Couscous Salad

This is a super easy, healthful side dish that is excellent with meat or seafood entrees. You can cook it ahead, and keep covered at room temperature until ready to serve (you can even make it a day ahead -- store in the fridge and bring to room temperature before serving, making sure to re-fluff it with a fork to loosen the grains). I made this at my cooking demo the other evening, and it made a fantastic partner for the Salmon en Croute and the "Smoked" Pork Tenderloin.

Cooking Demo Party at Home

October 30, 2011

We had a rollicking cooking demo party at my home last night, organized by a couple of my dear friends. They brought the people (there were 12 of us), the fun and laughter, plus lots of wine; they not only bore the cost of the ingredients but also handled the washing up and clearing up throughout the evening. With great friends like these, who could ask for more?

Where are the men?

There they are!

Thai Basil Restaurant, Chantilly, VA (Luncheon & Demo)

Thai Basil Restaurant

Chef/Owner:  Nongkran Daks

14511 Lee Jackson Memorial Hwy./Route 50

Chantilly, VA (703-631-8277)


Luncheon/Cooking Demonstration
Sponsored by Les Dames d'Escoffier
Saturday, October 22, 2011

 [The photo on the right is the restaurant's logo.]

An Incomparable, Unforgettable Russian Dinner

We had the very good fortune of experiencing an unforgettable dinner last night at the sprawling but very homey estate of a Russian couple, very close friends of ours.

It was a perfect evening for al fresco dining, so for the appetizers part, we sat out in the custom-built  (personally designed by the owners) expansive patio which included a well-designed grill/barbecue/fireplace center, a nice gazebo, a sauna/Jacuzzi, and one of those so-called resistance swimming pools. A large dining table and super-comfortable sofas and chairs completed the picture. Amazing.

Fried Vegetable & Meat Lumpia (Eggrolls)

Lumpia (eggroll) is a wonderful Filipino food beloved by all back home in the Philippines, and it's one of the three most well-known Filipino dishes outside the country (the other two are, arguably, adobo (vinegar-braised meat) and pancit (noodles)). This can be a challenging dish for the uninitiated, and if you've never rolled an eggroll before, you are going to need some practice to make perfectly tight rolls like the ones you see in the photo above. A loosely-wrapped lumpia will not survive the frying -- it will open up and spew out the filling. There are several different kinds of lumpia, and the list is too long to include in this headnote; I'll test a few of them in the near future and post them here. 

Chocolate & Nuts Tart (Gluten-Free)

I have adapted this recipe to make it gluten-free, combining a standard recipe for a chocolate/nut tart (substituting gluten-free all-purpose flour for the regular flour, and agave nectar for the corn syrup) and Elana Amsterdam's gluten-free basic crust for pies and tarts. The recipe for this crust is posted on this blog site, but I have added it to this posting so you won't need to go looking, if you decide to try making this delicious dessert. I have made this into both a tart and in a deep-dish pie pan, and the tart came out better -- the flavor is the same, but the tart is easier to slice and serve because of the pan's removable bottom. [Note: You can use the recipe for the filling and make your own crust, if you don't need to worry about gluten.]

Basic Gluten-Free Crust for Pies & Tarts

[Photo to follow]

This is another of Elana Amsterdam's recipes (slightly adapted by me) from her "The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook." It's very easy and simple to make, and you won't need a rolling pin since the dough is soft and is "pressed" into the cake or tart pan using your hands. Ms. Amsterdam says that the almond meal that is readily available at supermarkets (Bob's Red Mill brand) will not work in her recipes, and I would like to test this out because blanched almond is impossible to find anywhere except online (which makes it a bit expensive especially because of the shipping costs). We shall see.

Flourless Orange & Almond Cake (Gluten-Free; Dairy-Free)

I'm always on the lookout for gluten-free or dairy-free recipes to test, because I have friends and family who are allergic or sensitive to gluten and dairy. I found--and adapted--this recipe from "Planet Cake" by Paris Cutler, and it was a success at first try--delicious, moist, with a subtle almond taste, intensified by a wonderful orange aroma and flavor. The cake is yummy as a dessert, snack, or breakfast item. Try to buy oranges with unwaxed and unblemished skin, since the whole fruit is going to be used. Finally, enjoy the nice orangey smell that envelops your kitchen while the oranges are boiling. [Note: I'm afraid you'll need a weighing scale to accurately measure the orange purée.]

