Tofu Katsu

A few years ago I made Tonkatsu without ever having tasted it. A neighbor friend, who happened to conveniently stop by mostly at dinner time, was over the night I made it. He had traveled to Japan and told me it tasted just like the authentic dish he had when he was there. This, of course, made me feel great! Since then, I’ve been wanting to create a tofu version and have added some delicious fresh vegetables.

Time: 30 minutes                     Serves: 4

Ingredients

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• Tofu

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• 1 15 oz. block extra firm tofu (I use organic sprouted tofu from Trader Joe’s)
• salt and black pepper
• about 1 cup Panko breadcrumbs (I use a Ian’s gluten free from Whole Foods)
• 1/2 cup brown rice flour
• 1/2 cup corn starch
• 1 egg plus 2 tbsp water
• rice bran oil for frying

 

• Katsu Sauce

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• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire
• 2 tbsp sake
• 1/4 tsp ground allspice
• 1/4 tsp mustard powder

How to make it

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• Tofu

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• Drain tofu from liquid. Wrap in paper towel and then a dish towel. Place on a cutting board or flat dish. Place something on top that is light enough that it won’t break the tender tofu, just enough to press out some of the moisture.
• Meanwhile, combine flour and cornstarch in a bowl. In a separate bowl, combine beaten egg with water. Place panko crumbs into a third bowl.
• Heat oil in a small-medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Test if oil is heated by throwing some panko crumbs in. If it sizzles, it’s ready.
• Take pressed tofu and cut in half and then into four slices, then cut on diagonal to make triangles or down the middle for rectangular pieces.
• Season tofu with salt and pepper on both sides. Dredge in flour mixture, then into the egg mixture, and then into the panko.
• Add the breaded tofu into the hot oil. Do not overcrowd the pan, as overcrowding will drop down the temperature. Cook about 2-3 pieces at a time until golden brown, about 4-6 minutes. Place on paper towel lined plate. Season with salt while hot.

 

• Rice and Vegetables

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• Soak and rinse sticky rice and cook according to package instructions or in your rice cooker.
• Slice radishes (any variety would work), cube seedless cucumbers. Shred napa/savoy/or regular green cabbage. Prepare cherry tomatoes and Asian microgreens (Mizuna, broccoli sprouts, etc). Cut fried tofu into slices.
• To serve, place a scoop of sticky rice on plate. Place a bed of cabbage beside the rice. Arrange tofu over it. Drizzle sauce over top. Add fresh vegetables and enjoy! This dish also goes nicely with pickled vegetables, recipe coming soon.

Ginger Snaps

I spent part of my summer hanging out with my dad in his cute little house in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. We have bonded a lot through food over the years and without fail, my dear ol’ always requests that we bake when I’m there. “We” mostly means me, but I’m more than happy to oblige. This time, he requested ginger snaps – one of his favorites and also something I had never made before. I’m always up for a challenge in the kitchen! My poppa’s palate was pleased by these wholesome morsels and they are just perfect for the autumn and upcoming winter season with all of their aromatic spices.

Time: 30 minutes                   Yield: 18 cookies

Ingredients

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• 1/2 cup butter or Earth Balance, softened
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 cups flour (I used brown rice flour)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1  tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/8 tsp ground cardamom
• 1-2 tbsp fresh grated ginger (these are strong in ginger flavor, if you want less use 2 tsp)
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar

How to make it

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• Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with a silpat or parchment paper.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine brown sugar and butter. Mix until creamy and well incorporated. Add molasses and egg and mix well.
• In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and cardamom . Slowly add dry ingredients into wet, mixing well to incorporate. Next, fold in ginger and mix well.
• Place granulated sugar in a small shallow dish. Form dough into about 1″ balls. Roll dough in granulated sugar. Place on prepared baking sheet, allowing room between each as these spread as they bake.
• Bake for 16 minutes in middle rack. Remove from oven, lift silpat or parchment paper and gently move to cool off of the hot baking sheet.

Greetings from LA

It’s been a long time. I shouldn’t have left you without a (new) dope recipe to cook to. I’m a nerd, I know! In case you didn’t catch the reference, it’s from a hip hop song by Rakim.

