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00:00Get it up, the faster I can taste it.
00:02Hallelujah!
00:03Asian chicken pot pie with a crust
00:05made out of layers of fluffy scallion pancakes.
00:08Dang.
00:09That is so flavorful.
00:11Saucy and sticky orange broccoli and cauliflower.
00:14I am not going to be able to stop eating this.
00:17Orange, you glad it's just a bunch of veggies?
00:19Juicy pork potsticker stir fry.
00:21Get at me.
00:23I almost don't even want to share this with the girls.
00:26And for dessert, my five-spice gingerbread cookies
00:28with tangy cream cheese frosting, shine.
00:31Five-spice, more like five stars.
00:39I'm putting together a hearty dinner for the family
00:42because it's my favorite thing to do.
00:44It's how I show my love.
00:45For dessert, I'm making frosted five-spice gingerbread cookies.
00:49They're soft and sweet and flecked
00:52with the uniquely cozy flavors of Chinese five-spice.
00:55And then they get finished with a thick layer
00:58of orange cream cheese frosting.
01:00They're sort of like a gingerbread cookie
01:02for sugar cookie people, such as myself.
01:05I'll start with the dry ingredients for the dough.
01:07Three and a half cups of all-purpose flour,
01:09a teaspoon of baking powder.
01:11A little bit of baking powder is really helpful
01:13in the overall softness of the cookie.
01:16But what I love about these cookies
01:18is that they hold their shape with crisp edges
01:20after they're cut out.
01:22Teaspoon of kosher salt.
01:24Another star flavor of the show, Chinese five-spice.
01:27It's got cinnamon, cloves, fennel, anise,
01:30and Sichuan peppercorn.
01:32So you get the licorice notes of the fennel and the anise,
01:35and then that little peppery bite
01:37from the Sichuan peppercorn.
01:38It is such a complex, cozy combination of spices.
01:42All the flavors work so gorgeously together.
01:45I'm bumping up with a tablespoon of cinnamon
01:47because cinnamon truly is a key flavor of gingerbread.
01:50Ginger gets the naming rights,
01:52but cinnamon lays the foundation for everything.
01:55And then, of course, some ground ginger.
01:57And it's that signature zinginess
01:59that makes for a great gingerbread.
02:02And I'll just whisk this together.
02:04Cookie decorating is a central part of winter.
02:07We go all out with the buttercream and the sprinkles.
02:10And typically, we do sugar cookies
02:12because those are the most fun to decorate.
02:14But always, a little part of me feels bad
02:16that we skimp out on the traditional gingerbread.
02:19So this actually kind of combines the two.
02:20I'm using gingerbread flavors in a sugar cookie shape
02:25and topping it with frosting
02:26because frosted cookies are the best cookies.
02:30It's good to go.
02:31In my stand mixer, I'll combine one cup
02:33of softened unsalted butter
02:35and then four ounces of cream cheese
02:36is my secret ingredient for making a cutout cookie
02:40that once it bakes up, it retains this gorgeous softness.
02:44It'll also contribute a little bit of tang,
02:46which is so tasty.
02:47And then one and a quarter cups of dark brown sugar.
02:50I'll beat this up until it's creamy and combined.
02:56This isn't like a fluffy cake
02:57where you have to beat in a ton of air
02:59in order to get a fluffy crumb.
03:01I love a cutout cookie that is super-duper dense,
03:05so I'm not too concerned
03:06with beating in a ton of air at this stage,
03:08which is great.
03:09Takes less time.
03:10I'll crack in an egg
03:15and splash in some vanilla
03:17and then turn the mixer down to low
03:19and gradually incorporate the dry ingredients.
03:23The smell of the Chinese five-spice
03:24is so nostalgic for me.
03:26It makes me think of Peking duck and char choux.
03:29It's combined when I can no longer see any dry bits of flour.
03:33Let me grab some plastic wrap.
03:36I'll divide it in half, wrap it in plastic,
03:39and then refrigerate it for a few hours.
