They say you can always talk about the weather when chatting with strangers because it’s the one thing we all have in common. But you know what else is a great universal topic of conversation? Three things: bread, cheese and bacon.

It would be useful for parties in situations where you’re talking to a stranger and you’ve run out of things to say. Just pick up a piece of bread at the appetizer table and say something like, “Man, if there’s one thing I can’t live without, it’s some good bread and cheese.” I can only imagine their eyes will light up in agreement and they might even say, “And bacon!” Then you will be friends for life! Unless of course the person is vegan, allergic or obviously lame.

This Brie, Bacon & Chicken Sandwich combines the three things that most people love to eat. Grilled onions are added as the veggie ingredient but I sauté them shamelessly in bacon fat. The flavors from the meat and onions are cooked together in a cast-iron skillet which then doubles as my makeshift panini press. Once I place my assembled sandwiches on the grill, I smoosh them with the weight of the skillet on top. The brie slowly melts and melds with the other ingredients, while the bread gets hot and toasty. If I’m lucky, some of the brie will ooze out onto the grill and I’ll have some crispy cheese bits attached to the bun. It’s the best part.

And speaking of parties, this would be great party food. Just slice it into small pieces and you’ve got an instant appetizer.

Brie, Bacon & Chicken Sandwich
Serves 2

2 ounces brie cheese
2-3 ounces chicken breast or tenders
3 slices smoked bacon
1/2 onion
baguette, halved and sliced into 2 sandwich portions

1. Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Slice bacon into approximately 2-inch pieces and cook in skillet until crispy.
3. Meanwhile, slice onions and cut chicken breast/tenders into small bite-size pieces.
4. When the bacon is crispy, place them on a towel-lined plate and set aside.
5. Remove excess bacon fat in skillet. Lower heat to medium and sauté onions.
6. Add chicken pieces and cook until no longer pink and the onions have softened. Set-aside.
Now you’re ready to assemble the sandwich!
7. Heat a griddle over medium-high heat.
8. Place brie pieces, bacon, chicken and onions on bottom half of each baguette. Put the top half on and set both sandwiches on griddle.
9. With an oven mitt, take the cast-iron skillet (careful, it’s hot!) and place it on top of sandwiches.
10. Once the cheese is melting and the bottom is toasted, remove skillet and gently flip the sandwiches over to toast the other side. Again, place skillet on top.
11. The sandwich is ready when both sides are hot and toasty.

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I found this little nubbin when I pulled out the center portion of the red bell pepper for our fajita dinner tonight. You would think it was kind of adorable because it’s like a mama pepper with a baby pepper inside. But it’s strangely the exact opposite. It’s just creepy and alien-like. The boyfriend proclaimed it was the big pepper’s parasitic twin. I agree. Just don’t google image search it.

“The bacon jam is coming today, I know it! It should only take two days to arrive from Seattle. I thought I saw the mail truck in front of the building but there’s no package at the front door? Have you checked the mail? Did you see a note outside our mailbox?”

I was like an excited puppy waiting anxiously for a doggy treat the day that my jar of Bacon Jam from Skillet Street Food was supposed to be delivered. I had everything planned out days in advance. All the ingredients for the hamburger were ready for dinner and I just needed was for the star of the show to arrive. To my relief (and my boyfriend’s), it finally showed up. Phew!

My fascination with bacon jam began when I read about it at Matt Bites. He jokingly wrote that it conjured up memories of “a full on addiction to crack cocaine”. The jam is made of quality bacon that is rendered down, mixed with onions and spices then simmered for 6 hours. Immediately after I read his post, with my mouth watering from all the imagery, I ordered a jar.

As I was getting the hamburgers ready, I snuck a taste of the jam and was struck by how sweet it was. It sort of reminded of Honey Baked Ham. I slathered it on the buns and took a bite of my burger piled with mozzarella cheese and arugula. Meh. It was a little too sweet for me but I was still intrigued. What else could I do with this jam?

A few days later, I spread it on a couple pieces of toast, scrambled some eggs and made a breakfast sandwich. It turned out to be much better than the burger because the eggs seemed to  tone down the sweetness of the bacon jam. But I wasn’t satisfied. What else? Where else do I like bacon? Aha! Bacon Fried Rice!

