La  Fondita  Fish  Tacos

Ingredients

• 3 eggs, well beaten
• 2 teaspoons dry mustard
• 1 tablespoon red chili powder
• Kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dredging
• Vegetable oil, for frying
• 1 1/2 pounds codfish, cut into serving pieces
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 8 white corn tortillas
• Mayonnaise, recipe follows
• Shredded cabbage

Directions

Put the eggs, mustard, chili powder, 1 tablespoon salt and sugar in a medium bowl and mix until smooth. Add the flour and continue mixing until it is a little thinner than pancake batter.

In a deep-fryer or heavy-bottomed pot, heat enough vegetable oil to come halfway up the sides of the pot, to 375 degrees F. Dredge the fish pieces in flour and then into the batter and fry until golden brown. Remove from the oil to a paper towel lined plate and sprinkle with salt.


Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan and warm the tortillas. Spread each tortilla with a tablespoon of  mayonnaise and arrange a piece of fried fish on top. Add some shredded cabbage to each tortilla and serve.

Mayonnaise:

• 1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• 2 1/2 tablespoons  chili puree
• Pinch kosher salt

Mix the mayonnaise, lime juice, cilantro, chili puree together in a medium bowl, add the salt and mix again. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Candied Pecans

 Ingredients:

¼ cup (50 mL) maple syrup

¼ cup (50 mL) corn syrup

3 tbsp (45 mL) sugar

1½ tsp (7 mL) salt

½ tsp (2 mL) ground allspice

½ tsp (2 mL) chili powder

½ tsp (2 mL) ground ginger

3 cups (750 mL) whole pecans

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C).

2. Line baking sheet with parchment paper, or use aluminum foil and spray well with cooking spray.

3. In a large bowl stir together the maple syrup, corn syrup, sugar, salt, allspice, chili powder and ginger. Add pecans and stir to coat well. Pour coated nuts onto baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 5 minutes.

4. Remove from oven and toss nuts gently with a fork, spread evenly over baking sheet and return to oven. Continue to cook for 10 minutes.

5. When cool enough to touch break up any pieces that have stuck together. Once cooled keep in an airtight container until ready to eat.

... ultimate  sophistication ...

Simplicity is sometimes elusive, but almost always present.  

Sometimes we just need to know where to look for it, or how to look for it.

Finnish  Pulla

Ingredients

• 2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 9 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 tablespoons white sugar 
• almonds (optional)

Directions

1. Warm the milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles, then remove from heat. Let cool until lukewarm.
2. Dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Stir in the lukewarm milk, sugar, salt, cardamom, 4 eggs, and enough flour to make a batter (approximately 2 cups). Beat until the dough is smooth and elastic. Add about 3 cups of the flour and beat well; the dough should be smooth and glossy in appearance. Add the melted butter or margarine, and stir well. Beat again until the dough looks glossy. Stir in the remaining flour until the dough is stiff.
3. Turn out of bowl onto a floured surface, cover with an inverted mixing bowl, and let rest for 15 minutes. Knead the dough until smooth and satiny. Place in a lightly greased mixing bowl, and turn the dough to grease the top. Cover with a clean dishtowel. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. Punch down, and let rise again until almost doubled.
4. Turn out again on to a floured surface, and divide into 3 parts. Divide each third into 3 again. Roll each piece into a 12 to 16 inch strip. Braid 3 strips into a loaf. You should get 3 large braided loaves. Lift the braids onto greased baking sheets. Let rise for 20 minutes.
5. Brush each loaf with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar or thinly chopped almonds..
6. Bake at 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) for 25 to 30 minutes. Check occasionally because the bottom burns easily. 

Deepest  Darkest  Chocolate  Cheesecake

  Ingredients

Crust:

• Cooking spray, for greasing
• 1 (9-ounce) package chocolate wafer cookies
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon fine salt
• 1 stick butter, melted

Filling:

• 12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/3 cup unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder
• 4 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature

Directions

1/2 tablespoon orange zest or 1/2 tablespoon prepared coffee or 2 teaspoons espresso powder, optional

• 4 eggs

Glaze:

• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 1 tablespoon prepared coffee

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9-inch-diameter springform pan with cooking spray.

For the crust: In a food processor, grind the cookies until finely ground. Blend in the sugar and salt. Add the melted butter and process until well blended; it should be the consistency of wet sand. Press the crumbs evenly onto the bottom (not the sides) of the prepared pan. (Or just place the cookie crumb-sugar mixture in the pan, pour the melted butter in and combine.) Press the mixture into the bottom of the pan and bake just until set, about 7 minutes. Allow it to cool while preparing the filling.

For the filling: Place the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and heat until melted, 2 to 3 minutes, stirring every minute until the chocolate is completely melted. In a medium bowl, whisk the sugar and cocoa powder together, smoothing out any lumps of cocoa powder. In a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes, and then add the sugar-cocoa powder mixture. Add the orange zest, prepared coffee or espresso powder at this time, if using. Beat until fully incorporated, scraping down the sides and bottom with a rubber scraper when necessary. Blend in the eggs, 1 at a time. Mix in the lukewarm chocolate and stir until combined.

Pour the filling over the cooled crust, tap the pan on the table top to remove any air pockets, and then smooth the top to even out. Bake until the center is just set  and looks just dry, about 1 hour 10 minutes, rotating halfway. Cool 5 minutes. Run a knife around sides of the cake to loosen, but do not remove from the springform pan. Chill the cake in the refrigerator overnight.

For the glaze: Stir the heavy cream, chopped chocolate, honey and prepared coffee in a heavy, medium saucepan over low heat until smooth. Cool slightly. Pour over the center of the cheesecake, spreading to within 1/2-inch of the cheesecake's edge and filling any cracks. Chill until topping is set, about 1 hour.

Transfer the cheesecake to a platter and release from the springform pan. Serve cold, or allow to come to room temperature, about 2 hours.

p/s....make it minty by adding a few starlight mints or leftover candy cane to the food processor when crushing the cookies for the crust. Alternately, turn it into a turtle cheesecake by adding a handful of toasted pecans and a few soft caramel candies to the food processor when crushing the cookies

Hawaiian  Rice  Salad

Ingredients

1 cup long grain rice

2 cups vegetable stock

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

3/4 cup pineapple chunks

1/2 cup mangoes, chunks

1/4 cup walnuts/cashew nuts, coarsely crushed

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup cucumbers, chopped

1/2 stalk celery, chopped

For the dressing

4 tablespoons lemon juice

3 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons pineapple juice

1 clove garlic

salt, crushed

pepper, crushed

shrimps / chicken grilled and chopped (optional)

Directions

Wash rice thoroughly.

In a pan, bring stock and turmeric powder to a boil.

Add rice.

Simmer until rice is cooked.

Drain, rinse and spread rice on a tray to cool.

Whisk dressing ingredients together in a bowl.

Taste and adjust seasoning.

In a bowl, mix rice with pineapple, mango, walnuts, raisins, cucumber and celery.

Gently fold in the dressing.

Serve.

Choices...

The  most  terrible  poverty  is  loneliness  and  the  feeling  of   unloved.
...perhaps  people  are  lonely  because  they  build  walls  instead  of  bridges...