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Tag: cornstarch

Apple Cake with Pumpkin Whipped Cream

Another favorite…

  • 1/3 cup plus ½ cup cane sugar
  • ¼ cup apple cider
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch
  • 2 large Honey Crisp apples, peeled, cored and sliced
  • 1 cup white whole-wheat flour
  • 1¾ teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 large egg
  • ½ cup apple cider
  • ½ cup extra light olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 9-inch square pan (any shape will be fine)

Stir together 1/3 cup sugar with apple cider, lemon juice and cornstarch in a small saucepan, then stir in the apples. Bring to a simmer and continue to simmer, stirring occasionally about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
Whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, salt and remaining ½ cup sugar in a medium bowl.
Whisk together egg, cider, oil and vanilla in a large bowl. Add the flour mixture- whisk till combined.
Spoon the batter into baking pan spreading evenly. Then pour apple mixture evenly over batter. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or till cake is done.

Pumpkin Whipped Cream

  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • ¼ cup confectioners sugar
  • ½ cup pumpkin puree

Whip the cream in a standing mixer till soft peaks form. Add the sugar and pumpkin puree. Whip for another minute and chill for an hour before serving with cake.

Szechuan Pepper Sweet and Sour Shrimp

Yummy, yummy is all that comes to mind when I read this recipe.. it is a bit involved but so worth making at home and not ordering the sticky sweet stuff from a take out restaurant…

  • 1 pound small shrimp, cleaned
  • 1 tablespoon Szechuan peppers
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
  • 1 inch fresh ginger, roughly chopped
  • 1 jalapeno pepper, deseeded and chopped

Roast the Szechuan peppers in a small pan for 2 to 3 minutes. Take out and grind to a powder.

Transfer the ground pepper, salt, garlic, ginger and jalapeno pepper to a mortar and pestle. Pound till a paste is formed and marinate the shrimp for 2 to 3 hours and keep aside.

  • 3 tablespoons peanut oil
  • 1 cup pineapple, cut into small chunks
  • 1 red pepper, cut into 1 inch squares
  • 1 orange pepper, cut into 1 inch squares
  • 1 large yellow onion, cut into 1 inch squares
  • 1 cup blood orange or regular orange juice
  • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • ½ cup cilantro, chopped
  • 2 green onions, chopped

Transfer the pineapple, red pepper, orange pepper and onion chunks to a lined cookie sheet. Broil on high for 7 to 8 minutes till the veggies are a bit charred. Keep aside.

Mix the orange juice, vinegar, honey, soy sauce and cornstarch in a small bowl, test for seasonings and keep aside.

Heat a wok like pan with the peanut oil. Add the marinated shrimp and cook for about 5 minutes on high heat. Add the charred vegetables and mix well. Add the sauce and bring to a boil. Cook for another 2 to 3 minutes and garnish with cilantro and green onions and serve with brown rice.

 

Mango Raspberry Pavlova

This is an amazing dessert to enjoy in the summer. It looks a bit hard but it really isn’t.. just a few steps including making the meringue.. Definitely worth a try!!

  • 6 egg whites
  • 1¼ cups fine sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.

Trace an 8 to 9 inch circle onto parchment paper. Place the parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Transfer the egg whites to an electric mixer and beat the eggs till soft peaks form. Gradually add the sugar, vanilla extract and cornstarch and beat till firm peaks form. Transfer the beaten egg whites onto the traced circle, carefully spreading the mixture inside the circle. Create a slight depression in the center for the filling. Bake in the oven for an hour, or till the meringue feels firm to the touch. Leave the oven door open and cool the meringue in the oven.

  • 1 cup whipping cream
  • 1 cup fresh mango
  • 2 tablespoons raspberry liquor
  • Juice of half a lemon

Whip the cream till stiff peaks are formed. Blend fresh mango, raspberry liquor and lemon juice till smooth. Fold the mango mixture into the whipped cream. Refrigerate.

  • 1 cup fresh mango, chopped
  • 1 cup fresh raspberries
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • Juice of half a lemon

Transfer the mango and raspberry to a small bowl. Add the sugar and lemon juice. Mix and let sit for an hour. Right before serving, place the meringue onto a serving platter. Add the mango whipped cream and then place the fruit on top. Serve immediately!

