Tag Archives: dessert

Dining, Recipes

Recipe: Sticky Rice with Kiwi

I thought it time to mix up my fave summer treat, mango and sticky rice, with a colorful twist. Golden kiwi and black/purple glutinous rice in sweet coconut milk. This is a gluten-free and “mostly” dairy-free dessert that I appreciate for its hot-and-cold temps in the same dish.

“Mostly” because the stevia I use at home is Trader Joe’s 100% Pure Stevia Extract powder that lists lactose in its ingredient info (the organic version does not contain lactose). If you’re paranoid about artificial sweeteners (or want to avoid the aftertaste), stick to regular sweeteners that contain sucrose, glucose or fructose. Authentic Thai sticky rice calls for palm sugar or coconut sugar.

This recipe requires a little prep time before getting to the end product. The rice needs to soak in water for about 4-6 hours, overnight if possible before steaming or cooking on the stove top.

My instructions call for a 30-45 minute stove top cook using a sauce pan with a vented lid.

  • 4oz black glutinous rice
  • 8oz water
  • 4.5oz coconut milk (reserve half a 9oz can)
  • 2 tsp stevia (or sub with sugar)

Bring to a boil, then partially cover with lid askew and simmer rice at low-medium heat. Cook until liquids are fully absorbed and rice becomes soft-sticky. Let cooked rice stand for 5 minutes while making the coconut milk sauce:

  • 4.5oz coconut milk
  • 2 tsp stevia (or sub with sugar)

Warm the coconut milk and stir in the sweetener until incorporated. Garnish with sliced fruit, in this case, I chose a medium sized golden kiwi, sliced. Arrange rice and fruit in a bowl or cup, drizzle with coconut sauce then  serve.

 

Dining, Recipes

Recipe: (Almost Great) Gluten Free Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Oh yeah…this is (almost) it. The perfect chocolate chip cookie is within my grasp…if only I can make it sugar-free, but there’s something marvelous in the chemistry of brown sugar + white sugar that results in the texture and taste of an awesome chocolate chip cookie. Sugar-free sweeteners just can’t compare, not to mention they can’t nail down the molecular magic that comes from using real sugar.

After poring over tests, photos and baking instructions in the Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie Guide and tweaking King Arthur’s gluten free recipe, I’ve come up with this list of ingredients and baking guidelines that is repeat baking-worthy, even if it doesn’t provide instant gratification (unless you’re the type to eat raw cookie dough).

There are some tools required for this endeavor to be successful: a stand mixer, a cookie scoop (1 or 2 oz), baking sheet and cooling rack (silicone mat optional), an oven that heats up to reliable temps, and fridge space to store the cookie dough overnight.

I’ve halved the King Arthur recipe to better suit the robust appetites of 2 cookie-loving adults, not to mention control batch sizes and reduce cookie scooping when baking.

  • 113g salted butter
  • 107g brown sugar
  • 37g coconut sugar
  • 40g stevia baking blend
  • 10g granulated white sugar
  • 1 teaspoons gluten-free vanilla extract
  • 2 jumbo eggs
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 181g King Arthur Gluten-Free Flour (ensure this mix has no xanthan gum included)
  • 1 teaspoons xanthan gum
  • 227g chocolate chips (I’ve used 4oz chocolate chunks and 4oz stevia sweetened chocolate chips)

In a stand mixer, beat the butter, sweeteners, vanilla and salt till runny. Add eggs one at a time, while scraping and beating until combined.

In separate bowl, mix flour blend, xanthan gum, baking powder, and baking soda.

Add dry ingredients into the wet mixture, then fold in the chocolate chips until evenly distributed.

Cover the dough and refrigerate overnight, which will solidify the dough mix. This part is also critical to fully developing the flavor of the cookie. 

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a baking sheet with a nonstick cooking spray (I used a coconut oil spray) or use a silicon mat.

I highly recommend baking 1 or 2 test cookies to account for oven temperature and rack placement before proceeding with batch baking. Once you’ve achieved your perfect test cookie, scoop balls of dough onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving space to spread between them.

Bake the cookies for 9-10 minutes, until golden brown. Again oven temps and baking surfaces may vary your results. But I’ve found that I can pull my cookies at the 9 minute mark and let them sit in the pan up to 5 minutes. Afterwards, I transfer them to a rack to cool. Don’t let it cool completely though…coz, there’s nothing more delightful to eat than a warm, soft-melty, crisp-around-the-edges chocolate chip cookie.

