Almond Jello

• 2 T gelatin
• 2/3 c cold water
• 1 1/3 c boiling water
• 1/3 c sugar
• 1 1/3 c milk
• 2 t almond extract

1. Place gelatin in 8x8 dish. Pour cold water in and let gelatin soften (about 5 min).
2. Add sugar and boiling water. Stir constantly until gelatin and sugar are dissolved.
3. Add cold milk and almond extract. Stir.
4. Cover and refrigerate until chilled.

Variations

• Coconut Jello - use coconut milk
  
• Use less liquid for a firmer jello, dice up into cubes and serve with fresh fruit
• Use scalded milk in place of boiling water
  

Golden Egg Bread

I used the 2 lb/medium crust setting and it worked out wonderfully. I had to add a little more flour (due to the humid summer environment here). Try using this bread as is, for french toast, or sandwiches.

4/27/09 Made this again today. Still as good as before. Should be making it more often it's so simple and tasty.

• 3/4 c water
• 3 T sugar
• 3 T vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 1.5 t salt
• 3.5 c bread flour
• 2 1/4 t active dry yeast

1. In bread machine pan, place all ingredients in order suggested by manufacturer.
2. Select basic bread setting. Choose medium crust and 2 lb loaf size.
3. Check dough after 5 minutes of mixing; add 1 to 2 T of water or flour if needed.
4. Remove from pan (after about 3.5 hours) to cool.

6/2/15 Using the new bread machine (a Sunbeam) to make this. Hoping it turns out as good in Toronto as it did in Taipei. Used olive oil.

Caramelized Onion Focaccia

This is just the size for my mini-oven. It came out delicious and didn't need the extra salt I had added just before popping it in the oven. Pictures aren't as good as how it tasted!

Dough Ingredients

• 3/4 cup water
• 2 T olive or vegetable oil
• 2 c bread flour
• 1 T sugar
• 1 t salt
• 1.5 t yeast

Topping Ingredients

• 3 T margarine or butter
• 1 med onion, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/4 c shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 T grated parmesan cheese

1. Place dough ingredients in breach machine according to order recommended by manufacturer.
2. Run the dough cycle (1h20).
3. Grease a cookie sheet. Pat the dough into a 10x12 rectangular shape or a 12-inch circle. Cover and let rise in a warm place 30-60 minutes or until almost doubled. Prepare the Onion Topping.
4. Melt butter in 10-inch skillet over medium-low heat. Cook onions and garlic in butter 15-20 min, stirring occasionally, until onions are brown and caramelized. Remove from heat.
5. Heat oven to 400°F/200°C. Make deep depressions in dough at 1-inch intervals with your finger. Spread onion topping over dough. Sprinkle with cheeses. Bake 15-25 min until edge is golden brown.
   
6. Remove from sheet to cool. Serve warm.

Variations

• Topping choices: course salt, fresh ground pepper, fresh minced garlic, pesto, fresh sage, potatoes and rosemary, sun-dried tomatoes, Italian seasoning, etc
• Pat the dough into the greased pan. Push thinly sliced onions into the dough. Cover with damp cloth and let rise 1 hour. Make depressions 1" apart and fill with chopped fresh rosemary. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Bake. Jan 2009 - yummy.

Notes
1/16/10 Made to eat with carrot and potato soup - excellent combination!

Mango Bread

I started making banana bread, but realized I didn't have any bananas to use. I merged the banana recipe with several mango ones I found online. This bread turned out incredibly moist. However, I wasn't that happy with the mango flavor - it didn't seem to come out. Perhaps next time increase to two cups of mango?

• 2 c flour
• 1/2 t salt
• 2 t baking soda
• 3/4 c sugar
• 2 t cinnamon
• 1/2 c butter, softened-melted
• 1.5 c mango
• 2 eggs

1. Mix the dry ingredients together.
2. Add the softened butter, mashed mango and eggs.
3. Pour into 9x5 loaf pan. Let sit 20 minutes.
4. Bake at 180C/350F for 50-60 min.

Hints
- use a mango variety that isn't stringy/fibery.

