At Home…

We’re sorry for all of the radio silence. It’s been a very busy couple of weeks- with a wedding in Maine last weekend and and a trip down to Hilton Head for a shoot with Southern Weddings Magazine- we are relieved to be back in the city working away on a great wedding this weekend. With the heat wave that’s upon us, Sierra and I have been craving lighter fare. Here’s a great recipe we’re both digging at the moment.

Vietnamese Summer Rolls

Dipping Sauce:

1/2 cup fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons fish sauce (such as nam pla or nuoc nam)
3 tablespoons sugar
2 fresh red Thai chiles or 1 red jalapeño or Fresno chile, thinly sliced

Summer Rolls

4 ounces bean thread noodles (cellophane or transparent noodles)
12 8″-9″ rice paper rounds
18 cooked medium shrimp (about 10 ounces), peeled, deveined, halved lengthwise
1 cup fresh basil leaves
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves plus 1 tablespoon chopped
1 cup fresh mint leaves
1 cup daikon sprouts, optional*
1 cup English hothouse cucumber, cut into matchstick-size pieces
1 cup carrot, cut into matchstick-size pieces
12 small green or red lettuce leaves

For the Dipping Sauce:

Mix all the ingredients in a medium bowl. Cover & chill.

For the Summer Rolls:

Put noodles in a large bowl. Pour enough hot water over to cover; let stand until softened, about 10 minutes. Drain. Transfer to a large bowl of ice water to cool; drain and set aside.
Fill a pie plate with warm water. Working with 1 rice paper round at a time, soak rice paper in water, turning occasionally, until just pliable but not limp, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a work surface. Arrange 3 shrimp halves across center of round. Top with some leaves of each herb, then daikon sprouts (if using), cucumber, and carrot. Arrange a small handful of noodles over. Place 1 lettuce leaf over, torn or folded to fit. Fold bottom of rice paper over filling, then fold in ends and roll like a burrito into a tight cylinder. Transfer roll, seam side down, to a platter. Repeat to make 11 more rolls.
Can be made 1 hour ahead. Cover with a damp kitchen towel and refrigerate.
To serve, cut rolls in half on diagonal. Add chopped cilantro to dipping sauce.

Have a great weekend and enjoy!

recipe from here