Stacked Crepes with Ginger Chicken Filling and a Coconut Sauce

Chatti Pathiri {Daring Cooks Challenge}

The April Daring Cooks Challenge was brought to us by Joanna from What's On The List. She taught us all about Pathiri and challenged us to create our own version of this inspirational Indian dish!

It has been almost a year since I have cooked with the Daring Cooks, so I took some time to catch up  with this active group, skimming many month's worth of challenges and enjoying a gazillion posts. Back in the kitchen after surgery in March, I had weeks to think about this month's topic, Pathiri, and consider my own version. With some interesting ingredients to play with - Crepes - spices - chicken filling - coconut sauce - I thought, oh yes, this would be fun!

I'm familiar with the stacked enchiladas of West Texas and New Mexico, I've made both savory and sweet versions of southern Italian stacked crespelle, but stacked pseudo Pan-Asian crepes would be a new treat. 

Chicken and crepes can be bland, but the hefty dose of ginger plus some garam masala, garlic and ground coriander popped up the flavor nicely. 

Photo: Fresh ginger seasons the minced, cooked chicken

Coconut milk added subtle sweetness. Green onions and kale provided both color and flavor bite. Pine nuts added a necessary crunch, rescuing what might have been a boring, too-soft mouthful. 

Photo: Pine nuts, green onions and kale add bite and crunch

The delicious result was an example of the total being greater than the sum of the parts (or however that saying goes). Three of us loved this dish for lunch, and H. cheerfully took the leftovers home... now that's a sign of success.

Photo: Filling scattered on top of the first crepe

Photo: 12 crepes stacked, filled and ready for the oven

Photo: Filled, stacked savory crepe cake fresh from the oven

Photo: 12 layered crepes in this stack - go ahead, count them.

Stacked Crepes with Ginger Chicken Filling

serves 4 as an entree, 8 as a first course

For the crepes: 
3 large eggs
3/4 cup 1% milk
1/2 cup water
1 cup flour
3 Tablespoons melted, unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
additional butter for the crepe pan

1.  Use a blender or food processor to whirl the eggs, flour and milk until smooth. Scrape down the sides as necessary. You can whisk it by hand, but it is very tedious that way.

2.  Choose a crepe pan or flat-bottomed frying pan and prewarm it over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot brush the bottom lightly with melted butter.

3.  Before the butter browns pour a premeasured amount of batter into the hot pan; quickly tilt and swirl to coat the bottom. An 8-inch pan will handle 3 1/2 to 4 tablespoons of batter per crepe.

4.  Cook until the edge is lightly browned and the surface looks dry, roughly 30 to 60 seconds.

5.  Run a wide metal spatula under the crepe’s edge and shake the pan a bit to make sure that the crepe is loose. Use the spatula to turn the crepe over and brown it lightly on the second side, about 10 to 15 seconds. Slide the crepe onto a flat plate, or tip the pan to release the crepe.

6.  Repeat with the remaining batter, stacking crepes on top of each other, separated with waxed paper, as you finish each.

For the filling:
1 large chicken breast; poached, cooled & minced
3 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
2 cups shitake mushrooms; soaked, drained, chopped
8 green onions, white & green parts, minced
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 large leaf kale, stemmed and minced
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

Use a fork and mash the ginger into the cooked, minced chicken. Add the remaining ingredients and mix lightly to combine. Set aside.

 For the sauce:
1 can coconut milk
1/4 cup ground almonds or almond meal
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon coriander

(Plus 2 teaspoons melted butter for the assembly process.)
Lime wedges, optional 

Whisk lightly all ingredients, coconut milk through coriander, until well combined. Set aside.

To assemble:

1. Brush 1 teaspoon melted butter on the bottom of a non-stick 8-inch skillet. 
2. With a second brush, coat both sides of a prepared crepe and lay flat on the skillet. Scatter 1/4 cup filling on the top of the coated crepe. Coat both sides of another crepe with sauce and lay flat atop the filling atop the first crepe. Repeat until you run out of filling and crepes, ending with a coated crepe. I used 12 crepes in all.
3. Brush the top crepe and any exposed edges around the perimeter with the remaining butter. (I'll skip this step next time) Pour the remaining sauce over the top of the stacked crepes (note, some will run down the sides and pool at the bottom).
4. Bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven until the sauce is absorbed,or thickens considerably. This took 35 minutes in my oven.
5. Remove from the oven. Place a large serving platter or dish over the top of the skillet and invert quickly and carefully. Slice into wedges and serve immediately with a slice of lime. (OR chill and serve cold.) 

