Category Archives: appetizers

Patricia Wells’ Fake Frites

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  • 368c4873-5ccc-4cd2-9708-f3f916104e19--2014-1220_fake-frites-0792 pounds baking potatoes, such as Idaho russets or Bintje, peeled and cut into thick fries, 3/4 inch by 3 inches
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • Fine sea salt to taste
  1. Preheat the oven to 500° F. Bring 1 quart of water to a simmer in the bottom of a steamer. Place the potatoes on the steaming rack, place the rack in the steamer, cover, and steam just until a knife inserted in a potato comes away clean, 10 to 12 minutes. (The potatoes should not be cooked through, or they will tend to fall apart.)
  2. Transfer the steamed potatoes to a bowl and drizzle with oil. Carefully toss to coat evenly with oil. (The potatoes can be prepared to this point several hours in advance. Set aside at room temperature.)
  3. With a large slotted spoon, transfer the potatoes in a single layer to a nonstick baking sheet. Discard any excess oil or liquid. Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake, turning so they brown evenly, until the potatoes are crisp and deep golden brown, 10 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, season generously with salt, and serve immediately.

Easy stuffed fresh mozzarella caprese from anitalianinmykitchen.com

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1 large and 1 medium fresh mozzarella (I used 2 medium and had a lot of caprese left over)**
12 cherry tomatoes or 2 or 3 medium to large ripe but firm tomatoes (seeded and chopped)
1/4 small onion chopped
1 celery stalk chopped
3/4 teaspoon oregano (3/4 gram)
1/4 teaspoon salt (1.35 grams)
4-5 fresh basil leaves chopped
4 tablespoons olive oil (54 grams)
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (14 grams)

Place the fresh mozzarella in a sieve over a bowl for approximately 20 minutes. Carefully hollow out the mozzarella, chop the excess mozzarella.

In a medium bowl combine, chopped excess mozzarella, chopped tomatoes, onion and celery, oregano,salt, chopped basil, 3 tablespoons olive oil and balsamic vinegar, toss gently together.

Fill the hollowed out fresh mozzarella with the caprese mixture, drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and serve the extra caprese mixture on the side. Enjoy!

 

Roasted carrot dip from 12tomatoes.com

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Dip-2
1 1/2 pounds carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 red or white onion, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

  • 1/2 tsp -1 tablespoon sriracha, or to taste
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • cilantro to taste
  • sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
  1. Preheat oven to (425º F.)USE lower temp try 375 next time
  2. In a large bowl, toss carrots, onion and garlic with 2 tablespoons olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper and cumin.
  3. Transfer veggies to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and roast for 30-40 minutes, flipping over in the middle, or until tender.
  4. Remove vegetables from oven and place them in food processor. Add sriracha and greek yogurt and pulse to combine.
  5. While the motor is running, drizzle in remaining olive oil and pulse until desired consistency is reached.  Adde vinegar and cilantro and blend again, may need more olive oil and/or sour cream.
  6. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary, then refrigerate for 20 minutes, or until ready to serve.
  7. Transfer to serving bowl and serve with pita bread or fresh vegetables.

 

Welsh Rarebit by Robert Burns

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50 grams butter
50 grams all-purpose flour
135 grams stout beer, such as Even More Jesus
375 grams heavy cream92b7adc8-239b-425a-a67a-37463dbffd2f--125_Welsh_rarebit
3 grams mustard powder
1 gram cayenne pepper
300 grams aged cheddar cheese, grated
1 loaf Polish rye bread
Worcestershire sauce

  • In a heavy-bottomed pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Once melted, whisk in the flour, and cook until the color shifts slightly darker, about 4 minutes. Add half the stout, making sure the beer is fully incorporated into the roux before adding the rest. Add half the cream, making sure it is fully incorporated into the mixture before adding the rest. Whisk in the mustard and cayenne to incorporate fully with no lumps. Cook until the mixture thickens nicely, 5 to 7 minutes. Be careful not to burn the bottom of the pan. Reduce the heat to medium-low and slowly add the cheddar, whisking after each addition. Be mindful of the heat: if the cheese begins to separate from the roux, cut the flame entirely. Let the rarebit mixture cool completely.
  • Slice the bread 1¼-inch/3cm thick and toast until golden. Let cool and top each slice with 75 grams of rarebit mixture. Use an offset spatula to spread the mixture evenly over the top of bread. Broil (grill) until bubbling and slightly darkened. Drizzle Worcestershire sauce over the hot rarebit, slice into 5 pieces, and serve immediately.
    Serves 6 as a snack

