Crepes With An Asian Twist

 An elegant dish for Mother;s Day is a dish filled with delicate crepes.They're a lovely and lighter alternative to French toast and pancakes and can be filled with everything form meat to cheese. to sweets. They can also be filled with berries and flavored cream for a sweet brunch or dessert.

Regular contributor Genevieve Ko gave a recipe for them in today's New York Times Wednesday Food section. Hers take on an Asian vibe with the addition of pandam cream. Pandam is used by the Laos people, the Hmong people from Southeast Asia.It;s combining heavy cream with the pandan leaves. The plant sort of resembles a leek with it's long verdant leaves but their taste s sweet. Some compare the flavor to almonds vanilla  and coconut ,Pandan extract is also used to  give the cream a verdant color., Ms. Ko';s inspiration for this comes from Diane Moua, owner and chef of Diane's Place in Minneapolis She is a Hmong herself and her eatery reflects that,especially in the lush brunches.Where to get Pandan extract? Target sells it and the spice giant McCormick also offers it .It can be found in any grocery store however on line stores such as Amazon sell a wide variety of extracts and even powdered leaves. Keep in mind the recipe can be varied to include Chantilly cream and even cocoa flavored and rum spiked creams too,

As for the crepes, Ms. Ko assures that there's no need for a fancy crepe pan. Home chefs can use a non stick skillet or a well seasoned cast iron pan. To make the whole process a bit more relaxing set it up like an assembly line. The batter (which should be chilled overnight for best results) should be in a container with a spout or a bowl.Use a ladle or an ice cream scoop to pour onto the pan. Make sure there is oil for the pan to cook the crepes in as well as a rubber spatula and finally a plate for the finished ones.The crepe pan should be heated first and then brushed with either melted butter (for a better taste) or grape seed oil. As soon as the batter is poured in swirl it around into a thin round. Set the skillet back down over the open flame and when the crepe's edges turn brown , nudge them away from the pan with the spatula. I'ts then time to flip them over.It's time to transfer them to the plate when golden spots start to appear.For relatively good crepes use Ms. Ko's recipe of creating a batter of flour milk and egg. Instead of butter use whole coconut cream from the can for a tropical taste that will match the pandam's.

Elegant crepes with an Asian vibe make for a different Mother's Day treat.thy'd be perfect as part of a brunch or simply for dessert with macerated strawberries.It's a lovely way to celebrate Mom.

Cinco de Mayo at Taco Bell

 Of course May fifth has to be Mexican food day. For a quick bite there's Taco Bell and they've just dropped their new Spring menu. There's some good stuff

I wine t toerhe to celebrate Cinco de Mayo and was pleasantly surprised by their new menu. One item that caught my eye was their brand new mini Taco salad.

This is an adorable cup that reminds of the bigger taco salads I used to get  at Casa Maria's at the Garden State Plaza back in the  early1990's . Chicken and guacamole are mixed with veggies ,lettuce and fiesta crunchy strips in a creamy dressing.The shell is just two bites of goodness.

Taco Bell has also brought on tasty looking chicken nuggets that are coated din crushed tostitos and dusted with their fiery El Diablo sauce.They've also combined the nuggets with nacho chips.Another must try is their avocado ranch stacker.This looks like a delicious mix of avocado and chicken along with cheese. Do I try the caramel and fudge empanadas? Maybe but the dirty sodas look a bit more interesting. They're sodas and lemonades with fruit syrups added.Tha'ts definitely going to reordered ,maybe even on my next visit.

It's Cinco de Maio.Ceelbrate with some good and fun Mexican food. Some of the best are at Taco Bell.

A Global Barbecue

 This is the time for that all American past time - barbecuing.Yet sometimes barbecues can be  - well - bland. It time to do the American thing and take from other cultures to create an interesting and tasty cook out,.

