I know, I know…yesterday was the day I was supposed to announce the winner, but for some reason, I hate putting up an entry that’s just text; I wanted to add a recipe, photos, and a little chatter. I plum forgot to plan ahead, plus, the week zipped by.
Initially, I was going to pile a ton of fruit on top of some cinnamon roll pancakes I had for breakfast and exclaim ‘LOOK, this is what I had for breakfast today!’. To me, that was better than just text. Well, I forgot and ate the pancakes. Then I remembered my little take on the infamous Momofuku Ginger Scallion noodles I made last January. I hated the way the photos turned out, so it was one of the ‘meals in limbo’ as I call them. ‘Meals in limbo’ or ‘food in limbo’ are photos of dishes I make that sit in my photo program forever; a huge, invisible question mark looming over them. Should or shouldn’t I delete them? No, I just may need them one day for..for…for..
In any event, all of these limbo dishes are actually delicious, it’s just the photos that keep them from moving up and out. I mostly keep them as a reminder that I will make this dish again, and try to get better photos so I can blog it. My gosh, will you listen to me? I’m possessed by the food blog photography demon! A dish must be photo-worthy for me to blog about it. I need help.
Having said that, I have some nerve kvetching about photos, because, as I’ve mentioned about a million times, I don’t have enough natural light for photo taking, so I have to use artificial lights, (Lowel Ego Lights). Look, I’m going to be honest here, no matter what 5000 artificial light photography tutorials teach you, unless you have a professional studio with $$$$ worth of lighting, you’re not going to ever get the same effect as a naturally lit plate of food.
You lose SO many details with artificial lighting, not to mention the color is always a little off (thank god for Photoshop). Am I telling you not to invest in some artificial lights for overcast days and photo taking at night? NO, because a Lowel Ego Light or two definitely beats home lighting (tungsten, flourescent etc), by a few miles, but again..natural light beats artificial by several hundred miles.
It really breaks my heart when I cannot get a good shot of a particularly pretty dessert, or a savory dish where you really need those mouth-watering details to shine. For some reason, savory foods don’t seem to photograph as well as sweets.
OK, steppin’ off my whiny urban soapbox, but it felt good to vent about it for the millionth time.
Sorry.
Now onto the ginger garlic scallion noodles (I’m sure many already scrolled to the bottom to see if they won the dish. I know I would have). These are NOT David Chang’s Ginger Scallion Noodles, just in case you typed ‘ginger scallion noodles’ into a search engine and ended up here (well, one a trillion chance you ended up here). However, these are also really good ginger GARLIC scallion noodles, based on David’s, but tweaked to the way I like them. All I really did was futz like crazy with his recipe..ie; increased some ingredients, omitted some ingredients, and added some ingredients. Don’t get me wrong, his ginger scallion noodles are absolutely diiiiivine; I just felt like playing with his brilliance in regards to my tastes.
First I decreased the ginger a bit, then added extra garlic and shallots. I used dark soy sauce in lieu of light, increased the vinegar but used rice vinegar instead of wine (yeah, I know, like that really makes a difference), increased the grapeseed oil and added fish sauce, toasted sesame oil, honey, and red chile pepper flakes I also ‘chopped’ everything and kept it rustic, nothing finely minced, although I did take care to make sure no one got a huge chunk of garlic or ginger to chew on, also known as, minced enough.
According to my tasters, this is the freshest, most wonderful version they’ve had (well, they’ve never had David’s, so I take it with a grain of salt). Seconds and thirds were requested – clean plates all around. I ate a whole half pound of it last night. When tasters found out, I was scolded for not sharing. Two friends asked me to make this for a party they’re having next weekend “….lots of it. ”
I’d say it was a success. Please make this, then tell me what you think!
FINALLY, the winner of the Le Creuset Oval Baker! I didn’t use random integer because there was a pingback, a brief convo between me and someone, and well, just felt it would be more fair to do it another way. I wrote down every name in order, then placed the sheet of paper with the names across the room on the floor, and tossed a penny on it (I know what you’re thinking lol). The penny landed on…*fake drum roll*…LIA! Congratulations! I’ll email you to get your info and send it right out!
aka NOT David Chang's Ginger Scallion Noodles! (Although his Ginger Scallions Noodles are the bomb diggity bomb of all things 'ginger scallion'. ) but they are totally adapted and inspired by him!
ingredients:
1 large bunch of green onions, sliced
2 tablespoons of ginger finely minced
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon chopped shallots
⅓ cup grapeseed or other neutral oil
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seed oil *
2 teaspoons fish sauce *
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar *
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 crushed red chile pepper or 1 teaspoon red chile flakes
kosher salt to taste
½ to ¾ lb (8 to 12 ounces - depending on your sauce to pasta ratio preference) fresh noodles of your choice
directions:
Heat up the grapeseed oil in a saucepan over high heat until the oil is shimmery and hot, but not smoking.
