Cuisine
Lettuce
Entertain
You
By Katharine Browning
I
n this recent wonky weather,
my husband and I seem to be
alternating between the air
conditioner and the space heater
almost every day. But we do know
that eventually it will get very hot
for many months, and we will all
be in need of food that is cooling,
but not filling or heavy. One of my
favorite things to make for guests
and clients are lettuce cup bars.
I prefer using iceberg lettuce for the
wrappers, as they stand up to heat
and have a good, crunchy texture
that works well with a wide array
of fillings. You can use what you
like—butter lettuce, romaine, or
even green or red leaf, though they
do have a tendency to droop if not
properly chilled.
Whatever lettuce you choose, just
make sure that it is cored and
rinsed properly before use. Simply
cut off the core end of straight
lettuces (like romaine or butter) or
if you choose my favorite, iceberg,
just place the head root side up,
core the heart by cutting a “V”
shape around the root section, and
then gently remove the leaves by
running them under a gentle cold
water stream until they naturally
come apart. There will be a heart
left that won’t really separate easily,
so make sure you have a few more
than you need.
I usually like the focus of my lettuce
cup bars to be the lettuce, and rice
vermicelli (I use a brand called Wai
Wai), and despite the directions
on the package, I recommend
pouring boiling water over them
and letting them sit until you like
how done they are. Then you get
to play! The fun part is putting
together an interesting array of
fillings, so your guests get to build
dishes to suit their own tastes.
I have set up bowls of toasted
peanuts, Thai basil, bean sprouts,
minced green onions, marinated
and grilled tofu, barbequed chicken
and beef, cilantro, shredded daikon
radish, fresh lime wedges, toasted
almond slivers, fresh mint and fresh
mangoes. You can use anything
that’s strikes your fancy. Best of all,
this will accommodate any of your
friends with dietary restrictions,
making it easy for them to have
a delicious meal while enjoying
company.
Whenever I have served these
bars, they have been a tremendous
hit. Plus, they are quite impressive
looking, and aren’t actually that
hard to make. So, give it a try at
your next outdoor event, and let me
know how it goes! MAC
MARIN ARTS & CULTURE 29