Last year when we moved I started a vegetable garden with the hopes of figuring out the hell I was doing and maybe getting something (one thing) edible for my efforts. Considering it was started in late August, I didn't get that much out of it. A few pea pods, and lots of sprouts that either died during the "winter" or are still growing today. But one thing we did have a lot of was zucchini blossoms, so we took advantage of that and had many many fried blossoms for appetizers and with dinner. Here's some tips and recipes for eating them.
When harvesting, only pick the male ones because female ones are the ones that produce fruit. You'll know the difference because the female blossoms will have little round things underneath the blossom (that's your zucchini that's starting to grow!). Also pick them when they start to open up, but eat them within 24 hours otherwise they'll shrivel up. You can save the blossoms for a day or so longer if you keep them in ice water or a cold damp paper towel. Make sure you clean them out before eating (I like to make sure there's no pollen on the inside, and obviously no bugs!). Blossoms from other squash plants aren't so great.
What you need:
- Zucchini Blossoms
- Bread crumbs
- 1 Egg
- a dash of milk
- Flower
- Oil
- Mascarpone and Blue cheese
1. Mix together some Italian seasoned bread crumbs, flour, egg, and just a little bit of milk until you get a nice thick batter.
2. Put a little bit of mascarpone cheese and a lot more blue cheese on the inside of a blossom. (We've tried several different cheeses, and due to the mildness of the blossom, a cheese with a little bit more kick to it works best.) Twist the ends together to close up the blossom. (Side note, if you use mascarpone cheese on it's own, it will explode and drain everywhere when you bite into it.)
3. Dip the blossom in the batter (you'll know if it's too thick or too thin based on whether it sticks to the blossom at all or runs completely off.
4. You can either bake them or fry them. If you fry, preheat the oil and when it is very hot, drop the blossoms in. They only need a minute or two to cook. Remove with a slotted spoon when browned and let cool on a paper towel. If you bake, bake in a in a tin with walls (either a cookie tin or a cake tin) with some olive oil in preheated 400 degree oven until batter is cooked.
And if that was enough effort for one meal, here's a quick and easy pasta dish that you can eat these next to (ie. not part of).
Make spaghetti the way it says on the box and drain. Add some olive oil and butter, garlic (fresh or powder is fine), parsley, basil, nutmeg, and parmesean chesse. The end.
Showing posts with label appetizers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label appetizers. Show all posts
Monday, June 20, 2011
Friday, April 29, 2011
Baked Brie Three Ways
I absolutely love brie. It's so versatile. You can have it on its on own, with something sweet, or something savory. For an appetizer, as part of your meal, or wih dessert. Hot or cold. What more could you ask of as a food? Here's four of my favorite ways to eat it when you heat it.
Baked Brie wrapped in Crescent Rolls
Baked Brie in a Mini Loaf Pan - Cut up brie to fit in your loaf pans (depending on the size of the block you bought, it could be 1 or 2). Heat oven to 350 degrees. Put toppings on top of brie. Cook until brie is completely melted. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.
Baked Brie on crostinis - Toast bread (or buy bread that's already toasted) in toaster oven for 5-7 minutes. Pieces should be decent sized. Spread toppings on taost, then cut blocks of brie and place on top, heat for 4-5 minutes (cheeseshould be soft, but not runny).
For each of these three ways to eat it, you have a multitude of topping options. Here's a few ideas:
- Brown sugar and nuts (walnuts and almonds are our favorites)
- Raspberries and black berries (this is also good with the brown sugar and nuts)
- Pesto
- Chutney, Jams, or cranberry sauce
- Sundried Tomatoes
- Sauted veggies like peppers, onions, or mushrooms
- Smoked Salmon
- Honey
- Dried fruit (also good with nuts)
- Apples or pears (again good with the brown sugar and nuts)
And don't be chintzy with those toppings!
Baked Brie wrapped in Crescent Rolls
Baked Brie in a Mini Loaf Pan - Cut up brie to fit in your loaf pans (depending on the size of the block you bought, it could be 1 or 2). Heat oven to 350 degrees. Put toppings on top of brie. Cook until brie is completely melted. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.
Baked Brie on crostinis - Toast bread (or buy bread that's already toasted) in toaster oven for 5-7 minutes. Pieces should be decent sized. Spread toppings on taost, then cut blocks of brie and place on top, heat for 4-5 minutes (cheeseshould be soft, but not runny).
