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Fast & Easy Dinner: Halibut in Green Tea Broth

partysugar — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 06:45:44 -0700

With the inevitable change of seasons, it's time to start thinking about comforting, soothing meals like this halibut.

Served in a shallow bowl with a fragrant green tea broth - so delicious you'll be drinking every last bit - and an assortment of Asian vegetables, this fish dish is filling, healthy, and flavorful. A helping of quinoa acts as a hearty side dish.

To learn the cooking process, read more.

Halibut in Green Tea Broth
From Body and Soul magazine

Ingredients

4 halibut fillets (6 ounces each)
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 cup quinoa
2 tablespoons peanut oil
1 piece fresh ginger (about 2 inches), peeled and finely chopped
1 baby bok choy (6 ounces), thinly sliced lengthwise
1 cup frozen shelled edamame, thawed
4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced
1/2 cup snow peas, strings removed, thinly sliced lengthwise
1 cup brewed green tea
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 teaspoon honey
3 scallions, sliced on the diagonal
Basil leaves for garnish

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Season halibut with salt and pepper.
In a medium saucepan, bring 2 cups salted water to a boil. Add quinoa, reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook until quinoa is tender and water has been absorbed, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat; set aside.
Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Cook fillets until golden, 2 to 3 minutes per side.
Remove fillets from pan (reserve pan with any oil in it). Place fish in an ovenproof dish and bake 8 to 10 minutes or until just cooked through (a paring knife will easily go through fish).
To pan, add ginger, bok choy, edamame, shiitakes, and snow peas; reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes or until the shiitakes begin to soften.
Add green tea, soy sauce, and honey. Cook until edamame are tender, about 3 minutes longer. Add scallions to pan.
Place some broth and vegetables in each of four shallow bowls. Top with fish fillet and garnish with basil leaves.
Season quinoa with salt if necessary and serve on the side in separate serving bowls.

Serves 4.

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Come Party With Me: Olympics Viewing - Dessert

partysugar — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 15:00:38 -0700

Like a medal ceremony during the games, the dessert to your Olympic viewing should be rewarding and sweet. During the Summer nothing beats homemade ice cream, so wow guests with fresh scoops of cold, green tea ice cream.

This exotic flavor continues the Asian-influenced theme of the menu. Make the mixture the night before the party and freeze in an ice cream maker a half an hour before serving.

To learn the technique for green tea ice cream, read more.

Green Tea Ice Cream
From Teality

Ingredients

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon mirin
1 tablespoon green tea powder (recommended: Matcha)
1 cup whole milk
1 cup heavy cream

Directions

Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan. Place the saucepan over low heat and bring to a simmer, then simmer, stirring, for about 5 minutes. Add the mirin to the saucepan, stir, and immediately remove from heat.
Dissolve the green tea powder in about 3 tablespoons of the sugar water from the saucepan, stirring until completely blended.
Pour this mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining sugar water. Add the milk and return to heat, until green tea powder is completely dissolved.
Remove from heat and add cream to the mixture, combining well. Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.
Transfer the mixture to an electric ice cream maker and churn and chill for about 35-40 minutes, or according to manufacturer's instructions.
The texture of the ice cream should be smooth and thick. You can serve this immediately, or transfer the ice cream to a plastic freezer container and freeze for a firmer texture.

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Come Party With Me: Moroccan Dinner - Drinks

partysugar — Thu, 29 May 2008 14:00:00 -0700

My Moroccan dinner would not be complete without sweet mint tea. This hot concoction is a common commodity on the streets of the North African country. Although alcohol is not traditionally consumed in Islamic culture, at my party I'll offer guests an alcoholic variation of the tea in the form of a green-tea cocktail. Water - both sparkling and still - local beers, and a couple bottles of wine will round out the drink menu.

For the recipes to both the hot and spiked teas, read more.

Moroccan Mint Tea
From Gourmet magazine

Ingredients

1 tablespoon loose Chinese gunpowder green tea
5 cups boiling water
3 to 4 tablespoons sugar, or to taste
1 large bunch fresh mint (1 ounce)

Directions

Put tea in teapot and pour in 1 cup boiling water, then swirl gently to warm pot and rinse tea. Strain out and discard water, reserving tea leaves in pot.
Add remaining 4 cups boiling water to tea and let steep 2 minutes.
Stir in sugar (to taste) and mint sprigs and steep 3 to 4 minutes more. Serve in small heatproof glasses.

Serves 6.

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Green Tea Cocktail
From Eat Entertainment

Ingredients

1 oz. green tea liqueur
1 oz. vodka
5 oz. white cranberry juice
1 lime slice or rosemary stick

Directions

Mix the green tea liqueur, vodka, and white cranberry juice, stirring to combine.
Serve in an ice-filled highball glass. Garnish with a lime slice or a stick of rosemary.

Makes 1 cocktail.

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Rub a Dub Tub Full of Ramen

YumSugar — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 06:57:31 -0700

At the Yunessun Spa Resort in Hakone, Japan you can enjoy more than 25 different kinds of spa related services and recreational water activities. While there are plenty of normal spa treatments, and wild water slides for the adventurous, it is their unusual foodie soaks that keep folks interested. From now until September 26, you'll be able to enjoy a ramen bath, with or without curry.

If the idea of soaking in broth doesn't tickle your fancy, then perhaps a soak in green tea, coffee, or red wine will do the trick?

