This is my last post on this site. I've had my own Web site built, www.ourislandplate.com. There, there'll be a blog updated daily, tips, recipes and food lore, information about my books, a calendar of upcoming events, my biography and an email link to me.
I'll update my itslikethiscat blog at blogspot when I travel. Next stop: Volcano and Hilo in August.
Go see my new site!
Friday, June 18, 2010
Monday, June 14, 2010
Fish and poi?
Forgot to mention in my blog about the Hawaii Kai Farmers Market that I experienced something new (to me) and delicious there that I'm going to play with and will share.
At The Hawaiian Chef, Juanita Kawamoto makes poi-battered fish and it is 'ono!
She takes a'u (marlin) or 'ono or other firm white-fleshed fish, cuts the fillets into squares and immerses the fish in a mixture of fresh Island-grown brown eggs and thinnish poi flavored with paprika and Hawaiian salt. This she then dips in mochiko (rice flour) and fries crisp in a hot, oiled wok. You can add garlic, too, she said. It would make a great breakfast with hot rice and fried eggs!
I was only able to bug her for a few minutes so I have to try this and see if I can get the consistency right, but I'll do so when I can.
I'm going to be up to my earlobes in helping with the Friends of the Library booksale, providing food for volunteers. (No, I'm not cooking it all!).
The sale opens Friday with member night. It's worth coming to and you can join the Friends there if you aren't already a member; starts at at 5 p.m. through 9 p.m. Only members admitted that night.
The sale continues through the 27th at the McKinley High School cafeteria. There are literally thousands of boxed books waiting to be sold with the shelves stocked anew each day, so it's worth multiple visits. The local cookbooks tend to go fast, I must admit (especially since I tend to buy them all — nah, just kidding, sort of).
At The Hawaiian Chef, Juanita Kawamoto makes poi-battered fish and it is 'ono!
She takes a'u (marlin) or 'ono or other firm white-fleshed fish, cuts the fillets into squares and immerses the fish in a mixture of fresh Island-grown brown eggs and thinnish poi flavored with paprika and Hawaiian salt. This she then dips in mochiko (rice flour) and fries crisp in a hot, oiled wok. You can add garlic, too, she said. It would make a great breakfast with hot rice and fried eggs!
I was only able to bug her for a few minutes so I have to try this and see if I can get the consistency right, but I'll do so when I can.
I'm going to be up to my earlobes in helping with the Friends of the Library booksale, providing food for volunteers. (No, I'm not cooking it all!).
The sale opens Friday with member night. It's worth coming to and you can join the Friends there if you aren't already a member; starts at at 5 p.m. through 9 p.m. Only members admitted that night.
The sale continues through the 27th at the McKinley High School cafeteria. There are literally thousands of boxed books waiting to be sold with the shelves stocked anew each day, so it's worth multiple visits. The local cookbooks tend to go fast, I must admit (especially since I tend to buy them all — nah, just kidding, sort of).
63rd Annual Booksale Get the Flyer
Location: McKinley High School Cafeteria, 1039 S. King Street
June 18 – Members' Preview Sale, 5:00-9:00 PM
New members are welcome to join at the door.
June 19-27 – Open to the Public
Daily Hours:
June 19 – 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM
June 20 – 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM
June 21-24 – 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM
June 25 – 11:00 AM to 8:00 PM
June 26 – 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM (All books 50% off!)
June 27 – 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM (All books 50¢ each)
Of course, there's food involved....
Food available at the Booksale:
Friday, June 18 (Members' Preview Sale) – Shaka Wagon
Saturday, June 19 – Bakesale, Kevin's Two Boots
Saturday, June 20 – Kevin's Two Boots, Joe on the Go
Saturday, June 26 – India Cafe
Sunday, June 27 – Joe on the Go
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Saturday at the marketplace
Didn't sell too many cookbooks last Saturday but sure did have fun meeting vendors, trying out new foods, shopping a little for produce, seeing old friends. You should check out this new market (just two weeks old); it's by the same people who do the successful Haleiwa Farmers Market and occurs every Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon (new hours) Saturday at Kaiser High School, just off Lunalilo Home Road. It's neither as large nor as crowded as the KCC farmer's market, which is nice, but it's growing each week.
