The Perfect Muffin Recipe

Usually, muffins are either too tough, too sweet, or both. Finally, I’ve got the recipe for one that is neither. These muffins are soft and fluffy with a very controllable taste. What I mean by this is that the sweetness of this recipe alone is perfect – pleasantly sweet and not overwhelming. It also allows for a variety of fillings through which you can further adjust the sweetness.

Ingredients:

Muffin

1 ¾ c. flour

1 ½ tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. cinnamon

1/3 c. canola oil

½ c. + 3 tbsp. granulated sugar

1 egg

¾ c. milk

1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract

Cinnamon Sugar Topping

1 tbsp granulated sugar

1/6 tsp (or heaping 1/8 tsp) cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350˚F
2. Whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon)
3. Whisk together wet ingredients (oil, sugar, egg, milk, vanilla) in a separate bowl
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and fold in until combined, making sure not to over-mix.
5. Line muffin tin with muffin liners
6. Fill each ¼ full with batter and add your fillings*
7. Completely fill each tin so they are ¾ full with batter and top with filling to garnish
8. Bake for 20-24 min.
9. While the muffins are baking, combine your sugar and cinnamon to make the topping.
10. When the muffins are done, immediately dip them into the cinnamon sugar mixture, making sure not to burn yourself. The hotter the muffins are, the better the sugar sticks.

*Fillings I have tried include: Nutella, cherries, blueberries, strawberry jam
You can also try walnuts, peanut butter, chocolate chips, pecans, apple, etc. If you want to flavor them with an extract, you have to experiment. When I had enough batter for two muffins left, I added about 1 tsp lemon extract and it was perfect. However, I do think using lemon zest would be better (different amounts though).  In my experience, these muffins do not lose any softness/fluffiness after sitting out on the kitchen table with no saran wrap for 12 hours. That is what I call impressive. Enjoy!

Food for Thought: Impression vs. Taste

Does your food taste better when you make it yourself or when someone makes it for you?

From experience...

Food usually tastes better when I make it myself (this excludes food made at fancy restaurants that just blow my mind). Why do I think it tastes better when I make it? For one, there is the self accomplishment factor. When you make your own meal, you not only enjoy whatever you made, which is tailored to suit your own taste buds, but you also get to relish the results of your hard work. So when you bite into that sandwich or that cake, what you experience is something that was specifically seasoned to your own liking and the fruits of your labor. In this way, the enjoyment factor is amplified by, what I call, suspense, creating a more satisfying impression.

Scientifically...

When you make your own food, you are constantly exposed to the smell of all the ingredients you are using. When you bake a cake, you are constantly smelling the vanilla extract or chocolate while making the batter. When you finally put the cake in the oven, the smell of the cake fills your entire house, so from the time you begin making it to the time you take the first bite, you have been exposed to the smell of the food. Since much of tasting is the result of smelling, this makes a huge difference. This prolonged olfactory stimulation results in habituation and desensitization. Therefore, when you finally eat the fruits of your labor, you are essentially eating without smelling. According to this, you would enjoy food more when someone makes it for you, in which case you would not be exposed to this constant stimulation.

Does this mean that your own impression of the food contributes more to enjoyment than does the actual taste of it? Perhaps some of you may prefer food made by others and would disagree.
What do you think?

Restaurant Week 2013: Unforgettable Experience at Dovetail

All my life, the "best-tasting" and "fanciest" and restaurant I had ever been to was probably the Bonefish Grill. So when I realized that we were going to be eating at Dovetail, a Michelin starred restaurant in New York, I had no idea what to expect. A few words, however, came to mind. Avant-ougarde. Delicious. Pretentious. Mind-blowing. Overrated. These are the key words I would always come across when reading about the best restaurants in the country. On the other hand, when I read the reviews for Dovetail, my expectations skyrocketed. The majority spoke well of the restaurant and I automatically deemed the harsh critics as the foodies who get to eat at these types of restaurants on a near daily basis.

Our reservation was for Friday, 11:45AM. While we got there a bit late at around 11:55AM, I was surprised to see the restaurant somewhat empty, causing my expectations to drop a tiny bit. However, within minutes, people coming out of work for their lunch break filled the empty tables.

