Grilled Scallops with Pork Belly

中文菜谱：

烤五花肉带子卷

Summer is in the air.  Let’s start grilling! O(∩_∩)O~

When we were living back in Michigan, we did a lot of camping.  And one of our favorite camping foods is grilled scallops wrapped in bacon.  Oh, trust me when I tell you that nothing tastes better than grilled scallops by the camping fire you built yourself.  (I posted it here before: Interlochen camping 5:  https://www.yankitchen.com/english-blog/camping5 )

After we moved to Texas, we haven’t a chance to go camping here yet.  But I still grill a lot of scallops and bacon in the backyard.

Ingredients：

1 pound scallops (12 to 14 pieces)
1 pound pork belly/ or bacon
freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon rice cooking wine
salt to taste

Directions：

I usually grill scallops with bacon.  This time, I decide to try regular pork belly.  Asian people love to cook with pork belly, so that you can always find some awesome good quality pork belly from Asian grocery stores.  

Freeze the pork belly until firm.  Use a meat slicer to thinly slice it.

I am using ChefChoice 610.  The thickness can be adjusted by a notch on the top.

Drizzle a teaspoon of rice cooking wine on top.

Scallops in Texas are one of the best I have ever had so far.  They are fresh, tender with a buttery creamy texture.

Sprinkle both scallops and pork belly slices with salt and pepper.  Wrap each scallop with one slice of pork belly.  Secure with bamboo skewers.

Preheat grill to 400F/ 204C

Quickly brush the griddle with some oil.  Add scallops.

 There are 2 fishes in the background.  Grilled fish is another of my favorite. O(∩_∩)O~

Soon pork belly turns color.

Excessive dripping fat from bacons may cause the grill to flare up.  Keep a close eye on the grill.  Flip them frequently if necessary to prevent burning or over cooking. 

Shorter bamboo skewers might work better.  Long ones get burnt anyway despite the fact I soak them in the water prior grilling.

Ok, they are getting gorgeous!

When pork belly turns amazingly golden brown and the scallops are kind of firm to touch.  They are ready.

Sprinkle with chili pepper flakes and ground cumin.  This is optional.  I just love them on grilled meat.

Bon Appetitte！O(∩_∩)O~

Bacon Wrapped Shrimps and Skewed Lamb

中文菜谱：

培根烤大虾和烤羊肉串

Summer is coming.  It is gradually getting hot outside these days, which means grill season already starts!

Our favorite grills are shrimps, scallops, skewed lamb/ beef and steak. 

Texas is famous for its seafood, thanks to its long coast line and location right next to Mexican gulf.  The shrimps and scallops here are one of the best I have ever had so far.  I used to live in Virginia and Michigan.  I thought I had some good seafood there before.  After I moved to Texas, my eyes are open to more and better quality seafood here. 

Ingredients：

10 jumbo shrimps
10 slices of bacon
freshly ground black pepper
salt to taste

Directions：

Thaw the shrimps in fridge.  Sprinkle with black pepper and salt.

There were 8 in the plate, and I added 2 more after I took the photo.

Peel the shrimps.  Wrap each shrimp with a slice of bacon, secured with a bamboo skewer

Meanwhile, I prepared some skewed lamb too.

We always use lamb shoulder for grill.  It is juicier and tenderer than lamb leg or stew.  They are not available in regular American grocery store.  I buy mine from H-mart.  Some Middle East grocery stores may sell lamb shoulder too. 

Cut lamb shoulder into 1/2 inch cubes.  Add salt, chopped onion, ground chili pepper, ground cumin, soy sauce, sesame seeds.  Mix well.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. 

Skew the lamb with stainless skewers

Preheat the grill to 400F.

Brush the griddle with oil.  Add bacon wrapped shrimps and skewed lamb.

Excessive dripping fat from bacons may cause the grill to flare up.  Keep a close eye on the grill.  Flip them frequently if necessary to prevent burning or over cooking. 

Skewed lamb is becoming golden brown.

When bacon wrapped outside the scallops is golden brown and the scallops are kind of firm to touch, they are ready.

Lamb is ready too.

How good does that look? O(∩_∩)O~

Bon Appetite! O(∩_∩)O~

Taro and Sweet Potato Tapioca Balls on Shaved Ice

中文菜谱：

芋圆薏米红豆刨冰

Shaved ice has been popular among Asian people for many years.  In early time, ice was just simply finely crushed by machine.  Nowadays, if you stop by China town, you will be amazed by how thin and creamy the shaved ice is.  And as for the toppings, wow, they are almost endless! O(∩_∩)O~   The most popular ones are but not limited to taro tapioca balls, sweet potato tapioca balls, red beans, lotus seeds, pearl barleys, strawberry, blueberry, mango, and mochi.  

I do my own shaved ice when I don’t want to drive all the way to China town but still crave for it.  It is easy.  And I always make a large batch and freeze the extra taro and sweet potato tapioca balls for later use. 

I make taro and sweet potato tapioca balls, red beans, and pearl barley. 

Ingredients：

Taro puree
yellow sweet potato puree
white sweet potato puree
purple sweet potato puree
tapioca starch
red beans
dark brown cane sugar
pearl barley
honey
water
1 to 2 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk

Directions：

I steam 3 kinds of sweet potatoes and taro.  Peel and finely smash them into puree.  Add a little bit water if needed.