Big Wave Tomatoes was there with their killer fresh heirloom tomato pizza, a farmers market MUST. The best breafkast there is.
Nearby, farmer Ed Otsuji and his family have been selling $10 produce boxes from their property just over the hill for some time, a Hawaii Kai institution. Otsuji brings his box operation to the market each week. They grow 20-plus types of vegetables including kale and purple kale, arugula, kabu turnips, parsley, red and golden beets, mizuna, lettuces, chard, gailun, choi sum and more. They have their own operation going a little ways back down the street from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. with by the box sales. They're at 459 Pakala Street; call 395-1224.
Marisol Ruiz and Soufiane Bouharkat of Le Crepe Cafe, who make delicious savory and roasted crepes. They've been doing crepes fro three years and have a tiny shop at 2740 E. Manoa Rd., (in the old service station), which they've turned into a little slice of Paris with wall murals and, of course, crepes.
Finally got to taste the frozen pops called OnoPops that everyone has been raving about. Josh Lanthier-Welch makes them from real fruit juices, real spices and herbs, real chocolate and adds nothing to retard melting (so be prepared to slurp them down fast). I tried the chocolate and Chinese five spice but regretted I had no room for the strawberry and goat cheese. Pineapple basil is also very popular, he said. To find Josh, call 415-971-4087 or email onopops@gmail.com.
Enjoyed my conversation with Brazilian import Isabella Nunes-Baptista, who came to O'ahu to run the bakery operation for Whole Foods, but took some time off to have a baby and then decided to start the Brazilian Corner, a private catering operation that also works some farmers markets, including the Tuesday night farmers market in Kaka'ako. Her specialty is the most popular street food in Brazil, a deep-fried, filled pastry called pastel (PASH-tel). These are absolutely delicious: Nunes-Baptista is careful not to re-use the oil and knows the secret of making a light pastry (rather like a won ton in its thin, crackling texture) that is never greasy. No gut bombs here. I tried a roast pork version and a beef and roast corn-filled version. Wow! I could eat these every day. They make pizza-filled pastel and sweet ones, too: banana nutella, caramel-banana and such. Reach her at 253-9012.
To find out more about the market, go to:
Big Wave Tomatoes was there with their killer fresh heirloom tomato pizza, a farmers market MUST. The best breafkast there is.
Nearby, farmer Ed Otsuji and his family have been selling $10 produce boxes from their property just over the hill for some time, a Hawaii Kai institution. Otsuji brings his box operation to the market each week. They grow 20-plus types of vegetables including kale and purple kale, arugula, kabu turnips, parsley, red and golden beets, mizuna, lettuces, chard, gailun, choi sum and more. They have their own operation going a little ways back down the street from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. with by the box sales. They're at 459 Pakala Street; call 395-1224.
Marisol Ruiz and Soufiane Bouharkat of Le Crepe Cafe, who make delicious savory and roasted crepes. They've been doing crepes fro three years and have a tiny shop at 2740 E. Manoa Rd., (in the old service station), which they've turned into a little slice of Paris with wall murals and, of course, crepes.
Finally got to taste the frozen pops called OnoPops that everyone has been raving about. Josh Lanthier-Welch makes them from real fruit juices, real spices and herbs, real chocolate and adds nothing to retard melting (so be prepared to slurp them down fast). I tried the chocolate and Chinese five spice but regretted I had no room for the strawberry and goat cheese. Pineapple basil is also very popular, he said. To find Josh, call 415-971-4087 or email onopops@gmail.com.
