MENU
Vietnamese Shrimp Summer Rolls with Spicy Dipping Sauce
Seared Fresh Tuna with Lime, Soy, Ginger and Sesame
Asian Cucumber and Avocado Salad
Sesame Noodles
Quick but Spectacular Lemon Meringue Pie
About the Class
Fall is coming. It's an incredibly busy season but also the time of year when people yearn to reconnect with friends not seen since June. A great time for entertaining but not to be spending infinite hours behind a stove. More and more these days I'm leaning toward "prepare-ahead," and at this jam-packed time of year, accomplishing as many steps as possible in advance is a necessity. Life becomes so much easier and entertaining so much more enjoyable. And not for your sake alone. Guests too have a better time when their host is relaxed and at the table rather than kitchen-bound.
This fall menu - flavor-packed Asian-fusion - garners rave reviews while simultaneously super easy. Only the Summer Roll first course is not drop dead child's play. Good news however: the components can be made ahead as can most else on the menu. Only the avocados for the salad and the meringue pie topping need to be managed at meal time.
I've been serving these summer rolls for 30 years and it's still the best recipe for them that I know. Make the filling a day or two in advance and the spicy dipping sauce weeks ahead. Assemble the rolls earlier in the day, or if your party is on the casual side, have everyone join in and make their own like we do in class. It's an ice-breaking activity (if that sort of thing is still a thing) and lots of fun!
The sliced rare tuna in combination with lime juice and zest, good soy sauce, dark sesame oil and toasted sesame seeds is absolutely classic. Divine. To get ahead of the game, earlier in the day, sear, cool, slice, garnish and refrigerate the tuna. Bring to room temperature to serve.
Sesame noodles rank high on most people's lists. This version is simple but tasty and can be made up to 3 days in advance. I make it with super-thin whole wheat spaghetti, but noodle options are many and include gluten-free. There is nothing to say about the Cucumber-Avocado salad except that it takes 5 minutes to prepare and everyone loves it. Make it ahead but add the avocados last minute to make sure they remain green.
Lemon desserts are the best and the menu's lemon meringue pie is particularly lemony. With a graham cracker crust, it can be prepared start to finish in about 10 minutes plus oven time. Make it months ahead and freeze. Prepare the meringue when you've finished the main course. Bake it for 2 or 3 minutes while you clear the table and voila!
I hope many of you will join me for this class. The menu is great and easy and the recipes are all keepers as they fit so easily into all sorts of other menus.
And of course I'd love to see all of you once summer is behind us.