spring means greens

FINALLY! spring is here! little flowers popping up everywhere, trees budding and blooming, sunny days, rainy days, birds chirping--i'm loving it all. the brightness and freshness of everything is so uplifting. smiles all around~

along with the visual explosions, spring is one of the best seasons for food. there is such a great assortment of spring vegetables; it makes you feel healthy just looking at them. haha. i took things one step further and made a simple little lunch that popped with shades of green.

i had some leftover egg whites from ice cream making and wasn't quite in the mood for baking, so i went the savory route and made a veggie frittata. i added a couple whole eggs to bulk it up and tossed in handfuls of baby spinach, half a bunch of asparagus, and some crumbled feta. i served myself a generous slice over peppery arugula and half an avocado (so smooth). the eggs, cheese, and avocado are all fairly rich so the arugula helped to balance things out, and i liked the way the leaves wilted a bit from the heat of the frittata slice. it's also nice having all that spinach and asparagus in every bite. the frittata reheats nicely too which is great for a quick meal.

not to dismiss the sweet side of things, i also made a double batch of (eggless) pandan ice cream. i've made this flavor once before, but the pandan was so faint it just tasted like a plain ice cream base. i was super excited when jade forwarded me the link to weallscream's latest post for pandan ice cream. i had enough ingredients for two batches, so i went for it (more to share!), and it turned out great! just one little tip: do not try to churn double the amount of ice cream base just because it all fits in the container--it will not set. lesson learned :T

oh, and one other little tip (completely unrelated to ice cream): you can regrow green onions by trimming them and soaking the roots for about a week >> fresh green onions! whenever i buy green onions, i often end up with a few stalks in the fridge that start to get soft and unusable, so i was pretty happy this trick worked. of course i could just be better at using the onions when they're fresh, but at least now i bought myself some time~

happy spring, everybody!

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:: spinach and asparagus frittata ::
(makes one 10-inch frittata)

this recipe is easily adaptable and really more of a jumping off point. feel free to change up the veggies and proportions.

4-5 egg whites
2 eggs
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2-3 handfuls of baby spinach
half a bunch of asparagus, trimmed and diced (about 12 thin spears)
1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil, enough to coat skillet

1. preheat oven to 350F degrees. whisk together the egg whites, eggs, and salt and pepper. set aside.
2. in an oven-safe skillet or pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. add the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes. next add the asparagus and spinach. cook until the asparagus is tender and the spinach is wilted.
3. pour the egg mixture over the veggies. sprinkle half the feta on top. lower the heat and cook for another 5-6 minutes until the eggs begin to set.
4. sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. transfer the pan to the oven. bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the frittata is firm and cooked through and the cheese begins to melt.
5. slice up and serve warm.

serving suggestion: over a bed of arugula and chunks of avocado

:: pandan ice cream (eggless) ::
(adapted from weallscream)
makes 1 1/2 quarts
[i didn't make the palm sugar syrup for serving]

1 cup milk
1 cup coconut milk
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2/3 cup sugar
2 tbsp light corn syrup (*i used agave syrup)
4 pandan leaves, chopped
1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp milk
pinch of salt
powdered green food coloring, optional 
(*the original recipe uses 1-2 tsp of matcha powder for the color. if using food color, be very conservative--a little goes a long way.)

1. prepare the slurry: combine the cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of milk. set aside.
2. in a large saucepan, bring to boil the cup of milk, coconut milk, heavy cream, sugar, corn syrup, and pandan leaves. boil for about 4 minutes.
3. remove from heat and let steep for 1 hour.
4. strain out leaves. whisk in slurry and return to heat for 1 minute, stirring until mixture is thickened.
5. in a large bowl, add pinch of salt and food coloring, if using. strain the milk mixture into the bowl and whisk thoroughly.
6. place in an ice bath or let stand to cool. refrigerate until cold.
7. transfer to ice cream maker and churn until creamy.
8. transfer to container and freeze for a few hours to set.
9. ENJOY!

espresso madeleines

i've been nursing a cough-cold for a few days and being cooped up in my apartment made me a bit stir-crazy. i needed a little kitchen time to distract myself from the growing pile of tissues and ricola wrappers and fast-emptying purell bottle. since i've been keeping well-hydrated with lots of hot water and tea, i thought it'd be nice to bake something that would go well both: madeleines, the perfect shell-shaped tea cake-cookie.

now, what flavor should i make? of course i could go traditional with a classic honey madeleine, but i was in the mood for something more creative. i've made chocolate and lemon before, but i wanted to save my lemon for brewing. i considered earl grey but didn't have orange zest (i think i would have missed it if i omitted it). lavender? too floral. apple cinnamon? too autumn-y. i was starting to turn back to a basic honey until i landed on espresso! how did i not think of this sooner? espresso madeleienes were just the thing to quell my need to bake and my recent coffee obsession.

i used a recipe from pastry studio and made 15 madeleienes (5 less than the recipe says). the espresso flavor wasn't as strong as i would have liked, so next time i might up the espresso powder to a full teaspoon or more. other than that, the cake-cookies came out great--perfectly domed on the back and nicely defined shells on the front; just dense enough for a good bite and to pair with a hot drink.

