Entries Posted in ‘Carrie’s Kitchen’ Category
January 20th, 2012
Giveaway Friday: Impaling Instruments Necessitate Inhibitors (Cutting Boards)
Before we get to this week’s Giveaway Friday, congratulations go out to Patricia McCormick, who, according to Random.org, won our giveaway last week for Carrie’s Masala Chai!
Now on to this week’s giveaway…
Traveling as much as we have, we have prepared food in a wide variety of kitchens around the world.
We have also done a LOT of chopping of fruits, veggies, bread, meat, etc.
We’ve also used a variety of cutting boards.
Wood cutting boards:
Good for chopping, but unless you only use them for slicing bread, wood cutting boards are prone to absorbing the juices of whatever you’re cutting. Bacteria can be attracted and grow in the spaces in the wood, and over time you can actually be adding bacteria to your food, simply by using wood as your cutting surface.
If you rinse your wood cutting board with soap and water, it can become quite difficult to get all the soap out, which can leave your next meal tasting a bit soapy.
Glass cutting boards:
Jonathan actually likes them, but the sound of chopping on a glass cutting board hurts Carrie’s sensitive ears.
Marble/stone cutting boards:
Some of these are actually laced with naturally antibacterial materials like copper or silver, but we find that even with rubber foot pegs, they tend to slide around while you’re cutting on them. They can also be heavy, expensive, and discolor over time. Then what do you do with a chunk of discolored polished marble?
Plastic cutting boards:
Depending on what type of plastic they are made from, plastic cutting boards can be re-used for a variety of purposes. They also stay in place when you chop on them, are light to carry, and can be thrown into the recycle bin when they discolor or become overused.
Of the four cutting board types we’ve mentioned, we obviously recommend plastic cutting boards (followed secondarily by stone cutting boards).
Today’s giveaway is for a cutting board from Progressive International.
Check this out! This 11-1/4-inch by 17-1/4-inch cutting board has a drip tray around the outside and really works well for cutting pretty much anything.
To be entered to win this cutting board, all you have to do is follow the instructions below.
Step 1:
Like this giveaway on Facebook, +1 it on Google, or Tweet it on Twitter.
Step 2:
Visit Progressive International’s Facebook page, and see what they have on offer. Then come back and in your comment, say what kind of food you most enjoy chopping, cutting, or eating.
Make sure to include a good email address in your comment so we can contact you when you win!
Popularity: 4% [?]
Continue reading "Giveaway Friday: Impaling Instruments Necessitate Inhibitors (Cutting Boards)" »
January 13th, 2012
Giveaway Friday: Carrie’s Curious Chai Can Cure
First up, congratulations to Sue Zamora who won last week’s Friday Giveaway “The Potter’s Hands“. Sue will be receiving the poster in a size of her choosing (up to 3 feet*2 feet).
Congratulations Sue!
And now on to this week’s Giveaway Friday: Carrie’s Chai Masala!
In India, there is always chai.
When you wake up, you have a chai.
When you buy something, you have a chai.
When you sell something, you have a chai.
When you go to work, you have a chai.
When you come home from work, you have a chai.
If you’re eating lunch, you have a chai.
If you’re happy, you have a chai.
If you’re sad, you have a chai.
If something is happening, you have a chai.
If nothing is happening, you have a chai.
If friends come over, you have a chai.
If friends cancel their visit, you have a chai.
Chai is to Indians what coffee is to Americans.
However, Jonathan likes chai better – much better – than coffee.
We learned what goes into chai before we went to India.
But in India, we learned the full steps to preparing chai.
After drinking chai every day in India, we went to cooking school.
We learned the proper steps to prepare chai, as well as where to get the best ingredients.
We like our chai to have a nice level of spice in it.
Not only does it taste great, but the spice blend Carrie uses has lots of ingredients which are known to have natural curative properties.
If you win today’s giveaway, you will be getting a nice and spiced chai mix.
