Fried Rice-Pork Chops Casserole and Brownies

I made another recipe from the Ultimate Casseroles magazine tonight. It’s Sweet and Sour Pork Chops over Fried Rice, a recipe contributed by popular food blogger, Jaden Hair of Steamy Kitchen. It’s basically fried rice topped with pork chops and a sweet and sour sauce. I like the taste and the ‘casserole twist’ of this dish. If I don’t want to make it as a casserole, I could serve the rice and the pork chops separately.

Sweet and Sour Pork over Fried Rice
(Adapted from BHG Ultimate Casseroles)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 eggs, lightly beaten
4 cups day-old cooked rice, clumps well separated
1 cup frozen peas and carrots or other mixed diced vegetables
1 tablespoon soy sauce
4 3/4-inch-thick boneless pork top loin chops (about 1 pound total)
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper (I used white)
1/4 cup water
3 tablespoons sugar (I used 2)
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 large onion, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 medium tomatoes, cut into thick wedges

1. In a wok or large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add eggs; cook until nearly set and scramble them. Add rice, using a spatula to stir-fry and incorporate the eggs throughout the rice. Cook till rice is warm. Stir in peas and carrots and the 1 tablespoon soy sauce. Transfer rice mixture into an ungreased 3-quart rectangular baking dish.

2. Season pork chops on all sides with salt and pepper. Wipe the wok or skillet clean. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil to wok or skillet; heat over medium-high heat. Add pork chops. Cook about 4 minutes or until golden brown on both sides, turning once. Arrange pork chops on rice mixture in baking dish.

3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Combine the water, sugar, rice vinegar, ketchup and the 2 teaspoons soy sauce in a small bowl and set aside. Return wok or skillet to the stove top over medium-high heat (you should still have some vegetable oil left in the pan). When hot, add onion, stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add garlic, stir-fry for 1 minute more. Add tomatoes; stir-fry for 1 minute more. Add rice vinegar mixture; stir-fry for about 1 minute or until heated through. Pour sauce over pork chops. Bake, covered, for 20 to 25 minutes or until the pork chops are cooked through (160 degrees F). Makes 4 servings.

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I also made a Cranberry, Chocolate and Kahlua brownie. It is chocolatey and delicious and I like the tart bites of cranberries in it. Use good quality chocolate and cocoa powder for the best flavour. I used Côte d’Or dark (70%) chocolate and Ghirardelli unsweetened cocoa.

The recipe is from Kitchen Flavours. I followed her step in reducing the amount of sugar and I only used half the amount of cranberries as Hubby is not crazy about fruits in his brownies. Check out her other recipes while you’re there!

 

Casserole Night and Marble Cake

Sometimes when Friday rolls around, I’ll have renewed energy. Maybe it’s the thought of it being the last day of the week before the weekend! So today I made a casserole for dinner and baked a cake, that’s me being energetic. They both need an oven temperature of 350F so I put one in after another.

The casserole was from a food magazine I picked up last Sunday. It was Baked Risotto with Sausage and Artichokes (I left out the artichokes) and got a “Best casserole ever!” comment from picky Big Kid. It truly was very delicious. The risotto was creamy and tasty and the flavours of the Italian sausage, fennel and thyme so good!

The marble cake is a new recipe for me and after trying it, I’m making it my favourite marble cake recipe! I used to favour Donna Hay’s recipe but after a while I found it too ‘milky’. Dorie Greenspan’s recipe was alright but not fantastic. This one from Sarabeth, however, is a delight! It has a nice crust, moist inside, not too buttery, and the chocolate batter has a touch of almond flavour. If you like marble cakes, you got to try this one. I’m thinking here of my mum, my sisters and my cousins (SM H and SY H)! Thanks to Kitchen Flavours for posting this recipe.

Baked Risotto with Sausage and Artichokes
From Better Homes and Gardens Ultimate Casseroles 2011

1 pound bulk Italian sausage
1 cup chopped fennel (1 medium bulb)
1 cup chopped onion (1 large)
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup arborio rice or long grain rice
2 9-oz packages frozen artichoke hearts, thawed, drained and halved (I left this out)
1 cup coarsely shredded carrots (2 medium)
2 teaspoons snipped fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cups chicken broth
1/3 cup dry white wine or chicken broth (I used broth)
1/2 cup panko or soft bread crumbs
1/4 cup finely shredded Asiago cheese or Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon finely shredded lemon peel
Parmesan cheese shards (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350F. In a 12-inch skillet combine sausage, fennel, onion and garlic; cook over medium-high heat until meat is browned and vegetables are tender, using a wooden spoon to break up meat as it cooks. Drain off fat. Add uncooked rice to meat mixture in skillet; cook and stir for 1 minute more.

2. Add artichoke hearts, carrots, thyme and pepper. Stir in broth and wine. Bring just to boiling. Transfer to an ungreased 2-1/2 quart casserole. Bake, covered, about 1 hour or until rice is tender, stirring once. (I forgot to stir and it was fine. I stirred only at the end of the hour.)

3. Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine panko, Asiago cheese, butter and lemon peel. Top casserole with crumb mixture. Bake uncovered, for 10 minutes more. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Spoon into individual bowls. If desired, garnish each serving with Parmesan cheese shards. Makes 6 to 8 servings. (My family of 2 + 2 finished it up!)

