Chocolate and Candy Cane Dipped Cookies

Ingredients: These are my all time favorite holiday cookies. They require a nice moist Sugar cookie base; attention to detail during baking is key to the rest of this cookie! Also, I must apologize for my uneven photo coverage of the recipe; this was done during my only practice baking weekend for holiday gifts. Ingredients: 3 cups all-purpose flour 3/4 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 cup unsalted butter, softened 1 cup sugar 1 egg, beaten 1 tablespoon milk 1 box of candy canes 1 bag of semisweet chocolate chips Preheat the oven to 375 Degrees F.
Step 1: Sift flour, baking powder, and salt:
Step 2: Cream butter and sugar together, until a light color is achieved: Assemble the dough by first blending in the eggs and milk, then slowly incorporating the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
Step 3: Then, using parchment paper, roll the dough out into a tube of delight. Refrigerate for two hours:
Step 4: Cut your tube of delight into discs of delight, and arrange them on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper: Bake until bottoms are lightly browned, rotating every four minutes. Remove cookies from the hot tray to ensure that they don't burn.
Step 5: Remove wrapping from the candy canes and place them in a Ziploc bag or two. Crush the candy canes up.
Step 6: Melt the chocolate chips in your in a double boiler:
Step 7: Place the candy cane bits on a plate for easy dipping:
Step 8: Dip half the cookie in the chocolate, then in the crushed candy cane, and place on parchment paper to cool:

Oyakodon

 Ingredients:

You can pretty much add to it what you please, like mushrooms, snow peas, green beans, etc. I have some green beans that are going to turn in a few days so I'm going to use that in here.





2 Chicken Thighs
4 to 5 Green Beans
1 small Yellow Onion (sliced into thin strips)
1 shallot (finely chopped)
Ginger to taste (minced)
Garlic to taste (finely chopped)
2 Eggs (beaten)
1/2 cup Dashi or Chicken Stock
3 Tbsp Soy Sauce
2 Tbsp Mirin
1 Tbsp Sugar
Green Onion for garnish

Step 1:
Skin and chop the chicken into bite-sized pieces. You should be able to pull the skin off with reletive ease, and then cut around the bone.






Step 2:

Saute the onion, garlic, beans, and shallot, and ginger in the dashi for about 5 minutes.
Oyakodon recipe picture 3

Step 3:

Add the chicken. About mid-way through cooking the chicken mix the Soy Sauce, mirin, and sugar, and slowly add 1/2 of it too the chicken. BTW, if you want a more yellowy-oyakodon, use a light soy sauce instead and water down the stock a tad (otherwise it'd be too salty). I'm using standard dark soy here.

Step 4:

Once the chicken is cooked, check the flavor and add more of the soy sauce mixture if it needs it. If you prefer a more thicker sauce, add about a Tbsp of flour or 1/2 Tbsp of corn starch and let it simmer for 5 minutes while stiring it constantly. Slowly drizzle the beaten eggs on top of the chicken. Let it cook until the eggs start to harden. Flip the Oyakodon onto a bowl of hot rice - follow the recipe for sticky rice on the first page, however, don't cool it off and don't add the vinegar-sugar mixture to it. The heat of the rice should finish cooking the eggs. Garnish and serve.

Gyoza (Japanese Dumplings)

Ingredients: Dough 2 cups of Flour 1/2 cup luke-warm Water Filling 1lb of Ground Pork 1/2 head of Cabbage (cored) 3 - 5 cloves of Garlic (medium diced) 1/4 cup Ginger (medium diced) 1 bunch of Green Onion 3 Tbsp cup soy sauce 3 Tbsp mirin 1 Tbsp of Sugar pepper to taste Dipping Sauce 1/2 cup of Soy Sauce 3 Tbsp of Rice Vinegar 3 Tbsp of Mirin 1 Tbsp of Sugar 1 clove of Garlic (finely chopped) 1 chunk of Gingerroot (finely chopped) Finely chopped Green Onion for color
Step 1: Pork: Cook it off - it doesn't need to be browned but just enough to get rid of the majority of the pink. This'll also cut down on the amount of grease inside the dumpling. Cabbage: Boil in salted water for about 15 minutes, then allow to cool. Chop into fine pieces. Green Onion: Chop into small pieces.
Step 2:   Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix. Allow to set for an hour.
Step 3: Mix the flour and water together. Keep playing with it until you form a ball. I use a "packing" method myself - just start with the sticky dough in the middle and pack the flour onto it, then fold it over itself, squish down, and fold it again, then pack on some more flour and repeat (easier to do, than it is to read). When it is holding together, yet flakey, start pressing into a ball. Next kneed the dough for about 10 minutes. Lightly flour your counter - you only need about a pinch. Take the dough ball and slam it into your counter, punch it a few times and try to flatten it out a little. Using the bottom part of the palm of your hands, start pressing the dough away from you. Be rough with it, you want to stretch it and give it a good work out. Fold the dough in back towards you and turn 90 degrees. Repeat this procedure for the ten minutes. After a few minutes you should start to notice that the dough is getting a bit more elastic and easier to press out. The dough is ready when you are able to push lightly on it with your finger and it'll bounce back into shape, has no more stickyness to it, and is soft and smooth. Finally, cover the dough with a damp towel for 10 minutes.
Step 4:   Once your dough is ready, take it and begin make a dough snake. Best way to do this is to keep twisting and pulling gently on the dough. Every now and then roll it on the counter (like rolling a cucumber) to keep it at even width. You can also flatten the ball a bit, and poke your fist through the center and shape the wheel using a pulling and twisting motion; then cut the ring and straighten it (whichever method is easiest for you). Either way it helps to coat your hands in oil to help keep the dough from drying out as you work. You want the dough to be about an inch in diameter.
Step 5:   When you have your dough snake, cut it in 1/2 to 3/4 inch segments.
Step 6:   Take one segment (put the others under a damp towel) and roll it out into a thin sheet about 3 inches wide. Put a spoonful of the filling on it, and wet 1/2 half of the outer rim.
Step 7: Fold the dumpling so that the ends meet, and press firmly to seal them. Then pleat the edges a few times to ensure a good seal. Repeat for the remainder of the segments.
Step 8: Cooking the Dumplings Heat some oil up in a pan, and place the gyoza on it with the folded side at the top. Brown the bottoms (3 to 5 minutes), then add 1/2 cup of water and quickly put the lid on. Steam them off for 5 minutes, then remove the lid. Let them fry for a couple more minutes, then carefully take them out of the pan.
Step 9: Mix the dipping sauce ingredients together and let sit for an hour for flavor to mix.

