Banh xeo

So this isn't as much of a recipe as more of documenting my first attempt at a Vietnamese dish other than Pho. ( Which I'm totally obsessed with ) I will provide a list of ingredients that you can find at an Asian grocery store... but in the process of making these puppies, things got a bit wild - read - Blackberry liquor and Lychee cocktails!

 We picked up some sweets from Ranch 99 - who doesn't love Panda cookies and YanYan?


Banh Xeo was described as a sweet/savory Vietnamese crepe by my friend, Kevin Tran.

" A bit sweet, a bit crunchy, savory, with delicious shrimps and doused in homemade fish sauce... mmmm... makes me think of home!"

I was sold. Darnit, I HAD to have these crepes. So we ventured to Ranch 99 to pick up various supplies and necessities.

1) Banh Xeo Mix- adapted from a a recipe I found @KitchenChick

• 1 cup rice flour ( only Rice flour will give it that nice texture!)

• 1/2 tsp sugar ( I use brown sugar)

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp turmeric ( I like to be generous with this - gives it the nice yellow color!)

• 2 cups canned coconut milk ( I prefer the Chokoh brand ) Make sure it's the creamy kind - not the water. 

• 1 medium egg, room temp

• 1/4 cup lime juice 

2) Soaked Mung Beans -

• Rinse mung beans thoroughly and put in a glass bowl
• Cover in an inch of water and then microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute - Kevin said that they could be eaten softer or with a little crunch. I tried it both ways and preferred the texture that the crunchy ones added. It also gives a nice, sweet, earthy taste. 
• These are added after the batter is poured into the pan so they end up in the middle of the crepe. 

3) Shrimp / Pork / Beef

• The awesome thing about Banh Xeo is that you can pretty much put any meat in there. We chose shrimp, but thinly sliced pork or pre-cooked beef will work nicely. 

4) Homemade Fish Sauce- (Kind of) 

• Mrs. Tran, Kevin's mum recommended that we choose a stock sauce from the asian market and then add fresh ingredients.
• We added a bunch of fresh ginger, sugar, green onions, and vinegar to Nuc Mam ( Fish sauce ) stock from ranch 99. We have since perfected the recipe and I will be posting the whole thing soon! 

Prepping the Fish Sauce!

Here is the batter, prepared with onions and garlic added. Just mix all the ingredients listed above in a bowl until it looks to have a thin consistency. I used a ladle to spoon in to a hot non-stick pan. It's important to use a non stick pan for all crepes because they are thin and easy to break. You'll get better results adding the batter to a hot pan and then sliding the crepe onto a plate. There is some elasticity due to the rice flour and eggs.

As you can see- we tried putting batter into one of my all-clad pans - this was a terrible idea. The non-stick on the left was perfect and made a HUGE crepe. I liked that there was a bit of a curve to the non-stick pan because the crepe is substantial and my smaller crepe pan would have not have cradled the delicious toppings we put inside.

Here you can see we added chopped white and green onions, shrimp ( pre-cooked ), soaked mung beans, and whatever else you might want to put in there!

• Similar to French crepes, wait until the batter starts to bubble and gets opaque ( instead of transparent ). 

• Take a plastic spatula and loosen the sides- using a spatula and a big spoon, fold the crepe over on itself. 
• Turn up the heat so that you get a nice golden crust on both sides of the crepe. 
• Slide out of the pan and drench with fresh fish sauce 
• Sprinkle with green onions 

Enjoy! 

Super Easy Salted Goat Milk Caramels

I decided to make these beauties because my boyfriend was trying to get through his law school finals and needed a boost of sugar to get him through the long nights of studying. Making some cute, wrapped, homemade goodies really brightened his day! You can also make them and put them into cute boxes as gifts for friends and family, or even wedding favors!

Candy isn't the easiest thing to make, so I wanted to make a recipe that anyone could follow. Here are my "Super Easy Salted Goat Milk Caramels". For those than can't find goats milk, or would prefer to cows milk, the recipe will turn out just fine. I haven't tried almond or soy milk, but I think that would be an interesting chemistry experiment to see if they behave in the same way.

My inspiration to use goat milk happened when I noticed that Trader Joe's carries goats milk - once I had that tangy, clover infused, milky gold - I HAD to put it into a caramel. I prefer a bit of crunch so I roll course grain salt into the inner section of the caramel to get that oh-so-divine salty/sweet combination.

