Crab Quesadillas

I have made this a couple of times now but this is the first quesadilla recipe (from Yahoo/Eating Well) I've attempted. Though there was definitely a learning curve (turns out flipping quesadillas is not so easy!), this recipe is definitely one worth sharing. The filling is creamy and tasty, and if you like a little spicy, I would absolutely recommend including the optional pickled jalapenos because they really do give the quesadillas a distinct kick. The only change I've made to this recipe is that I cooked each side of the tortilla for longer than the recommended time; I've found that I need the extra time for the tortilla to turn golden brown which helps a lot with the flipping and the cutting.

I am also excited to report that this is the first blog post featuring photos taken with my new DSLR camera, so regular readers of this blog will notice (hopefully!) that the quality of my photos has improved significantly. :) Anyhoo, here is the recipe:

CRAB QUESADILLAS

Ingredients:

• 1 cup shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
• 2 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese, softened
• 4 scallions, chopped
• 1/2 medium red bell pepper, finely chopped
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 tablespoons chopped pickled jalapenos (optional)
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest
• 1 tablespoon orange juice
• 8 ounces pasteurized crabmeat, drained if necessary
• 4 8-inch whole-wheat tortillas
• 2 teaspoons canola oil, divided

Directions:

1. Combine Cheddar, cream cheese, scallions, bell pepper, cilantro, jalapenos (if using), orange zest and juice in a medium bowl. Gently stir in crab. Lay tortillas out on a work surface. Spread one-fourth of the filling on half of each tortilla. Fold tortillas in half, pressing gently to flatten.
2. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Place 2 quesadillas in the pan and cook, turning once, until golden on both sides, 4 to 5 minutes each side until no longer soft. (It is much easier to flip the quesadillas when they are no longer soft.) Transfer to a cutting board and tent with foil to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining 1 teaspoon oil and quesadillas. Cut each quesadilla into 4 wedges. (I highly recommend using a pizza wheel if you have one!)
   

The crab filling.

Spreading crab filling on top of half of a tortilla.


Crab quesadillas!

Links:
http://food.yahoo.com/recipes/eatingwell/1257/crab-quesadillas

Chicken and Rice Jubilee

My family used to have a subscription to the Toronto Star, and every summer it would come with a free "milk calendar," courtesy of the Dairy Farmers of Canada. I always looked forward to the milk calendar (the geek that I am!), not for the calendar itself but for the recipes featured in the calendar. Here is a really old one, probably from the late 1990s, but one I've made with success a few times.

CHICKEN AND RICE JUBILEE

Ingredients:

• 1 lb (450 g) boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 2 tbsp (30 mL) butter
• 1/2 lb (250 g) sliced mushrooms
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 tbsp (15 mL) cornstarch
• 1 cup (250 mL) long-grain rice
• 2 1/4 cups (550 mL) milk
• 2 cups (500 mL) diagonally cut carrots
• 1 green pepper, cut in strips
• 1 red pepper, cut in strips
• 1 tsp (5 mL) salt
• 1/2 tsp (2 mL) pepper
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) chopped cashews or almonds, toasted

Directions:

1. Cut chicken into 1" (2.5 cm) cubes.

2. In a large fry pan, cook chicken in butter over medium heat until chicken is lightly browned on all sides. Add mushrooms, onion and garlic; cook until onion is softened. Add cornstarch and rice and cook for 2 minutes.

3. Stir in milk, carrots, pepper strips, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Just before serving, sprinkle with cashews.

Yield: 4-6 servings

Links:
http://www.dairygoodness.ca/en/consumers/food/recipes/all/0200/361.htm?recipeid=361

Panache (Washington, DC)

So this awesome site Groupon (like "group coupon") recently launched in Washington, DC. The short of it is that they offer a great deal per day and if enough people sign up for the deal, then everyone gets it. The maiden offer at Groupon was a $25 groupon to Panache restaurant for $10 - which I promptly signed up for! It didn't take me long to make use of my Panache groupon. R. and I went there on a rainy Wednesday night before a show at the DC Improv nearby. We wanted to try the tapas and didn't want a large meal since we had planned on eating more later, so the two of us shared three hot tapas (and please excuse the phone camera photos!):

Carciofi Ripeni Al Prociutto ($7.95)

Long stem artichoke hearts in white wine with proscuitto and Italian roasted red peppers.

Funghi Portobello Alla Griglian ($8.95)
Marinated and grilled portobello topped with herb whipped goat cheese and basil.

