Thursday, December 29, 2011

Rainbow Fudge

The Recipe:
Rainbow Fudge

2 cans (14 ounces each) sweetened condensed milk (NOT evaporated)
5 boxes (6 ounces each) white chocolate baking squares, chopped
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
Liquid food colouring (red, green, yellow, blue)

1. Line a 9x5 inch loaf pan with foil
2. Divide sweetened condensed milk between 5 microwave safe bowls (about 1/2 cup each)
3. To make the bottom PURPLE layer,  add 6 ounces of chopped white chocolate to one bowl of sweetened condensed milk. Microwave uncovered on high for 1 minutes; stir until smooth. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon vanilla. Tint purple by adding 9 drops red food colour and 6 drops of blue food colour; stir well. Immediately pour fudge mixture into bottom of foil lined pan, spreading to the edges. Firmly tap pan on counter to even out layer. Place in freezer for at least 15 minutes or until top appears set.
4. To make the BLUE layer,  add 6 ounces of chopped white chocolate to one bowl of sweetened condensed milk. Microwave uncovered on high for 1 minutes; stir until smooth. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon vanilla. Tint purple by adding 18 drops blue colour; stir well. Gently pour and spread mixture over PURPLE layer in pan. Firmly tap pan on counter to even out layer. Place in freezer at least 15 minutes or until top appears set.
5. To make the GREEN layer,  add 6 ounces of chopped white chocolate to one bowl of sweetened condensed milk. Microwave uncovered on high for 1 minutes; stir until smooth. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon vanilla. Tint purple by adding 18 drops green colour; stir well. Gently pour and spread mixture over BLUE layer in pan. Firmly tap pan on counter to even out layer. Place in freezer at least 15 minutes or until top appears set.
6. To make the YELLOW layer,  add 6 ounces of chopped white chocolate to one bowl of sweetened condensed milk. Microwave uncovered on high for 1 minutes; stir until smooth. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon vanilla. Tint purple by adding 12 drops yellow colour; stir well. Gently pour and spread mixture over GREEN layer in pan. Firmly tap pan on counter to even out layer. Place in freezer at least 15 minutes or until top appears set. 
7. To make the RED layer,  add 6 ounces of chopped white chocolate to one bowl of sweetened condensed milk. Microwave uncovered on high for 1 minutes; stir until smooth. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon vanilla. Tint purple by adding 18 drops red colour; stir well. Gently pour and spread mixture over YELLOW layer in pan. Firmly tap pan on counter to even out layer.
8. Refrigerate at least 12 hours or until cold and firm. Cut into 8 rows by 4 rows, trimming edges as desired. If fudge becomes soft during slicing, return to fridge to firm up. Store covered in fridge. 
Active time: 1 hour 30 minutes         Total time: 13 hours 30 minutes      Serves: 32 pieces


The Cook's Comments
Simplicity
Like the other fudge recipe on here, I'd have to give this a 1 on the simplicity scale. It was incredibly simple.

Complications and Suggestions
I can't say I had any complications perse. The foil stuck slightly so that it peeled off in small strips at times, but that is about it. I do have suggestions, however. First off, if you rather save on the dishes, do what I do and use one dish and rinse it thoroughly in between layers. I even used the same spoon. I would also suggest placing the firm fudge on a cutting board before cutting it into pieces. It was much easier to slice through.

Taste
This seemed to be a treat around my work. It is definitely a softer fudge and may melt in your mouth a bit so it may not be to your liking if you are a firm fudge lover. It does have a richness to it, but that it easily remedied with a cold glass of milk. :)
         

Vanilla Peppermint Fudge

The Recipe:
Vanilla Peppermint Fudge

1 (12 ounce) package of white chocolate chips
1 (16 ounce) container vanilla frosting
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
8 drops red food colouring
2 tablespoons crushed peppermint candies

1. Line an 8x8 pan with wax paper
2. Melt white chocolate chips in a double broiler or melt in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring after each interval.
3. Stir the frosting into the white chocolate chips
4. Stir in peppermint extract. 
5. Spread into pan evenly.
6. Add 8 drops of food colouring on top of fudge and using a knife, swirl the food colouring.
7. Sprinkle top of fudge with peppermint candies and press down slightly.
8. Cool fudge for about an hour in the fridge
9. Once firm, turn fudge onto cutting board and cut into squares.
Active time: 5 minutes         Total time: 1 hour 5 minutes        Serves:  25 pieces


The Cook's Comments
Simplicty
INCREDIBLY easy. This is a perfect dish for a young kid. 1/10 on the simplicity scale. Honestly, the only problem I had was spreading it so I actually had the useless assistant do something (thank you).

