Berries Lemon Thyme Balsamic Syrup

This was our surprise dessert after dinner yesterday. I saw organic berries on sale and couldn’t resist buying them. I sliced the strawberries and mixed them with raspberries and lemon thyme in my little pot. I let them chill as they infused the lemon fragrance in the fridge for an hour because my husband just loves cold fruit. I simmered 1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar, 2 1/2 tablespoons of sugar and a small pinch of salt together (I’ve seen Giada de Laurentis make this kind of sweet balsamic many times. It tastes great!). Let it reduce to half and cool completely.  After the meal I assembled the mixed berries in small bowls and topped them with the balsamic syrup that I’ve just made. I added 1 scoop of ice cream on top. A yummy surprise because it looked like chocolate fudge. This treat is very refreshing and good for summer desserts even though it was raining throughout the week.

Som Tum (papaya salad)

Many times while going to the Asian Supermarkets in Elmhurst (Queens, NY), I get inspired to make Thai food . I grabbed some green papaya and already planned making papaya salad for dinner. That is a super impulsive greedy thought that I usually have with food. I don’t think it’s right to give measurements of the flavour for papaya salad because people have different taste preferences. Where my mother comes from, people don’t put sugar in papaya salad and they prefer to taste saltiness over sour. However, the basic ingredients are green papaya (of course), carrots (optional), string bean, cherry or grape tomatoes, fresh chilli, garlic, coconut sugar, fish sauce and lime juice. The accessories to papaya salad vary to specific areas of Thailand. All I can say is that it should have 4 flavours; spicy, salty, a hint of sour and slightly sweet.

Kao Moo Dang (Roasted Pork with Rice)

I saw roast pork seasoning from the corner of my eyes in a supermarket last weekend and I figured that I should attempt to make it. I mixed the seasoning with water and cracked black pepper and added pork loin and pork ribs. I let it sit overnight even though 2-3 hours is enough. I roasted the pork loin and ribs at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. I boiled the seasoning mixture by adding 1/2 cup of water, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of light packed brown sugar and 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce. I only kept the clear part of the sauce after boiling and brought it to boil again. I then added a mixture of tapioca flour and water into the sauce to create a gravy texture. Finish with black or white sesame for a touch in the sauce.

Slice the pork after letting it sit for 5-7 minutes and put it over rice. Pour sauce that I have already made over the pork. Woohoo.. easier than I thought! I have to thank the makers of the seasoning package to satisfy my craving.