Well, another year has rolled by and it’s the Year of the Dragon.

I realize it has been a LONG while since I’ve turned up here at Foodrepublik.  A lot has happened.

First of all, I stopped updating the site when morning sickness prevented me from wanting [...]]]>

Well, another year has rolled by and it’s the Year of the Dragon.

I realize it has been a LONG while since I’ve turned up here at Foodrepublik.  A lot has happened.

First of all, I stopped updating the site when morning sickness prevented me from wanting to look at any food.  That’s right, I got knocked up =), and Chris and I are expecting our first baby in less than 2 months.

Second, we suddenly got relocated to Orange County, and the next few months were spent looking for houses and living with the in-laws.

Third, we found the perfect house for us in a family-friendly neighborhood, but it’s a fixer-upper.  Since we got the keys, we’ve been tearing out walls, renovating, painting, and frantically trying to get the house ready for our little bun in the oven (don’t come out early, baby!).

In addition to blogging, writing, and a few other things, it’s a lot on my plate, and I’m not sure if a food blog is enough for me now.  There are so many new experiences that I want to blog about and a recipe blog is a little limiting.

So we started at new blog at SomethingIsDone.com.  It’s going to be a DIY, home improvement, craft, lifestyle and general everything blog, and I’ll probably post recipes on there once in a while too.  Come see us over there!  I’m not sure if I’m going to continue Foodrepublik right now, but in the meantime, here’s a new recipe:

Cantonese Steamed Whole Fish

Steamed whole fish is one of the traditional dishes for Chinese New Year.  The word for fish, “yu”, is similar to the word for “overabundance”.  A common saying at CNY is “Nian nian you yu”, which means “May you have surplus every year”.  The fish has to be whole with the head and the tail, to symbolize the start and end of the next year.

Cantonese style steamed fish is super easy to make, and you don’t really even need a bamboo steamer.  Just set the whole fish (cleaned and de-scaled) in a round metal cake pan.  In a wok, place a steaming rack (or rig up a donut made of aluminum foil).  Pour water into the wok (enough that it won’t boil dry in 15 min, but not so much that it covers the steaming rack/aluminum donut) and heat until simmering.  Place the metal cake pan (with the fish inside) on top of the steamer rack and cover the wok.  Steam for 15 min for an approx 1-pound fish.

1 whole fish (tilapia, sea bass, or other fish, about 1 to 1.5 pounds)
2-inch piece ginger, peeled and julienned
5 green onions, thinly sliced
soy sauce
vegetable oil

Place the fish in a metal pan.  Take half of the ginger and green onions and stuff the cavity of the fish, and place some ginger and green onions over the top of the fish.

Steam for 15 minutes (see steaming instructions above) in a wok over simmering water.

Remove pan from wok (fish should flake easily).  Carefully move the fish to a plate, removing the steamed ginger and scallions.  Pour soy sauce to taste over the fish.

Empty and dry wok.  Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in wok until shimmering.  Add remaining ginger and green onions and fry for 30 seconds until aromatic.  Pour hot oil and aromatics over the fish.  Serve immediately (with steamed rice).

When Chris and I were living in China, we found this tiny little Tibetan restaurant nestled in an alley behind the university campus.  The owners were a big family of ethnic Tibetans who were rather intimidating when they didn’t smile, but warm and friendly when [...]]]>

When Chris and I were living in China, we found this tiny little Tibetan restaurant nestled in an alley behind the university campus.  The owners were a big family of ethnic Tibetans who were rather intimidating when they didn’t smile, but warm and friendly when they did.  Fortunately they smiled often, even the big burly guy who would pour us lukewarm Cokes and carefully package the paper cups into plastic bags, the better to carry them with.  There were always a bunch of puppies running around and Tibetan music videos blaring from the computer in the middle of the restaurant.

We only ever ordered one dish at that restaurant.  It was so good we never tried anything else.  It was a fried rice dish flavored with curry and filled with chopped vegetables, wood-ear fungus, and…I seem to remember fried egg in there too.  Or was it tofu?  Really, I have no idea if that dish actually exists in Tibetan cuisine.  It’s probably some mixture of Himalayan and Chinese cuisine, using the ingredients that were locally available.

