THAI NIGHT FROM FOOD FOR THOUGHT WITH CLAIRE THOMAS

Thai Night

My near obsessive love for Thai food has been well covered on my blog.  It's my go to when I can't bother cooking for myself, and I'll never stop marveling at the perfect balance of savory, sweet, spicy, and fresh, that great Thai manages to hit every time.  

But making Thai food, or any food from a culture that's not your own, can be intimidating.  There's unfamiliar ingredients, techniques, and rules to the kitchen, and sometimes it can be infuriating that you can't get a seemingly simple dish like noodles, to turn out like the ones you order from down the street.  So for today's episode, I feature some of my favorite dishes that are Thai inspired, rather than authentically Thai. Fresh herbs, plenty of spice, and quick simple dishes that are so delicious, you'll find yourself making them again and again. 

Minced Chicken Lettuce Cups

Make in a large dutch oven.

1/2 cup rice, dry

1 pound ground chicken

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 lime, juiced

1 garlic clove, minced

2 tablespoons fish sauce 

1 tablespoon Thai chili powder (or regular chili powder)

2 tablespoons green onions

1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped

1/2 cup basil, roughly chopped

1/4 cup mint, chopped

1/2 cup red onion, finely sliced

2 tablespoons palm sugar (or brown sugar)

up to a 1/4 cup Toasted Rice Powder

1 head butter lettuce (very round)

Place rice in an empty 12-inch skillet and heat over medium-high heat, shaking constantly until rice is golden brown and toasted, about 5 minutes. Transfer to mortar and pestle and grind until it has the texture of cracked black pepper, or use a spice grinder, and set aside. 

Note: The dried rice powder is for texture, so use as much or as little as you like.

Put a skillet over medium high heat, add the oil, then add the chicken. Cook for about 4 minutes, then add lime juice, garlic, fish sauce, and chili powder.  Cook for another two minutes, until the chicken is cooked through, and transfer to a large bowl and cool for 5 minutes.  Add herbs, sugar, and toasted rice powder. Toss with hands and taste for seasoning, adding more chili if higher heat is desired.

Serve immediately with butter lettuce on the side.

Pan Fried Noodles with Basil and Chili Vinegar Sauce

Make in a large dutch oven.

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon molasses

1 tablespoon fish sauce

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons green onion, thinly sliced

1/4 cup basil, chiffonade

2 eggs, lightly beaten

8 ounces wide rice noodles, cooked and drained

Chili Vinegar Sauce:

1/2 cup white vinegar

1 tablespoon fish sauce

1 tablespoon white sugar

10 Thai chilies, thinly sliced

Combine the vinegar, fish sauce, and sugar in a small pot over medium heat, and cook until the sugar is dissolved.  Add the chilies and cool to room temp.

Combine soy sauce, molasses, fish sauce, and ground pepper in a small bowl. Heat a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat, add the oil, and once the oil is hot, add the garlic.  Cook for about 10 seconds, just until golden brown. Add the rice noodles and toss until separated and heated through. Push the noodles to the side, add a little oil to the empty part of the pan if it needs it, and pour in the eggs.  Lightly scramble the eggs until cooked through.  Add the soy sauce mixture, green onion, and basil. Cook for another minute or two until everything is coated.  Serve with the chili vinegar sauce for garnish.

Fresh Northeastern Thai Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce 

For 10 rolls

1 packet Vietnamese rice sheets

10 lettuce leaves, (butter lettuce or frilly romaine) cut crosswise into 1 inch strips

1/2 cup fresh mint, whole leaves

10 fresh basil leaves, whole leaves

1 cup cilantro leaves

1 lb small-medium shrimp, boiled

1 jalapeño, thinly sliced

1 cucumber cut into diagonal thin slices

1 cup carrot, cut into matchsticks

Sriracha, to taste

You can serve this on a platter with a bowl of very warm water, where people build their own, or you can make them ahead and keep them in the fridge.

