Banh Mi at Home

Have you ever suddenly realized that there is one dish that you really love, like love to the point of ordering it every time you see it on a menu, but that you rarely make at home?  I had that realization the other day about a sandwich I often crave, the banh mi.  Warm, juicy, marinated meat tucked into a fresh baguette and topped with a cool carrot and daikon radish slaw.  You can't forget the crisp cucumber, sliced jalapeños, fresh cilantro and slathering of spicy mayonnaise.  I've had delicious restaurant versions filled with duck pate, tofu or shredded pork.  I've even enjoyed a banh mi in hotdog form from Asia Dog at the Brooklyn Flea. No matter how they're made, I really can't get enough of these Vietnamese deli stalwarts.  For my own take on the sandwich, I decided to used marinated and grilled chicken. The acidic flavor from the marinade and the char from the grill (or grillpan) create the perfect contrast to the crusty yet tender baguette and cool, spicy toppings. Hearty, cool, spicy hot and complex, these sandwiches are the perfect dose of freshness as we approach warmer weather.  There's nothing like fulfilling your cravings at home.

Chicken Banh Mi 

Makes 1 full baguette sandwich (serves 2 hungry people)

For the marinaded meat:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/4 cup fish sauce 

juice from 1 lime

2 Tbsp sugar

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 jalapeño, thinly sliced

For the slaw:

1/4 lb of daikon radish, thickly shredded

2 carrots, thickly shredded

1/8 cup rice vinegar

1/8 cup sugar

1 tsp toasted sesame oil

1/2 tsp kosher salt

For the spicy mayonnaise:

1/2 cup good quality mayonnaise

1 Tbsp hot chili sauce (I use sriracha)

Sandwiches:

1 fresh, crusty baguette, sliced in half

1/2 hothouse cucumber, thinly sliced

Fresh cilantro, roughly torn or chopped

1 jalapeño, thinly sliced or julienned 

In a small bowl, whisk together the fish sauce, lime juice, 2 tablespoons sugar and garlic.  Place the chicken breasts and 1 thinly sliced jalapeño in a large, resealable bag.  Pour the whisked marinade over the chicken.  Seal the bag, be sure the marinade evenly coats the chicken and place the bag on a plate or in a bowl to prevent any possible leakage. Refrigerate for 2-4 hours. 

Meanwhile, in another small bowl, whisk together the rice vinegar, 1/8 cup sugar, toasted sesame oil and salt.  Combine shredded carrots and daikon in a separate, large bowl.  Cover both bowls with plastic wrap and refrigerate until you are ready to assemble sandwiches.  

Mix the mayonnaise and chili sauce together. Refrigerate until you are ready to assemble. 

Once the chicken has marinated, turn your outdoor grill to high or heat an oiled or non-stick indoor grill pan over high flame.  Remove chicken from marinade and scrape off any jalapeños that may have stuck to the meat.  Grill chicken for approximately 10 minutes (5 minutes per side) or until just done. Remove chicken to a plate and cover with foil while you prepare the other toppings.

Pour a bit of the slaw dressing over the shredded carrots and daikon.  Toss to coat and add more dressing, bit by bit, until the slaw is lightly coated.   

Remove the chicken to a plastic cutting board and slice into 1/2 inch slices.

Spread the prepared mayonnaise over both sides of the halved baguette.   Arrange sliced cucumbers over the bottom half.  Top with the chicken then cover with the slaw.  Top with cilantro and jalapeño slices.  Cover with the top half of the baguette.  Slice into portions and enjoy.

Fresh lime juice gives the grilled chicken a fresh, citrusy punch.

Shredded carrots and daikon radish bring a cool crunch and vinegary bite to this sandwich.

A few Asian pantry staples you'll need for this recipe:  fish sauce, rice vinegar and toasted sesame seed oil.

Slice it up and enjoy this classic Vietnamese sandwich at home. 

I ♥ LA

Ahhh, California.  As soon as I get off the plane at LAX I instantly feel relaxed. I was in LA over the weekend and had a fabulous time.  The weather was warm, the sun was shining and the vibe was as laid back as ever.  It was the perfect break from the hectic work week and cold weather I've gotten so used to.  We walked in the sun, shopped, enjoyed some refreshing cocktails and, of course, ate deliciously all weekend long.  Here are a few of my favorites:

Ricky's fish tacos.  Ricky sets up shop in a nondescript, open-air lot and fries up the freshest and most delicious fish tacos you'll ever have.  Topped with crunchy cabbage, fresh pico de gallo and homemade sauces, these tacos are at once hot and refreshing.  They are out of this world.

The Intellegentsia latte at Square One.  The perfect morning drink in a cozy and tucked away space in the always hip Los Feliz neighborhood.  This latte is deliciously nutty and strong, just the way I like them.  Along with the coffee, the breakfast menu is perfection.  Using local and organic ingredients, everything we ordered was flavorful, healthy and satisfying.  Bring your computer and park it at a distressed wooden table inside, or check out the gorgeous outdoor garden.  You'll want to sit, talk, eat and sip coffee all day long.   

