Banh Mi Burger for #WeekdaySupper

Banh Mi Burger for #WeekdaySupper

Before I begin with my dish, please first let me explain my absence in the last two weeks: I have been busy packing my things for a move. As you're reading this, I'm spending my first full day as a metro Seattle resident. Mrs. Stuntman and I decided to relocate primarily because I had been living in one of the most expensive regions in the country. Why Seattle? It's a short plane ride away from my daughter's grandparents, better schools than in California and the region's reputation for coffee and seafood. I also respectfully request a couple of weeks to get settled before I publish new dishes here.

Earlier this month, I published a sirloin steak dish for #SundaySupper sponsored by The Beef Checkoff so I chose a different cut of beef to display the flexibility of beef, this time for an evening after returning home from the office. In case you haven't already, please 'Like' them on facebook in addition to following them on twitter, pinterest and #SundaySupper's own beef pinterest board. In the interest of full disclosure, this post is sponsored by The Beef Checkoff. All opinions are my own. This dish is not traditional, by any means, but has been adapted from the traditional Vietnamese version.

The Challenge

Demonstrate the versatility of beef in a dish appropriate for a weeknight preparation.

The Source

Adapted from a recipe found on Food & Wine magazine's website. I reduced the amount of spice by omitting the jalapeños and decreased the amount of Tobasco because I don't like heavily spiced foods.

Ingredients

1/2 cup julienned carrots
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons Tobasco
2 teaspoons tomato paste
1 clove garlic, minced
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 pounds ground beef (I recommend an 80/20 mixture)
1/2 tablespoon curry powder
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
1 24-inch baguette, quartered crosswise, then each quarter cut in half length-wise
Cilantro sprigs, for garnish

Method

1. Finish the mise en place. Preheat the oven to 400⁰ Fahrenheit. Combine the carrots, rice vinegar and sugar in a small bowl and let them steep for 10 minutes. Then remove the carrots with a slotted spoon to set aside and discard the pickling fluid.

In a separate bowl, combine the mayonnaise, Tobasco, tomato paste and garlic, then season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Separately, combine the ground beef and the curry powder then season with salt and pepper. Form the ground beef mixture into four oval-shaped patties, approximately 6 inches long and 1 inch in length. In addition, spread the butter on the cut side of each piece of baguette.

2. Cook the burgers and toast the baguette. Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the burger patties and cook, turning once, approximately 6 minutes per side for medium doneness. While the burgers cook, place each baguette piece on a foil-lined sheet tray, cut side up, and place in the oven, toasting the baguette until lightly browned, approximately 5 minutes.

3. Assemble the burgers. Spread the seasoned mayonnaise onto each baguette half and top one slice with a burger patty. Garnish with the pickled carrots and cilantro sprigs, then top each burger with the remaining halves and serve hot.

Successful?

Despite it not being traditional, it was one of the most well balanced burgers I've prepared. The spice in the mayonnaise balanced out the acidity of the carrots and the savory burger patty. I'll definitely repeat.

Before you go, I present a preview of the other #WeekdaySupper dishes that will appear later in the week. Please check them out.

• Tuesday, August 26th: Secret Ingredient Sliders by girlichef
• Wednesday, August 27th: Deluxe Cheeseburger Kabobs by Bobbi's Kozy Kitchen
• Thursday, August 28th: Asian Beef with Peppers by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Friday, August 29th: Steak Quesadillas by The Foodie Army Wife

Presenting: Giada's Asian Chicken Salad

Giada's Asian Chicken Salad

Earlier this week, the weather was warm locally so I told Mrs. Stuntman that I didn't want to heat up the kitchen and settled upon a chicken salad instead. A quick search yielded a salad recipe from Giada I found on Food Network's website. I substituted chopped walnuts for slivered almonds and omitted the chow mein noodles because I forgot to purchase some when I went shopping for ingredients. It made a perfect dinner on a hot day.

Unlike the last time I promised this, I will be back Sunday with a dessert. Until then, I hope those reading this in the United States have a delightful Independence Day filled with great food, family and/or friends, and fireworks.

