Creative Project

Just wanted to share a small creative project I did awhile back. This was for my 52-week of creative project of which I'm way behind. It's harder to keep it on schedule than I thought. Still not giving up...just a little behind.

A stroll down Beach Ave., Vancouver

It's been beautiful and sunny in Vancouver the last few days, but also freezing cold. I took a stroll down Beach Ave yesterday with my camera but could barely snap 3 shots before having to put my hands back in my pockets. My hot cup of coffee turned into an ice latte; it was still delicious nonetheless but not what I needed.

Shredded Coconut or Pecan Banana Bread

Today's banana bread recipe comes from a member name "ikadlec" on food.com (Original Recipes from Food.com). I've used this recipe many time and each time it's absolutely delicious. The only different is I add shredded coconut or chopped peacans which makes it even more heavenly. Unfortunately I didn't have any available when I made this batch for my photography. 

Ingredient: (makes 1 loaf)

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
4 bananas, finely crushed
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup of shredded coconut / chopped peacans (optional)

Directions:

To achieve the dark brown colour of banana bread, mash your bananas ahead of time and let it oxidize for 1-2 hrs. Make sure to mix occasionally so all surface gets a chance to oxidize. Also, let your butter come to room temperature to blend better. If you forget to, pop it in the microwave for 5 seconds at a time to soften but NOT melted.

1. Cream together butter and sugar. (with a hand mixer or a kitchenaid if you have one)
2. Add eggs and crushed bananas.
3. Combine well.
4. Sift together flour, soda and salt. Add to creamed mixture. Add vanilla. (add the shredded coconut / chopped pecans last)
5. Pour into greased and floured loaf pan. (I found butter works better than oil for greasing; comes off easier. Sprinkle some shredded coconuts or chopped pecans on top, looks much better for presentation.)
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 60 minutes. (depending on your oven, my needed 65-70 minutes to fully bake)
7. Keeps well, refrigerated. (let it cool in the loaf pan for 10 minutes to cool and come together before popping them out on a rack).

And here's a tip: I usually don't have time to bake in the morning so I bake them at night, which I find very relaxing. Let them cool on the rack overnight with plastic wrap over top. In the morning, I slice them up and wrap them in plastic wrap and have them on the go. I also enjoy them with a cup of tea or coffee. So good!

Smoked salmon red radish hor d'oeuvre

From the amount of photos relating to smoked salmon on this site, you might conclude that I'm addicted to smoked salmon...well you might be right. Smoked salmons are tasty on their own, but they're also very easy to transform and alter into something even more special. I made these one-bite smoked salmon hor d'oeuvre in no time at all. 

Ingredient: 

smoked salmon (thaw if bought frozen)

lemon juice 

green onion

red radish 

No specific amount of ingredient to this. Just add lemon juice and green onion to your taste. Mix the ingredient together and place on the slices of red radishes. The radish will release water when cut so serve asap. 

SMOKED PORK JOWL

I've always love pork jowl, especially thinly sliced in a spicy tom yum hot pot. A few days ago, I discovered SMOKED PORK JOWL (yes! believe it!) from a local butcher shop. It was quite an accident as I was asking for regular pork jowl. She mentioned they have smoked pork jowl which they can order in for me (whah?!). It sure pays to ask questions. I swear this was mind blowingly good. The piece I had was quite large; I still haven't finished it. So far, I've cooked it two ways and both are equally delicous. They're great in fried rice with a side of green and radish salad or served in strips like bacons.  

The Start - Pickled Yuzu Onion

What is petite good eating? Its about eating good food in moderation. Let's get right into it and start off with a recipe. 

Pickled Yuzu Onion - Pickled yuzu onion is super easy to make. It also pairs well with savoury or meat dish like grilled pork jowl as pictured.

Directions:

1. Thinly slice onion

2. Place onion in bowl of ice water to remove the pungent onion flavour. Soak for 15-30 min.

3. Squeeze out water from onion and add in 3 simple ingredients. Yuzu juice, rice wine vinegar and salt to taste.