"Pod" Thai

Did you know "Pod" Thai is the correct way to pronounce this dish? Ok, don't be angry, but this is just a "for fun" entry since I can't share the recipe. It's a secret. Let's just say I know someone who knows someone who got the Sawatdee recipe. For those non-Minnesotan readers (who am I kidding, only my mom reads this. Actually I still have to explain what a blog is to her...but that's beside the point...) Sawatdee is a local Thai restaurant in the Twin Cities that makes some darn tasty food. Here's a pic for your enjoyment. And since I don't want to disappoint, here are a couple key tips for re-creating this dish at home.

1) Go to an Asian market to find Thick Soy Sauce. Regular Soy Sauce will not work.

2) A touch of peanut butter and sugar will get rave reviews

3) Cut the chicken in strips going along with the grain to get it just like the restaurant

4) You can make this for less than $20 at home. (feeds 4+ and some of the ingredients will last you a long time)

5) Fresh lime, cilantro, and bean sprouts make a world of difference

Now go try something new!

May Dinner Party

About every month or so I have a group of friends that get together to cook and drink wine. Not a bad idea, right? We had an event last night and so I wanted to share the dishes with you. I'm still full this morning...

Scallop and Smoked Salmon Cakes with Remoulade/Chardonnay

Shrimp-Scallop Pate with Cilantro, Dill and Pine Nuts/Sauvignon Blanc

Wild Mushroom and Goat Cheese Bruschetta/Sauvignon Blanc

Corn and Sun-Dried Tomato Chowder with Goat Cheese Croutons/Chardonnay

Mixed Greens with Thyme-Scented Goat Cheese Cakes and Balsamic-Dijon Vinaigrette/Sauvignon Blanc

Three Seed Crusted Ahi with Lima Beans, Corn, and Pancetta/Chardonnay

Fig and Raspberry Clafouti/Port

Bread Pudding

Yesterday after visiting the farmer's market, I met some friends for happy hour. While visiting with these lovely ladies, we started a discussion about bread pudding. Yeah, when you talk to me things always turn to food. As we were finishing up our appetizer, we had our stomachs set on 2 orders of bread pudding. But then came the bad news...there was only one serving left. Selflessly (or not so selflessly) I let my friend secure the last order and reluctantly I got chocolate cake instead (not a hard sell by any means). But anyhow, this discussion got me thinking of taking a stab at it myself. I've rarely ever tasted this dessert, but now that I made this delicious dish today, I think I'll be working on some new variations. Don't forget the almond extract - it's my secret weapon. In the words of my roommate "I didn't think bread pudding was something I'd ever try. I like bread pudding. This is sooo good." Adapted from a recipe by Giada de Laurentis.

Bread Pudding:

1 large loaf Challah bread, cut into 1-inch cubes

8 eggs

1 1/2 C. whipping cream

2 1/2 C. whole milk

1 1/4 C. sugar

1 tsp. pure almond extract

Amaretto Sauce:

1 C. whipping cream

1 C. whole milk

6 Tbsp. sugar

1/2 amaretto liquor

4 tsp. cornstarch

For the sauce: combine the cream, milk, and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. In a small dish stir together the amaretto and cornstarch. Once the cream mixture reaches a boil (keep stirring frequently), add the amaretto mixture and continue boiling and stirring for 2 minutes. Let cool and set aside until ready to serve.

For the bread pudding: In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream, milk, sugar, and extract. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish (or 10 mini loaf pans as pictured here) and fill with bread cubes. Pour egg mixture over bread an let sit for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake bread mixture 30-40 minutes for a 9x13-inch pan or 15-20 for mini loafs until just golden. Cool and serve with amaretto sauce.

Morels!!

Up until yesterday Morels were a delicacy I had yet to savor. But by golly, while perusing the farmer's market yesterday I stumbled upon a stand selling them. I've been cooking a lot lately, and they were a little pricy, but they're only in season for a short time every year (April-May). Plus I had the next day off. I couldn't argue with myself. And it didn't help that another passer by stopped, sighed, and said "Wow" while I was still deliberating. That sealed the deal. So here are my first attempts at this glorious fungi. The first dish is a simple saute and crostini and the second recipe is a little more sophisticated using crab. Hopefully you can get out there and find some of your own!

Cooks note: Soak mushrooms in salted water overnight before cooking

Sauteed Morel Mushroom Crostini

Sauteed Morel Mushroom Crostini

1/2 loaf French baguette, thinly sliced

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp. minced shallot

2 Tbsp. butter

1/4 lb. fresh morels, sliced lengthwise (about 4 slices per mushroom)

Salt and pepper

1 Tbsp. minced chives

1 Tbsp. minced parsley

Preheat the broiler and line a baking sheet with the sliced baguette. Brush bread slices with olive oil and smear with the minced garlic. Broil 3-5 minutes until golden and toasty.

In a medium saute pan, melt the butter and shallots over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and saute 6-8 minutes until tender. Season with salt and pepper and stir in chives and parsley. Serve on toasted bread slices. Recipe can easily doubled if you have enough mushrooms.

Crab Stuffed Morels

Crab Stuffed Morels

1/2 C. fresh crab meat

1 1/2 Tbsp. vegan mayonnaise (or regular)

1 Tbsp. milk

1 Tbsp. shredded Parmesan cheese

1 1/2 Tbsp. bread crumbs

1 egg yolk

1 Tbsp. minced chives

6-8 whole morels (about 1/4 lb.)

3 Tbsp. butter

1 clove garlic, minced

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Combine the crab, mayo, milk, cheese, bread crumbs, egg, and chives. Carefully stuff mushrooms with the mixture.

In a medium saute pan, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and brown on both sides -- about 6-8 minutes.