Turkey Meatballs with Spinach, Walnuts and Cheese

The Daring Kitchen Cooks June 2013 Challenge - Meatballs 

It has been a while since I have cooked with this amazing group, but this month's theme was too good to pass up. "The June Daring Cooks’ challenge sure kept us rolling – meatballs, that is! Shelley from C Mom Cook and Ruth from The Crafts of Mommyhood challenged us to try meatballs from around the world and to create our own meatball meal celebrating a culture or cuisine of our own choice." I think June just might be meatball month, since they are popping up all over the internet lately; here, here, here and here... and many more!

Just say "meatball" and boom! I think Italian spaghetti and meatballs, then Swedish meatballs with potatoes and lingonberry jam, followed by Mexican albondigas soup, Greek avgolemno soup with meatballs, and the list goes on. Then my foodie brain slowly wanders off into non-meat territory with Japanese rice balls, Italian arancini, Middle Eastern falafel... Which to choose for the June DC challenge? Even though polpette are not typically served over pasta or even sauced, I decided to prepare Italian spaghetti and meatballs with a red sauce and got busy organizing ingredients. The first sample meatball was just fine naked, all by itself, it didn't need any sauce for flavor. But I continued on with the plan and oven-simmered a batch of 12 meatballs in Spicy Red Bell Pepper Pasta Sauce from my local Safeway store. We loved the result. Go with the sauce.  

My personal challenge was to create a moist, tasty meatball using lean ground turkey, a protein often thought of as bland, often dry and easily overcooked. So why use turkey? "Outside pressures" to cook healthier and cut back on red meat prompted the choice, and I'm delighted to report that this experiment was deeeeee-licious. RL loved the meal and nagged coached me to write down the recipe before I forgot quantities and procedure.

The Daring Cooks Challenge suggested we plan a meal to incorporate the meatballs. My imaginary multi-course Italian menu begins with Fruit and Nut Crisps served with a soft cheese, followed by Spaghetti with Turkey Meatballs, then a salad of Greens with Grapes and/or Italian Pepper Salad, and finished with Almond Cookies  and Nutty Chocolate Apricot Bites. Reality check: instead of that big meal, we will likely dine on a small plate of this recipe, accompanied by a green salad dressed with citrus vinaigrette. I know I will make these meatballs again and again, and continue to marvel at turkey meatballs that are packed with flavor, have a nice crunchy bite and are healthier than any of my previous versions!      

Turkey Meatballs with Spinach, Walnuts and Cheese

(plus homemade or store-bought marinara sauce)

makes approx. 24 meatballs

Add to a blender jar and mix until combined into a very moist, green paste with no big chunks remaining.

·      ½ cup crushed saltines (or homemade bread crumbs)

·      1 small package frozen chopped spinach (thawed but not drained)

·      1/8 cup chopped Italian parsley

·      2 chopped green onions

·      1 clove garlic, peeled & minced

·      ¼ cup feta cheese crumbles (or grated fresh parmesan)

·      ¼ cup walnut pieces

·      1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

·      salt and pepper to taste

·      1 tablespoon lemon zest

·      juice of 1 small lemon (approx. 2 tablespoons)

·      1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Place that luscious green blend in a mixing bowl, add the following 4 ingredients and mix gently but thoroughly by hand or with a spatula.

·      1.25 pounds lean ground turkey

·      1 egg

·      ¼ cup chopped walnuts (yes, in addition to those above)

·      ½ cup dry parmesan (yes, from the green can)

Note: this is a good time to cook a small patty in a skillet, taste and adjust seasonings as needed. You really don’t want to skip this step.

Use a scoop or tablespoon to shape the mix into small meatballs. Brown in a skillet sprayed with cooking spray OR broil briefly until browned.

