Black Walnut Festival Time

Starting October 8th, 09 I have went to the Kids day parade on the 8th and on the 9 th, today I went to the Grand Parade and plan on going this evening to listen to the free Street Music. Nicki took pics yesterday and I will post them here when she gets time to send them to me. Shes working this evening and plans on joining me after work to listen to Exxposure play at 9 when she gets off work.

About Exxposure; Exxplosure includes lead vocalist Steve Richardson, a Spencer native.The group plays classic rock, modern rock and southern rock ranging from Lynard Skynard to Nickleback. Other members of energetic group are Kevin Roberts, (gutiar and vocals) Bruce Farnsworth (bass and vocals) and Tim Anderson (drums).

I have heard this band play before at previous Black Walnut Festival and they are great. You can find out more about Exxposure here.

That's my little piece of my world for today.

Sauces and Gravies

Sauces and Gravies

Thickening the liquids in the pan into a sauce or gravy is
often the last step in a recipe, and can be crucial to the
success of a dish.

Sauces are made either by stirring a mixture of cornstarch
that has been dissolved in an equal amount of water into the
liquid and cooking it until it thickens, or by making a sauce
or gravy in another pan and pouring it over the dish just
before it is served.

Sauces help blend the flavors of all the ingredients, impart
an added aroma, and give the dish a shiny, glistening finish.

Chinese recipes usually rely on two kinds of gravies. The
first is a mixture of cornstarch, soy sauce or salt, sugar,
vinegar, MSG, and a little water. It is usually used for
stir-fried and slippery-fried dishes and is added to the pan
at the last stage of cooking.

The other way to make gravy is to add seasonings gradually
while the dish cooks and to thicken it at the last minute with
cornstarch and water. This lets the flavors of the seasonings
permeate the food and is generally used with long, low-heat
cooking methods.

Cooking Mothods in Chinese Cuisine: Sugar and Syrup Coating

Cooking Mothods in Chinese Cuisine:
Sugar and Syrup Coating


Chinese cooking has three methods of coating foods with
sugar or syrups.

Spinning
In spinning a thread of syrup (basi), the ingredients are
deep-fried or boiled before being dipped into sugar that
has been melted in either oil or water and cooked until
it thickens and spins a thread.

Preserving in syrup (mizhi)
In preserving in syrup (mizhi), foods are partially cooked
and then boiled in a sugar and honey sauce until the syrup
thickens.

Coating with frost (guashuang)
In coating with frost (guashuang), foods are cooked by
deep-frying while sugar is melted with water or oil in another
pot to make a white syrup. When the food is mixed with
the syrup, it looks as if it is covered with a layer of frost.

Royal Concubine Chicken

Royal Concubine Chicken

This Chinese version of Coq Au Vin is made with rice wine and
Asian seasonings.

Serves 4 - 6 with other dishes


Ingredients:

* 1 3 - 4 chicken, cut up
* 2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
* 1/2 pound slab bacon, chopped into small pieces
* 2 medium sized onions, thinly sliced
* 2 slices ginger root, sliced
* 2 garlic cloves, crushed
* 2 tablespoons lard (you can substitute butter or margarine)
* 2 1/2 teaspoons salt
* 1 1/4 cups stock (the original recipe calls for superior stock,
made with chicken and pork bones)*
* 1 1/2 cups rice wine or red wine or dry sherry

Oil for deep-frying and stir-frying

Directions:

Pre-heat over to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Heat wok and add oil for deep-frying. Deep-fry the cut-up
chicken pieces. Remove from the wok and drain on paper towels.

Place the chicken in a heat proof casserole dish and
add the soy sauce, mixing it in with chopsticks.

In a frying pan, heat the lard and then add the bacon, onions,
ginger, and garlic in that order, and stir-fry. Place around
the chicken in the casserole dish.

In a small pot, bring the stock and rice wine to a boil,
adding the salt. Pour over the chicken and cook in the oven for 1
hour.

Deep-fried Yellow Croaker with Sweet-and-Sour Sauce

Deep-fried Yellow Croaker with Sweet-and-Sour Sauce


Ingredients:

- 1 whole yellow croaker about 1 1/2 lb (750 g) (or similar fish)
- 1/2 tsp. garlic, chopped
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 2 tsp. soy sauce
- 6 cups (1,500 ml) vegetable oil for deep-frying; uses about
7 oz (200ml) 10oz (300ml) clear stock
- 1/2 tsp. scallions, chopped
- 14 tbsp (200g) sugar
- 1/4 tsp. fresh ginger, chopped
- 10 tbsp (150g) cornstarch (cornflour), dissolved in 5 tbsp water

* You can find popular Chinese cooking ingredients and cookware at
ChineseFoodDIY online store at:
http://www.chinesefooddiy.com/shopping.htm

Directions:

1. Draw, scale, and wash the dish. Blot dry. Make 5 to 7
diagonal slashes about 1/4 inch deep at even intervals on
each side. Rub salt in the slashes and dust all over with
flour.

2. Heat the oil in a wok to about 350oF (180oC). Hold the fish
by the tail and carefully lower it into the oil. Slide a
wok scoop or spatula under the fish to keep it from
sticking to the wok and deep-fry until the slashes open,
about 2 minutes. Continue to turn the fish and deep-fry
it until the skin is brown on all sides. Finish by laying
the fish flat in the oil and pressing the head down with
the scoop until it browns. Remove , drain and place on a
large oval sewing dish.

