PEPPERY CASHEW CRUNCH

Posted in Appetizers, Vegetarian-friendly by sallybr

Last weekend I made these spicy nuts for a get-together in our nano-house, to watch the Oklahoma x Nebraska college football game. A nail-biter of a game, fortunately with a happy ending for us OU fans. Anxiety is a lot easier to take if you have something to munch on… 😉

The pepper coating gives this nuts an unusual look, but once you grab the first one, you will be going back for more, deliciously addictive they are. You can substitute almonds, walnuts, in fact the original recipe called for whole, blanched almonds, but they did not have them at the store, I went with cashews instead. Extremely simple to prepare, with just the right balance of salty, hot, and sweet. Great recipe!

BLACK PEPPER CASHEWS
(adapted from Bon Appetit, 1997)

1/4 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
4 tsp water
2 cups whole cashews
1 Tbs ground black pepper
2 tsp salt

Cover a large baking sheet with aluminum foil and butter the foil to prevent the nuts from sticking. Heat the oven to 350 F.

Melt the butter in a skillet, add the brown sugar and water, mix until the sugar dissolves. Add the cashews, mix them carefully to coat with the butter/sugar, lower the heat and cook, stirring often, for a few minutes, until the coating thickens slightly. Meanwhile, mix the ground pepper and the salt in a small bowl.

Add half of the pepper/salt mixture to the cashews, mix gently. Working quickly, transfer them to the prepared baking sheet, pressing with a spatula to keep them in a single layer. Sprinkle the rest of the black pepper/salt all over, and bake for 10-15 minutes, until golden brown. Let it cool over a rack, then break the nuts apart, storing them in an air-proof container (they won’t last very long, they tend to mysteriously disappear).

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: Folks in the cooking forum Eat.at raved about this recipe, and their enthusiasm was what made me try it. Plus, I tend to like contrasting flavors, so the idea of mixing brown sugar, salt, and pepper immediately perked my interest. I imagine other seasonings could work too: a little hot paprika, ground cumin… definitely worth experimenting.

ONE YEAR AGO: Ossobuco Milanese (one of my favorite dishes!)

3Dec2010

INTO THE LIGHT

Posted in Appetizers by sallybr

Thanksgiving officially marks the beginning of gastronomic over-indulgence. With the end of the year approaching, the celebrations start: departmental parties, lab parties, neighborhood parties, family get-togethers… every one of them loaded with caloric temptations… This Thanksgiving we took a back seat in the kitchen, as we were guests at a fantastic dinner thrown by our dear friends (and neighbors). Our hostess, knowing how much I love to cook, asked if I’d prepare an appetizer for the Thanksgiving party, a question that I answered with the most enthusiastic yes! I opted for something light and refreshing, to provide a counterpoint to the substantial meal ahead, that included a turkey with chestnut dressing that we won’t soon forget!

MEDITERRANEAN SKEWERS
(from the Bewitching Kitchen)

50 skewers
mozzarella mini-balls (like these)
3 mini-cucumbers
30 grape or cherry tomatoes
30 black Kalamata olives, pitted

for the dressing:
2 Tbs olive oil
2 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp ground fennel
salt and pepper to taste

When you are ready to start prepping your ingredients, put some music on and go to work: slice the mini-cucumbers 1/8 inch thick, cut the tomatoes and black olives in half. If some olives are too small, leave them whole. Reserve.

Assemble each skewer starting with one small mozzarella ball, half a black olive, another mozzarella ball, a cucumber slice, and finish with half the tomato. Arrange the skewers on a nice serving platter.

Make the dressing by whisking all the ingredients in a small bowl, drizzle over the skewers half an hour before serving.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: The inspiration for this recipe came from two different sources: “Greek Salad Skewers” from Fine Cooking, and a dressing found in “Small Bites,” but I modified them enough to make it “bewitching.” 😉 One of my changes was to use mozzarella instead of feta cheese because feta tends to crumble and I am forced to eat all the cheese that disintegrates as I stab it. If you don’t find mini-cucumbers, use regular ones, but peel them and cut the slices in halves or quarters, depending on the size.

