jasmine sugar cookies

It has been so long since I last updated this blog. Am I lacking in cooking inspiration? Absolutely not! I have to confess that I have not left my kitchen empty one day, except when I was traveling or being far from home. You could say that cooking was my basic instinct since I was a child. And now I have the hubby to feed. Homemade food is healthier, more delicious, and cheaper. Those factors are strong enough to help me fight through crazy moments being surrounded with dirty pots and pans.

In May, the Arizona heat is already unacceptable. The sun started to burn some of my herbs recently. My roses were also blooming beautifully until last month. The sun prevents the buds from opening their petals fully now, and they dry out prematurely. Only my Jasmine is thriving. It's in a corner with some nice shade, so it's growing like crazy. When it is dark and cool in the evening, flowers start to bloom and the floral aroma fills the air with their sweet and fresh fragrance. They are so enjoyable. It reminds me of Jasmine tea, a popular tea in Vietnam. I can still remember how much some of my Japanese friends love Jasmine tea, and how excited they were when traveling to bring some back from Vietnam as a gift.

While viewing Jasmine flowers blooming in my yard recently, the idea of making Jasmine sugar cookies crossed my mind. This refreshingly sweet and delicate cookie is the best gift I can give you as my apology for being absent for such a long time.

I am sending this to Original Recipes hosted by Lore of Culinarty.

Ingredients:

(2.5 dozens cookies)

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3~4 handfuls of Jasmine flower
• 1/2 cup butter, soften
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp light rum
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt

Method:

Method:

1. Start ahead, collect the flowers in the evening when they start to bloom and rinse them well . Dry on a kitchen towel or kitchen paper. Add flower to sugar, mix, and store tightly sealed in a canister or zip locked bag to flavor the sugar. Replace new fresh flowers up to 4 times to allow the sugar to fully absorb the fragrance. Sift the sugar before using, discard flowers.
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg, beating well. Beat in rum.
3. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours or until easy to handle.
4. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough 1/8 inch thickness. Cut with floured 2 inch cookie cutters. Place 1 inch apart on a parchment paper lined baking sheets.
5. Bake at 325°F for 6-8 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool.

Itadakimasu!

Vietnamese cold spring roll

Happy (belated) Holidays to all of you! I hope you had a memorable and very Merry Christmas. Wish you have a Wonderful New Year 2009!

Some of my friends asked for the sauce recipe for these fresh and healthy spring rolls. They reminded me that there are still a lot of recipes on my Vietnamese blog that I have not translated into English.

Recipe by van--chop chop a to z
Ingredients:
Serves 4

4 rice wrappers 25cm (10-inch) diameter
150g (5 oz) pork belly, sliced, boiled in salted water
4 large black tiger shrimps (*), cooked, peeled, deveined and butterflied in half
50g (1.7 oz) rice vermicelli, scalded in boiling water for 3~5 minutes or until al dente, drain well
150g (5 oz) mung bean sprouts (**), scalded in boiling water for 1 minute, dried
3~4 leaves Romaine lettuce, washed, dried
4 garlic chives, washed, dried, cut into a 5-inch length (optional)
3 sprigs fresh mint, use leaves only, washed, dried
few fresh Thai basil leaves, washed, dried (optional)
few fresh cilantro, washed, dried (optional)

• (*) You can use other kinds of shrimp but Black tiger becomes reddest after cooking, bringing color contracts to the spring rolls.
• (**) Fresh English cucumber can be substituted to mung bean sprout. Wash cucumber and cut into thin strips

For sauce: (make 1 1/2 cups)

1/2 cup finely chopped shallot
1/2 cup Hoisin sauce
1/4 cup water
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp apricot jam
1/4 cup peanut butter

Or Vietnamese dipping sauce-Nước chấm

1) Dip one sheet of rice wrapper into the hot water. Dip quickly, no longer than 1 second or 2 so that it does not get soggy. Lay wrapper flat on a work surface.
2) On one edge, place in orders: green lettuce, vermicelli, meat, bean sprout or cucumber strips, basil, cilantro. Do not over stuff. On other edge, place 2 shrimp halves, skin-side-down, then some mint leaves.

3) Start to roll up carefully, fold uncovered sides inward, insert some garlic chives, then continue to roll up tightly. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

• Spring rolls may be made up to 2 hours ahead. Cover with damp clean kitchen towel then plastic wrap and refrigerate.

