Out On the Town: Thai Pavillion

Our Second TCV Field Trip!

Attendees:

• Amina
• Fatma
• Faizah
• Safa
• Sharria with guest Kayla
• Venice 

Mission: Spend $25 while dining at the National Harbor. It was a bit tricky since great inexpensive food is hard to come by. We can thank Fatma for the challenge. She just had to  throw in that  monkey wrench. Could a bunch of  "foodies" stick to a budget?

After much deliberation,  Faizah selected Thai Pavilion, a beautiful quaint little restaurant in the heart of the harbor.

First impression:

BEAUTIFUL! The ambiance was just right! Amina our newest member,  reserved a huge table for us as we needed lots of elbow room, hehe.  The menus were filled with an array of selections so naturally It took some time to figure out what we all wanted.

Appetizers:

Faizah ordered Smoked Salmon Sashimi. Since Safa Umm Mansur is a sushi novice, she chose the California Roll. Amina ordered the Shrimp Wonton.

Drinks: 

We all ordered the house blended teas & punches: Thai Iced Tea (Kayla), Emerald Punch (Sharria, Faizah & Amina) Mint Lemonade (Safa)

Entrees: 

Most of the entrees were well received, however there were a few exceptions: the Chicken Pad Thai (Amina also ordered this dish) wasn't a big hit with Safa & the Curried Beef was a tad too sweet for Kayla. Fatma & Faizah ordered Fried Calamari, Steamed Vegetables with Noodles. Sharria ordered a Green Curry Shrimp dish & Venice ordered a Seafood Dish.

Curried Beef

Chicken Pad Thai

Fried Calamari

Coconut Green Curry Shrimp

Confession time! Although drinks weren't  included in our budget, somehow we managed to go over. What do you expect from foodies? We had a great time and are looking forward to November's collective!

Safa Umm Jameel & Aisha were sorely missed.  We hope to see you both soon!

Iftar 2014

It has come to be that our Collective iftars go down at baitul-Fatma.

This iftar was bittersweet as we were also saying farewell to one of our best chefs and dear friend Safa Umm Jameel.

Attendees:

Sharria
Safa & daughter
Safa Sanchez
Amina
Fatma
Venice
Faizah

Food:

Fatma and her husband are impeccable hosts and great cooks. Every one in the collective contributed to an awesome spread. We were all rewarded that night with smoked leg of lamb, tuna puffs, homemade dinner rolls, cornbread, rice, mixed vegetables, curried pasta salad, baked honey dill salmon, cheesecake & chocolate cake.

Laughs:

Safa is not one to be forgotten. She made sure to make an impression with her colorful ensemble, which provided lighthearted fodder for the evening.

To be updated.....

Yum Yum!

Citrus-Lemongrass Ice Cubes

Makes 16 1-oz. ice cubes

Although lemongrass can be found year-round in ethnic grocery stores, the warm-weather herb is at its peak in the summer. Here it’s infused into lightly sweetened water and frozen into cubes to add herbal interest to all sorts of summer beverages, from iced tea to cocktails. For extra visual flair, drop a fresh herb sprig, an edible flower, a slice of cucumber, a sliver of citrus, or a cherry tomato half into each mold, cover with lemongrass mixture, and freeze.

• ½ cup chopped fresh lemongrass (1 large stalk)
• 2 tsp. honey
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• ¼ cup lime juice
• Herb sprigs, citrus slices, vegetable slices, and edible flowers for garnish, optional

1. Bring lemongrass and 1 2/3 cups water to a boil in saucepan over medium heat. Simmer 5 minutes. Stir in honey, remove from heat, and steep 30 minutes.

2. Strain mixture, discard solids, and cool. Whisk in lemon and lime juices. Place garnishes (if using) in standard 16-slot ice cube trays. Pour in lemongrass mixture. Cover with plastic wrap; freeze until solid.

July/August 2012 p.41

French Cuisine - Joie De Vivre!

Bonjour! Our French cuisine inspired collective was an amazing experience! We had a taste of delicacies from all parts of France that pleased the palate as well as the eye.

First up was Sumaiya's Quiche. She is a budding little chef. We are immensely proud of her efforts and we all thought her spinach quiche was delicious!

