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Archive for August, 2012

~Blueberry Cake with Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe~

Posted in Recipes, tagged , , on August 30, 2012| 1 Comment »

I Found My Thrill

On blueberry hill. My friend Noi and I enjoyed picking blueberries in the early morning sunlight at Crazy Larry’s Berries U-pick farm. Larry and his wife have found love and passion farming berries on a small hill in Monitor, Washington. Theirs is a perfect lifestyle for a retired couple and their farm reflects their life and the romance they’ve found farming and cooking blueberries. I could not help humming along to the tune of Blueberry Hill as I was  cooking with Larry’s blueberries and thinking of Larry and his wife in this sweet melody. Here is a desert recipe that I enjoyed cooking with blueberries. The memories of Larry’s Berries are part of me still!

Crazy Larry’s Berries Farm, Cashmere

Crazy Larry’s Advice

Larry gave me lots of good recommendations for preparing and storing my berries. First of all, he suggested that I place all of my blueberries on a baking sheet, then select those that have the same quality of perfect ripeness; put them in a bowl and set the others aside.

Next I divided up the perfect ones. Those that I planned to eat fresh I placed in a plastic container with a good air venting design. Do not wash them until you are ready to eat them because the natural wax will keep the fruit fresh for a long period of time—but do keep them in the fridge until then.

For the portion that I want to freeze, Larry recommended washing the berries before freezing. Here is his tip on how to wash them: Gently wash the berries with a lot of water. Remove them from the water with a strainer, then gently roll them back and forth on a towel  to get rid of the water. Place them in a freezer bag and freeze them right away. For the odd under-ripe ones, Larry recommends using them for cooking, from a blueberry vinaigrette to a blueberry sauce.

Blueberries at U-pick farm

After a week of eating and cooking fresh blueberries, the most memorable dish of all has been the blueberry cake with coconut cream cheese frosting which I took to the ordination ceremony at my Thai community event. I was thrilled by how well this cake turned out, simply by my playing with ingredients I had on hand.

Blueberry-Coconut Sauce

This blueberry and coconut sauce is simple and delicious. It is an all-purpose sauce that is great for pouring over anything from pancakes to shortcake, or even on toast. Keep it in the fridge for up to two weeks, or in the freezer for 6 months.

2 cups blueberries, washed
1/3 cup palm sugar
1/3 cup water
1 tablespoon coconut oil or butter

Bring blueberries, palm sugar and water to a boil in a saucepan, then reduce to medium heat; cook for 15 minutes, stirring often. When blueberries look soft and jelly-like, stir in the coconut oil or butter. Stir well and let the mixture cook for 30 seconds, then remove from heat and let it cool. Store in the fridge until ready to use.

Blueberry Cake with Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting

Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting

Yield: 2 cups

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, at room temperature
2 to 3 cups powdered sugar, or more as needed
1/4 cup coconut cream (or the top layer from a can of Thai coconut milk)
2 teaspoons coconut flavoring or vanilla extract (Frontier Natural Flavors preferred)

With an electric mixer, beat cream cheese on medium speed until creamy. With a spatula, fold in sugar and coconut cream; then with electric mixer beat until creamy, about 3 minutes. Fold in coconut flavoring. Keeps well in the fridge for a week, or in the freezer for 3 months.

Blueberry Cake with Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting

Cake Blueberry Nah Cream Cheese Maproaw

เค้กบลูเบอร์รี่หน้าครีมชีสมะพร้าว

I often get creative with cake mixes when I have a limited amount of time. I was hesitant to share this recipe using a cake mix, but  decided to share it with you because it was so scrumptious that I would prepare it the same way again. I hope you enjoy blueberries three ways: in the cake, as a sauce, and as a fresh garnish on top. Love, blueberries and now my dream blueberry dessert come true.

Serves: 12

1 box Betty Crocker Super Moist French Vanilla Cake Mix
3 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
Blueberry sauce from recipe above, divided
1 cup coconut cream cheese frosting from recipe above
1 cup fresh blueberries, optional
 

Preheat the oven to 350 degree F. Oil and dust a 9-inch round cake pan and set aside.

Blend cake mix in a large bowl along with eggs, vegetable oil, Greek yogurt and 1/2 of the blueberry sauce. Use an electric mixer and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Set aside to cool.

