Monthly Archives: July 2013

Pie pie pie!

Pies aren’t photogenic.

I made three pies tonight, two raspberry crack pies and one buttermilk pie.

The buttermilk pie just got out of the oven is and is still cooling, so I can’t pass judgement on it yet, or on how it compares to a crack pie. But we shall see~

DSC_4267

EDIT: A verdict has been reached! Possibly tastier than crack pie. (WHAT?!?!?1 yep.)
Next time, bake it longer, at least 50 minutes, if in a ceramic pie dish. Also, perhaps adding a little bit of citrus zest? Also, half brown sugar?

Things to try! Sciences to be had!

New Plants!

fenestraria aurantiaca
fenestraria aurantiaca

Airplant + Dinosaur planter
an air plant (about to bloom!) in my dinosaur planter

airplant in shell
another air plant, in a seashell

all three purchased from the super super awesome Cactus Jungle in Berkeley.

Lazy Bear

kitchennn
Inside the kitchennnnn.

I spent Saturday at Lazy Bear, volunteering/working for free. AND IT WAS AWESOME.

snack
One of the first snacks — this was our “kitchen” plate. Thus the tape. Also, dim lighting is dim.

uni!
Another snack – uni & shrimp on a fried chip. I portioned out the uni… and the extras went into my stomach.

Avocado and something?
Another snack – avocado and I’m not sure what and toasted rice. I like avocado. (And whatever it was with, but I’m not sure what it was. Hah.)

Chilled Lettuce Soup
Chilled lettuce soup over fried squash

After pouring
After pouring.

SWEETFISH :D
Delicious delicious sweetfish. My favorite thing of the night. One piece was rolled up and steamed, one was fried. Both were delicious, and my picture doesn’t do it justice. Sadface for dim light.

Lobster Mushrooms
Lobster mushrooms, wax beans and duck. Lobster mushrooms are delicious. So are beans. Duck didn’t add anything, but was still tasty.

Chicken Yakitori
Chicken Yakitori. Gizzards, radishes, watermelon rind pickles. The pickles were delicious. Watermelon rind pickles are now on my “things to learn to make list.”

Black sausage
Tomato, black garlic sausage. I’m used to “black sausages” being blood sausages — but these weren’t. Delicious and wayyy less fatty than I expected.

Elk loin
Super soft elk loin, beans, peppercorns, elderberries and elderflowers. I ate it with a spoon. Well, some kind of violent spooning.

Berries!
Berries! Malt custard, juniper. I ate way too much of that custard…

Pantry
A picture of the pantry. Just cus.

I’d really like to dine at Lazy Bear one day — but a lot of me suspects volunteering is more fun (and just as tasty).

Some pictures were taken in the kitchen lighting — which was on the dim side. Some were taken in the little area that had been set up for photographing the dishes. Thus some are bright, some are grainier and darker. D:

Waffles!

I keep having to find my favorite waffle recipe, so I should post it —

Waffles of Insane Greatness
originally adapted from Aretha Frankensteins, then from here

Ingredients

* 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour*
* 1/2 cup cornstarch**
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 2 cups buttermilk
* 2/3 cup vegetable oil
* 2 eggs
* 3 teaspoons sugar
* 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* Butter and syrup, for serving

Directions

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; mix well. Add the milk, vegetable oil, egg, sugar and vanilla and mix well. Let the batter sit for 30 minutes, if you have the time.

With my waffle maker, I cook them for 4 minutes at heat setting ’3.’

* Can be substituted for glutinous rice flour for a gluten-free version
** Can be substituted for rice flour/glutinous rice flour

Frying Chicken + Buttermilk Pound Cake

No pictures because I’m lazy. But, thermapens are magic for frying chicken.

Followed a recipe off Serious Eats… and magic!

This follows a previous attempt at the same recipe without a thermapen that resulted in delicious chicken… but with throughly blackened (as in inedibly blackened) skin. One day I will buy a deep fryer and make my life easier. And waistline larger.

Also, in an attempt not to lose all the recipes…

Buttermilk Pound Cake of Buttery Goodness — original version & source
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter – try with slightly less next time. maybe 14tbsp?
3 cups white sugar – did 2.5 because that’s how i roll
6 eggs
1 teaspoon lemon extract omitted because lazy and did not have
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk

Would make again. Fantastic with olallieberry ice cream.