NuM NuM

I've never been a fan of Vietnamese food since I have always associated it with Pho and I've never been able to get used to the taste or smell of it. But nowadays, it seems like you can't drive down the street without seeing a Pho/Vietnamese restaurant. You know the ones I'm talking about. You probably see them everyday on your way to work. They almost always start with the word "Pho" followed by some numeric number. Such as "Pho 99," or "Pho 2000." I've even seen really creative ones like "Unphoghettable" or "Simply Pho You." Just for kicks I think someone should open a Vietnamese/Italian fusion restaurant called, "Pho-get about it." LOL - sorry, nerdy blogger humor. I on the other hand, didn't want to have anything to do with Vietnamese food unless it was going to be "Pho"-reaking awesome :D okay, I digress. But the other day, lobster took me to a random hole in the wall in Downtown LA and the food was actually pretty good. Perhaps I've developed a palate for salty-sour foods over the years, but some of the dishes were quite good and I actually started to crave them after a while. Hence, what inspired tonight's dinner for Banh Mi sammies.

I found the following recipe on Epicurious and while I didn't make the meatballs, I did make all the accompanying counterparts. For the pork, I used leftovers from the other night when lobster made Mongolian pork chops which had a fantastic marinade. They were perfect for the sammie since they had a similar flavor profile. The sandwich was a blend of complex flavors, starting from the pork, to the pickled carrot and daikon relish, along with the spicy KICK from the jalapeno. All the flavors married together well and hit all your taste buds - sweet, spicy, sour, salty - the whole sha-bang! So next time you're feeling a bit adventurous, give a nudge to the East and try this sammie on for size.

Note: Even though I didn't make the meatballs, the sandwich received great reviews on the website if you want to give it a try.


Pork Meatball Banh Mi Sammie
Recipe from Epicurious
4 servings

Hot Chili Mayo:
* 2/3 cup mayonnaise
* 2 green onions, finely chopped
* 1 tablespoon hot chili sauce (such as sriracha)*

Meatballs:
* 1 pound ground pork
* 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil
* 4 garlic cloves, minced
* 3 green onions, finely chopped
* 1 tablespoon fish sauce (such as nam pla or nuoc nam)*
* 1 tablespoon hot chili sauce (such as sriracha)
* 1 tablespoon sugar
* 2 teaspoons cornstarch
* 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt

Sandwiches:
* 2 cups coarsely grated carrots
* 2 cups coarsely grated peeled daikon (Japanese white radish)**
* 1/4 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
* 1/4 cup sugar
* 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
* 1 tablespoon Asian sesame oil
* 4 10-inch-long individual baguettes or four 10-inch-long pieces French-bread baguette (cut from 2 baguettes)
* Thinly sliced jalapeño chiles, desseded
* 16 large fresh cilantro sprigs

Hot Chili Mayo:
Stir all ingredients in small bowl. Season with salt. do ahead Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.

Meatballs:
Line rimmed baking sheet with plastic wrap. Gently mix all ingredients in large bowl. Using moistened hands and scant tablespoonful for each, roll meat mixture into 1-inch meatballs. Arrange on baking sheet. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.

Sandwiches:
Toss first 5 ingredients in medium bowl. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour, tossing occasionally.

Preheat oven to 300°F. Heat sesame oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add half of meatballs. Sauté until brown and cooked through, turning meatballs often and lowering heat if browning too quickly, about 15 minutes. Transfer meatballs to another rimmed baking sheet. Place in oven. Repeat with remaining meatballs.

Cut each baguette or baguette piece horizontally in half. Pull out enough bread from each bread half to leave 1/2-inch-thick shell. Spread hot chili mayo over each bread shell. Arrange jalapeños, then cilantro, in bottom halves. Fill each with 1/4 of meatballs. Drain pickled vegetables; place atop meatballs. Press on baguette tops.

*Available in the Asian foods section of many supermarkets and at Asian markets.

