The Ultimate Rice Cooker (69 page)

6.
Make the custard:
In a bowl with a whisk or immersion blender, beat together the half-and-half, eggs, and seasonings until smooth. Stir in the cheese. Pour the custard over the filling in the pans, filling only three-quarters full, leaving some headroom. Cover each pan with some plastic wrap and twist underneath to seal airtight. Place the pans in the steamer baskets, being careful not to tip the pans from side to side, or the custard will leak.

7. When the water comes to a boil, place the steamer baskets in the cooker and close the cover. Steam for 15 to 18 minutes, or until the custard is set. Remove each pan with a metal spatula and place on a wire rack. Remove the plastic wrap by snipping with some kitchen shears and peeling off. Let cool for at least 10 minutes before removing the sides of the pans. Steam the remaining batch of tartlets. The tartlets should be re-covered with plastic wrap individually and refrigerated after 1 hour.

8. These are best served the day they are made, or refrigerate overnight and reheat for 10 minutes in the steamer basket or for about 1½ minutes in a microwave oven.

OTHER GREAT MARINADES FOR STEAMED CHICKEN BREASTS AND FISH

Teriyaki Marinade

YIELD: About 2 cups

⅔ cup soy sauce

⅓ cup honey

2 teaspoons peeled and grated fresh ginger

1 clove garlic, pressed

3 tablespoons dry sherry or sake

½ cup vegetable oil

½ cup chopped green onions, white and green parts

Place all the ingredients in a shallow bowl; whisk to combine.

Cumin-Yogurt Marinade

YIELD: About 2 cups

1½ cups plain yogurt

⅓ cup fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons ground cumin

Pinch of mixed dried herbs, such as Parsley Patch

1 clove garlic, pressed

1 tablespoon olive oil

Place all the ingredients in a shallow bowl; whisk to combine.

ASIAN INGREDIENTS

If you are new to cooking Asian-style food, there will be some ingredients, basic staples to these styles of cooking, with which you will want to become familiar. They are used in the following recipes and throughout this book. Shop in the Asian section of your supermarket or visit a specialty grocery, which is an experience every serious cook should entertain (you will come home with all sorts of wonderful foods and condiments). This section is also a useful reference when making any of our
fried rices.

Asian sesame oil:
A toasted oil that is thick and brown and used more as a seasoning than a cooking oil. Store in the cupboard, or refrigerate if you use it slowly.

Black beans with garlic sauce:
This pungent and addicting sauce is found in jars in Asian markets.

Chile oil:
The same as hot sesame oil, only it says “vegetable oil” instead of sesame oil.

Chinese mustard:
A spicy, smooth mustard.

Cilantro:
An herb also known as fresh coriander or Chinese parsley, since it is used so much in their cooking. It has a fragile flat, fringed leaf with an intense peppery aroma and a flavor that is positively addictive, sort of citrus-like.

Dried shrimp:
Sun-dried and salted golden orange shriveled-up shrimps are a prized ingredient and used as a seasoning. Sold in plastic bags; store, tightly closed, in the refrigerator or freezer.

Fermented black beans:
These are sold on the shelf in plastic pouches. A little goes a long way in flavoring foods.

Fish sauce:
Pungent
nam pla
in Thai is extracted from salted anchovies or shrimp and used as a cooking condiment. Thai and Vietnamese fish sauces differ slightly.

Ginger:
Fresh ginger should be peeled before using. It doesn’t keep well, so don’t buy more than a week’s worth. Pickled ginger is colored deep red and used as a garnish or flavoring.

Hoisin sauce:
Made from soybeans, flour, sugar, salt, garlic, and chiles, hoisin is a thick, dark red sauce with a piquant flavor beloved in Chinese cooking. It can be used as an ingredient in dim sum, as a seasoning, or in the dipping sauce. Store in the refrigerator indefinitely.

Hot sesame oil:
Made by steeping hot red chiles in sesame oil, this has a reddish tinge and comes in small bottles because you need only a little dab as a condiment or ingredient. Store in the refrigerator indefinitely.

Mirin:
A Japanese sweet rice cooking wine, it is used to add sweetness to a recipe. Pale dry sherry with a dash of sugar added can be substituted.

Miso:
A Japanese ingredient high in protein, it is a sticky, thick soybean paste made from fermented soybeans and salt, and is used as a flavoring agent or diluted into broth for soup. It comes in many varieties, each with its own hue and flavor, from mild to strong. Store in the refrigerator indefinitely.

Napa cabbage:
Also called Chinese cabbage, it is a looser, oblong head of crinkly edged leaves that has an especially mild flavor and is a favorite ingredient, as well as a perfect liner for steamer baskets, along with butter lettuce and green chard leaves. Usually sold next to the regular heads of cabbage in the produce section.