To make, dunk a rice sheet into the very warm water, and turn, wetting the edges.  Once the sheet starts to feel pliable, lay it on a clean surface and add your desired ingredients.  The rice paper is transparent, so I lay my shrimp down first (usually 3 in a row), and then put my other ingredients on top.  Finish with a drizzle of Sriracha, and roll up like a burrito (fold right and left edges over, then the top one, and then roll towards yourself). Set aside on a platter, and finish the rest. Serve with Homemade Peanut Sauce.

Homemade Peanut Sauce:

1/4 cup coconut milk, canned (light preferably)

1/2 cup chunky peanut butter

1/4 cup chicken stock

1 1/2 tablespoons palm or brown sugar

1 tablespoon lime juice

1/2 tablespoon fish sauce

1/4 teaspoon sriracha

Blend everything together in a food processor until desired consistency.

Thai Iced Tea 

For 4 glasses

Make with a french press.

4 cups hot water

1 tablespoon half and half

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk

1/4-1/2 cup Thai Tea (a type of red tea)

Add sugar and sweet condensed milk to a pitcher. Put Thai Tea into a French press or large tea bag. Pour hot water over tea and let it steep for 3-5 minutes, until deep in color. Push down the press or pull the bag out. Pour the tea into the pitcher and stir until the sugar and sweet condensed milk are dissolved. Once cool, pour over crushed ice and top the tea with half and half.

PRETZELS WITH HONEY MUSTARD SAUCE

I'm a little bit of a beer nerd. Not a full blown beer nerd.  I can't pronounce brettanomyces, but I did dabble in home brewing, so, I'm somewhere on the spectrum.  The point is, I love beer, particularly Belgian ales and German doppelbock's.  Beer is one of my favorite things to pair with food, particularly because it's so easy. The sweet malt, bright bitterness, and bubbles make beer a natural pairing with salty, fatty foods.  Think cheese, nuts, meat, or any delicious carbohydrate.  That brings me to today's post and video.

Pretzels and beer are a must.  The warm, chewy saltiness of a pretzel calls out for love of a good beer. These ones are classic, but for a decadent twist, sprinkle yours with truffle salt instead of kosher salt.  It's pretty out of control.

Pretzels with Honey Mustard Sauce

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast

1/4 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup warm water (100-110 degrees F)

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1/2 cup baking soda

4 cups boiling water

1/4 cup kosher salt, for topping

Combine the water, sugar and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top. Allow to sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam. Add the flour and oil and, using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until well combined. Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, about 15 minutes. Put the dough into a greased bowl container, cover, and sit in a warm place for about an hour or until the dough has doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line 2 half-sheet pans with parchment paper and lightly brush with the vegetable oil. Set aside.

Bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in an 8-quart saucepan or roasting pan.

In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a 24-inch rope. Make a U-shape with the rope, holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other and press onto the bottom of the U in order to form the shape of a pretzel. Place onto the parchment-lined half sheet pan.

Place the pretzels into the boiling water, 1 by 1, for 30 seconds. Remove them from the water using a large flat spatula. Return to the half sheet pan, brush the top of each pretzel with the beaten egg yolk and water mixture and sprinkle with the pretzel salt (or if you want to be decadent, truffle salt). Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Honey Mustard Sauce:

1/4 cup Colman's dry mustard

1/3 cup rice wine vinegar

1/4 cup honey

2 teaspoons olive oil

2 tablespoons brown mustard seeds

1 large egg

1 teaspoon salt 

2 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch 

Stir together dry mustard, vinegar, 2 tbsp. water, and honey in a medium metal bowl until smooth. Chill, covered, overnight.

Put oil and mustard seeds in a small frying pan and heat over medium heat, covered. As soon as mustard seeds start to pop, about 3 minutes, remove from heat. Let cool.

Bring a medium pot filled with 1 inch of water to a simmer. To mustard-vinegar mixture, add toasted mustard seeds in oil, egg, salt, and cornstarch and whisk to blend. Set bowl over saucepan and cook, whisking constantly, until mustard thickens, 5-10 minutes.

BOTTLE STOCK

Bottle Stock

Wine related products tend to be on the stuffy side.  Covered in grapes, evoking a Tuscan hillside, looking to an older gentleman with intimidating whiskers for approval, wine related wares can be so boring.  Certainly not the kind of thing you want to pull out when company is coming over.  Well, it's time for wine to get fun, and my girl Whitney is just the woman to do it.

