How to Cook

2015年1月23日星期五

Beijing Roast Duck

A saying that is often heard is: "There are two things you must do in Beijing: eat Beijing Roast Duck and see the Great Wall." Therefore, tasting Beijing Roast Duck is a key part of any Beijing Tour. Beijing Duck has even been dubbed "the number one delicious food in the world."

About Beijing Roast Duck

The duck must be of the white Beijing variety and of superior quality, a "force-fed duck" that weighs about three kilograms. When roasting the duck, compressed air is injected into the duck between its skin and flesh to make the skin glossy and shiny. By using less smoky, hard wood fuel like fruit tree branches (pear, peach or date branches for instance), the duck has a fruity flavor and is red in color.

Unique Manner of Serving and Eating Beijing Duck

The manner of serving and eating Beijing Duck is also unique. The chef presents you the whole duck before taking it away for slicing. One duck may produce about 120 very thin slices, each containing both meat and skin. The duck slices are brought back to the table with some thin pancakes, green onion or shallot, sweet soybean paste and fresh cucumber, and sometimes garlic paste and sugar. The good way to enjoy the Beijing Duck is as follows: take a piece of the pancake in one hand, then put three or four slices of the duck onto the pancake with each of the above mentioned vegetables and seasonings. The soybean paste is most important. Finally roll up the pancake and eat it.

Nearly every part of the duck can be prepared as food. Quanjude Roast Duck Restaurant serves the so called All Duck Banquet, in which the bone of the duck together with cabbage and Chinese water melon is made into a fresh white soup and is served at the end of the banquet.

To enjoy the Beijing Roast Duck, you can visit the famous Quanjude Roast Duck Restaurant or the Bianyifang Roast Duck Restaurant. See must-taste Chinese foods.

Also read Quanjude Roast Duck Restaurant Beijing.

The Popularity of Beijing Duck in Abroad

The Beijing Roast Duck is not only popular in China but also abroad. The former US Secretary of State Dr. Kissinger, for instance, is extremely fond of Beijing Roast Duck. He takes every possible chance to taste it. He thus plays an important role of advertising Roast Duck in the States and many restaurants there try to serve this delicacy. An interesting story is heard in the US about the duck. At first the cooking method for roast duck was against the state food legislation of California, therefore it was banned. To solve the problem Roast Duck was sent to California University for testing. The test results showed that Peking Duck was safe as food. What surprised others was that the Roast Duck was so delicious that the scientists in the lab ate up all the tested duck. Roast Duck had long been a best seller in Beijing restaurants.

The Bush family, the family of two former US Presidents, are widely known to be real Beijing Roast Duck lovers. Their tradition of eating Roast Duck started from President Bush Senior in the 1970s when he was working in the US Embassy of Beijing. Returning home, he still can not resist the temptation of this food and often enjoys it with his whole family at a restaurant called Beijing Restaurant in North Virginia. His love for the duck has already been passed down to his sons and grandchildren. Of course, celebrities who have visited this restaurant include many others. Good examples are the Philippines President, a Thai Queen, princes from Saudi Arabia, the former US Minister of Defense, as well as former and current US State Secretaries Generals Powell and Rice. The hundreds of picture hanging inside the restaurant are the best evidence.

2015年1月21日星期三

Crunchy Chicken Fajita Wraps w/ Habanero-Green Chile & Pepper Jack Cream

Posted by artfulgourmet

Crunchy Chicken Fajita Wraps w/ Habanero, Green Chile-Pepper Jack Cream

This is an easy, tasty dish I whipped up the other night that is a spin on Chicken Fajitas. The main difference being that these have a crunchy, toasted tortilla that you eat the Fajitas on – either flat like a pizza, rolled up like a burrito or wrap, or folded in half like a big taco. I kicked up the heat a little bit by adding some green chiles, hot Indian red pepper (which is like Cayenne but hotter!), sliced jalapenos, and made a spicy Habanero, Green Chile and Pepper Jack sour cream to give it some more flavor and heat. The dip mixes I bought from a company called Gourmet Creations at the Corn Hill Arts FestivalUpstate NY. You can also purchase their seasonings online, or flavor the sour cream with anything you like – a regular onion dip or veggie dip mix would work too. What I love about the mixes from Gourmet Creations is that they are all gluten-free, and are handmade with all natural dried ingredients and they can be used not only for dips and sauces, but to use as spice rubs on fish, veggies, poultry and meat, and they make excellent herb butters, too. I bought about 10 different flavors from them – sooo good!

