Boozy Sour Cherry Compote

Are sour cherries even in season anymore? I made this so long ago, I have no idea.  Things have been so hectic lately that I have fallen behind with blogging, cooking, and life in general, I'm afraid.

If you can find  sour cherries, I highly recommend that you make this immediately. If not, well ... bookmark it for next year, I guess. Apologies! I will be a better blogger.

Boozy Sour Cherry Compote

1 pint sour cherries
3 T sugar
1 T honey
1/2 tsp powdered vanilla
4 T cherry liqueur
1/4 cup water
1 tsp lemon juice

First, pit the cherries. (I don't have a cherry pitter, and I resisted the temptation to go out and buy yet another kitchen gadget. You could say it's getting a bit ... overrun with them around here. It really wasn't a big deal to do it by hand.)

Next, just combine all of the ingredients, bring to a boil, and lower the heat, simmering gently until the mixture is thick and, for lack of a better word, compote-like.  Did I mention that this is really, really easy?

The liqueur gives it a nice kick, and while it's sweet, it's not cloying. It's the perfect thing to go on top of Greek yogurt. While this stuff lasted - which wasn't long - cherry compote on Greek yogurt became my breakfast (and lunch) addiction. :

And there you have it. Hopefully the horrendous heat in my neck of the woods will abate a bit, work things will calm down, and I can once again dive into doing what I love most in the world - cooking, eating, and writing about it all.

Spicy Korean Tacos, L.A. Taco Truck Style, for the International Incident Taco Party

I have never been to Los Angeles (*gasp*) but if I ever do find myself there, I know the very first thing I want to eat. Hmmm ... will I race to Mr. Chow's? Run to Mario Batali's Mozza? Skip to Matsuhisa?  No, no and no: What I really and truly long to do is taste one of Chef Roy Choi's Korean/Mexican fusion tacos. I envy the Angelenos who get to enjoy the amazing creations that come out of his Kogi Korean BBQ  taco truck. How could these things not be amazing?

So I took the taco theme of this month's International Incident Party - hosted, as ever, by the lovely Penny aka Jeroxie - as an opportunity to take matters into my own hands. I don't have plans to go to L.A. anytime soon, so why not try to create the Korean taco experience on my own? 

And my, oh my. The flavors ... how can I describe the flavors? Crispy fried tofu that's been coated with garlic, ginger, gochujang (Korean hot pepper paste) and cayenne; topped with kim chee, jicama, hoisin sauce, and green onions - do I really need to say anything else? Such a unique, yet utterly harmonious, combination.  All of this nestled in fresh, homemade tortillas made for one perfect bite after the next.  I wish I could take credit for having invented it!

The first step was to make the corn tortillas. After having these fresh out of the skillet, I can tell you one thing: I will never eat store-bought tortillas again.  And they're so simple to make - even without a tortilla press. You just need a strong man to help you press those babies flat ...  and as always,  I am grateful for the strong arms of Poppa Trix!

I followed the tortilla recipe at Simply Recipes. I mixed 2 cups of masa harina (corn flour that's been treated with lime) with 2 cups of warm water and 1/4 tsp baking soda, and let it sit for 5 minutes. I then kneaded the dough for a few minutes until it became a smooth mass:

Masa:

Mix:

Mass:

Next, I pinched off uniform, golf-ball sized pieces and rolled them into smooth balls:

At this point, if you have a tortilla press,  individually place the balls between sheets of wax paper and simply ... press. Instead, I pressed down with a skillet (though still with the dough between wax).  I didn't have much luck getting the dough to form 6 inch discs until I enlisted Poppa Trix as my human tortilla press.  He decided to be camera shy that day, so you don't get to see his awesome feats of strength! But here's how it works:

Now gently peel back the wax from the uncooked tortilla, and cook on a hot skillet for about 30 seconds on each side:

Before you know it, you've got yourself a gorgeous stack of fresh corn tortillas:

To keep them warm while you make your taco filling, just cover and keep in a 200 degree oven. I strongly suggest you eat one when they're piping hot! Poppa Trix and I certainly couldn't resist. ... Besides, poor Poppa needed sustenance after mashing all those tortillas. A tortilla press purchase is definitely in my future!

Now for the filling.  Chef Choi's recipe for spicy tofu tacos has been reprinted and adapted many times;  I went with the one I found here, though I did make a few changes - mainly substituting jicama for Asian pear and hot paprika for Korean pepper powder.

The recipe calls for gochujang, a Korean pepper paste, and rather than run all the way to Asian superstore H-Mart (which I love, don't get me wrong) , I decided to see if I could find an independent Korean grocer closer to my neighborhood. While I failed at that task, I did find Nak Won, an awesome Korean restaurant that I plan to try soon ...

... and they gave me a free container of gochujang. Score!

To prepare the sauce for the tofu, you'll need 1 tbsp hot paprika, 1 tbsp gochujang (I used more) 1 tbsp grated garlic, 1 tbsp grated ginger, 1 tbsp sesame oil and a sprinkle of salt:

I decided this was the perfect opportunity to use the sole Hungarian pepper from a plant I bought at the farmers market, and I chopped it up and threw that in the mix as well:

Next, fold in 14 oz. of cubed tofu that's been drained and pressed in a clean cloth for an hour or so:

In another bowl, combine 3/4 cup cornstarch and 2 tbsp of hot paprika. Carefully add the tofu and tap off  the excess in a colander:

Now it's time to get frying. Heat 2 cups of canola oil to 355 degrees F, and fry for about 4 minutes. Remove and drain on paper towels.

