Better Than Take-out: Shrimp Egg Rolls

 

I had a package of shrimp that I needed to use up and I wanted to try to cook something different. My best friend from culinary school was half Asian and would always talk about how different real chinese food was from what you get from your local take-out place. Now I knew there was a difference, but I didn't realize how much of a difference. None of that gummy, goopy stuff in her cooking, just fresh and simple ingredients that results in some of the most amazing Chinese food you'll ever eat. She made us her pork dumplings once and they were delicious! I decided to use similar ingredients to what she uses in her dumplings to make some homemade egg rolls and these turned out better than I expected. They had the perfect balance of flavors and came out golden and crunchy. I fried these, but next time I will definitely try baking them as a healthier option!


Shrimp Egg Rolls
Yield: 10-12 rolls

1 Package Spring roll or egg roll wrappers (usually found in the produce section of your supermarket by the tofu)

Oil, for frying

1 pound peeled, deveined, shrimp

1 tablespoon soy sauce 
1 teaspoon cornstarch
freshly ground black pepper 
2 cloves garlic
1/4 head napa of cabbage 

2 carrots

1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil 
1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine vinegar
 1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt 
1 teaspoon sesame oil 
Freshly ground black pepper

1. Dice up the shrimp into 1/4 inch pieces. Transfer to a bowl with 1 tablespoon soy sauce, corn starch and black pepper. Set aside to marinate at least 10 minutes.
2. In a food processor, pulse the cabbage and garlic together until you have a fine dice. Transfer to a bowl. Repeat with the carrots, then the ginger. Add to the bowl with the cabbage 
3. Heat a large saute pan over high heat. Add the vegetable oil and swirl to coat. Add the shrimp and stir-fry until the shrimp turns pink, about 2-3 minutes. Turn heat to medium-low, add the cabbage mixture and stir-fry for 1 minute, until the vegetables are softened. Add the rice wine, soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil and black pepper. Cook another minute. 
4. Place the filling in a colander set over a bowl or your sink and let the mixture drain, 15 minutes, tossing it occasionally with a wooden spoon. Discard all of the accumulated juices. Use paper towels to blot the filling to rid of extra liquid. 
5. To wrap the egg rolls, put one wrapper on a clean counter with a pointed end towards you so it makes a diamond shape. Place 2 tablespoon of filling near the point of the egg roll closest to you and roll up halfway.  When you get to the halfway mark, tightly fold in left side towards the center of the egg roll and then repeat with the right side. Continue to roll the egg roll. Dip your finger in some cold water and brush it all over the final point of the egg roll. Seal the egg roll closed and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat with remaining egg rolls.
6. Cover rolls with plastic wrap to prevent drying. Refrigerate up to 4 hours or freeze.
   Fill a pot with 2 inches of high-heat cooking oil or set up your deep fryer. Heat the oil to 350 degrees. Fry 4 to 6 egg rolls at a time, turning occasionally until golden brown about 1-2 minutes. Place on wire rack to drain and cool. If you freeze your egg rolls, do not defrost them before you cook. Add them frozen to the oil and cook an additional minute or two.

Fish and Chips

During the summer my entire family spends the weekends at our beach house. My mom and I are always trying to come up with new things to cook to keep it interesting and tasty. I was walking on the boardwalk and saw a big sign for Malt Vinegar Fries-- a boardwalk staple and one my favorites. Suddenly I got the urge to make homemade fish and chips and after a quick visit to the grocery store, I came home, broke out the deep fryer and got to cooking.

All I can say is w-o-w. These were so crispy and delicate, the fish flaked apart beautifully and the flavor was amazing--my family loved them and the fries were better than anything you would get on the boardwalk. I used rice flour which is much lighter than regular flour and the reason these came out so crispy and airy. Just make sure that your oil is nice and hot before you start frying otherwise the fish will get soggy and greasy. Fry the fish pieces first and keep them warm in a 200 degree oven while you work on fries.

