Nicole's Burger Night

My dad helped me buy and put together a bbq for the patio of my condo, and after being bbq-less for 5 years I could finally grill meat (and veggies) again! I could also put my "Burgers" cookbook to use that had been sitting idle on my bookshelf. Of course I then chose one of the only burger recipes in the book that requires stovetop cooking instead of the grill - oh well, another dinner night.

Miso-basted salmon burger w/ "Oven cheese fries"
Burger was a yummy, healthy, and flavorful alternative to beef. Fries were okay, and probably would have been better if I had not forgotten to buy one of the main ingredients - parmesan cheese. Doh! Because of that we left out the bread crumbs and made regular fries coated with olive oil, salt, and pepper to save time, as we were running a bit late on the meal.

Burger:
1 lb 5oz fresh skinless, boneless salmon fillet
4 crusty rolls
1 t white miso paste
2 T vegetable oil
1 shallot, finely chopped
1-inch-piece ginger root, pelled, finely chopped
salt
1 1/2 cups fresh white bread crumbs
2 scallions finely chopped
1 large egg white
1 T light soy sauce
1 t sesame oil
1/2 t mustard seeds

Burger Glaze:
1/2 T white miso paste
2 T maple syrup
1 t soy sauce

Hot mango-cucumber salsa (combine all ingredients in a bowl and toss well together):
1 small mango, stone removed, cut in thin slices
1/4 cucumber, cut into ribbons lengthwise, using a vegetable peeler
1 t sugar
2 T lime juice
salt

1. In a small bowl, mix together the ingredients for the glaze and set aside.
2. Plae 12 oz of the salmon in a food processor with 1 t of the miso and mix to a fine paste. Finely chop the remaining salmon. Chill separately in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
3. Heat 1 T of the vegetable oil in a small pan, add the shallot and giner, and cook until softened but with no color; remove and allow to cool.
4. Remove the processed and chopped salmon from the refrigerator, place in a bowl, add the cooked shallot and ginger, a little salt, and mix well.
5. Add the remaining ingredients and bring the mix together, shape into 4 evenly sized burgers, and return to the refrigerator until needed.
6. Heat the remaining oil in a large nonstick frying pan until hot, cook the salmon burgers until golden, about 3-4 minutes on each side, brushing them regularly with the glaze as they cook.
7. Arrange the lettuce leaves on the four crusty rolls, top each with a burger, and then with some mango-cucumber salsa. Top with the remaining bread.


Blue-cheese coleslaw
I loved this alternative and tangy take on cole slaw, and have made the recipe multiple times since our dinner night. It was very easy to make, and could be modified depending on your tastes or what you have on hand. The recipe calls for a whole onion which we found to be way too much; half an onion would be much better.

1/2 red cabbage
2 carrots, peeled
1 onion, peeled (way too much!!)
2 green peppers, halved, deseeded
2 T sour cream
3/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
salt and freshly ground pepper
pinch of celery salt (optional)

1. Remove the outer leaves from the cabbage, cut into 2-inch wedges, remove and discard center core.
2. Using a sharp knife, finely shred it into strips or use the shredding attachment of a food processor.
3. Place the shredded cabbage in ice water for 30 minutes (we skipped this part).
4. Meanwhile, cut the carrots into shreds, using a knife or small kitchen mandolin. Thinly shred the onion and green bell peppers.
5. Remove the cabbage from the water and drain it well. Dry it with a clean cloth. (or skip this if you skipped step #3).
6. Place all ingredients together in a bowl, bind with the sour cream, season to taste and chill until required.

Black bean koftas
This is one of those dishes that could be summed up as "interesting". The picture in the cookbook showed beautiful little perfectly round balls of black bean koftas, but ours fell apart in the pan and looked like a pile of dark bread crumbs. I think the downfall was using dry bread crumbs plus a little water instead of the fresh bread crumbs. Taste was average, and I would not even make again to see what it would taste like with fresh bread crumbs.
1/4 c. vegetable oil
3 scallions, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 small green chili, deseeded, finely chopped
1 1/2 c. cooked black beans
2 t Dijon mustard
2 t chickpea flour (gram flour)
1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 t ground cumin
1 1/2 c. fresh white bread crumbs
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 c. feta cheese or other sharp cheese, cut into 1/2-inch dice

1. Heat 2 T of the oil in a pan, add the scallions, garlic, and chili. Cook for 2 minutes.
2. Mash the cooked beans with the mustard, chickpea flour, cilantro, and cumin, and mix well. Add the bread crumbs and cooked onion mix. Season to taste.
3. Shape the mix into 1 1/4-inch balls. With your finger make a small indentation in the center of each ball, then fill each with some cheese. Cover over to secure the cheese filling.
4. Heat the remaining oil and fry the koftas for 3-4 minutes, keeping them moving.
5. Remove and serve.

