Pickle Egg Rolls

I have a friend who likes to watch those super quick cooking videos on social media, many of which feature questionable foods. He asked me if I would help him make these, and I agreed because I was morbidly curious and had the proper equipment.

Verdict: They tasted better than I thought they would, but I don't think I'd make them again because I felt gross eating them, lol. If I did happen to make them again I would chop up the pickles because the pickles in the finished product were hard to bite through and you'd end up either crushing the entire thing or pulling out an entire pickle half with your bite.

RECIPE: Pickle Egg Rolls

Matcha Green Tea Mule

This is another recipe that comes to me from one of the restaurants where my friend Andrea works. She is a server at a sushi restaurant, and this was one of the featured cocktails for a while. It is a Moscow Mule that is heavy on the ginger and additionally features matcha green tea powder. She had one when they put it on the menu and told me all about how great it is since we are both big fans of green tea flavored things. A few days later, she brought over some of the house made ginger syrup and we made them at my house. It's every bit as good as I imagined.

I am really grateful to her for introducing me to this drink! However, the original recipe did not include any ingredient list or instructions for preparing the ginger syrup and she is not a cook, so once it was gone, I had to figure that part out on my own. Thankfully she had seen the process of making the syrup and could describe it to me, and after a few attempts I was able to recreate it. My final recipe is below.

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RECIPE:

Matcha Green Tea Mule
adapted from Sushi Muramoto
Serves 1

2 ½ oz (75 ml) plain vodka
1 oz (30 ml) freshly squeezed lime juice
1 oz (30 ml) ginger syrup, recipe follows
1 tsp (5 g) matcha green tea powder
1-2 oz (30-60 ml) ginger beer
Lime wedge, for garnish

Ginger syrup (makes about 2 1/2 cups, enough for about 20 drink servings):
1/2 lb (225 g) fresh ginger root (after peeling and chopping, yields about 1 1/3 cups)
1/3 cup water
1.5 cups granulated sugar
1 cup water

Prepare ginger syrup: Peel and finely chop the ginger. Place in the bowl of a food processor or blender with 1/3 cup water, and process until it forms a puree. Set aside. Place sugar and 1 cup water in a saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. When all the sugar is dissolved, remove from the heat, stir in ginger puree, and allow to stand for 15 minutes. Strain out the ginger with a tea strainer, reserving the syrup. Discard ginger. Allow syrup to cool completely. Store in a clean glass jar in the refrigerator for up to 1 month. (It is safe to consume for longer than that, but I find that its fiery bite disappears by the time it's about a month old.)

Prepare the drink: Shake vodka, lime juice, ginger syrup, and matcha powder with ice in a cocktail shaker until cold and well mixed. Strain into a copper mug or rocks glass with a few cubes of ice in it. Top with ginger beer and stir gently to combine. Top with a lime wedge and serve immediately.

Notes:

• Fresh squeezed lime juice is important here. Don't use bottled.
• I have used Korean soju instead of vodka when I didn't have vodka.
• I have used lime sparkling water when I didn't have ginger beer, and I think the ginger syrup still has enough of a kick that you don't really miss the extra bit of ginger.
• Other uses for the ginger syrup in case you have leftovers: drizzle over fresh fruit or ice cream, or stir into other drinks (I think it tastes good in sparkling water and tea but the sky is the limit).

Veggie Nachos

Tonight my cooking buddies Sarah and Caroline came over for some fun times before Sarah heads to France for 3 months. I had just sprained my ankle really badly and could barely stand up, and Caroline had quite a tumultuous first few weeks at her new science teacher job. Sarah had recently found Smitten Kitchen's Corn and Black Bean Weeknight Nachos and couldn't get enough, and wanted us to experience them too. We all worked together to get them in the oven as quick as we could, talking the entire time.

I didn't think it was possible, but it turns out I DO like radishes if they're pickled. Sarah finds a way for me to appreciate lots of things I thought I didn't like.

Cheesy food calls for cheesy entertainment. We brought the cookie sheet full of nachos into the living room, set them on the coffee table, and shared them while we drank red wine and watched Michael Bolton's Big Sexy Valentine's Day Special. (If you have not seen it, please do yourself a favor and watch it. Yes, it's dumb, but it's also amazing.)