Spread the entire cake surface with the coconut cream cheese frosting, then pour the remaining half of blueberry sauce on top and drop fresh blueberries on the entire surface as well. Place blueberries lightly to make them stick to the frosting. Cut into wedges and serve.

I Love Thai cooking
Pranee teaches Thai Cooking classes in the Seattle area.
Her website is: I Love Thai cooking.com 
 
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~Wenatchee, Cashmere, Chelan and Leavenworth, a Culinary Getaway~

Posted in Pranee's Thai Cooking Videos, Recipes on August 15, 2012| 5 Comments »

Thai Connection

My Thai friend, Suprattra Pornprasit, teaches Thai vegetable carving at supattrafruitart.com. For the past two years she has invited me to visit East Wenatchee with her. I did not have time until mid-July this year to make that happen. Here are my stories of summery days with Supratra and her friends with Thai connections in East Wenatchee and its nearby towns.

Day 1. I left Seattle around noon and traveled to East Wenatchee on the beautiful drive via Hwy 2. There was very little traffic at that time and I enjoyed the drive and the Pacific Northwest scenery. The beautiful views kept me awake and driving leisurely, I arrived at East Wenatchee around 4 pm.

Eastern Wenatchee, July 18th, 2012

The picture above is of the area of East Wenatchee. At 6pm the sun is still up high and Supatra and I were heading to see another friend in Cashmere to pick cherries. It was at the end of the cherry season, but with good connections with the cherry farmer we were able to visit a farm to look for those few cherries that were left behind. There were the sweetest and juiciest Rainier cherries that I have ever eaten.

Rainier Cherry

The Sweetest One!

Thai Connections

By 8:30pm we headed back to Noi’s home, each with half a bag full. Later Noi prepared a famous dish, Som Tum Sua, from her hometown .

It was a perfect summer evening to enjoy the moment with my new Thai friends who have found Washington State their new home.

Day 2. After breakfast, I checked out three farmers markets in East Wenatchee. First, I went to the East Wenatchee Farmer Markets. I saw a few stalls and decided to skip the rest. Then I drove on to Mission Street’s Farmhouse Table Local Foods Market. I was delighted with the local produces and dried beans and grains that are grown here in Washington State. I brought Lentz Black Nile Barley Pancake Mix to bring home. Then I headed out to North Wenatchee Avenue to Mike’s Meat and Farmers Market. It is an impressive market with meats and farmers’ produce, like the Orca beans that have skin that is a prominent white and black pattern like the Orca whale. Also I purchased Mike’s award winning spice blend for BBQ ribs.

Highway 2 to Chelan

It was a beautiful drive from Wenatchee to Chelan. I drove past fruit  orchards and Lake Chelan.

Vacation Home – Lake Chelan

Lake Chelan is a vacation destination for residents from other parts of Washington State as well as other nearby states.

Downtown Chelan

There are plenty of restaurants, hotels, gift shops and interesting places in downtown Chelan–areas for a few days’ visit or a long summer vacation.

Pranee explores downtown Chelan

I wandered around for a few minutes to decide where to eat lunch. The Bamboo Shoot restaurant caught my eye, and I decided to check it out. It is a Thai restaurant, but after learning that the chef was Indonesian, I asked for an Indonesian dish instead. The only one he could prepare for me that was close to Indonesian was fried rice –  Nasi Goreng. I anticipated a good fried rice when I heard the chef’s dramatic noise with the wok. It was remarkably good. The summery weather and the delicious taste of the East on my palate made me feel at home.

Chelan Museum

Then I went to the Chelan Museum. I wish I had spent more time there, but 20 minutes gave me a good sense of the history of Lake Chelan and the town from the past to the present. The volunteer at the museum, a former school teacher from Seattle public schools, sent me to my next destination–the Culinary Apple–to get some good fudge.

Culinary Apple

Culinary Apple  is down the road toward the lake from the museum. It has both high end and casual kitchen ware. I love the store and the caramel fudge was so decadent. I would recommend that it be part of your future visit. It will always be part of mine.

Sunshine Farm Market, Lake Chelan

The last stop on my way back to Wenatchee was the Sunshine Farm Market. It is where you will find all the local culinary delights. You can pick up the local ripe fruit or vegetables, or pancake mix and honey on your way home, or pick up some artisan bread, gourmet cheese and estate crafted-wine on your way to your vacation home.

