Searching4Zen

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  • Five Spice Shortbread

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    After much experimentation, I found a way to give the savory “warm” five-spice taste to sweets by substituting powdered ginger for the peppercorns. Ingredients 2 teaspoons ground ginger 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 2 teaspoons ground cardamom 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves 1/2 teaspoon ground star anise 1/4 cup turbinado or other granulated sugar 1 chilled log […]

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  • Butter Shortbread Cookie Dough

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    I’m really enthusiastic about this dough. It produces shortbread and other cookies that are everything they should be: buttery, just sweet enough, crisp, yet melt-in-your-mouth tender, too. Some, me included, like their butter cookies plain. Others like them with flavorful additions, like chocolate. To satisfy everyone, this chapter offers both. To make the various cookies, […]

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  • Double Chocolate-Ginger Shortbread

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    My personal discovery that chocolate and ginger make an awesome flavor combination occurred when I accidentally dropped some candied ginger in a bowl of ganache. I felt like the kid in the commercial for Reese’s peanut butter cups when he realizes that peanut butter and chocolate are it. These addictive cookies benefit from the chocolate-ginger […]

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  • Corinne Trang’s Sweet and Spicy Asian Mango Salsa with Grilled Shrimp

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    Ingredients 4 Unripe to semi-ripe mangoes, peeled and julienned or diced 6 to 8 fresh mint leaves, freshly torn 1/3 cup roasted, unsalted peanuts, crushed 1 to 2 red Thai chilies, seeded and sliced into thin rounds 1/4 cup lemon juice 1/4 cup fish sauce 1/4 cup maple syrup 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil Instructions In […]

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  • Asian Mole

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    Ingredients 2 large onions, chopped 1/4 cup chopped garlic 1/4 cup chopped ginger 4 serrano chiles, chopped 1 cup red wine 1 cup dried cranberries 1/2 cup water 1 tablespoon minced thyme 3 tablespoons toasted black sesame seeds 1/4 pound dark unsweetened chocolate, chopped Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper Canola oil for cooking […]

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  • Green Chile-Braised Beef With Potatoes And Caramelized Onions / Carne de Res Guisada con Chile Verde, Papas y Cebollas

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    Ingredients 2 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil, fresh-rendered pork lard or bacon drippings 2 pounds boneless beef short ribs or boneless beef chuck, cut into 3-inch pieces (when using chuck, I buy a beef chuck roast and cut it into roughly 2-inch chunks) Salt 3 large fresh poblano chiles 2 medium white or red onions, […]

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  • Apple, Bacon and Sage Pizza

    1 hour 20 mins.
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    This pizza topped with a creamy béchamel sauce and bursting with fall flavors was created for the Breville pizza maker. To bake the pizza in a standard oven, place a pizza stone in the oven and preheat the oven to 500°F (260°C). Roll out the dough as directed below, but don’t prick it with a […]

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  • Thin-Crust Pizza Dough

    20 mins.
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    Ingredients 1 1/2 tsp. active dry yeast 1 tsp. sugar 3/4 cup warm water (about 105°F) 1 cup cake flour 1 cup plus 3 Tbs. all-purpose flour 1 1/4 tsp. kosher salt 2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil Instructions In a small bowl, whisk together the yeast, sugar and warm water and let stand until foamy, […]

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  • Spaghetti Pie with Pecorino and Black Pepper

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    This pie plays off the flavors of classic cacio e pepe — these flavors will be, delightfully, the strongest — but, of course, I fiddled with it a little. The first time, I made it with 8 ounces each of pecorino romano and fontina (because although I love cheddar, I just couldn’t). The second time, […]

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  • Tahini

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    Ingredients 1 cup sesame seeds 2 tablespoons or more mild olive oil, a neutral oil such as grapeseed oil, and/or a small amount of sesame oil Salt (optional) Equipment Measuring cups and spoons Skillet or rimmed baking sheet Wooden spoon Food processor (or mortar and pestle, or blender) Spatula Storage container Instructions Toast raw sesame […]

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