My first time making home-made dumplings inspired me to look into Asian Cooking and I am now on an adventure to find a great cookbook - easy Asian cooking for beginners so if you have any suggestions please send me the info.



Fried Mushroom Dumplings

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons of oil
• 1 lb of mushrooms (any combination will work)
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
• 1/2 cup of finely chopped water chestnuts
• 1/4 cup of finely chopped scallions
• 2 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon rice wine
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons rice wine
• Round Dumpling Wrappers or Wonton Skins
• small bowl of water
• Sesame oil for cooking
• 3 stalks of scallions, cut into rings
• Dipping Sauce

Mushroom Filling

• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat add oil and cook until hot. Add mushrooms and cook for about 10 minutes until the liquid has evaporated.
• Add garlic and mix together cooking for another minute or two
• Remove from heat. Stir in ginger, scallions, soy sauce, sesame oil, rice wine and water chestnuts. Set aside to cool.
  

Making the Dumplings

1. Place a small bowl of water next to your assembly spot.
2. Place a dumpling wrapper or wonton skin on a flat surface.
3. Add 1 teaspoon of the shrimp mixture in the center.
4. Dip your fingers in the water bowl and run it along the outer edges of the dumpling wrapper.
5. Fold over the two edges of the round dumpling to create a 1/2 circle. Pinch the center together, sealing together. Continue to seal the edges of the entire dumpling by making small pleated folds from the outer edges to the center - two on each side.
   
6. The sealed edges are the top of the dumpling the bottom will be flat.
   
7. Continue to prep all dumplings and cover with a lightly damp cloth or saran wrap to prevent from drying.

Cooking the Dumplings

1. Over medium-high heat, add sesame oil to a large non-stick pan or wok and get pan nice and hot. Reduce to medium heat.
2. Add the dumplings flat side down and fry for 1-2 minutes until the bottoms are a golden brown.  Remove from pan and place on paper towel to drain.
3. Serve immediately with dipping sauce

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Looking for a spoonful of luxury? Get ready for designer ice cream by Cowabunga. As someone who grew up working in a family run ice-cream store, I do confess I have a weakness for good ice-cream. I can imagine the first question you might ask about Cowabunga: What exactly is "Designer Ice Cream" and how can I try it? Cowabunga tells us that "Cowabunga designer ice cream combines divine quality ingredients with distinctive flavors that bathe taste buds in luxury".  Sounds good to me and who could resist the sweet and salty combo of Take5 (see image below), a luxurious rich vanilla ice cream with peanuts, caramel, and chocolate covered pretzels?

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A now a little Seduction Showcase of Cowabunga Ice Cream Flavors:

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"Freedom to Create" is the motto and goal of Ferran Adrià's new elBulli Foundation. The organization will take the place of the legendary chef's famous restaurant elBulli, near Barcelona, Spain after it closes its doors this summer. Chef Adrià spoke of his innovative plans for the first time ever in the United States during a visit to The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Hyde Park, NY on March 21.

The Barcelona native says he will turn the restaurant's property into a park and "reserve" for culinary brainstorming, opening in 2014. Each year, 20 collaborators from around the world will be selected to work with the base team. Through the Internet, chefs across the globe will then be able to access the thousands of ideas the team creates, and use the ones that fit their restaurants.

Chef Adrià pioneered molecular gastronomy, which he calls "deconstructivist" or avant garde cooking. He has been chef of elBulli for 24 years. Over the past decade it has been widely considered the best restaurant in the world, earning that official title from England's Restaurant magazine an unprecedented five times. On July 31, 2011, elBulli will close for good.  (so sad!)

Chef Adrià was at the CIA for a panel discussion with Lisa Abend, author of The Sorcerer's Apprentices, a new book about Adrià and elBulli; and two former apprentices at the restaurant, including CIA graduate George Mendes '92. About 1,200 CIA students attended the event.

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Let's put a spotlight on this gorgeous, beautifully designed cookware line by iiitala Tools! iittala likes BIG. Everything about them is larger than life, including their handles. This sturdy cooking set feature a 3-ply construction, lids with a steam-vent edge and an interior measuring scale. 

You can find this stylish line at Bluecashew Kitchen Pharmacy located in the historic hamlet of Rhinebeck in the Hudson Valley, approximately 2-Hours north from New York City, at 6423 Montgomery Street on Rt 9.

Designed by Bjorn Dahistrom, all Iittala steel cookware is made of 18/ 10 stainless steel that is 18% chromium and 10% nickel. Safe for use on gas, electric, glass ceramic, induction and dishwasher safe. Made in Finland by Iittala.

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When I decided to try my hand at home-made dumplings I headed to the best source in New York for the ingredients---China Town. I spent a day there with my dear friend Gemma, who guided me in and out wonderful shops, markets and restaurants. We had the best day visually devouring all that Chinatown has to offer, and of course we tasted many delicacies along the way. With all my ingredients in hand, I headed home to take on my dumpling mission.

