Hummingbird High's Asian-Style Thanksgiving

As I mentioned in my earlier post, Thanksgiving in my household is a very non-traditional affair — for the last three years, Erlend and I have roasted a duck in place of the traditional turkey and have had varying sides and guests as an accompaniment every year. Since neither of our families celebrate Thanksgiving, we've been having a lot of fun working out our own traditions and customs.

And so this year was more thematic than previous years — I decided that our dinner was going to be primarily Asian-influenced, but with an homage to traditional Thanksgiving flavors. The menu was centered around I'm still scarred from the time I did it for these palmiers and that took like the entire friggin' weekend), pumpkin puree, coconut milk and sugar — are pretty far from what traditionally goes into legit Chinese egg tarts. 

But can I tell you guys a secret? 

When I pulled these out of the oven and took a bite out of the oh-so-warm and oh-so-fresh pastry, they were everything I'd always hoped Chinese egg tarts would be. As a kid, I had always been so disappointed by the fact that traditional Chinese egg tarts weren't more flavorful and sweet, despite their sunny and inviting appearance. But the pumpkin and coconut milk in these tarts gives them the flavor and sweetness I always desired, all without having it be too overly-sweet or sickeningly so. Although the tarts are best when they are still warm from the oven, Erlend and I still managed to finish off about ten each at room temperature wish that we had more. 

So, a recap of my Asian-style Thanksgiving menu:

• Roasted PBR Beer Duck (recipe from Lady & Pups)
• Fleischmann's Simply Homemade Cornbread with Added Scallions, Garlic and Honey Butter
• Phak Buung Fai Daeng; or Stir-Fried Water Spinach (recipe from the Pok Pok cookbook, available after the jump)
• Phat Fak Thawng; or Northern Thai-Style Stir-Fried Squash (recipe adapted from from the Pok Pok cookbook and available after the jump)
• Pumpkin and Coconut Milk Chinese Egg Tarts (recipe after the jump)

Happy Thanksgiving!!! Feel free to share your Thanksgiving menus in the comments below.

Recipes

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For the Stir-Fried Water Spinach (Phak Buung Fai Daeng)
(makes one side, enough for 2 to 3 people)

Special Equipment:

• a wok, preferably non-stick

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 11 grams peeled garlic cloves, halved lengthwise and lightly crushed with the flat of your knife
• 6 ounces water spinach leaves and thin stems (select stems that are no more than 1/4 inch thick), cut into 2-inch lengths
• 3 Thai chilis
• 1/4 cup chicken stock

Recipe:

1. Combine the oyster sauce, fish sauce, soy sauce and sugar in a small bowl and stir well.
2. Heat a wok over very high heat, add the oil, and swirl it in the wok to coat the sides. When it begins to smoke lightly, add the garlic. Take the wok off the heat once the garlic has been added and let the garlic sizzle, stirring often, until it turns a light golden brown (about 30 seconds). 
3. Put the wok back on the heat and add the water spinach, stirring until the leaves begin to wilt, about 15 seconds. Add the oyster sauce mixture and the chilis. Stir-fry, constantly stirring, scooping and flipping the ingredients, until the leaves have fully wilted (about 45 seconds).
4. Add 2 tablespoons of the stock and stir-fry until the stems are just tender with a slight crunch, about 45 seconds more. You should end up with about 1/4 cup of liquid in the wok with the water spinach. If the liquid looks like it will reduce to less than that, gradually add more stock as you stir fry.
5. Transfer the water spinach and sauce to a plate in a low mound and serve immediately.

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For the Northern Thai-Style Stir-Fried Squash (Phat Fak Thawng)
(makes one side, enough for 2 to 3 people)

Special Equipment:

• a mortar and pestle
• a wok, preferably non-stick

Ingredients:

• 7 grams Thai chilis (use more or less depending on how spicy you want it to be)
• 6 grams garlic cloves, halved lengthwise
• 5 grams peeled shallots, thinly sliced against the grain
• 1 teaspoon shrimp paste
• 5 ounces unpeeled delicata squash, unseeded
• 5 ounces butternut squash, peeled and unseeded
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons chicken stock
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup water
• 1 tablespoon fried shallots

Recipe:

1. First, make a paste from the chilis, garlic, shallots and shrimp paste. Pound the chilis to a coarse paste in a granite mortar, about 20 seconds. Add the garlic and pound until it breaks down and you can only see small bits of garlic, about 30 seconds, then do the same with the shallots. Add the shrimp paste and pound until it's just incorporated, about 10 seconds. Don't be alarmed if the paste isn't smooth — that's what we want here. The paste should still be fairly coarse, and you should have around 1 tablespoons worth of paste.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a violent boil and add the prepared squash for 20 seconds, before draining it well using a colander.
3. Heat a wok over medium heat, add the oil, and swirl it around the wok to coat the sides and bottom of the wok evenly. When the oil is hot, add all oft he paste and take the wok off the heat, cooking and stirring the paste constantly until it is fragrant but not colored, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Be careful not to inhale the paste — pounded chiles plus heat equals a massive coughing fit. This tip is in the cookbook, and I happened to me as well since I was the idiot who decided to see what would happen if I actually sniffed the paste.
4. Put the wok back on the heat, turn the heat to high, and add the squash Stir-fry, constantly stirring, scooping and flipping the ingredients for a minute or so to coat the squash and let the paste infuse it. Add the stock, sugar and salt, and continue to stir fry until the squash is tender but not mushy or falling apart, around 3 to 5 minutes. Every 30 seconds or so, consider adding a splash of water to keep the ingredients moist. Once the squash is ready, its outside surfaces should take on a caramelized appearance and there should be no liquid left in the wok.
5. Transfer the squash to a plate, sprinkle on the fried shallots, and serve immediately.

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For the Pumpkin and Coconut Chinese Egg Tarts:

(makes around 20 three-inch egg tarts)

Special Equipment:

• 20 egg tart molds (I used these egg tart molds; in a pinch, you can use a muffin pan but your tarts won't have pretty crimped edges)
• a 2 1/2-inch round cookie cutter (I used this Ateco cookie cutter)

Ingredients:

• 4 large egg yolks
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/3 cup full-fat coconut milk
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 sheets (or one box pre-made) puff pastry, thawed and ready to be worked with

Recipe:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 (F) and prepare your egg tart molds by spraying generously with cooking spray.
2. First, make the filling. In a medium bowl, whisk together 4 large egg yolks, 1/3 cup granulated sugar, 1/3 cup pumpkin puree, 1/3 cup coconut milk and 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon until fully incorporated — the mixture should be a bright yellow color. Set aside while you prepare the tart crusts.
3. Roll out your puff pastry sheet onto a well-floured surface and use your 2 1/2-inch round cookie cutter to stamp out 20 puff pastry circles. Use your hands to gently press the rounds into the egg tart molds by firmly pressing on the bottom and the sides of the molds — but be careful not to overstretch! The puff pastry circles won't cover the molds entirely, and that's okay. Use a fork to poke holes at the bottoms and sides of the puff pastry. Place each puff-pastry lined egg mold on a large baking sheet.
4. Carefully pour the filling into each puff pastry-lined egg molds, filling each to about 80% full. Transfer the egg tarts into the preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes, until the crust and filling are both puffed. At first the filling will look like it's too puffy and dry, but the center of each egg tart should have a custard/flan-like texture. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for a few minutes, before serving immediately — the egg tarts are best when served warm and only remain fresh for a few hours before they turn soggy and stale.

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