Freshly-made almond milk for the morning

For the past ten days, I’ve been cleaning out my apartment and rifling through my pantries, trying to cobble together decent meals for my final days in Seoul.

When I found a bag of almonds, I was admittedly a bit excited, as I remembered what we used to do with these in the co-ops in college. Perfect for the hot weather — a creamy glass of homemade almond milk, sweetened with honey.

Fresh almond milk tastes so much better than the boxed variety you get in a store. You can use it as a vegan dairy substitute in almost any recipe. It has no cholesterol and can be digested by lactose-intolerant people.

Raw almonds, soaked, and ready for blending...

When you make homemade almond milk, three things are important to remember: first, don’t use bitter almonds, since their milk can be harmful to drink. Second, since there are no preservatives, you’ll have to use the milk within a few days of making it (3-5 optimally). This has never been a problem in our house. Third, the longer you let the milk “bloom,”  or sit after it’s final blending, the better the flavors integrate. I’ve found that letting it sit overnight in the fridge does a nice little tango between ripening and drinking quickly.  Shake it well before drinking.

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Great for breakfast...

Almond Milk

INGREDIENTS

1 cup soaked raw almonds (soaked 6-8 hours)
4 cups water
Pinch of salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract, if desired
3 tablespoons honey or 3 pitted dates, if desired

INSTRUCTIONS

1.) Place almonds in a large bowl. Cover with water. Allow to sit at least 6 hours. Make sure to use a large bowl, since the almonds will expand when they soak up the water.

2.) Drain the now-brown soaking liquid. Place the almonds in a blender. Add 4 cups more water (slightly less for thicker milk) and salt. Puree the almonds.

3.) Line a colander with cheesecloth or fine clean dishcloths. If you have butter muslin, this will be the best, but the others will work just as well. Place a clean bowl below. Pour the blended almond mixture through the colander.

4.) Pick up the ends of your straining cloth and make a bundle. Squeeze the bundle, extracting as much of the creamy almond juice as you can. The harder you squeeze, the thicker and creamier your milk will be.

The remaining pureed almonds can be dried on a cookie sheet and used as almond flour in baking.

5.) Stir the almond milk in the bowl. Sweeten with honey, if desired. You can also add vanilla extract for a more mild taste, or blend it again with the dates for a naturally sweetened drink.

Store milk in a bottle with a lid or pitcher. Refrigerate and allow flavors to blend. Use within 5 days of making and shake well before drinking.

Or a midnight snack!

Black mulberry-flavored Italian ice, plus buttery pastry - a summer breakfast straight from Sicily.

When the weather turns too hot, I turn to a fantastic and unusual breakfast recipe that I remember from Italy. In Sicily, where the best Italian ices are reportedly made, you’ll find granita di gelsi neri topping traditional menus. It’s made from tart fat black mulberries, pureed with simple syrup and a kiss of lemon, and frozen into ice crystals that look like individual gems.

It’s the balance of sugar water and fruit puree in a granita that allows you to form the crystals easily. Too much water and it’s too hard, and to much syrup and it’s too mushy. Preparation is ridiculously simple: put a pan of your puree and syrup into the freezer, fluff and mash the ice with a fork after one hour, repeat thirty minutes later, and freeze overnight. In the morning, let it sit for five minutes. The ice will be fine crystals that you can scrape away with the tines of a fork.

But don’t let this simplicity deceive you. A granita de gelsi neri is no snow cone. It’s a deep purple-red color, like a full-bodied wine, and just as intoxicating on summer mornings. Traditionally, a hot brioche accompanies the granita, and the crisp hot buttery texture perfectly offsets the sweet bright ice.

Urban foragers, grab your bags and tree climbing shoes. Mulberries are now in season and, if you live in the US, are rarely used for food. Remember the darker the color, the sweeter the berry. In Asia and parts of Europe, I’ve been lucky enough to find them in my local market. If you can’t find black mulberries, use a blend of ripe blackberries and tart raspberries, but be sure to strain the seeds out of your puree.

Freeze and fluff once, twice, and right before serving -- and you're ready to eat!

Granita de Gelsi Neri

Black Mulberry Granita

INGREDIENTS

500 grams black mulberries, or a mixture of tart blackberries and raspberries

The juice of 1 lemon

4 cups water

1 cup fine sugar

INSTRUCTIONS:

1.) Combine your water and sugar in a saucepan over low heat until all the sugar is dissolved. Allow the simple syrup to cool.