Spices can make ordinary meats like chicken and beef sing. One is Berbere spice ,an important ingredient in Ethiopian and Eritrean cooking.It's a fiery blend of chili peppers, fenugreek,garlic ginger basil and nigella to name a few. It gives a flavorful lift to sometimes bland chicken meat. A great recipe is chicken wings or legs with it along with caramelized lemons. It;s just rubbing the legs and thighs with the spice and then grilling for eighteen to twenty minutes  until crisp. Serve it with pita or a slaw , the last a staple in Ethiopian cooking. Hamburgers can also get spiced up with this.Use one to two tablespoons per pound of beef .The flavor is a smoky flavor. Serve on a bun with tomato and red onion slices. Keep in mind that ribs can also benefit from this smoky blend.Rub  the mixture ion the ribs and then cook for two to three hours. Another spice blend is the Indian garam masala. This is a fine blend of cinnamon,mace , star anise and chili along with other ingredients such a as asafetida - a type of dried latex, coming from a rhizome. Garam masala is an excellent rub and marinade for chicken. Use it as a marinade that will also include Greek yogurt and lemon.

Hot dogs come from Germany yet there are other wursts that are just as delicious >Bratwurst is one and can be turned into a curry wust thanks to the addition of a curry sauce . You can do the same with a regular hot dog.The sauce is a m ix of curry paste, coconut milk and tomato paste. The spices that give it zing are ginger root, and chicken broth.Sugar and cinnamon temper the hotness of  the sauce. Slather it on like you would chili sauce. Another German wurst that's out of the box is weisses wurst or white wurst, made of finely ground veal and pork combined.It' seasoned with lemon parsley and various spices> Even though it's traditionally boiled it can be grilled on a low heat. Serve on a pretzel roll with  sweet mustard. Can Italian sausage be grilled on an open flame? Yes! These are great grilled  along with sliced bell peppers. Add the two together on a good hero roll for the ultimate barbecue.Serve with a tomato salad for a tasty side. An international pleaser is a salad Nicoise from Marseille. It might seem like a glamorous meal buts is an easy salad made with not just lettuce but also hard boiled eggs ,tuna fish and boiled potatoes String beans are also added in this vinaigrette drenched salad. 

A barbecue  can be elevated with some international flair. Add spices for a tasty rub or use a different kind of sausage to eat. Think outside of the box for a Provencale salad. it makes for a fun outdoors meal.

Foodie Food Poisoning

 I;'ts a night off whileI recoup. 

More on Monday.

That Fizzy Stuff

It's warm weather time and with it comes thirst.Nothing beats that old school classic, a bottle of frosty Coke.Or a tall glass full of ice and whatever fruity Fanta you love.

Here's the question of the week what is your favorite soda? Mine is diet Pepsis however bad that is for me.I just discovered Poppi a prebiotic good for you soda.I like their cherry lime flavor and want to try the others 

So what's your favorite fizz? Let us know here

Campus Sweeties

 Most universities and colleges are known for their educational programs and spotrts team.. Yet there is one school that is known for it;'s sweet treats and the students who bake them. It's a great place to unwind and enjoy a break from intense studies and exams.

New contributor and finance writer Ron Lieber wrote this article on Carleton Collge in yesterday's New York times Wednesday Food section. This is a small liberal arts college in Northfield ,Minnesota, forty miles south of Minneapolis. A college like this, which emphasizes the humanities and the arts in a small town setting somehow should have an on campus kitchen where students can come and bake.,It attracts students and local alike, most taking the variety of different chocolate chips cookies from the classic to the oatmeal to spiced double cowboy along with butter chocolate chips  and the loaded cowboy ones. Yet there are other treats that baked there. Seraphina Shott  has baked her great grandmother's shredded apple pie recipe along with the family recipe of buttermilk biscouits baked in a cast iron skillet.Bakers leave the extra flour and other ingredients behind so other campus bakers can also bake a fun snack. Another house rule is that any leftover baked goods have to remain in the house for other students to enjoy. 

