Cooking with Alison

Posts Tagged ‘food’

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Favourite Soft and Chewy Sugar Cookies (2 Variations)

In Cookies on April 27, 2011 at pm

I love the texture of these cookies; they’re soft and chewy without being heavy or dense.  They’re the perfect spring or summer cookie; bring them to a picnic, tea party, bbq, or the beach.  I have posted 2 versions of this cookie.  The first one is plain with the option to add a hint of lemon.  This simple sugar cookie is perfect for when you need something in a pinch, because you [probably] already have all of the ingredients on hand.  The second variation (my preference) is a lime and coconut sugar cookie that has a lovely subtle flavour.  Try experimenting with other combinations like orange and cardamom!

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GATEAUX bakery and cafe, New Jersey (an excellent Korean bakery)

In Reviews on April 24, 2011 at am

The GATEAUX bakery & cafe is a wonderful Korean bakery in New Jersey.  They have impressively beautiful cakes that are delicately light in texture and flavour.  They are perfect for celebrating any occasion.  I love that they’re not too sweet.  Also, they won’t sit heavily in your stomach like other bakery cakes that are too rich or dense.  Thanks goes out to my cousin for introducing this bakery to us!

GATEAUX bakery & cafe doesn’t have a website at this time.  But here is their contact info:

Address:  877 U.S. 1 Edison, NJ 08817-4676
Tel: (732) 248-5555

The red bean cake is shown below.

The tiramisu cake (with candles) is shown below.

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Stuffed Peppers Recipe (For Using Turkey and Stuffing Leftovers)

In Sides and Sauces on April 21, 2011 at am

Whenever I make turkey and stuffing, I deliberately reserve some so that I can make these stuffed peppers.  They are simple, easy to make, relatively healthy, and delicious.  This is an excellent way to use up left overs because the turkey and stuffing get transformed into something completely different.  When my housemate introduced me to this dish, I couldn’t even tell that it had stuffing in it.  Ed and my whole family loved them when I made them over the Christmas holidays, 2010.  The original recipe also suggests using tomatoes or zucchini.  In my opinion, tomatoes are too soft for this dish (the stuffed tomato is in the middle of the photos above).

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Roast Brined Turkey Recipe

In Poultry on April 18, 2011 at am

I brined a turkey for the first time for Christmas dinner, 2010.  Brining a turkey infuses the meat with flavour and moisture.  You can flavour the brine with any herbs and spices that you like.  Although frozen turkeys (that have been thawed out) can be used, I prefer to brine fresh turkeys.

I had originally planned on spending my holidays in flannel pyjamas drinking canned mushroom soup and eating cranberry sauce out of the can.  In bed.  But my favourite people, Ed and Krystal, inspired me to host Christmas.  So I invited the family for a few days and made them two [slightly healthier] traditional holiday feasts.  I’m really glad I did, because the food turned out wonderfully and with my surprise (my “new” dog – a first for our family), it turned out to be the best Christmas ever.

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How to Make Chinese Rice Wine

In Drinks, How-To, Other Asian Foods on April 14, 2011 at am

Cooking with Alison’s Grandma (Part 1 of 4)

We had a family reunion in NYC to celebrate my grandma’s 80th birthday in March, 2011.  While I was there, I asked her to show me how she makes some of the family’s favourite dishes.  This is how she makes Chinese rice wine.  It is surprisingly easy to make!

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Have You Tried Ice Cider?

In Reviews on April 10, 2011 at am

During a visit to Montreal, Quebec, Canada, a friend of ours introduced us to the most wonderful dessert  wine – ice cider (cidre de glace).  Canada (Ontario in particular) is very well-known for its ice wine, which is made from frozen grapes, but few seem to know about ice cider, which is made in the Quebec province using frozen apples.  I’ve never liked ice wine, because I find the sweetness to be overwhelming without complexity.  But I love ice cider, because its sweetness is accompanied by a wonderful apple flavour.  I can’t believe that it isn’t more well known!  I’ve only tried the brand Neige.  Although it is close to the affordable end of dessert wines, I have fallen in love with the packaging (shown on the left in the photo above) as well as the taste.  (I will update this post when I try a more expensive brand for comparison.)  If your local liquor store doesn’t carry ice cider, try ordering it online and be sure to pick up a few bottles at a SAQ the next time you’re traveling through Quebec.  Enjoy it ice cold!

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La Maison du Chocolat Truffles (and their Recipe)

In Reviews on April 6, 2011 at am

I never understood the popularity of chocolate truffles until I tried a dark chocolate truffle from La Maison du Chocolat.  I took a small bite of the plain, cocoa dusted truffle and let it melt in my mouth.  It was incredible.  It was truly the best chocolate and the best truffle that I have ever had in my life;  Better than any Belgian, any German, and any famous American chocolate that I’ve tasted. From what my cousin tells me, the freshly made truffles at the store are even better.  I will definitely try this the next chance I get.