Fish and Chips
Serves 4

Vegetable oil, for frying
3 large russet potatoes
2 cups rice flour plus 1/4 cup for dredging
1 tablespoon baking powder
3 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
14 ounces seltzer water
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 pound cod fillets, cut into 1/2 pieces
Malt Vinegar and/or tartar sauce for serving

1. Heat oil in a deep fryer to 325 degrees or use a deep heavy skillet.
2. Peel the potatoes and cut them into fries about the size of your index finger. Place the potatoes into a bowl and run warm water over them for about 5 minutes. This will help wash off the starch and prevent the fries from sticking when they are in the oil. Drain the water and pat the fries dry well.
3. Fry the potatoes for 2 to 3 minutes just until the skin starts to blister. You do not want the potatoes to get brown at this point. Remove the fries to a paper towel-lined platter to drain.
4. Turn the oil temperature up to 375 degrees and preheat the oven to 200 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and pepper. Combine seltzer and egg and pour into the flour mixture. Whisk to a smooth batter (the batter will be thick). Spread 1/4 cup rice flour on a plate. Dredge the fish pieces in the rice flour and then dip them into the batter, letting the excess drip off.
5. Fry the fish for 5 minutes until crispy and brown. Remove the basket and drain on paper towels. Season lightly with salt.
6. Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil, place fried fish on the foil and keep warm in the oven. Fry french fries in batches, 4-5 minutes until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and season lightly with salt. 
7. Serve fish and chips together with malt vinegar or tartar sauce.

Marinara Sauce

I can't tell you how many different things I use marinara sauce for. We use it when making homemade pizza, manicotti, on top of meatloaf, as a dipping sauce for fried calamari or on with mussles marinara and of course just your basic pasta pomodoro. This marinara sauce is my mothers recipe-- it is no frills and turns out great each time you make it. I usually make a big batch and freeze any leftovers in small ziplock bags so I can defrost it when I need it in the future. You can adjust this recipe depending on how much you need but 3 cans of tomatoes will give you about 5 cups of marinara sauce.

For starters, you'll need 3 cans of whole peeled tomatoes. If you can get the San Marzanos thats even better but this is what I had on hand so this is what I'm going with.

Lightly cover the bottom of a saute pan with oil and add 3 cloves of sliced garlic. (We use 1 clove per can of tomatoes)

 Let the garlic saute until fragrant. Just make sure you don't get caught up in how amazing your house smells and let the garlic burn-- there is no cure for burnt garlic except starting over.

 After the garlic has been sauteing for a few minutes, add the tomatoes

When all the tomatoes are added, turn up the heat and bring to a boil

 When the tomatoes have been cooking for about 5 minutes, use a potato masher or the back of a fork and start to mash the tomatoes. I've tried using crushed tomatoes and it just isn't the same-- the sauce comes out too thick and the flavor is off so although this is a little extra work its definitely worth it! Just make sure to put your apron on because smashing the tomatoes can get messy!

Continue to cook the sauce over a medium-high heat at a constant boil, stir the sauce frequently making sure the bottom doesn't burn. (Depending on what I am using the sauce for, at this point I add some chopped fresh basil and chopped fresh parsley)

Cook about 20 minutes until the sauce has reduced by 1 inch. Season with salt to taste and use as desired!


Marinara Sauce
Yield 5 cups

3 (28-ounce cans) whole peeled tomatoes
3 cloves garlic, sliced
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (optional)
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh basil (optional)
Salt, to taste

1. Lightly coat the bottom of a pan with olive oil. Add garlic and saute over medium heat until fragrant.
2. Add the tomatoes, cook about 5-10 minutes until they soften slightly. 
3. Add fresh herbs if using.
4. Continue to cook at a steady boil, stirring frequently so the bottom doesn't burn for about 20 minutes or until reduced by 1 inch.

Avocados: The miracle worker.

Avocados are an underestimated fruits and I can't figure out why. A lot of people are turned off to them because they are high in fat, but it is the good fat, the monosaturated fat that is beneficial to our bodies. They are a good source of fiber, potassium, and vitamins and also have great health benefits like the natural ability to help lower cholesterol. So when my boyfriend told me the other day that his little brother found out he has high cholesterol, the first thing I thought of was avocados! I've been using them like crazy in my cooking, making egg salad sandwiches with sliced avocado, dicing it up and putting in my salads and even throwing some in my omelets (which is actually delicious).

For his brother though, I played it safe and went with what every boy loves: guacamole. I learned this recipe while taking a cooking class in Cabo San Lucas and it turns out great every time. Use this recipe as a guide and adjust each ingredient depending on your taste, but, one thing I highly recommend is saving the pit of the avocado and throwing it in the finished guacamole. It helps prevent the guacamole from turning brown--leave it in the serving bowl for a more rustic look!

