Chinese Sizzling Steak



In the little city where we live we have six Chinese restaurants and yet when we want Sizzling Steak we have to travel 45 minutes out of our way to order it.  We won't have to do that again, I am pleased to say.  This recipe tastes virtually identical to the restaurant version that we enjoy. Tender slices of beef with golden onions and a sweet-spicy cause to crown it.  Oh so good!  Ole Sweetie-Pi couldn't stop eating it and put dibs on the leftovers.

A couple of  caveats:  there is some advance preparation time that needs to be factored in, and recipe uses  several different pans to cook in. 

Chinese Sizzling Steak
(The Recipelink.com) 

1 pound steak, cut into thin strips
1/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon baking soda

3 onions, peeled and cut into wedges
4 tablespoons oil, divided

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon white wine

Slice the meat thinly (slices easiest when slightly frozen) and flatten with a meat mallet. Put into a large bowl.  Combine water and baking and pour over steak.  Let marinate one hour to tenderize the meat.  Drain the meat.

Heat one tablespoon of oil in a wok or pan, add steak, and toss steak over very high heat to evaporate the water and then remove steak from pan. Set aside.  Drain oil from pan and put pan back on flame and add two tablespoons oil.  Add back the steak and cook until well browned.  Once again remove steak from pan and set aside.

Put a cast iron steak plate or a cast iron pan in a very hot (375*F) oven for about ten minutes or until it's very hot.

Heat remaining tablespoon of oil in the wok and add the onion wedges.  Saute until golden brown and crispy and then remove from the pan, keeping warm.

Return steak to pan and toss one minute.  Add Worcestershire and tomato sauces and sugar, stirring until sauce boils, reduce heat and simmer two minutes. 

Carefully remove hot cast iron pan from oven and place on wooden base or trivet.  Arrange onions on steak plate.  Spoon meat and sauce over onions.  Pour wine over the steak plate to give it that characteristic sizzle.

Tea Ring

Do you dream of traveling, like photos from far off places, like a quirky sense of humor?  Then please visit my friend Jackie of Junk Boat Travels. It seems to be she has been just about everywhere, and she has tons of gorgeous photos documenting her travels.   One of Jackie's goals is to declutter, smiles, and as a result decided to reduce her collection of books.  She knows I'm a collector of sorts of antique cookbooks, and when she decided to make room in her abundant bookcase, she immediately thought of me. How fortunate am I!

One of the cookbooks she gave me is The Art of Cooking and Serving by Sarah Field Splint, printed in 1938.   It's a great little book, explaining how to set a formal table (gulp!  I have been putting folded napkins on the right side of the dinner plate and they should go on the left!), the different pieces of flatware and how to place them, how to choose china, and how to properly attire your maid for formal and informal occasions. Along with all information that are 549 tested recipes (as stated on the cover), and of those, I found this delightful tea ring with vanilla frosting. 

Some recipes, regardless of their age, are keepers, and this is one of them.  This tea ring is made from a  flaky biscuit dough.  In spite of its rustic appearance, the ring shape gives a touch of elegance.  I would be very pleased to serve this to any breakfast guest. 

Thanks, Jackie.  You are a dear!

Tea Ring

3 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
5 teaspoons baking powder (yes, that's the correct amount)
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup Crisco shortening
1 egg, beaten
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup raisins 1/2 cup nuts, chopped

Mix and sift the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut in Crisco with a knife or rub in with the finger tips. Add beaten egg, and enough milk to make a soft dough.  Roll out into a 1/4 inch thickness into a rectangular-shaped piece.  Spread lightly with softened Crisco,** sprinkle with raisins and nuts** and one tablespoon sugar.  Roll like a jelly roll lengthwise.  Bring ends together to make a circle and press together.  Put on a large greased pan and cut gashes around outside edge with scissors, 2 inches apart.  Bake in a 350*F oven 25 to 30 minutes.  Spread with confectioners' frosting.

Roll as if for jelly roll.  I used butter in place of the softened Crisco for spreading on the rolled out dough.We have a nut sensitivity here so I omitted them and sprinkled with cinnamon and lightly pressed the raisins into the dough so they'd be less likely to fall out when I cut into the tea ring shape.