Add enough of your favorite marinara sauce to surround or even cover the meatballs and simmer for 15 minutes over low heat, covered, on the stovetop OR bake uncovered for 15 minutes in a preheated 350 F oven. Serve alone or over pasta, they are delicious either way.  

Daring Cooks' Pate Chinois

Shepherd's Pie or Cottage Pie: a meat pie with a crust of mashed potato

Our Daring Cooks’ December 2012 Hostess is Andy of Today’s the Day and Today’s the Day I Cook! Andy is sharing with us a traditional French Canadian classic the Paté Chinois, also known as Shepherd’s pie for many of us, and if one dish says comfort food.. this one is it!

I must admit I approached this challenge with caution, reluctant to prepare a dish I have successfully avoided my entire life. It has always reminded me of some oddball Hamburger Helper concoction, and not in a good way. But that's just me. The concept of a meat pie with a potato crust is hardly new, it's been around for centuries. Wikipedia notes:

The term cottage pie is known to have been in use in 1791 when the potato was being introduced as an edible crop affordable for the poor (cf. "cottage" meaning a modest dwelling for rural workers). In early cookery books, the dish was a means of using leftover roasted meat of any kind, and the pie dish was lined with mashed potato as well as having a mashed potato crust on top. The term "shepherd's pie" did not appear until 1877, and since then it has been used synonymously with "cottage pie", regardless of whether the principal ingredient was beef or mutton. More recently, the term "shepherd's pie" has been used when the meat is lamb, the theory being that shepherds are concerned with sheep and not cattle.

These were interesting factoids, and I was especially cheered at the mention of leftover roasted meats. That made it easy to ignore the recommended ground meat preparation and work instead with a favorite recipe for Boozy Beef Stew in Wine Sauce, aka Boeuf Bourguignon. I've already raved about that recipe in a previous DC challenge (link). This choice was an invitation to prepare an extra-large batch of stew and a largish pile of gremolata. We served the stew to friends P and R for dinner earlier this week and still had quarts left to play with. Some mashed potatoes from the same dinner were re-seasoned, piped into mounds similar to Duchess Potatoes (link), and voila! I had a great start on a personalized version of cottage pie.

The short version: 
Using your favorite stew recipe, ladle a generous serving of warm stew meat, vegies and gravy to fill small ramekins. 

Sprinkle a teaspoon of minced flatleaf parsley and lemon zest gremolata over each bowl. 

Whip some sour cream, additional butter and shredded parmesan cheese into warmed "regular" mashed potatoes; fill a bag fitted with a large star-point tip, and pipe the potatoes into circular mounds on a silpat or parchment-covered baking sheet. 

Broil or heat in a 500 F oven until the potatoes brown slightly.  

Cool and place atop each ramekin.
OR you could pipe the potatoes directly onto each stew-filled ramekin, but my potato-piping skills needed developing.
Bake in a hot oven until warmed through (or use a microwave).

The Results: Version One 
The ramekins resembled cute savory cupcakes; an interesting if slightly strange presentation. As usual, the gravy was my favorite part of the dish. It tasted divine and bathed the meat in a silky sauce, keeping it moist and tender through the reheating. Carrots and onions retained their texture, though the mushrooms melted away a bit more than I would have liked. Mixed reviews on the potato topping though: the browned outer edges contrasted nicely with the soft, flavorful interior but the potatoes cried out for more gravy. A side pitcher of gravy will take care of that in the future.

A Second Try:
Fill a small 8"x8" baking dish about two thirds full with the same BoozyBeef Stew with Vegetables and Wine Sauce. Loosely scatter parsley/lemon zest gremolata over the top like edible confetti. Frost the cottage pie in irregular peaks and valleys with cheesy, sour cream mashed potatoes. Heat in a 500 F oven until the potatoes brown slightly. 

The Results: Second Try
The dish looked like lumpy potatoes, nothing more. It was still tasty, but not as attractive or appealing as serving the elements separately in a wide soup bowl. Picture the vivid colors of carrots, parsley and lemon zest plus a snowy mound of potatoes nestled in a pool of mahogany gravy with golden slices of mushroom and richly browned cubes of beef.  I missed that colorful visual when I gazed at my tater-topped cottage pie. 

