Category Archives: appetizers

Curried Snowball from Stop and Smell the Rosemary-Houston Junior League

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3c133-dscn02988 ounces cream cheese, softened
4 ounces shredded cheddar cheese (1 cup)
3 tablespoons dry sherry
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
4 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 tsp white pepper
1 pinch cayenne pepper
4 – 6 ounces mango chutney
1 cup minced green onion
1 cup finely chopped peanuts
1 cup grated coconut

Combine cheeses, sherry, Worcestershire, curry powder, garlic powder, white pepper and cayenne in a small bowl; blend well.

  • Line a 2 cup bowl with plastic wrap, leaving a 4-inch overhang.
  • Press cheese mixture into bowl.
  • Fold plastic overhang over top and cover with another piece of plastic wrap.
  • Refrigerate at least 4 hours (better if chilled a day or two) or freeze.
  • Before serving, unfold plastic wrap and invert on serving plate.
  • (If frozen, defrost before adding topping).
  • Spoon chutney over top.
  • Sprinkle with green onions, peanuts and coconut.
  • Serve chilled with crackers.

 

Merry Tomatoes from Charleston Junior League cookbook

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    • 30 -40 picCvQfDscherry tomatoes, stems removed
    • vodka
    • 1 teaspoon celery salt
    • 1/4 cup lemon pepper seasoning

Remove stem. Pierce the tomatoes a few times on the top (stem side).

  • Place the tomatoes in a serving dish or bowl.
  • Pour the vodka over the tomatoes.
  • (Each tomato should be partially submerged in the vodka. Depending on the serving bowl, you may need to use more than 1 cup.) Allow to marinate for at least 6 hours.
  • In a small bowl combine the celery salt and lemon pepper seasoning, mixing well.
  • Place the bowl of seasoning next to the bowl of tomatoes along with a small container of toothpicks.
  • Guests are to spear a tomato with a toothpick and then dip it in the seasoning mixture.

 

Faux Gras: Vegetarian Foie Gras from David Lebovitz – living the sweet life in Paris

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Lentils double in volume when cooked, so 1 cup (160g) of dried lentils will yield close to the correct amount. They usually take about 20 to 30 minutes to cook until soft, but check the directions on the package for specific guidelines. If avoiding gluten, use tamari instead of soy sauce. For a vegan version, replace the butter with the same quantity of olive oil, for a total of 1/4 cup (60ml) of olive oil. The cognac or brandy is

Faux-Gras-Lentil-Pate-7optional, but it does give the faux gras a little je ne sais quoi.

 

  • 12 medium-sized button mushrooms (100g, about 1 cup)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons butter, salted or unsalted
  • 1 small onion, peeled and diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
  • 2 cups (400g) cooked green lentils
  • 1 cup (140g) toasted walnuts or pecans
  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
  • 2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
  • 2 teaspoons fresh thyme, minced
  • 2 tablespoons fresh sage or flat leaf parsley
  • optional: 2 teaspoons Cognac or brandy
  • 1 teaspoon brown sugar
  • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Wipe the mushrooms clean. Slice off a bit of the stem end (the funky parts) and slice them. Heat the olive oil and butter in a skillet or wide saucepan. Add the onions and garlic, and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions become translucent, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until they’re soft and cooked through, another 5 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat.

2. In a food processor, combine the cooked lentils, nuts, lemon juice, soy sauce, rosemary, thyme, sage or parsley, Cognac (if using), brown sugar, and cayenne. Scrape in the cooked mushroom mixture and process until completely smooth. Taste, and add salt, pepper, and additional cognac, soy sauce, or lemon juice, if it needs balancing.

3. Scrape the pâté into a small serving bowl and refrigerate for a few hours, until firm.

Serving: Serve the pâté with crackers, hearty bread, or small toasts. A nice accompaniment is shallot marmalade or just a few pickles alongside. Makes 6 to 8 appetizer-sized servings

Storage: The spread will keep for 4 days in the refrigerator. It can frozen for up to two months, well-wrapped.

