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Posted on » by Michael » Theme:

Copycat Cheesecake Factory Bang Bang Chicken and Shrimp

cheesecake-factory-bang-bang-chicken-and-shrimp-2

Serves: 4
Ingredients
Curry Coconut Sauce

  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 1 tsp ginger, minced
  • ½ cup water
  • ½ tsp ground cumin
  • ½ tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • ¼ tsp allspice
  • ¼ tsp turmeric
  • 1 can (14 fl oz, or 400 ml) coconut milk
  • 1 medium carrot, julienned
  • 1 small zucchini, julienned
  • ½ cup frozen peas

Peanut Sauce

  • ¼ cup creamy peanut butter
  • 2 tbsp water
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce, reduced salt
  • 1 tsp rice vinegar
  • 1 tsp lime juice
  • pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

Chicken and Shrimp

  • 1 chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces
  • 10 medium shrimp, shelled
  • ¼ cup cornstarch
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 2 cups cooked rice

Garnish

  • ½ cup flaked coconut, toasted
  • ¼ cup peanuts, chopped
  • 2 green onions, julienned or chopped
  • sesame seeds (optional)

Instructions
Chicken and Shrimp

  1. Heat the 2 tbsp of vegetable oil in a large skillet. Season chicken pieces and shrimp generously with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the cornstarch over chicken and shrimp and toss, making sure each piece is fully coated in cornstarch. Add the coated chicken to the skillet and cook for a couple minutes per side, until slightly golden. Remove from skillet and add shrimp. Cook shrimp for a couple minutes until slightly pink and remove from skillet. Set aside.
Peanut Sauce
  1. To make the peanut sauce add all ingredients in a small sauce pan and heat just until the mixture begins to bubble; cover and remove pan from heat.
Coconut Curry
  1. In a medium sauce pan heat the olive oil, sesame oil and crushed red pepper flakes over medium heat. Add chopped onion, garlic and ginger and cook just until onion is translucent. Add spices and water and stir well. Bring to a boil, then add coconut milk and bring the mixture back up to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes or until sauce thickens. Add julienned carrots and zucchini, then peas. Cook for another 10 minutes or until carrots are tender.
Assemble plates
  1. Divide the rice into 4 plates. Add chicken and shrimp, dividing them equal among the 4 plates. Spoon the coconut curry over chicken and shrimp. Drizzle peanut sauce over the dice. Top with crushed peanuts, sesame seeds if desired, green onions and some of the flaked coconut.
Posted on » by Ashley » Theme:

Pimm’s Cup

Pimm’s Cup
Sunset August 2007

2 oranges, cut into half-moons
2 lemons, cut into half-moons
1 Persian cucumber (or one 3-in.-long piece English cucumber), washed and sliced
2 cups Pimm’s No. 1
4 cups Sprite or other lemon-lime soda
6 to 8 large sprigs mint, crushed gently, plus a few loose leaves

Fill 2 pitchers 1/4 full with ice. To each, add a layer of orange slices, a few lemon slices, and a layer of cucumber slices. Repeat the layering. Pour in the Pimm’s and Sprite, dividing between pitchers, and mix with a long-handled spoon. Poke mint sprigs and leaves down into drink. Divide drink among 8 tall glasses, with a few slices of fruit and cucumber in each glass, along with some mint leaves.

Posted on » by Michael » Theme:

Mardi Gras King Cake

(King Arthur Flour Recipe)Mardi Gras King Cake Recipe Mardi Gras King Cake Recipe

This moist, tender, buttery yeast bread, lightly sweetened then drizzled with vanilla glaze, sprinkled with colored sugars, and sometimes crowned with candied cherries, is a traditional New Orleans favorite. Served beginning on Epiphany, or Twelfth Night (January 6), it’s enjoyed right on through Mardi Gras, a sweet symbol of this festive season. The sugars decorating the top of the cake mirror the color scheme of many a Mardi Gras parade float: gold (yellow) for power, green for faith, and purple for justice.

