Armenian Gingerbread Cookies

Marks and Spencer has free shipping to the U.S.  I saw on their website reindeer cookie cutters and thought of little buster. It was on Christmas Eve, that we were patiently awaiting for his arrival. Then on Christmas day, early in the morning, he arrived. When I first looked at him he looked like an indigent fairy. He must have come from Santa's workshop and did not know who we were. But all I know is we got the best Christmas present ever!

So how befitting, that on my grandson's birthday, we will make cookies of Santa's wheels.

1/4 cup of shortening
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of ginger
1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/4 cup of mild molasses
1 egg yolk
1 1/4 teaspoon of vinegar
1 1/4 cups of flour

Mild molasses is very hard to find. But to do this recipe justice it must be used. Full strength molasses is to strong a flavor for these delicate cookies.

Mix the above ingredients in a mixer until they just come together. Shape into a flat disk and refrigerate overnight. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Roll out the dough into 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes. Bake for eight minutes until they are a light golden brown around the edges.

The smell of gingerbread is so wonderful and brings to us the holiday spirit. To decorate the cookies I used purchase icing and little candies for the toppings of the cookies.

Gingerbread was brought to Europe in 992 by the Armenian monk Gregory of Nicopolis. He left Nicopolis Pompeii, to live in Fance, near the town of Pithiviers. He stayed there for seven years, and taught gingerbread baking to French Christians.

Saffron Poached Pears

I was patiently waiting for some pears to come to the perfect point for poaching. You want them to be just shy of the point at which you would eat them. At this point, the absorption of the poaching liquid is perfect. They will also not fall apart.
You can poach them whole, but it is easier to half them. I use a measuring teaspoon to scoop out the seeds.

 The liquid is eight cups of water and three and one third cups of sugar. For the spices you will need one split vanilla bean, two thin slices of fresh ginger, three star anise, several alspice berries, several cloves, one cinnamon stick, one lemon sliced in half, a few black peppercorns and a good pinch of saffron.

 Bring the syrup to a low simmer and add your peeled and seed pears. Put a plate on top of the pears to keep them submerged. Poach for fifteen minutes and then turn off the heat. Let the pears cool in the syrup. If not eating right away, store them in the refrigerator for up to five days.

Din Tai Fung

It is a cold and rainy day and I am not in the mood to cook. So my thoughts went to family and dim sum in the international district. The Jade Garden has really great dim sum. But my daughter said that Din Tai Fung has opened a new restaurant near her home. So we took little buster and headed off for steaming dumplings.

Dim Sum is so fun for kids. It is noisy and busy with steaming trays everywhere. They have a window where you can watch many chef's making dumplings.  The service is excellent and the quality of ingredients superb. Little buster was throwing chop sticks around like there was no tomorrow. The wait staff would bring him a new clean set every time they hit the floor.

The only draw back is that it is not cheap. Jade Garden charges three dollars a plate and Din Tai Fung charges ten dollars a plate. However, the quality of ingredients and service is worth the wonderful occasion. 

Tangerine Curd Cake

Curds can be used for so many things cakes, tarts, pies, steamed puddings, muffins, pancake topping, or on hot toast.

You can make curd from any fruit that the juice can be squeezed from orange, grapefruit, passion fruit and pineapple are just some of the variations. I happened to have some tangerines and thought they would be great in a cake. 

Here is the recipe for the cake.

For the filling:

2/3 cup sugar
3 Tbs. flour
1 cup fresh tangerine juice
2 large egg yolks
2 Tbs. butter

For the cake:
2-1/4 cups cake flour
2-1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup vegetable shortening
2 tsp. grated tangerine zest
1-1/2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup fresh tangerine juice
For the frosting:
12 Tbs. salted butter, at room temperature
4-1/2 cups confectioners sugar
Dash salt
1 tsp. grated tangerine zest
5 Tbs. fresh tangerine juice
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon of orange brandy




Make the filling: Combine the sugar and the flour in a heavy-based saucepan. Whisk just to mix. Add the juice and egg yolks and whisk vigorously again to combine. Put the saucepan over medium-high heat and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture boils (3 to 4 min.). Cook another 1 min., stirring constantly (the mixture will thicken noticeably and become less cloudy). Be sure it boils for 1 min. so that the filling will thicken enough to support the cake. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter. Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap (lay the wrap directly on the filling’s surface), and refrigerate. Chill thoroughly before using.

