NuM NuM

Ginger Scallion Sauce Adapted from David Chang
Makes about 1 cup
1 ¼ cups thinly sliced scallions (greens and whites; from 1 to 2 large bunches)

1/4 cup finely minced peeled fresh ginger

2 tbs grapeseed or other neutral oil

1 teaspoons soy sauce, preferably usukuchi (light soy sauce), found in Asian markets

1 tsp sherry vinegar

½ teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste

12 oz soba noodles

Soba soup base/sauce

Mix together the scallions, ginger, oil, soy, vinegar, and salt in a bowl. Taste and check for salt, adding more if needed. Though it's best after 15 or 20 minutes of sitting, ginger scallion sauce is good from the minute it's stirred together up to a day or two in the fridge. Cook soba noodles and drain under cold water and mix with sauce. Add soba soup base to taste. Top with cucumbers and tofu if desired.

Quick Pickled Cucumbers

3 Kirby/Persian Cucumber, cut it's 1/8" slice discs

1 tablespoon sugar, or more to taste

1 teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste

1. Combine the vegetable with the sugar and salt in a small mixing bowl and toss to coat with the sugar and salt. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes.

2. Taste: if the pickles are too sweet or too salty, put them into a colander, rinse off the seasoning, and dry in a kitchen towel. Taste again and add more sugar or salt as needed. Serve after 5 to 10 minutes, or refrigerate for up to 4 hours *Recipe from David Chang

"Dave and Linda from Monkeyshines in the Kitchen chose Soufflés as our November 2010 Daring Cooks’ Challenge! Dave and Linda provided many of their own delicious recipes plus a sinfully decadent chocolate soufflé recipe adapted from Gordon Ramsay’s recipe found at the BBC Good Food website."

I've never made a souffle before so this was a new and exciting challenge for me. I'd only heard and seen how tempermental souffles were from clips in the movies. I'm sure you've seen those scenes where someone screams and a souffle collapses in the oven - yup, that was my envision before this challenge.

I'm glad I did a bit of research on souffles before I experimented with my own. During the last few minutes of baking I eagerly stalked watched them through the oven window as they slowly rose above the ramekins. Had I not known they would deflate the second you took them out of the oven - I think I would've gone into depression watching them wilt and collapse into a pile of mush. (Yes, mush is a foodie friendly word) The end result was an egg-y like custard-ish bite as light as a cloud. It was so light and fluffy it literally dissolved in your mouth.

The souffles would make a great dish to entertain with and one your guests will truly enjoy. They'll ooh and ahh once pulled from the oven and provide entertainment as everyone watches them fall to their destined fate. Your guests will feel special having their own personal dish, you'll look like a fancy shmancy cook, and be a kitchen rockstar. It's a win-win situation for all. Bon appetit!


Spinach and Cheese Souffle
4 servings
Adapted from Monkeyshines in the Kitchen

Note: This dish can be made ahead through step 7. Egg whites must be whipped just before the souffles are baked

1 Tbsp butter plus additional for the soufflé dish
1 3/4 Tbsp plain (all purpose) flour
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup finely grated cheese (I used Kerrygold Aged Cheddar Cheese and Val d' Aosta Fontina)
1/2 cup finely chopped spinach (this measure is the leaves after they’ve been washed, de-stemmed, and chopped)
2 room temperature large eggs, separated
1/4 tsp prepared mustard (Dijon)
1/8 tsp cream of tartar*
Salt and pepper to taste
* If you can’t find cream of tartar, a dash (~ 1/4 tsp) of lemon juice can be substituted

Directions:
1. Butter the soufflé dish(es) thoroughly -for the sides of the ramekin I buttered them using upward and downward motions so this would help the souffle climb - do not butter top of ramekin, then grate a small amount of cheese in each dish and tap so that the sides are completely and evenly coated with the cheese. Place the dish(es) in the refrigerator until needed (according to some sites, this helps the soufflé climb).
2. Preheat the oven to moderate 350º F
3. Wash and chop the spinach if you haven’t already.
4. Finely grate the cheeses
5. In a medium sized saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat, then stir in the flour to make a roux. Cook 1 minute, then add the milk, a little at a time, and stir until just thickened, about 2 minutes. Add the cheese and mustard and stir until it’s just melted. Remove from heat then add the watercress and season to taste with salt and pepper. Let the mixture cool a bit getting it to lukewarm temperature is best.
6. In a larger pan, bring water to a gentle simmer. Whisk the egg yolks in a bowl set just over this water until pale and slightly foamy – about 6 minutes. (I ended up cooking the egg yolks in my first attempt so I just whisked the egg yoks in a separate bowl instead of over water)
7. Mix the egg yolks into the spinach sauce.
8. Beat the egg whites and cream of tartar until they form stiff peaks yet are still glossy.
9. Fold the egg whites into the sauce in 3 additions so that it’s evenly mixed, but you don’t lose too much volume.
10. Remove the soufflé dish from the refrigerator and spoon the mix into it. Use a spatula to even the tops of the soufflés and wipe off any spills around edges and wipe around the edges of the ramekins making a little edge between the souffle and the dish as this apparently makes them rise much neater
11. Bake 25 minutes for small dishes or 40 minutes if using a large soufflé dish, tops should be golden and firm to the touch in the center. Serve immediately.

