Scrumptious Street

Indonesian Corn Fritters with Sweet-Hot Chili Sauce

Rarely do I cook from another person's recipe and when I do, I often regret it.  When cooking, I have a specific vision in my mind and my tastebuds can "imagine" exactly what the result should be.  Often, if I cook from another person's recipe, the results are not what my culinary imagination craves.  So, I end up tossing it out and starting over, utilizing any new concepts the recipe might have introduced but basically executing on my vision.  It's a good thing I try again, however, because the second-efforts are always much more successful.  Here in San Francisco, I've been incredibly inspired by the fantastic produce available year-round and the plethora of Asian markets.  I've also met some great chefs, one of whom happens to be Malaysian.  I consulted her on this concept and thank her for some great ideas and starting points.  In the end, however, I came up with my own recipe, which still is quite authentic and yet even more flavorful than the other variations I tried.  This is a typical Indonesian street food called Perkedel Jagung, otherwise in English as "Indonesian Corn Fritters".  

I also made my own riff on a sweet and hot chili dipping sauce to accompany the fritters and add great spice, coolness and that addictiveness I always crave from hand-eaten snacks.  It's too bad I didn't photograph the first attempt to show you the difference.  Mr. Scrumptious is always encouraging me to do that, but I'm usually so disgusted by the failed expectations that I don't want to make it permanent.  The first attempt was doughy and dense like a hush puppy and I was craving more moist inside/crispy outside and flatter like a crab cake.  It was poorly seasoned but with overwhelming spice and bite of raw garlic and raw shallots.  Often in my cooking classes I focus a lot on the difference between seasoning and spice.  They are very different things and one should never forgo seasoning for spice.  Otherwise you have bland, hot food that burns but doesn't taste like anything.  Properly seasoned food should taste like the main ingredient and that ingredient should be elevated and showcased.  In this variation of the dish, the corn is that main ingredient and everything else is there to make corn taste deep and fresh I want the layers of flavor to be built from the corn up. Tangy, sweet, crispy, soft and salty all come together for a complex and fantastic celebration of corn at its most exciting, instead of corn as a staple at its most bland.

So here's how I did it and please, if you try this and don't like MY recipe, please let me know!

Ingredients

Serves 4 as appetizer

1 tsp. freshly toasted and ground coriander

1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1 medium shallot, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 tsp. fresh galangal, minced

1/2 tsp. fresh ginger, minced

1 tsp. kosher salt

1 T. sugar

4 ears fresh sweet corn, kernels cut from cob OR 3 c. frozen corn thawed and squeezed dry

1 T. minced green garlic (now in Farmer's Markets!) or green scallions

1/2 lime juiced and zested

4 T. brown rice flour

1 large egg, beaten

canola oil for frying

For the Sweet-Hot Chili and Cucumber Dipping Sauce (Saus Lado)

4 fresh red Thai chilies, finely sliced

1 clove garlic, sliced lengthwise in four pieces

1 T. seedless English cucumber, minced

1 lime, juiced

3 T. sugar

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. palm vinegar or rice wine vinegar

2 T. ketchup (optional)

2 T. warm water

Method:

1. Make the dipping sauce first so it has time to meld flavors and lose some of the raw taste.  Make sure to leave the garlic in big chunks.  You want the flavor of garlic, but not small pieces of raw garlic to stick to the fritter when you dip.  In a small bowl add the chilies, garlic, cucumber and lime juice.  Stir to cover all veggies with the lime juice.  Add the sugar, kosher salt, rice wine vinegar and ketchup if using.  Go for ketchup if you want a milder and sweeter flavor, leave it out if not.  Stir thoroughly and add in the warm water to thin slightly.  Set aside.

2. In a small skillet toast the coriander seeds and let cool.  Put the coriander, black pepper, shallots, garlic, galangal, ginger, kosher salt and sugar in a small food processor and puree until a smooth paste.  A mortar and pestle is an even better tool for the job if you have one and the inclination to do it manually.

3. In a medium bowl, lightly mash some of the corn kernels with a fork and leave others whole.  This helps create a combination of textures and the mashed corn helps in binding the fritters.   Add in the spice paste mixture and combine well.  Add in the green garlic or scallions and lime zest and lime juice.  Let sit for 20 minutes or so to let the flavors meld.   

4. Add in the rice flour to the corn mixture after sitting a bit and toss thoroughly.  Pour in the beaten egg and stir lightly until well incorporated.

5. In a large skillet, cover the bottom of the pan to 1/4" in high, for a shallow fry.  Turn the heat to medium and when the oil is shimmering hot and sizzling, it's ready.  Drop carefully a large tablespoon of the corn batter into the oil.  You can drop probably 3-5 into a normal sized skillet but do not crowd the pan.  Lightly press each one flat with the back of the spoon.  Fry until the fritters are golden brown on the first side, about 2 minutes and then flip.  Fry the second side until deep golden brown, anothe 2-3 minutes.  Remove fritters from the oil and let drain on a cooling rack with paper towels underneath to catch any excess oil. Repeat in batches.