Pork taco with a side of beans from the famous, James Beard award winning Yuca's taco stand.  California, to me, means Mexican food, so that's what I filled up on all weekend.  These pork tacos are insanely good.  Be sure to grab a pickled jalapeño to munch on too.

Sprinkles cupcakes.  Vanilla up top and red velvet below.  Pure bliss in my book.  Sweet, buttery, moist and pefectly frosted.   I have to say that the vanilla is my personal favorite (and the hit of the weekend) but all of their confections are delicious.  Yes, we drove to Beverly Hills on a Saturday and waited in line for 30 minutes to snag a dozen of these sweet cakes but it was definitely worth it.  

A Box of Chocolates

Whether you love it, or love to hate it, Valentine's Day is upon us.  Chalky-sweet conversation hearts.  Homemade paper valentines passed between nervous grade schoolers. Red and pink decorations.  Chubby cherub babies flying around shooting their love arrows at the sad and loveless.  Despite all of it's artificial sweetness, Valentine's Day does have one perk:  Big boxes of chocolates.  This year instead of buying the name brand, flavor mapped variety, I decided to make my own.  As previously mentioned (here and here) I really love salted caramel.  Maybe a little too much.  These caramel lovelies are made with lots of sea salt and dunked into the darkest dark chocolate to coat.  A generous sprinkling of sea salt tops them off.  They are decadent, richly sweet and hold just the right amount of lovely saltiness.  Kind of like Valentine's Day itself.

Chocolate Covered Salted Love Caramels
Makes a lot (but that's a good thing)

ingredients
1 cup heavy cream
6 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 tsp sea salt + more for sprinkling on finished candies
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup light corn syrup
12 oz dark chocolate (preferably 72% cocoa), chopped

special tools
candy thermometer

Spray a 9x5 inch loaf pan (glass or metal) with non-stick spray and then line with parchment paper (see photo below).  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Set pans aside.

For the salted caramel:

In a small sauce pot, combine the cream, butter and salt.  Bring to a simmer over medium heat until the butter is melted and the salt is dissolved into the cream.  Turn off the heat and set aside.

In a large sauce pot, combine the sugar, water and corn syrup and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Cook until the mixture reaches 350 degrees on a candy thermometer.  Turn off heat and carefully pour in the scalded cream mixture.  The mixture will bubble violently.  Carefully stir with a heat-safe silicone spatula and turn the heat back on to medium.  Reheat the mixture to 248 degrees (firm ball stage).  Once up to temperature, turn off the heat and carefully pour the caramel into the prepared loaf pan.  Allow the caramel to set up at room temperature for around 20 minutes and then place in the refrigerator and cool until set, approximately one hour.

Once the caramel has chilled, transfer the caramel from the loaf pan onto a cutting board.  Trim the edges of the caramel and carefully slice into strips, widthwise.  Continue to cut these strips into cubes.  Return cubes to the refrigerator while you prepare the chocolate.

For the chocolate coating:

Create a double boiler by placing a medium sized, heatproof glass bowl over a pot of gently simmering water.  Be sure that the glass bowl fits snugly into the sauce pan and that the bowl doesn't touch the water.  Add half of the chopped chocolate and melt, stirring occasionally until completely smooth.  Remove the bowl from the pot and little by little, add in the rest of the chopped chocolate, stirring until each portion is melted into the warm chocolate.  When all of the chocolate is added and melted, continue to stir for another few minutes. Your chocolate should now be tempered.  To test, smear a thin layer on a butter knife and place in the refrigerator for 1-2 minutes.  If the chocolate on the knife is hard and shiny, you've successfully tempered your chocolate.

One by one, place a caramel on a fork and gently dip into the bowl of warm chocolate.  You  may have to use a spoon to help coax the chocolate over the caramel.  Wipe the bottom of the fork on the side of the bowl and gently transfer covered caramels onto the parchment lined baking sheet to set up. (See my candy bar post for more information on this technique).  While the chocolate is still wet, sprinkle the tops with sea salt.  Repeat until all of the caramels are dipped.  Once finished, place the baking sheet in the refrigerator until set, about 10 minutes.  Allow to come to room temperature, box up and enjoy.

Using a loaf pan makes the caramel the perfect thickness for cutting into candies.

Trim the edges, cut into strips and then cut into cubes.

Deep, dark chocolate pairs so well with the sweet caramel.

Package up these homemade chocolates for your Valentine. . .

Or keep them for yourself!