Tonight's dinner was an interesting one for me. Never in my wildest dreams would I have made something that involved stuffing cabbage leaves, but I've joined an Internet cooking club - I'll pause now and wait for you stop laughing - and each month entails a new challenge. This was the first one I participated in and although I wasn't a huge fan of this dish, it was fun to make something new and different. Too bad Lobster had to come along for the ride. Anyway, I'm super excited about the cooking challenges since it will really "challenge" me to make something I would have never tried in the past - hence these cabbage rolls.

If you've never had cabbage rolls in the past, it's basically a meatloaf rolled inside of a cabbage leaf braised in a tomato sauce. While the taste was okay, it reminded me of something I imagine lobster and I eating in a nursing home fifty years from now. Doesn't that make you want it!! The texture wasn't really doin' it for me and I couldn't get over the boiled mush taste. Although it was edible, I don't anticipate making it again. Well, at least it was healthy. I'm sure my arteries are thanking me today since I pretty much had cake and ice cream for dinner last night. I thought I'd give my thighs the night off tonight :D


Daring Cooks Challenge:
Lori of Lori’s Lipsmacking Goodness, has challenged The Daring Cooks to stuff grape leaves. Lori chose a recipe from Aromas of Aleppo and a recipe from The New Book of Middle Eastern Food. Since we were given the option to stuff anything we wanted, I decided to stuff cabbage leaves.

Cabbage Rolls

Adapted from Emeril

Makes 6 rolls

Ingredients

• 1 head cabbage, cored and scalded in hot water until soft and easy to separate
• 1 teaspoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup chopped yellow onions
• 1 teaspoons chopped garlic
• 1/2 pound ground turkey
• 1/2 cup cooked white rice
• 1 teaspoons + 1/8 tsp Essence, recipe follows
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• pinch of red pepper flakes
• 1/2 egg

Essence (Emeril's Creole Seasoning):

• 1 1/4 tablespoons paprika
• 1 tablespoons salt
• 1 tablespoons garlic powder
• 1/2 tablespoon black pepper
• 1/2 tablespoon onion powder
• 1/2 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tablespoon dried leaf oregano
• 1/2 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.

Yield: about 1/3 cup

Recipe from "New New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch. Published by William and Morrow, 1993.

Tomato Sauce

1-15 oz can of diced tomatoes, pureed

1 tablespoon of brown sugar

S&P to taste

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Using a paring knife, remove center core of cabbage. In a large nonreactive stockpot, bring 2 quarts water to a boil. Add cabbage and cook 2 to 3 minutes or until outer leaves are bright green and tender. Lift cabbage from water, and remove outer leaves. Return cabbage to boiling water, and repeat brief cooking and removal of leaves until all leaves are cooked. Trim thick center vein from bottom of each leaf. Reserve two large outer leaves to line bottom of pan.

Mix all ingredients for tomato sauce together and set aside.

To make the stuffing, in a medium skillet melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until very wilted and starting to caramelize, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.

Lay the cabbage leaves, rib side down, on a flat work surface. In a large bowl, combine the meat, rice, Essence, salt, pepper, egg, and cooked onions. Mix well with a heavy wooden spoon or your hands. Season to taste with more S&P after making a tester patty.

One at a time, spoon the filling into the center of the cabbage leaves, about 1/4 cup in each, depending upon the size of the leaves. Fold sides of cabbage over filling, and, starting with the stem end, roll the cabbage up.

Place reserved two large cabbage leaves on bottom of a heavy pot. Place cabbage rolls in one layer on top of cabbage leaves. Make sure they are tight and snug in one layer. Pour the tomato sauce over the rolls and make sure sauce is covering the top of rolls, cover tightly with aluminum foil, and bake until the meat is cooked through and the rolls are tender about one hour and fifteen minutes. Remove from the oven and serve the rolls with the sauce spooned over the top.