I am currently working in LA as a private chef, and cooking up plenty of new recipes. Have no fear, you shall see them here!

Thank you for reading and following my posts. It means a lot! I hope you enjoy my recipes and try some out on your own.

Deep Dish Lemon Soufflé Cheesecake with Blueberry Topping

One of my dearest friend’s, Ashley, and I made this on my birthday last month. It’s a riff on another friend’s recipe. I am in love with the flavor combo of lemon and blueberry so to me this is pure perfection!

Time: 30 minutes + 90 bake + cool                      Serves: 8-10

Ingredients

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• Crust

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• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 30 Canelitas cookies (Mexican cinnamon cookies), processed to crumbs equaling 2 1/2 cups
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 13 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

• Filling

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• 32 oz cream cheese, room temperature
• 4 egg yolks
• 6 egg whites
• 1/3 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 1/2 tbsp lemon zest
• 1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 2 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp salt

• Blueberry Topping

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• 3 cups blueberries
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp lemon zest

Here are the Canelita cookies. And me! With my Mexican feast and delicious cocktail. Not a bad way to spend a birthday, not at all.

How to make it

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• Crust

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• Combine cookie crumbs, cinnamon, and melted butter (reserve one tbsp)  in a mixing bowl.
• Spread remaining tbsp of melted butter on bottom and sides of a 6-inch spring-form pan. Sprinkle brown sugar around bottom.
• Press cookie crumb mixture into the bottom of the spring-form pan. Press down to make an even crust, going up the sides to create a deep-dish effect.
• Wrap pan in aluminum foil to prevent the water bath from seeping in. Place in refrigerator to firm up while you make the filling.

• 

• Filling

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• Preheat oven to 325F.
• Put a pot of water on to simmer.
• Place cream cheese in a large mixing bowl and beat until creamy. Continue beating, and gradually add 3/4 cup sugar. Beat in the egg yolks, one at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl after each addition. Mix in the lemon zest, lemon juice, vanilla, 1/4 tsp salt and heavy cream until well blended.
• In a separate bowl, with clean dry beaters, combine egg whites, 1/3 tsp salt, and cream of tartar. Begin to beat, gradually adding remaining 3/4 cup sugar. Beat until soft peaks form, about 3-5 minutes. Do not over-beat.
• In three parts, fold egg white mixture into cream cheese mixture.
• Remove pan from refrigerator. Place pan in a large roasting pan and pour hot water around it, going about 3/4 up the sides.
• Place in middle rack of oven and bake for 90 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.
• Once cooled, place in refrigerator for at least two hours before you plan to serve.

• 

• Topping

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• Combine 1 1/2 cups of blueberries, sugar, and lemon zest in a small saucepan. Cook on medium heat for 6-8 minutes until the berries burst. Remove from heat and stir in remaining berries. Set aside to cool.
• Once cooled completely, spread over top of cooled cheesecake.

Amaretto Milk Cake

I made this for a very special someone’s birthday. Another recipe inspired by one of Chef Matthew Kenney’s from his book, “Big City Cooking”.

Time: 45 minutes + cool                      Serves: 9

Ingredients

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• Cake

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• 4 eggs, room temp – separated
• 1/2 cup sugar, separated
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup AP flour, sifted
• 1/2 cup toasted almond flour/meal**
• 1 tbsp butter, melted
• **I made my toasted almond meal by toasting just under 1/2 cup of raw almonds on a parchment lined baking sheet at 400F for 5-7 minutes. Once cooled, I ground them in my food processor.**

• Amaretto Milk and Toppings

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• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 12 oz. can evaporated milk
• 3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 1 tbsp amaretto or comparable almond-flavored liqueur
• 1 tbsp powdered sugar
• 8 almond butter thin cookies (Trader Joe’s) or amaretti cookies, crumbled
• 1 tbsp powdered sugar

How to make it

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• Cake

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• Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare an 8×8 glass baking dish by brushing melted butter on bottom and sides. Fit bottom with a square of parchment paper and brush this with melted butter as well.
• In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks with 1/4 cup of sugar until light and creamy – about 3 minutes.
• In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites with 1/4 cup sugar until soft peaks form – about 3-5 minutes.
• In three parts, gently fold the egg whites into the yolks. Add salt and vanilla and fold in gently as well.
• Sift in 1/4 cup of flour, fold to incorporate. Repeat with remaining flour. Add 1/4 cup almond meal and fold to incorporate. Repeat with remaining almond meal.
• Pour into prepared dish and place in middle rack of oven. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely.
• Invert cake onto a cutting board. Remove parchment paper. Cut off the browned edges of the cake and then cut into 9 even squares. Place cake pieces back into pan.

