Like most people, my "go-to" snack is popcorn. If it is not smothered in butter or margarine, laden with salt, or coated in a hard candy shell, it is a healthy, ethereal, and satisfying alternative to greasy and sugary snacks. And it usually is a staple in everyone's pantry! I usually try to air-pop my popcorn with dried corn kernels and a brown bag. All you need to do is fill a small paper lunch bag with 1/2 a cup of dried corn kernels, tightly fold or crumple it shut, and microwave it on high for 3 to 5 minutes, depending on your microwave settings and when the popping sound decreases (just like the directions on the processed kind). Follow those directions, and you will have instant microwaved popcorn. For popcorn, do not resort to the artificially-flavored and carcinogenic popcorn brands of the Orville Redenbacher, Pop Secret, or Act II-persuasion.
However, plain popcorn is monotonous and buttered popcorn quickly gets tedious without something extra special to elevate it into "spectacular" territory.
For me, I love furikake, a slightly sweet and very umami/savory Japanese spice blend made of dried bonito fish flakes, seaweed, and other flavorings. If you are not familiar with furikake, think anchovies or fish sauce, but less salty and in a dried form. For a Japanese or Hawaiian-inspired popcorn snack, just add (1) slivers of nori (dried seaweed), (2) a couple of tablespoons of dried furikake seasoning, (3) several drops of dark sesame oil (very intensely flavored, so act with a judicious hand), and (4) a pinch or two of wasabi powder for the perfect flavor profile. You could also add salted peanuts too!
For a N'Awlins-inspired popcorn, dissolve a teaspoon or so of creole seasoning and a few dashes of Tabasco with a melted tablespoon of butter and quickly toss the mixture in with the popcorn and feast away!
For a South American-inspired popcorn, I usually just add salt, chile powder, and the juice of 1/2 a lime. This combo works with corn on the cob too, and it is divine!
I have also heard of additions of dried oregano, cumin, and parmesan cheese, but I have yet to try those flavor combos. Do you have any "spectacular" popcorn ideas to share? I would love to hear your suggestions!
When I lived in New Orleans, I was enthralled by that wonderful city. One of my favorite things to do every weekend, was to visit the famed Café Du Monde in the French Quarter for golden-brown beignets dusted with powdered sugar and a café au lait with milk and chicory. I also greatly enjoyed riding the streetcar into the Uptown area for a satisfying seafood brunch. Whatever breakfast I enjoyed, I would always have the opportunity to listen to the live jazz music in the background. Just as in many other parts of the country, in New Orleans, breakfast is the most important meal of the day--even though other meals are also important!
When I received an email that Foodbuzz was donating the proceeds of this month's "24 X 24" competition to help the people in the Gulf affected by the oil spill, I decided to emerge from my hiatus from blogging to celebrate their generosity. I planned a quick New Orleans-themed breakfast for a small group of friends. I wanted them to appreciate the food from the Gulf Coast, and thus, perhaps gain an awareness of how the oil spill is affecting the people and culture in the area.
Breakfast Menu
Creole Omelets
Bananas Foster French Toast
Golden-Brown Beignets
Buttery Grits
Corn Muffins
Café Du Monde Coffee
Mimomas
For breakfast parties, I always try to take as many shortcuts as possible. You do not want to have to wake up at 5:00am in the morning for a party! So the day before, I made as many things as I could in advance, including corn muffins from a package. I also peeled the shrimp and precooked the shrimp, Creole-style. I also took the easy route for the "buttery grits with Gulf shrimp," and purchased instant buttery grits, so the day of, I would not have to slave over a hot stove top making sure there were no lumps!
Another time-saver, was purchasing premade beignets from the store and coating them with powdered sugar. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to easily purchase authentic beignets in San Francisco because of my tight schedule, so I did the unthinkable--I bought plain donut holes instead. Thankfully, my guests did not openly express any disdain towards me at the table.
Immediately before the guests arrived, I brewed the coffee and poured the mimosas, so that they could quench their thirst as they began to mingle.
For the breakfast party, I selected two relatively easy dishes to make: Creole Omelets and Bananas Foster French Toast. I began making both items about 2 hours before my guests arrived. The recipes are as follows:
Creole Omelets
10 extra-large chicken eggs, beaten
2 red bell peppers, de-seeded, cored, and diced
1 yellow onion, minced
2 Louisiana hot link sausages, diced
1/2 lb cooked Creole Shrimp
1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
6 tbsp vegetable oilTabasco sauce, to taste
Zatarain's Creole Seasoning, to taste
Heat a non-stick pan to high heat, and swirl 1 tbsp of oil in the pan. Sautee the onions, bell peppers, and sausages until the onions are translucent and red from the bell peppers. Set aside.
