Taste Kitchen Tuesdays Lemon Tartlets

I know, I know, it's Wednesday.....

Soooo, I was all gung ho (click for an interesting tidbit about where that expression came from) about making strawberry tarlets today, since "Strawberries are in season" (I just said that in my best Oprah Winphrey announcing something exciting voice :) and low and behold all the berries were gone from the commissary when I went to pick some up today, so all I had left were from the pint I purchased on Monday.  No fear, lemon Curd may be the next best thing!  I was excited to try a lemon curd recipe I found and paired it with my best shortbread for the crust and Yum-O ( I can't impersonate rachel ray, but you know how she'd say it :D).  I topped it off with some fresh whipped cream and half a strawberry :(

The boys ate them up after their meeting tonight...so I guess they are a winner!

Try em out and let me know how you like them.

Lemon Tarlets

Shortbread Crust:

1 cup (130 grams) all purpose flour

1/3 cup (35 grams) confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (113 grams) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

In your food processor or kitchenaid, place the flour, sugar, and salt to combine. Add the butter and mix/pulse until the pastry starts to come together and form clumps.

Place the pastry in the prepared tart pan(s) and, using your fingertips, evenly press the pastry onto the bottom and up the sides of the pan.
 

 Be sure to pierce the bottom of the crust with the tines of a fork. This will prevent the pastry crust from puffing up while it bakes. Cover and place the pastry crust in the freezer for 15 minutes to chill. This will help prevent the crust from shrinking while it bakes.

Preheat oven to temperature to 350 degrees (177 degrees C).

When the pastry is completely chilled, place the tart pan on a larger baking pan and bake until the crust is golden brown, about 13 - 15 minutes. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool while you make the filling.

For Lemon Curd:

3 large eggs


1/3 cup (80 ml) fresh lemon juice (2-3 lemons) (do not use the bottled lemon juice)

3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated white sugar

4 tablespoons (56 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature and cut into small pieces

1 tablespoon (4 grams) lemon zest(The yellow outer skin of the lemon)

In a stainless steel bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water, whisk together the eggs, sugar, and lemon juice until blended. Cook, whisking or stirring constantly (to prevent it from curdling), until the mixture becomes pale in color and quite thick (like a hollandaise sauce or sour cream) (160 degrees F or 71 degrees C on a thermometer). This will take about 10 minutes.

 Remove from heat and immediately pour through a fine strainer to remove any lumps. Cut the butter into small pieces and whisk into the mixture until the butter has melted. Add the lemon zest, cover, and let cool to room temperature before filling the pastry crust.

Note:  The lemon curd will continue to thicken as it cools.  Covering the lemon curd with plastic wrap prevents a skin from forming on the surface. 

Recipe adapted from Joy of baking and foodnetwork.com

Note:  Room temperature lemons provide more juice. After squeezing, strain the juice to remove any pulp. Zest is the yellow, sweet-flavored outer rind of the lemon. A zester or fine grater can be used to remove the rind. Cold lemons are much easier to grate. Grate lemons just before using as the zest will lose moisture if it sits too long.

Spring is in the Air

Just not quite in NYC yet....

Sad, but true!  It snowed the 1st day of spring here in NYC!  And when we woke up this morning there was a nice fresh 2 inches of snow on the ground.

There is a ray of hope however....

I am super excited because an awesome friend of mine from back home (yes sunny California) has put together a seedling swap!  What an awesome idea, right?  I think it will be great to at least grow a few herbs right on my windowsill. 

Since I won't be there with everyone else in SoCal, I am thinking that maybe I can put a little something together here in the city.  That way i can have a little support :) 

Not sure if we'll be able to start as soon as everyone else

nonetheless I have my seeds and I'm ready to go!

 Thanks again Y!!! 

Think

Gilead Grad this past weekend was phenomenal!  Uplifting, encouraging and thought provoking!  There was one thought in particular that has stuck with me (and I hope it sticks with me for many, many years to come), it involved one key to happiness and remaining successful in our "assignments."

"Don't become the thing you hate"

Now, I have heard the expression before, but this day it has taken a whole new meaning for me.  It was mentioned that of course there are some things that a person may do that you just can't stand.  For example: I hate that they never respond or acknowledge me when I speak to them (or whatever your poison may be) the point is, that negative type of thinking can become like an autoimmune disease.  That negative attitude begins to attack our own body (self worth, perception and view of one's self) so much so that it becomes self-destructive.  You may reason: I'm not gonna speak to them, because they NEVER speak to me.... 

We end up becoming or taking on the very traits that we loath!

It was urged for us to keep in mind that:

"We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give"

-Winston Churchill

Mangú-licious Sunday Brunch

We decided that Brunch was in order since we had such a full day with all our guests and the hustle & bustle of Gilead Graduation Saturday!  There is a little Dominican place that we go to to get our normal "fix" but I had bought a few plantains earlier in the week and decided a nice meal was in order!  This is a hearty dish and is best when all the components are incorporated (tres golpes: fried cheese, fried salami/sausage, fried eggs :).