At 5pm I picked up Supratra in East Wenatchee and then Noi in Cashmere and we  headed out to Leavenworth to visit Sandy, another Thai friend. Sandy and her husband own Veena Jewelry, an Asian boutique in downtown Leavenworth where you can get jewelry designed and hand made by Sandy. We then headed out for something good to eat.

Leavenworth

For dinner, we skipped Thai flavors and went for what Leavenworth has to offer: German sausage and more at Munchen Haus 

Farmers Market

Our last stop for the day is at nearby Lions Club Park where a farmers market opens every Thursday from 4 to 8pm. We had a great time checking out local produce, enjoying food from the food stalls and hanging around the park listening to live music.

Day 3: This is the last day of my trip but I had to experience a few more culinary highlights on my way back to Seattle. First, Noil, Supratra and I met at 8am for breakfast at the must-stop bakery, Anjou Baker. It is an impressive bakery and lunch place. We each had a cup of coffee with a pear pastry. Then Supratra headed out to work, and Noi and I headed to Crazy Larry’s Berries.

Blueberry Farm

Noi and I enjoyed picking blueberries at Crazy Larry’s Berries. We sat on the ground facing each other while filling each other with stories. We enjoyed the warm sun and delicious berries while our hands were busy picking.

Crazy Berry Farm

I brought home a box full of berries and have baked two delicious desserts so far. I would like to share the recipes with you one day, together with a story of Larry and his farm. All I can tell you for now is that he is not crazy. So please hurry to visit his farm and enjoy the U-pick as the blueberry season will end in a week or so. I know you will have a great time in Wenatchee.

Pranee Khruasanit Halvorsen

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~Ginger Limeade Recipe~

Posted in Pranee's Culinary Tales, Pranee's Tips & Techniques, Pranee's Travel Thailand & Beyond, Recipes, Thai Beverage Recipe, Thai Ingredient 101, Thai Recipe for Kid, Thai Vegetarian Recipe, tagged , , , , , on August 10, 2012| 4 Comments »

Add Zing to Your Limeade

Ginger Limeade

During August I try to slow down my summer activities and I enjoy staying home and working in the garden. After a hard-working day in the yard, I reward myself with a homemade ginger limeade. This recipe is used often in summer cooking classes for kids. This week it worked out perfectly for me to test the recipe one more time before sharing it with you and savor the results at the end my gardening day. I planned ahead to have the  freshest limes and ginger on hand, then I made the limeade in the morning so all the flavors would have a chance to blend and chill to the highest delight.

Lime – มะนาว

Thai cuisine depends on lime flavor. It is in almost in every dish. One should always have at least half a dozen limes on hand.

น้ำเชื่อมขิง – Ginger Simple Syrup

Crush the ginger until juicy and softened before adding it to the pot of sugar and water.

Ginger Limeade

Nam Manoa Khing

น้ำมะนาวขิง

Before you put together the ingredients to make ginger limeade, I would like you to follow closely my culinary insight on how to make ginger infused simple syrup. I didn’t make this technique up, it has been in my family for a long time. Infused fresh ginger provides a different flavor than dry powdered ginger or the fried ginger used in savory dishes. Crushing the ginger until the juice comes out helps break down the ginger’s cell walls. Thais use smashed ginger in a simple syrup for many dessert dishes. The aroma and taste of fresh ginger syrup is the first entry to sweet dishes such as Bua Loi Nam Khing (glutinous rice ball in sweet ginger syrup). I add ginger syrup to my limeade for a refreshing drink to enjoy in the hot summer or with a Thai meal.

Serves: 6

4 cups hot water
6 (1-inch) ginger pieces, peeled and smashed, about 3 ounces or 86 gram
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 to 1 cup lime juice, from 4 to 6  limes
10  slices of  limes, from one lime, for garnish
6 cups ice cubes

To make the brown sugar-ginger syrup, bring water, ginger and sugar to a boil in a medium-size pot. Let it boil on medium heat for 15 – 20 minutes. Remove ginger and strain. After it has cooled to room temperature, stir in lime juice.

Set aside enough lime slices for six glasses of limeade, then add remaining lime slices to a nice pitcher and pour in the limeade mix. Chill overnight, or for at least 6 hours. Before serving, add 2 cups ice cubes to the pitcher and stir. Fill six tall glasses with ice cubes and garnish each with a lime slice before adding the limeade.

