Daring Cooks

Vietnamese Chicken Pho – Daring Cooks

By Cheri in Daring Cooks, GF Mains, Gluten Free, Main Dish, Poultry, Soup 16 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Vietnamese Chicken Pho – Daring Cooks

The October 2009 Daring Cooks’ challenge was brought to us by Jaden of the blog Steamy Kitchen. The recipes are from her new cookbook, The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook. Her picks were this Vietnamese Chicken Pho and Fried Dessert Wontons!

First off let me shout from the rooftops, I LOVE THIS SOUP!! If the North American version of Chicken Noodle Soup had a pretty, tasty, asian cousin, this would be it. This soup is wholesome, comforting and exotic. The asian flavours are unmistakable, and I feel right at home sipping the broth and slurping up the noodles. I was a little afraid I would not be able to find all of the ingredients, but they were actually quite easy to come by. I really think you should go out and get everything to make this soup right now. You will not regret it!

I made Caramel Peanut Wontons for the dessert portion. Check out the post here.

Limes & Peppers

Vietnamese Chicken Pho

  • 2 Tbsp. whole coriander seeds
  • 4 whole cloves
  • 2 whole star anise
  • 8 cups chicken stock
  • 1 chicken breast (bone in or boneless)
  • ½ onion
  • 1 3-inch chunk of ginger, sliced and smashed with side of knife
  • 1 to 2 Tbsp. sugar
  • 1 to 2 Tbsp. fish sauce
  • 1 lb. (500g) dried rice noodles (¼ inch wide)
  1. To make the Chicken Pho Broth: heat a frying pan over medium heat. Add the coriander seeds, cloves and star anise and toast until fragrant, about 3-4 minutes. Immediately spoon out the spices to avoid burning.
  2. In a large pot, add all the ingredients (including the toasted spices), except noodles, and bring to a boil.
  3. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let simmer for 20 minutes, skimming the surface frequently.
  4. Use tongs to remove the chicken breast and shred the meat with a fork, discarding the bone if you have used bone-in breasts.
  5. Taste the broth and add more fish sauce or sugar, if needed. Strain the broth and discard the solids.
  6. Prepare the noodles as per directions on the package.
  7. Ladle the broth into bowls. Then divide the shredded chicken breast and the soft noodles evenly into each bowl.
  8. Have the accompaniments spread out on the table. Each person can customize their own bowl with these ingredients.

Accompaniments

*all toppings are optional

  • 2 cups bean sprouts, washed and tails pinched off
  • fresh cilantro (coriander) tops (leaves and tender stems)
  • ½ cup shaved red onions
  • ½ lime, cut into 4 wedges
  • Sriracha chili sauce
  • Hoisin sauce
  • Sliced fresh chili peppers of your choice

Serves: 4

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Vietnamese Chicken Pho

Caramel Peanut Wontons – Daring Cooks

By Cheri in Daring Cooks, Pastries, Sweets 12 Comments Tags: , , , ,

Caramel Peanut Wontons – Daring Cooks

One part of the Daring Cooks challenge this month was to make some sort of fried wonton dessert. The filling and shape were up to us. I chose to go with a Peanut Caramel which I rolled into balls and coated in chocolate before wrapping them up into homemade wonton wrappers. Once they were cooked, I drizzled them with more chocolate and sprinkled them with peanuts. The only thing that I would change about this recipe is that there was too much caramel per wonton. It was very sweet. I wrote the recipe as I would make it next time. I thought these were very tasty and would make an excellent addition to a dessert platter.

Go to the bottom of the post for step-by-step photos.

