Annoyed

To my readers: I just discovered yesterday that new & old post links from my food blog are being directed to adult content websites when seen on mobile devices. The same thing will happen if you're to search my blog's name using mobile devices, you're going to be redirected to those same websites. But if you access the links from home computer, they're working fine and will link back to my food blog.

I'm currently working to solve this problem soon but don't know the definitive answer yet. I apologize to anyone who's encountered the problem, I've no idea how long has it been doing it. I'm mad & disappointed that this could happen to my blog.Thank you for being supportive during this misshapen--Eliza

Well, there it is.  It's not the end of the world but I feel helpless now because this type of technical difficulties is beyond me and I've to wait for someone to fix it for me.  I don't like waiting but I need to be patient.  I'm just hoping it can be resolved and won't happen again.

While this thing is brewing in the background, I did some baking last Sunday.  I baked gingersnaps cookies for a friend and hand pies for my family.  The house smelled so good when the gingersnaps were cooling on the racks.  I didn't have a chance to snap pictures of it so I won't share the recipe.  Perhaps the next time I'm making it again, I will write it down here.  As for the hand pies, I used some cranberry-orange relish that was a leftover when I made it for Indulge magazine.  The relish was quite thick, sweet enough, and I thought was a perfect filling for hand pies.  As for the crust, I used store-bought; which I thought wasn't too bad.  As for the shape, well, Christmas is coming soon and what perfect shape than Christmas tree and snowflake.  I got about 8 hand pies by using double pie crust.  Not bad, eh?  So here they are...until next time!

Holiday Indulge

This summer I once again had to do articles for Zupan's Indulge magazine.  The articles were for fall/winter edition of the magazine and let's just say I had a lot to tackle :)  I had to cover in-season produce and also an article about food and travel in Indonesia.  Now, this wasn't as easy as people would have thought because Indonesia has such diverse ethnicities and foods.  A  few weeks later, a breath of relief once everything's all done and submitted.

  

I just received the issue in the mail and it was awesome to see the articles printed alongside the recipes.  And my crown roast photo for Carlton Farm graces the  back cover of the magazine :)  My 2012 was a productive year for me for sure.

If you live locally, you can pick up the Indulge magazine at any Zupan's Market!

Kabocha Squash Muffins

Entering a blustery first day of November, the rain was relentless today.  But towards the late afternoon, the sun peeked for a few hours among the black clouds.  The color of changing leaves looks so pretty.  I've been observing the red, yellow, and brown of the scenery and I felt that autumn is a lovely time of the year.  It also helps that the temperature is surprisingly mild this year, I hardly need to turn up the heater at home.  And look, the moon is visible while I'm writing...

Just when I think that I will have time to savor the slowness of my life's pace, I'm asked to do assignments.  Excited?  Sure.  Every assignment is a blessing and I like to do them when I've plenty of time to research, think, and execute.

Lately, I've grown to love kabocha squash for its naturally sweet taste and smooth texture.  My mom has cooked thin slices of kabocha and dipped them in tempura batter for a few times already.  They came out crispy on the outside and tender inside, and I could eat all of them; nothing for the rest of my family.  Yes, I'm selfish that way when it comes to food that I love.

Last Saturday I finally made a batch of kabocha squash muffins.  These are incredibly delicious, especially when they're still warm because they're immediately coated with melted butter and rolled in cinnamon-nutmeg sugar coating.  Oh, these smell not unlike snickerdoodles...  And no, I'm not selfish to have the recipe for myself, I'm happy to share it here.

Kabocha Squash Muffins

Yields 12 muffins



2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/3 cup buttermilk

1/3 cup milk

1/2 cup kabocha squash puree

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature

3/4 cup dark brown sugar

2 eggs, at room temperature

Cinnamon-nutmeg coating

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted



Preheat oven to 350°; coat a muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Whisk flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and nutmeg in a medium bowl.  Blend buttermilk, milk, squash puree, and vanilla extract in a small bowl.

Cream butter and brown sugar together in a bowl with an electric mixer.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Alternately stir dry and wet mixtures into the butter, starting and ending with the dry; do not overmix.  Fill muffin cups 1/2 full and bake 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Combine sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg in a shallow dish.  When cool enough to handle, yet still warm, remove muffins from the pan, brush them completely with the melted butter, and roll in sugar mixture to coat.  Serve warm.



Source:  adapted from Cuisine at Home magazine, October 2006.