**Available at some supermarkets and at Asian markets.

I made this cake for Lobster's birthday and ohhhh my - this could be the "end all, be all" of all birthday cakes. This, eaten together with the popcorn ice cream I'll be posting about soon could be THE most quintissential dessert ever....EVERRRR!! I knew this was a hit when I took my first bite and a smile instantly gleamed across my face. I looked over at Lobster: he took his first bite, his eyes widened and his expression said it all. He said it's the best thing he ever ate - and he doesn't even really like sweets - well, until he met lil' ol' me...HAPPY BIRFDAY!!! :D I think these two desserts alone may have changed my life and hips forever!

If you are a chocolate lover, then this is the cake for you! The combination of textures and flavors of the cake, along with the sweet and salty ice cream is pure decadence!!! It is phenomenal!! (How many exclamation points can one use to voice their utter excitement?!) The cake is a mixture of a brownie and flourless chocolate cake - chewy on the outside and a bit molten-esque in the middle, topped with a crunchy meringue topping filled with even more chocolate and roasted salted almonds. The ice cream was the perfect pairing since the nuttyness of the popcorn echoed the smokiness of the roasted almonds to form one harmonious blend of luscious flavors. This is a very rich dessert that warranted lots of mmms, nums and yums with each and every morsel!

Allow me to walk you through the progression of photos...

The masterpiece

The crispy crackly top

Close up of the fudgey goodness. Can you see the melty yummy center calling your name?!

The perfect combo = food coma ^_^

If you have a special ocassion coming up, you should definitely make this. It's totally fancy shmancy and truly restaurant quality. Go all out and serve it with popcorn ice cream and your friends will swoon with utter glee - but don't be surprised if you suddenly have an influx of new best friends. Bon appetit!

BTW, I liked the cake best fresh out of the oven. After it had been refrigerated, the texture changed completely and it became very fudgey, dense and SUPER rich. If you want to change it back to its original state, just microwave a piece for 10-15 seconds and VOILA...utter bliss!

Chocolate and Almond Meringue Cake

Makes one 9-inch cake (scale recipe 2/3 for a 7" mini cake - this converter might help - just multiply everything by .667).

Recipe from Martha Stewart

Ingredients:

For the cake:
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for pan
3/4 cup firmly packed light-brown sugar
6 large whole eggs, separated at room temp*
12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled
1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

For the meringue:
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped (1 cup)
1 cup roasted salted almonds (about 4 ounces), roughly chopped
1 tablespoon cornstarch
4 large egg whites at room temp*
3/4 cup sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-by-3-inch springform pan. Line bottom with parchment paper. Butter parchment and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip the butter and brown sugar until pale and smooth at medium speed, about 3 minutes. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping the bottom and sides of your bowl if necessary. Add the melted chocolate, vanilla and salt. Beat until combined. Transfer to a clean bowl and wash your mixing bowl thoroughly. (This part of the recipe can be made ahead of time and left at room temperature for a few hours - I left mine out for about 3 1/2 hours)

In a clean mixer bowl fitted the whisk attachment, beat the 6 egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form, about 2 minutes. Fold one-third of the egg whites into chocolate mixture. Fold in remaining egg whites and pour batter into prepared pan, and bake 25 minutes.

While cake base is baking, prepare the meringue. Combine the chopped chocolate, nuts and cornstarch in a small bowl, and set aside. Place remaining 4 egg whites in a clean mixer bowl fitted with the whisk attachment, beat on high speed until frothy. With the mixer running, slowly add the sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form, about 8 minutes. Fold in almond mixture with as little strokes as possible.