6.  Serve the fritter while still hot, on a large platter and garnish with chopped chives and lime wedges.  Put the dipping sauce on the side.  Encourage people to give a quick squeeze of lime over the fritters and then dip in the sauce and enjoy!

Wensleydale-Cranberry and Port Wine Glaze Spirals

This holiday season has been incredibly busy for me, more time cooking and teaching and in the kitchen than ever before.  While I regret that my blogging has taken abuse for it, I've really been creating some terrific new dishes.  Sadly, not able to document everything, I'm just going to be sharing the best of the holiday season with you now.  This one, is spectacular! I'd recommend it for all your winter parties, including those for New Year's and even Super Bowl parties.  I tell you, it's a hit!   Here are my "Wensleydale Cheese-Cranberry and Port Wine Glaze Spirals".

I served them in this photo with walnuts that I also candied with the port wine glaze and some plump and lucious Medjool dates.  It is a spectacular and very special hors d'oeuvre that is full of warm and comforting flavors that are very unique and memorable.  

Wensleydale is one of my favorite cheeses from England, that is similar to a mild white cheddar with floral notes and a crumbly texture.  It melts nicely, but not smooth and creamy like a brie.  Rather, it also melts like a cheddar.  Good for an appetizer that you want to retain its shape.   You can usually find it in specialty cheese shops and sometimes, even in your local supermarket.

The port wine glaze recipe I made below is terrific for making candied spiced nuts, particularly walnuts or pecans.  Both times I made the spirals, I made extra for port-wine glaze for the nuts.  I'll give you enough glaze here to do the same.  To make the nuts, you simply toss them in the glaze after it's thick enough to coat a wooden spoon and just short of a caramel consistency.  

For the spirals, I made the glaze first while the puff pastry was defrosting.  Then, the filling.  I used frozen pastry but I think I'm ready to tackle making my own.  Here's how the recipes for the spirals worked out:

Ingredients

Makes about 60-70 spirals

For the Port Wine glaze (includes enough extra to spice nuts):

1 c. good, robust Ruby Port

1 c. fine granulated sugar

1/8 tsp. ground allspice

1/8 tsp. ground cloves

1/8 tsp. ground black pepper

2 small fresh bay leaves

For the Wensleydale-Cranberry Spirals

1 package or two full sheets of puff pastry, thawed according to package directions

8 oz. fresh Wendsleydale cheese, crumbled

1/4 c. dried cranberries, finely chopped

1/4 c. spiced pecans or walnuts, chopped

1/2 tsp. fresh oregano, finely chopped

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Remove puff pastry from freezer and let thaw according to package directions.  Preheat oven to 400˚F.

2. Make the port wine glaze: In a saucepan, bring all the ingredients for the glaze to a gentle simmer and stir to dissolve the sugar.  Let the wine and spices simmer without stirring and while the sugar melts it will begin to thicken into a glaze.  When the glaze is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, remove from heat.  Pour 1/3 cup of the glaze into a small bowl and set aside.  Use the rest of the glaze to make spiced walnuts or pecans: add the nuts to the saucepan with the port glaze and stir to evenly coat. Cover a sheet pan with parchment paper and spread the nuts evenly into a single layer.  Bake for 8-10 minutes in the oven, making sure not to scorch the nuts. (Check at 7 minutes.) Remove pan from oven and let nuts cool completely, then break apart any that are stuck together.  Store in an air-tight container or serve.

3.  In a medium bowl combine the cheese, dried cranberries, oregano, chopped nuts, salt and pepper.  Toss gently with a fork to incorporate.

4. Spread out the thawed puff pastry, and cut each sheet into thirds lengthwise. Most brands (including Pepperidge Farm which is the most common) will have folds in the puff pastry, so you can cut right on the fold line.  One sheet at a time and roll out to 1/8" thickness and a rectangular shape using a loured surface and rolling pin.  Take the reserved port-wine glaze and using a pastry brush, gently brush a light layer of the glaze on the rectangle of the puff pastry.  Leave about 1/4" space on one long side and both short sides of the rectangle. Leave about 1/2" space on one long side of the rectangle.

5. Spread the cheese mixture evenly over the glaze, using a spoon to scatter it and your finger to make it even. Make sure to cover it evenly but not too thickly, since you'll be rolling up the pastry.  Also, you will make about 6 of these individual rolls, so try to reserve the proportionate amount of cheese mixture. 

