Appetizers

Pumpkin, Sausage and Sage Wontons

It’s here, it’s finally here! Fall has officially arrived with Starbucks’ release of its Pumpkin Spice Latte earlier this week. It’s time to break out those fall jackets from storage, begin jumping in random piles of leaves (I suggest you wait until later on in the season) and adding a touch of pumpkin to all our meals.

One of my favorite savory pumpkin dishes is a good pumpkin ravioli in a creamy, white sauce. However, I wasn’t feeling particularly fancy or in the mood to make my own ravioli so I decided to take a shortcut by making these tasty deep fried pumpkin wontons instead. You can save lots of time by buying a package of premade wonton wrappers from the Asian grocery store. I especially love that although these crispy appetizers are super easy to make, they still have a gourmet flavor with spicy sausage and zesty sage. Try serving them with a balsamic glaze or country gravy!

pumpkin wontons making of

making pumpkin wontons

pumpkin spice fried wontons

pumpkin spice wontons

Pumpkin, Sausage and Sage Wontons

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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 package wonton wrappers
  • 1 lb ground sausage
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 15-20 sage leaves finely chopped
  • 2 cups pumpkin puree
  • 1 1/2 tsp sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsp ground black peper
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 egg whisked

Instructions
 

  • Melt butter in a saute pan. Add in ground sausage and sage leaves. Break apart sausage into tiny clumps. Saute until sausage is fully cooked, about 5-10 minutes.
  • Stir in pumpkin, sugar, cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Remove from heat.
  • Whisk one egg and set aside. Heat frying oil or deep fryer to medium heat.
  • To prepare the wontons, place 1-2 teaspoons of pumpkin filling in the center of wonton wrapper. Dip your finger into whisked egg, and trace a border around the edges. Fold wontons in half diagonally.
  • Deep fry for 30-45 seconds. Drain on a paper towel.
  • Serve with balsamic dressing or country gravy.

Notes

I personally prefer spicy Italian sausage for a little extra zest, but feel free to experiment with different flavors!
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Lamb

Crispy Wasabi Dijon Rack of Lamb

I didn’t have lamb until I was a freshman in college and my tastebuds had an epiphany at a late night gyro joint. It’s the Cadillac of red meats with it’s rich flavor, tender texture and slightly gamy yet sophisticated aroma. While I’d cooked with ground lamb to make samosas and meatballs before, I had yet to tackle a more complicated lamb dish…that is until rack of lamb was on sale at Costco today. At first I was daunted with the task since rack of lamb usually only makes an appearance at holidays and fancy steakhouses but I soon realized that it is incredibly easy to prepare. All I had to do was rub it with some wasabi dijon mustard, coat it with some panko bread crumbs and stick it in the oven. The clean up was easy too! Some tips:
  • I was in a bit of a rush so I just let the rack of lamb marinade with the mustard rub for about an hour at room temperature. I think placing it in a plastic bag and letting it refrigerate overnight would have allowed for a more robust flavor.
  • Use your hands to coat the panko bread crumbs. Using a spoon or another tool can make the bread crumbs clumpy and unevenly distributed which can lead to uneven toasting in the oven.

Confession: I had the entire rack of lamb by myself. Once I sliced up the lamp chops, they were just like meat lollipops and I couldn’t help myself. Moral of the story – this recipe is meant to serve four, but it could very well serve one. Ron Swanson would have been proud.

meat lollipop

wasabi dijon rack of lamb marinade

wasabi dijon rack of lamb

Crispy Wasabi Dijon Rack of Lamb

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Prep Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

  • 1 rack of lamb
  • 1/2 cup dijon mustard
  • 1 tbsp wasabi powder
  • 3 garlic gloves minced
  • 1 tsp ginger powder
  • 1 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 cup panko bread crumbs
  • 1/2 cup parsley finely chopped
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Instructions
 

  • In a small bowl, mix together dijon mustard, wasabi powder, minced garlic, ginger powder, pepper, and salt.
  • Generously coat rack of lamb with mustard mix and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour.
  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
  • In a separate bowl, mix together panko bread crumbs, chopped parsley and salt. Use your hands to evenly coat rack of lamb with bread crumbs.
  • Bake for 30 minutes or until lamb reaches an internal temperature of 150 degrees for medium doneness. Broil for 5 minutes to toast bread crumb topping.
  • Slice rack of lamb into individual chops and serve.
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Burgers, Pork, Sandwiches

Banh Mi Burgers

Happy Labor Day Weekend! In honor of the last long weekend of the summer, I figured it was only appropriate to fire up the grill and make some burgers. The best part of making this today? Everything with the exception of the ground pork and seasonings came from the Farmer’s Market; even Stella’s famous Hot Spicy Cheesy Bread made a guest appearance. Classic Vietnamese lemongrass pork patties taste even better on the grill served with fresh banh mi toppings and of course, a heaping pile sweet potato fries. If you really want to impress your party guests, try sprinkling homemade Sriracha sea salt on your fries. The secret? Mix equal parts coarse sea salt and Sriracha and give those tastebuds what they deserve.

banh mi burger

Banh Mi Burgers

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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 6

Ingredients
  

  • 2 lbs ground pork
  • 1 cup lemongrass finely chopped
  • 1 cup onions finely minced
  • 3 tbsp fish sauce
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 3 tsp ground black pepper
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 lb pate
  • 1 tbsp mayonnaise
  • 6 hamburger buns
  • cilantro
  • pickled carrots
  • onions
  • cucumbers
  • jalapenos

Instructions
 

  • Knead together ground pork, lemongrass, onions, fish sauce, sugar, salt, and ground pepper.
  • Form 6 equal sized patties, about 5 inches in diameter.
  • Grill on medium flame until surface becomes charred and caramelized, about 5 minutes on each side.
  • To prepare the pate, use an electric beater or food processor to whip together pate and mayonnaise to make the pate creamier and easier to spread.
  • Serve with fresh cilantro, pickled carrots, sliced onions, cucumbers, and jalapenos.
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Desserts

Sake Bomb Cupcakes

While champagne is the king of celebratory libations, I would choose sake bombs over some bubbly any day. Perhaps I associate sake bombs with festivities because going out for hibachi is usually my go to for birthday parties, both mine and others, but I think there’s something about being surrounded with your friends, shouting at the top of your lungs, slamming your fists on the table and making a drunken mess that makes celebrating all the more fun and heartfelt.

As I started a new chapter of my life and career this week, I knew no other way to commemorate than with sake bombs, only this time a little more daintily in the form of cupcakes. But don’t worry, despite the rich beer cupcake and decadent sake buttercream frosting, they’re still boozy enough to get the party started. Cheers!

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Sake Bomb Cupcakes 017

Sake Bomb Cupcakes

Beer cupcakes with sake buttercream frosting
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients
  

For the cupcakes

  • 1 package yellow cake mix
  • 1 bottle dark beer such as Guinness

For the frosting

  • 1/2 cup butter softened
  • 3 cups confectioner's sugar
  • 1/3 cup sake

Instructions
 

  • Follow the directions for preparing yellow cake mix, substituting water and/or milk with beer. Bake according to directions for cupcakes. Allow cupcakes to cool for at least 10 minutes before frosting.
  • While cupcakes are baking, using an electric beater, beat melted butter until creamy and foamy. Mix in sake. Slowly add in confectioner's sugar, one cup at a time. Let frosting sit for at least 10 minutes to become stiff.
  • Use a piping kit (I used Wilton's 1M tip) to frost cooled cupcakes.

Notes

Most of the beer flavors evaporate during the baking process, but darker beers will retain a decent beer taste.
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