Food and Drink – Page 11 – branching out… on a limb

Bale French Sandwiches… FINALLY- We Hit a Vietnamese French Sandwich Shop!

Shrimp Sandwich and Ham Sandwich with egg rolls

I blame it on my dad. It has taken almost a year for Mom to come hang out for a few days all because Dad decided to have foot surgery on one foot, then the other. I know, how selfish of him! Sheesh!!

But, we made it and hoo-doggies, our lunch was good! Or, at least two-thirds of it was.

The lovely mom, showcasing the Bale French Sandwich shop. — Mira Mesa’s Bale French Sandwich shop.

Bale French Sandwiches is a shop in Mira Mesa, part of the greater San Diego area. The web site mentions how they offer a fusion of cuisines, and I’m discovering that there are a lot of Vietnamese and French shops around this part of town. The small shop was hopping when we stopped by right in the middle of lunch hour- it’s always a good sign when you try a new place and see that it is really busy, right?

Here’s our report:

I was expecting to eat my whole ham sandwich as it was just the right size- about a five inch bun. But noooo, I’m here with Mom, remember. In her mind you don’t order for yourself, you are ordering to share. Mom always gets her way with food… she’s four feet ten inches of a taste testing machine, I advise against getting in her way when it comes to food. There went half my ham, but I did get my share of her shrimp sandwich.

Guess who’s sandwich was the best? Hers. I never would have ordered a shrimp sandwich. A Shrimp Sandwich? Really? It was delicious! Way better than my ham, in fact, there was no comparison. I didn’t care for mine at all. I wonder if it was a different kind of ham than one usually sees in a sandwich shop? I’ll have to ask my Vietnamese friends. We wimped out and asked for our sandwiches without jalapeño, and I regret not asking for extra cilantro like Mom wanted to order. Get the extra cilantro!

The egg rolls, by the way, were also delicious. Our combo meals were around five dollars, each for a hot sandwich, two freshly fried egg rolls and a drink. Mighty cheap for a lunch combo, in my book. And Bale also has a super catering menu, I know where I am going to pick up three different large trays of appetizers for a crowd for under $100- Bale French Sandwiches.

What to Do with 50 Pounds of Frozen Ahi Tuna?

You make Rice bowls!

Rice Bowl with Sriracha Tobiko Sauce

Tuna, teriyaki, pre-mixed Sriracha mayo, — Tuna brushed with teriyaki; Pre-mixed Sriracha mayo, “sweetfish” roe waiting to become sauce, next.

1-2 pounds ahi tuna
2 teaspoons peanut oil (or any other vegetable oil)
2 tablespoons teriyaki sauce, or just salt and pepper
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2-4 teaspoons Sriracha chili sauce
1 tablespoon cream (half-n-half)
1 tablespoon tobiko or masago or sweetfish roe
hot, cooked short grain rice
toasted sesame seeds, optional

Sweetfish roe, Sriracha Mayo, cream all mixed up

-Preheat grill. Brush the fish with oil on the bottom (the side that will be down on the grill) and the teriyaki sauce on the top.

-Grill tuna on medium heat until just cooked through, about three to four minutes total (ours was less than one inch thick…), no need to flip over on the grill (there- you have just avoided the big mess that usually accompanies grilling fish… you’re welcome).

-Fish can also be seared and served very rare in the middle. “Cooked” ahi is a very subjective term.

-Mix mayonnaise, sriracha and tobiko/masago/sweetfish roe in a small bowl. You can also use pre-mixed Sriracha Mayonnaise… I cheated.

-Serve a portion of the fish over rice and drizzled with the sauce. We served our rice bowls with shu mai dumplings and edamame on the side.

This recipe was inspired by that fabulous food blog DamnDelicious.net, specifically her recipe “Teriyaki Salmon with Sriracha Cream Sauce.” You should visit that site just to ogle her photos and drool over the food ideas. Seriously, go!

Sweetfish Roe looks the same to me as Flying Fish Roe (tobiko). I think that they are all interchangeable.

Just mayo brand Sriracha Mayo and Earth and Vine Pineapple Sake Teriyaki Sauce

While we liked this recipe overall, (International Boy approved but The Boy had to be made to choke it down), both The Husband and I think that we really would have liked this better with salmon.

But I don’t have 50 pounds of frozen salmon.

I have ahi.

So there.

Ahi Rice Bowls with Sriracha Tobiko Sauce

New Menu Monday- “Snicker Snacks” Chicken becomes Lemon Chicken- Two Recipes!

We love our baked chicken around here. This is one of the first dishes my mom taught me to make, and hers is still king in my book. We have a way of preparing it so that it tastes like one of our favorite snack- Snicker Snacks (the same ones I shared with our awesome school security guards, “SnickerWhat’s-its and Thank Yous,” on 2/3/15). I should call it Snicker Snacks Chicken:

Our favorite baked chicken, with mashed potatoes and broccoli.

This is super easy- In a 9″ x 13″ baking dish, place a quartered chicken (or 8 chicken thighs), skin side up, brush with a mix of 2 tablespoons melted butter and 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce, and then sprinkle with onion powder, garlic powder and Lawry’s seasoned salt; bake at 400 for 25-30 minutes, until the skin is nice and crispy.