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:: espresso madeleines ::
(recipe adapted from pastry studio)
makes about 20. (*i made 15)

6 tablespoons (3oz) butter
3/4 cup (3 3/4 oz) flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
2 eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup (3 1/2 oz) dark brown sugar (*i used light because it's what i have)
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 teaspoon instant espresso powder (*i would add more for a stronger flavor)

preheat oven to 375ºF. generously butter madeleine mold pan(s) and lightly dust with flour.

melt the butter, remove from 
the heat, and set aside to cool.


sift together flour, baking 
powder, salt, and cinnamon and set aside.

beat the eggs and sugar until the mixture has tripled in volume and forms
 a thick ribbon. slowly beat in the vanilla and espresso powder until blended.

using a large rubber spatula, fold the flour mixture into the beaten eggs 
in 3 equal additions.  then fold in the cooled melted butter in 3 equal additions until thoroughly blended.


fill the wells of the prepared madeleine pan(s). bake until the cakes spring back when touched, about 10 –12 minutes (*mine were done at 11 minutes). remove from the oven and let them cool for 1 minute, then tilt the pans to dislodge them. cool completely on a wire rack.

glimpses of spring

since winter seems to be rather stubborn this year, i thought i'd move things along and bring some hints of spring into my life. for me this means flowers. bright, frilly flowers.

it may seem frivolous to some, but i love having fresh flowers around my apartment. they brighten up the place and last a while if you're diligent about fresh water in the vase and the occasional wilted stem removal. i remember when i first bought flowers for myself; it felt like such a grown-up moment, buying flowers for no apparent reason. they were nothing special (probably a simple bouquet from trader joe's), but they made me smile...such a small thing to make me happy :) i don't go for anything extravagant: no florists, no crazy arrangements, just a store-bought bouquet that appeals to me that day. sometimes that's easier said than done (as sean can attest). i've been known to stand and stare and deliberate for WAY too long in front of a flower stand. what am i feeling today: single flower or mixed bouquet? bright and poppy or understated? something new or the tried-and-true favorites? so many choices! in the end whatever i choose i'm usually happy with once i get them home. a little rearranging and they're all set.

so in an attempt to welcome in the spring i prettified my place with some petal action. 

now, how long until things start to thaw and buds start poking up from the ground? come on, spring, get here!

ice cream destinations

with winter still lingering around, i've felt a bit restless and in need of some warm-weather distractions. while july may be national ice cream month, i thought i'd bring a little bit of summertime into this wintry mix. so let's pretend it's summer and travel to faraway places...by way of frozen treats! a tropical paradise via passion fruit frozen yogurt? a taste of asia with a chunky red bean ice cream? or how about keeping it all-american with some peanut butter ice cream with chocolate freckles? better yet: why not all of the above!

first up, a passion fruit frozen yogurt. i love the flavor of passion fruit and have been obsessed with chobani's passion fruit greek yogurt (actual passion fruit seeds!). since it's hard to find fresh passion fruit--and kind of pricey when you do find it--i opted for frozen passion fruit pulp. i've used it before with my chocolate passion fruit ganache, so i knew the flavor would be just right. this recipe comes from jeni's splendid ice creams and blends together the tart, fruity pulp with a creamy, milky yogurt base. it's hard not to eat scoop after scoop of this and daydream of hot, sunny days. a trip to the islands, anyone?


next, i thought i'd go the asian route and make a red bean ice cream. i've made a number of asian flavors before--black sesame, taro, pandan, milk oolong, thai tea--so red bean was long overdue. it's funny it took me this long, since as a kid i craved sweety's red bean popsicles. those were seriously the best--full of red beans and just sweet enough; they came in a box of four and were promptly inhaled by me and whoever else was around to share :P
for the ice cream i found a simple recipe from userealbutter. it calls for sweetened red bean paste which i didn't have, but i *did* have dried red beans and sugar so i made my own. boiled the beans for a LONG time, added sugar and a dash of salt, and mashed up most of it. i left it fairly chunky since i wanted the ice cream to mirror the popsicles with their bits of beans. i swirled the paste into the ice cream base and knew i was headed in the right direction. the ice cream was exactly like a sweety's red bean popsicle but in scoop form! i guess this ice cream took me on two trips: asia and back in time.

