This week I made a few new recipes and one recipe based on a family friend’s recipe. I also couldn’t sleep past 5 AM on Wednesday morning, so I did what any slightly crazy person would do and started a batch of chocolate filled brioche at 6 AM. The Husband is luckily used to the way my brain works and didn’t really bat an eye.

1- Petits Pains au Chocolat from Complete Book of Small Breads by Bernard Clayton, Jr. Section: La Brioche

Modifications: I used Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate baking pieces instead of semi-sweet, since it was what I had. I followed the recipe and I had a nice nap with the dog while the dough raised and then it chilled while I was at work. It required at least a four hour chill, if not overnight.

It was an odd dough. I’ve not felt one like it before. It was a cross between bread dough and puff pastry. Very easy to work with though. They turned out delicious, although I needed more evenly distributed chocolate and a bigger board to roll them out on. The dough wasn’t as sweet as I expected. I would make them again. The Husband enjoyed his as an afternoon treat with his lunch and liked it. The author mentions that these are wonderful “slipped in the pocket of a ski jacket and enjoyed warm at the top of the mountain.” I just had them with tea and an egg, having misplaced my mountain that morning.

2- Thai Sweet-Hot Duck from Garlic by Janet Hazen. Section: Entrees

Modifications: Dried mint instead of fresh and not as much as called for, the Husband doesn’t like mint. 1 Serrano pepper instead of 4. My mouth almost spontaneously combusted when I tested the pepper and I do like spicy food. Also served it with stir fried noodles, instead of lettuce, and it was lovely.

The Husband said this was the “single best thing” that I’ve made so far. It was pretty delicious. I did have texture issues with the duck, but occasionally get weird about new meats, so I think it might wear off. The recipe called for 10 cloves of garlic sliced thinly which I thought might be overpowering, but turned out quite nice. The Husband said that the flavor combo tasted “familiar.” It is fairly close to some of the Asian dishes we’ve been making and has star anise in it, which is in Chinese five spice powder. I got all my ingredients ready ahead of time, which helped speed the recipe along. I think I may have overcooked the duck. It was only slighty pink in the middle. We’ll be making this again. The next time I will flip the duck after searing the skin. The recipe omitted this step, but the Husband thinks the crispy skin would be nice.

 

3- Noodles with Asparagus from 400 Thai and Chinese Delicious Recipes for Delicious and Healthy Living. Section: Noodles

Modifications: Sesame oil instead of canola oil, as I had used it up in the Mongolian Beef. I think we have the wrong noodles too. I think we bought actual ramen noodles, instead of egg noodles from the Chinese grocery, but it was what we had in the cupboard and worked just as well. This was an easy recipe and went well with the duck. I would make this again, but to go with something, not on their own. They would be a little bland.

4- Mongolia Beef- The Husband’s family recipe book. The Husband says I can’t share it. He says there will be “dishonor on our cow” if it gets out… (I’ll give you a cookie if you can tell me which movie that’s from. The comments should be working.) I guess you’ll all just have to come over for dinner one night to try it.

Modifications: I left out the tiger lilly buds, as I couldn’t find them, and added garlic powder and white pepper to the marinade. I know, nothing is sacred from me changing the recipe, not even super secret family recipes! We had it over puffy fried bean thread noodles, which is what the recipe called for. I’ve not fried them before and it was fun to see them puff up. The Husband says he hasn’t had them with it before, his Dad makes rice to go with it. It was really good. Next time I will break up the bean threads, the middle ones didn’t get hit with the oil right and weren’t puffy. I also didn’t have enough oil to begin with, so will need more.

5- Scotch Broth based on a recipe from Pauline Bradley, a good family friend and I think, my older brother’s godmother. This one is pretty simple. Chicken broth-2 boxes, ground lamb, carrots, onions, potatoes, garlic, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.

The original version had barley, but the Husband is not a fan of the texture. I made it in the crockpot before work. Just brown the lamb, drain off the grease, and then throw it and everything else in the pot and let it cook. It’s delicious and even better on the second day. I had a turnip in the fridge and no recipe to use it for, so I chopped that up too and threw it in. No pictures, as I ate it too fast. It’s not terribly photogenic either, but makes up for it in taste.

I’ve got a bunch of recipes marked in some cookbooks for the future and to help with meal planning. A couple of the cookbooks only have a few more sections before they are complete!  I haven’t decided on the rules for what happens when I finish all the sections in a cookbook. They pretty much all have more than one recipe that I would like to try, but I want to make sure that the ones I haven’t touched yet get used too. Plus, there is a whole shoe box full of recipe cards and mini cookbooks to use as well. For now, I guess I’ll cross that bridge when I actually get there.