So here's what you'll need: Avocados, fresh cilantro, red onion, jalapenos, tomatoes and fresh lime juice.

I find that the easiest way to do this is to get all the chopping out of the way first, so start off with your cilantro.

 Take 1/4 cup fresh leaves 

 And finely chop it up.

Finely chop 1/2 small red onion

 Next, take about 4-5 cocktail tomatoes or 1 roma tomato and remove the seeds. Do this by cutting the tomatoes in half

 Then again so you are left with quarters

 Run a small paring knife between the seeds and the flesh of the tomatoes

Remove the seeds and juice. This will work on any size tomato and makes it so much easier to chop the tomatoes!

 Dice up the tomatoes

 

Remove the seeds from 1 jalapeno and dice it up (I usually use fresh but I didn't have any on hand, the canned worked but if you have the fresh definitely use them!)

 

Set aside all your chopped vegetables and start on the avocados

To remove the seed from the avocado, cut the avocado in half lengthwise and twist the bottom free from the top.

 Holding the avocado in one hand, gently hit the pit with the knife

Twist to remove the pit easily from the avocado

 Repeat with remaining avocados

Add some cilantro, onions, tomatoes, jalapenos, salt and fresh squeezed lime juice to the bowl

 Using a whisk gently whisk the ingredients together

 Keep whisking until all big chunks are broken down

A whisk will make the guacamole nice and creamy and still leave you with some texture from the avocados

When the guacamole is nicely mixed, taste and adjust the seasonings. Add more of each ingredient to your liking

Serve it up and enjoy! Make sure you eat some before you put it out for your family and friends though because this goes quick. 

Guacamole

Serves 2-4

2 Avocados

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped

1/2 small red onion, finely chopped

1 jalapeno, seeds and ribs removed, finely chopped

1 roma tomato, seeded, chopped

1/2 lime, juiced

Salt, to taste

1. Remove the seeds from the avocados, place each avocado half in a bowl. Add the chopped cilantro, red onion, jalapeno, tomatoes, salt and lime juice. Whisk until there is still some texture left.
2.  Taste, adjust seasonings, and serve with your favorite tortilla chips.

Coconut Margaritas

Summer is finally here!

Today my mom and I were flipping through channels on the TV when we stumbled upon Sandra Lee making a Coconut Margarita. It looked so delicious we ran right out and bought all of the ingredients we needed. I was actually very excited because the recipe used Godiva White Chocolate liquor and I have been wanting to try it for some time now.  The bottle was a little on the pricey side but it won't go to waste, it was sinfully good and I can't wait to test out more drink recipes with it.

But back to this little taste of heaven. These drinks remind me of the Good Humor coconut bars that the Ice Cream Man used to sell out of his truck. You have to make the simple syrup ahead of time so it has time to cool down but once you do that, the drink will take you no time to prepare. These were so refreshing and light making it a perfect summer cocktail!



White Chocolate Coconut Margaritas
Yield 4

2 1/2 cups coconut water, chilled
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup finely shredded coconut shavings
Ice, for serving
1/2 cup coconut rum
1/4 cup white chocolate liqueur
1/4 cup tequila

1. In a small pot combine 1/2 cup coconut water with the sugar. Heat until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and cool in the refrigerator about 20 minutes.
2. Place the coconut shavings on a small plate. Dip the rims of 4 margarita glasses into the coconut simple syrup just to dampen. Holding the glasses upside down, rim of the glasses with the fresh coconut to coat the edges. Fill the glasses with ice.
3. In a shaker, combine the remaining 2 cups coconut water, the rum, white chocolate liqueur, tequila and 1/4 cup of the coconut simple syrup. Shake and pour into the glasses.

Breakfast in South Beach

While we were down in Miami we had so many good meals down there I just had to share them. First off I would just like to say that the Miami restaurant scene is great. The caterers for her wedding were Barton G, we did a trial of the food at the restaurant and I'll put up some pictures soon! The restaurant is famous for their nitrogen cocktails and they're outrageous food presentations like their lobster pop tarts that are served in a retro toaster. For the wedding they put out an amazing food spread-- we had seafood stations, pasta stations, sushi stations, carving stations-- you name it, we had it and Barton G did it to perfection.