last up, let's bring things back to the states and pay tribute to jeni's splendid ice creams with their buckeye state ice cream. hailing from ohio, jeni included a recipe for honeyed peanut ice cream with dark chocolate freckles which resembles the buckeye candy (peanut butter and honey balls dipped in chocolate). i've never tried a buckeye candy, but i have always been a big fan of chocolate and peanut butter so this flavor was sure to be a winner. the recipe uses half a cup of natural peanut butter, two spoonfuls of honey, and a quarter pound of dark chocolate...i mean, how can you go wrong? the resulting ice cream was full of peanut flavor, light on honey (not sure if it could have used more or if the other flavors overpowered it), and nicely speckled with chopped chocolate freckles.

that concludes my adventures through ice creams for now, but there are definitely more new flavors on the way~

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:: passion fruit frozen yogurt ::
(recipe from jeni's splendid ice creams)
makes a generous 1 quart

frozen yogurt base
1 quart plain low-fat yogurt
1 1/2 cups whole milk
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 ounces (4 tablespoons) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup heavy cream
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup (i used agave syrup)

passion fruit syrup
6 large or 8 medium passion fruits (i used frozen passion fruit pulp)
3 tablespoons sugar

advanced prep for the frozen yogurt base:
fit a sieve over a bowl and line it with two layers of cheesecloth. pour the yogurt into the sieve, over with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 6 to 8 hours to drain. discard the liquid, and measure out 1 1/4 cups of the strained yogurt; set aside.

for the passion fruit syrup:
set a sieve over a bowl. slice each passion fruit in half and scoop the flesh of the fruit into the sieve. using a spatula or wooden spoon, push the fruit through the sieve, leaving the seeds behind.
measure out 1/2 cup of the passion fruit pulp and combine it with the sugar in a small saucepan. bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. remove from the heat and let cool.

for the frozen yogurt base: 
mix about 3 tablespoons of the milk with the cornstarch in a small bowl to make a smooth slurry.
whisk the cream cheese in a medium bowl until smooth.
fill a large bowl with ice and water.

combine the remaining milk, the cream, sugar, and corn syrup in a 4-quart saucepan, bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat, and boil for 4 minutes. remove from the heat and gradually whisk in the cornstarch mixture.
bring the mixture back to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, stirring with a heatproof spatula, until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. remove from the heat.

gradually whisk the hot milk mixture into the cream cheese until smooth. add the reserved 1 1/4 cups drained yogurt and the passion fruit syrup and whisk until smooth.
pour the mixture into a 1-gallon ziploc freezer bag and submerge the sealed bag in the ice bath. let stand, adding more ice as necessary, until cold, about 30 minutes.
(*i usually skip the ice bath and let the mixture cool on its own then refrigerate it overnight.)

pour the yogurt base into the frozen canister and spin until thick and creamy.
pack the frozen yogurt into a storage container, press a sheet of parchment directly against the surface, and seal with an airtight lid. freeze in the coldest part of your freezer until firm, at least 4 hours.

:: red bean ice cream ::
(recipe from userealbutter)
makes about a quart

1/2 cup sugar
3 egg yolks
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cups red bean paste
1 1/2 cups heavy cream


beat the sugar and egg yolks together in a medium bowl until pale yellow. bring the milk to a boil in a medium saucepan and remove from heat. whisk into the egg mixture and scrape back into the saucepan. stir constantly over medium-low heat with a whisk until the custard thickens (about 5 minutes) making sure to scrape the bottom of the pan. strain the custard into a clean bowl. mix in the red bean paste and then stir in the cream. cover and refrigerate completely before churning in your ice cream machine.

:: honeyed peanut ice cream with dark chocolate freckles ::
(recipe from jeni's splendid ice creams)
makes about 1 quart

2 cups whole milk
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 1/2 ounces (3 tablespoons) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup unsalted natural peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt (less if using saltier peanut butter)
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
2/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup (i used agave syrup)
2 tablespoons honey
4 ounces chocolate (55% to 70% cocoa), chopped

mix about 2 tablespoons of the milk with the cornstarch in a small bowl to make a smooth slurry.
whisk the cream cheese, peanut butter, and salt in a medium bowl until smooth.
fill a large bowl with ice and water.

combine the remaining milk, the cream, sugar, and corn syrup in a 4-quart saucepan, bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat, and boil for 4 minutes. 
remove from the heat, and gradually whisk in the cornstarch slurry.
bring the mixture back to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, stirring with a heatproof spatula, until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. remove from the heat.

