i had an overage of peanut butter and decided to test out rose bakery’s peanut butter and chocolate chip cookie recipe.   the recipe turns out a delightfully well-balanced cookie.  it’s like the perfect version of the classic chocolate chip cookie, but injected with a dose of peanut butter.  i actually liked the flavour of peanut butter in this recipe more than some standalone peanut butter cookies that are sometimes too overpowering.   the texture is crisp on the outside with a chewy middle.

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Cookies
(adapted from Rose Bakery cookbook; i got about 40 3-inch diameter cookies, rather than the 25 indicated by the recipe)

1. Beat butter and peanut butter together in the bowl of your standmixer with paddle attachment, until light and creamy.
2. Add brown sugar and continue to beat until well integrated (about 2 minutes).
3. Add in eggs, one at a time.  Beating 30 seconds after each addition.
4. Whisk flour, baking soda and salt together in a medium sized bowl.  With standmixer on lowest speed, mix the flour mixture together with the eggs, sugar and butters.
5. Then, pour the chocolate chips into the batter until just combined.
6. Transfer the cookie dough onto a sheet(s) of parchment paper (depending on the size of your parchment paper, it may be easier to do so in 2-3 batches).
7. Then,  form the dough into a log that is 2″ in diameter, and cover with the parchment paper.  It might be easier to wrap the parchment around the dough and roll it on a surface to assist in easing the log into a cylindrical shape.
8. Place the dough logs in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
9. When hardened, remove from fridge and slice 1/4″ thick.
10. Heat oven to 350ºF.  Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper. Place the slices about 1″ apart, as they do spread.
11. Bake for roughly 15 minutes or until the edges just start to brown.
12. Remove and cool on a rack.

harry really really really likes yogurt.  whenever we finish a pot, we give him the container to lick and play with.

we usually have to take it away from him when he starts chewing on the plastic…for fear that he’ll end up swallowing plastic. he’s not too pleased when that happens.

at some point mid-december, hubs and i got hooked on granola.  we ordered every time we came across it on the brunch menu, eschewing our usual pancakes, eggs or french toast.

and then i decided that we should eat granola for breakfast at home as well . . . and have been fiddling with recipes since.  over the weekend, i baked a batch of honey granola included in rose bakery’s cookbook.  i turned out pretty swell, and i like how she includes a touch of wheatgerm in the mix.

hubs and i pair our granola with the greek gods honey-flavoured greek yogurt — one of the tastiest yogurts i’ve come across of late; the honey flavour isn’t overpowering and sometimes when i’m craving a strong sweet, i’ll squirt a bit of honey or stevia on top of it all.

the recipe makes enough to fill a ziploc gallon bag, which is how i usually store the stuff. it lasts us about 1-2 weeks, with harry snacking on some in between as well. for the picture,  i poured some of it into a shallow bowl because . . .well. . . it looks more appetizing in a bowl than plastic bag.

although i’m not a granola baking expert i have learned two things when baking granola over the years that i’ll share with you:

1. never bake the dried fruits, i.e. raisins, dried cranberries, dried apricots, dried cherries.  the baking process further dehydrates the already dried fruits, making them um well inedible post baking.   rather, the dried fruits should be mixed into the granola, after it has been removed from the oven.
2. when using larger pieces of nuts, like hazelnuts or whole pecans, i’d advise crushing them with a mallet first and before baking.  the aromas are better released that way and the smaller pieces form a more harmonious melange with the rest of the mix.

Honey Granola
(adapted from Breakfast Lunch Tea: Rose Bakery)

1. Pre-heat oven to 275ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
2. In the bowl of your standmixer fitted with the paddle attachment, pour in oats, nuts and wheatgerm.  Stir on lowest speed until integrated.
3. Next, pour oil, honey, water, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and salt into a saucepan.  Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
4. With the mixer on slowest speed again, carefully pour in the hot liquid mixture.
5. Add a bit more oats if too wet — there shouldn’t be any excess liquid on the bottom of the bowl and the resulting granola at this stage will be sticky.
6. Spread it out on the baking tray.
7. Bake for 60-90 minutes, making sure to stir the granola every 20 minutes or so. The granola is ready when it’s a rich golden brown.  Remove from oven and let cool.
8. When cool, transfer to a gallon size plastic bag.  Pour in dried fruits and shake the bag until evenly distributed.

my recent trip to london was a bit of an ode to yotam ottolenghi!  we visited his casual eatery in belgravia and also ate has his newly opened restaurant nopi in the soho area (it’s about a half block from hamley’s, the toy store). we went to nopi for lunch. the restaurant also serves breakfast and dinner.

the decor of the restaurant itself is right up my alley — clean, light and airy with the tiniest ode to opulence.  it’s white,  lemon yellow with a bit of faded gold thrown in. kind reminds one of being on vacation in the mediterranean.

