This week we hosted two dinner parties with dear friends and it gave me the opportunity to make several dishes that were inspired by dishes we had in Seattle and Alaska.
The theme of the first party was "recipes inspired by summer travels" so it was perfect timing. The cruise ship had a wonderful sushi restaurant and by far the best menu item was their beef ramen slider. The buns were piles of ramen noodles which ended up being the perfect vessel for a slider. I decided to put my own twist on it by making Asian Pork Ramen Sliders. These were juicy, incredibly flavorful, and fun to eat!
I seasoned the ground pork with soy sauce, ponzu, sambal, garlic, ginger, black vinegar, sesame oil, scallions, and Szechuan pepper. While the burgers were waiting to be grilled, I cooked the ramen noodles (about six ounces) in salted water for about four minutes, and then I placed equal portions of noodles into twenty-four muffin cups. I baked them at 350 degrees for about twenty-five minutes, or until they were firm but still chewy and had a slight crust on the bottom to be able to hold the burgers.
I grilled the burgers for several minutes per side until done, and then I assembled the sliders as shown below. I garnished with a drop of Japanese mayo, Sriracha, and fresh cilantro. You'll never miss the bun with these sliders!
Another delicacy we discovered in Alaska was Salmon Rillettes. This is basically a chunky salmon spread and is so delicious made with good Alaskan Sockeye salmon. It is typically served with crusty bread or crackers. The recipe starts by cutting the salmon into one-inch pieces and poaching it in white wine with shallots. I know, we could stop right there and be perfectly happy! I drained the salmon and shallots, reserving the cooking liquid for another use (too much flavor to waste!) and combined with fresh smoked salmon, fresh chives, mayonnaise, and lemon juice.
I served in on a platter with a tomato salad and fresh bagel chunks. The longer it sits, the better it tastes! Not to mention how beautiful it is, AND very low in carbs!
For dessert, I made a quick and simple Strawberry Vanilla Crunch Swirl Ice Cream. As a time saver, I used store-bought vanilla ice cream which I thawed just enough to be spreadable. I put half of the ice cream into the dish, topped with a mixture of fresh strawberry slices and strawberry jam (which I cooked together for several minutes and cooled), and a layer of strawberry crunch which I made by crushing and mixing freeze-dried strawberries and shortbread cookies. Then I repeated with the other half of the ice cream, strawberry mixture, and crunch mixture. Back into the freezer for several hours and when we were ready, it was the perfect dessert for a hot summer day! Other travel inspired dishes prepared by our friends included Elote Corn Dip from Mexico, Fried Salmon and Chips from Alaska, and Ginger and Cinnamon Cookies from Europe. We also had some wonderful wine from Napa.
Wednesday night was the second of our two dinner parties so I was able to experiment even more! We started the evening with my new Frozen White Peach Sangria which is so refreshing on a hot day. I simply blended frozen peaches, peach nectar, rose (or white) wine, peach schnapps, and a touch of brandy. I had some fresh red grapes in the refrigerator which worked as a garnish.
While we enjoyed the cocktails, we also had some small bites including these delicious Zucchini Cheese Tarts. I shredded the zucchini, squeezed out the water, and mixed it with fresh chives, a beaten egg, milk, parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese, almond flour, salt, and pepper. I spooned the batter into greased mini-muffin tins and baked until golden brown. These are SO good and very low in carbs. But they are addicting too! We also had salmon and caper crostini which were prepared by our friends.
The first course was my Shrimp in Garlic Sauce which is not only inspired by the seafood in Alaska, but also my favorite dish at Tio Pepe's restaurant in downtown Baltimore. I have blogged about this in the past and I have been working on the recipe for some time now, since Tio Pepe's actual recipe is top secret. I have to say this time may have been the best it has turned out, after multiple tweaks over the last few months. Many of you have asked for the recipe and I will be publishing the FULL RECIPE for all of you very soon.
This dish screams for a good bread to sop up the extra sauce, which is actually the star of the dish so I made Herbed Bread by using a loaf of frozen white bread dough. I thawed it, stretched it onto a sheet pan, and brushed the top with olive oil infused with fresh herbs from my garden.
The second course was a delicious stone fruit salad prepared by our dear friends. It was exactly what we needed as a lighter dish in between the shrimp and the main course.
I read that while in Seattle, you must try a Banh Mi sandwich which is a delicious pork sandwich with pickled vegetables. Our very first meal in Seattle was a restaurant in the famous Pikes Place market and of course, I ordered the Banh Mi. The hype was justified! I decided to transform it into something a bit more elegant so I made Deconstructed Banh Mi. I slow cooked pork tenderloin for six hours in a mixture of soy sauce, ponzu, jalapeño peppers, crushed garlic, salt, pepper, and brown sugar. After six hours, I removed the pork to rest before slicing, and thickened the sauce with a corn starch slurry.
To serve, I put the pork on a bed of white rice and topped it with pickled radishes, cucumber, and carrots which I made earlier in the day using white vinegar, red wine vinegar, salt, and sugar. It only takes thirty minutes to pickle, but I let the vegetables sit for an hour for even more flavor. I finished the plates with a drizzle of the sauce, fresh lime, and cilantro. It may look and taste restaurant quality, but it can be our little secret that this is SO EASY. Anyone can make this!
Our dear friends also made dessert which consisted of Lemonade Ice Box Pie and a decadent Chocolate Pots de Crème. When you put a bunch of true foodies in the same room, you know the menus will be spectacular! Look for the Shrimp in Garlic Sauce recipe to be posted later today.
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