Figs with Almonds and Cranberries

I asked Adrian if he'd like to have Vegan Coconut Chocolate Pudding or something Ethiopian for dessert. I didn't think he'd choose the latter given his preference for western sweets. A good round up for our first Ethiopian night though.

The original recipe uses prunes and raisins. I didn't want to buy them since I figured figs and dried cranberries might well be substitutes. I liked the complex sweet and tartness of the fruit and nut compote. Adrian had this ingenious idea of serving it with dark chocolate. It was a hit.

Ingredients:
(make 2 servings)

• 4 dried figs, chopped
• a handful of whole almond
• a handful of dried cranberries
• 2 whole cloves
• Natural brown sugar
• pinches of ground cinnamon
• 2 TB apple cider vinegar
• 1 Cup water
  

1. In a bowl, soak dried fig in boiling water for 10 - 15 minutes.
2. In a separate bowl, soak whole almonds in boiling water for 30 minutes.
3. Mix together all the ingredients in a saucepan. Bring it to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the sauce has thickened. Stirring frequently.
   

Homemade Bagels with Maple Walnut Cranberry Cream Cheese and Smoked Salmon Spread

I used to make bagels before I started this blog. I remembered how impressed Adrian was. He was telling everyone that I made bagels - "handmade, not machine. I didn't even know that's humanly possible!?!" The lady whom I'm doing rehabilitation work with even suggested I should start selling; seeing the lack of quality bagels in Thailand. Although I'm flattered, but apparently there are tonnes of others in the world who make bagels, with hand, at home.

I'm doing it again after so many months because Adrian is craving for good bagels. He even asked Sandra to buy bagels back from The State after her Thanksgiving trip in San Diego. Let's say we established that's not possible. Eventually he decided to ask me to bake them. As all good wives do, I obliged.

This time I'm using the recipe from Peter Reinhart's The Bread Baker's Apprentice. This intimidating looking book is the only food book that I bought (or I made Adrian bought for me). It is a shame but I have to admit I haven't been making good use of the book since I got it through Amazon months ago. However, from what little I have gone through, I know it is THE book for amateur bread baker. It's full of recipes and instructions to experiment with artisan breads, also, basic concepts of bread baking, the science of bread, and information about equipment and ingredients. It also includes an extremely useful section on the twelve stages in the life of bread. What I like the most about this book is it helps me to understand why the recipe does what it does.

I made a mistake by making too many bagels at once: I forgot we have a small kitchen and refrigerator with limited space. Besides, 12 bagels is a lot of kneading to do with bare hand. Next time, I'm leaving the arm works to the American who craves for good bagels.

I made the bagels with two different toppings: poppy seeds and white sesame seeds to go with sweet filling such as Maple Walnut Cranberry Cream Cheese, and minced onions and garlic to go with savory filling like Smoked Salmon Spread.

I'm too lazy to type out the recipe but you can go to The Fresh Loaf for it. Nevertheless I'm happy to share our favorite bagel fillings:

Maple Walnut Cranberry Cream Cheese

Most recipes use a mix of sugar and maple syrup but why would you do that? I certainly don't.

• 8 oz cream cheese, softened at room temperature
• 1/2 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
  
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries, chopped
  
• 1/4 Cup pure maple syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  

Whip cream cheese until smooth. While continuing to whip, slowly add all of the remaining ingredients. Cover and chill until firm (at least an hour or two).

Smoked Salmon Spread

• 4 oz cream cheese, softened
• 4 oz smoked salmon, chopped
• 1 Cup sour cream (lemon juice + cream)
  
• 2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
• 1 tablespoons capers, drained and chopped
• Salt and pepper
• 1 teaspoon lemon and zest
  

In large bowl, stir cream cheese until light and fluffy. Fold in salmon, sour cream, dill, capers, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Stir in lemon juice and zest. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to overnight.

