This was very quick and easy to make and quite tasty! Especially for the small amount of effort it required. That said, there was definitely way too much sauce for the amount of broccoli. And it also didn't thicken up noticeably at all. So, I've halved all of the liquids in the sauce, but left the cornstarch unchanged. Hopefully that will produce better results next time.

Broccoli Stir-Fry with Dark Soy Sauce

Slightly adapted from Vegetable of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 1/3 c. raw cashews
• 1/4 c. chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 Tbsp. oyster sauce
• 1 Tbsp. dark soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. mirin
• 1 tsp. cornstarch
• 1-2 Tbsp. corn or peanut oil
• ~500g broccoli florets
• 2 cloves garlic, minced

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 190°C (375°F) and toast the cashews until browned (5-6 minutes).
2. Combine the stock, oyster sauce, soy sauce, mirin, and cornstarch and mix well. Set aside.
3. Heat a wok over medium-high heat.
4. Drizzle in the oil and swirl to coat.
5. Add the broccoli and stir-fry until bright green (2-3 minutes).
6. Add the garlic and stir-fry for another minute or so.
7. Pour in the sauce and stir-fry until broccoli is tender (3-5 minutes).
8. Serve with rice and protein of your choice.

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Variants

Vegetarian Version¹

Ingredients

• 1/3 c. raw cashews
• 1/4 c. vegetable stock
• 1 Tbsp. vegetarian oyster sauce
• 1 Tbsp. dark soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. mirin
• 1 tsp. cornstarch
• 1-2 Tbsp. corn or peanut oil
• ~500g broccoli florets
• 2 cloves garlic, minced

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¹ This version is probably also vegan, but you'll need to check your ingredients to be sure. Most soy sauces and vegetarian oyster sauces are vegan, but some are not. Traditional mirin is generally vegan, but some modern variants may contain honey. ^Back

I have some serious questions about this recipe. On the one hand, it was both easy and tasty, so it had that going for it. On the other hand, the proportions seemed way off. As written, it called for 250g of chicken, 125g of shrimp, and 375g of noodles. I had a 450g package of chicken, 340g of shrimp, and 400g of noodles. So, initially I was thinking that I'd just use half each of the chicken and shrimp and all of the noodles and that would be only slightly off from the recommended amounts. But, after seeing just how many noodles that was, TF and I decided that using all of the proteins would be more appropriate.

Honestly, I still found it pretty noodle heavy. I think it probably could've also used doubled veggies. But it at least had a reasonable amount of protein this way.

I think next time I'd just halve the noodles and sauce and call it a day. That seems easier than doubling everything else. And it means it would actually produce a reasonable amount. (Rather than enough noodles to feed a freaking army!) Oh well... at least now I know.

Rice Vermicelli with Chicken and Shrimp

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 250g skinless boneless chicken breasts and/or thighs
• 6 Tbsp. chicken stock
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. fish sauce
• 1 Tbsp. dark soy sauce
• 1/2 Tbsp. light soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 200g rice vermicelli
• 2 Tbsp. corn or peanut oil, divided
• 125g shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 Tbsp. ginger paste
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 onion, halved and sliced
• 1 large (or 2 small) carrots, grated
• 2-3 c. shredded napa cabbage
• 2-3 green onions, sliced
• Sriracha, to serve (optional)

Directions

1. Poach the chicken in a bit of water or stock. Once cooked through, drain and shred. Set aside.
2. Combine the stick, fish sauce, dark and light soy, and sugar and mix well. Set aside.
3. Place the noodles in a heatproof bowl. Pour over enough boiling water to cover the noodles. Soak for 2 minutes. Then drain, rinse, and set aside.
4. Heat a wok over medium-high heat.
5. Drizzle in 1 Tbsp. of the oil and swirl to coat.
6. Add the shrimp and stir-fry for a minute or two until cooked through.
7. Remove shrimp from wok with slotted spoon and set aside.
8. Return wok to medium-high heat and add the ginger, garlic, onion, and carrot. Stir-fry until vegetables soften (2-4 minutes).
9. Add vegetables to bowl with shrimp and set aside.
10. Return wok to medium-high heat.
11. Drizzle in the remaining 1 Tbsp. of oil and swirl to coat.
12. Add the noodles and stir-fry for a minute or so.
13. Add the cabbage and chicken and stir-fry until combined and heated through.
14. Add the shrimp and veggies and toss to combine.
15. Pour in the sauce and stir-fry until sauce is absorbed (2-4 minutes).
16. Sprinkle with green onions.
17. Serve and top with Sriracha (if desired).

