Blini

The time honoured accompaniment for caviar is the blini. Make a few with this simple recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ¾ tsp salt 
• ½ tsp baking powder 
• ¾ cup milk
• 1 tbsp granulated sugar 
• 1 large egg 
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter melted 
• butter or avocado oil, for frying

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, and baking powder. In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, sugar, egg, and melted butter. If using salted butter, reduce the amount of salt added.
2. Slowly whisk egg mixture into flour mixture until batter is combined and mostly smooth, with some small lumps remaining. Be careful not to over-mix.
3. Line plate with paper towels and set aside. Lightly grease skillet with clarified butter or avocado oil. Heat skillet over medium-low to medium heat (I usually set mine on 4 out of 10).
4. Drop 1-tablespoon-sized scoops of batter onto a heated skillet. Cook until bubbles form, approximately 1½ to 2 minutes. Flip blini over and continue cooking until lightly browned, approximately 1 minute. Transfer blini from skillet to plate lined with paper towels (to help soak up excess butter/avocado oil). Wipe out skillet and repeat process until all batter has been used.
5. Serve warm with toppings of choice.

Source: 40 Aprons

Cheese Soufflé

Preparing the mold for the soufflé
So that the soufflé may slide easily up during its rise, butter the sides and bottom of the mold heavily. Then roll grated cheese or bread crumbs around inside it, paying particular attention to the inner circumference, which must be lightly but evenly coated. Turn the mold upside down and knock it on the table to dislodge excess cheese or bread crumbs.

PLACEMENT IN THE OVEN
A soufflé will always perform as it should if it is placed on a rack in the middle level of a preheated goo-degree oven and the temperature is immediately reduced to 375 degrees.

WHEN IS IT DONE?
After 25 to 30 minutes of baking in a 375-degree oven, the soufflé will have risen 2 or 3 inches over the rim of the mold and will have browned on top. If you like the center creamy, it may be served at this point, but it is fragile and will sink rapidly. It will collapse less readily if you allow it to cook 4 to 5 minutes more, until a trussing needle or thin knife plunged into the center through the side of the puff comes out clean. A well-cooked soufflé will stay puffed for about 5 minutes in the turned-off hot oven. As it cools, it begins to sink. Therefore, there should be no lingering when a soufflé is to be eaten.

HOW TO SERVE A SOUFFLÉ
Puncture the top of the soufflé lightly with a serving spoon and fork—held vertically—and spread it apart for each serving.

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SOUFFLÉ AU FROMAGE
[Cheese Soufflé]

This recipe is intended as a detailed guide to those that follow. All main. soufflés follow this general pattern:
For 4 people

The soufflé sauce base

6-cup soufflé mold 1 tsp butter 1 tbsp grated Swiss or Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Measure out all your ingredients. Butter inside of soufflé mold and sprinkle with cheese.

3 tbsp butter

A 2½-quart saucepan

3 tbsp flour

A wooden spatula or spoon

1 cup boiling milk

A wire whip

½ tsp salt

⅛ tsp pepper

A pinch of cayenne pepper

Pinch of nutmeg

Melt the butter in the saucepan. Stir in the flour with a wooden spatula or spoon and cook over moderate heat until butter and flour foam together fora minutes without browning. Remove from heat; when mixture has stopped bubbling, pour in all the boiling milk at once. Beat vigorously with a wire whip until blended. Beat in the seasonings. Return over moderately high heat and boil, stirring with the wire whip, for 1 minute. Sauce will be very thick.

4 egg Yolks

Remove from heat. Immediately start to separate the eggs. Drop the egg whites into an egg white bowl, and the yolk into the center of the hot sauce. Beat the yolk into the sauce with the wire whip. Correct seasoning.
(*) May be prepared ahead to this point. Dot top of sauce with butter. Heat to tepid before continuing.

The egg whites and cheese
¾ cup (3 ounces) coarsely grated Swiss, or Swiss and Parmesan, cheese

Reheat sauce if it was set aside. Add cheese and mix thoroughly until fully melted and incorporated into the sauce. Sauce should be smooth.

