Hoisin BBQ Chicken Thighs, Asian Slaw, Grilled Peaches, Green Onion (Scallion) Pancakes

Hoisin Marinade

- Chicken thighs, trimmed
- Hoisin sauce
- Orange juice
- Brown sugar
- Blueberry puree
- Soy sauce
- Shaoxing rice wine
- Balsamic vinegar
- Molasses

1. Trim chicken thighs, removing excess fat and skin.
2. Mix together marinade, hoisin should be about 1 cup, cover with orange juice. Add rest of the ingredients; I had some blueberry puree leftover from my gelato making, so I added that in as well.
3. Cook marinade until slightly reduced.
4. Reserve a cup of marinade for brushing on thighs later.
5. Marinate thighs overnight.

Asian Spice Rub

- Salt
- Pepper
- Chinese 5-spice powder
- Garlic powder
- Paprika
- Cayenne powder
- Ground ginger
- Cinnamon

1. Mix together spices.
2. Remove chicken from marinade, sprinkle with spices.
3. Grill 5 minutes each side, at about 375-400 degrees F, or until juices run clear from the bone.
   
4. Remove from grill, transfer to another grill at a lower temp of about 200 degrees F.
5. Brush on marinade, grill each side for an additional 1-2 minutes.
6. Enjoy prodigious lip smacking!

Slightly burned, but no less delicious!

Asian Slaw

- White radish
- Carrots
- Purple cabbage
- Fresh ginger
- Peanut sauce
- Sesame oil

1. Finely julienne radish, carrots, cabbage.
2. Finely grate ginger, and add to radish mix.
   
3. Toss with peanut sauce and sesame oil.

Best served chilled.

Grilled Peaches with Mango Sherbert

- Yellow peaches
- Olive oil
- Honey
- Basil
- Rosemary
- Mango concentrate
- Light cream
- Whole milk

1. De-pit peaches, cut in half.
   
2. Mix together olive oil and honey, brush lightly onto both sides of peach.
3. Sprinkle with dried basil and rosemary.
4. Grill gently.
5. Serve with mango sherbert

I think it was a nice, light summer dessert.

Scallion Pancakes

- 1 cup unbleached AP flour
- 1 cup bleached AP flour
- 1 cup King Arthur's White Whole Wheat flour
- boiling water
- green onions
- sesame oil
- salt

1. Make hot water dough from flour and boiling water.
2. Let dough rest for a few hours.
3. Roll out into rounds, brush with sesame oil, sprinkle with diced green onions, and salt.
4. Roll into a spiral, then flatten.
5. Pan fry.

Nothing beats a nice stack of Chinese green onion pancakes.

Jap Chae

Made my version of the Korean dish jap chae, basically chopped vegetables and sweet potato cellophane noodles tossed with sesame oil and soy sauce.


Jap Chae

- 1 big carrot
- 1-2 squash
- 1 red pepper
- snow peas
- sweet potato cellophane noodles
- sesame oil
- soy sauce
- salt
- pepper
- sugar
- sesame seeds

1. Cut carrots into matchsticks- looks better than using the Microplane.
2. Cut squash and red peppers similarly, but try to vary the widths slightly.
3. Peel and wash snow peas.
4. Sautee carrots, squash, red peppers, snow peas on high heat until softened. Set aside.
5. Boil sweet potato noodles in hot water about 10 minutes, or until softened.
6. Rinse under cold water; use kitchen shears to cut noodles apart into smaller sections.
7. Add sesame oil to new pan, and cook sweet potato noodles.
8. Add 1-2 Tbsp of sesame oil to cooked noodles to prevent sticking.
9. Also add in soy sauce, sugar, mix to taste.
10. Re-add cooked vegetables.
11. Salt/pepper to taste.
12. Serve with sesame seeds, toasted or un-toasted.
13. Tastes great chilled!
    

Used untoasted sesame seeds.

Pan Fried Jiao Zi

Jiao zi made with 2:1 ratio of (AP Flour: King Arthur's White Whole Wheat flour). My dough has a higher moisture content than those of store-bought wrappers, so it's not possible to make true guo tie (they stick to the pan). Instead, boil the jiao zi on the first day, then pan fry the day-olds on the second day. Works perfectly.

Dipping Sauce

- minced garlic, ginger, green onions
- brown sugar
- salt
- pepper
- sesame oil
- soy sauce
- oyster sauce
- apple cider vinegar
- rice wine vinegar

1. Mix to taste.

Jiao Zi Filling


- Ground turkey/ground pork
- Shredded white radish/daikon
- Minced mushrooms
- Green onions

Borrowed a flat bottomed spoon from a friend for the perfect sauce plating! Julienned some fresh ginger for the middle of the plate.

View from a different angle

Pan roasted leek canapes

Had some extra puff pastry, so I made some canapes. Easiest thing to make for a party, and they look lovely and taste delicious.

Pan roasted leek canapes

- Puff pastry, cut into rectangles.
- Leeks, sliced
- Feta cheese
- Tomato sauce (store bought or homemade)

1. Cut puff pastry into rectangles. Prick centers with a fork, creating a smaller rectangle of fork pricks on the interior.
2. Sautee leeks in pan. Don't add salt, because the feta is sufficiently salty.
   
3. Brush each puff pastry rectangle with a bit of tomato sauce, then add leeks and feta. Add basil and thyme as needed.
4. Bake at 400 degrees F for about 10-15 minutes, or until puff pastry is browned on edges.

These were delicious!