Roasted Brussels Sprouts

One of my favorite side dishes to order, prepared in my very own kitchen. Special shout out to my SO who is one of those people who cook amazing dishes without recipes. I have to force him to measure out everything and show me step by step how it's done. There will be many more dishes to come from him.

Before... 

and After!

Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Serves: 1-2

Ingredients:
Brussels Sprouts - half pound
Bacon - 2 slices, cut into bite size pieces
Honey Mustard - 1/2 tbsp
Balsamic Vinegar - splash

Optional: grated parmesan cheese, thyme.

Directions:
1. Place brussels sprouts in bowl. Cover and microwave for 3 minutes.
2. Heat pan with generous amount of olive oil. Add bacon.
3. Cook until bacon is near crispy, lower heat to medium and add in brussels sprouts.
4. Stir and make sure the brussels sprouts are completely coated with olive oil. Close lid.
5. After about 2-3 minutes, open the lid and check on the sprouts. If the pan looks dry, add a splash of water and close lid again to steam. Repeat this process about 3-5 times, which should take about 15-20 minutes. Ensure that the brussels sprouts are cooked through in the center and have a nice sear.
6. To finish, add a splash of balsamic vinegar to the pan and stir. Follow by the honey mustard. Stir and turn off heat. Season with salt and pepper.
7. [optional] Top with grated parmesan cheese and thyme for serving.

Tamagoyaki (Japanese Omelette)

Eggs are one of the most versatile ingredients in your fridge so I love to have a few handy recipes. This is one of my favorite appetizer dishes at Japanese restaurants. Though skill-wise is probably one of the harder dishes, ingredient-wise it's pretty simple. With some patience and practice, you too can perfect this dish, but probably not a good idea to make for more than 1-2 people. Enjoy!

Before...

and After!

Tomagoyaki (Japanese Omelette)

Serves: 1-2

Ingredients:
Eggs - 2 large

Sugar - 3/4 tablespoon

Mirin - 1/2 teaspoon

Splash of salt and soy sauce

Directions:

1. Beat eggs with all the ingredients.
2. Pour oil on a hot pan. Make sure it's completely coated. Pour 1/4 of the egg into the pan, try to spread it out evenly into a thin layer.

3. Slowly roll the egg when the bottom is cooked but the top is still a bit runny so it will stick together.

4. Add oil to the pan and pour another 1/4 of egg into pan. Repeat and roll. (You can blog the oil on the rolled egg while in the pan so it's not as greasy when it's served.)

5. When it's done, blog excess oil, let cool. You can wrap it in a paper towel and try to shape and tighten it. Cut into slices and it's ready to serve! Can also be served cold refrigerated.

Split Pea Dessert (馬豆糕)

This is a traditional Chinese Cantonese dessert that you might have tried at dim sum places. It tastes a bit like coconut panna cotta with a more solid texture, a bit like pudding + jello, not too sweet and light enough to consume after a big dinner. Ok, it's hard to describe so just try it. I might try to experiment with different flavors next... stay tuned!

Before...

and After!

Split Pea Dessert (馬豆糕)

Serves 12

Ingredients:
Split Pea - 3 oz or 3/8 cup
Evaporated Milk - 1 can (12 fluid oz)
Coconut Milk - 1 can 
Sugar - 8 to 9 oz
Corn Starch - 5 to 6 oz (6 oz for more solid texture)

Directions:
1. Cook split pea in boiling water until soft, approximately 35-40 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2. In a large pot, heat up 1.5 cups of water and melt sugar in medium heat.
3. In a separate bowl, mix 1.5 cups of water with corn starch.
4. When the sugar is thoroughly melted, add evaporated milk and coconut milk. When ti's hot, turn heat down to low, stir and slowly mix in starch water. 
5. Before the mixture boils, mix in the cooked split pea. Continue to stir; as the mixture boils, it will start to turn white. Let it boil for a few minutes while stirring.
6. Turn off heat. Pour the mixture into a desired container* and let cool. 
7. Cover and refrigerate. Serve cold.