Now, as much as I loved these crunchy bites of tofu, I did feel that a good bit of the rich spicy flavor of the sauce was lost in the frying process. In the future, I would saute the tofu without the sauce until crunchy , and then toss it in the sauce while it's still piping hot. I realize this wouldn't be for everyone because you're going to get some serious heat in your tofu this way - but that's definitely the way I'd do it next time.

Once the tofu is drained, it's time for the really fun part - assembling the tacos! On a warm tortilla, place some of the tofu, julienned slices of jicama or Asian pear, kim chee, 1/2 tbsp hoisin sauce, and sliced scallions. Heaven on a plate:

 

And of course you want some ice cold Korean beer or soju to wash it all down! Now go check out what everyone else has brought to the taco party!

Guest Post for Lazaro Cooks: Whole Roasted Fish in Fennel, Tomato, Olives & Herbs

When Lazaro of the eclectic, fun, and always-inspiring blog Lazaro Cooks! asked me to do a guest post, of course I agreed immediately. Given his passion for sustainability, I  knew I had  to make a sustainable fish dish, and so I decided upon this whole roasted branzino.

The recipe is incredibly flavorful, fresh, and easy to make. What can I say? I aim to please! Please go check it out, and let me know what you think.

Enjoy!

Latino Fest! In Which I Am Amazed by Many Indefatigable Performers, Eat My Weight in Cheese, and Realize, Once and for All, That My Stomach Really is a Bottomless Pit

Poppa Trix and I have wanted to go to  Latino Fest and chow down on all the goodies for years, but something annoying or necessary always comes up and prevents us. This year, despite the punishing heat and humidity, we were determined to make it. And make it we did, though we both nearly had heat strokes in the process.  Was it worth it? Well, see all  the food and judge for yourselves!

Though before I get to the food - note that the dancers in the above photographs,  clad as they are in heavy costumes and hats,  do not look like they are about to pass out in the relentless afternoon sun.  This despite the fact that they were required to follow the very loud music all throughout the park, which was coming from a boom box that was pulled on a cart by a rather heavy (and, truth be told,  somewhat glum) man. All the while they kept dancing, jumping, bending - it made me tired just taking photographs. They were, in a word, awesome.

But you want to know what we ate. We started out sampling some food from a local catering company, Salsa Negra, or Black Sauce Kitchen:

Here we had some of our favorite foods of the day. Maiz tostado con mantequilla de cilantro y limon, or toasted corn with cilantro lime butter:

And pan de maiz de chipotle y queso con mantequila de mango (chipotle cheese cornbread with mago butter) and my all-time favorite, mango a la parilla, or grilled mango:

The mango was so simple, but so good - there was an initial  smoky grilled flavor, a burst of sweetness, and then a lingering spicy heat. Perfect.  And of course a refreshing bebida to wash it all down - a tamarind tea (enjoyed in the happy times before I succumbed to the heat):

There were so many food booths it was hard to pick our next stop. My love of cheese pupusas won out, and we settled on a Salvadorean stand, where we got a plate with said pupusa, a cheese stuffed plantain, and some tangy cabbage thing - I didn't get the proper name. Sorry!

A hit-and-miss plate. We thought the cheese got lost in all that plantain, and I couldn't finish it. (Poppa could!) The pupusa was a bit disappointing, as I could tell it was a frozen brand that I've bought before at a Latino market. Yummy, yes - but not what I was looking for. Though what it lacked in homemade goodness it certainly made up for in pure epic cheesiness:

It seemed as if the  tangy sauce and cabbage was the only homemade item on the plate. After this, we started noticing rows and rows of the exact same plantains we had just had at most of the stands. Hmmm ... why did everyone's plantains look the same? But it wasn't until we asked at several stands for some bacalaito (fried cod) only to be told - by every single vendor - that it wouldn't be available until 4 pm, that things clicked for us: The same place must be supplying food to nearly all of the vendors.  Gasp. Not that this is necessarily the worst thing in the world - and to be fair, it did seem as if many of these stands had at least one unique, homemade  item - but it was a little disappointing. We had hoped to discover more Mom-and-Pop places here.

So at this point we made it our mission to search for more places like Salsa Negra. First we found Max's Empanadas. That's Max handing me two homemade Argentinian spinach ones:

We loved these! Just look at that beautiful dough:

... and the spinach-filled inside:

Okay, now you will think we are foolish (definitely) and crazy (quite possibly) when I tell you that we were lured in by the grilled arepas, with their sizzling promise of crisp corniness and gooey cheesiness:

Well, these arepas lied to us! They were greasy, filling, mass-produced, and and flavorless - unless cardboard has a flavor.  And we allowed them to take up valuable real estate in our bellies! We should have known better. Besides, how could we have known that we were about to stumble upon Maria's Empanadas? The sign, while rather ... spartan ... was also somehow endearing:

These Venezuelan goodies are made by Maria's son, Anthony Zilleruelo, and follow Maria's recipe. That's him in the middle:

 I've never had an empanada like this before. It's deep fried, stuffed with cheese, and then powdered sugar is sprinkled on top. If you've ever had bastillas, the Moroccan chicken dish with pastry, almonds, sugar and cinnamon, you'll get the idea.  I really don't know how we had any room left, yet we had no choice - we had to gobble this up!

By this time, as you can imagine, we were well and truly full. Also dehydrated, sweaty, and sleepy. But I'm glad we stayed as long as we did, because we got to see another costumed dance troupe defy the heat:

But my favorite, hands down,  was el diablo. How cool is he?