Summer Rolls

This isn't really a recipe, but a list of ingredients I decided to make dinner with. Its hot, way too hot to be cooking, but I got the idea in my head to make tea smoked tofu for summer rolls and well, lets say that the smoking process smelled a lot less like tea and a lot more like other plant materials sometimes set ablaze. The finished tofu didn't taste bad, but it didn't necessarily evoke campfire either.

Summer Rolls
rice paper wrappers
firm tofu (I used my attempt at tea soaked), cut into thin strips
Mung bean noodles, soaked for 15 minutes
carrot, julienne
greens of scallions, sliced fine
thinly sliced cucumbers
fresh mint leaves
fresh basil leaves (Thai basil is great here)

1. Soak the rice paper for 5+ seconds in warm water until it is soft, pliable, and translucent.
2. Remove the rice paper from the water and place it on a towel.
3. Add layers of the veggies and then the noodles and roll up like a burrito. Roll the top up and over the filling, roll it over once, then pull in the outside flaps and roll up. (as you can see, I didn't wrap mine as tightly as they should be so they were a little difficult to eat, but tasted pretty awesome)
4. Cut and eat with spicy peanut dipping sauce.

Dipping Sauce
Peanut butter (I started with a 1/4 cup)
a few dashes fish sauce (substitute gluten-free soy sauce if you are going vegan)
< 1/2tsp toasted sesame oil
fresh lime juice (1 or more limes)
1/4 tsp fresh ginger, minced
2 scallions fresh scallions, minced
chili sauce (I like Sambal here)
water
sugar (especially necessary if using unsweetened peanut butter)

Mix all the ingredients together well, taste for seasonings. I was really surprised how much chili sauce was needed. The fat of the peanut butter is really powerful.

French Macaron

Macaroons are my favorite cookie of all time. Growing up, I only knew the Sicilian kind, made with almond paste for specially occasions (weddings) and holidays (mainly Christmas). Round and covered in pine nuts (which to the displeasure of all my Italian relatives, I would unabashedly pick off) or made in a rosette and topped with half or a quarter of a maraschino cherry, macaroons were something I gladly signed up to help our neighbors make.

It wasn't until my sister made coconut macaroons that I realized the word could have more than one cookie result. (I enjoy a good coconut macaroon now and then, but its not my default macaroon.)

In 2006, while working at a gourmet food shop in Cambridge, MA I first experienced a French macaron. A Frenchman name Craig was creating these 3-bite, brightly hued and intensely flavored cookies that blew me away. Sadly, he is no longer making the cookies and fillings from scratch, but the simultaniously crunchy, chewy and creamy textures with birsts of raspberry, coffee, pisatchio, vanilla and even blueberry flavors have been scered into my memory.

So when the subject of macaron making came up this evening, the thought that crossed minds was whether or not Trader Joe's Almond Meal could work in a traditional recipe that calls for blanched almond meal/flour -- the Trader Joe's kind is ground with the almond peels on. Deciding the only way to know for sure was to try, here is my first attempt at macaron.

Working off of Syrup and Tang's La Macaronicite, I made the following:

Almond Meal - 130gm
Powdered Sugar - 160gm
Egg Whites - 100gm
Granulated Sugar - 80gm
1/2 tsp vanilla paste

Oven Info:
Preheat the oven to 360F
After two minutes, prop the oven door open with a wooden spoon

Prep ahead:
3-4 cookie sheets lined with parchment paper or a silpat.
Pastry bag or ziptop bag fitted with a round tip for piping.

1. Whisk together the almond meal and powdered sugar. Set aside.
2. In a clean bowl, whip the egg whites until they form soft peaks.
3. Slowly add the granulated sugar into the egg whites, and then whip until still peaks.
4. Fold in half of the almond meal mixture into the egg whites. Then fold in the vanilla and remaining almond meal mixture. Work quickly but DO NOT OVER MIX.
5. Load the mixture into a piping bag and pipe out circles that are as even as possible (you can pre-mark the underside of your parchment as a guide). The cookies are not going to spread that much, but do leave a centimeter or so between each. If you have little tips or peaks, tap the cookie sheet on the counter.
6. Place cookies into 365F oven. (I misread here and lowered the oven temp, whoops)
7. After 2 minutes, prop the door open with a wooden spoon to let some air escape.
8. At the 5 minute mark, rotate the pans.
9. The cookies are done when the outter cookies just barely begin to take on color and the cookie will lift away from the paper with a little resistance when lifted/pushed. GO GENTLE HERE
10. Remove the cookies from the oven and allow to cool on the pans for 1-2 minutes.
11. Lift the cookies from the parchment and place on a cooling rack to further cool. If cookies stick to paper, dab the back of the paper with a bit of water and then try removing.
12. Once cool, fill with jam or buttercream.

