Foodie Fights - Battle Strawberry/Wonton Wrapper

If you haven't noticed me talk about it, Foodie Fights is an ingenius idea! It's like an Iron Chef-type battle between 6 food bloggers, chosen at random. It really lets your inner creative chef shine through and more often than not, lets you in on some really awesome recipes that you couldn't find anywhere else! So it was my turn this week, I was chosen. And I've got a rep to hold up (I was last year's champ - winning twice, but more than once, so a champ nonetheless), so I had to come up with something good. And so...
Strawberry Mascarpone Dumplings w/ Strawberry Whiskey Sabayon came to be.

The pictures don't do them justice. They're absolutely delicious by themselves, but when paired up with the sweet whiskey sabayon... we've got something there.

Ingredients for the Strawberry Mascarpone Dumpling:

12 oz. container mascarpone cheese
1 container strawberries (roughly about 15-20 big ones)
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 tablespoon sugar
20 wonton wrappers (I used round ones, but you could definitely get the square if you'd like)
vegetable oil, for frying
powdered sugar (optional)

In a small food processor, combine the mascarpone, 1 container strawberries, honey, and sugar. Mixture should be somewhere between thick and thin. Place mixture in the freezer for about 10 minutes to firm up a bit.

On a flat working surface (like a cutting board), place 1 wonton wrapper flat on board.


Spoon about a teaspoon worth of filling in the center.


Dab the edges with warm water and fold up to seal. (For a quick tutorial on how to fold your wonton into different styles, you can check this out. I did the basic Samosa style) You can pinch the edges to get an even better seal also.

User a deep fryer would be ideal for this, but considering I don't own one, we'll just have to keep it old school. Fill a deep pan about 2 inches high worth of vegetable oil. Heat under medium high to high heat. You'll know it's ready when you can throw a little piece of wonton wrapper in and see it bubble and fry nicely.


Fry about 3-5 wontons at a time, about 30 seconds to 1 minute, flipping once in between. They should be nice and golden brown. Let dry on paper towels and top with powdered sugar.


Ingredients for Strawberry Whiskey Sabayon:

about 7 strawberries, chopped
8 egg yolks
1/2 cup whiskey
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon orange juice

In a medium bowl, combine the strawberries and orange juice. With an immersion blender, puree the strawberries until they're at your desired consistency. I left a little bit of chunks for good texture.

Mix in the whiskey, vanilla, and sugar. Stir until sugar is dissolved.

In a metal mixing bowl, add the egg yolks and stir until the yolks just break. Add in whiskey/strawberry mixture and mix well.

Assemble a double boiler with the metal bowl by sitting it atop a small pot of simmering water. Make sure the bowl doesn't touch the hot water or your yolks will scramble. Whisk constantly for about 10-15 minutes, or until mixture is triple in size. I sped up the process by using the whisk attachment on my immersion blender and it whipped up pretty nicely. Serve with dumplings.

Like I said, this was pretty tasty. The strawberry whiskey sabayon wasn't too overpowering and all of the ingredients played nicely with eachother. It was an elegant dessert for an elegant night (oh, by the way, I served this at my Buitoni Derby Pasta Party last night and it was a hit... more on the Buitoni Pasta Party on Wednesday's post).


So, if you dig the recipe, don't forget to go to Foodie Fights on Wednesday and rock your vote!

P.S. Thanks to Buitoni and Foodbuzz.com I was given the chance to throw a Derby-themed pasta party using Buitoni's new line of Riserva products and I'll be posting all the creative dishes and festivities on Wednesday, so stay tuned!

Food Science Friday and Seared Yellowfin Tuna

This week's Food Science Friday paper:
'Effect of Debraching & Heat Treatments on Formation & Functional Properties of Resistant Starch from High-Amylose Corn Starches' - By Serpil Ozturk et al., European Food Research & Technology, 2009 229:115-125

This was one of those kinda sleepy reads for the non-science enthusiast. Me, I found it somewhat stimulating, but I won't bore you with the details. Instead, I think I'll talk about High-Amylose Corn Starches.

We've all heard of starches, and most of us use them in our everyday cooking lives... natural starches are found in tons of vegetables and fruits - potatoes and corn being the big ones here.