 

 

Nordic Open Faced Smoked Salmon Sandwiches from theviewfromgreatisland.com/

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1-DSC_0131thinly sliced pumpernickel or rye bread, sometimes called cocktail bread
butter at room temperature
homemade dilled mayonnaise (recipe below)
salt and fresh cracked black pepper
thin slices of smoked salmon
microgreens
edible flowers
lemon for garnish
dilled mayonnaise
1 pastuerized egg, at room temperature
1 cup mildly flavored olive oil, also room temperature
a handful of fresh dill
salt and pepper to taste
a squeeze of lemon

Set oven to 400F
Cut the slices of bread into smaller rectangles. You can make them bite sized, if you like. Spread a very thin layer of soft butter on each slice and toast in the oven for a few minutes until they just start to get crisp. This step is optional, you can also use the bread un-toasted.

Spread a little dilled mayonnaise onto each slice of bread, then top that with a slice of smoked salmon.

Add microgreens, and then season with a little salt and pepper. Garnish with an edible flower, and serve with small wedges of lemon.

To make the homemade mayonnaise: Put the room temperature egg, oil and dill in a jar just large enough to fit an immersion blender. Put the blender down to the bottom of the jar, and turn it on, slowly raising the blade as it emulsifies the mixture. This will only take about 30 seconds. Once it turns to mayo, stop the blending. You can then stir in the salt and pepper, and a little lemon juice, if you like.

Savory smoked salmon cheese cake from theviewfromgreatisland.com

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savory-smoked-salmon-cheesecake-21crust
1/4 cup panko, or Japanese, breadcrumbs (or regular breadcrumbs)
1 tsp finely minced fresh dill
1 Tbsp finely grated smoked Gouda cheese
butter for greasing the pans

cheesecake
1 Tbsp butter
1 large shallot, peeled and minced
an 8-oz package of cream cheese
2 large eggs
1/2 cup grated Smoked Gouda cheese
1 Tbsp finely minced dill
1/2 tsp salt
juice of 1/2 lemon
a 4.5 oz package of Morey’s Wild Smoked Salmon
sour cream topping
1 cup sour cream
juice of 1 lemon

Preheat the oven to 325F
Butter 2 small cheesecake pans (mine are 4.5 inches in diameter) and wrap the bottoms and sides with foil to prevent leakage in the water bath.
Mix the bread crumbs with the tablespoon of cheese and dill, use your fingers to lightly toss them to combine. Coat the bottom and sides of each pan with the mixture. Sprinkle any remaining crumbs along the bottom of each pan.
Meanwhile melt the butter in a skillet and saute the shallots for about 5 minutes until they are translucent. Set aside to cool.
Put the cream cheese in the bowl of a food processor and run the machine briefly to soften it. Blend in the eggs and process until well combined.
Add the cooled shallots, smoked Gouda, dill, salt, and lemon juice to the bowl and pulse several times to combine.
Add the smoked salmon to the bowl, breaking it up into large chunks as you add it. Pulse the machine a few more times, just until everything is well combined but not pureed. You want a little bit of texture in the mixture.
Divide the mixture evenly between the two pans, smoothing over the top with a flat knife.
Set the pans in a baking dish. Pour an inch or two of hot water into the baking dish to form a water bath.
Bake the cheesecakes for about 50 minutes, or until they are no longer jiggly in the center and the tops feel firm.
Let the cheesecakes cool before removing them from the pans and ‘frosting.
Make the sour cream topping by whisking together the sour cream and lemon juice. Spread over the top of the cooled cheesecakes.
Decorate the cakes with some sprigs of fresh dill and tiny blossoms. Serve with crackers and lemon wedges.

