying pan. Make sure the oil is very very hot. When you drop a little marinade in the pan, it should hiss and spit.
4. Place the pork chops in the pan with the bones toward the center.  Cook for about 3-5 minutes, until you see the marinade caramelize and char a little. Turn over and sear.
5. If you have pork chops that are 1 inch thick or more, preheat your oven to 350. When you've finished searing all sides of the chops, place them in the oven to finish cooking the centers. I was able to just pan sear and cook the chops through.
6. After the pork chops are cooked through, allow them to rest on a plate for 5 minutes before serving.
7. If you would like extra sauce, deglaze the pan with a little cooking wine, and scrape out any inedible char. Pour in any leftover marinade and boil. Once it boils, turn it down to a simmer and reduce until thick enough to coat a spoon.

All American Dinner Party

Last night Perry and I had two friends over for a double-date-dinner-party! We ate, chatted, practiced some kung fu, and watched some Pixar. Can't ask for more!

When brainstorming for a menu, Perry's sole request was "STUFFING." The resulting meal ended up being:
Mustard Maple Pork Chops
Sausage & Leek Stuffing
Sauteed Squash
Almond Ginger Egg Custard

Recipes will follow shortly! <3