6. Begin at the long end with filling closest to the edge and turn it so it's facing you.  Slowly roll up the dough and filling, taking care to roll evenly and tightly as you go.  Roll until you reach the long end of the dough that has extra space.  Dip your fingers in a small bowl of water and wipe your forefinger along the blank dough.  Seal the pastry into a roll, squeezing any extra air from the edge you sealed with water.

7. Wrap the roll in plastic wrap and immediately refrigerate.  Repeat this process with all of the sections of your pastry.  In most packages you will have two full sheets, which will make six rolled-out rectangles of dough.  Refrigerate all the dough at least an hour before baking and up to one day in advance.  You can also freeze the dough rolls and thaw in the refrigerator the day before you want to bake them off.

8. Preheat oven to 400˚F 30 minutes before you want to bake the spirals.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper and remove the pastry rolls from refrigeration.  Take off the plastic wrap and cut the dough into equal pieces (about 12 per rectangle) that will be a "spiral" when laid on its side. Spread these out evenly on the baking sheets.  Bake each sheet 10-12 minutes until golden brown and bubbling.  Remove from the oven and cool just enough so that you won't burn your mouth, about 5 minutes.  Serve immediately! They go deliciously with champagne!

Cheers and a very Happy New Year to you all!

Fava Bean and Tomato Salad

Fava beans are another of my very favorite Spring ingredients and I always peruse the Farmer's Markets for them in April and May.  I hit the jackpot this past week and found some Favas that were so beautiful and fresh that I knew I wouldn't want to boil them, sauté them or otherwise cook for very long.  Thus, these babies called to be eaten just the other side of raw, barely blanched and in a simple manner to show off their freshest taste.  Here is my resulting "Fava Bean and Tomato Salad."

This dish was so wonderful but it's not going to work if you don't have incredibly tender and fresh beans.  Two great ways to recognize them are that the pods should not contain any black spots and should not feel flimsy or mushy if you gently squeeze them.  Should you find good ones, they'll turn anyone into a lover of this healthy legume. Another very important part of this dish was the green garlic stalks.  You should also be able to find this at any good Farmer's Market in the Spring months and I chose to use them because they taste of garlic but are much milder and softer, perfect because you can eat it raw, like I did with this salad.  I think this is a scrumptious little side salad for all those summer barbeques and is similar to a typical Mediterranean meze or Spanish tapas. 

I only had a small amount and they're a bit intensive to shuck, blanch and shell so this is just a recipe that feeds two people as a small little nibble.  In case you've seen them at the markets but aren't sure how to get the beans out of the funny-looking pod, here's the basic plan.  Snap off the top stem and pull the long string along the seam, exactly like you do with fresh snap peas.  Pull out the bean inside and put them in a bowl.  The beans are covered in a soft, waxy casing that you will remove before eating.  So, in essence, you have to shell them twice.  Blanch them inside the casing and when done, put them in an ice bath.  One at a time, pinch the end of the casing and slice it open with your thumbnail.  Push the opposite end of the casing and the inner bean should slide right out. I'm sorry I didn't take photos of the process but there are some very illustrative photos here.

On with the recipe!

Ingredients
Serves 2

1 cup fresh fava beans, blanched and shelled (about 1.5 lbs. fresh in their pods)
1 small very ripe tomato
2-3 fresh basil leaves, minced
1/2 tsp. fresh marjoram, minced
1/4 tsp. spring green garlic stalk, minced
1 1/2 T. fresh lemon juice, squeezed
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
4 T. very good extra virgin olive oil

Method:

1. String, shell, blanch in boiling water for 2-3 minutes and then cool fava beans in an ice bath.  One at a time, shuck the fava beans and put them in a bowl.  Add the chopped tomato, basil, marjoram and green garlic.  Toss gently with a spoon to mix.

2. In another small bowl add the lemon juice, salt and pepper.  Whisk to mix.  Slowly stream in the olive oil, about one tablespoon at a time, making an emulsified vinaigrette.

3. Pour the vinaigrette over the fava, tomatoes and herbs in the first bowl.  Mix thoroughly and taste, adding a pinch more salt and pepper if desired.  Serve either as is, or placed atop a very fresh bed of arugula.

Have a great time with this one and believe me, it's worth the effort with the beans and the rest of the preparation is very quick and simple!

Grilled (for real) Swordfish on Rosemary Skewers

For the first time in my adult life, a real gas grill is sitting outside on my first-ever backyard deck.  Since it was +85˚F in the Bay Area this weekend, Mr. Scrumptious and I decided to commit to making the ultimate Summer cooking purchase.  Up to this point I've been using my terrific grill pan with no complaints.  While the "real grill" is large and somewhat intimidating to my urban conditioning, I must say I'm thrilled about the variety and quality of tastes we can now produce.  Mr. Scrumptious is the Master Grill Chef, and I'm the Sous-Chef, Saucier and Line Cook.  I don't mind a bit.  This weekend we did these delectable "Grilled Swordfish on Rosemary Skewers" and they blew my mind and thrilled my tastebuds!