03:41And this is also the type of thing
03:42you could make a couple of days in advance
03:44and just keep in your fridge until you're ready to bake.
03:46It's smelling so good already.
03:51My dough is chilled.
03:52It's ready to be rolled out.
03:53I'm rolling this out to a scant quarter of an inch thick,
03:56so just slightly less than a quarter of an inch.
03:59It'll be just thick enough to stay soft
04:00after they've baked.
04:04That looks good.
04:05I'll cut out my shapes.
04:06I'm using a star, and it's a big star
04:08because a big cookie is a tasty cookie.
04:11You get a lot of those chewy innards.
04:14And stars are fun to decorate.
04:17Just like that.
04:18I love those clean edges.
04:20I'll place it onto a baking sheet
04:21that's lined with parchment.
04:23I'll keep on cutting,
04:24and then I'll actually freeze these for an hour
04:26before baking at 350 for eight minutes
04:29until they're no longer shiny and just set.
04:31And then I'll get going on the frosting.
04:37It's just butter, powdered sugar, and salt.
04:40Start on low, then increase speed to high
04:42once you know the sugar won't fly.
04:44Oh, that rhymed.
04:45Add some cream cheese, orange zest, vanilla,
04:50and beat some more.
04:52Then scrape into a piping bag
04:53fitted with a quarter-inch tip for frosting ease.
04:56Easy peasy.
04:58My cookies are cool.
04:59They smell incredible.
05:00I'm ready to frost and decorate.
05:03So I like a cookie with a frosting
05:06as opposed to an icing that hardens.
05:08You can't beat a really soft, fluffy frosting.
05:11I've got it in a big piping bag with a fairly large tip.
05:15I honestly like almost a one-to-one ratio
05:18of cookie to frosting,
05:19so I'm gonna pipe on a thick layer.
05:24I'm doing these big, cartoon-like lines.
05:29Ta-da!
05:30I'll finish with a little dusting of cinnamon.
05:33That way, that's the first thing that you smell
05:34when you go for a bite.
05:36Speaking of going for a bite,
05:38I'm just gonna steal taste.
05:41Mm-hmm.
05:43Mm-hmm.
05:44They're soft and sweet and so cozy,
05:47and the brightness from the cream cheese
05:48and the orange and the frosting
05:50balances everything out.
05:52Five spice, more like five stars.
06:07For the main event,
06:07I'm making my Asian chicken pot pie.
06:10It's got a super hearty, super flavorful filling
06:13that's loaded with chicken and ginger,
06:16and it gets topped with a freaking
06:18scallion pancake crust.
06:20Go off, pie.
06:21I start with the filling
06:22and then do an easy puff pastry
06:24scallion pancake hack.
06:26I've got some oil in my pan here.
06:28I'm building everything in my braiser
06:29and then serving it out of that as well.
06:31I've got onion and celery along with some scallions.
06:34I'll just add the white parts
06:36of the scallions right now.
06:37It must take a little bit longer to cook.
06:39A pinch of salt and then I'll cook these
06:42for a few minutes to soften.
06:44If I had to choose, I would say that chicken pot pies
06:47are the coziest food of all time.
06:49They're just like soup, but more.
06:51They're heartier, they're creamier,
06:53and then you have that crust.
06:56Oh, and with the scallion pancake crust,
06:58this is gonna be otherworldly.
07:00Next, I'll toss in some ginger and garlic.
07:03Is ginger the theme of the day
07:05with the gingerbread cookies?
07:06I'm okay with it.
07:08A little crushed red pepper for some heat.
07:10I'll let this cook until it's fragrant.
07:12You wanna be careful not to overcook the ginger
07:15or the garlic and cause them to burn and get bitter.
07:18I'll start to build the base of my pot pie.
07:21So with any pot pie, I do the veggies
07:24and then add some flour, which is gonna thicken up the liquid
07:26and create that creamy sauce.
07:28I'll get in six tablespoons of all-purpose flour.
