I'm married to Scott, my best friend and amazing photographer. I'm also a mom & grandmother and I love talking about food, cooking, hospitality, and easy entertaining. Subscribe and join over 58,000 newsletter readers every week!
Best Bites with Trish: Vietnamese Chicken Meatballs
If you are active at all in the comments sections of our site, you probably have seen her name and we're thrilled to let you all get to know her and her family a bit more. Trish (aka "Aunt Trish'" to my kids) joined our team earlier this year, and between status as a bibliophile, her degree in English and an impeccable attention to detail, she has been invaluable! A little background.... Trish & I both got married in our early 20s, and within the same year, which meant we both launched into the often confusing world of cooking at the same time. There was plenty of trial and error as we figured out how in the world to feed ourselves and our hungry husbands! While 'The Café' wasn't yet in existence, Chris and her crazy culinary brain certainly were, so we both had a bit of a leg up. This is the book Chris made for me with her most recent recipe creations when I got married. Knowing how priceless it was, I made a quick copy and passed it along to Trish. We both wore those pages thin! So, needless to say, we were both THRILLED a few years later when Chris started publishing her recipes on this newfangled thing called a "food blog" so we could finally access them in real time! 😂 Fast forward to today.... Trish is an excellent & accomplished cook, a FABULOUS baker and wonderful mom to three girls who are some of my daughters' best buds. So, when The Café needed some extra help I knew just who to call! As her sister-in-law, I may be a bit biased, but I think you'll love her just as much as I do! 🤍 Cait Hi! When asked to share my first Best Bites letter with you on behalf of The Café, I started thumbing through my recipe binders and making a list of Café recipes that have been central to our family menus over the years. Though it was challenging to choose just one out of so many, one recipe did quickly distinguish itself because it perfectly fits my family’s love of hosting friends for dinner with a laid-back, playful approach to meals that are focused on flavor and creativity. Chris’ Vietnamese Chicken Meatballs are wonderfully tender, serve up a delicious and surprising balance of flavors, and lend themselves to multiple creative serving options. This is a recipe I find myself selecting again and again when I’m looking for something that has that “wow” factor because it feels a bit unexpected: it’s bright, flavorful, easy, and you can throw healthy into the bargain! I’m blessed to have a bread-baking husband and we have lots of fun teaming up on meals (though we’ve learned to establish a “captain” for each meal to cut down on potential conflict in the kitchen!). For a special dinner, we love to make what we call “Banh Meatball Sandwiches”. The title is a tongue-in-cheek mashup of our favorite meatballs and the Vietnamese sandwich called a Banh Mi. The Banh Mi is a genius fusion of Vietnamese cuisine with French (baguettes and mayonnaise), and if you’ve never tried one, I highly recommend that you do! In the US, the most common protein you’ll find on a Banh Mi is pork, but there can be a variety of proteins. And while meatballs are considered a traditional protein for these sandwiches, I haven’t found one in a restaurant yet, but I can tell you that a Banh Mi is oh-so-delicious when these particular meatballs are involved! My family’s “Banh Meatball Sandwich” consists of my husband’s freshly baked petite baguettes, a spread of Sriracha Mayo, fresh cilantro, pickled veggies (carrots, daikon, jalapeños), thinly sliced cucumbers, and Chris’ Vietnamese Chicken Meatballs. We love to let guests build their own sandwiches and then watch the delighted faces when everyone around the table digs into this amazing flavor combination. It’s a messy, interactive eating experience, but in the best possible way! These sandwiches are especially ideal for picnics or dining outdoors when everyone is feeling casual and there are lots of napkins available. In NC, we’re just about to escape the summer’s oppressive heat and humidity, which means we’re looking forward to beautiful Autumn days and meals outside while enjoying the weather! What’s more, Vietnamese Chicken Meatballs are highly adaptive: When we need to keep things simple, we love serving them for everyday family dinners so we can each create personalized bowls, using rice as a base and adding toppings and sauces. If you’re experiencing some carb-overload, are avoiding gluten, or are hosting friends who avoid gluten, you can serve the meatballs on customizable crispy lettuce wraps with toppings. Or they’re irresistible served as an appetizer with Chris’ Lemongrass Cilantro Dipping Sauce or her 5-Minute Easy Peanut Sauce (one of my personal obsessions - this dip makes me excited to eat raw veggies like nothing else can!). They’re also extremely successful eaten as leftovers (standing over the kitchen island if you’re like me) when you need a tasty, lean protein boost in the middle of the day! And, pro-tip: they freeze well, so you can always have these meatballs on hand, whether you’re hosting guests for a fun meal, needing a quick dinner for a hungry family, or just looking for a mouthwatering solo lunch. I hope you’ll give this recipe a try and if you do, we’d love to hear about it! Leave us a comment on the post and share your creative serving ideas - I’d be delighted to find even more ways to enjoy them! Happy Cooking (and Eating)! Trish
Welcome to The Café! We’re Chris and Scott, part of a family team sharing easy, elegant, well-tested recipes since 2011. Our mission is simple: to help you feel confident, inspired, and successful in the kitchen, so you can enjoy delicious food and the joy of gathering family and friends around the table! Find your next favorite recipe | Shop our most-loved products Have questions? Hit reply to this email and we'll help out! PO Box 241, Black Mountain, NC 29711
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The Cafe Sucre Farine
I'm married to Scott, my best friend and amazing photographer. I'm also a mom & grandmother and I love talking about food, cooking, hospitality, and easy entertaining. Subscribe and join over 58,000 newsletter readers every week!
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