Originally King Cake was a rather plain bread whose flavor was almost all in its sweet toppings. Beginning in the late 1980s, however, customers began to demand something a bit more special. These days, most King Cakes are made with rich, brioche-like dough, and filled, most often with cream-cheese filling. While we give that version here, feel free to dream up your own filling: other New Orleans favorites include butter/cinnamon/sugar; almond (see “tips,” below); various kinds of fruit; chocolate, and praline.

 

Prep
35 mins. to 45 mins.
Bake
50 mins. to 55 mins.
Total
4 hrs 5 mins. to 4 hrs 50 mins.
Yield
1 large loaf, about 16 servings

Filling

Icing

  • 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons + 1 to 2 teaspoons milk, enough to make a thick but pourable glaze

Garnish

  • yellow, purple, and green fine sparkling sugars
  • candied red cherries (optional)

Instructions

  1. Lightly grease a baking sheet, or line it with parchment.
  2. To prepare the dough: Using a stand mixer, electric hand mixer, or bread machine, mix and knead all of the dough ingredients together to form a smooth, very silky dough. You may try kneading this dough with your hands, if desired; but be advised it’s very sticky and soft.
  3. Allow the dough to rise, covered, for 1 hour. It’ll become puffy, though it probably won’t double in size.
  4. Transfer the soft dough to a lightly greased work surface. Pat and stretch it into a 24″ x 6″ rectangle. This won’t be hard at all; it’s very stretchy. Let the dough rest while you prepare the filling.
  5. To prepare the filling: Beat together the cream cheese, sugar, and flour until smooth, scraping the bowl once. Add the egg and flavor, again beating until smooth.
  6. Dollop the filling down the center of the long strip of dough. Then fold each edge up and over the filling until they meet at the top; roll and pinch the edges together, to seal the filling inside as much as possible. Don’t worry about making the seal look perfect; it’ll eventually be hidden by the icing and sugar.
  7. Place the log of dough onto the baking sheet. The dough will be very extensible, i.e., it’ll stretch as you handle it. So pick it up and position it on the pan quickly and gently. Pinch the ends together.
  8. Cover and let rise for about an hour, until it’s puffy. Preheat the oven to 350°F while the dough rises.
  9. Whisk the reserved egg white with 1 tablespoon water, and brush it over the risen cake.
  10. Bake the cake for 20 minutes, then tent it lightly with aluminum foil. Bake it for an additional 30 minutes, until it’s a rich golden brown.
  11. Remove the cake from the oven. After about 15 minutes, transfer it from the baking sheet to a rack to cool.
  12. To make the icing: Beat together all of the icing ingredients, dribbling in the final 2 teaspoons milk until the icing is thick yet pourable.
  13. Pour the icing over the completely cooled cake. While it’s still sticky, sprinkle with alternating bands of yellow, purple, and green sugars. Space candied cherries in a ring around the top.
  14. Yield: 1 loaf, about 16 servings.

Tips from our bakers

  • Feeding a crowd for Mardi Gras? To make a larger cake, double the recipe. Form a long, narrow, 48″ x 6″ rectangle, and dollop the filling down the center of the dough. Fold each edge up and over the filling until they meet at the top; roll and pinch the edges together to seal the filling inside as much as possible. Shape the log into an oval, seam side down, on a large, lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet, pinching the ends together. Proceed with the recipe as written.
  • To make an almond-filled King Cake: Crumble 1 cup (10 ounces) almond paste into a large bowl with 4 tablespoons softened butter and 1 teaspoon almond extract. Beat until the butter is incorporated. Add 1/2 cup Baker’s Special Sugar (superfine sugar) or granulated sugar, and 2 cups fresh soft white bread crumbs. Mix until evenly distributed; the mixture will be very stiff, but moist. After rolling out your dough, pat and spread the filling over the surface, leaving a 1″ margin along the long edge closest to you. Brush the bare edge of the dough with water, and starting with the covered long edge, roll the dough into a log, pinching the seam closed. Proceed with the recipe as written.