Cafe Tuna Salad

Or maybe it's Cafe Feta Salad.

I guess I have a thing for hearty, comforting salads, because my current go-to take out meal is still the same one it was a year ago, and because the last time I ate the same meal with any frequency was 9 years ago in Israel, where I would go to a particular chain of cafes for its tuna salad. A massive gathering of romaine, tuna and veggies crowned with a layer of crumbled feta cheese would arrive, I would deem it too large to finish and then inevitably find myself frantically scrambling for every last crumble of salty cheese.

I recently found myself hankering for this particular salad, or maybe I was just hankering for the giant pile of feta, because beyond that, my memory was a little fuzzy on what should be included, except for a pile of crisp lettuce and a scoop of canned tuna. A cursory internet search of the cafe's menu showed me that but none of the salads on offer seemed anything like the one in my head, so I decided to rebuild from my patchy memory. I thought I remembered bell peppers, so I threw some of those in there, and tomatoes for a vaguely Greek vibe with the feta, and a boiled egg because why not more protein? I finished it off with a fan of avocado just because.

Regardless of whether this is truly a correct reimagining of that salad, it is a true interpretation of the size, I promise you. My finished assembly of lettuce buried under a mountain of toppings could easily serve two people for dinner, or four as a side. It’s a protein bomb with the tuna, egg, and cheese, but refreshing and crisp at the same time, with a zippy kick from a lemony dressing.

And so. much. feta.

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Cafe Tuna Salad

Inspired by Aroma's Tuna Salad

Makes 1 giant salad, which serves 2 as a main dish and probably 4 as a side.

4 oz romaine hearts, chopped
juice 1/2 lemon
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
salt and pepper, to taste
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
6 oz can tuna in water,drained
7-8 thin slices red bell pepper (about 1/3 of a pepper)
small handful cherry tomatoes
2 oz feta, crumbled
1 boiled egg
1/2 avocado

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the lemon juice, dijon, salt and pepper, and olive oil and whisk together. Add the romaine and toss to combine. 
2. Top the romaine with the remaining ingredients, and serve.

Brûléed Yogurt with Vanilla Rhubarb Strawberry Compote

I recently caught an episode of Brunch at Bobby’s on a lazy Sunday morning. There are few cooking shows I bother to sit down and watch anymore (I am not as enamored of Guy Fieri as the person in charge of the Food Network schedule), but I didn’t feel like changing the channel so I just kept it on in the background and went about brewing another pot of tea.

About twenty minutes later, as I sat contemplating the cruelest joke of a puzzle ever, Bobby dropped some granola into a ramekin and spooned greek yogurt on top, and then he pulled out a freaking blow torch and suddenly had my full attention. As I watched him sprinkle sugar on top of the yogurt, I realized what he was about to do, and I was 100% on board. Because, yes! Of course creamy greek yogurt would make a brilliant base for a crackly, caramel crust! And you could eat it for breakfast!* I only briefly considered the fact that I do not own a culinary torch (and Bobby sternly warned against broiling these beauties) before I decided to attempt these at home, and when a week later on The Kitchen Jeff Mauro demonstrated a kitchen hack for bruleeing without a torch, I decided the universe had thrown me enough signs and I began plotting how to put my own spin on bruleed yogurt for the blog. Enter rhubarb season, and I had my answer.

*Let the record show that I historically have not had any qualms about polishing off a real crème brulee at breakfast.

These may not look like much in the photos, but I promise their flavor is everything. True, the rhubarb compote is more of a blushy pink than a brilliant magenta, and the brulee is only somewhat present (I didn’t find that the alternative method worked very well), but when the tart compote with its flecks of vanilla bean and those precious shards of caramel swirl into the yogurt, they all combine into this creamy, fruity, gem of a breakfast treat that you can forgive for all its aesthetic flaws.

Also, I totally lied to you, because I couldn’t tear myself away from The Great British Baking Show on Netflix and seriously, everyone needs to watch it. Then we can all talk about the great Baked Alaska sabotage of 2014 like we were there.

