roasted eggplant pasta with fresh herbs

this pasta dish per uno is perfect on a lazy, late summer night when you want to eat something super yummy but make a minimal effort. i felt just so on a recent evening, when i rescued a lone ichiban (that's japanese!) eggplant that was languishing in my humble balcony garden, yearning for purpose. i made this just for me, but it would easily please a crowd. (for a pound of pasta, i'd use 1-2 full sized eggplants, and obviously increase your ratio of cheese, herbs, etc.)

roasted eggplant pasta with fresh herbs

serves 1; 2 if you aren't greedy

- one good sized japanese eggplant

- about a cup of your fave pasta (i used barilla whole wheat penne)

- handful fresh herbs, i used mint and basil

- cheese (i used trader joe's TO DIE FOR honey chevre and a bit of freshly grated pecorino romano)

- toasted pine nuts (optional)

- additional olive oil for finishing the pasta (good quality extra virgin is perfecto)

1. pour yourself a glass of wine. this should be a prerequisite to any pasta dish you make, ever (or if you're me, before cooking... anything) otherwise, somewhere, an Italian person cries. seriously.

2. preheat oven to 400. line baking sheet with foil or parchment (because you really don't wanna scrape browned eggplant bits later. this is minimalism, people)

3. slice eggplant lengthwise into quarters (or rounds if using regular sized eggplant). sprinkle with sea salt and cracked pepper, drizzle with olive oil. if you are feeling saucy (i was), add a garlic clove or two coated in oil to the sheet... the garlic will roast nicely alongside your eggplant and add a lovely depth of flavor to the sauce.

4. roast eggplant about 25-35 minutes, flipping a few times (i lost count... too busy drinking wine). basically, the skin should get toasted and wrinkly-looking, the insides brownish and soft. you can't really over-roast (the more tender, the better), but please don't under-roast-- no one likes tough, bitter eggplant.

5. meanwhile, gently salt and boil water, cook pasta al dente.

6. while pasta is cooking, roughly chop herbs, toast handful of pine nuts (if using) in a skillet over medium heat. (those bitches burn easy, so watch 'em!)

7. when eggplant is done, chop up into bite size pieces. toss with cooked pasta, throw in herbs and pine nuts. sprinkle cheese on top, finish with a drizzle of olive oil. add a bit more pepper if you like (i like).

8. pour yourself another glass of wine, and enjoy! this is so much better than takeout.

auditory pairing: beirut-postcards from italy

crispy oven-baked parmesan potato wedges

these potato wedges have been my go-to side for years. they can be changed to any flavor, just keep the potatoes and olive oil (or as we like to say, early earl) constant. they taste fantastic accompanied by a milk steak, boiled over hard, with a side of your finest jelly beans, raw.

auditory pairing: peter bjorn and john - second chance


crispy oven-baked parmesan potato wedges
yields 4 servings


1 tbsp parm (somestimes i use 2tbsp, like in this post's pics)
1 tbsp italian seasoning
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
6 tbsp extra virgin (THATS WHAT SHE SAID) olive oil
5-6 medium red potatoes
parchment paper


1. cut the potatoes in half lengthwise, then each half into 4-5 wedges
2. place all potatoes in a large ziploc bag, add all other ingredients
3. close bag and shake, let marinate for 20 mins, up to a few hrs
4. preheat oven to 450F, line 2 baking pans or "lipped" cookie sheets with parchment paper
5. add wedges in a single layer on the pans/sheets and drizzle a little of the oil mixture over them
6. bake for 20 mins
7. flip wedges and bake for another 10-20 mins, until browned (mine are usually done after 10 mins)

char-grilled beef kabobs

if there's one thing lebanese love, it's kabobs. we cook meat on the stick so deliciously, it makes unicorns shed rainbow tears of happiness whilst simultaneously pooping double rainbows.


the main reason why kabobs or (ke-babs, for you new zealand types) are superior to non-stick meats is the mere ratio of spices to surface area. i now share with you my go-to rub for all meats red.