Form into a circle and pinch ends together.  

Cut in slices about two inches apart, but not all the way through to the other side of the ring.  You want to leave a "hinge."

Gently turn the slices on their sides, slightly pulling them so that they fan out.

Confectioners' Frosting

1 1/2 tablespoons Crisco

1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

3 tablespoons milk or cream (or amount required needed for desired spreading consistency)

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

Cream Crisco, add sugar gradually and cream together thoroughly.  Add enough milk or cream to make the frosting the proper consistency to spread.  Add salt and vanilla and  mix well. 

New York Cheesecake

To me, this is the single best cheesecake I have ever had.  I discovered this in Jim Fobel's cookbook about 20 years ago, and it is the one I return to again and again.  It is creamy smooth, lightly sweet, with a touch of lemon.  This cheesecake has become the favorite of family and friends who've had the good fortune to be served this slice of heavenly goodness.

Ordinarily I don't serve a topping because it is so good, but for those of you who like a cheesecake with a little something, I opened up a can of blackberry pie filling and put a nice dollop on the top.  I do this for you.

You may have noticed that this cheesecake does not have any kind of crust, neither bottom or sides. 

You may also have noticed that there are no cracks in the top.  That is because this cheesecake is baked in a bain-marie, a water bath.  This is one of the secrets to a truly creamy cheesecake.

You'll need advance planning to prepare this recipe, but if you do, I believe you will fall in love with this recipe as much as I have.

 

In the comments section, there has been some discussion about the leaky springform pan dilemma.  You have been kind enough to share a number of solutions, but a reader sent me a really good sounding solution that I want to include here. 

 

Brandy G. says:   I too have suffered from water leaks into my crust however I started using crock pot liners instead of foil. The liners accommodate the pans perfectly and withstand the overheat. I just roll the sides down some so they are not over the cake and voila!  It has saved so many cheesecakes...I hope it helps others too!  

 

Now doesn't that sound like a nifty solution!

New York Cheesecake

(Jim Fobel's Old-Fashioned Baking Book)

5 large eggs, room temperature

2 cups (one pint) sour cream, room temperature

4 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature

8 tablespoons (one stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

Generously butter the inside of a 10-inch springform pan.  Wrap a double layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil tightly around the outside bottom and sides, crimping and pleating the foil to make it conform to the pan.  This will help to prevent water seeping into the pan when you put it into the bain-marie.  Position the baking rack in the center of the oven; preheat the oven to 300* Fahrenheit. 

In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the eggs with the sour cream until well blended.

In a medium-sized bowl, beat the cream cheese with the butter until smooth and creamy.  Add this to the egg-sour cream mixture and beat until smooth. 

Add the sugar, cornstarch, vanilla, lemon juice and lemon zest and beat thoroughly, about 2 minutes. 

Pour into the prepared springform pan and place in a roasting pan (or other pan) large enough to prevent the sides from touching.  Place in the oven and carefully pour in enough very hot tap water to reach halfway up the sides of the springform pan.

Bake for 2 hours, 15 minutes, or until the cake is very lightly colored and a knife inserted in the center emerges clean.  Remove from the water bath and carefully peel the aluminum foil from around the pan.  Let stand at room temperature until completely cool, about 4 hours.  Refrigerate, covered, until well chilled.  For best flavor and texture, this cheesecake is best chilled overnight.

**My Notes:  I can't stress enough how important it is to let those first 4 ingredients in this recipe come to room temperature.  I've hurried the cream cheese and have had unsightly lumps of it in my batter. 

**I've italicized the mixing instructions to emphasize blending the ingredients to achieve the desired texture.

** Have a platter or other large dish that will hold the hot and drippy springform pan after you remove it from the bain-marie.  When you remove the bain-marie from the oven, the water is very hot, so please exercise extreme caution.

Before removing the roasting pan, have a plan on where you are going to set it so you are not holding the pan, desperately searching for a clear space to set it down.  I find it impossible to remove the cheesecake from the bain-marie while it is in the oven, so I remove the entire set-up from the oven.  I make every effort not to burn my wrists or the back of my hands while removing the springform pan; I haven't been burned yet, but I have soaked the edges of the potholders in the hot water, and it's amazing how fast that steaming water is wicked up to my tender fingers!