Before I begin talking about the food, let me first establish that my expectations, on a scale of 1-10, was already a 9.

Our Dovetail experience began with the amuse bouche: white cheddar cornbread and black truffle arancini. As far as cornbreads go, that was undoubtedly the best cornbread I have ever eaten. The outside was very crisp but easily gave way when bitten into, revealing a super rich, moist, and soft inside.

Considering that I have never had an arancini before, I cannot really compare the second component of the course to anything. However, what I certainly can say is that it literally tastes like a little droplet of heaven…and cheese. At that point, I was at a loss for words and the only indication of the glorious flavor that filled my mouth was the giddy grin plastered across my face. I cannot imagine a better start to an unforgettable meal. 

For my appetizer, I ordered the beef carpaccio. The texture and bite of the meat somehow really reminded me of prosciutto and raw tuna at the same time. While the taste of the meat alone did not do much for me (in other words, no fireworks), I have no complaints about it – it was well seasoned and the bite was certainly interesting. However, once I paired it with the horseradish sauce and the frise (at least that's what I think it was) on top, the whole dish really came together. The acidity and heat from the horseradish sauce was perfectly balanced out by the bitterness of the frise, bringing out the meatiness of the carpaccio. This left me even more excited for the main course than ever.

For my main course, I chose to have the cobia escabeche. Upon first glance, the dish, while beautiful, did not look remarkable. Originally, I saw it as "just fish". But once I cut off a corner, scooped up some sauce, and took my first bite, I was amazed. That was, by far, the softest, most tender fish I have ever had in my life. Do not get me wrong, it did not crumble; in fact, it had a strange sort of elasticity to it. Quite honestly, the only thing that comes to mind is how the bite is similar to that of al dente pasta – cooked thoroughly, but not overdone. Just like the fish, the sauce too had an interesting aspect. It had a rather citrusy taste, which worked well with the fish. The bits of caviar (if it was not caviar, I really do not know what it was…) gave yet another interesting texture to the dish. While I thought it was impossible, this dish definitely exceeded my expectations, leaving me very happy and satisfied.

Finally, onto the dessert! I, of course, chose the most decadent one - the chocolate cremeux with whiskey-spiked marshmallow, coffee crumble, and dulce de leche. First of all, I could not help but notice how beautifully this dish was plated – I literally stared at it for a good minute, not wanting to ruin the masterpiece. Finally, I gathered up the strength to pull myself from my food-trance and cut into the chocolate cremeux. Whoever said that this was the most decadent dessert was not lying. The crème was extremely rich and creamy and melted right in my mouth. For my second venture, I went for what apparently was the whiskey marshmallow. I never thought alcohol would pair too well with a child's favorite snack, but of course, I was wrong. The marshmallow strip was super fluffy and had a real kick to it. When I then tried a bit of each component of the dish – marshmallow, cremeux, dulce de leche, and coffee crumble – I had an explosion of flavor happen right in my mouth. The coffee crumble was much crunchier than I could have imagined and brought a beautiful aroma to the dessert, whereas the dulce de leche gave a sweet and slight stickiness to the bite.

When all was done, I sat there with a rather stupid grin of satisfaction. After a near 7 block run on a warm day (in an attempt to make it on time to our reservation), $25, an afternoon in the city (yes, I am one of those people who hates spending time in a super crowded, hectic place), I can definitely say that it was all worth it. When asked what was so special about the dishes, the only thing I can say is that the meal was unimaginable. The flavors I tasted that day literally could not be imagined beforehand. In other words, I can mentally taste tomato, pasta, pound cake, etc. when prompted, but even after reading the main ingredients of the courses I had at Dovetail, my ideas of how the dishes should have tasted did not even come close. That, of course, proved to be a blessing.

After an unforgettable lunch, I am left with a final thought, both exciting and scary: If Dovetail, a one Michelin starred restaurant, blew my mind, what would a 3 Michelin starred restaurant do?

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies (No Flour/Butter!)

I often get criticized for making desserts that are too sweet; after all, my “food audience” generally consists of middle-aged Asian relatives with palettes unaccustomed to the sweetness of desserts typically served in the US (note that I did not say “American desserts”). With parents who are also borderline obsessive with health and eating what they consider healthy foods, I need to sparingly use butter, sugar, and anything that can possibly be deemed unhealthy.

