Hot and Steamy Liquid Love

The Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce and rice was absolutely delicious, so tasty in fact, that I didn't have enough time to take a picture before it was all gone. The chicken was marinated in a coconut and fish sauce mixture with some herbs and curry powder for about an hour, and then cooked on the grill outside in the pouring rain. Thankfully the grill is on the porch so the down pouring didn't ruin my Malaysian/Indonesian-barbecued-chicken-kabob-plans. The Peanut Sauce is where the real effort was in preparing. Many ingredients and techniques are called for; first pounding in a mortar with pestle, then sauteing, and last simmering. Next time I make Satay I now know I can make the Peanut sauce ahead of time. The Lemon Grass added a subtle tangy ..green-leafy flavor to the Peanut sauce that I admit doesn't sound altogether appetizing, but really was very pleasant.
It's nice to have something unusual for dinner from time to time, and I feel making it at home is much more healthy and satisfying than going out to eat (not to mention spending half as much money on the meal.) It's much more rewarding too, when my husband enjoys the meal that I prepared instead of a high end restaurant meal. For example; we never go out for curry, or mango and sticky rice anymore (one of our favorite meals and dessert) because I now can make it at home just as well as the restaurant. Curry and Mango with Sticky Rice is so simple and cheap to make, so I can spend ten dollars making it at home instead of thirty dollars plus tip to eat it at a restaurant! Learning to cook ethnic foods has definitely made my life a little bit easier and more fun.

I finished reading the first chapter of Mastering the Art of French Cooking entitled Soups. My family have never been big soup eaters; although I do enjoy soup, beyond what comes in a can I have just never had much exposure to making soup or the varieties available. Growing up, my mother would make potato soup from time to time, or a pot of beans, or a minestrone soup from scratch, but it just was not a big part of my meals. As an adult, when eating out, I hesitatingly would order a soup from time to time to see what as out there: French Onion, Clam Chowder, and Tortilla Soup but it was either a hit or miss as to which restaurants had good soup. So it was with courage I took on the task of choosing and making a soup last night. There were Potato and Leek Soup, Watercress, Vichyssoise, Garlic, Onion, Mushroom, and Fish Soups recipes to choose from. I have come to the unfortunate discovery that I dislike Leeks very much. I am not very picky as a rule and generally force myself to give all food a fair chance to win my taste buds over so I will allow myself to dislike leeks. Needless to say I did not want to make a leek soup, and I want to make sure I can make good soup before I take on a Vichyssoise, so since my husband and I both love mushrooms I settled on a Cream of Mushroom Soup.
It took an hour of my careful and inexperienced preparation, a half a cup of some Wanna-Be European Butter (I bought special for the occasion,) and about half a cup of cream to make the rich "Grand Occasion or.. Sunday Supper" soup. It was divine. Not bland and viscous like that canned stuff you buy at the store for a dollar and a quarter, but steamy with a soft liquid creamy richness that makes one pause after a sip to savor and ponder the experience. I toasted some white bread and melted some real butter on it as an accompaniment to the lovely soup. Soup and bread was just the thing after a rainy day and a chest cold! Other than adding a bit too much salt at the end I would have to say my hard work definitely paid off. I think I will try making a Potato and Onion soup soon and maybe a fish soup as well. Mrs. Child said, "Once you have mastered a technique, you hardly need look at a recipe again." and I mean to master Soups.
The next chapter is on Sauces and I am so looking forward to making Hollandaise for the first time as well as Mayonnaise! Yippee!

Spices and Herbs

I think my love of culinary arts started when I was a little girl. I was often in the kitchen helping my mother slicing olives, stirring batter, or reading off a recipe to her. I don't have my own kitchen right now since I live with my mother-in-law. To me, sharing a kitchen is one of the hardest things to do. Ask any of my college roommates, if I were an animal I would mark the kitchen perimeter with a stream of urine. (Maybe that's to vulgar talk around food.) For some reason, when I'm in the kitchen, I am the alpha female and any other woman needs to get out. I don't really do anything mean, I just seem to put off this vibe like some sort of repelling chemical to ward off potential crowding bodies. I don't mean any rudeness by it you know, I only need room to create and focus on my project is all! Anyone is welcome to the kitchen when I'm through.. just so long as they clean up after themselves.. Alright I admit it; I'm a kitchen Nazi, and I'm a terrible little beast for being so. Will you forgive me if I bake brownies for you?
Ever since I discovered spices I've been determined to learn to use them all. I have accumulated quite a collection now, so many that I can't fit them all into a spice rack. Since I don't have a kitchen of my own right now, it's okay I don't have a spice rack big enough, because I keep them nestled contently in a cardboard box for the present. Since I still have plenty of room in my "spice" box I bought a few new additions that I have never tried before and I am so excited to see what I can make with them: Whole Nutmeg, Lemon Grass, Whole Cloves, Cardamom, and Arrowroot! Not to mention Seasoned Salt. Now there is a very yummy Texas caviar recipe I got from a former co-worker that I can use my new Seasoned Salt for, and a fabulous recipe for pear bread to try my Cardamom in, and we all know that whole cloves go well in a Christmas Ham. There are several Asian recipes that call for Lemon Grass, and Whole Nutmeg is used just like preground Nutmeg only in smaller doses and I hear the taste is a bit spicier which I am looking forward to trying. But, what in the world is Arrowroot! Culinary Cafe says: "Arrowroot is a white powder extracted from the root of a West Indian plant, Marantha arundinacea. It looks and feels like cornstarch... Arrowroot is used as a thickening agent for sauces, fruit pie fillings and glazes, and puddings. " Okay so if I have cornstarch and Tapioca Flour already what do I need Arrowroot for? Skipping down to the end, "Arrowroot mixtures thicken at a lower temperature than mixtures made with flour or cornstarch. Mix Arrowroot with cool liquids before adding hot liquids, then cook until mixture thickens. Remove immediately to prevent mixture from thinning. Two teaspoons of Arrowroot can be substituted for 1 tablespoon of cornstarch. One teaspoon of Arrowroot can be substituted for 1 tablespoon of flour. Arrowroot makes clear, shimmering fruit gels and prevents ice crystals from forming in homemade ice cream. " Oh goodie! What could be more enticing than a glossy lake of raspberry sauce on top of a cake covered in creamy frosting! Oh thank you gut, for telling me I would like to have Arrowroot in my pantry! I know just the cake to make for this project too, Perfect Party Cake. Doesn't it look just delectable? Thank you Tuesdays with Dorie!
First thing is first, you cannot have dessert until you have had dinner. How about Chicken Satay with Peanut Dipping Sauce from my Williams-Sonoma Asian cookbook using my new Lemon Grass and served with rice and bell peppers. I can almost smell it now.