Enjoyed my conversation with Brazilian import Isabella Nunes-Baptista, who came to O'ahu to run the bakery operation for Whole Foods, but took some time off to have a baby and then decided to start the Brazilian Corner, a private catering operation that also works some farmers markets, including the Tuesday night farmers market in Kaka'ako. Her specialty is the most popular street food in Brazil, a deep-fried, filled pastry called pastel (PASH-tel). These are absolutely delicious: Nunes-Baptista is careful not to re-use the oil and knows the secret of making a light pastry (rather like a won ton in its thin, crackling texture) that is never greasy. No gut bombs here. I tried a roast pork version and a beef and roast corn-filled version. Wow! I could eat these every day. They make pizza-filled pastel and sweet ones, too: banana nutella, caramel-banana and such. Reach her at 253-9012.
To find out more about the market, go to:
Makeke O Maunalua Farmer's Market
(Hawaii Kai)
Saturdays 9am-1:00pm
at Kaiser High School
511 Lunalilo Home Road
Hawaii Kai, HI 96725
Friday, June 11, 2010
Repurposing leftovers...and signing Saturday
Remember that rice casserole I made the other night? I let it sit a day and then "repurposed" it in a way my husband really liked. I finely chopped a peeled carrot, a few sprigs of parsley, the last of the mushrooms and some chopped onions (you could spray the pan or even water-saute or broth-saute to save calories). Threw those in a bowl. Broke two eggs into a wire stainer (to smooth out any solids) and whisked them until they were strained into the vegetable mixture. Added the leftover rice casserole and about 1/2 cup of fine dry breadcrumbs. Then I pressed and formed the rice mixture into hamburger-size cakes and dusted each cake with breadcrumbs on both sides. Finally, I fried them in a mixture of olive oil and butter and kept them warm in the oven while I finished the frying. Served them with steamed broccoli. Good dinner and money-saving.
Tonight, I'm doing an Indian dish, a version of Mogul-style butter chicken. I noticed about a month ago that the Indian Grocery had moved from its rather, dark, small and hidden location on Beretania to a large, airy space at the corner of Isenberg and King Streets, with parking in back. They've got everything: frozen and chilled foods, some fresh-made samosas and snacks, Indian movies and recordings, dried foods. They even have my favorite masoor dahl (whole dark lentils, which I like to cook half and halve with long-grain rice and top with caramelized onions, tomato paste, yogurt, raisins, nuts, chutney, all kinds of things, a great vegetarian dinner).
I bought some ghee (clarified butter), bottled prepared tikka sauce and fresh yogurt. I marinated cut-up chicken pieces in the tikka sauce and yogurt for an hour or so. Fried some spices in ghee: a broken cinnamon stick, some whole allspice, a pinch of saffron, half an onion, an inch or so of grated ginger. It called for lemon juice and vinegar and I added a splash of wine vinegar but had no citrus. Went out to the garden and found this plant my husband thought was basil but it tasted like lemon. Have no idea what it is. Chopped up a handful of leaves and added it; very citrusy smell. (Lemon basil?) Put it all together and baked it in a casserole at 325 to serve with rice. (I brought some frozen paratha flatbread but forgot it so I'll serve that another day.) Keep the tikka sauce and ghee in the fridge and you can use it for other dishes.
Don't forget: I'm signing cookbook Saturday the 12th at the Hawaii Kai Farmers Market, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Kaiser High School. I'll have all three of my books. Books are $15 each or $42 for three. Checks and cash only, no credit cards.
Tonight, I'm doing an Indian dish, a version of Mogul-style butter chicken. I noticed about a month ago that the Indian Grocery had moved from its rather, dark, small and hidden location on Beretania to a large, airy space at the corner of Isenberg and King Streets, with parking in back. They've got everything: frozen and chilled foods, some fresh-made samosas and snacks, Indian movies and recordings, dried foods. They even have my favorite masoor dahl (whole dark lentils, which I like to cook half and halve with long-grain rice and top with caramelized onions, tomato paste, yogurt, raisins, nuts, chutney, all kinds of things, a great vegetarian dinner).
