Easy Entertainment Appetizers

On Wednesday, I got an email asking if I'd like to do a segment on New Day NW...the next day!  I thought, what the heck and went for it.  Less than 24 hours later I was on KING 5 with Margaret Larson.  It was really fun and exciting.

The show aired immediately but they've posted my segment online.  Here's the link below.  If you have a Facebook account, I would totally appreciate you hitting the "recommend" or "like" button so I could get a little PR from it.

Hope you like it.  Thanks so much for checking it out.

Olives Marinated in Orange and Thyme-infused Olive Oil

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 orange

1 lemon

4 garlic cloves, peeled

1/4 cup San Juan de Ullum Olive Oil

2 tbsp Sherry Vinegar

2 sprigs fresh thyme

1/2 tsp salt

1 jar Estancia Lucia Arauco Argentinian Olives

Method:

Zest the orange and the lemon and place in a bowl along with the juice of the orange.

Using the flat side of your knife, crush the garlic cloves and combine with the zest and orange juice. Next, add the olive oil, sherry vinegar, thyme, salt, and olives to the juice and zest and mix well. An easy way to do this is to combine the olives and dressing in a plastic bag or container with a lid and simply shake.

Allow the mixture to marinate at least 12 hours before serving. Serve at room temperature.

Farmers Market-Inspired Spring Dinner

Last Sunday I took a walk through my local farmers market. We've had a mild winter and warm spring up here in the northwest and I wanted to see what was fresh. Among the many flower stalls, fish mongers, and bakeries were the first signs of spring. I found a plethora of spring greens including mizuna, arugula, and mache. Herbs were in abundance - fresh chives, sorrel, mint, and chervil, to name a few. There were a variety of new potatoes as well including dutch babies, red-skinned, and fingerlings.

I also found some young, tender leeks. We don't eat leeks as often in America as they do in Europe. It's a shame because they are a delicious vegetable; an elegant member of the onion family. Their flavor is more subtle and sophisticated than their strong cousins. Leeks are also an excellent source of vitamin c, iron, and fiber.

Inspired by my experience, I started to envision a spring menu. The lovely leeks, fresh spring herbs and greens, baby potatoes...the menu practically wrote itself.

Farmers Market-Inspired Spring Menu

Braised Leeks

Mixed Spring Greens with Fresh Goat Cheese
Steamed Baby Potatoes with Mint Butter

Herb-Crusted Rack of Spring Lamb

 

Braised Leeks
Ingredients
8 small to medium leeks
1/2cup finely diced onions
1/4 cup finely diced carrots
1/4 cup finely diced celery
2 Tbsp. butter
1 cup chicken broth
4 slices of French bread, optional
kosher salt and pepper to taste






Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

To prepare the leeks, trim off the dark green stalks. Without cutting entirely through the root, slit the leeks lengthwise and rinse under cold water to remove all of the dirt.

Blanch leeks for about 30 seconds and shock in an ice bath. Cut through the remaining tip of the leek and remove the roots.

Next, melt the butter in a small sauté pan. Add the onions, carrots and celery and cook over medium low heat until the onions become transparent, about 10 minutes. Spoon the cooked vegetable mixture into a medium-size casserole dish (one just large enough to accommodate your leeks). Place the blanched leeks on top of the vegetables and then add the chicken stock, and salt and pepper to taste. Cover with the French bread (delicious when the dish is finished) or foil. Bake until leeks are tender, about 35 minutes.

To serve, lift off the toasted bread, and spoon the leeks onto plates. Garnish by spooning the chopped vegetables over the leeks. Serve with the toasted bread. Serves 4.

Have you visited a farmers market yet this year? What inspired you? Please share your favorite spring dish or menu idea!

Savory Cheesecake Bites

These little cheesecakes a easy and elegant way to start a meal.  Top them with the Spiced Rhubarb Compote recipe below or use them as a garnish on a mixed baby green and herb salad.

Savory Cheesecake Bites
Makes 24

Ingredients
1 cup chopped, toasted walnuts
3 tbsp melted butter
8 oz goat cheese, at room temperature
8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp kosher salt

Directions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Using 1 tbsp melted butter, brush the cups of a 24-cup mini muffin pan (1 3/4" x 3/4" cups) and set aside.

Place walnuts in a food processor and process until the walnuts are finely chopped. Pour the finely chopped walnuts into a small bowl, drizzle the remaining 2 tbsp of butter over the nuts and mix until thoroughly combined. Spoon 1 tsp of the mixture into each muffin cup. Using your fingers or the back of a spoon, press the walnut mixture into the bottom of the muffin cups to make the crust.

Beat the goat cheese and cream cheese with a mixer until smooth. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well. Add the thyme, white pepper and salt and combine well. Spoon mixture into the prepared pan.

Place the prepared pan in a roasting pan or deep sheet pan. Fill the roasting pan with boiling water half way up the muffin cups. Bake 15 to 20 minutes until the cheesecakes are set.
Remove from the oven and cool to room temperature. To serve, run a thin sharp knife around the sides of each cheesecake.  Serve as an appetizer (see the photo below) or garnish for a salad.

Romantic Dinner In

My husband and I have a little romantic ritual. Each year for Valentine's Day, instead of going out, paying high prices, and getting mediocre service at a restaurant, we stay home. Doesn't sound romantic yet? Just wait.

We dress up as though we're headed to a fancy restaurant. We light candles, play our favorite music, open a nice bottle of wine, and have a romantic dinner at home. With a little planning you can have the same experience. I promise it will be stress-free.

