Baked Ziti (Rigatoni)

I've been MIA for the past couple of weeks! I've been swamped with everything going on in classes. This week is officially dead week. Dead week is really a nickname for the week before finals and let me tell you, that name is true in every way, shape and form. It's not even the first day of dead week and I'm already feeling the pressure.

In honor of dead week, I have cooked up something savory, Baked Ziti, or in this case, Baked Rigatoni! Essentially, it's lasagna without all the layering. Plus, it makes a ton of food and keeps for a long time in the refrigerator. Baked Ziti is perfect for people who don't have the time to always be cooking throughout the week. Plus, with it, you always know that you have something to eat and have nothing to worry about! :)

Tips
-To the garlic, I added 1/2 a medium onion and I added 1 lb of ground beef as well to give the Baked Ziti a heartier appeal. (Can definitely be omitted.)

-I used a 32 ounce jar of marinara sauce instead of using the canned tomatoes. Makes everything a lot easier. In a way, I just made a basic meat sauce.

- I cooked the Rigatoni Pasta until Aldente. Make sure not to overcook the pasta!

Results
Taste: Aldente Rigatoni pasta, tanginess and meatiness from the meat sauce, creaminess from the béchamel sauce with a hint of nutmeg as an undertone and, of course, the ooey-gooey melted cheese that everyone loves!

Texture: Aldente pasta and heartiness and creaminess from all the sauces

Scuderi Kids' Fast, Fake-Baked Ziti
Recipe By Rachael Ray


Ingredients
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 3 turns of the pan
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 a medium onion
1 lb ground beef
1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes (recommended: San Marzano)
1 (14-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, (recommended: San Marzano)* If San Marzanos are not available, add a teaspoon sugar to your sauce, optional (I used a 32 ounce jar of marinara sauce)
Coarse salt
A handful fresh basil leaves, torn
1 pound ziti rigate, with ridges (I used Rigatoni)
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Freshly ground black pepper
Salt to taste
A generous grating nutmeg (I used 1/8 tsp nutmeg)
2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup shredded asiago cheese
1/2 cup shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 cup sliced fresh mozzarella
Crusty bread, to pass at table

Directions
Put pasta water on to boil.

In a medium sauce pot over medium heat, saute garlic and onions in extra-virgin olive oil. Add 1 lb of ground beef and brown. Chop whole tomatoes and add them to the pan. Add crushed tomatoes and salt and simmer 10 minutes, add basil and simmer over low heat 10 minutes more. Instead of adding the tomatoes, use one 32 ounce jar of marinara sauce. Season to taste

Add salt and pasta to boiling water and cook 6 minutes, leaving pasta a little chewy.

While pasta cooks, melt butter in a small pot over medium heat. Whisk in flour, then cook 1 minute, adding salt and pepper and nutmeg to flour. Add milk and bring sauce to a bubble. Reduce 5 minutes.

Drain pasta and transfer to a large casserole dish. Pour the tomato and basil sauce over the pasta and turn to coat the pasta. Pour the bechamel over the already coated pasta. Cover the top of the pasta with Asiago, Parmesan and mozzarella. Place the casserole under hot broiler and melt the 3 cheeses until brown and bubbly, 3 to 5 minutes.

-Aaron John

"Praline's N' Cream" Cookies

I was looking through my blogger posts and found this little number. This post was hiding among the other 90 or so posts that I had and it seemed as if I had totally forgotten to post it. Luckily enough, I didn't have time to make anything thing this weekend and this magically appears. Wouldn't you call this a sign? ha.

This "Praline's N' Cream" Cookie goes way back to my "Ice Cream Into Cookies" Project. I had a request to turn this flavor from Baskin Robbin's into a cookie. I have never tried this flavor of ice cream before but I gave the cookie a shot anyway. Whether this matches the flavor of the cookie, I have no clue. lol. Until I taste that ice cream I will never know. Maybe you've tried that ice cream before?

Tips
-Not much really. It's really just making a chocolate chip cookie but with pecans. If you can make chocolate chip cookies, you can make these.

Results

Taste: If you like pecans, this is the cookie for you. Packed with pecans giving the cookie a distinct flavor. A sort of "smokey" sweetness from the caramel and a vanilla flavor from the white chocolate.

Texture: Chewy cookie with an added crunch from the pecans and a "creaminess" from the chocolate and the caramel drizzle. The outer coating of the pecans themselves created a chewy quality to them as well.

"Pralines N' Cream" Cookie (Makes 1 Dozen 5 inch Cookies or 4 Dozen Mini Cookies)
Recipe by Me

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup white sugar

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 large eggs

3/4 cup white chocolate chips

1 1/2 cups of Pecan Praline Morsels

Caramel Syrup/Sauce

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl and set aside.

Place the butter, sugar, and brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer; cream together on medium speed until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Beat in the vanilla and eggs. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture and continue to mix until a smooth batter forms. Turn off the mixer and fold in the Pecan Pralines and chocolate chips using the spatula.

