Strawberry Shortcakes 3 Ways

Spring and Summer bring a plethora of fresh fruits and veggies not to be missed. The asparagus is affordable, the corn succulent and the strawberries are just right. I picked up all three last weekend at Berkeley Bowl and wanted get creative with my berries. Strawberry shortcake won my vote.

Always curious about the strawberry + balsamic vinegar idea, I was intrugied by Strawberry Shortcakes with Balsamic and Black Pepper Syrup and decided to give it a try. Hesitant about the black pepper though, I hedged my bet and made my berries 3 ways:

1) with sugar

2) with sugar + balsamic vinegar

3) with sugar + balsamic vinegar + black pepper

The shortcakes are simple, simple, simple... Similar to a scone, you mix the dry, cut in some butter and add the cream. I did it with a wooden spoon, but it could be even easier with a food processor (per the recipe instructions). Finished with an egg wash and sugar, they are sweet, golden and great even by themselves.

While the shortcakes chill before baking (you want that butter cold so it'll melt while cooking to yield super flaky pastry) you make the berries. They mingle with their syrups while the scones bake and you make the whipped cream. And at the end, everything is done at the same time, amazing!

So... the verdict... I loved the ones with the black pepper!!! I started with the sugar berries and worked my way up the flavor intensity; by the time I had my last taste all I could say was 'wow', and have another bite. The balsamic was not at all overwhelming and the black pepper just added a depth of flavor not found in the others. I would have never guessed it, but it didn't taste peppery, it was just that something that makes you go 'mmm, what is that?' as Rachel Ray would say.

Shocking results, I know, but as the berries become abundant this Summer, don't be afraid to spice up your shortcakes!

Brezeln & Bologna

Being the carb lover I am, after a year of living in Germany, I developed a strong affinity for all carbs German: bread, spaetzle, potatoes and most importantly pretzels or brezeln. If you ask a German who has spent any significant time out of Germany what they missed the most while abroad, they will tell you the bread - you know it's good.

Pretzels are a daily occurrence in Germany, served with everything from butter with chives to sandwich fixings. I've tried to recreate this magic at home, but with little success. Williams-Sonoma makes a decent mix and occasionally a specialty farmer's market stand will provide a treat, but for the most part, I go without. So imagine my pleasant surprise when I found a whole bag of pretzels at Berkley Bowl! The REAL German kind, with the skinny crispy twists, and soft bready middle. I couldn't believe my luck. I picked it up quicker than you can say 'I love pretzels' and rushed off to get some toppings.

Salami, cheese and wurst were my go to for nightly bread toppings, so I picked up some dry salami, brie and headed over to the deli to discuss my wurst choices. 'Wurst' is technically just German for 'sausage' - mostly finely ground, but it can be anything from mortadella to bologna. But it's SO much more than the Oscar-Mayer lunch meat that we are all familiar with. Wurst comes in various sizes, colors, meats, sometimes with bell pepper or other secrets inside. It's always sliced thin, so it's delicate and full of flavor - don't wrinkle your nose, I promise it's good! Anyhow, after talking with the deli guy, I landed on the Vienna Bologna. It had pistachios inside and some veal for a more in depth flavor.

I practically skipped out of the store with these gems in my bag and prepared my very own pretzel platter upon arriving home. It was, quite simply, amazing. I was so pleased with my sausage choice, the flavor brought me right back to the Weylands breakfast table - they say scent is the closest sense related to memory, but I would venture to guess that taste runs a close second... I hope you to try German pretzels the next time you cross their path and just perhaps you'll give bologna another go, knowing that when chosen right, it rises far above a childhood staple.

Chinese Cooking

"So, what's after the omelette?" I didn't realize people were waiting for more until happy hour last night, so thanks to my friends for the kick in the bum to get me back on my blogger! A trip to China and playing catch up delayed this next post, but I'm back with some stories to share. First up, my cooking class in Beijing:

the cooking group

I had heard of friends taking cooking classes on trips and since I was solo on this vacation, I figured it would be a great thing to do to learn a little bit about the food and culture around me. There were many to choose from and I ended up going with Hutong Cuisine after reading several good reviews, and it did not disappoint. It's run by a family out of their home so it had this great family feel while providing new tips and knowledge. There were 8 of us in the class, 4 people on a tour from Australia, a JET student from Japan, and a Japanese girl with her mother. We each got an apron, a cleaver and our own chopping board. 5 dishes were on the menu - 3 of which were cooked by our teachers for the whole class, and 2 for which we did all the prep work and cooking!

getting some lessons

For the group:

- Braise pork rib with chili and fermented black bean
- Stir fry beef with big spring onion

- Stir fry spinach with garlic

Cooked by me:

- Black pepper beef
- Fish flavor eggplant (braise eggplant with pickled chili)

clever use of the wok's concave shape

I think the most surprising thing for me about this Chinese cooking was how easy it was. We didn't use super exotic ingredients, but it was just flavors and techniques I don't use often. There was a lot of ginger, garlic, scallions & soy sauce - and of course the wok and cleaver are essentials in the Chinese Kitchen. I think even without the wok though, these flavors can be replicated easily at home.

my turn!