5 egg whites
A pinch of salt

1. Combine is a clean, dry mixing bowl and whip until stiff.
2. Transfer sauce to a mixing bowl and stir a big spoonful (about one quarter of the egg whites) into the sauce. Stir in all but a tablespoon of the cheese.
3. Delicately fold in the rest of the egg whites. Be careful not to overfold (see below).

Baking
Turn the soufflé mixture into the prepared mold, which should be almost three quarters full. Tap bottom of mold lightly on the table, and smooth the surface of the soufflé with the flat of a knife. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.
Set on a rack in middle level of preheated 400-degree oven and immediately turn heat down to 375. (Do not open oven door for 20 minutes.) In 25 to 30 minutes the soufflé will have puffed about 2 inches over the rim of the mold, and the top will be nicely browned. Bake 4 to 5 minutes more to firm it up, then serve at once.

* * * * *

Folding sauce into whipped egg whites
First stir a big spoonful of egg whites into the soufflé mixture to lighten it. Then with a rubber scraper, scoop the rest of the egg whites on top. Finally, still using your rubber scraper, cut down from the top center of the mixture to the bottom of the saucepan, then draw the scraper quickly toward you against the edge of the pan, and up to the left and out, as illustrated. You are thus bringing a bit of the soufflé mixture at the bottom of the pan up over the egg whites. Continue the movement while slowly rotating the saucepan, and rapidly cutting down, toward you, and out to the left, until the egg whites have been folded into the body of the soufflé. The whole process should not take more than a minute, and do not attempt to be too thorough. It is better to leave a few unblended patches than to deflate the egg whites.

From Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol 1 by Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle and Simone Beck. pp162-4

Spice Mixtures

Here are a few recipes to make your own popular spice mixtures.

Taco Seasoning

• ¼ cup chili powder 
• 3 tbsp dried minced onion 
• 1 tbsp garlic powder 
• 2½ tsp salt 
• 2 tsp dried oregano 
• 2 tsp ground cumin 
• 1½ tsp cayenne pepper 
• 1 tsp ground coriander

Italian Seasoning

• 6 tbsp dried basil 
• 2 tbsp dried oregano 
• 1 tbsp dried marjoram 
• 1 tbsp dried thyme

Curry Seasoning

• seeds from 3 cardamom pods, ground 
• 2 tsp cumin 
• 2 tsp ground coriander 
• 1 tsp ground turmeric 
• ½ tsp chili powder 
• ½ tsp pepper 
• ⅛ tsp fennel seed

Creole Seasonings

• 2 tbsp + 1½ tsp paprika 
• 2 tbsp garlic powder 
• 1 tbsp salt 
• 1 tbsp onion powder 
• 1 tbsp dried thyme 
• 1 tbsp cayenne pepper 
• 1 tbsp pepper

Seasoned Salt

• ⅓ cup salt 
• 1½ tsp garlic powder 
• 1½ tsp celery seed 
• 1½ tsp paprika 
• ½ tsp onion powder 
• ½ tsp ground mustard

Chinese Five Spice

• 2 tbsp aniseed 
• 2 tbsp fennel seed 
• 2 tbsp ground cinnamon 
• 2 tbsp whole cloves 
• 2 tbsp whole peppercorns

Tuna Mousse

This is an easy and quick appetizer by Jacques Pépin that uses readily available ingredients.

Mousse
1 can tuna, preferably in oil
1 tbsp anchovy paste
2-3 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp paprika
A few drops of sriracha or other hot sauce (e.g., Frank's Red Hot)
1/2-2/3 cup cream cheese

Garnish
1 tbsp sliced green onion
1 tbsp red onion, finely minced
1 tbsp capers, chopped
1 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil

Emulsify the mousse ingredients in a blender to puree and then spread on a serving dish.
Finely mince the minced red onion and then rinse under cold water to reduce hotness, or sauté till softened. Sprinkle on the red onion, green onion and capers over the dish. Drizzle the olive over the dish. Serve with crackers.