In another small non-stick pan, heat 1 tbsp of the oil until shimmering. Put about 1/5 of the beaten eggs inside the pan, and swirl the egg so that it coats the bottom of the pan and begins to solidify. When the egg begins to set, carefully flip the egg pancake over in the pan, being careful not to break the pancake. Then, place about 2-3 tbsp of the mixture and several shrimps on 1/2 of the egg pancake. Sprinkle the shrimp with shredded cheese.
After a few minutes, when the egg begins to fully set and brown, quickly fold the egg pancake over the topping and onto a plate.
Also, French toast is a crowd-pleaser, and very easy to make. Not only is "French" toast a popular dish in the French-influenced Louisiana area, but for an even more New Orleans-centric twist, enjoy your French toast with Bananas Foster, rather than maple syrup!
Bananas Foster French Toast
5 extra-large eggs
1/2 cup of milk
10-12 slices of whole wheat bread
5 tbsp of vegetable oil
4 large bananas, quartered
1 stick of butter
2 cups brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup banana liqueur
1/4 cup rum
vanilla ice cream
Beat the eggs together with the milk. Meanwhile, heat one tbsp of oil in a non-stick pan. Working quickly, dunk the bread into the egg mixture and fry it in the pan, turning when the side touching the pan begins to brown. Add more of the oil as you work in batches. When all of the French toast is cooked, plate it on a platter and set it aside.
Next, heat the butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a pan on low heat. Quickly place the bananas in the pan (you can also leave the bananas uncooked and pour the mixture over the pan, but that is not traditional) and then the alcohol. If you feel comfortable, use a long-necked lighter or torch to quickly light the alcohol in the pan and let it burn off. Or, you can just let the mixture cook for a while, letting the alcohol evaporate without the flames.
When finished, serve the French toast with vanilla ice cream, and spoon the mixture and bananas over the toast and ice cream.
As my guests and I conversed, we discussed how New Orleans and the surrounding Gulf Region is known for its unique culture, cuisine, and generous people. Now more than ever, we need to applaud and recognize this culture and continue to assist the people living in the area by supporting their economy. After Hurricane Katrina and now the oil spill, the people there have been hit by tragedy after tragedy. Many of my friends and family from the area are closing their business after the spill. Please continue to support and help the Gulf community in anyway you can in light of the oil spill. I hope my breakfast party somehow inspired you regarding Louisiana cuisine and the beauty of Louisiana people.
I have been noticeably absent from the food blogging world for a few days, but I can explain! I have been feverishly preparing for my entry to Foodbuzz's 24, 24, 24 contest regarding my Mardi Gras celebration!
New Orleans is one of the most diverse "melting pot" regions of America, with heavy Native American, African, and French influences in its cuisine. As seen by novel New Orleans foods such as the muffaletta, the impact of many other cultures is also uniquely apparent in New Orleans cuisine. (The muffaletta is a part of "Creole-Italian" cuisine, which started when Sicilians began immigrating to New Orleans in the 1880s.)
After the end of the Vietnam War, a huge influx of Vietnamese immigrants came into the New Orleans area because of the presence of the Catholic church in Vietnam and the population of Catholic church sponsors in Louisiana. Therefore, recently, Vietnamese culture and cuisine has slowly been influencing the already diverse and historically rich culture in New Orleans. For this year's Mardi Gras, I wanted to celebrate all of New Orleans' cultures, with a particular focus on Vietnamese food. I believe that it is more important than ever to preserve the wonderful culture of New Orleans. Furthermore, although I just moved from New Orleans to San Francisco a few months ago, New Orleans is still in my heart and home.
Mardi Gras is a huge holiday in Catholic communities and the South (and it goes without saying, in New Orleans). Furthermore, although the cuisines of New Orleans and Vietnam are distinguishable, they are also surprisingly similar. Both have (1) a prominent focus on fresh, seasonal, and locally available ingredients, such as the seafood catch of the day and both cuisines have (2) an underlying and strong French influence. Vietnamese cuisine has inherited cooking styles and traditions from the Chinese during the Chinese occupation of Vietnam, and from the French during the French colonial occupation of Vietnam. New Orleans and Vietnamese cuisines have adapted and evolved throughout time, and will continue to do so. My unique approach to my Mardi Gras celebration is to honor tradition, and also celebrate diversity. Therefore, my ultimate Mardi Gras meal is a fusion of the two cuisines.