Broccoli Slaw

This is a no-brainer salad slaw. Besides, how can it possibly fail with mayonnaise as ingredient? I prepared it the night before and just let it sat marinated in the fridge overnight. You may substitute dried cranberries with raisins. I thought I would use cranberries since it's for Thanksgiving dinner.
For the dressing:

• 1/2 cup buttermilk (lemon juice+milk)
  
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoons natural cane sugar
• pinch of sea salt and black pepper
  

Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

For the salad:

• 2 cups broccoli florets
  
• 1/2 cup. whole almonds, toasted and coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
  
• 1/4 of a medium red onion, finely chopped

1. Toss all ingredients together in a salad bowl.
2. Pour dressing over the salad. Toss well. Taste and season accordingly.
   

Roasted Stuffed Pumpkin

I never knew Thanksgiving is a American thing. I always thought it's one of those "Christmas", "Boxing Day" or "Halloween" things. So I did a little bit of googling and found out Thanksgiving falls on 26th November. So why did I make this now and not later? I guess I just wanted to try something different and Thanksgiving is just an excuses.

With apples, cranberries and nuts as ingredients, this dish has a festive taste to it. I know Adrian was very pleased with his "Malaysian Chinese wife making Thanksgiving dinner for her American husband in Thailand". It also answers his needs for Thanksgiving meal; it used to be "should I eat the turkey? Is it ok to eat just the stuffing?"

There's a lot of room to play with the ingredients. You can substitute cooked barley with lentils, toasted bread, long grain rice or seitan; raisin always works in place of cranberries; any types of nuts you have in hand; apple cider vinegar or dry white wine instead of lemon juice. Use a whole pumpkin if you are serving a small group of people. Cut a large circle around the stem and remove the seeds and stringy matter from the inside.

Ingredients:
(serves 2)
For the Stuffing:
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/3 cup celery, diced
1/2 cup mushroom, sliced
1/4 cup cooked barley
1/4 big apple, diced
Handful of walnuts and hazelnuts, chopped
Handful of dried cranberries
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh oregano and sage, chopped
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
pinch of ground cumin
pinch of salt and pepper
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1. In a sauce pan, saute onion with pinch of salt until fragrant. Add celery and cook for 2 - 3 minutes. Add mushroom and cook for another 1 minute. Toss in cooked barley to coat evenly. Remove from heat and pour sauteed vegetable into a large mixing bowl.
   
2. Stir in apple, nuts, cranberries and beaten egg. Let the mixture sit for a moment.
3. Melt a tablespoon of butter over medium heat until it bubbles. Stir in garlic and cook for one minute. Stir garlic butter over vegetable mixture.
4. Add herbs and spices, finish with lemon juice and blend thoroughly.

For the Pumpkin:

• 1/2 medium pumpkin, seeds removed.

1. Press stuffing into the shell until the pumpkin is completely stuffed.
2. Using a sharp knife, cut several small, slit-like pockets at different levels in the exterior wall of the pumpkin. Dab a pat of butter into each of these crevices.
3. Place the stuffed pumpkin in an oiled baking dish and cook, in a preheated 180C oven, for about 1 1/2 hour. (Cooking time may vary, depending on the thickness of the pumpkin's wall.) Pumpkin is ready when fork inserted comes in and out easily through the shell.
   
4. As the pumpkin bakes, the butter will trickle down from one side-slit to another, finally winding up in the pan. Collect the dripping and dressing.
   

For The Gravy:

• cooked dressing and dripping from the pumpkin
• 2 tablespoons butter
  
• 4 tbsp flour
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce

1. Heat the oil over medium heat in a small frying pan. Add the pumpkin drippings and stuffing, being careful to break up the dressing as it simmers. Then slowly add the flour, stirring constantly. When the flour starts to brown, gradually pour in the water a little at a time, still stirring continuously. Add soy sauce. As soon as the gravy thickens, remove it from the burner. This should make 1 cup of sumptuous sauce for spooning over roast pumpkin slices.

Bear Heart Chocolate Chip and Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

Today, 16th November 2009, is our 2-year wedding anniversary. Or, as I prefer to call it: 730 days as Mrs Cox. Adrian arranged for us to stay a night at the Shangri-la Hotel. People wonder why would we do that given that our apartment is literally a stone throw away from the hotel. At least Shangri-la is at the other site of the river as our apartment; we get to see different view of the city from another angle.