Piped dough:


Baked shells (I think the heat was not hot enough = cracking):

Filled with coffee buttercream:

I was intimidated by macarons, but even though the buttercream broke and the shells cracked, they were still delicious and I will try making them again - once I can get my hands on some finer almond meal.

Gluten free Chicago deep dish

The internet is a wonderful thing. You can type: "gluten free pizza Chicago" into the googler and find places like: Marcello's Father & Son Restaurant offering both deep dish and thin crust gluten free offerings. You can even order online.

Do you think I could resist?


Deep dish with mushrooms, onions & sausage:


Thin crust with spinach, mushrooms, & artichokes:

Flavor-wise, the thinner crust won out. I am pretty sure its the same dough, just shaped differently, but the thicker crust of the deep dish tasted a bit odd or off - though both held up very well, even with delivery they didn't get soggy or fall apart.

The left overs were even better.

How does your garden grow?

On my walk home from the El, which I still cannot stop calling the T, I was pretty surprised to see someone this:


Someone on W. Diversy has a special place in my artichoke heart.

BYON - Bring your own naan

I heard about the falafel at Sultan's Market, and that it is some of the best in the city and decided it was what's for dinner. Once confirming that their balls of golden fried goodness were gluten free, I thought it would be awesome to bring a flat bread/naan/pita in tow for a more complete experience.

I started with this recipe for gluten-free nann / roti on celiac.com, and then well, changed it.

Homemade Naan
2 tsp yeast
2 tsp sugar
150 ml warm water
1 cup sweet rice flour
3 tbsp corn starch
3 tbsp potato starch
3 tbsp tapioca starch
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp salt
150ml plain yogurt
2 tsp veggie oil *Plus more for shaping

parchment paper
disher - I used a 1.33oz
cookie sheets
Preheat oven to 500F

1. In a bowl combine the 2 tsp sugar, yeast and warm water. Allow to proof (get frothy and bubbly) for 5 minutes.
2. In another bowl, sit the dry ingredients together.
3. Add the yeast mixture to the dry ingredients and add in the yogurt, additional sugar and 2 tsp of oil. Mix together very well. (The batter is going to be very sticky, but you need to keep beating it to get rid of any lumps.)
4. Dish out the mixture onto cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. Oil your hand and spread the mixture out until its less than 1/4" thick.
5. Allow the dough to proof for 10-20 minutes until it puffs up about 1.5x its size.
6. Bake at 450-500F for 3 minutes, rotate pans and then continue cooking until brown.
7. Allow to cool on pans.


Sticky dough.

Formed Naan.

Proofed for 10 minutes (it was a really hot day, it might take longer if your apt isn't 92F)

Baked!

Falafel dinner from Sultan's Market w/hot sauce and all the fixins.

The loaded up flat bread ready for me to eat!

The falafel was really light, cripsy and not at all greasy. The hot sauce, it was some of the hottest I have ever had, but it was so so good. I was grateful for the cooling cucumber salad. And the best part is, I have 4 extra naan in the freezer for the next falafel outting.

Homemade Maple Granola

I used to omit the vanilla extract and add orange oil and coconut to the first version of this recipe. I like this one even more.

Maple granola
4 cups gluten free rolled oats
1 cup raw sliced almonds
1 cups raw pecan pieces
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds *shelled
1 cup raw peppitas (pumpkin seeds, shelled)
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp water
1/2 cup maple syrup (grade b is great here)
1/2 cup canola oil
1 tsp salt (I used sea salt, go 3/4 tsp if you use table salt)
1/2 tsp Vietnamese cinnamon
parchment paper
2 sheet cookie sheet or jelly roll pans with lip all the way around
1 cup dried tart cherries
1 cup dried golden raisins
1 cup dried apricots, quartered

1. Mix all ingredients except the fruit together in a bowl.
2. Spread out over parchment lined cookie sheets and bake at 325F
3. Bake at 325 for about 30 minutes, flipping the mixture at least once. You are looking for golden brown, but really watch the edges, they will burn quickly.

