pad thai

This has been one of my favorite dishes since I first tried it in St. Louis on my orientation visit in 2001. There were about 5 thai restaurants on "the loop" in st. louis, all named some variation of "Thai Country Cafe," all owned by the same people and all serving the exact same food. We never did figure that one out, but they're still there, and still serving up some delish thai food. I made my first version of pad thai a few years ago and have been tweaking it to my taste, adding veggies here and there, using shrimp, chicken, and/or tofu and playing with the sauce. I cooked dinner for my parents sunday and my dad loves him some pad thai, so lucky for him I was up for a trip to the asian grocery to pick up some supplies.


Authentic pad thai consists of noodles, bean sprouts, green onions, a protein, an egg, cooking oil (usually sesame), and pad thai sauce. The Pad Thai sauce is a combination of tamarind (sour flavor), fish sauce (salty flavor), palm sugar (sweet), and some paprika or thai chilis (for the heat) usually 1 part tamarind juice, 1 part palm sugar and 1 part fish sauce, and as much heat as you can bear. You can substitute brown or white sugar for the palm sugar if you don't have it, it just takes a little less. You can also add a little lime juice to the sauce to counteract the bitter tamarind, or you can just serve with a lime so your eater can do the adjusting.



It can take a lot of oil to keep the noodles from sticking, so work fast and if you need to, you can use a little chicken broth at the beginning of the stir fry to avoid using too much oil.

Pad Thai Sauce
*3 tbls Tamarind Juice = 1/4 cup Tamarind paste soaked in 1/4 cup warm water and strained
*3 tbl. fish sauce
*2 tbl. sugar (or 3 tbl palm sugar)
*1 tbl. lime juice
*2 tsp. thai chilis

Pad Thai Stir Fry
*12 ounces noodles
*1-1.5 lb. chicken (tofu or shrimp or combo)
*2 tsp. minced garlic
*1/2 cup sliced onions + 1/2 cup sliced green peppers (optional lc addition)
*1 egg
*1.5 cup bean sprouts cut into 1 inch pieces
*2 tbl. soy sauce
*2 tbl. corn starch dissolved into the soy sauce

My dad's not a tofu fan, so I'm not using it, but I love it and highly recommend!

Marinate your protein in the soy sauce and cornstarch.

While marinating, work on the sauce. to get the juice, soak the tamarind paste in 1/4 cup warm water, at least 15 minutes. The paste is chunky and sticky, but it's not that scary to work with. Just cut off a hunk that you eyeball to be about 1/4 cup and put it in the hot water in a little bowl.


After it has soaked and becomes goopy or mudlike, mash the thick mixture through a strainer into a bowl. Be sure to push it all through and be sure to scrape the bottom of the strainer for the clinging tamarind juice. I can't lie, I might have used my hands for this smoooshing part.
You should get about 3 tablespoons of tamarind juice out of this.


Add this to the fish sauce, sugar, and lime juice in a small pan over low heat and mix thoroughly until dissolved. You can mess with the proportions till you get what you like. Once you're happy with the flavor, add a tsp or so of the chili powder until you get the desired heat. Didn't grab a pic of the finished sauce, but you can imagine it's a thin brown sauce.

Now prep the noodles by soaking them in warm water for 5-8 minutes, until slightly softened but still holding textures (we don't want mushy noodles and they're still going to be stir-fried in the wok). Drain immediately and set aside.


Now we stir fry. Get everything all set up. Slice the chicken and have a bowl of the sauce ready to go. Heat 1 tbl sesame oil in wok, add garlic and stir 20 seconds. I needs to be REALLY HOT and smoking! Add chicken and onions and peppers and stir-fry for 1 minute. If using, add tofu and shrimp now for 1 more minute.


Break in an egg and fry for 1-2 minutes. Didn't get a pic of this part either.

Now add in the drained noodles and fold them over, stir-frying from bottom up (add oil if noodles are sticking. Add in the tamarind sauce and continue stir-frying, mixing everything together. The noodles will reduce to about half their original volume and should become al dente.


Now add in the bean sprouts and green onions, stir fry for 30 seconds and then take off the heat.


Optional garnish with some chilies and ground peanuts, some strips of red pepper and some lime wedges.

Get out there and Vote!

It's a big day in America so get out there and use your voice!

Lobster Raviolis and Lobster Sherry Cream Sauce

I love lobster ravioli so much it makes my stomach growl just thinking about it.
I used store-bought lobster ravs, which were actually pretty good considering I didn’t make them myself, but made my own sauce using lobster stock, sherry and cream.

1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic minced
1/2 cup sherry
1 cup cream or 1/2 and 1/2
1 lb scallops
2 tbl butter
2 tbl flour or cornstarch
olive oil
lobster ravioli

Saute onion and garlic in oil until translucent, then add in the sherry and simmer until alcohol cooks off.