Make the cake: Heat the oven to 350°F. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Grease two 9x1-1/2-inch cake pans and line the bottom of each with a round of kitchen parchment. Lightly flour the sides and bottom of each pan.

In a mixer, cream together the butter, shortening, and zest. Gradually add the sugar, creaming until the mixture is light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well between additions and scraping down the sides.

Add the sifted dry ingredients alternately with the juice to the creamed mixture, beating well on low speed after each addition. Pour equal amounts of the batter into the two prepared cake pans. Tap the pans on the counter before putting them in the oven to remove any air bubbles and to even the batter. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 28 min. Cool the cake layers in the pans for 10 min. and then loosen the layers by running a knife between the cake and the edge of the pan. Remove the layers from the pans and put them on a rack to continue cooling.



Make the frosting: Cream the butter in the mixer. Add the confectioners’ sugar and salt and combine thoroughly. Add the zest, brandy, lemon juice and mix to combine. Add the tangerine juice and mix on high speed until well blended, scraping down the sides. It will be light and creamy. Refrigerate if not using right away.

Cranberry & Chambord Tartlets

Chambord is produced in a Loire Valley chateau. You should goggle the chateau, as it is a story in itself. The spirit is made from red and black raspberries, Madagascar vanilla, Moroccan citrus peel, honey  and cognac. Whole raspberries and blackberries are steeped in the spirits for a period of several weeks to produce a fruit infusion. This infusion produces a distinct raspberry flavor and aroma.

After the infusion is extracted, a second set of spirits is added to the fruit and allowed to rest for a few weeks. After this second infusion is drawn off, the remaining fruit is pressed to obtain the natural sugars and juice. The spirits and juices from the final pressing are then combined, and finally, the berry infusion is married with a blend of cognac, natural vanilla extract, black raspberries, citrus peel, honey, and herbs and spices.

If you have not tried Chambord, I highly recommend it. Add it to all kinds of fruit preparations.

I decided to make a fresh cranberry tart and add chambord to the mix. I topped the little tartlets with a meringue. They are really incredible.

Ingredients:

1 recipe of my never fail pie crust

1 bag of fresh cranberries
1 1/2 cups of sugar
3 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon of cloves
3 tablespoons of cornstarch
several tangerines (1 teaspoon of zest and 1/4 cup of juice)
1/4 teaspoon of cream of tarter
1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt
3 tablespoons of Chambord



You will need to start out making the pie crust. Roll out the dough to one quarter inch thick. Cut rounds to the size of your tart pan. I used a muffin tin. But you could use any size you would like. Chill the dough well and then cut out parchment to line the crust.  Fill the lined crust with beans and bake in a 375 degree oven for fifteen minutes. Remove them from the tins and bake further until a golden brown, You want them to be quite golden. The reason is that the filling does not quite set.


Now to make the filling, add the bag of cranberries to a sauce pan. Add one cup of sugar and one and one quarter cups of water. Simmer until the berries become a mush. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve and toss the solids. But the juice back into the sauce pan and add one quarter cup of sugar, one quarter cup of water, the spices, juice and zest. Combine the water and cornstarch and add to the sauce pan. Simmer the mixture until it becomes a thick jam. Now add the Chambord. Refrigerate until cool.



Now top the tart shells with the cooled fruit mixture and preheat your broiler. To make the meringue it could not be easier. Place the three egg whites into a heat proof bowl. Add 1/4 cups of sugar and the cream of tarter. Place over a simmering bowl of water. You just want the sugar to dissolve. Now take a hand mixer and beat the egg whites to stiff peaks. Place the meringue over the tarts. I used a pastry bag to do this. Now place the tartlets into the broiler and toast the meringue. Watch out, as this can go quite fast.

Enjoy the tartlet !

