Green Tea & Adzuki Bean French Macaroons

By Michelle Huynh, Une-deux senses

Yields: 2 dozen macaroons

For the macaroons:
1 cup powdered sugar plus 4 teaspoons
1/2 cup almond powder or meal plus 2 teaspoons
2 teaspoons matcha powder
2 large egg whites, room temperature
5 tablespoons granulated sugar
green food coloring

For the adzuki bean filling:
1/2 cup sugar
2 large egg whites
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup prepared and sweetened Adzuki beans, or more if desired

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Have a pastry bag with a plain tip (about 1/2 inch) ready. In a blender or food processor, grind together the powdered sugar, almond powder/ meal and matcha to make sure there are no lumps. Add the green food coloring to your desired shade of green into the granulated sugar and mix until combined. In the bowl of a standing electric mixer, beat the egg whites until they begin to rise and hold their shape. While whipping, beat in the dyed sugar until very stiff and firm, about 2 minutes. Carefully fold in the dry ingredients, in two batches, into the beaten egg whites with a flexible rubber spatula. When the mixture is smooth and there are no streaks of egg whites, stop folding and scrape the batter into the pastry bag. Pipe the batter on the prepared baking sheet in 1 inch circles (about 1 tbsn. each), evenly spaced 1 inch apart. Tap the baking sheet a few times on the counter to flatten the macarons and let air ‘dry’ for 1 hour. Bake for 10 – 12 minutes. Let cool completely before removing them.

To make the filling, put the sugar and egg white in a large heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and whisk constantly, keeping the mixture over the heat, until it feels hot to the touch, about 3 minutes. The sugar should be dissolved, and the mixture will look like marshmallow cream. Pour the mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat on medium speed until it cools and forms a thick, shiny meringue, about 5 minutes. Switch to the paddle attachment, and add the butter, one tablespoon at a time, beating until smooth. Beat on high speed until it is thick and very smooth, about 6 – 10 minutes. To assemble the macaroons, pair the shells off into similar sizes. Take one shell and pipe about 1 tbsn. of the adzuki filling onto it. Top with the other shell and enjoy!

Korean Burritos

Courtesy of Joanne Choi, WeekofMenus

Serves 4 (but easily expandable…make your own burrito bar.)

1 lb Korean marinated flank steak, cooked and rested.

Mixed Greens
1 head of romaine lettuce (or any other lettuce) shredded
3 scallions cut thinly
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
2 cucumbers chopped
The vegetables can be left separately (if you anticipate picky eaters who don’t like certain greens like cilantro or cucumber) or you can just toss it all together.

Spicy Sauce
2 tablespoons sambal oelek
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon sesame seed
Mix all ingredients in a bowl to combine.  Set aside until needed.

Kimchee Fried Rice
1 cup kimchee finely chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 cups cooked white rice

Heat a fry pan over medium heat.  Add vegetable oil, kimchee, ginger and garlic, and cook until kimchee is softened and translucent.  Time will vary on this based on the ripeness of the kimchee, but anywhere between 4-8 minutes.  Add sesame oil and cooked white rice and continue mixing until the kimchee is evenly distributed through the rice and the rice is colored pink.  Set aside. (cover to keep warm if necessary.)

For Assembly
Tortillas (burrito sized)
Kimchee Fried Rice
Cooked Flank, sliced across the grain
Shredded cheddar cheese
Mixed Greens
Spicy sauce

On a plain tortilla lay a small mound of kimchee fried rice, about 1/2 a cup. Lay on top of it a layer of sliced flank steak.  Sprinkle cheese on top.  Top with mixed greens.  Finish with spicy sauce.

Good luck wrapping! (I found it useful to rely on a piece of tin foil to help.  If you do a party of burritos, have cut up tin foil ready to go to facilitate wrapping the burrito.)

Ginger Molasses Cookie

By Joanne Chang, Pastry Chef/Owner of Flour Bakery in Boston, MA

Makes 16 cookies

One of my bakers said to me recently, “You don’t like spices do you?” as we were talking about our favorite gingerbread and spice cake recipes.  I hastened to correct her because I absolutely love spices in baking – who can resist the charms of spicy ground ginger, warm and sweet cinnamon, sharp bright mace, festive nutmeg?  What I don’t like is when baked goods are strongly smothered in spices to the point of non-recognition – is this an apple pie I’m eating …or a cinnamon pie that happens to be laced with apples?  Is this a warm moist spicy piece of buttery gingerbread…or an overpowering hunk of ground ginger in cake form?  Subtlety is key.  Let the spices play modestly in the background doing what they do best, making your baked goods irresistible and not overwhelming.

In this recipe there is just enough ginger, cinnamon, and clove to bring out the best in this chewy rich molasses-y cookie.  It’s full of flavor and it’s definitely a spice cookie, but you’ll notice immediately that you can taste the butter and the sugar and the warm spices together without any one jockeying in position over the other.  It’s one of the easiest cookies to put together too.  It’s bound to be a favorite.

12 tablespoons (6 ounces; 168 grams) unsalted butter
1 cup (220 grams) tightly packed light brown sugar
¼ cup (85 grams) molasses
1 egg
2 cups (288 grams) all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon clove
1/2 teaspoon salt
small bowl of sugar for tossing cookies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and position rack in center of the oven.

Melt butter in a small saucepan and let cool for at least 30 minutes or until warm, not hot, to the touch.  Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, combine butter, brown sugar, molasses and egg and mix for about 20 seconds until well mixed.  Stir together the flour, soda, ginger, cinnamon, clove and salt and fold this into the butter/sugar mixture by hand until well mixed.

