Pickled Mangos

When I was younger, one of the reasons that I looked forward to going to Cambodian New Year was for the pickled mangos. I didn't mind waiting in a long line, paying for a couple of salty spicy mangos packed tightly in a clear zip lock baggie. I remember asking friends out of politeness if they wanted any and then hoping...no...PRAYING that they'd say "no." But of course they'd ALWAYS say, "yes." And then, my mind would be flooded with thoughts like, "man, I should've spit in it." Hindsight sure is a bitch.

The following is my take on how to make pickled mangos. It's not too salty, not too sweet, but HELLA SPICY and HELLA GOOD. Man, reminiscing about pickled mangos has definitely brought back the Tacoma girl in me because I've never written the word "hella" that many times, EVER.

Ingredients:


6 Green mangos, peeled and sliced(do NOT use ripened mangos)
1/4 cup of salt

For the sugar water:


6 cups of water
1/3 cup of sugar
1 tsp of red chili flakes(optional)

For the chili paste(dip):


1 Tbsp of salt
1 Tbsp of sugar
5 Thai fresh chili peppers
1/2 tsp of chili flakes
1 tsp of garlic powder

To make the chili paste: Combine all of the ingredients above into a mortar and pestle. Pound it until it becomes a paste. Set aside.

Take your sliced mangos and place them in a large, shallow bowl. Try not to stack too much on top of each other. Sprinkle your salt over the mangos and toss to coat. Let them sit for a MINIMUM of 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

While you're waiting for the liquid to draw out of your mangos, make your sugar water. Add your water, along with your sugar, into a saucepan. Bring it to a quick rolling boil. Remove the pan from the heat(add in your chili flakes if using), and allow it to come to room temperature.

Boil a large pot of water and place the pot in the sink. After your 1 hour is up, CAREFULLY add your mangos into the hot/boiling water, and wash/rinse them off for about 1 minute. Drain well.

Allow your mangos to dry(for at least an hour)on two wire racks fitted over two baking sheets. You may use paper towels instead.

PACK your dried mangos(snuggly), into a container. Pour in your cooled sugar water. Cover tightly with a lid, and allow it to sit at room temperature for 2 full days. After 2 days, place your mangos into the fridge and wait 2 more days. It should take ABOUT 4 days total. Eat within 2 weeks.

Note: You may cut the recipe in half.

Watch the tutorial here to see how I cut and slice my mangos!

Banana Bread

My husband took this banana bread into work a few weeks ago and a little birdy told me that someone said, "man, this is better than my wife's banana bread!"

Oops!

I'm sure my husband has said that before, and well...if he has, he better make damn sure that I don't find out about it because let's face it men, as the saying goes: "don't bite the hand that feeds you, because if you do, the mama lion will shred you into pieces before feeding you to a pack of angry, laughing hyenas."

Or, something along the lines of that...

Ingredients:

2 cups of all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp of baking soda
1/2 tsp of salt
5 overripe bananas
3/4 cup of sugar
1 1/2 sticks of SALTED butter, melted and slightly cooled(I use Darigold's CHEF'S CHOICE European style butter)
2 extra large eggs
1 tsp of vanilla extract
1/2 cup of semi sweet chocolate chips or pecans(optional)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.

In a bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

Melt your butter in the microwave. Set aside to cool, slightly.

In a large mixing bowl, add in your bananas and fork mash them first, to make them easier to work with. Add in your sugar, and using a hand mixer, whip them for about 2 more minutes. Add in the melted butter, eggs, and vanilla and beat well. Don't forget to scrape the sides. Mix in your dry ingredients well, using a spatula to prevent over mixing. Seeing some lumps is okay, cause that's mostly tiny banana chunks. Fold in your nuts, or chocolate chips(my kids' fav), if using.

Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Give the pan a few good taps on the counter to help get rid of any air bubbles.

Bake for about 1 hour and 10 minutes to 1 hour and 15 minutes(or until toothpick inserted through center comes out clean). Rotate the pan every 20 minutes for even browning. Once done, allow the bread to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then, remove from pan, and place on wire rack until cooled COMPLETELY before slicing.

