Cool down with Avacado Shrimp Spring Rolls with Almond Butter Sauce

My way of cooling down without heating up the house this HOT SUMMER DAY.  

Shrimp Spring Rolls with Avacado

Spring Rolls are refreshing, healthy and a great way to cool off. I've made these one time before and wrapping them isn't as easy as rolling a burrito. I made almond butter dipping sauce with the ingredients I had in the refrigerator and it came out really good. 

 INGREDIENTS:

Four Spring Roll Skins

Twelve pieces of Cooked Shrimp

One Tablespoon Thai Basil - chopped

One Tablespoon Mint - chopped

One Tablespoon Green Onion - chopped

1/4 Cup Diced Cucumbers - diced

Two Tablespoon Cilantro - chopped

1/2 Avocado- sliced

1/2 Cup Shredded Cabbage - sliced

Shred with a knife your vegetables and herbs and set in bowl. Stir to combine everything but the Avocado, slice and set this aside.

Fill a large bowl or pot with warm water. Dip one wrapper into the warm water for 5 second to soften. Lay wrapper flat on clean surface. Lay in the center 3-4 shrimp and sliced avocado. Using your shredded vegetables and herbs in bowl, top shrimp and avocado with about 1/4 cup of mixture leaving about 2 inches uncovered on each side. Fold uncovered sides inward, then tightly roll the wrapper, beginning at the end. Repeat with remaining ingredients and use however much you like, its your food and you need to enjoy it!

NOTE - You can use whatever you like depending on your taste. I prefer more avocado and cucumber in mine but I'm cooking for myself.

Shrimp Spring Rolls with Almond Butter Sauce

The Almond Butter Sauce: 

1/2 Cup Almond Butter

One Tablespoon Warm Water

Two Tablespoons Sesame Dressing

Two Tablespoons Lemon Ginger Dressing 

 

Almond Butter Sauce

Stir together is same bowl and let sit before making Spring Rolls. 

Note: The remaining ingredients you can set aside and make a salad or use as a topping or side salad with your spring rolls and drizzle the Almond Butter sauce ontop.

Recipe by Chef Fenya of Russian Doll Bakery and Catering

 

 

COOKING WITHOUT A RECIPE

Have you ever heard someone say a recipe didn’t work? I have many times and people ask me for advice and this is what I tell them, “Recipes are a list of ingredients you need.  It’s not an instruction guide to show you the method they used.” This is the bread and butter of a successful recipe that works. (no pun intended) Don’t feel bad if you followed the instructions step by step and failed. This is only someone’s opinion on what they think works.

I am a professional caterer cooking for hundreds of people and that doesn’t come by a recipe it comes from skills and methods. Your recipe may call for a chopped tomato or instructions to cook under medium heat. This sure can be confusing because tomatoes come in so many different sizes and as a chef cooking in many different kitchens, all stoves are not the same and give out heat differently. Food items are natural and have different cooking times especially when we all have different pans, stoves and ovens we are not all going to get the same result. You don’t need to go to culinary school to learn to cook, all you need is to learn the cooking methods!

Many home cooks have many magazines with hundreds of recipes and look on the internet for ideas to make for their families. I know for me I can’t follow any kind of reading directions at all and didn’t go to culinary school, maybe that’s why I’m a good cook and have a successful catering business because I learned the cooking methods to preparing mouthwatering dishes for your guests.

Ever hear someone say, “It was my grandmas recipe”? Our grandmas back in the days didn’t measure ingredients they just threw stuff together of what they had available to make a historic meal we drool over. Your grandma knew the cooking methods and added her ingredients on the fly. This is the key to cooking without a recipe. Recipes have always been a epic fail for me and overwhelming when I was young. It's ok to look at recipes and get inspired but look at the variety of ingredients that are being used and use what you have in your kitchen. If a recipe asks for honey and you don’t have it, use sugar or anything that has the similar flavor they are asking for but most importantly learn the cooking methods and make it like our Grandma’s recipe!

Learn these basics of how heat is transferred to food and you will be able to cook without recipes

Heat Transfers:

•         Direct Heat 
•         Indirect Heat

How Heat Effects Food: 

•          Gelatinization of Starches
•          Coagulation of Proteins
•          Evaporation of Moisture
•          Caramelization of Sugars

Sauté Method:

1.        Make sure your pan is HOT
2.        Add your protein with a small amount of fat
3.        Heat your protein 75% one side 20% on the other (rest will cook off the heat)
4.        Check with a thermometer to make sure you reached your safe temperature zone
5.        Remove protein to plate
6.        Add your vegetables or any kind of aromas to your pan until they sweat
7.        Deglaze with liquid to stop the heat
8.        Add your butter, cheese or cream and melt in the liquid
9.        Return Protein to liquid or pour on top of plated protein for final dish with garnish

Sauce Making:

 Basic Roux – butter and flour

o   White

o   Blond

o   Brown

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