Petite Crab Croquettes ($10.50)
Over a crip sweet potato nest with avocado butter & pomeray roumulade sauce.

Everything was delicious! My favorite was probably the crab croquettes; the sweet potato nest was a really nice touch. I really liked the other two dishes as well though. Really, I have no complaints about my meal, though if I was going to have a full dinner I would have gone with at least two tapas per person. The entrees range from about $18-28 which is a bit pricey for a casual evening but just fine for a special occasion. The atmosphere in the restaurant was great as well, with a happy-hour-perfect bar area and a patio. I'd definitely be inclined to go back at some point. So Groupon ended up being a win-win situation for both myself and the restaurant: I got a cheap meal out of it and Panache gained a new customer. :)

Pertinent info:
Address: 1725 DeSales St NW, Washington DC
Phone: 202-293-7760
Nearest Metro station: Farrugut North (Red line)

Portabella Parmesan

The first time I saw this recipe on Ken's blog, I knew I had to try it! And I'm really glad I did, as it is both easy and delicious! Perfect for a quick meal!

PORTABELLA PARMESAN

Ingredients:

• Portabella caps (1 per person)
• Olive oil (1 tsp / mushroom)
• Salt & Pepper
• Pasta sauce (I used 1 jar for 4 servings)
• Mozzarella cheese (as much as you want)
• Butter (1 tsp / mushroom)
• Parmesan cheese (as much as you want)
• Pasta (I used spaghetti)
  

Directions:

1. Clean mushrooms with a damp paper towel.
2. Brush mushrooms on both sides with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Grill mushrooms, 3-5 minutes per side.
4. In a shallow baking dish, coat with pasta sauce.
5. Place mushrooms, vent side up (i.e., upside-down) in baking dish.
6. Add sauce to mushroom caps (enough to coat with a thin layer).
7. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese to cover mushrooms, add butter, and sprinkle Parmesan cheese.
8. Bake at 400° for ~15-minutes (until cheese is browned).
9. Serve with pasta.
   

Links:
http://kencooks.blogspot.com/2009/03/portabella-parmesan.html

Caffe Demetre (various locations in and around Toronto, ON)

Sometimes I really miss the food in Toronto. One such establishment I often crave is Caffe Demetre. It is the place for dessert crepes (as well as waffles, ice cream, coffee, cakes, and other sumptuous delights). I mostly frequent the one at East Beaver Creek, but they have other, more convenient locations as well (such as one at Yonge & Eglinton and another in Greektown which are subway-accessible). The thing I like most about Caffe Demetre's desserts is that the ice cream is really fresh (they make it right on the premises), and while it is delicious, it is not so sweet that it gives you a sore throat. I also like the ambience of the restaurant; it is causal, yet hip (and very colorful). Caffe Demetre opens pretty late at night though it is usually very busy. Here are some of the items I ordered during my last couple of visits (I always get crepes):

The one on the left is the "Rusty Pelican." I don't remember exactly what the one on the right is, and I wish I did because it was fantabulous!

Last time I went I discovered that you could create your own crepes. I think I'm going to try that next time!

The only way to make this place even better?? Caffe Demetre crepes with Jeni's ice creams! Mmm...!! (Wishful thinking, I know!) :)

Pertinent Info:
Address: 100 York Blvd, Richmond Hill, ON L4B 1J8, Canada (but see other locations here)
Nearest intersection: Hwy 7 and East Beaver Creek

Links:
http://www.waycoolcafe.com/ (Caffe Demetre's official website)

Bonus Weekender: Cathy's Custom Cakes (Part II)

Last weekend, I finally had the pleasure to sample Cathy's cakes. She made this heart-shaped, four-tier beauty for a wedding:

Just absolutely gorgeous! The DJ said he thought it was a sculpture. The cake tasted amazing, too! Each of the four layers (you only see three here) had a different flavor: butter pecan, chocolate, yellow, and vanilla strawberry. I sampled three of the flavors and they were all excellent! Again, if you're in the Pittsburgh are and need a cake, check out Cathy's Custom Cakes!

Baked Dijon Salmon

My family loves salmon. I found this recipe some years ago when my siblings and I were looking for an easy but tasty dish to make for our parents. It truly takes only about 20 minutes or so (from start to finish!) and always gets high marks. In fact, I've been told that this recipe has turned some people into salmon-lovers!