Bon voyage mon amie.

RECIPE: Corn and Black Bean Weeknight Nachos

Chex Party Mix

My mom has made this mix of cereal pieces, pretzels, and nuts with a buttery, savory coating baked on during the winter for end of year holidays and sometimes the Superbowl for as long as I can remember. As of late she likes to give it for holiday gifts instead of cookies. It's nice to have something salty when there are usually lots of sweets around.

When I was little, I don't think you could regularly buy this already prepared but I think in the late 1990s or early 2000s it started being mass produced. These days you can get it at just about any grocery store and probably even at most convenience stores, and there are all kinds of crazy flavors (hot cocoa anyone? it reminded me of puppy chow) but you should still try making your own because it tastes a LOT better. It's incredibly easy to make, more buttery, maybe not so overwhelmingly salty, and you can put in or leave out any cereal or salty snack you like to suit your tastes. Below is my family's version, tweaked just a little further to suit my own specific preferences.

My favorite pieces have always been the wheat Chex that are super saturated with the coating. Loved them as a kid, still love them now.

Notes:

• My mom always makes a giant batch (usually 3 times what is listed below) to use up all the boxes of cereal she has to buy to make this instead of getting left with a bunch of half-full boxes of cereal. She bakes it in a big turkey roasting pan. As long as you end up with the correct volume of ingredients (9 cups of cereal and 3 cups nuts/pretzels/crackers/etc) for the amount of coating you're making, the ratios can be entirely suited to your tastes and what you have. (It's a lot easier to finish eating a whole batch than you might think!)
• If you don't want to buy separate boxes of rice and corn cereal, buy a kind that has rice on one side and corn on the other (i.e., Crispix or a store brand of that).
• My family's version uses cashew nuts rather than mixed nuts. My mom likes to put in plain Cheerios (the cereal) but I leave them out. I was never a fan of rye bagel chips because the texture is so hard and the pieces are pretty large compared to the other ingredients, so I don't use them.
• Important pretzel notes: the mini pretzel sticks are very nostalgic and essential in my eyes, but you can use other small, thin pretzel shapes that are easy to bite into if you can't find mini sticks or (gasp) don't like them.
• You can also make this on a rimmed baking sheet (I recommend a half sheet pan). Instead of making the sauce in the pan, melt the butter in the microwave in a medium microwavable bowl or on the stove in a small saucepan, add seasonings, and pour it over the cereal mixture in the large bowl and stir to coat before transferring it to the baking sheet.
• Other ideas for add-ins for some variation: cheese crackers, sesame sticks, bagel chips, peanuts or another nut of your choice.

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RECIPE:

Chex Party Mix
Adapted from the recipe by the manufacturers of Chex
Makes about 12 cups

3 cups corn Chex or other corn based lattice-weave cereal
3 cups rice Chex or other rice based lattice-weave cereal
3 cups wheat Chex or other wheat based lattice-weave cereal
1 1/2 cups whole cashew nuts, or a mix of cashew nuts and peanuts
1 1/2 cups mini pretzel sticks
6 tbsp (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 ½ tsp seasoning salt (Lowry's is the only brand I know of, haha)
¾ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp onion powder

Preheat oven to 250°F. Place cereals, cashews, and pretzel sticks in a large bowl and stir gently to combine. Place the butter in a large roasting pan that is big enough to hold the cereal mixture with some extra room, then put the pan in the oven to let the butter melt. When it is melted, stir in the Worchestershire sauce, seasoning salt, garlic powder, and onion powder. Add cereal mixture to the roasting pan and stir gently until evenly coated. Bake 1 hour, removing the pan from the oven to stir the mix every 15 minutes. Spread on paper towels or clean kitchen towels until completely cooled, about 30 minutes. Store at room temperature in a zippered plastic bag or other airtight container.

Spiced Beef Meatballs

I am not sure where Sarah got the recipe for these (she may have made it up herself) but they are simple and tasty, much simpler than my go-to Italian meatballs. For these we were going for something Mediterranean/Middle Eastern inspired to serve with hummus and salad. They were part of the menu for Tea Party Vol. 3. You can change up the herbs and spices for a different flavor profile.

