Category: Korean Kitchen Hacking

Crispy Onions Rings made with SOJU!
Sometimes we make mistakes at the restaurant. They’re not big mistakes. The fry station will sometimes make too many of an item. Or really, they make a few extra onion rings or fries just in case a couple don’t turn out. The extras we dump into a bowl as the evening progresses. If we end up with a good amount by the close of business, we like to cover it in chili and call it a “Dump Truck,” enjoying it with that post-shift beer.
I’m telling you this because one night, I delved into the Dump Truck and noshed on a multi-hour old onion ring. It was still light and crispy. Not greasy. It came from our new little experiment that we’ve implemented at OK Burger on the Cheonggyecheon.
Let me share it with you.
There are so many ways to make onions rings. The thing is, they’re temperamental. It’s hard to get them just right, and when you do, they deteriorate quickly. A lot of foreign bars in Seoul use beer batter, and it works just fine. We were using beer batter here. It’s classic. The thinking is that the bubbles in the beer help lighten the batter as it fries, making light onion rings. But as we all know, anything with carbonation goes flat. So really, you end up with flat beer batter. It flavors them just fine, but they can feel heavy after a while. One thing that living in Korea has opened my eyes to is how heavy fried foods can make you feel. Being on a diet of non-fried foods has made me more sensitive to onion rings, fish and chips, and my old favorites.
The challenge is that I wanted to make them lighter. Maybe more of a tempura style. One way I had known in the past was to use club soda. That’s how some Japanese tempura chefs do it. Like the beer, though, you need to use it right away. Then I heard about some places in America that were trying something new–vodka. The science is that vodka has a lower boiling point than water. It evaporates more quickly, and frying is basically just rapidly drying out foods. So foods fried in a vodka based batter come out lighter. Now, vodka is still quite pricey in Korea. But we have one very affordable substitute.
SOJU.
It was under our noses all along. It took a few experiments, and we had staff and customer volunteers try them. They couldn’t taste the soju, but they liked the crispier texture. The trick was getting the right ratio of frying powder and soju. Doing it like you normally make beer batter made them too much like tempura. That’s a good thing if you want tempura. It’s mesmerizing watching the batter hit the hot oil, bloom out, and crystallize like crispy snowflakes. When they’re that delicate, they’re difficult to season. The crust just disintegrates and falls off, and you’re left with naked onions. You want something more akin to a thick pancake batter. And really, it works!
At OK Burger we serve them with our housemade smoky ketchup, and they’re addictive. We’ve noted that plates that go out with onion rings on them come back empty.
[box type=”info”] UPDATE: OK Burger on the Cheonggyecheon is now closed, but you can still do this at home.[/box]
July 26, 2016
Korean Kitchen Hacking: Lasagna almost totally from scratch
Korea has gotten much better for finding foreign products than when I started this blog. But some stuff is still difficult to find. One thing I have never made in Korea is lasagna. That already requires a good bit of work even if you do have ingredients on hand. What got me started was finding lasagna noodles at Home Plus. They’re partnered with Tesco in the UK, so they have lately become the best bet for finding western products at a decent price.
So I had the pasta. I also have an oven, which admittedly, isn’t as common as you’d think in Korea. One of the best investments I’ve ever made. Since ovens aren’t common, oven accessories aren’t that common either. It wasn’t until I decided to make lasagna that I realized how hard it was to find something like a Pyrex dish. I looked in Home Plus, E-Mart, and New Core Department Store. No luck. We went on G-Market (like Amazon). It took some searching, but we found Pyrex dishes. I bought one that would suit my purposes.
The following is not a recipe. It’s a journal entry of what I did. Here goes.
I first had to make the ricotta. You can get ricotta at the supermarket now–for around W10,000 for a tiny tub. I didn’t want to spend W75,000 to make this lasagna, so I got some heavy cream and made my own. (recipe here)
There we go!
Next I made some Italian sausage. Why use plain old hamburger beef when you can do sausage? Besides, pork is much cheaper than beef in Korea. I based mine on this recipe. If you have any fennel around, which you can find at the foreign markets in bulk, you can make Italian sausage with ground pork from the Korean butcher. I just replaced the paprika with gochugaru.
While the flavors were getting to know each other in the sausage, I roasted some peppers for the sauce.
This is the easiest way to make tomato sauce. I threw the roasted and peeled peppers in a food processor with a couple canned tomatoes, garlic, and onion. Gave that a whir.
Browned the sausage. House started smelling good at this point.