BAKED DIJON SALMON

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1-1/2 tablespoons honey
• 1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup finely chopped pecans
• 4 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
• 4 (4 ounce) fillets salmon (or 1 lb total)
  
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 lemon, for garnish

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 ºF (200 ºC).
2. In a small bowl, stir together butter, mustard, and honey. Set aside. In another bowl, mix together bread crumbs, pecans, and parsley.
3. Brush each salmon fillet lightly with honey mustard mixture, and sprinkle the tops of the fillets with the bread crumb mixture.
4. Bake salmon 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until it flakes easily with a fork. Season with salt and pepper, and garnish with a wedge of lemon.

Links:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Baked-Dijon-Salmon/Detail.aspx

Toffee Crunch Cookies

I needed to bake some cookies for an event, and decided that it was time I tried making something other than marble cookies. I love toffee, so I figured I'd do a search for toffee cookies online, and this came up. The cookies came out delicious so I thought I'd share the recipe here!

TOFFEE CRUNCH COOKIES

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups toffee baking bits
• 1/3 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

1. Combine and sift flour, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, cream butter or margarine. Add sugar, egg, and vanilla; mix until smooth and creamy.
2. Stir in dry ingredients; blend in toffee bits and pecans.
3. Drop tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto greased baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) until done, 12 to 15 minutes. (Clara's note: For me, 10 minutes was enough!) Remove from baking sheets and cool.

Mmm...toffee!

Links:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Toffee-Crunch-Cookies/Detail.aspx

Bonus Weekender: Spelling Food

I was reading an article on the National Spelling Bee that took place this past week, and came across a couple of interesting food-related words that were used in the finals. First, I learned that "geusioleptic" means "flavorful food," as in, "While Lena's geusioleptic cooking wowed her boyfriend, what really melted his heart was that she won the National Spelling Bee." And yes, I plan on using that word in a sentence on this blog, preferably to describe my own cooking. :)

Then, I also learned that "palatschinken" is "an unusual type of pancake." According to Wikipedia, it comes from Central Europe and is similar to crepes becuase it is so thin. They are usually rolled with with fruit jam or sauce inside and then sprinkled with icing sugar. I must say palatschinken looks and sounds awfully geusioleptic!

Do YOU know any interesting or rare words related to food or eating?

Ginger Glazed Mahi Mahi

I saw this on All Recipes a while ago and I really don't know what took me so long to finally attempt it (probably 'cause I had so many other recipes I wanted to try!), but OMG this recipe is seriously good. And easy to make, too! Oh, and the 259 calories per serving really just can't be beat!

GINGER GLAZED MAHI MAHI

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons honey
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger root
• 1 clove garlic, crushed or to taste
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 4 (6 ounce) mahi mahi fillets
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Directions

1. In a shallow glass dish, stir together the honey, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, ginger, garlic and olive oil. Season fish fillets with salt and pepper, and place them into the dish. If the fillets have skin on them, place them skin side down. Cover, and refrigerate for 20 minutes to marinate.
2. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Remove fish from the dish, and reserve marinade. Fry fish for 4 to 6 minutes on each side, turning only once, until fish flakes easily with a fork. Remove fillets to a serving platter and keep warm.
3. Pour reserved marinade into the skillet, and heat over medium heat until the mixture reduces to a glaze consistently. Spoon glaze over fish, and serve immediately.

Yields: 4 servings

Ginger glazed mahi mahi in good natural lighting.

Links:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Ginger-Glazed-Mahi-Mahi/Detail.aspx

Cathy's Custom Cakes

R.'s cousin Cathy is an extremely talented cake decorator. Here are some of her masterpieces:

I just looove this cake! The sand is made of crushed graham crackers, by the way!

Can you believe everything is edible on this cake (except the two pieces of twine)?? Amazing!

According to Cathy, the flowers were made out of gum paste and took about 24 hours total.


If I were a little girl, I'd die to have a cake like this!


Camera cake! Is this cool or what?

Cathy has finally decided to take the plunge and start her own cake-making business, so if you're in the Pittsburgh area and have needs for a cake, check out Cathy's Custom Cakes. I'm pretty sure she can accommodate special dietary needs since her daughter is allergic to your standard cake ingredients (wheat and eggs).

Spinach and Mushroom Frittata

I've made this frittata a few times now and it's turned out really well every time. Not only that, it is super easy to make (pretty much just mix all the ingredients together and bake!). Based on the reviews, it seems that you can throw in any ingredient you want, though the recipe is great as it is (and not too fattening or anything either!) so I've never had the urge to be too creative with it. The only thing I did try was to use regular mushrooms (as opposed to portobello) which worked fine, though I think I prefer portobello.