I bought some ghee (clarified butter), bottled prepared tikka sauce and fresh yogurt. I marinated cut-up chicken pieces in the tikka sauce and yogurt for an hour or so. Fried some spices in ghee: a broken cinnamon stick, some whole allspice, a pinch of saffron, half an onion, an inch or so of grated ginger. It called for lemon juice and vinegar and I added a splash of wine vinegar but had no citrus. Went out to the garden and found this plant my husband thought was basil but it tasted like lemon. Have no idea what it is. Chopped up a handful of leaves and added it; very citrusy smell. (Lemon basil?) Put it all together and baked it in a casserole at 325 to serve with rice. (I brought some frozen paratha flatbread but forgot it so I'll serve that another day.) Keep the tikka sauce and ghee in the fridge and you can use it for other dishes.
Don't forget: I'm signing cookbook Saturday the 12th at the Hawaii Kai Farmers Market, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Kaiser High School. I'll have all three of my books. Books are $15 each or $42 for three. Checks and cash only, no credit cards.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Last night's comfort food
With all that's been going on: losing my job, looking for new work, rearranging the house to squeeze in stuff I kept at the office, I craved comfort last night and also needed to cook from the pantry and freezer as I'm a little short of cash.
I remembered a dish my mom or Grandma used to make: a rice casserole made with that ubiquitous can of cream of mushroom soup. I couldn't just dump a can on some rice; I have my reputation after all, so I made a few embellishments with which my husband and I were very happy.
For protein, I pulled two skinless, boneless chicken breasts out of the freezer, defrosted them and cut them into small pieces (chicken breast tends to swell when cooked, and if you don't cut the pieces small, you'll have bigger-than-bite chunks; on the other hand, you have to be sure to cook them quickly, or via a moist-head method, or they'll get dry and stringy).
I plucked some parsley from the garden — about enough to make a quarter cup, minced; and finely chopped half an onion. I had a half box of mushrooms and cut those into slices.
I measured 1 1/2 cups long grain rice (this dish gets too mushy with short- or medium-grain rice).
First, I sauteed the chicken until it was quite brown and crusty, in a blend of butter and vegetable oil. You could use oil spray to save calories but watch the chicken carefully so it doesn't burn.
I dumped this into a bowl, then sauteed the onions, parsley and mushrooms until quite well browned and dumped these in with the chicken.
I then sauteed the uncooked rice until it was golden and flecked with brown, kind of a tweedy look. Dumped that in.
Finally, I added to the bowl 1 1/2 cups cream of mushroom soup, 1 1 /2 cups chicken broth (you could use water), a sprinkling of pepper (you don't need any extra salt) and snipped some thyme leaves from the plant I bought last week at the KCC Farmers Market and stirred those in.
All these went into a shallow oil-sprayed casserole dish. I recommend a shallow dish because the top then browns and gets slightly crusty and it's 'ono. You can use a 7-by-11 Pyrex dish or I have a set of graduated oval Emile Henry dishes that I just love and I used the middle-size one for this.
Bake an hour at 350 (peek and taste after 25 minutes to see if it needs more moisture). With a salad of watercress leaves, tomatoes and cucumbers topped with Kai's Hawaiian Spice and Seasoning Rub and an oil and balsamic vinaigrette, this made an oh-so-comforting supper. It'll be lunch for both of us again today!
Forgive the lack of a photo: a) it's not very photogenic, kind of brown on brown, and b) my camera is telling me the recording chip is locked and I can't figure out how to unlock it.
Word to the wise: If you buy a piece of equipment at second hand, be sure you get the instruction manual!
Happy cooking.
See you SATURDAY (not Sunday as I previously said), 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the new Hawaii Kai Farmers Market at Kaiser High School for a signing of my three cookbooks — and lots of locally grown produce and other good foodstuffs.
I remembered a dish my mom or Grandma used to make: a rice casserole made with that ubiquitous can of cream of mushroom soup. I couldn't just dump a can on some rice; I have my reputation after all, so I made a few embellishments with which my husband and I were very happy.