Whitney, you might remember, is the voice behind the fantastic wine blog, Brunellos Have More Fun, and the star of the wine pairing series I produce with her.  She's awesome, and unsurprisingly, her new online shop Bottle Stock is awesome too.

Powder coated wine openers, tie dyed leather cocktail napkins and coasters, adorable tags and gift cards - all of your wine giving and drinking needs can be found on her new site.  I'm so excited for her, and absolutely adore her products.  I'm sure you will too :).

www.bottlestockshop.com

BANANA CREAM PIE WITH DARK CHOCOLATE GANACHE & CARDAMOM CUSTARD

I'm generally not a huge banana person, but for some reason banana cream pie is one of my favorites. Creamy, custardy, and cuddled by a flakey pie crust, it's pretty hard to beat.  To heavily gild this lily, I decided to add a layer of dark chocolate ganache and a dose of cardamom.  The bitter richness of the chocolate off-sets the sweet custard, and the cardamom adds a hint of exoticism to this American classic. Enjoy!

Banana Cream Pie with Dark Chocolate Ganache & Cardamom Custard

For Crust:

2 cups graham cracker crumbs

3 tablespoons sugar

4 oz soft unsalted butter

1 teaspoon salt

For Filling:

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1/3 cup cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 cups whole milk

3 large egg yolks

1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise (or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract)

1/2 teaspoon cardamom

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and chopped roughly

For Topping:

6-8 bananas

1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

1 cup, plus 3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

1 tablespoon, plus 1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 F

In a standing mixer or with a hand mixer, combine crust ingredients until a unified dough forms.  Press the crust into a lightly greased 9 inch (at least 1 inch deep) tart pan with removable bottom. Chill in fridge for 30 minutes, then bake for 10, until golden brown and set.  Let it cool completely.

Prepare an ice bath.  Off heat, whisk sugars, cornstarch, and salt in heavy medium saucepan to blend. Gradually whisk in milk, then egg yolks. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean and add the vanilla bean. Whisk over medium-high heat until custard thickens and simmers (but doesn't boil!), about 5-10 minutes. Remove from heat. Whisk in cardamom and unsalted butter bit by bit. Discard vanilla bean. Transfer custard to large bowl over the ice bath; cool completely, whisking occasionally, about 1 hour.

Stir custard to loosen, if necessary.  In a double boiler or a small pot over low heat, melt the chocolate and add the 3 tablespoons of heavy cream. Pour the melted chocolate over the entire crust, smoothing with a spatula.  Cut 2 or 3 bananas into 1/4-inch slices and layer across the crust. Cover with custard, smoothing it into an even layer.  Whisk together the cream, 1 teaspoon of sugar, and vanilla until soft peaks form. Using a small spatula, spread the whipped cream on top of the custard. Refrigerate pie, loosely covered with plastic wrap, for at least 1 hour or up to 2 days.

Just before serving, cut 3 or 4 bananas into 1/4-inch slices, lengthwise. Beginning at the edge of the piecrust, arrange the slices in slightly overlapping rows on top of the whipped cream.  Sprinkle with sugar and burn top with a butane torch (Or briefly broil in the oven.  Careful though, you don't want to melt the whipped cream!).  Enjoy!

CLAIRE'S CHILDHOOD FAVORITES FROM FOOD FOR THOUGHT WITH CLAIRE THOMAS

Claire's Childhood Favorites

If I were to be completely honest about my childhood favorites, corn dogs would get top billing.  It's a little embarrassing, but corn dogs were truly my favorite meal as a child, much to the frustration of my mom, who's a fantastic cook.

But, I obviously can't do an entire episode on Corn Dogs, so I wanted to feature they very close seconds.  The dishes that I'd beg my mom to make, the one's that remind me of Sunday dinners or evenings spent cooking in the kitchen.  Homey, simple, and above all else, delicious, these dishes remind me of my favorite moments of my childhood. I hope you and your family enjoy them as well!

Chicken Pot Pie with Rosemary Biscuit Crust

Made in a 6 quart dutch oven.