Escarole and White Bean Soup

When I find fresh escarole at my local market I  break out in a dance. You just don't see it very often. I have been waiting to try this Italian classic soup. I like cooking my own beans. You can impart all kinds of lovely flavors into them. So, first take one cup of dried white beans and place them into a sauce pan. Cover with cold water and bring to a boil. You will then shut off the heat and cover. Let it stand for one hour. Now drain the beans and place them back into the sauce pan. Now add water to cover. Place into the pot a fresh bay leaf, two cloves of garlic, half an onion, one stock of celery and one carrot. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a low simmer. Cook for about one hour. Now shut off the heat and add two teaspoons of kosher salt. Let stand while you make the soup.


For the soup you will need one onion diced, one leek diced, one celery stock diced, and two small carrots diced. You will also dice three slices of smokey bacon. Add all the ingredients into a cast iron pot with some olive oil and brown. Now add two minced cloves of garlic, 1/4 teaspoon of crushed red pepper and a few sprigs of fresh thyme. Sauté for a few minutes and then add seven cups of good quality chicken stock to the pot. Drain and rinse the beans removing and discarding the vegetables. Add the beans to the pot. Add one large bunch of fresh chopped escarole to the soup pot. Bring to a boil and taste for seasoning. Serve the soup topped with Parmesan cheese.

Campanelle and Butternut Squash

I came upon an interesting recipe that used grated butternut squash. This is my spin on the recipe. It is really quite delicious. I think kids would like it too, as it melds well with the pasta and cheese.

For the parents, I would suggest a lovely wine from Vaucluse in France. The vintage is a 2012 from Domaine De La Becassonne. Located near Châteauneuf-du-Pape in the southern Rhône, where 90 perent of the region's wine is red, Domaine de la Becassonne has an unusual distinction, it is devoted entirely to the production of white wines. Its Côtes du Rhône Blanc is considered one of the best whites of the southern Rhône. The owner Andre Brunel, who produces great reds at his other estates, feels that the cool microclimate and sandy limestone soils delivers bold, plump notes of yellow apple and fresh cut pear. It is very reasonably price at around thirteen dollars.

Start out by grating two and on half cups of butternut squash. A food processor makes quick work of this. Now put a large pot of salted boiling water to the boil for the pasta. You will then dice a small onion and mince a clove of garlic. In a frying pan, place two tablespoons of olive oil and one tablespoon of butter over medium high heat. Saute the onion until it is soft and light golden brown. Now add the garlic and butternut squash and saute. Add 1/4 up of the Cotes Du Rhone to further cook the squash.

To the mix add one eighth a teaspoon of star anise, 1/4 teaspoon of Herbes De Provence, one eighth teaspoon of chipotle chile pepper, grated fresh nutmeg, freshly cracked black pepper and salt. Add one half a pound of the Campanelle to the boiling water and cook until done. I just keep on checking to see. Add the drained pasta to the sauce pan. Add some reserved pasta water and butter to finish the dish. Top with shaved Parmesan.

Baby Bok Choy with Ginger & Garlic

When one has a lot of activities, we tend to not eat right. This is my go to quick and health recipe for when I am in  hurry. The vegetable will give you one hundred percent of your daily requirement for vitamin A. It also takes five minutes to make. Put some rice in a rice cooker and you have a meal ! Bok choy is really an under use vegetable in the west. The Chinese have been eating the white cabbage for five thousand years. Like all cabbage it needs a bit of sweetness. My trick is to add two teaspoons of dark brown sugar to the stir fry.

Begin by chopping up your baby bok choy. Separate the leaf greens from the root in two. Mince one shallot, one garlic clove and about two teaspoons of freshly minced ginger. In a saute pan heat up about a tablespoon of peanut oil to smoking point. Add the shallot and saute until lightly brown on the edges. At this point you will add your garlic and ginger. Saute a few minutes and now add the root ends of the bok choy. Then add two teaspoons of dark soy sauce,  one teaspoon of sambal oelek, two teaspoons of dark brown sugar. Now add the green leaves an saute a minute. Serve over steamed basmati rice with a little butter. 