Added the tomato sauce and some oregano. Seasoned it, and let is simmer for an hour or so.
While that was simmering, I whipped up a simple bechamel (brown some olive oil and flour, add milk, salt, and a little nutmeg, whisk constantly on medium heat until it bubbles and turn it off).
Grated some Romano I found at the supermarket.
Gave the noodles a boil.
Then I layered all the bits together.
Added a few packets of “pizza cheese.” Then I put it in the oven for 45 minutes.
And here it is.
A little for me.
And Jian liked it, too.

If you really want to know, the whole thing took five hours from start to tummy.
February 7, 2013
How to make Chicken Chipotle Tostadas in Korea
EDITOR’S NOTE: Chipotle peppers recently turned up at local E-Marts. In celebration of this find, guest blogger Noe A. has given us this recipe. It’s not a Korean dish, but it’s another dish that people living in Korea can make. Avocado is optional, corn tortillas can be substituted with flour tortillas, and lemon juice can replace lime juice. Cilantro can also be found in Chinese grocery stores.
When it comes to international food, it may be difficult to come across a restaurant which provides both the authenticity and taste to backup their menu. Notably, despite the simple ingredients used to prepare Mexican food, finding a good Mexican restaurant can be tough in Korea, even in Seoul. Here is a quick and easy recipe for anyone wishing for nostalgic moment from back home featuring Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce.
Ingredients
Chicken (whole or with bone)
Chipotles in Adobo Sauce cans (can be found in Itaewon Foreigner Food Martket & Emart now)
Sliced onions
Corn/Vegetable Oil* (Not soy nor olive)
Salt
Avocado or guacamole
Corn Tortillas
(Shredded Cheese Optional)
(Sour Creme Optional)
Boil the chicken for 90 minutes with sliced onions and add salt.
Afterwards, cool down and debone.
On a skillet, add the chicken and 2-3 small cans of Chipotle in Adobo Sauce. Keep stirring on low flame.
Personally I crush the peppers into smaller pieces while stirring but you can slice them up before if you prefer, just be sure they are small pieces. Add slices of onion. And keep mixing.
You can buy frozen corn tortillas in either the International Food Market or Foreigner Food market in Itaewon. Probably in eMart or homeplus too.
On a skillet add the corn or vegetable oil. Once it is heated enough, add a whole tortilla until it is crispy and light golden brown.
Should be quick. Set aside on a dish covered with napkins to absorb the oil.
Repeat until you have the desired amount. Salt lightly afterwards.
Get a tostada, top with the chicken chipotle mixture.
Add slices of avocado.
Optionally add Pico de Gallo*
Optionally use guacamole instead of avacado*
Optionally add cheese or sour creme*
*Can use tortilla chips if no tortillas are to be found*
(Personally I like to add all)
Optional Topping:
Guacamole:
Ingredients
Avocado
Lime juice
Onion
Tomato
Peppers
Salt
*You can buy lime juice in bottles in many stores now, foreigner food market or International Food Store in Itaewon have them. Lazy Lime or Goya brand lime bottles. Can be bought online and at: http://www.thearrivalstore.com/lazy-lime.html
Guacamole is relatively simple to make, you can buy the frozen avocados at the foreigner food market or you can buy the whole avocados. Usually they aren’t ripe, so put them in a paper bag for a few days before and they’ll be fine.
Unseed the tomatoes.
Finely chop the tomatoes and onions.
Shred 1 spicy green pepper (jalapeno if you can)
Add to skillet (no oil) and lightly toast.
Either add to a bowl then mix with the crushed avacado – If you want it chunky.
Or blend then add to crushed avacado – smoother.
Add some lime juice (keeps it green)
Add salt.
Optional Topping 2:
Pico De Gallo
Ingredients
Tomato
Onion
Spicy green pepper (Jalapeno if you can)
Lime Juice
Salt
Cilantro
Deseed the tomatoes, then dice.
Dice the onion.
Deseed the pepper and shred.
Slice the cilantro to pieces.
Mix, add lime juice and salt.
You don’t NEED cilantro but try to if you can, can be found in many stores in Korea now, if no then Itaewon’s Foreigner food market carries it.
Pretty simple,not quite difficult ingredients to find, and guaranteed Mexican food in Korea.
October 15, 2011
Korean Kitchen Hacking: DIY Butter
I’ve had it up to here with E-Mart. Their motto seems to be “If you want it we don’t have it.” Lately, this four-story megamarket has been out of butter. They have two aisles of freezer dedicated to mandu, which I rarely see people buy. But butter has been one of those things that gets sparse there.