My marinade was really delicious and the combination of these specific vegetables with the rosemary, citrus and fish was a true winner.  If you haven't used kumquats before hear this: they are pure gold.  Their flavor is so sweet, bright and fresh and when grilled they nearly turn to marmalade inside their skins.  You eat the whole fruit, skins and all, and they're a perfect match for swordfish.  Also, make sure to use white pepper; it's better than black for fish.  If you like grilling, explosions of flavor, and the hefty satisfaction of smoky swordfish, try this out!

Ingredients
Serves 2

For the marinade:
1 tsp. fresh rosemary, minced
1/2 tsp. fresh lemon thyme, minced
1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
1 fresh serrano chile, seeded and minced
1/2 tsp. fresh lime zest
1 lime, juiced
1 tsp. tangelo (or tangerine) zest
1 tangelo (or tangerine), juiced
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. white pepper
3 T. dry white wine
1/4 c. plus 2 T. extra virgin olive oil

For the skewers:
4 long and thick rosemary branches, leaves removed 3/4 way up
2 8 oz. swordfish steaks, skinned and cut into 1/2" chunks
12 kumquats (3 per skewer)
12 tomatillos (3 per skewer) husked
12 cremini mushrooms ( 3 per skewer), cleaned and stem sliced short
1/2 red onion, cut into chunks

Method:

1. Make the marinade by combining all its ingredients into a bowl and whisking together.  Cut the swordfish into chunks and place into a air-tight plastic bag.  Pour in the marinade, zip the bag closed and turn and shake several seconds to coat all the fish.  Place the bag into the refrigerator and let marinate 4-6 hours.

2. Take the rosemary skewers and wash thoroughly.  Strip the leaves off the bottom 3/4 of the branch, leaving just a tuft at the top.  Save the rosemary leaves.  Place the rosemary branches in a deep, large pan and cover with water.  Let the branches sit for several hours in the water so they don't burst into flames on the grill.

3. Clean and prepare the kumquats, tomatillos, mushrooms and onions.  Keep everything whole except the onions.  About an hour before you're ready to grill, add the fruit and vegetables to the bag with the swordfish.  Shake the bag to mix together and get the marinade running over everything.  Let stand at room temperature at least 30-45 minutes.

4.  Get the grill preheating to between 475˚ and 500˚F.  While that's working, thread the fish, fruit and vegetables onto the skewers.  I found it easiest to cut the bottom of the branch into a sharp point so I didn't tear my food getting it onto the skewer. Place the skewers on a baking sheet and drizzle the marinade over everything.

5. Grill the skewers about 2-3 minutes per side, depending on your grill.  Baste each side evenly with the marinade.  Turn the skewers 3 times for a total of 6-9 minutes cooking time.  Make sure the swordfish is opaque and slightly firm but not hard and that the veggies and fruit are delightfully tender and charred.

6. Remove the skewers from the grill and slide off the branch onto a plate using a large fork. 

Enjoy with a cold beer and some banana-mustard potato salad.  Dessert was simple but spectacular: sliced fresh strawberries drizzled with Meyer Memon juice, balsamic vinegar, a dusting of sugar and black pepper (yes, that's right, black pepper! It's amazing with balsamic vinegar if you haven't tried the combination) and Meyer Lemon zest.  This was our wonderful and quite possibly, perfect, first weekend of summer meal!

As for the grill, it's awesome. With porcelain grates, a side sauce flame, temperatures up to 700˚F and settings for sear, grill, barbecque and ability to add wood chips for smokiness, it's going to make my summer cooking and recipes that much more fun!

Pomegranate-Currant Sea Scallops with Cauliflower Puree

This tasty and beautiful dish was a great experiment that turned out just lovely.  I must confess I had my doubts whether it would taste as good as I'd hoped while I was pulling it together.  In the end, it was unique, delicate, fresh and tasty.  Here's a look at my "Sea Scallops with Pomegranate-Currrant Juice and Cauliflower Puree".

I know the ingredients seem an unlikely combination, but they really work tremendously well together.  The juice and currants cut the richness and sweetness of the scallops down, the cauliflower is slightly salty and fresh.  The result is just spectacular, as long as you promise to use incredibly fresh scallops!

Ingredients

Serves 2

2 T. extra virgin olive oil
6 fresh sea scallops
1/2 lb. fresh cauliflower (I used the baby green and yellow ones)
2 T. unsalted butter
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/4 c. heavy cream
2 tsp. dried currants
8 T. pomegranate juice

Method:

1. Put the currants and pomegranate juice into a small saucepan and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to simmer and let reduce by at least half.