For each of these three ways to eat it, you have a multitude of topping options. Here's a few ideas:
- Brown sugar and nuts (walnuts and almonds are our favorites)
- Raspberries and black berries (this is also good with the brown sugar and nuts)
- Pesto
- Chutney, Jams, or cranberry sauce
- Sundried Tomatoes
- Sauted veggies like peppers, onions, or mushrooms
- Smoked Salmon
- Honey
- Dried fruit (also good with nuts)
- Apples or pears (again good with the brown sugar and nuts)
And don't be chintzy with those toppings!
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Tea Party Sandwhiches
Sometimes I really do think the universe conspires in our favor, and when it does it really makes me smile. Some big news might be coming which would be related to that, but I'll save that for next week. But on a smaller scale, last night rather than get out of class super late, my lab was fortuitously pushed up and I got home early enough that I could spend the night with Nick. We had nothing planned for dinner so we ordered Domino's and watched Must Love Dogs. It was nice to actually be able to spend our anniversary together. It definitely made it that much more special.
And to boot my class for this morning was canceled so I get to hang out and slept late. A good week indeed.
~***~
There's something intensely cute yet satisfying about finger foods, the smaller the better. And in the case of going to any occasion that serves them, you feel a lot less guilty when you eat 20 of anything. Really that just adds up to being an appetizer, so why not eat another 20 and get your full meal in?
Tea sandwiches are a great addition to any appetizer plate and you can be as traditional or creative as you want. The key to making them is to remember that the sandwiches are meant to be dainty not overly stuffed with fillings. Here are three that I served at my last tea party, plus a two I have served in the past.
Traditional Cucumber
-very thinly sliced cucumbers
-softened cream cheese
-white bread with no crusts
-FRESH dill (optional)
1. Spread a thin layer of cream cheese on both sides of the bread.
2. Place 2 layers of cucumbers in the middle.
3. Cut into 4 triangles.
Sundried Tomato and Pesto (taken from Harmony Tea Room)
-Trader Joe's Sundried Tomatoes (also processed in a food process, I would do this AFTER the pesto)
-Fresh Pesto (basil, cashews, parmesan cheese, olive oil to taste in a food processor)
-white bread with no crusts
1. On slice one, spread pesto, on slice two spread sundried tomatoes.
2. Put two slices together so that spreads are not touching, then close with a third slice of bread.
3. Cut into 4 triangles or rectangles.
Grilled Ham & Cheese with Apricot Jam
-Thinly sliced ham (1/4-1/3 of a pound is usually enough for a small party)
-American Cheese (cheddar could also work)
-Apricot Jam
-Potato bread with crusts
1. Place two slices of ham on bread with once slice of cheese.
2. Spread Apricot jam on one side of the bread.
3. Cook in a skillet with butter until golden brown on each side.
4. When sandwich cools cut into four rectangles.
Smoked Salmon and Marscapone Cheese
-Smoked salmon
-Room temperature Marscapone cheese
-crustless Pumpernickle bread
-Capers or mixed greens (optional)
1. Assemble like a normal sandwich. (That wasn't too hard!)
2. Cut into rectangle
Goat Cheese and Roasted Red Pepper
-Softened goat cheese (not crumbled, in the block variety. Also, I wouldn't use spreadable, it doesn't have as much of a kick to it.)
-1/2 of a roasted red pepper cut into thin slices
-mixed greens
-crustless multi grain bread (or white)
1. Assemble & cut!
If you need help softening the cheese I usually put some into a little bowl and microwave it for 5-15 seconds depending on how cold it is, stir and then check to see if it needs more and continue until softened (but not boiling hot or liquidy).
And to boot my class for this morning was canceled so I get to hang out and slept late. A good week indeed.
There's something intensely cute yet satisfying about finger foods, the smaller the better. And in the case of going to any occasion that serves them, you feel a lot less guilty when you eat 20 of anything. Really that just adds up to being an appetizer, so why not eat another 20 and get your full meal in?
Tea sandwiches are a great addition to any appetizer plate and you can be as traditional or creative as you want. The key to making them is to remember that the sandwiches are meant to be dainty not overly stuffed with fillings. Here are three that I served at my last tea party, plus a two I have served in the past.