SPINACH AND MUSHROOM FRITTATA

Ingredients:

• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed thoroughly to remove liquid
• 4 eggs or equivalent egg substitute
• 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
• 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 3/4 cup chopped portobello mushrooms
• 1/2 cup finely chopped scallions with some green tops
• 1/4 teaspoon dried Italian seasonings
• 1 pinch Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together all ingredients until well mixed. Spray a 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray and fill with the spinach mixture.
3. Bake for 30 minutes, or until browned and set. Let cool for 20 minutes, cut in wedges and serve.

Links:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Spinach-and-Mushroom-Frittata/Detail.aspx

Korean-Inspired Beef Stir-Fry

This is yet another great recipe I found on Yahoo! Food (originally an Eating Well recipe). In fact, it was one of their "featured recipes" and I figured I really couldn't go wrong. I'm calling it "Korean-inspired" rather than simply "Korean" because, as one reviewer mentioned, it isn't terribly authentic, but it is delicious nonetheless. The recipe presented below has been doubled to make four or five servings, but other than that, I found that no alterations were necessary.

KOREAN-INSPIRED BEEF STIR-FRY

Ingredients:

• 6 tablespoons mirin (can be found at an Asian market or the Asian food aisle of your local supermarket, or use sherry or white wine with a pinch of sugar as a substitute)
  
• 4 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 4 teaspoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 pound flank steak, trimmed of fat and very thinly sliced against the grain
• 2 tablespoon chopped garlic (about 5-6 cloves)
  
• 4 teaspoons chopped jalapeno pepper, or to taste (about 1 pepper)
• 3 teaspoons chopped fresh ginger
• 8 cups (about two 8-oz bags) mung bean sprouts
• 2 (6 ounce) bag baby spinach
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 4 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds (optional)

Directions:

1. Combine mirin, soy sauce and cornstarch in a small bowl.
2. Heat oil in two large nonstick skillets over medium-high heat.
3. Spread steak out in the two pans and cook until seared on one side, about 1 minute. (Clara's note: Don't overcook.)
   
4. Add garlic, jalapeno and ginger and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add bean sprouts and spinach (the pans will be very full).
5. Pour the mirin mixture into the pan and stir gently until the sauce thickens and the spinach is wilted, about 3 minutes.
6. Stir in cilantro and sesame oil. Serve topped with sesame seeds (if using).
7. Serve with rice or rice noodles.
   

Yield: 4-5 servings

The finished product.

Other Notes and Tips from Yahoo:

• If you have a little extra time before dinner, put the steak in the freezer for about 20 minutes to help make it easier to slice thinly.
• To toast sesame seeds, heat a small dry skillet over low heat. Add sesame seeds and stir constantly until golden and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl and let cool.

Links:
http://food.yahoo.com/recipes/eatingwell/1096/korean-beef-stir-fry/

Bonus Weekender: Great Wall Supermarket (Falls Church, VA)

Those of you who have been reading this blog regularly probably know that I've been on a quest to find a good Chinese supermarket in the DC area. I'm happy to report that I've found The One: Great Wall Supermarket in Falls Church, Virginia!

Even though Great Wall is located in a whole different state, it didn't take me as long to get there than I thought it would; in fact, it took about the same amount of time it took to get to Kam Sam. The difference is that Great Wall is much bigger and better! There is a massive selection of pretty much anything Chinese. I was particularly impressed with the live fish tanks:

and the roasted meat takeout area:

Of course, Great Wall has a great selection of Asian sauces:

And I saw (though didn't buy) "Taro Frozen Dessert," which is probably the closest thing to the elusive purple yam ice cream; however, I don't think they're quite the same thing. Somebody, pleeeeease import some purple yam ice cream here!! (And while you're at it, please bring in some dofuhua, too!)

Between this place and H Mart, I think I've got about 90% of my Asian food needs satisfied. Overall, I was happy with my shopping experience at Great Wall and will definitely go back should the need arise.

Pertinent info:
Address: 2982 Gallows Rd, Falls Church, VA 22042
Phone: (703) 208-3320

Julia Child's Kitchen

On display at the National Museum of American History in Washington, DC is Julia Child's kitchen, which is where she taped her last three cooking shows (In Julia's Kitchen with Master Chefs, Baking with Julia, and Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home) in her home in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Julia Child's husband custom designed the kitchen, complete with tall counters, to accommodate her height of 6'2". These are the pictures I took at the museum:

I love how she was so efficient with space by hanging all her pots and pans and other cooking utensils on every spare inch of the wall. Love it. Particularly the knife racks.