Deep Fried Deli Rolls

Tradition has it that we go to our neighbors' (D and J) for the Super Bowl every year. Not because we are sports fans, because truth be told, we don't care too much about such things. We go for the company, the commercials, and most importantly, the food. Each year we try cooking something fun for the big game. We've created recipes inspired by one of the teams playing in the game (like Mini Upside-Down Lobster Pot Pies to celebrate New England 2012), or based on where the game is being played (like Super Bowl XLVII King Cupcakes). Our goal is to do something new and unusual.

This year, D made a request. It came in the form of a text with a picture of a recipe for "Frickles," followed by a second text that said, "Challenge issued." That's all it took.

We are teachers, so naturally, we can't just meet the challenge; we must exceed it. Therefore, we upped the ante by making two versions of "Frickles" - one following the recipe he sent, and one with our own twist on it. They were still hot when we joined the party. It was near the end of the first quarter. The fried outer shell crackled against my teeth, while warm gooey cheese dribbled onto my bottom lip. There was the saltiness of warm ham and the snap of the pickle in the center. I waited for a commercial and passed the platter. 

R pronounced them "Ridiculous," and even J.J. (who is not quite 2 years old) loved them. We don't want these delights confused with fried pickles, as they are so much more than that, so we call them Deep Fried Deli Rolls. So much more interesting than a chicken wing.

Deep Fried Deli Rolls:

The Ham and Cheese Version (aka "Frickles")

Ingredients:

12 egg roll wrappers

12 slices deli ham

12 slices American cheese

12 dill pickle spears

Cooking Oil

Ranch Dressing for dipping (optional)

Fill a large frying pan about 1/3 of the way full with cooking oil and heat the oil. Lay down an egg roll wrapper and in one corner place a slice of ham, then a slice of cheese, then the pickle spear on the diagonal. Roll as you would an egg roll, from the diagonal, tucking in the sides at the halfway point. When oil is hot (around 375), fry in batches until golden brown.

Deep Fried Deli Rolls:

The Steakhouse Version 

Ingredients:

12 slices rare roast beef

1 jar Kraft Roka Blue Cheese Spread

36 green grapes

12 egg roll wrappers

Blue Cheese Dressing for dipping (optional)

Fill a large frying pan about 1/3 of the way full with cooking oil and heat the oil. Spread the beef with a thin layer of cheese spread, then roll the beef around three grapes. Place the roast beef roll in the corner of an egg roll wrapper and roll as you would an egg roll, from the diagonal, tucking in the sides at the halfway point. When oil is hot (around 375), fry in batches until golden brown.

Super Bowl XLVII King Cupcakes

Super Bowl XLVII - The San Francisco 49ers play the Baltimore Ravens in New Orleans. The football part, we're not really into. The New Orleans part, however, is another story since Amy used to live there. And this time of year, when Amy thinks of New Orleans, she thinks of King Cake. Particularly, King Cake stuffed with Creole Cream Cheese. Yummmy. And that is why, when neighbors D and J asked us to bring "dessert" to their Super Bowl party this year, we were determined to make cream-cheese-stuffed King Cake Cupcakes. 

The ingredients

Cream cheese, sugar and vanilla extract for the filling

Cinnamon and sugar

We knew the weekend would be a busy one, since our own Mardi Gras Madness bash is next Saturday, and so we searched for an easy recipe to inspire us. We got lucky with this one by Amanda, of The Virtuous Wife, because it seemed pretty easy, and is only "semi-homemade." Perfect for a busy weekend.

Cut the crescent dough on a floured surface

Sprinkle with the cinnamon-sugar

Cover with the cream cheese filling

Roll together, pinch the ends and fold

Place in a greased cupcake tin

Because Amanda's cupcakes both looked and sounded delicious, and because the recipe was pretty much exactly what we were looking for, we followed Amanda's instructions just about to the letter. Using only a few ingredients, we created these magical desserts, inspired by the city of the Super Bowl, and decorated in the colors of the teams that will play tonight.

Powdered sugar, lemon juice and water...

...make a tangy glaze the sugar can stick to.

Hot out of the oven

Thanks, Amanda, for the great recipe (click here to get it), and we hope everyone enjoys tonight's game!