07:31And whenever you're adding flour to a dish like this,
07:34you wanna cook it for a couple of minutes
07:36before adding the liquid and that toasts the flour
07:38and it gets rid of that floury flavor.
07:41I'll switch to a whisk now
07:43and then whisk in two and a half cups
07:44of low-sodium chicken stock.
07:46So you wanna add this gradually
07:47to create the smoothest sauce.
07:50The first food that Bernie ever inhaled
07:53when she was probably about eight months old
07:55was chicken pot pie.
07:57So I know she's gonna be into this.
07:59You can really start to feel it in your whisk
08:01when it's thickened up
08:02and you can kinda see the tracks that the whisk leaves.
08:05So I'm ready to add the chicken.
08:07I've got four cups of cooked chicken here.
08:09I'll toss this in.
08:11I like to use a mixture of chicken breasts and chicken thighs
08:14so you get those contrasting textures.
08:17Okay, I'll fold this in.
08:19Then you can't have a chicken pot pie without peas.
08:21I'm just using frozen peas which will thaw almost immediately
08:25when they hit the hot mixture.
08:26They're like little balls of sweetness scattered throughout.
08:29And then a few of the scallion greens
08:30but I'll actually reserve most of them for the topping.
08:32Some black pepper.
08:34I'll season with a bit of soy sauce.
08:36A splash of rice vinegar adds crucial acidity
08:39to balance out the flavors.
08:41And then to maximize its coziness,
08:43half a cup of heavy grape.
08:45I'll stir this all together.
08:47This looks so creamy and good.
08:49Alright, I'll remove it from the heat while I make the scallion pancake crust topping.
08:55I've got two sheets of store-bought puff pastry that I've thawed.
08:58You can either do it in the refrigerator overnight
09:01or at room temperature for about 45 minutes or an hour.
09:04And I'll roll this out until it's a wide 18 by 12 inch rectangle.
09:09You want to work fairly quickly and keep it as cold as it can be
09:12to maximize those flaky layers once it bakes up.
09:15My rectangle's rolled out, I'll drizzle it with some toasted sesame oil.
09:19Even though it's called a scallion pancake,
09:21sesame is a necessary part of it.
09:24Because this sesame oil infuses it with so much flavor.
09:27That dark toasty notes paired with the fresh scallions are such a great flavor match.
09:32I'll sprinkle with my reserved scallion greens.
09:38A pinch of salt.
09:40And I'll roll this up like a jelly roll.
09:42I want a nice tight roll to lock in all the scallions.
09:45Okay, and then I'll coil this up like a snail.
09:49To create layers upon layers of scallion sesame goodness.
09:54I'll roll it out again.
09:55And I'll roll it out this time to be a little larger than the top of my brazier here.
10:01So it's going to be quite large.
10:02I can start to see the scallion greens through the dough.
10:05I'll brush this all over with egg wash to help it get shiny and golden on top.
10:13I'll brush the edges of the brazier with some egg wash too.
10:15And this will be glue that will help the puff pastry stay on.
10:19I'll cut some slits on the top for vents so that the steam can release as it bakes.
10:24I'll transfer it to the brazier.
10:27Drape it over the top.
10:29Oh, it looks so good.
10:30I want to make sure it touches all the edges.
10:33And then before it goes in the oven, some flaky salt and sesame seeds for crunch.
10:38Oh, that's so pretty.
10:39I'll bake this at 425 degrees for 30 minutes,
10:43tenting with foil for the last 10 so that it doesn't get too brown.
10:47Cozy town, here I come.
10:52It smells spectacular in here.
10:54Let me check on that pie.
10:56Yum.
10:59That is one gorgeous pot pie.
11:01I'm going to go for it right now.
11:04Because family means that you don't care if the person who cooked the pot pie snakes a taste before
11:09serving it.
11:10You know what this needs?
11:11Is some hot Chinese mustard for just a touch of that sinus clearing deliciousness.
11:25Dang.
11:27That is so flavorful with that ginger and the scallions.
11:32And that crust is so chewy and crispy and flaky and good.
11:37This is some alpaca sweater level coziness in one spoon.