My idea was to take a basic fried rice recipe and mix in spoonfuls of bacon jam. Now I hope I’m not committing a culinary crime here, but the soy sauce combined with the jam totally worked! You know when you get those late-night cravings for something hearty, sweet and salty? You know what I’m talking about – burgers & milkshakes, pancakes & eggs, fried chicken & waffles? Well, you can add Skillet Bacon Jam Fried Rice to your list of fourth meals. I can’t think of anything better in the AM than a bowl full of carbs with sprinkles of sweet bacon. Ridiculous and indulgent? Oh yes.

Skillet Bacon Jam Fried Rice
4 cups of yesterday’s leftover white rice
2 eggs
2 tablespoons Skillet Bacon Jam
3 tablespoons chopped carrots
3 tablespoons chopped green onions
2-1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1-1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1. Heat oil in a wok or skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Add in carrots and cook for about a minute. Then add green onions and cook until fragrant, about 10 seconds.
3. Crack eggs into pan and quickly stir it around with your spatula until scrambled.
4. Add in rice and toss it all together. Once combined, spread the rice out in the pan and let it heat up for 1-2 minutes.
5. Drop in Skillet Bacon Jam and stir.
6. Drizzle soy sauce all around the rice and mix until it is evenly distributed.
7. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Let the fried rice sit for a bit until it’s nice and hot! Serve.

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When I first discovered guacamole at a young age, I was repulsed. Avocado mixed with tomatoes? And you scoop it up with tortilla chips? Ew. It’s not supposed to be salty. Growing up in the Philippines until I was 7-years-old, I only knew avocado as a sweet ingredient. It was a special treat when my mom brought home some pricey avocados from the store because I knew she would be making her special dessert. I would watch her scoop the avocado meat into a bowl, throw in a bit of sugar and cover the whole thing in cold Carnation evaporated milk. My family would gobble it up fast and fight over who got the last bit of avocado infused milk left over in the bowl.

Recently while sitting at the doctor’s office, flipping through my third magazine, my eyes lit up when I saw a recipe for Coconut Avocado Ice Cream. Ooh! I’ve had avocado shakes before but never ice cream. Plus the addition of coconut would be an interesting spin on my favorite Filipino dessert. I immediately pulled out my camera and snapped a picture of the recipe.

Well, I didn’t end up using the recipe (it called for condensed milk and I thought it would be too sweet) but I found many other versions online and came up with my own. If you’ve never used avocados in a sweet dish before, this ice cream recipe is a great way to warm up to it. The creamy texture of avocados makes a good base for ice cream and the subtle flavor combined with coconut milk will remind you of smooth tropical drinks from your last island vacation.

And if you want, try my mom’s quick avocado dessert. She likes to get people to sample it after they say, “Avocado with milk? Ew.” With a little taste, slowly their confused scrunched brows lift up to a pleasantly surprised expression. That’s how I felt the first time I tasted guacamole.

Notes:
- This recipe, as with all the avocado ice cream recipes I’ve seen, is best served the day you make it in order to maintain the soft-serve consistency. The ice cream gets hard after a day in the freezer but the addition of vodka does help it a bit. If you do freeze it overnight or longer, I suggest moving the ice cream into the fridge for an hour or so before serving.
- I highly recommend using good quality coconut milk like Mae Ploy or Chao Koh or else the flavor will get lost in the mix.
- And don’t worry, the ice cream’s beautiful mint green color will not turn brown.

Coconut Avocado Ice Cream
1lb avocados (about 2-3)
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups whole milk
1 can (19 oz.) Mae Ploy brand coconut milk, or any unsweetened type
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1-1/2 tablespoons vodka

1. Combine all ingredients into a blender and puree until smooth.
2. Chill mixture in refrigerator for 2-4 hours.
3. Process the mixture in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions.

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Bonus Recipe!
Mom’s Quick Avocado “Soup”
Serves 1
1 avocado
1 tablespoon sugar or more to taste
1/2 cup evaporated milk, chilled

1. Scoop up avocado meat into a bowl. With a spoon, roughly chop up meat into pieces to whatever size you like.
2. Stir in sugar and evaporated milk. Add more of each to your desired sweetness.
3. If it’s not cold enough, you can add some ice cubes.
Serve or refrigerate until chilled.