I've been hesitating on making the rest of the waffles in the waffle book because they're all meant to be dessert waffles rather than breakfast options. And I have so many other desserts to make. And most of them call for ingredients that I don't typically have on hand anyway. So, I've been making other desserts instead and the waffle recipes have just been sitting there. Staring at me.

But we needed something for breakfast this morning. And we had all the bits for these s'mores-inspired waffles. They're pretty sweet and rich. But, honestly, they're no worse than most of the things in the "pastries" section of the Breakfast Bible. So, I figured I'd just roll with it and give 'em a try!

They were pretty good. Although, even with a reduced quantity of chocolate (~75% of what the recipe called for), we all still found them very rich and excessively chocolate-y. I think next time I'd probably go with half chocolate. I also had a bit of trouble getting the somewhat unusual, watered down Swiss meringue to whip up nicely. It still worked. And the finished texture was actually quite nice. It just wouldn't hold a peak. Maybe that was just down to my impatience with the double boiler though. I may not have let it cook enough before transferring it to the stand mixer. Either way, it was still pretty good. Just a bit tricky to work with.

The recipe suggested making these with either malted or peanut butter waffles. I decided that peanut butter waffles (with some of the AP flour swapped out for whole wheat) sounded like a nice combo, so I went with those. That said, I do think that the malt waffles would have also been very nice. As would whole wheat. I might actually try 100% whole wheat peanut butter (or malted) waffles next time. I think the whole grain would be a nice way to evoke a bit more of the graham cracker character that I normally associate with s'mores.

S'mores Waffles

Slightly adapted from Waffles: Sweet, Savory, Simple by Dawn Yanagihara

Ingredients

• 1 batch (6-7) peanut butter or malted waffles (preferably made with whole wheat flour)
• ~180g dark chocolate, chopped
• 3 large egg whites
• 1/8 tsp. cream of tartar
• 6 Tbsp. warm water
• 1 1/2 c. sugar
• 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract¹

Directions

1. Make waffles as directed and preheat oven to 220°C (425°F).
2. Place the waffles on baking sheets and top each one with ~30g of the chocolate.
3. Bake at 220°C (425°F) for ~2 minutes to melt the chocolate and crisp the waffles.
4. Meanwhile, bring a small pot of water to a simmer and place a heatproof bowl over it.
5. Add the egg whites, cream of tartar, and water to the bowl.
6. Gradually add the sugar while whisking vigorously.
7. Keep whisking until the sugar is completely dissolved and the mergine is opaque and warm to the touch.
8. Transfer to a stand mixer and beat on high speed until soft peaks form (3-5 minutes).
9. Beat in vanilla.
10. Spoon the meringe into the waffles and return to oven until meringue is lightly browned on top and cooked through (4-6 minutes).
11. Serve with a glass of milk on the side.

¹ Oh no! I just realized that I completely forgot to add the vanilla to my meringue! That would have made it so much nicer! Whoops. Oh well... not much I can do about it now. :( ^Back

Miso Soup with Shrimp

This was supposed to be miso soup with shrimp and pea sprouts, but I didn't have any pea sprouts and I didn't feel like trying to go out and get some when TF and I were already hungry. I just wanted something quick and easy that I could throw together for lunch. So, I just did the miso soup without the pea sprouts. (I had intended to get some sprouts from Noki Farms to add to the leftovers when I was downtown later in the day, but then ended up meeting up with TM instead and didn't make it to the mall to get my sprouts in the end.)