My first time making dumplings started out with a minor glitch as I burned the first batch of nine. However, once I got the hang of it, making home-made dumplings is a breeze. For me, the tricky part was frying the dumplings. It really depends on how hot your stove/pan gets; and the type of oil you choose--should you deviate from the recipe. Needless to say, the first batch completely burned- and to be honest it was my fault for I was watching a TV show that pulled me away from paying attention-my bad! From that point on I stayed in the kitchen lovingly frying each dumpling and getting in sync with the heat of my pan. I do need to work on getting a beautifully even golden fried look. Next time I would like to experiment with steaming the dumplings; perhaps even steaming and then frying the bottoms for soft and crunchy bite. All in all, we really enjoyed my first try at Asian Dumplings. I made two batches, Fried Shrimp Dumplings and Fried Mushroom Dumplings (my next post).

Shrimp Dumplings & Dipping Sauce
While it may appear as a long list of ingredients, once you have everything in place, measured, cut, minced and mixed, it is a very easy recipe to manage. 

Ingredients

• 1 lb of peeled shrimp, deveined
• water and ice-cubes
• 1 heaping tablespoon of baking soda
• 1 egg white
• 2 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon rice wine
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon corn starch
• 2 tablespoons of finely chopped chives
• 1/2 cup canned bamboo shoots, finely chopped
• 1 package of Round Dumpling Wrappers or Wonton Skins
  
• Sesame oil for cooking
• 3 stalks of scallions, cut into thin rings

Dipping Sauce

• 1/4 cup Light soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped or minced
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ginger, finely chopped or minced
• 1 teaspoon Asian Chili sauce
• 3 scallions, cut into thin rings

Mix together all ingredients, except scallions. Set aside.  Just before serving add scallions.

Prepping Shrimp Filling

1. Clean shrimp and rinse. Place shrimp in a large bowl and cover with very cold water. Add a tray full of ice cubes. Add baking soda and message/work into shrimp. Let stand for 1/2 hour.
2. Drain the shrimp, coarsely chop and Set aside
3. In a bowl, whisk together the egg white, soy sauce, sesame oil, salt, rice wine,  ginger and cornstarch. Stir in the water chestnuts and chives.
4. Add shrimp and place in refrigerator, marinate for 30 - 60 minutes.

Making Dumplings

1. Place a small bowl of water next to your assembly spot.
2. Place a dumpling wrapper or wonton skin on a flat surface.
3. Add 1 teaspoon of the shrimp mixture in the center.
4. Dip your fingers in the water bowl and run it along the outer edges of the dumpling wrapper.
5. Fold over the two edges of the round dumpling to create a 1/2 circle. Pinch the center together, sealing together. Continue to seal the edges of the entire dumpling by making small pleated folds from the outer edges to the center - two on each side.
   
6. The sealed edges are the top of the dumpling the bottom will be flat.
   
7. Continue to prep all dumplings and cover with a lightly damp cloth or saran wrap to prevent from drying.

Cooking the Dumplings

1. Over medium-high heat, add sesame oil to a large non-stick pan or wok and get pan nice and hot. Reduce to medium heat.
2. Add the dumplings flat side down and fry for 1-2 minutes until the bottoms are a golden brown.  Remove from pan and place on paper towel to drain.
3. Serve immediately with dipping sauce
   

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Here is a very easy dish that packs a wonderful flavor -  thin chicken breasts are coated in seasoned flour, browned on both sides and set aside as you saute the mushrooms and then add Marsala wine, sherry, a bit of lemon juice. You want to make a Marsala reduction sauce by reducing the wine to nearly the consistency of a syrup. The sauce is what makes this dish shine! Chicken Marsala can be served with rice, pasta or mashed potatoes.  And for Dessert, since you have Marsala wine on hand, why not try your hand at another Italian Classic: Zabaglione; in this case, Marsala wine Sabayon with wild berries. I found an easy recipe for this, see link below.

Chicken Marsala
Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup of flour
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 2 large or 4 small skinless chicken breasts, pounded to flatten 1/4" thick
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons of butter
• 1 lb mushrooms - white button, sliced or go for an exotic blend: baby bella, oyster and shiitake, sliced
• 2 cloves of minced garlic
• 1/2 cup Marsala Wine
• 1/4 cup cooking sherry
• Juice of 1/2 fresh lemon
• Garnish, fresh parsley, finely chopped

Directions:

1. In a bowl mix flour, salt, pepper and oregano
2. Coat each chicken breast
3. Heat up large skillet over medium-high heat. Add olive oil, when hot, add chicken breasts and lightly brown on both sides. remove and set aside.
4. In same skillet add olive oil and butter. When hot, add mushrooms and garlic and cook for about five minutes.
   
5. Add Marsala wine and cook for about ten minutes to reduce the wine. 
6. Add lemon and sherry and blend well. Add chicken pieces to the skillet.
7. Cover and simmer for 8-10 minutes depending on the size of the chicken breasts, cooking until chicken is done.
8. Prepare the potatoes, rice or pasta - whichever you prefer (I opted for mashed potatoes)
   

Plating the Dish

1. Place a cup of mashed potatoes just off center of the plate. With a spoon, push down the center. Pour a bit of the Marsala wine sauce in the well.
   
2. Place 1-2 chicken breasts over 1/2 of the potatoes. Spoon a good portion of the mushrooms and saucer over the chicken and potatoes and garnish with parsley. Enjoy!

Zabaglione with Berries

Ingredients:

• 5 Egg yolks
• 5 Tbsp sugar
• 1 cup dry Marsala wine
• 1 basket of mixed wild berries, cleaned

Click HERE for the recipe (AG Ferrari Foods)

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