Recipes: Weekend in the O.C.

Hi Ladies! Here are some recipes I promised all of you. It was such a pleasure to see all of Jer's ladies with an appetite as big as my own ;)

Vietnamese Sandwiches (Banh Mi)

For the pork:

3 lb. boneless pork butt

1 t. black peppercorns

2 serrano chiles, crushed

3 garlic cloves, crushed

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. salt

For the pickled carrots:

1/2 c rice wine vinegar

1/2 c. sugar

1 t. salt

1 1/2 c. peeled and shredded carrots

To assemble:

2 french baguettes

6 T Mayo

10 oz. pork pate

1 English cucumber, sliced into thin wide strips

1/2 c. cilantro

4 jalapenos

4 t. soy sauce

Brine the pork in a ziploc bag filled with water and pork ingredients above. Refrigerate overnight. Rinse pork butt and pat dry. Place fat side up in roasting pan. Heat oven to 400F roast in middle rack for 1 hr and 45 min or until internal temp reads 165. Let cool for at least 45 min. Slice thinly.

For picked carrots:

Combine vinegar, sugar and salt. Coat julienned carrots and set aside overnight.

To assemble:

Slice baguettes lengthwise. Crisp in oven. Remove enough of bottom interiors of baguette so filling can fit easily. Spread mayo on top and pate on bottom. Top with sliced pork, cucumber, cilantro, pickled carrots and jalapenos for heat. Sprinkle with soy sauce.

Bill Granger's Vietnamese Chicken Salad

3 pieces 200g boneless skinless chicken breasts (1.3 lbs)

2T. veggie oil

salt

white pepper

1 c. bean sprouts

1 c. mint leaves

1. c basil

4 cups chinese cabbage, finely shredded

1 c. carrot peeled and finely julienned

Vietnamese Dressing:

60 ml lime juice

60 ml fish sauce

2T rice vinegar

1T sugar

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1/2 red onion or shallots, finely sliced

2 small red chilies, seeds removed, finely chopped

Heat frying pan with oil. Sear for 2 min and turn to sear other side for 1 min.

Bake chicken for 8-10 min. Leave to rest for 20 min. Shred chicken into thin strips with your hands and place in a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients and toss. Place all dressing ingredients in a separate bowl and stir until sugar is dissolved. Toss on salad when ready to serve.

Sweet Corn cakes with Avocado Salsa

18 oz canned corn, drained (or fresh from 3 corn cobs)

1 small red onion, chopped

2 eggs

3 T cilantro, chopped

4 oz flour

1 t. baking powder

salt and pepper

veggie oil for frying

For Avocado Salsa:

2 avocados, diced

15 g. cilantro

2 T lemon or lime juice

2T scallions, finely chopped

1 tomato, seeded and finely diced

1 dash Tabasco sauce, optional

salt and pepper

Preheat to 250

Place 2 c.corn, onion, eggs, cilantro, flour, baking powder, salt and pepper in food processor  until combined. Add remaining corn and stir to combine. Heat one T oil in non-stick frying pan over med to high heat. Drove 2 T of mixture per corn cake and cook in batches of three, for one minute on each side. Keep warm in oven while making the rest of your corn cakes. Serve with avocado salsa. For salsa, add all ingredients into bowl and stir very gently to combine.

Barefoot Contessa's Sour Cream Coffee Cake

12 T (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp

1 1/2c. sugar

3 xl eggs, room temp

1 1/2 t. vanilla

1 1/4 c. sour cream

2 1/2 c. cake flour

2 t. baking powder

1/2 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

For Streusel:

1/4 c brown sugar, packed

1/2 c. flour

1 1/2 t. cinnamon

1/4 t. salt

3 T. cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

3/4 c. chopped walnuts

For glaze: 

1/2 c. confectioners' sugar

2 T maple syrup

Preheat 350. Grease 10 in. tube pan or what ever other pan you have. Cream butter and sugar for 4 min. Add eggs 1 at a time. Add vanilla and sour cream. In another bowl, mix flour, b.p, b.s, and salt. Fold in flour mixture until just combined. For streusel, place brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt and butter in a bowl and pinch together with your fingers until it forms a crumble. Mix in walnuts.

Spoon half the batter in the pan. Sprinkle 3/4 c streusel. Spoon rest of batter into the pan, and scatter the remaining streusel on top. Bake 50-60 min. Cook for 30 min. Whisk confectioners sugar and maple syrup together. Drizzle as much as you like over the cake with a fork or spoon. I didn't make the icing that weekend.

Polenta Pound Cake - refer to Jan 28 2009 posting

Makes 1 loaf cake, serving 8-10

1/2 lb unsalted butter

1 cup sugar

finely grated zest of 1 lemon (optional)

3 eggs, at room temp.

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1/2 cup sour cream or yogurt

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons cornmeal

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup pine nuts (optional)

* I omitted optional ingredients

Preheat  to 350 degrees. 

Brush loaf pan with butter and dust with flour or just line with parchment (which is what I do).

Cream butter, sugar and lemon zest until light and fluffy for 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time. Then add extracts and sour cream. Stir in cornmeal followed by flour, baking powder and salt.

Spoon batter into pan. Scatter pine nuts on top (if using pine nuts). Bake about an hour or until the top is firm to the touch. cook completely. Cut 3/4 to 1 in. slices. Toast in your toaster oven until brown at edges. Dust with powdered sugar (optional). I just served it plain. 

Chocolate Toffee Cookies - from February  6 2008 posting
Makes about 18
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 pound bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1 3/4 cups (packed) brown sugar

4 large eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

5 1.4-ounce chocolate-covered English toffee bars (such as Heath or Skor), coarsely chopped

1 cup walnuts, toasted, chopped 



Combine flour, baking powder and salt in small bowl; whisk to blend. Stir chocolate and butter in top of double boiler set over simmering water until melted and smooth. Remove from over water. Cool mixture to lukewarm.
Using electric mixer, beat sugar and eggs in bowl until thick, about 5 minutes. Beat in chocolate mixture and vanilla. Stir in flour mixture, then toffee and nuts. Chill batter until firm, about 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment or waxed paper. Drop batter by 1/4 cupfuls with an ice cream scoop onto sheets, spacing 2 1/2 inches apart. Bake just until tops are dry and cracked but cookies are still soft to touch, about 15 minutes. Cool on sheets. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.)