Salted Chocolate Chip Cookie by The Salty Spoon: An Homage

Salted Chocolate Chip Cookie by The Salty Spoon

When I attended the Food Blog Forum in March, I tasted this delicious chocolate chip cookie sprinkled with grey sel de mer. It was a fantastic combination of savory and sweet, with a back note that was reminiscent of rich toffee. Up to that point, I couldn't recall another cookie leaving such a favorable impression on me.

Along with several other food bloggers, Bria of The Salty Spoon brought tasty, homemade treats for the rest of the forum attendees. I will admit now that I took several of her cookies to hoard for myself. My favorite sweet treat, above all else -- above cakes, pies, even cupcakes -- is a warm, slightly chewy chocolate chip cookie that isn't too sweet and sans nuts. I didn't know that what I was really seeking was Bria's salted chocolate chip cookie (and a month later, Momofuku Milk Bar's Compost Cookie)!

The little sprinkle of grey salt on top was the veritable icing on the cake with this cookie. It added the perfect contrast and depth of flavor, elevating it far above the ordinary chocolate chip cookie. I pestered Bria over the months for her recipe, and now it is available to all of us on her blog.

The photo above was taken after I got home from the Food Blog Forum five months ago. Go check out Bria's blog and make a batch. You will love them!

Asian Turkey Burgers for Light Summer Meals

It's been far too long since my last post! In a nutshell, I have been logging some heavy-duty hours at my new job. I also moved out of the desert and back to LA County (yay!), so there has been little time to catch my breath, much less blog, but now I'm back!

With the biggest barbecue holiday just behind us, I wanted to share my recipe for a lighter version of the traditional burger. The patties are smaller than the usual patty; I'm not sure why I prefer it like this. It may have stemmed from a dish my mom made for me about 15-20 years ago. I think she called them Korean hamburgers, and they were about two inches in diameter and sprinkled with sesame seeds. I haven't been able to replicate them exactly, so instead I did my own version of these mini patties using ground turkey.

My recipe incorporates green onion, ginger and fish sauce into the ground turkey. You can even add Thai sweet chili sauce to the ground turkey mixture if you like. It's definitely a recipe you can improvise with the flavors you like.

Instead of a bun, I like to serve two or three mini-burgers wrapped in artisan leaf lettuce. I top the patties with Thai sweet chili sauce and garnish with some slivered carrots and cucumber for additional crunch. I love cilantro, so I like to add this, too, but, of course, don't feel compelled if you fall into the "cilantro-tastes-like-soap" camp. A sprinkling of toasted sesame seeds completes the dish.

Asian Turkey Burgers

1/2 cup finely chopped green onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 egg, beaten
1 Tbsp. fresh ginger, minced
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
Couple dashes of fish sauce
1-2 teaspoons sesame oil (or to your taste)
1-2 Tbsps. Thai sweet chili sauce (or to taste)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup fresh bread crumbs (I've used dry bread crumbs, and it's turned out fine, too)
1 pound ground turkey

2-3 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds for garnish
Washed artisan leaf lettuce (or your favorite lettuce)
Slivered cucumber
Slivered carrots
Cilantro leaves, optional
Thai chili sauce

Directions:

Mix green onion with garlic, egg, ginger, soy sauce, fish sauce, sesame oil, Thai sweet chili sauce and black pepper. Stir until combined. Mix in bread crumbs. Crumble ground turkey and gently combine together with bread crumb mixture.

Wet hands lightly with water and make small patties, approximately 2 inches in diameter. Brown in pan until fully cooked. I use a meat thermometer to make sure the turkey has reached 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

You can keep the patties warm on a sheet pan in the oven at 180 degrees F.

When you are ready to eat, place 2 or 3 patties on a large leaf of lettuce. Arrange strips of carrot and cucumber on top. Garnish with cilantro leaves and sesame seeds. Top with Thai sweet chili sauce.

Mexican "Grilled" Corn - A Great Summer Side Dish

Summer is nearly here, and fresh corn on the cob will be beckoning us to enjoy its plump, sweet kernels. I love corn on the cob, and it wasn't until a year or two ago that I came to enjoy the splendor of corn fresh from the field. Madison Street Produce runs a farm stand just a hop-skip from our home, and their produce is picked fresh daily.

