Grilled Stuff Squid (Muc Nuong Nhoi Thit Ga)

I've always wanted to try this since I saw it at a restaurant. Since it's usually with pork I couldn't taste it. Anyways you can eat as is, with rice, or with vermicelli noodles. I choice the vermicelli noodles because I like vegetables, the herbs and the fish sauce. I will post a recipe on how to make the fish sauce.


Ingredients:

1 lbs of ground dark meat chicken (white if you can't find dark or ground it yourself)
2 Big Squid (you can use small ones if you can't find the big one)
2 Shallots (finely chopped)
3 Garlic Cloves (minced)
2 Tbsp Corn Starch
2 Tsp Sugar
1 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Fish Sauce
1/2 Tsp Fresh Ground Pepper
1 Roll of Mung Bean Noodles
3/4 Cup Woodear Mushroom


Directions:

1. Clean the squid by peeling the skin off and pulling all the guts out. After, wash it with vinegar and salt. Make sure to rinse it well after.

2. In a bowl of hot water rehydrate the mung bean noodles. Once its soften, drain and squeeze out as much of the water as you can. Run a knife through it and give it a rough chop.

3. Wash the woodear mushrooms, drain and roughly chop it. If you're using the dried ones, make sure to rehydrate it first.

4. If you are grounding the meat yourself, add the shallots and garlic in the grinder with your meat. Put the ground chicken in a bowl, add cornstarch, shallots, garlic, salt, sugar, fish sauce, black pepper, noodles, mushrooms and mix well.

5. Take a small piece and fry it, this is to test if the meat is seasoned. Adjust to your liking.

6. Stuff the squid 2/3 of the squid, the squid will shrink as it cooks. Put a skewer or toothpick to seal it.

7. Add a pot of water on high heat and add your steamer tray. Once the water is boiling, Add the squid and let it steam for 10-15 min. Until the stuffing is cooked.

8. Pat it dry and brush it with oil. Put it on the
 grill on high, a couple minutes per side. Its just
to get nice char marks on it.

9. Let it rest and cut it into small pieces and serve.

Rack Of Lamb with Roasted Bone Marrow

Last month we went to California to attend graduations, visit family, camping and celebrating our son's first birthday. As much as I enjoyed seeing friends, family and not having to cook for a month, I have to admit I really missed my kitchen. Last night made herb roasted rack of lamb along with roasted bone marrow for dinner. Although I've had and made lamb several times, bone marrow was the first. I was pretty nervous and intimidated by it, but from all the recipes I saw online it seems easy. I love to try and challenge myself with new food so this fit right in. I was surprised at how easy it was and how tasty it could be from simple ingredients. It's something I will definitely make again.

Ingredients: Lamb (Serve 2-4)


1 rack of Lamb (trimmed and cleaned) *We bought ours at Costco

1 1/2 tsp of Thyme (minced)

1 1/2 tsp of Rosemary (minced)

1 tbsp of Garlic (minced)

2 tsp of Sea Salt

2 tsp Black Pepper

3 tsp Olive Oil

Directions:

1. Give the lamb a quick rinse and pat it dry. Add salt, pepper, garlic, thyme and rosemary in small bowl and mix it together. Drizzle the oil onto the lamb and rub in the herb and salt mixture. Make sure its evenly coated. Cover and let it marinate for 30 min.

2. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. On the stove heat a big oven proof skillet on medium high. When the pan is hot, add the lamb. Sear it for 3 minutes until brown and flip it over and repeat the process. Once the lamb is fully seared and have a nice golden brown crust to it, add it to the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes depending the degree of doneness you want. Stick a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the lamb to check the temperature (125 degrees for rare and 135 for medium rare). Take it out and let it rest for 10-15 minutes before serving.


Ingredients: Bone Marrow (Serve 2-4)

 2 Bone Marrow (split in half) *It can be length wise or in width wise

2 tsp of Thyme

2 tsp of Garlic (minced)

Salt and Pepper



 
Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Wash and soak the bone marrow in water for 2 hours (most recipe say 12 hours or overnight, but I don't see the point of it).

2. Pat it dry, sprinkle some sea salt and black pepper (you can add the salt after its cook if you choose to). Add the garlic and thyme leaves. Put it on a baking tray (with side) and bake for 15-20 minutes depending on your oven.

3. Slice some baguette and brush with olive oil and toast it until its golden brown. Set aside

4. Take bone marrow out and serve right away with the crostini (sliced baguette). Add more salt and pepper to your liking.

Macaron Fillings

I just posted on how to make the macaron shells and here is the fillings that I used. For the lavender I used Nutella as a filling.

Ingredients: Pistachio and White Chocolate Ganache

8 oz  white chocolate chips

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup pistachios (shelled and unsalted)

1 Tbsp butter

Directions:

1. In a sauce pan heat up the heavy cream, butter and pistachio. Let it simmer for 3-5 minutes. Pour it into a blender or food processor and puree it.

