Korean Tofu Pancake

1 Pack Firm Tofu (18 oz), crumbled
 ¼ Cup Flour
1 tbs potato starch
2 Eggs
3 Tbsp Minced Garlic
2–4 Tbsp Green Onion
1 grated carrot
1/2 tsp dashi stock powder
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp Salt
canola oil, for frying

Sauce #1

Soy sauce	1 tablespoon
Vinegar	1 tablespoon
Gochujang	1 teaspoon
Mirin	1 teaspoon
Sesame oil	a small amount

Sauce #2 
ponzu vinegar 

Ricotta Almond Lemon Cake

• 2 cups whole milk ricotta
• 3 eggs, beaten
• grated zest of 3 lemons
• 2 cups almond meal
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup flaked almonds
• plain yogurt (preferably Greek-style), to serve
• raspberries, to serve

1. Preheat oven to 325F. Grease and line base of a springform pan with parchment paper.

2. Place ricotta, eggs, zest, extract, almond meal and sugar in a large bowl. With a large spoon, beat until smooth. Pour into prepared pan. Sprinkle evenly with almonds. Bake for 60–70 minutes, or until cooked through.

4. Allow cake to cool slightly before removing from pan. Serve warm or cool, with a dollop of yogurt and fresh raspberries, if preferred. 

Caramelized Apple Skillet Pancake

This recipe is a Saturday morning staple at the Remahl-Sircar household. We found a recipe for "Apple Pancakes" on an U-pick apple orchard brochure in Davenport, CA (along with many apples). This pancake is no bready frisbee - it is more like crepe batter poured atop apples sautéed in caramel and butter. When the pancake is fully baked, it is served upside-down, the caramel and apple juices seeping down into the light custardy batter. Divine.

Caramelized Apple Skillet Pancake

Serves 2-3.

1/4 c sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

3 eggs, beaten

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 c milk

7 T butter

1 or 2 tart green cooking apples, thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 400F. In a small bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon. In a large bowl, combine eggs, flour, milk, and salt. Whisk until smooth.

In a large cast-iron skillet, melt butter, turning to coat pan. Add apples and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Cook for 5 min, stirring occasionally.

Pour batter over apples and bake 25 min, until puffed above the sides of the pan and lightly browned. Invert onto plate to serve. Enjoy immediately.

Cardamom Bundt Cake

CARDAMOM BUNDT CAKE

2 cups flour

2 tbs ground cardamom

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1 cup butter, softened to room temperature

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup sour cream

confectioner's sugar (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 10" bundt pan.
2. Sift flour, baking soda, salt, and cardamom in a bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, cream butter and sugar together. Mix in sour cream. Add eggs one at a time, and stir in vanilla.
4. Combine dry and wet ingredients, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl to mix evenly.
5. Scrape batter into bundt pan and smooth the top with a utensil. Bake until golden brown and when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 40 - 45 minutes.
6. Remove cake from oven and allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Turn out cake onto a wire rack and allow to cool further.
7. Sprinkle confectioner's sugar atop cake to decorate.

Serves 8.

Moving!

Hey there, Internet!

So, I've recently purchased some online real estate (www.gastromonica.com), which means I own a tiny sliver of the Web!

I haven't been updating this blog (obviously), but in the interim between my teaching position and grad school, I hope to (a) learn some basic webbing skills, and (b) create a nifty food-science-education-adventure blog!

Until that day arrives, gastromonica.com will point here.

Consider yourself informed!

Monica

TRIPLE GINGER COOKIES

EXTRAORDINARY BLUEBERRY COFFEECAKE

This coffeecake is moist and luscious.

Cake:
1/2 cup butter, unsalted
1 cup white sugar
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups unbleached white flour
2 cup sour cream
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

Topping:
1 cup brown sugar (or 1 cup white sugar plus 1 1/2 teaspoons molasses)
1/4 cup butter, unsalted
1/4 cup flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Alternating, add flour and sour cream. Fold in blueberries. Pour into well-buttered cake pan (9 in round). For the topping, cream butter and sugar. Add flour to form a lumpy mixture. Spread on top of the batter. Bake in oven for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. The topping should melt and partially sink into the batter.