For protein, I pulled two skinless, boneless chicken breasts out of the freezer, defrosted them and cut them into small pieces (chicken breast tends to swell when cooked, and if you don't cut the pieces small, you'll have bigger-than-bite chunks; on the other hand, you have to be sure to cook them quickly, or via a moist-head method, or they'll get dry and stringy).
I plucked some parsley from the garden — about enough to make a quarter cup, minced; and finely chopped half an onion. I had a half box of mushrooms and cut those into slices.
I measured 1 1/2 cups long grain rice (this dish gets too mushy with short- or medium-grain rice).
First, I sauteed the chicken until it was quite brown and crusty, in a blend of butter and vegetable oil. You could use oil spray to save calories but watch the chicken carefully so it doesn't burn.
I dumped this into a bowl, then sauteed the onions, parsley and mushrooms until quite well browned and dumped these in with the chicken.
I then sauteed the uncooked rice until it was golden and flecked with brown, kind of a tweedy look. Dumped that in.
Finally, I added to the bowl 1 1/2 cups cream of mushroom soup, 1 1 /2 cups chicken broth (you could use water), a sprinkling of pepper (you don't need any extra salt) and snipped some thyme leaves from the plant I bought last week at the KCC Farmers Market and stirred those in.
All these went into a shallow oil-sprayed casserole dish. I recommend a shallow dish because the top then browns and gets slightly crusty and it's 'ono. You can use a 7-by-11 Pyrex dish or I have a set of graduated oval Emile Henry dishes that I just love and I used the middle-size one for this.
Bake an hour at 350 (peek and taste after 25 minutes to see if it needs more moisture). With a salad of watercress leaves, tomatoes and cucumbers topped with Kai's Hawaiian Spice and Seasoning Rub and an oil and balsamic vinaigrette, this made an oh-so-comforting supper. It'll be lunch for both of us again today!
Forgive the lack of a photo: a) it's not very photogenic, kind of brown on brown, and b) my camera is telling me the recording chip is locked and I can't figure out how to unlock it.
Word to the wise: If you buy a piece of equipment at second hand, be sure you get the instruction manual!
Happy cooking.
See you SATURDAY (not Sunday as I previously said), 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the new Hawaii Kai Farmers Market at Kaiser High School for a signing of my three cookbooks — and lots of locally grown produce and other good foodstuffs.
Fundraiser fun
The other day, I judged a small fundraising event hosted at the local Aloha United Way offices. The employees carry out this effort once a year and it's one any company, big or small, can manage: participants cook their favorite plate lunch-style dishes, set them up in a conference room and sell plate lunches to their colleagues.
At AUW headquarters on Vineyard Street, Sonia Castillo scored a triple score: first place in pupu and dessert and "Top Chef" overall winner title. She's an administrative assistant in their labor division and, though she's modest about it, she can sure cook.
She found these beautiful and delicious little sweet morsels in an ad from McCormick spices. I was impressed by how such a simple dessert could look so elegant. If you're doing a special party, try these:
Chocolate Tarts with Peppermint Creme
2 packages (15 shells each) frozen mini phyllo shells (if you can't find phyllo, use puff pastry or regular pastry mini-tarts)
1/3 cup plus 3/4 cup heavy cream, divided
4 ounces bittersweet or semi-sweet baking chocolate, cut into chunks (you can use the newer high-end 60 percent plus butterfat dark chocolate)
2 ounces cream cheese, softened
4 tablespoons sugar, divided
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract (if you don't like peppermint, use raspberry, almond, orange or other extract)
Bake shells, unfilled, as directed. Cool completely. (Cooling steps are important in this recipe, don't try to hurry.)
Microwave 1/3 cup of the the cream and chocolate in a microwaveable bowl on high for 1 minute, stirring every 30 seconds. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Cool 5 minutes or until chocolate starts to thicken. Spoon a heaping teaspoon of this quick "ganache" (chocolate filling) into each tart shell cool completely.
