Mango Flan
Posted by JasonQ in Cakes/Desserts on August 11th, 2010
I really like flan, so I decided to look around for an interesting recipe for it. This is what I found over at ecurry.com
Ingredients:
- 2 Eggs
- 3/4 Cup Whole Milk
- 1/2 Cup Condensed Milk (can be substituted with 1/2 Cup Milk + 1/2 Cup Sugar)
- 3/4 Cup Mango Puree
- 1 Tablespoon Lemon zest
- 1 Tablespoon pure Vanilla Extract
For Caramel:
- 1/4 Cup Sugar
- 1 Teaspoon Butter
- 1/2 Teaspoon Lime Juice (Optional)
Preparation:
Making the Caramel:
Lightly coat the baking dish with butter.
Place the sugar and lemon juice in a heavy saucepan. Put on medium-low heat and boil until the color becomes a clear golden brown; occasionally swirl the saucepan over the heat. When it has reached the golden color, immediately pour this caramel into the baking dish that you’ll be baking the flan in. Completely cover the bottom and a bit of the sides of this baking dish. Set aside.
If you want small individual servings of the flan, pour the caramel in the small baking dishes or ramekins.
Making the Flan:Preheat oven to 350°F.
Peel and cut the mangoes into pieces. Use a blender to purée the pieces. Put this purée through a sieve to separate and remove the fibers. Set the mango purée aside.
In a blender, add Eggs, Condensed Milk, Milk, Lemon zest, Vanilla Extract & Mango Puree & blend to a smooth consistency. Pass this milk mixture through a sieve into another large mixing bowl. Whisk till there are no streaky colors.
Pour this flan mixture into the baking dish. Cover the dish with a foil tightly or a lid. Place the baking dish into a larger baking pan. Carefully add hot water to that pan, until the water reaches about half-way up the sides of the flan baking dish, making sure no water will enter the dish.
Place the pan into the oven, and bake for about an hour. After 1 hour, check for doneness by inserting a dinner knife or a toothpick into the center of the flan. If it doesn’t come out clean, bake for about 10 or 15 minutes more, checking every few minutes.
Cooling the Flan:When done, remove the flan baking dish to cool on a wire rack. When the flan has cooled down completely, place in the refrigerator & chill for a few hours before getting to serve.
Getting Ready to Serve:When you’re ready to serve it, make the dish sit on a slightly hot bath for a couple of minutes; this will melt the caramel.
Make sure you pick a plate to turn it over that is bigger than the diameter of the Flan. Also keep in mind that there will be a lot of Caramel Juice.
Then run a dinner knife all around the sides, to loosen it. Then place a large platter over it, and flip it over. Carefully lift the baking dish up.
Serve with Mango Slices & Cream if you want.
Coconut Curry Tofu
Posted by JasonQ in Main Dishes on June 10th, 2010
A friend of mine gave me this recipe. I haven’t had a chance to try it, but it sounds delicious.
- 2 bunches green onions
- 1 (14 ounce) can light coconut milk
- 1/4 cup soy sauce, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
- 2 teaspoons chile paste
- 1 pound firm tofu, cut into 3/4 inch cubes
- 4 roma (plum) tomatoes, chopped
- 1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 4 ounces fresh mushrooms, chopped
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
- 4 cups chopped bok choy
- salt to taste
Remove white parts of green onions, and finely chop. Chop greens into 2 inch pieces.
In a large heavy skillet over medium heat, mix coconut milk, 3 tablespoons soy sauce, brown sugar, curry powder, ginger, and chile paste. Bring to a boil.
Stir tofu, tomatoes, yellow pepper, mushrooms, and finely chopped green onions into the skillet. Cover, and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Mix in basil and bok choy. Season with salt and remaining soy sauce. Continue cooking 5 minutes, or until vegetables are tender but crisp. Garnish with remaining green onion.
Crab Rangoon
Posted by JasonQ in Appetizers, Seafood & Fish on April 24th, 2010
- 1 pkg crab meat (4-8 oz, flaked)
- 1 8oz pkg cream cheese, softened
- 3 green onions, finely chopped
- 1 Tbs soy sauce
- 1 Tbs sugar
- wonton wrappers
- oil for frying
Mix all ingredients except wonton wrappers in a large bowl. Place a small amount of mixutre in center of a wonton wrapper. Fold up wonton wrapper however you like, and use a small amount of water at the edge to help them seal. Drop rangoons into hot oil and fry until lightly browned and crispy. Serve immediately.
Caramelized Bananas
Posted by JasonQ in Cakes/Desserts on March 27th, 2010
- 4 large bananas, sliced diagonally
- 4 Tbsp sugar
- 4 Tbsp butter
Sprinkle sugar into large non-stick pan and melt over medium heat. When sugar has melted, turn heat to high and cook to a golden brown. Stir in butter and bananas. Cook for about 1-2 minutes until bananas are just tender. Serve immediately.