the top bit of the menu recommends that for lunch, one orders 3 savoury dishes per person. each dish is indeed quite small, and depending on what one orders, sometimes 5 dishes might be required to tame hunger.   i’m not sure if the menu is legible at all, but the savoury items are then organized into 3 categories: vegetables, fish and meat. prices range from £6.5-9 for the veggies; £9.5-12.5 for fish; and £8.5-12 for meat.   sweets, my favorite part of the menu, comprised of 7 offerings, ranging in price from £3.5-8. when you add it all up, it’s not exactly a cheap eat . . . but when in london, i usually brace myself for sticker shock.

chef ottolenghi’s flavours are bold and broadly multicultural. he prominently features mediterranean ingredients like manouri, feta and bulghur wheat alongside flavours from the far east, there’s fish wrapped inside of banana leaf with pineapple sambal or tea smoked quail.  he’s also got an ode to traditional english fare in the form of a mincemeat strudel.

roasted cauliflower, ricotta, golden raisins and capers

as per the menu’s instructions, hubs and i ordered 3 items each from the menu. i quite enjoyed all the dishes — although some were lightly dusted with cumin or liquorice, 2 flavours that hubs detests!  (if you have a sensitivity to these spices as well, you may be best served by letting your waiter know about it, as the ingredients aren’t always fully disclosed on the menu.)

winter coleslaw, caramelised macadamia, mango

chargrilled broccolini, skordalia, chili oil

salmon and bulgar wheat tartar, preserved lemon salsa

crispy baby squid, almond tartar, lime relish

hibiscus and tea smoked quail, cumquat and clementine relish

chocolate rum financier, chestnut cream

not to take away from the elegance and bold flavours of savoury dishes; however, these financiers remain my favorite plate from the meal (obviously, i’m biased towards sweets!).  they are served warm, with a ooey gooey chocolatey center. mmmm! hubs observed me enjoying these so much, that he let me eat his portion as well

Nopi
21-22 Warwick St
London W1B 5NE
United Kingdom
(44) 020 7494 9584
Tube: Piccadilly Circus

harry had kind of a rough new year’s eve . . . i found him hiding underneath our bed early on new year’s morning . . . he wants to wish you a happy and healthy 2012! really, he does!

finally getting around to posting pictures from our meal at mugaritz in san sebastian, spain.  the trip is now a blur, so i’m mostly relying on the photos to explain the meal.  i recall it being a playful meal — as evidenced by the odd place cards we were given upon being sitting. (they say “150 minutes to submit — to feel embarassed, flustered, fed up, of suffering/ 150 minutes to revel — to feel, imagine, discover, contemplate).  some things worked, and some things were just too strange for my prosaic palate.  the service, a bit spotty  — pleasant but at times not quite as seamlessly choreographed as at 3* michelin places.  but really, one goes to mugaritz for their abundant creativity and quirky point of view.

the restaurant itself is located about a 20-30 minute drive from the tourist center of san sebastian.  our cab driver seemed to know the way perfectly, even making a sharp turn into a seemingly unmarked street that hubs and i would have undoubtedly missed. having a driver who knows his way is definitely the way to go!

toasted legume beer. we started our meal in the courtyard outdoors.  first-up, something that looked like olives and beer, but was actually a stewed bean with chicken consomme (if i recall correctly).

grilled pueraria focaccia. this bizarre looking thing is a piece of flat bread spread with a super intense tomato paste.  quite tasty!

a mouthful of flowers, dried fruits and salt grains. a salad of edible flowers and greens enclosed in edible plastic.

crunchy sauce with citron and peppers. if i remember correctly, this chip like looking thing actually tasted like a cheese-based sauce made into chip form.

taste, smelling and playing with the aromas of our garden.  yeah…call me old-fashioned but i didn’t quite get this.  we were giving several strips of paper in little vials containing essences from their garden.  we were supposed to smell the strips of paper and sometimes taste them.  interesting…but not quite my cup of tea.

grilled eggplant with aged cheese grind and honey dressing. an eggplant that was *gasp* actually eggplant. the honey pairing made it interesting . . .

at this point, we started to get attacked by bugs…and well…rather than waiting for them to fetch us, we decided to move ourselves into the main dining room.

tuna gelatin with broken potatoes and marmitako broth.

fig, cooked in clay and the scent of tonka beans.

perhaps a risotto . . . actually seeds from sort of vegetable…i want to say squash, but i can’t quite recall.

artichoke and sweet bread ragout, creamy kuzu bread.  one of the more interesting dishes of the evening.  they insist on serving it as soon as the bread, made out of japanese kuzu flour, is out of the oven.  the other dishes on the menu are push backed to make for this dish.  the bread itself tastes a bit like a chinese steamed bread, but the taste is a bit creamier and nuanced.  pairs well with the artichoke and sweet bread ragout.

cured cheese, in it’s own rind, mushrooms and coastal herbs . . . our waiter asked us if the dish was cheese?  we said it wasn’t and he said that indeed, it wasn’t so much cheese as cooked milk…not sure if there’s much of a difference…but that’s them being playful again.

shhhh. . . cat got your tongue!  we were again asked what we thought the dish consisted of. after eating it, we said it tasted like beef (similar to beef jerky). our waiter then asked us what part of the cow . . . i said the tail, but turned out it was tongue . . . i suppose i should have guessed from the title.

silky bread stew, infused with pink geranium leaves covered with crabmeat. . . one taste of this dish, and we decided that it had our friend G’s name all over it!

portion of hake and milky reduction of stewed turnip sprouts, citric cream and salt grains.

bonito belly, grilled on its own skin. baby green peppers and almond paste.

piece of beef, grilled steak emulsion and salt crystals. . . yes it really is a piece of beef

cool vanilla brioche and toasted cream.

 sweet grain biscuits with anis and flowers

nails and flowers.

