tarako party, yeah!

Oh man, it’s been a while.  Oops.

MAYO-KO EGGPLANT.*

Ingredients: (2 Servings)

1 Eggplant, sliced 1/2” thick
2 tbsp Tarako (Cod Roe)
1 tbsp Mayonnaise
1 tbsp Cooking Sake
2 tbsp Canola Oil

Mix together Tarako, mayonnaise, and sake.  Baste both sides of sliced eggplants with canola oil, and place on sheet pan.  Place tarako mixture on top of eggplants.  Bake for 15-20 min in a 350F oven (toaster ovens work fine as well), or until tops are brown.

* Not to be confused with Mayuko Eggplant.

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is this brown or what??

I had a practical exam last week, and I came up with a potato gratin as one of my dishes.  It tasted fabulous, thank you very much.  There was just one (major) problem: my beautiful top layer of cheese and breadcrumbs WOULD NOT BROWN.  I had given myself more than enough time to let it sit under the broiler, knowing that a pale gratin would kill me.  And it did.  Death to Kaka.

Here’s my revenge.  (I love you my crappy, reliable oven!!)

POTATO GRATIN with PROPERLY BROWNED TOP.

Ingredients: (2 Servings)

1 Idaho Potato, thinly sliced
1-2 cups Half & Half
1 tsp Cayenne Powder
2 cloves Garlic
1 tsp Salt (or to taste)
2 tbsp Butter
Grated Gruyere, for topping
Panko, for topping

Put potatoes in a saucepan with cream, cayenne, crushed garlic cloves, salt.  Slowly bring to a boil.  Once cream starts to boil, check to see doneness of potatoes - cook until tender.  Transfer potatoes into a gratin dish (including cream mixture); top with butter, cheese, and breadcrumbs.  Bake for about 20 min in a 350F oven, until cheese is melted and bubbly.  Finish under a working broiler.

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mashed potatoes…baked!

I’ve eaten at least a pound of potatoes over the past week - mainly consumed out of necessity. It’s a long story. Not that I have a problem with eating potatoes, because potatoes are my homies. In fact, college-roomie Sherry once said to me, “Oh Kaka, your future children are going to be so fat because you’ll be feeding ‘em potatoes all the time…”

PHYLLO-WRAPPED MASHED POTATOES.

So I don’t have an exact recipe for this - but here goes. 1. Make some fantastic mashed potatoes (the one pictured has ground beef, shiso, black truffles, some ricotta and grated parmesan). 2. In a loaf pan, place layers of Phyllo dough (large enough to cover bottom and sides of pan). 3. Fill pan with Fantastic Mashed Potatoes. 4. Place layers of Phyllo on top so that the potatoes are “enclosed”, and brush top with olive oil or butter. 5. Bake for 30-45 min, 350ºF, until dough turns golden brown. Serve warm.

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