california kitchens.

Currently obsessing over patterned floors (I think my search for the perfect patterned rug started this latest obsession) and all things California (because I've done nothing but think about my vacation that is still about 2 months away).  I've gotten it into my head that all homes out west have kitchens the size of my apartment here on the east coast and are light bright and airy and all look exactly like the below.  Every time I look at this picture I keep imagining myself wearing my new Maje maxi dress and chopping vegetables from my garden out back.  (My imaginary life is so much better then my real life.)  

Image via Pinterest.  

korean marinated beef.

I love taking myself out to lunch.  I think I’ve developed a strong affinity for it because most of my meals are spent sitting in a cubicle alternating each bite of food with the sending of an email.  We live in a world where we are constantly expected to multitask (something I’ve become exceptionally good at) and we forget the simple pleasure of eating and actually focusing on eating and not on the e-mail/Instgram/Twitter/Facebook.  I don’t often get the opportunity to have a leisurely weekday afternoon lunch (truth be told it is super rare) but when the opportunity does arise I always gravitate towards Momofoku Ssam for their duck lunch.  You sit at the counter and catch up on your NYMag reading while you wait for your duck.  Rather quickly, it will arrive.  Several generous pieces of duck along with rice, lettuce leaves, a chive pancake, and three types of sauces.  You will sit and eat a very messy lunch and it will be delicious.  So delicious in fact that when you finish the meal you will spend the rest of the afternoon thinking about how you can recreate the meal.  I finally got around to making my own version of this dish by making Korean marinated beef instead of the duck and going for the traditional scallion pancakes (recipe coming later this week!) over the chive.  The results won a rave review from the boy and an equally rave review from me. 

Korean Marinated Beef

Recipe adapted (barely) from Gourmet

This is basically beef marinated in a homemade version of teriyaki sauce (or that was how it tasted to me).  The combination of sweet and salty is a very traditional Korean pairing (and one that I adore).  I highly suggest the addition of Sriracha at the end because salty, sweet, and spicy is an even better combination. 

¼ cup soy sauce

1 tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoons Asian sesame oil (hot oil or regular)

1 bunch scallions (white and pale green separated from greens), minced (1/2 cup)

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger (or 1 tablespoon grated ginger)

3 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted

½ pound flank steak, cut across the grain into very thin slices (no more then 1/8 inch thick.  This is easiest when the meet is very cold.  You can also find meet sliced thin like this at Asian supermarkets!)

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Accompaniments: Butter lettuce or other soft-leaf lettuce; Sriracha, steamed white rice, scallion pancakes (recipe below), additional sliced scallions

Stir together soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, scallions, garlic, ginger, and 2 tablespoons sesame seeds in a bowl until the sugar is dissolved.  Add steak and toss to coat, then let  marinate 15-30 minutes. 

Heat vegetable oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over high heat until just smoking and add steak in 1 layer and sauté, turning over occasionally, until browned and just cooked through, about 3-5 minutes.  Transfer to platter and sprinkle with scallion greens and remaining 1 tablespoon of sesame seeds.  Then serve with accompaniments. 

no-knead pizza dough.

I am always amazed at how shocked people are when I tell them I make my own bread and pasta and pizza dough.  For me it’s become second nature.  If I want those things I will make the homemade version.  It provides me a sense of accomplishment but it also makes me feel like I am doing something good for myself.  When you make your own food you know exactly what’s going into it.  There are no chemicals or impossible to pronounce ingredients.  It’s food in it’s purest form and that should be everyone’s motivation for making food from scratch.  But maybe, the idea of bread making scares you.  (I can see why because it intimidated me at first) and if that is the case then this is the recipe for you! Do you own a wooden spoon (or even a regular spoon but you should own a wooden spoon) and a bowl?  Are you capable of stirring dough for all 2 minutes?  If so, you are capable of making your own pizza dough!  This involves no mixer, no fancy tools, nothing remotely difficult (which is why I made it twice in one week).   It’s conducive to any number of toppings (pictured is a white pizza with arugula and olive oil but I also made a corn pizza with tomato sauce), it’s quick and easy, and it is very, very good which is really the number one reason to cook in my book.    

No Knead Pizza Dough

Recipe from Joy the Baker

This recipe is just really good.  If you don’t have whole wheat flour you can use all bread flour.  I am also a fan of making the dough the night before and after the 2 hour rise placing it in the fridge overnight.  I think making it the night before is great for two reasons.  One is that it helps the flavor to develop and two because it makes dinner the following night super easy!  Just bring the dough to room temperature before stretching it. 

Makes 2 pizzas

2 ¾ cups bread flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

2 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast

1 teaspoon salt

¾ teaspoon granulated sugar

1 ½ cups warm water

In a medium bowl whisk together the flours, yeast, salt, and sugar.  Add warm water all at once.  Using a wooden spoon work the mixture until fully incorporated.  If necessary ditch the spoon and work the mixture with your hands.  The dough will be slightly shaggy. 

Cover the dough with plastic wrap and a clean kitchen towel.  Let rise at room temperature for 2 hours. 

After resting, dump the dough onto a lightly floured work surface.  Divide in half.  If you are only making one pizza then you can wrap the second piece of dough in plastic wrap and place in a ziplock bag in the freezer.  Defrost dough in the fridge overnight and allow to come to room temperature before pressing the pizza crust. 

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. 

Working with one dough at a time, oil a 13x18 baking sheet with olive oil.  Place the rounded dough on the pan and stretch and press the dough out into a flat rectangle.  If the dough springs back as you are pressing it out, simply wait 5 minutes to allow the dough to rest and then try again.  The dough should be very thin.  If the dough tears, don’t worry, just press it back together.  Top the dough with the toppings of your choice.  Bake for about 10 – 12 minutes or until the edges are charred and bubbling. 

chinatown colors.

