Running in the Autumn

This cake was inspired by an oil painting by Leonid Alfremov. Leonid Afremov was a Russian–Israeli modern impressionistic artist whose works are alive with color and movement. This is a half sheet cake with Swiss buttercream, painted with palette knife. My daughter who has learned oil painting before helped with the decoration.

Shanghai Smoked Fish （上海熏鱼）

Shanghai Smoked Fish (Shanghai Xun Yu, 上海熏鱼) may be fried, but it's definitely not smoked. This is a simplified home recipe using air fryer from a friend. 

Ingredients

Fish - 2-3 lb, cut into 3/4 inch thick cross-section (carp, tilapia or similar)
[Marinade Sauce]
Shaoxing wine - 4 TBSP
Ground white pepper - 1 tsp
Ground ginger powder - 1 tsp

Soy sauce - 2 TBSP

Dark soy sauce - 1 TBSP

[Topping Sauce]

Water - 1/2 cup

Ginger - 4 slices

Star anise - 2

Cinnamon stick - 1
Bay leaves - 2

Chinese five spices powder - 1/2 tsp

ground white pepper - 1/2 tsp

Sugar - 2 TBSP

Chinese dark vinegar - 1.5 tsp

Steps

1. Wash and clean the fish pieces, mix the fish and all of the marinade ingredients. Let the fish marinate overnight in the refrigerator. 

2. Spread the fish on a cooking tray to dry out slightly, or pat dry with a paper towel. Spray the pieces thoroughly with cooking oil, or dip the pieces in a bowl of oil. 

3. Set air fryer to 400F, cook the fish pieces for 12 minutes, turn, and cook another 10 minutes. Cook longer if needed until it is as crispy as you like.

4. Put all ingredients for topping sauce, except the vinegar, in a pot, bring to boil for 6 minutes. Turn off the heat and add vinegar. Once it’s done, scoop out all the solid spices with a slotted spoon.

5. Put the hot fish directly into the prepared sauce. Ensure all of the pieces are totally coated. The golden brown crust on the fish will soak up the sauce and flavor the fish. You can serve hot right away, or let the fish soak in the sauce for a few hours before serving cold.

Korean Kalbi (韩式炖牛排骨)

This is a Korean style short rib (Kalbi) from this YouTube. I cooked it using a 6-qt Le Creuset Dutch oven. 

Ingredients

Beef short ribs - about 4 lb 

[First seasoning]

Korean BBQ - 1 cup 

Soy sauce - 4 tsp

Mirin - 4 tsp 

Apple sauce - 2 cups 

Sesame oil -2 and 2/3 tbsp  

Sesame seed - 1/4 cup 

Dried date - 4

[Second seasoning]

Soy sauce - 4 tsp  

Salt - 1 tsp 

Black pepper - 1 TBSP

[Optional]

Veggies - Mushroom Carrots Pepper Cucumber Potato

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 275F.

2. Mix all the ingredients in first seasoning in a bowl and mix well

3. Arrange short ribs in a Dutch oven, and then pour in the sauce.

4. Close the Dutch oven and bake for 2 hours.

5. Add the second seasoning, and any vegetables you want to cook.

6. Close the Dutch oven and bake for another hour.

7. Serve over rice or noodle.

Mango Mousse Layered Cake

Cake for party that can be single served. 

Ingredients

【Cake】
Egg - 12 Large
Cake flour - 204g
Oil - 96 g
Milk - 96 g
Sugar - 144g for egg white
Sugar - 72g for egg yolk
【Mousse】

Alphonso Mango Pulp - 1 can, about 3 1/3 cups

Heavy whipping cream, chilled - 3 and 1/3 cup
Gelatin powder  - 24 g
Cold water - 6 and 2/3 TBSP
【Top Layer】
Water - 2 cups
Gelatin -  14 g
Sugar - 1/4 cup

Fresh mango or other fruits for decoration

Steps

1. Make two 1/2 sheet cake following steps in Chiffon cake. Then trim out two pieces for the glass container size.
2. Make the mango mousse following steps in mango mousse cake. 