Oyster sauce:
A thick brown condiment, like Worcestershire sauce, made from a large array of ingredients—including fermented oyster extract, salt, and soy sauce—it adds color and a salty flavor to a dish. Beth loves a vegetarian oyster sauce (found only in specialty markets) with the oyster extract replaced with shiitake mushroom extract; it is fantastic! Pay the bit more for “premium” oyster sauce; it is worth it. Store in the refrigerator.

Rice vinegar:
A distilled clear, straw-colored vinegar with a mild sweet flavor made from fermented white rice and used in cooking as a seasoning, and for pickling.

Rice wine:
See Shaoxing wine, Sake, Mirin.

Sake:
A Japanese rice wine that is not sweet like mirin. Stronger than American wine, it is used for cooking as well as for drinking. Hakusan is a good inexpensive domestic brand.

Shaoxing wine:
The popular Chinese dark amber rice wine used for cooking, found in Asian markets, sometimes labeled with the older spelling Shao Hsing. A medium-dry sherry (not sake) is a good substitute.

Soy sauce:
Made from fermented soybeans, salt, and wheat, soy sauce is a full-flavored salt substitute and premier ingredient in Asian cooking. It is used as an ingredient, a condiment, and a marinade. There are different brands, both Chinese and Japanese, ranging in degree of quality, saltiness, and flavor. There is a light, or thin, soy sauce, used in these recipes, and a dark, or thick, soy sauce that is more viscous and stronger in flavor. Beth uses tamari, a Japanese soy sauce that is more like Chinese dark soy sauce. Julie favors regular Japanese-style soy sauces called
shoyu
; they are thinner, a dash sweeter, and less salty than the Chinese ones. Reduced-sodium brands, catering to the health-conscious market and changing tastes, are excellent.

Szechuan pepper:
Tiny red-brown peppercorns with a strong, hot flavor. This is a regional product of Szechuan province.

Tofu:
Also known as bean curd, tofu is a pressed block made from curdled soy bean milk. It is quite bland, but is favored as a vegetarian alternative to meat because of its high protein content. It comes in soft, silken, medium, firm, and extra firm styles, and is custardlike in texture. Store tofu in the refrigerator (except for the kind packed in juice box containers, which can be stored unopened at room temperature; once opened, they, too, must be refrigerated). After opening, store any left over tofu in a water-filled plastic or glass container with a tight-fitting lid. Change the water daily and the tofu will stay fresh for days.

Wonton or siu mai wrappers:
Look for these small, 3½-inch square or round thin pasta sheets in plastic pouches in the produce or refrigerator section. Freeze unused wrappers for up to a month. They can be steamed, fried, or boiled after filling.

YOUR OWN PRESERVED GRAPE LEAVES

Pick the tender leaves early in the summer for the best tasting and most palatable leaves, and leave at least an inch of stem attached (you will use the stem to handle the wet leaves). Tasters say the best varieties of grape for their leaves are Thompson Seedless, Chardonnay, and Emperor.

Sort the leaves (rounded lobes are better than deeply lobed; they are more tender) and discard ones that have holes or are torn. Gently rinse under cold running water.

In a large saucepan filled with water, add 2 tablespoons of fine salt per quart of water. Bring to a boil. Slide the leaves into the boiling water and blanch for 2 to 3 minutes. Lift out with a large slotted spoon or pour through a large colander to drain. Remove each leaf, one at a time, pat dry with a paper towel, and uncurl the edges. The grape leaves are now ready for stuffing.

If you want to preserve them for up to 2 weeks, combine 1 cup water and 1 cup lemon juice in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Stack the wet leaves in piles of 10 and roll up like a cigar. Pack into a sterile pint canning jar. You will be able to pack quite a few rolls into each jar. Pour the hot liquid into each jar, covering the leaves completely. Cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks or pressure-can for longer storage.

FILLING VARIATIONS

There are never enough vegetable fillings for tamales, so here are a few extra.

Winter Squash and Cilantro Tamales

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

½ medium-size white onion, chopped

½ medium-size red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

3½ cups peeled, seeded, and diced pumpkin or other winter squash, such as butternut or blue Hubbard

1 teaspoon salt

Dash of ground white pepper

1 cup chicken or vegetable stock

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

1. In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook, stirring, until softened. Add the squash, salt, white pepper, and stock and simmer, partially covered, until the squash is tender.

2. Remove the cover, increase the heat to high, and cook until the liquid is evaporated. Mash a few times (leave some chunks) and stir in the cilantro. Let cool to room temperature or refrigerate.

Corn and Black Bean Tamales

2 cups fresh or frozen (and thawed) baby corn kernels

1¼ cups cooked black beans, drained and rinsed

One 7-ounce jar roasted sweet red peppers, drained on paper towels and minced, or 2 red bell peppers, roasted, peeled, seeded, and minced

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons chili powder

1½ teaspoons salt

6 ounces goat cheese, crumbled

1. Place the corn, beans, roasted peppers, cumin, chili powder, and salt in a medium-size bowl; stir to combine. Refrigerate until needed.