2. Cut the cauliflower into small pieces and place them in a saucepan. Add the butter and water.  Cover the pot and bring to a simmer over medium heat.  You want the water to only rise about 1/2 the height of the cauliflower.  Simmer until the cauliflower is very soft and tender, about 6-7 minutes.  Drain the cauliflower and then add to the bowl of a food processor.  Puree until the cauliflower is very smooth. Stir in the heavy cream. Place in a bowl and set aside, keeping warm.

3. Put a large skillet over high heat and heat the olive oil to very hot.  Add the scallops and sear 2-3 minutes on each side, forming a golden brown crust and cooking just through.  Turn after the first side.

4. When scallops are done, quickly spoon the cauliflower puree onto a serving dish or plate, nestle three scallops on each plate (I only show one in my photo, it was more aesthetically pleasing) and drizzle the pomegranate-currant juice on top. Serve immediately!

An Ode to California Artichokes

As many of you may remember, I'm an unabashed artichoke-lover.  I've always known that California  is the de-facto artichoke capital of the world -- who knew a thistle could be such a mysterious and varied object?  One of the most exciting things for me about my move from NYC to CA has been the anticipation of trying the best of the BEST close to the source.  Tonight was the first dinner including fresh California artichokes that haven't been shipped cross-country but rather cross-county.  Wow.  They were spectacular.  I created a "California Artichoke with Rustic Herb Hollandaise".  We were honestly licking our fingers, hands, elbows and wrists they were so damned juicy and good.

What's particularly wonderful about this dish is that I don't have much to work with at the moment in terms of kitchen, kitchen utensils, stove or kitchen appliances.  Yes, I've gone backward temporarily from my spectacular New York kitchen, to a terrible one.   We're currently living in temporary corporate housing which means sterile, mundane and bland.  Oh, and all my knives, pots and pans and cooking equipment is in a huge storage container on a palette in a warehouse in Oakland.  So.  I'm stuck with "steaknives" probably purchased at The Dollar Store that break off at the hilt when cutting a piece of crusty bread.

People often ask me what a good raw artichoke looks like.  This, my friends, is a great example.

It's bright green, its leaves are tightly bunched together (rather than spread open) and it has few mars and blemishes.  Yes, there are always some, but you shouldn't see huge patches of brown and spots.  Only little ones.  It's heavy and bulbous.  These are just two good ones.  They're not perfect, they're not amazing.  But they're very good. And I didn't get them directly from a farmer.  Not yet, not this time.  I suspect that Scrumptious Street will o.d. on artichokes in the next six months, since we're heading into prime season for some of my favorite varieties and I intend to hunt those farmers down to get the very best ones. I warn you now.

One day, I promise I'll do a post with a video of exactly how to de-construct an artichoke.  But that will at least have to wait until all my camera gear is out of storage too.  Currently I just have my camera and no lighting equipment, tripod, backgrounds, props or styling aids.  So, the photography is pretty basic  until I can get my hands on my own stuff again. I think these photos look pretty decent considering how little I have to work with at the moment, so that's another reason these artichokes were so impressive.

My notation of my recipe was a little slacker than normal, due to the hectic nature of life right now.  So, here's the general notion of what I did and if anyone has questions, please don't be shy! Comment, email and ask whatever is on your mind.  I like doing artichokes many ways and sometimes I can't decide between stuffed or steamed with a dipping sauce.  Tonight it occurred to me to try a combination of the two concepts.  I stuffed them with shallots and pecorino-romano cheese.  I braised them as usual in a very aromatic water-bath.  And, I wanted a sauce but one I could spoon over the artichokes due to the stuffing so I did a riff on a hollandaise sauce that was intentionally rustic and dripping so it would seep down into the artichoke instead thick like a mayonnaise or aioli dipping sauce. I also omitted the cayenne pepper, which is often part of a traditional hollandaise.  Mr. Scrumptious and I both really loved it.  It worked out terrific and was delicious and flavorful without being rich or heavy.  It was a perfect appetizer or side dish that would work with so many other kinds of main courses. There was still extra sauce for dipping or to be used for another purpose. (Brunch anyone??)  Here's how I did it.

Ingredients
Serves 2

For the artichokes:
2 whole large fresh artichokes, cleaned, topped, stem peeled and trimmed
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and quartered
2 fresh bay leaves
2 medium shallots, peeled and 1 quartered, one finely diced
1/2 lemon, sliced
1/2 tsp. sea salt
4 T. extra virgin olive oil
2 T. shredded pecorino-romano cheese

For the Herb-Hollandaise Sauce:
1 stick unsalted butter
1/2 lemon, juiced with pulp included
2 egg yolks, whisked
1/4 tsp. dried basil (I didn't have fresh on hand but you could try it)
sea salt and white pepper to taste

Method:
1.  Clean and trim the artichokes by cutting off the tops, snipping all the outside leaves and breaking off the brittle leaves on the bottom near the stem.  Cut the stem off.  Rub the cut areas with lemon and place into large bowl of cold water with lemon juice squeezed in.