I started craving it something fierce last night and decided to try my hand at recreating it.  They used medium-grain rice, which made for a slightly moister and heavier fried rice dish than your typical Chinese fried rice.  Fresh shiitake mushrooms would be a lovely earthy complement to the wood-ear fungus, but you can use slivers of cremini mushrooms in a pinch.  I got the spices pretty close; a bit of Indian curry powder and cumin did the trick.  And a good handful of chopped baby bok choy lightened up the dish.

As always with fried rice dishes, leftover rice is best, because the grains are drier and separate more easily while stir-frying. However, I didn’t have leftover rice, so I made a fresh pot of steamed medium-grain Calrose rice, and then left it in the pot on very low heat, uncovered, for an extra 5-10 minutes. This dried out the grains enough to use in the stir-fry. Remember that you don’t need to add as much water to medium-grain rice as you do to long-grain rice. I find that a 1:1 ratio works well.

Tibetan Fried Rice

4 cups cooked medium-grain rice (I used Calrose)
6 medium dried wood-ear fungus
6 medium fresh shiitake mushrooms (or cremini)
1 small tomato, diced
2 cups chopped baby bok choy
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 tsp Indian curry powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
salt
oil
water

Before you start, rehydrate the dried wood-ear mushrooms by soaking them in hot water for about 20 minutes. Rinse them thoroughly, then cut the rehydrated wood-ear mushrooms and the shiitake mushrooms into strips.

Pour a good glug of oil (about 3 tablespoons) into a wok set over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, stir-fry the wood-ear mushrooms and shiitake mushrooms until shiitakes give up their water. Add the diced tomato and baby bok choy, and stir-fry briefly until bok choy is just beginning to wilt. Push vegetables to the side of the wok, and add the beaten eggs to the center of the wok. Scramble the eggs, and when cooked, mix them into the vegetables.

Add the curry and cumin powders and stir them into the vegetables until fragrant, being careful not to let the spices burn (you may need to turn the heat down slightly). Add the cooked rice, breaking up any clumps. Stir together the vegetables and the rice. Add water tablespoon by tablespoon, stir-frying constantly, just until the curry sauce coats the rice grains well.

Serve immediately!

My sister Sam graciously shared with me her fabulous mother-in-law’s recipe for Spaghetti Bolognese.  I love to plumb the depths of my family’s in-laws’ recipe archives in the hopes of finding hidden treasure.  I’m still hoping that I’ll get my other sister’s boyfriend’s mom’s secret [...]]]>

My sister Sam graciously shared with me her fabulous mother-in-law’s recipe for Spaghetti Bolognese.  I love to plumb the depths of my family’s in-laws’ recipe archives in the hopes of finding hidden treasure.  I’m still hoping that I’ll get my other sister’s boyfriend’s mom’s secret family recipe for bread-and-butter pickles someday.  Hee hee.

I normally don’t follow a recipe when I make spaghetti bolognese, and this recipe has me convinced that henceforth I should.  Normally, I just saute some onions, peppers, and random vegetables, throw in a jar of pasta sauce and call it a day!  After all, the joy of pasta is that it’s E-A-S-Y, right?  Well, even though Auntie Val’s bolognese recipe IS a recipe, it’s just as simple and quick to prepare as any pasta sauce, and tastes GREAT!  Putting a little extra thought into this simple dish that we often take for granted takes it to the next level.  I love how Auntie Val’s ragu is simmered with bay leaves, which lends a savoriness and meatiness to the sauce that you associate with hearty stews.  A glug of white wine gives it depth, and a few teaspoons of sugar, while unexpected, really make the flavor pop.  Interestingly, Auntie Val’s recipe doesn’t use jarred pasta sauce, just a tin of tomato paste.  I would never have thought it, but somehow it works.  Of course, if you can’t conceive of bolognese sauce without tomato sauce, feel free to add some, or add a splash of pasta water to thin out the sauce if it’s too thick.