**When you first remove the cheesecake from the oven, it looks light and puffy, and there may be some hairline cracks in the top.  Do not despair.  As the cheesecake cools, it will gently deflate and the hairline cracks disappear.

Julekake ~ Norwegian Christmas Bread

Sweetie-Pi's sister Susan is dating a man of Norwegian heritage.  Lloyd is a gentleman of courtly old world manners and demeanor, and when I say he is one of the sweetest men whom I have ever met, I do not exaggerate.  He is gracious and soft-spoken and a pure delight. When he smiles, his blue eyes sparkles and you can feel his heartlight beaming bright.   So when we were invited to their house for Christmas for an overnight stay, I wanted to do something a little special with him in mind. 

I am not familiar with Norwegian cooking and I do not have any friends who are either, so I had to rely on the internet.  As I often do, I turn to Allrecipes.com where recipe reviewers rate the recipe and often add a personal note of an ethnic recipe's authenticity.  A couple of reviewers said this recipe was much like the one in their own family archives, so I was encouraged and heartened to try.

My, my, my is this good.  Cardamon was an unknown spice to me (mainly because it can be expensive and it is not used in the typical recipes I make and I didn't want to invest in a spice that I was unsure I'd enjoy), but now I am addicted to it.  It is fragrant (almost flowery, but not) and sweet (unlike cumin or turmeric which I consider to be savory and hot).  The bread has a nice sweetness to it, but is not cloying.

You can see from this picture that this is not a tall loaf, and that initially troubled me, but once I stopped to consider that these loaves are made in a cake pan, I realized that they should be above even with the tops of the cake pan when fully baked.  Also, the directions say to allow the bread to double, approximately one hour, at both rises.  On the second rise, the bread had not doubled at the end of one hour, and I actually let it rise for two hours.  It still didn't really double, but I put it in the oven, and it finished rising as it baked.  I think the added weight of the fruit slowed the rising.

And what did Lloyd think.  Well, he took a slice and ate it.  Asked for a second slice and ate that.  He took a third slice.  "Reminds me of my mother," he said. 

Jukekake ~ Norwegian Christmas Bread
(found at Allrecipes.Com)

1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water (110-115*Fahrenheit)
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cardamon
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1/2 cup raisins (I use dried currants)
1/2 cup diced citron or mixed candied fruit

Grease two 9-inch cake pans and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast in warm water.  Add the sugar, egg, butter salt, and cardamon and 2 cups of flour.  Mix well.  Stir in enough flour to make a soft dough.  Add the raisins (currants) and the citron.

Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes.  Place dough in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top.  Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Punch dough down; divide in half.  Shape each portion into a flattened ball and place one ball in each of two greased 9-inch round baking pans.  Cover and let rise in warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Bake at 350*F for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove from pans to finish cooling on wire racks.

Ginger Tea

I recently went to the library and borrowed a book about superfoods and their purported health benefits; one of the superfoods mentioned was ginger root.  At virtually the same time, after renewing my health insurance benefits, I learned that my premiums were going to increase $200 a month (I won't even tell you how much my employer is contributing, but let me say it's nearly four figures!!), and then through sheer serpendipity my long-time dear friend Jane mailed me these adorable gingerbread men mugs  (as well as several other sweet gingerbread men themed gifts.  I can't say enough how much I love them).  Anyway, signs and omens tend to come to me in groups of three and I took this as a sign to wake up and smell the ginger root.

Did you know that ginger root has a long history of being healthful with healing qualities?  Me neither.  Gnger root has been used to alleviate the inflammation of arthritis; nausea caused by pregnancy, indigestion and chemotherapy; migraines, menstrual cramps; upper respiratory infections.  Wow, huh?  All this goodness in a wonderful, delicious, aromatic tea.  I know I feel better just holding warm mugfuls of this golden drink and breathing it in.

