June 1, 2013

Lemon Chicken

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Lemon Chicken

Lemon Chicken

June: National Lemon Month

Many cultures have their own version of boneless meat, which is coated in seasoned flour/breadcrumbs/batter, then fried or baked, and accompanied with gravy or sauce. Lemon chicken from L&L Drive-Inn, a popular chain restaurant in Hawaii and in select spots around the world, is one of Islander and her brother’s favorite deep fried chicken dishes with a tangy sweet lemon sauce.

During our undergraduate years in Hawaii, we would walk down our hilly campus to the L&L restaurant and treat ourselves to a cheap lunch or dinner when we did not want to eat cafeteria food or cook in our dorm kitchen. When we first ordered the lemon chicken, it looked like a giant, sliced chicken nugget with a sunny yellow dipping sauce on the side. As simple as the entrée was, we just loved the lemon sauce! It really is what makes the chicken a delicious dish.

For National Lemon Month, make lemon chicken for a local-style plate lunch.

Recipe

(Adapted from L&L Drive-Inn via the Star-Bulletin Archives)

For the chicken

  • 2 pounds boneless chicken (we used thinly sliced chicken breast meat)
  • ¼ cup water
  • ¼ cup vegetable oil
  • ½ cup cornstarch
  • ¼ cup flour
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon chicken-flavored bouillon (we crushed a bouillon cube)
  • ½ teaspoon white pepper
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions

Pound the chicken meat to ¼-inch thickness or cut into bite-sized pieces. Set aside and make the marinade. In a large glass bowl, mix together the water and vegetable oil. Blend in the cornstarch and flour. Stir in the egg. Season with salt, bouillon, white pepper and garlic powder.

Lemon Chicken

Mix to make a smooth batter. Coat the chicken in the marinade and leave for at least two hours. Deep fry the chicken in 350-degree oil until golden brown (5 minutes). Drain on paper towels. Keep warm.

Lemon Chicken

For the lemon sauce

  • ¼ cup cornstarch
  • ¼ cup lemon juice
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 cup white vinegar (we used cane sugar vinegar)
  • 1 ½ cups sugar
  • small piece of ginger, crushed
  • 1 teaspoon lemon extract
  • ½ teaspoon of yellow food coloring
  • slices of lemon

Directions

In a measuring cup, make a slurry by dissolving the cornstarch in lemon juice. Set aside. In a saucepan, combine the water, vinegar and sugar. Bring to a boil.

Lemon Chicken

Add the ginger, lemon extract and a few slices of lemon. Tint with yellow food coloring. Slowly stir in the cornstarch-lemon juice mixture until thickened and smooth. Discard the ginger. Serve the sauce on the side with the lemon chicken.

Lemon Chicken

Notes

  • The lemon sauce may be made ahead of time and re-heated. Garnish with fresh lemon slices.
  • This lemon chicken is a Chinese-influenced recipe. There are other lemon chicken recipes inspired by international ingredients.
  • Serve L&L Drive-Inn lemon chicken with scoops of rice and macaroni salad. Onolicious!
  • For another fruit-flavored sauce with chicken, try the recipe for honey orange glazed chicken listed in our September archives (National Chicken Month).
  • Love lemons? Search our blog for more lemon recipes.
 

May 30, 2013

Bacon Cheddar Scallion Scones

Posted by HI Cookery under 05 May | Tags: , , , , |
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Bacon Cheddar Scallion Scones

Bacon Cheddar Scones

May 30: National Scone Day

Our typical tea time tray includes sweet treats. But we decided to try something savory and substantial, such as bacon cheddar scallion scones, instead. Similar to bread-biscuits, they add balance to the sweet scones we normally have with our tea. For a fuller and formal tea time, add finger sandwiches, desserts and scones—sweet and savory—and make this meal a big deal! Or for a simple snack, bake bacon cheddar scallion scones on National Scone Day.

Recipe

(Adapted from King Arthur Flour)

Ingredients

  • 1 cup flour
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cut into small pieces
  • ½ cup cheddar cheese, grated
  • ½ cup bacon, cooked and crumbled
  • ¼ cup scallions, finely chopped (green part only)
  • 6 tablespoons heavy whipping cream or milk

Directions

Grate the cheese, cook and crumble the bacon and chop the scallions. Set aside. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, salt and baking powder.