Since it's our anniversary, and upon Mr Cox's permission, Mrs Cox decided to "take the day off" and not cook for the day. So we rode the apartment boat to the hotel, stormed straight into the Next 2 riverside cafe for breakfast buffet; we got a Spa appointment at 9.30am. Breakfast was good although Mr Cox thought "nothing is as good as your cooking".

We had a 3 1/2 hours couple spa treatment. It was way too long. I was terrified when they placed the 5th layer of mask on my face after the 8th cleanse (or whatever they were for). It was a huge relief for us when the masseurs finally let us go.

The rest of the day was spent chilling by the pool, eating free snacks and drinks at the club lounge, and watching TV (we kind of have this thing with TV while we travel to make up for the lack of TV back home). It wasn't exactly an exciting day but we both felt refreshed by the end of it. I think the occasional isolation from the "world" is necessary for the soul.

Someone once told me honeymoon is over after two years of marriage. There may be certain truth in that. In any case I prefer to see our marriage as an adventure. I'd be straight up lying if I say everyday has been great in this two years. But every time we fight it makes our relationship stronger than before; it makes me appreciate our relationship even more; I come to realize how truly I am in love with this man.

I panicked the day Adrian told me he had plan for our anniversary. What should I do then? I thought of a symbolical way of telling Adrian my wish of truly becoming one with him - no "he" no "I"; just "us". I'm keeping a little privacy here as to what I gave him. Along with that, as a gesture to commemorate our anniversary, I baked this oatmeal cookies in Bear and Heart.I adjusted the recipe to suit the Bear and Heart molds. You may double the amount to make 18 cookies.

Ingredients:

• 50gram of butter, soften at room temperature
• pinch of salt
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup natural cane sugar
• 1/2 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/4 tsp pure Vanilla
• 1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/4 cup Oatmeal
• 1/4 cup Chocolate Chips
• 1/4 cup Walnuts, chopped
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries

1. Preheat oven to 180C.
   
2. Add a pinch of salt to the softened butter. Beat together with sugar until creamy.
   
3. Stir in egg, pure vanilla, flour, baking soda and oatmeal. The dough should not be too sticky.
4. Fold in chocolate chips, walnuts and cranberries.
5. Transfer dough into molds or drop by rounded teaspoons onto parchment paper.
6. Bake for 20minutes if using molds, or 7 - 11 minutes for cookies-size.
   

Camembert and Cranberry Stuffed Eggplant with Pesto

I am going to Singapore from tomorrow for 8 days. Past couple of days have been a struggle between clearing what's left in the fridge and buying what I'd like to cook with. Eventually I did a pretty good job having just a bunch of parsley and basil left. With such combination, one naturally thinks of Pesto. I would just like to emphasize the beauty of chopping instead of processing: you get these bits and bites of nuts and the ingredients that you don't get with the homogeneous paste from processor. It's a lot of patient and work especially so in a hot kitchen - you may want to make it a point to whoever you make it for. I have no doubt Adrian is well aware of the effort I put in to this pesto.

Here is something I made long before that I have always wanted to redo. It's a very intricate combination of flavors from the tartness of dried cranberry, creamy Camembert, savory pesto served with the ambiguous mushroom. Unfortunately despite all these varieties of mushroom they are showcasing during the Nine Emperor Festival, I couldn't find the wide, flat mushroom that I needed for this recipe. So what was I going to do? I bought eggplant. I knew I have made it my mission to challenge Adrian's taste bud but this time it was unintentional.

Instead of using dried cranberry, I used Homemade Cranberry Sauce made from dried cranberry. If you don't have the time for a proper pesto, go to the original recipe and follow its use of rocket leaves.

We liked the play of different elements in this recipe. Although I think mushroom is still the better choice than eggplant. I may do it again with mushroom when I come back if Adrian decides not to do anything with the extra pesto for the next 8 days.