3. Assembly by put a piece of cake, a layer of mango mousse, another piece of cake, another layer of mango mousse. Put the container in refrigerate for one hour.

4. Add the top jelly layer and place fruit pieces for decoration. Once complete, refrigerate overnight.

5. Slice and serve.

Banana Muffin

Another way to use over-ripped bananas, instead of banana bread. This is from Sally's baking recipes.

Ingredients

All-purpose flour - 1 and 1/2 cups
Baking powder - 1 tsp
Baking soda - 1 tsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Ground cinnamon - 1 tsp
Ground nutmeg - 1/4 tsp
Mashed bananas - 1 and 1/2 cups, about 4 medium or 3 large bananas
Unsalted butter - 6 TBSP, melted
Light or dark brown sugar - packed, 2/3 cup (I used 1/2 cup, could be less)
Egg - 1 large, at room temperature (I used egg replacer)
Pure vanilla extract - 1 tsp
Milk - 2 TBSP
optional: 1 cup chopped walnuts, pecans, or chocolate chips

Yield 10-12 muffins

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Spray a 12-count muffin pan with nonstick spray or use cupcake liners.

2. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in a medium bowl. Set aside. 

3. In a large bowl or in the bowl of your stand mixer, mash the bananas. On medium speed, beat or whisk in the melted butter, brown sugar, egg, vanilla extract, and milk. 

4. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, then beat or whisk until combined. If adding nuts or chocolate chips, fold them in now. Batter will be thick.
5. Spoon the batter into liners, filling them all the way to the top. I filled 3/4 way to have smaller muffins.

6. Bake for 5 minutes at 425°F, then, keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F. Bake for an additional 16–18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

(For mini muffins, bake 12–14 total minutes at 350°F (177°C).) 

7. Allow the muffins to cool for 5 minutes in the muffin pan, then transfer to a wire cooling rack to continue cooling. 

Muffins stay fresh covered at room temperature for a few days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Hakka Steamed Pork Belly (客家芋头扣肉)

My mother-in-law's recipe that she makes every time we visit. She has a much better presentation than my try.

Ingredients 

Pork Belly - 1 lb, sliced

Taro -  1 lb, sliced

Ground bean sauce (原晒豉) - 2 tsp
Fermented red bean curd (南乳,紅腐乳) - 2-3 cubes

Dark soy sauce - 2 tsp

Chinese five spice powder - 2 tsp 

Shallot - 1-2, finely chopped 

 Steps

1. Pan fried the pork belly slices and the taro slightly

2. Mix all other ingredients together into a sauce; marinate pork belly and taro pieces with sauce for 1+ hour.

3. Arrange the pieces in a bowl and steam high for one and half hours.

One-Pan Pasta

This is a popular recipe from Martha Stewart. It is quick and easy weekday night dinner. 

Ingredients 

Linguine or spaghetti pasta - 12 oz 

Cherry tomatoes  - 12 oz , halved

Onion - 1, thinly sliced (about 2 cups) 

Garlic - 4 cloves, thinly sliced 

Red-pepper flakes - ½ tsp

Fresh basil - 2 sprigs, plus torn leaves for garnish 

Extra-virgin olive oil - 2 TBSP, plus more for serving 

Coarse salt - 2 tsp

Freshly ground pepper - 1/4 tsp

Water - 4 ½ cups 

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving 

Steps 

1. Combine pasta, tomatoes, onion, garlic, red-pepper flakes, basil, oil, salt, pepper, and water in a large straight-sided skillet. 

2. Boil mixture, stirring and turning pasta frequently with tongs, until pasta is al dente and water has nearly evaporated, about 9-12 minutes.

3. Divide into pasta bowls. Season to taste with salt and pepper, garnish with basil. Serve with oil and Parmesan.