Day 9 - New Years Celebration Appetizer

Happy New Year!! Hope your 2011 will be healthy and successful. New Year's resolution? My one is always to eat healthy!


I made this for New Year's Eve kick off night. 
I normally go to a Japanese Market to purchase fresh sashimi grade fish. I purchased "toro" to make the dish below. Toro - fatty tuna is the term for the fatty part of the tuna, found in the belly portion of the fish. Toro is further broken up into two distinct subtypes, and they are more expensive due to their relative scarcity as a proportion of the entire fish. I personally like Bluefin Tuna which is called "Hon Maguro" in Japanese. 

Tuna Tartare with Wasabi Aioli

Tuna Tartare ingredients:
¹/₂ pound Toro - fatty tuna, finely diced
¹/₂ cup minced green onions
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon wasabi paste
¹/₄ cup soy sauce
¹/₂ teaspoon Asian toasted sesame oil
^{1 ripe avocado} 

Directions: 

In a bowl, carefully and gently combine all ingredients. Season generously with salt and pepper. Serve with chips.

Wasabi Aioli Sauce ingredients and directions:

•  1 cup mayonnaise
•  4 tsp soy sauce
•  1½ tsp sugar
•  2 tsp lemon juice
•  2 tsp wasabi paste

• Whisk all ingredients together. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover and chill.
  
  

Day 8 - Healthy Breakfast

I made this breakfast for my friend who is a vegan.  All of these fruits give us super energy for a busy day. Blueberry contains antioxidants which are great for eyes, the immune system, and they make our body stronger. Kiwi is a super food that has lots of fiber and Vitamin C to make our skin beautiful! 
I often make a simple syrup - In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the 1 cup of water to a simmer. Add 1 cup of sugar and stir until it completely dissolves. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside to cool to room temperature. Pour the syrup into a clean 1-pint bottle, cap it and refrigerate until ready to use.

Strawberry and Blueberry with lemon zest

Strawberry and Blueberry with lemon zest and simple syrup ingredients:

• 6 cups ripe strawberries and blueberries
• 3/4 cup simple syrup
• 1 whole lemon zest
• Fresh mint leaves for garnish
• Serves 4

Ruby Grape Fruits Comport with dried lavender 

Ruby Grape Fruits Comport with lavender ingredients:

• 3/4 cup simple syrup
• 2 Tbs. honey
• 1/2 vanilla bean
• 2 grapefruits
• 3 kiwifruits
• 2 strips of dried lavender
• Serves 4

Day 7 - New Orleans Barbecue Shrimp

Barbecue Shrimp is absolutely a southern food and one of my favorite dishes. This dish has nothing to do with a barbecue pit or barbecuing but, it is spicy, buttery and sooooo delicious & messy & fun to eat. I used the packet which is an authentic and easy way to have 100% of satisfaction. 
http://www.louisianafishfry.com/shopp...

Before baking

After baking

If you decide to order some, you can follow the packet instructions or can try my version. The packet instructions are:

In a saucepan, melt 4 sticks unsalted butter. Add 1 cup water and BBQ Shrimp Sauce Mix. Simmer 5 minutes.
Divide 5 lbs unpeeled shrimp among 2/3 baking dishes with shrimp not more than 2 layers deep. Add some slice onion, mushroom and slice of lemon if you like.
Pour sauce, proportionally, over shrimp. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes, turning shrimp several times.
Serve with French bread for dipping
For added flavor layer lemon and/or onion slices over shrimp before baking.
Enjoy!

I use half of the called for butter (I used unsalted ones), which would be 1/2 a cup. I then add 1 cup of olive oil and 1 cup of water since 4 sticks butter will be too much. I spoon the shrimp into bowls and pour broth over them. Serve with sliced French bread enjoy. 

I purchased 2.5lbs of wild prawn form Mexico at the Fish Market restaurant. The Fish Market Restaurant has always fresh and delicious fish, crab, and shrimp. Yum! You can feed at least 5 people easily with this recipe. 

Day 6 - French Onion Soup

I made French Onion Soup after we finished the rib roast. I used bone from the rib to make soup stock. It was very delicious. This tangy and super rich flavor soup is wonderful for brunch with your loved ones.

French Onion Soup ingredients for 4:

• 2 Tbs. vegetable or olive oil
• 4 large red onions, thinly sliced
• 1⁄4 tsp. sugar
• 4 leeks, including tender green portions,
   thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 8 cups beef stock
• 1⁄2 cup dry white wine
• 1 bay leaf
• 1⁄2 tsp. minced fresh thyme or 1⁄4 tsp.
   dried thyme
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 12 baguette slices, each 1⁄4 inch thick
• 3⁄4 cup shredded Gruyère or Comté cheese
• 
  
• Directions:
• In a large saucepan over medium-low heat, warm the oil. Add the onions and sauté, stirring occasionally, until wilted, about 15 minutes. Add the sugar and leeks and continue cooking, stirring frequently, until richly colored and caramelized, 30 to 45 minutes. (You may need to increase the heat to medium to add some color at the end.)
  
  Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add the stock, wine, bay leaf and thyme. Cover partially and simmer until the flavors are well blended, about 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove the bay leaf and discard.
  
  To serve, preheat the broiler. Ladle the soup into individual flameproof soup bowls. Place 2 or 3 slices of bread on top of each bowl and sprinkle with the cheese. Slide under the broiler about 6 inches from the heat element. Broil until the cheese is bubbly and lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Serve immediately. Serves 4 to 6.