Add tapioca starch when the puree is still hot to touch.  Knead separately in different bowls.

Transfer dough balls to a slightly dusted large wooden board. Divide each dough ball into smaller pieces. 

Roll out each dough piece into thin and long strands, about 1/3 inch in diameter.

With a dough scraper, cut each stands into 1/3 inch pieces.

Add pearl barleys and water to a small pot.  Cook over medium heat until barleys are soft.  Remove from heat, and stir in 2 tablespoons honey.

Add red beans and water to another small pot.  Cook over medium heat until red beans are soft and tender.  Remove from heat and stir in dark brown cane sugar.

Cook taro and sweet potato tapioca balls in boiling water until they float to the surface. 

Rinse the tapioca balls quickly to get rid of excessive starch on the outside so that they won’t stick together.

Now it is time to shave some ice!

I have this snow cone machine for almost 6 years, still up and running O(∩_∩)O~

Add ice

Turn on the machine

It is done.  The machine does a pretty good job.

Scoope shaved ice into a cup

Add cooked taro and sweet potato tapioca balls.

Add cooked pearl barley, red beans and then drizzle with condensed milk.

Use a spoon to mix everything and have a big bite! O(∩_∩)O~

Taro and sweet potato tapioca balls are slightly chewy and springy, which makes them so good.  Pearl barleys and red beans have different texture and taste.  When everything is mixed together, it is just such a great treat!

Who doesn’t want a cup of this icy sweet treat during a hot summer day?

There is one thing to keep in mind.  Tapioca balls will get hard after they are mixed with ice.  So don’t let it sit too long before you enjoy once it is ready to eat.

Freeze the extra taro and sweet potato tapioca balls.  Store in an air-tight Ziploc bag and they should be good for up to 3 months in the freezer.

Houston 2018 Taiwan Festival (Taiwan Yes)

中文版：

休斯顿台湾夜市(Taiwan Festival 2018)

Last weekend, there was a Taiwan festival held in Taiwanese Community Center in Houston.  We are not from Taiwan, but we love Taiwan style food. 

It was cloudy, not too hot nor coo, perfect day for hanging out with friends. 

We purchased the tickets first which were sold in group of ten, and then bought food, drinks and entertainment with tickets.

I was really surprised by so many people gathering here.  I didn’t realize there was such a large group of Taiwanese in Houston area.

There is a really long line in front oyster omelets stand.  We were standing in line for 10 minutes until I finally got a look at what it was like... I decided to switch to sausage stand.  

Sausages were really good.  They were savory, sweet, crispy on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside.  It is totally different from Texas style sausage.  If you never had one before, give it a try.  You might fall in love with it, like I do.  O(∩_∩)O~

Taro and sweet potato balls on shaved ice

Besides taro and sweet potato balls, there were black jelly, red beans and sweetened condensed milk. 

Got to get a bit of everything in a bite O(∩_∩)O~

e were standing in line for popcorn chicken and egg waffle.  They were both typical Taiwan food.

Popcorn chicken was hot, very crunch and crispy on the outside but still juicy on the inside.  Fried basil was a really nice touch.

Egg waffle was made to order

Batter was poured

Filling was added.  I picked chocolate.  The other two options were original and Oreo.

Trimmed the edge

Egg waffles needed to be cooled on the rack after they were done for crunchy shells.

Slightly crispy and crunchy on the outside, soft and runny chocolate on the inside.  It was one of the best egg waffles I have ever had, even better than the ones we had in Toronto Chinatown which was famous for its authentic Chinese food.

What a shame Taiwan festival is only held once a year.  I sincerely hope it happens once every week! O(∩_∩)O~

Coffee Cream Filling for Macarons

中文菜谱：马卡龙咖啡馅

I think this coffee cream filling for macarons is one of best fillings I have ever made so far O(∩_∩)O~

I replace 10g almond flour with super fine freshly ground coffee.  Instant French roast coffee and coffee rum are added to the filling for an enhanced coffee flavor.  Turns out to be so amazing!  The real trick here is to use real good dark chocolate.  It makes huge difference!

Ingredients：

1/4 cup dark chocolate (I use 90% cocoa.  Any dark chocolate between 60% to 100% should work just fine)
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons instant French roast coffee
1 tablespoon rum and coffee liqueur

Directions：

Add dark chocolate, heavy cream and instant coffee to a small ceramic bowl.

Melt the chocolate, heavy cream and instant coffee in a double boiler.  Whisk occasionally for smooth texture.

Add coffee rum.  Remove from heat.  Set it aside to chill.

When the coffee cream cools down, this is what it’s going to look like, with a smooth and silky texture.

Meanwhile, I bake some coffee marcarons.

When macarons cool down to room temperature, remove them from silicone mat.  Add 1 to 2 teaspoons coffee cream filling between every two macaron shells.

Store in air-tight container and refrigerate overnight.  By doing so, macarons and their fillings will combine better and their flavors will be maximized. 

Of course, you can always enjoy them anytime you want without the waiting.  They go very well with a cup of coffee or tea O(∩_∩)O~