Archive for October, 2008
We have an obsession with Crackers. :)
Ever since we started making our own Prawn Crackers or Shrimp Crackers, we have been using various ingredients including Octopus, King Crab, King Prawn and Saffron, Lobster and Kaffir Lime etc…
Now seeing that Autumn has truly arrived, we are getting loads of Pumpkin deliveries.
Our Pumpkins have been grown in various local allotments, along with other vegetables such as Aubergines (Eggplants), Baby Tomatoes, Onions etc…
When a few crates of Pumpkins arrived to our kitchens, various dishes were cooked up including Purees, Soups, Spanish “Cocidos” and “Sankaya” Desserts.
However, a few days ago when we served up some King Crab Crackers as a pre-dinner snack, one couple sent them back to the kitchen because they were vegetarians. :(
Now, there is no need to hide my feeling about vegetarians (grrrrr), but it got me thinking. ;)
Why not make some Vegetarian Crackers? :idea:
After a few attempts, we realised that the best results came from steaming the fruit (yes, it is a fruit, regardless of what some people may say ;) ), before mixing it with the flour and less water than we normally would.
The first few attempts showed us that we needed to season the mixture a little more than usual. (We base all our Cracker Recipes on our original King Prawn Cracker Recipe (500g Prawn, 500g Tapioca Flour, Salt, Sugar and White Pepper)).
After many, and I mean many attempts, we also realised that we had to allow the steamed fruit to cool before mixing with the flour, before adding the boiling water.
The addition of extra white pepper really made a difference in the finished product.
In their dried state they look like hard brittle chips, however, when thrown in to 180º C sunflower oil, a beautiful transformation occurs.
A Crumpet is a British savoury bread which has a wonderful dense spongy texture. In our version we decided to add some Golden Enoki Mushrooms.
The nutty flavour of the Enoki goes well with the buttery flavour of the Crumpet. The bread is best grilled before serving, which gives it a slight crunch, before giving in to the springiness underneath.
For the topping we blended some Tofu with Miso and a dash of Sesame Oil.
I first remember seeing Pitaya´s or Dragon Fruits on a cart being dragged along the (then) dusty roads of Vientiane by an elderly lady.
She would stop every 50 metres or so and ring a small bell, signalling to the Lao housewives that she had fruits to sell. Her long cart would hold wonderful exotic fruits including Mangoes, Magosteens, Longans etc..
By far the prettiest was the Pitaya. They grow on Cactus like trees, and the wonderful name “Dragon Fruit” stems from Chinese origin (fire dragon fruit).
Those that have tasted them before will tell how sweet the flesh is, surrounding the 100´s of small seeds similar to Kiwi seeds, though crunchier.
So you can imagine how surprised and happy I was to see this fruit again, and how eager I was to use it in the kitchen, but another surprise awaited me…
All the Pitaya´s I had eaten and seen Laos and Thailand had white flesh, and when I cut open the ones in our kitchen I was greeted with this vibrant glistening redness.