Easy Black Forest Cake

Except for my freshman year of college, I lived in a private apartment which was six blocks away from the edge of campus.  Along the route was a German bakery, Woerner's Pastry and Coffee Shop.  I passed it almost every day for three years but fear of mustard kept me away from the restaurant portion.  I would occasionally stop in to buy  a napoleon from the pastry case.  The napoleons sat amidst other pastries, cakes, and tortes.  The bakery seemed to have an endless supply of sachertorte and black forest cake.  I was immediately turned off by all the little seeds in the sachertorte filling, but the black forest cake was intriguing.  Unfortunately, I left Seattle before trying Woerner's black forest cake.

Being a perennial favorite of sweet tooth people like myself, some versions of black forest cake are very complicated to make.  Some boast over 3 layers of chocolate cake with a fancy creamy filling between each layer (Woerner's version was like this).  In local cookbooks, a shortcut version of black forest cake, sometimes called chocolate cherry cake, can be found in many volumes.  I've tested several versions and have tweaked the best one to make it my own.  The greatest variance between recipes came in the amount of eggs.  Some recipes call for as little as two eggs, while other specify "4 large eggs".  The cake seems to be the highest with four eggs.  One recipe said to "jigger in some rum".  My touch was to add a bit of amaretto di saronno, since cherries and almonds go well together.

And yes, Melissa, you are right. . .I do like a cold cake, so you can probably guess where I would suggest storing the cake.

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Easy Black Forest Cake

     1 box (about 18 oz) Devil's food cake mix*

     4 eggs

     1 c vegetable oil

     1 tbsp amaretto di saronno

     1 can cherry pie filling

     1 c sugar

     6 tbsp butter

     1/3 c milk

     1 c chocolate chips (semi-sweet or milk chocolate will work)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Combine cake mix, eggs, oil, and amaretto.  Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes.  Add cherry pie filling.  mix until gel is incorporated into batter.  Pour into a greased and floured 9 x 13" pan.  Bake 55 minutes.  Cool cake in pan on a rack for 25 minutes before starting on frosting.  Cook sugar, butter and milk over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture boils for 1 minute.  Remove from heat and stir in chocolate chips.  Continue stirring until chocolate chips are melted.  Pour over cake.  

*If you are using a new cake mix with less than 18 oz (about 15 oz.), add 6 tbsp flour to cake mix before proceeding with recipe.

White Trash

Being home was nice.  It wasn't nice being sick, but being in the comfort of my home was nice.  I got to watch a lot of tv.  I noticed many commercials have that holiday feel to them already.  I guess its not too early to start thinking about Christmas, and I'm thinking of sharing some White Trash with my colleagues (the ones I like only).

Looking for something sweet and salty at the same time?  Look no further.  White Trash combines the silky sweetness of white chocolate with the saltiness of pretzels and cashews.  While there are a bunch of recipes out there, this is one of those recipes where you can add your own touch to it.  Vary the type of M & Ms and the nuts.  Macadamia nuts would be very decadent.  And with Christmas just around the corner, a chunk of this in a cellophane bag tied with a festive ribbon makes a nice gift for those worthy.

With the High Commander moving into the house next door, its certainly not too early to start thinking about office Christmas gifts.  Last year I handed out bags of mini pizzelle, homemade, of course.  In doing so, I took notice that several of my office mates are frugal, never treating anyone, never bringing in treats to share.  Shame.  The High Commander, is one of THE most generous people I know.  Last year, she took her entire team for lunch at Nihon Restaurant!  It was a lunch buffet and open non-alcoholic bar.  For Halloween she gave each member of the entire District staff a See's Candy Bar.  It bewilders me that some people can't see that the High Commander treats people well AND values that quality in others.  Others certainly haven't taken the time to internalize that quality themselves.  Amazing. . .how dense can people be???  Anyway, getting back to my post. . .