gradually whisk the hot milk mixture into the cream cheese until smooth. pour the mixture into a 1-gallon ziploc freezer bag and submerge the sealed bag in the ice bath. let stand, adding more ice as necessary, until cold, about 30 minutes.

pour the ice cream base into the frozen canister and begin to spin the ice cream.
meanwhile, melt the chocolate in a double boiler. remove from the heat and let cool until tepid but still fluid.
when the ice cream is thick and creamy and almost finished, drizzle the melted chocolate slowly through the opening in the top of the ice cream machine and allow it to solidify and break up in the ice cream for about 2 minutes. (this process was pretty neat.)
pack the ice cream into a storage container, press a sheet of parchment directly against the surface, and seal with an airtight lid. freeze in the coldest part of your freezer until firm, at least 4 hours.

share my sweets

serious eats is one of my favorite food sites. i love all the taste tests, kenji's intensely detailed food lab, city features, staff picks, etc. so i was especially excited when they added a sweets section--SWEETS! and doubly excited when they started "share your sweets", which allows readers to share their sweets for each week's theme. back when it started in 2011, i didn't have this blog yet, so i felt a little sheepish submitting photos with no personal links to the recipes (didn't stop me from sending in two):

but NOW i'm making a "debut" of sorts with my "that's bananas!" post. a little dated but still a solid entry and terrific recipe worth sharing. check it out! number eleven on the slideshow. FAMOUS! :D

mangia! an italian dinner in vermont

last weekend the brooklyn peech clan drove up to vermont for jho's birthday getaway: sixteen adults and one baby in a giant house for two nights. weekend activities included snowboarding (for most), hot tubbing, sledding, playing in the snow, playing with fire ::cough cough:: jade ::cough::, taboo, and of course chowing down. there were potato chips for days in all sorts of flavors--ketchup, jalapeño, cheesy garlic bread..to name a few--ramen bowls, jet-puffed marshmallows, some pepperidge farm cookie action, and green seedless grapes..yknow, to keep things healthy (that's a little bit of food math for you).

to take advantage of the accommodations, and because most people would be busy hitting the slopes saturday, i volunteered to cook dinner for everyone (with the help of some trusty sous chefs). since cooking for such a large group can be rather daunting, especially doing so in an unfamiliar kitchen, i planned a menu of things that could be prepped ahead of time and leave little to do day of. this naturally fell into an italian-american theme: spaghetti and meatballs, lasagna, roasted veggies. let's put the diets on hold and embrace the carbs.

[despite all the planning and prep, i completely forgot to get pictures of the final meal ::wah wah:: so you'll have to settle for random pictures throughout~]

a couple days before the trip i made the meatballs, tomato sauce, and lasagna. it was quite the undertaking; my fridge and freezer weren't quite prepared, but we made it work. i took a chance with recipes that i've never tried before, but they seemed straightforward enough that the risk seemed worth it.

i started by making the tomato sauce which was super easy with only three ingredients: canned whole san marzano tomatoes, butter, and onions. once that cooked and cooled, i jarred it up and stored it in the fridge. next up were the meatballs. these were made up of a trio of meats--pork, veal, beef--and a mixture of spices and herbs, which made them incredibly juicy and flavorful. smooshing all the ingredients together was super satisfying (as long as you suppress the raw-meat-contamination thoughts) and so was shaping them with a big ice cream scooper. uniformity! once those were all scooped and lined up on trays, i wrapped them up and popped them in freezer. i would defrost them in the fridge in vt and then for dinner pan-sear, bake, and finish them in the sauce. the most time-consuming of the dishes was the lasagna, mostly because of the various components that went into it: spinach, mushroom duxelle, and a cheesy cream sauce. the recipe came from seriouseats' kenji, who is notorious for working the crap out of and perfecting his recipes; this usually means a lot of tedious steps, but luckily this one was relatively painless. once everything was layered up, into the freezer it went with the trays of meatballs. all that was left to prep were the vegetables: chopped up broccoli, trimmed brussels sprouts, and made a champagne vinaigrette for the salad. come saturday, i only needed to focus on making sure everything cooked in time without having to spend hours during the day getting everything ready. 

for the most part, the dinner turned out great. courses and timing were a little off since everything needed to be finished in the oven, of which we only had one, but the food was good and plentiful, and everyone seemed to enjoy it. making things ahead of time totally paid off; i didn't turn into a complete stress case, and everyone was super appreciative (and full) :D

no good dinner comes without sweets, so we had birthday cupcakes with italian meringue buttercream and italian rainbow cookies. for the cupcakes, i made two kinds: funfetti with vanilla buttercream and sprinkles and yellow cake with chocolate buttercream, all decorated with pictures honoring the birthday boy, of course~ (the cupcakes ended up a little denser than i'd like, which i was disappointed by because when i tried one right after cooling it was super light and fluffy. booo. i'll have to remedy that next time...maybe i'm overworking the batter?) 

