Cookbook offers Asian favorites
Feb 10, 2013 (Menafn - Tampa Tribune - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --It's hard to believe that five years have gone by since blogger, photographer, cookbook author and food force of nature Jaden Hair began writing for The Tampa Tribune. Now, with almost 125,000 followers on Twitter, her SteamyKitchen.com site is a must-read for anyone who enjoys fast, fresh Asian flavors in everyday meals.
Jaden this month published her second cookbook, "Steamy Kitchen's Healthy Asian Favorites," (Ten Speed Press, 24), featuring 100 recipes geared toward weeknight cooking.
One great, simple recipe for Crab-Mango Salad is served on a spear of endive. It makes a wonderful appetizer before diving in on a plate of potstickers or slurping some tofu-miso soup.
Kumquat pie sought, found
Janice Lewis of Lakeland writes to say that she went to Dade City's Kumquat Festival in January and ate a kumquat pie that was delicious.
"It was a frozen pie," Janice writes. "I would like to have the recipe for it."
I don't know the specific pie you refer to, but we have a pie that we included in this column in 2005. It was submitted by Susan Carnes of Tampa, who wrote at the time, "I call it Betty's Kumquat Pie because it was a favorite of a dear friend."
I'm also including a cheesecake recipe because, you know, it's cheesecake. And kumquats are a delicious way to lighten the cheesecake. If you like that sort of thing.
Leftover requests
Denice Skipper-Jordan of Tampa wants to make the basic pasta sauce, including "the wonderful crab meat sauce," served at the former Pizza Parlor in Tampa.
Bonnie Wilkins wants a recipe for wild rice stuffing with water chestnuts featured in the Tribune.
Beth Mainello of Tampa wants to make the salad dressing that was made tableside at Tio Pepe's restaurant in Clearwater. She also wants to know what type of lettuce was used.
Sheri Godwin wants to make London broil like the Turf restaurant in downtown Tampa made back in the '70s.
Robin Rogoff wants the recipe for Circles Bistro's chicken Marsala with rice pilaf.
Susan Stevens wants to make the spaghetti sauce and salad dressing recipes served at the now-closed Gus' Italian restaurants in Tampa.
Eva Ebert wants the recipe for the mixed-greens salad with vinaigrette and grilled chicken she used to enjoy at the now-closed El Pilon Restaurant in South Tampa.
Crab-Mango Salad
Serves 4 to 6
For the dressing:
2 tablespoons fruity olive oil
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons fish sauce, or low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons water
For the salad:
1 cup cooked crab meat
1 mango, diced
1 green onion, green part only, finely minced
Minced fresh chile of your choice, to taste
2 heads Belgian endive, leaves separated
In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients.
In a bowl, gently mix the crab meat with the mango, green onion and chile. Toss in the dressing.
To serve, spoon some of the crab mixture onto each endive leaf.
Source: "Steamy Kitchen's Healthy Asian Favorites," by Jaden Hair
Kumquat Cheesecake
5 8-ounce packages of cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
5 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
5 grated, peeled kumquats
1/2 cup pureed kumquats
1/2 cup media crema (canned sour cream, usually found in Latin markets)
Prepare graham cracker crust for 10-inch springform pan. Bake 350 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes. Set aside.
Prepare kumquat peel and kumquat puree. Set aside.
Cream together cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy, about 10 minutes. Add cornstarch, eggs and egg yolks, one at a time, until well incorporated. Add pureed kumquats and peel. Stir in media crema, until just blended. Turn into greased 10-inch springform pan. Place in another pan of hot water and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Cool and unmold. Garnish as desired.
Source: Priscilla V. Baker, 2007 blue ribbon winner, adult division, dessert
Betty's Kumquat Pie
For the crust:
1 1/2 cups crushed vanilla wafers (see note)
1/3 cup margarine or butter, melted
1/2 cup chopped macadamia nuts
For the filling:
1 pint fresh kumquats (about two dozen)
About 1/3 cup citrus juice (see note)
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
Whipped cream and kumquat slices
Mix crust ingredients together, and press into bottom and sides of a pie plate.
Squeeze the juice of the kumquats into a separate bowl (there will not be much juice; most of the flavor is in the skin).
Remove seeds, but not pulp, from kumquat juice. Add enough citrus juice to make 1/3 cup.
In food processor, chop kumquat skin and meat until shredded but not mushy. Do not over-process.
With an electric mixer, blend cream cheese and condensed milk.
Add kumquat-citrus juice mixture and shredded kumquat mixture. Clean and slice one or two kumquats for garnish; set aside.
Pour into crust and chill about 5 hours or overnight.
Garnish with whipped cream and kumquat slices.
Note: Can use orange Rainbow wafers or add a little food coloring to make an orange crust. Citrus juice can be tangerine or orange.
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