Baked Potatoes Stuffed with Spinach &Gruyère Cheese

This is a perfect side dish for grilled meats or fish--it provides your starch and vegetables in one dish. Try to pick uniform-sized potatoes so they cook evenly and at the same time. It's important to use freshly grated Gruyère cheese, to make sure you get the full fresh flavor of the cheese. Left-overs can be refrigerated, then re-heated for another meal.

Pork Tenderloin Medallions with Fig & Port Wine Sauce

We've got another winner here! Believe me, the "wow" factor is quite high when you serve this to your guests because the presentation will blow them away. And then, when they taste it ..... another wow! I like serving this with either steamed rice, or orzo, or couscous, or mashed potatoes, all of which can soak up some of the delicious sauce so every bite is sure to please. A side dish of grilled or roasted vegetables, or even a salad of fresh greens tossed in a homemade vinaigrette would be great.

Shell Pasta Stuffed with Spinach & Panchetta (or Bacon)

This is another worthy steal from Giada di Laurentiis' recipe collection (I love Giada!)--it's quite hearty and very filling, so it can be an entree or a side dish, depending on how many people you're feeding. I made this while visiting my son in New York, and since it was a large dish, it lasted for quite a few days. It could be a bit tricky arranging the stuffed shells in the baking pan, as they kept rolling on their side -- the next time I make this dish I'm going to use a smaller pan so I can arrange them a bit more snugly.

Baked Asparagus & Carrots Parmesan

My apologies! I completely forgot to photograph the baked vegetables before apportioning them into the plates, but I hope you still get a good idea of how it looks like from the photo above. This is a very easy side dish to prepare; you can prep the veggies and put them into the baking dish ahead of time, then just sprinkle with the cheese when you're ready to bake it. It was a perfect partner for my Veal Piccata with Lemon Caper Sauce (see the recipe on this blog site).

Veal Piccata with Lemon Caper Sauce

I love veal, because it is the easiest meat to cook and will be always tender unless you are really careless and overcook it. I know there are people who won't eat veal as a form of protest for the way the calves are raised, but I better not go there. This is a stress-free dish (adapted from www.washingtonpost.com/recipes) to make especially for a large group, because it only takes a couple of minutes to pan-fry the veal pieces, and the delicious sauce can be made ahead. Many cooks prefer to use Wondra flour for dusting meat and fish, as it results in even

Dates Stuffed with Goat Cheese, Nuts & Dried Apricots

Here's another easy, do-ahead dish, to serve for pre-dinner cocktails. Using these small, decorative cupcake liners makes it easy for your guests to pick up the food (the dates are a little sticky). Try to buy plump dates of the Medjool variety, which are bigger than other varieties and easier to stuff. You can be flexible with the recipe, adjusting the proportions of the goat cheese to the nuts and dried apricots, to suit your taste.

Mascarpone Parmesan Gnocchi

This is a delicious potato-less gnocchi, which can be prepared halfway through and kept in the freezer until you're ready to serve them. This recipe is borrowed from Giada di Laurentiis, but I have tweaked it a little bit, by adding the quick-frying last step to give the gnocchi that nice golden-brown color. I like serving gnocchi as a side dish to accompany meat entrees (like the Veal Piccata that I served for dinner to a large group the other night--will post that recipe next). I will tweak this gnocchi recipe a little more the next time, to try to make the dough a bit more firm so they keep their oval shape when fried.

Butternut Squash & Leeks Soup

If you're having a big crowd over for lunch or dinner, here is a healthful (no heavy cream!) soup that is not only easy to make, but can also be cooked two or three days ahead and kept in the refrigerator until you're ready to re-heat and serve it. (I served this as an appetizer to 14 dinner guests the other night.)  Prepping the squash in the microwave saves a lot of time and effort, compared to first roasting the pieces to get rid of excess moisture and concentrate its flavor. Caramelizing the squash with the leeks in the butter takes care of intensifying the flavor.

CHoWDC - Culinary Historians of Washington, D.C.

I am a proud member of the Culinary Historians of Washington, D.C. (CHoWDC), and I always enjoy going to the meetings, where you not only meet interesting, similar-minded foodie folks, but also learn so much from the talks and presentations given by culinary luminaries and have a great time in the group's activities. Here's a quick fact sheet on the organization (click here to check their website).