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For a Quick Bite, Roll Your Own Spring Rolls

YumSugar — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 15:00:59 -0700

This past weekend, San Francisco experienced a couple of the hottest days of the year. After a blistering morning walk around the city with out-of-town visitors, I invited my friends over for lunch. To keep things appropriately light, I served wine spritzers and made fresh Vietnamese-style Spring rolls.

Although they may look and sound labor-intensive, non-fried Spring rolls - or Summer rolls, as they're sometimes called - can make for an incredibly speedy meal. While this recipe calls for deli roast beef (an unusual filling for Spring rolls), you can use any protein you like; I later made rolls with roasted turkey, which tasted great as well. The versatility of the filling is part of the beauty of the dish. Learn how to roll your own when you read more

Monday's Leftovers: Summer Rolls

YumSugar — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 08:00:45 -0700

Following a long weekend of serious overindulgence, turn to a meal that's refreshingly light yet satisfying: Asian-inspired Summer rolls. Leftover ground turkey stands in as protein, while glutinous rice wrappers add a toothsome texture, and vegetables - shiitake mushrooms, mung bean sprouts, and red and green bell peppers - provide an element of much-needed crunch. To make a wholesome dinner (or portable lunch!), read on

Lobster Rolls Two Ways - Beginner and Expert

YumSugar — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 05:50:21 -0700

Lobster rolls might just be the world's most ideal on-the-go treat: they're highbrow yet informal, portable yet palatable, and, like all shore food, pair perfectly with a balmy breeze. For my next outdoor meal - likely to be a picnic at a Summer concert -I'll surprise everyone with these simple yet stunning sandwiches. If I have the time, I'd love to steam live lobster myself and make my own mayonnaise for the freshest roll in town - but if I don't have the bandwidth, I'll still wow the crowd, using pre-cooked lobster meat and fresh hot dog buns. Decide which version fits your schedule best when you read more.

Beginner Lobster Rolls
From Bon Appétit

Ingredients

8 ounces cooked lobster meat, torn into bite-size pieces
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon butter, room temperature
2 hot dog rolls
1/2 head of butter lettuce, thinly sliced

Directions

Combine lobster meat and mayonnaise in medium bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Butter outside surfaces of hot dog rolls. Heat medium skillet over medium-high heat. Place rolls, 1 buttered side down, in skillet; cook until browned slightly, about 2 minutes per side. Open rolls. Fill with lettuce, then lobster mixture, and serve.

Serves 2.

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Expert Lobster Rolls
From Martha Stewart Living

Ingredients

Homemade Mayonnaise:
1 large egg, room temperature
Salt
1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Lobster Rolls:
2 one-and-a-half-pound live lobsters
1 tablespoon snipped chives
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
2 tablespoons Homemade Mayonnaise
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 bunch arugula

Directions

Make homemade mayonnaise: Wrap the outside and bottom of a 1-quart bowl in a damp towel to secure it in place on the work surface. Combine egg and salt with a large balloon whisk, mixing until foamy and pale. Whisking constantly, add oils a few drops at a time, and then in a steady stream as the mixture emulsifies. Add lemon juice; blend briefly. Add additional salt and lemon juice to taste. Makes 1 cup. Store, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Plunge lobsters in headfirst. Allow water to return to a simmer, and cook for 5 minutes. Remove pot from heat. Leave lobsters in hot water for 3 more minutes. Remove lobsters, and let cool. Split lobsters lengthwise, and crack claws, allowing water to drain. Remove meat from shells, and cut into large chunks.
In a small bowl, combine herbs with mayonnaise, lemon juice, and pepper to taste. Add lobster meat, and mix well.
Brush insides of buns with melted butter. Grill or broil until brown and crisp.
To assemble lobster rolls, line each bun with arugula, and top with lobster salad.

Serves 4.

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Fast & Easy Dinner: Skewered Swordfish Rolls

partysugar — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 06:45:21 -0700

This summer, I'm trying to experiment with different types of fish. Although I cook with plenty of seafood, usually I make salmon or shellfish. When I found this recipe for skewered swordfish, I couldn't help but get excited. The fish is rubbed with a lemon garlic herb mixture before being pounded thin. Next a thick orange tapenade coats the fish. It sounds delicious and exciting with a wonderfully pretty presentation.