After 25 minutes, remove cake from oven. Using a large offset spatula, quickly spread meringue mixture on top of cake using as little strokes as possible not to deflate the meringue, and return to oven. Bake until meringue is lightly browned and crisp, 25 to 35 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack; let stand 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the cake to loosen, and release sides of pan. Let cool, about 30 minutes, before slicing and serving. The meringue will deflate as it sits - don't worry it's supposed to do that :)

Kale is a fairly new vegetable to me and one that I do not use very often. The last time I used it, I made kale "chips" and they were delicious, so I was excited to try it out in this dish. The kale tasted very hearty against the millet and the zest and juice of the lemon added a nice zing to the dish. My favorite part about this recipe is that it lends itself well to substitution. Each time you make this, you can swap out the grain, veggies, or cheese with whatever you have on hand. If you're not a fan of kale, swiss chard would be a great substitute and feel free to swap out quinoa for couscous or millet like I did. Add a protein and you have an easy, perfect one pot meal. Best of all, you feel like you're eating a big bowl of healthy goodness!


One Pot Kale and Quinoa Pilaf
Recipe from Food 52
Serves 2-4

• 2 cups salted water or you can substitute half or all of water with chicken broth
• 1 cup quinoa
• 1 bunch kale (6 oz) washed and chopped into 1" lengths
• 1 meyer lemon, zested and juiced*
• 2 scallions, minced
• 1 tablespoon toasted walnut oil or olive oil
• 3 tablespoons toasted pine nuts or slivered almonds, chopped
• 1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese, feta, or cotija
• salt and pepper

1. Bring the water to a boil in a covered pot. Add the quinoa, cover, and lower the heat until it is just enough to maintain a simmer. Let simmer for 10 minutes, then top with the kale and re-cover. Simmer another 5 minutes, then turn off the heat and allow to steam for 5 more minutes.
2. While the quinoa is cooking, take a large serving bowl and combine half of the lemon juice (reserving the other half), all of the lemon zest, scallions, walnut oil (you can substitute olive oil if you desire), pine nuts, and goat cheese.
3. Check the quinoa and kale when the cooking time has completed -- the water should have absorbed, and the quinoa will be tender but firm, and the kale tender and bright green. If the quinoa still has a hard white center, you can steam a bit longer (adding more water if needed). When the quinoa and kale are done, fluff the quinoa, and tip it into the waiting bowl with the remaining ingredients. As the hot quinoa hits the scallions and lemon it should smell lovely. Toss to combine, seasoning with salt and pepper, and the remaining lemon juice if needed.

*If using regular lemon use only half the juice and add more to taste

This is a quick weeknight meal you can get on the table fast! The spices are a perfect balance between spicy, sweet and smokey which make for a wonderful combination of flavors. No bland food here! But, the best part of the recipe is the glaze. Ohhhh...the glaze, it is divine! Sweet and savory - mah favorite! I think I need to devote a special label on the NuM NuM just for these types of dishes.

The original recipe called for pork tenderloin seared on the stove top, then finished off in the oven, but I substituted bone-in pork loin chops. I'm sure if I used a tenderloin it would've tasted even better since the glaze would have caramelized and produced a sticky yummy crust. Must try that version next! But if all you have are pork chops, they are an equally delicious substitute. However, next time I think I'd brush the glaze on both sides of the pork since that was the best part and really took these chops over the top. Enjoy!


Brown Sugar Spiced Pork Chop
Adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe
2 servings

Rub Ingredients:
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 bone in pork loin chop (1 1/4 lb. total), at least half inch thick
1 tablespoons olive oil

Glaze ingredients:
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 tbs finely chopped garlic (about 4-5 cloves)
1 1/2 tsp tabasco or Cholula sauce - or adjust to taste

1. In a small bowl, stir together salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, and cinnamon, then coat the pork all over with the spice rub.

2. Mince garlic and turn into a fine paste using the back of your knife. It may help to add a bit of brown sugar to the garlic to help mash it into a paste. Stir together with the brown sugar and Tabasco.

3. Heat the oil in an ovenproof 12-inch heavy skillet over medium high heat until the oil is hot and rippling. Brown the pork on one side, flip the pork and brush glaze over pork. Cook until internal temperature registers 150F.