Garlic Lemon Chicken Breasts
Posted by JasonQ in Chicken/Poultry, Main Dishes on March 23rd, 2010
- 2 tablespoons grated lemon rind (fresh)
- 4-5 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons Hungarian paprika
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- olive oil
- salt, pepper, garlic powder (for sprinkling)
- 4 sprigs Italian parsley
- 4 onion slices (sliced in thick rings)
- heavy duty aluminum foil
Cut 4 rectangles of heavy duty aluminum foil, each about the size of 1/2 a standard cookie sheet.
Combine first 5 ingredients (this can optionally be done in a blender).
Spray (or brush) the 4 large rectangles of aluminum foil with olive oil. Place chicken in center; brush with lemon/garlic mixture, then sprinkle with salt, pepper, and lightly dust with garlic powder.
Place a slice of onion and a sprig of parsley over each. Fold up aluminum into a loose, square packet and crimp edges tightly to seal well. Place in a shallow baking dish or on the grill.
Bake at 350°F for about 50-60 minutes (this depends on the size of each chicken piece).
4 Servings.
Pistachio Crusted Chicken
Posted by JasonQ in Chicken/Poultry, Main Dishes on March 8th, 2010
- 1 cup chopped pistachios
- 1/2 cup bread crumbs
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons honey
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 large skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 1-inch strips
Preheat oven to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C). Lightly coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
Mix together pistachios and bread crumbs in a shallow bowl. In a separate bowl, stir together Dijon mustard, olive oil, honey, salt and pepper until smooth. Dip chicken into Dijon mixture to coat, then coat with bread crumbs. Place onto prepared baking sheet.
Place into preheated oven and turn the oven down to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Bake until the chicken is no longer pink and the pistachio coating is golden brown, about 20 minutes.
Pasta Alfredo with Proscuitto, Peas, and Caramelized Onion
Posted by JasonQ in Main Dishes on February 24th, 2010
This is a slight modification to a dinner I had recently at Biaggis. Enjoy!
- 1 lb box pasta
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 4 oz proscuitto
- 1 cup cooked peas
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan and/or romano cheese
- Salt and pepper to taste
Cook pasta according to directions on box. Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium high heat. Add onions and small amount of salt. Caramelize onions to desired color. Add proscuitto and garlic. Cook for about 2 minutes. Add heavy cream and peas. Cook for another 2 minutes. Add cheese and allow to melt. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix pasta and sauce. Serve immediately.
Farfalle Alfredo
Posted by JasonQ in Chicken/Poultry, Main Dishes on February 4th, 2010
I went to Biaggi’s this past Sunday for dinner, and this is what I had. Seems to be the same recipe they use.
- 1/8 cup prosciutto or bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1/8 cup diced red onion
- 1/4 cup sliced grilled chicken or sliced baked chicken
- 1/8 cup diced roasted red pepper
- 1/4 cup chicken stock
- 1/2 cup alfredo sauce
- 1/8 cup frozen peas
- 1 1/2 cups cooked farfalle pasta or pasta, of your choice cooked al dente
- 2 tablespoons fresh-grated parmesan cheese (use a 50/50 blend of Parmesan & Romano cheese if possible)
- 2 tablespoons fresh-grated asiago cheese
Fry Prosciutto or bacon in a large skillet for 1-2 minutes; add onions to skillet and continue cooking until Prosciutto is browned; drain any excess fat; add chicken and red peppers to skillet; add chicken stock and deglaze the skillet; add alfredo sauce and gently bring to a boil; add peas.
Meanwhile, refresh the pasta by placing it into boiling water for 30-60 seconds; drain pasta then add it to the skillet; increase heat to high and toss contents of skillet for 20-30 seconds; remove from heat and add cheeses; toss to distribute evenly; serve.
Mushroom Black Eyed Pea Burgers
Posted by JasonQ in Main Dishes on January 22nd, 2010
- 6oz sliced mushrooms
- 1/2 cup toasted walnuts
- 1 shallot
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 green onion
- 1Tbs fresh parsley
- 1 can black eyed peas
- 1/4 – 1/2 tsp chili sauce
Saute mushrooms in a little olive oil until browned. Add toasted walnuts. Cook for about a minute.
Add shallot, garlic, green onion, parsley, and peas together in a bowl and partially mash peas with a fork.
Add mushroom and nut mixture to pea mixture. Add chili sauce and salt to taste. Mix well.
Form into patties. Coat with flour and fry in a hot skillet until browned. Flip burgers and cook until done.
Snowballs
Posted by JasonQ in Cakes/Desserts on December 20th, 2009
- 1 1/2 cups melted butter (3 sticks)
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 1/2 cups flour
- pecan halves and whole pitted dates, one of each for every cookie
Preheat oven to 350F. Melt butter, mix in powdered sugar, vanilla, salt, and flour. Form dough into walnut sized balls. Roll balls around a whole pitted date. Top each cookie with a pecan half. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350F for 10 min.