- try this recipe next time: http://foodblogga.blogspot.com/2009/03/move-over-banana-bread-mango-breads-in.html

Cold Sesame Noodles

To make this a gluten-free dish, be sure to check the ingredients of your buckwheat noodle package. Some varieties do add gluten products. If it's pure buckwheat, you're good to go. Also use wheat-free soy sauce and tofu. Also make sure that you have a strong Chinese sesame oil - it should be dark and very fragrant. This dish is great in the summer when you want something cool and refreshing. It is also a colorful dish with the variety of vegetables.
2/16/15 Made this as a warm dish with spinach, carrots, smoked tofu, shitake mushrooms and the sauce. Served with cold sliced cucumbers dipped in soy sauce on the side. Delicious!

Serves 4

• 16 oz (2 packages) buckwheat noodles (usually wheat free, but check ingredient list)
• 1/2 red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
• 1/3 cucumber, cut into thin strips
• 1 or 2 green onions, chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, chopped
• chopped ginger
• sesame oil (dark kind)
• soy sauce/tamari (wheat-free)
• 1 T sugar
• spinach
• salt and pepper
• smoked tofu (or baked tofu if you can find one made with wheat-free soy sauce), sliced into fat strips
• cilantro

1. Cook the noodles according to package instructions. Do not overcook. Rinse immediately with cold water until noodles are cold. Transfer to serving bowl and sprinkle with some sesame oil.
2. If you have plain tofu, heat it with some garlic, soy/tamari, salt and pepper to add flavor. Otherwise, just heat up the tofu in a skillet.
3. Optionally, you can cook the red pepper. Remove to bowl.
4. Heat the spinach in pan until wilted. Chop.
5. Heat 2 teaspoons sesame oil, chopped ginger and garlic over low heat. Remove from heat and add sugar and 2 T soy. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Pour over noodles.
6. Combine tofu and other vegetables in bowl. Toss to mix.
7. Garnish with cilantro.

Variations

• Add rice wine vinegar to the sauce
• Use meat instead of tofu (shrimp, beef, etc).
• Carrots also make a good addition, for health and color.
• You can substitute peas for the spinach.

Gateau Alexandre

Happy birthday to my little nephew who just turned 2. This cake was created in his honor by Jeanne Oh. I made it a year ago for his first birthday as a test. I was around when my sister made it the first time this year, and I have to say I think a single layer works better. Warning: this is a very time consuming cake to make.

Three components:
1. pastry cream (for gateau)
2. baked cherries (for garnish)
3. gateau

Pastry Cream
1 c (242 g) whole milk
1 vanilla bean (or 1 t vanilla extract--bean is better)
1/4 c (50 g) sugar
1/6 c (20 g) cornstarch, sifted
3 large egg yolks
1 T (14 g) unsalted butter, room temp

1. Prepare cooling pan by lining shallow baking pan (or bowl) with plastic wrap. Set aside.
2. Add milk to saucepan and scrape seeds from the vanilla bean (cut bean lengthwise). Bring milk to a boil and remove from heat. (When the milk violently bubbles over like a volcano, it's boiled)
3. While the milk is boiling, whisk sugar and cornstarch in small bowl. Add yolks to sugar mixture and whisk until the mixture turns pale yellow and is thick and smooth (very important because you don't want clumpy pastry cream). Gradually pour half of the hot milk into the yolk
mixture and whisk to combine. Return the yolk & milk mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until the mixture thickens and comes to a boil. Boil for 30 more seconds, then remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the butter until completely
melted.
4. Scrape the pastry cream into the cooling pan, spreading it evenly with a rubber spatula. Cover the pastry cream with plastic wrap directly against the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Cool at room temp. (Note, you can refrigerate (keeps for 3 days) but make sure that you whisk the mixture smooth before use).

Baked Cherries (for garnish)
2.2 lbs (1 kg) fresh cherries, pitted
100 g sugar

1. Mix cherries in sugar. Bake in covered dish at 475 F or (250 C) for 15-20 minutes, stirring from time to time.
2. Allow cherries to cool (approximately 4 hours).

Gateau
3/4 c (90 g) slivered almonds, food processed finely ground (about 45
seconds)
1/3 c (30 g) slivered almonds (for garnish)
1 1/3 c (193 g) all purpose flour
1 t (5 g) baking powder
4 large eggs
1 c (200 g) sugar
1 vanilla bean, split
14 T (200 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 T (14 g) orange juice or dark rum
Pastry Cream at room temp (above)
3/4 lb (341 g) sour or black cherries, pitted