• Amaretto Milk and Toppings

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• In a medium saucepan, combine whole milk with evaporated milk and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.
• Whisk in condensed milk and simmer for an additional minute. Remove from heat. Whisk in almond extract and amaretto liqueur.
• Remove one piece of cake. Pour milk mixture into pan in open spot, being mindful not to pour over the tops of the cake pieces.

• Replace piece of cake. Let soak for 10 minutes.
• Serve pieces of cake with extra amaretto milk spooned around, topped with crumbled cookies, raspberries, and powdered sugar.

Orange Mango Banana Poppy Seed Bread

One of my fellow MasterChef 4 competitors invited me to write a guest post for her blog. I decided to share this delicious quick bread (or muffins – your choice!). Oh, and would you believe it’s low-fat and gluten-free?! Oh, yes!!! Please visit Celebration Generation for the recipe and other interesting tidbits about our MasterChef 4 experience.

Sweet Sunshine Chicken Salad with Fried Cheese Medallions – Diced! Challenge

Hi folks! Do you like the looks of this salad? You can find the recipe on The Ranting Chef blog. While you’re there, please vote for me & this gorgeous dish so I can move on to the next level of the Diced! cooking competition! Thanks in advance and enjoy 🙂

Chile Citrus Shrimp

A quick, flavorful recipe that can be served as an appetizer or main course. I served the shrimp over brown rice seasoned with butter, salt, and green onions as well as black beans with sauteed onion, garlic, cumin, oregano, coriander and salt.

Time: 15 minutes                   Serves: 4

Ingredients

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• 1 pound jumbo shrimp, peeled & deveiend (I used Black Tiger)
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/3 cup lime juice
• 1/3 cup Dijon mustard
• 2 1/2 tbsp smoked paprika
• 1 tbsp oregano
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1 tsp coriander
• 2 tsp rainbow peppercorns
• 1 tsp salt, or to taste
• 2 garlic cloves, minced

How to make it

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• Heat a large skillet over medium heat.
• Combine all ingredients except shrimp in a mixing bowl. Whisk to incorporate.
• Pour mixture into skillet. Bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer and cook until thick and reduced by half, about 10-12 minutes.
• Add shrimp and cook for 2 minutes, turn and cook for another minute. Remove from heat and serve.

Buttermilk Fried Chicken

One thing I try to focus on when creating dishes is being able to eat and make what I love, without having to compromise much. Unfortunately, I suffer from a digestive disorder – what kind of cruel joke is that for a chef and “foodie”?! I’ve done quite a bit of trial and error on my diet to try to keep myself in good health and pain-free. Although I’m not allergic to wheat or gluten, I find that I feel much better when I don’t eat it. It seems a lot of people can benefit from reducing the amount of wheat they consume. With that said, I don’t want to give up my favorite foods or feel like I’m missing out on anything and this fried chicken is the perfect example! The buttermilk marinade adds to the flavor and moisture of the meat while the cornstarch helps to keep the breading from falling off while frying. If you haven’t tried brown rice flour yet, I highly recommend it!

Time: 45 minutes + marinate time                   Serves: 4

Ingredients

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• 1 chicken cut into 8 pieces – about 2.5 pounds
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 4 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 1/2 onion, roughly chopped
• 4 large garlic cloves, smashed
• 1 celery stalk, roughly chopped
• 2 tsp rainbow peppercorns
• 1 handful celery leaves
• 1 cup cornstarch
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/4 cup hot sauce
• 2 tbsp cold water
• 1 cup brown rice flour
• 1 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• neutral oil, for frying

