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Obsessed with “Grilled” Corn + Peanut Sesame Noodles

4 Aug

See that piece of corn? That is the beginnings of pretty much every meal that I have made in the last week.

Step 1: Husk your corn.

Step 2: Turn on the stove top. Place corn directly over the flame. Let is sit for a few minutes until it pops and hisses. Flip and repeat.

Step 3: Shave corn off cobb.

Step 4: Add this corn to whatever dish you are making. Or, just slather it with butter and chili and maybe some salty cheese and it is right off the cobb.

The other day I made some charred corn tacos.

Today I made some saucy peanut noodles.

These noodles are seriously dripping with peanut sauce and are a peanut butter-lover’s savory dream come true. The sauce gets spun in the blender. Couldn’t be easier. Oh, and I think the ginger is a key ingredient, so don’t leave it out. Go get the fresh stuff. And peel it with a spoon (the best trick I know!). And if you don’t use all of it, freeze it. It keeps well in the freezer. Ginger. Miracle ingredient.

I make these noodles all the time, adding different veggies etc. depending on the season and what I have on-hand.

I have a very hard time knowing when to stop eating these noodles. I always want just one more bite. They are quite heavy though, so only use half the amount of sauce to start and add more if you dare.

Peanut Sesame Noodles

adapted from Epicurious

This makes A LOT of sauce…you should make lots of pasta (like, an entire package/pound at least) or just use half of the sauce and save the other half in a jar for another time…

*Try not to let the noodles sit in the sauce very long — toss them together a few seconds before serving. If you are eating leftovers the next day, sprinkle with a tablespoon or so of water before heating to freshen up the dish.

**This is perfect for your vegan/veggie friends and meat eaters alike. Feel free to add tofu/tempeh, or some kind of chicken or meat if you wish.

For the peanut dressing:

  • 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 1/3 cup warm water
  • 2 tablespoons chopped peeled fresh ginger
  • 1 medium garlic clove, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons Asian sesame oil (sometimes I like to use a spicy sesame oil)
  • 2 teaspoons honey
  • 1 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes

For the noodle salad:

  • 1 lb dried linguine fini or spaghetti (or soba noodles…)
  • 1 ear of corn
  • 3 hefty handfuls of fresh spinach leaves
  • 4 scallions, thinly sliced
  • 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/8-inch-thick strips
  • 3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

Prepare your dressing by placing everything in the blender and pureeing it for 1-2 minutes or until smooth. Transfer the sauce to a large bowl.

Boil some water, then heavily salt it, then add your pasta and cook until al dente. The last 3 minutes of cooking, add your fresh spinach. Drain.
While the pasta is cooking, take your ear of corn and set it over the gas stove burner and char it on all sides. Cut it off the cobb and set aside. Have your scallions, bell pepper chopped and ready.
Assemble the noodles: Add your hot noodles to the peanut sauce along with the veggies, sesame seeds, and whatever accoutrement you like.

I’ve Got A Special on Bananas: Bananas Foster Bread

20 May


I had a special on bananas.

A banana bread bake-off thus ensued.

Alongside my go-to Peanut Butter Banana Bread, my fellow baker friend Amy and I also decided to try out Cooking Light Magazine’s Bananas Foster Bread.

I think the consensus was that we both have a new go-to favorite banana bread recipe. Let’s just say that if it includes rum in the recipe, it is already a winner 😉

Bubbly Bananas, Dark Rum, Butter, and Brown Sugar Goodness

This Bananas Foster Bread is packed with good-for-you ingredients like nonfat plain yogurt, ground flaxseed, bananas, and cinnamon and allspice. There is an appropriate balance of butter and brown sugar to tenderize and sweeten the bread just the right amount. And the smell of the warm rum mixture is simply to die for.

Oh yes, and after baking, an easy glaze of more rum, powdered sugar, and 1 tablespoon of butter is poured over the warm bread.

Amy and I have decided that we loved the edges of the bread because they taste just like French Toast soaked in a boozy batter. Ooo yeah baby!

I’ve had such a great day hiking, eating lunch from my favorite sandwich shop at the top of Mt. Tam, and baking my now two favorite banana bread recipes with my good friend Amy.

