Author Archives: MGG

Lemon Meringue Pie

Posted in Pies & Tarts by

Another bake-off winner from 2007 is this lemon meringue pie. The meringue part always seemed so daunting before I tried this recipe, but it turned out to be relatively easy to make.

The ready-made pie crust may not appeal to purists, but I think they have a place in certain recipes, at least until the baker gets more adept at making them at home. I’ve made a few, but adept, I am not.

1 9-inch pie crust, pre-baked if frozen

Filling:
4 large egg yolks
3 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about 5 lemons)
2 Tbsp. cornstarch/cornflour
1/2 cup/4 oz./1 stick chilled unsalted butter, cut into very small pieces

Meringue:
4 large egg whites
1/4 tsp. cornstarch/cornflour
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
1/2 cup confectioners’/icing sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350F/175C degrees. To prepare filling, in large heavy saucepan, whisk together egg yolks, eggs, sugar, lemon juice, and cornstarch. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Do not let mixture boil. Remove from heat and stir in butter until melted. Pour into crust.

To prepare meringue, beat egg whites at medium speed until foamy. Beat in cornstarch and cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in sugar and vanilla at high speed until stiff, but not dry, peaks form.

Working quickly, spoon meringue in large dollops over filling, then smooth with back of spoon, making sure it reaches the edge of the crust. Bake until meringue is golden, 12-15 minutes.

Singapore Noodles

Posted in Pasta & Rice Dishes by

I’ll be the first to admit that this may not be the real thing. I’ve never been to Singapore and I haven’t tasted their noodles. But this is a darn good dish — a mildly spicy version of fried rice noodles — so, original or not, it’s a recipe I’ve saved.

You can use the spices below, or use a hot (madras) curry powder. The dish can be eaten hot or cold and you can vary the contents. This version is meat-free, but you could add a small amount of pork or chicken.

300g rice vermicelli noodles
3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 eggs, beaten
1 bunch spring (green) onions, finely sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 dried red chillies, or 1 heaping teaspoon of red pepper flakes
1 red pepper, julienned
2-3 curry leaves
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1 level tsp. turmeric
100g peas, cooked if fresh, thawed if frozen
100ml vegetable or chicken stock
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
Juice of 1/2 lime
Fresh cilantro and lime wedges to serve

Soak the rice noodles in hot, but not boiling, water for about 10 minutes, until they’re soft. Drain and cool thoroughly, toss with 1 Tbsp. oil, and set aside.

In a wok or wide frying pan, heat the remaining oil until very hot. Add the eggs and start to fry them as if you were making an omelette. As it sets, break it apart with the edge of a wooden spoon. Remove egg from pan and set aside.

Keeping the wok on the heat, fry the onions, garlic, chilli, red pepper and curry leaves for about a minute. Add the remaining dry spices and stir thoroughly. Now add the peas, stock, soy sauce and lime juice, followed by the noodles and the cooked egg. Keep everything moving and stir until the stock has disappeared, at which point the dish is ready to serve.

Garnish with fresh cilantro and extra lime wedges.

Melissa’s Banana Custard Muffins

Posted in Cakes & Muffins by

These muffins are full of banana flavor with a soft custard center. They are one of the few recipes I’ve invented in my life, and the result of a lot of trial and error.

Makes 9-12

For the custard:
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. all-purpose (plain) flour
1 1/4 cups heavy (double) cream
4 egg yolks
Pinch salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla

For the muffins:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose (plain) flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 small banana, halved lengthwise and sliced
1-2 tsp. allspice
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
3 large bananas, mashed well with a fork
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 stick (113g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 tsp. vanilla

For the garnish:
12 large and round banana chips

Preheat the oven to 350F/180C degrees. Butter a 12-cup muffin tin.

Whisk together sugar and flour in heavy saucepan, then whisk in remaining ingredients and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly. When bubbles appear, keep stirring until mixture gets very thick. (Don’t worry if it gets lumpy.) Remove from heat and whisk occasionally while you make the muffins.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugars, banana pieces, allspice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In medium bowl, combine the mashed bananas, eggs, cooled melted butter, and vanilla. With a wooden spoon, gently mix this mixture into the dry ingredients, stirring only until just combined. Do not overmix. Batter will be thick and chunky.

Spoon a little bit of batter into the tins. If you want 12 muffins, spoon in only a tablespoon or two. If you want 9 muffins with muffin tops, fill the cups about halfway.

