Breton Cake ....Kouign Amann,,,,,,..for kitchen! kitchen!

The wonderful buttery, flaky miracle from Brittany! Kouign Amann-
 finally in my kitchen ! (This was posted a month ago)
 

Breton Cake or Kouign Amann
A 9" cake version of the Kouign Amann

Indeed a great pastry to serve this holiday season! When faced with a challenge.....I just glow with anticipation and happiness when followed by success!

Special Order Only /Contact: jaenwitt@aol.com

kouign amann....at kitchen! kitchen!

NKA
Nina Koguin Amann
 

This fabulous cake/bread pastry from Brittany is taking everybody in NYC by storm including myself.

My niece and I trekked down to Soho to experience the CRONUT, the latest craze and invention of Dominique Ansel's Bakery. Well, they were sold out, so we ended up getting the second choice which was the kouign amann or DKA ( moniker for Dominique Kouign Amann). I fell instantly in love with this buttery, pastry! Forget about the cronut! My niece who does recipe research for me every now and then, did just that and sent a recipe of this fabulous pastry. I tested and tasted for almost a month. There were nights that I must have I slept with some flecks of flour on my hair. There were happy friends and relatives who got some of my experimented NKA. Not an easy task to undertake - but after reading up on several books, my notes on baking, and my instinct of " what if I do this instead", I finally perfected it to my absolute satisfaction. Baking this pastry is very laborious, but so worth it.

This deserves another trip to Soho and try Dominique Ansel's new invention, "the magic souffle". Of course they were sold out. Again, my friend and I settled on the DKA. As soon I bit into that pastry, I was overjoyed and disappointed at the same time. Overjoyed because my version of the kouign amann was so much better and tastier. Mine was a lot flakier, more buttery, and lighter. Disappointed because the original was no longer to my satisfaction.

I admire Dominique Ansel for being innovative and for getting out of the box. He is indeed one of the best if not the best pastry chef.

But, for me to be able to improve on something a famous pastry chef made and trusting myself  by getting out of my comfort zone, I was able to improve and create my own version of this fabulous pastry. Calling it my own NKA was very euphoric.

Special Order Only/For Information: email address: jaenwitt@aol.com

apples and pork chops.....at kitchen! kitchen!

Sauteed Apples And Pork chops
Nothing complicated, simple and delicious!

There is nothing complicated about this dish. Takes no more than 1/2 hour to prepare yet, so delicious and happily satisfying.

For 1 Serving:

3 thin slices of pork chops - season with salt and pepper
1 whole Fuji or granny smith apples cored and sliced about 1/4 inch thick
1 tablespoon of butter
Olive Oil
1 teaspoon sugar

Sear the seasoned pork chops on a very hot skillet with olive oil for 3-4 minutes on each side until golden and set aside cover with foil.
On the same pan - add the butter (more if you like); add the sliced apples, pinch of salt, and sugar. Cook the apples until soft and browned a little. Don't allow it to get mushy.
Remove from pan add more butter and olive oil to the pan to drizzle on the dish before serving.
Garnish with flat leaf parsley and serve with your favorite greens.

Hake Fish lightly battered and delicious!....at kitchen! kitchen!

Lightly battered hake fish steaks with grilled sweet onions,
fennel bulb, and a slaw of romaine lettuce.
Drizzle with a layering of fresh and light tomato sauce
and aoili is a treat to your palate.

Hake fish is similar to cod fish.  I never had hake fish before, but looking at the fresh white fillets made me think, "why not"! So, here I was armed with hake fillets. The pieces were cut into rectangular shape like a steak. I wondered if I would be rewarded with a delicious tasting fish. Well, it looks like cod so, it must be good. And indeed the dish turned out be such a rewarding adventure for me.

4 fillets of hake fish (or cod) cut in half
Kosher salt
Black pepper
1/2 cup of flour mixed with 1 tablespoon of corn meal and a pinch of salt - set aside in a bowl
1/4 cup canola oil or olive oil

Grilled Fennel and Sweet White Onion:
1 fennel bulb cut in half - remove the outer skin with blemish and brush with olive oil
1 peeled white onion cut in half  and brushed with olive oil
Grill the fennel bulb and onion until soft and cooked through - set aside

Fish:
Season with salt and pepper; lightly dredge in the flour/corn mixture and shake of the excess
Cook in a hot pan with oil until browned on each side for about 3-4 minutes on each side

Romaine Lettuce:
1 cup of romaine slaw

Tomato Sauce:
6 cherry tomatoes cut in halves or heritage cherry tomatoes
1 small can of tomato juice
1 tsp. of tomato paste
5 cloves of garlic minced
2 tablespoon of olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt
Black pepper
Pinch of red flakes hot pepper *optional*
Sautee the garlic until fragrant in olive oil; add the tomatoes, tomato paste, and hot pepper. Stir and mix well. Add the tomato juice and simmer for about 10-15 minutes. Add more olive oil if necessary.

