spring rolls

we're experiencing some warm humid weather in southern CA today and it's making me think of hawaii, the beach and anything tropical. this is a nice light dish, simple to prepare and easy to impress. there are plenty of fried spring roll recipes out there, which i consider an egg roll, but these vietnamese spring rolls use tapioca sheets and plenty of fresh crunchy vegetables. they are easy to make ahead of time and keep in the fridge wrapped in a damp paper towel until you're ready to eat. rolling takes a bit of practice but once you get the hang of it, it's a lot of fun!

Chicken Spring Rolls with Sesame Peanut Dipping Sauce

makes 12 rolls

1 boneless skinless chicken breast

14 oz light coconut milk

2 keffir lime leaves, bruised

1 small red bell pepper, julienned

2 carrots, peeled & julienned

1 persian cucumber, julienned

3 green onions, julienned

1/2 cup micro greens

1 small bunch cilantro, leaves only

6 large tapioca sheets

1 cup sesame peanut dipping sauce (see below)

in a small saucepan, combine chicken breast with coconut milk, lime leaves and 14 oz water. bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked. cool completely and shred. fill a large rimmed sheet pan with 1/4-inch warm water and dip 1 tapioca sheet in the water for a few seconds until it softens. carefully lay wrapper flat. in a row slightly below center and about 1-inch from the sides, place a small handful of chicken. then layer with a few strips of bell pepper, carrots, cucumber and green onions and top with a little of the greens and cilantro leaves. bring bottom of wrapper up and over filling, then fold in sides tightly and roll upward until sealed. repeat with remaining ingredients and sheets and slice in half with a sharp knife. serve with dipping sauce.

Sesame Peanut Dipping Sauce

1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds

1/4 cup water

2 tbs soy sauce

1 tbs lime juice

2 tbs creamy peanut butter

1/2 tsp fresh grated ginger

1/2 tsp chili garlic paste

combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend.

baby pancakes

i've always been partial to fancy bite-sized appetizers that go well with a nice glass of champagne. blinis are traditional Russian buckwheat pancakes and great with caviar - lucky for me and my pocketbook though, i don't love caviar. but i DO love baby pancakes and the endless number of tasty toppings you can think of! a great snack to bring to a wine tasting party, an easy way to impress friends for the start of a dinner party or a fun kid-sized treat, blinis can go sweet or savory depending on your mood. here's a basic blini recipe and two quick toppings to get your imagination going!

Sweet or Savory Blini

makes approx. 16

6 tbs buckwheat flour

6 tbs all purpose flour

2 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup milk

1/8 tsp lemon zest

2 eggs, separated

4 tbs unsalted butter, melted, plus more for cooking

optional: herbed goat cheese & soppresatta or lingonberry jam & creme fraiche

in a bowl, whisk together flours, sugar, baking soda and salt. add milk, egg yolks, lemon zest and cooled butter and whisk until smooth. in a separate bowl, beat egg whites with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. fold  egg whites, 1/2 at a time, into batter until incorporated.

heat a non-stick skillet over medium high heat and melt 1 tbs butter. cook 1 tbs of batter until little bubbles begin to form on top and then flip, about 1-2 minutes per side or until golden brown.

salty & sweet

have you ever noticed that the best and most loved cookbooks in a collection usually include oil stains, chocolaty fingerprints, and stuck together pages? we've mentioned this amazing cookbook before and if you haven't already added Baked to your library, you really must! it's well on its way to being covered in gooey sweet deliciousness and is one of our favorites for creative baking. their signature salty & sweet cake was the grand finale of urban family easter and was a huge hit. we devoured it so quickly that we didn't even think to take a photo of the whole cake! guess, we'll just have to make it again sometime. the combination of chocolate, caramel and fleur de sel is absolutely amazing. you can watch matt lewis bake the sweet & salty with martha way back in 2006 here. does anyone else have a favorite recipe they've baked from this great cookbook yet?

beef, it's what's for dinner

looking back on recent posts, we realized that we haven't shared many beef recipes. with weather warming up, bbq season fast approaching and cinco de mayo just around the corner, we thought this simple marinade for easy & fresh carne asada tacos sounded perfect. you are welcome to throw in some sour cream, pico de gallo or any of your favorite taco garnishes but we wanted to keep this recipe basic and fresh, just like the delicious tacos we get at our local taqueria or taco truck. enjoy these tasty tacos on a warm afternoon with good friends and a great margarita!