Conclusions: Pate Chinois/Cottage pie/Shepherd's pie is much tastier than I had imagined. All those years of wrinkled-nose avoidance and rejection were a silly, uninformed response to an unfamiliar dish. Playing with your food is always fun, and I might pipe potato mounds again. Sigh! embracing the dish is another matter; it's still all about the abundance of a great gravy and it's hard to beat the original presentation. 

Brined and Roasted Pork Chops

November 2012 Daring Cooks Challenge Brined and Roasted Pork Chops

Blog Checking lines: Audax of Audax Artifax was our November 2012 Daring Cooks’ host. Audax has brought us into the world of brining and roasting, where we brined meat and vegetables and roasted them afterwards for a delicious meal!

Brining wasn't a new technique, I have brined chicken before and been pleased with the results.  Planning ahead to brine or marinate takes organization, preplanning, commitment to a preparation, so it doesn't happen often in my kitchen or galley. This challenge was the perfect opportunity to see what a brine bath would do for a thick, lean pork chop. RL swears I'm pork challenged lately, overcooking the chops or managing to serve them plenty pink but too tough to chew. Would brining make a difference and salvage my reputation?

Not on the first try, OH MY those chops were salty. The six-hour soak in brine was followed by a rinse, pat dry and air dry sequence. Next came a stove-top sear in a cast-iron skillet for color and a finish in a hot oven. 
Taste test: attractive appearance, interior nicely pink, but too salty to enjoy for more than a bite or two. We gave up and ate ice cream sundaes for dinner that night.

The second try was much more successful. I reduced the salt in the brine by half and soaked the chops for 90 minutes. This time I used a cast-iron grill pan to sear the chops and for the oven roast as well. The interior temperature registered 145 F when the meat came out to rest.
Taste test: attractive appearance, flavorful and not too salty, but the finished chops were a bit too done when served. I'll pull them out of the oven at 140 F next time.

I fretted over the possibility of a second failure and served several side dishes "just in case", but needn't have worried. These brined and roasted pork chops were well-received - along with accompanying wild rice, stuffed mushrooms, and roasted carrots, red potatoes and fennel wedges. No bowl of ice cream was needed that night.   

Brined Pork Chops

adapted from The Gourmet Cookbook, (my notes in red), 

Serves 6

For the brine:

8 cups water

1/8 cup kosher salt

2 teaspoons Ponzu sauce

2 teaspoons ground ginger

¼ cup sugar

2 tablespoons pickling spices

6 garlic cloves, smashed or pressed

6 pork rib chops, 1.5 inches thick

4-6 tablespoons olive oil

½ cup dry white wine (I used Riesling)

½ cup chicken broth (low-sodium)

Special equipment: instant-read thermometer

Brine the pork chops: 

1. Combine brine ingredients in a large saucepan and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Cool brine completely.
2.  Transfer to a large bowl or heavy 2-gallon Ziploc bag. Add pork chops and refrigerate, covered, for at least 1 day an hour or two.

Roast the chops:

1. Place a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 425 F.
2. Remove chops from brine, (rinse) and pat completely dry, discarding brine. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet (cast iron pan) over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Brown chops in batches, without crowding, turning once, for 6-8 minutes per batch. Transfer to a roasting pan, arranging chops in a single layer. Add more oil, 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time, as needed between batches. (I skipped the roasting pan and used the same grill pan on the stove and in the oven for 2 chops)
3. Roast chops until thermometer inserted 2 inches horizontally into center of meat registers 145 F, 10 to 15 minutes. (I now recommend 140 F)
4. Transfer chops to a platter and let stand, loosely covered with foil, for 10 minutes. Their internal temperature will rise 10-15 degrees as they stand.
5. Set roasting pan across two burners. Add wine and stock, along with any meat juices from platter, and deglaze by boiling over moderately high heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits, for 1 minute. Continue to boil until reduced to about ½ cup, about 3 minutes. Season sauce with salt and pepper and serve with chops. (I considered this step optional and not suited to a grill pan, so  didn't prepare the pan sauce.)

