It shouldn't surprise anyone who knows me that I'm a foodie. After two major surgeries, the loss of 100 lbs., and the switch to a vegetarian diet, being a foodie has forced me to become more creative - and careful - but hasn't diminished my appreciation for yummy nibbles.
I also love reading - perhaps more than anything else. So when my friend Stephanie invited me to join a group that is both a book club and a cooking group, what else could I say but "Yes"?
The book we read was, "Confections of a Closet Master Baker" (the kindle edition is available here: http://www.amazon.com/Confections-Closet-Master-Baker-Hollywood/dp/B002MHOCQM ) by Gesine Bullock-Prado (yes, Sandra Bullock's sister). The assignment was to choose an ingredient mentioned within and either craft a recipe around it, or simply choose
one of the recipes from the book itself. Part of the challenge involved sharing the experience with the other participants via blog... only, I didn't actually have one.
I was told this wasn't actually a problem, but as I started getting into the project, the more I felt like I wanted to share. So, here it is!
The ingredient I chose was apples. Bullock-Prado includes a healthy of recipes utilizing this fruit, and I latched onto it for my ingredient for a few reasons, none of which make a lot of sense, but I guess that doesn't matter. 1) We grow apples in our backyard, and I hate to see them go to waste! 2) My dad loves apple pie. 3)I'd seen this recipe once for Apple Spring Rolls that I'd been wanting to try.
I looked up and read a few different variations on a recipe for Apple Spring Rolls, but all were different and not quite what I was looking for. So, taking note of basic measurements, I decided to do something quite daring and create my own recipe! So, here it is, my very own creation: Tofu Spring Rolls with Caramel Sauce.
Confession: despite being a foodie my whole life and a vegetarian for less than a year, I've never cooked with tofu before. I knew that tofu was used in egg rolls, so decided this was as good a time to experiment as any! I bought a block of extra firm tofu (sadly, I can't
remember exactly how much, so estimation? 2"x 3"x1"?) and began by soaking it in orange juice for approximately one hour.
The apples from our tree were on the small side, and since we don't use pesticides (woo!) there were spots on them I'd have to remove. I peeled, cleaned, cored and then diced the apples until the pieces were fairly small in size. Putting them in a bowl, I added some lemon juice (3 Tbl.) and set it aside to soak for 15 minutes.
Taking the tofu from the orange juice, I crumbled it into small piece
s before adding back 1/3 of the orange juice. Putting 1/4 cup of raisins (I would have used golden, but only had the regular kind) into the remaining orange juice, I sat that aside to plump for 10 minutes. To the tofu I added 1/2 tsp of Nutmeg and 1 tsp. of Pumpkin Pie Spice, and mixed it all together.
Note: I'd like to play around more with the variety of spices used, so feel free to experiment here!
Mixing the two components together, I let it sit for a while till it was cool eno
ugh to handle.Setting that aside, I then mixed 2 Tbl. of cinnamon and 1/2 cup of granulated sugar
together and, using 1/4 cup of the mixture, I tossed it with the apples. Melting
4 Tbl. butter in a pan, I sauteed the apples until softened (not too soft - about 10-15 minutes). Removing the apples from the pan and putting them into a bowl to cool, I put the tofu mixture into the pan to warm slightly - maybe 5 minutes.
I used Azumaya All Natural, Large Square Wraps - a 1 lb. package. brushing the inside with
melted butter (used about 4 Tbl.) an
d sprinkling them with the remaining cinnamon/sugar mixture, I started out following the instructions on the back of the package, which suggested putting 2 Tbl. of filling in the center of the wrap. After a while I got wise and started putting the filling below the center points.
To fold the spring rolls, put the wrapper down so that it looks like a diamond facing you, brush with butter, sprinkle with cinnamon/sugar and place two Tbl. of filling in the middle of the bottom half of the wrapper. Fold the bottom point of the wrapper up - tight, but not so that it tears - tucking the tip under, if necessary. Next fold the sides in, making sure to tuck in the corners! Folding these rolls reminded me of dressing an infant - so many bits to tuck in a
nd keep in place! With the sides folded in, make sure the filling is kept tucked inside and roll the bundle over into the shape of a fat cigar.
Next, fill a pan with canola oil so that the rolls are at least half-way covered while frying. Heat to 350 degrees and drop the rolls into the oil, turning when they become golden. Drain on a paper towel, and cover with powdered sugar.
For the Caramel Sauce, stir the following ingredients together in a saucepan: 1/2 cup light corn syrup, 1/2 cup light brown sugar, 4 oz. butter, 1 tsp. vanilla extract, and 1 Tbl. rum (I used imitation rum extract because we didn't have any rum in the house). Drizzle the sauce on top or serve on the side! Alternatively, you could serve these with yogurt - I'd think a nice berry flavor!
So, while I was making this yummy dish, my dad wandered in and asked me to make him cornbread. So I did. I used the recipe on the box of cornmeal, so I wont bother repeating it here. I also made a double batch of chocolate chip cookies, just because. They came out perfect - yummy and still slightly gooey. I still believe that the best recipe for chocolate chip cookies is found on the back of a bag of Nestles' semi-sweet chocolate morsels, so that's the recipe I used. The results of my efforts are below!
Questions? Comments? Recommendations? Love to hear 'em!