Day 5 - Christmas Special - Standing Rib Roast

Merry Christmas!


I made a Standing Rib Roast since it's my husband's favorite Christmas celebration meal. This meal is also wonderful for New Year's celebration. I purchased about 6 lbs of rib roast at the butcher. Asked them to cut rib eye side with 3 bones which has more flavor and tender meat. Do not buy already cut with plastic wrap. Ask them to debone it and re-attach the bone to the meat so the meat gets more flavor while roasting. The butcher should tie them up all together for free. To make the rib roast tender, place it out at room temperature for 1 hour before you start roasting in the oven.

Directions:
Position a rack in the lower third of an oven and preheat to 450°F. Oil a flameproof heavy roasting pan just large enough to hold the roast comfortably.

Generously season all sides of the roast with salt, pepper, garlic and olive oil. Place the roast, fat side up, in the prepared pan. Roast for 20 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350°F. Continue roasting until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the roast, away from the bone, registers 125° to 130°F for very rare to medium-rare, about 1 hour and 10 minutes more (for a total roasting time of 1 1⁄2 hours).



Sauce ingredients:

• 3/4 cup beef stock
• 1/3 cup Cabernet Sauvignon wine reduction*
• 1 tsp. minced fresh thyme
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• salt and pepper
• Stir in the stock, Cabernet wine reduction, bacon, thyme and any accumulated meat juices.  Simmer until the sauce is slightly thickened, 3 to 5 minutes.

Day 4 - Meatloaf

I made a Buffalo meatloaf tonight since it is my son's favorite. Buffalo is absolutely a better quality and taste than regular beef. They are grass fed and no hormones are used. You can purchase them at any type of grocery market. My meat loaf is actually very healthy since I use many vegetables and lean meat.

Mama Eiko's Buffalo meatloaf ingredients for 6:

• 1 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tsp. extra Virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp. thinly sliced fresh sage
• 1 tsp. finely chopped fresh rosemary
• 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 3/4 cup diced yellow onion
• 1/2 cup diced carrot
• 1/2 cup diced celery
• 1/2 cup diced celery root
• 2 lb. ground buffalo
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 Tbs. kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
• 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp. Dijon mustard

Preheat oven to 350°F.

To make the meat loaf, in a small bowl, stir together the panko and milk; set aside. In a large fry pan over medium heat, warm 1 tsp. of the oil. Add onion, carrot, celery and celery root and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables just begin to soften, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the thyme, sage, rosemary and garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and let cool for 10 minutes. 

In the bowl use the hands to combine the ground meat, eggs, salt, pepper, worcestershire sauce and mustard, do not over mix. Add the panko mixture and vegetables.

Transfer the mixture to the prepared loaf pan. Bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the meatloaf registers 160°F, about 1 hour. Let the meatloaf rest for 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a cutting board and cut into slices. Serves 6. 

Meatloaf sauce ingredients:

• 2 cups red wine
• 3 Tbs. firmly packed light brown sugar
• 2 Tbs. rice vinegar
• 2 Tbs. worcestershire sauce
• 2 Tbs. tomato ketchup
• 4 Tbs. meatloaf drippings from meatloaf pan
• 
  
• To make the sauce, in a small saucepan over medium heat, combine red wine, brown sugar, vinegar, worcestershire, tomato ketchup and meatloaf drippings. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium-low to maintain a low simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has reduced and the mixture is the consistency of marmalade, 35 to 40 minutes. 

Day 3 - Spicy Stir-fry

I cook Stir-fry when I need to clean up our refrigerator. I'm cleaning out the refrigerator since my family is coming tomorrow so I can put more food in the refrigerator!
 This absolutely easy and healthy meal is my family's favorite so I call it a win-win dinner :). You might want to have a decent 'wok pan'- a bowl shaped frying pan used typically in Chinese cooking. Use technique for cooking meat and vegetable quickly, so that they retain texture and flavor. 


Stir-fry ingredients for 4:
1 lb. boneless chicken, cut into bite size pieces
1/6 c. sesame oil
1/6 c. vinegar
1/3 c. teriyaki sauce
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 c. sliced carrots
1 c. sliced onion
2 c. broccoli
2 c. cabbage
2 garlic cloves
1 tsp. grained ginger
1 tsp. chili paper flake


Heat oil and vinegar on High in a Wok or frying pan. Add chicken and cook them about 3 minutes. Put chicken aside on a plate. Add sesame oil into a pan. Add garlic and ginger first, then add vegetables to cook about 2 minuets. Add chicken and teriyaki sauce. Serving for 4.

Gross...

We went to a Thai restaurant tonight for dinner in Carmel Valley. I was very disappointed b/c I found some plastic pieces in my spring roll after I finished about half of it. I chewed one of the plastic pieces and luckily spit it out. My son ate the other spring rolls and hopefully he didn't eat plastic pieces ... they are pretty a big size and he might choke easily. THAT'S THE REASON I LIKE HOME MEALS!!!

You never know who makes the food and what they do in the kitchen... Now I want to know where I should complain about this matter?

Day 2 - Ebelskiver (Denmark pancake)

I love to make this pancake on weekends! It's call Ebelskiver - light and round filled pancakes are form Denmark. In Denmasrk, Ebleskiver are common before Christmas. My favorite filling for these cute pancakes are Nutella.

• 1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 1/2 Tbs. organic granulated sugar(Trader Joe's has good quality, reasonable organic sugar)
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 3 free cage eggs, separated
• 1 3/4 cups buttermilk
• 4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• Confectioners' sugar for dusting