Complications and Suggestions
There was really no complications. I did end up making two batches. One is the recipe shown above, but I also made a batch using chocolate frosting and dark chocolate chips. Obviously, food colouring was outed for the chocolate fudge. I would suggest letting the fudge sit longer before eating. Although it was still good after only an hour, it tasted better when it had been it the fridge longer.

Taste 
A delicious snack perfect for the holidays. Both the chocolate and vanilla were tasty, and I found myself having trouble choosing which one I liked better. As stated earlier, the fudge did seem to taste better  after being chilled several hours rather than one so if you have the time (and patience), I would suggest waiting. This is also a thicker type fudge so it makes it less sticky. The crunchiness of the peppermint candies gave it a pleasurable added texture as well.

       

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Ginger Chicken Soup and Baked Spiced Asian Pears

The Recipe:
Ginger Chicken Soup

48 oz chicken broth
1 package (about 1 1/4 pounds) thin sliced boneless, skinless, chicken breast fillets
2 large carrots, coarsely shredded
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons grated peeled fresh ginger (about 1 ginger root)

Optional Add-Ins:
8 ounces cubed super firm tofu, drained well
2 slivered green onions
2 cups thinly sliced, then coarsely chopped, Napa cabbage
1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
3 ounces fresh snow peas, each cut diagonally in half
2 teaspoons sriracha hot chili sauce
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper

1. In large saucepan, combine all ingredients except optional add-ins; heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 3 to 5 minutes or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. With tongs, transfer chicken to cutting board. With two forks, shred chicken.
 2. If desired, stir in any optional add-ins into hot broth; cook up to 5 minutes over medium heat until add-ins are heated through and/or vegetables are tender. To serve, divide chicken between each of the four soup bowls. Ladle soup over chicken.
Active time: 15 minutes          Total time: 20 minutes      Serves: 4

The Cook's Comments
For this recipe, I ended up using the following optional add-ins: tofu and green onions. I also ended up grilling the chicken first instead of boiling only.

Simplicity
Like the other recipes I have posted on here so far, this dish is also very simple. Although you may not want a young kid making it all by himself, he could easily help out

Complications and Suggestions
For those using tofu: not everyone may know how to prepare tofu. Before cooking with it, you will need to drain it. To do this, wrap the tofu block in two layers of paper towels and set on a plate. Place another plate on top of the wrapped tofu and set a 20 oz can on top. Leave for twenty minutes.

I would highly suggest doubling the ginger for this recipe. Although 4/4 thought the soup was good, we all agreed that it needed more ginger. Two of us also thought it would have been better to add the chili sauce. I also ended up chopping the green onions instead of slivering them, but that is a personal preference.

Taste
As stated above, all agreed it tasted good, but needed more of the ginger spice since it was barely noticeable. Both the useless assistant (who has done little but eat so far) and I think a little heat from the chili sauce would have made it perfect as well. Please note, the useless assistant does not tend to like spicy food so this suggestion does not come from someone with a hot palette. 


The Recipe:
Baked Spiced Asian Pears

2 Asian pears (apple pears), cored, cut in half, then cut into 1/4 inch thick slices (about 3 cups)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
Nonstick cooking spray
4 ginger snap cookies, finely crushed
1 cup vanilla ice cream

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In large bowl, gently toss apples with sugar, vanilla, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Add juice over apple mixture and toss until well combined.
2. Spray 9 to 10 inch cake pan or glass pie plate with nonstick cooking spray. Arrange pear slices in rows, overlapping slightly. Sprinkle with cookie crumbs. Bake 15 to 17 minutes or until pears are tender but firm. Serve pears over a scoop of ice cream.
Active time: 10 minutes        Cooking time: 25 minutes     Serves: 4

The Cook's Comments
Simplicty
Again, this dish is incredibly easy. The hardest part was slicing the pears. This would be a great dish for a kid to make with a little help with the chopping the the oven use.

Complications and Suggestions
Although the original recipe has the ginger snaps optional, I cannot imagine the dish being as good as it was without it. Also, some may be tempted to leave out the ice cream. Do not do this! The pears are pretty dry by themselves and the ice cream balances it out to perfection.