Beat cream cheese and 2 tablespoons of sugar in a large bowl until smooth. In another bowl, beat remaining cream, remaining sugar and the extract, using an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Add half of this mixture to the cream cheese mixture; stir until well-blended. Gently stir in remaining whipped cream
Spoon or pipe 1 tablespoon of the peppermint creme into each tart and garnish with chocolate shavings, if desired. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Makes 30 tarts.
NOTE: Adding cream cheese to whipping cream and whipping it in stabilizes the whipped cream. If you add a couple of ounces of softened cream cheese to a cup or cup and a half of whipping cream and whip it, you can cover it and keep it in the fridge for hours without it deflating or separating. I also liked the way this easy ganache is made in the microwave. Ganache is usually a much trickier recipe.
Sonia's overall winner was a pupu that your beer-drinking, blue-tarp-in-the-carport buddies will whack in one bite. Make plenny! It's just poke on top a fried won ton — but spicy, crispy, creamy, all the elements of a great pupu. This original had a sweet drizzle sauce but Sonia didn't like it, so added Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce (what did we do before that came along?). I can't wait until my brother's next party.
Spicy Tuna with Sriracha Sauce
1 package won ton, each cut in half diagonally to form triangles — or leave whole)
1 pound prepared spicy tuna or any other kind of poke; the one chopped smaller
1/2 cup sliced green onions
Cooking oil for deep frying
For the drizzle sauce:
1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
3 teaspoons Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce (not the chunky one)
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoon rice vinegar (she likes Mitsukan brand)
In a deep, heavy pot or deep fat fryer or wok, heat cooking oil to 325-350 degrees and fry won ton chips until golden and crips. Drain on paper towels and cool.
In a bowl, combine spicy tuna or other poke. In a bowl, combine mayonnaise, hot chili sauce, sugar and rice vinegar. Set aside.
Just before serving, arrange the won ton chips on a platter. Spread a little spicy tuna mixture on each chip; sprinkle with green onion. Drizzle with sauce.
HOW TO DO YOUR OWN COMPANY FUNDRAISER BUFFET
AUW'S idea has many advantages: it promotes camaraderie, folks get to taste each other's cooking, the price (in this case, $7 for an all-you-can-eat plate) is comparable with plate lunches elsewhere (or even a little less) and some money is earned for the charity of your choice. And it's fun, a little break in the workday.
The money's not much but it's something in these difficult times that isn't too hard on anyone's pocketbook. You would have had to buy lunch anyway, right?
At AUW, they had more than 30 dishes in four categories: salads, pupu, entrees and desserts and they were about evenly divided. (This is important for a proper plate lunch composition so you need to sign people up in advance and get them to commit to the type of dish they're bringing.)
Here are some tips on how to conduct such an event:
1. Get management to buy the paper goods: napkins, utensils, paper plates (be eco-friendly and buy biodegradable paper or cardboard instead of styrofoam) and a roll of paper towels. It's also great to have a few luau-style setups — those big tin trays with sterno cans below to keep food hot. Management can also provide the prizes. AUW had the cutest little plaques with toy kitchen implements on them. Another option might be a month's access to a great parking space. A first prize that would really attract participants would be a day off or a gift certificate to a nice restaurant! (You might be able to score such a prize for free or a reduced price if you asked the chef to be a judge!)
2. Bring in some outside judges, a panel of three is sufficient. (I'm easy, and someone generally knows a chef, a cooking teacher or one of the local TV or radio hosts who'd be willing to stop by for an hour to get stuffed.)
3. Plan the judging part carefully. Have serving volunteers on hand to get the food to the judges quickly. Be aware that judges want only small tasting portions as they'll have lots to consume. Pushy me, I kind of took over when I realized we judges would have to taste 30 dishes and suggested we divide the work up into two stages: We'd each taste three or four dishes in a category, name two semi-finalists, then all taste the semi-finalists and name a winner in each category plus the overall "Top Chef." I was bursting just tasting that many dishes. (I admit, we all tried all the desserts and there were about 10 of those!).
4. Stick to a schedule so the eaters don't have to wait in too long a line: For example, judge from 11-11:45, 11:45, doors open, winners announced, eating begins. Have a cashier and change ready at a table outside the room so the line can move smoothly.