Miso Soup with Shrimp (and Pea Sprouts)

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 1 (~15cm) piece of konbu
• 3 c. cold water
• 15g bonito flakes
• 2 Tbsp. white miso paste
• 125g shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 10g pea shoots (optional)

Directions

1. Bring the konbu and water to a boil over medium-high heat.
2. Remove from heat and remove and discard the konbu (or reserve for making second dashi).
3. Add the bonito flakes, stir once, and let stand for 5 minutes.
4. Strain the broth and discard the bonito flakes (or reserve for making second dashi¹).
5. Combine 1/4 c. of the hot broth with the miso paste and stir until smooth.
6. Pour the miso mixture into the rest of the broth and warm over medium heat until almost (but not quite) boiling. Do not let the broth boil!
7. Add the shrimp and cook until shrimp are pink and cooked through (3-4 minutes).
8. Stir in the pea shoots and serve.

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¹ To make second dashi: Take the konbu and bonito used to make the first dashi (which is what you've just made for this miso soup) and add it to another 3 c. of water. Bring nearly (but not quite) to a boil and gently simmer for 15 minutes. Strain and reserve the broth. Discard the solids. Second dashi is good in dishes with other strong flavours where the dashi stock is not front-and-centre. ^Back

I had some (very) burnt caramel in the fridge that needed to be used up and these waffles wanted to be topped with caramel sauce, so this seemed like the ideal thing to make for breakfast this morning.

The recipe only called for mixing one banana into the batter, so that's what I went with this time. However, I didn't find the results very banana-y, so I think I'd use at least two or three next time.

The bananas, caramel, and pecans made for a nice combination of toppings. I think a generous dollop of whipped cream would have been the perfect thing to complete the ensemble. Although, I will admit, at that point it very much becomes more of a dessert than a breakfast. I definitely think it would be a tasty one though!

Banana-Flax Waffles with Toasted Pecans and Caramel

Slightly adapted from The Breafast Bible by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

Waffles

• 1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
• 1/4 c. flax seeds
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 1/2 c. milk
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 5 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
• 2-3 bananas, mashed

Toppings

• 4-6 bananas, sliced
• 3/4 c. caramel sauce
• 1/2 c. chopped pecans, toasted
• 1 c. whipped cream (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat your waffle iron.
2. Combine the flour, flax, sugar, and salt in a bowl.
3. Sift in the baking powder and mix well.
4. Beat the eggs with the milk and vanilla.
5. Drizzle in the melted butter.
6. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir to combine.
7. Mix in the mashed banana.
8. Pour a portion of the batter into the preheated waffle iron and cook according to manufacturer's directions.
9. Repeat with remaining batter.
10. Top waffles with sliced banana, caramel, chopped nuts, and whipped cream (if using) and serve.

This was quite good. The chicken cooked up nice and tender and the sauce was lovely.

Recipe as written, it calls for using skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs. And, since I was able to find some on sale, that's what I used this time. That said, I think this would also work well with a whole chicken, cut up into parts. It might also be interesting to try it with chicken breasts instead of thighs sometime. I think you'd still want to go with skin-on breasts, since you get a lot of flavour from the rendered schmaltz. (Yes, you pour most of it off before making the sauce, but it still adds good flavour and helps make a nice fond.) Basically, as long as you have at least 1300g of chicken with the skin on, I don't think it matters too much which parts you're using. Personally, I'd go with breasts and/or thighs over drumsticks or wings, but... follow your heart!

Oh, and one more thing... I couldn't find any tangerines at the grocery store, so I ended up having to substitute clementines. I don't know if my clementines were unusually small/un-juicy or if tangerines are normally significantly juicier or what, but I found that I needed way more clementines than the recipe called for tangerines. I suggests two tangerines and indicates that they should yield ~1/2 c. of juice. I found that I needed five clementines to get that amount of juice. And, since I figured that the flavour of the clementines might be a bit milder than the tangerines, I decided to use the zest of all five as well. I'm happy with the results that I got. So, in future, I think I'll just do the same and keep zesting and juicing until I get 1/2 c. rather than relying on using a specific number of fruit.