2.  Place the cleaned artichokes, garlic, bay leaves, the quartered shallot and lemon slices and salt into a large pot of water.  If you have some dry white wine, put in about 1/4 c.  Bring the water to boiling and then immediately turn down to medium and below a boil.  You want a good strong simmer.  Spread open the leaves slightly and stuff the diced shallot evenly into the leaves.  Make sure the artichokes are sitting upright.  Cover the pot and let cook for 30-35 minutes or until an outer leaf comes off with a bit of tugging and force.

3. Drizzle the olive oil over the artichokes down into the leaves and let cook another 10 minutes, uncovered.

4. Make the hollandaise sauce.  I wanted this rustic and chunky, not creamy-smooth so I used the lemon juice WITH pulp and I also let the sauce "break" which happens when it cooks slightly longer at higher heat than a true hollandaise should and the sauce begins to separate.  This is what I needed in this dish, so that when I plated the dish the sauce would run down the leaves and coat them with flavor.  It worked great!   To make the sauce melt the butter in a small sauce pan over low heat.  Add the lemon juice and pulp.  Separate an egg and whisk the yolk in a small dish.  Spoon it into the saucepan and whisk into the butter when it's melted.  Add the basil.  Whisk until the sauce is thick and creamy.  Add sea salt and white pepper to taste.  I did about 4 turns of the salt grinder and 8 turns of the white pepper grinder.  Continue to whisk until the sauce begins to thin out again.  Remove sauce from heat and set aside.

5. Test and make sure your artichokes are done.  Do this by using a fork and gently poking one of the outer leaves.  It should come away easily.  Let the leaf cool and then test by tasting the leaf and scraping the flesh off with your teeth in the usual fashion.  When done, turn off the heat or gas and gently stuff the cheese down into the leaves by spreading them open with a spoon.  Cover with a lid for 2 minutes so the cheese can melt.

6. Gently remove the artichokes from the pot with tongs and let them drain of water.  Slide them onto a plate.  Spoon the herb hollandaise sauce over the artichokes (as much or as little as  you want, you'll have extra) and serve immediately.  Enjoy!

P.S. For those of you wanting a posting about food from Fiji, I must confess I failed you miserably.  Food was not the focus of my trip; scuba diving was!  I didn't take any food photographs for you or glean local culinary secrets and tales.  However, I may share some of the gorgeous scenery photos and tell you about the trip and the delightful dishes we did sample in an upcoming post.  For now, I wanted to return to food since the move and changes have kept me from posting for so long...

Summer Stuffed Peppers

Stuffed peppers are a favorite standby at Scrumptious Street and I started making them when I was a child.  When I was learning to cook, it was one of the easiest and most satisfying things for me to prepare.  The peppers are something simple to pull together but with enough key steps that you're still cooking.  When I first started making stuffed peppers, I pretty much mimicked my Mother's recipe, which included a tomato-based rice, ground beef and kidney bean stuffing in green Bell peppers and baked.  Since then, I've made her classic preparation many times but I also love experimenting and creating new fillings and using different peppers.   This variation was a result of my desire for a lighter, summery filling and a vision of gorgeous colors.  Here is my own "Summer Stuffed Peppers".

The result was light, flavorful, slightly tangy and wholesome.  It's a very healthy dish and can be easily varied with different vegetables and aromatics.  I used french Flageolet beans for the first time in this and absolutely loved them! They are so delicate yet more intensely flavored than fava, kidney or even cannellini beans.  They taste much more like a bean (I smelled a garden in them) than the mushy paste that other canned beans can have. Give them a try if you can! The orange sweet bell pepper is also nice, it has a less astringent flavor and more juicy sweetness than a green pepper.  And using my own tomatoes and herbs for this was simply wonderful! The patio garden has produced so much pleasure and many delicious meals this summer!

Ingredients
Serves 2 as side dish or appetizer

2 whole orange sweet Bell Peppers, washed, halved and seeds and pith scooped out
1/4 lb. fresh yellow wax beans
1/2 c. tubettini or small macaroni pasta
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
14 oz can french Flageolet beans or get fresh ones if you can!
2 hot long Italian chili peppers in oil
7 oz jar of good tuna in olive oil (go with jarred, not canned)
4 artichoke hearts marinated in oil, chopped
6 fresh small cherry-sized heirloom tomatoes (yes, from my plant!)
3 T. extra virgin olive oil
2 sprigs fresh lemon thyme, chopped
1/2 tsp. fresh chives, chopped
4 T. marinade/oil from the artichoke hearts
1/4 tsp. freshly ground white pepper
juice 1/2 fresh lemon, squeezed

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350˚F. Bring a large pot of water to boil on the stovetop and add the kosher salt.  Toss in the orange peppers, yellow wax beans and tubettini pasta and blanch for about 3 minutes, until the peppers and wax beans just begin to go slightly tender.  Do not let the skin begin to peel off.  Prepare an ice bath in a large bowl.  Remove from the water and drain the wax beans, peppers and pasta.  Set the peppers aside to cool naturally.  Plunge the pasta and the yellow wax beans into the ice bath.  Drain and  cool completely. 

