Some birthdays deserve 2 cakes, don't ya think?

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Turning 17 meant a Korean feast and 2 cakes; I love my girl (and my tummy) that much!  

We began with Elly's request - Bulgogi:  slices of beef & veg in a pureed marinade of soy sauce, onion, garlic, an apple and an Asian pear.  Sweet & delicious!  We also had my favorite - Jeyuk Bokem:  slices of pork & veg in a marinade of soy, Gochujang (spicy red bean paste), garlic and sugar.  Just a touch of bite!  We had steamed rice, Elly's Mom's very spicy (but good) Kimchi and a delicious mixed greens salad with mandarin oranges and dried cranberries & golden raisins and this wonderful, wonderful dressing.  The dressing makes a lot -- which is perfect because you're going to want to have it again and again.

Asian Salad Dressing 

(http://allrecipes.com/recipe/asian-ginger-dressing/)

Blend all the ingredients together until well incorporated; store in the refrigerator and shake before using.

3 cloves minced garlic

2 Tbsp minced ginger root

1 cup olive oil 

1/3 cup rice wine vinegar

1/2 cup soy sauce

3 Tbsp honey

1/4 cup water 

I found the Korean Rainbow Rice Cake, when trolling the internet for recipes.  It was intriguing so I decided to give it a try.  

  It was a lot of work, a labour of love, but still fun to make; and I learned a lot.  Like ..... next time use the called-for 8" springform pan and the layers will be better defined; and more importantly,  go with your gut when it comes to cooking time and pan size.  Although mine tasted good, it was chewy rather than fluffy.  The flavors in this cake are very subtle; the green tea Matcha layer was my favorite.

(A real plus?  You can eat "cake" for breakfast and not feel guilty about doing so!)

THIS cake was the real hit of the night:  Lighter Authentic New York Cheesecake!  (http://bakingbites.com/2011/01/lighter-authentic-new-york-cheesecake/).

It uses 1% cottage cheese, 1% plain Greek yogurt and a block of light cream cheese -- all blended in the food processor to ensure an even, smooth texture. It was delicious!  Lighter tasting for sure, but still maintaining that creamy just-rich-enough taste as a New York cheesecake.

We shared our meal with another host family, who have gotten to know Elly very well over the past 2 years, and one of Elly's Korean schoolmates.  Elly said the meal and the presents were perfect ....

And they had so much fun creating messages with their sparklers!

I'd encourage any of you adventurous eaters out there to try different foods.  From my experiences over the last 4 years, a lot of them are as easy as reading a recipe .................. 

but sooooo much more rewarding!

Bon Appétit!