Fennel seed is the secret for the dressing. I like to use ground and let the dressing sit for a while before using, but next time I’ll use whole fennel seeds and warm them up gently to make an infused oil. Might be even better.

These skewers are very colorful, a nice addition to any cocktail party, but particularly great to open a multi-course dinner. Consider making them for your end-of-the-year festivities.

ONE YEAR AGO: Dundee Cake Bake-Along (and great fun was had by all!)

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3Aug2010

TWICE-BAKED GOAT CHEESE SOUFFLE

Posted in Appetizers, Side dishes, Vegetarian-friendly by sallybr

If you’re intimidated by the prospect of making a souffle, then this recipe is a special gift for you. This double-baking method (oven time separated by hours, if convenient) is great for entertaining: no more guessing about when’s the correct time to put the souffle in the oven; no more anticipating when the guests will be ready to eat the puffed-up, gorgeous masterpiece. Plus, I’ve always felt that individual servings (in this case individual souffles) makes each guest feel special. 😉 The recipe comes from Secrets of Success, one of my favorite cookbooks.

TWICE-BAKED GOAT CHEESE SOUFFLE
(from Michael Bauer’s Secrets of Success, original recipe from Barbara Mulas & Mark Drazek)

butter for greasing ramekins, plus 3 Tbs
1 cup bread crumbs
3 Tbs cake flour
1 cup milk, warmed slightly in a microwave
10 ounces goat cheese, divided
3 large egg yolks
salt and pepper
1 cup egg whites (about 7 large eggs)

Heat the oven to 425F.

Butter 8 ramekins (5 ounce size), and coat them with bread crumbs. Reserve remaining bread crumbs.

Melt the butter in a saute pan, add the flour and cook, stirring, for 20 seconds. Whisk in the milk, cook stirring until slightly thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Crumble 8 ounces of the goat cheese in a large bowl (you will have 2 ounces left), add the hot milk/flour mixture, stir to combine. Add the egg yolks one at a time, mix well, and season with salt and pepper.

Beat the egg whites by hand or with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Delicately mix half the egg whites into the cheese mixture to lighten it a little. Then, fold the rest of the egg whites. Fill the ramekins halfway with the mixture, crumble a little goat cheese on top, and fill the ramekins to the top with the remainder of the souffle mixture. Sprinkle the top with bread crumbs.

Place the ramekins in a large baking dish, and fill it halfway up the sides of the ramekins with very hot (or boiling) water. Bake on the center of the oven until golden, about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven, let it sit in the water for about 15 minutes, then carefully unmold them, by running a knife around the edges and inverting the ramekins over a plate. Transfer them to a baking dish. They can be held at room temperature for up to 6 hours.

When you are ready to serve them, bake at 425F until golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: I’ve used this recipe many times in the past few years, sometimes with feta cheese instead of goat cheese, but always with the same delicious outcome. It is important to coat the ramekins well with butter, so that they easily un-mold. One or two of pieces of bruschetta on the side completes the perfect opening for a special dinner.

The recipe comes from Zax, a now (unfortunately) defunct restaurant in Berkeley. You can find old reviews online praising this dish, and once you try it, you’ll praise it too!

Note to self: try this method with other flavors. According to Bauer, the key to making a twice-baked souffle is the use of cake flour: it gives the final product a more refined texture.

ONE YEAR AGO: Hearts of Palm Pie

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31Mar2010

SPRING ROLLS on a SPRING DAY

Posted in Appetizers, Seafood by sallybr

March is a wild month. It’s the beginning of Spring in the Southwest, but Winter still occasionally shows its teeth, bringing low temperatures, freezing rain, snow and nasty winds. It’s enough to make a tropical creature sob. This past Saturday I fought back, ignoring the cloudy skies, the intermittent rain and the 25mph winds… I went ahead and brought a burst of Spring air into the house.

