KAF: Chocolate Stout Cake

For the Mr. Nomad Foodie's birthday, I thought I would try this Chocolate Stout Cake, described as "amazing marriage of flavors for grownup tastes." Mr. Nomad Foodie loves chocolate and is an avid home brewer, so it sounded perfect!

I did reduce the sugar by 20% and was dumb and used regular cocoa instead of dutch-process cocoa - so the cake rose unevenly. However, since I had baked it in a bundt pan, the uneven top wasn't obvious once I took the cake out of the pan. The cake did end up taking about 75 minutes in the oven.

The verdict? Meh. It was good, but not fabulous. Not something I feel compelled to bake again.

Easy 100% Whole Wheat Bread

My favorite store-bought bread is Great Harvest Bread Company's Honey Whole Wheat. I love a soft, dense loaf with wholesome texture. In college, I used to go to the Great Harvest store in Lexington, Massachusetts almost every weekend. How unfortunate to go from that fabulous bread to the breads in Taiwan, which generally are soft, spongy, and white - every time I have a bite, I can feel it coagulating into glue, clogging up my gut.

I love Great Harvest bread so much, I have been known to plan trips around a store - one time when I was back in the U.S., I visited my brother in Berkeley. Of course, I went straight from the airport to the Great Harvest store in Oakland, filled my then-empty carry-on with 6 loaves of bread, and walked 45 minutes to meet my brother. My precious bread lasted me for close to a year stored in my freezer in Taipei.

However, there are no Great Harvest bakeries within reasonable driving distance from my parents' home in L.A., and it's just not practical to lug loaves of bread across the ocean. When I saw this recipe from the fabulous folks at King Arthur Flour, I just had to try it.

I should mention that I am a lazy, impatient baker. I haven't baked much bread, mostly because the idea of waiting through multiple rises and kneading has just never sounded that appealing. Nor can I justify getting a bread machine - I guard my precious counter space jealously. So the whole no-knead bread concept is very appealing.

I've tried the No-Knead Bread recipe popularized by Mark Bittman. That produced a good loaf of bread, except that it was a pain in the !@#$% to get plop the dough into a hot heavy stoneware crock perched precariously on the oven rack with oven heat blazing out at me, and a huge pain to turn the bread out at the end of baking.



So King Arthur's No-Knead 100% Whole Wheat Bread is the perfect recipe. No need to struggle with a hot oven, and it makes a great loaf of bread that's just perfect for PB&J sandwiches. Here's how I made it:

Easy No-Knead 100% Whole Wheat Bread
Adapted from King Arthur Flour

8 ounces lukewarm soy milk
2 ounces orange juice
2 ounces butter, melted; or 1 3/4 ounces vegetable oil
2 1/4 ounces maple syrup
2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
12 3/4 ounces whole wheat flour (I used a 50-50 mix of King Arthur white whole wheat flour and Bob's Red Mill whole wheat flour)

1. Heavily grease an 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" loaf pan (I used butter). This loaf tends to stick, so be sure to grease the pan thoroughly. I lined the pan with a parchment sling, and greased the parchment as well.
2. Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl. Beat the mixture vigorously for about 3 minutes (I used an electric hand mixer set on high speed - the dough worked it's way all the way up the beaters and into notches that I had the clean out later, but it worked fine). You should have a very sticky dough. It won't be pourable, but neither will it be kneadable. Scoop it into the prepared pan.
3. Cover the pan with lightly greased plastic wrap (or a shower cap), and let it rise for 60 to 90 minutes; it should just about rise to the rim of the pan, perhaps just barely cresting over the rim (mine rose in a little over 40 minutes). While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
4. Uncover the bread, and bake it for about 40 to 45 minutes, tenting it with aluminum foil after 20 minutes. The bread is done when it's golden brown on top, and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers between 190°F and 195°F. Remove it from the oven, and after 5 minutes turn it out onto a rack. Brush with melted butter, if desired; this will keep the crust soft (I didn't bother). Cool the bread completely before cutting it.

