Thursday, September 23, 2010

Sweet Omelets

This is a no hassle omelet recipe, perfect for a Saturday brunch. The combination of honey and pine nuts is delicate and surprising.

Ingredients: (makes four omelets)

6 large eggs
2 tbs milk
2 tsp honey
3 tbsp pine nuts
1 tsb chopped parsley
Salt an pepper

Recipe:
First toast the pine nuts in the oven for about ten minutes at 200C, until they turn a golden brown.

In a bowl, gently mix the eggs with the milk. (Don't whip it or the omelet will turn too airy)
Prepare each omelet separately. In a frying pan with oil or butter over low heat, pour a quarter of the egg mixture. Turn the pan a bit to the sides to make sure the mixture spreads all over, making the omelets as thin as possible.
When the top is almost ready carefully turn the omelet over.
Gently drip half a teaspoon of honey in a strip along the middle of the omelet, sprinkle with pine nuts.
Now roll the omelet and place on a serving plate.
Repeat for the other omelets. Sprinkle with parsley, the remaining pine nuts and a pinch of salt and pepper. You can serve them warm or at room temperature.

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Homemade Marshmallows!


Get ready for a surprise... For our dear friend's birthday, we made our own homemade marshmallows. Inspired by a recipe by the beautiful Hungry Girl Porvida, we were a little uncertain at the beginning. But the recipe turned out to be quick, easy and the marshmallows are so much better than what you'd buy at the supermarket (not to mention they are quite impressive...) You will need a candy thermometer.

Ingredients:
1 cup cold water, divided
90 grams gelatin
2 cups sugar
2/3 honey
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Recipe:
First prepare a shallow pan and line it with baking paper. Sprinkle powdered sugar all over the baking paper.
Place 1/2 cup of water in the bowl of a standing mixer with the whisk attachment. Sprinkle the gelatin over the water and allow it to soften for about 5 minutes.
Place the remaining water, sugar, honey and salt in a saucepan, melt and bring to a boil. Continue boiling until the syrup reaches 240 F on the candy thermometer.
Turn the mixer on on low speed, and slowly pour the syrup into the gelatin. DO NOT pour on the attachment itself or you'll splatter boiling syrup all over yourself (ouch!).
Once all the syrup is incorporated, gradually increase the speed, and continue whisking until the mixture turns white, thick and stiff (like marshmallow fluff). At this point add vanilla and mix to combine.
Pour the mixture into the prepared pan, and with wet hands smooth the top.
Dust with powdered sugar and let it sit in room temperature for at least 4 hours.
When ready just take the marshmallow out, and with a sharp knife cut into bite-size pieces. Toss with powdered sugar to coat the pieces (we threw them in a Ziploc bag and shook), and store in a container.

You can get creative and add other flavors into the mixture, such as mint, coffee, cardamon, etc. We will be sure to play some more with the recipe the next time we try it.



Saturday, September 4, 2010

And the winner is...

Our recipe for Steak with Onion and Tomato Sauce was chosen to be included into the Foodista Best of Food Blogs Cookbook! A while back we entered the contest and just received the good news. Yay!

Kim chi (Korean Pickles)

We got stuck with a large amount of cucumbers and after many weeks of making simple pickles we had enough. It was time to find a spicy alternative. Enter kim chi, spicy Korean pickles! We had tried and loved kim chi on our last trip to Korea and were determined to have a try at making our own. They turned out spectacular, extremely spicy and addictive. They're great as a condiment, added to soup or served as a side order like regular pickles.

Adapted from  Dr. Ben Kim's recipe.

Ingredients:

15-20 small cucumbers cut into bite-size pieces
2 tbs salt
1 tbs minces garlic
1/2 cup green onions, roughly chopped
1/4 onion, chopped
2 tbs red chili powder
1 tsp white wine vinegar
1 tbs honey

The Recipe:
Toss the cucumbers with salt and let sit overnight.
Combine the cucumbers with the rest of the ingredients, and mix well.
Transfer to glass jars with just a little bit of brine and let ferment for 48 hours at room temperature. Place the jars in the refrigerator for safe keeping.