5. If you're cooking, choose an item that tastes just as good lukewarm as it does hot or cold. Or, if you're doing a soup or stew, bring or borrow a crockpot, which can be left on low all morning.
6. Choose an item that can readily be portioned out into smaller pieces; you can also give the big eaters two portions. If you do an item that is rather large and can't readily be cut up, you'll quickly run out.
7. If you want to make sure you've got enough for everyone, require customers to sign up in advance and maybe even pay and buy scrip for the meal. Then you'll know just how many portions the cooks should prepare.
AUW charged $7 a plate and made about $400 — not a huge amount, but enough to help a family buy groceries for a week, or pay for a few doctor's visits for an uninsured person.
At AUW headquarters on Vineyard Street, Sonia Castillo scored a triple score: first place in pupu and dessert and "Top Chef" overall winner title. She's an administrative assistant in their labor division and, though she's modest about it, she can sure cook.
She found these beautiful and delicious little sweet morsels in an ad from McCormick spices. I was impressed by how such a simple dessert could look so elegant. If you're doing a special party, try these:
Chocolate Tarts with Peppermint Creme
2 packages (15 shells each) frozen mini phyllo shells (if you can't find phyllo, use puff pastry or regular pastry mini-tarts)
1/3 cup plus 3/4 cup heavy cream, divided
4 ounces bittersweet or semi-sweet baking chocolate, cut into chunks (you can use the newer high-end 60 percent plus butterfat dark chocolate)
2 ounces cream cheese, softened
4 tablespoons sugar, divided
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract (if you don't like peppermint, use raspberry, almond, orange or other extract)
Bake shells, unfilled, as directed. Cool completely. (Cooling steps are important in this recipe, don't try to hurry.)
Microwave 1/3 cup of the the cream and chocolate in a microwaveable bowl on high for 1 minute, stirring every 30 seconds. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Cool 5 minutes or until chocolate starts to thicken. Spoon a heaping teaspoon of this quick "ganache" (chocolate filling) into each tart shell cool completely.
Beat cream cheese and 2 tablespoons of sugar in a large bowl until smooth. In another bowl, beat remaining cream, remaining sugar and the extract, using an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Add half of this mixture to the cream cheese mixture; stir until well-blended. Gently stir in remaining whipped cream
Spoon or pipe 1 tablespoon of the peppermint creme into each tart and garnish with chocolate shavings, if desired. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Makes 30 tarts.
NOTE: Adding cream cheese to whipping cream and whipping it in stabilizes the whipped cream. If you add a couple of ounces of softened cream cheese to a cup or cup and a half of whipping cream and whip it, you can cover it and keep it in the fridge for hours without it deflating or separating. I also liked the way this easy ganache is made in the microwave. Ganache is usually a much trickier recipe.
Sonia's overall winner was a pupu that your beer-drinking, blue-tarp-in-the-carport buddies will whack in one bite. Make plenny! It's just poke on top a fried won ton — but spicy, crispy, creamy, all the elements of a great pupu. This original had a sweet drizzle sauce but Sonia didn't like it, so added Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce (what did we do before that came along?). I can't wait until my brother's next party.
Spicy Tuna with Sriracha Sauce
1 package won ton, each cut in half diagonally to form triangles — or leave whole)
1 pound prepared spicy tuna or any other kind of poke; the one chopped smaller
1/2 cup sliced green onions
Cooking oil for deep frying
For the drizzle sauce:
1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
3 teaspoons Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce (not the chunky one)
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoon rice vinegar (she likes Mitsukan brand)
In a deep, heavy pot or deep fat fryer or wok, heat cooking oil to 325-350 degrees and fry won ton chips until golden and crips. Drain on paper towels and cool.
In a bowl, combine spicy tuna or other poke. In a bowl, combine mayonnaise, hot chili sauce, sugar and rice vinegar. Set aside.
