Raspberry Espuma- Raspberry Foam Dessert

Dessert

Girl Cooks World

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April 24, 2019

Raspberry Espuma- Raspberry Foam Dessert

Last week I posted some very seasonal recipes: rhubarb and ginger spritzers as well as rhubarb and ginger mojitos. This week, I thought I’d post a super simple dessert recipe that you can make year round. Can you guess what the main ingredient is in this raspberry foam? Here’s a hint.

If you guessed jello, you’re a winner. I like to include these types of recipes every once in awhile (hello, Watergate salad) just to head off any assumptions that I’m a food snob.

But seriously, who would have guessed that when paired with evaporated milk, that jello would create such a light, airy, whipped dessert? It tasted like one of those Yoplait whipped yogurts/desserts, which in my book is a good thing.

The only trick here is to make sure the evaporated milk is very very cold. The first time I tried making it, I only let the milk chill for a short period of time and the evaporated milk didn’t want to fluff up, so make sure to place the evaporated milk in the fridge well in advance. And a quick stay in the freezer makes sure the evaporated milk is plenty chilled.

My inner prepster wanted to use some pale green pistachios to offset the pink, but feel free to use berries or whatever else you’d like as a topping. And of course you can also substitute whatever jello flavor is in season for the raspberry 🙂

Raspberry Espuma- Raspberry Foam Dessert

Yield: 6-8 servings

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups water, divided
6-ounce package raspberry Jello
12-ounce can evaporated milk, thoroughly chilled in the refrigerator
whipped cream and pistachios for garnish, if desired

Directions:

Place the can of evaporated milk in the freezer just before making the jello.

Bring one cup of the water to a boil in a small saucepan. Stir in gelatin until completely dissolved and then add the remaining half cup of water. Let cool slightly and then place into refrigerator to continue to chill.

Just before the jello begins to set, pour evaporated milk into a large bowl. Whip using a hand mixer until doubled in volume. While continuing to beat, slowly pour in cooled gelatin. When all of the gelatin has been incorporated, pour the mixture into small bowls or jars (or a large bowl) and chill until set, about an hour or so.

Garnish with whipped cream and shelled pistachios, if desired.

Herbed Zucchini and Feta Fritters

Girl Cooks World

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April 24, 2019

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I don’t often subscribe to food magazines (who has time to read magazines when there are so many great food blogs out there?), but when I needed to keep some airline miles from expiring, I signed up for Food & Wine. I’m so glad I did. The May issue alone introduced me to Stella’s Double Chocolate and Brown Butter Brownies and these herbed zucchini and feta fritters.

I’m not afraid to break out the oil and do some deep frying from time to time, although I try taking a deep-frying breather in spring and summer months. Well, these might be the exception to the rule. Sure they’re fried, but they’re also packed with shredded zucchini, chopped mint, dill and parsley and studded with chunks of feta cheese.

I probably don’t have to tell you how magical it is to bite into one and be rewarded with a soft chunk of slightly warmed feta. Just keep the crumbled feta in somewhat large chunks so that they’re able to keep their integrity during the frying process.

They’re great as-is, but even better with some tzaziki-style yogurt and cucumber dip. The original recipe uses wheat flour, but they were a snap to convert to gluten-free.

One final word, don’t be tempted to halve the recipe. After two zucchini yielded what seemed to be an enormous pile of shredded zucchini, I unwisely decided that a half-batch would be enough. Trust me- you’ll want the full batch…

Herbed Zucchini and Feta Fritters

Ingredients:

Zucchini Fritters:

* 4 medium zucchini, washed, ends trimmed and coarsely shredded
* 1 Tablespoon Kosher or sea salt
* 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
* 1/4 cup superfine rice flour
* 1/4 cup potato starch
* 1/4 cup chopped dill
* 1/4 cup chopped parsley
* 1/4 cup chopped mint
* 1/2 cup roughly crumbled feta cheese
* 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
* vegetable oil, for frying

Cucumber and Yogurt Sauce:

* 1 medium cucumber—partially peeled, halved, seeded and coarsely chopped
* 2 Tablespoons chopped mint
* 1 cup Greek-style plain yogurt
* salt and pepper

Directions:

Place the zucchini in a cheesecloth-lined colander and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of salt. Toss the zucchini well and let stand for 5-10 minutes. Squeeze out as much liquid as possible and transfer the zucchini to a large bowl. Stir in the eggs, rice flour, potato starch, dill, parsley, 1/4 cup of the mint, feta, and black pepper. Refrigerate the fritter batter for about 10 minutes.