Cinderella Pumpkins

I found these heirloom Cinderella pumpkins from France at Maple Valley Fred Meyer. They are also sold as a Rouge Vif d’Etampes. The smaller ones are called Sparkle pumpkins.

It sure is easy to see how the softly flattened top and ridged, deep orange inspired Cinderella’s carriage in Charles Perrault’s classic French fairy tale.

What is even better is the rich orange flesh is tasty in pies !

Chicken Fricassee with Chantrelles

Late September and early October are peak wild-mushroom season, especially in Western Washington around the Olympic Peninsula. There are varieties that "fruit" in the fall. The boletus and the somewhat rarer matsutake. But in our area the chanterelles, in both the yellow and the white variety are especially common, particularly under the cover of second growth forests rich with hemlock. 

The chanterelles look similar to other mushrooms when they first push up. But later they widen and spread to create the familiar trumpet-like chanterelle fan, with thick ridges along their underside and down the stalk. You do need to be careful if you're hunting wild mushrooms; there are a few poisonous mushrooms that a beginner might confuse for a chanterelle. Go with an expert the first time, at least, and remember that there are legal restrictions about when, where, and how many mushrooms you can  harvest. 

I was very lucky and obtained mine from Carpinto Brother's. It is very hard to get commercial ones that are in peak condition. I can not stress how important top quality ingredients are for this dish.  A very good Vouvray and organic chicken is a must.

one 3 1/2 pound organic chicken, portioned with skin on

3 tablespoons of butter

1 celery stock diced

2 small carrots diced

1 leek diced

1 onion diced

2 to 3 cloves of garlic minced

1 bundle of fresh thyme, sage and a small bit of fresh rosemary

2/3 cup of Vouvray

1/2 teaspoon of fennel seeds

1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika

salt and freshly cracked black pepper

1 fresh bay leaf

2 cups of chantrelle mushrooms

1 cup of triple cream

3 cups of chicken stock

1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper

3 tablespoons of flour

Brown the dried chicken pieces in a heavy cast iron pot with the butter. You will need to do this in two batches. Set the chicken aside on a plate. Now add the onions, carrots, leeks, and fennel seed to the pot. Saute the vegetables until they have just a little brown around the edges. Add the minced garlic and saute a few minutes. 

Now sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and saute until the raw flavor of the flour is removed. Add the wine and bring to a boil. Burn off any harsh flavor the wine may have. The Vouvray from La Forcine is just under ten dollars. I highly recommend it. A harsh tasting wine would  really overwhelm the taste of the Chantrelles. 

Now add all the other ingredient except for the cream. You will simmer covered for 40 minutes. No longer then this. Remove the chicken to a plate and toss the bay leaf and herb bundle. You may need to reduce the sauce a little by simmering. When this has been done check for seasoning and add the cream. I suggest serving this dish with steamed basmati rice. An excellent wine to serve or use for this dish is a Massciarelli. It is also very reasonably priced.  Esquin Wines in Seattle's SODO district has been in business since 1969. I love this place. The owner's two daughters are the best sommeliers.

Leite's Culinaria Twinkie Cake

You must go to the website for all the culinary
happenings !

Ingredients

For the cake
6 tablespoons (3 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for the pan
3 cups cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup mild vegetable oil, such as canola, grape seed, safflower, or sunflower
3 large eggs plus 4 large egg yolks, at room temperature
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature

For the cream filling

1 7.5-ounce jar marshmallow crème
8 tablespoons (4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting (optional)

Directions

Make the cake
1. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F (163°C). Coat a 12-cup Bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray or butter and dust it lightly with flour, tapping out any excess.
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and vanilla on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add the sugar and beat until evenly mixed, about 1 minute. With the machine still running, slowly pour in the oil and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs and egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition.
4. Reduce the mixer speed to low. Alternately stir in the flour mixture and buttermilk in 3 additions each, ending with the buttermilk. Mix on low speed just until the batter is smooth and no lumps remain. Turn off the mixer and gently fold the batter several times by hand with a spatula to ensure everything is incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
5. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes, until the cake is golden, the top springs back when lightly pressed, and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Place the pan on a wire rack and let cool completely, about 2 hours.

