Shrimp Crostini with Saffron Aioli (+Saffron Giveaway)

This is a recipe that combines two of my favorite ingredients: shrimp and saffron. Specifically, I made a shrimp crostini with saffron aïoli. I flavored the mayonnaise with garlic and freshly ground saffron threads. I placed the shrimp on a bed of toasted bread to create a nice contrast of texture. The taste of the saffron is so intense in the aïoli sauce that it feels almost sinful.

Today's giveaway is an awesome combination of pure saffron threads & vanilla from Saffron.com. There are few things in this world as fragrant, exotic or luxurious as saffron. I love using it in drinks, savory and sweet dishes. It's as versatile as it is unique. Quality can vary greatly, and the saffron from Saffron.com is some of the best I've had, which is a tribute to the passion of the owner, Juan. For a chance to win, just enter on our 25 Days of Giveaways page.

We’re in the home stretch of the giveaways, and we have some really special ones in store for you, including a Zojirushi rice cooker, some very fine chocolates from John Kelly Chocolates, and a huge assortment of AMAZING goat dairy products from Redwood Hill Farms. Don’t forget to enter!

Make sure you're a fan of PhamFatale Facebook fan page or follow @Phamfatalecom and tweet about this giveaway. To make it easy, you can just copy and paste this tweet if you’d like: "Win Saffron and Vanilla #Giveaway from @Phamfatalecom: http://bit.ly/sp4V7y".

Mi Do Bien Recipe (Seafood Noodle Soup Recipe)

It's been windy and cloudy in the Bay Area and we just changed all the comforters and blankets, so everyone is comfy and cozy in their beds. Having hearty, warm meals helps out a lot during the rest of the day, and being Vietnamese, I can’t think of anything heartier than soup. Soup is probably the quintessential comfort food in Vietnamese cuisine. I’ve made many types in the past, and today I created a Vietnamese egg noodle soup with seafood, called mì đồ biển.

The soup consists of flavorful fish stock with fresh egg noodles, shrimp, quail eggs, baby squid and halibut (or any white fish). It is completed with Chinese chives (called hẹ in Vietnamese) and green onions.

Canh Chua Tom Recipe (Vietnamese Shrimp Soup)

Canh chua tôm literally translates to "sour shrimp soup" in Vietnamese. The name and the flavor come from the combination of kaffir lime leaves, tamarind and pineapple. A hint of spiciness from Thai chiles makes the soup especially soothing. I've been a bit under the weather the past few days and the warm broth worked wonders on my congestion.

Banh Khoai Mon: Fried Taro Cake Recipe

Fried taro is a dish I enjoy a lot whenever we eat a dim sum place. It's starchy, filling, salty and of course, who would deny fried food? But I can make the exact same dish at home for a lot less.

To recreate this recipe at home, I pan-fried cubed bánh bột khoai môn (taro cake), then sautéed the taro pieces with dried shrimp, mushrooms, coarse sea salt and parsley. How easy is that?

Shrimp Wonton Soup Recipe

Shrimp wonton soup is a delicious soup made with dumplings and chicken broth. It's perfect for soothing your throat. I served the Asian shrimp wontons along with broccoli florets to keep the dish very simple. If you want to serve this soup as a main course, you could add egg noodles along with other greens such as bok choy.

We're finally back from Texas where we spent our spring break and everyone except me is starting to get sick. I made this soup for the meat eaters in the house, but a vegetarian wonton soup is just as easy to prepare.