My favorite dish was the Black Pepper Beef stir fry with peppers - we 'marinated' the beef with some soy sauce, corn starch, salt, and cooking wine. You mix it with the strips of meat, and because of the cornstarch you end up with a thick sauce after cooking. The saute with the peppers included ginger, garlic, soy sauce and a hefty portion of ground black pepper. Overall, very familiar Chinese flavors, but so much better b/c I made it!

Black Pepper Beef

I would say the most surprising dish was the eggplant. I'm not a huge eggplant fan because it can be slimy if not prepared properly. Rather than your typical quick stir fry, the vegetable was cooked a little slower with pickled chilies, ginger and garlic, and it was just delightful - not slimy at all. I will definitely give another shot to eggplant now that I know it has potential.

Eggplant

Taking this class was probably in my top 5 favorite things in Beijing. It was fun to be in this traditional home, meeting locals and chatting with other people who loved food and were excited to learn more. Until I commit to buying a wok of my own, I'm going to have to try out these fabulous Chinese flavors in my American cookware and see what happens.

voilà an omelette

From underwhelming to just right - I'm going to write about breakfast. Again.

Eggs are amazing and I've been eating them a lot lately. Scrambles and egg sandwiches for dinner, breakfast burritos... You name it I've been eating it. Typically after a night out all I can muster is a simple scramble the next morning, but last weekend I was extra inspired and decided to make an omelette.

Let me be the first to tell you, I have no actual knowledge about how one is 'supposed to' make an omelette, but I made it work. Yes, there's a hole, but trial and error, right? I have a vague recollection of seeing people do this on TV and moving the pan really fast or something, but on a tired morning that was a little more than I could handle.

I was most familiar with what my mom used to do, so here's how I did it -

• scramble 2 eggs in bowl
• heat 8" pan w/butter (nonstick saved my life)
• pour in eggs
• as they set, use a spatula to lift up the set eggs and let the runny eggs flow underneath
• it's ok if you make holes, just let the runny eggs fill it and cool, be patient
• once most of the egg is set, place your fillings on one half - I had cheddar and avocado in the fridge
• fold over the other side

Et voilà! An omelette! Or at least something that will taste good, look fancier than a scramble and just perhaps pass as an omelette.

I'll have to do a little more research on proper technique and report back, but for now I'm going to go with what works for me and tastes great too.

too minty for me

I just received the May issue of BA and realized that I haven't written about anything from April yet! The reason being twofold - 1) I never received the April issue, some confusion with my new address 2) The recipe I made was pretty underwhelming. Nevertheless, I will tell you about it because cooking is about trial and error.

I scanned my parents copy of the magazine last weekend and settled on Quinoa and Spring Vegetable Pilaf, sounds good, right? Not so much. To be fair, I'm pretty sure my disappointment came from the fact that I just don't really like mint. I love me a good mojito but mint in my food (or with chocolate in my candy) is not always my thing...

Quinoa and Spring Vegetable Pilaf

It sure looks pretty. Quinoa with asparagus, mushrooms, peas, leeks and shallots - all of which I love. The twist however comes in that you blend some peas, veggie stock and mint to create a sauce for the whole dish. The concept is great, seeing as that there is flavor infused in each bite of the quinoa instead of just waiting for the bite with veggie. The downside for me was the mint because again, it was infused in each bite of the quinoa! There was something about it that just didn't work for me.

This recipe was my first attempt at quinoa and it really made me want to try quinoa in other ways. It's a nutty chenpod (so Wikipedia tells me) that is a great alternative to rice or couscous. There's a little more texture and flavor than either of those two grains and I think it would be great with some feta a cucumber and tomato, or raisins and nuts for a middle eastern twist.

quinoa pre-cooking

I'm all about trying things that are not your favorite, because maybe there'll be that one time when you will love it. So I'm glad I tried this; however, I did learn a lesson - when you're cooking for one, preparing a dish that serves 6 may not be the best idea... just in case you don't like it :)

pretty pasta

It's amazing what three little ingredients can do. Along with the carrot find at Berkeley Bowl, I also picked up some asparagus, kielbasa sausages, and fresh house made red pepper pasta. I've never made fresh pasta, nor had I really bought it, so I was pretty excited to give this a try.

I sauteed the asparagus with some salt and pepper, added the sausages to warm them through and finally tossed with the pasta. I could have sworn there was some cream in my fridge, but alas there was not, so I tossed it with olive oil to finish.

The asparagus and sausage were amazing, but I must say I was a little underwhelmed with the pasta... It had more flavor than the every day dried variety, but didn't pack the punch I expected. Nonetheless, it was a tasty simple meal that's proof you don't need to get complicated to get good - not to mention it made me feel great that there were more veggies than carbs... maybe next time I'll try making the pasta myself!

Rainbow Carrot Salad

Berkeley Bowl is quite simply amazing - it's like the farmer's market every day. Tons of gorgeous, delicious fruits and veggies, along with a fabulous assortment of bulk dry goods and as local and organic as you can get in a grocery store. The icing on the cake - it's cheap!

I picked up these carrots during my trip on Saturday and finally brought to life a vision I've had for a while now - a salad of rainbow carrots ribbons...

I started by peeling off the outer skin and just kept on peeling to create my ribbons. I tossed them with a home made dressing of white wine vinegar, mayo, roasted garlic and tarragon... While it was good, I kind of wished I'd simply put a little olive oil and aged balsamic on it. Though you have to admit that it's beautiful, no matter the dressing.