Caramel Peanut Wonton Dessert

Caramel Peanut Wontons

  • 24 wonton wrappers (recipe here)
  • egg wash (1 egg whisked with 1 Tbsp. water)
  • 1 recipe peanut caramel
  • 8 oz. semi sweet chocolate, melted
  • oil (make sure it is suitable for high heat. ie. canola oil)
  • 2 Tbsp. finely chopped peanuts
  1. Dip each caramel ball into chocolate and place back onto parchment paper.
  2. Cool in the freezer until chocolate is firm.
  3. Place one wonton wrapper on work surface (making sure to keep others covered with a damp towel). Brush the edges with egg wash.
  4. Place one chocolate covered caramel into the centre of the wonton. Lift up two opposite corners and press together at the top. Take the remaining two corners and do the same. Seal all corners and openings.
  5. Cover with damp towel and repeat with remaining wontons and caramel.
  6. While you are forming the wontons heat 2 inches of oil, over medium heat, to 350ºF (180ºC ). If you do not have a thermometer, an easy way to tell when the oil is ready is to place the handle of a wooden spoon into the hot oil, if bubbles form around it, it is ready.
  7. Fry the wontons, a few at a time, until golden. About 1 min. Remove with a slotted spoon onto paper towel, to drain.
  8. Once all of the wontons are fried. Drizzle with remaining chocolate and sprinkle with chopped peanuts.

Makes: 24 wontons

* Do not refrigerate.

Peanut Caramel

adapted from here

  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 Tbsp. corn syrup
  • 2 Tbsp. butter, room temp.
  • 3/4 cup lightly salted peanuts
  1. Heat cream to boiling. Keep hot.
  2. Place sugar in a non-stick skillet warmed over medium heat. Do not stir.
  3. Once sugar is melted stir in the corn syrup and let bubble until a deep caramel color is reached.
  4. Stir in the butter carefully as caramel will bubble furiously.
  5. Once butter is incorporated add cream, being careful of spatters once again.
  6. Lower the temperature and let simmer for 2 min.
  7. Remove from heat and stir in peanuts.
  8. Let cool a bit before dropping by teaspoons (making 24) onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Allow to cool fully.
  9. Once cool, roll into balls.

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Caramel Peanut Wonton Dessert

Indian Dosas – Daring Cooks

By Cheri in Daring Cooks, Main Dish, Meatless 28 Comments Tags: , , , , , , ,

Indian Dosas – Daring Cooks

I love the Daring Kitchen. This group gets me making things that I would never have thought to try. I enjoy making authentic recipes from around the world and being stretched out of my comfort zone. Even if I make something that I probably won’t make again it is worth it to be able to say I gave it a shot or that I mastered something new.

These Indian Dosas are really quite simple to make. The list may be long but they take no time to whip up. The longest time was waiting for the sauce to simmer for 30 minutes. It was fun to do this challenge because I have not made much Indian food at home, and it was pretty much stress free. My husband and I are not the biggest fans of curry (which contributes to why I don’t make this kind of food often) so this is probably not a dish that I will make again. I know that a lot of other Daring Cooks loved these Dosas so if you do enjoy curry and Indian food I think you should give these a try. My favourite part was the filling, I even ate a little bit on some toast for lunch later that week. The leftovers of the sauce and filling far exceeded the pancakes, so unless you are going to eat this over rice or want to freeze half of it, I would make a smaller batch. Overall, it had a great quality taste, it was just a matter of preference.

This months Daring Cooks Challenge was hosted by Debyi of The Healthy Vegan Kitchen. She chose Indian Dosas from the refresh cookbook by Ruth Tal.

Indian Dosas little

Indian Dosas

  • Dosa Pancakes
  • Curried Garbanzo Filling
  • Coconut Curry Sauce
  • 1/4 cup grated coconut
  • 1/4 cucumber, sliced
  1. Fill the pancakes with the Curried Garbanzo Filling. Top with Coconut Curry Sauce. If desired sprinkle with coconut and serve along cucumbers.

Dosa Pancakes

  • 1 cup flour
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp. curry powder
  • 1/2 cup soy milk
  • 3/4 cup water
  1. Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl, slowly adding the almond milk and water, whisking until smooth.
  2. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Spray your pan with a thin layer of cooking spray, if needed.
  3. Ladle 2 tablespoons of batter into the center of your pan in a circular motion until it is a thin, round pancake. When bubbles appear on the surface and it no longer looks wet, flip it over and cook for a few seconds. Remove from heat and repeat with remaining batter.