Add the green onions, ginger, garlic and shallots at once, but be careful, the oil will bubble and splatter. The onions will sizzle and wilt almost immediately and turn a bright green.
Take the pan off the heat and stir the sauce with a wooden spoon. Add the fish sauce, sesame seed oil, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, honey, crushed red chile pepper and salt to taste.
Let sit for 15 minutes, then toss with your favorite noodles. I used fresh Chinese egg noodles.*
Alternatively, dump the ginger garlic scallion oil mixture in a large mortatrand pestle or the food processor, and pulverize it a bit , smashing the scallions ( or pulse a few times in the food processor) so they're more saucy over the noodles. I did that last week, and MMMMMM!
notes:
* Can be found at some supermarkets and most Asian groceries.
While you’re here, and before you X out, please take a moment and clickHEREto see how you can help the victims of the quake and tsunami in Japan. You can even text donations, which is what I did to start. Every little bit helps.
Today I have for you an easy skinny, spicy, saucy shrimp fusion that will blow your mind, but not your waistline! And it’s fast! For all you 9 to 5er’s. your after 5 o’clock self will appreciate it!
Skinny Baked Tomato Sriracha Shrimp with Olives and Feta ! AND, an optional Zesty Lemon Scallion Orzo or Risoni to pile it on top of (or serve on the side, your choice!)
It’s not often you’ll see something healthy on this blog. Once in a while, though, I get the urge to post something fat-free, or at least veggie or fruity fresh and healthy, and this is the first time I’m going there. I mostly eat this way in real life (I’d be six feet under if I ate my blog food on a daily basis), but never thought to post some of my healthier dishes.
I would say I’m a food ‘everything’ blog, from the fattiest, most gourmet creations you can imagine, to the fattiest, most down-home creations you can imagine, both sweet and savory, to well..sort of healthy when the mood strikes. I know shrimp is loaded with cholesterol, but you could substitute other shellfish if it bothers you, or your favorite mild fish. Regardless, this baked sriracha shrimp is definitely lighter on the bod.
I once tried this dish of shrimp, tomatoes and feta by Ellie Krieger that was pretty tasty and healthy (do you think it’ll wipe out several quarts of cassoulet fat making its way through my system?)! When I spotted my Sriracha sauce in the cupboard, I knew exactly where I wanted to take the pound plus of shrimp I had bought that day
NOTE – This post was initially the same dish, but using Picante sauce instead of Sriracha. Second time I made it, the Sriracha won out, so I slightly changed the recipe. If you’d rather use picante sauce or any other spicy or hot sauce or salsa, go for it!
SO, this shrimp was going to be fusion healthy because I was definitely going to pair up a little of Japan, and a lot Greece, for a bounty of flavor profiles. Salty feta, briny kalamata olives, juicy tomatoes, spicy Sriracha heat, and sweet cilantro (Mexico joins the party!). I knew this would all taste great with the shrimp before I even tried it..and it did.
Why didn’t I add a slice of lemon or some lemon zest to like umm, show it’s orzo or risoni with LEMON? Not to mention it looks dry AF in this photo because it sat for a bit, and I forgot to stir it since the fun bunch was yelling for dinner, but it’s actually super duper creamy. Plus, my awful photo skills make good food look bad.
It may not be the prettiest shrimp dish, but trust me, it’s so worth it because it’s a quick, easy, and almost super-healthy lunch or dinner. I say ‘almost’ because I took it off the super healthy chart by spooning it on top of zesty scallion risoni or orzo with lemon. Orzo or Risoni isn’t bad for you, but it’s carbs nonetheless. Of course you don’t have to make the orzo or risoni so it’s back to ‘super-healthy’ if you skip it.
That said, sometimes I use fat-free feta, so that’s got to cancel out something by way of fat, right? I think that puts this shrimp at a level I’d call, somewhat super healthy, and even healthier with a green salad in lieu of the orzo or risoni, right?