A spice mix is called “masala”.
When you win today’s Giveaway Friday, you will be getting Carrie’s Chai Masala!
We will also be sending you instructions for preparation of the perfect cup of chai.
To be entered to win this spiced chai mix, all you have to do is follow the instructions below.
(Alternatively, if you want to purchase Carrie’s Chai Masala mix, which comes with Carrie’s special instructions for preparation of Chai in your own kitchen, click below to have a packet shipped directly to your door.)
Popularity: 3% [?]
Continue reading "Giveaway Friday: Carrie’s Curious Chai Can Cure" »
December 5th, 2011
The World in Food
I love food. I love trying new things. (Tell that to my 9 year old picks-onions-out-of-jarred-pasta-sauce self.)
One of the best parts about our travels the last two years has been trying the local favorites. We’ve had some amazingly good food.
As well as some that I am happy to have tried once. So that I never have to again.
Here’s a list of my most remembered food from each country we visited on this trip.
1. Costa Rica – Pinto Gallo (also known as beans and rice)
2. Panama – Fried chicken
3. Nicaragua – Atol (kind of like a thick corn and cinnamon gluey soup)
4. El Salvador – Pupusas (delicious concoctions of a filled tortilla)
5. Honduras – really bad beer. Like really bad.
6. Guatemala – Hearts of Palm, Avocado, and basil salad
7. Ecuador – Cuy (guinea pig)
8. Colombia – some kind of fried sweet that we bought from a street vendor
9. Peru – Beer (they have a dark beer that was really really good)
10. Tahiti – Vanilla beans
11. New Zealand – Kumara (sweet potato)
12. Singapore – the Vietnamese food we had there. It was awesome.
13. Indonesia – (boiled vegetables with peanut sauce)
14. Hong Kong – dim sum
15. Macau – Natas (egg custard pastries)
16. Thailand – Chiang Mai Noodles
17. Vietnam – Bahn Xeo (a rice crepe filled with vegetables)
18. Cambodia –
19. Malaysia – Mee Gorang (egg noodles with spicy sauce and vegetables)
20. Brunei –
21. India – Matari Poha (rice with onion, peas, cumin and served for breakfast)
22. Italy – Gnocchi
23. Slovenia – homemade fresh wine
24. Slovakia – Segedin Goulash
25. Czech Republic – Rajkaomajka (simmered beef in tomato and cinnamon sauce)
26. Hungary – Goulash
27. Germany – Schnitzel
28. Finland – Reindeer
29. Estonia – Dark honey beer
30. Spain – Papas Brava
Popularity: 3% [?]
October 12th, 2011
Using Leftover Eggwhites – Chewy Chocolate Meringues
I had some egg whites leftover from making hollandaise for Jonathan’s birthday, and needed a way to use them up.
I remembered that a few years ago (3 to be exact), I made ghost meringue cookies for Halloween. I remember really liking them.
Then, I also remembered that I’d recently seen a recipe for chewy meringues. And chocolate ones at that.
The stars aligned. Sort of.
The challenge is, you see, that where I am right now, there is no electric beater.
“No problem”, I thought. I’ve whipped cream and egg whites by hand before. No big deal.
I was wrong.
Whipping a meringue and whipping cream (or even just egg whites) are very different.
It ended up taking almost an hour of whisk time, some serious sweating, stripping down to nearly topless, and a desperate cry for help.
Even then, I didn’t quite get it to the stiff peak stage. –that’swhatshesaid.
But it didn’t matter.
Because these chocolate chewy meringues still tasted pretty darn delicious.
Thank you Jonathan for being man enough to whisk meringue when your wife’s hand has formed “the claw”, and she just can’t do it anymore!
PS – My hand is still shaking a little bit, which makes typing this up a bit difficult.