Make the cream filling

6. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the marshmallow crème, butter, and vanilla until smooth. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip or spoon it into a large resealable plastic bag with a bottom corner snipped off.
7. While the cake is still in the pan, use a paring knife or an apple corer to make 6 or 7 deep, evenly spaced notches or holes in the bottom of the cake, each about 3/4 of an inch in diameter, being careful to cut no more than halfway through to the top of the cake. Discard—that is, nibble—any cake scraps. Using your fingertips, gently forge a horizontal tunnel through the cake that connects the vertical holes.
8. Insert the tip of the pastry or plastic bag into each hole and squeeze in some of the filling, tilting the bag back and forth as you work to encourage the filling to make its way into the horizontal tunnel. When the cake is filled, use a spatula to scrape away any excess filling from the bottom of the cake. Quickly and carefully invert the cake onto a platter. Dust with confectioners’ sugar, if desired. Slice and serve.

Apple Wood Smoked Tomato Soup With Basil

I have a hot smoke electric smoker that keeps things very moist. Excellent for turkey, fish and vegetables.

When I was smoking a turkey breast, I got the idea to smoke some tomatoes. They are wonderful this time of the year. I like slow roasting tomatoes too. But the smoker really adds a wonderful flavor you just can't get from an oven.

The tomatoes really need to be at their best for this. If they are not in season, I would use canned.
All you have to do is fire up a smoker or even a barbecue. Just slice the tomatoes in half and seed. Place the tomatoes on the smoker cut side down. I smoked mine for thirty minutes. Take them out of the smoker and then the skins will just peel off. Set aside for use.

I have add soy sauce to the soup. You would think this would compete with the flavors of the soup. But trust me it really adds a little umami flavor.

1 onion diced
1 carrot diced
1 celery stock diced
2 cloves of garlic minced
1 fresh bay leaf
fresh thyme leaves
fresh black pepper
1/4 cup of fresh basil
3 tablespoons of soy sauce
1 teaspoon of ground Aleppo pepper
3 tablespoons of olive oil
1 cup heavy cream
2 cups of chicken soup
3 cups of smoked tomatoes or 24 ounce can of fire roasted tomatoes

Saute the onions, carrots and celery in the olive oil. You want a little color on the vegetables. Now add the garlic and saute until lightly colored. Now add everything else except the cream. Cook the soup on medium heat for 15 minutes. Now remove the bay leaf and blend the soup in a blender. Place the blended mixture back into the pot and add the cream.

Fresh Fig Tart with Almonds

 Fresno has the climate for growing any kind of fresh produce. As a child, I remember my
Grandfather's farm in Fresno. He grew fresh grapes, tangerines and oh so many lovely things.
At a local market, I was surprise to find really fresh figs. There is something exotic about fresh figs. It brings up memories from the past.

This recipe is oh so easy. Start by preheating your oven to 375 degrees. You will need to grind the almonds in a blender to make a meal. Sliced almonds are the best for this. Or you can try and find a hand stone grinding wheel. My Grandfather would grind buckwheat for use in the morning and make us fresh buckwheat pancakes !

1/4 cup of sugar and 2 tablespoons
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
4 tablespoons of melted butter
1 cup of ground sliced almonds
1/4 cup of flour
\3 extra large eggs
1/4 teaspoon of almond extract
8 sliced fresh figs
apricot jam to glaze cake

In a bowl place all your dry ingredients. Mix with a whisk. Now add in your wet ingredients. Place the batter into a 8 inch spring form pan. Now add the sliced fresh figs on top. Bake the cake until it does not jiggle. Remove the pan from the oven. Now brush the cake with apricot jam. 

Quiche

I am often up before dawn. This is the time a chef' seeks inspiration. I will go to the market and check out what inspires me. Yesterday, I found farm fresh triple cream, wild mushrooms, watercress, organic zucchini and a nutty aged Gruyere.

The ingredients spoke to me !

Start by making my never fail pie crust recipe and divide into two and refrigerate. 