Bacon Cheddar Scones

Add the sugar to the flour mixture. Cut in the butter pieces and mix until they resemble coarse crumbs. Stir in the grated cheese, bacon and scallions. Gradually add the cream or milk (more or less may be needed, depending on your kitchen temperature and humidity). The scone dough should be able to stick together. If it is too dry, add a little more milk. If it is too wet, add a little more flour.

Bacon Cheddar Scones

Form the dough into a ball. Transfer to a clean surface dusted with flour. Pat the dough ball into a disc. Gently flatten to ¾ inch thick. Place the disc on a lightly greased baking sheet. Use a sharp knife to cut into eight wedges. Spread them apart from each other so they do not stick together when they rise slightly while baking. Brush the tops with a little cream or milk. Bake in a preheated oven at 425 degrees F at 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven. Cool on the pan. Separate the wedges. Arrange on a tea tray. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Bacon Cheddar Scones

Notes

  • National Scone Day is observed in Australia on May 30 but we join the mates Down Under by posting this recipe in the blogosphere and World Wide Web!
  • Bacon may be fried to a crisp, then chopped finely. We used fully-cooked bacon from the package and chopped it up. Real bacon bits (found in the salad section of the grocery store) may also be used.
  • Scallions/green onions may be substituted for snipped fresh chives.
  • Wedge-shaped scones are traditional but the dough may be cut in rounds as well.
  • Search our blog for other scone and tea time recipes.
 

May 5, 2013

Cactus Meringue Cookies

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Cactus Meringue Cookies

Cactus Meringue Cookies

May 5: Cinco de Mayo

When Islander and her brother were in Arizona for a work conference a few years ago, they took a break from some of the sessions and went sightseeing in Phoenix, Sedona and the Grand Canyon. They enjoyed the drive through the desert and imagined that the saguaro cacti were waving to them! The tour guide even stopped along the way and picked a prickly pear for us as a succulent snack.

Some cactus plants are edible and are characteristic of Southwestern and Mexican cuisine. Below are a few nopales photographed outside of Islander’s brother’s house and some being sold at a grocery store in Texas.  

Nopales

However, it is the distinctive saguaro shape that inspired us to create cute cactus cookies for a fiesta. We also make cactus meringue cookies for Cinco de Mayo celebrations! Olé.

Recipe

(Based on our Meringue Skeleton Bones post)

Ingredients

  • 3 egg whites
  • ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
  • pinch of salt
  • 2/3 cup sugar (granulated white)
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla (we used Mexican vainilla)
  • green food coloring
  • green sugar sprinkles
  • pink fondant flowers (see a similar tutorial here or here)
  • pink tube frosting
  • yellow tube frosting

Directions

With a handmixer or in a stand mixer, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar and pinch of salt until fluffy. Gradually add the sugar and continue to beat until shiny.

Cactus Meringue Cookies

Stir in the vanilla. Mix in the food coloring. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a medium star tip with the meringue. Trace the cactus pattern on top of a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. Start tracing with the cactus’ left arm, then the right arm and finish off with a downward middle stroke.

Cactus Meringue Cookies

Remove the pattern from underneath the parchment paper. Sprinkle with green sugar. Bake in a preheated oven at 200 degrees F for an hour. Turn off the oven and leave the meringues to dry for another hour. Remove from the oven and carefully peel off the meringues from the parchment paper.

Cactus Meringue Cookies

Make the fondant flowers and let dry. Attach to the meringues with a dab of pink frosting. Finish by piping a small round center with yellow frosting. Seal in an airtight container in a single file. When ready to serve, arrange in single file on a platter. Avoid stacking them or the meringues might stick to each other. Yield: Approximately 2 ½-3 dozen cactus meringue cookies.

