Basic Chicken Stock 101

January 21, 2014 The Culinary Chronicles5 Comments

For the record, let me say that I swear by store-bought stocks. I always try and keep the pantry equipped with cans/boxes of them to add to my dishes for that extra oompf. However, when given the chance, I do prefer to use my homemade stocks. More often than not, the flavor is a bit “cleaner” and I know exactly what’s in it.

Now generally when I make stocks, it’s because I don’t want to waste any of the leftover bones from a different dish we’ve prepared or when I’ve broken down a whole chicken and there’s an entire carcass (I know, kind of an ick word but I don’t know what else to call it) & other parts remaining.

After placing the bones in a large pot, I throw in any fresh herbs hanging out in the produce drawer of my fridge and cover it all with water. The goodies simmer for a few hours before it’s cooled to room temperature and then refrigerated for several hours. The pot is then strained and Voila– homemade stock that can be used right away or stored in the freezer for whenever you need it.

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Basic Chicken Stock
Makes approximately 5 quarts

Ingredients:

1.5-2 pounds chicken parts (I use the leftover carcass, wings, etc.)
1 large white onion, quartered
3 medium sized carrots, halved
4 stalks of celery, halved
1 whole garlic clove, split in half
1/2 bunch fresh parsley
15 sprigs fresh thyme
5-6 sprigs fresh sage
3-4 dried bay leaves
1 tablespoon peppercorns
2 tablespoons kosher salt
6 quarts cold water

Place the chicken parts, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, and fresh herbs into a large stock pot. Add the bay leaves, peppercorns, salt and pour in the cold water.

Bring the pot with its contents to a rolling boil and then lower the heat to simmer, partially covered, for about 3 hours. Allow the pot to cool to room temperature and then refrigerate for several hours or overnight.

Remove and discard the larger pieces from the pot. Strain the remaining contents through a cheesecloth or fine mesh strainer. The stock can be used immediately, stored in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days or kept frozen in the freezer for about 3 months.

Sunday Family Dinner

December Sunday Family Dinner – Party of 16

January 14, 2014August 29, 2015 The Culinary Chronicles3 Comments

Have I ever mentioned that I’m the youngest of five kids? Four girls and one boy smack dab in the middle—wasn’t our brother so lucky?

Needless to say, it made quite the childhood experience with all of us growing up in one house with our parents, grandparents, aunties and uncles.

And it got even more crowded when 8-9 of us would cram into our Oldsmobile station wagon for our annual summer road trips from Minnesota to Texas to visit mom’s brother and his family. I don’t know how we all survived jammed into one car for so many miles (nearly 1200 each way!) but I guess anyone from a big family knows there’s no such thing as personal space. It may also have helped that it was the 80s and seat belt laws were non-existent!

I kind of wished we would have taped some of those road trips as I’m sure they would have been hysterical to look back at. We were kind of the Vietnamese version of the Griswolds.

Nowadays the five of us are a bit scattered around with my brother and his family in New York, one seester in San Francisco, two other seesters & their fams in Orange County and me in San Diego. And although we may never be able to recreate those old summer road trips to Texas, our Sunday Family Dinners have been one of our ways to start new traditions for our kids to look back at.

We’ve been going at this for about a year and half now, rotating the monthly dinners between the homes of my two seesters who live in Orange County. It’s been awesome that our sis from SF has flown down every few months to make our dinners but it’s a little difficult for our brother and his fam to make it from NY. But when we are lucky to have all of us for Sunday Family Dinner, it is quite the celebration–like the N’awlins Seafood Boil we did the first Fam Din we were all together. 50+ pounds of seafood…it was epic. Totally Gluttonous, but epic.

The whole gang was back together this past December to celebrate the holidays and spend some QT with each other. It’s probably the most time that the five of us have spent together in years!

We all attended our cousin’s baby’s first month celebration (Đầy Tháng), Mom’s death anniversary (ngày giỗ), a snow day in the mountains, Leonidas‘ (our brother’s son) 2nd birthday party, Christmas Eve festivities with the entire clan, the New Year’s Eve bash, endless meals in Little Saigon at our old favorite haunts, and of course– December’s Sunday Family Dinner.

8 siblings (including the sibs-in-law), 6 kids and 2 canine kids– a packed house again!