3 oz butter

1/3 cup flour

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup milk

1 egg, beaten 

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

2 cups Carrots, chopped

1 cup parsnips, chopped

1 lb whole cippolini onions, skin peeled off

3/4 lb cooked chicken breast, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 1/2 cup Peas, frozen or fresh 

1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped

Pre heat oven to 350 F, with a rack in the center.

In a pot or dutch oven over medium heat, melt the butter and with a whisk stir in the flour.  It should form a loose paste, a roux.  Cook for a minute and gradually add the chicken broth, then milk.  You should have a creamy liquid. If it gets thicker than gravy, add a little more broth or milk to loosen it. Add a little of the liquid to the egg, mix together, then add the egg mixture and nutmeg to the rest of the liquid (this is tempering the egg so it doesn't cook instantly when added to the hot liquid).  Add in the carrots, parsnips, cippolini onions, chicken, peas, and parsley.  Season with salt and pepper.

Put in the oven with lid on for 15 minutes, until boiling hot.  In the meantime, make your biscuits. Take the baking dish out, turn oven up to 425F and top the dish with rounds of biscuits dough and brush with a beaten egg.  Bake for another 20-25 minutes until the biscuits are puffed and golden brown.

Note: It's important that the baking dish is boiling hot when you add the biscuit dough, because otherwise, the biscuits won't cook on the bottom.

Rosemary Biscuit Crust:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup butter, cold and cubed

2/3 cup sour cream

1-2 tablespoons milk

1 tablespoon rosemary, finely chopped

1 egg (for egg wash)

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into the bowl. Drop in the butter and use your fingers to casually mix it in with the dry ingredients. Don’t over mix.  There should still be a few lumps of butter, the size of peas, or even a little bigger. Two minutes or less of mixing should do it. Next add the sour cream, milk, and rosemary. Stir it up into a soft dough. Form the dough into a soft ball. Get a piece of waxed paper and lay it on your counter. Sprinkle the waxed paper with a little bit of flour. Place the dough ball on the flour and knead it about 5 to 10 times. Flatten out the dough with a rolling pin or your hands so it is about 3/4″ thick. Cut into biscuit shapes with a biscuit cutter, or the rim of a clean cup or can.  

Mom's Tuna Patties

For 6-7 patties

2 tablespoons butter

1 onion, finely chopped (2 cups)

4 5-oz cans tuna, drained

1 tablespoon parsley, finely chopped

1 tablespoon chives, finely snipped

1 teaspoon lemon zest

2 teaspoons dijon mustard

2 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons milk

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup Bread crumbs

1 teaspoons dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

1/2 teaspoon paprika

Salt and Pepper to taste

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

Garnish:

Lemon wedges

Tartar sauce

Chopped Parsley

In a large sauté pan, sauté the onions in butter over medium heat for 5 minutes, just until translucent. Season with salt and pepper, and add the tuna meat. Turn on low and add the parsley, chives, lemon zest, and dijon.  Once stirred, take off heat.

Meanwhile, cover the potatoes with cold water and bring to a boil.  Cover with lid and turn to a simmer. Cook for about 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are very tender. Press through a ricer (or using a food mill) into a large bowl.  Add the butter and milk, season with salt and pepper, and stir together.  Add the tuna and onion mixture to the potatoes, and stir to combine. Form the the mixture into patties (they should be the size of fat burger patties) and set aside onto a baking sheet covered in parchment. To make the patties hold together a little better, chill them in the fridge for at least an hour.

When you're ready to cook, set up your dredging station.  This means your beaten eggs in a shallow bowl, your flour in a shallow bowl or plate next to that, and then your breadcrumbs, mixed with oregano, cayenne, paprika, and some salt and pepper, in a plate next that.  Heat up a large sauté pan over medium high, and coat with olive oil and butter.  Coat each patty in the egg, then flour, then breadcrumbs, and pop into the pan.  Don't over crowd the pan.  Cook for 3-4 minutes a side and serve hot. Refresh oil between batches.

Buttered & Minted Peas

The trick here is seasoning the water with salt and sugar for the perfect flavor of peas.

