This is the perfect appetizer to whip up for guests. It’s quite impressive but only takes about 5 minutes to make.
Bleu Cheese Mousse
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Category Archives: Appetizer
Bleu Cheese and Grape Crostini
James treated us to some of his delicious bread this Thanksgiving and with the leftovers (which are rare!) I decided to make crostini.
Cajun Tuna Bites with Horseradish Cream Sauce
Met up with family the other night in Baltimore and one of the appetizers we got were these yummy blackened tuna bites. I was instantly smitten and had to try my own version at home.
Sausage Stuffed Tomatoes
Corn Salsa
Summer is barely a memory and I’m already missing the warm weather and longer days. This corn salsa is the perfect way to channel that….
Ensalada Capr’easy
This super easy to prepare salad says Summer to me. The colors are as pleasing to the eye as the flavors are to the pallette.
- 1 ball of fresh mozzerella, sliced about 1/4″ in thickness
- zest of one lemon
- chiffonade of fresh basil
- 1 tbs extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp balsalmic vinegar
- kosher salt
- black pepper
- 1/4 tsp dried oregano
Assembly couldn’t be simpler. Lay mozzerella out on serving platter and top each piece with a slice of tomato.
Zest lemon over top and sprinkle with oregano, salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil and balsalmic vinegar and finish off by adding basil.
Dressed to the Nuevos Nachos
These nachos are each individually dressed and they’re wearing it so well…
Up the fancy factor at your next shin dig by serving these up. You’re sure to impress your guests!
Salsa:
- 1 ripe mango, diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup red onion, diced
- 1 jalapeno, diced (if you don’t like a lot of heat, remove the seeds and ribs)
- juice of 1 lime
- handful of fresh cilantro, chopped
- 6 tomatoes, seeded (I used Campari)
- salt and pepper
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
Nachos:
- 1/2 bag Tostitos Scoops
- about 1/2 of a store bought rotisserie chicken, shredded
- 1 1/2 cups Parrano cheese
- 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- 10 kalamata olives, chopped
- 3/4 cup fat free sour cream
Preheat oven to 375.
Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and place tortilla chips on it. Avoid the broken ones. Remember we’re going for fancy here…..
Fill each chip with a small amount of chicken, cheese and olives being careful not to over fill them. Bake chips for about 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.
Meanwhile, scoop your sour cream into a Ziploc baggie and snip a tiny bit off of one corner to create a piping bag.
To serve, spoon salsa onto each nacho and pipe sour cream on top.
Tips:
Parrano is one of my favorite hybrid cheeses. The combination of Parmesan and Gouda makes for a nutty, buttery finish.
Smoked Salmon Mousse
Some of you are probably thinking, whipped fish, really? Trust me though, serve this as an appetizer at your next dinner party and you’re sure to wow your guests with this fancy, albeit super easy dish!
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 4 oz smoked salmon
- juice of half a lemon
- 1 tsp hot sauce
- sour cream
- salt and pepper
- cucumbers
- caviar and scallions for garnish (optional)
Add cream cheese, salmon, hot sauce, sour cream, lemon juice, salt and pepper to food processor and pulse a few times. Scrape down the sides with a spatula and pulse a bit more until mixture is thick and creamy.
Spoon mixture into Ziploc baggie and seal. Snip off the bottom corner to create your own piping bag.
Slice cucumber into 1/2″ thick slices and hollow them out a bit to make a well for the filling. Pipe the filling into the cucumber slices and onto the endive leaves.
To serve, drizzle endive leaves with a dash of hot sauce and top cucumber slices with a dollop of caviar and sliced scallions.
Greek Guac
I was craving some guac but we didn’t have all the ingredients on hand to make it. So, I decided to improvise a bit and it ended up becoming a nod to Greece with the addition of the lemon and oregano.
- 1 ripe haas avocado
- 4 vine ripe tomatoes, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- juice and zest of one lemon
- 1 scallion, chopped
- pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 tbs red wine vinegar
- 1/8 tsp ground cumin
- 1/4 tsp dried oregano
- salt and pepper
To prep your avocado, hold it in one hand and with the other carefully run a sharp knife around it lengthwise until it reaches it’s initial incision point on the other side. Twist sides to pull apart. Take your knife, hit the pit with the blade and twist to remove it.
Run the knife lengthwise and crosswise along the avocado to create little squares then use a spoon to scoop them out into a bowl.
Immediately squeeze the lemon juice over the avocado to prevent it from oxidizing which causes it to brown.
Mash the chunks up with the back of a fork and add the rest of your ingredients. Serve with tortilla chips and enjoy!
Buffalo Bites
I read online yesterday that The 44th Annual Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest submission deadline is April 20th. Nothing like being under the gun to come up with a quick idea on the fly! Tried this recipe out last night and they came out great. I’m going to submit it today. Wish me luck!
