Chicken Tikka Masala

I blame Gordon Ramsey and Instant Netflix for our constant, nagging craving for Indian food.  Well, that and the fact that it's absolutely delicious.  We've been trying to eat out a lot less so I knew if I wanted to eat it I would have to make it.  I started out with something pretty simple and something I've had before so I knew what the finished product was supposed to taste like.  I also decided it wasn't right to have Chicken Tikka without delicious Naan to go with it, so, I found a recipe for that.  The Naan was a little bit more difficult to do because I'm not good with dough.  Any kind of dough.  So, it wasn't as pretty as it should be, but it tasted just as good.

Chicken Tikka Masala (from Allrecipes.com)

Ingredients: (I rarely ever measure when I'm using spices unless I'm baking, so, this is really just a guideline to follow for the spices you use.  I tripled the spices because Indian food has such bold flavors.)

• 1 cup yogurt
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 4 teaspoons salt, or to taste
• 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
• 4 long skewers

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 3 teaspoons salt, or to taste
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

1. Heat a skillet to medium heat.  Add cumin, cinnamon, and cayenne to skillet and allow to heat until fragrant.
2. In a large bowl, combine yogurt, lemon juice, 2 teaspoons cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, black pepper, ginger, and 4 teaspoons salt. Stir in chicken, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour.  If using wooden skewers, allow them to soak in water while chicken is marinating.
3. Remove chicken from refrigerator and bring to room temperature.
4. Preheat a grill for high heat.
5. Lightly oil the grill grate. Thread chicken onto skewers, and discard marinade. Grill until juices run clear, about 5 minutes on each side.  If you don't have a grill, use the oven on the broil setting.
6. Melt butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic and jalapeno for 1 minute. Season with 2 teaspoons cumin, paprika, and 3 teaspoons salt. Stir in tomato sauce and cream. Simmer on low heat until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. Add grilled chicken, and simmer for 10 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter, and garnish with fresh cilantro.

Mint Raita (from epicurious.com)

(you may want to make this night before)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
• 1/2 cup packed mint leaves
• 1/4 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Drain yogurt in a paper-towel-lined sieve set over a bowl, chilled, 3 hours.
   
2. Pulse all ingredients in a blender until mint is finely chopped. Transfer to a bowl and chill, covered, at least 3 hours.
   

For the Naan I will just put the link I used for the recipe because there is an instructional video to help with the forming of the Naan.  Manjulas Kitchen - Naan

Bacon and Date (...or fig!) Scones

It is such a treat for both my boyfriend and I when I have the time to make these. An added bonus when we get to sleep in and enjoy them on our day off. For me, this is such a perfect balance of sweet and savory. Even more so than the chocolate/bacon combination. The consistency and texture of the finished scone is practically perfect. Not too moist, not too dry and just the right amount of crumble. And, yes, I know some of you think I may overuse bacon in my recipes but, I don’t care! I love it and it loves me…

(The original recipe calls for dates, which I used the first time I made this. Both taste good but each has a different degree of sweetness and adds a different texture. For this particular batch I used figs, which made it much much sweeter than using dates. If you’re going to go with the figs I suggest chopping it very fine and maybe not use as much as the recipe calls for. )

Ingredients (recipe taken from March 2011 Bon Apetit):

• 10 ounces thick-cut bacon slices
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4 cup coarsely chopped pitted dates (or 1/2 cup finely chopped figs)
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter (I suggest sticking it in the freezer for about five minutes and then taking it out when you are going to use it)
• 2/3 cup buttermilk
• Raw sugar

Directions:

1 - Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Cook bacon in heavy large skillet over medium heat until cooked through but still tender and not crisp, turning occasionally. Transfer bacon to paper towels to drain and cool. Pour bacon drippings from skillet into small heatproof bowl and reserve.

2 - Whisk flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in large bowl. Coarsely chop cooled bacon. Add bacon and dates (or figs) to flour mixture; toss to coat. Coarsely grate butter into flour mixture. Using fork, stir in butter. Add buttermilk; stir until large moist clumps form. Using hands, knead briefly in bowl until dough forms.

