Kitchen Conundrum

Shrimp and Cellophane Noodles- French Fridays with Dorie

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Of the three dishes we have made since we joined French Fridays with Dorie, this was by far the easiest and the quickest to prepare.  This Shrimp and Cellophane Noodles recipe is Asian inspired with an attempt at being Italian. It certainly seems a bit confused.  Since I am the only one who would even consider eating the shrimp, I reduced the portion size to just one bowl.

It’s always fun to bring out the wok and the smell of sizzling onions and garlic is a fond scent wafting through the house. Like popcorn in the microwave, it draws peers from around corners with the expectant question “What’s ya makin’?“. But unlike the cheers freshly buttered popcorn, or a Chicken Pad Thai would bring, one mention of mushrooms and shrimp sent everyone scampering away deflated.

Ah well. I continued on.

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The ingredients are simple- Chinese Five Spice, sugar, a dash of Cayenne mixed with onions and garlic.  A bit of sesame oil, shrimp, mushrooms and noodles.  Sounds good right? It has spice, heat, and sweet. But then you throw in a strange homage to Italy in the form of tomato puree and the whole dish takes a nosedive.  All of the characteristic Asian flavors were masked by the tomatoes. While I do think the puree was supposed to be the acidic feature- ginger, lime and soy sauce would have made a welcome replacement for the tomato puree.

So while this dish LOOKS great, it isn’t. At least not for me. I wonder what the original dish Dorie’s friend made tastes like. Because I would hope it was better than this recreation and that I made some terrible mistake along the way.

Meanwhile, I will have to make a real stir fry to make up for it.

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I cannot share the recipe (and I’d advise you to skip this one anyways)- but you can (and should!) buy the book and cook along with us. It’s great fun! Every Friday we make a new recipe. And I can’t wait for next weeks! For details and to see how others are recreating the dishes from this awesome book, check out the FFWD site.

Buy the book:

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P.S. The noodles we used are Banh Pho medium sized. We make Pho and Pad Thai a lot here and have several bags in our pantry at any given time. So we just used them. I don’t think they affected the flavor in any way! I am so looking forward to next week’s dish!

Chicken Liver Gâteaux with Pickled Onions- French Fridays with Dorie

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It’s time for French Fridays with Dorie!

I’m not going to lie. I was really apprehensive about this recipe. Like, horrified and a bit disgusted actually. Don’t get me wrong, I love pâté, rillettes and foie gras.  But usually,  someone else has prepared it before I enjoyed it. I feel as though some things should be left to the professionals (or less queasy cooks!)- and strange parts with gooey, slimy consistencies fit that bill. I am more than happy to savor pâté with a great bottle of wine after it’s been prepared- pre-packaged, bought at the market, removed from it’s container and plated. Voilà! That, I can handle!

Some things I just don’t want to know how they transformed into something edible.

But, because I never (well almost never) turn down a challenge, I dove into the world of offal- well, not really dove, but rather, waded into the shallow end.  Yes, liver is considered an offal, right along with sweetbreads and calves brain. (shudder!)

Dorie’s chicken liver gateaux with pickled onions only seems intimidating. It is actually really simple to make.

The thinly sliced pickled onions can be used with the pâté or to garnish a salad separately.

Chicken Liver Gateaux with Pickled Onions

 

I thought that the spices that were needed for the pickling liquid were on the meek side so I added more cloves and black pepper. This seemed to do the trick. The pickled onions are quite tangy yet flavorful.

While the onions simmered, the liver was prepared. I could not muster enough strength and courage vigor to do the cleaning, so Ari graciously de-veined and de-greened them for me. He remarked as his hands were covered in goo, “I can do this, but I can’t watch Grey’s Anatomy”.  Go figure.

Chicken Liver Gateaux with Pickled Onions

 

This recipe could not have been easier. Whiz everything up in the food processor and transfer to ramekins for baking in a nice, hot water bath.

Chicken Liver Gateaux with Pickled Onions

 

After three quarters of an hour, they are done. Just plate and serve.

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Despite my initial hesitation at making this, I took a bite and it was… DELICIOUS!  Wow! I was so surprised! Happy that it worked out so well! I would gladly make this again for a dinner party or special occasion. The best part is, it’s a very inexpensive dish that looks and tastes expensive. I was able to purchase almost 2lbs of fresh livers for just over $2! A bargain!

So, I made the offal and it wasn’t awful! (lol) I may foray into the deep end soon.

Unfortunately, I cannot share the recipe- but you can (and should!) buy the book and cook along with us. It’s great fun! The January recipes are posted on the FFWD site.

Buy the book:

greenspan

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Long and Slow Apples- French Fridays with Dorie

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Long Slow ApplesAs you know from my post yesterday, I just discovered what I had been missing for the past couple of years and how I am jumping in at the last minute to play French Fridays with Dorie where bloggers cook through her award-winning book, Around My French Table.

I am thrilled that my first assignment is dessert. Long and slow apples. This simple, elegant dessert has a very modest ingredient list, in sharp contrast to the lengthy baking time – four hours to be exact.

Slicing the apples as thinly as possible (with a mandoline or slicer) is the key to achieving the delicateness of this sweet, luscious dessert.

The apple slices are layered  in ramekins and brushed with melted butter and spiced sugar. They are then baked at a low heat for all those hours, yielding the most tender, juiciest, sweetest bites of velvety goodness.

Long and slow. The best things in life are worth the wait. And these apples are no exception.

Unfortunately, I cannot print the recipe- but you can (and should!) buy the book and cook along with us. There are just three weeks of January recipes posted on the FFWD site and I am not sure how many, if any, recipes are left in their entire schedule. But, even after their regimen ends, I plan to keep on going and cook from the book and post on Fridays until I have completed them.  Or at least until the end of 2013. Consider it my resolution.

Buy the book:

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