Vietnamese Pork Meatballs in Lettuce Cups

Girl Cooks World

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April 11, 2019

Vietnamese Pork Meatballs in Lettuce Cups

Here’s a fun, quick little recipe using those Vietnamese pork meatballs I posted last week. The traditional recipe includes rice noodles in these little lettuce cups, but I decided to keep things simple… and low carb for those of you who are interested in that sort of thing.

Little lettuce leaves are topped with springy pork meatballs infused with lemongrass and all other sorts of goodness, sweet and sour pickled carrots and daikon, and sprigs of fresh cilantro. Wrap this little number up and plop it into that hot, sour, salty and sweet Vietnamese everyday dipping sauce, nuoc cham.

Again, I kept this simple, but feel free to add little piles of cooked rice vermicelli or other fresh herbs like mint, Thai basil or green onion. They pork meatballs are already super flavorful on their own, but adding extra fresh herbs is rarely a bad idea.

Vietnamese Pork Meatballs in Lettuce Cups

about 10-12 small, cup shaped lettuce leaves
one batch Vietnamese pork meatballs
do chua, or small handful shredded carrots
sprigs fresh cilantro (note: you can also add mint or Thai basil leaves and/or chopped green onion)
nuoc cham for dipping

Place the lettuce cups on a large platter or divided among several large plates. Place two meatballs on each cup, then adds some do chua and a sprig or two of fresh cilantro. Diners wrap up the lettuce like a little wrap or taco and dip into the nuoc cham.

Serves four.

Avocado Ice Cream

Girl Cooks World

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April 11, 2019

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No longer unjustly vilified as unhealthy, avocados have gone from being associated almost exclusively with a certain Mexican dip to being appreciated as a versatile fruit that’s easy and fun to incorporate in just about every meal of the day.

Ten years ago I probably would have been surprised to see avocado as an ingredient in a dessert recipe. But after looking through hundreds of cookbooks (vegan, raw, South American, Southeast Asian, etc.) over the past couple of years, I realize that just about everybody has accepted avocado is as great in desserts as it is in guacamole.

Of course, the Vietnamese were way ahead of the trend on this one. They’ve been enjoying the tropical fruit with sweetened condensed milk as a indulgent shake.

Although I’ve incorporated avocado in desserts on Girl Cooks World several times before (here), I thought it was about time they were given a starring role, rather than being a background ingredient providing texture and body. I adapted the classic Vietnamese avocado shake to ice cream form.

The avocado gives it a creamy, luscious mouthfeel and the lime juice adds a touch of acidity and brightness to keep things fresh and interesting. Still dubious about avocado being a natural fit for dessert? I think a bite of this just might change your mind…

Avocado Ice Cream

Yield: 8-10 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

flesh from 3 small to medium avocados
2-3 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1-1/2 cups whole milk
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 cup heavy cream

Directions:

First, combine the avocados, lime juice, milk, sugar and sweetened condensed milk in a blender and process until smooth. Then add the heavy cream and process quickly, until just combined.

Freeze the mixture in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions.

Peruvian Ceviche with Candied Sweet Potatoes

Girl Cooks World

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April 11, 2019

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Peruvian Ceviche with Candied Sweet Potatoes

Sure, there might not be consensus on where ceviche originated or even how to spell it (it’s also spelled cebiche and serviche), but I think we can all agree that raw fish “cooked” in a citrus marinade is good stuff. Ceviche is a pretty big deal in Peru- they even have a National Ceviche Day! It’s June 28th, for those of you looking for an excuse to celebrate…

And why not celebrate? Ceviche is quick and easy to make, healthy, and surprisingly varied. I’d encourage any hard core ceviche fans to check out The Great Ceviche Book by Douglas Rodriguez of Top Chef Masters fame. Sure, I probably won’t ever make his conch or sea urchin ceviches, but there are plenty more accessible recipes for home cooks like me.

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I was drawn to this recipe because it paired the ceviche with sweet potatoes, which is very typical in Peru. The sweet potatoes add a nice contrast to the spicy, salty and acidic fish. I didn’t intend to buy purple sweet potatoes (it’s always a mystery as to what color flesh will lie beneath the skin of the sweet potatoes that I get at the farmer’s market), but I ended up being really happy with the visual contrast the purple provided. I mean, let’s face it…. ceviche tastes great, but it doesn’t always look great.

