Flan!!!!

Ingredients
* 2/3 cup white sugar
* 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
* 2 cups heavy cream
* 1 cup milk
* 5 eggs
* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2. In a small nonstick saucepan, heat the sugar over medium heat. Shake and swirl occasionally to distribute sugar until it is dissolved and begins to brown. Lift the pan over the heat source (4 to 6 inches) and continue to brown the sugar until it becomes a dark golden brown. You may slightly stir while cooking, but continually stirring causes the sugar to crystallize. Pour caramelized sugar into a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish or a large loaf pan, and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan evenly.

3. In a blender, combine sweetened condensed milk, cream, milk, eggs and vanilla. Blend on high for one minute. Pour over the caramelized sugar.

4. Place the filled casserole dish into a larger pan and add 1 inch of HOT water to the outer pan. Bake in preheated oven for 50 to 60 minutes, or until set.

Brownies!!!!

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)

* 1/2 cup butter
* 1 cup white sugar
* 2 eggs
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
* 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
*
* 3 tablespoons butter, softened
* 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
* 1 tablespoon honey
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1 cup confectioners' sugar

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DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour an 8 inch square pan.
2. In a large saucepan, melt 1/2 cup butter. Remove from heat, and stir in sugar, eggs, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat in 1/3 cup cocoa, 1/2 cup flour, salt, and baking powder. Spread batter into prepared pan.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Do not overcook.
4. To Make Frosting: Combine 3 tablespoons butter, 3 tablespoons cocoa, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 1 cup confectioners' sugar. Frost brownies while they are still warm.

Lemon Bars!!!!

Ingredients:

* 2 sticks (8 ounces) butter
* 2 cups flour
* 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
* 4 beaten eggs
* 2 cups sugar
* 4 tablespoons flour
* 1/4 cup lemon juice
* 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon peel
* sifted confectioners' sugar

Preparation:
Heat oven to 325°. Blend butter, 2 cups flour and 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar. Pat into ungreased 13x9x2-inch pan. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes. For filling, blend together eggs, sugar, 4 tablespoons flour, lemon juice, and lemon peel. Pour over first layer. Return to oven and bake at 325° for 20 minutes. Loosen around edges, cut into bars and sift confectioners' sugar over the top while warm.

Info found & credits to: http://southernfood.about.com/od/browniesbars/r/bl00430d.htm
Pic found: http://www.laaloosh.com/2009/01/20/weight-watchers-lemon-bars-recipe/

Mochi Ice Cream!!!!

I have finally got around to having instructions on How To Make Japanese Mochi Ice Cream At Home. It is really simple, any one can make this classic Japanese Ice Cream dessert, just follow this step by step recipe.

Everyone loves delicious mochi, right, little golfballs sized ice-cream covered by sweetened mochi. You bite into one... first chewy sweet bliss followed by the creamy cool ice-cream heaven.

A lot of store bought mochi are OK, like Mikawaya (they say they invented the Mochi Ice Cream), some are really nice ice cream, some not so nice but have you tried to make it yourself? It isn’t really hard and I am sure it is cheaper to just buy the Japanese ice cream mochi but it’s fun to do.

Mochi Ice Cream Recipe (around 8 servings)

Sweet rice powder 50g
Sugar 100g
Water 100ml
Ice cream 150-200g
Cornstarch as needed

1 spread cornstarch onto a cutting board (use plenty so the mochi dough does not stick to the cutting board)


2 Place the sweet rice powder into a bowl, glass is best, and add the water little at a time until it is mixed well. Then add the sugar and mix it well again.


3 Next, cover the bowl with plastic food wrap (leave a breather gap) and cook in the microwave - medium for 2 minutes. Mix with a wooden spoon (dip it in water) and cook for around one more minute.


4 You can tell the dough is ready when it turns shiny and smooth.


5 Dip your spoon in water then spread the sweet rice dough onto the cutting board as flat as possible. Remember the dough is hot so take care.


6 Cover the dough with corn starch and then flip it over. Then pull and stretch the edges and make the dough thinner.


7 Keep pulling and stretching until the dough is around 2 or 3 millimetres thin.


8 Leave to cool a little and when the dough is cool enough, cut it into rounds , use a bowl for the size.


9 You are left with nice round mochi sheets.


10 To freeze the dough, cover each layer of mochi sheet with plastic wrap and dusted with cornstarch then put it into the freezer.


11 Put the ice cream onto the centre of the mochi sheet. For a nice round mochi use an ice cream scoop. Mmm, strawberry.


12 Fold and join the edges and then back in the freezer until it’s eating time!


This is how your mochi ice cream should look, Strawberry and Green Tea Mochi. It's best to eat these when they're slightly thawed, or else it's like biting into a little ball of rock and we all know that would be no fun:)


TIP, you can use a mochi ice cream container ( the tray from mochi you have bought in a store) to help form the shape.





Info found & credits to: http://japaneseicecream.blogspot.com/2009/04/japanese-mochi-ice-cream-recipe.html

Unagi!!!!

Grilled unagi (eel) is a delicacy in Japan, popular not only for its flavor but also for its stamina-giving properties. It's traditionally eaten during one of the hottest days of the summer (sometime in late July) to provide strength and vitality for the rest of the year.

Good unagi combines a rich flavor (a bit like pate) with an appetizing texture, crisp on the outside but tender on the inside. The cooking process is what makes the eel both crisp and tender: The eels are first grilled over hot charcoals, then steamed to remove excess fat, then seasoned with a sweetish sauce and grilled a second time. In the Kansai area (around Osaka) the steaming step is omitted and the eel is grilled longer, burning off the excess fat and producing an even crisper skin.

The ingredients in the sweet basting sauce are important to the final taste of the unagi, and different restaurants have their own secret recipes. The quality of the charcoal used is also important: The best charcoal is made from hard oak wood, and the aromatic smoke adds a special flavor to the eel as it grills.

As for the eels themselves, the best are caught wild rather than bred in eel farms, with the ideal size between 30 and 50 centimeters (12-20 inches). Fancy unagi restaurants keep tanks full of live eels, and they don't begin preparing your eel until after you've ordered. This process takes a bit of time and patience, but you're guaranteed completely fresh eel, and many diners feel the results are well worth the wait.

Unagi restaurants can be recognized by an elongated Japanese "u" character (the first character in "unagi"), fashioned to resemble an eel and displayed prominently on the shop sign or curtain.

Unagi Dishes

Grilled unagi on skewers without rice is called kabayaki, and it's often served as an hors d'oeuvre with drinks. This same grilled unagi is also served over a bed of rice as a main course, called either unajuu or unagi donburi. Each variety comes in several different sizes.

Eel grilled without sauce is called shirayaki. This plain form of eel is popular with unagi purists. When you order a full-course eel meal you'll be served kimosui, a clear soup made from eel livers. The livers are very nutritious, although not everyone enjoys the taste.

Some unagi restaurants also serve dojO (called loach in English), a small fish related to the eel and caught in local waters in the summer. Some restaurants specialize in dojo, while others concentrate on unagi. The best known dojo dish is yanagawa-nabe, a mild casserole made with boiled dojo, burdock root and eggs.

At the table you may lightly sprinkle your unagi (or dojo) with sansho, a powdered aromatic Japanese pepper.

Info found & credits to: http://www.bento.com/rf_unagi.html