Traditional Cucumber
-very thinly sliced cucumbers
-softened cream cheese
-white bread with no crusts
-FRESH dill (optional)
1. Spread a thin layer of cream cheese on both sides of the bread.
2. Place 2 layers of cucumbers in the middle.
3. Cut into 4 triangles.
Sundried Tomato and Pesto (taken from Harmony Tea Room)
-Trader Joe's Sundried Tomatoes (also processed in a food process, I would do this AFTER the pesto)
-Fresh Pesto (basil, cashews, parmesan cheese, olive oil to taste in a food processor)
-white bread with no crusts
1. On slice one, spread pesto, on slice two spread sundried tomatoes.
2. Put two slices together so that spreads are not touching, then close with a third slice of bread.
3. Cut into 4 triangles or rectangles.
Grilled Ham & Cheese with Apricot Jam
-Thinly sliced ham (1/4-1/3 of a pound is usually enough for a small party)
-American Cheese (cheddar could also work)
-Apricot Jam
-Potato bread with crusts
1. Place two slices of ham on bread with once slice of cheese.
2. Spread Apricot jam on one side of the bread.
3. Cook in a skillet with butter until golden brown on each side.
4. When sandwich cools cut into four rectangles.
Smoked Salmon and Marscapone Cheese
-Smoked salmon
-Room temperature Marscapone cheese
-crustless Pumpernickle bread
-Capers or mixed greens (optional)
1. Assemble like a normal sandwich. (That wasn't too hard!)
2. Cut into rectangle
Goat Cheese and Roasted Red Pepper
-Softened goat cheese (not crumbled, in the block variety. Also, I wouldn't use spreadable, it doesn't have as much of a kick to it.)
-1/2 of a roasted red pepper cut into thin slices
-mixed greens
-crustless multi grain bread (or white)
1. Assemble & cut!
If you need help softening the cheese I usually put some into a little bowl and microwave it for 5-15 seconds depending on how cold it is, stir and then check to see if it needs more and continue until softened (but not boiling hot or liquidy).
Monday, September 13, 2010
Top 5s of Partying and Entertaining: Part 2
Last year around this time my husband and I decided that we really wanted to throw a theme party at our apartment. Actually, that's a lie. I decided I wanted to have a theme party and he just put up with my wild idea (which tends to be how it goes, we're very much a Lucy and Ricky kind of couple, except I'm the Hispanic one...and hopefully we won't get divorced). I can't remember why, but I decided that the theme should be 1950s Cocktail Party (this was before we were into Mad Men, but I think this kind of a party would be great for a premiere or season finale of that show). And we required everyone to get dressed up, we served little finger foods, and hard drinks.
A lot of our friends don't know each other (we've got our core social group, but then tons of people who aren't part of that), so I really wanted to promote conversation. As I mentioned in my last Top 5 entry, I spread out all my little finger foods all over the apartment to try to get people to mingle and talk. This sort of backfired, but for a very good reason. People were too busy eating all the food to be bothered with socializing. Once they were done eating, then things really kicked into high gear.
So what did I serve them? A variety of things. The normal go-to's like cheese and crackers and nuts, but most of the things I put out were homemade. Cooking for me is a labor of love, and I love entertaining just as much. So while I know sometimes it requires a lot of time and effort to put together a meal, I didn't mind making a ton of little finger foods for our guests (please note, I think I might be insane...or a robot). However, even though most of my dinner recipes take a lot of time, these appetizers don't require anywhere near as much effort.
Enjoy!
1. Zucchini & Cheese Crostini
2 zucchini grated
1 2/3 cups of Gruyere Cheese
1 small egg
a dash of worcestershire sauce (or any really high quality smokey meat sauce, plain old BBQ won't do, needs to be really thick and smokey)
a loaf of good bread
Cook in a preheated broiler (or just turn the oven on really high and cook on the top shelf)
Put the grated zucchini in a clear dry kitchen towel and twist tightly, squeezing out all the excess juices. Put in with the rest of the ingredients. Slice up bread and spread on top. Then put on a cookie sheet until the tops get brown (watch very closely it will be different for every oven, mine is usually 5-10 minutes depending on how high I turn it).
This recipe is based on a recipe from one of my favorite cookbooks: Easy Breakfast & Brunch
2. Granny's Dates
Pitted dates )if you can't find any, you can always take the nut out yourself)
Crumbled Blue or Gorgonzola Cheese
Bacon
This recipe (brought to you by my Granny), doesn't have any measurements because how much you need is based on how much you want to make.
