Pecan Oatmeal Waffles

It is the night before the Thanksgiving day, and I am sure everyone can't wait until tomorrow.  Tomorrow is the day to eat turkey, gravy, stuffing, Brussels sprouts, cranberry sauce, and pies, lots of pies.  I don't cook turkey for Thanksgiving feast since my husband refuse to eat the bird in no matter what shape it is prepared.  We don't miss it that much and I, invariably, cook non-traditional Thanksgiving dinner.  Some year it will be Chinese food, other year, Indonesian food.  This year, I'm cooking milk fish soup; it's called pindang bandeng.  The soup is simple yet delicious, eaten with steamed rice, padi crackers, and chili paste; it's a feast for us.

But, this post actually is not about the soup; rather it is about what you might want to make for breakfast the morning after Thanksgiving.  Originally the recipe didn't call for pecan, but pecan sounded wonderful in waffles, did it?  It added crunch and delightful aroma to otherwise already crisp and spice infused waffles.  The blackberry curd that accompanied the waffles was an added touch that I thought was perfect.  I had a surplus of blackberries from last summer and I made about 2 cups of curds that I stored in the freezer.   I think any different curd will work out as well.  I used my raspberry curd that was posted in my old food blog, click here for the recipe.  Instead of raspberry, I use blackberry with that recipe.

The way to serve these waffles is easy.  After the waffles are cooked, slather some blackberry curd in the middle.  Place them in a plate and drizzle maple syrup on top.  I'm sure this is a breakfast for the champion!  Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Pecan Oatmeal Waffles

Makes 8 servings

3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups rolled oats

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

7 large eggs

4 cups buttermilk

1/3 cup butter, melted

1/3 cup toasted pecans, coarsely chopped

Combine the first seven ingredients in a large bowl.  Make a well in the middle of the mixture.

Combine eggs with the buttermilk and mix well; pour this into the dry mixture.  Stir until it's almost combined, pour in the melted butter and then mix just until the butter is worked in.  Refrigerate the mixture for 12 hours.

Preheat the waffle iron.  Stir in chopped pecans to the batter.  Pour about 3/4 cup of batter into the waffle iron and cook until they are golden, crisp, and cooked through.  Serve with blackberry curd and maple syrup.

Source: adapted from Breakfast & Brunches by The Culinary Institute of America

Hot Caramel Apple Cider

Winter weather coming your way?  Do not be afraid.  Arm yourself with apple cider, caramel, and whipped cream; you are ready to battle the nasty weather.

This drink is one of the simplest hot drinks to make this season.  What you want from the apple cider is to get one that is fresh, just pressed, and from a mix variety of apples.  The next time you drive through an orchard, do not leave without a gallon of fresh apple cider.  Keep one in the fridge for a at home luxurious indulgence.  Besides making hot apple cider, the cider can be used for making donuts, candy caramels, and everything else tasty.  But that is another story...

Hot Caramel Apple Cider

Serve 4-6

24 ounces fresh apple cider

1 cinnamon stick

4 tablespoons caramel syrup

1 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon sugar

Caramel sauce for drizzling

Heat apple cider in medium saucepan until quite hot but not boiling.  Add the caramel syrup.  Whip heavy cream with the sugar until stiff peak.  Ladle the cider into some mugs, top with sweetened whipped cream, drizzle some caramel sauce.  Enjoy!

Ang Chow Chicken Soup with Preserved Mustard Greens

Do you have a hand-me down recipe that you frequently make now?  Several years ago I asked my mom if she would write down her recipes for me.  I wanted her to write down recipes that she is used to cook while I was growing up, and recipes that she also continues to make at present time.  She obliged, and in about 6 months presented me with a notebook containing her hand-written recipes.  I have also written down her recipes once I started cooking, so her notebook supplements what I have.

One of the recipes in her notebook is this Ang Chow Chicken.  Ang chow is red rice wine from Foochow (or Fuzhou), the capital city of Fujian province in China.  To make ang chow, ang kak, or red yeast rice, is used along with jui piah, or wine cake, glutinous rice, and water.  Glutinous rice is cooked first, which then will be put together in a container with the rest of the ingredients.  Jui piah, or wine cake, is rubbed loose to get the content blended with rice and ang kak.  The process of fermentation will take about 30 days.

I did not know how one would make ang chow before until I searched the Internet and came upon this wonderful article regarding the making of ang chow.  It is fascinating!  I hardly see or know where ang chow is sold here in the Oregon, and whenever I get to go back to Indonesia, I make sure I bring a bottle of ang chow with me.  I cherish that bottle and would only use a little bit at a time even though I love the taste of ang chow in a cooked dish.  I don't know how my family came to cook this particular dish; I'm not sure if one of my ancestors came from Fujian province either.  I'd better asked my father the next time I talk to him.

