I only ever buy celery when I’m entertaining (ie. veggie platters, dippers, caesars) or when I need it for specific recipes. So I always have trouble finishing a whole bunch of celery. That’s usually when I put it into a stir fry. It adds a nice crunch. You can make a stir fry with any meat and vegetable combination that you like, so feel free to add nuts and/or other vegetables like carrots and mushrooms.
I made these mini cheesecakes a few years ago for a holiday pot luck with co-workers. Several people asked for the recipe, so I knew it was a success. I made them again for my 100th Post Party. It would also make an incredibly sophisticated entree for a dinner party or a special occasion. The great thing about this recipe is that it can be made up to 2 days in advance.
Growing up, my mother made – very regularly – a healthy Chinese bean soup that I really really didn’t like. The memory alone was enough to turn me off of beans in general for many many years. But I’ve decided that they can’t all be bad, so I’m giving them another chance by cooking my way through different types. For example, it turns out that my aversion to all things bean-like was misdirected towards lima beans (Lima Bean Soup recipe here). So for my Cooking with Ali’s 100th post party, I tested out navy beans by making a white bean puree and serving it on toasted slices of baguette. The sweetness and texture of the onions is perfect in this simple bean spread. I also love that the subtle flavour of the garlic takes a few seconds to surface. My guests really liked it too. I owe you an apology, navy bean, for 2 decades of misjudgment.
This was one of the hors d’oeuvres that I made for my 100th Post Party. I love shrimp salad and this was my first time serving it in endive leaves (also called endive spears or endive boats). The crunchiness of the endive paired really well with the creaminess of the shrimp salad. It was also easy for my guests to eat and it looked very elegant. Another option is to serve this shrimp salad in wonton cups. I had excess shrimp salad so I made some wonton cups for that (recipe below).
When I moved into my apartment in 2008, I got a Rival chocolate fountain (and a poker table) before I even had living / dining room furniture or curtains in my bedroom. I had to go through the hassle of returning 2 machines that did not work before I finally brought one home that did. As you can tell from my persistence, I was really set on owning one of these things 🙂 Clearly, the Rival model isn’t of the best quality, but I’ve used mine more times than I can remember, so I still recommend it. The motor is just now finally starting to die. It’s perfect for parties of Any occasion and you can dip strawberries, banana slices, pear slices, shortbread cookies, marshmallows, cookies, large pretzels, rice krispies squares (recipe here), etc. To make the chocolate, I buy bags of Hershey’s chocolate chips from Costco and follow the instructions that came with the machine. I tried using this as a cheese fountain too but it didn’t work as advertised.
Chinese BBQ pork buns (char siu bao) are a very popular Chinese dim sum dish. Dim sum refers to various types of small dishes that are served with tea during the meal, yum cha (“drinking tea time”), which starts early in the morning and ends between noon and 3 pm, depending on the restaurant. (Check out the other dim sum recipes that I have posted in the Asian – Dim Sum category.)
Chinese BBQ pork buns were the first steamed buns that I ever made from scratch. I couldn’t believe how well they turned out. The buns are soft and fluffy, and just like the restaurants’. I’ve been making steamed buns ever since (check out my chicken steamed buns and pork steamed buns recipes). Note that the filling in the restaurants have red food colouring in them. You can do this at home too but I prefer not to.
For the baked BBQ pork buns that you can buy in Asian bakeries, see here.
Pictures below from top moving counter clockwise: steamed BBQ pork buns; buns before going into steamer; and buns after coming out of the steamer.
I am in love with Asian deep fried wings, because they’re not battered like the ones you typically get in Western restaurants, bars or pubs. My favourite Asian wings come from a Vietnamese restaurant that my family and I have frequented for over a decade. We go only for their wings, which could not be any simpler. They’re deep fried until the skin is crispy, yet light, with perfectly moist meat, and they’re served with lime wedges and a dip that’s simply salt and pepper mixed together.
I first discovered the concept of cheesecake cupcakes when I made and fell head over heels in love with Peaches and Cream Cheesecake Cupcakes (recipe here). I love Hershey’s cookies and cream chocolate bars so when I saw these in Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes book, I knew I had to try them. I really like the crunchy cookie base. It’s the perfect contrast in texture to the smooth and creamy cheesecake on top.
I tried Waldorf Salad for the first time in Boca, Florida, when I was visiting a friend. The first thing I did when I got back from my trip was make my own waldorf salad (to make up for years of lost time 😉 ). The original waldorf salad used a dressing of mayonnaise and lemon or vinegar (which I use for my broccoli salad). The restaurant I had it in served it with an option of a creamy blue cheese dressing or a honey dijon dressing. I prefer to use blue cheese dressing (recipe here).
I love using blue cheese sauce as a dip for my hot wings and as a dressing on waldorf salads (recipe here). This blue cheese sauce is even better than store bought (in my opinion).
I started making my own candied walnuts when I started making waldorf salads (recipe here). These are fantastic snacks, especially while watching a movie or a game. And if you put them into clear gift bags tied with pretty ribbon, you can sell them at bake sales or use them as cute favours for dinner parties, showers, or gifts over the holidays.
As you can tell, from the 2 other Chinese pork ribs recipes that I’ve posted, I really like fast-cooked ribs. This one is a family favourite. Note that this is not a saucy dish.
Cooking with Alison 