Auntie Val’s Bolognese Sauce

1.5 lbs ground beef
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp sliced pimento-stuffed olives
1 6-oz can tomato paste
1 tbsp ketchup
2 tbsp white wine
1 tsp salt
3 tsp sugar
3 bay leaves
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp white pepper
dash of Tabasco sauce

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil over medium heat in saucepan. Saute onion and garlic until softened.

Add olives and beef, saute until browned.

Add tomato paste, ketchup, wine and spices. Add a splash of water if sauce is too dry. Simmer over low heat, covered, for 15 minutes. Remove bay leaves and serve with pasta.

It’s as simple as that!

I’ve been having some major sweet cravings lately, especially when I start to feel peckish in the afternoons around coffee time.  In Germany in mid-afternoon they always have a break for coffee and tea, a bit similar to how the British have their tea-time.  In [...]]]>

I’ve been having some major sweet cravings lately, especially when I start to feel peckish in the afternoons around coffee time.  In Germany in mid-afternoon they always have a break for coffee and tea, a bit similar to how the British have their tea-time.  In fact, I feel like Germans are eating all day long, and I have no idea how they manage to stay so much slimmer than us in the New World (less McDonald’s no doubt).  I love the yeasted German cakes that are just sweet enough, with lots of fruit, for a satisfying afternoon snack.  This one isn’t yeasted, but with its crunchy streusel topping, jammy blueberries, and tender white cake base, it definitely fits the bill for coffee time. And it reminds me of a really yummy cake that Chris’ aunt made for us in Germany with a yeast base and a streusel topping and served with steaming cups of fresh espresso.

The recipe is a basic one from Joy of Cooking.  The only tip I would give is – use slightly tart blueberries, if you can find them.  Mine were quite ripe, and the cake would have benefited from a little more acidity to cut the sweetness.  And I’m sure you could use all kinds of fruit in this cake — raspberries or blackberries would be lovely (and summery) or maybe some stone fruit!

Blueberry Streusel Cake
From The Joy of Cooking

Streusel Topping
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated white sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Cake Batter
1 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup milk
2 cups fresh blueberries

Preheat oven to 350 F and grease an 8-inch round pan.

To make the topping:
Mix together the flour, sugar, and cinnamon, and rub the butter into the dry ingredients until it forms coarse crumbs. Set aside.

To make the cake:
Whisk or sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, cream together the butter and sugar using an electric mixer, until pale and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined with the butter mixture.
Alternately add the flour mixture and the milk, and mix until combined.
Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth with a spoon or spatula.
Scatter the blueberries evenly over the cake’s surface, and then sprinkle the streusel topping evenly over the blueberries.
Bake 40-50 minutes until a tester comes out clean.

When we were down in Orange County a couple of weekends ago, we stopped by at Ranch99 to pick up a few Asian goodies.  Where we live, it’s hard to find Asian ingredients, so I was pretty stoked to stock up so I can cook [...]]]>
When we were down in Orange County a couple of weekends ago, we stopped by at Ranch99 to pick up a few Asian goodies.  Where we live, it’s hard to find Asian ingredients, so I was pretty stoked to stock up so I can cook more Asian food at home.  I also bought these addictively chewy Korean rice cakes so I can make one of my favorite Korean dishes – rice cakes in a spicy red sauce.  This was my first try at this dish, and it turned out pretty good.  The chewy rice cakes are not everyone’s favorite, but I happen to just LOVE them!

I miss being able to go to a Korean restaurant whenever I want (ie. when I lived in Toronto).  Personally I think that Korean food is one of the few cuisines where Korean home cooking is quite similar to what is served in restaurants.  I love the homey (and spicy) soups and stews, just perfect for a cold winter day.  Of course, it’s not winter right now – and in California the sun is bright and the air is fresh outside my window this morning.  But anytime is right for good food, and these Korean rice cakes aren’t as steamy as a soup or stew, making it perfect for anytime you’re craving a little spicy.

