Girl Friday

Thanh Do Times Three

Good afternoon dear readers.  I'm writing to you from an undisclosed Nicollet and 26th-ish location because, for whatever reason that I've not yet had time to discover, my internet is still down at home.

I'm still alive.  You can go on about your weekend business.

And those of you who live closer to Longfellow than St. Louis Park will be happy to learn that Thom Pham is finally doing something with the building that was going to house his Mix and Manhattan Martini Bar: he's opening another Thanh Do restaurant.  Actually, two more, with the second one going in the same building as Temple and Shinto Lounge downtown.

It's a formula that worked beautifully for Thom's Azia-plus-Caterpillar-Lounge-plus-Anemoni thing he does so well on 26th and Nicollet.  Oh shoot, I think I just blew my cover.

Recipe: Coconut Flan

I made flan this weekend.  After browsing a handful of recipes, I decided to create my own flan recipe using a fresh coconut.  To make it you will need: 1/2 cup sugar, 3 eggs, 1-14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk, 1 1/2 cups coconut milk, 1/4 cup shredded coconut, 1 teaspoon almond extract and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.

Preheat oven to 350.  If you're using a fresh coconut, crack it open (I used a hammer).  Break off the outer hull and pry out the insides using a knife. Cut away the roughage and shred the white flesh until you have a 1/4 cup, plus a little extra for garnish.  Set aside.

I used a 200 g brick of unsweetened coconut milk concentrate, which requires 1 part concentrate to 2 parts water to make the milk.  200 grams is roughly 1 cup (those of you who know me: yes I had help with the math), so cut the brick in half.

Add the half-brick to 1 cup of hot water and stir until smooth.  Set aside.

Heat 1/2 cup sugar in a saucepan just until it caramelizes.  Transfer to 9-inch glass pie plate and swirl around to cover the bottom, working quickly before it hardens (I was working so quickly I couldn't take a picture).  Set plate aside.

In medium bowl, whisk three eggs until they're a little frothy. 

Add the 1/4 cup shredded coconut, coconut milk, condensed milk, almond extract and vanilla extract.  Whisk until well-blended.  Pour mixture into the prepared pie plate.  Since flan is custard, it needs to bake in a water bath.  Place pie plate into larger baking dish and add water to the dish.  It should come up to flan level.  (Action shot!)

Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes, but no longer than 45.  If you're skittish about overbaking, lower temp to 300-325 and bake for a full hour.  A flan that's cooked through will be a little golden brown on top.

Remove the flan from its water bath and cool completely in glass pie plate.  Once cooled, invert onto flat plate or cake server and continue to chill in the refrigerator, if desired.  (Some folks like their flan at room temperature).  Toast the leftover coconut in a non-stick skillet over medium heat for 5-10 minutes, until the smaller flakes turn brown.

Slice flan and garnish with toasted coconut, fresh fruit or both.  I always seem to have mandarins in the kitchen, but sliced kiwi or chopped mango would work nicely, too.

Voila, flan.  It turned out perfectly.  I served it to my family after Easter brunch and it got rave reviews.

Pretty Much The Best YouTube Video Ever

Linked today on Scanner, 10-year-old Japanese girl destroys "Carry On Wayward Son" by Kansas:

Walk for Animals

Even as real celebrities battle those pesky cameramen on the streets and in courts for intruding on their lives and trading on their images, some regular folks, from parents hosting teen birthday parties to Gen Xers out on the town, have decided that the attention could be fun--and worth paying up to $1,500 for. Cowher launched Celeb 4 A Day in Austin in November and is expanding to Los Angeles this month and San Francisco in February. There are similar companies, like Private Paparazzi in San Diego and Personal Paparazzi in Britain, and wannabe big shots in other places have taken matters into their own hands, hiring freelance photographers to trail them.

Gag.  Sometimes I just have to shake my head at our celebrity-obsessed culture.  Yet another reason so many of us prefer the company of animals to that of other people.

For all my fellow animal lovers, this is your first notice about the Animal Humane Society's Walk for Animals.  It'll be on May 3rd this year in both St. Paul and Minneapolis, and I'm actually going to try to make it, even if I have to borrow one of Sarah's dogs.  I donate cash bi-monthly to the AHS (it is where I got my beloved Felicia, after all) because they always, always need it.  Homeless cats flood the AHS shelters in the spring and summer months, to the tune of about 2,000 per month.  And tragically, 71 percent of all cats surrendered to shelters across the country are euthanized.

Do what you can.  Do it for the kitties.  (And puppies!)

Northeast Restaurant News

- Don't freak out, Chiapas Mexican restaurant is only closed for remodeling, not for good.  I was kind of wondering when they'd get around to taking down the ducks-and-pheasants wall paper borders; it doesn't exactly play up the otherwise appropriate sombreros-and steer-horns decor.  The sign says they were supposed to reopen March 12th but as of tonight, paper still covers the windows. [One day later, the sign now says "abierto despues de jueves," so "open after Thursday."]