Alright, enough with all of this ‘healthy’ rambling because it tastes awesome and that’s what matters most. Ease of preparation, quick cooking, and again, it tastes awesome. Is this not a Mom’s dream? A bachelor/bachelorette’s dream? Wait, anyone can eat and make this spicy baked shrimp, so forget all that and just make it. I guarantee you will be very happy with the blast of flavor taking place on your palate.
I need to interrupt this entry because I have to post this photo. Don’t worry, I’m NOT cooking them!
Seriously, HOW CUTE ARE THESE BABIES?? Look at their little feeties! This photo doesn’t belong in a post about food, but I couldn’t resist and had to share. I want a baby platypus! (pot-bellied pig or baby chick syndrome).
Now back to my luscious, healthy shrimp dish.
If you use fat-free feta cheese, do NOT add it until the dish comes out of the oven. Fat-free cheese doesn’t melt well; it turns kind of rubbery when exposed to direct heat (it’s the milk fat that makes full fat cheese melt), but raw or slightly melted, you wouldn’t know the difference between full-fat and fat-free feta. Sprinkle a good handful of the fat-free feta on top of the baked shrimp and let it soften at the table. For full-fat feta, add it to the dish before you put it in the oven and let it melt and bubble away, as shown in the photos, I used the fat-free feta and found out the hard way that it doesn’t melt well in the oven!
Now, the giveaway!! I have a beautiful, brand new, Le Creuset Stoneware 14-Inch Oval Baking Dish, in Cherry Red up for grabs. This is not to promote anything – this was given to me and I already have one in blue, so I’d like to give it away to one of you! Just leave a comment, Tweet it, and maybe a Facebook share and/or like! I’ll be choosing the winner using random integer one week from today! Good luck!
Skinny Baked Tomato Sriracha Shrimp with Olives and Feta
1 (14.5-ounce) can of no-salt-added diced tomatoes, with the juice
2 tablespoons Sriracha Sauce or your favorite hot sauce (more or less depending on how hot you like it)
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1½ pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined (I leave the tails on;.looks prettier)
½ cup pitted and sliced kalamata olives
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
⅔ cup crumbled full-fat or fat-free feta cheese (about 3 ounces)
Zesty Scallion Risoni or Orzo
1 lemon
coarse salt and ground pepper
1 cup risoni or orzo pasta
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 scallions, thinly sliced
directions:
Make the Baked Sriracha Shrimp
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Heat the oil in an oven proof skillet over a medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and Sriracha then bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let simmer for about 5 minutes, until the juices and sauce thicken.
Remove from the heat. Stir in the parsley, shrimp and sliced olives. Season with salt and pepper. IF you're using full-fat feta, sprinkle the feta over the top and bake until the shrimp are cooked through and cheese melts, about 12 minutes. If you're using fat-free feta, sprinkle it over the top AFTER it bakes in the oven for 12 minutes.
Top with chopped cilantro and serve over zesty lemon scallion risoni, if desired.
Make the Zesty Risoni
Using a vegetable peeler, peel half the lemon (avoiding the bitter white pith); thinly slice peel and squeeze 2 tablespoons juice into a small bowl. Set the peel and juice aside.
Bring a large saucepan or medium pot of salted water to a boil. Add risoni and lemon peel. Cook until risoni is al dente, according to package instructions. Drain and return the risoni to the saucepan or pot.
Stir lemon juice, oil, butter and scallions into the hot risoni Season with salt and pepper; then toss to combine.
First, I want to start by saying that I’m officially making this a very late Valentine’s Day post. I didn’t have one this year, so since this dessert is all red and pink and soft and creamy a.k.a romantic perfection, these Triple Strawberry Vanilla Bean Yogurt Panna Cotta Verrines with Lacy Macadamia Cookies (Whoa! What a mouthful!), and Strawberry White Chocolate filled Lacy Macadamia Cookies will be my official Valentine’s Day sweet treat.
That said, the things you can do with a few gelatin leaves or gelatin powder are endless. You can turn just about anything with liquid into a gelatin meal or dessert; not that you’d want to, but you could! Jellied grits, jellied tomato juice (thoughts of aspic), jellied liquid laundry detergent, jellied motor oil. OK, I’ll stop now.
Anyway.