Updated: I came home from Singapore and guess what? The extra pesto was left intact in the far corner of the refrigerator. No surprise there. Hence I decided to repeat this recipe with Portabella mushroom. You can use any flat mushroom. Remember to pick the big ones because mushroom shrinks in size when cooked. The method is basically the same:

• Fry mushroom (stalk removed) in a ovenproof pan until golden brown all over.
• Arrange mushroom with the bottom side up in the pan. Pile cheese and cranberry on the mushroom. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and basil leaves.
• Bake until cheese has melted.
• Serve with pesto.

I made this into a main dish by serving it along with a Cheesy Cheddar Corn Polenta. The real essence develops when the foods are slightly cooled and it is much better with mushroom than with eggplant. Two hours after the dinner, while I was preparing Sticky Date Pudding and Adrian slouching on the coach slaying yet another alien on X-Box, he said "dinner was really good". And guess who I made it for?

Ingredients:
(makes 2 servings)
For the Pesto:

• A few bunches of parley and basil
• 3/4 C Parmesan, grated
• 3 gloves garlic
• A handful of raw pine nuts (or walnuts/ pecans)
• Extra virgin Olive oil
• Freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Sea salt

1. Start chopping the some of leaves. Add some Parmesan, garlic and nuts as you chop. Add more of the leaves, Parmesan, nuts and garlic as you continue to chop and chop and chop.... until they become more or less homogenized.
2. You'll need approximately 1 Cup of pesto for this recipe. If there's extra, press them into a cake in a jar, cover with extra virgin olive oil and keep refrigerated for future use.
   
3. To the 1 cup pesto, mix in 2 tablespoon lemon juice, 2 tablespoon olive oil and pinch of salt. Taste and adjust with more oil, lemon juice, and salt as needed.

For the Eggplant:

• 1 eggplant, sliced lengthwise
• Olive oil
• sea salt
• 1 Cup Homemade cranberry sauce (or dried cranberry)
• 125g Camembert, cubed
  

1. Preheat oven to 180C. Rub eggplant halves with oil and salt. Let roast for about 30 minutes, until the cut sides are browned.
2. Remove cooked eggplant from the oven. Top it with cranberry sauce and cubed Camembert. Return to the oven and let bake for another 20 minutes, until Camembert melts.

To serve:
Place eggplant halves onto individual serving plates. Drizzle pesto over and serve warm.

Pumpkin Goat Cheese Salad with Walnut and Cranberry Orange Vinaigrette

The key to this salad is the cranberry orange vinaigrette dressing that come with just a tinge of ginger. It is rather simple provided you have homemade cranberry sauce (not that you can't use commercial brand but why would you?) at hand. You can make a big batch of it and use it whenever you need that delicious dressing for your greens. When in hurry, simply omit the roasted pumpkins, and use fresh goat cheese instead of deep fried - I'm just in the mood for it since I made it with the Barley Pilaf. For aesthetic reason I spooned the dressing into the orange halves. You can dress it any way you like.

This dressing is a keeper.

Ingredients:
(makes 2 sides or 1 large)

Vinaigrette Dressing:
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/2 cup homemade cranberry sauce
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, peeled and finely minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon natural cane sugar
sea salt and Pepper to taste

1. Whisk the juice and cranberry sauce together in a large bowl until thoroughly blended.
   
2. Add in the ginger, olive oil, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper to taste and mix. Keep refrigerated until ready to use.
   

Salad:
Salad greens
1/4 large pumpkin, peeled and cut into wedges
4 tablespoons olive oil
pinch of salt
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons dried cranberries

Deep Fried Goat Cheese: (optional)
60 gram goat cheese, freeze and cut into bite-sized chunks
Unbleached all-purpose flour
1 egg, beaten
Breadcrumb

1. Preheat oven to 180C.
2. Coat pumpkin wedges with olive oil and salt. Bake in oven till tender.
   
3. Place flour, egg and breadcrumbs in three separate plates. Coat goat cheese with flour, egg then breadcrumbs.
4. Heat a pan with pure coconut oil. Fry coated goat cheese for 2 minutes on each side.
   