Cactus Meringue Cookies

Notes

  • Download our cactus pattern here.
  • Saguaro cactus flowers, when in bloom at night, are white and yellow. But we colored our fondant flowers in the shade of prickly pear pink.
  • Humidity affects this recipe. Leave the cactus meringue cookies in a warm oven for a dry, crisp dessert. Otherwise, our friends have told us that the soft meringues still taste delicious as they melt in your mouth like a marshmallow.
  • Muchas gracias to Phyllis S. for helping to make the fondant flowers for our cactus meringue cookies. For a review of making fondant flower cutouts, please see our posts here or here.
 

April 21, 2013

In Ovis Apalis

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In Ovis Apalis

(Roman Boiled Eggs)

Roman Eggs

April 21: Birthdate of Rome (753 BC)

Highlander chose to spend his 50th birthday in Italy (Rome, Florence and Venice) a few years ago as a most memorable milestone trip. We went all over The Eternal City (churches, piazzas, the Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, Roman Forum, the Vatican, cafes and more) and were awed by the history, art, architecture and culture!

On Capitoline Hill, we saw the famous statue of the she-wolf suckling twins Romulus and Remus, the mythological symbol of the founding of Rome. According to the popular legend, the unwanted twin sons of the war god Mars and a Vestal “virgin” were cast off into the River Tiber. A she-wolf found the babies and nursed them as her own, until a shepherd came and raised them. When the brothers grew up, they fought over a site where they were to establish a city. Romulus killed Remus and became king of the Italian capital that bears his name.

Romulus and Remus

In observance of the birthdate of Rome, we ate an ancient appetizer called In Ovis Apalis (boiled eggs with a pine nut sauce). There is an old Latin saying “ab ovo usque ad malum” which translates to “from the egg to the fruit,” suggesting the courses of an Italian meal from the beginning to the end (or from antipasti, primi, secondi and all the way to dolci).

Do as the ancient Romans did and eat In Ovis Apalis to celebrate Rome’s birthday!

Recipe

(Adapted from PBS)

Ingredients

  • 4 boiled eggs
  • 2 ounces stone pine kernels (pine nuts)
  • 2-3 tablespoons vinegar (we used white wine vinegar)
  • 1-2 teaspoon honey
  • pinch of ground black pepper

Directions

Boil the eggs. Cool down. Remove the shells. Cut them in half lengthwise. Set aside to make the sauce.

Roman Eggs

Toast the pine nuts by sautéing them in a pan till lightly browned (about 5 minutes or less). Remove to cool. In a measuring cup or little bowl, combine the vinegar, honey and pepper. Stir in the pine nuts. Place the sauce in a small dish or serving boat to accompany the boiled eggs. Pour the sauce on the eggs and eat immediately to avoid making the yolks soggy.

Roman Eggs

Notes

  • In Ovis Apalis is also a good recipe to use up leftover boiled Easter eggs.
  • Ancient Romans added a pinch of lovage (celery leaf) to the sauce recipe.
  • We toasted the pine nuts to accentuate its flavor. Soaking them in the sauce somewhat tones down the acid in the vinegar.
  • Highlander’s birthday is on April 20. Our trip to Italy for his 50th year coincided with Roman (and national) celebrations around the week of April 21. Several museums and public events were free or discounted then, allowing us to take advantage of what the country’s tourism industry had to offer.
  • Search our blog for other Italian recipes.
 

April 11, 2013

Our 3rd Blog-o-versary

Posted by HI Cookery under Uncategorized | Tags: , , , |
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HI Cookery is 3!

April 11: HI Cookery Blog Anniversary

What a difference a year makes! As we, Highlander and Islander, continue to cook our way through the calendar, we pause to post not a recipe but our reflections.

In the past year, Islander has returned to school recently to learn basic web design (perhaps she can re-design this blog someday?). She says that homework assignments are taking up her cooking and blogging time! Highlander travels constantly for business, especially with current corporate restructuring (hopefully we do not have to be relocated to another state again). So he has not been able to help her as much with the food photography.

Although we are posting recipes less frequently than before, it is also because we are closer to our goal of cooking something ethnic or eclectic for each day of the calendar year. We know it takes a lot of work to maintain a food blog. Some of those we follow have discontinued or have become less regular in their postings. We admire those whose food blogs are still going strong. They are an inspiration for us to finish what we have started three years ago on April 11, 2010.

