Editor’s note: This month’s Dining In is all about unique tailgate ideas, so we want to know: What’s your favorite crowd-pleasing tailgate dish? Have you perfected a recipe that’s been a hit with LSU fans? Think you’ve created an unbeatable version of jambalaya, chili or gumbo? Share your recipes (if you’re cool with spilling your secrets) and photos with us by emailing [email protected] and it just might appear in one of our fall issues!
By Tracey Koch and Stephanie Riegel
Photos by Amy Shutt
It is hard to believe football season is already here. Every August in 225, we have suggested Louisiana-style tailgate menus that are easy to prepare and popular with a crowd. While we love our boudin balls and jambalaya, we decided this year to stretch beyond our culinary boundaries and create a tailgate menu with a twist.
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We thought it would be fun to prepare a menu adapted from Asian street food vendors. Throughout Asia, you will find open markets filled with little kiosks or stands where they’re stirring, grilling and frying wonderful, spicy, casual foods that, in many cases, resemble the kinds of foods we bring to a tailgate. We’ve adapted a couple of our favorite recipes to make them perfect for some fun and out-of-the-box ideas for your next Tiger tailgate.
THE MENU:
• Spicy Asian Shrimp Lettuce Wraps
• Banh Mi Sliders
• Go Tigers! Fortune Cookies
All recipes by Tracey Koch.
Spicy Asian Shrimp Lettuce Wraps
We love eating spicy lettuce wraps when we go out for Thai food. They make a delicious, low-carb dish that satisfies. This is also an easy dish to make at home, takes only a few minutes to prepare and is popular with tailgaters of all ages. You can even use a portable grill as your heat source.
Servings: 6
¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
¼ cup sherry
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cloves minced garlic
¼ teaspoon pepper flakes
½ cup chopped green onions, tops and bottoms
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 head butter lettuce, washed and dried well
1. Whisk together the soy sauce, lime juice, sherry, cornstarch, brown sugar and ginger, and pour it over the shrimp. Allow this to marinate 5 minutes.
2. In a heavy skillet or wok, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat.
3. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and sauté 5 to10 seconds.
4. Working quickly, add the shrimp and keep stirring as you continue to sauté.
5. Once the shrimp are completely cooked through, remove the skillet from the heat and add the green onions and sesame oil. Serve immediately with the lettuce leaves.
Banh Mi Sliders
Banh Mi is a Vietnamese term for breads. During France’s colonial period, the French introduced the baguette to the Vietnamese. Because of this, the bread most commonly found in Vietnam is very much like a single-serving French baguette. It tends to be a bit crisper and lighter in texture due to the fact that this baguette is made with a combination of rice flour and wheat flour. A very popular street food item is the Vietnamese sandwich or Banh Mi, which is served on the baguette-like bread. This sandwich consists of flavorful marinated pork and vegetables like pickled carrots, radishes, cucumber and cilantro. We have added our own twist, turning it into a flavorful slider made with a combination of ground pork and beef.
Servings: 6
For the patties:
1 pound ground sirloin
½ pound ground pork
2 cloves minced garlic
¼ cup chopped green onion
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon grated lime zest
1 teaspoon fish sauce (found in the
Asian section of the grocery store)
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1. Combine all the ingredients together and allow the mixture to sit for 30 minutes before forming the patties.
2. Divide the meat into 6 (¼-pound) patties.
3. Cover the patties and keep them chilled until you are ready to grill them. This may be done a day in advance.
4. To grill, remove the patties from the refrigerator 15 minutes before placing them on a grill heated to medium-high.
5. Grill the patties 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove them from the grill, cover with aluminum foil and allow them to sit 2 to 3 minutes before serving.
For the toppings:
2 radishes, thinly sliced
2 carrots, thinly sliced
¼ cup red onion, thinly sliced
¼ cup fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons sesame oil
6 mini baguette loaves
1 cup mayonnaise
1 English cucumber, thinly sliced
1 fresh bunch of cilantro
1 fresh jalapeño, thinly sliced
Dash Sriracha hot sauce
1. Place the sliced radishes, carrots and red onions into a bowl.
2. In a microwave-safe measuring cup, whisk together the lime juice, soy sauce, sugar and pepper flakes. Heat in the microwave for 10 to 20 seconds or just until the sugar has dissolved.
3. Pour this warm mixture over the vegetables and drizzle the sesame oil over them.
4. Toss until everything is well coated and chill for an hour before building your sliders.
5. Take 6 mini baguette loaves and slice them in half horizontally.
6. Place the baguettes face down on the grill to lightly toast them.
7. Spread each side with the mayonnaise and place a grilled patty on each baguette. Top each one with the pickled vegetables and fresh cilantro. For an added kick, you can add fresh slices of jalapeño and Sriracha hot sauce. Serve immediately.
Go Tigers! Fortune Cookies
When thinking about tailgates, we always think of easy pick-up sweets like brownies and cookies, so what would go better with our Asian street food tailgate than fortune cookies? They are lighter and crisper than the ones you get at a Chinese restaurant and have a much better flavor. Tracey and her 10-year-old daughter worked out the kinks in their recipe and have come up with an easy, fun treat to make. It is also a festive party or tailgate treat because you can personalize the messages inside the cookies. Follow the few tips at the bottom of the recipe when making these, and you will find yourself making them again and again.
Servings: Yields 12-15 cookies
2 egg whites
½ cup sugar
½ cup flour
¼ teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
½ teaspoon almond extract
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 to 3 tablespoons water
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl and using an electric mixer, whip up the egg whites until soft peaks begin to form.
2. Add the sugar and continue beating until the egg whites are glossy.
3. Sift the flour and salt together and fold them into the egg whites.
4. Stir in the melted butter, lemon juice and extracts until well combined.
5. Add the water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the mixture resembles pancake batter.
6. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Working in batches, spoon 4 separate tablespoons of the batter onto one of the baking sheets.
7. Use the back of the spoon and smear each spoonful into a very thin 3-inch round circle. Place the baking sheet into the oven and bake 7 to 8 minutes or until the edges are golden. While the first batch is in the oven, continue this step on the next baking sheet.
8. Have a cupcake tin ready: This is key. Remove the first batch from the oven and replace with the next batch. Quickly and carefully fold each cookie over to form a crescent. Place each crescent into the cupcake tin to form the fortune cookie shape. Allow the cookies to cool in the tins for 5 minutes to ensure they are set in this shape.
9. Once the cookies are set, place on a rack to allow them to cool completely. Fold little slips of paper with personalized fortunes and gently slide them into the sides of the cookies before serving. Store the cookies in an airtight container for up to one week.
Tips for the fortune cookies:
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* Make sure to use an electric mixer when beating the egg whites. This will ensure that the right amount of air is whipped into the whites and it also helps to dry them out so the cookies will crisp up.
* The fortune cookies are very pliable right out of the oven but they begin to crisp up quickly. Baking them 4 at a time helps to ensure you have the time to fold them and shape them before they get too hard.
* Using a cupcake tin is helpful in making sure the fortune cookies hold their shape. Placing the warm cookies into the bottom of the cupcake tins forces the fortune cookies into their shape and holds them in place as they begin to cool.