 

 

Dining, Recipes

Recipe: GF Pumpkin Walnut Blondie

Earlier this summer I experimented with a gluten-free dream bar/coconut bar recipe that used a homemade condensed coconut milk sweetened with stevia. Sadly, I didn’t consider it a success as it didn’t really have the sweet, rich, mouth-coating flavor that I associated with dream bars. I also mistakenly added baking chocolate to the bar which made it hard to eat.

In researching ways to tweak the dream bar recipe, I stumbled upon a paleo-friendly recipe for pumpkin blondie,  using almond butter to achieve the moist chewy texture that I was looking for.

Before I embark on testing the concept with my cococonutty dream bar recipe, I recreated the pumpkin blondie to make it gluten free and with walnuts. I also went with coconut sugar instead of stevia to see how I would like it. And you know what, it turned out great!

  • 0.50 Tsp, Cinnamon
  • 0.50 tsp, Baking Soda
  • 0.50 tsp, Spices, pumpkin pie spice
  • 3 tbsp(s), Chopped Walnuts
  • 180 gram, 100% Pure Pumpkin Puree
  • 96 gram (2 tbsp), Almond Butter, Smooth (unsweetened)
  • 2 tsp, Pure Vanilla Extract
  • 0.50 tsp, Baking Powder
  • 96 gram, Gluten Free Multi-purpose Flour (King Arthur)
  • 2 tablespoon (21g), Organic Wild Forest Raw Neem Honey
  • 18.75 tsp, Coconut Sugar

Preheat oven to 325F.

Line an 8×8 baking pan with parchment paper and grease with a little bit of coconut oil. I left some paper overhang on my pan so that I could easily lift the blondies out.

Warm the honey and almond butter in a microwave-safe bowl, then add to a stand mixer.  With the mixer on low speed, add all wet ingredients and mix until incorporated.

Meanwhile, sift cinnamon, baking soda, pumpkin spice, baking powder, gluten free flour and coconut sugar in a bowl. Then slowly add these dry ingredients to the stand mixer, and continue to mix, scraping the sides of the bowl every once in awhile.

Pour batter into the pan, and smooth until even. I prefer jiggling the pan until the batter is level. Sprinkle chopped walnuts over batter, then place into oven to bake for 50-55 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Cut into 16 squares (I used a pizza cutter).

IMG_20160818_102521054

The recipe instructions explained the low-and-slow bake time to achieve different textures. The latter bake time resulted in a medium moist blondie that was soft in the middle, crispy at the edges. When I bake this again, I’ll be sure to try the shorter bake time for a softer finish.

Yields 16 bars.

Nutrition calculator:

Calories 97
Total Fat 4 g
Total Carbohydrate 14 g 
Dietary Fiber 1 g
Sugars 7 g
Protein 2 g

Bites and Finds, Dining

Reacquainted with a fave pearl: boba

I grew up with Filipino desserts that featured tapioca pearls known as sago. I’ve had them in hot drinks (sago at gulaman), cold drinks (halo-halo), and soups. This last preparation is generally known as ginataang halo halo, a coconut cream-based hot dessert featuring plantains, taro, yams, jackfruit, bilo-bilo (sticky rice balls) and tapioca pearls. (There is a variation of dessert ginataan known as ginataang mais, but possesses the texture of rice pudding and lacks the tapioca pearls.)

The Filipino dessert of which I have the fondest memories is taho, a hot drink made with liquefied sugar, soft tofu and tapioca pearls. It’s probably the only preparation of tofu I’d ever consume without hesitation–as long as the tofu has absorbed the sweetness fully. However, I have consumed taho with the tofu withheld upon request, and it is ultimately preferable to the tofu/sago mixture. 

Nowadays, tapioca pearls have become part of a mainstream drink sensation known as boba tea, which originated in Taiwan. Of course, the main ingredients is the boba (tapioca pearls or bubbles) and milk tea. I’ve never been a fan of tea, so I steered clear of the lactose variation. Luckily, boba drinks expanded to include juices, smoothies and slushes. So I’ve been partaking regularly of these versions with the boba thrown in. Since my preference generally steers towards mango, I’ve been trying all sorts of combinations: mango pineapple, mango strawberry, mango banana or just plain mango. I’ve even had lychee slush with boba–and may have to ask for mango lychee one of these days.