First fry your bacon like you would normally do (but don't fry it until it's completely crispy, you want to make sure it's still pliable enough to work with). While those are cooking, slice the dates in half on one side (make a little slit, don't completely cut in half) and stuff with as much cheese as you want. I think a medium amount works best. Press the date back together and when the bacon is cool enough to handle, wrap half a piece around the date and secure with a tooth pick. All done! They can be served warm or cold.
3. Roasted Red Peppers and Goat Cheese
1 Red Pepper
Crumbled Goat Cheese
Fresh Basil
To make a roasted red pepper you must be ok with getting your stove top dirty. Step 1, turn on gas burner. Step 2, put the red pepper on the burner. Step 3, turn the pepper until it's all charred on the outside (make sure you watch it, the pepper will catch fire -which is ok- but you don't want it to get out of control and burn your house down. Step 4, when it's cool enough to handle take the burnt skin off with your hands. All done!
Next you slice the peppers into slivers. You're going to be rolling these up, so they should be thick enough to put some cheese in and not so long that the roll in several layers. Then take some of the goat cheese and a basil leaf and roll inside one of your pepper slivers with a tooth pick. All done!
This recipe is based off of one from Vegetarian Food for Friends.
4. Caramelized Onion Puff Pastries
Half of one medium sized onion (or one small onion)
SMALL puff pastries you can get in your freezer section at the Super market
Gouda Cheese
Start the onions first. These take a long time to cook, but you can start them and then forget about them and come to them towards the end of your meal and you'll be ok.
Generally the rule is one medium onion requires 3 tablespoons of sugar, 3 of olive oil, and 3 of vinegar. If you're working with a smaller onion use 2 of each and add more as necessary. Slice up the onion real thin, then put in your pan with the other ingredients. Cook on medium-high for a few minutes until the onions start to look a little cooked/opaque (stir often), then put the heat down to medium-low until the onions look like they are cooked, then turn the heat down to the lowest setting and forget about them. They'll need to cook for about 30-45 minutes to get that nice dark brown color you see at the restaurants.
Next, cook the pastries according to the directions on the box. When they're done, take the tops off and put in a little bit of cheese and a little bit of your onions. Put the top back on and put in the oven for 2-3 minutes (just enough to get the cheese a little melty). Then you're done!
This can also be done with the larger puff pastries and made into individual appetizers if you're having a sit down dinner party.
5. Fresh Mozzarella and Tomatoes
Who does not love this appetizer? I honestly don't know anyone who doesn't love part or all of it. It's just that good!
1 Long Log of BelGioioso Fresh Mozzarella Cheese (you can use any brand, but this is my absolute favorite brand, the cheapest, and you can get coupons for it too)
2-3 Tomatoes from the vine
Olive Oil
Very good quality vinegar
Basil (optional)
Slice the tomatoes the slice the cheese in pieces needed to cover the tomatoes. Put them together (with the basil as an option, if you're doing the Roasted Red Peppers I wouldn't, too many of the same flavors running around), then place them on your serving dish. Next drizzle the olive oil and vinegar on the plate. The end.
Wow, this just made me really hungry, I think I need to go make myself some breakfast now.
Enjoy!
PS. With the exception of the Fresh Mozzarella, all of the cheeses on here you will have some left over of. With the block cheeses, you can easily cut them into a more presentable shape and serve them with crackers and with the crumbled cheeses you can either save them to put on top of a pasta dish or make a quiche with the rest of the package. Nothing gets wasted here!
A lot of our friends don't know each other (we've got our core social group, but then tons of people who aren't part of that), so I really wanted to promote conversation. As I mentioned in my last Top 5 entry, I spread out all my little finger foods all over the apartment to try to get people to mingle and talk. This sort of backfired, but for a very good reason. People were too busy eating all the food to be bothered with socializing. Once they were done eating, then things really kicked into high gear.
So what did I serve them? A variety of things. The normal go-to's like cheese and crackers and nuts, but most of the things I put out were homemade. Cooking for me is a labor of love, and I love entertaining just as much. So while I know sometimes it requires a lot of time and effort to put together a meal, I didn't mind making a ton of little finger foods for our guests (please note, I think I might be insane...or a robot). However, even though most of my dinner recipes take a lot of time, these appetizers don't require anywhere near as much effort.
Enjoy!
