Profiteroles with Green Tea Ice Cream & White Chocolate

My passion for pâte à choux is no secret! It's hard to bungle, and can be made in roughly 30 minutes; perfect for last-minute gatherings. Did I mention that pâte à choux can be made into savory appetizers or sweet desserts? It's a delicious blank canvas just waiting for artistry!

I craved something light and unique to end an Asian-influenced dinner with friends. Anything too sweet, too heavy, or overwhelming would conflict with the theme of the dinner. Japanese matcha green tea ice cream compliments airy pâte à choux beautifully. Slightly sweet, slightly bitter green tea flavor is balanced nicely by a tiny drizzle of sugar-laden white chocolate.

Enjoy!

Makes about 20-30 pate choux
INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 4 large eggs
• 1 large egg yolk 
• Green tea ice cream (matcha, preferrably)
• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. 
2. Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. 
3. Bring 1/2 cup water, milk, butter, sugar, and salt to boil in heavy large saucepan. 
4. Stir in flour; cook over medium-high heat, stirring vigorously, until dough is smooth and pulls away from sides of pan, about 1 minute. 
5. Transfer hot mixture to standing mixer (or bowl and use an electric hand-mixer). 
6. Beat dough with paddle attachment at medium speed until slightly cool, about 3 minutes. 
7. Add 3 eggs, a little at a time, beating until blended after each addition. Beat in egg yolk until blended.
8. Scoop batter into a zip-loc bag and snip a small triangle of the corner off. Squeeze rounds of batter about the size of small eggs onto prepared sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart. 
9. Beat remaining egg in small bowl to blend. Brush tops of profiteroles lightly with beaten egg. 
10. Bake 15 minutes. Reduce oven to 375°F. Continue baking until puffed and dark golden brown, about 15 minutes longer.  
11. Reduce heat to 325 and continue to cook until they sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Check often and slice one open as a test. it should have plenty of airy hollows, but not be wet inside. 
12. Transfer to rack to cool completely. (Can be made 1 week ahead. Store in airtight container in freezer. Remove from freezer a few hours before continuing.)
13. Melt white chocolate in microwave by heating in small bowl at 30 seconds, stirring and then 30 more seconds, until smooth.
14. Slice profiteroles in half. Top bottom half with a scoop of ice cream. Place top half of profiterole on ice cream and drizzle with white chocolate.

Pizza with Morels, Asparagus and Prosciutto

The other night after dinner, we stopped by the brand-new Mother's Market on 19th Street to check out what the new, larger store had to offer. For those of you outside Orange County, Mother's is a local grocery store that caters to special diets and healthy eating. Eat raw food only? Vegan? Gluten-Free? Looking for hard-to-find vitamins/supplements? Need a gift for your hippie friend? It's all under one roof at Mother's! Each store also contains a healthy-eating restaurant; we're looking forward to dining at the new one. While browsing the towering aisles, we found a whole section of dried exotic mushrooms. Dropping a reasonably-priced bag of morels in our cart, we talked about its journey from the bag to the plate.

I wanted a dish that would showcase this unique fungus, instead of losing it in a mushroom sauce. A bit of digging led me to this recipe (courtesy of the always amazing Zen Can Cook). Caramelized onions, thin diagonals of asparagus, torn pieces of prosciutto and, (of course) re-hydrated morels.

The result was one of the most elegant and sumptuous pizzas we've made! Slightly smoky, a touch salty, with  a balance between rich mouth-feel and a light taste, this pizza is definitely morel-worthy!

I am awful at transferring an assembled pizza to the pizza stone, so my technique below is a bit different. Feel free to get your pizza in the oven whatever way works for you!