The actual name for this luscious dessert is Panna Cotta, (which translates to cooked cream), andit’s an egg-free cream and/or milk custard stabilized with gelatin. So, eighty-six the laundry detergent gelee; panna cotta is cream gelee (I’ve also been known to call it JELLO cream) which is a good gelee, as long as it isn’t too jellied.
I know, all that jellied/gelee talk was a little annoying. Is it too obvious that I’m in the midst of sort of a writer’s block?
Speaking of ‘too gelee’d’ did any of you see the season of Top Chef where Marisa, a pastry chef, which is a rarity (and somewhat of a hindrance) on Top Chef, was extremely thrilled when she was finally able to make a dessert? She huffed and puffed and bragged about how she had this one in the bag etc. The dessert she had to make was, you guessed it, panna cotta! Now, I’m not a professionally trained pastry chef, but panna cotta is pretty simple to make, so I would have been chuffed too.
Well, if you saw it, you know what happened; she botched the panna cotta. It was hard and rubbery. I felt so bad for her, as I’m sure her panna cotta is usually perfect. The pressure of being a pastry chef, on the day they give you a dessert challenge, must have been a bit overwhelming.
I digress. I couldn’t help referring to that moment since it always pops in my head at the mention of panna cotta.
The February 2011 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Mallory from A Sofa in the Kitchen. She chose to challenge everyone to make Panna Cotta from a Giada De Laurentiis recipe and Nestle Florentine Cookies.
I have tried Giada’s panna cotta recipe before, and felt it was a little too sweet, so I decided to take a direction I’ve been dying to take for months, especially ever since I saw THIS. I love it; I think it looks awesome, and I love the fact that you prepare one fruit three ways along with a tangy (could be buttermilk, yogurt or creme fraiche) panna cotta. Perfection, and I get to play! I’ve been looking for an excuse to tackle this for some time now, and here it is!
Here’s the kicker, it did not originate from Evan, although she’s pretty amazing, isn’t she? She got the idea from HERE, another gifted pastry goddess who in turn got some of her original idea from HERE. That’s three amazingly talented and creative ladies I’m going to try and emulate. Sometimes I look at these blogs in complete awe and think ‘Why am I even blogging and photographing food? Give me the towel so I can throw it in!!’ Then I remember why I blog about food; it’s something I enjoy immensely, so I’ll hold onto that towel..for now.
In any event, I was so excited to make these, I even ordered 24 carat edible (food safe) gold leaf. It’s usually pretty pricey, unless you hit ebay and catch an auction from another country, which I did. I ended up getting 10 small sheets of edible/food-safe gold leaves from Thailand for less than half the price I would have paid in the US. When my father, who happened to stop by just as I placed my mail on the table, saw the scruffy, international airmail envelope it was sent in, he said, “I wouldn’t open that, it could be anthrax; it looks fishy to me”. I explained that it was gold leaves for food decoration, but he still maintained it could be anthrax and what a perfect way to disseminate it throughout the US, via gold leaves via ebay. Okay, he was joking..well, half joking ‘cuz, hmmm, you never know.
Anyway, I didn’t have any cool, square verrine glasses like they used, just plastic, rectangular 4 oz cups, so I accidentally poured in way too much panna cotta, ruining the cool ‘mosaic’ thing they got goin’ on. But, you know what? I loved making it, and I loved how it tasted; it was like excavating and dumping a huge heap of soft, creamy, jelly, saucy, tangy strawberry patch on the taste buds; a creamy strawberry gelatin sundae, so to speak. I was incredibly pleased with the outcome.
The corkscrew cookie on the napkin is a cocoa – black sesame florentine. Unfortunately, that was the only one left to photograph. I preferred the lacy macadamia cookies anyway.
I forgot to mention, I amped up the strawberry mousse with a little heat. Little meaning that I used one ground Tepin pepper. A Tepin chile pepper is the cutest, little pink pepper I’ve ever seen; it’s about the size of half a pinky nail! Don’t be deceived, though, as this is one of the hottest peppers in the world. Last year, Marx foods sent me some samples of the hottest, dried chile peppers known to man. Well, I had a choice – mild, medium or hot,hot, hot.
Of course I had to go all the way, hoping to find ways to incorporate those dried peppers into dishes in ways where it wouldn’t singe your tongue. I found just one, ground teeny tiny ground tepin pepper in the cool, fluffy mousse, which when combined with the cool gelee and smooth and creamy panna cotta, gives the perfect bite of heat. No pain, no eyes watering, no premature passing, just a WOW, and a good WOW at that.