NOTES: If a crack develops down the center during baking, that is very normal. Or if the tops begin to look too brown for your liking, just tent the bread lightly with some foil for the last 15 minutes. Allowing the bread to cool completely is very important. It needs to finish cooking, and if you slice into it too soon, it will appear raw and undone. Also the tops of the bread may seem hard but after it finishes cooling, it softens. Banana bread also tastes better the next day! :)

Adapted from Tyler Florence's Banana Bread with Pecans Recipe.

Watch how to make it here.

Easy Banana Buttercream

Usually, I'm not CRAZY for American buttercream because of how overly sweet it is, but for this recipe...I think I could make the exception. :) The important thing to note is, to always use good butter with at least an 80 percent butterfat content. I like to use Darigold's Chef's Choice Salted Butter. It's affordable and you can find it in most grocery stores. It's a European style churned butter and most European butter runs up to 82 percent butterfat content. That'll ensure that your frosting is nice and creamy!!

Ingredients:

2 cups of softened, salted butter

1 fork mashed ripened banana(NOT BROWNED)

5 cups of sifted powdered sugar

1/4 tsp of lemon juice powder(or 1-2 tsp of fresh lemon juice)

2 tsp of banana extract

1 tsp of vanilla extract

1 tsp of room temperature, heavy cream

Take your softened butter and add it into your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium high for 6 minutes, scraping occasionally. Stop the mixer, and add in your mashed bananas, lemon juice powder, banana extract, and vanilla extract. Continue to beat for 1-2 more minutes. It's okay to see small chunks of banana in it. I think that's a good thing! :) Stop to scrape the bowl. Turn speed to "stir", and add in your powdered sugar by the cup. Once fully incorporated, turn the speed up to medium and beat until smooth..about 2 more minutes. Add in your heavy cream if you want it slightly creamier.

Asian calamari salad

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds of fresh or frozen squid, cleaned
Mint
Cilantro
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 Tbsp of finely minced galangal
1/2 stalk of lemongrass, finely chopped
about half of a red onion, thinly sliced
half of a shallot, thinly sliced
the juice from 2-3 limes
fish sauce
salt
msg(optional)

Notes: This is a super easy salad to make. I didn't give exact measurements on everything because it's a salad and you can taste it as you go along. I highly recommend against buying the frozen, pre-sliced/pre-cleaned squid because the texture of the salad will not be the same. Watch the video below to learn how to clean squid, if you don't know to already! Thanks for watching! :)

How to make chocolate bark

There are many ways to have fun with chocolate bark. You can use dark or white chocolate, add nuts or dried fruits for an added kick. Today, I'm making thin pieces of chocolate bark to use as a side garnish for my mini creme brulee. They are super easy to make but will look like you spent all day on them! Whatever the occasion, they are soooo much fun to make and will surely please all of your guests!

You will need:
Good dark chocolate(I like Lindt)
White chocolate
Some sort of plastic sheet(or parchment paper)
Cookie sheet
Piping bags or ziplock bag

Place your parchment paper or plastic transfer sheet on a cookie sheet and set aside. Watch the video below to see where I got my plastic transfer sheet.

Take your dark chocolate and chop it up into smaller chunks. Microwave for 1 minute(if you are using a full bar of chocolate), remove and stir. Place back into microwave, and microwave for another 15 seconds. Stir until smooth. If you need to, continue heating chocolate using 15 second increments. Don't overcook it. If you do, it will become grainy and you will have to throw it out!

Using a spatula, spread a thin layer of melted chocolate onto your plastic transfer sheet. Reserve a small amount and place into a disposable piping bag for later use. Place the chocolate in the fridge and allow to harden while you continue with the white chocolate.

Melt your white chocolate using the same process as stated above. Place it into a disposable bag and snip off a tiny bit off of the end. Start to drizzle the white chocolate over the dark chocolate using whatever technique/design you'd like! Allow the white chocolate to harden before drizzling some dark chocolate over the tops as well. Place finished product in the fridge and allow to harden overnight. Break up pieces of your chocolate bark and use it in whatever way you'd like!