This year, in addition to serving the classic "N'Awlins" fare for a group of my friends, I also tried my hand at making some innovative Vietnamese fusion items. The foods on the menu for my party (and the links to the associated recipes and step-by-step pictures) are as follows:
MENU
Several of these recipes call for extensive use of peeled and cooked shrimp. Thus, here is a little primer, or "shrimpy" orientation on how I peel shrimp.
First, I like to purchase shrimp with the "head-on." I was taught that head-on shrimp stay fresher longer and retain more shrimp flavor. With large prawns (see upper pictures) and smaller shrimp (see lower pictures), the removal is the same. Just use your thumb and forefinger and carefully pinch off the head.
Next, starting with the underside of the shrimp (where the legs are and the shell is "open"), grab a hold of and peel off the shrimp's calcified armor. Use your pinched fingers to pry open the shell from the shrimp meat. The legs will fall off with the shell. You could also remove the legs first, with a pinching and pulling motion, and then remove the shell.
Finally, score a slight vertical line on the back of the shrimp, where the natural line of symmetry is located. Delicately open the incision and using a paring knife and a paper towel, remove the black intestinal vein from the shrimp. Don't worry about cutting the vein, but don't cut too deeply into the shrimp. And don't throw away those shells! You can use them for making shrimp stock later!
And now that we've peeled the shrimp, here is my first recipe for my Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24 post, for Creole-Spiced Shrimp.
Creole-Spiced Shrimp
6 medium-sized peeled and deveined shrimp
1 tbsp of butter
1/4 cup of water
1/2 tsp of Creole seasoning
tabasco sauce, to taste
Heat the butter in a non-stick pan on medium-high, until melted. Add the shrimp, the Creole seasoning, water, and the tabasco sauce and cook until the shrimp is fully pink and firm and springy to the touch.
Please check out the other recipes (which are linked to above) that I wrote up for this Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24 post. Just to recap, here are the links again:
Happy Mardi Gras and get to cooking! (Also, I just wanted to make a special shout-out to Wandering Chopsticks, for always inspiring me to get in touch with my roots and with her great Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24 post on her Asian Fusion Thanksgiving!)
Here is another recipe as a part of my "Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24: Celebrating Mardi Gras, with Vietnamese Flair" post!
Hearty Gumbo with Shrimp, Andouille Sausage, and Okra
1 1/2 lbs of medium shrimp, peeled
1 container of cooked and shelled crawfish meat, or cooked and shelled crab meat (8 oz)
2 quarts of shrimp stock, at room temperature
1 small bottle of clam juice (8 fl oz)
1/2 cup of vegetable oil
1/2 cup of flour
2 large yellow onions, chopped
1 red bell pepper, cored, deseeded, and chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1/2 lb okra pods, with stems removed and roughly sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
5 large garlic, minced
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tbsp of Creole seasoning
1/4 tsp of California red pepper powder
2 bay leaves
1 1 lb pkg of andouille sausage
parsley, to garnish
scallions, to garnish
In an enameled cast iron dutch oven, heat the vegetable oil on high heat until shimmering and slightly smoking. Carefully stir in the flour, being careful of the splattering and sizzling oil. Stir the flour constantly, until the roux deepens into a chocolately brown color. Do not leave the roux unattended and make sure that the flour does not stick or burn in the corners of the pot.
Carefully add the "holy trinity" of New Orleans cooking (onions, bell pepper, celery) and the garlic, thyme, California pepper powder, and Creole seasoning until the vegetables begin to soften, wilt, and glisten.
Then, add the room temperature shrimp in a steady stream while again, stirring methodically. After incorporating the ingredients, add the bay leaves, sausage, and okra and simmer on low heat for about 30 minutes, until the gumbo has thickened and the vegetables are soft and supple to the bite. Add the shrimp, and cook until the shrimp has cooked through, about 5 minutes. Add the crawfish tails (or crab meat pieces) and stir it in the gumbo to warm. Serve the gumbo with chopped parsley and scallions, over a bowl of cooked long-grain white rice.
I hope you enjoy this New Orleans recipe, perfect for Mardi Gras celebrations!
Here is another recipe as a part of my "Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24: Celebrating Mardi Gras, with Vietnamese Flair" post!
