Chinese New Year

Today marks the start of the Lunar New Year. One popular dish that families share when they get together is a hot pot. It's kind of like Chinese fondue and is popular throughout Asia.

Dipping noodles in the hot pot

A pot of broth is kept warm over some kind of burner (in this case a fondue pot over Sterno) and small
pieces of meat, fish, tofu and vegetables are dipped into the pot to cook or heat. We tried this at home with my two sons and a few other kids. It's amazing what kids will eat when they get to play with their food!

We dipped snow peas, shrimp, chicken, tofu, Bok Choy, spinach and noodles. Each person gets a small strainer like you see in the picture - they cost less than a dollar a piece at Asian markets. You plop the food into the pot and fish it out again a few minutes later. Those with advanced chopsticks skills can hold the food and gently dunk it until it is cooked, but the kids thought "fishing" was much more fun.

After the "fishing" the "dipping" begins. We put out soy sauce, Hoisin, sweet chili sauce and Chinese barbecue sauce. Each person can pick a sauce or mix a few to create his own personal blend to dip the cooked foods.

Some supplies for our hot pot party

At the end of all of the cooking, the broth develops a great flavor. We tossed in some ramen noodles and everyone enjoyed a bowl of soup.

You can read more about hot pot cooking and find some recipes in my recent article:
www.spokesman.com/stories/2012/jan/18/fusion-fondue

Baked Pancake

This baked apple pancake is a big hit in my house. It looks fancy and makes the house smell heavenly.

My kids love it, and it is easy enough to make on a busy school-day morning. It's a nice change from bagels and cereal, and I am happy that the kids are getting some protein from the eggs. 

Here's the recipe:

Big Apple Pancake:



2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large apple, peeled, cored and cut into thin slices
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
4 eggs
3 tablespoons sugar (I use about 1 tablespoon)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
confectioner's sugar

Position rack in middle of oven and heat to 450 degrees. Melt butter in an oven-proof skillet over medium heat. Add apple slices and cook 3-5 minutes until apples are soft. Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl beat 4 eggs. Add the milk, flour, salt, sugar and vanilla. Mix until smooth. Pour mixture over apples in skillet.
Transfer skillet to oven and bake for 15 minutes or until pancake is puffed and golden. Dust with confectioner's sugar and serve immediatley.
Recipe adapted from dashrecipes.com

What's New at Spokane's Public Market

I try to stop by the Spokane Public Market every other week or so just to see what's going on. Last I heard, seven vendors were withdrawing from the market because business was so slow. This makes me sad. I wish Spokane would really embrace the market as a place for farmers, artisans and foodies to sell their wares and try something new.

I'm glad I stopped in. I picked up a loaf of delicious potato rosemary bread from the pasty depot bakery and discovered a charming new produce stand. I bought a sweet, ripe papaya for just $1.99. Maybe winter's not so bad after all.

Sweet papaya from the Spokane Public Market

Candy Cane Meringues

These minty meringues are a fun twist on a classic cookie

Thanksgiving weekend was the official start of the holiday baking season in our house. My son got his hands on Bon Appetit's December issue with these beautiful cookies on the cover. The pressure was on to duplicate the magical swirl in the meringues. These cookies teach patience. It takes time to whip the egg whites into stiff little peaks, pipe them out onto the cookie sheet, and then - the hardest part: waiting the 2 1/2 hours while the meringues are in the oven.

But it was worth the wait and the time in the kitchen was well spent. I am hoping that these times together with my son will be filed away in the back of his mind somewhere and will resurface when he's older, maybe when he has his own kids someday. He'll be eight years old this week - gaining on me in height and too old to hold my hand in public but still young enough to want to bake cookies with me. Maybe my desire to fill his "memory bank" with shared times in the kitchen is part of slowly letting go that we do as our children grow.

Here's the recipe. We just used a freezer bag to pipe the cookies onto the sheet and it worked perfectly.

• 3 large egg whites, room temperature
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 12 drops red food coloring

Preheat oven to 200°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites and salt on medium-high speed until white and foamy, about 1 minute. With mixer running, gradually add sugar in 3 additions, beating for 2 minutes between each addition. Beat until firm peaks form, about 2 minutes longer. Add powdered sugar and peppermint extract; beat to blend, about 1 minute.