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RECIPE:

Spiced Beef Meatballs

Makes about 36

1 1/2 lb (24 oz) ground beef

1 medium onion, finely chopped

3 tbsp fresh flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground cumin

Salt and pepper to taste

Pinch of ground chili pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 400 F. Place all ingredients in a large bowl and mix with your hands until just blended (do not over-handle). Using your hands, shape mixture into 1-inch diameter balls and place on a baking sheet lined with foil. Bake for approximately 10-12 minutes or until cooked through. Serve warm. Leftovers can be stored covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

 

Note 7/9/22: Made these with Impossible meat with good success.

Caramel Mocha Swiss Roll Cake

This cake is heavily inspired by the Great British Bake-Off (known in the US as The Great British Baking Show). The first episode I ever watched was all about cakes and one of the challenges was to design and make a roll cake. I like cake and really wanted to try this challenge for myself. I bought a jelly roll pan just to make this cake and I'm not disappointed.

This cake idea started out as a mocha roll cake and the caramel elements were added at the last minute. I saw a bit of caramel sauce in a jar in my fridge while I was digging for cake ingredients and decided to use it. I also bought stroopwafels (Dutch caramel filled wafer cookies) to serve all by themselves at the party I made this cake for, but decided they would also make the cake look extra fancy.

Notes:

• Since it is a chocolate cake, I sprinkled the towel that holds the rolled cake with cocoa powder instead of powdered sugar (this is primarily for looks).
• I used 1 tsp of espresso granules in the buttercream when I made it and the coffee flavor was very subtle, and not quite strong enough for my liking. I wrote 1 1/2 tsp in the recipe below but if you really like coffee flavor, 2 tsp might be better.
• Adding 1 tbsp of butter at a time to the buttercream = 24 additions = ain’t nobody got time for that. I added 3-4 tbsp at a time and it was fine.
• I initially used 3/4 of the buttercream inside the cake and 1/4 for decoration and it was a bit much. I might consider cutting the filling with plain whipped cream or using a slightly different filling next time.

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RECIPE:

Caramel Mocha Swiss Roll Cake

adapted from Hershey's (cake), The Pioneer Woman (filling), Minimalist Baker (caramel sauce)
Makes 1 cake, serves about 12-16

Chocolate cake:
1/4 cup cocoa powder plus 1/3 cup, divided
4 eggs, at room temperature, separated
1/2 cup granulated sugar plus 1/3 cup, divided
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1/3 cup water

Espresso Swiss meringue buttercream:
4 egg whites, at room temperature (reserve yolks for another use)
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature and cut into tablespoons
1 1/2 tsp instant espresso granules mixed with 1 tsp very hot water, cooled to room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 pinch fine sea salt

Vanilla bourbon caramel sauce:
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
½ cup heavy cream
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tbsp bourbon whiskey
Pinch of salt (optional)

Decoration:
Chocolate covered espresso beans and/or mini stroopwafel cookies

Prepare cake: Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a jelly roll pan (15.5 x 10.5 x 1 in) with foil, and generously grease the foil with butter. Set aside. Sprinkle 1/4 cup sifted cocoa powder onto a clean cotton or linen kitchen towel (preferably a dark colored one with no pile/loops) that is at least as large as the jelly roll pan. Place egg whites in a large bowl and beat with a hand mixer until soft peaks form. Add 1/2 cup granulated sugar in several additions, until stiff peaks form. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the egg yolks with the vanilla extract for about 3 minutes. Add 1/3 cup of granulated sugar in several additions, mixing briefly after each one, and beat for 2 more minutes. In another medium bowl, stir flour, 1/3 cup cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well blended. With the mixer on low speed, alternate adding flour mixture and water to the egg yolk mixture in several additions, just until the batter is smooth. Fold this batter into the egg whites gently until well blended. Transfer batter to jelly roll pan, distributing evenly, and place in oven. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the top of the cake springs back into place when touched lightly in the center. Remove from oven and immediately loosen the cake from the sides of the pan and invert cake onto the cocoa dusted towel. Carefully remove the foil from the cake, then roll cake and towel together from the short side. Transfer rolled cake to a wire rack to cool completely. While cake cools, prepare buttercream and caramel sauce.