But with so many different starches out there, what's the difference? We won't go into the different varieties, but just High-Amylose corn starch, which is used in a plethora of settings, manufacturing of textiles, gum candies, cosmetic products, pharmaceuticals, biodegradable plastic products, and used as an additive in food products to increase dietary fiber and lower the rate of energy release.

Most scientists and food industries are highly interested in this type of starch. Why? Well, it contains a high rate of RS, or Resistant Starch. Resistant starches are less susceptible to digestion than regular starches and this is major because it helps lower our Glycemic Index. A lowered glycemic index helps promote long term health and reduces risk of heart disease and diabetes. This is also key to sustainable weight loss.

There are 4 different types of RS:

1. RS1 - physically inaccessible starch locked within cell walls
2. RS2 - native granular starch
3. RS3 - retrograded or crystalline starch
4. RS4 - chemically modified starch

During food processing, RS1 and RS2 are both destroyed due to heat and moisture. However, RS3 is possibly formed, but not always.

So basically, what this study tried to accomplish, is to find a way to produce more RS3 during the food processing. Crystalline structures take into consideration numerous factors and one of those factors is debranching. The high degree of debranching, the more opportunity amylose chains would be able to align and aggregate to form perfectly crystalline structures - leading to more RS3. In order to accomplish the debranching, they used a debranching enzyme - Pullulanase, which is used more often in starch conversion processes.

The study concluded by saying that the debranching treatments, indeed, increased the RS3 levels and improved functional properties of amylose corn starches. The results are suitable for use in food products - most of which require high water binding capacity, high cold viscosity, or good emulsion properties.

What do I take from this study? High-Amylose corn starches are good for you. They help lower your glycemic index and promote good health. So the next time I'm buying a product, I may have to look at the ingredients list and see if high-amylose corn starch is listed.

Your comments? Concerns? Is this blasphemy? I want to hear it!

Here's a simple and healthy tuna recipe:

Ingredients:
Adapted from Now Eat This! - Seared Tuna w/ Green Beans, Lemon, & Wasabi

2 3 oz. sushi-grade yellowfin tuna steaks
salt and pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil
12 oz. haricots verts, trimmed
juice and zest from 1 lime
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon wasabi paste
4 scallions, sliced thin
black sesame seeds, for garnish

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet under medium high heat. Season tuna with salt and pepper. Add to skillet and cook for 2-3 minutes per side. If you want a nice medium rare, I'd go a little under 2 minutes. As you can see from the picture above, I went a little over and got a small margin of rarity. Let tuna rest on cutting board for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, add the haricots verts to the boiling water and cook until tender, about 3-5 minutes. Drain.

In a small bowl, mix together the lime juice, lime zest, garlic, and wasabi. You may have to add a little water also if there's not enough liquid. Add mixture to the haricot verts, along with the scallions.

Thinly slice tuna and serve with haricot verts. Top with black sesame seeds!

This was pretty refreshing. Next time, I think I'll do it a little rarer, but all in all, a great dish! Enjoy!

Grilled Salmon w/ Black Beans

Oh mother nature. I've been a really big mother nature rant lately, but it's just been such bizarre weather. Take for instance today. It rained bloody murder all morning. For once, I was glad to be inside and at work. (Raining cats and dogs = less customers wanting to come in = less stress for me) But now, as I'm about to head out to my volleyball game, it's sunshine and roses. Which is a good thing because our volleyball league plays, regardless of the weather, unless it's a threat to our lives. Meaning it was must be the Great Flood, or Zeus striking us dead with lightning, for our games to stop. So I guess in this case, I'm grateful for the sunshine... but c'mon already, make up your mind mother nature!


Ingredients:
Adapted from Bon Appetit's May 2010 Issue: Grilled Salmon w/ Black Beans & Piment D'Espelette Mayonnaise

1/3 cup olive oil
5 garlic cloves, 2 pressed, 3 minced
freshly grated lime peel
1 tablespoon dried thyme
salt and pepper to taste
2 7 oz. salmon fillets, skin on
1 onion, chopped
3 celery ribs, chopped
1 roma tomato, chopped
1 jalapeno chile, chopped
2 15 oz. cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 teaspoon cumin
small handful cilantro, chopped

Whisk the olive oil, pressed garlic, lime peel, thyme, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a small baking dish. Place the salmon, skin-side down, in the dish. Brush the marinade over the top and sides of fish. Let chill in fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add onion, celery, tomatoes, jalapenos, and minced garlic. Cook until vegetables are starting to soften, about 5 minutes.