Ginger Tea
(bookedmarked for over a year by One Perfect Bite)

8 cups water
1/2 cup fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
1 lemon or lime, thinly sliced
1/4 to 1/2 cup dark honey
In a medium sized pot, bring water to a rolling boil. Remove from heat. Add ginger and lemon. Cover pot and let sit for 20 to 40 minutes. The tea becomes stronger the longer it steeps. Strain. Stir in honey. Serve hot or cold.

Cranberry and White Chocolate Biscotti

 

I just love the idea of cranberry and white chocolate; they look so festive appropriate for the season.  I took these to the office as a treat, and my workmates gave them a big thumbs up.  The flavor is much improved the second day, and  if stored in an airtight container, these biscotti will last several days. 

White Chocolate and Cranberry Biscotti
(Allrecipes.com)

1/2 cup butter (no substitutes)
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 cup white chocolate chips
3/4 cup dried cranberries
**1 1/2 teaspoons dried orange peel (my addition)

In a mixing bowl, cream together the softened butter and sugar.  Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla.  Combine flour and baking powder gradually add to creamed mixture.  Stir in cranberries and vanilla chips (and orange peel if using) .

Divide dough into three portions.  On parchment-lined baking sheets, using your impeccably clean hands, shape each portion into a 10" x 2" rectangle.  (It may help you to slightly dampen your hands to shape the dough.)

Bake at 350*F for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned.  Remove pan from oven and allow to cool for about 5 minutes.

Transfer loaves to cutting board; using a serrated knife cut into diagonal 1-inch slices.  Place cut side down onto baking sheet(s) and bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. 

Remove from oven, cool on wire racks.  Store in air-tight container.

Easy and Delicious Refrigerator Dinner Rolls

Holiday dinners do not seem complete without fresh, hot dinner rolls.  There is something about their yeasty fragrance mingling with other holiday aromas that beckon you to the kitchen, enticing and teasing.  They are a promise waiting to be fulfilled.

This no-knead dough can be kept in the refrigerator up to four days and they make some of the lightest, most flavorful, pleasantly sweet,  rolls you've ever tasted.  I have used this recipe for ages and have yet to find one that I like more.  This recipe makes 24 rolls, but you do not have to use the dough all at once, so you can have fresh, hot rolls for several days in a row.

To have ready for your meal, allow time to roll and form the dough and rising time and then time for baking, (generally allowing an hour for rising time, depending on how warm your kitchen is).

I made this recipe twice this past holiday.  For the family holiday, I had taken the dough out 90 minutes beforehand, to form and to raise the dough, but at the end of an hour when the dough needed to go into the oven to bake, the rolls were only three-quarters risen in the pan.  In desperation, I went ahead and baked them anyway, and thanks to the heat of the oven,  the rolls finished rising fully and beautifully. 

The second time I made them, I took the dough out 2 hours ahead of time, formed them, and allowed them to rise.  This time they started to over-rise.  I put the pan of risen rolls back into the refrigerator to slow them down and took them again when it was time to bake.  The rolls did not over proof, and once again, the rolls were gorgeous and light.

The original directions say to use a 9 x 13" pan and make 24 rolls.  However, I found that the middle rolls remained doughy and needed an additional 5-10 minutes of baking time.  I have had much better success using 2" inch high x 9" round cake pans and making 12 rolls in each pan.  I think they would be gorgeous baked into cloverleaf shape in muffin pans as well.

Refrigerator Dinner Rolls
(makes 2 dozen rolls)

1 cup warm water (105* to 115* F)
2 packages active dry yeast (not instant)
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
4- 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (may need more or less depending upon humidity)
additional melted butter for brushing on finished rolls, if desired

In a large bowl, combine the water and yeast and let the mixture stand until the yeast is foamy, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the butter, sugar, eggs and salt. 

Beat in the flour, one cup at a time until the dough is too stiff to mix.  Cover and refrigerate anywhere from 2 hours or up to 4 days.

Grease a 13" x 9" baking pan.  Turn the chilled dough out on a lightly floured surface.  Divide the dough into 24 equal-sized pieces.  Roll each piece into a smooth round ball.  Place balls in even rows in the prepared pan.  Cover and allow the dough to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

Preheat your oven to 375* Fahrenheit.  Place rolls in the oven and bake until they are golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.  Brush the warm rolls with melted butter, if desired.  Break rolls apart to serve.