VIETNAMESE-STYLE SPRING ROLLS
(from the Bewitching Kitchen)

4 rice paper rounds
1 oz dry bean threads or rice vermicelli
cooked shrimp, cut in half lengthwise
carrots, cut in long julienne strips
cucumbers, cut in long matchstick pieces
lettuce, cut in strips
cilantro leaves

for dipping sauce
6 Tbs soy sauce
2 Tbs water
2 Tbs rice wine vinegar
2 Tbs brown sugar
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp grated fresh ginger

Cut the vegetables, cook the shrimp, and have everything ready to use on your kitchen counter. Prepare the dipping sauce by mixing well all its ingredients.

Cook the noodles according to the directions on the package (they vary according to type). Rinse them in cold water and set aside (you can add a tiny bit of sesame oil or olive oil to prevent them from sticking, but it’s not absolutely necessary if you rinse them well).

Fill a bowl large enough to hold the rice paper with very warm water. Open a damp cloth over your work surface. Soak the rice paper in the warm water until it is soft and pliable. Carefully lift it and place it over the damp cloth. Line your ingredients, starting with the cut shrimp, then the noodles, veggies, herbs. Add 1/2 tsp of dipping sauce (or just a few sprinkles of soy sauce) to the filling, and roll the paper around them. Repeat with the remaining rice papers. To serve, cut each roll at an angle and serve with a small bowl of dipping sauce.

Think about birds chirping, flowers blooming, and ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: What I love about these rolls is that you can improvise and use lots of different things in the filling. Granted, this practice might compromise their authenticity, but unless you’re having a Vietnamese guest for lunch, no harm done. Keep in mind that you can have too much of a good thing: avoid using 6 different veggies, two types of meat, 5 herbs, and a smear of peanut butter inside. 😉 These rolls are supposed to be delicate, fresh, and light. Perfect for the warm weather that is certainly peeking at us (fingers crossed).

Click here for a quick tutorial on how to prepare them (plus a cool song in the background!)…

23Mar2010

SUN-DRIED TOMATO AND FETA CHEESE TORTE

Posted in Appetizers, Vegetarian-friendly by sallybr

I first made this torte in 2001, for a large cocktail party to celebrate my beloved’s Birthday. We’d never hosted quite so many people (perhaps 60), and this layered appetizer was one of the highlights of that memorable night. The recipe came from Chiqui, a caterer from New Orleans, whom I “net-met” many years ago. I hope you’ll consider it for your next dinner party, or for a potluck. I recently made it again for another birthday party, so I might have to start calling it “Birthday Torte”. 😉

FETA CHEESE TORTE
(adapted from Chiqui)

1/2 cup slivered pine nuts, toasted (I substituted slivered almonds)
1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil
1/2 garlic head, roasted
8 ounces feta cheese
1/2 stick unsalted butter
8 ounces cream cheese
1 tsp white pepper, ground
2 Tbs vermouth
1/2 cup arugula pesto (or regular basil pesto, preferably homemade)

Prepare the ingredients for all layers: toast the nuts in a dry skillet or in the oven, being careful not to burn them. Coarsely chop the sun-dried tomatoes, drain of most of their oil, and mix them with 1/2 of the roasted garlic. Mix the feta cheese at room temperature with the butter, cream cheese, pepper, vermouth, and the remaining roasted garlic. Add to the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth and fluffy. Adjust seasoning if necessary. If using commercial pesto, drain it to reduce the amount of oil. If using homemade, make it with less oil than the recipe calls for.

Line the mold of your choice with plastic wrap, leaving 6 inches overhang on all sides.
First layer: toasted nuts.
Second layer: Sun-dried tomato mixture.
Third layer: Half the cheese mixture. Spread it gently over the tomatoes.
Fourth layer: Pesto sauce.
Fifth and final layer: Remaining cheese mixture. Spoon gently, and smooth the surface well.

Cover it with the plastic wrap, and place in the fridge for at least 4 hours, overnight is best. Unwrap it, invert the torte on a serving dish. Serve with crackers of your choice.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: You can make this layered torte in any kind of container. Sometimes I prepare it in mini-loaf pans: the full recipe is enough for two completely full mini-loaves, or three smaller (shorter) ones. For a Valentine’s dinner, a heart-shaped container sounds interesting, but keep in mind that the dish is rich, so the full recipe is way too much for two people.