To form the cookies, scoop about 1/4 cup of cookie dough into your hands and roll it around into a ball; place them about 3-inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets; you should get about 4 cookies on each pan. Press down the tops of the dough slightly and bake until the cookies are light brown, 12 minutes for chewy cookies, or about 15 minutes for crispy cookies.

Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough/cookie sheets.

-Aaron John

Vanilla Dutch Baby

It's that time of year again, Mother's Day is just around the corner. Literally, it's tomorrow. ha. When I think of Mother's Day, the first food related event that comes to mind is Brunch. Whoever invented Brunch is a genius. It's not exactly, breakfast, not exactly lunch yet you can eat all the foods that are associated with those two. Another opportunity to pig out? I think so.

While you're contemplating what Brunch meal you'll be making for tomorrow, I've decided to test out a Brunch item, a Vanilla Dutch Baby. Essentially it's just a puffed pancake. Simple to make? Yes. Will  this make it on my brunch table? Not going to happen. ha. I saw this recipe as someone who made crepe batter, was lazy and thus, put all the batter in a pan and baked. For all I know, that's probably what it's supposed to taste like. But I do think you're better off just making crepes instead of making this recipe.

Tips
-I used a hand mixer instead of a blender. Just make sure you add the wet ingredients slowly and try to get the lumps of flour out in the beginning of mixing

Results
Taste: Not sweet, very eggy tasting with a slight hint of vanilla flavor.

Texture: Extremely doughy with no textural difference. Despite the edges being golden brown, it became doughy just like the center. It almost had an "uncooked" feeling when eaten.

Vanilla Dutch Baby
Recipe by Melissa d'Arabian

Ingredients
3 tablespoons butter
3 eggs
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup milk, heated 20 to 30 seconds in the microwave
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Pinch salt
1 pint fresh or frozen blueberries
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Place the butter in a large saute pan and place in the oven to melt.

Meanwhile, in a blender, combine the eggs, flour, hot milk, 1 tablespoon sugar, vanilla extract, and pinch of salt, and blend on medium-high speed until uniform. Cook's Note: If mixing by hand, combine the eggs with the milk until the mixture is light yellow and no longer stringy, about 1 minute. Add the flour, sugar, vanilla, and pinch of salt, and whisk vigorously to remove the lumps, about 30 seconds.

Carefully, remove the hot pan from the oven. The butter should be melted. Swirl the butter around the pan to coat completely, and then pour the remaining butter into the batter and whisk to blend. Pour the batter into the hot pan and return the pan to the oven. Cook the pancake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the pancake is puffed in the center, and golden brown along the edges.

While the Dutch baby bakes, in a small bowl combine the fresh blueberries, 1 teaspoon sugar, and lemon zest. Stir to coat, and set aside to marinate.

Using a spatula, remove the entire Dutch baby from the pan and place on a cooling rack for a few minutes to allow the steam to escape without condensing along the bottom and rendering the pancake soggy. Slice the pancake into wedges on a serving platter or cutting board and sprinkle with the confectioners' sugar through a sieve. Serve with the marinated blueberries.

-Aaron John

Mamon Tostado

The time has come, I have finally run out of butter! How can I make sweet treats without having that oh so delicious butter? Can't make cake, can't make frosting. Can't make cookies, can't make brownies. Can't make biscuits, can't make scones. Can't make pie crust, can't make...anything really. Essentially, the whole dessert world revolves around butter!

What I did know was I wanted to make cake because I just had that "craving". However, like I said, how can I make cake without butter? Immediately Sponge Cake crossed my mind. Sponge cake has a more richer flavor than Angel Food Cake while still retaining that light and fluffy texture while some use oil instead of butter. During class yesterday, all I could think about was making this cake. I couldn't even focus on the lecture on "Spectroscopy and Alcohol Synthesis". I kept saying to myself I wanted to make this sponge cake, layer it with raspberry or strawberry jam, perhaps some pieces of strawberries while being filled and frosted with whipped cream. Yum! Screams summer right?

As I made the Sponge Cake, everything was turing out incredible. The sponge cake was fluffy and  golden brown. I was grinning from ear to ear. Now time to make the whipped cream frosting. As I opened the refrigerator door, I reached out for the heavy cream container only to find 1/4 cup of cream was left. NOOOOOOOOO!!! Now what am I supposed to make with this cake??

The Sponge Cake

I thought back to my roots. Filipinos have this sort of cake/cookie called a Mamon Tostado which is essentially toasted pieces of Sponge Cake. It's a Filipino Biscotti, if you will. It's crunchy and slightly sweet. Perfect for dipping into coffee. So if you made a sponge cake and find out that you have run out of ingredients for a frosting, make Mamon Tostado.

Slice into rectangles and toast

Tips
-Use room temperature egg whites when making the sponge cake. It makes whipping a lot quicker

-I toasted the Mamon Tostado for only 20 min. However, they were not completely crunchy. Toast it for an additional 20 min until it is completely crunchy all the way through

Results
Taste: Slightly sweet cake with an "egg-y" taste

Texture: Soft and light yet sturdy for a "whipped egg" cake. Toasting makes it crunchy. 