These peanut butter and jelly bars will take you back to your childhood when PB&J was an everyday staple. Not in my house though, our staple was kim-chi and rice sandwiches...haha...I kid - only kim chi and rice - no bread involved. Since PB&J reminds me so much of little kids, I wanted to give these to my niece and nephew - until genius here realized her nephew's allergic to peanuts. Poor little guy - oh well, more for auntie :) I always feel badly for people who have food allergies or restrictions to their diet. I don't know what I'd do if I couldn't eat what I wanted all day, every day. The world would be such a gloomier place. Anyway, these bars were delicious! They had the perfect amount of peanut butter to jelly and were soft, crunchy and ooey and gooey and nummy and yummy! These are quite addicting and would make a great snack for children and adults of all ages. Just make sure there's a tall glass of milk nearby. Also as an added bonus, since peanut butter is classified as a "good fat" this means they must be good for you, right? ^_^

BTW - these are delicious straight out of the fridge. They get a bit fudgey and taste heavenly.

Other bars, cookies and brownie bites you may enjoy:
Peanut Butter, Chocolate Chip, and Oatmeal
Lemon Bars
Peanut Butter, Chocolate, Cheesecake Swirl Brownies


Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars
Adapted by Barefoot Contessa at Home, by Ina Garten
Makes 9 large bars or 16 small bars

Ingredients:
2 tbs unsalted butter, at room temperature + 1/4 cup fat-free Greek yogurt*
3/4 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 cup (9 ounces) creamy peanut butter (recommended: Skippy)
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoons kosher salt
3/4 cups (9 ounces) raspberry jam or other jam**
1/3 cups salted peanuts, coarsely chopped***

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease a 8x8-inch cake pan. Line it with parchment paper, then grease and flour the pan.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light yellow, about 2 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the vanilla, eggs, yogurt and peanut butter and mix until all ingredients are combined.

In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture to the peanut butter mixture. Mix just until combined. (Dough will become one cohesive ball of dough. Leave any remaining flour that has not been mixed in with the dough ball in the bowl (you won't miss it) - This will not be a wet dough but will be spreadable and yummy)

Spread 2/3 of the dough into the prepared cake pan and spread over the bottom with a knife or offset spatula. Spread the jam evenly over the dough. Sprinkle the remaining dough evenly over the jam. Don't worry if all the jam isn't covered; it will spread in the oven. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts and bake for 35-40 minutes, until golden brown. Cool completely for about 2 hours and cut into squares. I would also refrigerate any leftovers since there is yogurt in them.

*Original recipe calls for one stick of butter. To make mine healthier I subbed in butter and yogurt. I've also substituted unsweetened apple sauce for the yogurt.
**I would add more jelly next time since I like a higher jam to PB ratio - probably a total of one cup.
***I also used roasted salted almonds instead of peanuts for the topping

My friend recently had a baby so I made some oatmeal raisin cookies and took them to her house. I guess these should really be called "oatmeal chewies" since they're almost like a chewy granola bar - okay, maybe not that extreme, but since there's a higher ratio of oatmeal to flour, it's really more like oatmeal and currants held together with sugar and everyone's favorite friend: butter.

When it comes to cookies, everyone has their own personal preference. Some like 'em crispy, chewy, soft, crumbly - the combinations are endless! So if you can imagine, trying to find an oatmeal raisin cookie recipe on the Internet was a feat in itself. If you're like me and fall under the crispy chewy category - then these are right up your alley. These were nice and crispy around the edges, soft, chewy and crunchy in the middle, and had the perfect hint of cinnamon to them. I love chewy cookies so these had all the right textures and flavors goin' on! While they were tasty and satisfied my craving, I think I'll still be on the look out for a chewy, crispy, cookie-ish recipe. Does anyone have an "end all be all" oatmeal raisin cookie recipe that fulfills the chewy, crispy, cookie criteria? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller? :)


Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Recipe from Oatmeal Cookie Blog
Makes about a dozen cookies

Creamables
1/4 cup butter = 2 oz butter
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoons dark brown sugar

Wet Ingredients
1/2 an egg = (measure 1 1/2 tbs of one large beaten egg)
3/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoons milk