To get the recipe and expand your fish horizons with me, read more.

Skewered Swordfish Rolls
From Rachael Ray

Ingredients

Grated peel of 2 lemons, plus lemon wedges for serving
2 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
1 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves
3/4 cup green olives, chopped
1/2 cup basil leaves, chopped or torn
3 tablespoons capers
Grated peel of 1 orange, plus orange wedges for serving
Four 1/2-inch-thick swordfish steaks (about 2 1/2 pounds total)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
Large slices of crusty bread

Directions

Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium-high.
Using a food processor, pulse the lemon peel, garlic and parsley until finely chopped.
In a bowl, combine the olives, basil, capers and orange peel.
Remove the skin and dark flesh from the swordfish steaks and discard.
Drizzle the fish with the olive oil, season with salt and pepper and rub with the lemon mixture. Place the fish between 2 layers of wax paper and gently pound out to 1/8 inch thick.
Cut the fish into twelve 3-inch-wide strips no more than 5 inches long. Spread the orange-olive mixture on the strips. Roll up the fish strips and thread 3 rolls at a time onto skewers.
Grill the swordfish skewers, turning frequently, until firm to the touch and opaque, about 7 minutes.
Grill the bread and serve alongside the skewers, with lemon and orange wedges for squirting on the fish.

Serves 4.

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Would You Rather Eat Fresh or Fried Rolls?

partysugar — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 08:50:31 -0700

Source

Name That Dish!

partysugar — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 13:28:39 -0800

I've had rolled-up food on the mind lately and might have to order the dish below to feed my craving. Do you know what these are called?

Yummy Link: Pesto Rolls

YumSugar — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 04:31:38 -0700

What could be better than cinnamon rolls? How about savory pesto rolls? Melt a little parmesan on top and you'll be in bread heaven. - A Year In Bread

52 Weeks of Baking: Brazilian Cheese Bread

YumSugar — Tue, 29 May 2007 14:55:31 -0700

When I ~~dined~~ stuffed my face at the Brazilian steakhouse, it was really difficult to not devour the complementary mini loafs of cheesebread. Known as Pão de Queijo, these little puffs are made from tapioca flour and are so light and fluffy and surprisingly dense at the same time. When we decided to highlight Brazilian food today, I knew I'd have to use the opportunity to dig up a recipe. It's pretty easy to follow, just make sure you don't underbake them (which would result in an uncooked/doughy middle). To knead up your own batch, check out the recipe, just read more

Pão de Queijo
Adapted from Recipezaar and Sonia-Portuguese

1 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp salt
2 cups tapioca flour
2-3 eggs (I had a cracking accident and used 2 eggs, 1 yolk and some white)
2 cups Parmesan cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 350F.
In a medium-large sized pot bring milk, water, oil, and salt to a low boil. Remove from heat once boiling.
Add in tapioca flour, stirring as fast as possible. Use a wooden spoon, not a whisk, as the dough will become very sticky. Let cool for about 10 minutes.
Move dough to a large bowl and knead in eggs.
When eggs are kneaded in, add grated cheese and knead until dough is smooth. Note: If your cheese is coarsely grated, it will appear a bit lumpy.
Once kneaded, form into balls about 2 inches wide and place on parchment paper coated (or greased) baking sheet. Note: you may want grease your hands with vegetable oil before trying to form dough balls.
Bake for about 25 minutes or until rolls are golden brown.
Serve warm! If you let them sit too long, reheat in the oven/toaster oven, the microwave will make them too gooey.

Note: Next time I'm going to go 2 1/2 cups of cheese!