Stir in black beans and cumin. Reduce heat and cook for about 5 more minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in cilantro and set aside.

Spray grill with nonstick spray and heat to medium high. Arrange the salmon on the grill, skin side up and spray skin with nonstick spray. Grill salmon for about 4-5 minutes. Carefully flip over and grill for about 3 more minutes, or until opaque all the way through.

Serve fish with black beans and dig on in!

This was pretty delicious. Aside from the small mishap of my charcoal grill going crazy. You wanna watch the salmon closely. Since you marinated it in olive oil, it's kinda really flammable if you're grill is sensitive... like mine was. It pretty much charred my skin (and that's my favorite part!), but the salmon itself was nice and smokey and delicious. Enjoy!

Roasted Chicken

I just have one question for Mother Nature... How in the heck did it go from high 70's - mid 80's to being low 60's - mid 50's... That's quite a temperature drop little lady. And I'd appreciate it (and my garden would, as well) if I had my nice spring/summer weather back. Thank you.

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken (3-4 lbs)
3-4 carrots, peeled and sliced
3 celery ribs, sliced
1 onion, roughly chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons thyme
2 teaspoons herbs de Provence
1 teaspoon sage
salt and pepper
2 cups chicken stock
5 slices of wheat bread, cubed

Pat the chicken dry and coat with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Season with thyme, herbs de Provece, sage, salt, and pepper. Generously rub seasoning all over the bird. Let sit, uncovered, in the fridge overnight or for at least 6 hours.

Heat a large skillet under medium high heat and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add carrots, celery, and onions. Cook until starting to soften, about 5-7 minutes. Let cool and mix with bread cubes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stuff the chicken with mixture and any that doesn't fit can go in the roasting pan underneath the bird and the roasting rack.

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Position bird, breast side down, on a roasting rack. Pour chicken stock carefully around chicken. Roast in oven for about 1 & 1/2 to 2 hours. Flip over bird, breast side up, and continue to roast for 1 to 1 & 1/2 hours longer (basting once or twice in between there), or until internal temperature is about 165 F.

This was pretty tasty. I wish our bird had a little more of a golden skin on it, but we were so hungry and once it hit the right temperature we were all about eating that sucker. The stuffing I'm still on the fence about. I mean, it's pretty simple, and kind of lack luster, but the chicken was one of the moistest pieces of meat that either one of us had ever had. Enjoy!

Food Science Friday and Shrimp & Asparagus Pasta

This week for Food Science Friday, I read the article:

'Consumer Acceptance of Fresh Blueberries in Bio-Based Packages' by Eva Almenar et al. Journal of the Science of Food & Agriculture 2010 Vol 90: 1121-1128

So how many times have you gone into a supermarket or grocery store and wanted fresh berries or fruits? Then you get to the counter and realize that there's mushy, and somewhat fungus infected fruit in the container. Do you really want to waste your money on a product that's obviously past due? No! Of course not.

Well, this article presents a study on non-vented PLA (Poly-lactic Acid) containers vs. the normal commercial vented petroleum-based (PET) clamshell containers. Now if you looked at both of those pictures, you wouldn't really be able to tell much of a difference right? Well, the material the container is made from, actually makes a TON of difference, and this study presents why.

If you're like we, quality is usually more important than price for a certain ingredients. I can dish out a few more dollars for something that will last longer, taste better, and just be better for me. Am I right? Right.

The study is conducted on blueberries, so we'll stick to just referring to blueberries from here on out.

Right now, blueberries are only packaged in vented clamshell containers. These containers help with rapid cooling and protects them from mechanical damage during shipping. PLA containers, however, have been shown to increase the shelf life of blueberries as compared to the clamshell containers. But they've never been used in a commercial setting. Blueberry consumption is steadily increasing from year to year and a switch to PLA containers would essentially reduce environmental impact (because most PLA containers are biodegradable) as well as reducing fruit deterioration, allowing for less economic losses (because essentially we, as consumers, would buy more blueberries because they look a hell of a lot better, for a longer period of time).
Alright, so how did they conduct this study? Well, the researches obtained about 100 g (roughly 75-100 blueberries) of high bush (cultivated) blueberries from Michigan Blueberry Growers and divided them between non-vented PLA containers. The same amount was divided up between vented PET clamshell containers (these were the controls).

