Eating is Art

for the crust:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
pinch of salt
1/3 cup ice water

for the filling:
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar (light or dark)
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
5 tablespoons cornstarch
2 pints fresh blueberries, washed and picked over
2 tablespoons butter

To make the crust, place the flour, butter, shortening, and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles fine meal. Add the ice water and pulse until the dough comes together in a ball. Turn onto a lightly floured work surface and knead the dough 4 or 5 times or until the dough comes together. Divide the dough into two balls. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate, if possible, at least 1 hour or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Roll out one ball of dough on a lightly floured work surface into a 12-inch circle about 1/4 inch thick. Fit the dough into the bottom of a 9-inch pie plate.

Place the brown sugar, lemon juice, and cornstarch in a medium-size bowl and toss with the blueberries. Pour the blueberry mixture into the pie plate. Dot with butter. Roll out the second round of dough and place over the filling. Crimp the edges together, sealing the bottom and top crusts. Trim around the edges of the pie to neaten up the crust. Make three to four slits on top with a shart knife for the steam to escape while baking.

Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and bake until the crust is brown and the blueberries are bubbling, another 40 to 45 minutes. Serve the pie warm.

4 chicken breast fillets, cut into strips
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
1 tablespoon chili sauce
1 tablespoon natural yogurt
2 teaspoon curry powder
2 cups crushed cornflakes
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1 1/4 ounces grated parmesan

sweet and sour sauce:
1 tablespoon. cornstarch
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup caster sugar, or white sugar if you don’t have caster
1/4 cup tomato sauce
1 tsp. chicken stock powder (can be omitted)

Mix the chili sauce, teriyaki sauce, yogurt, and curry powder. Toss the chicken strips in marinade and refrigerate in an airtight container for at least 4 hours, preferably 24, occasionally tossing.

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Combine cornflakes, sesame seeds, and parmesan. Remove chicken from marinade, shake excess, and roll chicken in cornflake mixture. Bake on greased tray in single layer (close together is okay) for 20 - 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, blend the vinegar and cornstarch. Combine with remaining ingredients plus 1 cup water, stir over medium heat until it boils and thickens. Serve chicken and sauce hot. Sauce can be reheated in microwave.

This stuff is good. Really, really frickin' good.

1 1/2 – 2 inch sliced ginger, julienned (about 2 tablespoons), or 1 1/2 teaspoons dry ginger
6 shiitake mushrooms
2 stalks celery, julienned or diced
1 large carrot, juilienned or shredded
1 1/2 cups shredded cabbage
3 ounces firm tofu, cut into small cubes or julienned
2 green onions, diced
1 tabespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil (can be omitted)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
12 spring roll or eggroll wrappers
1 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons water

Stir fry fresh ginger and mushrooms in wok or very large skillet over high heat (if using dried ginger, omit). Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add celery, carrot, cabbage, tofu and green onions; stir-fry about 2 minutes. Add soy sauce, salt, sugar, dried ginger and white pepper; mix well. Remove wok or skillet from heat and let cool.

Lay 1 wrapper on work surface with 1 corner toward you. Cover remaining wrappers with damp cloth to prevent drying. Place 1/3 cup vegetable mixture in a line across center of wrapper. Fold bottom corner of wrapper over vegetable mixture. Fold in left and right corners. With a pastry brush or small spoon, brush top corner and side edges of wrapper with cornstarch solution. Roll wrapper to form a tight cylinder. Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling.

You can bake or steam the spring rolls. To bake: spray a baking sheet with PAM, place rolls on baking sheet and lightly spray the rolls with PAM. Bake at 400 F until golder brown, about 10 minutes. To steam: place bamboo steamer over boiling water. Place spring rolls in steamer, cover and steam until done, about 10 minutes. Spring rolls can be refrigerated before cooking for a few hours. Lay flat and cover with a damp towel.

Serve with sauce of your choice. Try sweet and sour, hoisin, or soy sauce mixed with a little chili oil. Makes 12 spring rolls.

1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup plain yogurt
2 tablespoons vinegar (white, wine, or rice)
2 heads broccoli, cut into flowerettes
1 cup raisins
1 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 pound bacon, crisped and crumbled

Combine first four ingredients. Add remaining ingredients. Can be made and refrigerated ahead of time. Comfort food. Hard on the arteries.