Light Stunt: Salmon Teriyaki

Salmon Teriyaki

One dish that is in my weeknight dinner rotation is the chicken teriyaki dish I published two years ago. I'll prepare it about once or twice per month. Recently, Mrs. Stuntman requested salmon for dinner one evening so I found a recipe for it in my new Chef Carla Hall cookbook when it occurred to me to compare the two teriyaki sauces.

The Challenge

A recipe contest: Is America's Test Kitchen's teriyaki or Chef Hall's teriyaki better?

The Source

Adapted from page 92 of Carla's Comfort Foods: Favorite Dishes from Around the World by Carla Hall with Genevieve Ko.

Ingredients

1/4 cup packed brown sugar (light or dark is fine)
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon rice vinegar
1 1-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced into thin disks
1 garlic clove, smashed with the side of a knife
4 6-ounce center-cut salmon fillets
2 green onions, sliced thin (for garnish)
1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds (for garnish)

Method

1. Place broiler rack 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the broiler to high. In a small saucepan, combine the first six ingredients and bring to a boil, stirring the mixture so the sugar dissolves. Reduce the heat and simmer until the mixture thickens, approximately ten minutes. Once complete, remove the ginger and garlic with a slotted spoon and discard.

2. Place the salmon fillets on a foil-lined sheet pan and broil until the fillets are opaque on the surface, approximately five minutes. Remove from the broiler and glaze the sauce onto the fillets and return to the broiler until opaque on top, but still translucent in the center, approximately three minutes. Remove from the broiler and let it rest to allow for any carryover cooking. Transfer the salmon to serving plates and garnish with the green onions and sesame seeds. Serve with steamed white rice.

Successful?

In a word, yes. It's subjective, but Mrs. Stuntman liked Chef Hall's better.

Light Stunt: Kale Salad with Balsamic Vinegar, Almonds and Parmesan plus a #SundaySupper Super Stars Feature

Kale Salad with Balsamic Vinegar, Almonds and Parmesan

Yikes! Has it really almost been two weeks since I gave you my last dish? Time certainly has escaped me but I have some great things planned in the next couple of weeks.

If I can be candid for a moment, I really haven't prepared anything new that's suitable here or I'd prepared dishes that I've already published here such as my rice and chicken dish and my short ribs dinner.

I was able to prepare this kale salad during my time off and thought it would be perfect to note here to hold you over while my other projects materialize. I didn't make many adaptations from it so let me refer you to Elise of Simply Recipes for the recipe.

One of the things in development was a feature with Isabel of Family Foodie and founder of #SundaySupper Movement called Sunday Supper Super Stars where one member is highlighted each Friday and this week is my turn. If you're a long time reader, you'll learn an interesting fact about me that I've yet to discuss with you here. Click on Sunday Supper Movement to view it.

Beer Braised Szechuan Chicken Wings for a Game Day Entertaining #SundaySupper with Gallo Family Vineyards

Beer Braised Szechuan Chicken Wings

I alluded to my love for football about a year ago with a quick pasta dish. I will further specify that I grew up a fan of the San Francisco 49ers, so I laughed when I read the theme for this week's #SundaySupper event with Gallo Family Vineyards, Game Day Entertaining and Pairings, because fans of my team used to have a reputation of being soft (i.e. the wine and cheese crowd) which contrasted with the fans of the other team across the San Francisco Bay. (On a side note, I was relieved when San Francisco lost to Seattle because I don't think Kaepernick would have been able to keep up with Manning, but that's an entirely different discussion.)

If you're unfamiliar with Gallo Family Vineyards, they have a store locator where you can find their wines, and can be found on facebook, twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. They also have a fun crest creator which you can customize. I did one myself you can see below. In the interest of full disclosure, compensation was provided by Gallo Family Vineyards via Sunday Supper, LLC. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author, and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Gallo Family Vineyards.