Left: Bananas Foster Bread Right: Peanut Butter Banana Bread

Bananas Foster Bread

makes 1 loaf

From Cooking Light Magazine

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar, divided
  • 6 tablespoons butter, melted and divided
  • 1/4 cup cognac or dark rum, divided
  • 1/3 cup plain fat-free yogurt
  • 2 large eggs
  • 6 3/4 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 1/2 cups)
  • 1/4 cup ground flaxseed
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 3/4 cup walnuts, chopped
  • Cooking spray
  • 1/3 cup powdered sugar

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Combine banana, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 5 tablespoons butter, and 3 tablespoons cognac in a nonstick skillet. Cook over medium heat until mixture begins to bubble. Remove from heat; cool. Place banana mixture in a large bowl. Add yogurt, remaining 1/2 cup brown sugar, and eggs.

3. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 5 ingredients (through allspice) in a small bowl. Add flour mixture to banana mixture; beat just until blended. Stir in the walnuts. Pour batter into a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven; cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack. Remove bread from pan; place on wire rack.

4. Combine remaining 1 tablespoon melted butter, remaining 1 tablespoon cognac, and powdered sugar; stir until well blended. Drizzle over the warm bread.

Maureen Callahan, Cooking Light
OCTOBER 2010

Nutrition Information:

Serving (1/16th of a loaf=1 slice)

  • Calories: 194
  • Fat: 5.8g
  • Saturated fat: 3g
  • Monounsaturated fat: 1.5g
  • Polyunsaturated fat: 0.9g
  • Protein: 2.9g
  • Carbohydrate: 31.1g
  • Fiber: 1.5g
  • Cholesterol: 34mg
  • Iron: 1.1mg
  • Sodium: 181mg
  • Calcium: 32mg



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Homemade Granola Bars

10 Feb

I am a snacker, a big time snacker. My snack of choice is almost always something carb-y, and I am always looking for new snacks to add to my repertoire.

Lately I have been into Annie’s Honey Bunny Grahams. I can eat a lot of them, they are slightly sweet, and they hit the spot during my afternoon slump.

A homemade snack always feels good goin’ down, and these homemade granola bars are full of golden raisins, walnuts, pecans, sour cherries, dates, peanut butter, wheat germ, and a few chocolate chips. They are indeed thick and chewy and they sort of fall apart in this wonderful way.

Next time, however, I would definitely chop up my fruit/nut mix a bit and I would use quick-cooking oats or process my old-fashioned oats in a blender for a few pulses. This would probably make the bars hold together more cohesively.

I highly recommend scavenging through the bulk section at your grocery store. I can find all sorts of grains and nuts and goodies in the bulk section, and I can take as much as I need. I had been wanting to make something with wheat germ before and voila, these bars have wheat germ! Expect some more wheat germ recipes in the near future (oh, and store your wheat germ in the refrigerator please and thank you).

A homemade granola bar is a great post-workout snack, a great on-the-go breakfast item, and a great afternoon pick-me-up. Eat up!

Homemade Granola Bars

Thank you, again SmittenKitchen

1 2/3 cups quick rolled oats (if gluten-free, be sure to use gluten-free oats, if using old-fashioned oats, give them a quick pulse in the blender/processor to break them up a bit)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup oats, processed until finely ground in a food processor or blender
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 to 3 cups dried fruits and nuts (total of 10 to 15 ounces)*
1/3 cup peanut butter or another nut butter (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons melted butter
1/4 cup honey, maple syrup or corn syrup
1 tablespoon water

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8″ x 8″ x 2″ pan in one direction with parchment paper, allowing it to go up the opposing sides. Lightly grease the parchment paper and the exposed pan, or coat with a non-stick spray.

Stir together all the dry ingredients, including the fruit and nuts. In a separate bowl, whisk together the vanilla, melted butter or oil, liquid sweeteners, water, and peanut butter. Toss the wet ingredients with the dry until the mixture is evenly crumbly. Spread in the prepared pan, pressing them in firmly to ensure they are molded to the shape of the pan.