Aoili: (Mayonnaise Aoili)
3/4 cup of mayonnaise
3 cloves of garlic minced or pounded into a paste
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Whisk all ingredients in a bowl and correct seasoning.

Whole Wheat Pasta With Anchovies......at kitchen! kitchen!

 A delightfully delicious whole wheat pasta with anchovies.
There is nothing complicated about this dish except a promise
of pure delight!


 

The simplicity of a dish will often bring joy to one's palate and makes one think of how good life has been. That maybe after all, Someone up there watches over you. It made me think of my mom and my family back in the Philippines. There is this locally made anchovies from the old country that I always fill up my extra luggage with. These are the wonderful anchovies that I could only get in there. A friend told me that it is available now in California. But somehow, the fact that I struggled  ( you have no idea how much 2 dozens of jars weigh) to bring some with me back to the States made it more special.

My Cupboard:

4-6 pieces of anchovies (Connie's Gourmet Anchovies) or Canned Anchovies)
*Chop 4 anchovies and live 2 whole for garnish later*
1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp. of hot red pepper flakes
5-6 cloves of mince garlic
a pinch of salt
Whole Wheat Pasta or regular Pasta
1 tablespoon of tomato paste
Basil leaves

Cook the pasta and follow instruction on the package **** reserve some of the pasta water**

Sautee the garlic in a pan with olive oil until fragrant (do not burn) add the tomato paste and a pinch of salt. Stir and add the chopped anchovies, pepper flakes and some pasta water. Simmer for 3-4 minutes adding more pasta water and olive oil as needed. Add the chopped basil and pour in the cooked pasta into the pan and add freshly grated parmesan cheese.
Garnish with whole anchovies and serve with garlic bread.

steamed flounder filet with "succotash"...at kitchen! kitchen!

Steamed Flounder Filet And Succotash
Delightfully cushioned on a bed of
baby arugula.

Spring break for my nephew Matthew means a visit from his parents. Always a welcome spring treat for me. A lot of cooking and shopping are always in store and both are my favorites! So, on the last day of the visit, what is more delicious and easy to prepare but steamed flounder filet and a more easier side dish of pre-bought package of Trader's Joe's Soycutash! A must have for everyone for those "asap" days.

So very easy.....
1 pkg. of fresh flounder filet
1 pkg. of Trader's Joe's frozen "Soycutash"
Season the fish with salt and black pepper with a squeeze of fresh lemon
and sprigs of fragrant dill; wrapped completely in foil.
On a deep baking dish or pan with water (about 1" high), place a small rack and place the wrapped fish on top and bake for 20-30 minutes on a 350F preheated oven.
Follow direction on the package of the "Soycutash"
Pour some of the fish drippings on the dish and serve the rest as a sauce.

Winter squash....the sweetest of winter.....at kitchen! kitchen!

Winter Squash...the sweetest of winter...
roasted then drizzled with balsamic reduction.
Sweet, healthy and delicious!

Winter squash is one of my favorite winter vegetable....it satisfies my sugar cravings, easy to prepare and simply delicious as a side dish.

One whole winter squash (acorn squash) The rind of this squash is difficult to cut....be very careful.
What I do is cut it in half and then in wedges. I leave the rind on when roasting to keep the squash whole and not mushy. Sprinkle some olive oil on the wedges and roast at 350F for about 1/2 hr. until fork tender. While the squash is hot sprinkle some balsamic reduction. Great as a side dish for just about anything. So, instead of potatoes, why not roasted winter squash...the sweetest of winter!

Balsamic Reduction:
1/2 cup of good balsamic vinegar - reduce until thick on a sauce pan add some honey according to desired sweetness and a little olive oil and whisk.

A little bit of everything.....at kitchen! Kitchen!

Sometimes a little bit of everything but loaded with mouth watering goodness is all you need. Leftovers do not have to be "leftovers" in the real sense of the word. It's a bit of challenge to spin leftovers into a new dish. As a foodie, I loved to make a new dish out of leftovers. It is very gratifying both for one self and one's pocket. I hate throwing food out and if I do, the guilt is so enormous that 3 Hail Mary's just won't do it. So, here I am, faced with half of the smoked eel from the other day, and some matjes herring filets.

Divinely satisfying served with some buttered toasts and roasted carrots, parsnips, tomatoes, and perfectly boiled eggs.


A varying taste of sweet, salty, vinegary, and smoky
just dancing in your palate!

Iceberg lettuce and gravlax.....at kitchen! kitchen!

A delightful salad of home made gravlax, iceberg lettuce, baby arugula,
and some sweet cherry tomatoes with  agave nectar grainy mustard dressing.

