Holiday Heavy Apps
Here is a list of the food items that said senior clerk arranged artfully on plates around my apartment (* indicates that I made the food, thus the recipe follows. Co-clerk K made or brought the rest of it):
- steamed veggies with hummus
- artichoke and crab dip
- latkes*
- bacon-wrapped dates*
- savory elephant ears*
- asian-flavored snack mix
- blueberry pound cake (aptly described as tasting like the top of a blueberry muffin) - thanks, clerk K of another chambers!
- gingerbread cake*
- peanutbutter balls dipped in chocolate*
Beverages in the house:
- hot cider with cinnamon stick garnish
- Sam Adams Winter Mix case
- Guiness
- red/white/pink wine
- spiced red wine*
In spite of my new collection of cookbooks, all of my recipes came from www.foodnetwork.com. Oh well, I'll be inventive next time. So here they are, with notes throughout or following each.
Latkes (aka Potato Pancakes)
- 2 pounds russet (baking) or Yukon Gold potatoes
- 1 medium onion
- 1/2 cup chopped scallions, including the green part
- 1 large egg beaten (I used two, but I might have had more onion/potato than this calls for)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Vegetable oil for frying
Peel the potatoes and put in cold water. Using a grater or a food processor coarsely grate the potatoes and onions. Place together in a fine-mesh strainer or tea towel and squeeze all the water over a bowl. The potato starch will settle to the bottom; reserve that after you have carefully poured off the water. Mix the potato and onion with the potato starch. Add the scallions, egg, and salt and pepper. Heat a griddle or non-stick pan and coat with a thin film of vegetable oil. Take about 2 tablespoons of the potato mixture in the palm of your hand and flatten as best you can. Place the potato mixture on the griddle, flatten with a spatula, and fry for a few minutes until golden. Flip the pancake over and brown the other side. Remove to paper towels to drain. Serve immediately. You can also freeze the potato pancakes and crisp them in a 350- degree oven at a later time.
Notes: I really liked the flavor of these latkes. I made them in batches to avoid the sogginess that ensues when fried things sit out. It took me out of the party for a few minutes, but it was worth it. Following the sage advice of Constitutional Cooking Tipster Tracy, I did not stint on the oil. The recipe calls for a "thin film" of oil, but you only eat these once a year, so just dump a good 1/4 inch of the stuff in there.
Bacon-wrapped Dates
- one Sunmaid package of dates
- 1/2 pound bacon
Cut bacon slices in half. Wrap a half a strip around a date. Repeat interminably, possibly getting grossed out by so much bacon-handling. Place wrapped dates on a cookie sheet and bake at 375 or so until the bacon is crisp. Eat. Forget the yuckiness of the bacon-handling because they're soooooo goood. Thanks to Constitutional Cooking Tipster Tracy (a different one) for sharing the recipe.
Tomato-Basil Elephant Ears
- 1 1/4 cups sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
- 3 tablespoons chopped garlic (9 cloves)
- 5 cups basil leaves, packed
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3/4 cup good olive oil
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
- OR, instead of the above, buy sundried tomato spread and pesto spread and use those instead
- 1 sheet puff pastry, defrosted (recommended: Pepperidge Farm)
- 1 egg mixed with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. To make the paste, place the sun-dried tomatoes and garlic in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Process for 30 seconds. Add the basil, salt, and pepper. With the processor running, slowly pour the olive oil into the bowl through the feed tube and process until pureed. Add the Parmesan and puree for 15 seconds. Set aside. Again, use the shortcut like I did if you are running low on time and counterspace.
Unfold 1 sheet of puff pastry and place it on a lightly floured board. With a rolling pin, lightly roll the dough until it's a 13-inch square. Using a knife, spread the paste over the top of the puff pastry. If you're using the spreads instead, GO EASY on the amount that you use. I used way too much and they were a disaster. Still tasty, but a disaster. A thin layer is all that is required. Fold the sides of the square toward the center so they go halfway to the middle. Fold them again so the 2 folds meet exactly at the middle of the dough. Then fold one half over the other half as though closing a book. You will have 6 layers. Slice the dough into 3/8-inch slices and place the slices, cut side up, on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Brush each piece with egg wash and place in the oven. Bake for 6 minutes. Turn each pastry slice over and continue baking an additional 5 minutes
Try not to drop half of one roll (I made two) on the floor of your kitchen. I could not, in good conscience, apply the five-second rule to food that I was going to serve other people, so that half went straight in the trash.
Gingerbread with Spiced Creme Anglaise
Notes: I so skipped the Creme Anglaise. Simply not worth my time at 5:13pm. I'd like to make it again, with the creme, but the cake was moist and delicious without it. I also subbed dried ground spices when it calls for fresh. Central PA just does not have some stuff easily to hand.