Now add two tablespoons of tomato purée while the onions are still sizzling. The tomato will caramelize a bit, getting a little brown coloring, and the flavor changes from tomato to a sweet and complex aroma, a term the French call pince.


Now add 1 cup of the lobster stock and rapidly simmer on medium heat until it reduces to 1/3 its original volume.


Now pour in 1 cup cream or half and half, and add 2 tablespoons roux to thicken (roux is 2 tablespoons heated butter mixed with 2 tablespoons of flour or cornstarch) and simmer about 8 minutes to continue thickening the sauce. It should be a beautiful pinkish orange shade at this point.




While your sauce is simmering, sauté some scallops in olive oil and boil the lobster ravioli.


Pour the sauce over your ravioli topped with browned scallops and top with some fresh grated parmigiana. I served with roasted asparagus which was amazing, but I think blanching some asparagus or peas and adding it to the pasta would be delicious also.



Hope you enjoy! Would love to hear some tips, comments and suggestions if you have some!

florida key lime time

For my dad's birthday I'm going to make him a key lime pie instead of a cake. It's his favorite dessert and the tartness and freshness of the key limes sounds really great right now.



the players
* 1 1/2 cups graham-cracker crumbs - 10 big crackers
* 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted & slightly cooled
* 5 tablespoons sugar
* 1 can (14 ounces) can sweetened condensed milk
* 2 large egg yolks (use 2 whole eggs for silkier) (martha uses 4 yolks) OR 2 yolks and 1 whole egg...i did the 2 yolks, but allegedly the extra whole egg adds to the fluffiness
* 1/2 cup freshly squeezed key-lime juice (about 20 key limes)
* add 1/4 tsp vanilla
* 1 tablespoon grated key-lime zest, plus more for garnish

First make the crust...in a food processor or ziplock bag, crush 10-12 graham crackers.

In a big mixing bowl, add sugar to the crumbs and then add melted butter the graham cracker crumbs.



Stir in until crumbs are covered and crumbly.


Press into pie pan and bake crust at 350 for 10 minutes.



Now for the pie filling:
Begin with squeezing the limes to get a 1/2 cup of key lime juice, it took me about 20 limes.


This is not an easy process, but thanks to this amazing citrus juicer from my mother-in-law, it was slightly easier.


I say 'slightly' and next time, I might buy presqueezed lime juice. PS if you have a hangnail, do NOT, and i mean do NOT squeeze the limes. OWWWW!


Beat the egg yolks until they are thick and turn to a light yellow. Add the sweetened condensed milk, then on low speed, slowly mix in the lime juice and the lime zest, and mix until just blended (just a few seconds).


Pour the mixture into the pie shell and bake at 350F for 12 minutes to set the yolks and kill any salmonella in the eggs.


For the filling:
Pour mixture into crust and bake for 15 minutes.

Remove from oven, allow to cool, then refrigerate for at least 1 hour—more if possible.



As you probably know, key lime pie is tart! If you want it to be sweeter, add a little sugar to the mix or serve with cool whip, and you'll be in heaven.

Portia

"Ideally, ultimately, 'Who Cares?!' is the best response anyone could ever get if they come out to somebody."
-Portia de Rossi

I will remember this perspective as today many still struggle with accepting and understanding homosexuality. What a great message to send to people to show them how to accept and respect those who find the strength to come out.

I just watched Portia on Oprah and I was so inspired by her story, her strength and poise. She has an incredible story of dealing with hollywood, eating disorders, and being gay, which she shares in her new book, Unbearable Lightness. I very much look forward to reading her story of struggle, strength, love, and "overcoming her crazy."

Stationery

I love stationery, and I love sending little notes to my friends. There's something special about receiving a handwritten card in the mail box that really makes your day. One of my friends got me some beautiful custom stationery for my wedding with my new name on it in hot pink. It was such a thoughtful gift, and of course my southern mama Janie got me a formal set with my new monogram in navy. I've almost used them all up, though, with all of the thank you notes from the wedding gifts, so it's time to order some new personalized notes. I want something with a little personality for sending quick thank you's or hi-i-miss-you notes, or with little hostess gifts etc.

I really love this pink and green gator set, which is custom made by the Preppy Paper Girl. She has a ton of really cute custom products.


This website has the most adorable flat cards and folded notes. The front leaves plenty of room to write with a little image near the top, and the back is a coordinating design. Love that!

My favorites are the peacock and the popsicles.


And here's the back.


Popsicles would be fun and summery

front

back


For the gardner:

front

back



And I love the Poppies! Such pretty colors.

front

back


finally, these are soooo cute! I love this etsy shop! These are so florida and so me.

appetizer upgrade

Some of my favorite appetizers for girls nights and tailgates

Baked Brie with Fruit, Honey and Almonds

This one is always a hit and goes really fast.