We are thankful to Catholic Cuisine for including our feast day recipes on its blog this year. We are especially grateful to all our blog subscribers and readers who “like” or “pin” our posts. We are appreciative of our family, friends and co-workers (the guinea pigs) who continue to show their support by giving us recipe ideas and/or taste-testing our cooking. God willing, everyone’s encouragement will help us reach another blog-o-versary next year!

 

April 1, 2013

Chick-in-Eggs

Posted by HI Cookery under 04 April | Tags: , , , , , , , |
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Chick-in-Eggs

Chick-in-Eggs

April: Easter Week

We dress up deviled eggs as little devils after Halloween, on November 2, National Deviled Eggs Day. But around the Easter season, we make special spring chicks because they look so cute cracking out of their shells.

Eggs are festive food this time of the year as they are symbolic of transformations. The dead of winter is reborn into the hope of spring; the rising of Jesus from the dead represents new life; yolks turn into yummy appetizers.

Do deviled eggs differently during Easter Week and decorate them as spring chicks! Blessings to all our blog readers on Easter!

Recipe

Ingredients

  • 4 hard boiled eggs, cooled and shelled
  • 2-3 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 1 teaspoon curry powder (or to taste)
  • carrot sliver
  • black food gel tube

Directions

Boil, cool and shell the eggs. Slice a little piece off the bottom of an egg so it could stand on its own. Slice the egg 1/3 from the top, making the bottom 2/3 larger.

Chick-in-Eggs

Remove the yolks to a mixing bowl. Use a sharp paring knife to cut triangular “cracks” from the top and bottom of the egg whites. Set aside. Add mayonnaise and curry powder to the egg yolks and mash with a fork until smooth.

Chick-in-Eggs

Generously fill the bottom of the egg whites with a mound of the yolk mixture (we used a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip). Cap off with the top egg whites. Peel a small part of a carrot. Cut out into tiny triangles for the beaks. Position them on the egg yolks. Lightly touch the tip of the black tube frosting to make the eyes. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Chick-in-Eggs

Notes

  • Thanks to Lisa L. for the idea of decorating our deviled eggs into spring chicks.
  • Knead the black tube icing and squeeze out the excess liquid on a napkin before decorating the chick-in-eggs to avoid runny smears on the yolk filling.
  • Search our blog for other Easter and egg recipes.
 

March 31, 2013

Chocolate Bunny Butts

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Chocolate Bunny Butts

Chocolate Bunny Butts

March 31, 2013: Easter

As a reward for surviving Lent (and giving up chocolate for 40 days), Islander gets a chocolate bunny from Highlander as an Easter gift. Whether it is a hollow or solid candy bunny (she likes the latter better!), Islander can indulge in all that chocolate goodness after sacrificing sweets for a few weeks.

As an alternative to chocolate bunnies, Chocolate Bunny Butts are a differently delicious dessert made with deviled food cookies, miniature marshmallows and melted chocolate.  They look especially cute with colorful candy eggs—and they are quick and easy to make.

Eat an Easter fun food and have a Chocolate Bunny Butt. Hoppy Happy Easter from HI Cookery!

Recipe

(Inspired by Hungry Happenings)

Ingredients

Directions

Place the bunny head pattern on a cookie sheet. Lay waxed paper over it. Melt the chocolate according to the package directions. Cool slightly.

Chocolate Bunny Butts

Flatten a miniature marshmallow. Dip one flat side in the melted chocolate. Attach it to the cookie. Fill with melted chocolate a pastry bag outfitted with a round decorating tip (or fill a plastic bag and snip off a small hole in the corner). Carefully trace the bunny head pattern with the melted chocolate leaving a small tab at the end.

Chocolate Bunny Butts

Place in the refrigerator to cool and harden the chocolate. Carefully peel off the bunny heads from the waxed paper. Use the remaining melted chocolate to attach the cookie to the head. Refrigerate to set the chocolate. Arrange the dessert on a platter and serve.

Chocolate Bunny Butts

Notes

  • Download a PDF of our bunny head pattern here.
  • Search our blog for other Easter or egg recipes.
 

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