2. Pour it over chocolate and stir until combine, cover and let cool.

Ingredients: Dark Chocolate and Coffee Ganache 

8 oz bittersweet chocolate

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 tsp  instant coffee

Directions: 

1. In a saucepan heat up heavy cream and coffee together. Once it comes to a boil, pour it over the chocolate. Stir until combine, cover and let cool.

French Macarons

I had my first macaron 5 years ago on my first trip to France to visit my husband family. My husband's best friend introduced us to LaDuree in Paris and after one bite we were hooked. When I came back to the state I looked and looked for a good bakery that have them, but I couldn't find one that was up to par. The only one that was good was Bouchon bakery in Napa Valley. It was a 2 hour drive and we didn't think it was worth it. So I scowled the internet for recipes, I tried and failed so many times that I lost count. I lucked out once in a while and end up with some good macrons, but most of the time it went to the trash can. I found this recipe from youtube last week and from the video it looked like it was easy and it was a different technique than what I did before. The batter was good, but when I did the Italian meringue it just didn't come out right. I tried the recipe 3 times and all was a failure. When I was about to give up I decided one last try, but with a different Italian meringue recipe. To my surprise it came out perfectly and the flavor was so good. My husband finished a whole plate (20 macarons) in 15 minutes. At first I thought it was pure luck that the macarons came out right. This morning I made a few batch to make sure I've finally found the recipe I've been looking for. I was so happy all came out perfectly. I hope you will give the recipe a try.

Note: I forgot to take pictures of the process so I will update that the next time I make them.

Ingredients: Macaron Paste (1 batch of 20-30 macarons depending how big or small you pipe them)

2/3 cup Almond Flour (Pistachio Flour if you like it better)

1 1/4 cup Powder Sugar

1 egg white

Food coloring (1 drop or until you get the color you like and its Optional)

Note: The recipe is a base, add whatever flavor you want. I made Pistachio, Coffee and Lavender. Pistachio I used pistachio flour. I used almond flour and 1 Tbsp ground coffee or instant coffee. Lavender I used almond flour and 1 tsp of grounded lavender flour.

Directions:
 1. Sift the powder sugar and almond or pistachio flour and add the egg and food coloring (optional). Mix until its fully combine and there is no lumps. It should have a thick paste like texture. Cover and set aside

Ingredients: Italian Meringue (make 3 batch)

3/4 cup Sugar

2 Egg White

1/2 cup water




Directions: Line baking tray with silt pad or parchment paper.

1. In a sauce pan combine sugar and water over medium heat. Cook the sugar until its 220 degrees.

2. Once the sugar is at 220 degrees beat the egg white on high until its frothy.

3. Remove the sugar from the stove when its at 240-250 degrees. Turn the mixer on high and slowly drizzle the hot sugar into the egg white. Continue to beat it until the meringue reach stiff peak.

3. Take 1/3 of the meringue and mix it with the macaron paste. Lightly and gently fold it to combine. It should have a cake batter constancy.

4. Fill it in a pipping bag with a round tip (I used Wilton 2A round tip) and pipe to your desire size. Make sure to leave enough space between each one because it will spread.

5. If it looks like little Hershey kisses after you pipe it, just dip your finger into water and and lightly push it down. Let the macarons rest on the counter until its dry, about 45min to 1 hour (depending on the temp at your house).

6. Preheat oven to 300 degrees and bake for 10-12 minutes. Let it rest and cool for 30 min before removing it from the silt pad or parchment paper. Pipe half the macarons with desire filling and sandwich them together and enjoy!

Mi Quang (Vietnamese Turmeric Noodle Soup)

Mi Quang is one of the noodles I've always wanted to try. Even though I was born in Vietnam and was raised in a Vietnamese household I have never had this noodle soup due to our religion. This noodle soup and many others dishes are made with pork. Pork is very popular in Vietnamese cuisine. So in order to fulfill my taste buds I decided to give it a try. I found a recipe I like from Ravenous Couple blog. I did made some changes to the recipe to make it my own. I was very happy with the end result, my husband who had eaten this and many other pork base soup loved it. He said he didn't know the difference and that he prefer this version better. I'm not sure if he's saying that to make me happy, but he did eat 2 huge bowls and to top it off my daughter also finished her big bowl. To me that's a success!

Ingredients: Broth

2 lbs of Beef Bones - I used beef feet and leg bones (traditionally its pork neck bones or spare ribs)

4-5 Shallots (peeled and leave whole)

1/3 cup of Dried Shrimps

Salt and Sugar to taste

Directions:

1. Wash bones and put it in a pot of hot water. Add the shallots, dried shrimp and seasonings. Cook for an hour or two. Strain with cheesecloth to get rid of the impurities. Toss the bones, shrimp and shallots. Cut the tendons off the beef feet if you want to eat it (its my husband favorite part).

Ingredients: Topping

1 lbs of thinly slice Beef (traditionally pork belly)

1/2 lbs of Shrimp (peeled and devein)

1 Tbsp Garlic (minced)

1 Tbsp Shallots (chopped)

1 Tbsp Paprika

3 Tbsp Fish Sauce (nuoc mam)

3 Tbsp Annato Oil (Add annato seed in some oil, bring to a quick boil. Strain out the seeds)

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Use the annato oil to saute the garlic, paprika and shallots, once its translucent add in the beef and shrimp. Add fish sauce, salt and pepper. Once the shrimp is cooked transfer it into a bowl. Pour some broth in the saute pan to get all the juice and pour it back in the broth pot.