This past week I checked, and they were out again. But they did have some heavy whipping cream for half the price of its equivalent weight in butter. Good. There’s my solution.
The next morning, I churned some butter in the time it took for my waffle iron to heat up. It tastes loads better than store bought butter though its texture is a little crumbly. But what’s great is that I got buttermilk as a side product, which I used to make my waffles.
DIY Butter
INGREDIENTS
1 carton Heavy Cream (I use 생크림 from Seoul Milk–caution because some of them are already sweetened)
1 tsp. Salt
- Put the cream and salt in a large mixing bowl.
- Using the whisk attachment to your mixer, whisk the cream until it becomes the consistency of butter (approx. 15 minutes).
- Put the butter in a cheesecloth or very clean towel over a bowl. Strain the buttermilk and save it for other recipes.
- Store the butter in an airtight container and refrigerate.
The butter should last as long as the expiration date on the cream carton.
January 26, 2011
Korean-Cajun Dirty Rice and BBQ’d Shrimp
I’m trying to prove to EJ that I can cook within a budget. So yesterday I set out to a supermarket and the open air market looking for what was cheap and in season. Vegetables have mistaken themselves for another food product because they are NUTS! Only beans and squash were reasonably priced. But seafood took its place in full force. You see, seafood is immune to flooding–I think.
So I got me some shrimp and live crabs, and I thought I’d round it out with some dirty rice. I haven’t had that in years. And when I saw a vendor selling chicken gizzards, I decided to go all country. Ended up with this.
What makes the dirty rice Korean is the use of “purple” rice, our way of adding black beans and black rice to normal rice to stretch it out and give it more nutrition and flavor.
Korean Purple Rice
INGREDIENTS
1 cup Short Grain White Rice
1/4 cup Black Rice
1/4 cup Black Beans, soaked overnight
1 1/4 cups Water
Combine all ingredients in the rice cooker and cook according to the rice cooker’s directions.
Korean-Cajun Dirty Rice
INGREDIENTS
1 Tbsp. Rendered Bacon Fat
200 g Chicken Gizzards
3 Sausages, finely diced
1/2 cup Celery, chopped
1/2 cup White Onion, chopped
1/4 cup Green Onion, chopped
1/4 cup Korean Chillies (or any hot chilli), chopped
1 cup Korean Purple Rice
Salt and Pepper to taste
Cajun Seasoning or Crab Boil Seasoning (optional)
- Melt the Bacon Fat under medium high heat and saute the Chicken Gizzards.
- Remove the Chicken Gizzards and add the Sausage. Chop the Chicken Gizzards while the Sausage is cooking.
- Return the Chicken Gizzards to the pan and make sure they’re cooked through. Add the Celery, White Onion, Green Onion and Chillies. Stir fry for 3 minutes.
- Add the Korean Purple Rice and stir fry together for another 3 minutes.
- Taste and add Salt, Pepper and Seasoning to your preference.
BBQ’d Shrimp
INGREDIENTS
500 g Fresh Shrimp, unpeeled
2 sticks Butter
1/4 cup White Onion, finely chopped
3 cloves Garlic, finely chopped
Celery Leaves from 1 full stalk, finely chopped
Juice of 1/2 Lemon
A few dashes of Worcestershire Sauce
A few dashes of Hot Sauce
1 Baguette, sliced
- Rinse the Shrimp.
- Combine the Butter, Onion, Garlic, Celery Leaves, Lemon, Worcestershire and Hot Sauce in a pot and slowly cook until it starts bubbling.
- Place the Shrimp on a foil-lined broiling pan and coat them with the hot butter sauce.
- Place the Shrimp under a hot broiler until they start to turn pink.
- Finish the Shrimp in a 350º F/175º C oven for around ten minutes. Don’t overcook.
- Place the Shrimp on a plate and pour the sauce into a cup or bowl. If you want more sauce, add some more melted butter.
- Serve with buttered and toasted Baguette slices.
Make sure to have plenty of paper towels handy. Peel and eat the shrimp with the butter sauce or just eat them with the shells on. That butter sauce is like–BUTTER! You will hunt your refrigerator and kitchen for other things to dip in it.
October 8, 2010
Korean Kitchen Hacking: Fresh Lemon-Ginger Ale
I think I got whiplash from spring rushing by so quickly. Bring on the summer heat!
A little over ten years ago I learned from Ming Tsai’s old TV show how to make an easy ginger ale. Since ginger ale was cheaper than actual ginger at that time in Alabama, I didn’t make it much. But we have just the opposite issue in Korea. No ginger ale but lots of cheap ginger. I thought I’d make a small variation of the original recipe.