2. In the large bowl, add all the remaining ingredients to the wax beans and tubettini pasta.  Toss together and season with additional salt and pepper if needed.  The flavors in this dish are subtle and natural, not overpowering.  Make sure to taste and adjust to your palate as you go.

3. Place the orange peppers cut-side up in a 9x9" baking pan.  Spoon the filling into the peppers until full.  Spoon any extra filling along the sides of the peppers in the pan.  Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 15 minutes. 

4. Remove the aluminum foil, drizzle a little more extra virgin olive oil on top of the peppers and bake another 15 minutes.  Remove from the oven and serve immediately.

Pickled Watermelon Scallion Salad

This salad is terrific on a hot summer day and is so simple, refreshing and unusual that's it's absolutely delightful.  It's another riff on something we had recently in a terrific New York restaurant and is my own variation and improvisation on a Malaysian salad.  Here is my "Pickled Watermelon and Scallion Salad".

Many people don't like pickles or the concept of anything that is pickled.  I can understand that, as just last night I ate a dish that was completely overwhelmed by vinegar and totally ruined the food.  I promise, this is a very gentle and subtle pickling, it's not even tart so much as crunchy and bright. I used a sweet Japanese cooking wine, to keep it from being too tart.  This is a great dish to make when your watermelon is a day past perfectly ripe;  it helps revive the juicy crunch if it's edging toward softness.  Easy, delicious, fresh and surprisingly deep in flavor, this salad works terrific with fish or pork or anything that you choose to make that's either spicy or salty.  In the restaurant we had it as an appetizer to spicy chili crab and it was perfect!

Ingredients:
Serves 2

1/2 small seedless watermelon, peeled and cubed
2 T. rice wine vinegar
2 T. Mirin (sweet rice cooking wine)
1/2 T. granulated sugar
1 T. kosher salt
1 tsp. toasted sesame oil
3 scallions: white and light green slices on bias, dark green sliced in long, thin strips
sesame seeds for garnish

Method:
1.  Peel and cut watermelon and set aside.  Slice scallions with green in long thin strips and white thinly sliced on bias and set aside in a small bowl.
2. No more than 2 hours before serving, mix the rice wine vinegar, mirin, sugar and salt in a small bowl.  Add the watermelon and toss gently.  Let marinate no more no 2 hours.
3. Drain off the pickling juice, reserving at least 1 teaspoon of juice.  Let watermelon strain through a sieve or colander.
4. Add watermelon to a bowl, add in scallions.  Mix the reserved pickling juice and toasted sesame oil together as a dressing and drizzle over the watermelon salad.  Gently toss with hands and sprinkle in the sesame seeds.  Serve immediately, best at room temperature.

Lemon Sole and Smoked Salmon Bruschetta

This appetizer works as a light but interesting prelude to any meal you're serving this summer.  I combined a fresh and delicate fish with a smoky flavored fish, some light herbs and spices, with a little tang and zip.  We devoured my "Lemon Sole and Smoked Salmon Bruschetta".

The bruschetta was perfectly enjoyed with a lovely bottle of lambrusco and set us up to really eat a serious meal.  I may do this one in volume, for our next big party...

Ingredients
Serves 4

1/2 l. fresh lemon sole fillet (arctic char would also work well)
1/4 lb. good-quality smoked salmon, packaged is fine
1/2 T. minced chives and lemon balm (could substitute tarragon for lemon balm)
1 T. rinsed and chopped capers
1/2 T. finely diced red onion
1 T. fresh lemon juice
1 T. crème fraîche
1/8 tsp. Tabasco sauce
1 T. extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt to taste
freshly ground white pepper to taste
1 baguette, cut about 1/4" thick

Method:
1. Heat a grill pan until smoking hot.  Season the fresh fish fillet with olive oil, kosher salt and white pepper.  Grill the fish until completely cooked through, about 3-4 minutes each side.  Remove from heat and let cool completely.

2. In a medium bowl, add the cooled lemon sole and smoked salmon.  Flake with a fork until the fish is in small chunks and flakes.  Add the herbs, capers, onion and a pinch of kosher salt and a few grinds of white pepper.  Toss gently with the fork and taste.

3.  Add the  crème fraîche, tabasco, olive oil and lemon juice and combine thoroughly.  Taste again.  Add more salt and pepper if desired.   Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until 15 minutes before serving.  Best if left 1-3 hours in fridge.

