Bento Otaku

I've been uber busy with graduating form Le Cordon Bleu and launching my catering business.  In October I catered a 3 course chcoolate infused dinner for over 100 guests.  It went well and allt he proceed went to charity.  I was paid in chocolate...so...I suspect that dessert sushi will eb coming to a bento post in the very near future.  Nummy.

Cheese plate with a deep fried coconut battered orange segment- because frying things is fun.


Alas, poor Kermit, I knew him well...frog legs witha  tomatoe garnish, for no apparent reason.

L'onion gratain- that's French for..French onion soup.

Incredible Hulk Sorbet... or, bad bad things with the ice cream machine...
 

  Choux Paste/ Eclair paste/the stuff cream puffs and perfiteroles are made of... are PERFECT for mini sandwiches inside your lunchbox!  


Try slicing a puff in half and filling it with ham and cheese or tuna salad or a mini burger or...or...or... well, the possibilities are limitless.  If you add a little grated cheese to the paste along with the flour they are quite nice. 

Bake a batch in advance and store in an airtight container in your fridge for about 3-5 days.  Just pop them in a warm oven to refresh them before each use.  I've had some success freezing small puffs, so try it, if you're feeling lucky.

I know it seems like it'd be impossible and its all scary and intimidating, but really, its pretty easy.
What you're going to need, by way of fancy equipment:

A heavy medium sized sauce pan (a pot, okay?)
A sturdy spoon (for stirring like mad!) 
A kitchen scale
Mixing Bowl
Whisk
Stand Mixer, fitted with paddle attachment
Rubber/ silicone spatula
Large round pastry tip
Patry bag (or a big ziplock)
Parchment Paper
Cookie Sheet
Helper or a tall narrow glass.


Metrics:                                        
8 oz Milk                                       
8 oz H2O                  
8 oz Butter - ROOM TEMPERATURE
12 oz Flour
5 grams Salt
20 oz Eggs -ROOM TEMPERATURE- Slightly Beaten

(***Conversions, for the metrically challenged:  
8 oz = 1 cup          4 oz= .5 cup           12 oz= 1.5 cup          20 oz= 2.5 cups  5 g= 1 teaspoon***)

PREHEAT OVEN TO 425

1)   Pour the milk and water into the sauce pan and add the butter.  Heat over medium heat.  SLOWLY bring to a boil.  Stir to keep the milk from scalding.
2) Add all the flour and immediately remove from heat.
3) Stir like mad with your sturdy spoon until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan and forms a ball.  Don't worry if a film develops on the sides of your pan, its normal.  (And good on you for not using non-stick coated pans!)
4) Put the pot back on medium heat and continue to stir for about 3 minutes longer.  This removes the excess moisture from the mix.
5) Dump the dough ball into your stand mixer (fitted with the paddle attachment) and turn it on low.  Let is stir until you don't see anymore steam rising.  While that's cooling, whisk your eggs in your bowl.  You're not making a merangue, so take it easy- just a little foamy is good.
6) Once the paste is cooled, add the 1/4 of the eggs at a time, incorporating between each addition.    Once you've added the last of the eggs, bump the speed up to medium and let it mix until the dough looks like a super sticky batter.
7)Call your helper to hold the pastry bag while you scoop the paste in with your rubber/silcone spatula.  Fill it only half way!
(If you are alone, use a tall narrow glass to hold the pastry bag- just drop the tip down inside and fold the edges of the bag over the glass to create your own third hand)  
8) Pipe a dot of paste on each corner of the cookie sheet to affix your parchment paper.
9) Pipe out your pate a choux.  (This is tha part that takes practice and you'll need to know if you're making eclairs or puffs and what size you want them to be- keep in mind that they pretty much double in size when they bake.  Avoid piping out "snowmen" because they bake off weird)
10) Place in oven for about 10 minutes- you're looking for volume during this part, more so than browning.
11) When they've expanded, drop the temp on the oven down to 350 and let them bake until golden brown.  Watch them like a hawk through your oven door.  These go from golden delicious to burnt and icky pretty quickly. 
12) Remove to cool.   

***I'm going to strongly recommend you spend the $20.00 on a kitchen scale and use the metric measurements for the dry ingredients.   For some reason, weighing the ingredients produces more consistent results than the old measuring cups/spoons.***

            

 Listening to The Magnificent Seven and pondering lunch this afternoon, with a new friend who is going to explain the ins and outs of this viaticle life settlment stuff to me.  (sounds terribly dull, but its really quite fascinating- how some complete stranger can be the benficiary of your life insurance policy- just waiting on you to die so they can cash in...positivly ghouslish.)