Kentucky Sunrise
http://www.jimbeam.com/mixology/drink/1402
A bottle of Jim Beam had been languishing in my cupboard for awhile, and I wanted a summery drink that would compliment the burgers. The Jim Beam website came through, and their version of a Sunrise drink was potent but delicious.

Pigwich cookies
http://tastingtable.com/ecs/3620.htm?sid=605361
I had been wanting to try this recipe since seeing it on Tasting Table, and I had the perfect pig cookie cutter to make them. We got through the parts of making the dough and getting the bacon fat, but with everything else to do that night we didn't get around to making the icing. The piggies came out very cute though, and were yummy too!

Rissa's A Little of This and That

This dinner night didn't have a big theme or any obvious coordination in the menu, but was just a good excuse to pick out some wonderful recipes as always. In general, I was pleased..I'm always thankful to have two extra sets of hands when it comes to these menus!

Cumin-Scented Samosas with Mint Raita

I'm a big fan of samosas and realize that they can be made into a healthy version. Although anything 'individualized' becomes labor-intensive. That combined with phyllo dough (hence how these were made lowfat) takes some care in assembly! But the end result was just plain yummy. Make the filling - warning: lots of ingredients - assemble the phyllo dough and bake in oven. The mint raita is a must. From what I recall, I think this is one sauce you should actually make extra. It's a terrific compliment.

Hot and Hot Tomato Salad

I saw this recipe and just knew it was dinner night worthy. I will say it's labor intensive though! Some steps not worth it (the black eyed peas roasted in the ham hock with onions, etc). The salad is terrific because it used very fresh and unusual ingredients. Heirloom tomatoes are always great and the baby okra was something new to try for all of us. A little 'different' in the way it was fried, but I liked it. Hands down - the dressing was one of the best homemade dressings I have ever had! Beautiful once assembled and very filling and delicious, this salad is a hit. Though I would not venture to make it for more than a few people..

Fresh Corn Tart with Chipotle Cream

First thought that comes to mind is that there's nothing like good ol' Mexican chorizo. "Soyriso" just doesn't cut it! But once you get past that, this was decent. Not the biggest hit of the night, but a good pairing with the rest of the menu. Also yielded a lot of food and heated up well as leftovers. Good way to use my cast-iron skillet, too!

Oven-Fried Chicken

The Cooking Light version of oven-fried chicken is expected to just not be 'the same' as umm..KFC. The most common complaint is that it doesn't turn out with that "fried" crust (bread is soft versus crunchy). Sure, this was no Southern fried chicken, but I think a decent attempt. And not too difficult. The recipe tries to get the full crunch by having you turn the pieces halfway in between cooking. We forgot to do that part. Woops!

Chocolate-Raspberry Layer Cake Although the cake doesn't LOOK like the gorgeous Bon Appetit photo in the magazine, it sure tasted wonderful! This is chocolate on chocolate on chocolate with some raspberries. And some milk might be nice to serve with it! Not sure what went wrong on the ganache..it was not the smooth, spreadable consistency as is the cake in the photo. Something easy to try again though..just boil lots of heavy whipping cream and pour it over the chocolate to melt. Other than that, this cake is restaurant quality..because it's so rich, a little goes a long way.

Southern with a Modern Flair

My inspiration for this menu was the pulled pork sandwiches. I saw a recipe in a Cooking Light magazine and knew I wanted to try it at my next dinner night. Since pulled pork is a traditional dish from the South, I decided to go with a Southern theme with a Modern twist.

Bruschetta with Peach Salsa and Melted Brie (Courtesy of Cooking Light)

This was a simple dish to throw together and turned out pretty delicious. The peaches were sweet and fresh which paired well with the rich and creamy Brie. Anyway, how can you go wrong with melted Brie? I would make this recipe again with no variations.

Vodka Berry Fizzes (Courtesy of Rachael Ray)
Vodka + Sprite + Berries = Adult Koolaid. Be careful, you can drink a lot of this quickly and can't really taste the alcohol but it may catch up with you!
Alabama Pulled Pork Sandwiches with White Barbecue Sauce (Courtesy of Cooking Light)
Yummm my mouth is watering thinking about these little guys. I always thought pulled pork was one of those things that had to slow-roast for hours in order to be tender and juicy but this recipe proves that you can do it in about an hour. The pork is delicious and sweet because of the apple cider vinegar. The sauce is very vinegary but white barbecue sauces often are. I love vinegar so this was no problem for but don't expect a traditional bbq sauce. The only thing I wouldn't make again are the biscuits. Why bother when you can just buy mini buns for less work and a better taste?

Barbecued Baked Beans - Unfortunately, I can't remember where we found this recipe but the beans were traditional barbecue baked beans, with a little bacon. Delicious!

Lemon-Lime Layer Cake (Courtesy of Cooking Light)
This was pretty moist considering it didn't have too many liquid ingredients. The citrus flavor paired really well with a home-made white chocolate ice cream that we also made. This cake isn't for everyone but I loved it! If you're a fan of lemon or lime flavors, then definitely give it a try.

