Holiday Hors d'oeuvre Focus: Phyllo Cups

Phyllo cups are handy to keep around during the holidays. You can buy them pre-made or save a little money by making your own using flat sheets of phyllo pastry. I demonstrate how easy it is to make the cups yourself on the video.


You can make the phyllo cups in advance and store them up to one week in an airtight container so they are ready to use when you need them -- whether friends drop by unexpectedly or you're making appetizers for a holiday party.

They can be filled with any number of savory and sweet concoctions like blue cheese mouse with crispy bacon, chicken salad with sliced grapes, bay shrimp with cocktail sauce, not to mention chocolate mousse with powdered sugar or even your favorite pie filling with a smidge of whipped cream. Just use your imagination!

Phyllo Cups with Goat Cheese and Red Pepper

One of my favorites is a simple one - Goat cheese with roasted red peppers. Here's the recipe.

Phyllo Cups with Goat Cheese and Roasted Red Peppers
Makes 20

Ingredients
4 sheets of phyllo dough pastry
4 tbsp melted butter
8 oz herbed or plain goat cheese crumbles or Boursin Cheese (optional)
1/4 c roasted red peppers, minced (optional)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350F.

Thaw frozen phyllo dough. Bring to room temperature before using. When you are working with the phyllo do, be sure to keep it covered with a damp towel or plastic wrap so that it doesn't dry out.

Layout a large sheet of waxed or parchment paper. Peel off 4 sheets of pastry and arrange them in a single stack on top of the waxed paper.

Fold the stack in half lengthwise so it resembles a book. Be careful not to crease the sheets.

Working quickly, unfold the top half sheet of pastry and brush with melted butter. Fold back the next sheet and brush with butter. Continue until one side of the book is completely coated except for the top sheet. Repeat the process on the other half of the pastry. When all the sheet are coated, THEN brush the top sheet with melted butter.

Cut the layered phyllo into 3" squares. Using a wine cork or your fingers, gently press the pastry squares into mini muffin cups. The edges will be fluted.

At this point you have two options: bake the unfilled cups or fill each cup with 1 tbsp of goat cheese or Boursin Cheese and bake.

Bake unfilled cups for 10 to 12 minutes. Cool completely, and then gently remove from the muffin cups. Fill with your favorite salad or mousee or store in an airtight container at room temperature up to one week.

Bake cheese stuffed cups for 12 to 15 minutes. Garnish with some roasted red pepper and serve warm or at room temperature.

What is your favorite filling for phyllo cups?

Topping It All Off - Mashed Potato Martini Bar

Article also available on SheSpeaks.com



"Mashtini"


The holidays are usually a mix of family and friends. If you find yourself needing a crowd-pleasing party food, I've got just the ticket. A Mashed Potato "Martini" Bar! (Don't worry, I am not referring to potato vodka. This idea is kid-friendly.) I am talking about build-it-yourself party food.

Mashed Potato Martini Bars are a big trend right now. They're an inexpensive option but one you can make look elegant. And everybody loves mashed potatoes.

So what is a Mashed Potato Martini Bar? It's mashed potatoes served in martini glasses with a salad-bar-style collection of toppings. It's also super fun and interactive for guests.

Here's what you need:

Martini Glasses - make it fun and festive. It's not just a mashed potato bar, it's a mashed potato martini bar. If you don't own a set, pick up some mismatched ones at a thrift store.

Mashed Potatoes - your favorite recipe. You'll need about 1/2 to 1 cup per person, depending on what else you are serving. You can keep the potatoes warm in a chafing dish or slow cooker.

Now you just need to put out a bunch of your favorite potato toppings. Here are a few suggestions to get you started.

• Freshly Grated Cheeses (Cheddar, Pepper Jack, Parmesan - Whatever You Like)
• Sour Cream or Your Favorite Potato Chip Dip
• Cottage Cheese
• Whipped Butter or Flavored-Butter
• Chives or Green Onions
• Pesto Sauce
• Gravy
• Cheese Sauce
• Cloves of Roasted Garlic
• Chili
• Beef Stew
• Caviar
• Minced Ham
• Crumbled Bacon
• Garlicky Sautéed Shrimp
• Corned Beef Hash
• Sun-Dried Tomatoes
• Sour Kraut
• Sliced Kielbasa or Polish Sausage
• Steamed Broccoli
• Roasted Red Pepper Strips
• Sautéed Mushrooms
• French Fried Onions 

Topping ideas are limitless. Try to offer at least 5 or 6 different choices so you're guest can get creative. I've seen people top their mashed potatoes with cheese, and that's it -- and others go through like it's a sundae bar, putting everything on it.

When your guests arrive, give them a brief overview of how to make their mashtini or better yet, be the first to go through the line. It'll show your guests what to do, plus nobody likes to be the first to do something at a party.

Plan for people to have seconds. You may even want to enforce a "two drink minimum!"

Happy Holidays!

Bubbling Over with Holiday Cheer - A guide to buying and serving sparking wine

You say "Champagne" but you might be buying "Sparkling Wine." So, what's the difference? Chef Erin gives a quick overview of sparkling wine, how to open and serve it, and a recipe for a champagne cocktail.