How to make it

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• Combine buttermilk,salt,pepper,paprika,rosemary,onion,garlic,celery stalks & leaves in a large plastic zipper bag. Seal and toss to incorporate. Add chicken pieces, reseal, and refrigerate for at least 12 hours, and up to 36 hours.
• Place cornstarch in a bowl.
• Place egg, hot sauce, and water in another bowl.
• Place flour, salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne pepper in a third bowl. Mix to incorporate.
• Remove chicken from fridge. Heat oil in a medium stock pot to about 350F – a cube of bread should brown in one minute when the oil is ready.
• Remove chicken from buttermilk mixture, letting excess drip off. Dredge first in cornstarch, then dip in egg wash, and finally dredge in seasoned flour. Place in hot oil and cook for about 20 minutes. Wings may need less time and larger pieces may need a few more minutes. I went about 25 minutes on the breasts, 20 minutes on the legs and thighs, and 15 minutes on the wings. Remove and transfer to a paper towel lined cooling rack. Fry in batches if needed. (I like to fry in smaller batches in a smaller pot to use less oil and give the pieces room to brown well without sticking).

Honey Lemon Lamb En Brochette

Here it is folks! This is the dish I prepared for the the lamb challenge on Episode 3 of MasterChef Season 4 on FOX. When we were waiting to go in to meet with the judges and found out our challenge, the smells that come with fresh livestock came wafting in to my nose. I looked around to see if any of the other contestants noticed and it seemed many did not. We were all anxious and excited to find out what our challenge would be and for a moment I had a flash of panic, thinking “what if we have to slaughter something?!” After a few minutes, which felt like hours, we were brought in to the judges to find out what we would be doing. When I first saw the sweet little lamb that Gordon Ramsay held in his arms, my heart dropped.

Then, the rest of the herd was let in and our challenge was announced. We could create any dish with lamb as the star ingredient and we had our pick of any and all parts of the animal. In addition, we had the privilege of using the fully-stocked MasterChef pantry. I had to shake the feeling of being sad for the little lamb and keep my head in the game!

I got the inspiration for this dish from a recipe in Matthew Kenney’s “Big City Cooking”. One of my dearest friends, Katie, gave the book to me as a gift years ago – before I discovered my passion for cooking. It’s a lovely book and back then I found it quite intimidating as many of the ingredients were unfamiliar to me at the time and the preparations are so elegant. I used to flip through it and think, “one day…” Now I can really dig into it. Thanks, Katie!

Time: 15 minutes + marinating                  Serves: 4

Ingredients

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• 2 cups 0% plain Greek yogurt
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 cup tahini
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 3/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 2 boneless lamb loins – about 10 oz each – cut crosswise into pieces 1-inch thick
• mint leaves, for garnish

How to make it

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• In a large non-reactive bowl, combine yogurt, oil, honey, lemon juice, tahini, cumin, cayenne, and salt. Whisk together to incorporate.
• Add lamb loin to marinade and cover. Refrigerate for 3-6 hours or let set on the counter for about 40 minutes before grilling.
• Preheat grill or grill pan over medium-high heat.
• Thread lamb onto metal or wooden skewers (if using wood, be sure to soak in water for 10 minutes so they don’t burn). Reserve marinade.
• Place skewers on hot grill/grill pan and cook, turning occasionally, until desired doneness – I go 5-6 minutes for medium-rare.
• Let rest for 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with mint leaves.

As we were cooking, the judges came around to talk to us, see what we were up to, and in some cases take a taste. Gordon Ramsay came to my station and asked me what I was preparing. After I described it to him, he stuck his index finger in the bowl of marinade, lamb and all, stuck it in his mouth and proclaimed, “It’s fucking delicious!” I may have been sent home on this challenge but this was a great affirmation! I know I think it’s delicious, but to know Gordon Ramsay does too… That’s saying something! Check me out doing my thing in the second row from the bottom on the left.

The marinade may not look like much, but it does great things! The yogurt tenderizes the meat, while the lemon tames the lamb’s robust flavor.

The lamb is served over a Moroccan Cucumber Mint Salad which provides a wonderful textural contrast and freshness. Recipe coming soon.

The dish is also served with Harissa…

…and Honey Cumin Yogurt.

It also pairs perfectly with Moroccan Carrots.