- Unfortunately, Guyanese-Asian restaurant Palm Court is totally closed.  And not just for remodeling.

- The Sample Room will be closed for renovations this Sunday the 23rd, but is scheduled to reopen on Tuesday the 25th.

- The owners of pale Udupi replacement Nala Pak are planning to open a "4-star" Indian-French restaurant in the former Willie's Wine Bar space downtown.  I've been saying for years that this city needs an upscale Indian spot (Bombay Bistro does not count), but I really wish someone else was doing it.  Like those ladies at Bombay 2 Deli.

- Mill City Cafe is throwing a Spring Fever Party next Friday the 28th for any and everyone who's sick of the winter that won't die.  $15.00 gets you "food, fun, music, drinks, friends and dancing girls (and boys)," as well as automatic entry into an art raffle featuring some of Minnesota's best local artists.  6pm-2am.

Sexy Gay Man Wanted

Next Wednesday is the third installment of Singled Out at The Saloon, presented by vita.mn and hosted by me.  We're basically ripping off the MTV dating game show of the same name, but with sexy gay bachelors instead of slick-haired straight dudes, and copious amounts of alcohol instead of Jenny McCarthy's huge rack.

Being a bachelor is easy and fun; you just sit in a chair and look pretty while a crowd of available men compete for a date with you.  We even write the questions for you!

Here's a video of the original to show you how it works:

Unfortunately, we can't send you on a cruise, but we will send you to dinner at a swanky Minneapolis restaurant. 

If you want to be a bachelor on Singled Out, just email Gretchen at vita.mn.  We're playing the game every last Wednesday of the month, all the way through the Pride Festival.

If you want to compete for a date or just watch all the fun, come to The Saloon next Wednesday at 10:30pm, or every last Wednesday through June.

Peanut Crisp Flakes

Max Sparber and I have a lot in common.  Vegetarianism, a penchant for Star Trek. 

We also both like to peruse the aisles of ethnic grocery stores, seeking out tasty little items from faraway lands.  Max blogs his finds in a regular installment he calls The Curious Shopper.  Max is obviously smarter and more creative than I am, because I never thought to blog about all the weird little food items I buy at the store.  (Why, I don't know.  People seem to like Girl Friday for the shopping tips and dining content.  Put them together and, yeah, duh.)

The "International" aisle at the Fridley Cub Foods has become my favorite stretch of real estate, and I look forward to time I spend there every week.  This sector of Anoka County must be a melting pot of Ellis Island proportions, because every corner of the globe is represented.  Back in December, when I blogged about the produce and Mexican Coke here, I'd really only scratched the surface.

Hailing from China, we have Peanut Crisp Flakes:

Is it candy?  Is it health food?  What is it?

Hmm, lots of sesame seeds.  Looks suspiciously healthy.

Wait, it's freakin' delicious!  It reminds me of peanut brittle, the way it cracks into bite-size pieces so easily.  It's also sweet (though not at all creamy) with a strong peanut flavor.  The sesame seeds add a nice, vegetal finish.

Luckily there are six of these little bars per pack of Peanut Crisp Flakes, so you really get your 59 cents' worth.  Each bar is also individually wrapped in a light cellophane baggie that could serve any number of uses once you've consumed the snack.

Pussy Kontrol

Easily the funniest thing I've seen all week. The Klaw Kontrol Bag, found on Jezebel of all places:

Let me just say that this sh*t would not fly with Felicia.  I mean, how the hell are you supposed to get the cat in the bag in the first place?  It's hard enough getting her into a big carrier once a year for a checkup.  Not happenin'.

Key Lime Pie

Hey there big fella.  Whatcha got inside the box, huh?  You gonna let a girl take a little peek underneath?

Yeah, that's nice.  I like the look of that.  Can I get a taste?

Mmm, you are incredible.  An outstanding specimen of your species.  I'm just gonna take a little slice now, but I'm putting you on ice until later tonight.

I found this guy in the freezer at Cub Foods for $9.99.  Despite my dislike for pretty much all things gelatinous, I have quite a weakness for key lime pie.  The creaminess, the tanginess, the graham cracker crust.

This one holds up; the texture is smoother than your smoothest custard (thanks to a main ingredient of sweetened condensed milk) and the juice of the key limes is balanced perfectly with it.  The crust doesn't quite hold up once it completely thaws, but I just worked around it.

I wish more places served this dessert.  Figlio has a okay one--it comes mini-sized as a trio with cheesecake and flourless chocolate torte, but you can get all key lime pie if you ask nicely--and Andrew swears by the key lime pie at Wildfire.  Manny's has one I've never tried and apparently Stella's key lime pie is to die for, but those are places I never go for dinner.  Perhaps a dessert run is in order.

Schnappshot

Amber captures my enthusiasm judging the Mpls Drunken Spelling Bee at the 331 Club last month.