These handmade French chocolates are sold all around the world.  I tried the chocolate from one of the New York City locations.  They are expensive, but worth it in my opinion.  They would make a phenomenal gift for anyone who enjoys chocolate or indulgence.  You could even try making them yourself!  The La Maison du Chocolat recipe for their truffles is posted online (see below).  Smitten Kitchen tested the recipe and provided detailed photo instructions here.  One day I’ll try making these too and I’ll let you know how they compare to the store bought truffles. Read the rest of this entry »

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Review of Nobu vs. Morimoto Restaurants, New York City

In Reviews on April 2, 2011 at am

I am in love with Japanese food, so I was very excited to eat at two world renowned Japanese restaurants in NYC.  I went to Nobu for dinner on a Sunday night and then to Morimoto the next day (Monday) for lunch.  (If you’re planning on going to either restaurant, be sure to make reservations weeks in advance.)  The dining experience at these restaurants couldn’t have been more different.  Nobu disappointed me on all fronts, while Morimoto gave me the best meal of my life.  But having said that, there were definitely some things that Nobu did better than Morimoto.  So this is my review comparing Nobu (not Nobu Next Door) and Moriomoto.  Photo below:  The entrance to Morimoto.

Note:  Normally I don’t like to take photos of food in restaurants, but I couldn’t help myself at Morimoto, because the dishes were so artistic and creative.  We were in awe of the presentation of each course and blown away by the taste and interesting food pairing.

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Chinese Steamed Pork Belly with Muy Choi

In Meat and Eggs on March 30, 2011 at am

I remember the first time I tried this dish.  It was at Magic Wok Restaurant in Markham, ON and my family liked it so much that for a long time after that, we ordered two of them every time we went.  The sauce and muy choi are a combination of salty, sour, and sweet flavours that are delicious on plain white rice.  The meat is tender from a multi-step cooking process.  But the best part is the rind.  The fat gets broken down into a soft and slightly gummy texture.  Since most of the fat has been boiled and steamed out of the rind, you get all of the deliciousness without the grease.  If you make this a day in advance, you can remove even more fat after it chills through in the refrigerator.

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Baked by Melissa Mini Cupcakes, New York City

In Reviews on March 27, 2011 at am

We tried the miniature stuffed cupcakes by Baked by Melissa at the SOHO location in NYC and they are now my favourite cupcakes.  Prior to trying them, I foolishly thought that they had earned their fame solely because of their adorable size (diameter of a quarter crosswise; diameter of a loonie or toonie across the top) and extensive selection of flavours and bright colours.  But they are so much more than that.  So let me count the ways that I love Baked by Melissa’s mini cupcakes:

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Favourite Butter Chicken Recipe

In Indian on March 19, 2011 at am

Depending on the region of India, the restaurant, and the cook, the ingredients used in “butter chicken” curry vary significantly.  This is my recipe for what I believe to be traditional butter chicken (a mild, tomato-based curry).  I researched countless recipes and tested several before creating this one.  Personally, I love it and when I made this for Krystal and Ed, they repeatedly told me how delicious it is.  So I think you’ll like it too, even if it’s not how your local restaurant makes it.  I highly recommend using the dried fenugreek leaves, because they make a huge difference in this simple dish.

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How to for Indian Spices

In How-To, Indian on March 14, 2011 at am

Indian food uses a lot of different spices and is rich in flavour.  It can be made to be very healthy and there are many great vegetarian and vegan options (with a few minor substitutions).  I enjoy Indian food, but I have always felt that Indian restaurants were overcharging for their food.  My suspicions were confirmed when I started making Indian food at home;  it turns out that many of the popular Indian dishes are ridiculously easy and cost effective to make!  If only I could afford the money and space for a tandoor oven…

If you’ve never cooked Indian food before, don’t be intimidated by the long lists of ingredients, because once you’ve picked up a few spices, the cooking part is easy.  Most of their meat dishes involve slow cooking, but I have created some fast-cook recipes that still taste authentic and won’t take hours to make.  Another great thing about cooking Indian food is that most dishes freeze well, so you can make one large batch of curry at a fraction of the restaurant price, and freeze the leftovers for future meals.

Check out my recipes for Indian food!  You can find them under the Recipe Index, under the Indian category.

Below, I have listed a few simple tips for using Indian spices that will hopefully encourage some of you to try making this cuisine at home.  Please share your tips by posting a comment!

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