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omnomnoms
black sesame cookies!!
making these was one of the biggest impulse decisions ive ever acted upon on a school night but i'm not complaining. like the name suggests, black sesame is a variety of sesame seeds with a strong, nutty flavor profile and also a slight earthiness. fun fact, regularly eating black sesame seeds help decrease high cholesterol and triglycerides which are risk factors for heart disease. i did in fact begin obsessively consuming black sesame products to help with my balding because sesame apparently nourishes your hair roots with its omega fatty acids, triggering hair growth?? anyways that's all to say that these cookies will not disappoint especially with their pockets of melty white chocolate.
ingredients
makes around 12 cookies total
1 1/2 cups flour (187.5g)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup black sesame butter (you can buy this or make it by grinding roasted black sesame seeds/using premade black sesame powder)
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 egg
1/2 cup white chocolate chipsfirst brown your butter, stirring continuously, until that iconic nutty aroma surrounds you. mix together all the dry ingredients. once your brown butter has cooled, combine it with the sugars, then mix in the rest of the wet ingredients. gradually incorporate the dry ingredients (i do 1/3 a time) until there are no flour streaks. add the white chocolate chips and then chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. bake at 350 degrees for 10-14 minutes and once done, sprinkle flaky sea salt. make sure to keep an eye on them as the grey color can deceive you from seeing them burning!!
tiramisu crepe cake!!
i love tiramisu. if tiramisu has one fan it's me, if tiramisu has no fans i have long withered away. something about the creamy mascarpone filling melting with the espresso soaked landyfingers can make a grown man shed a tear. fun fact, mascarpone โ cream cheese despite both of their creamy goodness. mascarpone has a higher fat content as it is made from full-fat cream which causes it to have a buttery, more rich, and creamy texture. cream cheese on the other hand is a mixture of milk and cream with added stabilizers like xanthan gum which give it a firmer texturer and tangier flavor.. and to add a french twist, why not crepe-ify it. this was also an excellent opportunity to rediscover my crepe maker (which has never been used) and then rediscover my panini maker in the process of finding the aforementioned crepe maker. obviously a crepe maker is not necessary and any 8-inch pan will work!
ingredients for crepes
makes around 25 crepes total
43 grams of unsalted butter
1 cup (125g) of all-purpose flour
1/8 cup (25g) of white sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk
1/4 cup water
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extractingredients for mascarpone filling
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder:1 teaspoon water (i used regular liquid coffee and used ~5 teaspoons total)
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 tablespoon rum
4 ounces mascarpone
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extractfor the crepes themselves, first fully melt your butter in the microwave in 10-second increments and let fully cool. after, add with all of the other ingredients and either blend or whisky by hand until a smooth, homogeneous (shout out ap stats) consistency is reached. cover the mixture and chill for at least 1 hour. while waiting, you can move on to make the true star of the show: the mascarpone filling :p
first whip your heavy cream on medium-high speed until medium peaks are formed. to this, add in your coffee mixture and the rest of the ingredients to mix together until smooth and homogeneous again.
once your crepe mixture has been fully hydrated in the fridge, spread a little bit of butter on your crepe and pour 3 tablespoons of the batter into the pan, spreading evenly throughout to create a thin texture. once the bottom of the crepe starts lifting up from the pan, around 1-2 minutes, flip and cook the rest of the crepe through. place on a large enough plate with a parchment paper on top so that the crepes don't stick to each other. continue the process until the batter has been all used up.
once done, for assembly generously spread 2 tablespoons of the mascarpone filling in between each crepe and dust with cocoa powder. repeat until all crepes are used and enjoy!
tomatoes.
it's not brat summer. it's tomato summer.
these plants are the most fragile of them all, demanding warm weather and soil to thrive without the slightest hint of frost. while it's usually from may to october, this year had a little bit of a scare because of the immense fluctuating weather (#climate change). still mother nature preserveres!
by this time, most people should know that tomatoes are actually fruits not vegetables. the botanical classification is just a ripened flower ovary with seeds, and tomatoes form from small yellow flowers with seeds in their ripening chambers. i still got beef with that though because their umaminess is just more suit for savory purposes, no questions asked.
furthermore, tomatoes have a plethora of health benefits, specifically heart and cancer related. this and the iconic, vivid red color are all thanks to an antioxidant and carotenoid called lycopene. as one of the most powerful natural ones out there, antioxidants whole job as stable molecules are to donate electrons to free radicals (made when food is broken down, radiation, and tobacco) throughout the body, reducing the cellular damage done.
my favorite local areas to get them are of course the Pennington Farmers Market (definitely not biased because i work there...) with Chickadee Creek Farm supplying the freshest produce every saturday. i also have been in love with Trenton Farmer's Market for as long as i can remember and Terhune Orchard's tomatoes did not stop that streak.
if you have the means, heirloom tomatoes are honestly just so much better. most common types will be beefsteak, hillbilly, and brandywine. price tag speaks for itself ๐๐
they are varieties grown without any crossbreeding and simply rehashed seeds, making their taste distinctly different from supermarket ones modified to grow quickly and look perfect. heirlooms on the other hand have bumpy outsides filled with deep cracks and colors. please do not call her ugly she is very sensitive. i don't know how else to describe it besides it being the pinnacle of a rich, complex "tomato" flavor, nothing like the usual wateriness.
uses โฒ๏ธ
unless you have a ton that are about to get wasted, heirlooms are best served RAW; i prefer san marzano, plum, and cherry tomatoes for cooking/sauces.
perfect for salads of mozzarella cheese, basil, and olive oil.
and my favorite combo: with carbs <3
originating in virginia in the early 1900s, tomato sandwiches are top tier southern cuisine. it tastes like summer, with that giant slab of tomato covered in flaky salt and pepper and creaminess. i do bend the rules a little bit and use sourdough instead of regular white bread for more texture and kewpie mayo instead of duke's for that sweet sweet msg. all in all tastes better bless the lord.
ๅนด็ณ nian gao!
it's almost chinese new year, year of the snake, and you know what that means. red envelopes. and also food comas for daysss. obviously you have your key players of fish, dumplings, noodles, and si zi tou (lion's heads meatballs), however the sweet treats have always been my fav. nian gao is traditional chinese sweet rice cake that's considered as good luck because the way it rises in the oven is like raising yourself in life. best part is, it's so simple to make. and it's so customizable, with this black sesame one we made last year being top tier.
ingredients
450 grams of glutinous rice flour
1 cup oil
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
2.5 cups whole milk (can be replaced with oat/coconut milk)
1.5 teaspoon baking powdermix all ingredients well until there's no clumps. then bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 30-37 minutes. enjoy :p
shokupan:
also known as hokkaido milk bread is the fluffiest, thickest thing ever thanks to tangzhong, a water roux
the best thing since sliced bread, you can go a savory route with egg/tuna salad or make a classic fruit sandwich