Since we were out late each night when we woke up in the mornings we needed some good greasy food to make us feel better. We ate at The Terrazza, the restaurant at the Shore Club which is located on their pool deck. It was so nice to sit out there each morning and look out over the pool

We had an amazing version of eggs benedict with toasted Semolina, Wilted Greens, Bacon and Hollandaise that came served with smashed fingerling potatoes. This was so much better than the traditional eggs benedict that come with Canadian bacon on an english muffin. Not to mention the wilted greens added so much flavor to the dish I'll never make them the traditional way again!

We also got a lox plate--everything on the plate was fresh and delicious I just wish they gave us more of the garnishes. The presentation was beautiful but in the end, there just wasn't enough of each item. Regardless, if you are in Miami I would definitely recommend stopping by the Shore Club for breakfast-- the staff was attentive, the service was quick and the food was great.

Versace Mansion

The night before my sisters wedding we stayed in the former Versace Mansion. I am going to try my hardest to convey to you the beauty of this place-- words (and unfortunately my amateur photographing skills) will not be able to describe it but at least it will give you a good idea.

When people think of the former Versace Mansion some think of Gianni Versace’s tragic death, some may think of the landmark it has become in South Beach and others may even think of the famous Medusa head. But when I think of The Versace Mansion only one thing comes to mind: Ultimate Luxury. Now known as the The Villa By Barton G, the same Barton G that has gained notoriety as Miami’s hot-spot restaurant where the food is as trendy as the diners, is luxury hotel and restaurant.

Once you get past the people taking pictures and the tight security at the heavily guarded front gates you are welcomed as if you were a guest of Versace himself. The hotel boasts 10 suites each equipped with a 24/7 British trained butler to cater to your every need. When a small issue arose with the wedding dress, the butler fetched a sewing kit and hand sewed the dress back to perfection. There really wasn’t one request that they couldn’t fill and they were effortlessly pleasant the whole time.

 Our room was bigger than most New York City apartments. Completely hand painted-- those aren't curtains on the wall, its paint! The place was decorated in rich, luxurious fabrics that made the room feel like a scenic oasis. We had a separate sitting room (shown below!) where the Butler came in to set up our breakfast, which was delicious, and chill champagne while all nine of us got our hair and makeup done in the suite’s impeccable bathroom.

This was our breakfast, Yogurt and Granola, Scrambled Eggs with Lox, and a basket full of homemade pastries/croissants, all of it was delicious. I think my sister is the only bride in the world who didn't try to lose weight for her wedding. She has been naturally thin her whole life-- some things in life just aren't fair...

Anyway, here are a few shots of the room....

The Villa was so accommodating and allowed the hair/make-up people come up to the room and work on all the girls. We had champagne, had sandwiches and crudite and it was such a good chance for all of us girls to spend time together before the day got hectic! Here was our lunch-- turkey club and crudite!

We were greeted at the cocktail hour with wine, champagne and hors devours.  We had mini philly cheesesteaks (the groom grew up in Philadelphia) which was such a hit! Also, gaspacho soup-- which was delicious but was a little thick making it hard to eat as an appetizer, crispy vegetable spring rolls which were just ok, pulled duck: outrageous and a few more I can't think of at the moment.

 

Also in the cocktail hour there were raw seafood and sushi/sashimi stations set up. At this point I'm going to stop talking about how delicious everything was because it is starting to get repetitive. 

 

 

The reception took place alongside the 54-foot “thousand mosaic pool”, which ironically holds more than a million tiny mosaics imported from Italy, lined in 24 karat gold and designed by Gianni Versace himself. The bar was set off to the right side of the pool inside a twelve person shower, however, the wait staff was so attentive during the wedding you rarely had to get a drink for yourself. My sister did not want a sit down dinner becuase she wanted everyone to be able to dance and eat without being interrupted every two seconds because the next meal was being served. We had pasta stations, carving stations, salad stations (below is the Caesar salad with anchovies-- great presentation!)

In addition to the wedding cake, they set up a great dessert bar with mini donuts, churros, funnel cake and all the necessary accompaniments. The pastry chef did an amazing job and even matched the wedding cake to my sisters dress!

 The hype of The Villa did not disappoint. Rooms range from $1,200 to $10,000 per night but the experience is priceless. Next time you want to visit South Beach, forget the Delano or the Fountain Bleu. Experience it lavishly. Experience Versace.