Notes: If you want to get real fancy, online stores carry sugar transfer sheets with beautiful and intricate designs that transfer onto your chocolate once hardened. I plan on ordering some next week and I will post a video on the outcome soon!! Until then, thanks for stopping by and watching the vid!! :)

Peaches and Cream Mousse Parfaits

Hello, my friends!! These little guys are almost too cute to eat, aren't they?? These take literally MINUTES to prepare and are so fun to make! I promise you, that no matter what kind of crowd you're serving...that your guests will be utterly IMPRESSED!! I made these at my husband's 30th bday bash and they were a hit! The only difference, was that I used mango puree instead of peach puree when I served these last November. The requests for the recipe came pouring in but I told everyone that they would have to wait until I posted the recipe on Youtube. Am I thoughtful, or what?? :)

Love,
Sav (Oh, and fyi--scroll all the way down to view the video on how to make these!)

You will need:

2 cans of peaches in light syrup(if you are using fresh fruit you will need about 3 cups of fruit puree)
1/4 of NAKED BRAND Mango Smoothie(or you may add some peach schnapps for a little kick)
1 tsp of orange extract
1 cup of caster sugar(pulse sugar in food processor for 20 seconds)
2 extra large egg whites(at room temperature)
1/2 cup of boiling water
1 package of gelatin
1 cup of heavy whipping cream
2 drops of GEL food coloring

For the whipped cream topping:

2 cups of heavy whipping cream
1 Tablespoon of vanilla extract
2/3 cup of powdered sugar

You will also need:

some shooter glasses/mini dessert glasses
piping bags and a star cake tip
an egg carton(optional)

Drain out all the liquid from your canned peaches. Add in your peaches, orange extract, caster sugar, and mango smoothie(or liqueur of your choice) into a blender and puree until smooth. Pour your peach puree into a large bowl and set aside.

Add the gelatin into the boiling water and stir until completely dissolved. Set aside and allow to cool slightly and then add it into your peach puree. Stir to combine. Also add in two drops of gel food coloring. I didn't film that part, but it's important you add it in to retain that pretty peachy color.

Beat your egg whites until stiff. Set aside.

Beat your heavy whipping cream in a well chilled bowl until stiff. Using a balloon wire whisk, start off by taking some whipped cream and folding it into your peach puree. Once combined, take a little bit of your egg whites and fold it in gently as well. Interchange the two and repeat the process a few more times.

Next take your shooter glasses and place them at an angle on your egg carton. Place your egg carton on a large baking sheet...it makes transferring your mousse into the fridge a lot easier. Put your mousse into something with a spout, and then gently pour until the mousse reaches the top of the rim. Repeat with the rest of the glasses. Once all filled, move them into fridge and allow to set overnight.

Take some mini martini glasses, wet the rim very well with some water, and swirl the glasses in some orange or yellow sprinkles. Pour in your mousse half way up the glass. Once done, place into the fridge as well.

Once the mousse has set make your whipped cream topping. Add heavy cream into well chilled bowl and beat until soft peaks. Add in your vanilla extract and powdered sugar and beat until stiff. Place some whipped cream(reserve the rest) into a disposable piping bag or ziplock baggy and cut about 1/4 inch or so off of the tip. Pipe the whipped cream into the shooter glasses just until you hit the rim. Using a different piping bag, fitted with a star cake tip, pipe the tops, using a circular motion, just as you would when frosting a cupcake. Garnish with mint and refrigerate until ready to serve!

If using mini martini glasses--first add a dollop of whipped cream and then flatten it out. Then top with whipped cream using the star tip just as described above. Garnish with mint leaves. Refrigerate until ready to be served!

Notes:

If you can find ripened mangos where you are then I suggest you try that variation out too! Since I couldn't find ANY ripened mango in town I decided to try out peaches and this variation is delicious too!! Just take a few mangos, peel the outer skin, rough chop the mango, and puree in blender the same way as in the video! Add in some of your favorite fruity liqueur to make it even MORE FANTABULOUS! :)