Bake the bars for 30 to 40 minutes, until they are brown around the edges — don’t be afraid to get a little color on the tops, too. They will still seem soft and almost under-baked when you press into the center of the pan but do not worry, they will set completely once completely cool.

Cool the bars in their pan completely on a cooling rack. (Alternately, after about 20 minutes you can use your parchment “sling” to lift and remove the bars, and place them in their paper on the rack to cool the rest of the way. This can speed the process up.)

Once cool, a serrated knife (or bench knife) to cut the bars into squares. ***If bars seem crumbly, chill the pan of them further in the fridge for 30 minutes which will fully set the “glue”, then cut them cold. To store, wrap the bars individually in plastic or stack them in an airtight container. In humid weather, it’s best to store bars in the refrigerator. They also freeze well.

*Suggestions: Dried cranberries, apricots, pecans, sunflower seeds, coconut, walnuts, sesame seeds, pepitas, dried apples or even chocolate chips. My mix: 1/2 cup wheat germ, 1/2 cup dried cherries, 1/2 cup golden raisins, 1 cup walnuts, 1/2 cup pecans, 4 dates chopped, and 1/4 cup chocolate chips. I recommend pulsing your mixture in the food processor a few times to break it up a little, though this isn’t necessary if you don’t mind yours chunkier.

>Messy, Sticky, Finger-Lickin’ Good: Honey Sea Salt Peanut Butter Ice Cream with Caramel Sauce

14 Oct

>
It’s official. I’m addicted. I’m addicted to ice cream. I’m addicted to this honey sea salt peanut butter ice cream. I love peanut butter, I love honey, I love salt, especially flaky sea salt. I’m addicted to making and eating caramel sauce. Burnt sugar? Yep. Addicted. Leftover puff pastry diamonds that I made at work? Yep. Addicted.

It’s official. I am out of flour, I am out of vanilla, I am nearly out of sugar. A baker’s job well done, I’d say.

Caramel sauce may seem a bit scary, but it really is as easy as 1. 2. 3. Heat the sugar. It will start to bubble, brown, and smoke:

Resist the urge to stir until the last possible moment…annnnnnnd…now go! Stir! Add a bit o’ butter…stir (I actually prefer to nudge rather than stir)! Add some heavy cream…nudge! Breathe.

Awww yeahhhh

Heaven in a sauce

My base. Puff pastry diamond with some honey sea salt pb ice cream. This photo was taken before my ice cream scooper broke. It was also taken before I made caramel sauce.


Much better. Oh how good it feels to spoil myself…

Honey Sea Salt Peanut Butter Ice Cream with Caramel Sauce

Followed exactly from theKitchyKitchen (she rocks!)

Ingredients:

2-3 egg yolks
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup honey roasted peanut butter (if you only have regular, add 2 tablespoons of honey)
2 tablespoons honey
Pinch of sea salt, plus more to taste
1 teaspoon vanilla
For the Caramel Sauce:
1 cup white sugar
4 oz unsalted butter
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions:
Heat one cup of the heavy cream in a sauce pan until simmering. Add the sugar to melt. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks. Add a little of the hot cream and whisk to combine. Add a little more, then pour the contents of the bowl into the pan and stir until thickened (or 165 F). Off the heat, add the peanut butter, sea salt, honey, and vanilla, stirring to combine. Taste and add more sea salt or honey to taste. Chill in your fridge, whisk in the additional cream and milk (tasting to adjust the salt and honey), then stir in your ice cream machine as recommended.
For the caramel sauce, heat the sugar in a saucepan over medium heat, until the sugar turns golden. Stir until all of the sugar is dissolved and just starting to turn a lovely dark amber color. Remove from heat and add the butter, and stir to combine. Careful, it’ll foam up. Then add the heavy cream and vanilla extract, stirring to combine. Pour the caramel into a glass jar and store in the fridge for up to two weeks. Pour over everything and anything!

***FOR MORE CARAMEL, CHECK OUT MY CARAMEL ICE CREAM!!!!

>Honey Vanilla Ice Cream + Summer Fruit Crisp

18 Aug

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Amidst my camera breaking, my new apartment still coming together, no Internet at the new apartment, and my weekend getaway trips gallivanting around northern California, my blog posts have been/will be a bit delayed.