 the rainbow cookies were a total hit and fun to make: one batter--split and dyed into three colors and stacked--two jams (apricot and my homemade blackberry), and a semisweet chocolate coating. pretty and addictive, my favorite combo ;)

so, would i plan, prep, and cook another meal for 16 people? sure, why not! :D

montreal: eat to stay warm

last weekend i was in montreal in some of the coldest temperatures i've ever faced. ~hello, polar vortex~ in addition to plenty of layers and limited outside exposure, below-zero temperatures call for maximum comfort food (which apparently is meat-centric in this case). lucky for me, with sean living in montreal for the past few months he has found a number of really delicious, reliable, and affordable food places. so here's where and what we ate:

- station w: this is a fairly new cafe that opened in verdun over the summer. it has free wifi, individual and communal tables, and a simple menu of coffees and grilled cheeses (along with a few basic pastries and sides in the display case). we had two lattes and the raclette with cranberries and caramelized onions. good quality bread for the sandwiches, and the sweetness from the cranberries and onions balanced out the fattiness of the cheese and buttered bread.

- boustan: we went to this lebanese restaurant after watching a comedy show in downtown montreal. it definitely appeals to the late-night crowd; the place was packed with people at 1030pm on a thursday, and we even ran into one of the comedians we saw earlier. thanks to some inside information, we ordered the creation ("the ultimate pita"), which includes lettuce, eggplant, pickled turnips, garlic potatoes, chicken, and garlic sauce. SO good. i wanted to go back at the end of the weekend.

- omnivore: a middle eastern restaurant serving up a variety of kaftas. the sandwiches were slimmer than the ones at boustan but featured more distinct flavor combinations. we had the cauliflower soup, bombay kafta (chicken, pineapple chutney, sumac onions, red cabbage), beirut kafta (beef, hummus, sumac onions, tahini cabbage). both were good, but we preferred the beirut--beefy and simple. i guess we're more traditional when it comes to middle eastern wraps.

- patati patata: apparently two kaftas at omnivore weren't enough, so we walked a couple blocks to patati patata for some poutine and two sliders. this place is super small, but we were lucky enough to score a table in the back. i've mentioned their poutine in a previous post, and it still ranks high for me; the gravy is flavorful yet light, and the fries are the perfect texture--not too soft and just crisp enough. i could do without the olives, but they're easily picked off ;) the sliders are customizable and just the right size. i topped mine with lettuce, red onions, pickles, and mixed hot peppers. sean kept it simpler with cheese and red onions--he didn't realize that 'cornichons' were pickles, so i gave him one of mine. sharing is caring <3

- la cornetteria: the cronut craze did not bypass quebec, and we were treated to a canadian 'cronut' (or cronetto) at la cornetteria. no crazy lines, and they were still baking trays of fresh cronettos when we were there (ricotta-flavored). we ordered two lattes, a custard cronetto, and a nutella cornetti (italian croissant). the cronetto was sweet and nicely layered with a healthy amount of custard. a bit of a sugar rush for breakfast, but at least we followed it up with a stroll through marche jean talon and bought some produce ;P

- antep kabab: to balance out some of the sweetness from the morning, we had lunch at antep kabab, a turkish restaurant near concordia university. similar to boustan, this is a no-frills place serving quick and simple food. we split the grilled chicken sandwich, which was incredibly moist and maintained a nice char-grilled flavor.

- blackstrap bbq: this bbq place opened up over the summer in verdun and seems to always be packed. there are communal tables and seats at the counters, but it seems orders to go are also quite popular. we chose a couple seats at the counter, so we could watch the kitchen. there's a small selection of local beers and standard bbq menu with one quebecois addition--poutine. we ordered the brisket platter which is served with coleslaw, bread, and side of poutine (paid extra for that...). the brisket was delicious--montrealers really know their smoked meats--but the poutine was the star. crispy yet soft fries, rich gravy, and squeaky, melty cheese curds. MMM!

by the end of my visit, i had my fill of middle eastern sandwiches and excellent poutine. not to mention the sugar overload from la cronetteria and homemade chocolate chip cookies. oo, and let's not forget all the lattes and home-brewed fancy coffees! the combination of all those things for sure helped me survive the bitter cold. now if only i could figure out how to avoid the inevitable blobbiness of all that food...