3 - Transfer dough to lightly floured work surface. Pat into 8-inch round. Cut into 8 wedges. Transfer scones to baking sheets. Cover and chill scones 2 hours.

4 - Heat oven to 400*. Remove scones from refrigerator. Brush with reserved bacon drippings. Sprinkle with raw sugar. Bake scones until golden brown and tester inserted into center comes out clean. About 16 to 18 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Banana Nutella Won Tons

I seriously wish I could eat these everyday. They are so delicious and so easy to make. I served them with fresh made whipped cream and it was perfect. All you do is spoon as much or as little Nutella as your heart desire on to won ton wrapper, then place a slice of banana about 3/4” thick on top of that, seal the wonton, fry for a minute or two….and VOILA! Nutella Banana Won Tons. Be sure not to fill it too much because you wont be able to seal it well then all of the delicious goodness will ooze out of the won ton and end up in your oil instead of in your belly.

Strawberry Sorbet

I’m pretty sure everyone around me thinks it’s ridiculous how excited I get when I see all the fresh strawberries available here. I have to explain to them how extremely fresh produce is so rare for me seeing as I spent the previous 17 years of my life living in a desert. And, seriously, what’s not to love about strawberries? They’re beautiful and the red color is so vibrant and then you take a bite and it’s everything the appearance promises. It’s juicy and either sweet or a little bit tart. And I like them either way. This particular batch was given to us by my boyfriend’s mom and they were picked that morning. Love!

Ingredients:

3/4 cup sugar

6 tablespoons water 1/4 teaspoon salt 3 pints (about 1 1/2 pounds or 6 cups) fresh-picked strawberries, preferably organic, rinsed, patted dry, and hulled 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice 1 large egg white (optional)

Directions:

1 - Make the simple syrup: In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the sugar, water, and salt. Cook, stirring, until the sugar and salt have dissolved, about 3 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes.

2 - In a blender, purée the strawberries with the syrup and lemon juice until very smooth (you may need to divide this into several batches if your blender is not extra-large). If desired, strain through a fine-mesh sieve for a smoother texture. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, at least 4 hours or overnight.

3 - Churn in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s directions. Add the egg white, if using, during the last 2 to 3 minutes of churning.

Cupcake Bites

I was waiting for the perfect occasion to finally take a crack at making cake bites because I have been obsessing over these babies for a very long time. My friend Veni’s birthday was most definitely the perfect occasion. I was originally planning on making panda cake pops, but decided that was too ambitious for a first timer. These are perfect for beginners. Getting the actual cake balls to be a similar size proved to be a bit of a challenge, but everything else was a piece of cake. ;) This, of course, was taken from the Cake Pops by Bakerella book. I played with the colors a little bit and didn’t use chocolate like the recipe originally calls for.

Ingredients and Supplies:

• 18.25-ounce box cake mix
• 9-by-13-inch cake pan
• large mixing bowl
• wax paper
• 2 baking sheets
• plastic wrap
• 48 ounces (3 pounds) chocolate candy coating (I used vanilla candy melts in blue)
• 2 deep, microwave-safe bowls
• large plastic squeeze bottle
• medium-sized plastic candy cup mold (w/cavity opening 1 1/2 inches wide)
• 24 ounces candy coating in color of your choice (I used white)
• toothpicks
• m&m’s or similarly shaped candy (I used gumballs)
• sprinkles

Directions:

1 - Bake the cake as directed on the box, using 9-by-13-inch cake pan. Let cool completely.

2 - Once the cake is cooled, get organized and set aside plenty of time to crumble, roll, dip, and decorate 4 dozen cake bites. (The book says a couple of hours, but it only took me an hour to make 3 dozen.)

3 - Crumble the cooled cake into a large bowl. You should not see any large pieces of cake.

4 - Add three-quarters of the container of frosting. (You will not need the remaining frosting.) Mix it into the crumbled cake, using the back of a large metal spoon, until thoroughly combined. If you use the entire container, the cake balls will be too moist.

