this is the time of the year when my life goes on fast forward, the pace going non-stop until the new year arrives.
because we party!!!
with the two younger children’s birthdays so close together, it somehow adds up to 3 or sometimes 4 celebrations: each child on the real date and a family get-together. one year we had two parties in two weeks! i’ve acknowledged that i can’t do that anymore, my spirit is willing but my flesh bones are weak and aching now…
so in addition to the family favorites and take-out food, i cooked this as “something” new, and different to try.
this is a reconstructed? or deconstructed? shrimp toast. camarron rebosado, as i remember it, is a shrimp paste mixture slathered into little triangles of white bread then battered and deep-fried, then served with a sweet and sour dip. it was my Lolo’s favorite treat!
i’ve heard husband lamenting it’s absence from most of the appetizer menus of restaurants.
flipping through the Gourmet cookbook that i checked out of the library, i was immediately intrigued by the idea of this.
a tasty shrimp mixture rolled in tiny little bread cubes then double deep-fried, i chose to deep-fry only once, literally at the last minute, with guests hovering around and watching all the action.
this looks like little tiny pieces of edible sculpture. the recipe suggests Szechuan pepper and salt dip; i made a coconut vinegar and soy dip from Corinne Trang’s Essentials of Asian Cuisine*.
hundred corner shrimp balls ( from both online and book versions at Gourmet/epicurious.com)
1 1/2 lb large shrimp (30), peeled and deveined
1/2 cup water chestnuts , rinsed and finely chopped (if using canned, first blanch for 1 minute in boiling water before chopping)
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons finely chopped chilled fresh pork fat or lard
1 tablespoons rice wine
1 & 1/2 tsps. finely grated peeled fresh ginger
1 & 1/2 tsps. finely chopped scallion greens
3/4 teaspoons coarse salt
1& 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
20 slices thinly-sliced white sandwich bread, crusts removed, cubed into 1/4 inch dice, left to dry out at least 3 hours or up to 12 hours
click for a larger photo
About 8 cups vegetable oil
Pulse shrimp in a food processor until finely chopped. Transfer to a large bowl, then stir in water chestnuts, egg white, pork fat, rice wine, ginger, scallion, salt, and cornstarch. Beat shrimp mixture vigorously with a wooden spoon and throw it against side of bowl until combined well and compacted. Wet your hands with cold water and form teaspoons of shrimp mixture into balls, arranging in 1 layer on a wax-paper–lined tray. Coat balls, 1 at a time, bread cubes, then arrange in 1 layer on another wax-paper–lined tray.
Preheat oven to 425°F.
Heat oil in a 5-quart pot until a deep-fat thermometer registers 375°F and fry balls in 4 batches, turning, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, or until golden and just cooked through. (Return oil to 375°F between batches.) Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. When all shrimp balls are fried, reheat on a rack set in a shallow baking pan in middle of oven until just hot, about 2 minutes.
Cooks’ note:
• Shrimp balls may be coated and fried 1 day ahead, cooled completely, then chilled, covered. Bring to room temperature before reheating.
#2son still counts each day after his real birthdate, but leading up to the family party, as the birthday week.
i looked for a recipe to use up most of the apples from our apple picking adventure and found this,apple bundt cake, deliciously moist and fragrant, again from epicurious.com.
running out of time, i persuaded daughter to pick out a cake from our favorite cake shop. she chose black forest cake, a toned-down kid-friendly version–it used to be drenched in kirsch and kids used to wrinkle up their noses at it–much more subtly flavored but still deeply darkly chocolatey.
it sure is nice to see the cousins hanging out but wow, they have all grown so fast…. 
p.s. i thought i could breathe a sigh of relief and start on our Christmas prepping. but husband’s siblings decided to draw lots for who’ll be hosting Thanskgiving dinner this year. guess who “won”? 
*coconut vinegar dipping sauce recipe…. (more…)
.)