In a food processor, coarsely puree the chopped cucumber. Transfer to a medium bowl. Stir in the yogurt and the remaining 2 tablespoons of mint and season with salt and pepper.

Preheat the oven to 350°. In a medium saucepan, heat 1 inch of vegetable oil to 350°. Set a paper towel-covered baking sheet near the stove. Working in batches, shape small, golf-ball sized balls of fritter using your hands. Drop them into the hot oil and fry. Turn the fritters a few times until browned and crisp, about 3-5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon or tongs to transfer the fritters to the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining fritter batter.

Discard the paper towels and reheat the fritters in the oven for about several minutes. Serve the zucchini fritters hot with the cucumber and yogurt sauce.

Double Chocolate Hazelnut and Brown Butter Brownies

Dessert

Girl Cooks World

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April 24, 2019

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Double Chocolate Hazelnut and Brown Butter Brownies

You’ll have to forgive me for taking a quick break from my Peruvian cooking. I just couldn’t bear holding off on sharing this double chocolate brownies recipe any longer (will be back to finish up my other Peruvian recipes later this week or next).

Like most of you, except those odd birds out there who are missing the chocolate gene, I love a good brownie. When I was a little girl, good brownies meant the homemade kind using the one-bowl recipe from the back of the Baker’s unsweetened baking chocolate squares. The same brownies made me turn my back on the box mixes from that point forward. For years I stood by the old adage, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” When I went gluten-free I had to experiment with other brownie recipes by necessity. One of my favorite new discoveries? Nut-based brownies.

We’ve been making an almond flour based brownie for a couple years now. So when I saw this double chocolate hazelnut and brown butter brownie recipe from Stella Parks, who was named one of the Best New Pastry Chefs by Food and Wine, I knew I had to give it a shot.

And let’s just say Parks’ title as best new pastry chef is well deserved. Although I’m still somewhat tempted to try my hand at creating a gluten-free variation of Ina’s Outrageous Brownies, I’m pretty sure that as long as I have hazelnuts in the pantry, these brownies are officially my new go-to.

I almost didn’t make these… I had a hard time coming to terms with the fact that I had to use three cups of sugar. But you know what? These brownies are so rich and amazing that I was totally satisfied with one. Instead of lasting only a couple of days, these brownies lasted several weeks… even after giving a bunch away. I just froze individual portions and pulled out when life demanded a brownie.

It’s absolute perfection plain, but if you’re feeling particularly gluttonous, a scoop or two of ice cream with hot fudge is never a bad idea.

Double Chocolate Hazelnut and Brown Butter Brownies

Ingredients:

1-3/4 cups shelled hazelnuts
1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons cocoa
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups sugar
1 pound (4 sticks or 2 cups) butter
2 cups good quality bittersweet chocolate chips
6 eggs
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1 Tablespoon coffee liqueur

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325. Line a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with foil, pressing it into the corners and leaving overhang for easy removal later on.

Spread the hazelnuts in a single layer on a pie plate and toast for 15 minutes, until fragrant and the skins darken and crack. Let cool slightly. Use a clean towel (or just your hands) to rub off the skins. Combine the hazelnuts, cocoa, salt and 1/2 cup of the sugar in a food processor. Process until finely ground.

Cook the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, shaking the pan occasionally, until the butter darkens to a golden color and smells nutty. Remove from heat and add the chocolate chips. When melted, stir until smooth, scraping up any butter solids from the bottom of the saucepan. Let cool slightly.