Next we got to taste Faizah's Chicken Cordon Bleu with Dijon Caper Sauce.

The sauce was very well received and complimented Safa Umm Mansur's dishes.

Safa Umm Mansur made a delicious Ratatouille and Steamed Mussels in a rich Broth. Yum!

Last but certainly not least, we got to taste a truly unique dish.  Safa made  French Savory Palmiers  filled with pine nuts, goat cheese, pesto, sun dried tomato, olive oil and more. Palate Bliss!

Sharria and Fatma were deeply missed. We hope to see you both at the next collective meeting.

Homemade Buttermilk Brine

Yesterday, I was playing around with buttermilk brine for chicken breasts.

Everyone from the south knows that in order to get moist chicken, you have to soak it in buttermilk for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours.

Good news is that you can make buttermilk at home with 2 ingredients I'm sure you have on hand:

1 cup of milk
1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice

I soaked the chicken for about 1 hour since I was short on time and they were so tender and juicy!

Dessert Staples

I always want dessert. Always.

I keep these things on hand in my cupboard so that If I ever fancy something, I'll have most of what I need:

• Unbleached All-purpose Flour
• Baking Powder (MUST)
• Fast Rise Yeast
• Shortening or Margarine
• Brown Sugar
• Confectioners Sugar
• Nufachatel Cheese or Cream Cheese
• Honey
• Salt
• Cinnamon
• Nutmeg
• Oatmeal
• Peanut Butter
• Cream Cheese
• Eggs or Egg Substitute
• Powdered Mill or Almond Milk
• Graham Crackers
• Vegetable Oil
• Vanilla extract
• Nut Assortment 

Using the above ingredients, you can make almost any desert:

Doughnuts

Cake

Cheese Cake

Pie

Muffins

Cookies

Brittle

Crepes

Souffle

French Vanilla Souffle

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons salted butter, melted
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/3 cups whole milk, divided
• 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tablespoons butter
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 4 large eggs, separated
• Confectioners' sugar for dusting

Preparation:

How to make vanilla soufflé:

Preheat the oven to 350F. Butter a large soufflé dish and roll 1/4 cup of granulated sugar throughout the dish, making sure to cover all the interior surfaces. Set aside the prepared soufflé dish.

Bring 1 cup of the milk to just steaming in a medium saucepan set over low-medium heat. Stir together 1/3 cup granulated sugar, 1/3 cup all-purpose flour, and the remaining 1/3 cup milk until it forms a smooth batter.

Slowly whisk half of the hot milk into the batter, making sure to combine the ingredients until they are completely smooth. Add the tempered batter back to the hot milk in the pan and bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring constantly. Stir and cook the mixture until it has thickened, for about 1 minute. Stir the butter into the mixture and allow it to cool at room temperature for 10 minutes. Stir in the vanilla extract.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites on medium high speed until they become foamy, and then add the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Continue beating the egg whites on high speed until they hold stiff glossy peaks.

Gently stir 1/3 of the egg whites into the vanilla mixture, then carefully fold in the remaining whipped egg whites. The vanilla mixture should be evenly colored and light and bubbly, without egg white streaks or marbling.

Spoon the soufflé mixture into the prepared dish and allow it to rest, covered, for up to 30 minutes or bake right away for 25 to 30 minutes (slightly longer at high altitudes) until the soufflé has risen with a crusty exterior. Serve the soufflé with a dusting powdered sugar and a few plump berries, if desired.

This vanilla soufflé recipe makes 6 servings.

Biscuits!

Here is my tried and true biscuit recipe that you can make from home in a flash!

My tip: Keep everything cold. Even the bowl and your hands. The colder preparation makes for the flakiest biscuits.

Easy basic biscuits-Good for breakfast or dinner.

2 cups all purpose flour
3Tbs baking powder
1Tbs Salt

5 TBS cold almost frozen butter cubed
3/4 cup cold milk

Directions:
Heat oven to 450 degrees 

In a bowl mix the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the butter and mix until the mixture looks crumbly. Pour the milk a little at a time and mix until it forms a ball.

Place the dough  on a generously floured surface. Knead 10 times.  Roll to 1/2 inch thick.  Cut out in desired size Place biscuits on an ungreased baking sheet.

Bake at 450 degrees  for 12 to 15 minutes.