To make sauce:

Heat the olive oil in a skillet, add minced shallot, saute until fragrant. Add Hoisin sauce, apricot jam and water. Stir often and simmer for 2 minutes. Add peanut butter, stir well then remove from the heat.
The sauce can be stored in an air-tight jar in fridge up to 1 month.

Salmon and veges with creamy sauce

An ultra pleasant dish to join Seven Fishes Feast, hosted by Maryann from Finding La Dolce Vita, and Joe from Italyville.


Recipe by van -- chopchopatoz
Ingredients:
Serves 2

2 Atlantic salmon fillets (8oz each)
1 carrot or 12 baby carrots
haft head broccoli florets, rinsed, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 medium potatoes, sliced 1-inch thick
1/2 tsp chicken bouillon
2/3 cup heavy cream
sea salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp cornstarch

Method:

1) Sprinkle a little bit salt over potato and carrot, wrap, then reheat in microwave about 3 minutes to make them half-cooked.
2) Sprinkle salmon with salt and pepper, dredge in the cornstarch, shaking off the excess flour. I prefer to use a fine mesh sieve to sift cornstarch equally over salmon both sides.
3) Heat olive oil in a medium fry pan over medium high heat. Add the fish, fry for 3 to 5 minutes, turn over, continue frying until they are golden brown.
4) Meanwhile, in an other skillet, melt butter, add broccoli, potato and carrot. Season with salt and stir fried for 3 minutes. Add fish, chicken bouillon and cream. Cover the lid and simmer until liquid is reduced and become thick.

Matcha green tea cookies

Ho! Ho! Ho! Here comes a little deer in fir forest!

I got this recipe at "For the love of dessert" from here.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup (2.25 oz) Confectioners sugar
5 oz Unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1 3/4 cup (8.5 oz) All-purpose flour
3 Large egg yolks
1.5 TBS Matcha (powdered green tea)
1 cup Granulated sugar (for coating)

Method:

1) Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

2) Whisk the confectioner’s sugar and green tea together in a bowl. Add the butter and green tea/sugar mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix until smooth and light in color. Add the flour and mix until well combined. Add the egg yolks and mix just until the eggs are fully incorporated and a mass forms.

3) Form the dough into a disk and chill in the refrigerator until firm (about 30 minutes).

4) Roll the dough out to ½” thickness. Cut the dough with cookie cutter. Toss each cut cookie in a bowl of granulated sugar to coat.

5) Place the sugar-coated cookie on a parchment lined pan. Bake at 350F for 12-15 minutes, or until slightly golden around the edges.

Chicken and mixed veges in a puff pastry shells

I used ingredients I had on hand and here is what I came up with! A creamy and flavorful appetizer that turned out rather prettily. It is good enough to make for a dinner guest or any festive occasion. I sent it to the Original Recipes- Culinarty Round-Up Event hosted by Culinarty by Lore

Ingredients:

1 sheet (5 oz) of homemade puff pastry or 6 frozen puff pastry mini shells
1 cup cubed cooked chicken
4 sprigs spring onion, chopped green leaf and minced bulb separately
1/2 carrot, cut into small cubes
1/2 zucchini, cut into 1/2--inch dice
4~5 button mushrooms, sliced
1 large shallot, minced
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 tbsp ground Parmesan cheese
1/2 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Fresh thyme for garnish (optional)

Method:

1) Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the minced shallot and spring onion bulb, cook, stir until fragrant. Add cubed carrots, cook and stir occasionally, about 2 minutes. Add zucchini, mushroom, sprinkle with thyme, continuing cook, stir until the vegetables are tender. Add chicken, wine, cream. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer until liquid is reduced by a half. Then thicken it with cornstarch. Add remaining spring onion and stir in Parmesan cheese. Keep warm.

2) If using puff pastry sheet, use a 2-inch cookie cutter, cut out the circle then put it on top of another pastry sheet, use a 2.5-inch cookie cutters, cut out a shell. Roll pastry sheet and repeat cutting into shells until finished.

3) Put shells on greased parchment or foil. Bake at 400°F, about 20 minutes.

4) Scoop mixed veges on step 1) into the shell, garnish with a sprig fresh thyme.

Serve warm.