This is not a new concept for Carleton College which began in 1877 . It started over a century ago in 1922 when Candace Kelley Moses, or Dace or Dacie moved in to the house that was eventually named for her. She first worked for the treasurer's office  and then for the library until 1969 when she retired in 1969 at the age of sixty-sixFor a while she had a kind of salon where she even  welcomed an  cappella group The Singing Knights who practiced there. She baked for them and in return named their 1967 album "Dace and KNights" She also served Sunday brunch to the "Carls' as they students call themselves. To reduce her workload students came to help her , They helped with chores along baking such treats as bran and beef muffins served with either coffee or juice.. when she died in 1901 she left her house to the college;s alumni association (her husband and son had already passed) Dace Moses House is also used as a guest house run by Carleton students Luis Olvedo and Sean Zheng along with bring supervised by  fellow student Holly Ketchner. All three live in the house with Holly upstairs and the men downstairs.They have their own spins.,Mr Olvedo makes his grandmother;s tortilla while Mr Zheng brings an Asian flair to their breakfasts.

Candace Kelley Moses would be proud of the tradition and legacy she created. There will always be fresh baked treats for students and visitors. Her house is a great house , full of sweetness and memories for future alumni.

Spring Sweets

 Spring surprisingly is a wonderful time to bake all sorts of treats.After all there are showers and graduation parties along with brunches and teas. Then there are the simple treats to be enjoyed with ice  tea or ice cream on a warm day.It's also a great time for year to enjoy the fruit - strawberry - of the season too,

Both regular contributor  Melissa Clark and new contributor Tanya Sichinsky, the NY  TImes Food editor and author of the email newsletter "The Veggie" have given recipes in today;s New York Times Wednesday Food section. Who can resist her Walker's inspired short bread rounds rolled in Demerara sugar? These are the quintessential butter cookie.made with just a cup of butter , flour and white rice flour, The dough is shaped into logs and then rolled in the brown ,crunchy Demerara sugar. Use very good butter for this (Kerry Go;d would be the best bet here) The cookies are baked in a low temp over around 325 degrees Farenheit for fifteen to twenty minutes.Ms. Clark suggests a true Highland treat of eating these with a sip of good whiskey but try the strawberry lassi drink from Ms. Sichinsky recipe slate. She has gathered a whole collection of strawberry based recipes to celebrate the fruit of the season.Lassi, the Inidan drink, which is sort of like a creamy ice cream less milkshake has fresh berries along with cardomom and whole milk yogurt . Maple syrup is added to counter any of the fruits tartness.

She took has garnered some great recipes that are perfect for all those pints and bushels.There is a strawberry spoon cake created by another Times contributor Jerelle Guy. This is a simple cake,  - no fancy ingredients - yet rich in butter ,brown sugar  and milk.  A cup of fresh strawberries is added and they pretty much dominate the cake. Ms.Sichinsky suggests serving the case with generous scoops of vanilla ice cream. Ms. Guy has another recipe - strawberry drop biscuits.What's great about these is that there is no rolling out of dough and then cutting then into rounds.It's a simple mix in thee bowl and go.Heavy cream gives it richness and the berries can be carried. Try blueberries or raspberries. This recipe only uses four ripe strawberries cut into tiny pieces.They would be perfect with clotted cream or as a  breakfast  treat wit butter. Of course there are another Times Food section contributor Lidey Hueck strawberry rhubarb muffins. These two ingredients have always gone hand in hand. They do have to be macerated in sugar first before being added to the batter.The actual batter is a mix of flour and corn meal making for a golden looking crumb. Sour cream eggs and butter give the muffins a nice moistness and add to the fruit flavors.Make a batch for the first picnic of the season.

Spring is the season for sweet treats. Make shortbread and serve it with a glass of strawberry lassi. Us the berries sin a number of mouth watering recipes. Take advantage of what the Spring harvest have to offer.