Curried Garbanzo Filling

  • 5 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 onion, finely diced
  • 1 carrot, peeled and finely diced
  • 1 green pepper, finely diced
  • 2 medium hot banana chilies, minced (I nixed these)
  • 2 Tbsp. cumin
  • 1 Tbsp. oregano
  • 1 Tbsp. sea salt
  • 1 Tbsp. turmeric
  • 4 cups cooked or canned chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
  • 1/2 cup tomato paste
  1. Heat a large saucepan over medium to low heat. Add the garlic, veggies, and spices, cooking until soft, stirring occasionally.
  2. Mash the chickpeas by hand, or in a food processor. Add the chickpeas and tomato paste to the saucepan, stirring until heated through.

Coconut Curry Sauce

  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 tsp. cumin
  • 3/4 tsp. sea salt
  • 3 Tbsp. curry powder
  • 3 Tbsp. flour
  • 3 cups vegetable broth
  • 2 cups coconut milk
  • 3 large tomatoes, diced
  1. Heat a saucepan over medium heat, add the onion and garlic, cooking for 5 minutes, or until soft.
  2. Add the spices, cooking for 1 minute more. Add the flour and cook for an additional minute.
  3. Gradually stir in the vegetable broth to prevent lumps. Once the flour has been incorporated, add the coconut milk and tomatoes, stirring occasionally.
  4. Let it simmer for half an hour.

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Chinese Dumplings – Daring Cooks

By Cheri in Appetizers, Daring Cooks 18 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Chinese Dumplings – Daring Cooks

We are finally over the sickies. Wee Hoo! It had to make it’s way through the whole house first, of course. But, thankfully we got it in varying degrees and not everyone was flat in bed. My little sonny almost made it a whole year without getting sick, besides the usual teething sniffles and agony, so I have much to be thankful for.

This months Daring Cooks Challenge was hosted by Jen of Use Real Butter. She chose Chinese Dumplings/Potstickers (aka Gyoza in Japanese).

I was very disappointed that I was not able to get this post up on time, but better late then never, right? These Chinese Dumplings were a joy to make. I served them alongside homemade Ginger Beef and Steamed Rice, but they would make an awesome appetizer as well. I froze them immediately, and only cooked up half a batch at a time. They were so very yummy and they really are a lot of fun to make. Especially the pleating, it is so much better then the regular old crimp. I made a different pork filling then the one Jen gave us and it was excellent. If you are not up for making the dough yourself you can purchase wonton wrappers (or gyoza wrappers, if you can find them), and then these puppy’s take no time at all. I chose to make potstickers, which is pan fried and steamed, but you can also make them into dumplings by either steaming or boiling them.

dessert-pot-stickers

I also couldn’t pass up the opportunity to make a sweet version when I saw this recipe for Vanilla Ricotta Dessert Dumplings with Orange Mint Dipping Sauce. Giada De Laurentiis calls them Ravioli but if your using gyoza wrappers you may as well call them dumplings. These were really delicious as well. You may not want to make them if you are not a fan of mint, as the flavor is pretty strong. But, they are so fresh tasting, and the orange and mint goes so well together. If you go through all the trouble of making the wrappers for a main dish you may as well save a few wrappers for dessert too.

pork-pot-stickers

Pork Potstickers

*all recipes to follow

  • 2 recipes dough
  • pork filling
  • dipping sauce
  1. Detailed instructions here

Dumpling Dough

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1/2 cup water (you may need more)
  1. Mix 1/4 cup water with the flour until it is absorbed. Add the rest of the water 1 tsp at a time stirring vigorously until the dough pulls from the side of the bowl and no dry flour remains. Knead until smooth. You are looking for a firm dough that is not dry and barely sticky to the touch. Cover and let sit for 15 min.
  2. Follow the link above for the forming of the dough.

Makes approx: 24

Pork Filling

adapted from Fresh with Anna Olson

  • 1 lb ground pork
  • 1 lb green cabbage (about 1/2 a head), finely chopped
  • 2 Tbsp. garlic, minced
  • 2 Tbsp. ginger, minced
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 1 Tbsp. sugar
  1. Combine all ingredients.
  2. If you would like you can make a small patty and pan fry it to test the seasoning. Adjust to taste.