Marble Cake

Full recipe here:
http://goddessofbakedom.com/sb/sarabeth/2011/01/welcome-back-marble-cake.html

(Note: I used only 1 cup + 3 tablespoons of sugar)

 

Basic Marbled Loaf Cake and Happy Birthday

It was Hubby’s birthday on Friday and he said he didn’t want a cake. Say what? No cake? On your birthday? And he has a person who loves to bake for a wife?? He said he didn’t want a cake because it’s fattening. I know where he’s coming from. We had been eating out more than usual lately and he’s feeling the effects on his waist!

Well, a cake doesn’t always have to be rich and calorie-laden. I looked for a simple cake to make and settled on Dorie Greenspan’s Marble Loaf Cake. Marble cake is one of Hubby’s favourite cake anyway. I brought it to our friend’s house where we had a simple dinner of pasta and salad and dessert was the marble cake with coffee. The cake was served plain – no glaze, no sauce, no ice-cream, no unnecessary addition of calories – just what Hubby wanted. There were also no candles and no song, just birthday wishes, as he likes his birthday quiet! Happy Birthday, babe. Love ya!

Basic Marbled Loaf Cake
(adapted from Dorie Greenspan’s Baking From My Home to Yours)

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons/ 170g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
4 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup whole milk
4 oz bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled.

Center a rack in the oven and preheat oven the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter a loaf pan (I used a 9-x-5-x-2 3/4-inch loaf pan), dust the inside with flour and tap out the excess. Place the pan on two regular baking sheets stacked on top of the other.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. With a stand mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add the sugar and beat for another 2 to 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Don’t be concerned if the batter curdles. Beat in the vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low and alternately add the flour mixture in 3 additions and the milk in 2, mixing only until each addition is incorporated.

Pour half the batter into a medium bowl and stir the melted chocolate in, mixing gently until combined.

Drop spoonsful of plain and chocolate batter randomly into the pan, then plunge a table knife deep into the batter and zigzag the knife through the batter, making 6 to 8 zigs and zags.

Bake the cake for 1 hour and 20 to 30 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted deep into the center comes out clean. Transfer the cake to a cooling rack and let it rest for about 15 minutes before unmolding, then cool the cake to room temperature right side up on the rack.

 

Carrot Cake

It’s been so long since I’ve baked on a weekend. I had time yesterday and really wanted to bake but couldn’t decide on what to bake. So I opened the question to the family. Hubby said, “Marble Cake” and Little Guy said, “Carrot Cake.” I chose Carrot Cake for I have a good one in my notebook of handwritten recipes that is quick and easy to make. As an aside, if I were to make a digital copy of this recipe in the future I still won’t discard this page. Big Kid scribbled on it when he was 3 or 4 and it’s a sentimental reminder to me of the time when he was a cute little preschooler just discovering a pen.

CARROT CAKE

A.
300g grated carrots
250g flour
100g castor sugar
50g light brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
1 teaspoon Allspice

B.
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup (240ml) vegetable oil

C.
120g chopped nuts, toasted (walnuts or pecans)
120g dried fruit (dates or raisins)

Cream Cheese Frosting
250g cream cheese, softened
60g butter, softened
160g castor sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon lemon zest (optional)

1. Line a 8″ square cake pan with parchment paper and preheat oven to 350 degrees F / 175 degrees C.
2. Combine A in a medium bowl with a fork, making sure the carrots are not in clumps.
3. Combine B in a small bowl and, using a spatula, mix it into the dry ingredients (A).
4. Stir in C.
5. Scrape batter into pan and bake for an hour. Let the cake cool completely before frosting.
6. To make the frosting, cream the ingredients in a bowl with an electric mixer until the frosting is fluffy and smooth.

 

French Fridays with Dorie: Orange-Almond Tart

This week’s FFwD recipe, the Orange-Almond Tart, received only a fair review. Tasters found it too sweet, the crust especially. This tart uses Dorie’s Sweet Tart Dough which has half a cup of confectioners’ sugar in it compared to a teaspoon of sugar in the regular tart dough. Apart from it being sweet, I like this tart dough for its buttery, shortbread-ish texture. It comes together easily in a food processor and it can be pressed into the tart pan or rolled out. I chose to press it in so I don’t have to deal with the rolling!

The almond cream filling wasn’t too bad and the two teaspoons of dark rum in it gave it a slight ‘adult’ taste. One interesting step in this recipe is the cut orange segments have to be dried out in between layers of paper towels before being used. (I found that a waste of lovely Sunkist navel oranges!) Contrary to what Dorie said, this did not enhance the flavour of the oranges, which were sweet and juicy when they were fresh, but rather, they lost some flavour after being baked. I also thought some pieces tasted a little bitter. Hmm…?

The crust, which was first blind baked, turned too brown after the final baking. Overall, I found this a nice fancy dessert which I would serve at dinner parties. I would reduce the amount of sugar though and cover up the edges of the crust with foil halfway through baking.

One nice thing that happened in the course of making this dessert is I ‘reconnected’ with my old food processor. My 6-cups Kenwood FP110, which I brought over from Malaysia, had been stored away in my basement even since I moved into this house. I had forgotten about it and even contemplated buying a new food processor but the ones here are clunky and expensive. My Kenwood has steel blades, is compact and not too heavy – almost perfect except for the fact that it doesn’t work on the voltage here. Nothing a converter can’t fix though.

Click here to look at the tarts other French Fridays with Dorie members made.

Next week’s recipe is Pancetta Green Beans.