2.) Puree your fruit and lemon juice in a blender or fruit processor. You should have approximately 1 1/3 cups of puree.

3.) Combine the simple syrup and the fruit puree. Pour into a long deep pan and cover with foil. Place into a freezer.

4.) After one hour, take a fork and scrape the ice crystals from the sides and bottom. Fluff and mash them back into the liquid.  Repeat 30 minutes later.  You can continue to do this at 30 minute intervals, until you have dry separated ice crystals that are approximately the same size, or you can let it sit overnight.

5.) Before serving, let your granita defrost for 5 minutes. Then scrape off ice crystals using a fork. Serve immediately, in a tall glass. If eating for breakfast, accompany with a hot brioche or buttery pastry. If eating for dessert, you can top with a whipped cream or an ice cream of the same flavor, or combine with other granitas (almond milk, pistachio, coffee, lemon, or orange).

Sweet goodbyes...

Earlier in the week, I gave my last cooking lesson. Not surprisingly, I offered another variation on brownies — this time topped with a citrus-touched cheesecake — with the batter completely prepared in one saucepan on the stovetop.

I’m sad to leave Seoul and to pack up my little kitchen here. It’s kind of fun, actually, to see the ingredients and spices I’ve collected from all over Asia. Tapioca flour from Jakarta…yuzu powder from Kyoto…dried mangos from Manilla…good good stuff.

Well, maybe bittersweet (and a little cheesy) goodbyes...

So as I’m putting on good ol’ songs about summertime, and making my last few dishes (Momofuku’s Crack pie a la Korea), I’ll also be taking requests for my final hits in the  kitchen.  Any requests?

..

"Pockmarked grandmother" tofu from Sichuan

While in China, I wanted to learn a soybean dish with a kick.  This Sichuan dish by far turned out to be my favorite (and it was especially requested by my friend J.).  It’s smooth tofu, paired with crispy meat, with a hot, ginger garlic bean sauce. Yow!

“Ma po doufu” (or tofu) is supposedly named after the old woman who first invented it — “pockmarked grandmother” tofu.  In one version of the dish’s origin, she serves this to the emperor who deems it fit for a king, and in another she offers it to humble workers for lunch.  Considering these two stories, it seems right to call the dish universally appealing.

Here’s some tips to make your dish extra-delicious: Make sure you use silken or soft tofu that you parboil in salted water. This helps it retain its shape while remaining creamy and supple.  Using firm or extra-firm tofu will change the composition of the dish and soak up too much of the sauce.

Additionally, once you add the tofu, be very gentle. If you stir too vigorously and break the tofu, the dish will not look appetizing.

You can control how oily the dish is by modifying the oil you use to fry the meat. While you need a little bit, adding too much will make it greasy. The picture above shows how the spicy bean paste infuses the oil and turns it red, so use it in moderation to carry the flavors without drowning the other elements.

Finally, feel free to adjust all ingredients to taste. There is no right or wrong amount here, so I’ve just estimated the amounts for spicing as a baseline.  Also, feel free to add some sugar if you’d like.

Plate your tofu like I did, with a cucumber ring, or something to help contain the hot chili oil.

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Ma Po Doufu

INGREDIENTS

1 block soft or silken tofu

1/4 cup oil (you can increase or reduce the amount to your taste)

200 grams ground beef or ground pork

2-3 tablespoons Sichuan broad bean sauce (sold as “chili bean sauce”)

1 tablespoon grated ginger

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon ground red chili powder

1 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup water

1 teaspoon chicken bullion powder

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2-3 tablespoons cornstarch or arrowroot powder

2-3 tablespoons scallions, minced white parts

Ground Sichuan pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

1.) Slice the tofu into 1/2 inch cubes. Place into salted water, and bring to a boil. Simmer for 30 seconds and set aside.

2.) Heat the oil until just smoking. Turn down heat and add your meat. When the meat has begun to change color, add your bean sauce, ginger, chili powder and water. The oil will turn red as it becomes infused with the chili pepper and spices.

3.) When the meat is cooked, add the tofu, salt, chicken boullion, soy sauce, and minced scallions. Thicken with your starch and cook until the sauce thickens. Stir very carefully, trying not to break the tofu.

4.) Plate and serve, topping with Sichuan pepper.