Since I wanted an authentic recipe, I followed Beyond Kimchee’s version, which includes making a stock of seaweed and dried anchovies.  Not having seaweed or dried fish in my repertoire, I substituted homemade chicken stock instead, and it still turned out good.  I also didn’t have fish cakes, but I didn’t miss them.  I used Napa cabbage instead of regular cabbage, though I think either would work well.  I also reduced the sugar, as it was a little too sweet for my taste.

Spicy Korean Rice Cakes
Adapted closely from Beyond Kimchee

3 cups low-sodium or homemade chicken stock
1 package (about 600g) Korean rice cakes
4 tbsp gochujang (Korean red chili paste)
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 medium Napa cabbage, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 leek, cleaned and sliced (white and light green parts only)
1 clove garlic, chopped finely
1 tbsp ketchup
1 tsp roasted sesame seeds

In a medium bowl, soak the rice cakes in hot tap water to separate them and remove the oily coating, for about 5 minutes.

Heat the stock over medium heat. When simmer, add the gochujang (red chili paste) and sugar, stirring well until dissolved. Add rice cakes and cabbage and bring mixture back to a boil. Lower heat to medium-low and simmer until cabbage and rice cakes are tender, about 10 minutes. Add leeks and garlic and continue simmering until sauce is reduced and thickened, another 5-10 minutes.

Just before serving, stir in the ketchup and pour the rice cakes into a shallow dish. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve hot.

I’m sorry, I realize this is the same photo from a few posts back, but I wanted to share with you the absolutely delicious Indonesian marinade that I used on this salmon.  Last night, we had dinner so late I didn’t have time to take [...]]]>

I’m sorry, I realize this is the same photo from a few posts back, but I wanted to share with you the absolutely delicious Indonesian marinade that I used on this salmon.  Last night, we had dinner so late I didn’t have time to take pictures, so you’ll have to make do with an old one.

I could tell that this was a really good recipe because in the middle of dinner, Chris stopped eating, looked at me and said, “This is SO good.”  He’s usually pretty supportive of my kitchen adventures, but the degree of sincerity with which he enjoyed last night’s fish was out-of-the-ordinary.

Ina Garten makes this marinade with swordfish but there’s no way I can afford that for a weeknight meal!  It’s just as good with salmon, and according to the other reviewers, the marinade is also excellent on chicken or pork.  Soy sauce, lemon zest, mustard, ginger and garlic somehow combine to form more than the sum of their parts in this savory, tangy sauce.

I loved how quick it was to stir together, and how quickly dinner was finished on the grill.  We had it with a big green salad and homemade zucchini pickles, though it is also great with the sweet corn salsa you see in the picture above.

Indonesian Grilled Salmon
Barefoot Contessa

1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup canola oil
zest from 2 lemons
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup chopped ginger root (I actually substituted 1/4 tsp dried ginger and it worked fine)
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp dijon mustard (I used whole grain mustard)

1 salmon fillet (about 1.5 pounds)

Mix all the ingredients together. Pour half of the marinade into a shallow baking dish. Lay the salmon over the marinade, and pour the rest of the marinade over top of salmon. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours.

Preheat the BBQ, then turn heat down to medium-low. Place marinated salmon on a piece of aluminum foil, folding edges up to catch any juices. Place foil on grill and cook, covered, for about 8 minutes or until salmon is opaque throughout.

Aren’t these the cutest things?

If you’ve heard of Aebelskivers, also known as ebelskivers, you may have also heard of Solvang, California, a Danish village located on the Central Coast.  Danish colonists founded the village in 1911, which has retained a Scandinavian flair ever since.  My [...]]]>

Aren’t these the cutest things?

If you’ve heard of Aebelskivers, also known as ebelskivers, you may have also heard of Solvang, California, a Danish village located on the Central Coast.  Danish colonists founded the village in 1911, which has retained a Scandinavian flair ever since.  My sister and I drove down there a couple months ago to check out the windmills, cheese shops and year-round Christmas stores, and took the time to enjoy a plate of these delicious pancake balls with raspberry jam.  Aebelskivers are kind of like a cross between a pancake and a doughnut.  When fresh, they have a delightfully crispy exterior and a slightly sweet interior, and are served sprinkled with powdered sugar.  You can also fill the balls with jam, Nutella, fruit, and other fillings.