5 - The mixture should be moist enough to roll in to 1 1/2 inch balls and still hold a round shape. (I used a small cookie scoop.) After rolling the cake balls by hand, place on a wax paper-covered baking sheet.

6 - Cover with plastic wrap and chill for several hours in the refrigerator, or place in the freezer for about 15 minutes. you want the balls to be firm but not forzen.

7 - Place the chocolate candy coating (or whatever color/flavor you chose) in a deep, microwave-safe plastic bowl. (I suggest doing 3 or 4 smaller batches instead of all 3 pounds at one time. You’ll have to heat it for a long time and there’s a chance that it could burn.) Melt the coating, following the instructions on the package.

8 - Once melted, transfer the coating to a large plastic squeeze bottle.

9 - Use the squeeze bottle to fill one cavity of the candy mold about halfway full with coating and immediately place a rolled cake ball into the coating. The cake ball should be slightly smaller than the width of the candy mold. Slowly push the cake ball down until the pressure causes the candy coating to force its way up the mold and fill in around the sides of the cake ball. You may have to experiment with a couple to get the right amount of coating. Stop pushing once the coating reaches the top edge of the candy mold, so that it doesn’t form a lip around the edge. Repeat for the remaining cavities. (To save time, use multiple cake molds.)

10 - Set the filled candy mold(s) tray on the second baking sheet to keep it from bending, and place in the freezer for just a few minutes to let the candy coating set.

11 - Remove the tray from the freezer and separate the half-coated cupcake bites from the candy mold. Give the mold a twist and pull on the exposed cake ball.

12 - Melt the second color/flavor of candy coating in a microwave-safe bowl to be used for the cupcake bite tops.

13 - Holding the bottom of the cupcake bite, dip the tip in the melted candy coating until it meets the edge of the other candy coating. When removed, if the two coatings don’t meet, you can turn it right side up and use a toothpick to touch up any uncoated areas.

14 - Immediately decorate with 1 m&m (or whatever candy you are using) and some sprinkles. Allow to dry completely on wax paper-covered cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining cookie bites.

15 - Store in airtight container for several days.

Here’s a funny picture my friend took of the cake bites I gave her and the present my boyfriend and I gave her husband for his birthday:

Carrot Cake Sandwich Cookies

I love it when my favorite people have birthdays. It gives me an awesome excuse to bake. Not that I ever really need one. These are the third time I’ve made these and they are always delicious and always a hit. This batch specifically was made for my boyfriend’s best friend’s birthday. Again, I whipped out one of my three Martha Stewart cookbooks (this recipe came from her Cookies book). She’s my go-to gal! :)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 1/2 cups finely grated carrots, (about 3 large carrots)
• 1 cup raisins
• Cream Cheese Frosting

Directions:

1 - Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with Silpat baking mats or parchment paper, and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine sugars and butter; beat until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla, and beat on medium speed until well combined.

2 - In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger; stir to combine. Gradually add flour to butter mixture; mix on a low speed until just blended. Mix in oats, carrots, and raisins. Chill dough in refrigerator until firm, at least 1 hour.

3 - Using a 1/2-ounce ice-cream scoop, scoop dough onto prepared baking sheets, leaving 2 inches between cookies. Transfer to oven, and bake until browned and crisped, rotating pan halfway through baking to ensure even color, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Repeat baking process with remaining dough. Once cooled completely, use an offset spatula to spread about 2 teaspoons of cream-cheese filling onto a cookie. Sandwich together with a second cookie. Repeat with remaining cookies. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, room temperature
• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

Place cream cheese in a medium mixing bowl. Using a rubber spatula, soften cream cheese. Gradually add butter, and continue beating until smooth and well blended. Sift in confectioners’ sugar, and continue beating until smooth. Add vanilla, and stir to combine.

Sushi NIght

My boyfriend and I have been craving sushi for weeks now. It’s such an expensive indulgence that we usually just treat ourselves for special occasions or when we have friends in town. I threw in some crab rangoon since we had the crab and cream cheese in the house already. Doesn’t really fit in with the sushi them, but eh…it was delicious.