11:47For a side dish that is vying to be even more comforting than the main, I am making orange
11:52broccoli and cauliflower. It's basically orange chicken, but with veggies. So it's healthy-ish.
11:59I'm starting with half a head each of cauliflower and broccoli. And I'll coat them in some flour,
12:03season with some salt. And it's so easy just to put them all into a bag and shake them up.
12:08This is a job that Bernie and Ira would love to do.
12:10So I'll just get them fully coated in the flour. And this just helps the surface of the veggies
12:14stick really well to the batter. All right, that's it for the batter. I'll start with three
12:19quarters of a cup of all-purpose flour. And three quarters of a cup of rice flour, which will help
12:25the batter fry up to be light and crispy. Two teaspoons of baking powder will allow the batter
12:31to puff up while it fries. And a teaspoon of salt. And it'll whisk together. This is just like a tempura
12:37batter. I love a battered vegetable. It kind of creates this shell that's crispy on the outside,
12:43but chewy once you get right below the surface. Such a good texture. One and a half cups of seltzer
12:50adds the bubbles that will keep this batter light and airy. This will be a very thin batter,
12:57but it puffs up in the fryer. I love seeing this bubbly batter come together.
13:03I'll transfer my veggies to the batter and get them fully coated. Cauliflower and broccoli are so
13:10great with this because their florets catch the batter and just provide so much delicious textural
13:16excitement. Broccoli is one of the few vegetables that Bernie and Ira reliably eat with excitement.
13:22So we have it pretty much every other day. They've got to have it crispy. They're actually pretty
13:28snobby about their broccoli texture. If they have broccoli somewhere else and it's not crispy or salty
13:33enough, they won't eat it. But this deep frying is going to take the broccoli crispiness to a whole
13:39other level. I'll toss these to allow the batter to coat everything. And then I'll get them into my pot of
13:43oil. I have a couple of inches of neutral oil heating to 350 degrees here. And this is exactly
13:50the sizzle you want to hear. I'll add a couple of spoonfuls. I'll fry these for four to five minutes
13:55until they're golden all over. And I'm frying in cast iron, which is a great vessel for deep frying
14:01because cast iron holds heat very well and it kind of slows that dropping of the oil temperature once
14:08the cold veggies go into the oil. And one thing I love about orange chicken is how
14:13the nuggets are all very smooth and almost blob like in appearance. And that's what's happening
14:21here too. The batter is just getting so puffy and happy. And there are still some craggles though,
14:26which is important because those craggles will catch the sauce and add for some great crunchy
14:32excitement. Even if the batter starts to turn lightly golden, you want to make sure to go for the full four
14:37to five minutes because it's important that the veggies cook all the way through. This is the golden
14:43brown color that I'm looking for. And I love seeing those craggly bits. They'll be extra crunchy. I'll transfer
14:49these to a wire rack, allow any excess oil to drip off, and I'll just hold them here while I fry up the rest
14:55of the batch. And then I'll make my sauce. This sauce contributes tang and zippiness and it just
15:05shellacks the veggies with glossiness. I'm starting with some orange juice and to this I'll add a couple
15:10of tablespoons of soy sauce, rice vinegar for acidity. I love a sweet salty combo, but you also got to have
15:17some sour. A couple of teaspoons of toasted sesame oil, and then a quarter cup of apricot jam, which will
15:24help the sauce caramelize and thicken, and then it'll woo onto the veggies in that deliciously sticky
15:30way. And a tablespoon of cornstarch to thicken everything up. I'll whisk this until it's smooth.
15:36I love to have this combination of orange and apricot so you get complex fruitiness.
15:41Now ultimately it's going to be heating it up that thickens it, but before I add it to my pot to thicken,
15:46I'll sizzle together some aromatics. I'll add a drizzle of oil to my big braiser here,
15:51and I'm using a pot that's big enough to add in the veggies after I've made the sauce.
15:55I'll sizzle some scallions and garlic and ginger and crushed red pepper. I love a kiss of heat in this
16:03dish. I'll pour in the sauce. I'll simmer this for just a minute until it thickens.