Chris grew up with Aebelskivers, not because he has Danish heritage, but because through visiting Solvang several decades ago, his grandmother acquired an aebelskiver pan, and started a tradition of making the pancake balls on family camping trips.  So when Chris found a cast-iron aebelskiver pan at the local Goodwill, he snapped it up immediately.

This weekend, instead of our usual Saturday-morning pancakes, we made a batch of aebelskivers.  And they were not just exciting as a novelty, but really good as well.  The crust is crisp and golden, and the insides are fluffy and flavorful.

The recipe we used has the pancake balls subtly spiced with cardamom, which gives them a slightly lemony, nutmeggy flavor.  To turn the balls, use a skewer to loosen the batter around the sides.  Poke it through the middle of the batter right down to the bottom, and turn the entire pancake ball gently 1/4 turn.  The center of the pancake ball should still be runny and the batter will run out, filling the extra space.  After a minute or so, turn the ball 1/4 turn again so that the original bottom of the ball is now on the top.

You can get your own aebelskiver pan on Amazon – here’s an aebelskiver pan from Lodge and a rather cheaper pan from Norpro.

My husband reminded me that these are a lot like the takoyaki balls we enjoyed in Japan (we also had the opportunity to cook them at a Japanese inn).  They are indeed made in a very similar way, but the aebelskivers are rather larger and fluffier.  And they don’t have octopus in them, or shaved fish flakes, mayo and soy sauce drizzled over top.  Takoyaki are very good too…but very very different.

Aebelskivers – Danish Pancake Balls
Adapted from Sunset

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 tbsp sugar
2 3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1/4 tsp salt
1 large egg, beaten
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp melted butter plus extra

Whisk together first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl (dry ingredients). Then mix together the next 5 ingredients in a separate bowl. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry flour mixture and stir until incorporated.

Heat cast-iron aebelskiver pan over medium heat until it sizzles when a bit of water is dropped onto pan. Turn heat down to medium-low. Grease holes in pan by brushing melted butter on with a pastry brush. Fill holes with batter, being careful not to over-fill them, as batter will puff up slightly as it cooks.

Once a crust has formed (about 1 min), loosen the batter from the sides of the holes with a skewer. Poke the skewer into the center of the batter right down to the pan, then pull skewer up the side of the hole, turning the entire ball 1/4 turn. Batter will spill out to fill the hole in the pan. When the crust is set, turn once again to form a complete ball. Cook for a minute or two until entire ball is golden-brown all over. Using the skewer, remove from pan. Repeat with the rest of the batter, greasing the holes with butter between each batch.

Serve sprinkled with powdered sugar and a dollop of raspberry jam.

Weird?  Exciting?  Delicious?  Strawberries and onions?  Together?  On bread?

I usually like sweet and savory things together, so this recipe that came to my inbox from Saveur.com intrigued me.  I sometimes make a rosemary focaccia that is pretty easy, so I figured this recipe wouldn’t be [...]]]>

Weird?  Exciting?  Delicious?  Strawberries and onions?  Together?  On bread?

I usually like sweet and savory things together, so this recipe that came to my inbox from Saveur.com intrigued me.  I sometimes make a rosemary focaccia that is pretty easy, so I figured this recipe wouldn’t be too difficult.  And it’s not.  If you’re intimidated by yeast breads, focaccia is a great place to start.  The dough only has to rise for an hour or so, so it’s quite doable even on a weeknight.  Once you’ve got the dough ready, it’s just a matter of slicing the strawberries and caramelizing the onions with balsamic vinegar.

While the original recipe called for maple syrup, I just used honey and it turned out fine.  I didn’t even caramelize the onions as long as the recipe suggested – 5 minutes was enough to get my onions browned, and then a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and honey into the hot pan made them sweet-tart and caramel-colored.