Fish Fillets en Papillote

Daring Cooks July Challenge: en Papillote
Our July 2012 Daring Cooks’ host was Sarah from All Our Fingers in the Pie! Sarah challenges us to learn a new cooking technique called “Cooking En Papillote” which is French and translates to “cooking in parchment”.

I've been aware of this technique for ages, but wrote it off as too fussy and more than a little intimidating. Why mess with wrapping with paper? won't the fish get mushy? and on and on the excuses went as I talked myself out of any attempt to cook en papillote. Bad move, cuz this technique rocks! Note to self: be more adventurous more often!

Most of my prep time went into selecting ingredients, skimming some recipes for ideas and mentally tasting the different flavor combinations. Choices, too many choices, and I wanted to try them all. I settled on two contrasting combinations. Mediterranean: fennel, kalamata olives, tiny tomatoes, garlic, capers and a pinch of lemon zest. Asian/fusion: lemon, ginger, sesame, scallions, sesame oil, mirin and sweet Thai chili sauce. Following that I sped on to skin the steelhead fillets and chop a few vegetables - sped on? well, that took mere minutes. Next I cut four parchment rectangles and was ready to roll, fold and tuck.

Cookbook recommendations for oven temperature ranged from 350 to 450 F, too wide a range for comfort, and cooking times ranged accordingly. Playing it safe, I settled on an already-proven 15 minutes per inch of thickness at 425 F. It worked beautifully with our 1-inch thick steelhead fillets, though I did open one packet to check for doneness after 12 minutes. 

RL practically swooned after his first taste of the Mediterranean packet, consuming it all before he even tried the other preparation. I opened both of my packets at the same time, savoring the aromas, tasting a bite from one then a bite from the other, back and forth. My favorite was the blend of Asian ingredients; the sauce alone was tasty enough to eat with a spoon, maybe toss in some rice to soak up the last drop. I'll make both of these variations again and again... the Capt. would love fish en papillote weekly. 

Mediterranean Steelhead Fillet en Papillote

1 steelhead fillet, skinned & deboned, blotted dry

set atop ¼ cup julienned fennel

topped with

            light sprinkle of salt and freshly ground pepper

            ¼  tsp capers or green peppercorns

            ¼ tsp minced garlic

            pinch of mixed Italian spices

            6 grape tomatoes, halved

            6 kalamata olives, halved

            spray of fennel fronds

            ¼ tsp grated lemon zest

            drizzle of olive oil

Preheat oven to 425 F.

Layer ingredients in order listed on 10x12-inch piece of parchment paper.

Double-fold the long edge to seal; double-fold  the ends and tuck under.

Place on baking sheet.

Repeat with other fillets. Refrigerate until ready to bake.

Place baking sheet on middle oven rack and bake approximately 15 minutes, depending upon thickness of the fish. At this temperature my oven takes 12-15 minutes per inch of thickness.

Open one parcel a few minutes early to check for doneness; the fish should flake easily.

Serve parcels immediately, still wrapped so each diner can enjoy the fragrant, steamy flavors as they open their individual serving.

Asian Steelhead Fillet en Papillote

1 steelhead fillet, skinned & deboned, blotted dry

set atop 2 or 3 rings of lemon

topped with

            light sprinkle of salt and freshly ground pepper

            ¼ tsp toasted sesame seeds

            ¼ tsp grated lemon zest

            1 green onion, white & green parts, minced & julienned

            drizzle of sesame oil

            drizzle of mirin

            1 TBS sweet chili sauce

Preheat oven to 425 F.

Layer ingredients in order listed on 10x12-inch piece of parchment paper.

Double-fold the long edge to seal; double-fold  the ends and tuck under.

Place on baking sheet.

Repeat with other fillets. Refrigerate until ready to bake.

Place baking sheet on middle oven rack and bake approximately 15 minutes, depending upon thickness of the fish. At this temperature my oven takes 12-15 minutes per inch of thickness.

Open one parcel to check for doneness; the fish should flake easily.

Serve parcels immediately, still wrapped so each diner can enjoy the fragrant steamy flavors as they open their individual serving.