 

click on recipe title for printable recipe
White Trash

     2 10-oz. bags Snyder's Sourdough pretzels (short and fat)

     2  10 oz. bags M & Ms

     11-12 oz. salted cashews

     2 11 oz bags white chocolate chips

     1 tbsp oil

Combine pretzels, M & Ms, and cashews in a large bowl.  Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat.  In a 4-cup glass measuring cup, heat white chocolate chips and oil on medium-high power for 2 minutes.  Stir.  Microwave on high for 10 seconds.  Stir until smooth.  Pour over cereal mixture in bowl and mix well.  Spread onto prepared baking sheet.  Let cool until chocolate hardens.  Break apart and store in an airtight container.

    

Steamed Pork Hash

This dish is something that reminds me of when I was young.  I'd like to thank Nate and his blog, Hawaiian Pake in Okinawa, for taking me back on a nostalgic journey.  Since Mom worked full-time, dinners were generally quick, thrown-together things.  I remember going to the market with her after she picked me up from Aunty Elsie's house.  Together, we'd comb the aisles, hoping we'd find the answer to the question, "whats for dinner?".

One dish that she'd often when pressed for time was steamed pork hash.  She would get the steamer going, toss ground pork with a bunch of ingredients, usually whatever she had on hand (egg, chung choi, shiitake, water chestnuts, shoyu, etc.), pat the mixture into a bowl, and stick the bowl in the steamer.  In under an hour, a hot entree would be on the table.  The same ground pork mixture was sometimes stuffed in a hollowed out end of togan (winter melon) or mushroom caps.

Nate uses salted duck egg in his pork hash patty.  Mom never used that, but its probably because we never had any uncooked salted duck eggs around.  The first time I had pork hash with salted duck egg was at Helen's Chinese Restaurant in Kapahulu (dinner courtesy of an ex-boyfriend and his family).  I loved the yolk smeared on top.  Upon reading Nate's blog, I remembered seeing a recipe for pork hash patty using salted duck egg in one of my many cookbooks.  Gathering up a few recipes, I put together something to call my own, especially since I now know how to make salted eggs out of chicken eggs.

While this dish won't win any beauty contest, it will certainly warm hearts and tummies.  Mom, your steamed pork hash is still the best, but I think mine is pretty good too.  Thanks for the inspiration, Nate.

click on recipe title for printable recipe
Steamed Pork Hash

     1 lb ground pork

     1/2 - 1 can water chestnuts, chopped

     2 1/2 tbsp cornstarch

     4 tsp shoyu

     1 tbsp rice wine

     2 tsp sesame oil

     1 tsp sugar

     2 salted eggs (raw)

     1 tbsp slivered green onions

Separate eggs, setting yolks aside.  To egg whites, add pork, water chestnuts, cornstarch, shoyu, rice wine, sesame oil, and sugar.  Pat into heatproof bowl.  Cut each egg yolk into several pieces.  Place atop pork mixture.  Steam 40 minutes.  Remove carefully and sprinkle green onions on top.  Serve hot.

Birthday Confetti on Salmon

In honor of someone's birthday, why not honor them with confetti . . . confetti on salmon! 

In the 90's, while I was living in Honolulu, the Honolulu Advertiser, sponsored a recipe contest.  Winning recipes were featured in the food section of the newspaper with a story about the person who submitted the entry.  Unlike other recipes which appear in newspapers, these recipes were submitted by "regular people" who were not employed in the food service industry.  In other words, "regular people" were capable of recreating these recipes.

Confetti Salmon/Salmon Confetti was one of those winning recipes.  It was around that same time that I remember Mom making an oven-baked salmon frosted with mayonnaise and onions.  Of course, Mom's version was the best, especially since I didn't eat tomatoes back then.  In a familiar vein, once I began eating tomatoes, gateways to many different dishes opened up for me.  This is what led me to give Confetti Salmon a try.

