Since I haven’t posted in a long time like I said I would this summer, here are some clickable links to past posts. Each post has pictures (and sometimes recipes) for your viewing pleasure. Thanks for stopping by. Let me know what you think!
The Amazing Burger Cake (and cupcake pops)
Homemade Char Siu (Chinese BBQ pork)
Caramel Apples (and Halloween stuff)
Red bean and Green tea Madeleines
Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies
I’m very bored at work and I actually have some pictures to post so maybe I’ll get back into blogging for the summer. If you haven’t noticed, I have a bad habit of not blogging for months at a time then starting up again. Here’s a random quiz thingy to start things off.
The Very Good Taste Omnivore’s 100 List
Rules:
1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Optional extra: Post a comment at www.verygoodtaste.co.uk linking to your results.
1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros yum!
4. Steak tartare yum
5. Crocodile does alligator soup count? nasty stuff
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue – ! why haven’t i tried yet *gasp*
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush yum
11. Calamari yum
12. Pho yum
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns yum
20. Pistachio ice cream – still waiting to try this one
21. Heirloom tomatoes – this one too
22. Fresh wild berries in ithaca!
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters yum
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl great in san fran and seattle!
33. Salted lassi – cool, would try this.
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O – why have i not had this??
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict yum
83. Pocky orange or strawberry are my faves
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant
85. Kobe beef – sadly no =(
86. Hare – does rabbit count?
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab yum
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano – sounds delish
96. Bagel and lox yum
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake
A simple dessert that is super easy to make and super satisfying. The texture of this egg custard is very smooth and can be eaten warm or chilled. Sweetness level can be adjusted to your taste. This Chinese dessert is similar to the Spanish flan!
Unfortunately I ate it before I took a picture. Plus mine were in white bowls so they weren’t that pretty to photograph anyway. Here’s a pic I found online of what they look like.
Steamed Egg Custard Dessert
Makes 4 Chinese rice bowls, will serve 4-6 if using ramekins.
4 extra-large eggs
2 cups milk
~4 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp sweetened condensed milk (optional)
1. Mix all ingredients together trying not to form bubbles. Let mixture sit if a lot of bubbles form so they can pop.
2. For a super smooth consistency you can strain the mixture but I didn’t bother.
3. Pour into bowls/ramekins.
4. Boil water in steamer (or whatever steaming contraption you create). Once boiling, place bowls in steamer and turn heat to medium-low. Steam for 20 minutes. To check if it’s done, stick chopstick into surface of custard, if no liquid custard wells up then it’s done. Custard will feel very soft.
5. Let it sit uncovered until it’s cool enough to grab out of the steamer. Enjoy warm or chill for a few hours until really cold, then enjoy.
This was so yum. I made everything except the noodles from scratch because I was craving basil. Summer come already so I can grow my basil plants again!!
Recipe:
1 lb fettuccine, cooked per package directions
1 lb chicken thighs or breasts, sliced to bite sized pieces
2 cups fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
2 cloves garlic, minced
~1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup heavy cream (optional)
2 tsp AP flour (optional with cream)
1/2 tsp garlic sirracha sauce (optional, can sub. with red pepper flakes)
1 medium onion, sliced
~ 10 button mushrooms, sliced
salt and pepper to taste
1. With blender, blend basil, cheese, pine nuts, garlic, and olive oil to make pesto sauce.
2. With large pan, heat up ~ 1 tsp of olive oil or butter. Add chicken and brown. When chicken is ~80% cooked, add onions and mushrooms. Cook until onions turn translucent.
3. Mix cream with flour. Add pesto sauce, cream with flour and sirracha sauce to the chicken mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook until sauce thickens.
4. Serve over hot fettuccine noodles.
This dish can reliably be seen at large birthday parties or wedding parties in Chinese restaurants. It normally has candied walnuts served alongside too but I was too lazy to make those. And the shrimp is usually fried but we don’t tend to fry things in my family so we just sauteed the shrimp and mixed it in with the sauce.
Sauce Recipe:
1/4 C mayo (use kewpie for more authentic flavor)
2 tsp honey
1 tsp sweetened condensed milk
2 tsp rice vinegar
1/4 tsp salt
Mix everything together and toss together with about one pound of sauteed shrimp. Arrange with broccoli and candied walnuts (recipe can be found online).
So easy, so delicious and tastes just like the ones from the restaurants!
