Fueling up for a marathon

M and I are training for the London marathon this year. Its something that we've both always thought about doing and we thought it'd be a fun(?) thing for us to do together in the run up to our wedding. Besides, since the race is only a month before the wedding, it would force us to shape up before the big day.

Now one of the unexpected perks of marathon training, is being able to eat a ton. Since we're logging 4-5 runs a week with a total mileage in excess of 30 miles, we're burning some serious calories. I'm sure you won't find this advice in any marathon training books but I'd like to think that cookies are a perfectly acceptable form of fuel for our runs.

With that as an excuse, I took the opportunity to try out a recipe that I've had my eye on for a while - Triple Chocolate Fudge cookies from Sherry Yard's The Secrets of Baking. Using a combination of cocoa powder, bittersweet and white chocolate chunks, cookies don't come much more chocolatey than this. They were so good that I scarfed down 6 cookies fresh from the oven. M had 5 the first night and another 5 the next. Feeling guilty about the overindulgence on my part, I carted the rest to the office where they disappeared in a flash.

Triple Chocolate Fudge Cookies

From The Secrets of Baking

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp sugar

1/2 cup plus 2 tsp tightly packed light brown sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 large egg, at room temperature

1/2 cup 1/2-inch chunks of white chocolate

1/2 cup 1/2-inch chunks of bittersweet chocolate

Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda into a medium bowl and set aside.

Using a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a hand mixer, cream the butter on medium speed until pale yellow, about 2 minutes.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle. Add the sugar, brown sugar, salt, and vanilla. Cream on medium speed until it is smooth and lump free, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle.

Add the egg and beat on low speed for 15 seconds, or until fully incorporated. Do not overbeat. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle.

On low speed, add the flour mixture. Beat until all the dry ingredients are incorporated, 15 to 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the white and bittersweet chocolate chunks and mix until they are just incorporated. If using a hand mixer, use a wooden spoon to stir them in.

If you want to bake these right away, preheat the oven to 350F. Adjust the rack to the lower third of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Spoon the dough by heaped teaspoons 2 inches apart onto the prepared baking sheets.

Bake one sheet at a time for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the cookies look dry and feel firm, turning the sheet front to back halfway through the baking. Remove the sheet from the oven and carefully slide the parchment directly onto a work surface. Wait at least 5 minutes before serving or 20 minutes before storing in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature.

Makes about 36 3-inch round cookies

A perennial favourite

In many ways, M is a creature of habit. Food, is definitely one of those ways. There are certain dishes which he loves and if its on the menu, he will order it. One of those all-time favourites is Chicken with cashew nuts. It doesn't matter whether its done Thai style or Chinese style, he loves them all. So much so that I often tease him for it.

Don't get me wrong, I certainly have my favourite dishes as well but being a food lover, I find that there's still so much out there to try that I'm often loathe to miss out on tasting something new just to have one of my favourites again.

Given how much M loves his chicken with cashew nuts, it surprises me that its taken so long for the recipe to appear on my blog. Better late than never, though, as they always say. I served this for dinner last night, and needless to say, there were no leftovers.


Stir-Fried Chicken with Cashew Nuts
Adapted from Popular Thai Cuisine

300g chicken breast, sliced thinly
1/2 cup fried cashew nut
1/4 cup crisp-fried dried spur chili, cut into 1 cm pieces
1 red pepper, chopped into small pieces
1 small onion, sliced
1/3 cup spring onion, cut into 2 cm pieces
1/2 tbsp chopped garlic
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
2 tbsp cooking oil

Fry the garlic in oil over medium heat until golden and fragrant, add the chicken and cook until done.

Add onion, cashew nuts, fried dried chilies, red pepper and spring onion, stir well.

Season to taste with fish sauce, dark soy sauce and salt, stir again. Turn off the heat.

Spoon onto a serving dish and garnish with fresh coriander before serving.

Serves 4

Another year, another Daring Bakers' challenge

Due to travels during the holiday season, I had to skip the December DB challenge but I just couldn't let 2008 start without participating in the first challenge of the year. This time, our challenge was Lemon Meringue Pie - something I've never made before. Sure I've made tarte au citron, but I've never made this kind that is topped with a fluffy layer of meringue.

There are 3 main components to this pie - the crust, the lemon filling and the meringue topping. While not hard to make, getting all 3 parts ready in order to assemble the pie requires some pre-planning. Truth be told, I started my pie a little late in the evening so I was scrambling a little bit in order to get in on the table in time for dessert after dinner.

Still, I think the pie made quite an impression on the dinner table and was a hit with M. I thought the pie tasted good but my personal preference would be to have it without the meringue on top. I think the pie is plenty sweet enough without it! To see how the other Daring Bakers got on with this month's challenge, check out the DB blogroll.

Lemon Meringue Pie

For the Crust:
3/4 cup (180 mL) cold butter; cut into ½-inch (1.2 cm) pieces
2 cups (475 mL) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (60 mL) granulated sugar
1/4 tsp (1.2 mL) salt
1/3 cup (80 mL) ice water

For the Filling:
2 cups (475 mL) water
1 cup (240 mL) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (120 mL) cornstarch
5 egg yolks, beaten
1/4 cup (60 mL) butter
3/4 cup (180 mL) fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp (15 mL) lemon zest
1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla extract

For the Meringue:
5 egg whites, room temperature
1/2 tsp (2.5 mL) cream of tartar
1/4 tsp (1.2 mL) salt
1/2 tsp (2.5 mL) vanilla extract
3/4 cup (180 mL) granulated sugar

To Make the Crust:
Make sure all ingredients are as cold as possible. Using a food processor or pastry cutter and a large bowl, combine the butter, flour, sugar and salt.Process or cut in until the mixture resembles coarse meal and begins to clump together. Sprinkle with water, let rest 30 seconds and then either process very briefly or cut in with about 15 strokes of the pastry cutter, just until the dough begins to stick together and come away from the sides of the bowl. Turn onto a lightly floured work surface and press together to form a disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least 20 minutes.