Carne Asada Tacos

for the carne asada:

1 1/2 lbs flank steak

1 red onion, sliced

6 cloves garlic, smashed

1 small bunch cilantro, roughly chopped

1 lime, juiced

1 orange, juiced

1 chipolte chili in adobo, chopped

1 tbs chili powder

1 tbs ground cumin

1 tbs olive oil

place flank steak and all remaining marinade ingredients in a large zip lock bag and massage to evenly distribute flavors over meat. refrigerate for minimum of 1 hour and up to 6 hours. preheat grill or grill pan over high heat. grill steak approximately 3 minutes per side, or until center reaches 145 degrees F, for medium doneness. let rest 5-10 minutes before slicing.

for the tacos:

1 1/2 lbs grilled & sliced carne asada

8 corn tortillas, warmed

1/2 onion, diced

1 small bunch cilantro, chopped

1 avocado, pitted, peeled & sliced

1-2 limes, cut into wedges

to assemble taco, place a few slices of steak in warmed tortilla and top with avocado, onions and cilantro. squeeze generously with juice from lime wedges.

midweek drink

i know its only wednesday but our need for a tasty cocktail is here.  i was shooting a wine/liqueur store for a story yesterday in orange county and the temptation was just too much.  over the weekend we had a little taste of st-germain elderflower liqueur so at this store we jumped all over it.  it has a sweet slightly floral taste.  we knew at first gulp we needed to add it to a new drink of the week.  and although we know we have over flooded you with mint recently, we couldn't overlook the fact that we have it growing so well in our garden boxes right now.  so we used the mint.  we made a orange flavored mojito accompanied by a little bit of that st-germain flavor which can replace the need for simple sugar.  the finished product can be a little bit on the sweet side for some, so add a dash of your favorite bitters if you so desire.

st-germain orange mojito

2oz white rum

2oz st-germain liqueur

2oz fresh squeezed orange juice

10 mint leaves 

2oz or so soda water to top

dash of bitters(optional)

place mint and st-germain in a cocktail shaker and muddle until mint is slightly bruised.  add rum, orange juice and ice and shake to mix.  pour all contents into glass and top with soda water.  if slightly too sweet, add a dash of bitters. enjoy

spring salad

here's a fresh, hearty side dish that we served along side the pineapple glazed ham at urban family easter this year. wheat berries are a fairly new grain to us but we just love the nutty taste and find them very similar to farro. the addition of tender young asparagus, fresh pea shoots and chopped mint screams spring and is a testament to the beautiful greens at farmer's market this month. we used this pesto recipe from a past post but decided to replace the parsley with basil for a more traditional flavor. enjoy!

Spring Wheat Berry Salad with Spinach Pesto

serves 8

2 cups wheat berries

2 leeks, white & light green parts only, thinly sliced and washed

1 bunch asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces & blanched

1 cup chopped pea shoots

1/4 cup chopped mint

juice of 1/2 lemon

1 cup spinach pesto (see recipe here)

2-4 tbs olive oil

salt & pepper to taste

3 oz crumbled goat cheese

in a large pot, combine wheat berries with 4 cups water and bring to a boil. reduce to a simmer and cook until tender but left with a little chewiness, about 1 hour. drain well and set aside. meanwhile, heat 1 tbs olive oil in a saute pan and saute leeks until translucent and softened, about 8 minutes. in a large bowl, combine wheat berries with leeks, asparagus, pea shoots, mint, lemon juice and pesto and toss to coat. add extra olive to loosen the pesto if it is too thick and season with salt and pepper to taste. serve at room temperature and garnish with crumbled goat cheese.