auditory pairing: gogol bordello - avenue b (bc if the meat could talk, it would have this attitude)

char-grilled beef kabobs
yields 4 servings


2 ribeye steaks, cut into 1" cubes
1 tbsp cajun spice
1 tsp ginger
2 tsp oregano
1 tsp paprika
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp kosher salt


1. mix all spices together and rub on all sides of steak cubes
2. let "marinate" for 45 mins up to a few hrs in the fridge
3. thread onto skewers (i like to use the flat metal type, the ones pictured i inherited from my dad)
4. preheat grill to medium-high
5. grill on all 4 sides for a few minutes until brown/golden and delicious looking
6. remove from skewers and serve with a little sauce of your choice (i'm really into this vidalia onion and fig sauce right now)

(holy) cherry (eff) cheesecake (this) ice cream (is delicious)

my sweet mom brought me 2lbs of the most fleshy cherries i've ever come across. (why does everything you say sound so nasty?) 


this recipe fits their tender juicy goodness perfectly. it's as if coldstone creamery had a love baby with your second favorite thing in the world. for instance, mine would be: coldstone x puppy noses = this ice cream. make it. now. or convince me to make it for you.


this batch is for you, derek!

here's also a great way to seed cherries without buying any weird contraption. any piping tip with a large hole will do.

more assembly pics

auditory pairing: bon iver - holocene (go reggie pace go!)


cherry cheesecake icecream
from mommiecooks
yields ~ 5.5 cups


cherry sauce ingredients:
1 1/2 c cherries, seeded, halved
1 c water
1/2 c sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tbsp corn starch


graham cracker crust ingredients:
1 pkt graham crackers, crushed (the packs with 9 full crackers)
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp cinammon
6 tbsp butter, melted


cream cheese ice cream ingredients:
6 egg yolks
1/2 c sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1 c milk
1 1/2 c heavy cream
8 oz cream cheese, softened (neufchatel can be used too)
1 tsp vanilla




for cherry sauce:
1. add all cherry sauce ingredients to small pot MINUS corn starch (cherries, water, sugar, lemon juice)
2. bring to boil, cook 10-15mins
3. mix together cornstarch with 1-2tsp cold water, and stir into pot
4. boil a minute longer until mixture thickens
5. remove from heat and let cool completely in fridge


for crust:
6. in medium baking dish (9x9 or comparable) add all crust ingredients (graham crumbs, sugar, cinammon, butter) and mix well
7. pat into pan and bake @ 350F for 10 mins
8. cool completely


for ice cream base:
9. mix egg yolks, sugar, and salt. set aside.
10. in medium pot, heat up milk and cream until it begins to boil. turn off heat.
11. ladle 1/2 c milk/cream mixture slowly into egg yolks while whisking continuously
12. slowly pour tempered yolk mixture into rest of milk/cream while whisking constantly
13. turn heat on to medium, until mixture thickens up, whisking every minute
14. once thickened, remove from heat and add vanilla and cream cheese (or neufchatel). stir to combine
15. place in fridge to cool completely


assembly:
16. run chilled ice cream base through an ice cream maker
17. chill ice cream base in freezer for 1/2hr to thicken up
18. scoop half of the ice cream base into a freeze-safe container, add half the cherry sauce, and half the graham crust (crumbled a bit)
19. repeat with ice cream, followed by cherries, followed by crust (crumbled a bit)
20. run a knife through the whole mixture a few times to help everything swirl together
21. place back in fridge and chill completely
22. EAT!

fondant show off time

back in march i took a fondant techniques class through University of Richmond. It was super fun, and you got to practice your own cake in the class. i highly recommend for anyone interested in fondant. this was my concoction!


in no way is it perfect, but it was my first try and i'm pretty happy with it.

oh so you think you're all amazing because you realize it's august and you must be good at math?? i lost the pics jen of jarnettphotography took for me until now ;)

glazed salmon and fried egg sandwiches...OF BLISS

when i first saw these on tastespotting a few months back, i IMMEDIATELY printed the recipe out and emailed my food-obsessed friends. luckily, their cuss words of joy affirmed my thoughts. 