With all of the craziness that was going on, we tried to create a menu that had the least bit of stress and prep time. As for the theme, we did a slight homage to our N’awlins Feast and kept it open to EVERYTHING SEAFOOD! Well, except dessert….that would be a little too hardcore- even for us!

Dinner consisted of:

Grilled Octopus and Prawns
Ahi Poke on Noriten Chips
Fresh Manila Clam Pizza with Arugula
Grilled Cod Tacos with Pico de Gallo & Avocado Cabbage Slaw
Fisherman’s Stew with Saffron
Cream of Asparagus Soup with Crab
Queen of Sheba Torte with Grand Marnier Whipped Cream
Moscow Mules

We kind of pulled everything together at the last minute but I think it was a definite Nguyen-er!

Now if we could just convince my brother and his fam to move back to Cali, we could have dinners like this all of the time!

Snapshot of the fam a few months after yours truly was born. I may have been the originator of the faux-hawk.

**And a special HAPPY BIRTHDAY today to our seester, TUONG!**

Oh those Capricorns…..

Breakfast/Brunch

Gingerbread Waffles with all the Fixin’s

January 10, 2014 The Culinary Chronicles2 Comments

Our Christmas morning brunch consisted of bacon, mimosas and homemade waffles—gingerbread waffles! For me, it really couldn’t get much better than that.

When the big seester brought up waffles for our menu, I quickly suggested a gingerbread spin since the flavors were perfect for the season and well, because I’m obsessed with everything gingerbread.

I turned to good ol’ Martha Stewart as I had read some great feedback on her version of gingerbread waffles. The batter came together quickly and isn’t the least bit fussy. Once we ladled the batter onto the griddle, you could instantly smell the delicious spices mixed with molasses. And because we were going the extra mile for Christmas, we added some awesome fixin’s that went with the crispy, spiced waffles – Grand Marnier whipped cream and a tart cranberry compote. YUM!

These waffles definitely celebrate the flavors of the holiday but are so darn good, I intend to have them year round–particularly since they freeze beautifully. And I’m all about stocking up on my freezer meals.

Have a great weekend, Folks!

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Gingerbread Waffles with Grand Marnier Whipped Cream and Cranberry Compote
Makes approximately 8-10 waffles

Ingredients:

Cranberry Compote:
1 12-ounce bag cranberries (fresh or frozen)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon orange zest
pinch of salt
3 tablespoons Grand Marnier

Grand Marnier Whipped Cream:
2 cups chilled heavy cream
2 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons Grand Marnier

Waffle Batter (From Martha Stewart)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
4 large eggs
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup sour cream, plus more for serving
3 tablespoons unsulfured molasses

Prepare the compote. Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan. Stir and simmer the ingredients for 20 – 25 minutes until the berries have broken down and the sauce has thickened. Set aside.

Prepare the whipped cream. Using a standing mixer fitted with the balloon whisk attachment, whip the chilled heavy cream on high until it just holds soft peaks. Slowly sprinkle in the sugar and whisk until you reach stiff peaks. Slowly pour in the Grand Marnier and whip until combined. Refrigerate until you’re ready to serve.

Heat the waffle iron.

Prepare the waffle batter. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices in a large bowl. Whisk together eggs, butter, milk, sour cream, and molasses in a medium bowl. Add egg mixture to flour mixture, and whisk until smooth.

Grease the waffle iron as needed and ladle in the batter. Cook until golden brown and serve with the whipped cream and a dollop of compote.

Condiments/Sauces

Homemade Marinara Sauce

January 6, 2014January 6, 2016 The Culinary Chronicles11 Comments

I make a lot of pastas and pizzas…. A LOT.

But I can’t help it – I’m Italian! Well, pretty sure I was in a past life at least.

So when a gal cooks a ton of pastas and pizzas, a gal has got to have a trusty marinara sauce that she can rely on. And I just so happen to have a great one that’s quite easy to make, especially in large batches.

Here’s how….

First, wrangle up some basic ingredients. A few aromatics, a couple of herbs & spices and of course, tomatoes. I prefer San Marzano tomatoes but any canned plum tomato will be fine.

Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot and cook down some onions and garlic. Throw in some red chili flakes, oregano, fennel seeds and cook for an additional minute or two.

While the aromatics are doing their magic, crush up a few cans of tomatoes. And because it’s fun to play with your food, I use my hands to do this.