Scoop out ¼ cup balls of dough and place them one by one in a bowl of sugar and gently toss to coat on all sides.  Place the cookies on a cookie sheet about 2 inches apart and bake for 16-18 minutes until the cookies are crackly on top and just barely firm to the touch.  Remove from oven and let cool on sheet for 20-30 minutes; slide cookies off of sheet with a metal spatula and continue to cool on a rack.  Cookies may be stored for up to 2 days in an airtight container; the dough may be stored for up to a week in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

Salmon Zuke Donburi (Marinated Salmon)

By Yukari Sakamoto, Author of Food Sake Tokyo

My husband is a Japanese fishmonger and we try and eat as much seafood as we can. Our preference is for sashimi or raw fish when we can. A lot of supermarkets in America are now selling sushi quality or sashimi quality seafood. You may have to ask your fishmonger as the product may not be in the seafood display case. A final word of advice, frozen seafood should not be shunned. The Japanese have been eating frozen seafood for a long time. Freezing technology is so advanced that the quality is excellent. When we purchase seafood the first day we will eat it as is. If we have leftovers we marinate it in mirin, sake, and soy sauce to eat the next day. This is called “zuke”.

Donburi, or rice bowls are  quick and easy meals. Other seafood that you can substitute into these recipes include crab, shrimp, squid, and any other sashimi quality seafood your fishmonger has. This recipe is made with thin slices of salmon. Another way to cut raw seafood is called “butsugiri” or rough chopping. The nori adds a nice minerality to the donburi.

Serves 2

2-3 cups of hot rice
12-14 slices of sashimi quality salmon
½ cup ikura (salmon roe)
2 sheets nori, shredded
2 Tablespoons mirin
2 Tablespoons sake
3 Tablespoons soy sauce
wasabi

In a non-reactive bowl combine mirin, sake, and soy sauce. Add salmon and marinate overnight.

Put a generous amount of hot rice in a large bowl. Layer with shredded nori. Top with slices of marinated salmon and ikura (salmon roe). Serve with wasabi.

Achara (Pickled Green Papaya)

by Ivory Hut

Filipino cuisine is a colorful blend of Malay, Chinese, Spanish, and even Indian influences. Most meals are served with a wide selection of condiments and dipping sauces, often laid out in little bowls or dishes, so each person can fully customize the meal to his or her heart’s content. One of my favorite condiments is achara, or Philippine-style pickles. Different regions of the country have their own versions of achara, using different vegetables and slightly different pickling liquids. I prefer this kind of achara—a crunchy, sweet and tangy version using green papaya. It’s the perfect condiment for grilled meat, especially Filipino barbecue.

The recipe is straightforward and simple. The most labor-intensive part of the recipe involves preparing and drying the green papaya. The flesh is usually scraped or shred into long strands, almost like spaghetti noodles. In the Philippines, we use a hand held tool that looks like a larger version of a citrus zester. I imagine a mandoline would also make quick work of it, but you can also use the shredder attachment of your food processor. Just be sure not to shred it into small pieces like slaw; you want strands or strings of vegetables.

Serves 12

1 medium green papaya, about 3 pounds, peeled, seeds removed, and julienned, sliced, or shredded into thin long strands
1 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup sugar, or more (up to 1/4 cup more) to taste if you want a sweeter achara
2 heaping tablespoons kosher salt
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1 medium carrot, peeled and julienned, sliced, or shredded into thin long strands
1/2 small red bell pepper, julienned
1/4 cup pineapple chunks, halved
1 piece ginger, about 1/2″ long, julienned (optional)
1 to 2 cloves garlic, sliced thinly (optional)
1 tablespoon raisins (optional)

Put the green papaya in a colander and squeeze until the papaya releases its juices. Spread the papaya on a baking sheet and let dry in the sun, about 1 hour.

Meanwhile, combine vinegar, sugar, and salt in a small sauce pan and simmer until sugar is completely dissolved. Add pineapple juice and mix.

In a large bowl, combine dry papaya shreds, vinegar mixture, and the remaining ingredients. Mix well. Transfer to clean jars and store in the refrigerator. Let sit at least one day before using.

Salmon and Ikura Donburi

By Yukari Sakamoto, Author of Food Sake Tokyo

Serves 2

My husband is a Japanese fishmonger and we try and eat as much seafood as we can. Our preference is for sashimi or raw fish when we can. A lot of supermarkets in America are now selling sushi quality or sashimi quality seafood. You may have to ask your fishmonger as the product may not be in the seafood display case. A final word of advice, frozen seafood should not be shunned. The Japanese have been eating frozen seafood for a long time. Freezing technology is so advanced that the quality is excellent. When we purchase seafood the first day we will eat it as is. If we have leftovers we marinate it in mirin, sake, and soy sauce to eat the next day. This is called “zuke”.

Donburi, or rice bowls are  quick and easy meals. Other seafood that you can substitute into these recipes include crab, shrimp, squid, and any other sashimi quality seafood your fishmonger has. This recipe is made with thin slices of salmon. Another way to cut raw seafood is called “butsugiri” or rough chopping. The nori adds a nice minerality to the donburi.

2-3 cups of hot rice
12-14 slices of sashimi quality salmon
½ cup of ikura (salmon roe)
2 sheets nori, shredded
shio kombu (salted kelp) – optional
soy sauce
wasabi

Put a generous amount of hot rice in a large bowl. Layer with shredded nori. Top with slices of salmon and ikura (salmon roe). Garnish with shio kombu (salted kelp). Serve with soy sauce and wasabi.