Contest rules state that you have to incorporate two ingredients from their suggested list into your recipe. My two ingredients are the Pillsbury Reduced Fat Crescent Rolls and the Eggland’s Best Egg.
- 1 8 0z can of Pillsbury Reduced Fat Crescent Rolls
- 2 cans Valley Fresh white meat chicken
- 5 tbs Frank’s Original Red Hot Sauce
- 1 large Eggland’s Best Egg
- 2/3 cup crumbled bleu cheese, plus a few tbs for topping each one before baking
- 1/3 cup reduced fat sour cream
- 1/3 cup mayo
- 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
- salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 375.
In a medium bowl, add chicken and break up with a fork. Add in hot sauce, mix to combine and set aside.
In a separate bowl, add sour cream, mayonnaise, bleu cheese crumbles, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Set aside for dipping.
Place egg in a bowl along with a splash of water. This will be used as your egg wash.
Coat a cookie sheet with a bit of non-stick spray. Unroll each crescent onto the baking sheet. Take a heaping tablespoon of the chicken mixture and place in the center of the triangle. Top chicken with a few crumbles of bleu cheese. Take the shortest tip of the triangle and fold over the chicken. Then fold in each side to form what looks like a little purse. Pinch sides to prevent any filling from spilling out as it bakes.
Brush each buffalo bite with egg wash.
Bake on 375 for about 18 – 20 minutes or until nice and brown on top.
Allow to cool for a few minutes and serve with bleu cheese dipping sauce.
Lettuce Pork Rolls
Realizing this is my fourth Asian inspired recipe on the site, I’m seeing a pattern here….
Anyway, this recipe is great for a quick and easy lunch on the weekends. Light, flavorful and fast.
Dressing:
- 1 tbs Asian fish sauce (see tips)
- juice of one lime
- 2 tsp minced ginger (see tips)
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 2 tsp minced lemongrass
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- splash of rice wine vinegar
Whisk all ingredients and set aside.
Pork Rolls:
- 2 tsp grape seed oil (you can substitute with canola if you’d like)
- 1 lb boneless pork cutlets, about 1/2″ in thickness
- 2 cups shredded napa cabbage
- 1 seedless english cucumber, julienned (see tips)
- 1 red pepper, sliced into thin strips
- head of butter lettuce, ribs removed (see tips)
- salt and pepper
Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Season cutlets with salt and pepper to taste. Saute until lightly browned, about 2 mins per side. Remove from heat, allow to cool slightly and slice into thin strips. Toss with half of the dressing.
Toss your cabbage, red pepper and cucumbers with the remaining dressing.
To assemble rolls, lay lettuce leaf out on flat work surface and top with a few slices of pork, and your cabbage mixture. Be careful not to overstuff or they won’t roll easily. Place rolls seam side down and cut in half to serve. If you’d like, secure rolls with a toothpick.
Tips:
- Fish sauce can be found in the International aisle at your local grocery store.
- Instead of mincing all that garlic, ginger and lemongrass, why not try Gourmet Garden?
- To julienne is to create what resemble little matchsticks. Do this by halving the cucumber lengthwise, then again crosswise and slice into 1/4″ thin strips.
- Cut a ‘v’ in the leaf to remove the hard white part, or rib, as it can cause the leaves to break while rolling.
Tuna Tartare Boat
So, you want to think you’re all fancy and stuff. You want to be that person that can whip up some totally gourmet tapas or ethereal amuse bouche at a moments notice for your guests. You want to be that person that can construct an elegant appetizer that will be talked about in perpetuity, but what if you think you can’t cook?
What if you’re that person who thinks that as soon as you apply heat to anything, you’ve set upon an unavoidable course of ruin, destroying pans, setting aflame to your kitchen and driving your guests away from the oppressive flames that must ensue any attempt to cook.
Listen, it can’t be that bad. But just in case it really is…we came up with an appetizer that doesn’t even involve any cooking, yet is so tasty and unusual that you’re bound to wow anyone with a discriminating palette. Welcome the tuna tartare boat…based on a dish Gretchen made, that I modified and she perfected!
Ingredients:
- 1 cup sushi grade tuna, cubed (or diced?)
- 1 Tbs Sriracha Hot sauce (this is the asian hot sauce with the rooster on the bottle)
- salt and pepper
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 fresh endive
- 1 stem of scallions
- 3 tbs fresh soft goat cheese
Directions:
- If your tuna is whole, cube it up and add to a bowl.
- Add in 1 tbs. Siriracha sauce, a pinch of salt and pepper and the juice of 1/2 lemon.
- Toss the ingredients to coat well. Refrigerate until serving.
- Chop your scallions on a bias and set aside for garnish.
- To serve, spoon a small amount of the tuna mixture into an endive leaf.
- Top the endive boats with goat cheese and scallions.
- Serve immediately.
The 70′s called, they want their eggs back
You’ve been waiting for years to finally show your grandma up. Here’s your chance! Deviled Eggs topped with scallions and crispy pancetta. A new spin on an old favorite!