And you can count on a top chef to put a special twist on his recipes. It’s the celery and celery juice that does that here. Yes, it was sort of a pain to pull out (and clean!) the juicer for 1/4 cup of celery juice, but I’m sure glad I didn’t skip that step. It made the citrus marinade, which can often seem one-note, much more balanced and nuanced.

And one final note: many Peruvian ceviche recipes call for sea bass, but I’ve found that many other fish work just as well… and are much more affordable. I’d be most inclined to experiment with whatever is freshest at your fish market. Ceviche should always be made the same day you purchase the fish.

Peruvian Ceviche with Candied Sweet Potatoes

Yield: 4-6 as an appetizer

Ingredients:

Potatoes:
1 large sweet potato (any color), peeled and diced into 1/4-inch pieces
2 cups water
1/2 cup sugar

Ceviche:
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1/4 cup celery juice
1 Tablespoon kosher or sea salt
1 Tablespoon Mirasol yellow pepper paste (can substitute 1 Jalapeno, seeded and diced)
1/2 cup finely diced celery
1/4 cup finely diced red onion
1/4 cup minced cilantro
1 pound boneless, skinless fish, cut into 1/2-inch dice (sea bass, sole, flounder, swordfish, moonfish, etc.)

Directions:

Combine the sweet potatoes, water, and sugar in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer until the potatoes are tender, but still hold their shape. Drain the potatoes, reserving the syrup, and cool. Place the potatoes back into the syrup until ready to use.

Combine the lime juice, celery juice, salt, pepper paste, celery, onion, and cilantro in a large bowl. Add the fish and toss to coat. Serve immediately if you’d like the fish raw, or let marinate for 2-3 hours if you’d like the citrus to “cook” the fish. Spoon into a serving dish or individual bowls and serve with drained sweet potatoes.

Lemongrass Ice Cream

Girl Cooks World

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April 11, 2019

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I mentioned earlier that some of the best foods I’ve ever eaten was in Vietnam, primarily in stalls in back alleys and nondescript restaurants. It literally makes me want to cry when I hear of people going to Vietnam and not eating the street food or trying the local lemongrass ice cream (the food at all the restaurants catering to tourists was less than inspiring).

There was, however, one notable exception. In the middle of the chaos of Hanoi and Saigon, Fanny’s always provided a much-needed break from the hawkers, motorbikes, heat and humidity. Oh, and they had some pretty great ice cream too.

In addition to standbys like chocolate and strawberry, they also had a number of Asian-inspired flavors such as young rice, ginger and star anise. I don’t remember whether lemongrass ice cream was on the menu or not, but I can tell you that it’s going to become a new favorite over on this side of the Pacific.

The lemongrass is bright and refreshing, a perfect palate cleanser. Best of all? It’s not a custard-based ice cream, so I don’t have to worry about finding a use for leftover egg whites. Cornstarch does double duty by thickening the base and preventing ice crystals from forming. If you’re a lemongrass fan, you’re definitely going to want to dust off those ice cream makers and give this one a shot.

Lemongrass Ice Cream

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:

2 cups whole milk
1-1/2 cups chopped lemongrass (remove the dry, woody sections from the top of the stalks)
3/4 cup sugar
2-1/2 Tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup half-and-half

Directions:

Combine the whole milk, lemongrass, and sugar in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and half-and-half until smooth. Add to the saucepan and stir constantly, until the mixture thickens and can coat the back of a wooden spoon.

Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve to remove the lemongrass. Cover and chill at least 3-4 hours, or up to 24 hours.

Gluten-Free Blueberry Buttermilk Breakfast Cake

Recipes

Girl Cooks World

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April 11, 2019

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Gluten-Free Blueberry Buttermilk Breakfast Cake

If you spend any amount of time on Pinterest, then you’ve probably seen this Buttermilk Blueberry Breakfast Cake pinned about a million times in the past couple of weeks or so. Well, I wanted to get in on the fun but was shocked when a Google search for a gluten-free buttermilk coffee or breakfast cake turned up empty. Luckily I was in the mood to do some recipe tinkering.

Using Alexandra’s recipe as my starting point, I did some gluten-free tweaking, crossed my fingers and hoped for the best. Luckily it turned out to be a total success.

It’s light and moist with a delicate, crispy sugar crust. And since it has blueberries in it, it becomes a totally legit breakfast option. Although that’s coming from somebody who has no qualms about eating a brownie for breakfast on occasion, so you should probably refrain from taking any nutrition advice from me, OK?

