tutorial – Michelle's Pop Up Kitchen

September 29, 2015

How to Make Vietnamese Summer Rolls (Gỏi cuốn)

Vietnamese Summer Rolls: easy, quick, delicious, AND HEALTHY!
I promise you won’t feel like you’re eating rabbit food!

Now, I’ve grown up calling these things “spring rolls” or “Gỏi cuốn,” but I’ve noticed that a lot of Vietnamese restaurants are now calling these “Summer Rolls.” I’m not quite sure of the difference (neither is Wikipedia), but I do know that whatever you want to call them, they are delicious. Which may be a little surprising because all of the ingredients are boiled with very little seasoning (simple salt and pepper)–however–having the perfect peanut dipping sauce is also key to this refreshing delicacy. As you might know by now, I’m a fan of spicy, so I did add some heat to my peanut sauce, but as always, you can omit to your preference.

This recipe can also be used as a fun way to have the whole family involved with dinner–just delegate your assembly line and you’ll have spring rolls in no time!

Anyway–enough blabbering and more cooking, right?
Watch me prep, cook, and serve my Vietnamese Spring Rolls/Summer Rolls/Gỏi Cuốn here:

Difficulty: Easy
Cost: $
Time: 20 Minutes

Ingredients:
1 package rice paper
1 package rice noodles (also known as vermicelli)
~1.5-2 lbs pork tenderloin
~1 lb boiled shrimp
1 head of lettuce
Salt & Pepper to taste

Peanut Dipping Sauce:
Hoisin Sauce
Lime
Chunky Peanut Butter
Chili Sauce (also known as chili paste)
Sriracha (optional)
Easy, right?? Stay tuned/subscribe for my next video: VEGETARIAN SPRING ROLLS!

May 25, 2015

Taking Brunch to the Next Level: Maple Bacon Bourbon Jam

A salty, sweet jam made with BACON as the main ingredient.

Difficulty: Easy
Cost: $$
Time: 20 minutes (including prep)

Watch me prep, cook, and serve this jam in Episode 1 of Michelle’s Pop Up Kitchen: Maple Bacon Bourbon Jam

Ingredient List:

1.5 – 2 lbs Bacon (I, of course, used 2 lbs)
1 Sweet Onion (about 1 cup)
1 Shallot
4 cloves of Garlic
1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
1 teaspoon Chili Powder
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
1/2 cup Bourbon
1/2 cup Maple Syrup
1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar
Salt and Pepper to taste (optional)

Instructions:

Prep

Dice the onion, shallot, and garlic into small pieces (keeping these ingredients separate)
Slice bacon into chunky, bite-size pieces
Bring a large-sized pan to medium heat on the stove (non-stick if you have it)

Cook

Once the pan has heated up, add the bite-sized bacon pieces to fry ’em up
When the bacon has finished cooking, remove the bacon from the pan, leaving about 1 of bacon fat in the pan
Place bacon on paper towels to drain excess fat
Return the pan to the stove with 1 tablespoon bacon fat
Add the diced onion and shallot
Once the onions and shallot have begun to caramelize (have turned golden in color), add 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika and 1 teaspoon chili powder
Add dash of salt and pepper to taste (optional)
Mix the onions and shallots with the added spices
Add diced garlic garlic
Stand back from the stove and *slowly* add 1/2 cup bourbon
Add 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
Add 1/2 cup maple syrup
Add 1/2 cup brown sugar
Stir to allow brown sugar to dissolve
Add fried bacon bits back to the pan
Fold in all of the ingredients
Turn stove on low to simmer (while simmering, the jam will begin to thicken up)

Eat

Once the jam has reached your desired (thick, gooey) consistency, turn the stove off and serve!

This is a great breakfast or brunch item that any bacon lover will enjoy. As shown in the video, I simply served this jam on top a couple of toasted baguette slices. BUT I bet this would also go really good on some flatbread with a little bit of shaved parmesan, topped with arugula. mmmmmmm.