4. Preheat the oven to 350˚F and toast the baguette slices in the oven until golden brown, about 8-10 minutes each side.  While the bread is toasting, remove the fish mixture from refrigerator to bring up to room temperature.  When the baguettes are toasted, top each slice with a spoonful of the fish mixture and garnish with extra chives.  Lay out on a beautiful serving platter and enjoy!

I definitely like using white pepper in this dish instead of black pepper, I really enjoy its subtle flavor so much with fish.  Also, the lemon juice works extremely well with the lemon-tinged herbs so whatever you choose pick an herb with an oniony flavor and one with a more citrus or tangy flavor. This was a great hit!

Anyway You Like 'Em Pannekoek (pancakes)

Mr. Scrumptious and I revere Pannekoek.  Literally translated, they mean "pan cakes" and are South African from Dutch roots, of course.  They are like crêpes when sweet, also very much like galettes when savory, but are not made of buckwheat flour.  They are like thin pancakes (not flapjacks) or German Pfannkuchen.  No matter the language, the country or the filling, there is something immensely satisfying, comforting and delicious about making a bowl of light and airy batter which you can turn into a soft and delicate snack, meal, appetizer or entree filled with your favorite savory stuffings.  Or your favorite sweet accents for desserts.

The sheer magnitude of variations left up to your imagination and edible wares and stores?  Bliss!!  This is not something I grew up making in my family.  This is not something my parents grew up making in their families.  In the States, it's usually pancakes or flapjacks, which mean thick and heavy and topped with butter, syrup or fruit.  These little babies are delicate and light, really meant to ensconce whatever beauty or treasure you tuck inside or eat with them. 

Mr. Scrumptious grew up eating these, as basic as flapjacks to kids from the States and his family always dusted them with cinnamon and sugar.   When I lived in Germany for a couple of years, I had them with sprinklings of confectioner's sugar and squeezes of fresh lemon juice.  Trust me, that's AMAZING.  So, a few months ago on a Sunday night we decided to make them.  We had so much fun standing at the stove together, making the pannekoek one at a time and eating them right there standing over the counter.  We'd make one and dust it with cinnamon and sugar, split it in half and each have a piece.  The next one would be confectioner's sugar and lemon we'd cut in half and share.  And Repeat.  We did this for nearly an hour.  We had so much fun, loving the intimacy, the playfulness and the simplicity of the delicious food. 

A couple of weeks ago we both got the craving again and decided this time we'd document it for the blog.  We also made a savory version, with mushrooms, leeks, basil and pinenuts.

Oh, it is so joyful to make these, to stuff or accent as you wish and to share them with someone you love.   There are few expressions of love that are quite as simple and powerful as making food together and feeding each other by hand.  Unfortunately, I only photographed the food, we didn't get any feeding shots.  Probably best.

Our recipe, however, is from an Afrikaans cookbook.  That means it's only in metric system and I'm translating as I go.  You may want to find an imperial version out there.  Otherwise, pull out your handy kitchen scale that converts between metric and imperial and you're all set.

Pannekoek Recipe:
Makes 8-10 large pancakes

250 ml flour
1 ml baking powder
2.5 ml (1/2 t.) salt
250 ml milk
2 small eggs
cinnamon-sugar if desired

Method:

1. Add flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl and stir with a spoon to mix.  Put in the milk and eggs and whisk until very smooth and the lumps are gone from the batter.  Whisk genty, you don't want to make the batter stiff, just light and fully mixed.

2. Cover the batter with plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.  Letting it stand for at least 4 hours is better, it helps make the batter fluffier.

3. Heat a large non-stick skillet over low-medium heat and add nonstick spray or a little margarine, depending on your preference.  Pour a very thin layer of batter in the pan when hot and tilt the pan to evenly coat the bottom of the pan.  Wait a couple of minutes until the first side is golden brown and comes free of the pan.

4. If you're Mr. Scrumptious, pull the skillet off the stovetop, turn sideways, stick out your tongue in concentration and toss the pannekoek in the air, flipping with your wrist and making it land on the opposite side.  Giggle whether success or failure at this point.  Cook the other side until very light brown and then slide onto a plate.

5. Dust your sweet topping of choice or fill with a savory stuffing of your choice and roll the pannekoek up into a long, thin tube.  Eat directly or cut in half and mouth-feed your loved one.

6. Repeat until you've eaten every last bite and don't wipe that smile off your face for the rest of the day!

We had three varieties: 1) cinammon and sugar 2) powdered sugar and lemon juice and 3) mushroom, leeks, basil and pinenuts with a tomato-garlic-cream dipping sauce.  On the savory ones, I did lightly saute the mushrooms and leeks first and used toasted pinenuts.  I left the basil raw for maximum flavor.  I didn't note the measurements for any of the fillings.  Just use your tastebuds and your judgement and you'll be fine. Have fun!