The hubs said, “What, this isn’t dessert?”.  Then, “It’s…interesting.”

He asked me to pack him a piece in his lunchbox though, so he must have liked it after all.

Me, I like anything to do with bread.

Strawberry Focaccia with Honey-Balsamic Onions
Adapted from Saveur

For Bread:
1 tbsp dry yeast
1 cup warm water (100-110F)
1 tsp honey
2 1/2 cups flour (I used 1 cup strong/bread flour and 1 1/2 cups all-purpose)
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup olive oil, plus extra

For Topping:
1 medium sweet onion, quartered and sliced thin
2 1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 tsp honey
1 cup strawberries, hulled and sliced
8-10 basil leaves, sliced (I used rosemary instead, but basil is probably better)
sea salt
extra olive oil

Mix yeast, warm water, and honey together. Set aside until foamy, then add olive oil. Mix together flour and salt in a bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour and pour in the yeast/oil mixture. Mix with a wooden spoon until dough pulls together (it will be sticky). Turn out onto a floured surface, and knead about 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Grease a bowl with olive oil and put the dough back into the bowl, turning to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and leave to rise in a warm location, until doubled, about 1 hour.

Grease a 9×13 baking sheet with olive oil. Press dough into pan, making indentations with fingers. Brush with another tbsp olive oil and let rise another 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 450F.

Meanwhile, heat a tbsp of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add sliced onions and cook gently until browned and caramelized (10 minutes or so). Add balsamic vinegar and honey to onions and continue to cook until most of liquid has evaporated and onions are sticky and deep brown.

Scatter strawberries, onions, and basil over unbaked focaccia. Finish with a sprinkle of sea salt. Bake for 20 minutes until top of focaccia is browned.

I love grilling.  Oh, I don’t grill, myself.  But it’s one of the only ways to get my husband to do the cooking.

That’s not the only reason I like it though.  Everything tastes better after it’s been on the barbecue.  The smoky, caramelized flavor that [...]]]>

I love grilling.  Oh, I don’t grill, myself.  But it’s one of the only ways to get my husband to do the cooking.

That’s not the only reason I like it though.  Everything tastes better after it’s been on the barbecue.  The smoky, caramelized flavor that comes from food cooked on a direct flame is so summery and redolent of the great outdoors.  And cooking outdoors (and eating on the balcony) makes me feel like I’m channeling Ina Garten, strangely.  Speaking of whom, did you all see the last episode of this season’s 30 Rock and Ina Garten’s cameo?  LOVED it.

I’ve been trying to cook with more variety on the grill, so that cooking on the barbecue isn’t just a meat-fest with burgers and sausages.  So last night I decided to grill a piece of wild salmon, and since white corn is in season, I bought a few ears to grill alongside.

While I personally like corn-on-the-cob, I always get stuff stuck between my teeth when I’m trying to tear off those corn kernels, so I decided to cut the kernels off and toss it with some avocados, tomatoes, onion, cilantro and lime juice.  The resulting salsa?  Phenomenal.  Absolutely better than I thought it would be.  The sweetness of the white corn marries perfectly with the tartness of the lime juice, with the avocados giving it some creaminess.  We had it on top of the salmon, but I could have sat there and eaten the whole bowl of corn salsa by itself.  I loved the hint of smokiness imparted by grilling, but you could make this salsa with boiled corn too with great results.

We tried grilling 2 ears of corn with husks on, and 1 ear of corn without the husks, and we both liked the corn grilled in the husk.  The husks seemed to protect the corn kernels from drying out too much, leaving them plump even after grilling, and the corn still got those lovely grill marks through the husk.  It gets a bit messy when you’re trying to pull the charred husks off the corn though, so you might want to do it outside.  Alternatively, you could boil the corn first, and then finish the ears on the grill.