2 bags 10 oz bags frozen peas

2 tablespoons sea salt

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons mint, finely chopped

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Bring a pot of water up to a boil, add the salt and sugar.  Add the peas and cook for a minute or two, until a bright green color.  Strain, and while still hot, add the mint and butter, gently stirring to combine.  Taste and adjust seasoning.

Aussie Style Vegetable Pasties with Curried Ketchup

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove

1/2 cup butternut squash, finely chopped

1/2 cup carrot, finely chopped

1/2 cup potato, finely chopped

1/2 cup turnip finely chopped

1 tablespoon parsley, finely chopped

1 tablespoon worcestshire

1 tablespoon curried ketchup

Salt and Pepper to taste

2-3 sheets frozen pastry sheets, dethawed but still chilled (9 per sheet 3x3)

1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 400F

In a pan over medium heat, add the olive oil and then onions. Season with salt and pepper and cook for about 5 minutes, until the onions soften. Add the garlic, butternut squash, carrot, potato, and turnip, continuing to cook for another 5 minutes. Pour the sautéed vegetables into a bowl and add the parsley, worcestshire sauce, and curried ketchup. Stir to combine and let the mixture cool to room temp while you prep the puff pastry.

On a lightly floured surface, spread out your sheets of puff pastry. Cut them into 4 inch squares using a knife. Spoon about a tablespoon or two of the vegetable mixture into the puff pastry squares, brush the edges with egg, and fold the raw dough over diagonally, forming a triangle. Use a fork to seal the edges. Brush with egg. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Note: These are also fabulous frozen (sans egg wash) for a last minute appetizer)

For Curried Ketchup:

1 cup ketchup

1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated

2 teaspoons curry powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl, taste to adjust the seasoning.

MOM'S KILLER BROWNIES

I usually hate brownies with nuts, marshmallow, and other “filler” in them. They always get in to way of the brownie’s purpose—dense, rich chocolate—or they’re overcompensating for a brownie that’s too fudgey or too cakey or not chocolatey enough. But not so with my mom’s brownie. One little square and you are off in the land of chocolate, dancing in chocolate fountains, taking bites out of chocolate buildings, and flying chocolate kites. My point is they are killer.

The difference is that the walnuts and marshmallow are not there for flavor. The marshmallows completely evaporate, leaving behind a cratered mess that creates a delicious crunch. The walnuts and chocolate chips add density and chewiness to an already rich cake. And like all things that aren’t pretty when you first take them out of the oven, a coat of powdered sugar never hurt anybody.

Cut them into tiny (literally, 1 ½” x 1 ½”) squares and you are ready for an afternoon tea or an afternoon alone on the couch.

Mom's Killer Brownies

Made in a 9x13 baking pan.

6 oz bittersweet chocolate

4 oz butter

4 eggs, room temp

2 cups sugar

1 cup flour

1 tablespoon vanilla

2 cups mini marshmallows

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup broken walnuts

Preheat oven to 350

Melt the chocolate and butter in a bowl over boiling water, then let cool. Beat together the eggs and sugar, then pour in the cooled chocolate. Continue beating while adding flour and vanilla. Do not over mix. Fold in remaining ingredients. Pour into a buttered and floured 9 x 13 pan and bake for 40-45 minutes. When cool, dust with powdered sugar. Enjoy!

TABLETOP TUESDAY: VINTAGE GREEK KEY LIBBEY GLASSES

Vintage Greek Key Libbey Glasses

Believe or not, Jonathan Adler did not invent the Greek Key design.  He's used it to amazing effect, and it fits right into his gorgeous mid century flare, but, with a little Ebay or Etsy snooping, you can find some Greek Keys of you own.

I stumbled upon these lovely little Libbey glasses on Ebay and had to snatch them up.  I love anything gold, so I fell in love with these guys immediately. You can keep them as little glass tea cups (perfect for hot buttered rum or mulled wine) or pop them out of the brass fitting and have dainty little tumblers.  They usually run $2-3 dollars apiece, which for something that looks like it fell right off the Jonathan Adler/Trina Turk/Kelly Wearstler truck, is a steal.

Scoop some up yourself using this ebay search: