Yuzu Tempura Shrimp and Black Pepper Sudachi Chicken Salad

Recently, on a weekday, after a disappointing trip to a farmers' market, I ended up not having any ingredients that I was counting on to make dinner that night and had to come up with something else quickly. These two delicious light Japanese fusion style small plates, Yuzu Tempura Shrimp and Black Pepper Sudachi Chicken Salad, were a successful result of my last-minute experimentation. Both dishes featured Japanese citrus juices from Marx Foods. On a side, I also served crispy fried noodle cakes sprinkled with celery salt.



Yuzu Tempura Shrimp

Ingredients:

1/2 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons brown sugar

1/4 cup Yuzu juice
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup flour
1/2 egg
8 large shrimps, tails on
Safflower oil
Baby romaine lettuce leaves (optional)

Directions:

In a small saucepan, combine rice vinegar, soy sauce, honey, and brown sugar. Bring to boil and then simmer to reduce by about a third. Cool to a room temperature.

In a bowl, combine Yuzu juice, water, flour, and egg. Do not overmix. Heat oil in large saucepan. Dip the shrimp in batter and deep fry in batches until golden. Drain on paper towels. Serve on top of baby romaine lettuce leaves, with dipping sauce.




Black Pepper Sudachi Chicken Salad

Ingredients:
1 cup chopped poached chicken breast
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Sudachi juice
1/4 cup crushed pineapple
1 tablespoon black pepper
Salt to taste
Baby romaine lettuce leaves

Directions:

Mix chicken, mayonnaise, Sudachi, pineapple, black pepper, and salt in a bowl. Spoon the chicken salad onto the baby romaine lettuce leaves.

Three-Chile Glazed Grilled Tuna, Yuzu Sorbet, Crispy Udon Noodle Cakes

This grilled tuna dish features Yuzu juice, one of the Japanese citrus juice samples that I got from MarxFoods. Yuzu is has a complex taste with a blend of orange, tangerine, lemon and grapefruit. The Yuzu sorbet is very refreshing and delicious on its own, and provides an excellent cooling contrast to the heat of the spicy three-chile glaze. The glaze itself also contains a bit of Yuzu as well, infusing it with hints of tangy citrus and resulting in tuna being very flavorful. The crispy Udon Noodle cake is a great accompaniment to the tuna and the three-chile glaze.


Ingredients:

Yuzu sorbet
1 cup Yuzu juice
1 cup coconut milk
4 tablespoons agave syrup
2 tablespoons sake or vodka

3-chile powder
5-6 dried habanero chiles
5-6 dried chile de arbol
5-6 dried japones chiles

three-chile glaze
1 tablespoon oil
1 clove garlic
1 tablespoons 3-chile powder (2 for extra spicy)
1/4 cup tamari sauce
1/4 cup Yuzu juice
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons mirin

tuna
1 large tuna steak
Salt, olive oil

Udon noodle cakes
3 oz uncooked Udon noodles
1 green onion, chopped
3-chile powder to taste

Directions:

Yuzu sorbet

Blend yuzu juice, coconut milk, agave, and sake together with an immersion blender in a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a freezer for about an hour or until mostly frozen. Let it stand at room temperature for a few minutes to thaw and then blend with an immersion blender again. Place in a plastic storage container and refreeze for at least two hours before serving.

3-chile powder
Toast all the chiles in the hot skillet for a few minutes, turning occasionally. Grind into powder in a coffee or a spice grinder.

three-chile glaze



Heat oil in the skillet, add garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the 1 tablespoon (or to taste) of 3-chile powder and mix with garlic, then pour tamari sauce, yuzu juice, rice vinegar, and mirin. Bring to boil and then simmer until the mixture thickens to light syrup consistency.

tuna
Prepare the grill. Sprinkle tuna lightly with olive oil and salt. Grill for 30 seconds per side, then brush on both sides generously with 3-chile glaze and grill for 20-30 seconds more. Brush with more glaze and let it rest for a minute, then slice.