Add the crushed tomatoes and the juices to the pot and stir in some chopped Italian parsley and bay leaves.

Simmer the ingredients, partially covered until it has reduced and thickened.

Add the basil and puree the ingredients until smooth. Season with additional salt, pepper and that’s it!

Simple to make and a delicious addition to any recipe that calls for a marinara. The sauce also freezes beautifully so you can always have it on hand.

Told ya it was easy.

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Marinara Sauce
Makes about 6 cups

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup diced onion
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
2 28-ounce cans whole, peeled San Marzano tomatoes (or standard plum tomatoes)
2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
2 dried bay leaves
1/4 cup chopped basil leaves
kosher salt and pepper
1 tablespoon sugar, as needed

In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic and cook for 3-4 minutes until they have become soft and translucent. Stir in the red chili flakes, oregano, fennel seeds and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes.

While the aromatics cook, pour the tomatoes into a large bowl with its juices. Using your hands, crush the tomatoes and discard any tough core pieces that may remain. Pour the crushed tomatoes and juices into the pot. Stir in the parsley and bay leaves. Allow the contents to come to a soft boil. Lower the heat to medium low and simmer, partially covered.

Allow the sauce to simmer for 30-40 minutes, occasionally stirring. Once the sauce has thickened and reduced, remove the pot from the heat and stir in the basil leaves. Remove and discard the bay leaves. Using an immersion blender (or standard blender), puree the sauce until smooth. Season with salt and pepper as needed. Depending on the tomatoes, you may need to add a bit of sugar to cut down some of the acidity.

The sauce can be used immediately or can be refrigerated in airtight containers for up to 3 days. You may also freeze the sauce for up to a few months, however, this recipe is not intended for pressure canning/jarring. Pressure canning/jarring recipes require a high amount of acidity to avoid harmful bacteria.

Drinks

Ringing in 2014 with Moscow Mules

December 31, 2013 The Culinary Chronicles8 Comments

We’re having a New Year’s Eve Cocktail Party tonight and are spending the day on some last minute preparations. Instead of a fussy sit down menu, my sister opted for an hors d’oeuvres spread. Some of our small bites will include chimichurri steak crostinis, smoked salmon, kalua pig sliders, gougères, sugarcane shrimp and papas rellenas. Hopefully a little something for everyone to enjoy while we’re counting down to 2014.

There will be of course, cocktails…..lots and lots of cocktails. My Red Wine Sangria has been steeping for 2 days now and our brother said he’s been dreaming up some Champagne Cocktails that he’ll be whipping up tonight.

I will be serving up one of my favorite’s–Moscow Mules. Moscow Mules have been around since the late 1930’s – early 40’s but thanks to hipsters, there’s been quite the resurgence of them which I love…..the drink, not the hipsters 🙂

Mules are quite easy to whip up since they only have a few ingredients–vodka, lime juice, ginger beer and a few dashes of bitters. However, I highly suggest using ginger beer and not ginger ale as ginger beer often will have more “bite” to it and is less sweet.

And with that, dear Friends, I wish you all a very, VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR filled with lots of good laughter, love, and Foodventures!

Cheers!

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Moscow Mules
Serves 1

Ingredients:

ice
2 ounces quality vodka
1/2 ounce lime juice
5 ounces ginger beer
2-3 dashes Angostura Bitters
mint sprigs and lime slices for garnish

Fill a Mule mug (or glass of your choice) with ice. Pour the vodka and lime juice over the ice. Slowly pour the ginger beer into the mug and stir with a straw. Add the dashes of Angostura Bitters to the top and garnish with lime slices and mint sprigs. Cheers!

Desserts/Pastries

Molasses Cookies with Gingerbread M&Ms

December 24, 2013 The Culinary Chronicles1 Comment

Have you baked your cookies for Santa yet?

No?

Then you’re in luck because I’ve got a little something for you!

When this gingerbread lovin’ gal got my little hands on a few bags of Gingerbread M&Ms, I knew I had to pair them together with my favorite Molasses Cookies that I bake a ton of around this time of year. The original cookies are slightly chewy and have that wonderful spiced, warm flavor.

The addition of the M&Ms added great texture, and of course, extra gingerbread flavor–always a good thing. I’m pretty sure if you left these cookies out for the Big Guy, you’d score some major points.