Gently spoon about a tablespoon of custard into each muffin, then fill tins with remaining batter. (Tip: When filling with the remaining batter, start by dripping a circle of batter around the custard to prevent the custard from seeping to the sides. You want it to stay in one big dollop in the center. Then cover with the rest of the batter.)

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the muffins are a nice golden brown. Immediately after removing them from the oven, gently but quickly insert a banana chip upright in one of the cracks of the muffin. Let cool for 5 minutes, then remove from pan. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Deviled Eggs

Posted in Appetizers & Snacks by

Going back through the recipes I posted on Facebook in 2007, it seems I was on quite a cook-off kick. I had several recipes for this 1970s classic, but this one — originally from The New York Times — was the winner.

1 dozen hard-boiled eggs
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp. butter, at room temperature
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
Salt and white pepper to taste
Finely snipped chives for garnish

After carefully peeling the eggs, cut them in half lengthwise. Remove the yolks (tip: press lightly from beneath to pop them out), put in a bowl, and mash with a fork. Add the mayonnaise, mustard and butter; mix until smooth. Stir in the lemon juice, cayenne, salt and pepper. Place in Ziploc bag.

Cut a tiny corner off the bag and squeeze the bag to fill the whites. Sprinkle with chives.

Yield: 24

Artichoke Risotto

Posted in Pasta & Rice Dishes by

This is a great twist on a plain risotto. The key to getting the creaminess is to add the liquid bit by bit rather than all at once — maybe half a cup at a time.

Serves 6

2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
1 small onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
8 canned artichoke hearts, gently rinsed and thinly sliced
1 cup water, divided
3 cups vegetable broth
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
1 1/2 cups white wine
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup chopped nuts (hazelnuts or walnuts)
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

Heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil in large saucepan. Add onion and saute until soft. Add garlic and saute about a minute longer. Add artichokes along with 1/2 cup water and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook until liquid evaporates, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine vegetable broth with the remaining 1/2 cup water and bring to a gentle simmer.

When artichoke liquid has evaporated, add remaining 1 Tbsp. olive oil and rice. Cook and stir constantly a few minutes until rice is translucent. Add the wine and stir until liquid has disappeared. Add enough broth to cover and as the liquid disappears, keep adding the broth, little by little.

The risotto is done when the rice is tender but firm, about 20 minutes. If broth runs out, use hot water. Just before it finishes cooking, add cheese, nuts, and parsley.

Garnish with a parsley sprig and serve with extra cheese at the table.

Madeleines

Posted in Cakes & Muffins by

I love clipping recipes. I paste them onto pages of a three-ring binder and file them into detailed categories, arranging them just right so they fit together on a page. I have so many clipped recipes that what started out as one binder in 1993 has become three, so full of recipes that I may have to opt for a fourth. Those cookbooks gave this blog its name. They’re a treasure.

Occasionally when I find I’ve clipped a recipe for one that’s already in my book, I’ll do a bake-off to determine which one to keep. I make both at the same time and then compare them side by side. The winner gets a prized place in my cookbook, along with a notation that it won the contest.

One of these bake-off winners is these madeleines, little tasty cakes that are perfect to have alongside a cup of tea or coffee. I think I actually compared three recipes on the day of the bake-off in August 2007, and this one came out on top.

Makes 24-30
125g/4 oz. unsalted butter, melted
3 medium eggs, plus 1 yolk
125g/4 oz. granulated sugar
1 Tbsp. orange flower water
Pinch of salt
125g/4 oz. plain flour, sifted
Icing/powdered sugar to serve

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Use butter to grease madeleine trays or tins.

Put the eggs, yolk, sugar, orange flower water and salt into a large bowl and, using a hand whisk, beat until creamy and thick. Whisk in the rest of the butter, then use a large spoon to fold in the flour.

Spoon the mixture into the molds, half filling them, and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden and turning brown on the edges.

Haifa Salad

Posted in Salads & Dressings by

I named this salad for the city where I first had it, in the summer of 2006, while covering the conflict between Israel and Lebanon. I ordered it almost every day from a cafe in the lobby of the Dan Panorama Hotel and would then take it up to my room, where I was doing radio liveshots. It’s easy to make and great for summer.

Mediterranean salad leaves (try to get a mix of green and purple leaves, perhaps including arugula, radicchio, and frisee)
Goats cheese, cut or torn into small chunks
Pine nuts
Cherry tomatoes, cut in half
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar

Mix them together in the amount you like. Salt and pepper aren’t really necessary because the balsamic flavor is so strong.

Try to put the goats cheese and pine nuts on last so they don’t get discolored by the balsamic.