Taste
This wasn't a favourite dish, but it was still pretty tasty, especially considering how easy it was to make so I could see this being made again.

           
     
       

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Sausage Chile Cheese Quiche

The Recipe:
Sausage Chile Cheese Quiche

1 refrigerated pie crust, at room temperature
3 large eggs
2/3 cup whipping cream
1 1/2 cups finely shredded Cheddar Jack cheese, divided
1 can (10 ounces) mild or original diced tomatoes with green chiles
1 package (9.6 ounces) Jimmy Dean heart sausage crumbles
1 firm-ripe avocado, pitted and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 medium tomato, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place cookie sheet in oven while oven preheats. Place pie crust in glass or ceramic 9 1/2 inch deep pie plate; crimp dough to make the decorative edge. With fork, prick the bottom and side of crust at 1 inch intervals. Place pie crust on preheated cookie sheet and baked 10 to 12 minutes or until crust puffs slightly. Cool pie crust on wire rack 10 minutes. Leave cookie sheet in hot oven.
2. Meanwhile, in medium bowl, with whisk, lightly beat eggs; stir in cream. Spread 1 cup cheese on bottom of cooled pie crust; top with canned diced tomatoes and sausage. Pour egg mixture over sausage. Place pie plate on same cookie sheet and bake 30 to 40 minutes or until knife inserted in centre comes out clean and centre is set. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup cheese on top of quiche; bake 2 minutes longer. Let stand 5 minutes; sprinkle with avocado and fresh tomato. Cut into wedges to serve. 
Prep time: 10 minutes            Cook time: 42 minutes            Serves: 6


The Cook's Comments:
Simplicity
Again, this recipe was incredibly simple to make. 3/10 on the simplicity scale.

Complications and Suggestions
The only complication I had was my quiche was slightly runny due to the fact that my pie plate wasn't deep enough. However, we didn't think it made it any less delicious; it just made it less pretty to serve.

Taste
This has definitely become a favourite, and my useless assistant has requested it several times since its initial cooking. We even liked the avocado on top, which is odd since neither of us care for avocados.
       
  

Miso Soup

The Recipe:
Miso Soup

12 ounce block firm silken tofu
2 quarts dashi
6 tablespoons dark or red miso
2 tablespoons light or white miso
4 scallions, thinly sliced

1. Wrap the tofu in two layers of paper towels and lay on a plate. Invert a second plate on top of the tofu and weigh down with a 28 ounce can. Leave for 20 minutes then cut the tofu into 1/4 to 1/2 inch cubes.
2. Heat the dashi in a 4 quart saucepan over medium-high heat. When the dashi reaches 100 degrees F on an instant read thermometer, ladle 1 cup into a small bowl. Add the miso and whisk until smooth.
3. Bring the remaining dashi to a bare simmer, approximately 10 minutes. Add the miso mixture and whisk to combine. Return to a light simmer, being careful not to boil the mixture. Add the tofu and scallions and cook for another minute or until heated through. Remove from heat, ladle into soup bowls and serve immediately.
Prep time: 30 minutes          Cook time: 10 minutes         Serves: 8

Where do I find this? Many of you may be wondering where to find such things such as miso and dashi. Unfortunately, your local grocery store is probably unable to find it. However, Asian and world food markets will have what you are looking for. Both the miso and the dashi ought to be found in the Japanese isle.  The miso will be refrigerated.
I can't find it. What do I do? If you can't find the miso paste, you are out of luck. Sorry, you cannot make miso soup without miso. Dashi is supposed to be liquid here. However, I was only able to find dry dashi. If you can only find the latter, for every quart of water, add 1 teaspoon of dry dashi. If you cannot find dashi of any kind, do not worry. The miso soup still can be made without the dashi.


The Cook's Comments:
Simplicity
It's so easy that I have made this several times within minutes. I was even sick during one of these times. If a miserable and sick person can make it, it must be easy.

Complications and Suggestions
The only complications that arose was finding some of the ingredients. As stated earlier, I was only able to find dry dashi, but that was easy enough to fix (1 teaspoon dashi for every quart of water). I also ended up just chopping the scallions instead and thought it was just as good. 

Taste
Personally, I love the red/white miso blend with the dashi and found it to be the perfect miso soup mix. However, the dashi might not be to everyone's taste

Other Comments
Again, I, personally, find simple miso soup to be the best. I have found adding seaweed or leeks to the soup to be just as delicious, but feel free to try other ingredients as well.