Sweet and Sour Shrimp

I saw a version of this recipe somewhere on tv.. I can’t remember where or exactly what it was.. I think it was a Filipino recipe. It looked fantastic with a fried egg served on top. I made a brown fried rice to serve with this delicious dish.. recipe coming up tomorrow!

Sauce

  • ¼ cup ketcup
  • 2 tablespoons Chinese rice wine
  • 1 tablespoon tamari
  • 1 tablespoon mirin
  • 1 tablespoon sweet and hot garlic sauce
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons water or broth

Mix everything in a bowl and keep aside.

  • 1 pound medium shrimp, shelled and deveined
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons cornstarch
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • ¼ cup peanut oil

Place the shrimp onto a flat platter. Sprinkle cornstarch, salt and pepper all over the shrimp. Heat a frying pan with the oil and brown the shrimp in batches on both sides on high heat briefly. Take out and keep aside.

  • 2 tablespoons peanut oil
  • 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated
  • 4 to 5 green onions, chopped
  • 1 red jalapeno pepper, deseeded and finely chopped
  • 1 large orange pepper, cut into 1-inch squares
  • ½ cilantro, chopped

Heat a wok like pan with the oil. Add the ginger, green onions and jalapeno. Saute on medium high heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the orange pepper and sauté for another 2 minutes. Add the shrimp, sauté for a minute and add the sweet and sour sauce. Mix well and bring to a boil and simmer until shrimp are cooked through but not over done. Garnish with cilantro and serve with rice. Add an egg if desired.

 

Chinese Chilli Fish

Chinese Chilli Fish I had to interrupt Asian week to add a cupcake recipe for Valentines Day yesterday… but today I am back with another delicious Asian dish. I think one of the reasons Thai food is one of my favorite cuisines is because it incorporates sweet, savory, spicy and sour beautifully. I love a bit of sweet in my savory food.

Sweet and sour dishes are one of favorites to order in Chinese restaurants but most of the time they are overly sweet and usually fried- not the healthiest option. So, I made my own.

I coated some beautiful wild cod in cornstarch and sautéed them in some peanut oil. I made a delicious sweet and sour sauce with healthy agave.

Overall the dish was unbelievable.
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Pork and Kumquat Stir Fry

Pork and Kumquat Stir Fry1 This is another yummy recipe using kumquats. I had a pack in my fridge needed to be used. I looked around online for a good recipe and found one on Epicurious. It was a Chinese inspired stir fry with pork and used a delicious spice I don’t use very often. It used Chinese five spice powder- which includes a mixture of cloves, fennel, cinnamon, star anise and Szechuan peppers. Szechuan peppers have an interesting numbing effect to the tongue. The five spice powder has the same flavor and effect. It is a delicious way to make stir fries, stews and curries.

I started with center cut pork chops and marinated them in hoisin and oyster sauce. I then made a sauce with orange juice, chicken broth, rice vinegar and the five spice powder. The kumquats need to be halved and deseeded. I sprinkled some sugar on them to sweeten them further.

The stir fry was delicious. I served it brown rice and sauteed bok choy. My daughter ate the dish but didn’t care for the little oranges… so, we kept them aside and went on with the evening….
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Hazelnut and Dark Chocolate Gelato

Hazelnut Chocolate Gelato This is my version of hazelnut chocolate gelato. It is a bit different than what you find in the stores or the recipes you see on line.  First of all, I used my usual gelato recipe- which is made out of whole milk and corn starch. So, that means no fat from eggs and cream. Secondly, instead of steeping the nuts in the milk and then straining them out, I decided to include them in the mix. Doing that provides a great crunch and texture- although straining the nuts out makes this treat more kid friendly. My daughter liked it but she didn’t care for all the nuts in her mouth. I, on the other hand, thought it was delicious. The hazelnut flavor is richer and more enhanced. Especially once I added some hazelnut liquor- it makes it extra scrumptious.

To make the gelato more interesting, I added grated dark chocolate which changes the color as well as the taste. Milk chocolate can be added as well, but I prefer the dark one- plus it is healthier for you.

Overall it was a great, healthy treat we all enjoyed after a dinner get together. I think I will try another one soon – maybe a ginger gelato- yum!!!
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