turkey twice tastes so nice

if any of you are like me (*shudder* to think!), turkey is the necessary evil you have to deal with in order to enjoy all the tasty side dishes at thanksgiving. (mmmm creamy mashed potatoes, candied sweet potato casserole, stuffing...and, um, harvest vegetable casserole [long story].) i can't quite figure why this is - after all, i like chicken, duck, pheasant. but turkey: just not a huge fan. such a...poultry option. get it: POULTRY option?! hahahahah- ok, never mind. but seriously, when i say i'm "not a huge fan," i mean i think turkey is just "bleh."

of course, when suz sent us off on thanksgiving night with several containers of leftovers, i took the turkey thinking to myself "well, THAT'll go right into the compost." (i used my inside voice / internal monologue, so don't worry nobody heard.) that said, i held onto it, being the eternal optimist that i am (please, contain yourselves). after all, you never know.

so call me only half surprised tonight (like i said, you never know) when i found myself reading the thanksgiving issue of martha stewart (i shan't say *where* i was when i was perusing said issue) and came across a recipe that i just had to try. so i texted (of course, cuz i hate the phone) the hubby and asked him to bring home a carrot, cucumber, jalapeno, and a baguette on his way home.

the recipe is for a vietnamese turkey sandwich (banh mi). yeah, i know, right? *i* never thought of it either, and yet, it's totally brilliant. (impossible??) i actually didn't end up using the recipe in MS, but it's definitely the inspiration for the recipe below. don't worry so much about the proportions - a little bit more or less of anything isn't going to make that much a difference - it'll be pure deliciousness regardless. oh and, p.s. the hubby doesn't really like turkey either, but he agreed with me: tonight's sandwiches were tasty!

enjoy!

Vietnamese-Style Turkey Sandwich (Banh Mi)

1 small cucumber, thinly sliced crosswise

1 medium carrot, julienned

1 jalapeno, thinly sliced crosswise (seeded, if you can't take the heat [ahem])

1 small shallot, thinly sliced

1/4 cup rice vinegar

2 tsps sugar

1 tbsp mayonnaise

1 1/2 tsps Sriracha

2 tbsps good quality extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp Asian fish sauce

1 tsp soy sauce

8 oz. cooked turkey, sliced (dark or white meat - whatever you prefer)

12" baguette

1/3 cup packed cilantro sprigs (for those of you who like cilantro. YUCK)

Cut off round ends of baguette, slice lengthwise, and toast lightly.

In a medium bowl, stir vinegar and sugar, add cucumber and carrot and let marinate for 10 minutes. In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise and Sriracha. In another small bowl, combine olive oil, fish sauce, and soy sauce.

On bottom baguette layer, spread mayonnaise sauce. Layer cucumber slices, jalapenos, carrots, and onion (add cilantro here if you're using. YUCK). Then arrange sliced turkey on top of vegetables. On top baguette layer, spread fish sauce dressing. Assemble, and cut crosswise in half (if necessary, use toothpicks to support sandwich). Serves 2.

makin' whoopie

for the past two years in a row, the fultzes hosted a superbowl party at their digs down in MV. this year, though, they had the nerve to schedule their annual vacation to st. john (that would be the usvi, in case you were wondering, muffy) for superbowl xliii. *hmph!*

on top of not being able to hang out with the fultzes, this ill-timed vacation of theirs also meant my getting the heisman on enjoying suz's most tasty tribute to her PA roots: the whoopie pie. in case you're unfamiliar with this particular delicacy (and it seems like lots of people are), i thought it would be helpful to include a description from wikipedia:

"A whoopie pie...is a baked good traditional to the Pennsylvania Dutch culture as well as New England, made of two small, chocolate, disk-shaped cakes with a sweet, creamy frosting sandwiched between them. In Western Pennsylvania they are known as 'gobs.'

They are popular both as a simple dessert or as a snack food. They can be purchased...at Amish farmers' markets throughout Pennsylvania, Indiana, Virginia, West Virginia, and Ohio and are often found in restaurants and gift shops throughout Pennsylvania Dutch Country. "

considering the pittsburgh steelers were playing this sunday, it seemed only right that we continue the whoopie pie tradition, you know, to honor the PA component of the superbowl. (naw, of course, it had nothing to do with my wanting to eat whoopie pies. none at all. none. at. all. ...) the recipe originally comes from gourmet, with a few changes, because i prefer chocolatier whoopies (heehee) than that particular recipe seemed to make. also, i don't use marshmallow fluff (i have no idea what sort of eggs the people at marshmallow fluff use, but i'm pretty sure they're not using pastured ones), so i've included a recipe for marshmallow cream as well. yes, it's an extra step; no it's not hard at all, and worth it if you want to be sure about how all your junk food is made. recipe below, enjoy!


