Happy First Day of Spring!

Spring Love

I love spring and flower blossoms.

Last spring, I finally made it to Georgetown Cupcake.  Now on my cupcake to-do list is to learn how to do the Georgetown Cupcake signature swirl.  And, I need to try my hand at making cute flower blossoms for cupcake toppers, too.  How about you?

Savoury Scones

 Hot Out of the Oven

On tonight's dinner menu was leftover Irish stew.  And since we we're all out of soda bread, I decided to make a batch of savoury scones this afternoon.

This was my first time making savoury scones and I turned to Delia Smith for the recipe.  When making scones, I've found Delia's recipes to be spot-on for making the best British-style scones at home.

 The Ingredients

I found Delia's recipe for Buttermilk Scones with Cheshire Cheese and Chives on her website Delia Online.

Most of the ingredients were in my pantry.  Luckily I had buttermilk and chives on hand from making soda bread with herbs on St. Patrick's Day.  I did not however have Cheshire cheese so I substituted a medium cheddar.  I used the Tillamook brand from Tillamook, Oregon since my husband is from the Oregon Coast and Tillamook makes award winning cheddar. 

 Cheesey Scones

The scone dough mixes easily together in a large bowl.  According to Delia, the key is not to overwork the dough or the scones will be heavy and tough.  And Delia shares in the recipe, that the secret of a well-risen scone is to roll your dough out to a 1 inch thickness.  I used a fluted cutter for my scones that was just a bit smaller than the recipe called for.  My batch yielded 8 small scones.  

Cheese & Chive Scones

According to Delia, you serve these scones warm and spread with lots of butter.

We liked the scones tonight but thought my soda bread was actually better with my Irish stew. This scone recipe is worth keeping though and I will try it again sometime...probably on a chilly night with a big pot of home-made soup.

Irish Country House Cooking

 Ballymaloe Irish Stew

Happy St. Patrick's Day!  I love that anyone can be a little Irish today!  

Our kitchen smelled just like an Irish country house today while I made Ballymaloe Irish Stew and White Soda Bread with Herbs.  Both recipes are by Darina Allen and can be found in her cook book Irish Traditional Cooking.  

These recipes were a new adventure for me because I traditionally make Corned Beef and Cabbage every year for St. Patrick's Day.  I was worried that this country stew might be a little bland for our palette.  I couldn't be more wrong.  It was better than good, it was delicious!  

Darina's Irish stew is simple comfort food at its best.  The recipe calls for lamb stock and I used Swanson's chicken broth instead.  The lamb flavored it perfectly and the end result tasted more like home-made stock.

 The stew is a simple dish to assemble and make.  The lamb shoulder chops, carrots and pearl onions are browned and then layered in a dutch oven.  Then the sliced potatoes are layered on top to steam while the stew cooks in the oven for about an hour.  From what I read, this is the traditional way you layer and cook an Irish stew. 

And since it's St. Patrick's Day, of course you need to have Irish Soda Bread.  Soda bread comes together very easily and with such simple ingredients:  flour, salt, baking soda and buttermilk.  You stir it all together with your hand and then tidy it up into a round loaf.

And according to Irish Folklore, you  must cut a deep cross in the bread to let the fairies out!  This way the fairies won't jinx your baking!

 Darina's Irish Soda Bread 

This holiday meal has been one of the most enjoyable meals I have ever made.  We loved this Irish stew so much that it is now going to be our traditional St. Patrick's Day dinner.  Thank you, Darina for your wonderful Irish recipes.  

And if you're not familiar with Darina Allen, do read up on her.  Darina is the most famous cook in Ireland.  She owns the Ballymaloe Cookery School in Ireland.  And yes, I would love to visit the Ballymaloe House, Restaurant and Cookery School someday if we ever visit Ireland.

A new wok

 The Wok Shop

My latest culinary journey is Chinese cooking.  

Chinese cuisine has been a favorite of mine my entire life.  The night before I was born, my parents went out for Chinese food.  Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, I always picked The House of Lee in Oakland, California for my birthday dinner.  And, one of the very first cookbooks I ever bought was Chopsticks, Cleaver and Wok by Jennie Low about home-style Chinese cooking.  

 Grace Young Cookbooks

My current Chinese cooking journey has been fueled by cookbook author, Grace Young.  I recently discovered her wonderful cookbooks and Craftsy class The Art of Stir Frying.  Grace is known as The Wok Queen and definitely knows a thing or two about woks.  She generously shares her expertise on the best type of woks to buy along with how to season and care for them.

A wok is essential for authentic Chinese stir-fry cooking.  And, since I believe in having the right kitchen tools for cooking, I decided to replace my older Magnalite aluminum wok with a a real Chinese wok.  And, according to Grace, the best place to buy a wok is San Francisco's The Wok Shop.  So during Chinese New Year, my husband and I made a trip to The Wok Shop.  

 The Wok

For those of us who cook on residential ranges, Grace recommends the wok above which is a 14" carbon steel, flat bottom wok.  Its small flat bottom gets it closer to the flame for high heat stir-frying.  And a nice feature are its wood handles so you don't have to run after pot holders while stir-frying. 

Wok Ambassador, Tane Chan

When you go to The Wok Shop, all you have to do is tell them that Grace Young sent you.  I lucked out on my visit and the charming owner, Tane Chan helped me.  I didn't have to tell Tane a thing, she knew just the wok I was supposed to have.

If you need a wok,
The Wok Shop is the place to go.
(And, they sell online)

The Wok Shop
718 Grant Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94108
(415) 989-3797