- stick unsalted butter
- 1 cup turbinado sugar (recommended: Sugar in the Raw)
- 3 large eggs
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 cup molasses
- 1 cup Guinness, or other dark beer
- Spiced Creme Anglaise, recipe follows
- Confectioners' sugar, for dusting
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 13 by 9-inch cake pan and line with parchment paper. Grease the parchment paper and set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs 1 at a time. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, cloves, and nutmeg. In a third bowl, combine the molasses and beer and stir to dissolve. Add the dry ingredients and beer mixture alternately to the egg mixture, beating after the addition of each. Pour into the prepared pan and bake until puffed and set, about 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan on a wire rack. Spoon the Creme Anglaise onto the middle of 12 dessert plates.
Cut the gingerbread into 12 equal portions and place on plates. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar and serve.
Spiced Creme Anglaise
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1/2 teaspoon orange zest
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
- 3 large egg yolks
- 1/4 cup sugar
Combine the cream, the zest, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Remove from the heat. In a medium bowl, beat the egg yolks and sugar until pale and frothy, about 2 minutes. Slowly drizzle in 1/2 cup of the hot cream, whisking constantly. Return the mixture to warm milk and stirring constantly, cook over medium heat until thick, about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and serve warm. (Or, to serve chilled, place in an ice bath to cool, then cover with plastic wrap, pressing down against the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until well chilled, about 2 hours.) Yield: 2 cups.
Peanutbutter Balls dipped in Chocolate
- 18 ounces dry-roasted unsalted peanuts
- Peanut oil
- 1 pound confectioners' sugar
- 1 1/3 cup graham cracker crumbs
- 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 12 ounces milk chocolate (I used dark chocolate - yum)
- Additional equipment: 2 cookie sheets, about 50 paper bonbon cups or mini-muffin cups, any color (I got about 80-90 out of this recipe, so it depends on how big you make the balls - plan accordingly. They are very very rich and good.)
Grind the peanuts in a food processor until smooth. If the mixture seems too thick and grainy, add peanut oil a little bit at a time by drizzling a thin stream through the feed tube with the motor running. Puree until smooth and the consistency of peanut butter.
Transfer the peanut butter to the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or any large bowl) and add the confectioners' sugar, graham cracker crumbs, and butter. Mix together until smooth. Form the mixture into bite-size balls and set aside on an un-greased cookie sheet. Chill until slightly firmed, about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, arrange the paper cups on a cookie sheet. Melt the chocolate. Dip the tops of the peanut butter balls into the melted chocolate and set each one, chocolate side up, in a paper cup. Let the chocolate set before serving, about 30 minutes at room temperature (or refrigerate 10 minutes if you're in a hurry). Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Bisschopsweijn
- 2 bottles red wine
- 1/2 C white sugar
- 1 t ground cinnamon
- 1 orange
- 8 whole cloves
In a large saucepan over medium-low heat, combine wine, sugar, and cinnamon. Cut the orange in half and push cloves into the outside of the orange halves. Place the cloved-halves into the wine. Heat slowly on low for about 30 minutes or until steaming. DO NOT let it boil. Heat glasses in warm water before filling and serving.
Notes: I was concerned that the wine glasses would shatter upon contact with the hot liquid, but dousing them in hot water before filling them with the wine was a good trick. No explosions. The wine did make the glasses very hot though, so I had to set mine down for a good 15 minutes and let it cool before actually drinking it. Let me add an admonition to the recipe - do NOT leave the pot on your stove even on the lowest possible simmer for any extended period of time. I did it, and when I came back to the kitchen to get myself some more wine, I was greeted not by the pleasant, warming, gently spiced liquid I expected, but by the most baked-on wine and sugar paste. I set that pan to soak multiple times. Only LAST NIGHT did I succeed in finally getting the last of it off, courtesy of some freaking steel wool. Whatever. Lesson learned, the wine was good.
posted by ek at 3:15 PM
5 Comments:
You are a wonder woman. My coclerk, B, and I just having OTHER people bring things. But now I see that we can make this nice, we're gonna make this nice. B already had plans for latkes, and I really like the sound of those dates. Amazing inspiration, madame E!
E, how do you do it?? Sounds like your party was fantastic. I'm with M - the dates sound wonderful, as do the Elephant Ears. I'm heading down to my parents' beach place tomorrow afternoon (for a weeek - WAHOO!) and I'll make both while I'm there. I'm bringing my trusty digi-cam with me, so there will postings as a result, I promise.
I def. made the gingerbread and the pb balls in advance. Then day-of, Judge knew that we were doing this so gave us the nod to go home a little bit early to prep. Also, my kitchen has a door on it that can be closed to keep the DISASTER AREA away from guests' eyes so no clean-up was required immediately.
And I just noticed that I was totally opaque on the fact that I made the stuff with *s. Co-clerk K made the other stuff, or it was brought. I'm going to edit the post right now, I suck.
I'm so glad I read this. I just dropped a whole tray of uncooked sausage balls on the floor. Less fancy than E? Yes. Did I consider her 5-second rule? Yes. Sad sausage balls in the trash.
I then banged my head into the cabinet and I think I have a concussion. At least I'm not bleeding.
You *REALLY* need to post some pictures of the food! Especially the peanut butter balls dipped in chocolate! OMG sounds seriously yummy!!
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