What you'll need

• 2 cups Brown sugar
• 1 cup White sugar 
• 1 cup corn syrup
• 1.5 cup goats milk ( or milk of your choice ) 
• 1.5 cups heavy cream 
• 1.5 tbs vanilla
• 1/2 tbs salt ( fine grain) 
• Coarse grain salt to finish ( I ended up using Himalayan pink rock salt from Trader Joes )
• 1 cup butter
• 1 Vanilla bean ( optional - cut lengthwise and scrape out the insides!) 

1) Prep a pot on the stove, and a baking dish for for pouring the caramel. I like to line my  baking dish with parchment ( much easier than trying to butter the dish, faster cleanup! )

2) Combine the sugar, brown sugar, corn syrup, goat's milk, heavy cream, and butter in the pot on the stove. Mixing this mixture and heating it evenly is important to make the candy work.You'll notice that the mixture goes from looking like a frothy delicious caramel sponge to a slightly darker, with less bubbles mixture ( I use this as a guide to know that the temp is starting to get close )

3) Watch the temperature of the mixture with a candy thermometer while stirring. When the thermometer reaches 247 degrees remove the pot from the heat. Add the vanilla and stir.
 
WARNING! Do not let the temperature exceed 250 degrees F. ( 120 C) This is ceiling for the "firm ball" stage when cooking sugar. If the candy goes over this temp you could have problems with forming your caramels.  Please be careful when working with hot sugar. It might not look hot, but it is!


3) Pour the mixture from your pot into the lined or buttered baking pan ( 12X15 works best ) 


4) I let the mixture cool for about 5-7 min and then cut the caramel into 1in X 1in pieces. The caramel will still be warm to the touch and slightly gooey. I sprinkle pieces of coarse grain salt on the pieces and then roll them into balls and wrap in parchment to keep them from sticking together. 


5) Unwrap and enjoy!!

Farmers Market Pictures / Tomato Glory

It's the season for farmers markets, sun dresses, and strawberries!

What kinds of herbs do you plant this season? I've been thinking of thai basil and tomatoes. My obsession with pho has returned and I would like to have my own side of veggies to add to the steaming pot of sumptuous broth!                                   

Rosemary is a good standby for those of us who are overzealous about watering - and perhaps a little slow when it comes to figuring out how much sun certain plants need... ( that wouldn't be me... right?)                                                                          

I've been thinking about Jalapeno's or some other chili as I hear they are easy to grow... anyone have suggestions out there?

 

These glistening gems of goodness were  thrown into the broiler for a couple minutes, and then were carefully placed on top of handmade lobster ravioli. ( Recipe to come ) :) They pop delightfully, spilling sweet juice and pulp in your mouth when you bite down. I like to add them to my white sauce recipes so that you can have the best of both worlds, eating pasta with a white base and with tomato.

It nearly made me want to try an interesting technique from Italy where the tomatoes are picked and then woven into a braid of sorts. The tomatoes are then smoked while on the vine, and then are preserved so they can be used for months and months later. I will probably give this a shot the next time I go because I hear it makes the best pasta sauce.

 Here's a teaser of the strawberries that I made into a triple berry trifle. Homemade  jam with a vanilla and burbon reduction, layered with fresh fruit and scented cream...mmm! I made fresh pound cake to crumble between the layers. Delish!

Super Salad

The Super Salad is inspired by my friends who don't like to cook, but prefer to assemble meals. This salad is easy to put together, balanced, tasty, and filling. I know it's simple... but it appeals to my love of simple flavors, and It's also great for those nights where you don't want to cook something hot!

A balsamic delight, this salad has the tangyness of baby arugula, the sweetness of broiled grape tomatoes, and the crunch of carrots slices. Each bite is a textural and taste adventure.

I added a bit of lemon zest and 1 clove of pressed garlic to equal parts of balsamic vinegar, and apple cider vinegar. Sometimes I add a spoonful Hot and Sweet Mustard ( as seen in Diana's Blog... however, it's not discontinued anymore ) and local honey to add another layer of character.

  

Drizzle just a little olive oil over the tomatoes before you stick them in the oven for 2 minutes in the broiler.

I add a little salt and pepper after they come out of the over and sprinkle on top of the salad. It's all the oil / salt and pepper I need. You can add more oil if you wish, be careful not to over dress the salad!

You can find all the ingredients at Trader Joes.

• Just Chicken 
• Grape tomatoes
• TJ's Arugula mix / Spring mix 
• Tj's Modena Balsamico
• Tj's Extra Virgin Olive oil
• Tj's Shredded carrot

Braised Rabbit with Chimichurri Sauce

I was inspired by Andrew Zimmern's demonstration / recipe for Braised Rabbit. The need for fresh, earthy flavors pulled at me until I drove down to my local butchers and made it happen!