Spent the evening in Chinatown eating duck and buying pork buns (and dancing Gangnam Style).  It reminded me how much I love the color red and lots of light.  

(Here the light comes in the form of super high-gloss floors which I think are over the top in the best possible way.  I also think over the top is always the best.)

Image via Pinterest.  

a california road trip.

The beauty of working for corporate America is that I am forced to take a mandatory two week vacation every year (it is the single best thing about working in corporate America).  The boy and I have used this time to visit many amazing far flung locations - Barcelona, Cape Town, London, and Buenos Aries, but this year we decided to stay a little closer to home and take a road trip down the coast of California.  I've had California on my mind for a while now.  I don't know what keeps drawing me to the other side of the US but I continually feel this pull.  I imagine a lot of this desire stems from the number of restaurants I've been dying to try - places I've heard about, read about, watched TV shows about but have yet to visit (until now!).  (I am literally salivating every time I think about all that I will get to eat.)  I am also super excited to finally experience life on the west coast.  Something quieter and more relaxed.  The pace of New York suits me (I can't imagine not living here as I thrive in a fast-paced environment)  but I am looking forward to experiencing a different kind of lifestyle.  One where you spend your mornings hiking in national parks and spending you afternoons drinking beer on the beach.  So the question is what are your can't miss spots.  Where should I search for antiques and vintage clothes? Where is the can't miss farmers markets?  Where can I find the best Mexican food?  What restaurant is your favorite?  Should I be worried I will never want to return to New York?  

Image via Pinterest.

red velvet cake.

Before this whole red velvet cake investigation/baking extravaganza, I have to admit that I wasn’t the biggest fan of red velvet cake.  I just never understood the appeal.  (As someone who loves cake as much as I do you can imagine how crazy a statement this is for me to make.)  But I may have to admit, that after embarking on the search for the perfect version, I have been converted.  How you may ask? It's because this cake is ridiculously good (really ridiculously good) .  It’s oh so moist the way every cake should always be.  The tang of the buttermilk comes through subtly but it still makes itself known and the cocoa powder is present but not overpowering.  The frosting is creamy and dreamy and not cloyingly sweet the way some cream cheese frostings can be.  I am going to make the bold statement that this is the best red velvet cake I’ve ever had and probably the only one I will ever eat going forward.  

Red Velvet Cake

Recipe adapted from NYTimes

Ok! As I mentioned in my previous post I looked at many red velvet recipes.  The amount of cocoa powder in these recipes ranged from 2 tablespoons all the way to ½ cup, which is absurd that there is such a range.  I knew from my own previous red velvet experience that I prefer a cake with a higher cocoa content so I did a test round using the ½ cup of cocoa powder.   While I loved it, the consensus among my guinea pigs was that it was too chocolaty to be considered a true red velvet cake.  I found that dialing the cocoa powder back to ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons was the perfect amount.  You still got a hint of chocolate but it wasn’t a chocolate punch.  I also dialed down the amount of food coloring.  The cake in my mind doesn’t need to be blindingly red (especially from the additional of chemicals!).  Even dialed back to 2 tablespoons it was plenty red!

Makes 3 9-inch cake layers

3 ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons cake flour

¼ cup + 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 ½ teaspoons salt

2 cups canola oil

2 ¼ cups granulated sugar

3 large eggs

2 tablespoons (1 ounce) red food coloring

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

1 ¼ cup buttermilk

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 ½ teaspoons white vinegar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Cut circles out of parchment paper the same size as your cake pans.  Place the parchment rounds in the bottom of the pans and then grease your pans with butter.   

Whisk cake flour, cocoa, and salt in a bowl. 

Place oil and sugar in a bowl of an electric mixer and beat at medium speed until well-blended.  Beat in eggs one at a time.  With machine on very low, very slowly add the red food coloring (take care it may splash!).  Add vanilla.  Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk in two batches.  Scrape down the bowl and beat just long enough to combine. 

Place baking soda in a small dish, stir in vinegar and add the to batter with machine running.  Beat for 10 seconds. 

Divide the batter among the pans, place in oven and bake until a cake tester comes out clean, 30 – 35 minutes. Let cool in pan 15 minutes.  Then remove from pans, flip layers over and peel off parchment.  Cool completely before frosting. 

Cream Cheese Frosting

Recipe via Smitten Kitchen

In the notes on the Smitten Kitchen site, she mentions that this makes enough frosting for a lightly frosted cake.  I prefer a decent amount of frosting on my cake so I did 1 ½ times which made the perfect amount of frosting for the cake (in my humble opinion). 

12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) butter, at room temperature

4 ½ cups confectioners sugar

1 ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Place cream cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer (or you can use a handheld mixer).  Beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Add sugar and vanilla.  Beat, on low speed to combine.  If too soft, chill until slightly stiff, about 10 minutes, before using. 

Icing/Decorating Notes

-I struggle a lot with icing cakes.  I find I can never make it that neat and then it looks like a 5 ½ year old got a hold of the cake before it made it the party (never a good look).  At the suggestion of Smitten Kitchen, I tried icing the cake in two batches, first a “crumb layer” and then a more decorative one.  To make the crumb layer you use a very thin layer of frosting to coat the cake (you should be able to see the cake through the frosting). When you have coated the cake, place in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes to let the icing firm up.  Once it firms up, remove from the fridge and then do a second icing layer so you no longer see the cake! 

-The gold sprinkles on my cake is gold sanding sugar.  It gives an amazing look to all baked goods.  The gold in particular is very classy!  You can find it at Willams Sonoma. 

-The hearts I made out of paper and just attached them to wooden dowels.  Simple and cute.