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On my visit to Trader Joe’s, I couldn’t resist picking up a bag of gummies shaped like penguins. I got lured in by the cute cartoon on the packaging with the cool blue color. Maybe it was some subconscious need to get away from the summer heat.

They’re a little different from gummy bears because the penguin’s little round bellies are made up of a flavored gel that oozes out when you bite into it.

But you know something? They don’t really look like penguins. They look more like Ronald McDonald’s friend, Grimace.

Don’t you think?

Even though a dozen large eggs cost about $1.50, throwing more than four yolks down the sink makes me cringe with guilt. When I was making batches and batches of macaroons for Father’s Day, I was left with nine egg yolks. I looked at them as if they were little abandoned orphans who needed to be saved from the dark hole that leads to the InSinkErator. Luckily for these cute, yellow buttons I always have the perfect home for them- whisked into the sweet, decadent goodness of creme brulee.

Creme brulee has become the savior of leftover egg yolks. It’s an easy and convenient recipe as long as you have the patience to wait for the custard to chill. Whenever my boyfriend and I are craving something sweet we grab a couple of single-serve ramekins out of the fridge for an instant dessert fix.

The best part has to be burning the sugar with the mini torch. We both like to add more sugar than normal to create an even thicker shell on top.

You can really get creative with the recipe and add all sorts of flavors into the custard mixture. Maybe something rich like chocolate or something more floral like lavender. I often stick to the classic version since I’m usually just trying to save the poor little egg yolks. They’re better off in my appreciative tummy than the dingy sink.

Classic Creme Brulee
Adapted from Mark Bittman via New York Times

2 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar, plus more for topping

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Prepare some boiling water to be used later for baking the custard.
3. In a saucepan, heat heavy cream and vanilla extract until the edges begin to bubble.
4. Meanwhile, whisk together egg yolks and sugar in a bowl until light in color.
5. Take about a quarter of the cream mixture and pour into the bowl while stirring with a whisk. Once the eggs have tempered, pour it all back into the saucepan and keep stirring until combined.
6. Divide mixture into six small ramekins. Put them into a baking dish and place in oven.
7. Pour the hot water you prepared earlier into the baking dish until it is halfway up the ramekins.
Note: I like to do this in the oven instead of bringing a baking dish full of ramekins and hot water into the oven. Doesn’t sound safe, does it?
8. Bake for 30 minutes or until the center of the custard is wobbly like jello and the edges are firm.
9. Carefully remove each ramekin from baking dish and let cool. Cover each with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
10. When ready to eat, place about of teaspoon of sugar on top of custard and move the ramekin around to get an even layer.
11. Torch sugar until it browns. Let it sit for about a minute to cool and harden. Enjoy!

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The women take dainty sips, “How lovely! It’s so light and fruity! What is this delightful drink?” they say. I bring the bottle over, point to the label and casually say, “Oh, it’s a Belgium Lambic ale. You know, BEER.” Then I take a swig from the bottle and throw out an evil laugh. Suckers! Who’s so ladylike now, huh?

Yes, I would drink this beer for brunch. Just like these imaginary uptight ladies, I didn’t know there was such a thing as beer that is truly sweet and mild. It doesn’t even have a heaviness that you would expect so you could get away with small polite burps. The presence of the fruity peach taste is comparable to a wine cooler but in beer form. This is a great alternative to moscato or port wine to pair with desserts. I can easily drink this anytime because it’s practically juice. Delicious, buzz inducing juice.

Lindemans Lambic beer also comes in apple (pomme) and raspberry (framboise) flavor but peach is my personal favorite. I get mine at Trader Joe’s. You should get some and try my fantasy experiment. I’d love to know what happens!

I think my dad and possibly five other people in the world might say that their favorite American candy bar is Hershey’s Mounds. Remember those dark chocolate-covered coconut bars? Surprisingly, they still exist. My dad will happily eat any coconut confection you give to him, unless you pour white chocolate all over it, which would cause him to cringe in horror. For Father’s Day I wanted to make my dad a coconut-y treat and what else could I choose but the classic Coconut Macaroon.

