Sauteed Parsley Potatoes (Poelee Pommes de Terre)

In French, poêlée de pommes de terre aux fines herbes translates to "sautéed parslied potatoes". They are a cross between pommes rissolées, pommes parisiennes and Lyonnaise Potatoes. The potatoes are sliced, pan-fried then diced and sautéed in parsley oil.  The dish is complete in no time.

My favorite way to serve these kinds of potatoes is with a steak salad. I grill a tri tip sirloin steak, slice it thin and mix it with red oak leaves and a simple lemon and olive oil vinaigrette. This is probably one of my favorite meals of all times!

Vietnamese Peanut Hoisin Dipping Sauce Recipe (Tuong Goi Cuon)

We brought summer rolls this weekend for a barbecue potluck. Traditionally, the rolls are served with a sauce made from liver but as a child, I always had an aversion to it. So I made tương gỏi cuốn (which literally translates to "sauce for salad rolls" in Vietnamese) with ingredients that would be appealing to a Western palate.

The condiment is a blend of peanut butter, hoisin sauce, ginger garlic paste, đậu (lentils), coconut water and a few ingredients that balance the sweet and sour taste. For more crunch, the summer rolls are first dipped in chopped peanuts.

Whether you serve this sauce with summer shrimp rolls or veggie spring rolls, it will knock your socks off!

Quinoa and Brown Rice Side Dish Recipe

Cooking quinoa is as easy as cooking rice: count one part uncooked quinoa to 2 parts water. However, brown rice takes a little longer to cook, so I parboiled the brown rice first and then added the quinoa for the remainder of the cooking time. Since quinoa is pretty bland by itself, I added a little kick using a paste made from tomato paste and Serrano peppers.

The addition of grilled summer vegetables and garbanzo beans completed the meal. I served the quinoa and brown rice medley as a side dish with escalope de dinde (turkey scallopini).

PhamFatale.com reaches 500 recipes!

This week, PhamFatale.com reached 500 recipes. It's truly surprising to me that there are over 500 recipes in my head, but as they say, the proof is in the pudding. In this case, the proof is also in the crème brulée, the risotto and the other dishes I've shared over the past year and a half.

I never in a million years imagined that publishing the recipes I prepare daily for and with my family and friends could have been so much fun. Food is an ephemeral art form, so it's easy to forget what ingredient combinations I've made in the past and what I've served.

The other neat side of the website I've enjoyed a lot is to be able to interact with other food lovers from around the world and also make dear friends locally. I'm always surprised at how readers find the website, whether it is through another food site, the newspaper or from a friend. Thanks so much for joining me in my culinary adventures. It's wonderful fun experimenting with recipes, playing with photography by switching lenses and getting the children interested and familiar with cooking. You've probably seen the dietary restrictions in my large family. They aren’t always simple to fulfill but they're always a great adventure!

Thanks for reading! And stay tuned as new surprises will arrive soon.

For now, here's an example of a menu I would typically serve for a dinner party, gathering my favorite recipes including Vietnamese, French and Indian cuisines. Enjoy!

Jello Chocolate Pudding Pie Recipe (No Bake Chocolate Pie)

Do you want to serve an elegant dessert for your next party, but you have very little time? Try these blackberry and chocolate cream pies. I created these no bake chocolate cream pies in almost no time for my little sis-in-law Lya's pool party. The girls helped me crush some Oreo cookies for the pie crust; we used instant Jell-O chocolate pudding and topped the mini pies with fresh berries. The mini pies were assembled in record time and they were gone just as fast.

After making the desserts, I had plenty of time to relax with the girls, which is exactly what I wanted. It’s no fun if everyone enjoys themselves at your party but you!