There are two version of cooking with ang chow in soup in my family, one is with chicken and preserved mustard greens/pickled mustard greens, the other one is with beef and daikon radish.  Ang chow is believed to have health benefits in cooking, for lowering cholesterol, and for mothers who just have given births.  I may not care too much about the health benefits because this dish is certainly a comfort food for me, especially during the cold season.

Ang Chow Chicken Soup with Preserved Mustard Greens

2-3 lbs bone-in chicken thighs (or breasts)

1 10.5 oz preserved mustard greens/pickled mustard greens

3 garlic cloves, sliced

3-4 thick slices of ginger

1-2 tablespoons ang chow

Salt and white pepper to taste

Rinse chicken, chop into smaller size.  Parboil the chicken for a few minutes and drain.  Drain the mustard, and immerse it in a bowl of cool water for 10 minutes.  Drain again, and chop leaves to about 1-inch long.

In a large pot, heat 1 tablespoon of cooking oil, saute garlic and ginger slices for 30 seconds.  Add the ang chow and stir for another 30 seconds.  Add chicken parts, mustard leaves, and water (about 5-6 cups).  Let it boil, then simmer the soup for 15-20 minutes or until the chicken is tender and cooked through.  Taste with salt and pepper.

Pumpkin Chiffon Cake

I fell in love the first time I saw it.  Maybe you are sick of pumpkin by now, but it is only the second week of November, and Thanksgiving is only two weeks away.  I am just trying to make it relevant :)  So, I made pumpkin chiffon cake.  I did not realize that I actually like light and airy cake like chiffon better than any other cake.  The light texture was fooling me by thinking that since it is weighed next to nothing I could eat a few slices at one time.

The flavor of the pumpkin was subtle, the way I like it and it did not need any more adornment other than a sprinkling of confectioners' sugar.  It was quite the best of chiffon cake I have ever tasted.  The cake in the pictures looked deflated in the middle because I had to take the pictures the day after, but do not be discouraged, the taste was still terrific.

Head over to this site, where you will find the recipe.

Books to love and to have

Chronicle Books has a contest for you and me, and it is called Happy Haul-idays.  It is a contest for everyone who loves books and find happiness in reading books :)

Even though this blog isn't particularly about books, but I love baking and cooking books and I have several Chronicle books in my library already.  Each one of Chronicles books is gorgeous in both the design and photo aesthetic. By entering this contest I have a chance to win $500 worth of books of my choice; and for you readers, if you like my book list and leave comments on my post, you'll be automatically be entered in the contest and have a chance to win my list.  There's one catch, you have to be a US resident to enter this giveaway.  This contest ends on 11:59 pm EST, December 14, 2010.

So why not make the list and enter it?  Here is mine:
Flour: Spectacular Recipes from Boston's Flour Bakery + Cafe

Farmers' Market Desserts: Gorgeous Fruit Recipes from First Prize Peach Pie to Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes

Whoopie Pies: Dozens of Mix 'em, Match 'em, Eat 'em Up Recipes!

Chocolate Cakes: 50 Great Cakes for Every Occasion

Baking for All Occasions: A Treasury of Recipes for Every Celebration

Tartine

The Chocolate Deck: 50 Luscious Indulgences

Ice Cream Treats: Easy Ways to Transform Your Favorite Ice Cream into Spectacular Desserts

Cake Stencils: Recipes and How-To Decorating Ideas for Cakes and Cupcakes

Bon Appétit Celebrations Deck: 50 Recipes for Special Parties and Happy Holidays All Year Long

Fast, Fresh & Green: More Than 90 Delicious Recipes for Veggie Lovers

Rice Pasta Couscous: The Heart of the Mediterranean Kitchen

Sunday Soup: A Year's Worth of Mouthwatering, Easy-to-Make Recipes

The Big Book of Soups and Stews: 262 Recipes for Serious Comfort Food

Saveur The New Comfort Food: Home Cooking From Around the World

Where Flavor Was Born: Recipes and Culinary Travels Along the Indian Ocean Spice Route

Martin Yan's China

Quick & Easy Korean Cooking: More than 70 Everyday Recipes

Lobel's Meat Bible: All You Need to Know about Meat and Poultry from America's Master Butchers

Puff: 50 Flaky, Crunchy, Delicious Appetizers, Entrees, and Desserts Made with Puff Pastry

This last one book is not about baking or cooking, but it's something that, if I win, I will give to my husband as a gift for Christmas.  He loves Beatles, and for all his patience for being my food taster, he deserves a great book like this.

The Beatles Anthology

My total comes to $499.30, not bad, huh? :)  Now, I'm crossing my fingers and hope for the best!