Blogger Recipe Night

Like many foodies I subscribe to a plethora of food blogs and other sites, and finally made the effort to recreate some of the delicious recipes that had been piling up in my e-mail "Recipe" folder. Most of the recipes for this dinner came from chefs chosen by Tasting Table, and dessert was from my favorite dessert blogger, Bakerella! (Nicole)

Piquillos Rellenos

This recipe came from Rivera, a Latin restaurant in downtown LA that I have been wanting to try. The dish itself was fairly easy to make, and a good appetizer. Melted cheese is pretty much always delicious, and the raisins add a unique and sweet touch.



Asparagus, Radicchio and Roasted-Calamari Salad
I was slightly disappointed in this salad, thinking that it was going to better than it turned out to be. It was okay, but not a recipe that we would plan to make again. I would cut back on the asparagus a bit, as there was a bit much compared to the other ingredients.


Seared Scallops with Coconut-Mussel Stew
Our favorite recipe of the night! I had eaten a somewhat similar scallop dish at Noir, a local restaurant here in Pasadena, and loved it. When I saw this recipe I knew that I wanted to try it at home, and this recipe is a keeper. We learned that crowding the mussels in the skillet doesn't work too well, and they will cook more evenly and faster when given some space. This dish takes some work, but is well worth it if you are a scallop lover.


Cake Pops
After seeing pictures of cake pops online I knew that it was something that I wanted to try out, and the Foxy Foodies were up to the challenge. We chose a more simple design, smiley faces, and sadly most of ours were not too smiley! The recipe called for an entire can of frosting, but that seemed to be a bit much. Using less would have made the cake pops a little more dry, and also able to hold their shape a bit better. The food marker pens that we used were no match to write on the chocolate-coated cake pops, so our faces were a bit light; maybe I should paint it on next time with frosting coloring? The cake pops were delicious though, and quite filling - we could only eat one!

Vamos al Caribe!

We've been exciting enough to try foods around the world, and then I realized we hadn't yet tried my own culture. Believe it or not, it's hard to find "Dominican cookbooks" so I knew I couldn't get too specific there. But I pulled the recipes that I had onhand from all around the Caribbean. Did it come out like Dad's cooking? Nope..it really wasn't my best of dinner nights. But that is bound to happen..let's blame it on the lack of authenticity from the recipe sources? Call us passionate cooks, but we do experiment and have humanly 'off' nights. Anyway, this just gives me a challenge to master for next time!

The Real Mojito

Mojitos are a classic favorite..so refreshing and full of citrus. But to get that citrus taste, it takes work! You must muddle the lime and mint leaves together (lots of mint leaves), add more limes and sugar and muddle, muddle, muddle. Again..the trick is to muddle to release the flavors. It's work when you have 6 drinks lined up in a row! I appreciate my local watering hole all that much more. I think it's just too much work to make at home for more than two people, but the result being a delicate balance between sugary and citrusy makes for a delicious beverage.

Seared Queso Fresco and Queso Panela with Cilantro Mojo

Who doesn't love cheese? Queso panela was hard to find, so we stuck with queso fresco which I grew up on. Frying ("searing") the cheese made it a little rubbery to be honest..and the cilantro mojo didn't make a huge difference. All in all, it is not like a mozzarella cheese stick that melts as it cooks and adapts well with marinara sauce. Though it was super easy to make and a great idea for an appetizer, it wasn't something to make again.

Cuban Black Bean Patties with Pineapple Rice


Surprisingly, the low fat dish was the best dish of the night. Black beans and rice are classic to Caribbean cuisine and it tasted just great. Being that the patties were low fat though, they were a bit on the dry side. (didn't fry them in oil) Mixing with the rice made it no issue though. Some might think pineapple in rice is an odd combination, but it gave it moisture, flavor (especially with the cilantro) and just came out delicious!


Tamarind-Glazed Chicken Thighs

This recipe had so much promise and sounded amazing. Just fyi, frozen tamarind pulp is only found at hispanic food stores. The idea of boiling the pulp and apple cider vinegar/brown sugar into a nice reduced sauce and then baking the chicken with this glaze sounded delicious. Problem is the sauce never really reduced, so it came out watery. We baked the chicken anyway with it, but it just did not come out like the picture. Perhaps we didn't have enough patience because we were making double the recipe and did not give it proper time to reduce, but it was a disappointment.

Whiskey Cake
What to say..this wasn't our best of nights, but it has to be blogged, right? I know whiskey is not that Caribbean..rum may have been more appropriate, but I decided to try it anyway. The cake tasted like straight alcohol!!! I never thought I'd say this, but maybe we add a little less next time? No frosting on the cake (which to me does not make it seem cake-like), but it really wasn't needed either! Just ok..would not make again.