Caramelized Plum and Rosemary Polenta Pound Cake

I've always loved Italian plums ever since I ate a handful of them off of someone's homegrown tree.  They were ripe on the tree and that's when it's the best time to eat them.  I plucked one and bit into it, instantly I love how firm and sweet was the flesh.  Since then I'm always on the lookout for good Italian plum.  I found that those are sold in regular store are inferior to any homegrown plums.

Then while waiting for a plum fairy to come my way, I was given a surplus of Italian plums near the end of summer by one of my dearest friends, and to my joy, they're from homegrown tree.  What a blessing...  I said yes right away not realizing that one couldn't eat all 15 pounds of plums at one time.  I ended up freezing some of them and from a few, I made into this cake.  The cake was a wonderful juxtaposition of tender and crunchy texture of cornmeal, sweet and tart of plums.  The only thing I made different was the size of the pan, otherwise the recipe stayed the same.

Caramelized Plum and Rosemary Polenta Pound Cake

Serves 8-10



½ pound unsalted butter at room temperature, plus more for buttering loaf pan

1½ cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 cup yellow cornmeal

½ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons finely minced fresh rosemary

Zest of 1 lemon

1 cup sugar

3 eggs, at room temperature

2 tablespoons cognac (or any brandy)



Prepared plums (recipe below)



Butter a 5½x10-inch loaf pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper. Butter paper. Set pan aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Sift together flour, baking powder, cornmeal and salt.

Cream together butter, rosemary, lemon zest and sugar until very light and fluffy.

Add eggs to butter mixture, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Beat in flour mixture, alternating with cognac, just until well-combined. Spoon 2/3 of batter into pan. Evenly distribute one-quarter of prepared plums over batter. Add rest of the batter. Spread remaining fruit over the top and, using a spoon or fork, push pieces down a little.

Bake for 60 minutes or until done, testing with a toothpick after 50 minutes. Cake should be nicely brown, pulling away from the edges of the pan and not too dry. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then invert cake onto your hand or a rack and quickly re-invert it onto another rack.

Serve warm or at room temperature. (The cake is also delicious sliced and toasted.)

Prepared Plums

6 large plums, pitted and cut into 6-8 wedges each

1/3 cup sugar

Pinch of salt

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

1 teaspoon finely minced fresh rosemary

2 tablespoons cognac (or rum or any brandy)

In a medium saucepan, cook plums with sugar, salt, lemon zest and rosemary over medium heat until fruit is very soft but not falling apart, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Add cognac.



Source:  The Wall Street Journal, Food & Drink, by Gail Monaghan

Lavender Scones

I read the other day about the summer days being over; what that meant was we'd say goodbye to barbecues, picnics, beach outings, tank tops, long vacation, and lazy days.  The list is certainly long, isn't it?  But I get it  and I'm certainly sad about leaving summer as well.  Yet a few days ago when someone gave me a couple of gingersnap cookies, I was left with a wanting of the fall to be here.  I suddenly crave for the flavors of fall: ginger, cinnamon, apples, pears, and pumpkin.  And the beautiful colors of turning leaves.

This post isn't about fall flavors yet, this is about lavender scones that I made to complete a leftover lemon curd.  The scones were soft and tender, and they were required to be consumed warm, out of the oven.  There is a pot of a lavender plant just outside of my kitchen where they are still blooming right now.  Whenever I brush the flowers with a water hose, they exude this fragrant smell.  Faint but just right.  It's the same with the scones; the lavender smell is faint in them but if I get a bite of the dried speck, there's no question it is there.  The lemon curd was a leftover from a batch I made for Zupan's fall/winter edition of Indulge magazine.  It tasted eggy, soft, and zingy from the lemon, but unfortunately I wouldn't be able to post the recipe here yet.  I will update the post when the magazine comes out later.

Lavender Scones

Makes 16

3 cups all-purpose flour plus more for surface
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon dried lavender buds
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons sanding or granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups store-bought or homemade lemon curd

Arrange racks in upper and lower thirds of oven; preheat to 425°. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk 3 cups flour and next 5 ingredients in a large bowl. Add butter; rub in with your fingers until mixture resembles coarse meal.
Whisk 1 cup buttermilk, zest, and vanilla in a small bowl. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Stir until shaggy dough forms.
Transfer to a lightly floured surface; knead until dough forms, about 5 turns. Pat into a 10x6" rectangle. Halve dough lengthwise. Cut each half crosswise into 4 squares. Cut each square diagonally in half into 2 triangles. Divide between baking sheets. Brush with 2 Tbsp. buttermilk. Sprinkle with sanding sugar.
Bake until scones are golden and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 13–15 minutes. Transfer to wire racks; let cool. Serve warm or at room temperature with lemon curd.

Source: Bon Appétit, May 2012