Dry Ingredients
1 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup + 2 tbs currants*
1/4 cup flour
3/4 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon sea salt

1. Preheat oven to 350º.
2. In your Kitchen Aid or a large mixing bowl, cream together the creamables.
3. In a small bowl, combine the wet ingredients and whisk together until smooth.
4. Add the combined wet ingredients to the creamables. Mix together until well incorporated.
5. In a large mixing bowl, add the dry ingredients. Using a spatula, fold together until evenly distributed.
6. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the combined creamables and wet ingredients. Mix until evenly combined.
7. Shape dough into balls--about a heaping tablespoon each.
8. Place dough balls about 2 inches apart on Silpat- or parchment paper-lined cookie sheets. Refrigerate dough for about an hour so set up more and not spread out thin
9. Bake at 350º for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove the cookie sheets from the oven and let stand for 3 minutes. Place cookies on wire racks to cool.

*If you're using raisins the original recipe calls for an additional two tablespoons of raisins
**I kept my cookie dough in the fridge for a couple days so mine took about 17-20 minutes to cook.

I know this may look like one gloppy mess, but sometimes the messiest things taste the best and this would be one of those occasions! I've seen this "5-minute" cake recipe on several different blogs and tonight I finally tried it for myself. I was watching an episode of "Chopped" on the Food Network and wanted to make something quick and delicious, so I was feeling inspired. Apparently I got a little carried away after watching the show because I was running around the kitchen like a mad woman trying to make the cake as if I were actually being timed. Hence, the not so pleasant photo because I couldn't wait to dive into the cake. Since it was still piping hot, I ended up burning my tongue - but it was worth it. Don't worry, the cold ice cream soothed the pain :) But the true inspiration for making this was because I knew the Salted Butter Ice Cream I made a few days ago would be the perfect counterpart for it. Since the ice cream is so sweet, it needed something to cut the richness and these chocolate cakes were perfect.

The original recipe added flour but since I'm not the best at following directions, I accidentally omitted it and didn't miss it one bit. Therefore, my version is flourless. I also swapped out the oil and substituted apple sauce, so mine is even healthier. The cake has the perfect amount of sweetness and tastes as light as a cloud in all it's delicious chocolatey yummyness. Who knew you could make such a decadent dessert in five minutes. I know many people freak out about using a microwave since the concept of food heating up that quickly is just frightening, but in times like this, the microwave is your friend. Whoever created this recipe was one smart focker. Alas, another day full of sweets. My mother in law probably cringes every time she gets a recipe update from me...so sorry :/ But at least we're having good eats :D


5-Minute Microwave Flourless Chocolate Cake
Recipe adapted from Not Quite Nigella

• 4 tablespoons flour (I omitted)
• 5 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons cocoa, Dutch-processed (Ghirardelli Ground Chocolate and Cocoa)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 1 egg
• 3 tablespoons milk (I used 2%)
• 3 tablespoons oil – (I used Mott’s no sugar added applesauce)
• Splash of vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons chocolate chips
• 2 microwave safe coffee mugs or ramekins

My steps:
1. Mix flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder and salt in a bowl
2. Mix egg, milk, oil in separate bowl
3. Add wet ingredients (milk, egg, oil, vanilla) to dry ingredients (flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt)
4. Spray 2 ramekins with non stick cooking spray
5. Divide chocolate chips evenly among ramekins
6. Divide batter evenly in ramekins
7. Cook for 60-90 seconds (depending on microwave oven) <– watch it!!! On medium heat setting – cook until looks like molten lava cake center should still be jiggly since it’s going to continue to cook once you remove it. (I cooked mine at 60% power and cooked it for 1 1/2 - 2 minutes)
• Stand in front of the microwave and watch it rise. Don’t be afraid to open up the microwave to see.
• Put a paper plate or microwave safe bowl at the bottom of the mug, it gets messy.
• Serve with vanilla ice cream or even better, Salted Butter Caramel Ice Cream