crimfan's blog

Korean fillings wrapped in a tortilla:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/28/dining/28united.html?8dpc

I live in a very Korean neighborhood and work in Koreatown in Manhattan, but haven't seen them yet, though I confess I haven't looked either. Anyone tried one?

A friend sent me this web page:

http://www.sweetmarias.com/index.php

It's all about home coffee roasting. Intriguing but I'm not sure it's really worth the trouble. On the other hand, maybe it's fun. Any thoughts or experience?

I've been buying packaged ravioli recently, which are really good summer foods as they don't involve heating up the kitchen. The usual ones are cheese and meat, but you can often find other kinds, such as ones stuffed with artichoke, blue cheese, chicken sausage, etc. Very convenient as they cook up quickly just by pouring boiling water over them (this takes about 4 minutes). You can also fry them up in a pan like fried wontons. Go the extra mile to build a sauce for them and they're really nice. Here's one I just made today, which I liked quite a bit:

1 package of artichoke ravioli, unheated
1/2 cup diced onion
6 grape tomatoes, sliced in half
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tbsp basil pesto (I just buy this, but homemade is better)
heavy grind of black pepper
6 Spanish olives
1 tsp olive oil

In a frying pan, combine all ingredients but the ravioli and pesto. Use a little heat on the vegetables to get some browning. Reduce heat. Cook on low until the ravioli are hot and browned, sort of like what fried wontons look like.

I've made other sauces for these, including some wine reductions, usually with some vegetables thrown in. Saute something in a pan that will add some flavor such as mushrooms and shallots, deglaze with wine and/or stock, and toss the ravioli in to cook.

I suspect making ravioli from scratch isn't that hard but it's not something I'm likely to do except for special occasions, not when I can get good stuff at the store.

So I bought some fennel pollen from Kalustyan's on 28th and Lex. It ain't cheap (about $20/oz) but it's interesting as it adds a subtle fennel flavor to foods to which it is added. I used it in French toast and also in a frozen fruit salad I devised for Fourth of July.

Frozen Fruit Salad

1 bag of mixed berries, frozen
1 bag of pineapple, frozen
1/2 cup anise flavored liquor such as ouzo, raki or sambuca
1/4 cup lime juice
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp fennel pollen
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp walnut oil

Gently heat the anise liquor, lime juice, honey, fennel pollen, walnut oil and vanilla in a saucepan until the honey has softened and the flavors have had a chance to combine. Empty the frozen fruit into a bowl and mix thoroughly with the liquid. The fruit juice and liquid will combine, creating a nice sauce. Return to the freezer to chill, but allow to soften a bit before serving.

This is easy to hack: Use other frozen fruit or fresh or switch to a different spice. You could use a white wine instead of the liquor.

...is smelling French toast every morning. Why is this a downside, you ask? Because I'm not going to eat French toast every morning, that's why, but today I'll succumb and make some myself.

Update: Well it was there again this morning. Damn them, but that French toast smells too good, so I had to make it again. (I know they wish I'd just stop by and get some there, but noooo, I'm going to make it myself.) Here's my take:

Three large pieces of good (preferrably stale) bread
Three eggs
1/2 cup of vanilla soy milk (approx)
1 tbsp Chinese five spice
1 tsp allspice
pinch of salt
t tbsp honey, warmed so as to be runny (or use brown or raw sugar)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp walnut oil in tsp amounts (approx)

Whisk the eggs, milk, salt, honey and spices together into a custard and put it in a shallow, flat-bottomed bowl. You may not need all the milk so don't add it all at once. The goal is to get a nice custard-like consistency, but it shouldn't be over-beaten either. Soak the slice of bread in the custard mix until it has saturated. Set the frying pan on low and let it heat up in the meantime. It's a little slower but low heat lets the eggs settle nicely in the bread without getting tough. Put 1 tsp of walnut oil in the frying pan, roll to coat thoroughly and cook each slice until brown on both sides, but be sure to pull when the bread is still soft. Carryover will finish the job to make sure it's cooked through and you don't want the eggs to get tough. Rinse, lather, repeat.

The walnut oil gives a nice nutty flavor. Low heat ensures it doesn't smoke and maintains its flavor (as well as nice nutritive properties). Butter would also work, of course. The honey is there to add that little extra bit of sweetness and, more importantly, to enhance caramelization without overcooking. This didn't need much, I just added a teaspoon of jam.

Lots of people like challa for French toast but I find it a bit too dense and eggy. I prefer a country bread with a reasonably airy texture, but that's up to you. Just use your whole wheat bread for something else because it's not going to absorb the custard (this means you, Mom...). Staleness is important because you need to have the custard get into the bread without destroying its integrity and turning the bread into goop. This happens best when the bread is dried out and thirsty for liquid. Because I usually keep bread in the freezer, I had to defrost it before cooking. This turns out to make an admirable substitute for stale bread if done in a dry frying pan on low. The frying pan will be thoroughly heated to the right temperature and ready to go.

Frozen fruit with fresh squeezed lime juice. A little fresh mint is optional but a nice addition, too.

I'm enjoying some frozen pineapple with lime juice right now but it works on blueberries, mixed berries, raspberries, peaches, etc. Low calories, no fat, lots of fiber, easy and it tastes great. Definitely a nice alternative to classic summer treats like ice cream.

Any opinions?