Workday Gourmet

Try this air fried, Japanese style croquette from instant mashed potato mix! You can totally use real mashed potatoes if you have time or leftover. This is a hack for crispy baked croquette in under 15 min. If you don't have an airfryer, oven-bake will work too. Airfryers are essentially small convection ovens. If using a traditional oven, increase the bake time by 10 minutes.

Ingredients:
2 cup cooked mashed potatoes2 cup 'filler' *1/4 cup flour1 egg, beaten1/2 cup panko breadcrumb, lightly toasted1 tbsp oil (optional)
* choose your favorite filler:
- traditional: ground beef sauteed with diced onions
- vegetarian: sweet corn, peas, minced carrots, sauteed onions
- anything else: diced turkey, chicken, ham, anything you would serve with mashed potatoes

Instructions:

Prepare instant mash potatoes with ~20% less liquid than called for. A dryer potato mix is harder & easier to shape. (Don't worry about the moisture amount if using leftover mashed potatoes, cold mashe…

Almond tarts are simple crowd pleasers - and easy desserts that you can make the night before your work buddy's birthday. This is my go-to recipe when I'm too lazy to make a fresh fruit tart. You only need to prepare two simple parts: a shortcrust pastry, and a couldn't-be-easier almond filling.

For my version of almond tart, I played around with the ratio a little, using half the sugar and butter as traditionally called for, while doubling the almond and egg portion. This makes for a lighter, somewhat custardy filling, that kind of resembles a clafoutis, compared to the traditional rich, crumbly filling that feels more like something between a cookie and a cake. You can't go wrong with the classic ratio, but I've found that between the buttery shortcrust and tart fruit, no one really misses the extra fat and sugar - not even my low-fat-loathing, health-unconscious taste testers!

Ingredients:

For the shortcrust:
1 1/4 cup flour1 stick butter, cold6 tbsp powdered sug…

I'm a chocolate fundamentalist. 
My idea of a hot chocolate is quite literal - it uses real chocolate, and it's hot.  It’s worth being a chocolate snob when it takes under 3 minutes to ‘do it right’.  Making it with real chocolate will give the end product a rich, intense flavor as well as a thick, full body, that a simple mix of sugar and cocoa can't quite compare.  This gourmet-feeling beverage will take you minutes to finish. You won’t need a double boiler; you won’t need corn starch slurry; you won’t even need to turn on the stove - but you’ll get a finished product that feels like you’ve done all of the above.  The only tools you’ll need is a small whisk and a sharp, fine grater. 
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon cocoa powder2 tablespoon boiling water½ tablespoon sugar4 tablespoon finely grated bittersweet chocolate (~20grams)1 cup hot milk

I find this easier with shorter, wider mugs like a cappuccino cup, but any shape will do. Mix cocoa and boiling water to form a semi thick paste…

Switch up your weekday night burger dinner! Try this special kind of  "Asian Fusion' - garlicky Korean marinade X crispy Japanese rice patty. This recipe can be made in under an hour, if you start your rice cooker first, cook the meat, and sear the rice patties as the meat finishes up cooking. It is also a great way to use up any leftover rice or meat. 
For the rice patties:
2 cups cooked short grain rice  2 tsp potato starch  sesame oil (for pan searing)
Optional tool:
- Burger press or wide mouth jar lid, for forming patties. Try regular size jar lids for sliders!
- Kitchen scale, for accurate measurement. Rice : potato starch ratio should be ~ 200g : 1 teaspoon. 
Add potato starch to hot rice (if using leftover rice, microwave until hot); mix until rice becomes very sticky. Depending on how large you like your burger, divide the rice into desired portions. I find that ~75g rice fits a wide mouth jar lid, and ~50g rice fits a regular size jar lid.



Line the burger press or …