Frites Freak

Accompanied by a gently breeze I spent a Sunday afternoon near the river at Sellwood park watching  teetering canoers and sweaty teenagers in all stages of well-done.

Apparently I'm not the only one who finds spectacle in our fellow man, these gents brought their own chairs.   Fending off the occasional mosquito and studying my Japanese I wondered of the contents of commuter mugs held by shirtless dudes and of the physics of tubing in a bikini.  Later I shared my picnic table with a father and daughter chowing down on burgers and fries.  Greasy potato wafted over and I packed up; suddenly inspired for dinner. 

Homemade French Fries
I don't deep fry much something about vats of used cooking oil but I broke down this time rather than heat up the house with my usual baking technique.  Baking in summer is bad.  The secret to this recipe is frying your tots twice; once to cook them through and second to crisp them up.  Here goes:

1 medium Russet potato per person
vegetable oil, enough to fill your pot to a depth of 2"-3, approximately 2 C.

salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Add your oil to a small heavy-bottomed pot (I love cast iron for frying.) While your oil is heating on medium-high, wash your potato and dry well.  Slice the potato into 3/8"-1/2" sticks depending on your preference. Check to see if the oil is up to temperature (350 degrees) by dipping the end of a potato stick into the oil, if it immediately begins to sizzle, add a handful to the oil.   Avoid adding too many at once.

Stir the fries gently and cook approximately 10-12 minutes.  The potatoes will not brown at this stage you just want to cook them through.  Once cooked drain them on a paper towel lined plate.  Fry the fries once more and you will notice that they will quickly brown. 

Drain and liberally salt and pepper.  I like my fries with a side of ketchup sometimes mayo but you can fancy this up with a drizzle of truffle oil or for some ball park nostalgia, with loads of sauteed garlic and parsley.  However you have them, make 'em. If you're a potato lover these might change your life.

Bubbles

Dedicated to my boba jonesing days in Providence where my only option was a $5 heist at the local tea shop—this how to make it yourstinkin' self.

Incidently for those new to boba (a.k.a. bubble tea) don't let its resemblance to frog eggs deter you from trying it after all it's just iced black tea, milk, and tapioca.  Plus, bobas make excellent projectiles.

Homemade Bubble Tea
I found the secret to making boba a home is buying the right tapioca the traditional stuff can take close to an hour to cook so look for the quick-cooking variety. 

Also when brewing your tea the goal is concentrated tea rather than bitter tea so avoid over steeping.

Here what you need:
1/2 C. uncooked instant tapioca pearls
3 t. loose leaf black English tea (or 2-3 tea bags)
2 C. boiling water
3-4 T. condensed milk (the thick sweet stuff)
ice cubes
boba tea straws

Cooking the tapioca:

In a large pot bring a couple quarts of water to a rolling boil, add the tapioca.  Turn the heat down to a simmer and boil for 5 minutes.  Test for doneness, if the tapioca is still firm continue cooking for another minute.  Once tender drain into a colander and cool with cold water.

Brewing the tea:
In a tea kettle bring 2 cups of water to a boil.  Once the water comes to a boil pour over the tea leaves and allow to steep 2 minutes.  Strain out the tea leaves

Assembly:

Divide the tapioca balls into two tall glasses.   Depending on your taste add 1-2 tablespoons of condensed milk followed with tea, stir well.  Add a few ice cubes and drink with a fat straw. Celebrate

Buns and Such

With burgers on the menu, I had the brilliant idea of baking my own buns for no other reason than having never done it. Once again I consulted The Bread Baker's Apprentice and found three recipes for hamburger/hot dog buns each a slight variant of the theme of enriched (the inclusion of eggs and milk) bread. Here's how they turned out:

Perky buggers. Charmingly rotund. Little shiny pates sprinkled with seeds that look nothing like hamburger buns. The buns themselves were subtly sweet, rich without being overly dense and perfectly sized for sliders, my favorite burger portion. Here's one dressed with meat and veg:

While not entirely hamburger-bun-like, my buns did bear the uncanny resemblance to baos, the Chinese yummy version of Hot Pockets. Filled with either a sweet or savory filling they're found in every Chinese bakery and any good chinky boy or girl can relate the childhood ritual of peeling the parchment square off the bottom (preventing sticking during baking) and quickly consuming their bready goodness. Kid Bro and I ate them on our bi-annual provision shops in the big city with Momma. A typical bakery would have a narrow floor plan with a long glass display case behind which curt over-worked women, armed with racks of freshly baked treats would take your order. Momma would make her selections which were placed in a flimsy pink cardboard box efficiently tied with a bow of red cotton string . At home we'd package them individually in plastic sandwich bags sealed with twist ties and freeze them to be reheated in the microwave for afterschool snacks. *sigh*
So with nostalgia on my mind and a package of sweet bean paste in the fridge: I made baos.

Pretty stinkin' cute and really good eats.

I love it when a plan comes together.