Chewy Chocolate Meringue Cookies
Chewy Chocolate Meringues (adapted from Home Baked Comfort, via bakerella)
I only wanted to use up the egg whites I had on hand. So the recipe below reflects that. Also, because I’m in Europe right now, and do not have access to US standard measurements, everything is in metric (but we all know it’s better that way).
100 ml egg whites – for me, this was 3
200 g sugar
12 g natural cocoa powder
50 g) bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Line baking sheet with baking paper.
• In a bowl (or saucepan – whatever you have on hand), whisk the egg whites and the sugar together. Set over, but not touching, simmering water in a saucepan.
• Whisk constantly until the sugar dissolves completely and remove from heat. (Put a small dab on your fingertips, and rub them together, to make sure you don’t feel any sugar granules.)
• Beat the eggs on high using your mixer fitted with the whisk attachment – if you are so lucky as to have one. If not, whisk by hand, and you won’t need to go to the gym later. Beat until stiff and glossy.
• Sift cocoa over the meringue. Sprinkle chopped chocolate on top.
• Gently fold together with a spatula until combined.
• Drop even amounts of batter onto prepared baking sheets about two inches apart.
• Bake for about 8-9 minutes. Rotate the pans and bake for another 8-9 minutes until the cookies are fluffy and full of cracks.
• Leaving them on the parchment paper, transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool. If you can.
Popularity: 5% [?]
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October 10th, 2011
Segedin Goulash
Way back in January, when we still lived in New Zealand, we went to our friend, Lucia’s, house for Segedin Goulash and to have a Wii dance competition.
Lucia is from Slovakia, and she made us this glorious traditional dinner. I seriously couldn’t stop eating. I liked it so much, that she even gave me the leftovers to take for lunch the next day. I think she just wanted to shut me up.
I think I pestered her all night, in between dances to Proud Mary and The Spice Girls, to give me the recipe. The next day it was waiting for me in my email.
For the first time since then, it’s been cool enough to eat this fabulous dinner again.
It’s a very warming meal – one with sauerkraut, pork, and homemade dumplings.
The ingredients are basic, the cooking is easy (but takes a few hours of waiting), and it can be made in one pot!
The result is out of this world.
I could really go for another Wii Dance Party. Anyone interested? (Requirements – you must have a Wii, as I do not. BUT, I’ll bring dinner.)
This is my contribution to the Holiday Recipe Exchange.
Come join the fun at the My Baking Addiction and GoodLife Eats Holiday Recipe Exchange sponsored by Le Creuset.
Segedin Goulash
Adapted from SlovakCooking.com and my good friend Lucia
I couldn’t find all the ingredients this is traditionally made with, so below is the recipe that I used with the ingredients I could find.
300 grams bacon, sliced into strips.
1 large can of Sauerkraut
2 small onions, chopped
2 Tablespoons of flour
Butter
300 grams of crème fraishe (or sour cream)
Salt
Black pepper
2 Tablespoons Cumin seeds (whole)
2 Tablespoons Paprika
• Sweat the onions in a small amount of olive oil, until translucent
• Add the bacon, and cook until the fat is rendered
• Add the paprika, cumin, salt and pepper. Toast until fragrant.
• Add the sauerkraut and enough water to cover.
• Cover and simmer for 80-90 minutes
• Add some butter to a pan, with the flour. Cook until the butter browns slightly
• Add butter and flour to the sauerkraut to thicken the sauce.
• Stir in the crème fraische and bring to a boil
• Boil until a thick sauce forms.
• Serve with the dumplings
Popularity: 4% [?]
October 6th, 2011
Slovak Steamed Dumplings
Before I share with you Segedin Goulash, you need to know how to make the dumplings to serve with it. These are knows as parená knedľa.
These dumplings are really easy to make, and are served with nearly every Slovakian (and Czech) dish. The first thing I had them with was Segedin Goulash – which you’ll find out how to make soon.
There are a few differences between the Slovakian dumplings and the Czech dumplings.
Some may argue that the Czech ones are real, while the Slovak ones are fake. But, I disagree.