Makes enough for 2 recipes of dough

Dipping Sauce

  • 2 Tbsp. soy sauce
  • 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
  • minced ginger, to taste
  • minced garlic, to taste
  • minced green onion, to taste
  • a few drops sesame oil
  • sugar, to taste
  1. Combine all ingredients.

Makes enough for half a recipe

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dessert-pot-stickers

Vanilla Ricotta Dessert Dumplings with Orange Mint Dipping Sauce

adapted from Giada at Home

  • 12 (3 inch) gyoza wrappers (1/2 recipe dough)
  • Vanilla Ricotta Filling *recipe to follow
  • Oil, for frying
  • Icing sugar, for dusting
  • Orange Mint Dipping Sauce *recipe to follow
  1. Place 2 teaspoons of filling into each wrapper and seal using decorative pleating, if desired.
  2. Heat oil to 375 over medium heat. You will know it is ready when bubbles form when you stick the end of a wooden spoon into hot oil.
  3. Test one dumpling first and adjust temperature if needed. Add dumplings a couple at a time and deep fry for 30 seconds on each side until golden. Set out on paper towel to drain excess oil.
  4. Dust with icing sugar and serve with dipping sauce.

Serves: 4-6

Vanilla Ricotta Filling

  • 1/2 cup whole milk ricotta (or you can 1/4 this recipe like I did)
  • 2 Tbsp. sugar
  • 1/2 tsp. vanilla
  • 1 Tbsp. chopped mint
  • 1 1/2 tsp. orange zest (from a large orange)
  • 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
  1. Combine first five ingredients. Scrape in vanilla seeds and mix in.

Orange Mint Dipping Sauce

  • 1/2 cup fresh orange juice (from the orange you zested)
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 Tbsp. chopped mint
  1. Bring orange juice and sugar to a boil and simmer for 5 min. until sugar is dissolved.
  2. Cool to room temp then stir in mint.

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Ricotta Gnocchi – Daring Cooks

By Cheri in Daring Cooks, Main Dish, Pasta, Pork 19 Comments Tags: , , , ,

Ricotta Gnocchi – Daring Cooks

I have joined the Daring Kitchen which is comprised of two groups, the Daring Bakers and the Daring Cooks. I have decided to join both groups as I love to both cook and bake. And, if you know me at all you know that I hate making decisions, so both it is! Every month we receive a challenge recipe that we are to make and everyone who is part of the group blogs about it on the same day. The point of the group is to further your cooking/baking skills and to make something that may be out of your comfort zone or that you might not otherwise try. So, on the 14th of every month I will be posting the Daring Cooks recipes and on the 27th I will be posting the Daring Bakers recipes. I am pretty excited about it and am looking forward to the future challenges.

The challenge this month for the Daring Cooks (which is actually the first ever DC challenge) was Ricotta Gnocchi (pronounced nyo-kee) from The Zuni Cafe Cookbook, chosen by the founders of the DK, Lisa and Ivonne. We were to follow the recipe for the Gnocchi as best we could but the sauce and flavors were up to us. I decided to pair mine with a Prosciutto Sage Butter Sauce. We also got the chance to make our own Ricotta from scratch, which is surprisingly very easy to make and kind of fun too.

This was a very fun challenge. I was petrified at first because they are so delicate and my test Gnocchi were not turning out that great. But try try try again and you will be rewarded for your efforts. I served it to my parents and James on Tuesday night and they all really enjoyed it. They are light and airy and the sauce has quite a nice kick with the sage and lemon juice. If you are feeling adventurous I would definitely give these a try.