Therefore, after looking at many diet dessert recipes and oatmeal recipes, I came up with the following for Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies that do not use flour or butter. Please note that I would much rather use more sugar, but the amounts shown below apparently satisfied the sugar-sensitive palettes of my Asian relatives. While I am not 100% satisfied with the sweetness level, the peanut butter flavor compensates for it. They are also super easy to make and use common household ingredients.

Ingredients:

½ c. peanut butter

1/3 c. light brown sugar

2 tbsp granulated sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg

1/3 c. old fashioned oats

½ tsp. baking soda

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350˚F
2. Whisk together the oats and baking soda and set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, microwave peanut butter to slightly melt it to a workable consistency. The stiffer it is, the better, but melting it makes it easier to mix it into the batter.
4. Add the brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, and egg to the bowl with the melted peanut butter. Make sure the peanut butter is not hot enough to cook the egg.
5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and fold it in, making sure not to over-mix.
6. If the batter is too runny, refrigerate until stiff enough to shape. My batter was paste-like, so I did not refrigerate, but it would not have hurt to refrigerate a bit.
7. Shape into 2 inches (or smaller) balls, 2 inches apart
8. Bake for 10-12 minutes and cool for 2 minutes. 

These cookies spread a lot so try not to flatten them when shaping them. They are also quite chewy/cakey in the middle. I liked to bake them a bit longer (closer to 12 min) to give it the crisp edges, which are more cookie-like. If this is not sweet enough, feel free to add in semi-sweet chocolate chips. I also used chunky peanut butter to give the cookies a bit of a crunch, but creamy works too. Enjoy!

Frozen Hot Chocolate with Toasted Marshmallows

During this hot summer, I was suddenly craving chocolate. As great as chocolate is it did not feel too season appropriate at the moment. I did not have any ice cream on hand, so that would not work, and hot chocolate or anything of the sort obviously would not work. Then I thought, what if I made “cold chocolate”? In the next few minutes, I created probably the best drink I have ever had. Here’s the recipe! Enjoy :D

Note: The photo really does not do the taste of this drink justice.

Ingredients:

3 tbsp granulated sugar

3 tbsp your favorite hot cocoa mix (I used Godiva)

2 tbsp unsalted butter

2/3 c. Semi-Sweet chocolate chips

12 oz. Evaporated Milk

4 ½ c. ice

Whipped Cream

Mini Marshmallows

Directions:

1. Whisk together sugar and cocoa mix and add butter to the top of a double boiler over gently boiling water. 

2. Stir often until it turns into a smooth paste.

3. Add semi-sweet chocolate chips.

4. Stir in ½ c. evaporated milk until smooth and cool to room temperature.

5. Pour the cooled mixture, remaining evaporated milk, and ice into a blender.

6. Blend until smooth.

7. Pour into your favorite mug or glass.

8. Top with whipped cream (See below to make your own whipped cream).

9. Stick a few marshmallows on top.

10. If you have a blow torch, roast the tops of the marshmallows a tiny bit until brown.

11. Enjoy!

If you do not have whipped cream on hand, you can make it yourself! J

Just whip about ½ c. of heavy cream (however much you need) in a chilled bowl until soft peaks form. Add in about 1-2 tsp of sugar and ½ tsp vanilla extract. These two additions are all to taste. Whip the cream until stiff peaks form. Use immediately.

I highly suggest you all try this recipe, even if it’s the middle of winter! You will not regret it.  

Zuppa Toscana from Olive Garden

I have always loved the Zuppa Toscana soup from Olive Garden. However, Olive Garden is not particularly cheap, I only got to have this soup maybe a few times a year at best. But now, after modifying a few recipes I found online, I can finally make it at home. And it is so easy! Here it is:






Ingredients:

1lb Italian Sausage

1 onion, diced

3 cloves of garlic, minced

Pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)

½ c. sherry wine

3 potatoes, diced (1 inch cubes)

2 cups of kale, chopped

4 cups chicken broth

1.5 cups water

1 cup heavy cream

Directions:

1. Remove the casings of the Italian sausages and place the meat into a large Dutch oven pot.

2. Turn the heat up to medium-high and use a wooden spoon to break up the sausages so that they become crumbly as they cook.

