XLB - Portland, OR

xiao long bao (soup dumplings <3)

hoisin duck baozi

recipe: (bootleg) spanakopita

taken from: N/A

changes: i had a few sheets of leftover phyllo dough from making baklava, so i threw together this bootleg spanakopita based on what i had after reading a few recipes. it ~should~ use feta and a few other seasonings, but this came together nicely as a easy app alternative. don't use if you're looking for a straight-up traditional recipe. 

ingredients (for 2):

- olive oil- 1/2 shallot, finely diced

- 2 handfuls of fresh spinach, roughly chopped

- 4 cloves garlic, minced 

- 1/2 tsp oregano 

- 1/2 tsp onion poweder

- 1 cup garlic cheddar cheese (Tillamook)

- 1/4 cup goat cheese 

- 1 egg

- 1-2 tsp flour

- salt & pepper

- 1/4 cup butter, melted

- 1 tsp sesame seeds

to make: preheat oven to 350F degrees. heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. slowly cook and stir shallots until softened. add in garlic and cook for 1 minute. mix in spinach, oregano, onion powder, and flour. cook for 7-10 minutes, or until spinach has cooked down and most of the moisture is absorbed. remove from heat, and mix in cheeses, egg, salt, and pepper. 

roll out the phyllo dough, and brush with a thin coating of butter. place a small amount of spinach mixture onto the bottom of each piece of dough. fold phyllo into triangles like you're folding a flag. brush tops with butter, and sprinkle with sesame seeds. 

bake in preheated oven 20-30 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through. 

recipe: lingiuini with clam sauce

taken from: foodnetwork.com 

changes: reduced quantities since we only had ~2 dozen clams, used dried oregano & parsley since it's all we had, added shallots, added a few dashes onion powder, white pepper, & Italian seasoning.

result: absolutely delightful -- would make again without any changes.  

ingredients (for 2):
- extra-virgin olive oil
- 5 cloves garlic, smashed
- 1/2 shallot, finely diced
- 2 dozen little neck clams, scrubbed under cold running water 
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 lb lingiuni
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp chopped Italian parsley leaves
- 1 tbsp chopped oregano leaves
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- Kosher salt 

recipe: Ferrero Roche Nutella cake

quick/crummy picture... sorry cake

changes: i needed a quick/easy cake base since i was short on time, so used a hybrid of 2 recipes for the cake base + icing for this cake. the original cake base recipe does not call for any added liquor, but i sprinkled hazelnut booze in between all layers. 

result: amazing. this icing is perfect for a cake that needs a little extra sumthin-sumthin, or even to layer in between cookies. i copy-cated the toppings from Tatayan's Everyday Food, which was really easy, but looked SO pretty. the cake was a little tricky to spread icing on but it was so moist, but the flavor was really rich and a perfect compliment to the hazelnutty icing. perfect.

ICING/FILLING:
taken from: Tatayana's Everyday Food

ingredients icing:
- 2 cups butter, softened to room temp
- 1 cup nutella
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 cups confectioner's sugar

ingredients topping:
- crunchy wafer or waffle cookies, crushed (i used Belgian almond thins)
- 1/2 cup Frangelico or other hazelnut liquor
- Ferrero Rocher candies and hazelnuts
- gold sprinkles
- hazelnut Pirouette's 

CAKE BASE: 
taken from: allrecipes.com

ingredients: 
- 2 cups white sugar
- 1 & 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 & 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 & 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup boiling water

to make: preheat oven to 350F degrees. grease and flour 3 9-inch round pans.

in a large bowl, stir together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. add the eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla, and mix for 2 minutes on medium speed of mixer. stir in boiling water last. batter will be very thin. pour evenly into the 3 prepared pans. 

bake 25-30 minutes in the preheated oven, until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. cool pans for 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely. 

to make icing, place softened butter and Nutella into a mixer, and whisk until light and fluffy. gradually add the confectioner's sugar until frosting is thick and fluffy. add pinch of salt for flavor. 

when ready to assemble cake, lightly soak each cake layer with Frangelico before topping with frosting and an crushed cookies between each layer. frost sides and top, then garnish with candy, hazelnuts, cookies, Pirouette's, sprinkles, or whatever else you want to throw on there. 

keep refrigerated, removing from fridge 1 hour before serving to allow buttercream to soften. 

recipe: lamb meatballs with spiced tomato sauce

photo from nytimes.com. i really need to get better at photogging my food.

MEAT BALLS: 
taken from: foodnetwork.com 

changes: baked instead of fried; whole wheat flour in place of semolina no changes to overall ingredients 

result: perfect. exactly what I was looking for in terms of flavor, and really easy to put together. 

ingredients:
- 1 lb ground lamb
- 1/4 cup finely chopped scallions
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground allspice
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp semolina (or substitute flour, if needed)
- 1 egg, beaten

to make: put the lamb into a large bowl and add the scallions. sprinkle in the spices, salt, and egg. work everything together with your hands until evenly mixed, then cover and leave in the fridge for a 1/2 hour.  

when ready to prep balls, preheat oven to 400F degrees. line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 

form meat into 1 & 1/2 inch balls, and place on prepared baking sheet. bake for about 20 minutes, turning once during the cooking process. 

SAUCE:
taken from: NY Times Cooking

changes: very minor. can of crushed tomatoes instead of whole, subbed ground thyme instead of fresh, coconut sugar in place of white sugar.

recipe: chicken and wild rice soup

taken from: Taste of Home

changes: added minced garlic; added extra seasonings: seasoning salt, white pepper, paprika extra chicken bouillon; sauteed veggies before adding in broth mixture; reduced time for broth simmering from 30 to 20 minutes. 

result: was exactly what I was looking for, and a little creamy without having to add a lot of cream. would make again. 

ingredients (makes 14 servings): 
- 2 quarts chicken broth
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 lb mushrooms, chopped (i used white mushrooms)
- 1 cup finely chopped celery

- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
- 1 tsp chicken bouillon granules (+ a few dashes more as needed, to taste)
- 1 tsp dried parsley flakes
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- 1/4 tsp dried thyme
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp seasoning salt
- 1/4 cup butter, diced
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1 can (10 & 3/4 oz) condensed cream of mushroom soup
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 3 cups cooked wild rice
- 2 cups cubed cooked chicken
- salt & pepper to taste