Japanese Sponge Cake (Makes one 7 or 8-inch layered cake)
Recipe from La Fuji Mama

Ingredients
For Noriko’s sponge cake:
4 large eggs, white and yolks separated
4.2 ounces (120 grams, 9.5 tablespoons) granulated sugar, sifted once
3 tablespoons milk, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
4.2 ounces (120 grams, 14 tablespoons) cake flour, sifted 3 times
1.2 ounces (22 grams, 2.3 tablespoons) butter, melted (I used canola oil)

Directions
To make Noriko’s Sponge Cake:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (170 to 180 degrees Celsius). Line a 7 (18cm) or 8-inch circular cake pan with parchment paper, or grease the cake pan with butter, then lightly coat the pan with flour.

2. Add the sugar to the egg whites, and beat the egg whites until they are stiff and glossy.

3. Add the egg yolks to the egg white mixture, and gently whisk until the yolks are incorporated.

4. Add the milk, vanilla extract, and flour (in that order) to the batter and gently fold them into the batter with a spatula. Fold in the melted butter until it is well combined.

5. Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake pan, and get rid of any air bubbles in the batter by dropping the pan on a counter once or twice. Bake the cake for 25 to 30 minutes. The cake is done when it is golden brown and springs back when pressed lightly. Let the cake cool completely on a wire rack. Run a blade around the inside of the pan to loosen the cake, and remove.

Mamon Tostado
Directions


1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F

2. With a serrated knife, cut the sponge cake into 1 inch wide slices. From there, cut each slice to about 2.5 inches in length and 1 inch thick. To sum it up, each Mamon Tostado should be 1 inch x 1 inch x 2.5 inches.

3. Arrange the slices onto a baking sheet and bake for 40 min, giving each Mamon Tostado a quarter turn every 10 min.

-Aaron John

Brownies Part Trois, Outrageous Brownies Part Deux

This week, the sun in Seattle finally made its appearance. Oh, but just as the sun came out, the "interesting" people came out as well. These "interesting" people were the most, hmmm, I think I better describe them. One of them was a woman dressed up in cat ears and whiskers with a sort of forest-y outfit. Another 2 people were dressed up in purple spandex from head to toe. Literally, spandex covering the face. ha. Another person was wearing a ninja type mortal combat outfit. I thought Halloween was over months ago? But to top it all off, I was called a "yellow monkey" by an elderly russian who then preceded to shove me from my backpack. Rude, much? I'm telling you, all the "crazies" are coming out with the sun!

Another thing that's crazy is why I've had a whole string of brownie/cookie type recipes for the past 2 weeks. Keeping that in mind, I was reminded of my hunt for a perfect brownie recipe that was still on-going. I was looking for brownie recipes and I just had this urge to bake Ina Garten's Outrageous a second time to see if things will be different.

As I was making the batter I was getting pretty happy at the way things were going. The batter was beginning to look and taste a whole lot different than the first time. Oh man, was my hopes in these brownies being built up or what? I put these in an 8x8 pan, since I made 1/4 of the recipe, placed them in the oven and crossed my fingers. Are these THE BROWNIE RECIPE? The taste was there, but the texture, not so much...

Tips
-I made 1/4 of the recipe since this was another "testing out" of the recipe
-I used 1/2 tsp of Instant Espresso powder for 1/4 of the recipe which makes it out to be 2 tsp for the whole recipe

Results
Taste: Intensely chocolately! Strong, rich flavor from the chocolate, a bit on the sweet side but not overpoweringly sweet with slight hints of coffee flavor.

Texture: Not exactly the texture I want in a brownie. These tended to fall apart and not hold its shape so much when eating probably due to the low amount of flour. While reading other brownie recipes, they had about double the amount of  flour compared to this recipe. I would try increasing the flour by 1/2  to 3/4 cup maybe and see how that goes.

Outrageous Brownies
Recipe by Ina Garten

Ingredients
1 pound unsalted butter
1 pound plus 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
6 ounces unsweetened chocolate
6 extra-large eggs
3 tablespoons instant coffee granules (I would change this to 2 tsp Instant Espresso Powder)
2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups chopped walnuts

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Butter and flour a 12 x 18 x 1-inch baking sheet.

Melt together the butter, 1 pound of chocolate chips, and the unsweetened chocolate in a medium bowl over simmering water. Allow to cool slightly. In a large bowl, stir (do not beat) together the eggs, coffee granules, vanilla, and sugar. Stir the warm chocolate mixture into the egg mixture and allow to cool to room temperature.

In a medium bowl, sift together 1 cup of flour, the baking powder, and salt. Add to the cooled chocolate mixture. Toss the walnuts and 12 ounces of chocolate chips in a medium bowl with 1/4 cup of flour, then add them to the chocolate batter. Pour into the baking sheet.

Bake for 20 minutes, then rap the baking sheet against the oven shelf to force the air to escape from between the pan and the brownie dough. Bake for about 15 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Do not overbake! Allow to cool thoroughly, refrigerate, and cut into 20 large squares.

-Aaron John