1. Zucchini & Cheese Crostini
2 zucchini grated
1 2/3 cups of Gruyere Cheese
1 small egg
a dash of worcestershire sauce (or any really high quality smokey meat sauce, plain old BBQ won't do, needs to be really thick and smokey)
a loaf of good bread
Cook in a preheated broiler (or just turn the oven on really high and cook on the top shelf)
Put the grated zucchini in a clear dry kitchen towel and twist tightly, squeezing out all the excess juices. Put in with the rest of the ingredients. Slice up bread and spread on top. Then put on a cookie sheet until the tops get brown (watch very closely it will be different for every oven, mine is usually 5-10 minutes depending on how high I turn it).
This recipe is based on a recipe from one of my favorite cookbooks: Easy Breakfast & Brunch
2. Granny's Dates
Pitted dates )if you can't find any, you can always take the nut out yourself)
Crumbled Blue or Gorgonzola Cheese
Bacon
This recipe (brought to you by my Granny), doesn't have any measurements because how much you need is based on how much you want to make.
First fry your bacon like you would normally do (but don't fry it until it's completely crispy, you want to make sure it's still pliable enough to work with). While those are cooking, slice the dates in half on one side (make a little slit, don't completely cut in half) and stuff with as much cheese as you want. I think a medium amount works best. Press the date back together and when the bacon is cool enough to handle, wrap half a piece around the date and secure with a tooth pick. All done! They can be served warm or cold.
3. Roasted Red Peppers and Goat Cheese
1 Red Pepper
Crumbled Goat Cheese
Fresh Basil
To make a roasted red pepper you must be ok with getting your stove top dirty. Step 1, turn on gas burner. Step 2, put the red pepper on the burner. Step 3, turn the pepper until it's all charred on the outside (make sure you watch it, the pepper will catch fire -which is ok- but you don't want it to get out of control and burn your house down. Step 4, when it's cool enough to handle take the burnt skin off with your hands. All done!
Next you slice the peppers into slivers. You're going to be rolling these up, so they should be thick enough to put some cheese in and not so long that the roll in several layers. Then take some of the goat cheese and a basil leaf and roll inside one of your pepper slivers with a tooth pick. All done!
This recipe is based off of one from Vegetarian Food for Friends.
4. Caramelized Onion Puff Pastries
Half of one medium sized onion (or one small onion)
SMALL puff pastries you can get in your freezer section at the Super market
Gouda Cheese
Start the onions first. These take a long time to cook, but you can start them and then forget about them and come to them towards the end of your meal and you'll be ok.
Generally the rule is one medium onion requires 3 tablespoons of sugar, 3 of olive oil, and 3 of vinegar. If you're working with a smaller onion use 2 of each and add more as necessary. Slice up the onion real thin, then put in your pan with the other ingredients. Cook on medium-high for a few minutes until the onions start to look a little cooked/opaque (stir often), then put the heat down to medium-low until the onions look like they are cooked, then turn the heat down to the lowest setting and forget about them. They'll need to cook for about 30-45 minutes to get that nice dark brown color you see at the restaurants.
Next, cook the pastries according to the directions on the box. When they're done, take the tops off and put in a little bit of cheese and a little bit of your onions. Put the top back on and put in the oven for 2-3 minutes (just enough to get the cheese a little melty). Then you're done!
This can also be done with the larger puff pastries and made into individual appetizers if you're having a sit down dinner party.
5. Fresh Mozzarella and Tomatoes
Who does not love this appetizer? I honestly don't know anyone who doesn't love part or all of it. It's just that good!
1 Long Log of BelGioioso Fresh Mozzarella Cheese (you can use any brand, but this is my absolute favorite brand, the cheapest, and you can get coupons for it too)
2-3 Tomatoes from the vine
Olive Oil
Very good quality vinegar
Basil (optional)
Slice the tomatoes the slice the cheese in pieces needed to cover the tomatoes. Put them together (with the basil as an option, if you're doing the Roasted Red Peppers I wouldn't, too many of the same flavors running around), then place them on your serving dish. Next drizzle the olive oil and vinegar on the plate. The end.
Wow, this just made me really hungry, I think I need to go make myself some breakfast now.
Enjoy!
PS. With the exception of the Fresh Mozzarella, all of the cheeses on here you will have some left over of. With the block cheeses, you can easily cut them into a more presentable shape and serve them with crackers and with the crumbled cheeses you can either save them to put on top of a pasta dish or make a quiche with the rest of the package. Nothing gets wasted here!
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