 

Adapted from Très Green, Très Green, Très Chic by Rebecca Leffler

 

Buffalo Cauliflower from twobites.com

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buffalo-cauliflower-4Cauliflower
1 medium head cauliflower
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp hot sauce

Buffalo sauce
3 tbsp butter, melted
2 tbsp Frank’s hot sauce
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp kosher salt

 

  • Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
  • In a large bowl, toss the cauliflower with the olive oil and buffalo sauce.  Spread out onto a baking sheet.
  • Roast for 15 minutes, flip the pieces of cauliflower, then return to the oven to roast for 10 more minutes.
  • Whisk together the melted butter and hot sauce.  Drizzle over the cauliflower and gentle toss to coat each piece.  Return the cauliflower to the oven for 5 more minutes.  Serve hot with a side of ranch or blue cheese for dipping.

Notes

  • You can use more or less hot sauce in the buffalo sauce to make them as hot as you’d like!  I used Frank’s Hot Sauce.

Broccoli Tots from http://www.thetwobiteclub.com/

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1 head brobroccoli-tots-4-1ccoli, cut into equal sized florets
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/3 cup onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
2 eggs
salt and pepper

 

 

  1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Pour 1 inch of water into a saucepan; bring to a boil.  Place the broccoli into the boiling water, cover, and reduce the heat to medium.  Cook the broccoli for 5-6 minutes, or until it can easily be pierced by a fork.  Drain the broccoli and set aside to cool slightly.
  3. Lay the broccoli out onto paper towels and cover with more paper towels,  Press down firmly on the broccoli to absorb as much moisture as you can.  Another method is to put the broccoli in the center of a dish towel and ring out the water as seen here. Finely chop the broccoli.
  4. In a large bowl, combine combine all of the ingredients and season with salt and pepper.  Stir everything together until well mixed.  Fill each muffin cup in a mini muffin tin to the top, pushing down on the filling with your spoon so it’s nice and compacted.
  5. Bake for 18-20 minutes in preheated oven. The top will be starting to golden. To easily remove from the pan (without scratching it to death), run a plastic knife around the edges of each tot and they should come out easier.

Notes

  • If they seem to be falling apart when you take them out of the pan you can (1) put them back into the oven to cook for a few minutes longer so they are a bit crisper or (2) let them sit in the pan for a few minutes to let the insides firm up a bit before removing them from the pan.  You have to be ginger with them if they’re sticking a little to the pan!
  • The sharp cheddar can be substituted with whatever cheese you have on hand.

 

Chipotle’s ‘secret’ Guacamole recipe

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fwx-chipotle-guacamole-recipeThe recipe is not earth-shattering—
2 Hass avocados
2 teaspoons of lime juice
2 tablespoons freshly chopped cilantro
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1/2  chopped jalapeño
1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt

Choose the right avocado. It should feel squishy yet firm (like the palm of your hand), and be a nice dark green color on the inside.
2. Cut the avocado in half and the remove the pit (carefully!)
3. Scoop the avocados and place in a medium bowl.
4. Toss and coat with lime juice.
5. Add the salt and using a fork or potato masher, mash until a smooth consistency is achieved.
6. Fold in the remaining ingredients and mix well.
7. Taste the guacamole (over and over) and adjust seasoning if necessary.

 

Un-fried Pickles, Trisha Yearwood

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YW0511_Unfried-Pickles-with-Ranch-Dressing_s4x3.jpg.rend.sni12col.landscapeNonstick cooking spray, for the cooling rack
2 large eggs
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon hot sauce, such as Tabasco
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
One 16-ounce jar sliced dill pickles

Serve with Diamond Sevens Ranch Dressing

Place an oven rack in the middle position and preheat the oven to broil. Spray a cooling rack with nonstick cooking spray and place it on top of a baking sheet.

Whisk the eggs with the flour, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, chili powder, garlic powder and a pinch each of salt and pepper in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, combine the breadcrumbs and Parmesan. Drain the dill pickles and pat dry with paper towels. Working in batches, toss the pickles in the egg mixture so they are fully coated. Remove the pickles, letting the excess egg drip off, and transfer to the breadcrumb mixture. Toss to fully coat. Spread the pickles out on the prepared cooling rack in a single layer (with none overlapping).

Place the baking sheet on the middle rack in the oven and broil until the tops of the pickles are a crisp golden brown, about 4 minutes. Flip the pickles and continue to cook until crisp golden brown all over, about 4 minutes.

Serve warm with the Diamond Sevens Ranch dressing.