Makes 1 pizza
INGREDIENTS:

• Pizza dough, for 1 pizza (it was a weeknight so we used Trader Joe's ready made!)
• 4 thin slices of prosciutto, torn into pieces
• 1 package dried morels, about 4 oz (about 15 mushrooms)
• 7 stalks asparagus, trimmed and sliced into thin diagonals
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1 cup+ mixed Fontina and Parmesan (we used Trader Joe's Quattro Formaggio blend)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Check pizza dough instructions (or make your own)
2. Rehydrate morels by placing in a small bowl and covering with 1 cup water. Cover and allow to rehydrate 15-20 minutes. Strain and reserve liquid for another use! (Don't throw away! Make risotto, quinoa, cous cous, pasta ...)
3. Heat olive oil and 1 Tbsp butter in medium pan over high heat. Add onions and saute until softened, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-high and continue to cook until golden and caramelized.
4. Remove onions from pan. Add garlic, morels and 1 Tbsp butter. Saute 5 minutes until fragrant. Remove from heat.
5. Preheat oven to 450', dust pizza stone with flour or cornmeal and place in oven.
6. Remove pizza stone and place on trivets. Quickly transfer the round of pizza dough to stone and continue to stretch out to fit the stone.
7. Quickly top with caramelized onions and oil from the onions.
8. Sprinkle with half of the cheese
9. Add asparagus, prosciutto and morels. Top with last half of cheese.
10. Bake until crust is golden brown and bubbly.
11. Remove from oven and rest 5 minutes before cutting. Enjoy!

Sweet Potato (Satsumaimo) Pancakes

Sweet potato pancakes have been popping up all over the blogosphere recently and I, for one, am intrigued. I woke up hungry on Sunday and discovered we didn't have all the necessary ingredients for a cohesive breakfast. We had eggs, but no toast or omelet fixings. There were pancake ingredients, but no fruit for topping. Then I spied a gigantic sweet potato perched in our vegetable basket.

After getting to know the roasty-sweet Japanese sweet potato, Satsumaimo  hold special place in our hearts (and bellies). I usually associate potato pancakes with the latke variety: shredded, fried until crisp, then topped with savory delights; but this pancake, dear readers, is completely different. Think pumpkin pie meets pancake: a pancake simultaneously rich and light. Sweet without syrup. Fluffy yet substantial. Whole wheat, milk and sweet potatoes? I can almost convince myself they are downright nutritious, but it's Sunday, and that means butter and brown sugar are invited to the table.

Enjoy!

Serves 4
INGREDIENTS:

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 3/4 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• Pinch nutmeg
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 3 teaspoons melted butter, plus more for greasing skillet
• 1 1/2 whole eggs
• 1 large sweet potato, cooked until tender, peeled and pureed 
• butter, syrup
• toasted coconut for topping

DIRECTIONS:

1. Roast potato! Poke a few holes in the potato, wrap in foil, bake at 400' for 40-60 minutes.
2. Once tender, remove from foil, slice in half, scoop out flesh and mash with a fork.
3. Whisk flours, baking powder, sugar, spices and salt. 
4. In separate bowl, whisk milk, eggs and butter.
5. Mix both bowls along with sweet potato until everything is evenly mixed (no dry parts).
6. Heat a touch of butter or cooking spray in flat skillet or pan over medium heat. 
7. Add pancake batter in 1/4 cup scoops
8. Bake until bubbles appear and bottom (peek under!) is golden brown. Flip and cook until golden brown on underside.
9. Serve with toasted coconut on top of each pancake and stack! 

Tom Kha with Cabbage Dumplings

In our kitchen, everything edible, even the unfamiliar and perplexing are granted the opportunity to shine! With a little research and creativity, new dishes emerge from old favorites. We've never cooked with savoy cabbage, so when Adam came home with one, we had a task before us: To make something with this cabbage outside the sleepy realm of, well, cabbage.

Boiled cabbage. Braised cabbage. Steamed cabbage. Yawn, yawn, yawn. Then I found a recipe with one of  our favorite words: dumpling. Well, hello, bright idea! Satisfying, yet light, Tom Kha (Thai coconut, lime, galangal, spicy soup) with ground chicken and shrimp cabbage-wrapped dumplings. The delicately flavored soup base lets the dumplings shine. Extremely nutritious and full of tasty goodness, this soup can also be entirely vegetarian if you use vegetable stock and tofu/mushroom instead of ground meat. See asterisks* for substitutions.




Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 cans coconut milk
• 1 quart chicken stock (or vegetable stock*)
• 5 (1/4" thick) slices galangal root (if you can't find, use ginger)
• 3 stalks lemongrass, bottom third only. Bruise stalks with back of knife or heavy object
• 5 kaffir lime leaves (or use zest of 2 limes, peeled thickly for easy removal or wrapped in cheesecloth)
• 2 Tbsp+ red curry paste
• 1 can straw mushrooms
• 1 small can bamboo shoots
• juice of 2 limes
• handful cilantro leaves
• 1 green onion, thinly sliced
• red or green thai chilis (birds eye) thinly sliced (or small hot chilis)
• salt, to taste
• fish sauce, to taste (or use a dash of light soy sauce*)
• 1 head savoy cabbage, leaves removed
• 1/2 lb ground chicken
• 1/2 lb shrimp, minced 
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 shitakes, minced
• 1 bunch of green onions (dark green parts only), thinly sliced for dumpling ties

DIRECTIONS:

1. In large pot, combine broth, coconut milk, galangal (or ginger), lime leaves (or zest), lemongrass, and curry paste. Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer.  Add fish sauce to taste (or soy sauce). Simmer 40 minutes.
2. Combine chicken, shrimp, garlic, and shitakes in bowl. Season with pepper.
3. Prepare cabbage leaves by cutting each leaf into two pieces, by removing the center rib.
4. Bring medium pot of water to boil. Blanch cabbage leaves 2-3 minutes until softened and bright green.
5. Remove from pot and allow to cool to touch.
6. Quickly blanch green onion strips in same hot water 30 seconds. Remove and cool.
7. Lay out one cabbage leaf, fill with a small spoonful of filling (about the size of your thumb-tip length).
8. Fold once lengthwise, tuck in ends, then fold over lengthwise again (like a burrito). Tie carefully with green onion strip and knot.
9. Repeat until all dumplings are completed.
10. Remove galangal root, lime zest and lemongrass from soup. Add mushrooms, bamboo shoots and salt, to taste. Gently bring back to a high simmer.
11. Add dumplings and cook about 5-6 minutes, check one to make sure meat is done.
12. Ladle soup and dumplings into bowls, garnish with chilis, cilantro and green onions.

Balsamic Chicken Portobello Sandwiches

Anyone who's explored the realm of healthy eating has experienced the culinary hell known as chicken breasts and steamed vegetables. Yawn. Snore. Kill. Me. Now. When on a health-push, Adam is good at convincing himself that he likes plain chicken breasts and steamed broccolini. I can make it through maybe two days of that before I go off the deep end and wind up rolling around in` tater tots and dirty martinis.

To avoid such downward spirals of gluttony, I task myself to create healthy meals that trick my senses; making them think I'm eating something sinful. I'll admit, I was dubious about this recipe. Plain old chicken drizzled with balsamic and herbs? How exciting could this get? Surprisingly, it was outstanding! Oven-roasted portabellos are the key to keeping this sandwich from being dry and boring. Who knew a healthy chicken sandwich could be so delicious?!

Serves 4 (2 dinners, 2 lunches next day)
Recipe from Clean Eating

INGREDIENTS:

• 16 oz boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 portabellos (about 8oz)
• 3 Tbsp fresh rosemary
• 3 tsp fresh thyme 
• 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2-3 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 4 whole wheat foccacia (about 4x5 inches each), halved
• 2 large tomatoes, sliced
• 2 small green onions, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup basil, thinly sliced
• 8 oz part skim mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 400'. Line a sheet pan with foil and spray with cooking spray. 
2. Slice chicken into 1/2" strips and arrange around outsides of baking sheet
3. Slice mushrooms in thin strips and place in center of baking sheet.  
4. Whisk rosemary, thyme olive oil and vinegar and drizzle over chicken and mushrooms. Roast for 15 minutes, flipping stuff over halfway through.
5. Toast foccaccia until crisp. Top bottom halves with mozzarella, chicken, portabellos, tomatoes, basil and scallions. Cover with top half, slice in half and enjoy!

