A Better Burger

With Memorial Day weekend around the corner I'm pretty much looking to grill anything I can get my hands on - no wait, that's my husband.

Not that there is anything wrong with a good old all beef patty, but a little variety never hurt anyone.

I went to my first cooking class in China a few weeks ago. Turns out it was more about hanging out and eating than cooking, but I did walk away with a great new recipe.

Spicy Beef Patty with Crayfish
Makes 5 Burger Patties, or ~10 appetizer-sized meat balls

1 lb Ground Beef
1/2 lb Crayfish Meat, already cooked and tossed with salt and pepper and 1/2 tsp Cajun seasoning (you can buy this already cooked and sometimes even seasoned already!)
1/2 C Red Onion, finely chopped
2 Clove Garlic, minced
2 Tbs Cilantro, chopped finely
1 Egg Yolk
1 Tbs Cajun Seasoning
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Black Pepper, freshly ground
apporx. 2 Tbs Breadcrumbs, dried not fresh

If the crayfish meat is larger than 1" pieces, chop them up a bit. You want to keep them chunky though, too small and they will lose their flavor against the strong beefy taste. Combine the beef and crayfish meat with onion, garlic, and cilantro. Mix gently with your finger tips (or 2 forks), you don't want to over work the meat making it tough.

In a small bowl beat the egg yolk with Cajun seasoning, salt and pepper. I find that if mix the seasoning with the egg it incorporates more evenly once combined with the meat. Otherwise, you could end up with a spicy meat ball (insert fake Italian accent here).

Combine the meat with the egg yolk mixture, mixing gently but thoroughly with your fingers or 2 forks.

Depending on the size of the egg yolk and the fat content of the meat, your mixture may need less or more than 2 Tbs of the breadcrumbs. Basically you don't want it to be overly wet or dry - add the breadcrumbs until it comes together nicely. If you don't know what I'm talking about, just add the whole 2 Tbs, it's not a big deal.

If you're making the burger patties, form the mixture into 5 even patties and grill over direct heat to your liking.

If you are making the appetizer version, split into 10 (or more or less) smaller patties. I recommend pan searing the smaller patties so they don't break up over the grill. In a scorching hot saute pan add 1 Tbs cooking oil. Saute each patty until a nice brown crust forms on each side, approx 3 mins. They are delicious served with a little honey mustard or spicy ketcup dipping sauce.

A Taste of Home

Living on the other side of the world has it's ups and downs. Every time I step outside it's sensory overload, in a good way - the sights, smells, sounds, tastes, but of course there are my friends and family who I miss dearly (Skype to the rescue). Another thing that has been obviously missing are some of my favorite foods. At the top of that list lives the bagel.
Why is it so hard to find good bagels? I have heard all the back and forth over the NY water adding to the distinct chewiness and unmistakable flavor - this of course being something I cannot replicate. But I was not about to sign away the next 2 years of my life without bagels. Taking matters into my own hands I got down to business and started researching bagel recipes. As usual, I turned to the good people at Cook's Illustrated, ala The New Best Recipe and called off the search.

My recipe below has a alterations from the original in The New Best Recipe. The original claims to yield 8 bagels, but I found the bagels to be too small, so I would plan to make only 6 bagels from the same batch of dough. The recipe calls for 1 Tbs barley malt syrup, which I wasn't even going to try and find in China - I substituted with the same amount of brown sugar. Also, the recipe called for a dusting of corn meal for the uncooked bagels to rest on over night. Personally I hate a bagel with a corn meal bottom - so I left that out. But to each their own.

Plain Bagels
Yield: 6 bagels

4 Cups High-Gluten Flour (also called Bread Flour, the protien content should be approx. 14%)
2 tsp Salt
1 Tbs Brown Sugar (if you can find Barley Malt Syrup, use that instead)
1 1/2 tsp Instant Yeast
1 1/4 Cups Water (I used bottled water and it needs to be room temp or 80 degrees)

1. Mix flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add the yeast and water while mixing on the lowest speed until the dough just starts to come together, about 4 mins. Increase speed to med-low and continue to mix for about 8-10 mins, the dough should be smooth and cohesive at this point.
2. Divide the dough into 6 even pieces, about 6 oz, and roll into smooth balls. Cover with a towel or plastc wrap and let rest for 5 mins.
3. Form each ball of dough into a rope, do not taper the ends. Shape the rope into a circle overlapping the ends about 1 inches. Pinch the ends together, dampening if they don't stick. Roll the overlapping area several times to leave the area even and smooth. The bagels don't raise too much, so make sure that they are the tickness and size you prefer. Arrage bagels on a large baking sheet lined with parchment, cover tightly with plastic wrap and refridgerate overnight.
4. About 20 mins before baking remove bagels from fridge. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat to 450 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to a rapid bowl (the water should be at least 3" deep).
5. Working in batches, drop the dough rings into the water. Using a skimmer or slotted spoon, stir and submerge the dough rings. They will puff up slightly after about 30-35 sec. Remove the bagels from water and place on a wire rack to drain, bottom side down.
6. Transfer boiled bagels to a new parchment lined baking sheet and back for 12-14 mins, or until golden brown. Let cool on a wire rack and enjoy!