The Czech ones have added cubes of day-old bread in them, which gives them a different texture (I think it makes them drier.)
I prefer the Slovak ones. Here’s how you make them:
Steamed Dumplings (adapted from SlovakCooking.com)
500 grams flour
.25 Liter milk
1 egg
1 packet of yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
• Warm the milk to body temperature. (If you stick your finger in the bowl of warm milk, you shouldn’t feel any temperature difference.)
• Add the sugar and the yeast
• Whisk to combine
• Set aside for 10-15 minutes to let the yeast do its thing
• Meanwhile, mix the flour with the salt in a large bowl.
• When the yeast mixture is frothy on top, add it to the flour
• Add the egg
• Knead to combine
• Set aside, covered, in a warm place until doubled in size.
• Form the loaves. (I made four, because the sauce pan I had was pretty small.) Keep in mind that as they cook, the dumplings will double in size. So, shape them to fit the pan that you’re using.
• Cover, and let rest about 15 minutes.
• Steam the dumplings by putting them into a saucepan with salted boiling water (about 2 inches in the bottom). The dumpling will float.
• Cover, and steam about 18 minutes.
• To slice, wrap a piece of dental floss around the dumpling, and pull it together.
If you have a steamer, that would work better than the method I described above. But, I didn’t have one, so I had to make due. It worked, but the bottom of the dumpling got a bit soggy.
Popularity: 4% [?]
July 6th, 2011
More on the traditional production of balsamic vinegar
True balsamic vinegar is made of one thing: cooked grape juice.
But, it takes a minimum of 12 years, and lots of love, to transform ordinary juice into delicious balsamic vinegar.
Labrussco grapes are used for the juice. Lambrusco is a grape native only to this region of Italy.
It is then poured into a battery of wooden barrels. There are 5 barrels of 5 different woods, and 5 different sizes. (The wood types include: oak, juniper, cherry, and other local woods.)
To prepare new barrels takes at least 2 days. They need to be thoroughly cleaned with soap, salt, and lots of warm water to remove all the tannins from the wood.
Then, after the grape juice has been cooked for 24 hours, it can be poured into the battery, filling each of the 5 barrels to the top.
The barrels are then left uncovered during the summer. They need hot summers and cold winters to become vinegar.
After an entire summer of resting, about ¼ of the volume of each barrel would have evaporated, concentrating the flavor.
During the cold winter, the vinegar can be moved from one barrel to the other. The smallest barrel is filled from the next smallest, and so on. This evenly distributes the flavors of each wood into the balsamic.
It takes 12 years to transform 100,000 liters of grape juice into just 10 liters of balsamic vinegar.
Not all vinegar is made from a blend of woods.
Sometimes a maker will make a reserve – a vinegar aged in only one type of wood. We were able to taste a reserve from juniper wood, and one from cherry. It was amazing to taste the difference!
Popularity: 7% [?]
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June 13th, 2011
30 for 30
Today is my 30th birthday. And I’m celebrating in India – my 30th country! In India, the food is incredible. Transcendent. Delicious. Fantastic. etc. etc. etc.
That amazes me.
I decided that since I will soon, finally, have a kitchen again, I need to celebrate turning 30 by learning to make / perfect 30 dishes every cook should know.
I originally got the idea from Elly, who stole borrowed the idea from Kelsey.
So, here’s my list. Cross your fingers that I will once again have an oven, and can get started soon. I think I’ll need all the time I can get.
1. Boeuf Bourguignon
2. Bagels
3. Fried chicken
4. Beef wellington
5. Homemade pasta
6. Pozole
7. Alfajores
8. Macarons
9. Croquembouche
10. Marshmallows
11. Gnocchi
12. V8 Cake
13. Fettuccine Alfredo
14. Checkerboard Cake
15. Chicken mole
16. Salt crusted chicken
17. Croissants
18. Tempered chocolate
19. Dim sum buns
20. Royal icing frosted sugar cookies
21. Beef Stroganoff
22. Homemade ice cream
23. Chocolate soufflé
24. English muffins
25. Challah
26. Cheese
27. Red Velvet Cake
28. English Toffee
29. Caramels
30. Beer
Bonus: Sourdough bread
Wish me luck, and please, come over for dinner!