Allow the dough to warm slightly to room temperature if it is too hard to roll. On a lightly floured board (or countertop) roll the disk to a thickness of 1/8 inch (.3 cm). Cut a circle about 2 inches (5 cm) larger than the pie plate and transfer the pastry into the plate by folding it in half or by rolling it onto the rolling pin. Turn the pastry under, leaving an edge that hangs over the plate about 1/2 inch (1.2 cm). Flute decoratively. Chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line the crust with foil and fill with metal pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Carefully remove the foil and continue baking for 10 to 15 minutes, until golden. Cool completely before filling.

To Make the Filling:
Bring the water to a boil in a large, heavy saucepan. Remove from the heat and let rest 5 minutes. Whisk the sugar and cornstarch together. Add the mixture gradually to the hot water, whisking until completely incorporated. Return to the heat and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until the mixture comes to a boil. The mixture will be very thick. Add about 1 cup (240 mL) of the hot mixture to the beaten egg yolks, whisking until smooth. Whisking vigorously, add the warmed yolks to the pot and continue cooking, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Remove from the heat and stir in butter until incorporated. Add the lemon juice, zest and vanilla, stirring until combined. Pour into the prepared crust. Cover with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming on the surface, and cool to room temperature.

To Make the Meringue:
Preheat the oven to 375ºF (190ºC). Using an electric mixer beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar, salt and vanilla extract until soft peaks form. Add the sugar gradually, beating until it forms stiff, glossy peaks. Pile onto the cooled pie, bringing the meringue all the way over to the edge of the crust to seal it completely. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden. Cool on a rack. Serve within 6 hours to avoid a soggy crust.

Makes one 10-inch (25 cm) pie

Something warm for the winter

Its been a reasonably mild winter here in London this year even though we had a brief spell of unusually cold weather right before Christmas. Thankfully, I missed the worst of it as I headed back East for a 2 week break in the tropics. Still, since I'm accustomed to heat and humidity, the mild winters here can still feel bitingly cold to me. As such, there's nothing I like better than to warm up with a hearty bowl of steaming, hot soup.

If you've been following my blog, you'll know that late last year I discovered the wonders of using pumpkin in baked goods. This year, I'm continuing to find that pumpkin is amazingly versatile as demonstrated by this Thai-inspired pumpkin soup that I made for dinner last night.

For dinner, I served it with some crusty pieces of toast as an appetizer but I find that by tossing a few pieces of chicken in, it can even be a meal in itself, as it was for my lunch today!

Thai style pumpkin soup with coriander pesto
From delicious.

2 bunches fresh coriander, roots trimmed
zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 garlic cloves
80ml olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 tsp grated ginger
1 heaped tbsp thai red curry paste
1 kg pumpkin, peeled, cut into small cubes
500ml vegetable stock
400ml canned light coconut milk
thinly sliced red chilli, to garnish

To make the coriander pesto, whiz the coriander, lemon zest, lemon juice and garlic in a food processor. Slowly add 60 ml of the oil to make a sauce consistency, adding a little warm water if necessary, then season to taste.

Heat the remaining oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and stir for 1 minute. Add the ginger and curry paste and stir for 1 minute.

Add the pumpkin and stock, bring to the boil, then simmer over a low heat for 15 minutes until pumpkin is cooked. Cool slightly, then blend until smooth. Return to the pan, add the coconut milk and season, then warm through.

To serve, pour the soup into bowls and swirl in a spoonful of pesto. Garnish with the onion, chilli and reserved coriander leaves.

Serves 6

Sesame noodles

In my continuing  quest for healthy recipes, I've been surfing some of our favourite recipe sites for low calorie meals. At the delicious. magazine website (UK version), I came across this recipe for Asian style noodles that not only sounded delicious and also came in at a measly 289 kcals per serving! 

I made it for dinner this week and it was a hit with both M and myself. Whoever said healthy food has to taste bad?

French bean, mangetout, prawn and sesame noodles

From delicious.

15g sesame seeds

200g French beans

200g mangetout

125g dried medium egg noodles

400g cooked and peeled prawns

1 medium-hot red chilli, deseeded and chopped

For the dressing

1 tbsp dark soy sauce

1 tbsp rice wine vinegar

1 tsp toasted sesame oil

1 tsp sunflower oil

1/4 tsp caster sugar

Heat a dry frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the sesame seeds and stir for 3-4 minutes, until lightly toasted. Transfer to a bowl and leave to cool. Whisk together the ingredients for the dressing.

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Meanwhile, top and tail the French beans and cut them in half lengthways. Cut the mangetout in half lengthways, too. Drop the beans into the pan and cook for 3 minutes, until just tender. Remove with a slotted spoon and refresh under cold water. Add the mangetout and cook for 2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon, then drain and refresh as before.

Add the noodles to the pan and cook for 4 minutes or until just al dente. Drain and set aside to cool.

Mix the beans, mangetout, noodles, prawns, most of the sesame seeds and the chilli together in a large bowl. Add the dressing and toss together well. Sprinkle wit the rest of the sesame seeds just before serving.

Serves 4