If you've been to an Asian fusion restaurant, you know that the menu usually includes a lettuce wrap dish. Crisp pieces of Butter or Iceberg lettuce, served alongside a meat or tofu filling, sometimes accompanied by a spicy sauce.
I have to give credit to my friend Helena for sharing this recipe with me. She made it for a dinner party and I immediately asked her for a copy of it. The filling is flavorful and spicy with a great crunch created by diced water chestnuts.
Lettuce wraps can be served as an appetizer, finger food or even a quick weeknight dinner.
TURKEY LETTUCE WRAPS
2 T vegetable oil
1 lb ground turkey or chicken
8 scallions, white and green parts, minced
2 t cornstarch
2/3 cup water chestnuts, diced
3 T soy sauce
1 T grated fresh ginger
1 t oyster sauce*
1 large head butter lettuce, leaves separated
Spicy Sauce (optional)
3 T soy sauce
1 t chili garlic sauce*
*Available in the Asian aisle of the grocery store.
Warm the oil in a skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the turkey or chicken, scallions and cornstarch and cook, stirring constantly, until turkey is cooked and broken into pieces, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the water chestnuts, soy sauce, ginger and oyster sauce and cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat.
To make the sauce:
In a small bowl, stir together soy sauce and chili garlic sauce.
To serve, take 1 lettuce leaf at a time and spoon a heaping tablespoon of the meat mixture into the center. Top with sauce if desired.
LETTUCE WRAPS
PLUM GALETTE
The French term galette is used to designate different types of round and flat crusty cakes. I think of a galette as a rustic, free from pie. The ones I have come across usually have a mound of fruit on top of a flaky crust, that is folded and pleated along the outer edge to encompass the filling.
The following recipe is for a plum galette, but any combination of fruit, extracts and spices will work. As I mentioned, it is rustic and free form, which to me translates to creative and inventive.
If you do not want to make your own pastry crust, a store bought refrigerated pie crust would also work.
Plum Galette
6-7 large plums halved, pitted, and each cut lengthwise into 8 wedges
2 T semolina flour or cornmeal
3 T granulated sugar
1 t cinnamon
1 t almond extract (optional)
1/4 t ground cardamom (optional)
Sparkling or turbinado sugar (optional)
1 recipe pastry dough (see recipe below) or 1 store bought refrigerated pie crust
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F. Line a large (17- by 12-inch) baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a bowl combine the plums, 2 tablespoons of the sugar, cinnamon and extract and cardamom, if using. Stir to evenly coat the fruit.
Roll out the pastry dough into a 13-15 inch circle, on a lightly floured surface. Transfer to the parchment lined baking sheet.
Stir together semolina flour/cornmeal and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar and spread evenly over dough, leaving a 1-inch border. Arrange plums, skin sides down, in 1 layer on top of sugar mixture. Fold in edge of dough to cover outer rim of plums, pleating dough as necessary.
Sprinkle the crust with the sparkling/turbinado sugar.
Bake galette, loosely covered with a sheet of foil, 40 minutes. Remove foil and bake until 15-20 minutes more, until fruit is tender, juices are bubbling and crust is golden brown.
Pastry Dough
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Rounded teaspoon salt
1 t sugar
1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
3 to 5 T ice water
Blend together flour, salt, sugar, and butter with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) just until mixture resembles coarse meal with some small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps. Drizzle with 3 tablespoons ice water and gently stir with a fork until incorporated.
Squeeze a small handful: If it doesn't hold together, add more ice water, 1/2 tablespoon at a time, stirring (or pulsing) until just incorporated, then test again. (Don't overwork, or pastry will be tough.)
Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 4 portions. With heel of your hand, smear each portion once or twice in a forward motion to distribute fat. Gather dough together, with a pastry or bench scraper if you have one, and form into a 6-inch disk. Chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, at least 1 hour.