Japanese Style Pizza

Ingredients:   Dough 2 cups of Flour salt to taste 1/4 ounce package of Yeast 3/4 cup of warm Water (100 F) Sauce 2 Tbsp of Olive Oil 1/2 pint of Milk 1/2 pint of Heavy Cream chicken base to taste (about 1 1/2 Tbsp) 1 can of Minced Clams 3 - 5 cloves of Garlic 1/4 cup of Onion Parmeasean Cheese (1/2 cup to taste) flour (about 1/4 of a cup) water (about 1/2 a cup) Toppings: If you've ever ordered a pizza in Japan, you may notice that several of their toppings are a bit different than what many of us are accustomed to - tuna, creamed corn, eggplant, bamboo shoots, nori, asparagus, potatoes, green onion, and vaious seafood are just a few. As far as sauces, there's the standard red sauce, white sauce, mayonaise, and squid ink. I won't get too abstract today, just a mushroom seafood pizza with white sauce. I figure you can experiment on your own once you learn the basics. I used: Mushrooms Shrimp Artificial Crabmeat Avocado
Step 1:   Mix the water and yeast together until yeast is dissolved. Mix the flour and salt together then add the water. Ball up and knead for about 12 minutes (for detailed instructions on kneading look at the dough part for the Gyoza). Once it's kneaded, ball it up and smooth it out; you don't want any major creases or cracks in it - all the gas from the yeast will escape and it won't rise properly.
Step 2:    Place the dough in a lightly-oiled bowl, and set on a preheated stove for about an hour and a half. It has risen when it doubles in size and you can poke your finger in it and the indentation stays. Take the dough and lightly dust flour on it. Put it on a warm surface, place a bowl over the top of it, and let it finish rising (bout 30 - 45 minutes.
Step 3:    Saute the garlic and onion in the olive oil. Add the milk, cream, base, and clams. Heat until just about to boil, add the parmisean cheese and lower heat. Thicken it up by taking a little bit of flour and mixing with some water until its about the consistency of blood. - slowly add this to the sauce, stirring constantly until it gets to the desired thickness - about the thickness of watered down mashed potatoes.
Step 4:    Preparing the Toppings Mushrooms: Season the Shitake mushrooms in simmering chicken stock for 30 minutes. Let cool and slice. Shrimp: Place in boiling water for 3 to 5 minutes. Cool, and then peel the shell off. You can also butterfly them if you want. Artificial Crabmeat: Break into bitesized pieces. Avocado: Slice into segments.
Step 5:    Making the Pizza Easiest way is to flatten the dough in the center of a lightly oiled pizza pan, and just keep working it until you get to the edge. Go over the edge a little bit and fold the dough back to create your crust. Or you can choose to go the advanced way and hand-toss your dough. It's really up to you to devise a method that works for you. For myself I'll play with the dough a bit, slamming it into the counter and rounding it out into a disk. Once it's about 6 inches in diameter, I'll form my crust by taking the outer edges and pinching the crust onto it using a rope-pulling fashion. This also helps enlarge the disk as gravity pulls on the bottom of it. Once I'm satisfied with the crust, and before my dough turns into a donut, I'll flip it up into the air using my left hand sort of like a pivot, and my right to actually turn the dough. Once it is large enough, I'll place it on the pan, and rough out the edges. If your dough is made correctly (elastic and flexible), you should have no problem hand tossing your dough once you get a system down. Lightly brush some olive oil on the dough, and sprinkle some oregano, basil, and parmeasean cheese on it.
Step 6:    Spoon a thin layer of sauce over that, and gently smooth it out - you want to spread the top layer of the sauce, not the bottom of it with the spices, otherwise they'll clump up.
Step 7:    Sprinkle your toppings over the sauce.
Step 8: Add your cheese and top off with the avocado.
Step 9:    Bake in an oven set to 375 F for 25 to 30 mins (if you're like me and prefer a more doughier crust) or on 425 F for a crispier crust.

