Birthday Shenanigans, tofu squares and phyllo fuck ups
06/07/2010 6 Comments
So for those unaware, last Wednesday was my birthday.
*pauses for applause*
After enough text messages and calls though, I had to acquiesce and throw myself a party. My poor non vegetarian friends would get another chance to sample some more of my awesomeness, and I’d get an excuse to clean the townhome and cook some more recent ideas.
I received the first idea from Lindsay over at The Kitchen Opera’s, and wanted to do some phyllo dough ‘nests’ filled with herbed Chevre and caramelized onions, topped with balsamic reduction and truffle salt.
Phyllo fuck ups
The Pieces
Prep Time: 5 minutes, unless you suck that hard at cutting onions, then its 10
Cook Time: nearly an hour, all told
Feeds: About 6 drunks and 2 stoners. If I had to guess.
- 8 oz Chevre, or other herbed goat cheese
- 4 large sweet onions
- 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 8 oz or so of Phyllo dough, properly defrosted and separated
- 1/4 cup olive oil (not EVOO, or canola, just regular fucking Olive Oil)
- PAM, or some other spray non stick stuff
The Puzzle
Theres a reason I call this ‘recipe’ Phyllo Fuck ups. I fucked up. The original idea had been to use a muffin tin, place a few sheets of Phyllo inside, and have cute little nests.
Turns out I don’t have a muffin tin.
How this happened, I’m not entirely sure, but in a fit of improvisation I just used a few cookie sheets, and layered the nests so they were closer to sandwiches. So it wasn’t a complete disaster…just didn’t turn out quite as pretty as I’d hoped for
0. Preheat your oven to 400
1. Dice your onions (all four)
2. Heat your 1/4 cup of oil in a large flat bottomed pan – once its hot, but not smoking, reduce the heat to medium-high
3. Add the diced onions.
4. Stirring every 5 minutes or so, cook for about 30 minutes. By this time the onions should be quite wilted and browned
5. Add 1 tbsp sugar and stir to coat. Cook for another 10 minutes or until nearly black and sweetly caramelized. Set aside
6. Tear a bunch of phyllo sheets to create a 3″ square bed
7. Form your assembly line, pictured below.8. For each pasty, fill with a decent amount (no more than 2 tbsp) onion, top with crumbled Chevre, then finally a phyllo ‘hat’
9. For your cooking sheet – even if its nonstick, spray it down. Then once the pastries are placed on top, spray again for that golden brown color
10. Bake until golden brown, or about 10 minutes – during this time, make your balsamic reduction by simmering the vinegar with the last tbsp of sugar until reduced by half
11. Once the pastries are done, drizzle with reduction, top with your crazy ass expensive truffle salt I just convinced you to buy because it will change your life and enjoy!
I’m kind of glad to get that one out of the way. Don’t get me wrong, they were tasty – damn tasty – but just…a mess.
Breaded Tofu Squares with Spicy Peanut Slaw
So, even before I started those little piles of fail, I’d gotten my tofu ready for the finale by marinating the slices in a mixture of peanut sauce, soy sauce, and Sriracha (affectionately referred to as ‘Cock Sauce’ around the house). The sauce was simple, the prep time low, and presentation was quite nice. Definite success.
The Pieces – Sauce (use half for marinade)
12 ounces pre made thai peanut sauce.
8 ounces low sodium Soy Sauce
4 ounces Sriracha (or more depending on how spicy you like it)
The Rest of the Pieces
8 oz bag of Panko Bread Crumbs
2 12 oz packages Extra Firm Tofu
1 fresh cucumber (although I guess ‘fresh’ is a given. Unless it was a pickle…)
1 16 oz package Broccoli Slaw
2 tbsp Olive Oil
The Puzzle
0. Toss your broccoli slaw with your sauce (this is half the mixture I listed in the ‘sauce’ section) and set in the fridge for at least 30 mins
1. Drain your tofu. Slice it in half horizontally, then cut vertically to achieve squares. Line up in your casserole pan, pour the marinade on top, as pictured.
2. Once the tofu has marinated for at least an hour, dredge it in panko breadcrumbs
3. Heat your oil in a large flat bottomed pan and pan fry the tofu in batches til golden brown on each side
4. While this is happening, slice your cucumber thinly and as your squares come out of the pan, top them with one cucumber slice
5. After all the Tofu’s been cooked, top with a cute little pile of the broccoli slaw, thusly:
Let cool in the fridge for about 5 minutes, and enjoy!
I’ll be linking some new pics here so check ’em out!