Any who have tasted it KNOW that it is finger-licking good!  This kept us going throughout the day and up until hospitality after the meeting around 4pm.

If you can find a market that has plentiful green plantains at a decent price,

it's worth giving it a try.  If you do, let me know how it turns out!

Easy Recipe:

Mangú

4 Green plantains

2 quarts water

1 1/2 tablespoon sea salt

2 tbsp canola oil

1 cup sliced white onion

1. Peel the plantains and cut in half and then lengthwise (quarters).  Place the plantains, water and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, and cook 20 minutes, until plantains are tender but slightly firm. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the liquid.
2. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, and saute the onion until tender.
3. In a mixing bowl, mash/mix the plantains and slowly add the reserved liquid until desired consistancy is reached. 
4. Serve the pureed plantain mixture topped with the onions, and a little dried oregano.

Guava Pastries

        Pastelitos de Guayaba con Queso Crema

So, we needed a quick dessert last night

over at our sister's place,

so we decided to make some pastelitos. 

They are dough-like pastries

made either savory or sweet. 

We had some guava paste and cream cheese around, so it was a perfect combo! 

Even the kids were eating them up!



Guava (the paste looks nothing like this :)



I love doing impromptu desserts.  It makes you feel good, you can teach something new to those who otherwise are scared to be in the kitchen period!  It was a fun experience and well, just get baking people, you'll put a smile on somebody's face if you do :)

Sunday Sancocho

What can be better on a cold - and I mean frigid cold day then a nice bowl of Sancocho. 

What is Sancocho? (all my gringo friends may ask) Just the BEST stew ever! 

It is full of yuca (cassava), green plantains, white sweet potato, yautia blanca y amarilla (I have no idea what the equivalent is :-D),yellow potatoes, sweet yellow onions, garlic, red bell pepper, carrots, corn on the cobb, auyama (pumpkin squash), coriander seed and fresh cilantro.  There is a version of sancocho that includes "7 carnes" or seven "types" of meat.  I know, I know - I thought the same thing first time I tried it, but interestingly enough they use smoked and fresh pork chops, gallina (hen), smoked chicken, longaniza (pork sausage), and beef.  

Over a bed of Piping hot white rice and avocado wedges on the side......Yum-O.  And that's a Sunday Sancocho for ya!

  

  



Thanks to Llumidla for her awesome recipe :)



Clothing Swap Party!!

Tonight I hosted my first ever Clothing Swap!  We had a blast!!!  The girls loved it so much, we decided we are going to do one at the end of each season! 
That's one of the things I do love about NY, I get to live each climate change throughout the year.......
Of course this never ending winter does have me a little stir crazy - but what to do? 
Stay warm and enjoy the sunny days.





Strawberry Daiquiri Cupcakes

The girls brought along many tasty appetizers, so I decided to make something to sweeten up the evening.
So, with me and my new found love for mini confections (heehee)..... I decided on cupcakes.
These were a nice addition to our girls night! 
I adapted this cupcake from a recipe in a book I found at my local library called "who you calling cupcake" this book has awesome ideas! 
This cupcake in particular is a coconut cake with a rum & strawberry infused filling and frosting.  Everyone loved them! 
And of course you know who had one for breakfast Saturday morning :)

Korean BBQ

There is one thing I just can never get myself to do.......

Eat at a buffet - UGH!

But after tonight I have gained all new respect for Korean BBQ Buffets.
Our friend took us to this spot in Korea Town in Flushing, Queens. Basically there is a smorgasbord of fresh seasoned meat that you choose, take as much as you want and grill it yourself on the table top grill there is at each booth.


I never thought I'd pay at a restaurant to then have to cook my own food, but it was a great experience and the food was amazing!  They had shrimp, mussels, pork, Korean bacon, prime rib, pork ribs, sausage and of course Kimchi, pickled radish and all the veggies you can imagine!  Tons of Side dishes, dumplings and all! Great place.  Now we can't wait to go back!

"Dark Mamba"

Pass The Brew Please....

2011 is my year!  I definitely got the best wife award this year! 

I got hubs a Home Brew Kit for our anniversary and boy does he love it! 

He just bottled up his first brew tonight. In 2 weeks (all NYC locals) we will sample

"Dark Mamba" 

Yes, we named it!  Apparently it's a right of passage for all home brews. 

You've got nothing on this Kobe!

Atypical Flan

Today hubs had this great idea to recreate a dessert he loved as a child.  He could only describe it as....something like a "pumpkin flan" (flan de auyama) but with the consistency of creme brulee.  Hmmmmmm, better than mom makes?  Oh Yeahhhhhh

This recipe was inspired by both coconut flan (most common in the southern part of the Dominican Republic) and a pumpkin pie sans the crust :)

I used whole coconut milk and I believe that added to the intense nutty flavor and complimented the rich pumpkin. Nothing like a flan, I added a twist by caramelizing sugar to make that nice glaze on the bottom. 
I love mini anything, so I did a few in ramekins.  It's in "Recipe's." Try it out, tell me how you like it.