1. Sift flour and baking powder over ground almonds. Gently whisk until combined and set aside.
2. Place 3 eggs and sugar in large bowl. Scrape vanilla seeds from bean and add to sugar mixture. Whisk the eggs until thickened and pale. Whisk in the melted (and cooled) butter . Whisk in the dry ingredients and orange juice. Let the batter stand for atleast 20 minutes
3. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Butter two 8 inch round cake pans or one 10 or 11 inch round cake pan. Dust the pans with flour, tapping excess.
4. Whisk the pastry cream smooth and fill a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2 inch plain tip with the pastry cream (you can also make a makeshift pastry bag by using a ziploc bag and cutting the corner off).
5. Scrape 3/4 of the cake batter into each cake pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Pipe the pastry cream over the batter in each pan, beginning 1/4 inch from the edge of the pan and piping in a loose spiral towards the center, leaving about 1 inch between the coils.
6. Arrange the cherries over the pastry cream, dividing them evenly between the two cakes. Scrape the remaining cake batter over the cherries, dividing it evenly, and smooth it into an even layer, covering the cherries as much as possible.
7. Lightly beat the remaining egg and lightly brush the tops of the cakes with this egg wash.
8. Bake the cake(s) for 30-35 minutes (for 8 inch) and about 45 minutes (for larger), until golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool the cake(s) in the pans for 10 minutes. Invert the cakes and cool completely. Reinvert the cakes to serve.

Assembly
1. Cake on dish
2. Arrange baked cherries on top of cake
3. sprinkle slivered almonds on top.

NOTE: I think this cake would taste fantastic with a taste of chocolate, but I am uncertain if babies can have chocolate. When Hugh gets older and develops his own taste, you can alter the pastry cream to a chocolate one by adding about 4 ounces (154 g) of melted dark chocolate. Alternatively, you can prepare a chocolate sauce on the side:

Chocolate Sauce
5 oz (142 g) Sugar
8 oz (240 ml) Water
2.25 oz (64 g) light corn syrup
2 oz (56 g) cocoa powder, sifted
8 oz (227 g) bittersweet chocolate, melted

1. Combine the sugar, water, and corn syrup in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Remove from heat
2. Place the cocoa powder in a bowl and add enough of the hot sugar syrup to make a paste, stirring until smooth. Gradually add the remaining syrup and mix until fully incorporated.
3. Add the melted chocolate and blend until fully incorporated
4. Optional: Strain the sauce through a fine meshed sieve
5. Serve warm or chilled (warm is better, I think!)

Quinoa Tabbouleh

Tabbouleh can be made with cous-cous or bulghur wheat. However, for a gluten-free dish, quinoa (pronounced key-nwah, not chin-o-uh) is the way to go. Most time is spent chopping and chilling. This is a refreshing summer dish that can serve as a lunch or appetizer. 5/29/10 If you can't find quinoa, then millet is another gluten free option.

2 c water
1 c quinoa
3 T olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 c lemon juice
3 green onion stalks, minced
1/4 c fresh mint, minced
1 T cilantro, minced
salt
3 roma tomatoes, finely chopped
1 cucumber, finely chopped
(missing: 1/4 c pine nuts, 1/2 c parsley)
*1/4 t paprika
*1/4 t cayenne

1. Rinse quinoa well first so it won't be bitter. Bring water and quinoa to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cover. Cook 15-20 minutes, until water is absorbed and kernels are soft.
   
2. Combine oil, garlic, lemon juice and salt. Mix with quinoa.
3. Add greens and veggies. Mix well. Chill.
4. Serve with bread or over mixed greens.

Variations

• As mentioned above, use cous cous or bulghur wheat for the base.
• 5/29/10 Used millet instead of quinoa, cherry tomatoes instead of roma.
  In large pan, toast millet on high heat. Stir constantly for 3-4 minutes until fragrant and millet starts to pop. If heat is too high remove to cool. Add boiling water, cover and simmer until water is absorbed (15-25 min). Let stand 5 minutes with cover on. Immediately fluff with fork. [If not toasting, then rinse well first.]
• 6/10/12 Used 1 box couscous cooked with mixture of boiled water combined with lemon zest, parsley stems, pinch cayenne, olive oil and salt. Add ins were regular tomatoes, english cucumber, toasted pine nuts, lemon juice, and minced parsley.
• 6/9/13 Used 1 box of couscous cooked with 2+ c water, lemon zest, coriander stems, 1/4 t cayenne, olive oil. Add ins were cherry tomatoes, cucumber, salted sunflower seeds, lemon juice, coriander, cayenne, paprika, garlic, salt. ****