Beef and Red Onion Chirashi Zushi

Ingredients: 1 bowl of Sticky Rice 1 Red Onion 1/2 lb Beef Fillet 1/4 cup Sake 1/4 cup Soy Sauce Salt and Pepper ground Gingerroot 1 Daikon 1 red chile Cinnamin
Step 1:   Preparing the Daikon Relish Peel the Daikon, and soak in water for about 20 minutes, then grate it up (you really don't need the whole thing, about 1/2 of a medium sized one will do).
Step 2: Take your chile and slice it in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and pulp. Slice it into thin strips lengthwise, then cut them into small pieces. Mix the daikon and chile together with a little bit of cinnamon.
Step 3: Preparing the Toppings Red Onion: Cut the ends off of the onion, and slice in half. Slice into thin half-rings. Soak them in cold water for about twenty minutes.
Step 4: Beef: Give the beef a salt and pepper rub and let sit for about 20 minutes. This helps to give it flavor as well as tenderize it.
Step 5: Heat up some oil in a pan, and add just a little bit of ginger to it, just enough to flavor the oil. Simmer for 5 minutes and add your beef. Sear each side so that the outside is cooked and the inside is rare - about 2 to 3 minutes for each side. Immediately place the beef in some ice water to stop the cooking. Let it sit for a few minute to fully cool down. Mix the soy sauce and saki together. Dry off the beef and let it marinate in the soy sauce and sake mixture for at least 20 minutes.
Step 6:    Cut the beef into thin strips.
Step 7:    Making the Bowl Fill a bowl up about 2/3 of the way with the sticky rice (I really wasn't too hungry today so I only made around 1/4 of a bowl so I wouldn't waste any). Layer the beef over the top, and arrange the onions next to it. Garnish with the relish and some green onions.

Okonomiyaki aka Japanese Pizza

Ingredients:   Okonomiyaki means "whatever you like, grilled in Japanese". It's one definition of "Japanese pizza" because, well, it does kinda look like pizza, and you eat it like one too. Today we'll be making Osaka-style Okonomiyaki. It's also popular in Hiroshima, but it's a little harder to make and doesn't appear to pay off much more in the taste department! Base: 1 cup flour 3/4 cup dashi (or water, see below)* 1 egg 1/8-1/4 of a cabbage Toppings - any of the below: Chicken Roast pork or beef Squid, Octopus, other seafood Corn Mushrooms Onion Garnishing - any of the below, if you can find it and actually want it: Katsuo-bushi (dried bonito flakes) Sakura-ebi (dried shrimps) Beni-shoga (red ginger) Ao-nori (green seaweed) Sauces: Okonomiyaki sauce (or tonkatsu sauce) Mayonnaise * Dashi is japanese stock, used in heaps of different recipes. When made up it smells like smoked fish and seaweed. You can buy it from oriental grocers in sachets that come in boxes like the one to the right of the beer in the picture above. Just mix up a bit with some hot water. If you can't find it, it's okay - just use water.
Step 1:   So firstly grab that cabbage and chop it up finely. Better to have too much than too little because it shrinks a little as it cooks, and it's mega cheap anyway. Get out as much of the white stem parts as you can.
Step 2:    Now break an egg into a large bowl and pour in the dashi/water, and the flour.
Step 3:   Then beat with a whisk until smooth.
Step 4: Now add some of the finely chopped cabbage and mix as best you can. It should end up looking like this.
Step 5:    Heat up your skillet, electric frypan, grill, whatever you're going to use to cook this baby. Preferably use something that's got teflon on it :-)
Step 6:   Now prepare your toppings. I'm using Chinese BBQ pork slices, a little bell pepper, some onion, mushrooms, parsely and spring onion. Just chop it all up good.
Step 7:   Throw it all in the frypan with some oil (sesame is good) to keep it all well-lubed. Cook until either heated through or in the case of raw meat or veges, for a few minutes until it's getting close to being cooked.
Step 8:   Arrange the nearly cooked toppings in a round.
Step 9:   Then throw the cabbage/dough mixture on top, also in a round.
Step 10:   Turn up the heat a little to medium and let that bad boy cook through for 5 minutes or so. Then flip it. In the picture below, I had to cut the round in half to flip it, which doesn't matter because we'll be cutting it into pieces later anyway. You could always make two okonomiyaki instead! Let it cook for another 5-10 minutes. You can break away a bit of the dough bit when it doesn't look raw any more and see if the cabbage and dough is cooked through.
Step 11:   Flip it out onto a plate and cover liberally with Okonomiyaki sauce and mayonnaise! OH GOD MY TASTEBUDS.
Step 12:   Cut, serve and savour! Bon apetit.