Saturday, May 24, 2014

Hallie's Onigiri

I created this Onigiri recipe about two years ago, when I would surprise my boyfriend with home made lunches.  I love sushi, and I love the idea of a Bento Box - something that gets you excited to see what was made from scratch just for you, as opposed to getting excited about which take out place you're planning on ordering from. So much love and thought goes into it!

While this recipe is not traditional in any way, it is amazing and delicious - especially to my American palette.  For all the creative chefs out there, this recipe is very open for substitutions and ultimately the filling can be anything you want it to be.  The traditional dish has fillings like squid, tuna with mayonnaise, pickled fruits and vegetables, or green onions- but varies in the different regions you order it.  Hallie's Onigiri is made with allrecipe's Firecracker Grilled Alaska Salmon, cream cheese, and jalepenos.

Ingredients:

For the Firecracker Salmon: 
1 4-6 ounce fillet of salmon
1/2 cup peanut oil
4 tablespoons soy sauce
4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
4 tablespoons green onions, chopped
3 teaspoons brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon salt

For the Rice:
1 cup of rice
1 1/4 cup of water
2 sheets of Nori
1/4 cup room temperature cream cheese
1 Jalapeno


My method of baking varies from the allrecipe's grilling method.  Start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees.  Mince the garlic, and add of the ingredients (besides the salmon) into a bowl and whisk.

Place your fillet of salmon in a glass baking dish that is covered with tin foil.
Brush on the marinade and bake for about 12 minutes.  Save the sauce, and brush on additional marinade after the salmon has cooked.


Add the rice and water to a large pot and bring to a boil.
Once the water has begun to boil, cover and simmer on low heat for 25 minutes.  

Remove the Nori from its packaging, and note the perforated lines.

Cutting along the line, create as many strips as you will need for your Onigiri Pieces, I made 6. 
Put these strips off to the side.  These will act as a way of handling these super sticky rice balls without getting your hands dirty when you are trying to eat them!.  If you want to get creative and add faces or nori designs to your onigiri, now is a good time to cut these shapes out of the nori.
Move your rice into a convenient bowl to put all the ingredients together.  Have a ramekin of water on your works pace in case you need to dunk your fingers - this allows you to handle the rice without it sticking to your fingers.
Remove the salmon from the Oven, and brush on more marinade.

Divide the fillet into bite sized pieces to act as the filling for your onigiri.  
Put the salmon pieces on a plate in your work space.
Add a dollop of room temperature cream cheese to the top of each portion.
Dice Jalapenos finely, and add to the top of the cream cheese. 

Finally - Begin the Onigiri!  Place a square of cellophane down on you table, and spread a thin layer of rice down first.
Add the filling to the center.  To make this easier I put the first layer down like a bird nest, compressed in the center with more rice around the edges.
Add more rice on top of the filling.
Pull the edges of the cellophane up and start to compress the rice together.
Twist the top to remove and air from inside the cellophane, and mold into a triangular shape by spinning the onigiri on your table.
Once the rice ball has formed, open the cellophane.  You will notice one side is flat from pressing it against the table, and the top is rounded.
Add the strip of Nori while it is still in cellophane.  For best results, start the nori strip low on the rounded side of the rice ball.  The strip will extent farther on the flat side, which creates the best hand hold.

And here we have it! Hallie's Onigiri!  This recipe is great to pack in lunches, or to eat for a fun dinner!
Add Faces and Designs! Enjoy!

The Super Buger (w/ 'Special' Sauce!)



This recipe is one that I created on the fly when putting together a quick burger for me and the fiancé. With cheddar cheese and jalapeño bits inside, and topped with bacon and Yellow Copper cheese, this burger is the ultimate in guilty pleasures.