Udon noodle cakes

Cook the Udon noodles for a few minutes in salted boiling water, drain. Let the noodles cool a little, when cool enough to handle, form into small rounds. Then let the noodle rounds cool to a room temperature.

Heat the oil in a skillet. Press green onions into the noodle rounds and sprinkle lightly with 3-chile powder. Fry for about a minute on each side or until crispy and golden.

to serve:

Arrange the tuna slices around the Udon noodle cakes, brush with additional 3-chile glaze. Place a dollop of Yuzu sorbet in a middle, just before serving.

***

This post is scheduled during my June/July summer break. As always, I appreciate all of your wonderful feedback and will return your comments when I come back. Thank you, everyone, for following along with my culinary adventures.

Product Review: Newtons Fruit Thins

As part of Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, we received Newtons Fruit Thins to sample. These crispy and delicious cookies feature whole grains and real fruits and make a terrific snack for kids.



5 Star Foodie Junior:

Today, I tried Newtons Fruit Thins with Cranberry Citrus Oat flavor. These cookies were crispy and crunchy. They taste citrusy with a touch of honey. I liked that flavor combination especially the honey taste. The honey taste must have come from the oats. There was only a little bit of cranberries which was good because I thought that the cookies would be even better without them. We made ice cream sandwiches with vanilla ice cream and the two Newton Fruit Thins, and it was really delicious because the honey taste really went together with vanilla ice cream.

Cashew Crusted Halibut, Champagne Mango Puree, Sudachi-Miso Vinaigrette

This is a light and gourmet meal that is easy to put together quickly. The nutty halibut pairs wonderfully with the sweet tropical flavors of the mango puree and rich tangy umami flavors of the unique Sudachi-Miso vinaigrette. To make this vinaigrette I used Sudachi juice that I got as a sample from Marx Foods. Sudachi is a Japanese citrus fruit, related to Yuzu, with tart flavors of lime and spicy hints of pepper and cumin.

Sudachi-Miso Vinaigrette
2 tablespoons butter
1 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons red miso paste
1/4 cup mirin
1/2 cup Sudachi citrus juice

Cashew Crusted Halibut
1 cup unsalted raw cashews
1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs
1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
pepper to taste
1 egg, beaten
4 Pacific Halibut filets

Champagne Mango Puree
2 Champagne (Ataulfo) mangoes, peeled, sliced
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
Salt to taste

Directions:

Sudachi-Miso Vinaigrette

Melt butter in a skillet and add onions. Saute the onions for about 5 minutes on meidum heat, stirring, then add sesame oil, miso paste, mirin, and Sudachi citrus juice. Bring to boil, stirring and making sure that the mixture is smooth, then simmer for just a few minutes. Transfer to a mixing cup and blend with an immersion blender. Strain and keep warm.

Cashew Crusted Halibut

In a food processor, combine cashews, panko breadcrumbs, salt, and pepper. Pulse until the cashews are finely ground. Heat 2-3 tablespoons of oil in a skillet. Dip halibut filets into egg, and coat with cashew breadcrumb mixture. Fry halibut for about 2 minutes per side or until golden brown.

Champagne Mango Puree

Combine mango slices and ginger in a food processor and puree. Season with salt to taste.

to serve:

Serve the cashew crusted halibut over mango puree and drizzle Sudachi-miso vinaigrette over the fish and around the plate.

***

Due to the busy end of the school year and my upcoming vacation, I will be taking a blogging break for the remainder of June and most of July. Please enjoy reading my upcoming posts that I have scheduled during this period of time. As always, I appreciate all of your wonderful feedback and will return your comments after my blogging break. Thank you, everyone, for following along with my culinary adventures.

Stracciatella Gelato

Hello to all of the readers of 5 Star Foodie! My name is Emily and I write the blog Cleanliness is Next to Godliness. It is such a pleasure to be here with you today! I have been a big fan of Natasha’s for quite some time. I am amazed by the way in which she is able to explain gourmet recipes in a matter that we mere mortals can grasp and replicate. She is simply amazing!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I will never forget the first time I ate gelato. After I had taken my first bite, I was strolling down Via della Paneterria in Rome, listening to the sounds of the birds singing their afternoon song and children’s laughter. The sun kissed my face as I watched a group of nuns quietly whisper and smile as they crossed in front of me. A man resembling Fabio had mistaken me for a young Sophia Loren.

The euphoric state continued with different muted sounds of love. Off in the distance, I could hear the faint sound of horns. No, not the sophisticated tone of a horned instrument, but something a bit different, perhaps similar to the shrill beeping of a car horn. I realized I was crossing the street without looking and the horn was intended for me!

After I waved an apologetic gesture, I looked around me. I suddenly became aware of my surroundings. I was no longer on the Via della Paneterria in Rome! I was strolling down Chestnut Street in Philadelphia! I peeked into a store window. Any resemblance I previously had to Sophia Loren was shattered by my gelato mustache and chocolate adorned shirt. In fact, I never was in Rome! My feet had never left the hot Philadelphian pavement.

Yet, after one bite of gelato, I was transported to a place that I have only ever dreamed of! Oh, to only recreate that experience so that with each first bite, I can suddenly look like Sophia Loren! I’m dreaming big here.

Ladies and gents, I present to you Italy in a bowl (or a cone!) with this Stracciatella Gelato.

Ah, looking at the picture I can just smell the chocolate through the screen. ....Or is that my coworker’s hot chocolate?!

Stracciatella Gelato

Yields: 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients

2 cups whole milk

5 large egg yolks

2 TBS pure vanilla extract

3/4 cup granulated sugar

½ cup heavy cream

½ cup bittersweet chocolate chips

2 tsp canola oil

½ tsp kosher salt

Directions:

1. In a medium sized bowl, combine egg, sugar, and salt. Stirring until well combined.

2. Heat milk and vanilla in saucepan over medium. Bring to a light simmer. Reduce heat to low.

3. SLOWLY add the egg mixture to the milk (don’t add it too quickly unless you want scrambled eggs!) and make sure to not like the milk boil. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, or until a candy thermometer reaches 170 degrees. Voila! You have your custard base!!!

4. Remove from heat and add cream. Refrigerate overnight.

5. In a microwavable bowl, combine chocolate and oil. Melt the chocolate and set aside.

6. Using an ice cream machine, add the custard mixture. Process for approximately 25 minutes.

7. After 25 minutes, pour in the melted chocolate mixture and process for another minute.

8. Serve immediately and ENJOY!

Please check out more of Emily's fantastic recipes at her blog Cleanliness is Next to Godliness.

5 Star Foodie Junior: Strawberries with Balsamic Vinegar and Vanilla Ice Cream

Welcome to the June edition of 5 Star Foodie Junior, a series of monthly posts that feature my daughter learning how to cook in the kitchen. This post features Oro Nero Aged Balsamic Vinegar of Modena that Justin from Marx Foods sent to my daughter for her birthday.

5 Star Foodie Junior:

A few weeks ago, in May, it was my birthday. Justin from Marx Foods sent me a birthday surprise present, and it was a special balsamic vinegar.



The balsamic vinegar smelled like dried cherries. He gave us a tip on how to make his favorite dessert with this vinegar and strawberries. We got some fresh strawberries from a local Virginia farm and we made the dessert.

This is how I made it. First, I sliced the strawberries.



Next, I put the strawberries in a bowl and added three tablespoons of sugar. Then, I put two tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and mixed it all up.



I let the strawberries marinate with vinegar for a while.



When the strawberries were ready, I poured them and the syrup that the strawberries and the balsamic vinegar made over vanilla ice cream. The combination of strawberries, balsamic vinegar, and vanilla ice cream was really delicious.


Thank you, Justin, for sending me this wonderful present!