website with great photos: http://theviewfromgreatisland.com/savory-smoked-salmon-cheesecake/

Green goddess dip from 12tomatoes.com

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  • 1/2 cgreen-goddess-11-475x338up fresh dill
  • 1/2 cup fresh parsley
  • 1/2 cup fresh basil
  • 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
  • 2 scallions, chopped
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
  1. Place dill, parsley, basil, garlic, scallions, lemon juice and salt in food processor and pulse until finely ground.
  2. While pulsing, slowly drizzle in olive oil and blend until mixture is smooth.
  3. Fold in Greek yogurt, sour cream and mayonnaise, then taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary.
  4. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate at least 30 minutes before serving.
  5. Serve with chips or vegetables, or use as an aioli and spread on sandwiches or wraps.
  6. adapted from the NY Times

 

Tamari Roasted Almonds

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  • download3 cups whole unblanched almonds
  • 1⁄4 cup tamari or Braggs aminos or soy sauce
  • 1⁄2 teaspoon sugar
  1. Preheat oven to 300°F.
  2. Spread almonds in one layer on a baking sheet (you may need two pans) – bake 15 minutes.
  3. While baking, mix tamari and sugar in a large bowl until sugar dissolves.
  4. Add hot almonds to bowl and stir to coat. Let sit in bowl 5 min, stirring occasionally.
  5. Return almonds to baking sheets (use slotted spoon so you don’t get too much liquid).
  6. Bake 12 minutes, stir and rotate tray, then bake 12 more minutes until almonds are dark brown.
  7. Remove from oven, cool completely, then store in an airtight container.

Easy And Elegant Asparagus Tart from 12tomatoes.com

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  • 1 (17.3 Asparagus-Swiss-Tart-Resizedoz) package frozen puff pastry, thawed
  • 1 1/2 pounds asparagus
  • 3 cups assorted cheese, grated (2 1/2 cups swiss, 1/2 cup parmesan)
  • 2 tablespoons honey dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1-2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar, optional
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
  • Hollandaise sauce, garnish
    1. Preheat oven to 400º F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
    2. Take both sheets of thawed puff pastry and place them on lined baking sheet, overlapping them by 1 inch and pressing the seam gently to seal.
    3. Use a paring knife to score a rectangle border 1 inch from the edge of pastry, then take a fork and pierce the dough all around the inside of the rectangle. (This allows steam to be released so the center of your tart doesn’t puff up, while the outside edges do.)
    4. Place baking sheet in oven and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown and lightly puffed up.
    5. Remove from oven and let cool 2-3 minutes, then brush honey dijon mustard and balsamic vinegar onto the center of puff pastry. Evenly sprinkle assorted cheeses over the center of tart.
    6. Take your asparagus and trim the ends so they fit into the center rectangle of tart. Lay asparagus out in a single layer, alternating the direction ot the tips with each row, then brush with olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper.
    7. Return baking sheet to oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown and edges are puffed up, and asparagus is tender.
    8. Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes, then drizzle with hollandaise sauce, slice, serve and enjoy!

 

Sweet potato fritters

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  • 2-3 large sweet potatoes, peeled
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1/3 cup parmesan cheese, grated
  • 1 teaspoon brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
  • vegetable oil, for frying
  1. In a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed skillet, heat 1/8-inch vegetable oil over medium high heat until shimmering (but not smoking). Note: oil should sizzle when you drop a few shreds of sweet potato in.
  2. Using a cheese grater, coarsely grate sweet potato and place in a large bowl.
  3. Pour lightly beaten eggs into shredded sweet potato and stir together.
  4. Add parmesan cheese, brown sugar and onion powder, and season everything liberally with salt and pepper.
  5. Mix until everything is incorporated and sweet potato is thoroughly coated.
  6. Working in large spoonfuls, drop sweet potato mixture in large clumps into the hot oil. Using the back of a spatula, pat sweet potato rounds down into a flat disc.
  7. Cook undisturbed for 2-3 minute, or until golden brown. Flip and cook other side until golden.
  8. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate to drain and serve immediately. Serves 4-6

Recipe adapted from The Pancake Princess