For 4 big burgers, gather the following ingredients:

1 lb ground beef (85/15)
4 onion rolls
4 strips of bacon, cooked
1/4 cup cheddar cheese (or whatever you prefer!)
2 tbsp BBQ sauce (I used Sweet Baby Ray's)
2 tbsp steak sauce (I used A.1.)
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
1/4 tsp sea salt
jalapeño pepper, de-seeded and diced
dab of butter (~1/4 tbsp)

"Special Sauce" is really just:

1/2 cup mayonnaise
3 tbsp ketchup
1 tbsp horseradish
1 tsp sriracha hot sauce 

People make burgers in many different ways - I tend to change it up myself depending on the ingredients I have on-hand and the mood I'm in that day! You can add eggs, breadcrumbs, cheese, or veggies to our burgers depending on the consistency and flavor you are going for.

Here's how I made my burger's today:

First I diced the jalapeño and set aside. I used only half of a pepper because I was only using them in two of the four burgers.


Combine ground beef, BBQ sauce, steak sauce, mustard, and seasonings.


Fold the mixture gently until consistency is...consistent. I made two batches - one with jalapeños and one without.


Shape into four equal sized patties. 

Note: When I am not using any sort of filler in my burgers, I usually make a point to depress the middle of the patty about 1/4 of an inch so the middle does not rise.
Put a large frying pan on medium-high heat and allow the pan to get HOT. Once the pan is hot, hot place the dab of butter in the center and coat the pan with a thin layer of butter. Quickly place the patties on the hot pan before the butter starts to burn.

Reduce heat slightly and cook each side of the burger for 4-5 minutes, flipping once. The key is to sear the outer edges of the beef and lock in the flavor. We like our burgers slightly-charred on the outside and medium to medium-rare on the inside.


I grilled four onion rolls on a flat frying pan, first coating the pan with a thin layer a butter on medium heat.


Place your burger on the bun and top with bacon, cheese, and whatever condiments you like! Serve with a mixed green salad or sweet potato fries.

I made a 'Special Sauce' by mixing together mayo, ketchup, horseradish, and sriracha hot sauce.


Enjoy!

- Chef Genny













Friday, May 23, 2014

Broccoli and Cauliflower Cheddar Soup

Thisoup is enough to convert anyone from Panera Bread to home cooking! This thick, creamy, and wonderfully complex soup is easy to make, and who isn't impressed by a home made bread bowl?  The smoked gouda adds a rich flavor to the broth and highlights the vegetable flavors.  I created this soup based on an old 5 ingredient slow cooker recipe, which my Mom gave to me when I first started cooking!

Ingredients:

3/4 stick of butter  

1/2 of a medium yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups half and half
3 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup corn starch
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 bay leaves 
1 bag of shredded carrots
2 bags of broccoli and caulifower mix (or about 6 cups)
8 oz grated sharp cheddar cheese
4oz Applewood smoked gouda
Salt and Pepper to taste 
Bread Bowls (I used a Mini French Boule)

Begin by chopping the onions and mincing the garlic.  It is easy to achieve perfectly even chopped onion pieces by first cutting the onions horizontally and vertically, before turning on it's side to make the final chop.




Cook the butter, onion, and garlic with some salt and pepper on medium heat until tender, for about 10 minutes.  

Add the half and half and chicken stock slowly into the pot.



Whisk the corn starch, which will act as a thickening agent, with a little bit of water until there are no clumps and add it to the rest.

Add the nutmeg and bay leaves and cook on medium low until thickened.

Break down your broccoli and cauliflower by making sure each piece is bite sized (it has to fit on a soup spoon!) and discard the tough stems. 

Give the shredded carrots a rough chop.


Add the carrot, cauliflower, and broccoli and simmer until tender. Discard the bay leaves.

Once the vegetables are cooked to perfection, remove 3 cups of the soup and puree in a blender.  Add this back into the pot to create the desired texture of this soup

Finally, Add the cheese and stir until melted. Season with salt and pepper and serve in bread bowls!





To make the Bread bowls, Toast one french boule in the oven until lightly toasted.  I used the lowest setting on my oven and left the boule in for 7 minutes.  

Once it has toasted, cut a top out of the bread by holding the knife on a 45 degree angle, very similar to carving a jack o lantern.

Remove the soft bread inside the loaf to hollow out your bread bowl.

Add soup, and serve!  Fantastic!
-Chef Hallie