HotApp – Page 7 – Rosemary and the Goat

Appetizers/ Fish/Seafood/ HotApp/ Sauces

Shrimp Corn Dogs with Blueberry Mustard

“Peanuts! Popcorn! Cotton Candy! Corndogs!, getum while they’re hot.”

Now that is what I use to hear at our county fair. Our small town in Southern Missouri (Caruthersville) was the county seat and we had a county fair every year. President Truman even went one year for the festivities. (I was a baby then, of course.).

We loved going to the fair for the rides, watching the beauty pageant where all the contestants were driven around the race track in convertibles, going to watch the harness races (horses) and quarter horse races. My boyfriend (now my husband) would meet me and we’d ride everything there. To make some spending money, my teenage to be husband worked on the town’s ferry boat during the fair collecting quarters from people who would park their cars on the Tennessee side of the Mississippi River and walk onto the ferry to cross over to come to our fair. The ferry and the county fair are now long lost to history but I have not forgotten the sounds of the carnival and the smell of cotton candy, taffy and corn dogs.

I first had these shrimp corndogs at the Moonshine Grill in Ausin at my son and daughter-in-law’s rehearsal dinner several years ago. I totally forgot about these little gems until I was looking at one of the restaurant’s menus the other day. Anyway, skewered shrimp dipped in my corndog batter, and fried and served with a honey mustard sauce with a blueberry swirl for dipping will make a hit at your next party.

April 27, 2010 By Sherry

Appetizers/ Entree/ Fish/Seafood/ HotApp/ Sauces

Coconut Fried Shrimp with Zippy Orange Dipping Sauce

Like Bubba Gump, I love shrimp prepared just about any way.

I have boiled shrimp for shrimp cocktail, bar-b-qued it, ceveched it, grilled it, kebabed it, baked it, butterflied it, creoled it, scampied it, sweet and soured it, foo yunged it and Shrimp and Gritted it. So if there is a way out there I haven’t tried I would like to hear about it. Several days ago I decided to try a healthy version of Coconut Fried Shrimp trying to make it gluten free.

You see, several weeks ago (Fat Tuesday I think) my daughter, Alexis, gave me a challenge to give up grains along with potatoes and sugar. I have pretty much done that for the last 5-6 weeks with the occasional slip with the sugar.

I have tried many great cracker and scone recipes from the Almond Flour Gluten Free Cookbook by Elana Amsterdam and they are fabulous. I’m lucky I don’t have to eat gluten free, but if there is anyone out there that does, please take a look at her cookbook and she also has a website www.elanaspantry.com where you can find some fabulous recipes.

(Carb friendly — substitute a sugar free orange marmalade for the regular.

April 5, 2010 By Sherry

Appetizers/ HotApp

Cheese Souffle Puffs

Little clouds of souffle you won’t soon forget!

This week I’m teaching a class on souffles at Williams Sonoma. Up until about 2 years ago I had never made a souffle of any type before (I thought). I have always been afraid to attempt making something so fragile that if you breath on it it might fall.

I don’t know why after being married for 40 years and catering for 20 years I would be afraid to attempt anything. I just don’t like failures and I guess I have envisioned pulling out a beautiful souffle to serve to guest and having it fall right before my eyes.

A few years ago on a mother/daughter trip we took with a friend and her daughter we had dinner at the Culinary Institute in Napa. We had two souffles that night. The dessert souffle was to die for and what they did was bring it to the table, inserted a spoon in the middle to collapse it and then poured a pitcher of cream angalise over it. Delicious!

But, before dessert arrived we started the meal with this huge bowl of French Onion Soup topped with Cheese Souffle. My version, Souffled Onion Soup is fantastic. I knew after enjoying this soup that I was going to have to make it. I went to work one day hoping to get someone to tell me how they made a souffle and I couldn’t find anyone who had made one before. Guess I wasn’t the only one who feared making a souffle. So, I bought The Joy of Cooking (can’t believe that wasn’t in my cookbook library) and set about making my version of the Soup. You simply make your favorite (or my recipe) of French Onion Soup, top it with a cheese souffle and bake in the oven. I serve this in my little lion head soup bowls and I really think that the steam from the hot soup keeps the souffle from falling. In fact, it doesn’t fall the whole time you are eating the soup.

March 6, 2010 By Sherry

Appetizers/ ColdApp/ HotApp

Mezze Table

Mezze, tapas, muqabbilat, dim sum, hor’devoures, or simply “apps”.

(The 2010 February Daring Bakers challenge was hosted by Michele of Veggie Num Nums. Michele chose to challenge everyone to make mezze based on various recipes from Claudia Roden, Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Dugid.)

What ever language you may say this word in, “mezze”, tapas, muqabbilat, dim sum, hor d oeuvres, apps, we are talking about small portions of food eaten before a meal or in place of a meal. Mezze is a selection of Greek and middle-eastern small dishes served in “mezze” portions (like tapas.) Typically a mezze might include things like hummus, baba ganoush, pita, olives, dolmas, maybe some grilled vegetables or a kabob. A mezze table would have several small dishes served all at once. If you love grazing at parties, you will love this style of eating. All kinds of things to nibble on. Try this for your next party, or any get together with friends. Everything can be made in advance, making the party an easy one to put together. All you need to do is open your wine, beer or whatever beverage and enjoy.

My menu for my messe table:

Pita Bread
Hummus
Bacon Wrapped Dates with Blue Cheese
Eggplant Caponata
Spanakopita
Tagine Spiced Grilled Quail
Israeli Cous Cous (I bought this ready made)
Herbed New Potatoes
Chocolava

February 14, 2010 By Sherry

Appetizers/ HotApp

Truffled Parmesan Frites

Frites? What’s a Frite anyway? — French fries!! Come on now, can’t she do better than that you say.

The idea for this appetizer came from our anniversary trip to NYC back in September that we took with two of our friends also celebrating their anniversary. We did the walking tour of Greenwich Village that I told you about in an earlier post. I don’t go any place that I don’t come back with some idea for a new appetizer to try.

One of the restaurants we visited on the tour (Palma) gave us these little bamboo cones filled with fried artichoke petals. For some reason, my brain seems like it is constantly in motion like a pinball machine bouncing all over the place, because the whole time we are standing their eating our little artichoke petals out of the bamboo cones, instead of listening, I’m thinking “OK, what can I do in these cute little cones for a catering job”. And, if you have any great ideas of what to serve in these, I would like to hear about them. I have also done cubed melon with proscuitto and balsamic. Maybe some fried orka would be good??

A bar in our hotel in NYC served truffled fries, sprinkled with truffle salt. So, I’m thinking, I could do shoestring potatoes, sprinkled with Truffle oil (cheaper than using a lot of truffle salt), and sprinkled with Kosher salt and finely grated Parmesan cheese. I made them and they were delicious.

January 16, 2010 By Sherry

Appetizers/ Entree/ HotApp/ Pork/ Sauces

Pork Satay with Three Dipping Sauces

Satay’s make a great little appetizer or entree.

The January 2010 DC challenge was hosted by Cuppy of Cuppylicious and she chose a delicious Thai-inspired recipe for Pork Satay from the book 1000 Recipes by Martha Day.

I know I have mentioned this before but in case you missed it — DC is the www.thedaringkitchen.com site that I belong to and they have a bakers and cooks challenge each month that members are challened to make certain dishes. The member has almost a month to complete the challenge and post to their site and to our own sites. Every one makes the same recipe but you can do your own variations on part of the recipe. There are only a few things that I have been intimadated by so far with these challenges — The French Meringues and the ginger bread houes (couldn’t do the houses because I was busy catering over Christmas). I would also like to see a challenge for peti fours. I’ve always wanted to make those but never have attempted to make the really pretty ones like I would want to do.

I have made chicken satay’s before for catering but for this challenge I decided to do the Pork Satay and make at least three dipping sauces. I just ordered some really fun looking skewers so I’m going for the appetizer portion but these can also be made with larger skewers.

Satay is a popular dish originating from Indonesia and Malaysia and is often served as “street fare” and accompanied by a dipping sauce. It can be made from cubed meats or strips of meat that are threaded on a skewer. Most of us think of kebabs when we think of skewered meat. To me, satay is strips of meat and served with a peanut dipping sauces. Usually kebabs have vegetables skewered along with the meat and I only do meat when making satays.

Hope you will try this challenge along with me and if you are interested in joining The Daring Kitchen, go to their website and check it out. It is really fun to see what others challenges look like.

I used a pork tenderloin and sliced it very thin. It turned out very tender.

These are all the ingredients for the marinade. It was really fast to throw together in the food processor.

Spread marinade all over the meat and marinate for 4-8 hours.

I talked my husband into grilling these outside in 40° weather.

I did three different sauces, peanut sauce, taminand sauce and a soy green onion sauce.

Great little recipe and I was glad to take this challenge.

Pork Satay with Three Dipping Sauces

Ingredients

1/2 small onion chopped
2 cloves garlic crushed
1 Tbsp. ginger root chopped
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. turmeric
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 pound pork

Instructions

Cut pork in 1 " strips (I cut my thin). For marinade put all ingredients xexcept for the meat in a food processor and process until smooth. Put the pork in either a bowl or plastic zip-lock and cover the pork with the marinade. Chill for 4-8 hours.
Soak your wooden skewers for about 20 minutes before preparing skewers.
Gently and slowly slide the meat strips onto the skewers. Discard any leftover marinade.
Grill or broil until the edges just start to char, 8-10 minutes.. Flip and cook another 8-10 minutes.
If you are grilling you could definitely brush once with some of the left over marinade when you flip the skewers. Then discard any left over marinade.

Peanut Sauce

Ingredients

3/4 c. coconut milk
4 Tbsp. peanut butter
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1-2 dried red chilies chopped (keep the seeds for heat)

Instructions

Mix dry ingredients in a small bowl. Add soy sauce and lemon, mix well. Over low heat, combine coconut milk, peanut butter and your soy-lemon-seasoning mix. Mix well, stir often.
All you are doing is melting the peanut butter, so make your peanut sauce after you have made everything else in your meal or make ahead of time and reheat.

Pepper Dip

Ingredients

4 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. brown sugar
1-2 dried chilies chopped, keep seeds for heat
1 finely chopped green onio

Instructions

Mix well. Serve chilled or room temperature.

Tamarind Dip

Ingredients

4 Tbsp. tamarind paste I used tamarind chutney
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 clove garlic minced
1 finely chopped green onion
1 tsp. brown or white sugar

Instructions

Mix well. Serve chilled or room temperature.

January 14, 2010 By Sherry

Appetizers/ HotApp/ Soup

Roasted Parsnip Bisque with Crispy Pork Belly

What is a parsnip anyway? And do you know what pork belly is???

(Our second course in our “American Tasting Feast” menu after Thanksgiving.)

According to “cookthink.com” — “A parsnip is a pale, homely and under-loved root vegetable that looks something like an anemic carrot. Parsnips have a slightly sweet flavor that peaks during the fall and winter.”

A parsnip can be baked, mashed, steamed, sauteed, or boiled. They have a stronger flavor than the carrot and in ancient times were believed to be an aphrodisiacs. You should read up on the lowly parsnip and you may find other recipes that are delicious as this soup and also my Winter White Vegetable Soup.

I don’t think I had ever tasted a parsnip before making the Winter White Vegetable Soup. I just knew I needed every white vegetable I could think of and this one was on my list.

This soup was a joint endeavor. My friend Peggy did the soup and I prepared the crispy pork belly. This was the second course in our menu which if you haven’t seen the menu, it is here.

Now, for the pork belly. Pork belly is meat derived from the belly of a pig. It is pretty popular in Chinese and Korean cuisine. BUT, growing up we had something we called “fresh side pork” or “fresh bacon” and I was surprised to discover it is one and the same. It has a delicious taste. Unlike bacon, it isn’t smoked so it doesn’t have a smoky or salty taste at all. The process for doing the pork belly was quite lengthy. First it had to be brined for 24 hours and then it was suppose to bake for 24 hours. Instead, I baked for 5 hours on low temperature, then cut it into cubes and fried it for a garnish for the soup.

Sorry I don’t have her recipe for the bisque but when/if I can find it, I will post here.

Brined Pork Belly

Ingredients

1 1/4 lbs. of pork belly
12 c. water
1 cup table salt
1/2 stalk lemongrass
1/2 head garlic
1 1/2 sprigs rosemary
1 stick cinnamon
1/3 bunch thyme
4 bay leaves
4-5 star anise
3 Tbsp. coriander seed
1 Tbsp. ginger or use 4 Tbsp. fresh ginger

Instructions

Mix all ingredients in a pot. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and cool before use. Cover the pork belly with the brine. Brine the pork belly for 24 hours. Remove from brine and rinse. In a pan, cover the pork belly with cool water. Cover with foil. Cook for 24 hours at 325°. (this is the party I ignored and cooked at 250° for about 5 hours). Once cooked, press and refrigerate overnight. Next day, cut the pork belly into small cubes and fry them until golden brown and crispy. **Note, I think the next time, I may brine but after brining just cut up and fry.

December 16, 2009 By Sherry

Appetizers/ Entree/ HotApp/ Pasta/ Sauces

Duck Confit Ravioli with Port and Sun-dried Cherry Sauce

Michie Feast – Pasta Course

The idea for this cours started as gnocchi, then changed to ravioli with duck bolognese, and finally settled on a duck confit ravioli with a port sauce. I have never made my own pasta, or duck confit so I’m not sure what I was thinking!

I shopped for the duck in Austin before I headed to the parent’s house. I was surprised that duck was $16/lb, I guess I am cheap but I decided right there to cut the duck in the recipe from four pounds down to one pound. Since the idea was to serve very small portions, like a tasting menu, I knew I would only use a fraction of what the recipe would yield anyways.

Thanks to Paul, my duck confit was cooked to perfection. Starting almost 48 hours in advance, the duck was first brined for 24 hours, then cooked for 10 hours on a very low temperature. When it was finished the duck fell apart, it was fall off the bone tender and moist. This eventually got mixed in with the ricotta and parmesan to create the filling for the ravioli.

December 9, 2009 By Alexis

Appetizers/ HotApp

Sweet Potato Biscuits with Ham and Orange Marmalade

Everyone makes biscuits, but have you tried sweet potato biscuits with ham and Marmalade.

Most people starting thinking seriosly about sweet potatoes/yams this time of the year. How many ways have you prepared sweet potatoes — sweet potato pie, sweet potato casserole with marshmallows or nut topping, or rosemary baked sweet potato wedges (yum, these are the greatest). I just came across this recipe today for Sweet Potato Sticks wrapped in bacon and sage. I will be trying these soon. They look wonderful. What doesn’t taste good with bacon wrapped around it.

Have you ever thought of making sweet potato biscuits and using some of that holiday ham for an appetizer. Spread the biscuit with a little orange marmalade, top with small slice of ham and warm in oven and you have a fantastic party appetizer.

November 22, 2009 By Sherry

Appetizers/ HotApp

Little Bites

Little Bites to tingle your tastebuds! — Amuse Bouche

I had never heard that word (Amuse Bouche) until I came back from our NYC trip in September and I was telling a friend I work with about a little potato appetizer we had at Gramercy Tavern. She said “oh, you had an Amuse Bouche”. (pronounced uh-MYUZboosh) And I have been obsessed ever since with these little bites. The chef at Gramercy Tavern actually sent me that recipe which I plan on making during Thanksgiving holidays. The one we had that night (and I guessed right on the recipe) was a choux pastry puff that had mashed fingerling potatoes mixed in and they were deep fried in grape seed oil and when done, an olive tapenade was piped into the center of the puff and was served on a bed of sea salt. We only had one each, but that was enough for me to know I wanted the recipe.

