matcha cookies

so i was on my matcha kick so i decided to make cookies.  i shouldve whipped the dough up in our brand new stand mixer but i was way too lazy.  that thing is heavy and we dont have enough counter space to leave it out.  this website has a ton of matcha recipes so i decided to try this one out. crispy and chewy cookies?  i am in!

so my mistake was that i put in one stick of button where i saw it say one cup.  when i realized, i had already popped the dough in the oven and started baking.  i decided to pull them out and mix in the much needed butter.  in the end they were more crunchy and not crispy.  a bit chewy.  i will try this recipe again!

Ingredients

• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 teaspoon matcha green tea powder

Directions

1. Preheat
   oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). In a small bowl, stir together
   flour, matcha green tea powder, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.
2. 
   In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat
   in egg and vanilla. Gradually blend in the dry ingredients. Roll
   dough into balls about one inch in diameter and flatten slightly to create round discs, and place onto ungreased
   cookie sheets.
3. 
   Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden. Let stand
   on cookie sheet two minutes before removing to cool on wire racks

success the second time.  these cookies are yummy out of the oven.  once they sit though they get pretty crispy.  a few seconds in the microwave makes them chewy again. 

crispy chicken skin

so i dont just throw away skin from chicken that ive deskinned.  i thought i would make crispy chicken skin, sort of like chicarrones but with chicken skin.  we also do this with salmon skin.  it tastes like chips!

1.  wash and dry chicken skin
2.  pour boiling water over chicken skin
3.  dry
4.  season
5.  fry over medium heat
6.  place on paper towel
7.  put in toaster oven to crisp

be careful!  it can go from perfectly crispy to burnt in the blink of an eye

chicken jap chae

so from the swiss chicken we had a ton of sauce leftover. well not a ton but i ended up saving it not knowing what i wanted to use it for.  the next day i decided i wanted to make a simple lunch of chicken jap chae with it.  it seemed to have the right color (brown) and the right amount of fat/oil (from the chicken) to make good jap chae.  i basically cooked all the ingredients separately.  then tossed them all together in the sauce.

chicken:
1.  de skin
2.  cut into strips/bites
3.  season
3.  cook over heat
4.  remove from heat

egg;
1.  beat eggs
2.  add salt, sugar, mirin, cooking wine
3.  pour into pan
4.  cook until done
5.  remove from heat, let cool
6.  cut into strips/bites

veggies:
1.  wash
2.  boil
3.  add sugar and oil
4.  remove from heat and submerge in cold water

noodles:
1. boil
2.  cook per package
3.  remove from heat
4.  rinse under cold water

swiss chicken wings

so in hong kong we often ate swiss chicken wings.  not sure how it got its name but its basically soy sauce chicken.  i didnt have wings so i used whole thighs. also not sure why the recipe calls for blanching the chicken?  maybe to keep the skin on?  i felt like it might have made the chicken a bit more dry ...

Ingredient:
6 frozen chicken wings in whole, around 700-750g
1 thick slice ginger
3 stalks spring onion

Sauce:
5 tbsp light soya sauce
5 tbsp dark soya sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp Shaoshing wine (or any Chinese wine)
2 pcs rock sugar ( table tennis), break in small pieces
2 cups of water

Method:
1 unfreeze the chicken wings, wash and rinse
2 blanch the wings in boiling water for 1 min, remove and put in cold water, raise
3 heat 2 tbsp oil, fry the ginger slice and spring onion for around 1 min, add thesauce and boil until all sugar dissolve
4 add the wings in the sauce until reboil
5 turn to light fire, cover then keep boil around 15 mins
6 turn the wings to another side, off the fire, leave the wings in the sauce with cover for another 10 mins.

matcha pot de creme

so i woke up on sunday while everyone was riding to tiburon and decided to make some matcha desserts.  first up, matcha pot de creme.  unlike the maple ones i made these were less sweet.  it also looks like they kind of separated during cooking into three layers.  a lot of matcha powder on the botton, a green creamy layer and then a light cream colored layer on top.  also this recipe calls for the whole eggs so no egg whites leftover.  it tasted pretty good! i used this recipe minus the chocolate shavings

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup heavy cream

3/4 cup 1% milk (depending on what kind of milk you're using, adjust for maximum creaminess potential)

1/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 heaping Tbsp. matcha powder
1 piece Ghiradelli Intense Dark Twilight Delight Chocolate (72%), cut into small chunks or, even better, shaved into curlicues

Directions:

-Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and prepare your ramekins in a water bath.

-In a small saucepan, combine the heavy cream and milk and heat the milk (it should not come to a boil).

-Add the vanilla and then whisk in the matcha powder (for optimal results, you should either whisk or sift the matcha powder in advance).

-In the meantime, whisk the sugar and eggs together in a large bowl.

-Once the milk/cream mixture is hot (but not boiling), slowly add (pouring it through a small strainer--I used a tea strainer) it to the eggs and sugar, vigorously whisking as you pour.

-Divide the mixture evenly amongst your ramekins and/or jars.

-Bake in the water bath for about 30-35 minutes, or until the center is set.

-Remove the ramekins/jars from the oven and water bath and let them cool on the counter.

-At this stage, add the chocolate shavings/curlicues.

-Once they've cooled off, place them in the refrigerator, where they will set completely.

-In 2-3 hours, complete joy will be yours! Enjoy!