Now, I’m a total spice-head and LOVE spicy food so if you aren’t interested in making the Fajita Wraps hot, just omit the Indian or Cayenne Red pepper, hot sauce, jalapenos and serve with regular sour cream and cilantro. Another idea if you want a more grilled flavor, is you can grill the chicken and corn first and then add it to the sauteed peppers, onions, chiles and Fajita mix. You can even char the green chiles over a grill or gas flame if you want to get super fancy! This requires a little more time and effort but anything grilled adds a nice charred smoky flavor to the dish.

I recommend a Spanish or Mexican rice to go with the Fajitas, and a smashing Margarita to make it official and douse the flames. Enjoy.

Crunchy Chicken Fajita Wraps w/ Habanero Green Chile-Pepper Jack Cream

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Yield: 4-6

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive or canola oil
1 red bell pepper, sliced into strips
1/2 large or 1 small-med sweet onion, sliced thin
1 pound chicken breasts, sliced into thin strips
1 packet of Fajita seasoning
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup chopped fresh or 1 can green chiles (mild)
1 cup corn kernels (fresh or frozen, cooked)
1/2 teaspoon red pepper (cayenne or hot Indian red pepper)
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4-6 large tortillas (corn, whole wheat, flour - whatever you prefer)
1 cup sour cream
1/2 package Habanero-Chile dip mix
1/2 package Monterey Jack dip mix
Dash of hot sauce, (optional, for garnish)
Cilantro, chopped, for garnish

Instructions

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute peppers and onions for about 5-6 minutes until soft and onions are translucent. Remove from skillet and set aside.
Add additional tablespoon of oil to skillet and saute chicken until browned about 6-8 minutes. Add water and Fajita mix and stir together with chicken. Return sauteed peppers and onions to the same pan.
Add green chiles, cooked corn, fresh ground black pepper, red pepper or cayenne and lower heat to a simmer. Cook ingredients for another 5-10 minutes on low to heat through, allowing sauce to thicken and flavors to blend together.
Heat another large skillet over medium-high and add 1 teaspoon of oil or spray with cooking spray.
Cook tortillas, one at a time in skillet for about 1-2 minutes, flipping each side, until crunchy and browned. You may also heat the tortillas up in a 400 degree oven for about 5-7 minutes or so if you prefer.
Mix 1/2 package Habanero-Green Chile seasoning mix and 1/2 package Monterey Jack seasoning mix into a medium bowl with 1 cup of sour cream. You can also make the seasoned sour cream mix ahead of time and refrigerate until ready to serve (recommended as the flavors blend better the more they sit!). Another cool idea is to chop up some Chipotle peppers and add these with some Adobo sauce to the sour cream, or even just some extra taco seasoning, or pureed cilantro if you like a cooler creamy topping.
Serve tortillas with Chicken Fajita mixture; top with Habanero-Green Chile & Pepper Jack cream, sliced jalapenos, a dash of hot sauce and chopped cilantro, if desired.
You can roll these up like a burrito or wrap, put the Fajita mixture on top of a flat crunchy tortilla like a pizza or tostada, or fold it in half and eat like a big Chicken Taco! Any way you serve it, it's delicious! Enjoy.

2015年1月20日星期二

10 Steps to Cooking Like a Pro

1. Know Your Techniques

Learn the basic cooking and prepping techniques, including cutting and slicing of meats and produce. Focus on essential techniques first – for most of us, knowing how to cut and saute an onion is a lot more important and useful than learning to prepare lobster.

2. Invest In A Few Good Tools

Again, focus on the essentials. Stuffing your kitchen full of gadgets you never use is a waste of money and takes up storage space. Before buying anything, think how often you will actually use it. Do you really need a melon ball scooper? Or a candy thermometer? Rather than purchasing lots of items that will never see daylight again once they have landed in a drawer, invest in a few good tools. Pans, pots, and knives are the backbone of cooking, and worth spending a little more on. Quality pots and pans make the difference between great dishes and mediocre results. There is no need to buy a 20-piece set with every imaginable size of pots and pans under the sun. Make your purchase based on how and what you cook most often. Knives are another essential cooking tool worth investing in. A chef's knife, a paring knife, and a bread knife is all most people will ever need, and while top quality knives are not cheap, they make the job that much easier and will last you a lifetime.