And with that, dear Friends, I wish you and your loved ones a very Happy Christmas!

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Molasses Cookies with Gingerbread M&Ms

Ingredients:

3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup light brown sugar
1 large egg at room temperature
1/4 cup molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1½ cups Gingerbread M&M candies
1 cup Granulated Sugar (to roll dough in)

In a medium bowl, mix together the melted butter, light brown sugar, and egg until smooth. Stir in the molasses and vanilla extract. In another bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger. Mix dry ingredients into the molasses mixture. Stir in 1 cup of the Gingerbread M&M candies. Cover and chill dough for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roll dough into walnut sized balls and roll them in the remaining 1 cup granulated sugar. Place cookies 2 inches apart onto parchment lined baking sheets. Using the bottom of a flat glass, gently press down on the cookies to lightly flatten. With the remaining Gingerbread M&Ms, add a few candies to the top/sides of each cookie dough, pressing them slightly in.

Bake for 7-8 minutes until tops are cracked. Remove from baking sheets and allow the cookies to cool on the sheets for 5 minutes before transferring them to wire racks to cool completely. Store the cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Desserts/Pastries

Mint Chocolate Chip Brownies

December 23, 2013 The Culinary Chronicles2 Comments

When I saw Nestle’s Dark Chocolate & Mint Morsels, I knew I just had to have them—in my brownies 🙂

I started these little goodies with my basic brownie batter and added mint extract along with the morsels. It’s really a no fuss recipe and the flavors were scrumptious. Chocolate and mint are a classic winning combo.

And since they’re such a quick dessert to whip up, they are the perfect last minute addition to your holiday events.

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Mint Chocolate Chip Brownies

Ingredients:

½ cup unsalted butter
1½ cups chocolate, roughly chopped
¾ cup packed light brown sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon mint extract
2 eggs
¾ cup flour
2 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking powder
1 cup dark chocolate and mint chips (or other chocolate mint candies of your choice)
½ tablespoon powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 inch square baking pan with parchment paper for easy removal. Cover parchment paper with cooking spray.

In a heatproof bowl, melt butter and chocolate in the microwave until smooth. Do this in 20 second intervals, stirring in between to ensure that you do not scorch the chocolate. Cool the chocolate mixture until room temperature. Stir in brown sugar, vanilla extract and mint extract. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, until mixture is glossy and smooth.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking powder. Stir in the dry ingredients into the the chocolate mixture until combined. Stir in 3/4 cup of the dark chocolate and mint chips. Spread the brownie batter evenly in pan. Sprinkle the remaining dark chocolate and mint chips over the top of the brownie batter.

Bake for 25-30 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the brownies completely before dusting the tops with the powdered sugar. Cut into squares and serve.

Drinks

Day 7 of A Week of Holiday Cocktails – White Cranberry Sangria

December 22, 2013 The Culinary ChroniclesLeave a comment

Well Folks, we made it. The last day of our Week of Holiday Cocktails.

Have y’all survived?

How’s the liver? 🙂

The last installment for the week is our White Cranberry Sangria. Cranberries always remind me of the holidays so why not use white cranberry juice in sangria? It turned out to be a lovely little cocktail to sip on for a daytime celebration or a casual get together. Tart, light, and a little bubbly from the last minute addition of soda water.

I have to admit, I had a helluva time testing and shaking up these goodies and I hope that it’s given you some fun ideas for your winter festivities. Thanks for hanging out for our Week of Holiday Cocktails — wishing you and your loved ones an amazing Holiday season!

Salute – dear Friends!

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White Cranberry Sangria

Ingredients:

2 bottles white wine (such as a Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc)
16 ounces white cranberry juice
1/2 cup Cointreau
1/4 cup brandy
juice of 1 lemon
2 cinnamon sticks
fresh fruit (ie. grapes, berries, apple slices, etc.)
12 ounces soda water

Pour the wine into a large pitcher and add cranberry juice, Cointreau, brandy, and lemon juice. Stir well. Add in cinnamon sticks and fruit. Chill for a minimum of 2-3 hours. Before serving, stir in soda and pour into glasses that have been filled with ice. Enjoy!

(ps. My big seesters wanted me to remind everyone to drink responsibility 🙂 )

Drinks

Day 6 of A Week of Holiday Cocktails – The Cosmopolitan

December 21, 2013 The Culinary Chronicles2 Comments

Miranda, Samantha, Charlottle and Carrie knew what they were talking.