* I prefer to use large deep glass plates for pour. The dessert will form into a cake-like shape and you can cut into cake slices or cubes for serving.

This is what it should look like after it's poured and cooling.

Guacamole

If you need to feed a bunch of party people, there is nothing better than guac & chips. I made this for my friend’s Mexican themed party and was told that it was “so awesome” and “the best.” Yes, they were drunk, but I’ll take it.

Before...

and After!

You don’t need any special tools but a few tricks to note:

• Avocado oxidizes (turns brown once it’s cut), so guacamole is best made and consumed on the same day. If you must store it overnight, keep the container air tight and refrigerate.

• Use ripe avocados. They are not always readily available at stores, so you can buy 1-2 days early and store in room temperature in a brown paper bag.

• Make sure you de-seed the tomatoes. Otherwise, the dip gets runny.

• The below recipe is not spicy at all. Feel free to double or triple the chilies if you want a kick.

Guacamole (courtesy of Dos Caminos)

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

Avocados, preferably California Haas – 2 large

Tomato, Roma/plum – 1 small

Onion, White/Red – ¼, for 2 teaspoons chopped

Chilies, Jalapeno/Serrano – 1-2, for 2 teaspoons chopped

Lime – 1, for 2 teaspoons of lime juice

Cilantro – 2 tablespoons chopped

Directions:

1. Chop up everything: finely chop the onion, chilies and cilantro. Remove chili seeds if you don’t like spicy. De-seed the tomatoes and chop. Do avocado last because it oxidizes: peel, de-seed, and cut up in small cubes.

2. In medium size bowl, use the back of a spoon to mash up half the onion, chilies and cilantro with a dash of salt. This will help release the oil and flavor.

3. Add avocados and mash. Mix in the remaining onion, chilies and cilantro. Lastly, gently fold in tomatoes and add lime juice. Season with salt and serve with tortilla chips.

Strawberries & Cream

Before...

  

and After!

I made this for my friend's dinner party last night and was a big hit! It's a relatively simple recipe and can be plated beautifully for nice presentation and easy transportation. Enjoy and please share pics if you have other plating ideas! Enjoy!

Some recipes on the blogosphere call for the use of whipping cream instead of heavy cream, which I used (and pictured in "Before") but that did not work for me. I had to re-do this recipe with heavy cream. 

With Heavy Whipped Cream - #Fail 

 
With Heavy Cream - #WhippedSuccess

Berries with Mascarpone Cheese in Balsamic Reduction Sauce 

Serves 5

Ingredients:
Strawberries - 15 medium-size strawberries
Blueberries - 1 small box, ~6 oz

[for Whipped Mascarpone*]
Mascarpone Cheese - 8 oz (usually 1 carton)
Heavy Cream - 0.5 pint
Vanilla Extract - 1 teaspoons
Sugar - 4 tablespoons
*basically equal parts mascarpone and heavy cream

[optional - for Balsamic Sauce]

Balsamic Vinegar - 2 oz

Lemon Juice - splash, ~0.25 teaspoon

Sugar - 1 teaspoon 
Note: I have also made this dish without the balsamic sauce and it is just as good, so feel free to skip that touch of fanciness.

[optional - for plating]
Tumbler Plastic Glasses - 5x 9-oz glasses (buy online or in person in NYC)

Directions:
1. Combine mascarpone cheese, heavy cream, vanilla extract and sugar in a bowl and whisk until it gels and does not drip (which usually takes me 5-15 min by hand). Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours.

2. Combine balsamic vinegar, lemon juice and sugar in sauce pan. Stir over medium heat and reduce sauce by 1/3 for ~3 min. Cover and put in fridge. Note that the sauce will become thicker when it's chilled.

3. Wash and dry berries.
4. Plating: divide whipped mascarpone cheese among tumblers, add strawberries (3 each), drizzle balsamic sauce and top with blueberries (small handful each).