This is easier than you’d think and tempura makes an impressive appetizer. The best part of this recipe is you can make whatever veggies you like, nearly anything will work.

Tempura Batter Recipe

1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
2/3 cup ice water

Easy – in one bowl, mix all dry ingredients. In a separate bowl beat the egg and ice water, then whisk in the dry ingredients. Don’t over mix, it’s ok if it’s a bit lumpy. Some people add yellow food coloring.

To keep the oil to a minimum, we used a small pan, and just enough oil that we had to flip whatever we were frying. Peanut oil has a high burning point and is a good oil to use for tempura. Above are two shrimp, skewered on bamboo sticks to keep them straight. (You can see, it’s a small pan)

This is a sampler of what we made that day, broccoli, zucchini, and the shrimp. You can use cauliflower, carrots, even chicken “fingers.”If you try this recipe, let us know. Thanks for stopping by!

written by admin \\ tags: chicken, shrimp, tempura, vegetables

This dish takes a bit of skill. Many I’ve talked to just can’t get the sauce right, and it’s a matter of knowing the texture you are looking for. This lends itself to a thought – a couple posts in the future on sauces, especially those that start with a roux. Depending on the interest, I’ll start thinking about an upcoming ‘sauce series.’

Now the cream sauce for today’s dish:

Start with a stick (1/4 lb) of butter and melt in the pan. Slowly add 4-5 tablespoons flour while whisking continuously. Before the roux (this flour/butter mix) starts to brown, add one pint heavy cream, still whisking. Once the cream is incorporated, add 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese.

Serve over poached salmon and shrimp or scallops, whichever you prefer. You can choose among many sidedishes, we prefer to keep it simple, brown rice and steamed carrots.

Any leftover sauce can be the start of a nice mac and cheese for lunch.

Enjoy.

written by admin \\ tags: cream sauce, salmon, shrimp