Friday, March 25, 2011

Dinner Menu: Pan-Fried Steaks, Mushrooms with Thyme, and Garlic Mashed Potatoes

"Any of us would kill a cow, rather than not have beef."


Steak is one of my favorite things on the planet.  After finding this cooking method, I will definitely be making it more often!  This is a great menu for any weekend night.  The dishes complement each other very well.

Monday, March 21, 2011

Payasam

"Seize the moment.  Remember all those women on the Titanic who waved off the dessert cart."

Payasam, or kheer, is a milk-based Indian dessert.  Unlike most Indian sweets, it doesn't have that terrible cloying sugariness.  One of my favorite childhood desserts.

4 cups milk (the more milkfat, the better)
1/4 cup small tapioca pearls
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/3 cup purple or golden raisins
1/3 cup cashews
6 cardamom pods
Pinch saffron

Thursday, March 10, 2011

One-Minute Omelettes

"We plan, we toil, we suffer - in the hope of what?  The title deeds of Radio City?  A trip to the moon?  No, no, no, no.  Simply to wake just in time to smell coffee and bacon and eggs."


I used to reserve omelettes for weekend mornings because of the extensive chopping of vegetables and meat.  That changed when I saw a Julia Child video where she made an omelette in a shorter time than it takes me to spell omelette.  The technique takes a little getting used to, but the moist, fluffy eggs are something special.

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Chocolate Chip Cookies

"Cookies are made of butter and love."


What's more classic than chocolate chip cookies fresh from the oven?  Boxed and refrigerated mixes are fine in a pinch, but nothing compares to homemade.  My boyfriend begs me to make these at least once a month.  He likes them sweeter, with semisweet chips, but I prefer the sugary cookie portion to be balanced by the slight bitterness of the dark chocolate chips.  So we do 50:50, and everyone's happy!

14 tablespoons unsalted butter (7 ounces)
1/2 cup sugar (3.5 ounces)
3/4 cups packed dark brown sugar (5.25 ounces)
1 teaspoon table salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 extra large egg
1 extra large egg yolk
1.75 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (8.75 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1.25 cups bittersweet chocolate chips (60% cacao)

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Restaurant Review: Taiwan Cafe

Taiwan Cafe is definitely my favorite restaurant in Boston's Chinatown.  It's our regular Friday night haunt, because the food is seriously amazing.  The restaurant was recently renovated (it was closed for almost a year, breaking my heart), and the new design is small but cozy.  I'm usually skeptical of restaurants with huge menus, but everything I've tried has been delicious.