Half of the PLA and half of the PET containers were stored at 10 C (50 F) to simulate commercial transportation conditions, and the other half of both types of containers were stored at 3 C (37.4 F) to simulate display conditions.

the samples were analyzed on day 0, 7, and 14 of the study. What exactly did they analyze the berries for?

• Weight Loss - this indicated degradation of fruit
• Soluble Solid Content - to test for firmness of the fruit
• Titratable Acidity - did the blueberries retain their acidity?
• Off-flavors & Aroma - do they still smell and taste fresh/appealing?

The samples were also visually examined for fungal development.

The sample also underwent and consumer testing at days 7 and 14 of the study. The "consumers" in the study were all recruited from Michigan State University (students, faculty, staff). They were to grade the unidentified sample blueberries based on flavor, appearance, and overall quality and texture.

Results:

In the consumer testing phase, panelists were asked to describe the appearance of their blueberry samples. An overwhelming amount of panelists described some of the samples as "shriveled" or "wrinkled". Would you want to eat a blueberry described like that? What container do you think those blueberries came from? You guessed it, PET. Shriveling and wrinkling are usually caused by transpiration rates and RH (Relative Humidity) levels. Vented containers don't allow for high RH levels, causing less moisture to keep the blueberries in a "plump" state. However, non-vented PLA containers keep RH levels high due to the very absence of vents and the hydrophobic nature (water molecules basically don't escape "through" the material) of the PLA polymer itself.

Out of the 33 panelists subjected to the consumer study, the following shows how many picked the non-vented PLA containers over vented-PET containers in each aspect of study:

Flavor - 24 @ 3 C, 24 @ 10 C
Texture - 30 @ 3 C, 29 @ 10 C
Appearance - 30 @ 3 C, 30 @ 10 C
Overall Quality - 28 @ 3 C, 30 @ 10 C

In each category, at least 80% picked PLA containers each time. That should show right there how we should package our blueberries. And if that didn't convince you, here's the results of the analysis tests:
Weight Loss - 14-16 % was observed in vented PET containers and less than 2 % was observed in PLA containers. Shriveling in the PET containers attributed a massive weight loss over the 2 week study.
Soluble Solid Content - Now this was a tricky one for me, vented PET containers were shown to have a high sugar content, therefore being "sweeter". But you necessarily want a "sweet" blueberry? Or do you want a "tart" blueberry. Non-vented PLA containers were not observed to be sweet, and definitely picked moreover than the PET blueberries, so maybe sweet is not so good in this aspect? I'm indifferent on this bit of analysis.
Titratable Acidity - was not noticeably different in either container so it was deemed not to be affected by packaging.

Aroma - The panelist study confirmed that PLA container blueberries were preferable to vented PET containers.

So basically, what does this all mean? Well, in my opinion, I think PLA containers should be implemented for the packaging of blueberries. The study really didn't say whether other fruits were packaged using the PLA containers as well, but I know I've seen them around. PLA containers can be bought online from Eco Products and I know that I'm definitely going to look for the non-vented PLA containers from now on. After all, how many times have you gone to the grocery store, picked up some fresh fruit, not used it within a couple of days, go to use it, and it's already mushy and gross? TOO many times this has happened to me, and it's good to know that there's something out there that prevents this. * And just a little disclaimer here, no, I wasn't paid by Eco Products or any PLA company to post this, I just feel really strongly about quality and freshness of products that we use, and plus... these things help the environment, so it's always a good thing then!

Alright... what a doozy, let's get to a quick and spring-time recipe!

Ingredients:

1 lb. spaghetti noodles
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 lb. shrimp, deveined, shells and tails removed
salt and pepper to taste

Cook the spaghetti noodles according to package directions. I always like a good al dente boiling.

While you're waiting for the noodles to cook, heat the olive oil in a large skillet under medium high heat. Add garlic and stir until fragrant, about a minute or so. Add the asparagus and cook until it softened, about 3-5 minutes. Add in the shrimp and make sure you spread them out pretty good for even cooking. Cook until the shrimp are a nice pink, about 5-6 minutes (make sure you flip them once, in between).