Gluten-Free Blueberry Buttermilk Breakfast Cake

Yield: 32 pieces

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

2 cups plus 2 Tablespoons sugar, divided
1-3/4 cup superfine white or brown rice flour, divided
3/4 cup potato starch
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
3 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups fresh blueberries, washed and dried

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray two 8×8-inch pans with cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl mix together 2 cups of sugar, 1-1/4 cups of the rice flour, the potato starch, tapioca starch, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and xanthan gum and set aside.

Whisk together the melted butter, lemon zest, eggs, buttermilk and vanilla in a medium bowl.

Combine the remaining 1/2 cup rice flour with the blueberries in a small bowl and toss to coat.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk until smooth. Add in the coated blueberries and gently fold in. Pour the batter into the prepared pan(s) and sprinkle with the remaining 2 Tablespoons of sugar.

Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Lastly, remove to a cooling rack and let cool for 10 minutes.

Chanh Muối- Quick Salty Limeade

Drinks

Girl Cooks World

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April 11, 2019

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Before my trip to Vietnam I anxiously checked the weather reports on a daily basis. I’d chosen to visit during the shoulder season, when the heat and humidity in the Central region is known to be particularly bad. One website in particular made me extremely anxious.

In addition to the usual weather readings, it also had a “Real Feel” measure. So while the actual temperature in Hoi An was, say, in the high 80s, the “Real Feel” was something closer to 120+ degrees. Gulp.

Now we’re no stranger to high temperatures out here in Hawaii, but we’re usually blessed with tradewinds to keep things moderately comfortable. While I don’t remember much relief coming from ocean breezes in Hoi An, I did get plenty of relief from chanh muối, a salty and sweet limeade made from preserved limes.

I’ve heard chanh muối is common in many Vietnamese restaurants (although I’ve never seen it on any menus in Honolulu). The traditional way to make it is by preserving limes (or lemons) in salt and then adding sugar and water. Since I was too impatient to wait months to properly preserve the limes, I followed the shortcut recipe from this cookbook.

Now before you write off the idea of salty limeade as being weird or gross, consider this: much of the world already adds a touch of salt to their citrus beverages. Chanh muối is the perfect combination of salty, sweet and sour… with electrolytes to boot. Perfect for those hot and humid summer days…

Chanh Muối- Quick Salty Limeade

Yield: 6-8 servings

Ingredients:

juice of 4 medium limes (approximately 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon kosher or sea salt
6-8 cups water
lime slices for garnish (optional)

Directions:

Combine the lime juice, sugar, salt and 6 cups water in a large pitcher. Stir to dissolve the sugar and salt. Taste and add more water if you’d like. Serve over ice with a couple slices of lime, if desired.

Avocado Soup

Soups

Girl Cooks World

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April 11, 2019

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I’m not gonna lie. Two things drew me to this soup: the claim that it could be made in 15 minutes and the fact that I already had all of the ingredients on hand. I can’t say I had high expectations…. one too many mediocre-at-best cucumber and avocado chilled detox soups I suppose. The ones that taste like an attempt to salvage a smoothie gone wrong.

Thankfully this soup is nothing like those detox soups. If you’ve had avocado smoothie before, whether it was the Southeast Asian variety with plenty of sweetened condensed milk (or ice cream) or something closer to the healthy/vegan/cleanse type, you know that avocados lend a certain silken quality and texture when it’s blended.

It does the same here when it’s combined with a chicken broth enhanced with sautéed garlic, onion, celery and jalapeno, which gives it just a hint of heat. Half-and-half to gives the soup its creamy indulgence while a squeeze of lemon or lime gives it just a touch of citrusy acidity and brightness.

You can have it chilled or warm… just be careful not to heat the avocado too much because it’ll curdle. Probably not the look or texture you’re after. This would be a great, and unexpected, first course for a South American meal. It’d also be super fun in shooter glasses as an amuse bouche.

Avocado Soup

Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

* 2 avocado, pitted and diced
* 2 Tablespoons lemon or lime juice
* 2 Tablespoons olive oil
* 2 cloves garlic
* 1 medium onion, diced
* 2 stalks celery, chopped
* 1 Jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
* 3 cups chicken broth, divided
* 1 cup half-and-half
* salt and pepper
* parsley or cilantro for garnish (optional)
* creme fraiche or sour cream for garnish (optional)

Directions:

Combine the diced avocado and lemon juice in a small bowl. Toss together and set aside. In a saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic, onion, celery and Jalapeno pepper and sauté until softened but not browned. Add 2 cups of the broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

In the jar of an electric blender combine the avocado and lemon juice, the remaining cup of chicken broth, and half-and-half and process until smooth. Add half of the broth and sautéed vegetables and process until smooth. Add the rest of the broth and sautéed vegetables and process until smooth.