foodie fun

here are a few quick polariods from a fabulous foodie trip we just took with a friend - sonoma, san francisco and santa cruz in three quick days. we had a great dinner with an old roommate in sonoma here and amazing pastries here, followed by lots of new orleans iced coffees here, a fabulous dinner here, and the most amazing long lunch of bloody marys, caesar salad, and famous roast chicken with creamy polenta and shoestring fries at Zuni Cafe. the image on the left is from a great park in hayes valley right by this adorable shop and the image on the right is the view from our hotel. our stomachs are still full but it was well worth every bite!

favas

here is another delicious starter from urban family easter - a fava bean puree crostini. fava beans are a lot of work between the shelling, blanching and shelling again, but in our opinion they are one of nature's perfect tastes of spring. this recipe is an adaption of suzanne goin's fava puree in sunday suppers at lucques, an essential addition to any cookbook library. favas are fresh and light, creamy and flavorful and really shine through in this simple preparation.

Fava Bean Crostini with Pecorino

2 lbs fava beans in the pod

1 whole grain demi-batard or baguette, thinly sliced

1/4 cup plus 3 tbs olive oil

2 cloves garlic, roasted in oil until soft & browned

1/2 lemon, juiced

salt & pepper to taste

1 small wedge pecorino romano, shaved with vegetable peeler

bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. remove beans from their pods and blanch for 2 minutes. drain and rinse with cold water until cool. slip them out of their pale green shell with your fingers and set aside. heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a medium saute pan and add fava beans. lightly saute for 6-8 minutes until tender. set aside to cool slightly.

preheat oven to 375 degrees F. spread crostini in a single layer on a sheet pan and brush with remaining 3 tbs olive oil. bake until lightly brown and crisp, 12-15 minutes.

transfer cooled beans and oil to a food processor and puree. add garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper and puree until smooth. spread about 1 tbs of fava puree on each crostini and top with a thin shaving of cheese. enjoy! 

deviled eggs

as promised here are a few images and a recipe from our Urban Family Easter this past sunday. there was champagne and more champagne and lots of great friends and delicious food - it was a beautiful day to sit outside in the warm sun. we weren't able to take as many photos as we hoped once the main dishes were out and the serious eating began but this is a start, literally. these deviled eggs are our take on the traditional appetizer but with a tasty modern garnish of chive and bacon. and who doesn't love deviled eggs?!

Deviled Eggs

yields 40

24 eggs

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup sour cream

2 tbs dijon mustard

2 tbs pickle juice, strained from jar

2 tsp lemon juice

4 dashes of your favorite hot sauce

salt & pepper to taste

4 strips bacon, cooked until crisp and cut into small pieces

1 small bunch chives, cut into 1-inch pieces

place eggs in a large pot and cover with 1-inch cold water. bring to a boil, cover, turn off heat and let sit for 7-8 minutes. test one egg by removing from water, running under cold water and peeling. drain eggs and place in ice water bath until cold. peel, slice in half lengthwise and separate yolks and whites. in medium bowl, combine mayo, sour cream, mustard, pickle juice, lemon juice and hot sauce. add egg yolks and mash with a fork until smooth. season with salt and pepper to taste. put mixture in a piping bag fitting with a plain wide tip and pip mixture into egg whites. garnish each egg with a piece of bacon and chive.

urban family easter

as another year starts rushing by, easter comes screaming in.  we love easter for many reasons, and besides the obvious we love it for our yearly tradition of urban family easter.  we are on our 4th year and it gets better every time.  we always have the same system; friends bring the champagne and we do the food.  as we speak, we are cooking away, full of great tastes.  here are just a couple of sneak peeks of what we will blog about all week.  the bowl from mixing chocolate for a sweet and salty cake from the guys of baked in new york, and a sink full of dirty dishes from a bunch of other fun recipes.  we are making a martha stewart inspired ham to a bunch of sides we will share with great pics throughout the week, so stay tuned.  happy easter!!