Local foodies can add sparkle to their Independence Day celebrations with "patriotic" recipes
By: Pat Tanner
Local foodies can add sparkle to their Independence Day celebrations
with "patriotic" recipes from two of Princeton’s most popular eateries, The Ferry
House and The Bent Spoon.
Chef Bobby Trigg is hard at work on his first tome, "The Ferry
House Cookbook," which will be published at the end of the year by Chronicle Books.
Included is one of his signatures and a perennial favorite, Firecracker Shrimp.
At the restaurant, Mr. Trigg garnishes the plate with drizzles of pureed roasted
red and yellow peppers.
Last year the Web site Epicurious took note of Bent Spoon proprietor
Gabrielle Carbone’s frozen treat, Red, White and Blue Cake.
Ms. Carbone sometimes replaces the Oreo-like cookie crumbs with
chopped candied ginger to separate the layers and uses candied lemon peel instead
of lemon zest in the lemon ice cream.
For those wishing to make the entire cake from scratch, the
recipes for the Bent Spoon’s Simply Strawberry and Simply Blueberry sorbets can
be found at www.epicurious.com.
FIRECRACKER SHRIMP
Bobby Trigg, The Ferry House
For the Oriental BBQ Glaze:
½ cup hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
½ cup minced fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped green onion
¼ cup soy sauce
Grated zest and juice of 1 orange
¾ cup pineapple juice
1 jalapeno chile, minced
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 pound jumbo shrimp, shelled and deveined
24 square wonton wrappers
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water
Cornstarch for dusting
Canola oil for deep-frying
- Make the glaze: In a medium bowl combine all the glaze ingredients. Stir to
blend. Cover and refrigerate. - In a medium bowl, combine the shrimp and 2 tablespoons of the glaze. Toss
to coat. Place each shrimp on a wonton wrapper, brush with the egg mixture, and
roll it up. Dust the wontons with cornstarch to create a crispy exterior. - In a large, heavy sauté pan or Dutch oven, heat 2 inches of oil to
375 degrees. Add the wontons and fry for 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden brown
and crisp. Using a wire skimmer, transfer to paper towels to drain. Serve immediately,
with the remaining sauce alongside for dipping.
Serves 6.
RED, WHITE & BLUE CAKE
Gabrielle Carbone, The Bent Spoon
1 quart strawberry sorbet
7 Oreos, preferably Newman’s Own Organic O’s
1 quart lemon ice cream (recipe follows)
1 quart blueberry sorbet
Sprigs of mint, freshly whipped cream, and fresh berries,
for serving
- Place a 9-inch springform pan in the freezer until very cold, at least 1 hour.
Process cookies creamy fillings and all in a food processor until finely ground.
(You should have about ¾ cup.) - Beat frozen strawberry sorbet until smooth, using an electric mixer fitted
with the paddle attachment. Remove springform pan from the freezer and immediately
scoop in the sorbet. Working quickly, use the back of a spoon or an offset spatula
to smooth the sorbet into an even layer approximately 1-inch high. Sprinkle evenly
with ¼ cup cookie crumbs, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and freeze until
firm, at least 1 hour. - Repeat the process with the lemon ice cream and another ¼ cup of crumbs,
freezing 1 hour. Finish with the blueberry sorbet, topping with the last ¼
cup of crumbs. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and freeze until set, at least
2 hours or overnight. - Chill a serving plate or cake stand in the freezer.
- Just before serving, unmold the cake: Warm the blade of an offset spatula
or knife in hot tap water, then wipe it dry. Run the blade around the inside edge
of the pan, then unlock and remove the sides. Place the chilled plate or cake
stand upside-down on top of the cake pan and flip everything over so the cake
is resting on the plate. Rewarm the knife and gently edge it between the bottom
of the pan and the cake to remove the bottom of the pan. Garnish with mint sprigs
and serve with whipped cream and fresh berries.
Makes one 9-inch cake.
LEMON ICE CREAM
Gabrielle Carbone, The Bent Spoon
1 large egg, preferably farm-fresh
2 large egg yolks, preferably farm-fresh
2 cups whole milk, preferably hormone-free
¾ cup sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup chilled heavy cream, preferably not ultrapasteurized
¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (from about
2 lemons)
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest, preferably organic
- In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg and yolks together. Have ready a fine
mesh sieve suspended over a large heatproof bowl. - In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the milk, sugar, and salt,
and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally,
until the mixture is hot to the touch (it should register about 140 degrees F
on an instant-read thermometer). - Whisking the eggs constantly, slowly whisk in about ¼ cup of the hot
milk. Slowly pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan, whisking the contents
of the saucepan constantly. - Continue to cook the custard over medium heat, stirring constantly, until
it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon (it should register 170 degrees
F on an instant-read thermometer), about 3 to 4 minutes. Immediately strain the
custard into the large bowl. Let cool for five minutes. - When custard is cool, whisk in the chilled cream. Cover mixture and refrigerate
until chilled, at least 4 hours or overnight. - Whisk in the lemon juice and zest and churn in an ice cream maker according
to the manufacturer’s directions. If making the ice cream cake, immediately pack
into the pan. Alternatively store, tightly covered, in the freezer.
Makes 1 quart.