In a large bowl use an electric mixer to beat the eggs with the remaining sugar until doubled in volume. Beat in the butter and chocolate mixture. Add the ground cocoa and hazelnut mixture, vanilla extract and coffee liqueur and mix completely.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until the top is glossy and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Let cool on a rack and refrigerate until well chilled.

Remove from refrigerator, lift the double chocolate brownies from the pan and peel off the foil. Cut off the edges, if desired, and cut brownies to your preferred size.

Serve with a tall glass of milk or topped with ice cream, hot fudge sauce and toasted hazelnuts.

Choros à la Chalaca- Peruvian Mussels with Corn Salsa

Girl Cooks World

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April 24, 2019

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Choros à la Chalaca- Peruvian Mussels with Corn Salsa

Mussel lovers, meet your new favorite party appetizer. I’m not even that much of a mussel fan, but when I saw photos of this pretty Peruvian dish, I knew I had to make it. Mussels get topped with a fresh and simple corn salsa and served on the half shell. They’re simple, taste great and are one heck of an attractive dish, if I do say so myself.

Most Choros à la Chalaca recipes call for fresh, live mussels or frozen, pre-cooked mussels on the half-shell. I thought I’d bought the latter, but as it turns out, the New Zealand mussels I’d bought were actually uncooked. I popped them in the oven per the instructions on the box, but steaming is more traditional, and probably better way to cook them (I wrote out the instructions below using the steaming method).

And although serving them on the half shell is clearly the most photogenic way to serve the mussels, you can also pop everything into a large bowl if you’re short on space or need to take the dish to-go. In that case, you can either leave the mussels whole, or give them a rough chop for more even distribution and smaller bites.

Choros à la Chalaca- Peruvian Mussels with Corn Salsa

Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

24 New Zealand greenshell Mussels, defrosted in the refrigerator if using the pre-cooked frozen variety
1 corn cob, shucked
1/2 red onion, diced
2 Jalapeno chile peppers, seeded and diced
1-2 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
2-3 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
salt and pepper
lime wedges to serve (optional)

Directions:

Scrub and de-beard the mussels. Discard any that are open and do not close when tapped. Place in a large pan with a thin layer of water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover and cook for about 4-5 minutes until the shells have opened. Drain the mussels (you can save the liquid for seafood stock) and discard any that failed to open. When cool enough to handle, remove one side of each shell and cut the mussel away from the bottom shell to loosen it. Omit these steps if using frozen, pre-cooked mussels.

In a large covered pot, boil the corn for 8-10 minutes. Remove from water and let cool slightly. When cool enough to handle, slice off the kernels. Place the corn in a bowl with the onion, chile peppers, parsley, lime juice and salt and pepper. Let the mixture sit for about 15 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.

Arrange the mussels on a serving plate or platter. Scoop a little of the corn salsa on top of each mussel and serve with lime wedges on the side (optional).

The Fruity Root – Pear, Parsnip and Lime Juice

Detox
Drinks

Girl Cooks World

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April 24, 2019

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The Fruity Root – Pear, Parsnip and Lime Juice

Is it just me or are parsnips having something of a moment right now? I never gave much attention to these root vegetables (which I always imagined to be bland, anemic versions of carrots) until very recently. But just in the past couple months I’ve had them pureed as a side dish at a fancy-pants dinner party and seen them featured at one of my favorite downtown Honolulu gourmet lunch spots. Bland and boring they are not.

And now I find out that they’re an excellent juice ingredient as well. Combined with pears, they create a mellow, sweet and thick juice that’s almost smoothie-like (and dare I say, quite photogenic). A touch of lime adds brightness and a touch of acidity. If you’re getting adventurous and want to start branching out from strictly fruit juices, this is a good one to try.

The Fruity Root – Pear, Parsnip and Lime Juice

Yield: 1-2 servings

Ingredients:

* 2 pears, washed and quartered
* 2 parsnips, washed, ends trimmed, and cut into several pieces
* 3-4 calamansi limes

Directions:

Process the ingredients through a juicer. Serve immediately over ice.

