use real butter

When I saw my grandma at Elena’s house a few weekends ago, she made some interesting Chinese dishes. I was familiar with all of the ingredients except for one. She called it a Chinese potato (or a Japanese potato). I thought, “What on Earth could a Chinese potato be?” Well, she showed me, and prepped it, and I ate it - it’s delicious!

On our drive home, we passed through Super H Mart where I used that matching function in my brain - the one that says, “this image in your head is the same as that image before you now”. I found the potatoes! They were labeled as Japanese potatoes. Upon some quick research, I found that these are in fact called Okinawan Sweet Potatoes.

i think they look more like sweet potatoes than potatoes

I must confess something… my obsession with these sweet potatoes has little to do with the flavor and far more to do with the appearance. You see, these unassuming tubers are purple on the inside. Have a looksee.

what a surprise, no?

I had to try it out for myself. It’s part of my redemption for not being able to read Chinese. My mom’s reaction was, “Haven’t you ever had that before?” And this is why I choose to document everything - because between my mom and Grandma, there are a gazillion recipes and foods that I don’t know about. I’m not sure if it’s generational or not, but they always seem surprised that 1) I just discovered something they grew up eating and 2) I didn’t know it existed beforehand. Honestly, their reaction is a combination of amusement and disbelief at my lifelong ignorance.

Mom said I could boil or steam the potatoes. Grandma prepared them steamed with these lovely Chinese ribs on top. My web research came up with sweet potato pie (a purple pie!) and tempura sweet potato (purple tempura!) and mashed sweet potatoes (purple mashed sweet potatoes!) and sweet potato gratin (purple sweet potato gratin!) and… you get the point. Since I only dared to buy two for fear of screwing up a recipe and wasting food, I thought I’d just peel, boil, slice, and try them straight. The water turned blue.

as pretty to behold as they are tasty to eat

These sweet potatoes are good for you. I read they are full of vitamins A, B6, and C. They taste like… sweet potatoes, but they are purple!

Purple!

I just love that.

purple!

This month, I joined the Daring Bakers which has exploded as far as membership goes. The Daring Bakers is an online community of people who bake a recipe selected by a host each month, and then post about the experience and the outcome on the same day. Our host was Mary of alpineberry who chose Bostini Cream Pie for this month’s DB challenge, and today is the day everyone is posting. Go to the blogroll to see everyone’s fine creations!

The Bostini is a variation on an old favorite, the Boston cream pie. The main components are: pastry cream, orange chiffon cake, and chocolate glaze. So I began with the pastry cream, because I looooove pastry cream. Love to eat it, love to make it.

crème patisserie: mixing in the yolks

tempering the egg mixture with a ladel of hot cream

whisking the tempered egg mixture into the cream

I have found that the trick to pastry cream is constant vigilance… and to strain it. The reason you temper the egg mixture with the hot cream is so you don’t end up with scrambled eggs. Temper, in this sense, means to add a small amount of hot liquid to raise the temperature of the eggs without cooking them. When cooking the pastry cream in the saucepan, I kept the heat on medium and stirred, scraping the base and sides and corners of the pan to prevent any clumps of cooked egg from forming. Of course, no matter how perfectly you cook your pastry cream, bits and pieces will form. Pouring it through a sieve is a good idea for a smooth and creamy consistency. Since I used vanilla extract instead of vanilla bean, I added my extract after the pastry cream passed through the sieve.

i like smooth

Once the pastry cream was done, I poured it into tiny glasses and refrigerated them. Next was the orange chiffon cake. I baked my cakes in a 9-inch round, a 6-inch round, and two 3-inch ramekins (round). The ramekins were brushed with melted unsalted butter. The 9- and 6-inch rounds were brushed with unsalted butter, then set with a piece of parchment paper, and brushed with more unsalted butter (makes for easy release and easy clean up).

sift the lumps out

orange zest adds some lovely flavor to the chiffon cake

I learned to make chiffon cakes in my pastry skills course, and they have fast become one of my favorite base cakes. They aren’t difficult to make once you understand the role of the egg whites and how to incorporate them into the batter. Once the dry ingredients were sifted, I added the oil, yolks, juice (fresh squozen), and vanilla, stirring them into a smooth batter by hand. Oh, and I omitted the baking powder altogether because at 8500 feet above sea-level, this cake has no trouble rising without the leavening!