 

You've heard the old saying, "location, location, location" when it comes to real estate or business matters but how about wine? Well, it's the same for a number of wines including champagne. The French state that you can't call your sparkling wine champagne unless it comes from the champagne region of France. Although we use the term interchangeably, true champagne must come from the Champagne region of France. Other countries produce champagne-style wines but in deference to France call them by different names: Spain makes Cava, Italy makes Spumante or Prosecco, Germany has Sekt and America makes sparkling wine/but I've also seen some labels that call themselves "California champagne."

 

The cheaper the champagne the larger the bubbles. There are a number of different methods to get the bubbles into sparking wine. With cheaper sparklers, carbonation is shot into the bottle with a pump. Quality sparking wines are made in the traditional French method called méthode champenoise or méthode traditionelle-- a time-consuming process that allows the bubbles to form through natural fermentation.

 

Like any other wine, champagne varies in body from light to full. It also varies in sweetness from dry to sweet. The driest champagnes are called extra brut, followed by brut, extra dry, sec, demi-sec and doux. Each of these terms refers to the residual sugar in the wine. Extra Brut wines have 0 to 0.6% sugar while a Doux style will have more than 5% sugar. Everything else falls in between.

 

Champagne should be served chilled between 40 and 50 degrees F. Cold subdues the flavors in the wine so cheap sparklers should be quite chilled while better vintages can be served at 50 degrees F. A good champagne should be refrigerated for about 2 hours prior to serving. That should ensure just the right temperature.

 

Although it's fun to "pop" a bottle of champagne the proper method of opening sparkling wine is to twist the bottle gently to release the cork. There is a demonstration in the video.

 

To open a bottle of sparkling wine:

• Pull the zipper (the serrated foil around the neck of the bottle) and remove the foil.
• Twist the tab and remove the metal cage from the cork.
• Hold the cork and twist the bottle (not vice versa). You'll hear a quiet hissing sound as the cork release. Frenchman say that opening a bottle of champagne should sound like the contented sigh of a woman. Those Frenchman...gotta love 'em.
• To pour, hold the bottom of the bottle. Your thumb should rest in the punt (the dent in the bottom of the bottle.
• Pour each glass half way full. Once the bubbles have settled, fill the glass the rest of the way.

Some notes serving:

• Using flutes (tall, slender wine glasses) keeps the bubbles from dissipating too quickly. Old-fashioned wide-mouthed champagne glasses let the bubbles get away twice as fast.
• Be sure that your glasses are free from dust and soap scum. Both destroy the bubbles in the wine.
• You might want to invest in a metal champagne stopper. It will keep the bubbles in place for another day.

I can't always afford an expensive sparkling wine, so I like to make a champagne cocktail.

 

All you need is a bottle of sparkling wine. I usually use brut or extra dry, myself - a few sugar cubes and a bottle of Angostura Bitters. Drop a sugar cube into a champagne flute, add two dashes of bitters and top with sparkling wine. Delicious!

 

Roasted Butternut Squash with Apples & Dill

Roasted vegetables are one of the biggest trends of 2010. I've developed a simple roasted vegetable recipe that will be perfect side dish for your holiday meal. I think you'll enjoy the subtle sweetness of the roasted squash and apples. It's much less cloying that some traditional squash or sweet potato dishes. The dill is an unusual addition to the recipe and really brings out an herbaceous quality in the apples.

Serves 8

8 tbsp (1 stick) butter
4 cups Butternut squash, medium dice*
2 cups sweet onion (e.g. Walla Walla; Maui; Vidalia, etc.), medium dice*
3 cups apples, medium dice*
1 tbsp fresh dill, minced
salt & pepper to taste


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Set aside.

Combine squash, onions and 6 tbsp melted butter in a large mixing bowl. Toss gently to coat.

Spread squash mixture onto a buttered baking sheet. Cover with aluminum foil and bake until the squash is just tender, approximately 20 minutes.

Remove baking sheet from the oven. Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees F.

Uncover the squash. Toss apples with the remaining 2 tbsp of melted butter. Add buttered apples to the roasted squash on the baking sheet and return to the oven. Bake uncovered until the apples and squash begin to brown in spots, approximately 15 to 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven. Sprinkle the dish with fresh dill and salt and pepper to taste. The dish can be served immediately or at room temperature.

Note: If you roast this dish in the morning before putting your turkey in the oven, you can let it sit at room temperature until serving or refrigerate and reheat it while you are making your gravy.

*medium dice = 1/2 inch cubes

Gravy Grievances Be Gone

Does the thought of making homemade gravy freak you out? Does your gravy come out lumpy or greasy?   Do you secretly keep canned gravy in the pantry, just in case?  Chef Erin Coopey of Culinary Artist Enterprises gives you 3 simple tips for making fool-proof gravy every time!

Gravy seems to be one of those kitchen mysteries for many people. Really it's just a simple pan sauce and with a few helpful hints you'll be making gravy like a pro.