Pranee’s note: 

To peel or not to peel? Peeling ginger is a personal option. I prefer to just peel off any tough skin or bruised parts. Ginger is abundant in Thailand. It is reasonably priced and I always had some at home, fresh and in the freezer.

© 2012 Pranee Khruasanit Halvorsen
I Love Thai cooking 
 Pranee teaches Thai Cooking classes in the Seattle area. Her website is: I Love Thai cooking.com .
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~Oregano Flowers Fried Rice with Tomato and Garlic~

Posted in Q & A Thai Cooking, Recipes, Thai Gluten Free Recipe, Thai Main Dish Recipe, Thai Recipe for Kid, Thai Side Dish Recipe, Thai Stir-fry Recipe, Thai Vegetarian Recipe, tagged , , , , , , , , , on August 2, 2012| 6 Comments »

The Holy Herbs

It has been a busy summer for me so far. This has kept me away from writing, but it doesn’t mean I didn’t cook up a delicious dish for my Thai Kitchen blog. I have a lot of photos and notes and testings that have been done but that are waiting for me to write them up. While waiting for those posts from my food experiences in July, I have a delicious, unpretentious and impromptu dish to share with you. From my garden and Thai kitchen to yours!

Oregano Buds

Why oregano? Ten years ago, oregano was widespread via self-sown seeds in my Seattle garden near Thai spirit house. That year, my niece was visiting from Thailand and I used oregano in place of Thai holy basil when I prepared Phad Kraprow Gai (stir-fried minced chicken with Thai holy basil). I didn’t tell her that I’d used oregano and she didn’t notice the difference. Later on, when I told her it was not Thai holy basil, but Greek holy oregano we laughed! Fresh oregano has a peppery and pungent taste that I love and which is similar to Thai holy basil. Try using oregano in place of Thai holy basil when oregano leaves and blossoms are abundant in your garden.

Oregano Blossoms

Yesterday was my day off from traveling on the road and I was hanging around home and working in my garden. My girlfriend and I were immersing ourselves in the sun, surrounded by flowers, herbs and weeds. All of a sudden I realized that most of my oregano plants were blossoming. As it got close to lunch time, I began to think about what I could cook with those blossoms. I decided to make Oregano Blossoms Fried Rice for lunch. I cut the stems down to six inches long so there were some leaves attached to yield more leaves until the end of the summer.

Oregano Blossoms Fried Rice

Does frozen cooked rice work for this dish? This is the first time that I have experimented with previously frozen rice from my fridge. I thawed the rice before using it to loosen up the cooked rice grains and it worked perfectly well for fried rice. Off course my passion is to share what is happening in my Thai Kitchen with you, so here is my recipe for oregano blossoms.

Oregano Blossoms Fried Rice with Tomato and Garlic

Khao Phad Dok Oregano Makrua Thet Kratiem

ข้าวผัดดอกออริกาโนกับมะเขือเทศและกระเทียม

Oregano is not a Thai herb, but it has long been a substitute ingredient for me in the absence of my beloved Thai holy basil. Both belong to the mint, or Lamiaceae, family. The flavor undertones of both herbs are alike, and as a gardener I love herbs that can grow wide and are easy to take care of. Now that I have discovered how great oregano blossoms taste in this recipe, I will enjoy the same dish often this summer! Cheers to the holy herbs!

Serves: 2 to 4

3 tablespoons canola oil
6 cloves garlic, peeled, crushed and chopped
1/2 onion, sliced
1 cayenne pepper, sliced (remove seeds if preferred)
1/2 cup oregano leaves and blossoms, stems removed
1 large tomato, cut into wedges
2 eggs
3 cups cooked rice, cooled or frozen
2 pinches of salt, optional
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce
4 lime wedges
8 sting beans or cucumber or any fresh vegetable condiment, optional
 
Heat canola oil in a skillet or wok on high heat. Add garlic and stir until golden, then add onion, cayenne and oregano leaves and blossoms and blossoms. Stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Clear the center of the wok and scramble in eggs for two seconds before adding rice. Stir in soy sauce and  fish sauce. Serve with lime wedge, vegetable condiment and spicy fish sauce. (See recipe below).
 
© 2012 Pranee Khruasanit Halvorsen
I Love Thai cooking
Pranee teaches Thai Cooking classes in the Seattle area.
Her website is: I Love Thai cooking.com  
 
Follow Me on Pinterest
 
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