Bourbon Glazed Salmon with Wild Mushroom Risotto

Like that quiet girl you know who's actually a closet party animal, this healthy meal hides a dirty little secret. Instead of the usual white wine, this sinful sliver of salmon is bathed in bourbon and honey. A quick flash under the broiler yields a sticky-sweet surface that gives way to succulent, flaky salmon.

To call the side wild mushroom risotto is a little misleading. You probably think you're signing up for soft, melty rice, but like that quiet, whiskey-gulping librarian in the glasses, I also have a secret: I'm lazy and risotto takes time. Thankfully, my laziness resulted in a healthier side dish! Quinoa and couscous are cooked separately in the broth of wild mushrooms then tossed with a dash of butter, shallots, and fresh shitakes.

Finish the plate with oven-roasted asparagus tossed with high-quality olive oil, sea salt, and fresh-cracked pepper and you're done! This meal is easy. You can prepare it in advance. You can cook it in 10 minutes. You can drink whiskey on the side, and I won't say a word.

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 pcs of wild salmon (preferably sustainably caught)
• 1" knob of ginger, peeled and grated finely
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 2 spoonfuls of honey 
• juice of 1 lime
• 2 Tbsp bourbon
• 1 green onion, thinly sliced
• 1 bunch of asparagus

• salt and cracked pepper
• olive oil (high quality)

• 1/2 cup couscous
• 1/2 cup quinoa
• handful of mixed dried mushrooms (4 oz) 
• 1 1/2 cups boiling water
• 1 shallot, diced
• 1 Tbsp butter
• Sesame seeds
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh wild mushrooms or shitakes
• 1/2 cup reserved mushroom broth (you will make above)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place 4 oz dried mushrooms in a glass or non-metal bowl. Pour boiling water over and cover. Let steep 20 minutes.
2. Place salmon in ziploc bag. In bowl, whisk ginger, garlic, soy sauce, honey, bourbon and lime juice. Pour over fish and allow to marinate in zip loc bag while you prep everything else.
3. Snap bottom ends off asparagus and discard. Toss with 1 tsp olive oil, salt and pepper and set on foil lined baking sheet. Set aside.
4. Chop fresh mushrooms into 1" segments.  Chop shallot and set aside.
5. Strain  mushrooms out of boiling water (mushroom broth) and finely mince. Mix with fresh mushrooms.
6. Place 1/2 cup quinoa in small pan with 3/4 cup reserved mushroom broth. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to simmer and cover until fluffy and tender about 15 minutes.
7. Also, bring 1/2 cup reserved mushroom broth + 1 tsp olive oil to boil in small pan over high heat. When boiling, turn off heat. Add 1/2 cup couscous, cover and cook until fluffy, about 5-7 minutes.
8. Heat butter in large pan over medium heat. Add shallot and mushrooms and saute 2-3 minutes. Add couscous, quinoa, salt and pepper and stir until heated through. Keep warm. Add mushroom broth if dry, by the tablespoon.
9. Preheat oven to 400'. Place asparagus in oven and roast 5-7 minutes, turning occassionaly.
10. Place fish on foil lined baking sheet and place in oven. Nearest to heat source. (We used a small convection oven, so we placed it on the top rack with the top burner on).
11. Bake 6-10 minutes, turning sheet once. Keep an eye on the asparagus and remove once tender. 
12. To serve, plate quinoa/couscous mix, asaparagus and salmon. Garnish salmon with sesame seeds and top 'risotto' with green onion slivers.

Soba Noodle Salad with Cashew Dressing - Vegan!

It's gearing up to be a hot summer and that means cool, crisp salads will be coming your way here at the BMK! Varying the texture and flavor of each bite is a great way to keep your salads interesting, and this nutty-veggie-noodle salad has plenty of everything to spare. Tons of vegetables! Buckwheat noodles! Protein! Healthy-fat-rich nuts! Tastes great hot, delicious cold, and it's only a dollar! STEP RIGHT UP! (Any Tom Waits fans out there? Helllloooo?)