You’re gonna laugh at how easy this is!
To make the syrup, you only need some knobs of ginger, a cup of sugar, a cup of water and half a lemon.
Clean and peel the ginger. I like to use a spoon.
Then slice the ginger into coins. Why this shape? We use them later on to make candied crystallized ginger.
Place the sugar, water and ginger in a saucepan and slowly, carefully bring it to a boil. Watch it closely because this napalm will boil over.
Take it down to a simmer and add the juice from the lemon. Simmer for around thirty minutes or until the ginger gets pliable.
Turn off the heat and let the syrup cool. Then strain it into a squeeze bottle and chill.
The leftover ginger you can put on a baking sheet and put in a very low oven until crystallized or just let them dry in the sun. They make a strong candy that’s great when you get a cold.
Fill a glass with ice. Squirt around a tablespoon of the syrup and top with sparkling water or club soda. Stir, garnish with a lemon slice and enjoy!
Fresh Lemon-Ginger Ale
INGREDIENTS
2 knobs of Ginger (around half a cup)
1 cup Sugar
1 cup Water
Juice from 1/2 a Lemon
Sparkling water or Club soda
1. Clean and peel the ginger with a spoon.
2. Slice the ginger.
3. Put the ginger, sugar and water in a saucepan and slowly bring to a boil over medium heat.
4. Turn the heat low to a simmer and slowly cook for around 30 minutes until the ginger has lost its stiffness.
5. Turn off the heat and let the syrup cool to room temperature.
6. Put the syrup in a squeeze bottle, reserving the ginger for candied ginger.
7. Fill a glass with ice, 1 Tbsp. ginger syrup and fill with sparkling water or club soda and stir. Garnish with a lemon slice.
June 10, 2010
Korean Kitchen Hacking: How to Make Goat Cheese
Korea has been considered the last Asian frontier for westerners trying to obtain culinary comforts from home. South Korea’s relative isolation (thanks to water masses and the crazy brother to the north), low immigration rate and local pride/stubbornness in its own culture has made it difficult for expats to obtain the foods they miss from home.
That is until recently.
One of the original intents of this blog was to help expats make do with what limited foreign resources were available. That section is becoming more obsolete each year.
Goat cheese has been one of those unobtainable items I had been missing the most. The luxury department stores sold tiny lumps of Chèvre for ridiculous prices, so I never bought them. But then I noticed bottles of goat milk being sold at my local supermarket, I’m sure purely for health reasons. They even had banana goat milk, and EJ actually liked it, if you can wrap your mind around that.
Using the method I used to make mock ricotta, I found that I could easily make fresh goat cheese on my stove without much effort.
Here are the ingredients. No, actually, I’ve modified it since then. You don’t need all that. You could do it this way, where you use a bottle of goat milk, a carton of whipping cream and some fresh lemon juice. Yet I found that I don’t need the cream and I get a cleaner taste by using rice vinegar instead of lemon juice. But you can use lemon juice if you like that zing. It is great for when you want to use the cheese for a sweet application like cheesecake.
So my current recipe uses 1 bottle Goat Milk and 1 tablespoon of vinegar. It also helps to have a thermometer.
Put the goat milk in a non-aluminum saucepan and gently heat it to 180ºF/80ºC.
If you don’t have a thermometer you can sort of eyeball it. When the milk gets foamy but not boiling, it’s ready.
Turn off the heat.
Add 1 tablespoon of vinegar or 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice and stir, stir, stir.
The proteins will seize up and tangle with each other, creating a grainy curd. See?
Strain in a cheesecloth or a very, very clean towel.
Give it some time, and this is what you end up with. Store it in a tight container in the refrigerator. I find that it gains more character after a little while, but don’t keep it for more than three weeks. It’s not a true cultured cheese. But I doubt it’ll stay that long. One thing I like to do is mix it with some herbs, like the W2,000 thyme plants from the plant shops. Put it on a toasted baguette with a tomato and you’re in heaven.
Enjoy!
Homemade Goat Cheese
INGREDIENTS
1 bottle Goat Milk
1 Tbsp. Vinegar (not white vinegar) or 2 Tbsp. fresh Lemon Juice
1. Put goat milk in a non-aluminum saucepan and head gently on medium to medium high. Use a thermometer to check the temperature.