As its name implies, the topping is what gives this dish the appearance that multi-colored confetti was thrown over a slab of salmon.  Credit for this recipe goes to Steven Tsai, who was a writer (not food) with the paper.  Like me, he had also spent some time in the Pacific Northwest, making him an amateur salmon expert!  Thank you, Steve, for sharing this recipe!

Happy Birthday!

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Birthday Confetti Salmon

     1 1/2 - 2 lbs salmon fillet, bones removed

     mayonnaise

     1/4 c onion, diced fine

     1 tomato, diced

     1/4 lb mushrooms, diced

     4 tbsp bacon bits or 4 slices bacon, cooked and cut fine

     2 tbsp capers

     juice of 1/4 lemon

     salt and pepper to taste

Place salmon, skin-side down, in a shallow pan.  Spread a layer of mayonnaise over entire salmon.  Sprinkle mayonnaise with onion, tomato, mushrooms, bacon and capers.  Squeeze lemon juice over.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Cover with foil and bake at 425 degrees for 35 minutes.

I sure could've used a Goma Tei restaurant in Hilo this past week.  I stayed home from work on Thursday and Friday, spending most of my time in bed.  I spent Saturday in bed.  I tried to join the living yesterday, but never ventured outside of my property. . .after the small chaffeuring mishap on Friday when I bravely (and stupidly) attempted to take D1 to the Mooheau Park Bandstand for Black & White Night. . .the episode left me a bit fearful about driving while on meds.  If only Goma Tei were here. . .I know the tan tan noodle broth would've cured my ills in no time.

Restaurant Chatter: Goma Tei

Just look at how thick and hearty the broth is.

I have been waiting a long time to post this.  Goma Tei has got to be my favorite noodle restaurant in the world.  Yes, I meant world.  Of course, I missed out on having ramen at the yatai in Fukuoka/Hakata because Mr. Dependable had seen the yatai workers washing dishes in the back.  That ended any chance I had of sampling what is known in Japan as good ramen.  Okay, so my world is a little narrow.

When I'm in Honolulu, I make every attempt to enjoy at least one meal at Goma Tei.  Goma Tei has 2 locations, Ward Center and Ala Moana.  I will eat at either location, as I can't tell the difference in the quality of the food.  They are both awesome.

There is never any doubt as to what I'll eat at Goma Tei:  tan tan ramen and gyoza.  The tan tan broth is sultry and robust.  The gyoza have just the right amount of garlic.  If there was some way I could bring tan tan noodles and gyoza home for moonyagi, I would do it!  I would also love it if Goma Tei were to open another shop on the Big Island.  If they came to Hilo, I'd eat there weekly!

Short Ribs: Thank You, Barefoot Contessa

Happy Halloween!  The weather here (yes, even in Hawaii) is definitely turning cooler.  This is when I change the bedding and re-think menus.  Cold weather foods are definitely what I'm wanting to eat now, especially since we've had illness in our house recently (cold virus, walking pneumonia).  Knock on wood, I have yet to get sick this season, and I hope the pain I endured with a flu shot this week (thank you, KTA pharmacy) will hold off the seasonal bug for me.  Moving past the gai jow (Chinese ginger chicken soup guaranteed to make you feel better), I'm going to be looking at hearty fare to get us through these cooler months.

The local supermarket, KTA (yes, they have a pharmacy too, did I mention that?), sells boneless short ribs that are marinated in a variety of sauces.  They are sold by-the-pound, with the intention that buyers will appreciate the convenience of having them ready-to-grill.  I have never enjoyed buying these ribs, and I've always felt they were inferior to the 3-bone short ribs.  But thanks to Ina Garten (Barefoot Contessa), boneless short ribs have been redeemed with this recipe.

Although included in her book, "Barefoot Contessa Family Style", this recipe actually came from Scott Bieber, a chef at a well-known Manhattan restaurant.  Scott's Short Ribs can also be found on the Food Network website.  Unfortunately, there are no pictures in the book of this recipe.