Roasted Cauliflower with Spicy Tomato Sauce

Vegetarian

Girl Cooks World

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April 24, 2019

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Roasted Cauliflower with Spicy Tomato Sauce

For many years the only way you’d catch me eating cauliflower was if it was drenched in gooey, processed cheese sauce. Although I warmed up to broccoli pretty early in my tween years, I considered cauliflower boring and unworthy of my time, attention and limited space in my tummy until somewhat recently.

And while I still prefer most other roasted vegetables in their naked state, roasted cauliflower turns into quite the showstopper when topped with a bright, Indian tomato sauce. It’s a colorful, healthy and unique dish that is simple to make but packs a spicy punch.

If you’re truly heat adverse, you can remove some of the seeds in the Serrano chile pepper or cut back on the cayenne pepper. But remember, the cauliflower is mild, and there’s plenty of vegetable to balance out the heat in the sauce.

Roasted Cauliflower with Spicy Tomato Sauce

Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

* 1 head cauliflower, washed and cut into large florets
* 3 Tablespoons olive oil, for extra for drizzling
* 1-inch piece fresh, peeled and grated ginger
* 3 cloves garlic, minced
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1 teaspoon ground coriander
* 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
* 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes
* 1 Serrano chile pepper, quartered lenthwise
* 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
* salt and pepper
* 3 Tablespoons chopped cilantro

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees and line a rimmed baking mat with parchment paper. Spread the cauliflower florets in a single layer and drizzle with olive oil. Toss to coat. Roast for 15-20 minutes, or until the cauliflower begins to brown.

While the cauliflower is roasting, prepare the spicy tomato sauce. Heat 3 Tablespoons of olive oil in a large frying or saute pan over medium-high heat and add the ginger and garlic. Cook, stirring, for a minute or two. Add the cumin, coriander, and turmeric and cook, stirring frequently, until very fragrant, about two minutes.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the tomatoes and all of the juice from the can, chile pepper, and cayenne. Simmer until the tomatoes are cooked and use the back of a wooden spoon to mash the tomatoes to break them down into a chunky sauce. Add the cilantro and cook for another minute. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Place the roasted broccoli florets onto a serving plate and top with the spicy tomato sauce. Serve immediately.

Bittersweet and White Chocolate Chip Cookies

Main Dishes

Girl Cooks World

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April 24, 2019

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Bittersweet and white chocolate chip cookies… because sometimes you just need a cookie. And not some overpriced, packaged, gritty gluten-free cookie, but one hot from the oven oozing with melted chocolate with crispy edges and a soft, chewy center. A cookie that people have to ask whether they’re truly gluten-free because according to them, they look and taste like a regular cookie.

Although I’m not sure whether I should I be flattered or offended by the question/statement because I’d like to think they taste a whole lot better than “regular” cookies. These are a slight variation from my regular chocolate chip cookies… I subbed some white chocolate for the milk chocolate chips but stuck with my usual ratio of 50% butter and 50% shortening.

As mentioned in my gluten-free baking post, it’s absolutely essential to use superfine rice flour for all your gluten-free baking. You can find superfine rice flour at Asian markets. I’ve also heard good things about the Authentic Foods brand rice flour. Trust me, your taste buds will thank you and your baked goods will finally taste just like their wheat-based counterparts.

Update: after I posted these I got an email from Notebook Noise’s Thaddeus James about a super sweet song he sings about baking chocolate chip cookies with his daughter. The song is, appropriately enough, named Cookies. Food blog marketing- gotta love it :). Anyways, here’s the link if you guys are interested. You can listen and download it for free. The chorus, when his 9-year old daughter joins in, is pretty much guaranteed to make you smile… and make you want to make a batch of cookies or two.

Bittersweet and White Chocolate Chip Cookie

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup shortening (I use Spectrum Organic, which is trans fat-free)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup rice flour
3/4 cup plus 1 Tablespoon potato starch
3/4 cup sorghum flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped white chocolate (or high quality white baking chips)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a cookie sheet or line with a Silpat baking mat.

Beat butter, shortening and sugars until well combined.

Add the eggs and vanilla extract and mix until smooth.

Then add the rice flour, potato starch, sorghum flour, baking soda, xanthan gum and salt and mix until thoroughly combined.