Perhaps my dad is just getting older and his palette has changed, but he has recently developed a low threshold for anything sugary. The man who used to pack soda in his lunch bag everyday for work suddenly realized that it’s too sweet. Oh well, more for me!

I searched for recipes and skipped over ones that called for sweetened shredded coconut especially since I wanted control over the sugar content. But there was another popular ingredient in macaroon recipes that I definitely didn’t want to include. The mother of all things sugary, syrupy and thick: sweetened condensed milk. Ack!

Finally, I came upon Chocolate & Zucchini’s extremely easy recipe for macaroons that didn’t contain the two ingredients I was avoiding. Even better, it required just four ingredients, five if you want to add chocolate. Her recipe had just the right amount of sweetness for dad’s sensitive taste buds. The texture of the macaroon is crunchy and grainy on the outside but the soft, chewy center is where the coconut flavor really comes out. I couldn’t resist adding chocolate but instead of dipping the macaroons, I decided to drizzle the chocolate on top to maintain the subtle sweet flavor. The coconut is the star here after all and I didn’t want to ruin it for my dad.

The macaroons were a surprise hit with my family and friends. All these closet coconut fans suddenly emerged out of nowhere! Who knew? Maybe they’re the ones buying all the Hershey’s Mounds and Almond Joy- fooling me into thinking they don’t exist anymore.

Notes:
- What may be the only challenging part of this recipe is finding unsweetened coconut. I found mine in 200g bags at an Asian market and it was called desiccated coconut, an unnecessarily fancy name for dried.
- I used a scale this time because I wanted to be fairly accurate with Chocolate & Zucchini’s recipe. So I apologize in advance for the strange American conversions!

Chocolate Coconut Macaroons
Adapted from Chocolate & Zucchini
Makes about 24

200 grams (7 ounces) unsweetened dried coconut flakes
130 grams (1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon) sugar
Pinch of salt
3 large egg whites
1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Combine all ingredients into a bowl and mix well with a fork.
3. Scoop out rounded tablespoons and form into a dome or a ball.
4. Place each macaroon onto baking sheet, spaced evenly. (I managed to fit all the mounds in one sheet.)
5. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until golden. Do not brown them too much or they will dry out.
6. Let set on baking sheet for 2 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack.
7. Once the macaroons have cooled, place them on a cool baking sheet.
8. Microwave the chocolate in 10-15 second bursts, stirring chocolate in between until melted. (You can also use the double-boiler method if you prefer but it’s only a small amount of chocolate.)
9. Scoop melted chocolate into a sandwich bag and snip off a tiny portion of one corner of the bag. Or you can use a small pastry bag, but again, it’s such a small bit of chocolate!
10. Drizzle chocolate over the macaroons in a zig zag motion. Place the baking sheet in the refrigerator for 5-10 minutes to set the chocolate.

Serve or store at room temperature in an airtight container.

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Share/Save]]> http://www.tasteduds.com/2009/06/24/recipe-chocolate-macaroons/feed/ 6 http://www.tasteduds.com/2009/06/18/recipe-the-manly-steak-sandwich-grr/ http://www.tasteduds.com/2009/06/18/recipe-the-manly-steak-sandwich-grr/#comments Fri, 19 Jun 2009 05:00:24 +0000 Sheila http://www.tasteduds.com/?p=710

Why is it a manly sandwich you ask? Only because I stumbled upon the recipe in Esquire magazine’s website flanked between a picture of some half-naked woman and Scarlett Johansson giving me a come hither look. Maybe it’s another one of those subliminal messages telling you that this sandwich will attract the ladies. You could say it worked because that sandwich sure got me! Oh, that was bad.

I had one piece of rib-eye steak in the freezer and I was in one of those moods where the idea of eating it plain just felt… too meaty. But for some reason a steak sandwich sounded less heavy and more like a well-rounded meal. A quick Google search led me to Lee Hefter’s steak sandwich and as the executive chef at Cut steakhouse, I figured the man must know how to do it right. It’s also one of his favorite sandwiches so of course I had to try it out for myself.

I know it's hip to be medium rare but I like mine medium.