Anyway, about lunch:  no bento today because I'm having lunch with R.R. 
sammies: salmon salad with french whole grain mustard, honey, green onions and dried cranberries on a pate a choux bun
strawberry salad: romaine leave, strawberry slices, mango slices, orange segments, and praline pecans with a lemony viniagrette
treats: cherry brandy truffles
drinks: lemonade


Yes, I know, I am a culinary goddess.  I will try to snap some pictures before we gnosh.  It's not bento, but it is noteworthy.  Too bad I didn't bring some nice china to eat off of, chinette will have to do.  I am at the office afterall.

My boyfriend packed my bento for me on Monday.  He even used my new San-X MonoKoRu Boo bento boxes.

  
Lucky #7...so I thought what's lucky?  
lucky stars and lucky bunnies.  :)

 
Its Friday, I'm at lunch...
I have an exam tonight, so I needed study snacks.

I made sushi tonight in class.  Not one to take the easy route, I decided on nigiri and a roll with the rice on the outside.  :)

 

 Withcraft, by book of love.
....My love potion
boils and bubbles
poof! goes all my
toil and troubles....

The snack sack?  That just kinda sounds wrong...

These are my interpretations of some basic recipes.  I have tried to use things that I can get in a typical American grocery store. 

Sushi Rice:
4 Cups of steamed rice
1 T vinegar
1 T sugar
1 T salt

OR
4 Cups of steamed rice
Mirin, to taste.

---------------------------------------------

Onigiri (Rice Balls)
You'll need:
1 1/2 cups of steamed rice
A pinch of salt 
1 sheet of nori (seaweed wrapper)
plastic wrap
a coffee/ tea cup 

1)drape the plastic wrap across the top of your coffee/tea cup to form a sort of shallow bowl to hold the rice.
2) sprinkle some salt into the plastic wrap bowl and then add a handful of rice.  (If you wet your hands it wont stick to your fingers)
3) pull the ends of the plastic wrap up to form a bundle.  Twist the plastic wrap to make a tight seal and form a ball shape.  
4) now, shape the onigiri into a triangle.  Hodl the rice ball in your non-dominant hand.  Use the natural V formed between your thumb and index finger of your dominate hand to pack the rice into a triangle shape.  Pack it tightly.
5) unwrap the rice ball and cut into 1" wide onigiri.  (if you wet your knife, it wont stick)
6) Wrap a strip of nori around the bottom to give you a place to hold the onigiri without getting sticky fingers or wrap the entire thing- whatever you like.

----------------------------------------------------
Rice Burgers:
You'll need:
2 Cups steamed rice
1 Tablespoon of butter
soy sauce/teriaki sauce- something to flavor your rice buns
whatever you want for the filling (soy burgers, cheese, fish, chicken, beef patties- whatev!)
Ziplock bag(s)
Small saute pan
spatula

1) Divide the rice into 1/2 cup portions.  
2) Place a portion in the ziplock bag.  
3)Unleash your inner artist and sculpt the rice into a burger bun - the top, domed half.  Set aside.
4) Repeat with remaining portions
5) Melt butter in your saute pan over medium heat.  Coat the pan with the melted butter.
6) Add rice buns and cook until firm.  Don't brown them, that'll taste icky.  
7) Add your flavoring sauce, if you like that sort of thing.
8) Use the buns to build your sandwich.

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Tamagoyaki (omlette)
You'll need:
3 eggs
2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons milk (as needed)
1 Tablespoon veg oil
mixing bowl
saute pan
spatula
aluminum foil

1) Mix the eggs, sugar and salt in the bowl.  Add milk, if you like fluffier eggs.
2) Heat oil in saute pan over medium heat
3) Stir eggs every few seconds.  You want BIG chunks of eggs here, not little shreds, so take it easy on the stirring part.  Cook for about 3 minutes.  Eggs should still be loose, not all cooked hard.
4) Carefully pour the eggs onto a sheet of aluminum foil and roll into a log.  Roll it as tightly as you can.
5) Wait about 5 minutes for the eggs to set up into the log shape.  
6) unwrap and slice into bite sized pieces.

 
Two For Tuesday?
I had a late night and decided to pack my breakfast AND lunch today.

Bento Boxes: Natural, in Pink.  Purchased for $1.50 (per piece: such as the box, belt, and bag) 
at Ichibankanusa.com