Vietnamese Lemongrass Pork Chop Thit Heo Nuong Xa

Ingredients:

1 pound boneless pork shoulder steak, about 1/2 inch thick

Marinade:

• 11/2 to 2 tablespoons granulated or light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 1 tablespoon chopped shallot or yellow onion
• 1 stalk lemongrass, trimmed and finely chopped (3 tablespoons)
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoon dark (black) soy sauce
• 1 1/2 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon oil

Directions:
1. Cut the pork shoulder steak into pieces about 3 to 4 inches big. Set aside.

2. Put the sugar, garlic, shallot and lemongrass into an electric mini chopper and process to a fine texture. (Or, mince the garlic, shallot, and lemongrass individually, put them into a bowl, and add the sugar.) Add the pepper, soy sauce, fish sauce, and oil and process to combine well. Aim for a relatively smooth texture. The marinade will be chocolate brown. Transfer to a bowl.

3. Add the pork, and turn to coat well. Cover and set aside at room temperature to marinate for 1 hour. Or, refrigerate up to 24 hours, letting the meat sit out at room temperature for 45 minutes to remove some of the chill before grilling.

4. Preheat a grill to medium-high. Grill for 6 to 8 minutes, turning frequently, until cooked through. Nick with a knife to test. Transfer to a plate, loosely cover with foil or an inverted bowl for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Source: http://www.vietworldkitchen.com

Overnight French Toast

Ingredients:

• 1 (13- to 14-inch-long) loaf of soft-crust bakery-style Italian bread
• 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 large eggs
• 1 2/3 cups whole milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 3 tablespoons sugar

Directions:

1. Cut about six to eight, enough to fit your pan, one-inch-thick diagonal slices of bread.
2. Generously butter one side of each slice and arrange slices, buttered sides up, in one layer in a buttered 13- by 9- by 2-inch glass baking dish, squeezing them slightly to fit if necessary.
3. Whisk together eggs, milk, vanilla and 1/4 teaspoon salt until combined well, then pour evenly over bread. Chill, covered, until bread has absorbed all of custard, at least one hour and up to one day, depending on bread.
4. Preheat oven to 425°F. Bring mixture to room temperature and sprinkle bread with sugar.
5. Bake, uncovered, in middle of oven until bread is puffed and top is golden, 20 to 25 minutes, or longer — make sure it’s nice and golden on top or it will be soggy in the middle. Serve immediately with fruit and syrup and powdered sugar if desired.

Source: http://www.alexandracooks.com/2010/06/07/overnight-french-toast/