Paris Impression

Sushi and Coconut Shrimp

I went to my parents' tonight and my brother Jordan announced that we were going to make sushi. We had so much fun! Together we made philadelphia rolls with cream cheese and cucumber and coconut shrimp. It was all delicious, thanks Jordan!

Here's the recipe for coconut shrimp:

1 package cooked frozen shrimp

Batter

1 egg

1/2 cup flour

2 cups flake coconut

pinch salt

enough water or milk to make batter the consistance of pancake batter

use a fry pan with two-three inch deep oil on medium high heat

• thraw the shrimp by running it under warm water
• mix batter together
• dredge shrimp in flour and then in batter
• fry shrimp until golden brown

These are really good dipped in apricot jam.

Today's Excitment

Lately, I haven't really had much interesting going on to post about. But today was kind of exciting for me. I have two prospective internships for the summer, both working as a grant writer for nonprofit organizations; one is creative arts program for under-privileged kids and the other does microfinance and medical services to South America. Both are part time and will let me do the majority of work from home. I feel really good about the prospect of doing meaningful work for a cause I'm excited about but not having a huge full-time commitment. I'm meeting with both organizations Friday, so I'll let you know how it goes.

Second, the professor I work with said today that he wants to get the data analysis and research paper I am working on published. It is so exciting to think of something I've written being published in a real journal. My work is still quite a ways away from that but the idea is exciting.

I just reread what I wrote and realized how boring my exciting news sounds to most people.

Oh well, it makes me happy and I know you, as my dear friends, will be happy for me regardless :) ( or at induge me by pretending:)

Herb Garden

To celebrate the coming of spring I've decided to start a little herb garden. Historically, I haven't had the "greenest" thumb, but I got this mini greenhouse and seeds for basil, rosemary and chives.

Then . . . they sprouted . . .and they are growing!

I'll keep you posted on how this goes.

Love, Sweet Love

Who dosen't want a little something sweet for Valentine's. . .

















I decided to dip these shortbread cookies in dark chocolate and white chocolate dyed pink. Then I wrapped them up to look like boxed chocolates.

To make them special, I drizzled a few drops of the contrasting chocolate on the cookie using on a piping bag. Then I took a bamboo skewer and swirled it into a fun design.

Spanakopita

I have a confession to make. I made Spanakopita this week and I followed the recipe to the letter -- that is so not like me.

Spanakopita is a delicious spinach pastry Josh and I fell in love with while we were in Greece last summer. We loved everything about Greece, the historical sites, the paradisiacal weather, the olive trees (as seen to the right), the lovable people, and most definitely the famous food. I haven’t wanted to try to recreate it for fear that I would totally blow it and ruin the memory. However, when I saw this ginormous container of Feta, I just had to give it a try.

Here's what I did:

I made the phyllo dough by hand because I wanted the authenic feeling. While I was rolling dough over and over again with my mom's hand crank pasta maker to make paper thin sheets, I had Ainslie at my feet, and I told Josh I felt like a real Greek woman.

So if you are adventous here's the recipe:

INGREDIENTS:
8 cups of all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons of raki (or white vinegar)
2 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
1 1/4 - 1 1/3 cups of hot water
flour for work surface and hands

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix by hand until it holds together.

On a floured surface, knead by hand for 10-15 minutes until soft and malleable, with a smooth feel. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight before using.

To make phyllo sheets for pastries, run it through the pasta machine (with settings from 1-10, with 1 being the thickest), gradually working it down to setting mark 9 on your machine.

But really I would suggest just buying the phyllo dough premade in the freezer section.

So here's the a link for the filling. http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_1693,00.html

By the way, it turned out amazing! I'm sitting here consuming the last piece with flavors that take me back to a warm Grecian evening, wandering around the Agora, beneath the glow of the Acropolis. I am surprised by how well the mint, spinach and feta flavors taste together. I never would have thought of that. So, I guess it is good to follow a recipe, every now and then.

Garde Manger Lesson 1: Chicken Salad

My favorite class in Culinary School was called Garde Manger. The most useful thing I learned in that class was how to make salad dressing. Nearly all cold sauces (i.e. salad dressing for green, pasta and potato salads, dips for chips, veggies or fruit, and even marinades) are composed of three basic things:

• A fat (most often oil or mayo, more creative examples are sour cream, cream cheese, or yogurt)
• An acid (commonly vinegar, sometimes lemon or other fruit juice or wine)
• Seasonings (salt, pepper, sugar, herbs, vegetables, etc.)

The secret to a good cold sauce is a balance of fat and acid-- this combination was something our ancestors brought from the old world and we can't get enough of it. Stop and consider some of your favorite foods. I'm willing to bet if you pull apart the ingredients you'll find a fat and acid at the bottom of the flavor.

Some of my personal favorites: Fries and Ketchup(fries= potatoes and frying oil, ketchup= tomatoes(highly acidic) sugar (seasoning) and vinegar(classic acid). Even PBandJ gives you the fairly fatty peanut butter and the tangy tart juicy jam.

So about Chicken Salad, here are the guidelines:

• Chicken (you can boil uncooked chicken, I like using canned chicken because it make it so fast)
• Some crunchy things for texture (Waldorf Version --celery, apples, and cashews, as seen above. Also consider taking a southwestern approach using onions, corn and peppers or oriental with toasted almonds, chow mien noodles and grapes.)
• The Basic Sauce--mayo, a little bit of vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper. (Now try to add in something that will pair well with your crunchy things. I added celery salt, a bit of mustard and a little bit more sugar to match with my celery and apples. If you do southwestern maybe add some cumin or chill pepper. If you are doing oriental use sesame oil or curry to make it Asian fusion.
  

Voila!