Crab-Stuffed Jalapeños

My little brother loves stuffed jalapenos. Almost every time we go to his house for dinner he grills some stuffed jalapenos with cream cheese. They always hit the spot and we usually end up grilling up seconds. I came across this recipe in my new issue of Saveur and thought it was a perfect recipe to try next time I had him over for dinner.

Stuffed Jalapeños
10–12 medium jalapeños
1 tbsp. canola oil, plus more for frying
1/4 lb. lump crab meat, picked through
to remove any bits of shell
3 tbsp. cream cheese, at room temperature
1 tbsp. finely chopped cilantro leaves
1 tbsp. finely chopped parsley leaves
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 1/2 tbsp. plus 3/4 cup dried bread crumbs
2 tsp. fresh lime juice
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/4 tsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste

1. Heat oven to broil; arrange a rack 6" from heating element. In a small bowl, toss jalapeños with 1 tbsp. oil. Transfer jalapeños to a foil-lined baking sheet; broil, turning several times, until blackened, about 12 minutes. Transfer jalapeños to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside to let steam for 15 minutes. Peel the jalapeños. Working with 1 jalapeño at a time, cut a slit down the length of the pepper. Scoop out the seeds with a small spoon (handle carefully so that they stay intact). Set jalapeños aside.

2. With a fork, vigorously mix together crab, cream cheese, cilantro, parsley, shallots, 1 1/2 tbsp. bread crumbs, lime juice, and yolk in a bowl. Stuff each jalapeño with 1 heaping tbsp. of filling; transfer to a plate and repeat with remaining jalapeños. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

3. Put remaining bread crumbs into a shallow dish. Put flour into another small dish. Whisk together milk and eggs in a bowl. Working with 1 jalapeño at a time, dredge jalapeño in flour, shaking off excess. Dip jalapeño in egg mixture, roll in bread crumbs, and transfer to a plate; set aside.

4. Pour oil to a depth of 2" into a 4-qt. saucepan over medium-high heat until a deep-fry thermometer reads 325˚. Working in batches, add jalapeños and cook, turning occasionally, until golden brown, about 3 minutes.

Drain jalapeños on paper towels; sprinkle with salt.

SERVES 4

Crab-Stuffed Jalapeños

Ike’s Vietnamese Fish Sauce Wings

If I lived in Portland, I would eat at PokPok once a week. This 2007 Oregonian Restaurant of the Year and a local favorite has some of the best Thai bites I've ever tried and at prices that cannot be beat.

When I travel, I do my research. So when I read about PokPok in Food and Wine and GQ in the same week, I knew this would have to be a spot we'd check out on our upcoming vacation. Six of us showed up for our reservation ready to eat anything and everything. The menu is comprised of small plates that are meant to be shared so the more people you go with the more you would get to try. And, trust me, you want to try all of it.

The star of the night was the Vietnamese Fish Sauce Wings. In fact, we ended up ordering them twice since the first round disappeared within seconds. We got ours spicy and I would suggest you do too.

Thanks to the folks at F&W, I am able to share the recipe with you and make them for myself at home...yes!

Ike’s Vietnamese Fish Sauce Wings

Ingredients

1. 1/2 cup Asian fish sauce
2. 1/2 cup superfine sugar
3. 4 garlic cloves, 2 crushed and 2 minced
4. 3 pounds chicken wings, split at the drumettes
5. 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more for frying
6. 1 cup cornstarch
7. 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
8. 1 tablespoon chopped mint

1. In a bowl, whisk the fish sauce, sugar and crushed garlic. Add the wings and toss to coat. Refrigerate for 3 hours, tossing the wings occasionally.
2. Heat the 2 tablespoons of oil in a small skillet. Add the minced garlic; cook over moderate heat until golden, 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels.
3. In a large pot, heat 2 inches of oil to 350°. Pat the wings dry on paper towels; reserve the marinade. Put the cornstarch in a shallow bowl, add the wings and turn to coat. Fry the wings in batches until golden and cooked through, about 10 minutes. Drain on paper towels and transfer to a bowl.
4. In a small saucepan, simmer the marinade over moderately high heat until syrupy, 5 minutes. Strain over the wings and toss. Top with the cilantro, mint and fried garlic and serve.

Ike’s Vietnamese Fish Sauce Wings

GameDay Buffalo Wings

The Super Bowl is just around the corner so that means snacking on some American bites and dips. There is no question that beer, football and Buffalo wings go hand-in-hand. I found the recipe for the original spicy Buffalo chicken wings from the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, NY. Many argue that Anchor Bar is the birthplace of this bar food staple. You can adjust the heat by adding more or less cayenne and Tabasco.