We like this served with any vegetable side and mashed potatoes, usually. I think these are the best staple seasonings- Penzey’s Toasted Onion Powder and California Garlic Powder, and Lawry’s Seasoned Salt. Honestly, these are what I reach for every day.

But…

Lemon Chicken photo from Annie's-Eats.com (click to link) — Lemon Chicken photo from Annie’s-Eats.com (click to link)

I switched up the chicken for today’s New Menu Monday, and tried a simple, easy lemon chicken dish:
Lemon Chicken, from Annies-Eats.com

Bake it long enough, do not be afraid, and you will be rewarded with a lovely crisp skin glazed in lemony goodness. I liked this recipe, even though I overcooked it a bit in the end. I think it is because my thighs were of different sizes. That does sound like a personal problem, but I assure you I am referring to the chicken thighs here. Ha.

The Boy liked the usual “snicker snacks chicken” better, The Husband liked it, International Boy liked it well enough, I gave it a Seal of Approval, “I’d Make This Again” Vote. I really liked the fresh lemon flavor… nice and bright. Yum! I highly recommend following the recipe- do not skimp on the fresh, real lemon zest or juice, and use fresh garlic. They really make this dish shine. Great recipe, Annies-Eats.com!

All ingredients assembled... — Ingredients assembled… Annie’s-Eats.com recipe printed out.

Here's mine! Dee-lish! — Here’s mine! Garlic + Lemon = Dee-lish!

Classic Cocktails- The Sidecar as a Friday Nights après Move-In Drink

This is a Side Car. I’ve never had a sidecar until a couple weeks ago.
I highly recommend such a drink after you move your first-born child into her college dorm.

Cognac, Cointreau and lemon juice… how can you go wrong with all of this citrusy goodness? I think this is my new favorite, along with the Sazerac.

Here’s a great link for a recipe that is very close to what I had, right down to the lemon sugar on the rim.
seriouseats.com/sidecarrecipe

The Sidecar Photo from SeriousEats.com — The Sidecar
Photo from SeriousEats.com

America’s Test Kitchen Rice and Pasta Pilaf -or- Home Made Rice-A-Roni!

I grew up eating a healthy mix of home cooking and pre-made junk. Dinner could be Packet of Spaghetti Seasonings + ground beef = Spaghetti Sauce… or maybe fried chicken from scratch. Casserole with Cream O’ Something Soup was just as likely to be on the table as a completely homemade soup- homemade right down to the broth… yum! My mom, grandmother, and later, mom-in-law all had great dishes to pass on. I love to cook and feel indebted to them for sharing.

Once while babysitting, the mom of the house had me finish cooking her son’s favorite dish they called “Hawaiian Chicken and Rice.” It was simply browned boneless chicken breast and pineapple chunks added to chicken flavored Rice-A-Roni. It was great! The kid and I polished the entire dinner and I soon started making it for myself at home. I haven’t thought of that boxed side dish since those baby sitting days, but this weekend I saw America’s Test Kitchen crew prepare their own version and I had to try it…

Click here for the original recipe for America’s Test Kitchen’s Rice and Pasta Pilaf (Homemade Rice-A-Roni!)

Here’s how I made it- the only change made was using salted butter… and skipping the parsley. Enjoy my notes on and mistakes during the cooking process:

Home Made Rice-A-Roni

1 1/2 cups long-grain white rice
3 tablespoons butter
2 oz vermicelli, broken
1 onion, grated
1 garlic clove, minced
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoons salt

1- Place rice in a large bowl and rinse a few times to remove excess starch. Fill bowl with hot water an inch or two above the level of the rice and let it sit for about 15 minutes. I think my water wasn’t hot enough- on the TV show, it was steaming hot. This part helps to par cook the rice, and if the water isn’t hot enough, expect a longer cook time in the end…

2- In a heavy pot, brown the pasta in the butter over medium heat for about three minutes. Watch out- it will turn from light to browned very quickly… in about as much time it takes to snap a picture of it for you blog, for instance, it can go from blond to over browned. Yep.

saute onion and garlic, too — sauté onion and garlic, too…

3- Add grated onion, salt, and garlic. Sauté for 3-4 minutes until clear. Add rice, sauté until clear, another 3-4 minutes. If you thought the pasta smelled great while it browned in the butter, this will smell even better.

...and chicken broth. — …add chicken broth.

4- Add chicken broth, bring to a boil, turn to low and cover for 10 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed. Mine took more like 20 minutes (water wasn’t hot enough to par cook the rice in step one, I think).

5- Let your pilaf finish by resting with a towel between the lid and the pot. Fluff up and serve! I’ve never done this extra step before, with the towel, but I really think it did help keep the pilaf fluffy.

So, how easy was this? About as easy as the original boxed recipe, really. Except for grating the onion… I’ve never grated onion before, and some of my knuckle got into the dish, I think. Ouch. Overall though, it was a pretty tasty side dish!

And most importantly, better than the boxed mix.

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