Making the crab rangoon:

I was surprised at how easy these were to make. Even for a first timer like me. You just mix imitation crab and cream cheese together (we prefer more crab to cream cheese but, really, it’s just to taste), wrap it in wonton wrappers, then fry for about a minute on medium heat. It doesn’t even have to be a deep fry. I had about 1/2 an inch of oil in my pan. I just cooked until deep brown on each side.

I put a small amount of wasabi on the wonton wrapper prior to spooning the crab/cheese mixture for some of them. My boyfriend loves wasabi….I, however, am not a fan.

This is just my second time making sushi and it was a bit easier for me than the first time, but my technique can still use a lot of the work. For the sushi rice, I just followed the instructions on the bag and they were simple as well. Now, I’ve never actually been taught how to make a sushi roll. Most of my experience is eating it. I just paid a lot of attention when the sushi chefs did it. But I found this cool website that gives pretty good instructions on how to do it: http://sushiday.com/archives/2006/10/26/how-to-roll-maki-sushi/

The only thing I suggest is having a little patience. It gets frustrating and you definitely can’t do it as quickly as you would want to.

We didn’t make anything with fresh fish. Nothing raw. We used things we already had in the kitchen, imitation crab and smoked salmon, and played with a few ingredients: Sriracha, cream cheese, sesame seeds, avocado and cucumber.

Strawberry Galette with Mint Basil Whipped Cream

Today I actually got to sleep in, which, lately, has not happened nearly enough. And by sleeping in, I mean I slept until 8am. Almost immediately I thought to myself, “It’s my day off…I want to bake!” So, I made a quick mental list of what I already had in the kitchen, then I consulted my Martha Stewart’s Pie & Tarts book, and this was the result:

It is the perfect dessert for summer. Especially for a day like today. The sun was shining and there was a gentle cool breeze. It was hard to be in a bad mood. Again I had to personalize the recipe just a teensy bit by adding mint to the whipped cream recipe which originally just called for basil.

I love strawberry season!

Ingredients:

• Pate Brisee(see recipe below)
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/3 cup loosely packed fresh basil, chopped
• 3 - 4 mint leaves, chopped
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 3/4 cup mascarpone cheese
• 1 pound strawberries, hulled
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 tablespoon water (I like to use cream)
• 1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter

Directions:

1. Make the basil cream: Combine cream, basil, mint, and sugar in a heatproof bowl. Set bowl over a small saucepan of simmering water, and stir until sugar dissolves, about 4 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (or up to 2 hours for a more pronounced basil flavor). Strain through a fine sieve into a bowl. Add mascarpone, and whisk until medium peaks form. Cover, and refrigerate until ready to serve, up to 2 hours.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a floured surface, roll dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut out a 10-inch round, and transfer to a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

3. Make the galette: Cut strawberries lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Reserve end pieces for another use. Toss slices with 1/4 cup sugar and the cornstarch, and immediately arrange them in concentric circles on dough. Start 1 inch from edge, overlapping slices slightly. Fold edge of dough over berries. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.

4. Whisk together yolk and water. Brush dough with the egg wash, and sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar. Dot berries with butter (instead of cutting the butter into small chunks, I’ll take the butter and freeze it, then use a cheese grater to grate butter over the fruit). Bake until crust is golden brown, 40 to 45 minutes.

5. Transfer to a serving plate. Serve warm with basil cream and fried basil.

Pate Brisee

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 sticks (1 cup) butter
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water

Directions

1. In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, salt, and sugar. Add butter, and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, 8 to 10 seconds.

2. With machine running, add ice water in a slow, steady stream through feed tube. Pulse until dough holds together without being wet or sticky; be careful not to process more than 30 seconds. To test, squeeze a small amount together: If it is crumbly, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time.

3. Shape dough into a large ball. Flatten ball into a disc and wrap in plastic. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill at least 1 hour. Dough may be stored, frozen, up to 1 month.