So, we were also asked to bake a cookie. I suppose a cookie was integrated because there’s not one facet of panna cotta that’s baked. I loved the idea because it provides another texture to the creamy, jelly mouthful of the verrines. The hostess asked us to make Florentine cookies. I decided to nix the oats for finely chopped toasted macadamia nuts, and omit the flour to achieve a more delicate, lacy look.
Ooops, I suppose it’s not a typical Florentine cookie any longer, is it? It’s now a lacy cookie!
A Florentine is simply a heartier, less delicate cousin to the lacy cookie, so I’m keeping it in the family, right? I sandwiched them with a dried strawberry – white chocolate filling. Yes.Yes.Yes.
Now, it’s time to give a huge shout out to my friend, Audax, who converted this recipe to US measurements for me. He is amazing; he covered every single itty, bitty corner. Aud, you are the best!
Finally, since these verrines are strawberry based, every component, except the panna cotta, contains strawberry puree. Below is a base recipe for strawberry puree.
Strawberry Puree
One 20 ounce bag (570 grams) of frozen unsweetened strawberries or 20 ounces of fresh, washed, hulled and cut up strawberries
2 Tablespoons to 1/4 cup (25 to 50 grams) granulated white sugar, or to taste
Freshly squeezed lemon juice, optional
DIRECTIONS:
1. Place the unsweetened frozen strawberries in a large bowl and thaw. Once thawed, put the strawberries and their juice in the bowl of a food processor or blender and process the berries until they’re pureed. If you want it completely seedless, crank through a foodmill or push through a fine wire mesh strainer after blending or processing them.
If using fresh, cut up strawberries, place in a bowl and stir in two to three tablespoons of sugar to macerate (release the juices) for about 30 minutes, then continue on as written above, although you may not need to add anymore sugar. Taste.
2. Pour the puree into a 2 cup measuring cup. You should have about 1 1/4 cups of puree. Add 2 tablespoons of the sugar to start and stir until the sugar dissolves. Taste and add more sugar if needed. Add a little lemon juice to taste.
3. If not using immediately, store covered in the refrigerator for one week. The puree can also be frozen for several months.
Triple Strawberry Vanilla Bean Yogurt Panna Cotta Verrines and Strawberry White Chocolate filled Lacy Macadamia Sandwich Cookies
Strawberry and Panna Cotta Verrines
Recipe from Evan’s KItxhen Ramblings via L’ Atelier Vi
Vanilla Bean Yogurt or Creme Fraiche Panna Cotta
3/4 cup + 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon (200ml) (200 gm) (7 oz) heavy cream
3 tablespoons + 1 3/4 teaspoons (55 ml) (45 gm) (1.6 oz) sugar
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
3g (0.1 oz) sheet gelatin OR 1 teaspoon powdered gelatin
2 tablespoons ice water
1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon (100 ml) (100 gm) (3 1/2 oz) plain yogurt or creme fraiche
Strawberry Gelee with Diced Strawberry
1 cup minus 1 tablespoon (225 ml) (150g) (5⅓ oz) fresh strawberries, diced
1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon (100 ml) (100g) (3½ oz) strawberry puree
2 tablespoons (30 ml) (25g) (0.9 oz) sugar
2 grams (0.07 oz) sheet gelatine (about 3/4 of a whole sheet) OR ½ teaspoon + 2 dashes powdered gelatin ( just shake the package to ‘dash’ a some out.
1 1/2 tablespoons ice water
Strawberry Mousse
1 cup minus 1 tablespoon (225 ml) (150g) (5.3 oz) strawberry puree
3 1/2 teaspoons (17 1/2 ml) (15g) (1/2 oz) sugar
3.5g (0.125 oz) gelatin sheets OR 1 teaspoon powdered gelatin
2 tablespoons ice water
1/2 cup (120 ml) (120g) (4 1/4 oz) whipping cream
1 tepin pepper or pink peppercorn, ground (optional)
FOR THE PANNA COTTA:
1. In a small saucepan, cook the heavy cream, sugar and vanilla bean until it comes to a boil. In the meantime, soak the gelatin in ice water. When the cream has come to a boil, remove the pan from the heat and add the softened gelatin. Whisk to dissolve it. Sift into a clean bowl, discarding solids, and let it cool to about body temperature. Add the yogurt or creme fraiche, and whisk well.