Buffalo Chicken Wings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes

* 36 chicken wing pieces (one wing makes 2 pieces - the "flat" and the "drum")
* 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
* 1 tsp salt
* 1 cup all-purpose flour
* 1 1/2 tablespoons white vinegar
* 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
* 1/8 teaspoon garlic salt
* 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
* 1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 6 tablespoons Louisiana hot sauce (Frank's is the brand used in Buffalo)
* 6 tablespoons unsalted butter or margarine
* celery sticks
* blue cheese dressing (I love Marie's)

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

1. If necessary, cut whole wings into two pieces. In a bowl toss the wings with the oil, and salt. Place into a large plastic shopping bag, and add the flour. Shake to coat evenly. Remove wings from the bag, shaking off excess flour, and spread out evenly on oiled foil-lined baking pan(s). Do not crowd. Bake for about 20 minutes, turn the wings over, and cook another 20 minutes, or until the wings are cooked through and browned.

2. While the wings are baking, mix all the ingredients for the sauce in a pan, and over low heat bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, and then turn off.

3. After the wings are cooked, transfer to a large mixing bowl. Pour the sauce over the hot wings and toss with a spoon or spatula to completely coat.

These are always served with celery sticks and blue cheese dressing on the side.

GameDay Buffalo Wings

Honey-Tomato Bruschetta with Ricotta

I am having a huge cocktail party at my house in Napa Valley next week to celebrate the move of my sister and her family and my boyfriend's recent (major) accomplishment of finishing the California Bax Exam. It's going to be a mixed group. Parent's friends, sister's friends and our friends. That means lots of different palates at different ages. Needless to say, I'd like to satisfy them all.

While flipping through Food & Wine poolside today, I came across this recipe and my sister and I decided we should give it a test run. Well, we did. And it's made the lineup. Didn't hurt matters that we used my step dad's stash of fresh honey that he brought back from Mexico in a 1 liter Coke bottle. Lyd suggested that goat cheese would work as a sub and I agree. Fresh ricotta would make a huge difference but I don't have a sieve at my mom's. Well, not yet.

Honey-Tomato Bruschetta with Ricotta

2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise
1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons clover honey
2 teaspoons thyme leaves
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
12 baguette slices, cut 1/2 inch thick on the bias
1 cup fresh ricotta (8 ounces)
1 tablespoon buckwheat or chestnut honey
6 basil leaves, thinly sliced or torn


Directions
Preheat the oven to 300°. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, toss the tomatoes with the olive oil, honey, thyme leaves, salt and pepper. Scrape the tomatoes onto the prepared baking sheet and turn them cut side up. Bake the tomatoes for about 1 hour and 25 minutes, until they begin to shrivel and brown. Let cool.

Preheat the broiler. Spread out the baguette slices on a baking sheet. Broil for about 30 seconds on each side, until the edges are golden brown.

Spread the ricotta over the baguette slices and top with the slow-roasted tomatoes. Lightly drizzle the tomatoes with the buckwheat honey, sprinkle with the sliced basil and serve with additional buckwheat honey on the side.

Honey-Tomato Bruschetta with Ricotta

Wonton crisps with blood orange, prosciutto, pistachios and arugula tossed in citrus

I know what you are thinking: blood oranges? I admit, I milked them this season and it's sad that you can still get your hands on them because that means (at least at my store) that spring is yet to come with its arrival of in-season fruits and veggies. I actually stole this recipe from Avec. They served this as a salad this winter over a larger bed of prosciutto. I scaled it all down and placed on a wonton crisp to make into an hors dourves. Only compliments when you serve this guy.

Wonton crisps with blood orange, prosciutto, pistachios and arugula tossed in citrus
1 blood orange, pealed, halved and sliced very thin
3/4 cup of arugula
1 lemon
1 teaspoon of olive oil
10 wonton skins, cut into 2x21/2 inch rectangles
3/4 cup of vegetable oil
1/8 cup of pistachios, shelled and chopped
1/4 pound prosciutto, slice thin
Salt and pepper

Heat oil in large skillet over high heat and fry wonton skins until a rich brown color, about 1-2 minutes flipping often to avoid burning. Drain on paper towel, set aside.

Peel and slice blood orange. Take arugula and add to bowl. Squeeze half of lemon and add olive oil and toss to coat lightly. Season with salt and pepper. Layer wonton skin with prosciutto, arugula and blood orange. Garnish with pistachio nuts.

Wonton crisps with blood orange, prosciutto, pistachios and arugula tossed in citrus

Back to the Basics- Stadium Grub

My brother Chaz's favorite stadium snack:
Nachos with Jalapenos from Soilder Field Saturday night.

Back to the Basics- Stadium Grub