Madison Street's corn was a revelation! So delicate and sweet, with kernels that burst forth at the lightest touch. This was the complete opposite of corn that I grew up eating -- kind of tough kernels with moderate corn-fresh flavor. I dubbed Madison's corn, "crack from the field," not to be confused with "crack from the oven," aka, Momofuku Milk Bar's Crack Pie.

Evidently, I have some sort of crack fixation... :)

In any case, I want to share with you my Mexican  "grilled" corn, adapted from Cooks Illustrated's fantastic recipe. I use quotes around "grilled" because I cheated and used my stove to attain the char marks you see. I will say that it's worth it to grill the corn properly because my attempt to imbue some flavor through this method did not work. The stove-top treatment made it look grilled (kind of), but it didn't impart any of the wonderful smoky flavor you would get from the coals.

Dishy Goodness Mexican "Grilled" Corn
(adapted from Cooks Illustrated )

1/4 cup Vegenaise (feel free to substitute regular or light mayonnaise; we just like Vegenaise a lot more)
3 TB sour cream
3 TB minced fresh cilantro leaves
1 medium garlic clove, minced or pressed
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
4 tsp juice from 1 lime
1 oz grated Cotija cheese (it's worth it to find this cheese instead of substituting something like Pecorino)
6 large ears of corn, husks and silk removed

Instructions
Cook corn per your favorite method - boiling water; microwave; etc. Just don't overcook it.
**EDIT: If you plan on grilling your corn, the directions are a little different. PM me at donna {at} dishygoodness {dot} com, and I can send you the recipe for either charcoal grilling or gas grilling. Just let me know which method you prefer. :) **

In a large bowl, combine Vegenaise, sour cream, cilantro, garlic, 1/4 teaspoon chili powder, black pepper, cayenne, lime juice and cheese. Check seasoning for desired flavor.

Place cooked corn directly over stove flame, turning regularly with tongs to achieve char marks. Remove to platter when done.

Add charred corn to mixture and toss to coat evenly. Serve immediately. I like to provide additional lime wedges with the corn.
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Please let me know if you try this recipe or have any suggestions! It's so, so tasty.

P.S. If you are in the mood for real grilled Mexican corn, and don't want to make it yourself, check out Cacao Mexicatessen in Eagle Rock!

Dishy Goodness Home-Cooked Turkey Chili

So I have these dishes that I've cooked and documented, just sitting on my portable drive. . . and I thought it was high time I got around to posting one. So here you are! My recipe for turkey chili with two kinds of kidney beans (yes, two!). I think I can *just* sneak it in before the weather gets too hot to think about chili (at least here in the desert!).

I usually don't stick to a recipe religiously. I like to see what I have in the fridge and pantry and then go from there. I'm sure many of you do the same. I usually have a lot of canned tomatoes and canned beans in my cupboard and ground turkey in the freezer.

On this day, I decided to use red and white kidney beans. I also had some "Kangaroo Cheddar" from Costco -- a nutty cheddar from Australia. We bought the cheese mainly because the logo is a boxing kangaroo, and it was too cute to resist. :) Fortunately, it's also a tasty cheese!

The base of the chili was the classic mirepoix - onions, celery and carrots. You can throw in some bell pepper if you like. If you have red bell pepper on hand, a tasty addition is roasted red pepper puree. It adds a great depth of flavor to your chili (or soup!), and it's so easy to do (please leave a comment or email me at donna [at] dishygoodness [dot] com if you want specific directions on how to make the roasted pepper puree).

After softening the onions, celery and carrots, I browned the ground turkey. The mirepoix was then combined with the meat. Sometimes turkey is a little "gamey" for me, so to cut that undesired flavor, I add liberal dashes of Worcestershire sauce.

I like to add soy sauce, Maggi sauce and red wine vinegar to further create savoriness with a little bit of acidity. Of course, chili powder and a little cayenne provide spice and heat. Use to your desired spiciness. Or if you have jalapenos or serrano or other chiles, feel free to substitute as you like. I added a fine mince of serrano as a garnish on my chili. Add the canned tomatoes with their juice and simmer for twenty minutes.

That's pretty much it! Taste for seasoning and enjoy with your favorite garnishes. It's really a dish that you can improvise with what you have on hand. I like to make a big batch so I have meals prepared for most of the week. It tastes great over rice, too!

P.S. Here's the turkey chili recipe I used as the foundation for my dish. I left out the cumin. (Link opens in a new window.)