2. When the temperature reaches 180ºF/80ºC the milk will get foamy. Turn off the heat.
3. Stir in the vinegar or lemon juice vigorously.
4. When it looks grainy, strain it into a clean cheesecloth or towel.
5. Store in the refrigerator for up to three weeks.
June 9, 2010
Alkongi's First Children's Day
Yes, I know it’s a bit creepy for me to make a big deal about Children’s Day for a fetus. (BTW–Alkongi has graduated from embryo to fetus stage.) But Eun Jeong was craving something fresh, and I wanted to treat them both to some good food that was both healthy and tasty. Actually, EJ’s original craving was for the VIPS salad bar, but that place is highway robbery. And since today is a national holiday, they upped their prices.
The reason I’m logging this is that, well, this is originally a journal of foods we experience in Korea. But this is also an ongoing theme of sharing with my fellow expats and Korean readers that you can really take advantage of the produce here and make something a little different than meat, kimchi, rice.
Also, please forgive the lack of pictures. Sometimes I really go on cooking kicks and can only write about them. My hands were too full to stop and play Ansel Adams every two minutes.
I avoided my local big box supermarket for a medium-sized place where EJ said the veggies were better. And they sure did have some interesting stuff. I found some vine-ripened tomatoes for a slightly higher price than the usual mealy beefsteak tomatoes. They also had some fresh anchovies, which I passed on but may get in the future when EJ isn’t looking.
It’s in places like this that I take advantage of the ssamchu bin, where they have all these varieties of lettuce leaves. I got romaine, bibb, and whatever variety of leaf I could stuff into my plastic baggie–very cheap. I wandered over to the expired bin. If you know what to do with certain produce, you can really take advantage of the markdown bin. My grandmother always stocked up on super cheap overripe bananas to make into banana bread. I saw a bunch of slightly wrinkly red bell peppers. Snagged them. They were half the price of their fresher brethren, and I knew just what to do with them.
They also had a sale on quail eggs. I forgot to mention this during my seminar at the KOTESOL conference. Quail eggs are another delicacy that is expensive in the west but dirt cheap in Korea. I got a pack of them for W1,500. I also made sure to get some lemons, a little chicken breast, and whatever else I wanted to put in my mega-salad. The total was around W36,000. And the food I got would last us for a while.
At home, I immediately stacked a colander in a mixing bowl and put it in the sink. Filled it up with chilly water. Unpacked all fruits and vegetables and washed them. Right away, I washed and destemmed a pack of strawberries for EJ to munch on.
Sushi Restaurant Style Green Peas
I had some peas still in the shell. I put some salted water on to boil. Cooked them in the shell like edamame for five minutes. Drained and ran them under cold water. Tossed some sea salt on them and chilled them in the fridge.
Roasted Red Pepper Salsa
I roasted the red bell peppers on the flame on the stove top until they were thoroughly blackened. Put them in a large zippy bag and sealed them for a bit to loosen the skin. Then I rinsed off the skin in running water and took out the seeds. Chopped them up.
I thoroughly chopped up some tomatoes, a small onion, three cloves of garlic, and a small handful of Korean chillies and put them all in a large zippy bag with the chopped roasted red peppers. Threw in a pinch of salt, some ground black pepper, a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and the juice of two lemons.
Sealed the bag and tossed it around a bit. I then tasted it and adjusted. Before chilling it in the fridge, I pushed as much air as I could out and sealed it.
Pickled Quail Eggs
Also, on the stove, I started the quail eggs in some cold water. Brought it to a boil and cooked them for five minutes. I immediately immersed the eggs in cold water and proceeded to shell them. It takes a while to get the hang of it. My method was to first crack the fat bottom in, where the air bubble is. From there you can gently work your way up around the egg. Rinsed each peeled egg and put them in a bowl with some vinegar. Chilled.
Simple Chicken Breast
I gave my pot of thyme a haircut, rinsed them and added them to a bowl with the chicken breasts, olive oil, salt, a little bit of black pepper, and some fresh lemon juice. Baked it in a 200-degree C oven for ten minutes–until the meat was just done but before it had dried out. I set it aside on the cutting board to rest.
Mega-Salad
I put the greens, along with some sesame leaves, in a large bowl of cold water and let them sit in it so the dirt just fell to the bottom. It then drained them thoroughly, getting off as much excess water as I could. Trimmed and cut up a head of broccoli. Quartered the vine-ripened tomatoes and put them in a bowl with some salt and pepper. Peeled and sliced a cucumber.
