Dulce de Leche Crepes

Dulce de leche is practically THE reason I'm grateful to have taken Latin cuisine last quarter.

Make your crepes (recipe yields 8-10 6-inch crepes):

2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
3 tbsp. water
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 to 1 cup flour

Whisk together the eggs, milk, water and salt. Whisk in 3/4 cup the flour until fully combined. If it seems super-thin, add the remaining 1/4 cup. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve and chill 30 minutes before using.

Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Check the consistency of your batter; you want it a bit thinner than heavy cream. Add a bit of water if necessary.

Pour about three tablespoons of batter into the skillet while simultaneously swirling the skillet to coat the bottom. Let cook for about 30 seconds; flip the crepe and cook another 15 seconds. Repeat with all remaining batter.




And now for the important part:

Dulce de Leche - South American Milk Caramel
(Heads up: You have to babysit this stuff to get good results. It's worth it, though.)

4 cups whole milk
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
Rum (optional)

Combine the mik, sugar, and baking soda in a pot. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently; reduce heat to low and allow to simmer very gently, stirring frequently, about 1-2 hours. The milk will reduce, darken, and thicken to a spreadable consistency. Watch your heat; as the milk thickens, you'll have to start reducing the heat to prevent scorching (probably in the last 20 minutes of cooking). Remove from heat, stir in vanilla, and stir in rum to taste, if desired.



Slather about 2 tbsp. of caramel on half of a crepe, and sprinkle with pistachios (or macadamias, or pecans, or whatever). Fold crepe in half. Spread a little caramel on the top quarter of the crepe, and fold in half again.

Young Gentlemen of Insufficient Means...

... also known as poboys. Delicious, and so much easier than I would've figured.



(School is forcing me to become more comfortable with frying; it's still not my favorite thing, but less daunting than it used to be.)



Po'Boys with Parsley Dijon Remoulade ("remoulade" = fancy word for mayo with stuff in it)

Fish:
1 pound firm-fleshed white fish (my favorite has been a fish called "swai," which our Winn Dixie carries. I've also used whiting)
1 egg
1 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp. salt
Vegetable oil for frying

Remoulade:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup dijon mustard
2 tbsp. lemon juice
2 tbsp. minced parsley
Salt to taste
(Combine all, and chill until ready to use; you can make it up to 3 days ahead)

Other components:
Shredded lettuce
Sliced tomato
Bread: 4 sub rolls, or one 12-inch loaf Frenchor Italian bread (for all the bread: it's best to split them and toast them under the broiler. Mmm.)

In a large skillet with high sides, heat about 1 inch of oil over medium high heat to around 350 degrees (or until your oil is shimmering in the pan, and a small cube of bread dropped into the hot oil sizzles and browns).

Lay your fish on a plate or sheet pan. Line another sheet pan with paper towels or newspaper; set aside.

Whisk egg with about 1 tbsp. water in a large-ish bowl. Combine cornmeal, flour, and salt in another bowl.

Coat a piece of fish with egg, then coat with cornmeal mixture. If your fillets are thick, repeat the process (dip into egg again, then into coating again) to give it a nicer crust. (One coating of breading is sufficient for thin fillets).

Lay fish into hot oil; repeat with as many fillets as your skillet will accommodate without overcrowding. Cook until light golden brown on one side, about 2-3 minutes. Flip fillet carefully and cook another 2-3 minutes. Remove to paper-lined sheet pan (if desired, use a thermometer to check the internal temperature, which should read at least 145 degrees).

Spread remoulade on bottom half of bread. Top with fish, then top with lettuce, then tomato. Spread remoulade on top half of bread (if desired - I recommend it!), and place on top. Cut sandwiches and serve.

Thai Chicken Sesame Stir-fry

Thai Chicken Sesame Stir-fry, originally uploaded by queenofthemoodswingset2.

Thai Chicken Sesame Stir-fry

9oz chicken breast tenders (original recipe called for duck)
1 Tbsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
4 garlic cloves finely sliced
½ tsp red pepper flakes (original recipe: dried chilli flakes)
1 Tbsp thai fish sauce
1 Tbsp soy sauce
½ Cup water
1 cup sugar snap peas (original recipe calls for 1 head of broccoli)
1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Cut chicken into bite-size pieces. Heat oils in wok or large frying pan and stir fry the garlic over medium heat until it’s golden brown. Add chicken and stir fry for another 2 minutes until meat begins to brown.
Stir in red pepper flakes, fish sauce, soy sauce, and water. Add broccoli and stir fry for another 2 minutes until chicken is cooked through.
Serve garnished with toasted sesame seeds

Next time I might use slightly less sesame oil.

Barbeque Chicken

Barbeque Chicken, originally uploaded by queenofthemoodswingset2.

Mom’s Barbeque Sauce

1 ½ c Ketchup
¼ c Worcestershire sauce
⅓ cup sugar (measure ¼ cup brown sugar into ⅓ cup measuring cup and fill with white sugar)
¼ c apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp salt
½ tsp pepper
1 Tbsp Chili powder

Best on Chicken. If using chicken with bones (wings, breasts, thighs etc.) then boil the chicken for 15 minutes first. If using a grill then grill the chicken. If cooking in the oven then cook in a 9x13 pan at 375 for 15 minutes (turning ½ way through). Then broil for 5-10 minutes on each side (until internal temperature reaches 165*).