16:11That is a really good smell and a really good smell is the key to a cozy kitchen. Oh yeah, it's getting thick.
16:17When you can drag your spoon across the bottom of the pot and see it's tracked the whole way,
16:25you know it's thick enough. All right, it's go time. I'll add the veggies right into the sauce.
16:30I'm so excited. I like handling these. They're so satisfying and crunchy. I'll toss them all together
16:37and get them fully coated in the sauce. This looks so good. Yowza. The faster I can plate it up,
16:46the faster I can taste it. This is the perk of wearing sweaters. Hallelujah.
16:56Look at that steam coming off of it. It still needs toasted sesame seeds and scallions.
17:04And this is just giving my hand something to do while it cools so that it's not lava hot going into
17:09my mouth. Which one of you do I want first? I want you.
17:22So sweet and sticky and the breading is so crunchy and chewy and satisfying.
17:28I am not going to be able to stop eating this.
17:30Orange you glad it's just a bunch of veggies?
17:40To really stir up this dinner, I'm making my potsticker stir fry. It's just a quick and easy veggie base
17:46with juicy pork dumplings to make it craveable. I'm starting with my potstickers, just frozen pork potstickers.
17:53I keep these on hand at all times. The girls cannot get enough of them. I've got some oil in my skillet here.
18:00I'll spread these out so that all of them can make contact with this skillet and start to get crispy.
18:06Sometimes when I see my girls inhaling bananas, the grossest food of all time, I am like,
18:11whose child is this? You are not related to me. But then when I see them eat potstickers with as much
18:18exuberance, I'm like, oh yeah, we're totally related. And now to get the insides hot and steamy,
18:24I'll add a quarter cup of water and then quickly cover it up. This is a two-step process. Step one,
18:29make them crisp. Step two, make them cook throughout. I'm always looking for ways to make potstickers into
18:35a full meal. Sometimes I'll put potstickers on a salad, but one day I just cooked up some veggies
18:41right along in the skillet with them, throw in a sauce and bam, you've got to stir fry.
18:44They smell so good. All right, I'll uncover these. Hello. And allow the steam to evaporate.
18:53Oh, look at that good brown color. This is my happy place. A can of dumplings.
19:00I'll get these out of the skillet to make way for the veggies.
19:05Add a little more oil and then I'll get going on my veggies. I've got some broccoli,
19:10bell pepper, and onion here. Within a pile of potstickers, I'll eat any veggies.
19:15Oh, it smells so good. I don't cook these for just a few minutes.
19:20If your pan ever seems dry, you can add a little bit more oil.
19:25They're so colorful. Bernie just had a rainbow birthday party. This would have been perfect for it.
19:31I'll sprinkle in a few cashews. I'll let them toast. Cashews are such a happy nut. They're always
19:36smiling. I'll have the potstickers back in. This is almost like a pasta dish. If you think of the
19:42potstickers as like ravioli. I'll bring this all together with my sauce. Sriracha, soy, rice vinegar,
19:50sesame, water, cornstarch, salt, ginger, garlic. Mix it up. Sauce done.
20:01The sauce just adds the most delicious bit of heat. Brings everything together. This is my ideal
20:07form of balance. Fried potstickers. The rainbow of veggies. I'm so here for this. I cannot wait. I'm
20:15going to get a serving bowl immediately. Oh yeah. Get at me. I'm so excited. I almost don't even want to
20:25share this with the girls. I'm going to spoon this one. Hell yeah. Here we go.
20:37Those potstickers are so crispy and juicy and these veggies are perfectly cooked.
20:43Time to get this colossally cozy dinner started.
20:55Two potstickers into suppose lidugs.
21:01I don't even want to take away any energy event if you take away with media.
21:03Okay, let's see.
21:08This is a real менing exercise.
21:16The situation yourself...
21:16Are you worried?
21:17This is a serious diet.
21:19You thought you would be worried
21:22because this is a sign.
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