Stir Fried Green Beans with Pork

Since Tom and I have arrived in Shanghai just over 2 months ago, I have been on food overload. There are some dishes that are clearly time consuming to make with an elaborate list of indistinguishable ingredients. There have also been a few simple and delicious dishes that have graced our dinner table almost every time we eat out. Fried Green Beans with Pork is one of our favorites.






1 lb Green Beans (trim ends)
1/3 lb Ground Pork
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1 tsp XO Sauce (Substitute: Soy Sauce)

Marinade:
2 Tbs Soy Sauce (Note: if you are substituting the XO sauce, only use 1 Tbs of Soy Sauce here)
1/2 tsp Sugar
1/2 tsp Corn Starch
1 Tbs Water

Combine the soy sauce, sugar, corn starch, and water to make the marinage. Add pork and let sit for 15 mins.

Make sure the green beans are completely dry. Heat oil in a wok or frying pan (just enough to cover the green beans). Once the oil is hot (test with one green bean - if it bubbles right away, the oil is ready) fry the beans until tender but not brown - approx 3-4 mins. Remove the fried beans and let drain on paper towels.

Discard all but 2 Tbs of the oil. Add 1 Tbs of the oil to the pan and return to heat. Add the marinated pork and fry until cooked all the way through. Then remove from pan and set aside.

Add the remaining 1 Tbs of oil and saute garlic for 1 min then add the green beans, pork, and XO sauce. At this point you could also add sliced chillies for added heat. Toss together to combine and reheat all ingredients.

It's best when served right away while the green beans still have a bit of a crisp texture. However, I'm not going to lie - this is also amazing as left overs eaten from the fridge ala Nigella Lawson.

Milk Tea

Well it didn't take long for me fall in love with one of the gabillion different types of bottled milk teas here in China. It's sort of overwhelming with all of the different varieties and most having little to no English on the labels.

Kirin makes lots of different flavors but I happen to the partial to their basic Milk Tea. If you see some it's a must try. It's slightly sweet and floral. A perfect refreshment without the guilt of a can of soda.

Congee Porriage

As much as I love fancy pants food... there is something really wonderful about simple peasant food. I have been enjoying Congee porridge the past couple of weeks for breakfast. It's kinda like oatmeal meets rice meets soup.

There are many variations and different regions make it in different ways. Essentially it's rice that is cooked for a long time (overnight in many cases) until it begins to break down. Different recipes call for different amounts of water and/or stock to be used altering the consistency from dense to loose.

From there it becomes a canvas to which you can add chicken or beef or duck or vegetables or just leave it plain. It's also traditional to add a variety of pickled vegetables and/or eggs to your liking.

If you get the chance to try some, it's definitely worth it.

Xiao Long Bao

Photo Credit: TS Perspective

Sorry, it's been a little while since I have posted... I have recently relocated to Shanghai China. Every day I'm surprised by the great and diverse food all over the city. You can't talk about the amazing food of Shanghai without mentioning Xiao Long Bao, AKA "Soup Dumplings".

These little pockets of pork and steaming hot broth are as dangerous to eat as they are delicious. Eating them can prove to be difficult and messy. You have to gently bit into them and at the same time slurp up some of the scorchingly hot broth - all with chopsticks mind you. All of that may seem like a lot of work, but believe me it's all worth it.

I won't even pretend to provide a recipe.. sorry. From what I have been able to research there are lots of steps and pork fat that go into the addicting dumplings - as with all things delicious. There is also a beautiful dough folding/pinching technique that I'm far from mastering. At the many Xiao Long Bao stalls that pepper the city streets you can watch the masters at work and for about $3 US you'll be one step closer to heaven - and a burnt tongue.

It's a Marshmallow World

This year I made marshmallows for friends at work. It's amazing how different a homemade marshmallow tastes from the plain-jane stuff from the bag. They are fragrant, light, and not overly sweet. Shockingly, they are very simple to make, although not the tidiest of candies, they are delicious.

Below is the recipe that I lifted from Martha Stewart. Although I did add a step at the end after cutting into pieces you can toss them in confectioners sugar to keep them from sticking together.

Homemade Vanilla Marshmallows

Makes about 60-75 large marshmallows

• 2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2/3 cup light corn syrup
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Coat a lasagna dish with plastic wrap and brush with vegetable oil. I used a paper towel dabbed in oil to make sure not too much oil is left on the plastic wrap.
   
2. Add 1/3 cup cold water into the bowl of an electric mixer. Sprinkle with gelatin; let mixture soften, about 5 minutes.
3. Place sugar, corn syrup, salt, and 1/3 cup water in a medium saucepan. Cover; bring to a boil. Remove lid; cook, swirling pan occasionally, until syrup reaches 238 degrees (soft-ball stage) on a candy thermometer, about 5 minutes.
4. With mixer on low speed, whisk gelatin mixture, and slowly pour the syrup in a steady stream down the side of the bowl (to avoid splattering). Gradually raise speed to high; beat until mixture is thick, white, and has almost tripled in volume, about 12 minutes. Add vanilla, and beat 30 seconds to combine.
5. Pour mixture onto prepared baking dish; smooth with an offset spatula. Let stand at room temperature, uncovered, until firm, at least 3 hours or overnight.
6. Using kitchen sheers, cut the marshmallows into desired size and toss in confectioners sugar.