Just before serving, arrange the won ton chips on a platter. Spread a little spicy tuna mixture on each chip; sprinkle with green onion. Drizzle with sauce.
HOW TO DO YOUR OWN COMPANY FUNDRAISER BUFFET
AUW'S idea has many advantages: it promotes camaraderie, folks get to taste each other's cooking, the price (in this case, $7 for an all-you-can-eat plate) is comparable with plate lunches elsewhere (or even a little less) and some money is earned for the charity of your choice. And it's fun, a little break in the workday.
The money's not much but it's something in these difficult times that isn't too hard on anyone's pocketbook. You would have had to buy lunch anyway, right?
At AUW, they had more than 30 dishes in four categories: salads, pupu, entrees and desserts and they were about evenly divided. (This is important for a proper plate lunch composition so you need to sign people up in advance and get them to commit to the type of dish they're bringing.)
Here are some tips on how to conduct such an event:
1. Get management to buy the paper goods: napkins, utensils, paper plates (be eco-friendly and buy biodegradable paper or cardboard instead of styrofoam) and a roll of paper towels. It's also great to have a few luau-style setups — those big tin trays with sterno cans below to keep food hot. Management can also provide the prizes. AUW had the cutest little plaques with toy kitchen implements on them. Another option might be a month's access to a great parking space. A first prize that would really attract participants would be a day off or a gift certificate to a nice restaurant! (You might be able to score such a prize for free or a reduced price if you asked the chef to be a judge!)
2. Bring in some outside judges, a panel of three is sufficient. (I'm easy, and someone generally knows a chef, a cooking teacher or one of the local TV or radio hosts who'd be willing to stop by for an hour to get stuffed.)
3. Plan the judging part carefully. Have serving volunteers on hand to get the food to the judges quickly. Be aware that judges want only small tasting portions as they'll have lots to consume. Pushy me, I kind of took over when I realized we judges would have to taste 30 dishes and suggested we divide the work up into two stages: We'd each taste three or four dishes in a category, name two semi-finalists, then all taste the semi-finalists and name a winner in each category plus the overall "Top Chef." I was bursting just tasting that many dishes. (I admit, we all tried all the desserts and there were about 10 of those!).
4. Stick to a schedule so the eaters don't have to wait in too long a line: For example, judge from 11-11:45, 11:45, doors open, winners announced, eating begins. Have a cashier and change ready at a table outside the room so the line can move smoothly.
5. If you're cooking, choose an item that tastes just as good lukewarm as it does hot or cold. Or, if you're doing a soup or stew, bring or borrow a crockpot, which can be left on low all morning.
6. Choose an item that can readily be portioned out into smaller pieces; you can also give the big eaters two portions. If you do an item that is rather large and can't readily be cut up, you'll quickly run out.
7. If you want to make sure you've got enough for everyone, require customers to sign up in advance and maybe even pay and buy scrip for the meal. Then you'll know just how many portions the cooks should prepare.
AUW charged $7 a plate and made about $400 — not a huge amount, but enough to help a family buy groceries for a week, or pay for a few doctor's visits for an uninsured person.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
MY BOOK SIGNING IS SATURDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I got confused in my calendar and posted that I'd be at the new Hawaii Kai Farmers Market on SUNDAY...NO NO NO, it's Saturday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Kaiser High School. I'll have all three books: The Island Plate, Island Plate II and Entertaining Island Style. The latter is a good present for Mainlanders as I've added in substitutions for all Island-specific foods they might find hard to locate in communities that lack an Asian or Polynesian population. Also some online sources for these foods.
I'll be posting later today about a recipe contest I helped just yesterday — a simple and delicous fundraising idea for any office group that AUW put on.
See you SATURDAY. (Sunday is the Haleiwa Farmers Market, which is sponsored by the same group; I won't be there this time.)
I'll be posting later today about a recipe contest I helped just yesterday — a simple and delicous fundraising idea for any office group that AUW put on.
See you SATURDAY. (Sunday is the Haleiwa Farmers Market, which is sponsored by the same group; I won't be there this time.)
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