Savory Vietnamese Turmeric Crepes (Banh Xeo) with Creole Shrimp
1 1/2 cups of long-grain rice flour (not glutinous rice flour and can use 1 to 1 1/4 cups only, for a lighter, less dense, and more translucent and glassy crepe)
1 can of unsweetened coconut milk (13.5 fl oz)
1/2 tsp of turmeric powder
3 green onion sprigs, chopped finely (with whites and greens)
cooking oil, for frying
12 cooked Creole shrimp
1/2 lb of cooked pork, cut into bite-sized slivers
1/4 lb of mung bean sprouts
1 head of tender lettuce, such as red leaf lettuce
1 bundle of fresh mint
nuoc cham dressing, for serving
Whisk the rice flour, coconut milk, and tumeric powder together until it reaches the consistency of pancake batter. Add the flour into the milk, slowly, making sure the batter is not too thick. Meanwhile, heat approximately 1 tbsp of cooking oil in a non-stick pan on high heat. Swirl the oil around evenly. When the oil begins to shimmer, pour the crepe mixture onto the pan, spreading the mixture on the surface of the oiled pan with a heat-resistant spatula. Sprinkle green onions on the surface of the uncooked crepe. Flip when the crepe when it is crisp and browned on the pan-side. The crepe is finished when both sides are crisp and lightly browned--just like a well-done omelet.
Plate the crepe, and fill it with the shrimp, pork, mung bean sprouts, lettuce, and mint, and fold the crepe over the filling like an omelet. Serve with a small bowl of nuoc cham.
I hope you enjoy this traditional Vietnamese recipe, with a New Orleans-style addition!
Here is another recipe as a part of my "Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24: Celebrating Mardi Gras, with Vietnamese Flair" post!
Summer Rolls (Goi Cuon)
1 pkg of 15 to 20 rice paper wrappers
1 head of tender lettuce, such as red leaf lettuce
1 lb of mung bean sprouts
1 lb of cooked Creole shrimp (or 20 shrimp)
1 bundle of Chinese flat-leaf chives (these are not the traditional chives you see in the regular markets)
1 bundle of mint
1 bundle of basil
warm water
nuoc cham dressing, for serving
Just as a note, this ingredients list is based on my family's preference! You can add traditional Vietnamese herbs such as rau ram, and other vegetables and proteins, such as julienned carrots, tofu, boiled eggs, pickled daikon, baked fish, thinly sliced meat, and slivers of cucumber. Also, many people like to add vermicelli rice noodles too, but I don't really because I feel that there is enough carb substance in the wrapper. But really, the sky is the limit! Also, I use nuoc cham (a fish sauce salad dressing) as the dipping sauce, but you can use a mixture of hoisin sauce, peanut butter, crushed peanuts, and a bit of hot water for a delicious peanut dipping sauce.
Now, onto the assembly! First, you want to briefly dip the thin rice paper in warm water. Then, put it on a plate and wait for it to moisten. It helps to have several "holding" plates to hold the rice paper as it becomes pliable. Then, when the brittle paper has become malleable, in the middle to lower region of the wrapper, place the shrimp face down first. (Some people like to cut their shrimp in half, lengthwise, so put the outer shrimp portion facing the wrapper.) You want the shrimp to show through the thin and translucent rice paper wrapper, so the shrimp placement is key. Next, add your other ingredients, being careful not to overfill the wrapper and leaving the sides bare. Don't fill too closely to the sides, because you want to fold the sides over, like a burrito. Add a little bit of each ingredient.
When you have filled the rolls to your heart's delight, then fold the sides inward (like the picture), similar to a burrito. If you so desire, add a long chive stem (that will protrude through the summer roll), for decorative effect. Then, begin rolling tightly, using your fingers to firmly squeeze the filling and using the skin of the summer roll to adhere to itself.
You should get something beautiful, that looks like this:
And if you don't succeed at first, don't fret! You can combine the carnage from the "mistake rolls" as a delicious salad for later. Practice makes perfect!
I hope you enjoy this traditional Vietnamese recipe, with a New Orleans-style addition!
Here is another recipe as a part of my "Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24: Celebrating Mardi Gras, with Vietnamese flair" post!
Mini, Individual-Sized King Cakes
1 can of refrigerated cinnamon roll dough, with glaze
unflavored green sugar crystals (not lime-flavored)
unflavored purple sugar crystals (not grape-flavored)
unflavored sugar crystals (not lemon-flavored)
Pop open the canister containing the cinnamon roll dough. Separate the dough portions, and unravel each cinnamon bun. Then, taking the length of the unraveled cinnamon dough, bring together both ends, folding the dough in half lengthwise, and twist the dough loop and pull into a braided rope. Then, bring the ends of the twist together, to form a round, braided O-shaped bread, which should be about the size of your palm.
Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray, and follow the instructions on the package to cook the small cakes.
Then, glaze the finished cakes and sprinkle the cakes with alternating colors of green, purple, and yellow sprinkles.
If you have a King Cake baby, slip it inside one of the finished King Cakes (we do not want the plastic to melt) and cover it up discreetly and patch it up with frosting.
I hope you enjoy this New Orleans recipe, perfect for Mardi Gras celebrations!