In a metal bowl, I made a simple vinaigrette with balsamic vinegar, a pinch of salt, some pepper, and a dollop of Dijon mustard. Whisked it thoroughly and then added enough olive oil to double its volume by slowly drizzling it in while whisking it like a madman with my other hand. It helps to put a towel under the bowl to steady it. I transferred the vinaigrette to a container.
In a giant bowl, I placed the greens and a tiny bit of the vinaigrette. The temptation is to drown the greens, but I’ve learned from experience that just a dab’ll do ya. Tossed the greens in the dressing and chilled it while I tended other things.
When everything was ready, I took out the greens and put them in individual bowls. Topped them with cucumbers, tomatoes, broccoli, pickled quail eggs, some capers and a few slices of that gorgeous chicken breast and served it with some vinaigrette on the side if needed. Along with the bowl of edamame-peas and some strawberries for dessert, we feasted well.
We used some of the salsa for the leftover chicken, but we’re going to take advantage of it later with some steak and more chicken. Children’s Day is Cinco di Mayo, anyway.
May 5, 2010
Ask ZenKimchi: Baking Soda vs. Baking Powder
Korean baking soda
Here’s a question from Lori:
Hi guys! Love your blog. Wondering if you could answer me a question about baking soda and baking powder here in Korea? I heard that these are switched here in Korea and you should use BS if a recipe calls for BP and vice versa. I’ve been making some pretty flat pancakes lately, but haven’t yet tried the switch. This thought just came to me while at work. Thanks! Lori

Hi Lori,
My experience hasn’t been too bad with baking powder and soda. They aren’t mislabeled. I’ve tasted each, and they’re what they say they are. The baking powder is a little more bitter than I remember it in America. I’ve stopped using it in my pancakes and waffles because it gives them a metallic taste.
Baking soda is pure sodium bicarbonate. Baking powder has sodium bicarbonate with an acidifying agent (cream of tartar) and drying agent (starch).
I do have a little trouble with cooking times and rising from what I believe are the high altitudes. The substance you’re using may also be a bit old and has neutralized. Also, with leavening agents, don’t let them sit around too long in a liquid mixture or they’ll lose their punch. I’m pretty sure the baking powder in Korea is single acting baking powder, meaning that it needs to be used right away. If you’re still having trouble, a possible solution could be to use baking soda and put in a little something acidic, like lemon.
Readers, have any of you been having this issue?
January 27, 2010
Mammy's French Toast with Tangerine Compote
We had a nice quiet Christmas in the ZenKimchi household. I didn’t even bother doing any herculean feats of cooking. But I did make my Eun Jeong a nice breakfast featuring her favorite, Mammy’s French Toast. Mammy was my great-grandmother who could make any food taste good. She made stuff that we kids would never like anywhere else.
Her slight variation on French toast was always a treat. It didn’t require any powdered sugar or syrup–just lots of butter. And you could eat it with your hands. It’s vaguely like New Orleans-style pain perdu. Pain Perdu, or “Lost Bread,” is a Christmas morning tradition in my family (we are from the Mobile Bay area), made with stale baguette slices soaked overnight in egg and milk and baked in the oven while we open gifts. I didn’t have baguettes on hand, so I did the quicky version. I also thought I’d make use of the tangerines in the house, too, giving it a little Christmas flavor.
INGREDIENTS
French Toast
4 slices of Bread
3 Eggs
2 Tbsp Sugar
1/4 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 Tbsp Milk
1 tsp Tangerine Zest
Butter, lots
Tangerine Compote
3 Tangerines, peeled and divided into sections
2 tsp Sugar
1/4 Water
2 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
1 Lemon wedge
1. Combine the ingredients for the Tangerine Compote in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Then bring it down to a simmer until much of the water has evaporated, and the liquid is a little syrupy.
2. Beat the eggs with the sugar, vanilla extract, milk and tangerine zest.
3. Heat a pan to medium and melt a pat of butter. Dunk both sides of a bread slice into the egg mixture and cook in the pan.
4. When it starts browning, turn it over. I frequently fiddle with the heat, turning it up and down, removing the pan, so that it doesn’t get so hot that it scorches the bread. When it’s browned, put the French toast on a plate and put another pat of butter on it.
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 until all the bread is gone.
6. Top with the Tangerine Compote. I also added some bacon and a poached egg.
For quick Saturday morning breakfasts, I just make the French toast without the compote or the tangerine zest. The French toast is already sweetened with the sugar in the egg mixture, so pouring syrup over it is overkill. It’s good with bacon and a chilly glass of milk–and Saturday morning cartoons.
December 27, 2009