Delicious!

First, my blog is all ugly now because the back ground I was using expired from the site it was on or something and the person that helped me do that in the first place moved, so I need to find a new friend to help me make it cute again. Let me know if you can be that friend :)

Anyway, so at church we have this group in charge of "compassionate service" for those of you who are not LDS, and they head up activities of service for those that may need it, meals for those that are sick or just had a baby, things like that. Anyway, mine challenged us this past week to do something nice for our spouses that we normally wouldn't do. The first thing that came to my mind was cook dinner. Its sad, but its rare when I actually put effort into cooking a really good meal. :( So, I decided to cook dinner at least three times this week (it ended up only being twice, better than none). And, what I decided to cook on Monday was so good and turned out amazing well so I wanted to share it.

Avacado Clu Egg Rolls (Receipe from or like those at California Pizza Kitchen)

Be sure to prepare these in the exact order written, to prevent the wrappers from becoming soggy.

8 egg roll wrappers (6-inch square)
1 grilled chicken breast, diced 3/8 inch
2 large Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced 1/4 inch
1/4 cup cooked bacon, chopped (1 to 2 strips)
2 ounces Monterey jack cheese, grated
1 medium ripe Hass avocado, peeled, pitted, and sliced
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons cold water
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 to 3 cups vegetable oil
4 large sprigs Italian (flat-leaf) parsley

TO MAKE THE EGG ROLLS:
Place the egg roll wrappers on a flat, dry surface with one corner of each pointing toward you (i.e., as a diamond, not a square).

Distribute the chicken, tomatoes, bacon, and cheese on the wrappers in a row that is 1 1/2 to 2 inches wide and 5 inches long. Make sure that the filling is never less than 1 inch from the edge of the wrapper. Divide the avocado slices among the egg rolls, placing them on top of the cheese with the longer (skin) side toward you.

Stir the eggs in a small bowl to lightly liquefy. Add 2 tablespoons of cold water and beat with a fork until evenly mixed.

Working with one egg roll at a time, lightly brush egg wash over 1/2 inch of each side of the wrapper. Fold the corner closest to you over the filling, pressing down and pulling tight toward the center. Press the left and right corners down to seal the edge. Lightly coat the 2 bottom corners with egg wash, then fold right and left corners inwards over the filling, pressing down to seal the edge. Add additional egg wash to the top corner creases and press down to seal. Continue rolling into a compact roll, pressing lightly to seal all edges.

Line a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with waxed or parchment paper. Sift half the cornstarch over the paper, and place the finished egg rolls in the dish, making sure they do not touch one another. (If you’re going to fry the egg rolls later, sift the remaining cornstarch over the egg rolls, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.)

TO FRY THE EGG ROLLS:
Heat the oil to 375 degrees F in a deep 10-inch skillet. Fry the egg rolls, making sure that they are not touching (you may have to do this in 2 batches), for about 1 1/2 minutes. Turn with tongs, and fry for another 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, or until the egg rolls are golden brown all over. Remove with tongs and drain completely on paper towels.

Cut each egg roll in half diagonally and garnish each pair with a sprig of parsley.

Makes 8 egg rolls (4 to 8 appetizer servings)


Ok, now my comments. First, egg rolls wrappers are located in the produce section by the bagged salads. I never would have thought to look there, maybe thats just me, but if anyone wants to make them, I'll save you the time :)

Here is the amount of food I ended up using and made 9 egg rolls (I had only planned on doing 8 but I had left over).

.75 lbs of chicken, and I cubed it up pretty small which made them easier to eat after cooked.
2 roma tomatoes was good (the rolls got stuffed pretty quick so all of the toppings, especially tomatoes, went farther than expected)
1 avocado was good, but next time I make these I will chop up the avocado too instead of putting a big slice in there (personally)
I didn't do the parsley, fyi..
I'm not positive but I would only make 1/2 the egg wash (aka 1 egg), there was so much left over it seemed a waste of an egg
I made enough bacon for half a piece per roll, and that still seemed like not enough (and was way more than this called for)...but we love bacon, so that this note with your own personal tastes...
Cheese, I didn't measure out 2 ounces, I just put some in each roll that looked like a good sprinkling

Now, for the folding of the egg roll. The above directions were slightly confusing, and the package of the wrappers had instructions with pictures of each step (yeah for visual learners!) so I followed that and it was great. I did the egg on each side like it says then after folding it all in according to the packaging I sealed all the edges with a bit more. They didn't come apart at all. Really follow the corn starch on the wax paper, I was kind of lazy with this and they did really stick to the paper. And I really only did need to cook them for a minute and a half on each side, and then flip them a few more times, and they were the perfect golden brown and crispy.

Anyway, I hope some of you try this because they were good, and Chris actually did like them, incredible!!