Grilled Corn Salsa

3 large ears sweet white corn
1 avocado (ripe but not mushy), diced
1 tomato, diced
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
1/2 small yellow onion, chopped
1 juicy lime (or two not-so-juicy limes)
salt

Preheat the grill on medium. Pull off all of the corn husks except for 2 layers next to the corn kernels. Be sure to remove all of the corn silk (this will catch fire). Place corn on grill. Cover and cook on medium to medium-low (depending on your barbecue) for 10-15 minutes, turning frequently, until kernels are soft and husks are charred. Check frequently to ensure husks aren’t catching fire, and keep a spray bottle on hand for flare-ups.

When cooked, remove corn from grill. Cool a few minutes, then use a sharp knife to slice off the kernels into a bowl. Combine with avocado, tomato, cilantro, jalapeno, onion and lime juice. Season with salt to taste.

Serve warm, or let cool to room temperature before serving.

Strawberry season!  It’s strawberry season!  Whoohoo!

Can you tell how excited I am?  I mean, amazingly sweet, luscious strawberries are at the market for $0.97 a basket.  WOWEEE!

We’ve been eating them on our pancakes, over yogurt, drizzled with vinegar in green salads, and neat.  And today, [...]]]>

Strawberry season!  It’s strawberry season!  Whoohoo!

Can you tell how excited I am?  I mean, amazingly sweet, luscious strawberries are at the market for $0.97 a basket.  WOWEEE!

We’ve been eating them on our pancakes, over yogurt, drizzled with vinegar in green salads, and neat.  And today, a strawberry pie was my goal.

Yes, I know that most people don’t cook up the strawberries when they make strawberry pies.  Most of the recipes I’ve seen have been 1) Strawberry-rhubarb pies, 2) fresh strawberries piled in a pie shell and glazed, 3) gelatinous globs of jello in a pie shell, or something else.  I couldn’t for the life of me find a straight-up, cooked strawberry pie from a reputable source.  I don’t know why that is.  I agree that fresh strawberries are fantastic, but they’re so hard to eat when you stick them in a pie shell and then try to cut the pie into slices.  And honestly, I’d rather eat fresh strawberries sans the cornstarch-laced glaze.  If I have to eat cornstarch, I’d like it in a gooey berry-full pie filling, please.

Plus, I’ll take any excuse to make a lattice crust.  Isn’t there just something about a lattice crust that makes you think…pink gingham aprons, ruffled curtains, open windows, and a vintage ice cream truck pulling over in front of the house?  Anyone?

So here’s my version of an old-fashioned, straight up strawberry pie.  No rhubarb.  No jello.  Just delicious buttery pastry and juicy strawberry filling.

I have to say, I outdid myself on the crust this time.  It’s really flaky and flavorful.  I left larger chunks of butter this time before bringing the dough together with a bit of water, which helped a lot.  My strawberries were pretty ripe, so just 3/4 cup of light brown sugar was enough to make them sweet, but not too sweet.

Old-Fashioned Strawberry Pie

Pie Crust
2 1/2 cups unbleached flour
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, chilled and cubed
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup ice water (or more)

Filling
5 cups strawberries
3/4 cup golden brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
3 tbsp cornstarch
pinch salt

Preheat oven to 400F.

In a bowl place the flour, sugar, salt and cubes of chilled butter. Rub the butter into the flour using your fingertips or a pastry cutter, until largest pieces are about pea-sized. Add ice water little by little while mixing dough. When dough holds together when you squeeze it, it’s ready. Gather into a ball. Divide into two equal balls, wrap in plastic, and chill in fridge while making filling.

Wash, halve, and hull the strawberries. Mix with rest of filling ingredients and place aside in a bowl.

Roll out the bottom crust and place it in a pie pan, trimming it about 1 inch over the edge. Place pie pan in freezer while you roll out the top crust.

Roll out the second ball of dough, and cut it into strips with a sharp knife. Remove the pie pan from freezer, and pour the strawberry filling into bottom crust. Place or weave the strips of dough into a lattice on top of the filling and trim strips 1/2 inch over edge. Fold bottom crust over lattice strips and crimp.

Bake 15 minutes at 400F, then lower oven temp to 350F for another hour, or until crust is browned and filling is bubbling. If crust is browning too fast, cover edges with strips of foil.

Let cool and serve!