You won’t find Amuse Bouche on any restaurant menu because they are usually compliments of the chef. Sometimes chefs use the amuse bouche as a way to try out different recipes that may become an appetizer on their menu. An Amuse Bouche is a one bite appetizer served before the meal meant to tantalize your taste buds. In French the word means “mouth amuser”.

Recently I have checked out two books from our library in search of some different little bites I can try for some parties I’m catering. The books are Amuse Bouche by Rick Tramonto (chef/partner at Tru in Chicago), and Small Bites by Jennifer Joyce. I have found several I want to try out during the holidays.

Here are two Amuse Bouche recipes I have tried, nothing fancy, but cute and yummy. The third appetizer I did in these little bamboo cones. Wouldn’t be classified as an amuse bouche because it is more than one bite but thought it was worth posting. The burger and melon appetizers I thought up my self (like I said, nothing fancy)

This tiny burger is a take on “sliders”, much smaller and cuter I think. I’ve been wanting to make a mini burger for a long time so I thought why not try an amuse bouce burger. Anyway, here’s what it looked like.

Isn’t this the cutest thing ever. No recipe needed. I used wheat bread, toasted it and then using a 1″ cutter, cut out little buns. Then I fried up some little burgers about 1″ size, put a squirt of mustard (any kind) on the burger. Top this with another piece of toast (bun), then a slice of grape tomato, tiny onion slice (those cute little onions that are the size of a dime) and little chunk of baby dill to finish it off. You could also use small slice of cheese on burger if you wanted. Just cut it out using your 1″ cutter. Put one on a plate, dot with mustard, for dipping and serve. Wouldn’t a few julienned fries be a cute garnish for the plate.

November 19, 2009 By Sherry

Appetizers/ HotApp

Spanakopita

(Posted by my daughter, Alexis.)

I like when football season rolls around here in Austin, but not necessarily because I’m a huge sports fan. Living in a college town, the city definitely becomes a little more alive during the fall. But mainly, the games are a chance to hang with friends, “watch” the game, eat some good food and partake in a few beverages.

Instead of the usual football watching fare(pizza, queso, etc), I wanted to make one of my favorite appetizers the other weekend for the TX-OU game. I thought that the spanakopita might resemble mini footballs. Think junior high. I remember guys folding notebook paper into “footballs” and flickingthem across classrooms through their friend’s hands forming a “field goal”. Well anyways, that’s what I imagined while making these. I tried to get a shot of one of the phyllo triangles being punted through the field goal when Texas kicked one of many field goals during that game.

November 9, 2009 By Alexis

Appetizers/ Bread/ HotApp/ Morning Foods

Dijon Ham and Cream Cheese Biscuits

Dijon Ham and Cream Cheese Biscuits for holiday brunch.

I can still smell my mother’s homemade biscuits baking away in the oven. She made the best from scratch biscuits. My sister and I use to have her bang the pan on the counter so the biscuits would flatten out and you would have two crunchy sides with no middles. These days, people want big fluffy biscuits and I think, now, I prefer that type of biscuit, but what I wouldn’t give to have one of my mother’s.

A couple of years ago I was flipping through one of my food magazines and saw an advertisement for a Cream Cheese Ham Biscuit. They were $24/dozen and the first thing I thought of was “I could make those”. I love the challenge to try and make something I have tried in a restaurant or seen in a magazine.

I found these biscuits at a local store, bought some, baked them and then baked mine. Mine were really close and after tweaking the recipe I think I would rather save my $24 and make my version.

November 3, 2009 By Sherry

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