ricotta-gnocchi

Ricotta Gnocchi

  • 1 pound Fresh Ricotta (2 cups) *recipe follows
  • 2 large cold eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 Tbsp butter, melted
  • dash a ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano, lightly packed
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • flour
  1. The day before: make the Ricotta and let it drain overnight in the fridge. You want as much moisture as possible to be out of the ricotta or the Gnocchi will not form properly. To check if it is dry enough you can place 1 tsp. on a paper towel for 1 min. If a large ring of water is formed it is still too wet.
  2. Day of: Place the drained Ricotta in a large bowl and mash it as best you can, or you can also push it through a sieve to make sure it is as smooth as possible. Add the lightly beaten eggs, melted butter, nutmeg, parmigiano-reggiano and salt. Beat all ingredients well until the batter is soft and fluffy with no streaks remaining.
  3. Fill a small pot with water and bring it to a boil. Salt the water generously and keep it at a simmer. This water will be to test your Gnocchi to ensure that it is the right consistency so it does not need to be a big pot.
  4. In a large shallow baking dish make a bed of flour that is 1/2 an inch deep.
  5. With a spatula, scrape the ricotta mixture away from the sides of the bowl and form a large mass in the centre.
  6. Using a spoon, scoop up about 2 to 3 tsp. of batter and then holding the spoon at an angle, use your fintertip to gently push the ball of dough from the spoon into the bed of flour. Toss or roll gently to coat with flour.
  7. Gently pick up Gnocchi and cradle it in your hand rolling it to form an oval as best you can, making sure not to squeeze it. Do not over-handle.
  8. Test the first Gnocchi by gently placing it in the simmering water. It will sink and then bob to the top. After it bobs to the surface cook the Gnocchi until it is just firm 3-5 min (mine took 6).
  9. If the Gnocchi begins to fall apart, this means the ricotta cheese was probably still too wet. You can remedy this by beating a tsp of egg white into your Gnocchi batter. If your Gnocchi batter was fluffy but the sample comes out heavy , add a tsp of beaten egg to the batter and beat that in. Test a second Gnocchi to ensure success. (I had to add 3 tsp. egg whites to get the right consistency so don’t give up!)
  10. Form the rest of the Gnocchi. You can put 4-6 Gnocchi in the bed of flour at a time, making sure not to overcrowd them at the risk of damaging the Gnocchi as you coat them.
  11. Place the formed Gnocchi on a sheet pan lined with wax paper and dusted with flour. Place in the fridge for one hour to firm up.
  12. Bring 2 quarts (8 cups) of water to a boil. Make sure that the pan is wide so that the Gnocchi will not bump into each other while cooking. Once the water is boiling, salt it generously.
  13. Drop the Gnocchi into the water one by one. Once they float to the top cook for 3-5 min. until just firm. (Judging by your test Gnocchi)
  14. With a slotted spoon remove Gnocchi and drop into sauce, gently rolling to coat it. Serve immediately.

Serves: 4 (small servings)

Prosciutto Sage Butter Sauce

  • 1/4 cup dry white wine
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 50 grams prosciutto, coarsely chopped (you can use bacon or ham)
  • 1 small lemon, juiced
  • 1 Tbsp. heavy cream
  • 1/4 cup cold butter, cubed
  • 1/4 cup fresh sage, chopped (4 tsp dried)
  • 2 Tbsp parsley, chopped
  1. Combine the wine and garlic and cook over medium heat until garlic softens and wine is syrupy, add prosciutto and cook until it crisps up a bit. Remove the prosciutto from the pan and add the the lemon juice then reduce until the liquid forms a light syrup. Add cream then decrease the heat to low and whisk in butter, one piece at a time, until well incorporated. Add sage and return the prosciutto to the pan. Set aside and keep warm. If reheating make sure not to boil or sauce may split. After tossing Gnocchi with the sauce top with parsley.

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ricotta-landscape

Fresh Ricotta

  • 2 litres whole milk
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 3 Tbsp. lemon juice
  1. Line a large sieve with heavy duty cheesecloth (fine-mesh or 3 layers of regular) and place it over a large bowl.
  2. Slowly bring milk, cream, and salt to a rolling boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching. Add lemon juice, then reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring constanty, until the mixture curdles, about 2 min.
  3. Pour mixture into the lined sieve and let it drain for 1 hour. Discard the liquid and chill the ricotta covered in the refrigerator. It will keep for approx. 2 days.

Makes approx: 2 cups (1 pound)

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ricotta-gnocchi-51

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