add the liquid ingredients

Next, I beat the egg whites to medium peaks. The recipe says soft peaks, and I meant to - but the Kitchenaid runs from under soft to medium in just a few strokes. Must remember that (always forgetting that). I fold my egg whites into the batter in thirds. Incorporating the first third is another form of “tempering”, but this time it isn’t temperature - it’s density. The egg whites are light and foamy. The batter is thick and viscous. Instead of stirring the two together and blowing out those lovely air bubbles in the egg whites, I like to scoop a wide spatula along the bottom and lift it out right onto the middle of the whites and repeat until the batter is lightened up and relatively uniform. Repeat with the next two thirds of the egg whites. It gets easier.

tempering the first third

folding the last third

into the oven we go

The cakes baked in 25 minutes. Actually, the larger cakes needed a little more time to set and the ramekins were done a few minutes earlier than 25 minutes.

little cake

The glaze was a straight 1:1 ratio of dark chocolate and unsalted butter. I used block Ghirardelli semi-sweet and… I didn’t strain my glaze. No lumps to speak of.

My first attempt at assembly involved 2-inch ring molds. I cut out pieces of cake with a 2-inch biscuit cutter and stuffed them into the base of the ring mold. I had extra pastry cream and spooned that into the ring molds on top of the cake. More cake topped the pastry cream. I refrigerated the ring molds for several hours and when I unmolded them it was as if my idea puked pastry cream all over the plate.

Plan B: tiny glasses. I had a suspicion that the structural integrity of the first assemblage would fail. I cut out more circles of cake and set them atop the pastry cream in the little glasses. I then poured the glaze on and did little garnishes.

bostinis at the ready

jeremy loved it

I am not a fan of orange and chocolate, but I have to say the combination was surprisingly delicious to me. Jeremy is crazy about orange and chocolate and happily obliged in his duties to finish them off (over several days). I had some leftover fresh squozen orange juice, so I made an orange reduction sauce for one version of plating. The sauce is wonderfully orangey and tart and sweet and concentrated - and I must say it was fabulous with the Bostini Cream Pie. I’ll include the reduction recipe at the end.

with some lovely orange reduction drizzle

Thanks Mary, for a terrific challenge. It was a definite winner in my house and at my neighbors’ house too.

Bostini Cream Pie
Donna Scala & Kurtis Baguley of Bistro Don Giovanni and Scala’s Bistro
makes 8 servings

pastry cream
3/4 cup whole milk
2 3/4 tbsps cornstarch
1 whole egg, beaten
9 egg yolks, beaten
3 3/4 cups heavy whipping cream
1/2 vanilla bean (or 1 tsp pure vanilla extract)
1/2 cup + 1 tbsp sugar

orange chiffon cake
1 1/2 cups cake flour
3/4 cup superfine sugar
1 1/3 tsps baking powder (omitted at high altitudes)
1/3 tsp salt
1/3 cup canola oil
1/3 cup beaten egg yolks (3 to 4 yolks)
3/4 cup fresh orange juice
1 1/2 tbsps grated orange zest
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup egg whites (about 8 large)
1 tsp cream of tartar

chocolate glaze
8 oz semi or bittersweet chocolate
8 oz unsalted butter

Make the pastry cream: Combine the milk and cornstarch in a bowl; blend until smooth. Whisk in the whole egg and yolks, beating until smooth. Combine the cream, vanilla bean and sugar in a saucepan and carefully bring to a boil (if using vanilla extract, don’t add this until just before refrigeration). When the mixture just boils, whisk a ladleful into the egg mixture to temper it, then whisk this back into the cream mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Strain the custard and pour into 8 large custard cups. Refrigerate to chill.

Make the chiffon cakes: Preheat the oven to 325F. Spray 8 molds with nonstick cooking spray. You may use 7-ounce custard cups, ovenproof wide mugs or even large foil cups. Whatever you use should be the same size as the custard cups. Sift the cake flour, sugar, baking powder (omitted at elevation) and salt into a large bowl. Add the oil, egg yolks, orange juice, zest and vanilla. Stir until smooth, but do not overbeat. Beat the egg whites until frothy. Add the cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks form. Gently fold the beaten whites into the orange batter. Fill the sprayed molds nearly to the top with the batter. Bake approximately 25 minutes, until the cakes bounce back when lightly pressed with your fingertip. Do not overbake. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack. When completely cool, remove the cakes from the molds. Cover the cakes to keep them moist.

Make the glaze: Chop the chocolate into small pieces. Place the butter in a saucepan and heat until it is just about to bubble. Remove from the heat; add the chocolate and stir to melt. Pour through a strainer and keep warm.