What I find most interesting about my list is how many of the foods are meat centered. I’m about 90% vegetarian…and yet I, apparently, want to cook a fair amount of meat.
But, seriously, everyone should know how to fry a chicken. If travel has taught me anything it’s that fried chicken is the world’s favorite food.
Popularity: 3% [?]
March 13th, 2011
Thai Cooking School – Chiang Mai, Thailand
One thing you probably already know about me (and if you don’t, you just need to look at any picture to see) is that I love food.
I enjoy everything about it. And, I especially enjoy trying new kinds of food. The first time I had Thai food was in 2004. I was hooked instantly. It became one of my favorite foods.
When Jonathan and I decided to travel the world together, I knew that one thing I wanted to do was take cooking classes in different countries, both to help me learn how to make some of my favorite foods, and to discover new ones.
When we arrived in Chiang Mai, I instantly began the search for a cooking school. And I found one. A good one. Baan Thai Cooking School.
The classes we signed up for worked like this:
A discussion of rice and its importance to Thai people, and Thai cuisine.
A trip to the market, where we learned about the ingredients that form the base of all Thai cooking.
Back to the school to start cooking.
We got to choose one dish from each of 5 categories (stir fry, curry, appetizer, soup, and dessert).
Then we would make the food. We were coached along the way, and guided through every step. We were also given a cook book with all the recipes for all the dishes (even the ones we didn’t make that day).
After we cooked each dish, we’d sit down and eat it together.
We ate a lot. A lot. A lot.
On the second day, Jonathan and I chose to learn vegetable carving (since we’d already gone to the market). We learned how to turn eggplant and chilies into flowers, cucumber into leaves, and carrots into flowers or a sun.
I loved my time at cooking school. I’m also happy to say that I came away with a new favorite Thai food (Kao Soi – but Kao Soy in my case, which is Chiang Mai Noodle Curry).
Popularity: 10% [?]
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February 7th, 2011
Pavlova
If there is one thing Aussies and Kiwis argue about more than any other, it is who can claim the pavlova as their own.
Never head of pavlova? Neither had I.
Pavlova is a meringue style dessert. It’s gorgeous really.
It’s this really tall meringue that looks like a cake. It’s nice and crunch on the outside and kind of like a marshmallow on the inside. Then the whole thing is topped with fresh fruit and cream.
The first time I had one, we were in Mangonui with our friends Mark and Nessy. Nessy made a delicious pavlova.
When we went back up north for a visit, Nessy taught me how to make pavlova. She even let me use her copy of the New Zealand Baking Bible.
It’s quite an easy recipe to make. It was really fun, and really delicious.
We brought it as our contribution to the neighborhood hangi that we went to that night.
I will definitely be making one of these again (when I have such exotic things as an oven and electric mixer again)
Pavlova
ingredients:
4 egg whites
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Fresh fruit
fresh cream
directions:
Preheat the oven to 350*F
Beat the egg whites with an electric mixer for 10-15 minutes.
Then add the sugar and beat for another 5 minutes.
Mix the cornstarch, vanilla, and vinegar together. Add to the egg mixture. Beat until thick and glossy.
Spoon it out onto a parchament lined baking tray, making a circle that resembles a cake layer.
Put the pavlova in the oven, and lower the oven temperature to 200*F.
Bake 1 – 1 1/2 hours until dry and crispy on the outside.
Crack open the oven door, leaving the Pavlova inside to cool.
Once cooled, transfer to a serving plate.
Top with fresh berries and freshly whipped cream.
Popularity: 6% [?]
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