Sunday Blues

Not much gets me as excited as a tall stack of steaming hot blueberry pancakes on a cold Sunday morning. A generous pat of creamy butter and a long pour of real maple syrup.  This Sunday, after rolling out of my warm bed, I decided to indulge in one of my favorite breakfasts.  Sweet blueberries sprinkled into a tangy, buttermilk batter.  A bit of melted butter in the batter gives added richness.  I've found that a good-old electric griddle works the best for cooking your cakes perfectly.  Golden-brown, crisp around the edges and tender in the middle.  Warm, filling and sweet. So good, they almost made me forget that Monday was around the corner.

Blueberry Pancakes
(adapted from this recipe by Martha Stewart)
makes approximately 12 pancakes

2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp kosher salt
3 tablespoons sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
3 cups buttermilk, at room temperature
4 tablespoons melted butter + 1 tablespoon melted butter for brushing the griddle
1 cup fresh blueberries (optional)

Preheat your oven to 175 degrees.  Place an oven-proof platter in the oven.  Preheat an electric griddle to 375 degrees.  (Alternatively, heat a non-stick pan on the stove over low-medium heat).

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar.  In a small bowl or large, liquid measuring cup, measure 3 cups of buttermilk and add the eggs.  Carefully whisk the buttermilk and eggs just until the eggs are gently beaten up.  Add the wet mixture into the flour mixture.  Add the 4 tablespoons of melted butter to the mix.  Gently whisk together, being sure not to over-mix.  You want your batter to have lumps.

Once your cooking surface is preheated, brush your cooking surface with some of the reserved 1 tablespoon of melted butter.  Using a small ladle or measuring cup, carefully pour your batter onto the cooking surface.  After pouring the batter, sprinkle fresh blueberries onto the pancake batter. Once the top of your pancakes begin to bubble and a peek under the edges shows that the cakes are golden, carefully flip the pancakes. Once done on the other side, remove pancakes to the preheated platter in the oven.  Continue cooking your pancakes until the batter is gone.

Serve warm with butter and real maple syrup.

A few simple ingredients and you can make one of the all-time best breakfasts.  

Be sure not to over-mix your batter, the lumps make these pancakes fluffy.

Tart, sweet blueberries pair incredibly well with this tangy, buttermilk batter.

Brush your griddle with melted butter to ensure that your pancakes cook to a lovely golden brown.

The secret to good pancakes is cooking them low and slow.  

Golden brown and fluffy.

A stack of these and my day is off to a great start.  

Spaghetti Amore

Why is it that some of the simplest recipes are some of the most delicious?  Pureed tomatoes, dried pasta, fresh basil, garlic, parmesan and olive oil. Done.  It is so incredibly good, I could eat this pasta every day.  Don't let the bland appearance fool you.  It is addictive.  Any season, any day, any mood, anytime, this pasta can, does and will make me very happy.  Try it, you'll see.

Tomato Basil Spaghetti
(adapted from Scott Conant's tomato-basil spaghetti at Scarpetta restaurant)
Serves 2

1 1/2 cups pureed plum or pear tomatoes (I use Alessi brand Prima Passata strained tomatoes)
kosher salt
1/2 cup olive oil
3 garlic cloves, whole
3 sprigs fresh basil plus 4-5 leaves cut in chiffonade
pinch of red pepper flakes
3/4 lb dried spaghetti
1/2 cup grated parmesan (preferably Parmigiano Reggiano)

Fill a large pot with water, add a handful of kosher salt and bring to a boil.

Next, pour the olive oil into a small sauce pot and add in the garlic cloves, basil sprigs and pinch of red pepper flakes.  Bring to a slow simmer over very low heat, making sure not to burn the garlic.

Meanwhile, pour the tomato puree into a large saute pan and bring to a simmer over medium heat.   Allow the puree to reduce as the oil cooks and the water comes to a boil.

Add the pasta to the water once it comes to a rapid boil.  Cook until al dente, or one minute less than the instructions on the package suggests.

Once the pasta is cooking, add two or three tablespoons of the basil oil to the tomato puree and whisk in until incorporated.  When the pasta is done cooking, using a slotted pasta spoon (or something similar) remove the pasta from the pot and transport it directly into the saute pan with the tomato sauce. It is alright if a bit of pasta water gets into the tomato puree.  Stir the pasta and sauce together until the pasta has absorbed the sauce.  Add most of the grated parmesan and chiffonade of basil to the pasta, reserving a little of each for garnish.  Toss the pasta until evenly mixed.

Serve immediately, sprinkled with the remaining cheese and basil.

Note:  Keep the leftover basil oil in the refrigerator for your next batch of spaghetti, to drizzle over grilled fish or to use in vinaigrettes.

This jar of pureed tomatoes is a time-saver.  Feel free to buy canned whole plum tomatoes and puree them yourself.

Olive oil infused with fresh garlic, basil and a bit of pepper flake gives this pasta richness and a fresh, herby flavor.

The key is to stir the pasta until the sauce is almost entirely absorbed.

Heaven in a pasta bowl.