Photo goes here.

Braised Chicken with Tangerine and Star Anise

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 2-6 tangerines
• 1.3kg (~3lbs.) skin-on bone-in chicken pieces (preferably thighs)
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1 Tbsp. canola (or other neutral) oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp. ginger paste
• 1 c. chicken stock
• 2 Tbsp. dark soy sauce
• 1 tsp. Sriracha (or similar hot sauce)
• 2-3 whole star anise
• 2 tsp. cornstarch (cornflour)
• 1 Tbsp. water

Directions

1. Zest and juice enough of the tangerines to produce 1/2 c. of juice. Set aside.
2. Season the chicken with the salt and pepper.
3. Heat the oil over medium-high heat.
4. Add the chicken, skin-side-down, and sear until skin is crispy and fat has rendered (~10 minutes).
5. Flip and sear briefly on the other side (~5 minutes).
6. Transfer chicken to plate and drain off most of the fat. (Leave 1-2 tsp. in the pot.)
7. Return pot to medium heat and add the onion.
8. Cook, scraping the bottom of the pan, until onion softens (~4 minutes).
9. Add the garlic, ginger paste, and half of the tangerine zest and cook for another minute or so.
10. Add the chicken stock, tangerine juice, soy sauce, Sriracha, and star anise and bring to a boil, scraping the bottom of the pot.
11. Return chicken to pot, skin-side-up, cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until chicken is cooked through (~25 minutes).
12. Transfer chicken to a serving dish.
13. Bring sauce to a boil.
14. Whisk cornstarch into water and then mix the slurry into the boiling sauce.
15. Continue cooking for another minute or two until sauce thickens.
16. Pour sauce over chicken, sprinkle with remaining tangerine zest, and serve.

I had some egg whites in the fridge that needed to be used up. Normally I'd make a pavlova with surplus egg whites. But the next pav recipe that I had queued up called for mango and passionfruit, neither of which I had on hand. So I flipped through the book for other egg white recipes and hit upon these simple almond meringues.

The procedure is very simple. You just make your French meringue as usual. And then stir in a generous quantity of toasted chopped almonds. Actually, the recipe called for "very finely chopped" almonds. So, given that, I just opted for ground almonds instead. Since I had a big bag of almond flour tucked away in the freezer already. The texture is slightly different. But I figured it would be close enough and certainly saved me a lot of chopping. So, definitely a worthwhile substitution, in my opinion.

Toasted Almond Meringues

Slightly adapted from Dessert of the Day by Kim Laidlaw

Ingredients

• 4 large egg whites
• 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
• 1 c. sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 c. ground (or very finely chopped) almonds, toasted

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 150°C (300°F) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
2. If almonds are not already toasted, put them in the oven for ~10 minutes, stirring once or twice, to toast them.
3. Warm the egg whites very gently in a warm water bath. (Put the egg whites in a small bowl and place that bowl in a larger bowl of warm water.)
4. Beat the egg whites until frothy.
5. Add the cream of tartar and continue to beat.
6. Once a light foam forms, begin adding sugar ~1 Tbsp. at a time.
7. Continue beating until all sugar has been added and meringue is very stiff.
8. Beat in the vanilla.
9. Quickly and carefully fold in the almonds¹.
10. Spoon dollops of meringue² onto the prepared baking sheets.
11. Bake at 150°C (300°F) for ~20 minutes.
12. Turn oven off and allow to stand in hot oven for at least an hour or two.

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¹ The fat from the almonds will destabilize the meringue and cause it to begin collapsing. This is why it's important to get the almonds mixed in with the minimum amount of agitation. The more you stir it, the more volume your meringue will lose. ^Back
2 The original recipe called for "heaping teaspoons" of meringue. I decided that I wanted a smaller number of larger meringues, so I did heaping tablepoons for mine. And the 20-minute bake time still seemed to be ample. So I'm happy with how that worked out overall. ^Back