How did it turn out? In texture and moistness, this loaf was exactly like my favorite. It was less sweet, so next time I think I'll try using honey, and perhaps using more honey. To develop the flavor more, I'm also going to try proofing it, or, plopping the whole thing in the refrigerator for a slower rise, since my dough rose so quickly compared to the recipe (the warmth and humidity of Taipei?). There are also many great comments and suggestions in a related King Arthur blog post that is highly informative.

Perfect Pancakes

I originally got this recipe from the New York Times in 2002 in a wonderful article by Lucian Truscott. At the request of his daughter for mid-week pancakes, he comes to the realization that they're not really that hard to make, and are the best pancakes he's ever tasted.

The pancakes are delicious, incredibly easy to make, and they seem to have a slightly higher proportion of oil and butter in them - enough so that greasing the pan isn't necessary. They're great served with Haydee's Microwave Bananas! One less thing to fuss with in the morning!

Mississippi Pancakes (aka Perfect Pancakes)
2 eggs
1 cup milk
2 tbsp vegetable oil
3 tbsp butter -- melted
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 tsp baking powder
3 teaspoons sugar
1/2 tsp salt

1. Place a nonstick griddle or a skillet over medium heat. In a large bowl, beat eggs until light and foamy. Add milk, oil and butter. In another bowl, sift together dry ingredients, then beat them into the liquid ingredients with a wire whisk.
2. When skillet is hot, pour in about 1/4 cup batter for each pancake, leaving space between. Flip when batter bubbles. Continue cooking for about a minute. Serve immediately.

Yield: About 20 medium pancakes.

Haydee's Microwave Bananas
2 very ripe soft bananas -- peeled and sliced lengthwise
2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 heaping tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1. Place bananas in a ceramic bowl with all other ingredients. Do not mix.
2. Microwave on high for 1 to 2 minutes. Spoon on top of pancakes.

Yield: 4 servings.

Finding the original article was an adventure, as the NYTimes archives were only available to subscribers for the longest time, and I had only copied down the recipe without the title - I worried about what I'd do if I lost my precious clipped recipe. Thank goodness that Fabulous Girl put up the original (Imperial) recipe. It was reprinted in Australia's The Age, with the metric recipe and article here. The article is a sweet read.

Bourbon Pumpkin Cheesecake

For Eric's recent Thanksgiving potluck, I made two desserts: a bourbon pumpkin cheesecake and a pecan pumpkin pie. The bourbon pumpkin cheesecake was the more popular of the desserts: rich and creamy, yet light. (And for those worried, even though I doubled the bourbon, the bourbon flavor is a very light accent.)

I modified Gourmet's recipe, using techniques from Cook's Illustrated and based upon recommendations by the reviewers on Epicurious. Given that my audience would include many local Taiwanese, I was concerned about the sweetness and texture - aiming for something less sweet and airier in texture. I still wanted something rich, however, without any of the floury dryness that so many Taiwanese cheesecakes suffer from.

Neither Costco nor Jason's Supermarket at 101 carried graham crackers, so I used Honey Graham O's breakfast cereal purchased at my local Wellcome. I've heard of others successfully substituting Digestive biscuits for the graham crackers. The canned pumpkin came from Jason's (which is currently carrying the larger 20 oz can from the 15 oz can which they carried last year), where I was also excited to find a little sample bottle of Jim Beam. The cream cheese, sour cream, heavy cream, and unsalted butter came from Costco. If you can handle the bulk size and earlier expiration date, cream cheese is nearly half the price when purchased at Costco instead of Wellcome.

My modifications: for the crust, besides substituting the sweeter cereal for the graham crackers, I eliminated the white sugar and increased the pecans by 1/4 cup. I also toasted the pecans and pre-baked the crust for 15 minutes. Following the recommendations from the folks at Cook's Illustrated, I blotted the pumpkin on 3 paper towels, with 1 more paper towel on top. I also doubled the bourbon and spices, added 1/4 teaspoon of allspice, and used 2 teaspoons of fresh grated ginger for the 1/2 teaspoon of grated ginger called for in the recipe. I put the springform pan on a small baking sheet and baked it over a water bath. Finally, for the sour cream topping, I substituted 10 oz of heavy cream for 1 cup of the sour cream to lighten it.

