Gingerly

Ginger Marmalade Dressing

I hope you had a nice Valentine’s Day. My husband also caught a cold virus (most likely from me) and so it was a not so hot Valentine’s Day…well he is still cute but…you know, he is not his usual self. We postponed the celebration, and instead stayed home and cheered for our favorite Olympians on television. 

This sweet and tangy dressing yields approximately 1/3 cup though, you only need a couple teaspoons for your salad. Besides, fresh grated ginger loses some of the potency and starts oxidizing soon after, so prep a small amount at a time. Almighty ginger eases the symptom of a cold or prevents you from catching it in the first place.

Ingredients and Instructions (Ingredients are not precise, adjust to your taste and desired thickness) (Print Recipe here)

• Ginger juice- grate ginger, skin and all, then place on a paper towel, twist top and squeeze to get about 1 tablespoon.
• Marmalade 2 Tablespoons
• Warm water 1 Tablespoon
• Balsamic vinegar 2 Tablespoons
• Olive oil 1-2 Tablespoons
• Fresh ground black pepper and a pinch of salt for taste

Thin the marmalade with warm water first in a medium bowl. Add ginger juice, balsamic vinegar and olive oil and mix well with whisk. Salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate until chilled - about 10 to 20 minutes. Whisk again before serving.

Cheese lacy nest gives crunch to the dish but not necessary tasty. If you cook too long then it is difficult to mold and often has a bitter or too salty flavor. I used parmigiano-reggiano cheese for this but any cheddar cheese will do. 

1. I covered a spice tin (which fit in my small red rectangular plate) with foil but you could use an up-side down glass jar, in that case, no covering necessary.
   
2. Grate enough cheese. I used about 3 Tablespoons per nest.
3. Heat non-stick pan at low heat. Sprinkle cheese in. When the edges of cheese start developing color then turn off heat. Leave in the pan for another 5 to 10 seconds to cook till very light brown (cheese should be still pliable).
   
4. Slide turner underneath to lift. Press onto the mold. Because it may be too hot to handle I used a paper towel to shape. Leave it on until cool.
   
5. Fill with your favorite appetizer. This is a micro-green mini salad. 

In honor of the Sochi Olympics (?), we had Lemon Symiki, Russian style pan cakes, for breakfast the other day. I omitted but you could top with sour cream or whipped cream. Ginger marmalade dressing is great for fresh fruits too.

We tried a new restaurant, Aviary – not sure what style this restaurant is but they have a number of creative dishes. Although this chestnut soup is very nice, the roasted, charred flavor of the Brussels sprout topping was a put off for me.

Speaking of chestnuts, I made some chestnut chocolate truffles using a inexpensive bag of roasted chestnuts.

I have a pair of Valentine socks that says ‘My first love is chocolate’… right.
I made this truffles for my husband though he wasn’t feeling well and declined. I failed to share my first love.

 

Sesame dressing

I didn’t cook today. I just prepared a salad for a light meal.
It is a nice change of pace as I had heavy meals since Thanksgiving.
This sesame dressing is simple to make and no oil required so very healthy.
It goes with most salad or chicken.
Toasting the sesame seeds
Then grind them


For the sesame dressing

• 2 tablespoons sesame paste (I used Tahini paste) or unsweetened smooth peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons of honey-You could substitute Agave for this*
• 2 tablespoons ground toasted white sesame seeds
• 2 tablespoons of rice vinegar
• 3 tablespoons or so of water
• 1 tablespoon of soy sauce
• Salt to taste
• A pinch of Chili powder if you like

Combine all the ingredients and mixing well. Add more water if dressing get too thick.
* I heated up honey in microwave for a few seconds for easy mixing
Serves 4


My husband and I took a trip to Japan in 2006. We stayed 2 nights at an Onsen (hot springs resort) called Yufuin. 由布院 There were a number of shops there and at one of them we bought this. It is a handmade wooden honey spoon. It works great for scooping out honey from the jar.It is beautiful and reminds me of that trip every time I use it.