Once cooled, add the dried fruit.
Store in air tight bag/container.

Longans

The adventure in Chinatown ended with a seasonal discovery: Longans.
(I was honestly looking for tapioca starch, which I haven't been able to find in any of the grocery stores.)

Longans or Dragon's Eyes are a fruit that I have only come across 3 times before, during the summer in Chinatown in Boston. The fruit is surrounded by a thin, brown skin, not quite a shell. Once its peeled away, the opaque flesh surrounds a dark brown seed. The fruit tastes a bit like a combination of lychee and sweet corn.

They are a little labor intensive, but really refreshing on a hot day.

Sour Cherry Blueberry Pie

After a day checking out the parade in Chicago's China Town and an amazing meal at Pollo Express in Pilson - seriously, this was the best chicken I have ever eaten in my entire life. If you are in Chicago, you must go there - it was time to round out the evening with pie.

I didn't have enough sour cherries to fill the shell, but an excess of frozen wild blueberries in the freezer rewarded me with this sour cherry blueberry pie.

4-5 cups sour cherries, pitted
1 cup sugar
4 tbsp tapioca starch
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp vanilla paste
2 cups frozen wild blueberries
(extra sugar and 1 egg for assembly)

1. Mix all of the ingredients together and let rest at least 5-10 minutes before assembling pie.

Flaky Pie Dough - new modified version
2/3 cup tapioca starch
2/3 cup potato starch
1 cup sweet rice flour
2/3 cup corn starch
1 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup cubed butter
2 eggs
2 tsp apple cider vinegar

1. Mix all dry ingredients together.
2. Cut in the butter until its about the size of peas.
3. In a separate bowl, mix the eggs and cider.
4. Add the eggs & vinegar into the flour-butter mixture until combined.
5. Divide the dough and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Pie Assembly
Preheat the oven to 350F

1. Roll out one of the balls of dough on a well floured surface. (Rolling out on floured parchment is really helpful here. Seriously you need to be very generous with your flour or it will stick.)
2. Line the pie plate, add the filling, then roll out the second ball of dough.
3. Whisk and egg with a little water and brush the edge of the bottom layer of dough to help the top layer stick.
4. Place the top layer on the bottom, crimp the edges. Cut a few steam vents.
5. Brush the remainder of the egg wash on the top crust and sprinkle with sugar.
6. Bake for 1 hour or until the crust is golden brown.
7. Allow the pie to cool before cutting. If you skip this your filling will ooze out.

Best pie I have ever made.

Eating Well's Should You Go Gluten Free?

Here is one of the better articles I have read about celiac disease, which really makes me want to visit Brazil: http://www.eatingwell.com/health/health_diet_centers/should_you_go_gluten_free.html

Thanks to Elizabeth for passing it along.

Bastille Day Salad

With almost every ingredient coming from the Logan Square Farmers Market, this salad was partial made because the refrigerator was mistreating the veggies and the cucumber was starting to wrinkle, but totally delicious. I steamed the corn the day I got it, to keep it sweet. (Sweet corn starts converting the sugars into more complex starch carbohydrates the moment its picked.)

4 ears of sweet corn steamed and then cut off the cob
4 slices of bacon, cut into 1/4 inch batons
1 cucumber cut into bite size pieces
1 bunch of garlic scapes cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 tbsp whole mustard seeds
juice of one lime
salt
pepper

1. In a heavy bottom skillet, sautee the bacon until its golden brown and rendered the fat.
2. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and drain it on a paper towel.
3. Over medium heat, sautee the cut garlic scapes in the remaining bacon fat until they turn a brighter green and become tender.
4. Remove the scapes from the pan and add in the mustard seeds. Cook until you begin to hear and see them popping.
5. Add the cut corn to the mustard seeds, stir until heated through.
6. Combine the corn with the bacon, scapes and add in the cucumber, juice of one lime and salt and pepper. Toss well and serve hot.