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Holiday Baking that Will Make You Popular: Easy & Impressive Baklava
Dec 04 2011
My aunt Carlene is one of those natural born bakers. While I struggle to make a halfway decent cupcake or an unoffensive cookie, her baked goods always come out looking and tasting magazine-quality perfect. Seriously, when she hands me a tin of her homemade treats every Christmas, it feels like a prize.
That’s why I turned to her to help me come up with something delicious for Eat My Blog 4.0. When she suggested baklava, I was a little nervous because it looks hard, but it turned out to be easy and—dare I say—fun. Plus, baklava is one of those desserts that’s ridiculously tasty, visually stunning and just exotic enough to trick people into thinking I have enviable culinary skills. And that’s the kind of deception I’m all about.
This recipe was so simple that I think it will be my go-to this holiday season, and it might as well be yours, too. I mean, just picture yourself unveiling a plate of these flaky, golden masterpieces at a holiday party or an office potluck.
You’re going to be so popular.
Happy Halloween: Dulce De Leche & Chocolate Cupcakes
Oct 31 2011
I had big plans. First, I was going to make werewolf cupcakes, then mummy cupcakes all Martha Stewart style. Then, I came to my senses and remembered that I’m not so good with the frosting details and decided to take the easy way out.
The easy way to Halloween up your favorite confection is to add some candy corn. For the right cupcake, I headed over to Joy the Baker for her Dulce de Leche recipe. Then, I used a trusty chocolate buttercream frosting recipe on the back of a Ghirardelli Cocoa canister. The two work together rather spooktacularly.
Not elaborate, but still pretty Halloweenee.
-Valentina
Eat at Home: Cham Bistro Inspires Kimchi Soup
Dec 14 2010
All I used to know about kimchi was that it was delicious and ridiculously addictive, as most pickled dishes tend to be. That was until Cham Bistro, the contemporary Korean restaurant in Pasadena, stepped in and showed me the way. Now, I know how to make kimchi and kimchi soup! I’ve come a long way.
It all started when I was invited to a how-to-make-kimchi workshop hosted by Cham Bistro. Along with a slew of other bloggers, I got step-by-step demonstration on how to make the fermented cabbage dish. I witnessed it all: the chopping, the salting, the soaking, the draining, the marinating, the folding and….
…the waiting. We had to wait a whole month to dig into the jars of kimchi that we were given at the end of the lesson. Though trying, the downtime gave me a weeks to make plans for my stash. I considered kimchi pancakes and soup, both of which were suggested with by an enthusiastic B-Side. In the end, the cold weather helped me make up my mind.
Holiday Dessert: Rye Pecan Pie from a Novice Baker
Nov 30 2010It’s always nice to walk into a holiday party with a dish that garners some “oohs” and “ahhs”. This Rye Pecan Pie with its mesmerizing concentric circle design might be just the trick. It certainly caught my attention when my friend Rocky walked into our Thanksgiving with the beautifully-crafted dessert.
Rocky was inspired by a recent article in The New York Times about the sudden surge of pie-centric restaurants. This was his rendition of a popular pie from Diner in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. You can find the actual recipe here.
Rocky’s a novice when it comes to baking, so there were a few snags. For one, he said it took more time and effort than he’d expected-rolling out the dough, chilling portions, baking and re-baking. Secondly, he wasn’t quite satisfied with the end product. It was a little dry, which he attributed to over baking, and he says he used the wrong pan.
I thought it was pretty good for a first try. The bourbon taste stood out and the crust was divine. If you’re not a sugar freak, the light sweetness of the pie will make your day.
I say try it and take it to a party. Don’t forgot the whipped cream!
-Valentina
Eat at Home: Classy Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeño Poppers
Oct 26 2010
When I asked my brother what he was bringing to my party, and he said “beer and jalapeño poppers,” I thought he was joking around. I’m not going to pretend that I don’t like fried jalapeños stuffed with cheese, but I figured he was being ironic in an I’m-bringing-over-Bagel-Bites sort of way.
Eat at Home: The Quest for the Perfect Ice Cream Sandwich
Sep 07 2010
I’ve never really been one for ice cream sandwiches. The traditional rectangular chocolate cookie/vanilla center version sold by ice cream men and lunch ladies is just too mushy for me—the ice cream always melts so quickly and that limp, cakey cookie gets cemented to the roof of your mouth. Not my idea of a good time. There is, of course, the more appealing Chipwich, but alas, the cookie is a little overpowering for my tastes.
This has been my sad ice cream sandwich reality for far too long, so I decided to find a solution. My vision: an ice cream sandwich with a crisp, not-too-sweet cookie that would complement any ice cream. Result: Success!
Here’s how I did it:
Eat at Home: Coco-Mango Ice Cream—No Ice Cream Maker Necessary
Aug 19 2010
I’m a big fan of Tes at Home , a super-inspiring food blog that focuses on (mostly) Thai home cooking. Almost every day, the lovely Tes teaches her dedicated readers (like me!) how to cook impressive-looking dishes, making every curry, rice dish, fritter and dessert look like a cinch.
Her recent post on coconut ice cream caught my attention because a.) it looked delicious and b.) she did it without an ice cream maker—I’m telling you, she’s a genius. I decided to try the technique, which required only a freezer, a blender, Tupperware, a whisk and a few easy-to-find ingredients.
Farewell Cupcakes: Bye, Bye Blueberries
Jul 23 2010
The blueberry guy at the farmers’ market broke the bad news to me last weekend. He said blueberries are almost over for the season. “Noooooooooo!” I cried. But to no avail. He told me it’s at the point were for ever one he picks, he throws away five. Sigh.
I thought I’d pay tribute to the little superfruit with a recipe for Berry Cupcakes. I think they’re so cute, and they’re really easy to make. Plus, they garner a lot of “oohs” and “ahhhs.”
All I did was follow the white cake recipe I found on the Food Network. Then, I just pushed a few blueberries into the batter and baked.
For the frosting, I follow this Luscious Strawberry Frosting recipe. Then I just garnished with a blueberry on top. Easy, and it’s still not too hot to run the oven!
-Valentina
Potluck Magic: Super Easy & Impressive Summer Berry Trifle
Jul 15 2010
Summer is finally, visibly here, and the bbq invites are starting to roll in. Sure, you can promise to bring chips or beer, but that’s no fun. I prefer easy offerings that look like they took a lot of effort, like this Berry Trifle, for instance.
It looks and tastes like a masterpiece, but it only takes about 20 minutes to make. If you happen to have a trifle bowl, it will really up the wow-factor.
Here’s how to do it.
Eat at Home: Cube-Inspired Peach, Heirloom Tomato and Burrata Salad
Jul 05 2010
I recently enjoyed a delicious dinner with friends at Cube on La Brea. If you’ve never been, I really recommend it, especially if you’re a cheese lover-they feature 85 different varieties from all over the world. It’s where I first fell in love with aged gouda, so I’m forever grateful.
Cube’s always-seasonal menu is filled with plenty cheese-centric dishes, including the Heirloom Tomato and Fresh Peach Salad, which was such a standout of the wine and small plates feast we had, that I had to recreate it at home.
This is a very simple salad-peaches, heirloom tomatoes, fresh basil, olive oil and balsamic vinegar-but the flavors are out of hand. The salad at Cube includes buffalo mozzarella, but we went full-force with burrata, which is more decadent. When the cream spills out, it mixes so nicely with the oil and vinegar. Make sure you have some bread on hand to sop it up!