Now slice two shallots and the mushrooms and saute until a light golden brown. Add in a large minced garlic and the sliced zucchini. Do not fully cook the zucchini. It should be almost raw.  Lightly season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Now add 1/2 teaspoon of your favorite herbs. I added fresh chives and Herbes de Provenece. I like the blend that has just a little bit of fennel seed in it. 

Now roll out the pie dough to fit your pan. I really like to use the removable bottom quiche or tart pans. I do not use the base however. I just use the frame and place it directly on the sheet pan. Crank up your oven to about 500 degrees and you will be using the lower rack for baking.

Now line the pastry with the mushrooms, zucchini mixture. Tear off the leaves from the watercress and slice. Arrange the watercress on top of the zucchini mixture. Now grade the Gruyere and arrange as if this was a pizza. Add a little grated fresh nutmeg to the quiche. I can not tell you how many eggs or cream you will need to fill the tart shell. It is a ratio. For every three eggs you will need 3/4 of a cup of heavy cream. Beat the cream and eggs well. You will pour this mixture over you tart. Bake the quiche until a lovely golden brown. You will be able to lift up the quiche and check out the bottom. It will be the same golden brown.

Buttermilk Panna Cotta with Fresh Berries

The tang of buttermilk goes well with fresh seasonal berries. Buttermilk is low in fat and offsets the additional cream added.

Well, that is what any good chef will tell you. This recipe takes minutes to make and uses up any buttermilk you may have on hand.

Ingredients:

2 cups of cream
1 teaspoon of unflavored gelatin
1/3 cup of sugar
1 vanilla bean
1 cup of buttermilk
Fresh berries

Take 2 extra tablespoons of buttermilk and place in a very small bowl. Now add your gelatin and let stand. In the mean time combine the cream, split vanilla bean and sugar in a sauce pan. Heat up the mixture just until the sugar is dissolved. Now let the mixture cool. Remove the vanilla bean taking care that all the seeds are left in the cream. Add the gelatin and buttermilk with a whisk. Pour into small serving dishes.

Refrigerate. When cold and set run a sharp knife around the edge of the dish. Flip over and top with berries.  

Massaman Curry Paste for Curried Peanut Satay Sauce

As I mentioned in my earlier posts, I really love to go to all the ethnic grocery stores we have in my neighborhood.

Fresh lemon grass, coconut milk and shrimp paste will be need for this curry paste. I like the Pantai Norasingh brand made in Thailand. After you open the jar and use just a little bit. Close it up and stick it in your freezer.









This curry paste recipe is from the southern part of Thailand. The paste is used in Curried Peanut Satay Sauce and stew dishes.

To start making the paste you will need 1 ounce of dried red chilies seed and soaked in boiling water for thirty minutes. Then place the drained chilies in a blender. You will need to save the soaking water.

Now measure out 1 1/2 teaspoons of cumin, 1 1/2 teaspoons of coriander, and three seeded green cardamom pods. You will keep the seeds and toss out the shell. Dry roast the spices until a light golden brown.

 Now place the seeds in a spice grinder and pulse. Add this to the blender. Now add 2 small shallots, 3 large garlic cloves and 1 stalk of lemon grass. The lemon grass should have the outer leaves removed and the lower tender portion placed in the blender. The new issue of Fine Cooking AUG/SEPT 2014 has a wonderful article on lemon grass. In fact the whole issue is wonderful ! Now add to the blender 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper, 1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves and a rounded 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon.

Now make a foil packet of 1 1/2 teaspoons of shrimp paste. Dry roast the shrimp paste until your home smells like the best Thai restaurant. Add to the blender the cooled shrimp paste and drained chilies. Save the soaking water from the chilies to use as needed for the paste to do its magic in the blender. Store in refrigerator.

If making the peanut sauce do not wash out your blender. Place a 14 ounce can of coconut milk into the blender along with 3/4 of a cup of chunky peanut butter, 7 tablespoons of brown sugar, 2 tablespoons of Thai fish sauce and blend. Now add 1 tablespoon of Massaman Curry paste to the blender. Take a taste. Add more curry paste as you like.