Ingredients:
- 6 hard boiled eggs, cooled, halved and de-yolked
- 1 scallion, finely chopped
- 1 tbs yellow Mustard
- 1 tbs Dijon Mustard
- 1/4 cup Mayo
- 1 tsp Paprika
- 1 tsp Celery salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp Cayenne
- 1 pack of pancetta, usually yields about 5 slices
Directions:
Place your eggs in a medium saucepan and fill with enough water to cover the eggs and go about 1-2″ above them. Here comes the weird part…I learned this from the gorgeous, domestic goddess herself, Nigella Lawson. Take a match, light it, blow it out and place it in your pot with your eggs and put them on to boil. Evidently, this was an old trick she learned from her grandmother, the idea being that the match somehow prevents the eggs from cracking. Well, I’ve done this for years now and I haven’t had an egg crack since!
When your eggs come to a rolling boil, turn off and remove them from the heat. Cover the pot and let them sit for 12 minutes. I find that setting a timer here is crucial as I’ve all too often ended up with over done eggs. After 12 minutes, place the eggs in a colander and run under cold water for a minute or two. Allow them to cool about 20 minutes before peeling them.
While eggs are boiling, heat a small pan over low-medium heat and add in about 1 tbs of olive oil. Cube your pancetta and add to your pan. Pancetta is basically Italian style bacon that hasn’t been smoked. It has a much lower fat content than traditional bacon, thus it needs a bit of oil to start. Cook your pancetta until most of the fat has rendered off, and you’re left with crispy little bits of pork goodness. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel.
In a medium bowl place your yolks, mustards, mayo and spices and mix to combine. Now you can get fancy here if you want and pipe the filling into your egg shells or just carefully spoon the mixture in. To serve, top with your scallions and crispy pancetta.
Tips:
- If you do in fact want to go the fancy route and pipe the mixture into your egg shells, you can easily make your own piping bag out of a plain old Ziploc! Spoon your mixture into the bag and push it down. Snip off one of the bottom corners with a pair of scissors, but take care to only snip a very small piece off so you don’t end up with huge blobs of egg mixture coming out. Point the snipped corner at your hard-boiled whites and gently squeeze the bag to fill. Voila, instant piping bag!
Perfect Sauteed Shrimp
James doesn’t eat shrimp, both because he can’t stand them and because he’s allergic. However, in spite of this great culinary handicap, sauteed shrimp continues to be one of his signature dishes. The combination of heat, garlic, butter, shrimp and lemon combine in this dish to create a perfect pan sauce that coats the shrimp and delivers a mouthful of flavor that far exceeds the sum of its parts.
The key to this recipe is proper temperature and proper timing. Read it in advance, do all your prep ahead of time to have your ingredients ready and follow the instructions closely – you’ll be in for a treat.
Ingredients:
- 10 41/50 medium sized shrimp (a little over 1/4 lbs) peeled and devained.
- 2 medium sized cloves of fresh garlic, roughly chopped
- 1/2 lemon.
- 1 tbs butter
- salt and pepper
- a bit of fresh flat leaf parsely for garnish (optional)
Directions:
- Heat a medium sized pan over medium high heat. (On an electric oven, this would be a 6-7 on a one to ten scale.) Add 1 tbs. butter.
- Let the butter melt almost completely and add the chopped garlic. Keep the butter and garlic moving so they don’t brown.
- After NO MORE then 30 seconds of sautéing the garlic in the butter, add all the shrimp. Keep the shrimp moving almost constantly to coat with the butter and garlic. (You don’t want anything sitting on the bottom of the pan for any extended period of time or it will burn!)
- Keep tossing the ingredients of the pan around until the shrimp curl into themselves. Turn frequently so that there are no grey bits left. When the shrimp just start to brown on their edges, salt and pepper the shrimp, then toss to coat.
- At this point, if you’ve done everything right, you’re going to see some bits beginning to form on the bottom of the pan. Immediately squeeze in 1/2 of a fresh lemon, making sure to keep the seeds out of the pan. Using a wooden spoon, toss all the ingredients together for a few moments to form your pan sauce, then immediately pour into your serving dish.
- Serve and enjoy.
Tips:
- Shrimp are sold commercially using a method to describe how many shrimp form a pound. In our case, 41/50 shrimp will average about 41 to 50 individual shrimp in each pound. You’re probably safe just asking your fishmonger for medium sized shrimp.
- Fresh garlic works best in this recipe, but feel free to substitute about 2 tsp of pre-chopped garlic from a jar.
- Keeping the pan moving is the key to this recipe. If you leave the pan over the heat for the entire cooking time, you’re likely to wind up with some bitter butter and burned garlic. Keep the pan moving, keep the shrimp swirling about and don’t walk away. Total cooking time shouldn’t be any more then 4 minutes.