For our more carnivorous readers, add any meat you choose or leave as it is for a perfect summer meal.

Simple. Nutritious. AMAZING.

Note: If you don't have a food processor, purchase cashew butter (unsalted) instead of the cashews and whisk ingredients together.

Serves 2
 
INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup cashews
• 2 Tbsp Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1-2 Tbsp sambal oelek, chili garlic paste or sriracha
• 2 Tbsp sesame oil
• 2 Tbsp mirin
• 2 Tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 green onions, sliced diagonally
• 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 carrot, shredded
• ½ head nappa cabbage, thinly sliced
• Optional Items: sliced mushrooms, snap peas, seared tofu, seitan, etc…
• 2 servings of soba noodles (if you can’t find, sub with any whole grain noodle)
• Sesame seeds, to garnish

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place cashews, apple cider, chili paste, sesame oil, mirin, rice vinegar, and garlic in food processor and blend until smooth.
2. Prepare all vegetables and set aside.
3. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add soba noodles and cook according to directions. Ideally you want to boil soba until it’s firm but tender, not soggy or soft. Drain into a colander and run hot water over the noodles.
4. Return noodles to pan. Add sauce. Toss. Stir in vegetables. Serve with additional items such as tofu and garnish with sesame seeds.

Miso Black Cod with Roasted Japanese Sweet Potatoes

Who knew fish could be sexy?! Before you think I've lost my mind, you should try black cod. It's a sustainable fish from Alaska that is high in protein and polyunsaturated fats and vital minerals. The Black Cod's fat content yields an unbelievably delicate, rich, luxurious bite after bite after bite.Instead of flaking when done, this fish simply separates the moment your fork touches it into smooth shards of deliciousness.

Traditionally over-complicated by overnight marinade and rare ingredients, miso-glazed black cod can be made in weeknight time and with very little effort. I laughed when I came across Mark Bittman's article on the subject. Sometimes recipes can be fussy, pretentious, and just plain obnoxious. Multi-day recipes can be fantastic, but you should know that you can get fantastic results without all the fuss.

Warm local honey perfectly compliments miso's subtle brine. Snappy, diced green beans and freshly-shelled spring peas add a splash of color and are the perfect palate-cleanser. Satsumaimo (Japanese sweet potato) is a new (and permanent) addition to the BMK! We love them, and you should get your hands on some ASAP! On weekends outside our local Japanese market, they sell these deliciously sweet and starchy Asian spuds. For your dollar (or two) you get a freshly roasted tater in a brown paper bag. The smell intoxicates and they taste remarkably like roasted chestnuts. If you see them - give them a try, you won't be disappointed!

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 pc Black Cod (1/3 lb ea)
•  big spoonful of yellow or white miso paste
• about 1/4 cup mirin (or sake), enough to make the miso creamy
• big spoonful of honey
• handful of green beans, blanched in boiling water 1 minute, sliced on the diagonal
• handful freshly shelled peas, blanched in boiling water 1 minute
• 1 green onion, green part only, sliced on the diagonal
• 2 small Japanese sweet potatoes, cut into 1" thick rounds

DIRECTIONS:

1. Pat cod dry. 
2. Whisk miso, sake or mirin and honey. Brush over cod and seal in plastic bag. Leave on counter while you prepare everything else.
3. Preheat oven to 400'. Brush cut surfaces of potato with cooking oil, place on baking sheet and bake for 15-20 mintues until tender, turning once.
4. Preheat broiler (we used our toaster oven), remove fish from plastic bag and place on foil lined baking sheet. Broil or cook on high heat until surface of fish is slightly caramelized. Watch carefully so that it doesn't burn!
5. Cooking time is approximately 8 minutes, depending on thickness of fish. Check center for doneness.
6. Serve fish over beans and peas, garnish with sliced green onions and serve potatoes alongside.