The next time I make this, I'm not even going to make the crust. Even though I pre-baked the crust, it still came out soggy, which is inevitable with the refrigeration required of the cheesecake before serving. I think I'm going to make everything as is, and then make a sort of "reverse" cheesecake with the crust patted on right before serving. I'll also not bother with a water bath.

blotting canned pumpkin on paper towels to absorb excess moisture

24 oz of cream cheese (!)


I doubled the spices, used fresh grated ginger, and added allspice.

A sample sized bottle of Jim Beam for only NT$55 at Jason's

Pumpkin, eggs, brown sugar, cream, vanilla, and liqueur...

...whisk together to make heavenly cheesecake batter!

Bourbon Pumpkin Cheesecake
Adapted from Gourmet

For the crust
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs (or substitute Honey O's cereal or Digestive biscuits)
3/4 cup pecans (1 3/4 ounces), finely chopped
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

For Filling
1 1/2 cups canned solid-pack pumpkin, blotted (see note)
3 large eggs
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons bourbon liqueur or bourbon
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 teaspoons freshly ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, at room temperature

For Topping
1 cup sour cream (10 oz)
10 oz heavy cream
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon bourbon liqueur or bourbon

Garnish: pecan halves

Make crust:
1. Invert bottom of a 9-inch springform pan (to create a flat bottom, which will make it easier to remove cake from pan), then lock on side and line the pan with baking parchment.
2. Stir together crumbs, pecans, sugar, and butter in a bowl until combined well. Press crumb mixture evenly onto bottom and 1/2 inch up side of pan, then chill crust 1 hour.

Make filling and bake cheesecake:
1. Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Whisk together pumpkin, eggs, brown sugar, cream, vanilla, and liqueur in a bowl until combined.
3. Stir together granulated sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt in large bowl. Add cream cheese and beat with an electric mixer at high speed until creamy and smooth, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to medium, then add pumpkin mixture and beat until smooth.
4. Pour filling into crust, smoothing top, then put springform pan in a shallow baking pan (in case springform leaks). Bake until center is just set, 50 to 60 minutes. Transfer to rack and cool 5 minutes. (Leave oven on.)

Make Topping:
1. Whisk together sour cream, heavy cream, sugar, and liqueur in a bowl, then spread on top of cheesecake and bake 5 minutes.
2. Cool cheesecake completely in pan on rack, about 3 hours.
3. Chill, covered, until cold, at least 4 hours. Remove side of pan and serve chilled.

Note: Blot the pumpkin before using by scooping it out onto a baking sheet lined with 3 paper towels, and cover with another layer or two of paper towels. This will absorb excess moisture.

Bangkok's Health Land Massage - for those in-the-know

Now that the Bangkok airport siege has ended, a trip to Thailand (one of my favorite travel destinations) seems more appealing. One of the biggest reasons why I love traveling to Thailand (and have never complained about having a layover there), is the traditional Thai massage.

Although Naruwan at Body Tune is my favorite masseuse in Bangkok, lately my husband and I have been going to Health Land Spa & Massage, which is the place for those in-the-know. If you go to Bangkok fairly often (as we do), or you will be in Bangkok long enough, quickly make your way to Health Land. You can buy a coupon book for 10 2-hour Traditional Thai massages for 3,500 Baht, which works out to 350 Baht per 2-hour massage. The price cannot be beat, the quality is uniformly high, and the facilities clean and attractively presented.

I do recommend making a reservation, as their masseuses get booked up. If you don't want to wait, they can arrange a private room, which incurs an additional 100 Baht fee. (The regular massage takes place in a large room with individual partitioned massage spaces, which are perfectly fine.) We go to the Sathorn branch, but there are 3 other locations in Bangkok and one in Pattaya as well

Health Land Spa & Massage, Sathorn Branch
120 North Sathorn Road, Silom, Bangrak, Bangkok 10500, Thailand
+66 0 2637 8883
Open daily 9:00-23:00

Jaruwan at Body Tune has the hands of a baseball pitcher - and that's a good thing

The best masseuse I've ever had (and I love my massage) is Jaruwan (#7) at Body Tune massage on Silom Road near the Sala Daeng BTS Skytrain station. She is the nicest lady and knows intuitively what spots need extra attention. She was so good, that after my first two-hour Thai massage session, I returned the next day. And after continuing onto Cambodia, ventured back out to the city during my return layover at Bangkok airport to squeeze in another massage. As a friend said, who went after I recommended her, she has the hands of a baseball pitcher - and that's a good thing. Back in 2003, a 2-hour massage was about $15. Prices have risen ever so slightly since then, but a massage in Thailand is way more reasonably priced than in any western country.

