Chocolate covered marzipan

When you have someone who loves chocolate and loves marzipan, this is probably the best thing to make them. Marzipan is a sticky and tricky mixture to make, but when you finally have the consistency down, you have quite a bit of workable candy. I made use of some great cookie cutters that I had gotten for Christmas, and voila...a nice romantic plate of treats as a delicious welcome home snack.

The chocolate was not only festive and delicious but it sealed in the moisture of the marzipan so that it kept for quite some time. Although in this case, the plate was finished off pretty quickly.

It's a shame that I don't really like marzipan all that much.

Boston

Boston: There are good days and then there are the bad days...

Ultrathin Pancakes

I'd like to think the Chinese restaurants here have it wrong. Traditionally Peking duck is never served with a bun but rather wrapped in ultra thin pancakes. The problem is that they are a pain to make so somewhere along the way, tradition took a back seat to laziness.

These are the same pancakes that are also served with Mushu and other "chinese burritos". To make them, you roll out two pieces of dough at the same time separated by a thin layer of oil. After baking them, and while it's still hot, you have to master the art of separating them apart.

When done correctly, they can be so thin as to still let light through; however, thickness is up to the chef and the dish. Sometimes for a little extra kick, I add in a few scallions and five spice sauce and it's good to go. My fingertips however, always need a little time to recover. But trust me, it's worth it.

Homemade Dumplings

I have been making dumplings with my mother and my grandmother ever since I could remember. Everything surrounding dumpling-making was done by hand, and as usual all the recipes were handed down but never written down. When I was tiny, I had a tiny little rolling pin along with a small stool to match, and I would sit there and roll the wrappers with glee. Dumplings symbolized tradition, celebration, and family time, and I embraced the chance to help make dumplings just like my mom because it also meant that I was a big kid and that I got to be a part of the bustling kitchen. I guess I loved the kitchen even before I realized it.

A couple of months ago, I went home and I finally got taught the secrets of my mom's recipe. Again, I opted not to write anything down but to just remember what the dough should feel like and the what the filling should smell like along with a hundred other little intricacies and "feelings".

The end result is always better than what I can get at the store. Maybe it's because of the extra bit of nostalgia and history that comes with every bite.