The basic recipe for turkey gravy is:

1/4 cup fat (reduced pan drippings)
1/4 cup flour
4 cups chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste

When you have finished roasting your turkey, remove it from the pan along with any onions or other vegetables you may have cooked it on. Use a slotted spoon to remove the cooked vegetables so that you leave as much jus (drippings) in the pan as possible.

Place the roasting pan over a couple burners on your stovetop. Reduce (simmer) the drippings over medium-high heat until you have about 1/4 cup left in the pan.

Lower heat to medium. Add 1/4 cup of four and stir until the flour becomes a smooth paste.

Very slowly, add chicken broth to the flour paste while whisking constantly. Don't be afraid to stop adding broth for a moment until you can whisk the mixture smooth. The key to smooth gravy is constant whisking.* Continue to whisk until you have added all four cups of broth. If you like other flavors in your gravy, such as pureed giblets, fresh herbs or wine, feel free to add them at this time. Reduce heat and simmer until the gravy reaches the desired thickness.

Finish with salt and pepper to taste. Makes 4 cups.

*If you do end up with some lumps in your gravy, simply pour the gravy through a sieve before serving. No one will know the difference!

You Go Grill! - Grilled Cheese Makes A Comeback

Grilled Cheese with Apple Butter

A friend of mine recently told me about a restaurant in San Francisco that only serves grilled cheese sandwiches. Apparently customers are lined up out the door. In fact, there are a number of these gooey enterprises popping up all across the country. We're talkin' food carts to gourmet panini shops. Build your own, to crazy creative concoctions. I've seen everything from the classic American cheese version, to brie, raspberry and chocolate chip "Sweetest Things." There's even an annual Grilled Cheese Invitational in Los Angeles.


It seems fitting doesn't it? We're all stressed out about the economy and we just want to return to a simpler time when mom made grilled cheese on white bread and served it with a cup of tomato soup. Heidi Gibson, Commander-in-Cheese of The American Grilled Cheese Kitchen in San Francisco, affirms that it's more than just the food, they are trying to create "a feeling of relief [like] you are back in your mom's kitchen..."

I was inspired to come up with my own grilled cheese opus - Sharp Cheddar and Apple Butter. Old timers will tell you that you should always serve apple pie with a wedge of cheddar cheese. The sharpness of the cheddar compliments the apple-y cinnamon-spiced tang of the apple butter.

Here's how to make it: Start with slices of French bread, butter the outside of each slice. Then, spread apple butter on the inside of each slice. Top the apple butter with sharp cheddar and grill to perfection. You can throw a little bacon on it if you are feeling more adventurous.

Imagine the combination -- the salty, sweet-smoked bacon melted into the tangy sharp cheese with the sweet spice of apple butter tying it all together. Tastes like fall, doesn't it?

What's your favorite grilled cheese sandwich? Do you stick to tradition or experiment?

Glorious Garlic: Tips for Working with Fresh Garlic

I realize that sometimes it's easier to grab the granulated garlic shaker than to peel and chop a clove of fresh garlic but trust me the fresh garlic flavor and versatility make it worth the effort.


Always try to purchase garlic from the bulk bin versus bagged garlic. This helps to ensure that the garlic you buy is fresh. You can sort out the best garlic by following these hints. Always choose a large head of garlic with tightly packed cloves and white papery skin. Avoid garlic with loose cloves and damaged or discolored skin.

If you happen to purchase a head of garlic that has begun to sprout simply break the gloves apart and plant the in your garlic or window box. In a few weeks, you'll have garlic chives to snip.

Did you know that the finer you chop garlic, the stronger the flavor becomes? The oil in the garlic is released when you chop it, which gives the strong garlic aroma. A whole clove of garlic will impart milder flavor, while minced garlic will be more pungent.

Peeling garlic can be a hassle. If you are preparing a recipe that calls for whole garlic cloves like 40 Clove Garlic Chicken, try using a garlic peeler to remove the skin. If you don't have a garlic peeler, separate the cloves and place them in a small bowl. Pour boiling water over the cloves and allow to sit for 1 minutes. Drain the boiling water and then cover the cloves with cool water. When the cloves are cool, peel away the papery skin and use as desired.

I love the flavor of roasted garlic. Roasting mellows the sharp, pungent flavor and leaves you with creamy, aromatic goodness. It's wonderful in mashed potatoes, with roasted chicken, and in savory custards. It also makes a to-die-for accompaniment to cheeses and crackers. Try smearing it on crusty slice of French bread topped with goat cheese or cream cheese. Yum!



Roasted Garlic Heads



Roasted Garlic

Whole Fresh Heads of Garlic

Olive Oil

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Cut off the top third (the stem end) of the head of garlic to expose the cloves. Leave the head in tact and attached by the root. Peel away any loose papery skin on the outside of the head. Place the heads of garlic in a ceramic container. Pour olive oil over the garlic until there is about 1/2 inch of oil in the bottom of the container. Cover the container with aluminum foil and bake for about 1 hour until the garlic is soft and lightly browned.

Carefully remove the softened garlic from the oil. The cloves should release the creamy garlic with a gentle squeeze.

You can also use the garlic-infused oil to make Caesar salad dressing, to sauté chicken or fish, or brush vegetables for grilling. Store the oil in the refrigerator for up to one week.