Finally, add the chocolate chips and chopped white chocolate and stir until well incorporated.

Drop heaping teaspoons of dough onto the cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges turn a light golden brown. Let cool for a couple minutes on the cookie sheet and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes approximately three dozen generously-sized cookies.

Spicy Sweet and Sour Tamarind Shrimp

Girl Cooks World

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April 24, 2019

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My mother commented not too long ago that I post a lot of shrimp recipes… and she’s totally right. That’s because shrimp is inexpensive, festive, and quick-cooking. And unlike a lot of seafood, it’s so easy to cook well. In fact, many of my favorite meals are shrimp based: there’s been Basque Lemon Shrimp, Greek Shrimp with Feta, and Creamy Shrimp with Cilantro Stems, just to name a few.

This is recipe is definitely a keeper and it’ll be nice addition to my predominately legume-based South Asian meals. The Jalapeno peppers and cayenne add a nice level of heat (those who dare can substitute Serrano peppers for the Jalapenos) while the tamarind adds a sour fruitiness to the dish. You can find the tamarind paste at Asian markets and leftovers can always be used for Tamarind Ketchup, a great twist on a refrigerator staple.

Spicy Sweet and Sour Tamarind Shrimp

Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

* 3 Tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
* 1 large onion, diced
* 2 Jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 1/2-inch piece ginger, peeled and grated
* 1 teaspoon garam masala
* 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
* 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
* 1 cup diced tomatoes, drained
* 1/2 cup cooking tamarind (also called concentrate and/or paste)
* 1-1/2 teaspoons sugar
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1-1/2 pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined
* 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

Directions:

Heat oil in a large frying pan. Add the onion and chile peppers and cook until nicely browned. Add the garlic and ginger and cook, stirring, for about a minute. Add the garam masala, turmeric and cayenne and stir to coat. Cook until very fragrant, about a minute or two. Add the tomatoes and tamarind and cook until the tomatoes begin to break down and the sauce has thickened. Add the sugar, salt and shrimp. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the shrimp turns pink.

Stir in the cilantro leaves and serve.

Roasted Balsamic Strawberry Parfait

Breakfast

Girl Cooks World

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April 24, 2019

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For years I’ve been hearing about how strawberries and balsamic are an amazing flavor combination. And just recently came the slew of roasted strawberry recipes from food blogs, or food blogger cookbooks. Since I’m behind the times on both, I thought I’d kill two birds with one stone in order to get myself up to speed. The result? Balsamic roasted strawberry Parfait.

Strawberries get a quick soak in balsamic vinegar and black pepper and then roasted with brown sugar until just softened. Layer them with Greek yogurt for an elegant brunch dish or with ice cream for an unusual dessert.

I went with the Greek yogurt route, but secretly wished I’d had some goat yogurt or goat ice cream on hand. Sound weird? Just think of the salad with strawberries, goat cheese and balsamic dressing… so so good. I ended up throwing some crumbled fresh goat cheese on top, which definitely worked in a pinch. Next time I’m pairing the strawberries with some Laloo’s or Redwood Hill Farm yogurt.

Roasted Balsamic Strawberry Parfait

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

* 1 pound strawberries, cleaned and stems removed
* 2 Tablespoons aged balsamic vinegar
* 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 2 Tablespoons butter
* 2 Tablespoons lightly packed brown sugar
* 24-ounce container of plain Greek yogurt (or substitute ice cream, goat milk yogurt or goat milk ice cream)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Toss the strawberries with the balsamic vinegar and black pepper. Let sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes.

Place the butter in a square baking dish or pie plate and place in the oven. Watch it carefully to make sure that the butter doesn’t burn. When the butter is melted, remove from the oven and transfer the strawberries and any of the accumulated juices to the dish. Sprinkle with the brown sugar and toss gently.

Put the strawberries in the oven and bake until the strawberries are soft and the liquid is syrupy. Remove from the oven and let cool. Slice the berries.

In four individual bowls or glasses, layer the strawberries with the Greek yogurt. Drizzle with the balsamic syrup.