3. Remove the sausage from the pot, leaving the oil behind.

4. Add in the diced onion and cook on medium-low heat until translucent.

5. Add in the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook briefly, being careful not to burn them (about 1 minute).

6. Pour in the sherry wine and deglaze the pan.

7. Add the sausage, kale, potatoes, chicken broth, and water, stir to evenly distribute the soup components, and turn the heat up to medium-high.

8. Wait for the soup to boil and then reduce the heat down to medium to simmer for 20 minutes.

9. Add in the heavy cream slowly while stirring the soup.

10. Let the soup cook for about another minute to warm up the heavy cream.

11. Adjust with salt and pepper.

12. Serve and Enjoy! :D

When I made this soup, I used hot Italian sausage, so I left out the red pepper flakes. However, if you are using regular Italian sausages that are not at all spicy, I highly suggest you add the red pepper flakes to give it that extra kick. Furthermore, note that you can use white wine instead of sherry wine. The amount of potatoes is also adjustable. My brother loves potatoes, so I used 4 instead of 3 once. It did not affect the taste of the soup too much, but there sure was a lot of potato in that soup. For me, 3 potatoes was perfect.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy the soup! J

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars

Just a while ago, I discovered my, now, go-to recipe for dessert. Not only does it taste heavenly, but it is also extremely fun to make. The tanginess of the cheesecake contrasted with the sweetness of the chocolate chip cookie dough gives these bars just the kick they need to be absolutely irresistible and addicting.

Ingredients:

Crust:

1.5 graham cracker crumbs

5 tbsp butter

Cookie Dough:

5 tbsp butter, softened

1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed

3 tbsp sugar

¼ tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

¾ cup flour

1 cup chocolate chips

Cheesecake Filling:

1 pkg cream cheese (8 oz.), room temp.

¼ cup sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

Chocolate Topping:

1/3 cup chocolate chips

1 tsp shortening

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325°F

Crust:

1. Line an 8 x 8 pan with foil or parchment paper and grease it lightly.

2. In a bowl, melt the butter and mix in the graham cracker crumbs. It should have a sand-like consistency.
3. Press the crust mixture into the bottom of the lined pan using your hands or a flat-bottomed cup.
4. Bake for 6 minutes. Take the pan out of the oven to cool as you are preparing the rest of the cheesecake

Cookie Dough:
1. Cream the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy.
2. Whisk in the vanilla extract and salt.
3. Add the flour and fold in until just combined.
4. Briefly stir in chocolate chips until evenly distributed.
5. Store it in the refrigerator as you are preparing the cheesecake mixture.

Cheesecake:
1. Beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth.
2. Add the egg and vanilla extract. Mix until just incorporated.
3. Pour the batter into the cooled crust and distribute evenly.
4. Take the cookie dough out of the fridge and, using your hands, crumble it on top of the cheesecake mixture.
5. Gently pat the cookie dough to even out the surface.
6. Bake for 30 minutes, or until set.
7. Transfer it to a wire rack to cool. Place it in the refrigerator when cooled and let it chill for several hours so the cheesecake is fully hardened.
8. Remove it from the pan and cut it into 16 pieces (you may also cut it into 32 bite-sized pieces).

Chocolate Topping:
1. Combine the shortening and chocolate chips and microwave at 20 second intervals until half melted.
2. Continuously whisk the mixture until the rest of the chocolate melts and the mixture is smooth. Microwave it briefly again to melt further if necessary.
3. Drizzle over the bars to finish.

Notes: You can substitute butter for shortening in the chocolate topping. I also suggest drizzling the chocolate over the cheesecake after you cut it. If the chocolate hardens and then you cut it, it will crack and break. For easy cleanup, you can cut the cheesecake on a cutting board covered by the original parchment paper or foil. Then, drizzle on the chocolate and transfer the bars to a serving plate. This saves you the hassle of cleaning crumbs and/or chocolate drippings off of the cutting board.

Enjoy!