The tapioca pearls vary in texture from dense and chewy to soft and gummy. A version of boba known as pop boba contains a flavored center in a normally chewy tapioca shell. Other popular addons include jelly (or nata de coco), flan and of course chopped fresh fruit. Of course, like halo-halo, the more addons the better! This passing familiarity with Filipino desserts is what keeps me hooked on boba drinks, and I’m glad they’ve taken hold here in the U.S.

 

Dining, Reviews

Diet busters

La Madeleine French Bakery & Cafe

2417 S Stemmons Fwy
Lewisville, TX 75067
(972) 459-5900

La Madeleine has lost some of its glamour over the years. Prices have skyrocketed and quality has suffered. It’s still a great spot to have lunch with the girlfriends and escape from the hustle-and-bustle or take a break from shopping. But wilted greens and bad-tasting chicken on a $12 salad can ruin one’s mood; despite the pick-up you can get from the dessert counter. I was dismayed to learn they now offer “reduced-calorie” tomato basil soup–smacks too much of corporate marketing. But the regular tomato basil soup still tastes fantastic, and you can never go wrong with their mushroom sauce on chicken friande or quiches. That same mushroom sauce is wicked good over a dinner pasta or chicken crepes. The dessert selection, of course, is as sinfully tempting as ever…it’s rare to walk out from the bakery without a to-go box of tarts, tortes, or sweet pastries.

My rating: 3.5 stars
***1/2

Brazilian Cowboy Steakhouse & Grill

1320 N. Central Expwy
Plano, TX 75074
(972) 881-8600

On our way to Plano on an errand, my man and I were stunned to discover this churrascaria off 75 and 15th. We cut our errand short, did a u-turn and drove back to it.

A word about the digs: the yellow-bricked building–once tenanted by a Tex-Mex restaurant–is something of an eyesore. If you’re used to Fogo or Texas de Brazil’s pretty facades, you won’t find anything appealing about the garish paint job, the old parking lot, or the ill-used patio. It looks onto a service road right next to busy Central Expressway. The tacky “grand opening” banners hanging over the doors will convince you there are no pretensions here.

But walk into the restaurant and you’ll notice that it’s calm, clean and orderly; Portuguese music plays overhead which partly drowns out the traffic noise. Servers are busily keeping plates and glasses refilled and tables cleared; groups of diners appear absorbed in getting their meat comas. A blackboard overlooks the dining room, announcing live music on certain nights and all the weekly deals, ranging from “date night” to “happy hour specials”.

The salad bar is small and contains only the basics: green salads, chicken salads, potato salads, some fresh vegetables. They also have a hot bar, chafing dishes filled with rice, stews, soups–what I assume are Brazilian standards–all very tasty and capably rendered. Tableside, my man and I were treated to some of the best cheese popovers I’ve ever had–better than any I’ve eaten at rival churrascarias.

But as with all Brazilian steakhouses, meat is king here. During our Saturday lunch, all of the expected players were represented: spicy sausages, bacon-wrapped chicken and beef, drumsticks, spicy beef, garlic beef, flank steak, top sirloin, house picanha. Add to that, grilled pineapple and smoky bacon-wrapped stuffed jalapenos (the latter an excellent surprise).

While I feasted on some of the best garlic beef I ever tasted, I closed my eyes and imagined I was in Rafain–partly because the traffic on 75 was distracting and partly to determine the quality of the food. I then concluded that the food was comparable if not better than all of the high-dollar Brazilian steakhouses I’ve been to in DFW: Fogo, Rafain, Texas de Brazil, Mastergrill–I’ve tried them all. As I ran down the mental list of experiences so far, I realized I had no complaints with Brazilian Cowboy’s food…and when the check arrived, the veil lifted from my eyes. I had been overpaying for the hype and glamor all these years at those overpriced restaurants.

Brazilian Cowboy brings the churrascaria to the masses; and it’s about time somebody did! This place exceeded my experience with Delicias Brazil in Irving and is now my number one choice for budget Brazilian steakhouse dining. Not in the mood for a buffet? Try their light menu: single-serving meat plates, burgers, sandwiches, pizza, and a full range of bar food appetizers.

Now, to convince the staff to keep the shades drawn while I dine there….

My rating: 4.0 stars
****