Prepare buttercream: Find a medium saucepan that will allow your stand mixer bowl to sit atop it with at least 1 inch of room from the bottom. Fill saucepan with about 1/2 inch of water on high heat until it simmers, then turn heat to low. Put egg whites and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer, then place the mixer bowl on top of the simmering pan of water, being careful that it does not touch the water's surface. Heat the egg whites and sugar to approximately 160°F, whisking constantly. If you do not have a thermometer, it is ready when and all the sugar is dissolved  (it is not grainy when you rub it between your fingers). The mixture will be hot to the touch. Immediately transfer the mixer bowl to the stand mixer and using the whisk attachment, whip on high speed until the mixture is thick and glossy and forms stiff peaks. Once it has reached this stage, continue to whip until the bowl has cooled to room temperature. This process takes roughly 10 minutes. Remove whisk attachment and switch to the paddle attachment. Set mixer to low speed. Drop in 3 tablespoons of the butter and beat until smooth. Repeat this process until all the butter is incorporated. If it appears clumpy or curdled during this process, increase speed to medium-high and beat until it is smooth again. Mix in the espresso, vanilla, and salt on medium speed, beating until smooth.

Prepare caramel sauce: Place sugar and water in a medium saucepan over medium heat, swirling occasionally (not stirring) until the mixture turns a deep amber color. Once it starts to brown, it will darken quickly! Be careful not to let it burn. Remove pan from the heat, turn off the burner, and whisk in the cream, whisking while pouring. The mixture may expand a bit and release a lot of steam when this happens, so be careful. Once the cream is fully incorporated, place pan back on the burner and whisk in the vanilla and bourbon. Mix for about 1 minute, then remove from heat and let cool slightly. Pour into a glass pint jar or other heat-safe container and let cool to room temperature.

Assemble and decorate cake: Carefully unroll the cooled cake and spread half of the espresso buttercream evenly onto the inner surface, leaving a small border on all sides. Warm 1/4 cup of the caramel sauce in the microwave for about 20 seconds, then drizzle back and forth across the top of the buttercream. Reroll cake as tightly as you can manage without it cracking. Place on a serving plate with the seam side down. Trim the ends of the cake so they have a nice flat edge. Drizzle about 1/2 cup warmed caramel sauce in ribbons over the cake across the short side. Fit a piping bag with a medium sized star tip and fill bag with remaining espresso buttercream. Pipe rows of shells or stars along the top center of the cake (mine is shown with one big spiral drawn with a star tip). Decorate with chocolate covered espresso beans and/or mini stroopwafel cookies. Cover loosely with saran wrap and let stand in the refrigerator for several hours to firm up. Remove cake from refrigerator about 30 minutes before serving. Store leftovers loosely covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Rice Stuffed Tomatoes

One of my favorite things about August is the absolute abundance of tomatoes. This is a complete flip from when I was a child. I grew up thinking raw tomatoes were disgusting. Cooked ones were fine as long as they were totally smooth -- chunky tomato sauce was a no-no. Then I went to college and stopped having time to pick things I didn't like out of the cafeteria food, so sometimes I ate chunks of tomato even when I didn't want to. There was a bit of a breakthrough when my sister-in-law took me out for my first burrito and I actively enjoyed the pico de gallo salsa in it despite the fact that it was mostly raw tomatoes. Then when I went to Japan for study abroad, my host mom would put raw tomato wedges in salad and I decided to eat them to be polite, but here's the thing: the tomatoes were actually tasty. Turns out I was just eating crappy tomatoes up until then. Fast forward to now and here I am growing them in my garden (like my mom does) and getting excited about receiving them in my CSA haul. A fresh in-season tomato is a joy.

Sometimes, though, you have more than you can eat raw, and so even though it's August, you want to cook them. I stumbled upon this recipe on Smitten Kitchen and since I had lots of big tomatoes to eat up, and I love risotto and it uses the same type of rice, I set to work. I served it with potato gnocchi tossed with some leftover spinach-hazelnut pesto from this recipe.

Verdict: It was good, but kind of a lot of work. I don't know if I'd go out of my way to make it again but I'm glad I tried it!

RECIPE: Rice Stuffed Tomatoes