I'm always a little unsure of what "short ribs" mean to people outside of Hawaii.  In Hawaii, what we normally call short ribs are usually flat pieces of meat, about 1/2" thick, with 3 oval bones in a row at the top.  Its the cut of beef normally used for kal bi.  Outside of Hawaii, I've heard the terms "English cut" and "flanken style" used to denote specific cuts of short ribs.  I believe the kal bi cut is called "flanken style".  Boneless short ribs are  likely taken from thicker flanken style pieces where the top bones have been removed.  But we all know the meat tastes better when the bones are attached.

fennel lends an anise-like smell to the mirepoix

Don't be alarmed at the amount of wine called for in the recipe.  The alcohol burns off, and the end result is far from wine-y.  I used a very inexpensive cabernet (Rex Goliath from Target, on sale for under $6).  I actually made this ahead of time and reheated it a few days later.  I ended up serving this with mashed potatoes, and it was fabulous.

 This part is for the relatives who always ask me what kinds of treats the Ds passed out this year. . .I was lazy and took the path of least resistance.  D2 took mini bags of popcorn to distribute to her classmates.  D1 took a variety of candy, including Sees Candy Lollipops.  Earlier this month, D2 and I did do the traditional sugar cookie w/icing, but I decided not to post pics because I mistakenly bought purple gel food coloring instead of black.  Ever the trooper, D2 began to decorate the bat cookies, but she handed over the job when her ride arrived.  When she got home, she was somewhat less-than-impressed with the job The Help and I had done to finish the cookies, especially the bat ones (I'm not saying who finished the bat cookies).  Next year, our cats and bats will be black instead of pastel purple, and D2 will make sure she is around to do the decorating herself.

Stuffed Bell Peppers

I can still recall the moment when bell peppers ceased being "the dreaded food".  I was at a birthday party for my nephew and some kind of wraps were served.  Although I was tempted, it would've been rude of me to open up the wrap and remove the bell pepper slivers.  My plan was to eat the wrap and swallow fast.  I was shocked to discover that I enjoyed the wraps, and my original plan to swallow quickly just did not happen.  From that moment, a door to many wonderful recipes using bell peppers was opened.

One of my favorite ways (D1 loves this too) to eat bell peppers is stuffed with shrimp paste.  Legend Seafood Restaurant in Honolulu's Chinatown offers this from one of their carts, but homemade is better (not as much "fillers" in the shrimp paste).  This makes a great pupu (appetizer) or a main dish.  Its very convenient because the filling can be made ahead of time.  Just be sure to let the filling sit out for 15 minutes before using, and stir it up well several times.  Another trick is to keep the inside of the bell peppers dry.  This will help the filling adhere.

The filling (or any leftover filling) can also be formed into small patties and pan-fried as well.

click on recipe title for printable recipe
Stuffed Bell Peppers

     4 bell peppers in assorted colors

     1 lb shrimp, peeled, de-veined & coarsely chopped

     1/4 c coarsely chopped bamboo shoots

     2 tbsp chopped water chestnuts

     2 tbsp rice wine

     2 tsp sesame oil

     1 tsp salt

     2 tbsp cornstarch

     1 egg white

     oil for pan frying

Combine shrimp, bamboo shoots, and water chestnuts in work bowl of a food processor until shrimp is chopped fine.  Transfer to a bowl and add rice wine, sesame oil, salt, cornstarch, and egg white.  At this point, mixture can be refrigerated and removed from refrigerator 15 minutes before assembly, stirring several times.  Quarter each bell pepper.  Remove seeds.  Cut each quarter into 2 or 3 pieces.  Press a layer of filling (1/4"-1/2" thick) onto inner surface of bell pepper.  Heat oil in skillet.  Pan fry each piece, shrimp-side down only.  Do not fry bell pepper side.  Remove from pan when filling is golden brown and cooked through.