Cooking with Alison

Archive for June, 2011|Monthly archive page

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Cream Cheese Pound Cake Recipe (with a Lemon Variation)

In Cakes on June 27, 2011 at am

Ed went through a phase where he thought that trifles were his favourite dessert.  I didn’t understand it and I was grateful when he finally realized how wrong he was, but I made them for him nonetheless.  I made large trifles (see the ugly strawberry one below; recipe here), individual sized trifles (see my wild blueberry trifle below) and miniature trifles using small dollar store stemmed cups (unfortunately, I didn’t take a photo of those). 

Tip:  I use one of the serving cups/glasses like a cookie cutter for the pound cake so my cake layers are even and the right shape.

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Cheese Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

In Sides and Sauces on June 24, 2011 at am

These cheese stuffed portobello mushrooms are delicious, versatile, and ridiculously quick and easy to make.  Choose a melty cheese and make it as casual (as I did using marble cheese) or as fancy as you’d like.  In terms of the toppings, you can use leftovers, vegetables and/or protein.  I had a tomato on hand and it added lovely acidity and freshness to the hearty mushroom and heavy cheese.  Serve this as an appetizer, as a side, or as the main.

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Pan Fried Steamed Buns Recipe

In Other Asian Foods, Steamed Bread on June 21, 2011 at am

Chinese steamed buns are delicious plain and straight out of the steamer.  But if you haven’t tried pan fried steamed buns, then you’re definitely missing out.  Unlike steamed buns, pan fried buns have crispy, golden brown bottoms and are often served with a Chinese black vinegar dip.  You start with fresh, raw homemade buns and you pan fry and steam cook them at the same time.  (Next time, I will try doing this with frozen, raw buns and I will update this post at that time.)

In the photo below, I’ve shown most of the buns upside down, but when serving pan fried buns, you should plate them with the crispy bottom down.

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Steamed Chicken (or Pork) and Chinese Chive Buns

In Dim Sum, Other Asian Foods, Steamed Bread on June 19, 2011 at am

I love Chinese steamed buns with savoury meat fillings.  (See my pork and napa cabbage filling here.)  Although these buns are time consuming to make from scratch, they’re easy to make and homemade buns don’t have MSG.  If you take the time to make a large batch, you can freeze the extras and make your efforts last.

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Pork and Napa Cabbage Steamed Buns

In Dim Sum, Other Asian Foods, Steamed Bread on June 17, 2011 at am

Chinese steamed buns are usually eaten for breakfast, brunch, or lunch, and they make the best snacks.  Best served piping hot, they can be made with sweet or, my preference, savoury fillings.  (See my chicken or pork and Chinese chive recipe here.)  Although these buns are time consuming to make from scratch, they are quite easy to make and I’ve provided a shortcut option in the recipe below.  Also, you can make a large batch at one time and freeze the extras.  Although the store-bought frozen buns can go from the freezer to the table in under 20 minutes, they contain MSG, preservatives and too much sodium.

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The Halal Guys, New York City Street Food

In Reviews on June 14, 2011 at am

I always rave about the chicken kabobs that you get from the NYC street vendors.  Forget the hot dogs, the pretzels, or the toasted nuts, have a chicken kabob!  They’re about $5 a skewer but they’re the best chicken kabobs I’ve ever had.  When I told my cousin how the streets of NYC ruined all other chicken kabobs for me, he told me that I had to try The Halal Guys at 6th Avenue and 53rd Street.  This specific location is very well known for their chicken and rice dish (photo below).  From what I’ve been told, no other location of this chain compares.  We went there late on a Monday night and there were 10 to 15 people in line ahead of us.  To my surprise, my cousin and his friend told me that we were lucky that the line was so short.  The line up at this location is usually horrendous.  In fact, someone was once stabbed for cutting in line.

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Mango and Chicken Stir Fry

In Meat and Eggs on June 11, 2011 at am

My favourite mango chicken dish is surprisingly simple and is served at the restaurant, Magic Wok in Markham, ON.  They stir fry pieces of chicken with slices of fresh mango and ginger and serve it in a delicious basket made from deep fried shredded taro.  I’m on the look out for the properly shaped Chinese wire basket/strainers so that I may recreate this restaurant style dish at home.  In the meantime, I make a homestyle chicken and mango stir fry with bell peppers for added crunch and colour.  Feel free to use whatever vegetables you happen to have on hand.


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Favourite Banana Bread Recipe

In Breads, Breakfast, Other Desserts on June 8, 2011 at am

I’ve tried numerous recipes in search of my favourite banana bread.  Recently, I found one that was exactly what I was looking for.  This is Ed’s favourite recipe too.  In the past, he has always dutifully taste-tested my banana bread with the disclaimer that he isn’t a big banana bread fan.  But when I gave him the rest of this loaf to take home to his family, he ate it all before he arrived.  😉  This banana bread is moist, soft, and it holds together without being heavy or dense.  It has great banana flavour and a handful of chocolate chips makes a wonderful variation.  My preference is to use only enough chocolate to add a subtle sweetness and depth so as not to overpower the bananas.  I know I’ve accomplished this when people have to ask if there’s chocolate in it.

If you prefer a softer, fluffier banana bread, this recipe by my little mochi is excellent too.  I use it whenever I have sour cream or yogurt that needs to get used up.

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Chinese Borscht Recipe (Lor Sung Tong)

In Asian, Soups, Soups and Salads on June 2, 2011 at am

Originating from Ukraine, borscht is a soup that is made with beets as the main ingredient.  Surprisingly, you may find borscht or even Russian borscht (“loh sung tong” / “lor sung tong”) on the menus of some Hong Kong style diners.  The borscht served in these Chinese restaurants is more like a hot and sour vegetable soup with tomatoes and/or tomato paste as the main ingredient(s).  It’s delicious and my siblings and I love it.  In fact, every time my brother sees me, he asks me when I’m going to make more of this soup for him.  I made it for my housemate recently and she asked for the recipe.  Every Chinese restaurant makes their borscht slightly differently, so feel free to add whatever vegetables you like.  The following recipe was created to taste just like the soup that’s served at our favourite Hong Kong style diner in Markham, ON.

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