Now at first glance, you may be saying to yourself — A Cosmopolitan? Isn’t that so 10+ years ago? And quite honestly, you may be right but these little beauties are so delish that I don’t mind if I’m a bit outdated. Just call me retro.

Cosmopolitans are a great cocktail for holiday entertaining. Not only are they tasty but they are one of those cocktails you can make in advance before your guests arrive. Once your guests are ready to have a drink, you can pour some of the pre-mixed Cosmos into a shaker filled with ice, shake for a bit and then strain into martini glasses. Or you can pre-portion them out into little glass bottles and then chill them in ice buckets. Your guests can then just grab their own little Cosmopolitan bottle and sip away. Definitely less fuss for you if you’re hosting.

The key to my version of the Cosmo is fresh grapefruit juice. It makes such a world of difference adding a slight bitter and floral edge to the drink—perfect to counterbalance the sweetness of the cranberry juice and Cointreau. Tart, slightly sweet and just such a pretty color.

Cheers!

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The Cosmopolitan
Serves 2

Ingredients:

ice
5 ounces premium vodka
1 ounce Cointreau
3 ounces cranberry juice
2 ounces fresh grapefruit juice
½ ounce fresh lime juice
orange peels for garnish

Fill a large cocktail shaker with ice. Add the vodka, Cointreau, cranberry juice, grapefruit juice and lime juice. Vigorously shake for 20 seconds and strain the cocktails between two martini glasses. Garnish with orange peels.

Drinks

Day 5 of A Week of Holiday Cocktails – Hōkū

December 20, 2013December 21, 2013 The Culinary Chronicles4 Comments

It’s day 5 of our Week of Holiday Cocktails and I have to admit, out of all of the drinks, I couldn’t wait to share with you all this one…..the Hōkū

At it’s core, it embodies each level that I look for in the flavor profile of an ideal cocktail. It’s highly aromatic, packs a great level of citrus acidity and well—it’s quite strong. Furthermore, the Hōkū is a nod to South East Asia and the Pacific Islands.

The Hōkū begins with a Kaffir Lime Infused Gin. Kaffir limes are prevalent in Southeast Asian cuisine and have not only a distinct flavor but appearance. On average they are the size of a small golf ball but have a bumpy exterior. They have a wonderful citrus tone that is reminiscent of lemongrass.

To make Kaffir Lime Infused Gin, place 15-20 kaffir lime leaves that have been slightly torn in a mason jar (or other resealable container). Add the zest of 1-2 kaffir limes and top off the jar with your choice of gin. Cap the jar and refrigerate for about 2-3 weeks, shaking the jar every few days. You’ll be surprised how well the kaffir limes pair with gin and it really adds such an unexpected kick.

The other wonderful component to this drink is starfruit. Not only are they quite pretty but they’ve got a unique, subtle flavor. To me, starfruits taste a bit like a grapes with a hint of citrus. I muddle starfruit with the kaffir lime infused gin, kaffir limes and a bit of sugar. The juices are then topped off with tonic water. As for the name, Hōkū is the Hawaiian word for star.

The Hōkūs pictured here were quite near and dear to my heart as I was able to use the starfruit from our mom’s old tree that now resides at our aunties home. Our mom was so proud of this tree as the fruit it grew were small but had the perfect starfruit flavor. She would often make a homey Vietnamese soup with them – Canh Khế or a bright Vietnamese salad – Gỏi Khế. Somehow I don’t think Mom would have been surprised to find that I’ve used her starfruit in a cocktail 🙂

And with that friends — Ōkole maluna! (Bottoms up!)

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Hōkū
Serves 2

Ingredients:

1 cup roughly chopped fresh starfruit
1 small kaffir lime, cut into quarters
1 teaspoon raw sugar
4 ounces kaffir lime infused gin*
ice
tonic water, about 6-8 ounces
2-3 dashes bitters
starfruit slices and kaffir lime leaves for garnish (optional)

In a cocktail shaker, muddle the starfruit, lime, and raw sugar. Add the gin and fill the shaker halfway with ice. Vigorously shake for 15-20 seconds and strain the liquids between two glasses filled with ice. Top off each glass with the tonic water and add a dash of bitters to each. Garnish with starfruit slices and kaffir lime leaves.