To check out video footage of the new ramen bath, read more

Source: Japan Probe

Green Tea and Cookies

YumSugar — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 14:28:37 -0700

As a child, I wasn't really fond of shortbread cookies. After all, why would I want a boring butter cookie when there were chocolate chip cookies to be had? Yet, when I got a bit older I realized that I had spent many years missing out on the subtleties of a great shortbread cookie. The smooth buttery texture and creamy flavor really go well with a nice cup of tea. The flavor combination got me thinking, what if we went ahead and put the tea into the cookie? I've found this wonderful looking recipe for green tea shortbread and I can't wait to try it out! To get the recipe, read more

Green-Tea Shortbread
From Martha Stewart on Yahoo! Food

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup confectioners' sugar
3 tablespoons Additonal confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
7 teaspoons finely ground green tea

Yield: 20 servings

Heat oven to 275 degrees F. Place two racks in the oven. Beat the butter on medium-low speed until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes.
Beat in sugar and vanilla on medium. Sift together flour, salt, and green tea. Gradually beat into butter mixture on low. Transfer dough onto a piece of plastic. Pat into 8-inch disk. Wrap with plastic; chill 1 hour. May be made a day in advance.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4 inch thick; cut into 1-to- 2 1/2-inch rounds. Reroll until all dough is used. Press each round with tines of fork or bowl of spoon to create decoration. Transfer to two unlined baking sheets. Chill 15 minutes before baking. Bake 25 to 30 minutes until firm but not brown; let cool. Cookies can be made 2 to 3 days ahead, and stored in an airtight container.

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Yummy Links: From Under Pressure to Gwyneth Paltrow

partysugar — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 06:45:09 -0800

Cooking with Thomas Keller's new book Under Pressure. - Serious Eats
Ten tea towels perfect for gifting. - The Kitchn
Make the holidays over with a bright pink and green theme. - Simply Stated
Get your serving of greens with this Winter green lasagna. - Chow
Find out why Gwyneth Paltrow is serious about food. - The Epi-Log

Source

Yummy Links: From Free Denny's to Disliking Top Chef

partysugar — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 07:45:32 -0800

From 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. today you can get a free Grand Slam breakfast at Denny's . - Fast Food News
Take a trip to the original McDonald's in San Bernardino, CA. - A Hamburger Today
Fifty easy ways to eat and cook green. - Bon Appétit
Empty tea tins make adorable flower vases. - The Kitchn
Use fresh lemon juice to remove tough food stains. - Chow
Why one journalist can't get into this season's Top Chef. - The Epi-Log

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Happy Hour: Desmond's Pleasure

partysugar — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 16:00:36 -0700

If you're a fan of Beefeater, you should definitely get your hands on the brand's latest release, Beefeater 24. The artisan gin, that's made in London, features 12 specially selected botanicals, including a rare Japanese tea and Chinese green tea. The spirit is brewed for 24 hours, hence the name. Unlike classic Beefeater, the 24 is distinctly smoother and more complex with a slightly floral aroma. It makes an excellently drinkable gin and tonic and an elegant rickey.

I recently enjoyed Beefeater 24 in a cocktail named for its creator, master distiller Desmond Payne, at Clock Bar in San Francisco. Crafted by one of my favorite bartenders, Steven Liles, this drink is full of tart citrus flavor. The combination of elderflower liqueur, lemon juice, bitter lemon soda, and Pimm's does not overshadow the Beefeater 24. Instead, it enhances and balances out the gin, resulting in a drink that is intricate and refreshing.

To look at Steven's recipe, read more.

Desmond’s Pleasure
From Steven Liles of Clock Bar

Ingredients

1 1/2 oz. Beefeater 24
1/2 oz. St. Germain elderflower liqueur
1/2 oz. Lemon juice
3 dashes Fees Bros. Grapefruit Bitters
Fever Tree bitter lemon soda
1/2 oz. Pimm's No.1

Directions

Shake first 4 ingredients and strain into ice filled Collins glass.
Add bitter lemon soda and float pimm's over the top. Garnish with a long slice of lemon peel.

Makes 1 drink.

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Yummy Links: From Green Cake to Broken Corks

partysugar — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 06:50:45 -0700

Celebrate the color green with a kiwi matcha lime tea cake. - Cooking With Amy
Is CBS making a knockoff of The Chopping Block? - Eater
Learn how to make an amazing tomato salsa. - Serious Eats
Could it be time to put a fork in Top Chef Masters? - Grub Street
A week of no-cook dinners. - Bon Appétit
Another reason to dislike Kelly Choi: her annoying tweets. - Eat Me Daily
What to do when you break a wine cork. - Chow

Jamba Juice Goes Beyond Smoothies, Debuts Food

YumSugar — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 12:50:36 -0700

Starbucks isn't the only beverage chain looking to regain its footing: Jamba Juice is also struggling to get its mojo back. In addition to its recently introduced oatmeal and licensed supermarket products, the smoothie giant will also unveil a new menu of food items.

Jamba's new menu will contain food items such as wraps, salads, and flatbreads, and will debut next week in California, with stores in the rest of the country following over the year.

The ready-made wraps include Asian-Style Chicken, Chimichurri Chicken, Gobble'licious Turkey, Greek Goddess, and Grains and Greens for vegans, and two salads, Caesar the Day, and Couscous Produce. All wraps and salads will retail at $5.50.

In addition, Jamba is also installing turbo ovens in stores for new baked-to-order California Flatbreads, which will come in four flavors: Four Cheesy ($3.50), Smokehouse Chicken, Tomo Artichoko, and MediterraneYum ($3.75). The company is also adding iced tea beverages and fruit-tea infusions in exotic flavors like prickly pear, passion fruit, and pomegranate. All will be made without high-fructose corn syrup or artificial flavors.

In times when money's tight and people are more health conscious than ever, smoothies have seemingly fallen by the wayside. Because they're not filling enough - yet often have the calories - to be a meal, these fruity frosties have never played a part in my everyday routine. While it's a risky move for the chain, I could see how its on-the-go options might be appealing. Would you buy food at Jamba Juice?

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