Pork Dim Sum

by Jay Wadams

Pork Dim Sum (Siu Mai) are one of the most famous and delicious meals served from the Dim Sum trolley. Luckily, they are also simple to make at home and you can fill these delicious morsels with all your favourite flavours.

These pork dumplings might be often called dim sum, but they are actually just one type of dim sum dish called "siu mai/shu mai". The term "dim sum" actually refers to a whole meal of many different dishes.

Ground pork: either make your own ground pork or have it ground for you at the butcher for best results. Use pork with a decent fat content, so add a bit of pork belly or bacon if it is not fat enough. Lean pork is not suitable as it can taste a little dry.
Dumpling wrappers: You can find these in the freezer or fridge section at most Asian stores as well as grocery stores with a decent international foods section. They are sold under the name gow gee wrappers or wonton wrappers.
Soy sauce: use light soy sauce as dark soy a little overpowering.
Rice vinegar: This adds a tanginess and balance to the recipe. If you can’t get rice vinegar, substitute apple cider vinegar.
Green onions or scallions: These cook faster than standard onions, so you can put them raw into the dim sum mixture.

• ½ lb minced pork
• 2 green onions or scallions, finely sliced
• ½ red chili pepper, diced
• 1 small bunch fresh coriander/cilantro, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, finely grated
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• ½ tsp sugar
• ½ tsp sea salt
• 24 wonton or dumpling wrappers, defrosted if frozen
• parchment paper or lettuce leaves
  
• bamboo steamer

Dipping sauce:

• 3 tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• ½ red chili pepper, sliced
• a squeeze of fresh lime

Method

1. Prepare the steamer: cut a disc of parchment paper to the size of your steaming basket and poke numerous holes in the the paper with the end of a sharp knife, or lay a single layer of lettuce leaves in the steaming basket. Soak the base of the bamboo steamer in cold water.
2. In a large bowl, mix together all of the filling ingredients until well combined. Use your hands to knead until smooth.
3. Dust a baking sheet or large plate with cornstarch.
4. Next, take one dumpling wrapper, hold it in the palm of your hand and place a heaping teaspoon of the meat filling in the middle. Fold the edges of the wrapper up all around the meat, forming a pouch that’s open at the top. Gently press the wrapper against the filling so that it sticks. If you find the wonton skin is really not sticking, wet your index finger and use it to pinch the sides together. Place on the prepared tray and repeat. Cover and chill until needed.

Cooking

1. Fill the bottom of a wok or large frying pan with a couple of cups of water. The water should come around 3/4 inch up the sides of your steaming basket, but not touch the bottom of the dumplings.
2. Bring the water to a boil, then place the closed steaming basket on top.
3. Steam the dumplings for 10 minutes.
4. Serve the pork dim sum immediately with the dipping sauce.

Variations

1. Add prawn/shrimp: These dumplings are often made with a mixture of pork and prawn. Stir in as much finely diced prawns as you like and continue as per the recipe.
2. If you want to bulk out these dumplings, add some diced water chestnuts or mushrooms to make the filling mixture go a little further.

Ma B's Pizza Casserole

• 4 cups of cooked pasta – shells or corkscrew 
• 750ml spaghetti sauce 
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese grated 
• 1 cup pepperoni, sliced 
• 1 cup green pepper, sliced 
• 1 cup mushrooms, sliced (optional) 
• 2 cups mozzarella, grated

1. Combine the pasta, Parmesan cheese and half the spaghetti sauce in a 2 quart casserole dish.
2. Pour the remaining sauce over the top of the pasta mixture. Scatter the pepperoni, green pepper and mushroom on top of the pasta mixture. Top with the mozzarella. (If using bacon, cook until half cooked before adding to the casserole.)
   
3. Bake at 350ºF for about 40 minutes or until it is thoroughly heated through. 
4. Optionally, after being thoroughly cooked, place under a broiler to lightly brown the cheese.