Cooking with Alison

Posts Tagged ‘recipes’

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Crispy and Chewy Meringues

In Other Desserts on December 12, 2010 at am

I love meringues that are crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside.  They remind me of my dehydrated marshmallows.  Although they take a while to bake, they’re very easy to make.  I took them into work and I was surprised at how many people associated them with fond memories of their mothers and grandmothers.

I made meringue cookies, but you could make meringue nests and top them with fresh fruits, sauce, custard, or whipped cream, etc.  You could also add food colouring for themed occasions or add cocoa powder for chocolate meringues (try topping them with a chocolate chip).  My co-worker told me that his mom hides a chocolate chip in the centre of her meringue cookies.

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Coconut Macaroons Recipe

In Other Desserts on December 10, 2010 at am

I had a lot of shredded coconut leftover from when I made Indian curry and coconut and mango rice pudding.  So I experimented with making coconut macaroons.  This recipe makes macaroons that are slightly sticky with a chewy centre and crispy edges.  They are very easy to make and are great plain. 

You could easily turn these simple treats into something decadent by dipping them in melted chocolate.  You could dip just the bottoms or just the tops.  Or you could cover half of a macaroon with chocolate by dipping it on the diagonal.

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Cilantro Lime Hummus Recipe

In Appetizers, Hors D'oeuvres, Snacks on December 7, 2010 at am

I love the freshness that you get from adding herbs to hummus.  I usually add a little bit of parsley and/or dill to my plain hummus.  But in this variation, the dominant flavour comes from one of my favourite herbs – cilantro.  I made this for my birthday party and people really liked it.  (See my sun dried tomato hummus recipe here.)  More recently, I made this for John’s housewarming party and it was, again, a huge hit.  This time, though, I didn’t allow the food processor to incorporate the cilantro leaves as homogeneously, and the hummus had a nicer look to it.

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Shrimp Noodles with Fish Balls and Lettuce (One Pot Meal)

In Rice and Noodle Dishes on December 5, 2010 at am

Thin, shrimp flavoured noodles come dried, in little bundles (1 or 2 per serving) and cook just as quickly as instant noodles, making them perfect for quick and delicious one pot meals.  See my recipe for shrimp noodles served in soup with pacific clams and Chinese broccoli here.

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Rice Pudding Recipe

In Other Desserts on December 3, 2010 at am

The first time I tried rice pudding, it was served cold, and I didn’t understand why anyone would enjoy bits of rice in their creamy custard.  I didn’t try it again until years later, when a friend of mine served it warm after dinner.  She completely changed my mind about rice pudding.  Then I came up with this recipe and turned Ed and Krystal into rice pudding fans too.  🙂

Rice pudding is a simple dessert that you can serve all year round.  For example, you can serve it cold in the summer or use it as a refreshing finish to a spicy Indian meal.  I prefer to make rice pudding in the fall or winter, because a hot bowl of rice pudding makes for a very comforting dessert on a cold night.   Here is my recipe for basic rice pudding.  Note that the instructions differ depending on whether you’re planning on serving this cold or warm.  Also, try replacing some of the milk with evaporated milk or coconut milk, or try using sweetened condensed milk instead of sugar, but keep in mind that this may alter the cooking times.  (See my coconut and mango rice pudding recipe here.)

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Sun Dried Tomato Hummus Recipe

In Appetizers, Hors D'oeuvres, Snacks on December 1, 2010 at am

It’s easy to create different variations of hummus.  For example, you could use carmelized onions, curry powder, roasted red peppers, edamame beans, beets, pumpkin, etc.  Here is my recipe for sun dried tomato hummus.  (See my cilantro lime hummus recipe here.)

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Stir Fried Garlic Shoots and Seafood

In Seafood on November 29, 2010 at am

I love introducing people to garlic shoots (also known as garlic scapes – note, that’s scapes, not scraps  😉 ).  I make this dish often and people always love it.  In North America, the green shoots that grow from garlic bulbs are usually discarded.  But these garlic shoots, when harvested while young and tender, are actually very tasty and have a light, garlicky flavour when cooked.  You can find it in Asian grocery stores and the younger the better, so you want to avoid the really darkly green coloured shoots.

Picture above from top moving clockwise: tomato eggs, stir fried garlic shoots with shrimp, hot and sour soup, mongolian beef.  See the Asian category for the rest of the recipes.

Picture below: Stir fried garlic shoots with shrimp and pacific clams.

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The Best Ginger Snaps (Ginger Molasses Cookies)

In Cookies on November 27, 2010 at am

A few months ago, my sister requested ginger molasses cookies or gingersnaps, so I did some recipe testing and discovered the best recipe just in time for the holidays.  All of the other cookies that I made tasted fine, but none of them blew me away.  This recipe, however, produced the most amazing crunchy and chewy texture.  Everyone that tried them Loved them.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen Ed and Krystal eat so many cookies in one sitting.  Furthermore, my housemate – who is as critical as I am about food – asked for the recipe; and my little brother – whom I almost never hear from – texted me just to say, and I quote, “Man Alison, great cookies”.  That may have been the best compliment I have ever received.  😉


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Caesar Dressing Recipe

In Sides and Sauces, Soups and Salads on November 25, 2010 at am

Caesar salads are very popular in my home.  They’re Ed’s favourite and I enjoy them too even though I’m not a big fan of leafy salads.  I like to make my own bacon bits and croutons (see my crouton recipe here).  Here I share with you my favourite caesar dressing recipe.

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Croutons Recipe

In Soups and Salads on November 24, 2010 at am

Ed loves caesar salads, so every now and then I’ll make a batch of homemade croutons for him.  (See my recipe for caesar dressing here.)  Making croutons is also a great way to use up old bread so you don’t have to waste food.  I prefer using baguettes for this but any bread will work.  Just keep in mind that the denser the bread, the harder the croutons will be on your teeth.

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Stir Fried Chicken with Ginger and Scallions

In Meat and Eggs on November 22, 2010 at am

Ginger and green onions go great together, especially when they’re paired with chicken.  For example, many Chinese poached chicken recipes use ginger and green onions in the poaching liquid.  I usually use them as a condiment for chicken when I make ginger scallion dip (recipe here).  You could also make a simple stir fry with these healthy and fresh ingredients.

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Absolutely The Best Sugar Cookie Recipe

In Cookies on November 20, 2010 at am

When I test recipes, it usually takes between 3 and 15 trials before I declare a favourite [and put an end to the obsession].  But when I tried Gina DePalma’s sugar cookie recipe, I couldn’t imagine myself feeling compelled to try another sugar cookie recipe ever again.  Gina DePalma is an award winning pastry chef that worked at Mario Batali’s Babbo Restaurant in New York City.

My family is usually indifferent to cookies, but when I presented them with these over last year’s holidays, they devoured them and requested hundreds more.  I baked them 3 more batches before having to cut them off, despite their pleading.  They’ve asked a few more times over the past year, and I’ve insisted that they wait until the next holiday season.  But now that the holidays are fast approaching, and I am very busy with work and courses, I’ve decided to dedicate my [little] free time to trying all new recipes this year.  So I’m posting this recipe without a photo (for now), because I just had to share it.  It is so good that I’d hate for you and your families to miss out too.

These thin cookies are delicate and crispy with the perfect amount of sweetness, so they are meant to be enjoyed plain.  If you’re looking to decorate cookies, I suggest using this sugar cookie recipe instead, as it will withstand the royal icing much better (recipes here).

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