GFV also sponsored a previous #SundaySupper event last month. During the twitter chat that week, a portion of the discussion centered around Moscato, which I had never tried. I was intrigued so when I was selected to participate in this week's event, I selected their white Moscato to use for my dish, however I hadn't realized it was a sweet wine when I did. I prefer dry wines such as chardonnays and cabernets because I usually pair them with savory dishes if I'm enjoying a glass with dinner or cook with them. I'm not really a dessert guy and can't appreciate sweet cocktails so I did a google search for wine pairings and one suggestion for Moscato was Chinese food. Many spicy dishes in their cuisine pair well with the sweet wine.

The Challenge

Pair a sweet wine with a spicy appetizer.

The Source

I adapted a chicken wings dish on Cooking Channel's website I thought would make for great game day entertaining.

Ingredients

2 pounds chicken wings, wing tips removed, then cut at the joint
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
1 teaspoon Szechuan peppercorns, dry toasted until fragrant
5 dried red chiles, crushed
1 bunch scallion greens, cut in 2-inch pieces
1 star anise
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 12-fluid ounce bottles ale beer
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup corn starch
1 cup all-purpose flour
Vegetable oil, for frying
1 teaspoon chives, chopped fine (for garnish)

Method

1. Marinate the wings: Combine the wings, soy sauce, sugar, garlic, ginger, five-spice, Szechuan peppercorns, dried chiles, scallion greens and star anise in a resealable bag and toss until the chicken is coated in the marinade. Refrigerate overnight.

2. Braise the wings: Empty the contents of the resealable bag into a large Dutch oven. Add to it the ale and rice vinegar. Bring the oven to a boil on the stovetop then reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until the wings are tender and the meat is almost falling off the bone, approximately 1 hour. Remove the wings onto a platter in a single layer and refrigerate until cold, reserving the braising fluid.

3. Fry the wings: Place enough vegetable oil in a large pot to reach a depth of at least 1 1/2 inches and heat to 375° Fahrenheit. Combine the corn starch and flour, then dredge each wing into the mixture and shake off any excess. Deep-fry the chicken, in batches if necessary, in the oil until deep brown and crisp, approximately 3 minutes, taking care to not overcrowd the pot. Remove the wings with a slotted spoon to a large bowl.

4. Finish the dish: While the wings are frying, place the braising fluid over medium heat and reduce until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Strain out and discard the solids, then return the braising fluid to the heat and whisk in the butter. Pour the fluid into the bowl with the chicken and toss until well coated. Serve immediately garnished with the chives and accompanied by Moscato.

Successful?

I need to confess that I didn't have time to marinate the wings overnight so the spicy flavors were muted, which suits me well since I dislike strong spicy dishes. The spice was just enough to complement the sweet flavor of Gallo Family Vineyards Moscato. Mrs. Stuntman also enjoyed this dish so much that these wings might make an encore appearance on Super Bowl Sunday.

Other Sunday Supper Participants

And finally, please check out this week's other Sunday Supper contributors:

• Bacon Wrapped Maple Scallops by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Balsamic Glazed Cauliflower "Wings" by Cupcakes and Kale Chips
• Bean and Chorizo Dip by Foxes Love Lemons
• Beer Braised Szechuan Chicken Wings by Crazy Foodie Stunts
• Blue Cheese Burger Bites by Country Girl In The Village
• Chipotle Quinoa Fritters by Healthy. Delicious.
• Cilantro Lime Marinated Shrimp by Ruffles & Truffles
• Game Day Pepperoni Pizza Dip by Family Foodie
• Game Day Pulled Pork Nachos by girlichef
• Goat Cheese, Bacon, and Pistachio Truffles by Chocolate Moosey
• Grilled Steak Sliders with Chimichurri Sauce by Hip Foodie Mom
• Honey Dijon Glazed Wings by The Foodie Army Wife
• Honey Ham Barbecue by Cindy's Recipes and Writings
• Hot Crab and Artichoke Dip by The Dinner-Mom
• Korean-style Clams by kimchi MOM
• Sparkling Pomegranate Pinot Punch by Magnolia Days
• Spicy Sausage Rolls by The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen
• Spinach Balls by Shocklingly Delicious
• Spinach Lasagna Cups by Alida's Kitchen
• Sweet Potato Skins by The Wimpy Vegetarian

Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET.  Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. Check out our #SundaySupper Pinterest board for more fabulous recipes and food photos.

Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.