Body Tune, Silom Branch
56 Yada Bldg., 2nd Flr., Suriyawong, Bangrak, Bangkok 10500, Thailand
56 อาคารญาดา ชั้น 2 ถนนสุริยวงศ์ บางรัก กรุงเทพฯ 10500
+66 0 2238 4377
near the BTS Saladaeng Station, Exit 3

Yuma Southwestern Grill: fabulous falling-off-the-bone ribs

Yesterday, after Shan and I got our haircuts, we decided to head over to what I refer to as Taipei's newest gourmet ghetto for lunch. We we're thinking perhaps Mary's Hamburger, or Toasteria, or Alleycats. (The great benefit to a gourmet ghetto is that you don't have to make decisions until you arrive and then choose whatever strikes your fancy.) As we walked down the alley off of Lane 216 past Din Tai Fung, we were struck by the bright facade of Yuma Southwestern Grill.



The menu posted on the sign looked promising, and most importantly, the food some diners were having looked good. So we decided to try it out. We chose to sit outside as the inside still smelled a little of paint (the restaurant had opened just a day before), and ordered:

Roasted Pumpkin Soup, NT$90


The Duke - flame grilled ribs with your choice of sauce (we chose cranberry and honey), handcut fries, and coleslaw, NT$430


and a Sierra Spinach Wrap, NT$175


The pumpkin soup was so good, I obviously forgot to take a photo until we had eaten half of it. Unlike most pumpkin soups in Taiwan, it wasn't watery with "essence of cream" flavor and just a hint of pumpkin. It was thick and creamy, and a dollop of sour cream on top provided richness and contrast.

The ribs were delicious - falling-off-the-bone tender, juicy, and the sauce was just the right balance of tangy and sweet. The coleslaw that came with it was one of the best coleslaws I've ever had. Just enough mayonnaise to keep it moist, just enough tang to keep the flavor sharp, and crunchy veg.



The fries are very good, too - not at all greasy, soft and mealy on the inside, and crisp on the outside. The first time had them, I personally found them a little too brown on the outside for my taste (I think the chefs forgot to sprinkle on chili powder), so the browned flavor was overwhelming, although Shan thought them just right. The second time I had them, the fries were dusted with chili powder and were perfect.

The only disappointment to our meal was the spinach wrap, which was overwhelmed by the cranberry and orange vinaigrette. Joe, the manager, assured me that they are still tweaking that recipe. Yuma's founders include Alan Pontes, the founder of Alleycats Pizza, so I'm confident they'll be able to deliver. They already have a promising start.

Overall, it was a great meal. If you know your Taipei Tex-Mex options (and there aren't that many), it is as good as Chili's, but less greasy and more reasonably priced.

The restaurant has a fairly spacious patio, and since it located on a quiet alley off of the lively Lane 216 on ZhongXiao, you don't have to worry about inhaling scooter fumes along with your food. On the inside, there is a small bar and large spaces with gaily painted walls that would be suitable for a large group of friends. There's also a smaller room that would be great for a private party.

Update 11/26: I enjoyed my dining experience so much, I got a jonesing for their ribs and returned three days later. This time, I tried their dry rub ribs and it was excellent. I also tried the chicken salad, which was very good as well. I especially liked the ranch dressing, which was very thick and creamy. Yum.



Yuma Southwestern Grill - highly recommended now closed
#21 Alley 11, Lane 216, ZhongXiao East Road, Section 4, Taipei
台北市忠孝東路4段216巷11弄21號
+886-2-8773-8895