Taste and add salt and pepper, if needed. Serve warm or place in the fridge for several hours until thoroughly chilled. Garnish with crème fraiche or sour cream and some fresh parsley or cilantro, if desired.

Papaya, Pineapple and Ginger Cooler

Drinks

Girl Cooks World

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April 11, 2019

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I’d like to say that I set out to create a mocktail to balance out the boozy beverages I’ve been posting around here, but this actually was intended to be a Chilled Minted Papaya Soup. It didn’t quite work for me as a soup, but a tweak or two made it into one stellar drink.

Fresh papaya (or paw paw, depending on where you live) is blended with fresh pineapple, pineapple juice and lime juice and then combined with spicy ginger beer. Although you could substitute regular ginger ale in a pinch, I definitely recommend seeking out some of the spicy stuff: Reed’s, the Ginger People, Blenheim… well, you get the idea. If you have time, seeping the papaya and pineapple mixture with some fresh mint gives it something extra special.

Papaya, Pineapple and Ginger Cooler

Yield: 6-8 servings

Ingredients:

2 ripe papayas, seeded, skinned and cubed
1-1/2 cups cubed fresh pineapple
1 cup pineapple juice
1 Tablespoon lime juice
5 sprigs mint (optional)
2 12-ounce bottles of spicy ginger beer
mint leaves for garnish (optional)

Directions:

Combine the papaya, pineapple, pineapple juice and lime juice in a blender and process until smooth. If you have time, combine the mixture with the mint in a pitcher and refrigerate for several hours. Just before serving remove the mint and add the ginger beer. Serve over ice and garnish with mint leaves, if desired.

Banana Po’e

Recipes

Girl Cooks World

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April 11, 2019

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For those of you looking for an authentic Tahitian banana Po’e recipe… this is it. You just better like bananas because this dessert is full of them… four cups of pureed bananas to be exact.

Not too long ago I needed some baby food jars for a craft project and ended up buying eight fruit purees. I ended up eating them as snacks at work, but man do I wish I’d come across this recipe earlier.

The pureed bananas get combined with a small amount of brown sugar for sweetness, cornstarch and vanilla. You bake it in the oven and end up with something akin to very dense banana bread… almost like a banana bread-mochi hybrid. Cut it up into squares and top with coconut cream for a truly tropical treat.

For a decidedly more American flavor, you could top the po’e with chocolate sauce and whipped cream. Banana and chocolate are never a bad combo. If you truly aren’t a fan of banana, you can always experiment with other fruit purees… just make sure you’ve got a full four cups.

Tahitian Po’e

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:

butter or coconut oil, for greasing pan
about 7-8 ripe bananas, peeled and cut into chunks
1/2 cup brown sugar (could also use palm sugar), plus extra for sprinkling
1 cup cornstarch, sifted
seeds scraped from 1 Tahitian vanilla bean
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 can full fat coconut milk, unshaken and refrigerated for 2-3 hours

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 and butter or grease a 2-quart baking dish

Place the banana in a blender or food processor and process until smooth. You should have four cups of banana puree. Pour into a large bowl and add the brown sugar, cornstarch, vanilla bean seeds, and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth. Pour mixture into the prepared baking dish and bake until firm/set.

Remove from oven and let cool to room temperature. Place in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours, or until thoroughly chilled. Cut into cubes and place in a bowl. Remove the top from the coconut milk. Spoon the cream, which should have risen to the top, over the cubes of banana po’e. Sprinkle with a little extra brown sugar and serve.

Another favorite American dessert that works as a mid-afternoon snack or breakfast is banana bread. This baked loaf is very popular because it is easy to make in just one bowl, the key is working with ripe bananas, and it is easily customizable to include nuts or even chocolate chips.

Fun Side Note:

A couple of years ago I prepared over fourty portions of banana po’es for a banana themed birthday party for one of my friend’s daughters. We ordered a 100 funny custom banana-themed stickers much like the ones below that we put everywhere inside and outside of their house among other things. That was a fun day.