Surprisingly it wasn't too difficult to find rabbit and the butcher was happy to chop it to reasonable sized pieces for me. I was extremely happy to find that he also added in the liver, kidney, and heart.

I pan fried the organ meats to salty, caramelized, medium rare perfection. Being the carnivore that I am, I immediately popped the heart into my mouth with great satisfaction. My boyfriend and I spread the liver on crackers with a bit of cave aged Gruyere ( found at Sigona's Farmers Market). It was surprisingly sweet and less iron-y than calves liver. Sidenote: I love Sigona's- it's a great place to find locally sourced produce and specialty items.

Here's a Californian twist to Chimichurri

• 1 cup fresh Italian parsley
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup avocado
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled
• 2 Jalapenos, seeds optional for more spice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

I prefer to make it the night ahead so that all the flavors can mix overnight. The jalapenos really add a fresh / spicy aspect to the sauce.

I adore pairing wine with food, and cooking with wine- it was just my luck that I had something in my stores that would go perfectly with this dish. I chose an Argentinian Malbec that gave the dish a fruity, yet characteristic gravel/earthy taste to the tender meat.

Braising Tips

Remember when getting ready to braise the rabbit, choose a deep, large pan. Cast iron or a dutch oven work equally well.

• Heat the pan with a little oil.
• Season your meat and veggies with your choice of spices ( I used black pepper, salt, and cayenne pepper and some garlic )
• Once the pan gets really hot, brown the meat 
• Add the veggies ( 1 cup celery, 1 cup onion,  several garlic cloves )
• Add wine until the meat and veggies are submerged halfway. 
• Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook slowly with the lid on do not let the liquid evaporate.
• I cooked my rabbit for about 1.5 hours on the stove top. Alternatively, I would put it in the dutch oven and cook at 375 degrees for 45 min - 1 hr. Checking to see when the meat looks like it will fall off the bone.
• Enjoy! 

The chimichurri will be a repeat in my house - I've put it on everything from quesodillas to spicy grilled sausages. I also altered it a bit to function as a vinagarette in a cold steak, tomato, basil, and jicama salad.

Let me know if you try it!

Easiest Popovers and Mussels in White Wine Sauce

I don't know about you, but I'm a simple kind of girl. I can appreciate complex recipes, but there is something about putting together only a couple of ingredients and getting a flaky, warm, decadent  result.

Easiest Popover Recipe

• 2 eggs
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Optional Additions

• Rosemary
• Freshly grated cheddar ( or Parmesean / Havarti / cheese of your choice)  1/4 cup
• 1-2 tsp lemon or orange zest
• Cinnamon / sugar

Important: Make sure that the milk and the eggs are at room temperature.

• Combine ingredients until fully mixed

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees

• Butter the muffin or popover tin and fill to 2/3 for each popover

•  Bake for 45 min ( I start checking at 40 min, but make sure not to let too much heat out - it can ruin the popping of the popovers) 

I started making popovers instead of frites with my mussels because I love how the flaky dough sops up the delicious and easy to make sauce. Both recipes don't take very much time to make and are wonderful to enjoy together or separately.


Mussels in White Wine Sauce

• 2 lbs live mussels 
• 1 Tbs of unsalted butter
• 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil 
• 1 cup white wine ( I prefer something floral and dry ) 
• 2 cloves of garlic minced finely 
• 2 Tbs chives finely chopped
• a pinch of fresh ground black pepper
 

• Cleaning the mussels is important- I use a brillo pad or Tuffy to get them off. You want to make sure all the sand and excess fibers are off the side of the mussels.

• You want to make sure all mussels that you plan on cooking are closed and do not have a fishy smell - if it's open before cooking, toss it!

• Once the mussels are prepped, grab a large, wide bottomed pot. I prefer to use our dutch oven.

• Melt the butter and combine with olive oil, garlic,  and chives until the butter mixture is scented, but not browned. 

• Add the mussels and then the wine ( a sauv blanc that is crisp and dry is a nice choice - something mid range that has a nice flavor and that you wouldn't mind drinking )

• Close the lid as soon as you add the wine. You want the mussels to steam for about 2-6 minutes to avoid overcooking. It's important to start watching around the 3 min mark and only take them out when almost all of the mussels are open. If it looks like one is not going to open, toss it! 

• Sprinkle with black pepper and toss lightly before adding to bowls. Make sure to add broth to the mussels and serve with popovers! Since mussels are naturally salty you probably won't have to add salt, but as with everything, season to your taste. I reserve some fresh chives to sprinkle on top!

A Beginning of Something New...

This is a place for design musings, food adventures, and travel wishes. I hope to bring together some of the pretty things that I find around the internet, share the recipes that I create / try, and reach out to the design community.