Hello there! I guess, in a way I kind of neglected by blog for a bit, but certainly not my cooking and baking. Now, that I can again download photos from my own files, I will be posting more of my dishes that are just waiting in the wings to be shared to all my friends and followers.

Having a home done cured gravlax handy is so convenient for one of those delicious and quick to prepare salads or sandwiches. With several slices of this wonderful cured salmon will easily perk up anyone's appetite as I have here.


Gravlax Salad:
A quarter of whole iceberg lettuce
A handful of baby arugula
Some slices of ever sweet cherry tomatoes
Several thin slices of GRAVLAX - my recipe is only a guide for me and I don't measure, instead I still do this curing process by taste....so I will suggest that you google for the exact recipe.

Agave Nectar Mustard Dressing:
1 tablespoon of grainy Dijon mustard
2-3 tablespoons of Agave nectar or honey
2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar (diluted in 1 tablespoon water)
Pinch of salt and black pepper
3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
Whisk vigously until well incorporated

to you from....kitchen! kitchen!

Hello -

 

 

kitchen! kitchen! will be taking a break from posting new dishes for a while on this blog....until such time that downloading new photos from a different file will be easier and less cumbersome. The upgraded new way has some limitations that is very challenging to my patience, and more difficult to do. In other words, I have to sign up to whatever new upgrade the site has.

To some of my followers and facebook friends, I will be posting photos of dishes every now then on FB for now!

Until then!

Stuffed meatball...at kitchen! kitchen!

Veal Meatball Stuffed With Egg And Hollandaise Sauce

Double Chocolate Cupcakes 

 

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To ring in 2013.....we always have the dinner table laden with circular shaped food and desserts. The shape of a circle represents "coins" or money; so you greet the new year hoping for prosperity and good luck in the coming year. Well, there is no harm in adhering to this tradition. So, this is exactly what I did. I will let you know next year if it worked.

1-1/2 lb. of Ground Veal
Amazing Dry Rub
2 tablespoons of butter milk
1 beaten egg
1 small onion finely chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
4 small eggs (hard boiled) peeled
1 cup bread crumbs

Mix all the ingredients in a large ball and enclosed one boiled egg covering it completely.
Dredge each ball in bread crumbs and brown in a pan with a hot oil; brown all sides.
Continue cooking in a preheated oven 350 F for another 20-25 minutes.
Allow the meatballs to cool before slicing it in half with a very sharp knife.
Garnish with shopped parsley and serve with hollandaise sauce.
*Please goggle for Hollandaise sauce*

Double Chocolate Cupcake: courtesy of Tarts and Quiches

it's time to slow down a bit....at kitchen! kitchen!

A Crispy Vegetarian Burger With Spicy Yogurt Sauce On Whole Wheat Pita

Hi everyone....wishing you all a very happy 2013! 
Now, that the "feasting" is behind us, I think it's time to slow down a little bit. For me at least. We all love and anticipates the holidays that follow after Halloween. Who wouldn't be! We look forward to Thanksgiving then Christmas. A time to see family and friends, go shopping, making the house look festive, cocktails and dinners with friends, cooking, baking, and gift giving. Then comes the bidding goodbye to the old year and ringing in the new. It's a good excuse to enjoy all those cocktails my friends. 
So, here I am after some quite time, I decided to do a simple dish like this vegetarian burger. It is so easy and just so very delicious! It's the kind of meal that says, "give me back my waist please"! So, here we go and come follow me.

INGREDIENTS:

2 - 15 oz. cans of chickpeas - rinse and drained
1 small onions minced
1 cup cilantro finely chopped
1 jalopeno finely minced *optional*
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons Tahini * optional*
1 beaten egg
1 pkg. of Pita bread
For Dredging:
Use 3 separate bowls for dredging ingredients.
1 beaten Egg (add a little water)
1/2 cup flour
1-1/2 cups of panko
Yogurt Sauce:
2 cups plain Greek yogurt
Pinch of salt
Seeded cucumber and minced (use 1/2 of the English cuke)
1 clove of minced garlic *optional*
Agave or honey -according to taste
Mix very well in a bowl and set aside

Mashed the the chickpeas leaving some intact for texture; add the tahini and the rest of the ingredients mixing until well incorporated.
Heat 1/2 cup of vegetable or canola oil in a large pan until real hot
Scoop about the size of an ice cream scooper the chickpea mixture forming into a ball and flattening it as you dredge each one in the FLOUR, then the EGG MIXTURE, and finally dredge it in PANKO (adding more panko if necessary) and onto the hot pan. Brown each side and drain. Do this until all the chickpea burgers are done.
Serve it inside the pita bread with romaine lettuce and slices of grape tomatoes or any of your favorite greens.

I guarantee ... it is so very delicious and your waist will love you!