Mugaritz
Aldura Aldea 20.
Errenteria 20100.
Gipuzkoa
tel: 943 522 455

prix-fixe: 155 euros per person

the sofa is harry’s favorite place to nap.  that said, harry isn’t allowed onto the sofa.  he knows this and yet when i’m not mindful, he sneaks on board.  i think he’s figured out that the way to get attention, is to sit on the sofa. either that, or he sees it as a gigantic toy.

well the other day, harry did a very very very very BAD thing.  he started jumping up and down on the sofa, and then got so excited that he peed on it. yes . . . he peed on it.  (and this happened about 15 minutes after he got back from an hour long walk, where he peed 2x already). he’s in trouble…big trouble…he’s really done himself in this time. he’s in the dog house.  he’s not getting any treats for a week.

i don’t think we’ll ever let him on the sofa ever again. (i’ve got cleaners coming this friday, who will hopefully be able to remove the stain. fingers crossed!!!)

oh harry!!!!!!

this recipe from Clinton Street Bakery, makes a gigantic whopper of a coffee cake.  it’s huuuuuge! and quite delicious, with a layer of crumble on top and sandwiched in between.

Buttermilk Streusel Coffee Cake
(makes 1 nine-inch round cake that is 4-5″ high; adapted from Clinton Street Baking Company Cookbook)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.  Line the bottom of a 9″ cake pan with parchment paper, then butter the sides.
2. Mix all streusel ingredients in a medium sized bowl with a spoon.  Set aside.
3. For the cake, beat butter onto light and fluffy.  Then add in sugar and cream together.
4. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing about 1 minute after each egg.
5. Pour in buttermilk, coffee and vanilla extract.
6. Then, turn mixer down to lowest speed, and add in flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda.  Mix until just combined.
7. The batter will be very thick.  Pour half the batter into the pan.  Smooth the batter out using the back of a spatula.
8. Sprinkle 2/3 of the Streusel Topping on top of the batter.  Then, pour the rest of the cake batter in.  Finally, sprinkle the remaining 1/3 of the Streusel on top.
9. Bake for about 1 to 1.5 hours, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
10. Cool for 30 minutes in the pan, and then place a plate on top and unmold to cool on a rack. The plate helps to catch the streusel crumb.  The original recipe calls for the streusel to be on the bottom of the cake…but we kinda liked it on top, and so flipped it around again after unmolding!

hubs, Y and i were quite pleased with ourselves! at 8:30 am, we were the first people in line waiting for tim ho wan’s latest location in the IFC to open up.  that particular shop has opening hours of 9 am – 9 pm.  we didn’t see a 2nd table show up until 8:50 am, and by the time we finished eating at around 10 am, there was a waiting list of about 2-3 tables deep.  all of this is a vast improvement from the original mongkok location that purportedly has a wait time of 2-3 hours.

tim ho wan, started by former Lung King Heen chef Pui Gor, is a no-frills dim sum specialty house.  it isn’t one of those fancy dim sum parlours, where the dumplings are made to resemble bunnies, swans, carp, etc.  it also isn’t the sort of place with finely pressed linens, and a 100+ type of teas tea menu. what it is, is tasty, flavorful and cheap.  they do their classic dim sum, i.e. chicken feet, roast pork buns, etc., well, and in fact, many times we gasped that “this was the best XYZ, we ever ate.”

between the 3 of us, we ordered just about one of every thing on the menu, and the bill came to $35.  we were stuffed, stuffed, stuffed — and had about 3-4 dishes unfinished.

so here we go…here’s the photo log of what we gorged on at tim ho wan:

tim ho wan’s signature crispy sweet crust roast pork bun. . .

. . . and here’s another view of the roast pork bun

pork ribs steamed over rice

roast pork enrobed in steamed rice noodles

steamed shrimp dumplings

turnip cake

chicken feet

another signature dish…super tender meatballs made of beef . . .

steamed spare ribs. . . .

braised tofu skin wrapped roll

spring rolls!

 

and one of my personal favorites . . . tim ho wan’s signature osmanthus and goji berry jelly for dessert!

Tim Ho Wan @ IFC
Shop 12A, Hong Kong Station (Podium Level 1, IFC Mall) , Central
中環香港站12A鋪(IFC地庫一層)
9am-9pm; reservations not taken
Tel: 2332 3078