Dot coloring over surface of meringue; do not stir (the coloring will form swirls when piped). Spoon meringue into a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2" tip. (alternatively, spoon into a plastic freezer bag, then cut 1/2" off 1 corner.) Twist top; pipe 1" rounds onto prepared sheet, spacing 1" apart.

Bake meringues until dry, about 2 1/2 hours. Let cool completely, about 1 hour (meringues will crisp as they cool). DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature between sheets of parchment or waxed paper.

Fun with Marzipan

Marzipan fruits and veggies are easy to make. Cloves make stems for the oranges, and a tooth pick rolled along the carrots give them texture. A little marzipan stuffed into a date or dried apricot make delicious treats too.

 As a child, I remember trips to the German delicatessen in Seattle to pick out a special treat. At Christmastime, the store carried open faced sandwiches made entirely of marzipan. They looked so real - a thin layer of "rye bread" topped with red salami, or picture perfect sliced egg sandwiches. You can create just about anything with marzipan. My brother and I crafted simpler masterpieces in our own kitchen - red hearts cut with cookie cutters or multi-colored squares.

It's been nostalgic to make marzipan confections with my own son. (My older son can't partake - he's allergic to nuts.) We've had hours of fun with one roll of $6 marzipan we bought from the store. It comes plain, so just tear off a chunk and have fun with shapes and colors. It's a rich candy, so think small when you're making goodies. Two to four drops of food color will color enough marzipan for a handful of "carrots" or strawberries. The potatoes are very easy to make - roll an oval, poke a few "eyes" on the potato and roll it in cocoa powder that has a touch of powdered sugar in it.

Candy Making

The boys and I have  had a lot fun trying out recipes for Wednesday's article in the Spokesman on homemade candy gifts. One of our favorites so far is candied orange peel. I can't decide whether I like them best plain, or dipped in chocolate. They're a delightful combination of  zesty, citrusy and sweet. We bought some orange-flavored dark chocolate at Trader Joe's to dip them in - heavenly.

The most time-consuming part was removing the pith and and cutting the orange peels into strips, but I had some help from my almost 8-year-old. It was a fun project to do together, and the repetitive, quiet nature of the task opened the door to some good conversation.

 

Once the peels have been prepared, we covered them in water and let them simmer for 20 minutes. Next we drained them, and then simmered them again in a mixture of  1 1/2 cups of water and 1 1/2 cups of sugar (heat the water to dissolve the sugar and then add the peels) for 40 minutes.

Draint the peels and let them dry on a drying rack for about an hour. The final step is to roll the almost-dry peels in 1/2 cup of sugar (do this on waxed paper). Let them air-dry for about 4 hours and store in an air-tight jar or dip them in melted chocolate.

I guess I'll have to make a second batch for gifts, because I've eaten most of them already.

Quick Dinner: Fish tacos

In an attempt to up our fish in-take, I made some fish tacos last week with some outstanding Mahi Mahi from Regal Street Seafood. My kids will eat just about anything wrapped in a warm tortilla, so I figured it was worth a try. We had dinner on the table in no time, and I know it was a hit because my 6-year old keeps asking me to make it again.

Count on about 3 to 4 ounces of fish per person. Look for a firm white fish, like Mahi Mahi or cod. Grab some canned black beans (or non-fat refried beans if you like), lettuce, tomato, cheese and olives and some small corn tortillas.

Here's how I cooked the fish:
Cut the fish into 2-inch long chunks. Dip the chunks in a little fresh squeezed lime juice and then roll them in 1 cup of Panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) that is seasoned with about 1 teaspoon of taco seasoning and a little salt and pepper.

Place the breaded fish on a greased cookie sheet and place in the oven under the broiler on medium heat. After about 2-3 minutes, turn each peice of fish over so both sides get brown and cook for 2-3 minutes more or until fish is no longer translucent.

Serve on a warm corn tortilla with your favorite garnishes - quartered limes are a nice touch. I also made a little sauce to go with them:
1 cup low-fat Ranch dressing
1/2 teaspoon sauce from a can of Chipotle chilis. If you like it spicer, blend the Ranch with part of a whole chili, otherwise a little of the sauce gives it a nice smokey flavor.

Enjoy!