1 sheet frozen puff pastry
1 brie round
3 tbl. honey
1/4 cup toasted almonds
1 thinly sliced apple or pear
1 egg beaten with 1 tsp water

Place the brie in the middle of the pastry. Top the brie with the fruit slices, almond slices and drizzle with honey. Wrap puff pastry over the brie to enclose, and make sure there no cracks so the cheese doesn't melt out. Brush with a little melted butter or beaten egg. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes until lightly browned. I like to serve with french bread, crackers and apple slices.

Try with all sorts of fruit and nuts or onions! Or top with Major Grey's chutney before wrapping and baking.

I have two cauliflower and onion tarts I'm dying to try. One from my Newlywed cookbook and one from smitten kitchen. They're up next, (***update the newlywed and smittenkitchen recipe are the same!!!! so I only have to try one!), but this one is simple, quick and easy, using premade puff pastry. It's all in the caramelized onions, my new obsession. I'll put those bad boys on anything these days.

Caramelized Onion Tart
Ingredients:
2 Tbl. butter
1 medium-large yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
1 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. each S&P
2 Tbl. white wine (optional)
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1 egg yolk
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Minced fresh parsley, for garnish


Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350° F.

In a medium pan set over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the sliced onion, thyme, sugar, salt, pepper, and white wine to the pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions have fully caramelized and are golden brown in color, about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside. In a small bowl whisk together the ricotta and egg yolk until smooth.

To assemble the tart, lay the puff pastry sheet on a baking sheet and fold in each edge about 1 inch. Spread the ricotta mixture over the puff pastry. Sprinkle about half of the Parmesan cheese over the ricotta mixture. Layer the caramelized onions evenly over the ricotta mixture. Top with the remaining Parmesan. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until the puff pastry is golden and baked through. Garnish with fresh parsley, if desired. Slice into squares or rectangles and serve warm.



Shrimp & Guacamole Phyllo Cups


Ingredients:
12 Athens mini phyllo pastry shells, thawed
2 large ripe avocados, peeled and seeded
1 Roma tomato, diced
1/2 cup chopped red onion
2 tbl. lime juice
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1 tbl ground cumin
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
2 tsp. kosher salt, divided
1 Tbl. olive oil
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
12 large shrimp, peeled (tails on) and deveined
12 cilantro leaves
3 grape or cherry tomatoes, quartered
Coarse salt, for garnish

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Place pastry shells on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Bake 5 minutes; transfer to a platter. Increase oven temperature to 450°F.

Meanwhile, combine avocado, tomato, onion, lime juice, jalapeno pepper, cilantro, cumin, and 1 tsp. salt in a medium-sized bowl.

Whisk olive oil, remaining 1/2 tsp. salt, and pepper. Add shrimp and toss to coat.

Arrange shrimp in a single layer on the same foil-lined sheet. Roast 3 minutes one one side, then turn and roast 2 to 4 minutes or until shrimp are firm and opaque.

Spoon 1 Tbsp. guacamole into each pastry cup. Stand a shrimp in each cup and garnish with cilantro leaves, tomato, and coarse salt.

One of my absolute favorites: Curry* Chicken Salad in Phyllo Cups


Make mini phyllo cups (or buy premade phyllo cups) using 6 6 Frozen phyllo dough sheets, thawed:
Coat miniature muffin cups with cooking spray. Cover phyllo with a plastic wrap and a moist towel. Place 1 sheet of phyllo on a large clean cutting board, spray with olive oil and layer all 6 phyllo sheets with oil between.

Cut the phyllo into 24 squares (1 1/4 inch) using a pizza cutter or sharp knife. Place each square into the muffin pan, pressing lightly to form a cup, and bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 5 minutes or until crisp. Remove from oven and cook on a rack.

Chicken Salad: my favorite is curry, but make your fave recipe
1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked and diced (boil in water or chicken broth to cook)
2 ribs celery, finely diced
3-4 whole green onions, sliced
1/3 cup lite mayonnaise + 1/3 cup greek yogurt (or plain yogurt)
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tbsp. mild curry paste or 4 tsp curry powder (adjust to your taste)
1/4 cup Major Gray's Mango Chutney
1/4 tsp each S&P
add in some slivered almonds and craisins or grapes.

if you don't have the mango chutney, here's a dressing for make your own style:
Mix mayo, yogurt, curry paste/powder, S&P, with 1/4 tsp ground ginger, 1 tsp honey, 1 mango diced, onions, nuts.

Fill the phyllo cups lightly with chicken salad and garnish with 1/2 grape and some cilantro or parsley leaves.