3. Pour all but 7 tbsp of the oil out of the wok. Heat until
the oil surface ripples. Add the scallions ginger, garlic,
vinegar, and soy sauce. Add the stock, sugar, and cornstarch.
Cook, stirring until the sauce thickens. Pour over the fish
and serve.

Deep-Fried Stuffed Green Peppers

Deep-Fried Stuffed Green Peppers

Ingredients:

oz 9250g) green peppers
2 eggs, separated
9 oz (250g) lean boneless pork
2 tsp. flour
1/2 tsp. scallions, chopped
1/2 tsp. cornstarch (cornflour)
1/2 tsp. fresh ginger, chopped
2 cups (500ml) vegetable oil for deep-frying
1 tsp. salt, or to taste
1/2 tsp. spiced pepper-salt
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp. MSG (optional)
1/4 tsp. five-spice powder

Directions:

1. Wash, halve length-wise, and seed the green peppers.
Cut each half into two triangles and dry well. Set aside.

2. For the filling, mince the pork and mix it with the
scallions, ginger, salt, soy sauce, five-spice powder,
MSG (optional), and half the egg white.

3. Beat the rest of the egg whites with the yolks and
mix with the flour, cornstarch and enough water to make a
thick batter.

4. Fill the inside of each piece of pepper with the filling
level to edges. Add coat the filled side with flour.

5. heat the oil in a wok over medium heat to 350oF (175oC) or
until a piece of scallion green or ginger sizzles and
moves about rapidly when tossed into the oil. Dip the filled
side of each piece of pepper into the egg batter and then drop
it into the oil , filled side down. Deep-fry until the coating
is golden brown, then remove, drain well, and place in a
dish, Sprinkle with the pepper-salt and serve.

Deep-Fried Mutton

Deep-Fried Mutton

Ingredients:

1 oz (200g) cooked mutton
3 tbsp flour
2 tsp. salt water
1 tbsp cornstarch (cornflour)
2 tsp. rice wine
2 cups (500ml) vegetable oil
1 1/2 beaten eggs
Spiced pepper-salt for the dip

* You can find popular Chinese cooking ingredients and cookware at
ChineseFoodDIY online store at:
http://www.chinesefooddiy.com/shopping.htm

Directions:

1. Cut the mutton into 3/4 inch (2cm) chunks. Mix with the
salt water and rice wine and let marinate for several hours.

Remove and dry.

2. Mix the beaten egg, flour, cornflour and enough and salt
water to make a batter. Stir in 1 tbsp of the oil. Coat

mutton chunks with the batter.

3. Heat the remaining oil in a wok over high heat to very hot,
about 350oF (180oC). Add the mutton chunks and deep-fry

until brown. Remove and drain. Sprinkle with the spiced
pepper-salt.

Deep-Fried Bean Curd

Deep-Fried Bean Curd


Ingredients:

- 14 oz (400 g) fresh bean curd (tofu)
- 1/4 tsp scallions, chopped
- 1/4 fresh ginger, chopped
- 1 tbsp salt, or to taste
- 1 tsp rice wine
- 3 cups (750 ml) vegetable oil for deep-frying; uses
about 3 1/2 oz (100 ml)
- 2 tbsp (30 g) flour
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 tsp MSG (optional)

* You can find popular Chinese cooking ingredients and cookware at
ChineseFoodDIY online store at:
http://www.chinesefooddiy.com/shopping.htm

Directions:

1. Cut the bean curd into 1/4 inch (6 mm) diamonds. Spread
on a dish sprinkle with the scallions, ginger, MSG, salt,

and rice wine. Let marinate. Beat the eggs.

2. Heat the oil in a wok to about 210oF(100oC), or until
small bubbles just appear around a piece of scallion green or

ginger when tossed into the oil. Dip the bean curd into the
flour and then into the egg. Add to the oil a few pieces at a

time. Deep-fry until brown. Remove and drain well. Place in
a dish. Garnish with cooked green leaves and serve.

Nobu Green Tea Tiramisu

Nobu Green Tea Tiramisu

Ingredients:

9 oz marscarpone cheese
3 oz sugar
4 pieces yolk
8.5 oz whip cream
4 oz water
3 oz syrup
0.5 oz green tea powder
0.5 oz gran marineir

Directions:

(1) Knead the marscapone cheese until it becomes creamy.

(2) Beat sugar and yolk until it becomes fluffy.

(3) At first, add 2 tablespoons of (2) into (1) then later, the
rest of (2) also add into (1).

(4) Whip cream until foamy consistency.

(5) Combine (3) and (4).

(6) Pour (5) into the mold and put on the green tea cakes which are
already cut into 1/4 inch and cover with syrup. After that pour the
rest of the syrup into it and repeat the same.

(7) Finally, strain green tea powder with powder sugar for garnish.

Source: Chef Nobuyuki Matsuhisa

The Reason For This Blog

I have trouble getting into my other recipe blogs and if I have one here with my other three blogs I hope that I will not have the same problems accessing this.

What will be posted on this blog you may ask? A little bit of everything, recipes, cooking tips, links jokes, tips and hints, tech tips any thing I find interesting to share.