My new kitchen is filled with fun gadgets: my KitchenAid candy-apple-red mixer, my mortar and pestle, tons of baking pans, and my ICE CREAM MAKER. And what a better way to break-in the kitchen than to make some refreshing ice cream?! Honey vanilla ice cream!!!

Lately I have been eating tons of melon: cantaloupe, watermelon, orange honeydew melon, canary melon, muskat melon……..mmmmmm. This honey vanilla ice cream is the perfect accoutrement to any melon. For some more melon fun, check out this post by the KitchyKitchen.


The way that I pick a good melon is to give it a sniff at right at the end where that circular nub is (see above photo). It should smell like fragrant flowers. If there is no smell, you can still buy the melon but let it sit for a few days on the counter. You can also try to shake or knock the melon. If the seeds are loose, the melon is ripe.

The honey vanilla ice cream can be served with melon, served on its own, served with some peanut butter and sliced sauteed bananas (deconstructed Elvis Presley-style?), served with a summer fruit crisp, or any other way you can imagine.

A summer fruit crisp is an easy, comforting dessert that can be thrown together in a pinch. Use whatever fruit you like, sprinkle the crisp topping on, and bake. Gosh, you get your fruit and your oat-y crumbly crunch. And it is just divine with the ice cream.


To make the crisp: I sliced dapple dandy pluots, a nectarine, and sprinkled a few blueberries into an 8 in by 8 in square baking pan (feel free to make minis in little ramekins, too). I added a tablespoon and a half of all-purpose flour (you can also add a sprinkle of sugar and/or lemon depending on the sweetness of the fruit). Then I topped the fruit with some crisp topping (recipe below) and baked it all in a 375 degree oven for about 30-40 minutes. Serve warm with the ice cream on top…YUM!


Honey Vanilla Ice Cream
adapted from Chez Panisse Fruit

makes 1 quart

** BEWARE: This ice cream is really heavy on the honey flavor. If you just want a slight honey flavor, add only 1/2 a cup or less of honey. But if you are a major honey lover, add the whole 3/4 cup (that’s what I did)

6 egg yolks
1 cup half and half (I just used milk because that was all I had…it still came out great)
1 pinch salt
1 vanilla bean
2 cups heavy cream, chilled
1/2-3/4 cup honey, depending on how much of a honey lover you are

Set the heavy cream into a large bowl or bucket and set a fine mesh strainer or sieve over the top. Set the bowl into another larger bowl of ice water.

In a mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks just enough to break them up. Gently heat the milk and salt in a medium-size saucepan or pot. Split the vanilla bean lengthwise, scrape out the seeds with a paring knife, and put them into the milk mixture along with the bean pod. Stir slowly over low heat until the milk is steaming.

Drizzle the warm mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly as you pour (this is called tempering the egg yolks).

Return the milk and egg yolk mixture to the saucepan or pot. Cook the mixture over low heat, stirring slowly and scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon or heat-resistant rubber spatula until the mixture thickens enough to coat the spoon (this happens at a temperature of about 170 degrees F).

Immediately remove from the heat and strain through the fine-mesh strainer/sieve into the cold cream. Whisk in the 3/4 cup of honey.

Whisk together to cool the mixture over the ice bath. Once chilled, cover the ice cream base and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled (at least a half hour or over-night).

Freeze the mixture according to your ice cream machine’s instructions. Transfer the frozen ice cream to a clean dry container, cover, and store in the freezer for several hours before serving to firm up.

Variations:

To make honey lavender ice cream: Add 1 tablespoon of dried lavender when you are heating the milk.

To make vanilla ice cream, use milk instead of half and half and add 2/3 cup of sugar when you heat the milk. Omit the honey.

Fruit Crisp Topping

adapted from Deborah Madison

3/4 cup light brown sugar
2/3 cup flour
1/2 cup rolled oats or finely chopped almonds
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon, optional
6 Tbsp. butter, cut into small chunks

Using your fingers or the paddle attachment of a mixer, combine the topping ingredients and work in the butter until the texture is coarse and crumbly.

**The topping can be made ahead and refrigerated for a week or so or frozen for several weeks.

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