Assembly: Cut a thin slice from the top of each cake to create a flat surface. Place a cake flat-side down on top of each custard. Cover the tops with warm chocolate glaze. Serve immediately.

Orange Reduction Sauce

1 qt orange juice
zest of 2 oranges
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp white vinegar

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and simmer down to 1/4 the volume. Strain.

I didn’t always like to make food from scratch, you know. I was perfectly happy living in So Cal and paying for truly excellent food over 15 years ago. It was authentic, delicious, and cheap. When I moved away from So Cal to go to graduate school, I moved away from great ethnic food. So I began learning to make it myself. By the time we returned to So Cal, I viewed food differently than before. I tasted everything we ate with a running mental analysis of the flavors, the ingredients, the preparation, and how I could make it at home. At some point, I had crossed the barrier that always led me to believe a dish was out of my reach. No longer!

Now that we’ve moved to a small mountain town, I’m stuck craving those fantastic ethnic foods again. But now, I am eager to try making them at home, and perfecting them.

When my in-laws lived in New Mexico, we used to visit and drop by El Modelo for amazing New Mexican fare. One of my favorites was their carne adovada. I mean, how can I not love pork - I’m Chinese and I grew up in the South, so there is a double whammy right there!

my second-favorite product of new mexico: red chiles
my favorite being jeremy

Over the years, I have collected a few Mexican cookbooks, and when I say Mexican, I really mean New Mexican. There is a difference. You should have seen the way Jeremy’s eyes lit up when I told him I was going to make carne adovada. [Oh, but his eyes light up like that when I make anything with chocolate or coffee too.] It is one of his favorites from his home state.

bake and deseed the pods

soak in boiling hot water

The directions said to bake the chile pods for a few minutes and warned against breathing in the fumes. No kidding! I ran the exhaust fan just to be safe. And just the voice of experience here… it helps to wear gloves when handling the chiles unless you want to wash your hands repeatedly and then scratch your nostril and then experience the sensation of Burning Nostril for the next hour.

garlic, oregano, salt, chiles, some chile water

this purée is sheer beauty

Carne adovada is a spicy dish. I guess the spiciness depends on how spicy your chiles are. Now, I love spicy, as in “mouth on fire” spicy (I’m Chinese, what can I say!). This spicy isn’t that hot as opposed to full of spice - it tastes like chiles. Does that make sense? I love how the flavor infiltrates every bite of tender pork.

cut the pork intro strips

I used pork loin because the recipe said to use a tender cut. My brain was on vacay, because if you bake any cut for 4 hours, it’s going to become tender whether it was to begin with or not. If you like white meat, go for the pork loin. Me - I prefer the juicy dark meat. I love a hunk of pork shoulder cooked for hours on end, rendered “fall apart” tender. It has so much more flavor, in my opinion. I’ll make a note to do that in the future. The recipe actually takes 2 days because the pork marinates in the chile purée for 24 hours. Don’t skimp on the time - it’s worth it to let it go for 24 hours.

ready to bake

When the pork came out of the oven, I shredded it with two forks. Can’t help it, it’s the Southerner in me. Jeremy would like to mention that you can also cut it into chunks. Shred. I like the shred.

that’s the ticket

I’m actually reserving most of the carne adovada for tamales, to be blogged at a later date. However, we couldn’t resist having some for lunch today with warm tortillas, cheddar, and avocado. Typically it should be smothered with red sauce, but I didn’t make any and the carne adovada was amazing without it anyway.

pure joy

Carne Adovada
modified from Santa Fe Recipe (The Shed)

16 dried, red chile pods
3 tsp salt
4 cloves garlic
2 tsp oregano
5 pounds pork (any tender cut) (*jen’s note, use pork shoulder)

Preheat oven to 325F. Remove stems from the chile pods. Place pods in a pan and bake for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until chiles are lightly roasted. Leave oven door open (I didn’t do this). Don’t breathe the fumes! I shook the seeds out of the pods and discarded them. Place pods in a medium bowl and cover them with boiling water. Let them sit for 30 minutes. Drain the water from the chile pods, but reserve about 2 cups for the purée. Place pods in a food processor or blender. Add the salt, garlic, and oregano. Cover the mixture with the chile water. Blend well for 2 minutes or until the skins disappear. Cut the pork into 2×4 inch strips. Place the pork in a ziploc bag and add the sauce. Thoroughly coat the pork. Refrigerate for 24 hours. Preheat oven to 325F. Place pork and sauce in a baking dish. Cover and bake for 4 hours or until meat is tender. Shred or chop meat.