3. Take Cooking Lessons

Unsure how and where to start? Sign up for a cooking class and look for good books explaining the basics of cooking. Cooking courses are a great way to improve your skills and repertoire even if you are already a seasoned home cook. It's a great way of being able to look professional chefs over the shoulder, learn new techniques, and a few secrets along the way. They also give you the opportunity to meet others who are passionate about cooking. And, you get to sample delicious food!

4. Great Food = Great Quality

Cooking gourmet food does not mean you have to slave away over elaborate recipes for hours, or use expensive ingredients. Rather, it is all about the quality of the ingredients. When shopping for groceries, always check expiration dates, and make sure fresh products really are fresh. Check sensitive products such as meat, fish, seafood, and produce for any signs of “aging”. Buy meat, fish, and seafood unpackaged and from a butcher/seafood market whenever possible. Make sure produce is ripe, looks fresh, and is free of mold or rotten spots.

Use as little processed food as possible, making meals from scratch rather than relying on pre-made ingredients. Processed food typically contains preservatives, artificial colors and flavors, and often high amounts of sodium, sugar, and fat. When you cook from scratch, you know exactly what goes into a dish, and you can control the amount of salt, sugar, and fat. Plus you get the pleasure of enjoying the process of cooking and putting something home made on the table. Sure it's more convenient to buy a pie crust at the grocery store, but making your own (which is actually a snap with the help of a food processor) is infinitely more satisfying!

5. Buy Local, In Season, And Organic

Local, in season products are always superior in quality and will yield far better dishes. Transporting food over large distances causes more pollution, wastes fuel, and makes it more prone to spoilage due to potential damage or improper storage during transport. Produce that undergoes long transport routes is often picked very unripe to ensure it can stand up to the rigors of shipping, resulting in tasteless and inferior fruits and vegetables. Your environment and your taste buds will thank you for not buying cherries in December that have been shipped thousands of miles all the way from Chile!

6. Make Time For Cooking – And Enjoy It!

Cooking should be enjoyable and not yet another chore on your list. Following some simple steps ensures you will end up not only with great dishes, but will also have fun cooking them. Cook easy and fast meals during the week. The last thing you want after a long day at work is to come home and stand in the kitchen for three hours. Chances are, if you are feeling stressed or rushed, disaster is looming in the kitchen. Reserve special or multi-course meals that require more time and attention for weekends. Think of cooking as a relaxing, fun activity. Take a few deep breaths, clear your mind, and be in the moment when you cook, focusing on the tasks at hand. Don't be distracted by TV, wandering thoughts, or chatting on the cell phone. Cooking is a mindful activity that requires concentration, but it is also a way to engage all your senses. Feel, taste, and smell the food, notice its colors, shapes and textures.

7. Choose Recipes Appropriate For Your Skills

Think of cooking as similar to training for a marathon – start off easy and in small steps. Just like a beginner is not going to run his first marathon after two weeks of training, you are not going to cook like a master chef in a week. Stick to recipes that are appropriate for your level of skills, and you will be rewarded with success. Trying to create a five-tiered wedding cake may not be the best idea if you have never baked a cake before. Don't set yourself up for failure!

8. Read Every Recipe Before You Start Cooking

Cooking often requires fast decisions and maneuvers, and there is usually no time to stop and try to figure out what the next step is. Always familiarize yourself with a recipe before you begin cooking. Thoroughly read the recipe and imagine every step in your mind. That way, you are less likely to make mistakes and you won't be faced with any ugly surprises.

9. Don't Use Your Guests As Guinea Pigs

When planning a meal for guests, stick to tried and true recipes. If you want to make something new, try it out first and see if the recipe delivers. There is nothing worse than ending up with a horribly tasting dish (that looked so yummy in the magazine!) or a cooking disaster at your hands when you have guests over. Remember, even the pros test and tweak their recipes!