Whoopie Pies

Cakes
1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 cup high-quality cocoa powder
1 1/4 tsps baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg

Cream Filling
2 cups marshmallow cream (recipe follows)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups confectioners sugar
1 tsp vanilla paste

Cakes
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 2 large baking sheets. Whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a bowl until combined. Stir together buttermilk and vanilla in a small bowl.

Using stand mixer, beat together butter and brown sugar at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes, then add egg, beating until combined well. Reduce speed to low and alternately mix in flour mixture and buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour, scraping down side of bowl occasionally, and mixing until just smooth.

Spoon 1/4-cup mounds of batter about 2 inches apart onto baking sheets. Bake in upper and lower thirds of oven, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until tops are puffed and cakes spring back when touched, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Cream Filling
Beat together butter, confectioners sugar, marshmallow cream (recipe below), and vanilla in a bowl with electric mixer at medium speed until smooth, about 3 minutes.

Assemble pies
Spread a rounded tablespoon filling on flat sides of half of cakes and top with remaining cakes.

Makes 10 whoopie pies.


Marshmallow Cream Filling
3 large egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
2 tbps granulated sugar
1/3 cup water
3/4 cup light corn syrup
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tablespoon vanilla paste

In a very clean glass or metal bowl, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar until light and foamy. With the mixer still running, sprinkle in the two tablespoons of sugar. Continue beating until soft peaks form. Set aside.

In a small saucepan, mix the water, corn syrup, and granulated sugar together. Cook over medium heat until it boils and comes to the firm ball stage (242-246°F). Immediately remove syrup from heat.

With mixer on low, add syrup into egg whites in slow stream. Continue to beat on high for six minutes or until the cream is very fluffy. Beat in vanilla paste. Yields approximately 3 cups.

peking good duck!

i'm not the biggest fan of american-style chinese food. and when i say "not the biggest fan," what i really mean is that i don't like it at all. it all just tastes the same to me - greasy, brown, and salty. if i wanted to feel the desperate need to drink gallons of water, i'm pretty sure i could come up with better ways. (and have, in fact.)

now, not liking chinese food wouldn't really be a problem, except for the fact that the hubby actually very much enjoys it (after all, he's a nice jewish boy from nj... whom yes, i met after moving 2.5K miles from nyc to california. my brother had a good laugh over that irony.). so, every now and then on a random weekend i suck it up and go to eliza's for some chinese food action. and why on a weekend you wonder? well, cuz that's when the restaurant makes their peking duck special, and i happen to LUV peking duck. the crispy skin, the hint of sweetness combined with the sharp twang of scallion, the wonderfully rich duck, surrounded by a pancake or a soft, warm bun...ooooh yummy, what's not to love about peking duck?

of course, the only issue with ordering peking duck is that i can't exactly gorge myself as i would like. drives me nuts. so imagine how the (rusty) gears in my head started to turn when on the weekend before christmas, the very nice guys at prather ranch mentioned they had about 50 heritage breed ducks on hand for the holiday season from a friend's farm "up north." mendocino? oregon? no idea. i suppose i should have asked, but i was busy excitedly shouting: "i'll take TWO, please!" in the throes of the strangest impulse buy i've made yet, that i completely forgot.

the prather ranch man who was helping me widened his eyes a bit, but was nice enough to oblige. i purchased a pekin and a muscovy and scurried away before he could change his mind. (i also bought 8 packages of hot dogs that day. he asked me if i was having a hot dog party. (wasn't - WAS a *corn-dog* party, and a post for another day) apparently he had ruled out the possibility that i was having a duck party. what gives??)

one the best parts of peking duck is the crispy skin. how do you make sure you get the crispiest skin possible, you wonder? by drying it out overnight in the fridge and roasting it. sounds strange, maybe, but it works like a charm every time. (this method works with roast chicken, too.) the recipe i use for peking duck is extremely simple - the only difficult part is finding the "five-spice" powder. if you do have trouble finding it "pre-mixed" you can make it yourself: 4 tbsps each whole peppercorns, whole cloves, cinnamon sticks, fennel seeds, and 12 whole star anise; grind, then mix together well. store in cool, dark place.

super easy peking duck recipe below. serves 4-6 people (or, um, 1, if you're a greedy little glutton like me. *sheepish grin*) enjoy!


Peking Duck
1 large pot 3/4 filled with boiling water
1 whole duck
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup salt
1 tsp five-spice powder
1 cup molasses

Scallions, white and light green parts only, cut into 2" pieces and julienned
Hoisin sauce
Mandarin pancakes or mantou buns (available in frozen food section in Asian markets)

In a small bowl, combine sugar, salt, and five-spice powder. Soak duck in boiling water. Remove when skin changes color. Sprinkle inside of duck with five-spice powder mix. Rub skin of the duck with molasses, then truss with string and place duck, uncovered, in refrigerator overnight.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F and roast the duck until thigh reaches 165. Let rest for 20 minutes, then carve skin and and meat. Serve with hoisin sauce, scallions, and pancakes or buns. Serves 4-6 people.