Drain the pasta, reserving about 1 cup of liquid. Add in pasta to asparagus and shrimp mixture and pasta liquid, if needed. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve right away!

I figured you guys would need a quick and easy recipe after reading that long spiel about blueberries! I really liked this dish, and considering it's simplicity, the salt and pepper are really key here. Enjoy!

Steamed Halibut w/ Fried Ginger

I am pleased to announce that I managed to obtain a B in Organic Chemistry. You might say to yourself "Well why didn't you get an A?"... and the answer is, seriously? You try getting an A in Organic Chemistry AND still having a social life. Hehe, either way, I'm happy with it and I'm happy that summer has officially started.

I'm also happy to announce that Dan and Nick over at Foodie Fights asked me to be this week's judge. So if you haven't yet, check out the site and sign up (if you're in that creative mood) for this week's battle: Battle Tequila/Avocado. Or if you're scared of those ingredients (or just don't have the time to cook this weekend, vote for your fave on Tuesday!

Ingredients:
Adapted from The Bitten Word's blog

1 piece of ginger, cut into thin matchsticks
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
3 scallions, thinly sliced (white part discarded)
2 6 oz. halibut fillets
salt and pepper, to taste
4 teaspoons sesame oil
pinch of sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons dry sherry
2 tablespoons sunflower oil

Set up a bamboo steamer over a pot of simmering water over medium heat.

Crush half of the ginger sticks with the flat side of a chef's knife and place on a plate small enough to fit inside steamer. Add garlic slices and scallions.

Score the skin on the halibut and season with salt and pepper. Place halibut, skin side up, on the plate and top with 2 teaspoons sesame oil and pinch of sugar.

Place plate in steamer and before covering, top halibut with soy sauce and sherry.

Cover steamer and cook until halibut is white throughout, about 10 minutes or so, depending on thickness. Remove plate carefully and set aside.

To fry ginger, in a small skillet, add remaining sesame oil and sunflower oil. Add remaining ginger sticks and fry until starting to brown.

To plate, serve with brown rice and steamed vegetables (I chose to use snap peas). Top halibut with ginger oil and browned ginger sticks.

This was elegant and delicious. I'm still a fan of a nice crispy skin on a fish, but the steaming method really gave it an added moisture that you often lose with simply frying. And not to mention it was definitely healthier for you! Enjoy!

Shredded Chicken Tacos

How was everyone's weekend? Mine... pretty eventful. Of course, being in Louisville, it was the Kentucky Derby on Saturday. A pretty rainy day, but had a few beers with friends, which is always good. I don't do any betting, so I can't say I won any money, but nonetheless, a good time.

I'm happy to say that today was my last day of class for the semester. I now have a FULL summer off, no class, just work (which I can deal with)... so plenty more free time.

Speaking of which, I've got a busy May planned. My sister has asked me to cater her sorority formal at the end of the month and I'm scared and excited at the same time. I pretty much have to make enough food for about 30-40 people (it was supposed to be 60+, so it's a tad bit less stressful, but still...) Anybody have any good tips on how to cater for large groups of people? I figure they're college students, so it can't be too hard to give them something other than ramen noodles and easy mac... right?

Anyway, I love tacos because they're quick, they're versatile, and they're pretty much delicious any way you stack 'em up!

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 & 1/2 teaspoons cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
salt and pepper to taste
3 boneless and skinless chicken thighs
1 cup salsa
1 cup chicken stock
juice from 1 lime
tortillas
jalapenos
shredded cheese
sour cream

In a dutch oven, heat the olive oil under medium high heat. Add onions and cook until softened, about 5 minutes or so.

Stir in cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper.

Add in chicken in one layer, then top with salsa and chicken stock. Cover and cook for about 15 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. (You could honestly cook for longer if you're using chicken thighs because it's practically impossible to overcook them)

Remove the chicken and let cool on a cutting board for about 5-10 minutes. Continue to heat sauce under medium heat.

Shred chicken with forks and add back into sauce. Stir in lime juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste, if needed.

Assemble tacos any way you like, we like adding some shredded cheddar cheese, pickled jalapenos, and sour cream.

These were pretty fantastic. They were ready in no time, and definitely made for lots of leftovers. Enjoy!