put the egg yolk in one bowl and the white in another.
Great for Grazing
Tapanade crostini, asparagus brie triangles and mushroom crostini.
Grazing usually implies eating small amounts of different foods. The recipes in this section are for foods that are eaten before the main course, as an appetizer, or you can prepare a few of these items and serve them on a buffet.
I always think that the appetizer/starter section of a menu is the best and most creative part. On a lot of occasions, my husband and I will forgo the entrees and just order a selection of appetizers to share. Now, many restaurants have a small plate section that is quite extensive with a variety of hot and cold items. When we were in London years ago there was a restaurant called Ménage a Trois (the name was because there were 3 owners) and it just served a huge amount of appetizers and desserts. It was a great concept and the food was really good and presented beautifully!
I love the grazing concept because if you chose to make more than one of these recipes, you can use a variety of different colored or shaped plates to put the food on. They can be garnished with fresh fruits, veggies or herbs and this really makes a gorgeous display of food. Most of these recipes can be made ahead of time, so if you’re entertaining then you get to enjoy your guests, instead of slaving in the kitchen!
Making the Asparagus and Brie Triangles
Asparagus and Brie Triangles
These little pastries are a variation of spanikopita, but asparagus and brie are used instead of spinach and feta cheese. The almonds lend a nice crunch to the creamy filling.
Makes about 24 triangle pastries
Ingredients:
One bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut into one-inch pieces
2 medium leeks, white part only, washed well and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons butter
Half pound of brie cheese, trimmed of the white rind
1/2 cup toasted, sliced almonds
1 tablespoon each of chopped chives, mint, dill and parsley
Salt and black pepper to taste
Dash cayenne
4 oz melted butter
One 8 oz. package filo dough, thawed (filo is usually sold in 16 oz. packages that have been divided into two wrapped 8 oz. portions).
Procedure:
Melt the 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet. Sauté the asparagus and the leeks for about 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the Brie, herbs, almonds, salt and pepper and cayenne. Stir until the cheese melts. Set aside to cool.
Remove the filo from the package and cover with a slightly damp cloth to keep the dough from drying out. Make a stack of 6 sheets of the filo with a little melted butter brushed between the sheets. Cut each stack of sheets lengthwise into 3 vertical strips.
Place about 2 tablespoons of the filling on the end of each strip, about an inch from the edge. Fold a corner of the filo across the filling to the edge of the dough. Pick up the bottom edge of the triangle and fold it up, as in the drawing. Continue folding until you have used up the strip of filo. This is like folding up a flag (for all you Scouts out there) Tuck any excess dough under the bottom of the triangle. Place the triangles on a baking sheet and brush with melted butter.
Continue making triangles with the remaining filo and filling. Bake the pastries at 350 for 15 minutes until golden brown.
Pecan Bleu Cheese Crackers
These little crackers are nice with cocktails or red wine or even a salad. I made them as part of a holiday gift giving class. The dough can be made ahead of time and frozen for up to four weeks as long as it is wrapped up well. Then, the crackers can be sliced and baked off and are ready to give as a nice gift. I have used Danish bleu, Stilton or Roquefort to make these crackers.
Makes about 45 crackers
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups pecan halves
1 egg
1 stick (4 oz.) unsalted butter, softened
8 oz. bleu cheese, softened
1 cup flour
Procedure:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toast 1/2 cup of the nuts for about 7 minutes. Cool the pecans and finely chop.
Mix the butter and the bleu cheese together until smooth. Stir in the egg yolk until combined well. Reserve the egg white. Add the flour and chopped pecans and stir just until the mixture forms a soft dough.
Halve the dough and on separate sheets of parchment paper form each half into a log that is about 10-inches long and about 1 1/4-inch in diameter. Wrap the logs of dough up with the parchment. Freeze the logs until firm, about 30 minutes. Turn oven up to 375 degrees.
Cut logs crosswise into 1/4-inch slices and arrange the slices about 1/2 inch apart on baking sheets. Top each cracker with a pecan half, pressing it lightly into the dough. Lightly beat the egg white and brush the tops of the crackers and the pecans with it. Bake the crackers in batches if necessary, rotating pans if needed. Bake until golden brown, about 12 minutes total. Place crackers onto paper towels, blot, then cool on a rack.
Cabbage Wrap
When wraps were all the rage, I taught a class called” It’s a Wrap!” at Kitchen Classics. Phoenix Magazine was doing a feature article on wraps and came to the store to take pictures of the wraps during preparation and after completion. However, I guess my hands were not photogenic enough so I had a hand “stand-in”. I would do some prep on the wrap and then the hand model would hold what I had done for the picture! The article did turn out well, and they used three recipes from the class including this cabbage wrap.
Makes six wraps
Ingredients:
1 Savoy cabbage
1/4 cup rice vinegar
4 teaspoons soy sauce
3 teaspoons garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon crushed red chilies
2 tablespoons peanut oil
1/2 cup red onion, finely julienned
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