Surprisingly, Chef Hefter’s recipe isn’t overly gourmet or complicated at all especially when one of the ingredients is good old A1 steak sauce. It sounded strange at first but it created a pretty impressive glaze when I poured it over the sautéed mushrooms and onions. Who knew A1 had so much potential?

There are a lot of components involved that I even omitted a couple of ingredients from the original recipe but once that sandwich is assembled, I promise it will be worth it! There are so many great flavors and textures going on in there. You get a nice crunch from the toasted bread combined with the gooey cheese and a kick from the garlic spread. The steak is juicy and flavorful and blends well with the bitterness from the arugula and with lots of tart from the vinaigrette and A1 sauce. It’s delicious and messy to eat! Kind of like those Carl’s Jr. commercials with scantily clad celebrity girls eating burgers all weird.

I suddenly feel like part of the boys now that I’ve made a sandwich from Esquire magazine under the category “Recipes for Men”. I will have to pair it with one of my favorite beers while I relax on the couch so I can feel all macho. Now where is that remote woman! I have to get my ESPN on.

Manly Steak Sandwich
Adapted from Lee Hefter’s Steak Sandwich via Esquire
Serves 2

6-8 oz. rib-eye steak
1/4 cup onions, sliced into half moons
1/2 cup sliced white mushrooms
1 Tbsp steak sauce (like A1)
French roll, cut into 2 sandwich portions and split horizontally
Garlic mayonnaise (see below)
2 slices Vermont white cheddar (about 2 oz)
Arugula, dressed with balsamic vinaigrette
Unsalted butter

1. Cook steak using your preferred method. Since I don’t have an outdoor grill, I use Alton Brown’s recipe and it works great! (Open the windows. There will be a lot of smoke.)
2. For the garlic mayonnaise: peel 1 garlic clove and mince. Combine with 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise. Set aside.
3. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter on a skillet over medium heat until slightly brown.
4. Saute onions until softened, about 2 minutes.
5. Add mushrooms until cooked through, about 2 minutes.
6. Pour in 1 tablespoon of steak sauce into skillet – I use A1 sauce. Let it simmer to a glaze and coats the onions and mushrooms nicely. Season with salt and pepper.
7. As you are sauteing the vegetables, butter both sides of bread and lightly toast in an oven or grill pan.
8. Once the steak has finished resting and the vegetables are cooked, spread garlic mayonnaise and then the cheese on bottom sides of toasted bread.
9. Place bottom sides of bread on foil-covered pan and broil in the oven until cheese is melted.
10. Meanwhile, slice steak thinly and toss arugula with a touch of balsamic vinaigrette.
11. Assembly: Place steak slices on top of melted cheese. Top with glazed onions and mushrooms and dressed arugula.

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Hitachino White Ale is one of my favorite special beers that my boyfriend discovered when we had dinner at Campanile. When the bottle came to our table my first reaction was ooh, I like the label’s design. Then I took a sip and was as impressed by the taste since it fit my girlish beer requirements. Mild, fruity, not too bitter and yet gives a good buzz.

Since that night, we began our pursuit to find Hitachino White Ale to drink at home and eventually found out that it’s not that easy to find. What we did discover after several trips to different stores was that the Hitachino brand also carries other types of ales. We would be so excited to see the little red owl that we just grabbed whatever kind it was. Oh, how naive we were.As a result of our White Ale search, we have also tried Nest Beer Amber Ale and Red Rice Ale and although in our minds we thought they would be just as good, they are vastly different and cannot compare to our favorite. Secondly, I am complete sucker for packaging. The Red Rice Ale in a red label instead of blue? Aww. I’m sold. Taste? Boo. I took the first sip and gave the rest to the kitchen sink. Anything that can be compared to the taste of cough medicine is always a thumbs down. Ooh, harsh but I’m obviously not an expert so you might like it. As for the Amber Ale, it’s a “meh”. It’s a decent beer with a darker flavor but for what it’s worth, I will have to go with the White Ale.

You can find Hitachino ales at BevMo! (if you’re lucky), Whole Foods (I’ve only seen Nest Beer Amber Ale), and your local specialty wine & liquor stores (your best bet).

P.S. Can you tell we’ve been collecting the bottle caps? They’re too cute to throw away.