5. Pile the salad leaves either on one large bowl or two individual plates. Top the greens with roasted pumpkins, walnuts, cranberries and goat cheese.
6. Drizzle vinaigrette over to serve.
   

Homemade Cranberry Sauce with Dried Cranberry

Living in non-seasonal, tropical region of the world means many things. One of it being: expensive imported berries. Hence my attachment with affordable locally-produced frozen berries; I just wish they can bring out more frozen blueberry than they do with frozen strawberry. Nevertheless I thank the farmers up in Northern Thailand whose hard works find their way into my list of homemade's.

I have made countless bottles of homemade strawberry jam and raspberry jam from frozen local produce. This time, it's homemade cranberry sauce with dried cranberry. Making your own cranberry sauce is simple and delicious. And it’s a great winter immune system booster. Not that we have that weather spell here but it is raining a lot, and heavily so, these days. My first encounter with cranberry was its expensive juice said to contain proanthocyanidins that can prevent the adhesion of certain bacteria, such as E. Coli, to the urinary tract wall hence prevention of urinary tract infections. This anti-adhesion properties of cranberry may also inhibit the bacteria associated with gum disease and stomach ulcers.

Getting hold of fresh or frozen cranberry is a challenge; it's rare and often expensive. That's why this recipe is so good. Just bear in mind that dried cranberries are often sweetened - be cautious about how much sugar you add; it could be overly sweet. I prefer it to be on the tart side and used no more 1/4 cup of sugar.

Updated: Some serving ideas -

Use it as filling and top with the crispy walnut crust from this Apple Crisp recipe.

Serve it with pesto in this savory baked Camembert and Cranberry-stuffed Eggplant.

Ingredients

• 2 oranges, juiced
• zest of 1 orange
  
• 2 C dried cranberries
• 1/4 - 1/2 C natural cane sugar
  
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 apple, peeled and grated

1. Wash the cranberries in a bowl of hot water, to remove any oil coating. Drain.
2. Put cranberries and orange juice with 100ml water in a pan. Cover and simmer very gently for 10 minutes, until the cranberries are starting to plump up. Leave covered for an hour.
3. Add 1/4 cup of sugar, cinnamon and apple, and simmer for 15 minutes, until the sauce has thickened.
4. Check for sweetness and add more sugar, if necessary.

Camembert and Blue Cheese Turnover

I'm going to be teaching Yoga at Cocoa Island in Maldives for the month of July and August. That's a total of 7 weeks away from my husband. Big Deal! What's he going to do with food? I've got to make sure there's 'something' in the fridge for him. Here's two easy to make sweet turnovers. They are perfect for breakfast with a cup of espresso (Adrian's take).
Despite the incessant assurance and encouragement from Divya (my Canadian Indian neighbour), I'm still hesitant about making my own dough. Hence, I took the easy way buying the ready made puff pastry from the store. I have to say they are really good. I just don't like waiting to defrost.

Sweet Baked Camembert
Ingredients:
Puff pastry sheet
Homemade raspberry jam
Dried cranberry
Almond slivers
Camembert
Maple syrup
Ground cinnamon

1. Prepare puff pastry sheet as instructed. I divided one sheet into four quarters and used a quarter of a round camembert for each quarter of the pastry sheet.
2. Sprinkle each quarter with dried cranberry (or raisins) and a couple tablespoons of raspberry jam. Top with slivers of almond.
3. Fold the pastry into desired shape. If you are not baking them yet, wrap each pastry with plastic or cling film and store in zip lock bag in the freezer.
4. To serve, preheat oven to 180C. Defrost the pastry at room temperature.
5. Make a few small holes on the pastry using a fork. Drizzle the top with maple syrup and sprinkle with ground cinnamon.
6. Bake in preheated oven for 15 - 20 minutes until golden brown. Let cool slightly before serving.

It's the same steps for the blue cheese turnover except it's paired with chopped pecan and dried figs.

Sweet Baked Blue Cheese
Ingredients
Puff pastry sheet
blue cheese
chopped pecan nuts (or walnuts)
4 Dried Figs, quartered
Maple syrup
Ground cinnamon