these things taste like crunchy pancakes. i'm super serial you guys. they taste like crunchy, maple-topped pancakes that explode in your mouf.

jen was nice enough to be my food tester, AND PHOTOGRAPHER! go check out her portfolio. it's pretty prodigious.

auditory pairing: tune-yards - gangsta

glazed salmon & fried egg sandwiches

slightly adapted from the curvy carrot

yields 2 sandwiches

- 2 ciabatta buns, halved, buttered, toasted

- 6oz fresh salmon fillet

- 4 tbsp butter

- 3 tbsp pure maple syrup

- 3 tbsp brown sugar

- 2 eggs

- salt and peppa

1. heat a frying pan to medium-high heat. add 1 tbsp of butter and add salmon. cook for about 3 mins. add a little pat of butter, and flip salmon. cook 3-5 mins more. 

2. lightly flake and remove from pan.

3. reduce heat to medium. in same pan, add 2 tbsp butter.

4. after butter has melted, add the maple syrup and brown sugar. stir to dissolve.

5. add the salmon back to the pan, stir to coat, and let cook around 5 minutes more. until the glaze reduces a bit.

6. in a separate frying pan over medium heat, melt the remaining butter.

7. crack 2 eggs and cook for about a minute.

8. flip and cook through (30 seconds for runny yolks, another minute for harder-set yolks).

9. take your buttered and toasted ciabatta buns, place the salmon atop, add the egg, AND CONSUME WITH VIGOR!

(curvy carrot used smoked salmon, which looked quite delicious as well, you should check her out)

-JA

hello kitty cake pops!

jeez....i did it again. left you guys 3 months without any posts. a lot of cooking has been going on, some crazy ridic meals. but alas, i always forget to photograph them. whoopsie! 


 i found the idea for these pops a month ago from the culinary chronicles and immediately thought of making them for my sister-in-law's birthday. therially you guys, so. much. fun.


unfortunately, i only took blurry iphone photos of these, lo siento!

auditory pairing: brazilian girls - pussy


hello kitty cake pops
from theculinarychronicles 
yields at least 20 pops


- chocolate cake--9x13 (use theculinarychronicles cake recipe, or store-bought)
- 16oz tub cream cheese frosting
- white chocolate chips (one bag is enough for 12 cake pops)
- easter egg sprinkles (or any large pink or purple sprinkles)
- rainbow chip sprinkles
- black food coloring (along with a little vanilla extract and a brush)
- lollipop sticks
- styrofoam block
- tweezers


1. thoroughly crumble completely cooled chocolate cake in a large mixing bowl
2. empty tub of frosting into mixing bowl, mix all ingredients in a kitchenaid stand mixer with the paddle hook (one can also just use their hands, this just makes it way faster)
3. once evenly mixed, form ovals for the kitty heads (i used gloves for this part, the mix tends to roll right off gloves)
4. melt a little white chocolate and dip the lollipop sticks into the melted white chocolate, then insert into ovals (bottom of kitty's head)
5. place heads on a parchment-lined baking sheet with sticks in the air...teehee, refrigerate for about 2 hrs
6. hello kitty's ears are formed by 2 white chocolate chips. take each chocolate chip and dip the bottoms into the melted white chocolate, place them on the heads as ears.
7. stand them in styrofoam block to dry
8. when ears are "glued" in place, dip the whole head into the melted white chocolate, tap off any extra coating, and place on styrofoam block to dry.
9. when heads are completely dry, use yellow sprinkles out of the rainbow chip sprinkles for kitty's nose. use melted white chocolate to glue onto the nose area. (i used a tweezer for this)
10. use white chocolate to also apply the easter egg sprinkles using tweezers (or any other larger type) as bows for each kitty pop.
11. once all is dry, use food coloring and vanilla extract to paint on the eyes and whiskers. (i dipped a toothpick into some wilton black food coloring and put it in a shot glass. added a few drops of vanilla extract to make it into a paint consistency. paint on using a brush!)




the verdict? SHE WAS HAPPY! YAAAAAY!

-JA