Mini Upside-Down Lobster Pot Pies, or Celebrating New England for the Super Bowl

We'll be the first ones to admit that we aren't sports fans. ESPN has been deleted from our TV channel grid. We don't own any football jerseys or foam fingers or can koozies. Sports are simply not on our radar. But now and then, we are invited to a sports-viewing soiree. It is then that we take it upon ourselves to choose a side (usually based on any current or past residence, sometimes based on color of outfits uniforms), and make a dish that celebrates that particular city/state/region (see our recent LSU vs. Alabama post).

Which brings us to Super Bowl Sunday. When we got a text from our friends D and J inviting us to their Super Bowl party, we knew we'd have to represent New England, both of us being born and raised here. And what food is more quintessentially New England than Maine lobster? Unfortunately, there is no money tree in our yard, and it's tough feeding lobster to a crowd (even a small one), when live lobsters cost about $9.99 a pound, and much of that is the (heavy) shell. A little brainstorming was all it took to come up with a solution that pleased all involved: 12 mini upside-down lobster pot pies.


What makes them upside-down? They are served in a puff-pastry cup instead of a puff-pastry or pie-crust top. Fun, right?

Mise en place

Shallots softened in butter

Add a little brandy

And a little flour to make a roux

Saturday afternoon, we purchased four small lobsters, steamed them and picked them. We netted one pound of lobster in the end (accounting for the occasional picking while picking). As the lobster meat chilled, we made our own lobster stock by placing all the shells in a large stock pot, covering them with water and boiling them for an hour, then straining the stock and reducing it until we had about two cups of lobstery liquid. An hour before the party, we set out to make our pot pie mixture that we based on Emeril's recipe, slightly adapting it to suit our tastes. For the shells, we cut puff pastry sheets into squares and placed two squares in a regular muffin tin to form a cup. Pricking the bottom all over with a fork reduced the "puffage" and voila - puff pastry cups to fill with lobster pot pie mixture!

Pot pie mixture with milk, cream, herbs and spices

Forming puff pastry cups

Golden-brown, puffed-up pastry cups

Mini Upside-Down Lobster Pot Pies

Makes 12

Ingredients:

4 1 to 1 1/4-lb. live lobsters

water for stock

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/3 cup minced shallots

1/4 cup brandy

2 tablespoons flour

1 cup milk

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup frozen green peas

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 teaspoons dried thyme

2 tablespoons chopped chives

1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

4 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed

flour for work surface

cooking spray

To cook the lobster and make the stock:

Fill a large pot about two inches high with water. Add a small handful of kosher or sea salt. Bring the water to a rolling boil, and put in lobsters, one at a time. Cover tightly, return to a boil and steam for 8 minutes per pound, adding 3 minutes per pound for each additional pound thereafter (so about 17-18 minutes for four 1-lb. lobsters). Your lobsters are done when the outer shell is bright red and when the meat is white, not opaque; remove them carefully and discard the steaming water. Allow the lobsters to cool then remove the meat from the shell (pick them). Cut lobster meat into bite-sized pieces, set aside to cool completely, then refrigerate. Place all the shells back in the large pot. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Simmer for 20 minutes, then strain out and discard the shells. Return the stock to the heat and simmer for 2 hours until reduced to about 1 1/2 - 2 cups.

To make the pot pie mixture:

In a heavy saucepan, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and cook until softened, about 1 minute. Add the brandy and cook until almost completely evaporated. Sprinkle the flour over the top of the shallots, stir to combine well, and cook for 2 minutes. Add 1 1/2 cups lobster stock and the milk, and whisk until smooth. Continue to cook until thickened. Add the heavy cream, green peas, salt, nutmeg, cayenne pepper, and thyme, and cook for 15 minutes, until sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon and the flavors have come together. Set aside until cooled. Add the lobster meat, chives and tarragon, and salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

To make the puff pastry cups and assemble the pot pies:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put pot pie mixture in a saucepan over medium heat to warm through. On a floured work surface, lay out the puff pastry sheets and cut them into 3-inch squares. Spray a regular size muffin tin with cooking spray. Lay two puff pastry squares overlapping in 6 of the muffin cups (alternating every other), allowing room for the pastry to puff around the sides of the cup. Prick the bottom of each muffin cup all over with a fork, then bake at 400 for 18 minutes, until puffy and golden brown. Remove puff pastry cups to individual bowls and fill with warm pot pie mixture. Repeat the entire process to make a total of 12.