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52 Weeks of Baking: Cheese Popovers

YumSugar — Fri, 02 Feb 2007 16:48:17 -0800

Yes, I know, that is not a picture of a gigantic espresso cake, but here's what happened. I went to the store, bought all of my ingredients, got home and realized that it wasn't just a 4 layer cake with two normal layers each cut in half, but it was actually a 4 layer cake - as in 4 cake pans! Since my kitchen is rather urban (aka small), I don't have the luxury of having the space for 4 cake pans. I'm borrowing two more so that I can make the cake on Saturday (which actually works out better, because this creation is going to take more than an hour or so after work), but this meant there would be no baking for this week! When I realized that, I looked through the pantry and discovered that I had all the ingredients for the Cheese Popovers (the second place choice) and went with them instead. To see how my popover adventure went (and I'll fess up now and say it was a bit flat), read more

Okay, let me just get this off of my chest, I MESSED UP. I broke the number one rule in popovers. Even though I knew I shouldn't do it, I opened the oven when they were cooking (I wanted a prettier picture for you guys!) and poof! Instead of popover, I got pop-ish (the end result was still great for breakfast the next day, but nothing to write home about). Also, I'm not really sure I love this recipe, the middles were a bit doughy in places (I think they needed longer at the higher temp), and I was only able to make FIVE popovers.

If you try it, let me know how they turned out. I'm actually going to make them again and have a 52 weeks of baking revisited, because let's face it, I did not make popovers, these are whacked out muffins.

Oh and you don't need a special pan to make popovers, a plain ol' muffin tin will work too.

Basic & Cheese Popovers
From Recipes a Collection for the Modern Cook by Susan Spungen

1 cup all-purpose flour (plus more for dusting tin)
1 tsp kosher salt
2 large eggs, at room temp
1 cup warm milk
1 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted (plus more for greasing tin)
1 tbsp chopped fresh herbs (optional)
2 ounces cheese of your choice (optional)

Whisk together the flour and salt in a small bowl and set aside.
Whisk the eggs in a medium bowl. Slowly whisk in the milk and butter.
Pour the flour mixture into the egg mixture and whisk until smooth.
Add the cheese and fresh herbs, if using. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 6 hours or overnight (the batter rises best when chilled, but they can be baked right away, too).
Preheat the oven to 450F and position a rack in the middle of the oven. Brush a muffin or popover pan with melted butter and dust with flour.
Stir the batter well. Fill each cup three-quarters full with batter; fill unused cups one-third full with water.
Immediately transfer to the oven and bake for 15 minutes.This picture ruined EVERYTHING.
Reduce temperature to 350F and bake until well browned and crusty, about 20 minutes.
Remove from the oven and serve immediately.

Click on a picture for a larger view:

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'Wich of the Week: Dungeness Crab Roll

YumSugar — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 14:00:41 -0800

Crab season is a big deal in San Francisco, and if you've ever tackled a whole crab to extract the sweet, succulent meat, then you understand what the fuss is about. Since we're right in the middle of Dungeness Crab Week, I'm celebrating with a New England-style crab roll filled to the brim with fresh Pacific crabmeat.You could put crabmeat on pretty much anything and I'd eat it (I'm still drooling over this salad). I devoured the sandwich version at a New England-style seafood joint in SF called Woodhouse Fish Company.

The rainy-day-appropriate restaurant uses the split-top rolls popular in New England then fills them with Dungeness crabmeat that's West Coast all the way. But these are easy to make at home: The key is finding the freshest, most delicious crabmeat possible. To get the recipe, read more.

New England Crab Rolls
From Bon Appétit

The recipe calls for any kind of crabmeat, but if you can get access to in-season Dungeness, go with that. If not, any kind of fresh crab will do.

Ingredients

6 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3/4 pound fresh crabmeat, picked over
3 tablespoons finely chopped green onions
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter, room temperature
4 hot dog buns, sides split open
4 red leaf or Bibb lettuce leaves

Directions

Whisk together mayonnaise, lemon juice, lemon peel, and cayenne pepper in medium bowl. Mix in crabmeat and chopped green onions. Season crab salad to taste with salt and pepper.
Spread butter on insides of hot dog buns. Warm large skillet over medium heat 1 minute. Place buns, buttered side down, in preheated skillet and toast until golden, about 5 minutes.
Place 2 toasted buns on each of 2 plates. Place 1 lettuce leaf inside each bun. Divide crab salad among buns and serve.

Makes 2 sandwiches.

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