Place mushrooms and drippings in a small baking dish. Sprinkle with minced garlic and cook 8-9 minutes until tender.

One last day for Breakfast!

With only one more day of vacation, I went out to breakfast again to one of my favorites in Minneapolis -- Sunny Side Up Cafe. You can usually hear me going on an on about the cinnamon cornflake crusted French Toast. I think it's actually called Santa Fe Toast, but I can't remember. I'll admit I was so excited about eating it that I forgot to take a picture until about half way through. Feast your eyes...

Magazines!

This is sort of off-topic, but I had to share all the amazing FREE magazines I picked up today. I went to the Minnesota Magazine Day luncheon at the Hyatt, and before lunch began, they had a magazine grab where you could pick up as many as you wanted. I grabbed 33 in all. Holy crap I'm a freak when it comes to freebies. But look, here are all the cooking related magazines I get to page through in the next week or so. Fun!

Strawberry Shortcake

I had some strawberries that were on the verge of going in the garbage...definitely not worth eating by themselves, but I felt guilty throwing them out. So what did I do? I made strawberry sauce and these lovely shortcake biscuits.

Strawberry Shortcake

Strawberry sauce:

1 pt. strawberries, washed and sliced

1/8 C. red wine

1/8 C. water

4 Tbsp. agave nectar (or sugar)

Shortcake:

2 C. whole wheat pastry flour

4 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon

2 Tbsp. butter, cut into small cubes

2 Tbsp. unrefined virgin coconut oil (or shortening)

3/4 C. soy milk (or milk)

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

2 Tbsp. agave nectar (or sugar)

2 Tbsp. butter melted

3 Tbsp. granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

For the strawberry sauce, combine the strawberries, wine, water, and agave nectar. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

For the shortcake, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Cut in the butter and coconut oil until mixture resembles coarse meal. In another bowl, whisk together the soy milk, vanilla, and agave nectar. Mix liquid mixture into the dry mixture until well combined.

Using an ice cream scooper, scoop dough onto a baking sheet. Push down on the dough to flatten slightly. Brush with the melted butter and sprinkle the sugar on top. Bake 8-10 minutes until lightly golden around the edges.

Allow to cool. Cut biscuits in half, and fill with strawberries and sauce. Serve with whip cream if you desire. I think these would be awesome for breakfast with honey butter as well.

Bleu Cheese and Shallot Veggies

This is a typical go-to side dish for me using whatever vegetables I have in the fridge. Tonight I had asparagus and cauliflower. In the past I've used mushrooms, zucchini, peas, artichokes, etc, etc. It's super simple!

1/2 head fresh cauliflower, cut into pieces

1 lb. fresh asparagus

olive oil

1 Tbsp. butter

1 small shallot, diced

Salt and pepper

1/3 C. crumbled bleu cheese

Heat over to 375 degrees. Toss the cauliflower, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and salt and pepper together. Roast on a baking sheet in the over for 15-20 minutes until tender. Remove from oven.

In a large saute pan, melt the butter and add 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and asparagus and cook 3 minutes. Stir, add in the cauliflower and continue sauteing until asparagus is cooked to your preference -- about 8 minutes.

Remove vegetables from heat and toss in a large serving bowl with the bleu cheese crumbles.

Mmm for Good Breakfast

This morning I met the Papa for breakfast at this place I've heard a lot about -- it's called Good Day Cafe. Nothing like some good QT over good food. The menu is a little on the pricier side, but there are a lot of interesting combinations. I was torn between the French omelette's or eggs benedict...it was tough call. It's not every day you see a ham and brie omelette, a spinach, caramelized onion, and fontina omelette or crab cake eggs benedict. I went with the eggs benedict. Dad went with this brioche egg sandwich. We were both really impressed with the food. See the num num pics below. I'd definitely recommend trying it out if I were you :)

Crab Cake Eggs Benedict with GDC potatoes (I forgot to mention the potatoes rocked too)

And Here's the Iggy's Breakfast Sandwich - ham, cheese, egg, tomato, and avocado on grilled Brioche. Served with spicy ketchup.

Chicken and Bean Enchiladas

So Cinco de Mayo fever took over, but then my appetite for it quickly fizzled. I guess I had a few too many margaritas and chips and salsa for lunch. But the good news is that I finally got around to making these yesterday (1 day late) and they were really yummy. I mean, you can't really mess up Mexican food. Now if only I had time to eat the leftovers...can you say hello freezer?

Chicken and Bean Enchiladas

For the Chicken:

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp. ground coriander

1/2 tsp. oregano

1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon

2 canned chipotle peppers, whole or roughly chopped

1 lb. chicken breasts

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 1/2 C. chicken broth

1/2 C. chipotle salsa (see recipe below in older post)

Filling:

1-4 oz. can diced green chiles

1 1/2 C. shredded cheddar cheese

1-15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained

10-12 corn tortillas

Topping:

1-29 oz. can enchilada sauce (or two 15-oz cans)

1 1/2 C. shredded cheddar cheese

Sliced green onions (for garnish)

Combine the first 7 ingredients in a small bowl. Once combined, coat the chicken breasts with the mixture.

Heat a saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and saute chicken breasts 10-15 minutes until no longer pink. Allow to cool. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Once chicken is cooled, shred into bite-sized pieces. Combine shredded chicken with the chicken broth and salsa in a medium sized sauce pan. Simmer over low heat 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.

Add the chiles, beans, and cheese. Fill corn tortillas with 1/4 cup of the mixture (making a centered line of filling) and then fold both sides of the tortilla around the filling. Place seam side down into a 13x9 inch baking dish. Fill the remaining tortillas with mixture and top with the enchilada sauce and then 1 cup of the cheese. Bake a 325 degrees 45-60 minutes until heated through. Remove from over, top with remaining 1/2 cup of cheese and green onions.