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Brûléed Yogurt with Vanilla Rhubarb Strawberry Compote

Serves 4, Rhubarb compote adapted from David Lebovitz

2 large stalks rhubarb (about 1/2 pound), cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 cup + 1/8 cup water
1 small piece fresh ginger, sliced but unpeeled
1/2 vanilla bean
1/8 cup sugar
1/8 cup honey
1/4 lb strawberries, hulled and quartered
2 cups greek yogurt (I used 2%)
4 tsp sugar, for the brulee

1. Split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Add seeds and the pod to a medium sized pot over medium heat with the water, ginger, sugar and honey. Heat until the sugar has dissolved and the syrup is simmering. 
2. Add the rhubarb to the syrup and cook about 5 minutes, until softened, then add the strawberries and cook 5 minutes more.
3. Remove from heat and let cool. Strain, reserving the syrup for later use, and when completely cool, remove the ginger pieces and vanilla bean pod.
4. In 4 small ramekins or other heat-safe dishes, layer 1/4 cup compote in each, and top with 1/2 cup yogurt, smoothing out the tops. Sprinkle each with 1 tsp sugar and brulee with method of your choice (if using torch or measuring cup method, it's best to do these one at a time).
5. To brulee with a culinary torch (recommended): sprinkle tops with the sugar, and carefully run the flame over the sugar until caramelized.
6. To brulee with a metal measuring cup: Heat a flat-bottomed, stainless steel 1/2 cup measuring cup on a stove burner set on high. While heating, sprinkle the top of one yogurt filled ramekin with sugar. When hot (I tested by putting a little water in the cup and waiting until it boiled off), pick up the cup (use an oven mitt!!) and gently place on top of the sugar. It should immediately begin melting and caramelizing. If it doesn't, your measuring cup likely isn't hot enough. Repeat with remaining yogurts.

Notes:

• I would strongly recommend a brulee torch for these. I did not have very much success with the measuring cup method, and yogurt doesn't do very well under a broiler (trust me). I've been resisting buying one because it's really only used for this one thing, but they are inexpensive and this experiment convinced me it's probably worth buying, because the few pieces of caramelized sugar I did manage only made me wish for the real thing.
• Bonus recipe! combine 1 part reserved rhubarb syrup and 3 parts club soda or sparkling water to make vanilla rhubarb soda, which tastes just like a rhubarb cream soda, and I highly recommend garnishing with a sprig of rosemary because the scent combined with the soda is amaaaaazing.

Kimchi Deviled Eggs

What do you do when you go on a road trip with your mom and have amazing kimchi deviled eggs in Los Angeles and she asks you to recreate them on your blog?

Well the woman gave birth to you and then 29 years later traveled across the country to see you so you wait almost a year and then you make her some damn deviled eggs.

Ok, the waiting part wasn't intentional. I had these on my "to make" list for months, but I really got excited to make them after finding some inspiration in Lucky Peach's 101 Easy Asian Recipes, a cookbook that I got for Christmas but that I've already made more recipes out of than almost any other cookbook I own. I found a technique in the book for quickly infusing boiled eggs with soy sauce and spices, and I knew that was the extra oomph I wanted for my deviled eggs. As for the kimchi, I went for a Japanese variety with horseradish that I found at Whole Foods, but you could use any kind you like or have on hand. 

Even with the extra step with the soy sauce, these deviled eggs are really simple, and just as good the day you make them or the day after, as the kimchi juices seep around the egg mixture, giving you salty, spicy goodness throughout and a pleasant crunch on top.

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Kimchi Deviled Eggs

Soy sauce technique adapted from 101 Easy Asian Recipes

6 eggs
3 tbs soy sauce
2 tbs plus 1 tsp rice vinegar
1 tbs brown sugar
1 tbs water
1/4 tsp chili flakes
1/4 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp yellow mustard
4 tbs mayonnaise
kimchi of your choice
2 tsp kimchi brine
1/4 tsp salt
chives, to garnish (optional)

1. Boil eggs, let cool, and peel. In a small pot, combine soy sauce, 2 tbs of the vinegar, brown sugar, water, chili flakes, and peppercorns and bring to a simmer. Add three eggs to the pot and gently swirl the pan, rolling the eggs around and spooning the mixture over the tops, about 5 minutes, until the eggs are a tan color. Remove eggs and transfer to a plate to cool, the repeat with the remaining three eggs. Let cool completely.
2. When eggs are cool, cut each egg in half lengthwise. Gently scrape out the yolks into a mixing bowl and add the remaining 1 tsp rice vinegar, yellow mustard, mayonnaise, kimchi brine, and salt. Stir together until completely incorporated and mixture is a smooth, creamy consistency. Adjust seasoning to taste.
3. Spoon or pipe the yolk mixture into the whites, and top each deviled egg with a teaspoonful of kimchi. Garnish with chives, if desired.