February | 2022 | The Finnish Dish

Spring Rolls were this weeks foodie project. I like to try new things to keep work in the kitchen interesting, and I’d never attempted spring rolls until now. There are a large variety of appetizers referred to as spring rolls. Wrappers differ as do fillings and cooking techniques. The spring rolls I made were filled with raw vegetables, a little mango, rice noodles, and herbs. They were wrapped in rice paper, and were not cooked. They were served at room temperature with dipping sauce. Ingredients and preparation vary from one Asian culture to another. After a little research, the preparation I used seems to me to most closely resemble Vietnamese salad rolls known as goi cuon. They can also be made to include cooked pork or shrimp. While these are not difficult at all to make the preparation is a bit fussy and tedious. All of the veggies need to be match sticked and that takes patience and a good sharp knife. Apparently you can buy the vegetables already prepared, but where is the fun in that?? You can easily personalize these and fill with ingredients of your choosing. This is what I used.

Vegetables:

Baby butter lettuce

Red cabbage

English cucumber

Carrot

Sweet red pepper

And a mango

Rice Noodles

I used 2 to 3 oz of Bifun. Most of the recipes I found called for rice vermicelli, but this is what I had. Prepare the noodles according to the directions on the package. Once they are cooked shock them in ice water to stop the cooking, drain, and return to the pan. Toss with one or two tsp of toasted sesame oil and set aside.

1/4 cup finely sliced green onion

1/4 cup cilantro

1/4 cup thai basil

1/4 cup mint

Tear or chop all of the herbs, combine, and set aside.

Once all of your preparation is done, set up what I referred to as my rolling station. You want all of your ingredients in one place and within reach.

Fill a pie pan with about an inch of room temperature water. Put a wooden cutting board next to the pie pan. Put one piece of rice paper in the water for 10-20 seconds and remove to your cutting board.

On the bottom third of the moisten wrapper, leaving about a one inch boarder, start piling on your veggies. I started with the baby butter lettuce, then the cucumber, carrots, peppers, cabbage, and mango. Next I added the rice noodles and finished it off with the herbs. Then you want to fold the bottom up over the filling, fold the sides in, and continue rolling like you would a burrito. Try to roll them tight. I set them on a parchment lined sheet pan. Once you get the hang of it this part goes quickly.

Now you can prepare your dipping sauce.

Peanut Sauce:

1/3 cup natural peanut butter (no sugar added)

2 T rice vinegar

2 T tamari (or soy sauce)

2 T honey

1 T toasted sesame oil

2 cloves of garlic grated

2-3 T water

Soy Dipping Sauce

1/3 cup soy sauce

2 T honey

2 T rice vinegar

2 T water

1 T toasted sesame oil

2 cloves of garlic grated

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

Bring all of the ingredients to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until slightly reduced and thickened, about 10 minutes. Pour into a bowl and cool. (I made a double batch of this sauce.)

Plate and enjoy.

NOTE: Zucchini or yellow squash, dykon radish, or other peppers would be delicious additions. You might also want to include cooked shrimp or thinly sliced pork if you prefer to add a protein.

Information I read regarding rice paper suggests not refrigerating the rolls because the paper may become chewy. Prep can be done ahead of time but the rolls should be made the same day as you plan to serve them. Keep them covered with a barely moist towel.

I recently subscribed to Food and Wine magazine. I subscribed mostly because my favorite cooking show ever is Top Chef, and each season the winner is featured in Food and Wine. Of course the magazine also has some excellent recipes, including the amazing Veggie Burger recipe I blogged a few months ago. This recipe is actually from the November 2002 issue. I stumbled on it looking for date recipes. I had shared some dates with my daughter at Christmas for an appetizer recipe, and she used the rest of hers to make a babka filling. I read reviews from people who had made this pudding cake and one lady referred to the recipe as ”life changing.” It has become her go to holiday dessert. I still had plenty of dates so how could I resist a life changing recipe!

While doing my date homework I learned that they are mentioned in the Bible more than 50 times, and 20 times in the Qur’an. Dates are a fruit that comes from a date palm which is native to the Middle East. They are naturally very sweet, high in fiber, high in antioxidants, and a good source of potassium and vitamin B6. We all know it helps to rationalize how healthy our sweet treats are! Just think of this dessert as a life changing health food that tastes amazing.

Cake Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups (9 ounces) of chopped, pitted dates

1 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 cups AP flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp kosher salt

4 T unsalted butter at room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups dark brown sugar

1 stick unsalted butter

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 tsp brandy (I used bourbon)

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 tsp kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 10 inch round pan with cooking spray and line with parchment paper. In a saucepan cover the dates with 1 cup of water and bring to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the baking soda. It will foam up. Allow the dates to cool slightly.

Sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder and set aside. In a medium size bowl (or stand mixer) cream together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. In 2 alternating batches, beat in the dry ingredients and the date mixture until just incorporated.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 35-40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

While the cake is baking make the sauce. In a heavy, medium size sauce pan bring the brown sugar, butter, and heavy cream to a boil over moderate heat, whisking to dissolve the sugar. Simmer and continue whisking for 2 minutes.

Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla, brandy (or bourbon), and salt. Keep warm.

When the cake is done allow it to cool for about 10 minutes. Turn the cake out onto a rack and peel off the parchment paper. Carefully return the cake, top side down, to the pan and poke about 15-20 holes in the cake with a skewer.