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Vietnamese Shrimp Summer Rolls with Spicy Dipping Sauce
Seared Fresh Tuna AND Seared Pounded Chicken Breasts with Lime, Soy, Ginger and Sesame
Asian Cucumber and Avocado Salad
Sesame Noodles
Simple but Spectacular Late Season Plum, Polenta and Ricotta Cake with Vanilla Creme Fraiche
About the Class
Fall is here. It's an incredibly busy season but also the time of year when people yearn to reconnect with friends not seen since June. A great time for entertaining but not one to be spending infinite hours behind a stove. More and more these days I'm leaning toward "prepare-ahead," and at this jam-packed time of year, accomplishing as many steps as possible in advance is a necessity. Life becomes so much easier and entertaining so much more enjoyable. And not for your sake alone. Guests too have a better time when their host is relaxed and at the table rather than stuck in the kitchen.
This fall menu-- flavor-packed Asian-fusion--garners rave reviews while simultaneously super easy. Only the Summer Roll first course is not drop dead child's play. Good news however: the components can be made ahead as can most else on the menu. Only the avocados for the salad need to be managed at meal time.
I've been serving these spring rolls for 30 years and it's still the best recipe for them that I know. Make the filling a day or two in advance and the spicy dipping sauce weeks ahead. Assemble the rolls up to 24 hours ahead, or if your party is on the casual side, have everyone join in and make their own like we do in class. It's an ice-breaking activity (if that sort of thing is still a thing) and lots of fun!
The sliced seared tuna in combination with lime juice and zest, good soy sauce, dark sesame oil and toasted sesame seeds is absolutely classic. The condiments with pounded and seared chicken breast is not classic but is also divine. To get ahead of the game, earlier in the day, sear, cool, slice, garnish and refrigerate the tuna and/or chicken. Bring to room temperature to serve. Alternatively both the chicken and the tuna can be seared last minute and served warm.
Sesame noodles rank high on most people's lists. This version is simple but tasty and can be made up to 3 days in advance. I make it with super-thin whole wheat spaghetti, but noodle options are many and include gluten-free. There is nothing to say about the Cucumber-Avocado salad except that it takes 5 minutes to prepare and everyone loves it. Make it ahead but add the avocados last minute to make sure they remain green.
The polenta cake is also a classic and can be made with figs, berries, peaches, nectarines or cherries as well as with the plums we'll use in class. Sometimes I make it in winter using pears and ginger or apples and cinnamon. I like it in combination with the tartness of vanilla creme fraiche but you can serve it a la mode or with whipped cream or just as is. The cake is not overly sweet and makes great breakfast fare as well.
I hope many of you will join me for this class. The menu is great and easy and the recipes are all keepers as they fit so easily into all sorts of other menus.
And of course I'd love to see all of you once summer is behind us.