2. Pour the panna cotta into glasses or cups (I used THESE) to about 1/3 of the height and let it set in the refrigerator on the bias (tilted) using an egg carton like you see in the above photo collage, about 2 hours.
FOR THE STRAWBERRY GELEE WITH DICED STRAWBERRIES:
1. Warm half of the strawberry puree with the sugar in a medium saucepan over low heat. Soak the sheet or powdered gelatine in ice water. Remove saucepan from heat once sugar completely dissolved.
2. Add the softened gelatin to the warm strawberry puree. Add the rest of the puree and diced strawberries and mix well. Let it cool to room temperature then spoon the mixture on top of the chilled yogurt panna cotta to about 2/3 of the height of the glasses/cups. Let it set in the refrigerator, upright, about 30 minutes to 1 hour.
FOR THE STRAWBERRY MOUSSE: (any left over? Make a Strawberry Mousse cake with some candid rhubarb!)
1. Warm half of the strawberry purée with the sugar in a medium saucepan over low heat. Soak the gelatin leaf in ice water or combine the powdered gelatin with about 1 tablespoon of cold water. In both instances, let sit until softened (the powdered gelatin will dissolve and turn into a soft lump of clear jelly). If using leaf gelatin, when ready, pull it out of the water and squeeze out as much excess water as you can. If using powdered gelatin, just dump the whole softened lump of jelly in as is. Remove the saucepan from heat and add either softened gelatin to the warm puree and stir until completely dissolved. Add the rest of the puree; stir to combine then let it cool to room temperature.
2. In a mixing bowl, whisk the heavy cream until soft peaks then using a rubber spatula, fold the whipped cream into the cooled puree base until fully incorporated (no more white streak). Pour this mousse on top of the strawberry gelee, smooth it out using the back of a spoon or offset spatula, and let it set in the refrigerator, upright, about 1 hour
FOR THE STRAWBERRY COULIS:
1. Warm half of the strawberry puree with the sugar in a medium saucepan over low heat. Remove saucepan from heat once sugar is completely dissolved. Add the rest of the puree; stir to combine, then let it cool to room temperature. Pour it on top of the strawberry mousse layer, swirling the cup until it covers the mousse completely.
2. Top verrines with whole, halved or diced strawberries, a florentine or lacy cookie, and gold leaf, if you have on hand.
NOTE – I think I would prefer to switch the coulis with the diced strawberry gelatin, meaning place the coulis within the verrine and the diced strawberry gelatin on top, so you seal the verrines. Next time, for sure!
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two or three large baking sheets with silpats or parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, combine the finely chopped, toasted macadamia nuts (I pulse them in a food processor to get them finely chopped), the sugar, egg, salt and vanilla extract. Stir until blended, then slowly pour in the melted butter while stirring, until blended into a batter.
Drop the batter by slightly heaping teaspoonfuls about 3 inches apart, on the prepared baking sheets. Bake until the cookies are golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the sheets on racks for 5 minutes before transferring them to racks to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining batter after the sheets have cooled.
Spread the underside of half of the cooled cookies with about a scant teaspoon of the white chocolate - strawberry filling (below), and sandwich with the other half of the cooled cookies, underside down. If using some of the cookies for the verrines above, partially curl those cookies around a wooden spoon handle when they're still warm, then let set and remove from handle.
For the White Chocolate Strawberry Filling
Place white chocolate in a bowl over a simmering pot of water and let melt, stirring so it doesn't burn (alternatively, you can use the microwave). Stir in the strawberry powder and teeny, tiny pinch of salt, until uniform. Let cool, then spread on underside of half the cookies and sandwich with the other half of the cookies, top side up.
Why didn’t I add a slice of lemon or some lemon zest to like umm, show it’s orzo or risoni with LEMON? Not to mention it looks dry AF in this photo because it sat for a bit, and I forgot to stir it since the fun bunch was yelling for dinner, but it’s actually super duper creamy. Plus, my awful photo skills make good food look bad.
Seriously, HOW CUTE ARE THESE BABIES?? Look at their little feeties! This photo doesn’t belong in a post about food, but I couldn’t resist and had to share. I want a baby platypus! (pot-bellied pig or baby chick syndrome).