10. Mies En Place – The Holy Grail Of Cooking

Mies en place is French for “putting in place” and in cooking lingo it refers to the act of putting everything that is needed for a recipe, from the ingredients to the tools, in place so that all the cook has to do is grab it and use it as he/she goes along. Being organized and having everything you need already set up not only saves time, but it allows for a smooth process without any interruptions. This is especially important in restaurants where food needs to be put on the table in a timely manner, but it is also something that should be practiced by every home cook. Before you start and after having thoroughly read the recipe, put out every single ingredient. Chop, measure, weigh, etc. all the ingredients and put them in separate containers (glass bowls are particularly useful for this) on the kitchen counter. Next, set out all the tools you will need for the recipe– spoons, knives, measuring cups, pots, pans, and kitchen devices such as a food processor or blender. Once you have mies en place, you are good to go and don't have to worry about finding that measuring cup or running out of flour.

2015年1月19日星期一

How to Make the Best Pork Chops

We love the versatility of pork chops, and that’s why we’ve developed dozens of pork chops recipes—from pan-fried to sautéed pork chops, and from slow-cooked to grilled. Many of our pork chops recipes can be made quickly and easily, making them perfect no-fuss weeknight meals. Here we explain the core techniques to use when making perfect pork chops.

MAKING A PAN SAUCE FOR PORK CHOPS

Just seared some pork chops? Don't wash that skillet! Here's how to use it to make a rich, savory pan sauce to serve with them.

THE SAUCE

A pan sauce—made with just a handful of ingredients and in a matter of minutes—can look and taste nearly as rich as a classic, labor-intensive French sauce. The base of a pan sauce is the fond, or browned bits, clinging to the bottom of the skillet after sautéing pork chops. Once the meat is removed from the skillet, aromatics such as minced shallots can be sautéed; then, in a process called deglazing, liquid—usually wine, homemade stock, or broth—is added and the fond is scraped up. The liquid is simmered and reduced to concentrate flavors, thickened, and, in a final (sometimes optional) step, the reduction is enriched and slightly thickened by whisking in butter.

If the recipe calls for canned broth, it's best to use a low-sodium variety because reduction can result in overwhelming saltiness. Also avoid the "cooking wines" sold in grocery stores. They contain considerable amounts of salt and are generally unappealing in flavor.

THE PAN

If you intend to make a pan sauce for your pork chops, opt for a traditional skillet. A nonstick skillet will not develop as much fond as a traditional skillet will, and, because fond supplies a pan sauce with richness and depth of flavor, a nonstick skillet will make a less flavorful pan sauce. Also important is the size of the skillet. It should comfortably hold the pork chops. If it is overcrowded, the pork chops will steam and fail to create much fond.

THE SETUP

Because pan sauces cook quickly, before you begin to cook it is essential to complete your mise en place—that is, have all necessary ingredients and utensils collected and ready before you begin cooking your pork chops. Here are the things we recommend having ready to use:

1. Just-seared meat After searing the pork chops, transfer it to a plate and tent it loosely with foil to keep it warm while you are making the sauce. A loose seal is recommended because it will help to keep any crust that has formed from turning soggy.

2. Liquids Leave liquid ingredients (such as wine, broth, juices) in a measuring cup. Once emptied the measuring cup should be kept close at hand; the reduced liquid can be poured back into the cup toward the end of simmering to gauge if it has been adequately reduced.

3. Salt and Pepper Tasting for and correcting seasoning is the last step before serving. Keep salt in a ramekin so that it is easy to pinch or measure out in small amounts.

4. Small Bowl Have ready a small empty bowl or container to catch excess fat that must be poured off before you begin the sauce.

5. Whisk For maximum efficiency and easy maneuverability, use a medium-size whisk with flexible wires that can get into the rounded corners of the skillet.

6. Aromatics Aromatics include garlic and onion, but in many pan sauces shallots are preferred. If "minced" is specified, make sure they are minced finely and evenly; this will cause them to release maximum flavor, and their texture will be less obtrusive in the finished sauce.

7. Herbs and Flavorings Herbs are sometimes used in sprig form, to be removed from the sauce before serving. Delicate herbs such as parsley and tarragon are usually chopped and added to the sauce at the end so that they do not discolor. Other flavorings, such as mustard, lemon juice, capers, and chopped olives are often added at the end for maximum flavor impact.

8. Wooden Utensil A wooden utensil works best to scrape up the fond while deglazing, because it is rigid. A wooden spatula is ideal because its flat edge can scrape up more fond than the rounded edge of a spoon.

9. Butter So that it will melt quickly, cut the butter into tablespoon-size chunks. Cold butter is easier to incorporate into a sauce than softened butter and it makes for a sturdier emulsion that is more resistant to separation.