Here's a sample menu for your romantic Valentine's Dinner In. It's not the most original menu but the main focus is ease. Remember, low stress equals romance!

Shrimp Cocktail a la Gazpacho or Mushroom Toasts (see recipe under Seasonal Food Guide - Fall post)
Mixed Green or Iceberg Wedge Salad
Steak with Blue Cheese Butter & Baked Potato
Something Chocolate
Everything I am suggesting can be done ahead of time so you can enjoy your evening. Here's how it breaks down.

Shrimp Cocktail a la Gazpacho
Here's little twist on a classic. Buy 8 to 10 jumbo, cooked, peeled shrimp (or uncooked, if you prefer to steam them yourself), a hot-house cucumber, cocktail sauce and lemon. Wash and finely dice about half of the cucumber. Spoon the diced cucumber into martini glasses or wine glasses, top with a couple tablespoons of cocktail sauce, and hang the shrimp off the rim of the glass. Garnish with a lemon slice or lemon twist and refrigerate until dinner.

Mixed Green or Iceberg Wedge Salad
If you are making a simple mixed green salad, try your own vinaigrette (see recipe under Guiltless Gourmet post) or just purchase a favorite. Place a handful of mixed baby greens onto two salad plates, garnish with tomato if you wish, and place the salads (without dressing) in the refrigerator until dinner.

If you would prefer the iceberg wedge salad, purchase a small firm head of iceberg lettuce and cut it in half vertically through the core. Create a wedge by cutting one half vertically again. Trim away the sliver of the core. Place each wedge onto a salad plate, garnish with your choice of crumbled bacon, chopped hard-boiled eggs, sliced green onions and tomatoes. Refrigerate without the dressing until dinner, then serve with a good quality bottled or homemade bleu cheese dressing.

Steak with Blue Cheese Butter
If you haven't made a compound butter before, you'll be surprised how easy it is. You can create all kinds of flavors and they can be stored in your freezer for months wrapped in plastic. This particular butter is wonderful on green beans and baked potatoes, as well as steak.

Combine 4 ounces (1 stick) of room temperature butter with 4 ounce of crumbled blue cheese, 1 1/2 teaspoons minced shallots, and cracked black pepper to taste. Blend until relatively smooth, however some blue cheese chunks are good. Spoon onto waxed or parchment paper and roll snuggly into a cylinder shape. Refrigerate until firm.

Now, all you have left is to wash and prepare your potato for baking and season your steaks. Put your potato in the oven a half an hour before you plan to start your shrimp cocktail that way it will have been in the oven for a full hour by the time you are ready for your main dish.

Here's how the evening will go. You will come into the kitchen looking beautiful. Your significant other will hand you a drink and a kiss. Together you'll bring the Shrimp Cocktail to the table. Perhaps your significant other will clear the table and bring out the salad? Together you'll cook your steaks, top them with a pat of the amazing Blue Cheese Butter you made earlier and enjoy them with your baked potatoes.

Dinner will end with something chocolate - your choice! Maybe a hot fudge sundae or a fancy dessert from the gourmet market? In the end, you have had a romantic evening for a lot less than you would have paid at your local restaurant. So when the mood strikes you, head upstairs!

Fast and Fabulous Holiday Hors d'oeuvres!

It seems like we are all pressed for time around the holidays with shopping, family activities, office parties, and social gatherings. If you are planning a party this year my best advice is to choose a few items to make from scratch and purchase the remainder pre-prepped – like vegetable trays, deli platters and spiral-cut hams. When selecting items you want to make yourself, try to choose simple preparations that won’t stress you out.  Here are a few of my favorite simple, yet elegant, holiday hors d’œuvres

Baked Potato Bites with Blue Cheese, Walnuts & Honey
Buy the smallest baby red skin potatoes you can find. Cut them in half. You can scoop out a little of the center with a melon baller, but it’s not really necessary. Toss them with olive oil, salt, and pepper and place them on a cookie sheet cut-side down. Roast them in a 400ºF oven for 15 minutes or until soft. Turn cut-side up and top with blue cheese crumbles and walnut pieces. Pop them back in the oven for 3 to 5 minutes to melt the cheese slightly. Drizzle the potatoes with a touch of honey and serve.

Salmon “Mousse” on Endive Spoons
Combine 8 oz of smoked salmon cream cheese with 8 oz of plain whipped cream cheese. Blend thoroughly. Add salt and lemon pepper to taste. Spoon the mixture into a quart size freezer bag. Snip off one of the bottom corners of the bag – about a ¼ inch opening is perfect. Use the bag to pipe the mixture onto Belgian Endive leaves. (If your local grocer doesn’t carry endive, use a water cracker instead.) Top with some lemon zest and a sprig of fresh dill.

Brie Brûlée
Cut the top off of a wheel of brie. Sprinkle the bottom layer with your favorite dried fruit and nuts. I like dried cranberries and pecan pieces or diced dried apricots and slivered almonds. Place the top of the wheel back onto the bottom layer. Bake in a 350ºF oven for approximately 20 minutes, or until the brie begins to melt slightly. Remove from the oven and sprinkle generously with brown sugar. Using a kitchen torch, brown the sugar until it bubbles and caramelizes. If you don’t have a kitchen torch, place the wheel of cheese under the broiler of your oven for a couple minutes. (Keep a close eye on it under the broiler so that the sugar doesn’t burn.) Cool slightly then carefully transfer the brie to a cake plate or serving platter. Surround the beautiful caramelized cheese with grape clusters and crackers. This dish will be the perfect centerpiece for your holiday buffet!  

What are some of your favorite fast and fabulous holiday hors d’œuvres?