Persian Dolmeh

I love dolmeh, such an easy finger food and you won't stop eating just for one. The other day, I decide to use a ground chicken .. since I wonder if the taste will as good as using ground beef. Actually I like the taste.  I grind my own chicken, so I have the best taste of chicken rather than buy the ready one from the store.

Here is the recipe, is pretty much easy to make but I suggest you to cook the filling day ahead and keep in the refrigerator until you ready to use it so you won't end up stay in the kitchen too long, well the story is different if you like cooking and spend time there :) but I just thinking about practical thing.

Persian Dolmeh

Ingredients 

1 jar of grape leaves or if you can find the fresh one , you might need about 50 leaves

1 cup rice

1 medium onion

1/2 cup yellow split peas 

1/3 cup lemon juice or vinegar

2-3 tablespoons sugar

250-500 grams ground chicken / ground beef / ground turkey or skip for vegetarian style

1 cup for every fresh herbs such : parsley, cilantro, green onion, dill,

1 tbsp dried taragon 

salt, pepper

turmeric

oil

water

Directions:

Chop up the onion and fry it in a pan. Add the meat once the onion is golden in color and fry the meat. Add about half a cup of water and allow the meat to cook. You will add salt, pepper, and turmeric to the meat as well. Allow the meat to cook for at least 20. Once the meat is cooked set it aside and allow it to cool.

Heat up water in a pot and boil the yellow split peas for approximately 15 minutes. Then drain and set them aside to cool.

Heat up water in a pot and bring the rice to a boil. Drain the rice and set aside to cool.

Clean any fresh herbs and chop them up slightly using a food processor

Mix all these ingredients together in a bowl, add salt and pepper for taste.

If you are using fresh Grape Leaves you will need to boil them in water for a bit so that they soft. If using Grape Leaves in a jar bought from the store make sure you wash them well so they have no preservatives left on them (it will ruin the flavor if left on the leaves).   For this step I did a day ahead so the leaves won't be too wet when I use it.

Take the leaves one at a time and lay them on a surface or cutting board. Take some of the mixture and place it on the leaf and then begin wrapping the leaf.

add oil to the pot you plan on using to cook the Dolmeh in. Take a few leaves that aren’t wrapped and place them on the bottom of the pot. Take all the prepared Dolmeh’s and place them on the bottom of the pot leaving no spaces.

Meanwhile , take the 1/3 cup of lemon juice (or vinegar) and add the sugar to it. Add about a cup of water to the juice/sugar and stir everything together. Once the sugar has dissolved pour the contents all over the Dolmeh’s in the pot.

Place a plate (or something else thats heavy) over the Dolmeh’s to make sure they dont move around. Turn the burner on to medium-low heat and place the lid on top of the pot. Allow the Stuffed Grape Leaves to cook for 30-45 minutes.

Allow to cool before serving, preferably in the fridge overnight

Matcha Macaron ..

It has been a while not baking macaron, a year I believe, until this week I feel like to bake this cute cookies again. And what happened ? I failed , I thought I already lost my 'magic power' , I waste my precious matcha powder! Not only the shell didn't have 'feet' but just flat like a coin..    oh this can't be right !!!     The next day, read the recipe carefully , pay attention to my oven heat , exactly 50 stroke mixing the batter, and look at my macaron ....    I did it....  yaaay..

For the macarons shells:
90 gr egg whites (about 3)
30 gr granulated sugar
200 gr powdered sugar
110 gr almonds

2 tsp matcha powder

For the whites: the day before (24hrs), separate your eggs and store the whites at room temperature in a covered container. If you want to use 48hrs (or more) egg whites, you can store them in the fridge.

In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites to a foam, gradually add the sugar until you obtain a glossy meringue. Do not over beat your meringue or it will be too dry. Combine the almonds and powdered sugar in a food processor and give them a good pulse until the nuts are finely ground. Add them to the meringue, give it a quick fold to break some of the air and then fold the mass carefully until you obtain a batter that flows like lava or a thick ribbon. Add the matcha powder. Give quick strokes at first to break the mass and slow down. The whole process should not take more than 50 strokes. Test a small amount on a plate: if the tops flattens on its own you are good to go. If there is a small beak, give the batter a couple of turns.

Fill a pastry bag fitted with a plain tip with the batter and pipe small rounds (1.5 inches in diameter) onto parchment paper or silicone mats lined baking sheets. 

Preheat the oven to 280F. Let the macarons sit out for 30 minutes to an hour to harden their shells a bit and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, depending on their size. Let cool. If you have trouble removing the shells, pour a couple of drops of water under the parchment paper while the sheet is still a bit warm and the macarons will lift up more easily do to the moisture. Don't let them sit there in it too long or they will become soggy. Once baked and if you are not using them right away, store them in an airtight container out of the fridge for a couple of days or in the freezer. 

To fill: pipe or spoon about 1 big tablespoon of chocolate ganache in the center of one shell and top with another one.

Chocolate Ganache 

Ingredients :

• 1 1/2 cups (12 fluid ounces or 360 ml ) heavy cream
• 1 lb (454 grams) semisweet or bittersweet dark chocolate

1. 1. In a heavy saucepan, boil heavy cream. Turn off the heat. Add chopped chocolate pieces and let it rest until melted. Use a rubber spatula to stir the mixture until all the pieces are melted.
   2. Pour it into a room-temperature bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate the ganache until firm.
2. 1. Note: For White Chocolate Ganache, substitute white chocolate for semisweet or bittersweet dark chocolate.
   2. 
      

Sewing Tova Dress

I've been sewing many Tova dress lately , I saw tova pattern about year ago but just have gut to order the pattern a couple months before.  I had doubt in my mind, if I just waste my money or I will like the pattern .. and after first attempt , and check Tova sew along on Kerry blog so many times, finally I know I am in the right path.   Even my daughter has faith in me, she asked me to make same tova dress (I can say Tova Top) like mine.    For her case, I used Small Size and adjusting in several places, I cut little bit small and cut arm hole about 1/4 inch bigger , and voila.. its fit.

Here is some of tova top I made , and I still have 1 more fabric to cut for myself .. so what do you think ?   

2 gingham tova for my daughter

 2 tova top for me