Ingredients: Noodles (you can buy the pre-made noodles)

1 pack of dried thick Rice Noodles (any size noodles or fresh ones if you prefer)

2 Tbsp Oil

1 Tbsp Turmeric Powder

Directions:

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil, add oil and noodles.Once the noodles almost cook add the turmeric. Make sure to stir and keep an close eye on it or the noodles will stick together.

2. Pour the noodles out and soak it in cold water to get rid of the starch and stop the cooking.

Toppings:

1 Banana Blossom - Thinly Sliced (optional

Bean Sprout

Perilla Leaves aka Tia To (optional, we don't eat it so we left it out)

Mint Leaves

Roasted Peanut (grounded)

Wedge of Lime

Thai Chili (optional)

Cilantro

Scallions (green onions)

Black Sesame Cracker aka Banh Da (microwave as instructed on the packaging)

Israeli Couscous Salad

This was the second side I made for our Magret de Canard meal. This is my first time having Israeli couscous. I love to try new things and explore the flavor and texture of it. I serve everything I cook to my children (I cook their meat until well done), I like them to enjoy it and figure out what they like or don't like. I always have a back up plan just in case they don't like it. I can already tell my son is a very picky eater and my daughter sure knows what she like and doesn't. She did love the duck and couscous salad. Its a really simple, refreshing and healthy dish. I hope you will enjoy it.

Note: On the bottom of the plate is Mango glaze. Mango puree reduced on low heat. Its Optional

Ingredients:

1 cup Israeli Couscous

1/2 cup Water

2 cups Chicken Stock

1Tbsp Olive Oil

1/4 Tsp White Ground Pepper

1/2 Tsp Salt

Juice of 1 Lime

2 Tbsp Honey

1/2 cup Cilantro (chopped)

2 cups English Cucumber (chopped with skin on)

2 cups Mango (chopped)

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

Directions: Couscous

1. In a pot add couscous, water and chicken stock. Bring to a boil then turn the heat down to medium low. Cover and lit it cook, occasionally stirring it.

2. Once the couscous is el dente, pout into a bowl and add 1 tbsp olive oil so it doesn't stick. Let it cool

Directions: Salad

1. In a mixing bowl add salt, pepper, lime juice, honey, and oil. Whisk until its combined. Add chopped mango, cumber and cilantro, couscous and toss it all together. You may add some chopped jalapenos if you want to give it a little kick.

Magret de Canard with Sauteed Mushrooms

Happy Mother's Day to all the mother's out there! Last week my husband took me out for an early mother's day and anniversary dinner. For once I let me do all the planning. He know that my all time favorite French meal is magret de canard (duck magret), but unfortunately he didn't call to double check on the menu at the restaurant he planned on taking me. When we sat down and look at the menu, he was shocked to see the one item that he purposely pick the restaurant for is not there. He felt really bad, but luckily my second favorite cut of meat was on the menu (rack of lamb). The dinner was lovely, it was quiet and we got to enjoy it without the kids. Although the food was so so for a nice French restaurant. It definitely made us miss France. I got a couple of duck magret breast (Moulard Duck) and made it for dinner. The texture was amazing. Its like eating a nice meaty and tender steak.

Note: At the bottom of the plate is a balsamic and mango glaze. Balsamic vinegar and mango puree reduce over medium low heat. Optional

Ingredients: Serves 2-4 (depending how hungry you are)

2 Moulard Duck Magret

3 Sprig of Thyme

1 Tbsp Kosher Salt

2 Pack Brown Beech Mushrooms (any you like)

1 Shallot (chopped)

2 Clove Garlic (minced)

1 Tbsp Unsalted Butter

Fresh ground white pepper

Directions: Preheat oven 400 degrees

1. Score the fat of the duck breast. Cut the fat in a crisscross pattern, it should have diamond shape pattern. This is to help render the fat.

2. Season it with salt, ground pepper, and minced thyme.

3. In a cast iron or any heavy bottom oven safe pan, place the duck skin side down and some sprig of thyme. Sear it over medium low. Sear it for 3 to 5 minutes.

4. Turn the stove up to medium and cook it for another 3 minutes.

5. Drain out all the fat and flip the duck. Place it in the oven for 5 minutes.

6. Take it out and put on a plate/or cutting board and let the meat rest for 10-15 minutes (so the juice can absorb back into the meat). Slice the meat diagonally place on plate and sprinkle some chives on top (optional).

Directions: Mushrooms ( I used beech mushrooms for the texture, look and how clean it is. I hate cleaning mushrooms. You can use whatever mushrooms you like.)

1. Melt butter in a sauce pan. Add shallot and garlic, cook until translucent.

2. Add mushrooms and a pinch of salt and black pepper. Sauteed until mushrooms is soften.