Cooking with Alison

Archive for the ‘Appetizers, Hors D'oeuvres, Snacks’ Category

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Gambas al Ajillo (Shrimp with Garlic)

In Appetizers, Hors D'oeuvres, Snacks on August 7, 2010 at pm

Gambas al ajillo, or shrimp with garlic, is a Spanish tapas (ie. appetizer).  I first tried it in a popular local restaurant years ago.  It’s garlicky and spicy, and so simple to make at home.  The first time Ed tried it, he liked it so much that I made it for him two days in a row.  I’ve re-created the dish that’s served at Chez Piggy, Kingston, ON, but I doubt it’s very authentic.  At the restaurant, they serve this sizzling on a hot plate but I use my small cast iron pan instead.

On a side note, I find Chez Piggy to be extremely over rated and over priced.  I never go on my own accord.  This is one of the few things that I like on their menu but they tend to overcook the shrimp and they charge $11 for 6 shrimp.  It only cost me $2 to make this at home.  (I got a bag of President’s Choice frozen large shrimp for just $5 on sale.)
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Guacamole and Avocado Salsa

In Appetizers, Hors D'oeuvres, Snacks on August 1, 2010 at pm

I am in love with avocados.  When it comes to guacamole, I prefer the texture of roughly mashed avocados, so I use an S-shaped potato masher.  A fork works well too; or you could use a large mortar and pestle like Chef Bobby Flay.  For a slight variation, serve this as an “avocado salsa” by Not mashing the avocado pieces and cutting the roma tomatoes into slightly larger pieces (or halve cherry tomatoes instead).  Guacamole is pictured above.

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Ricotta and Tomato on Toast or Crostini

In Appetizers, Hors D'oeuvres, Snacks on July 29, 2010 at pm

I had some ricotta cheese leftover from making wild mushroom ravioli (recipe here) and lemon ricotta muffins (recipe here).  But I didn’t really have enough to make anything else, so I made Ricotta and Tomato on Toast.  This is a lovely and fresh summer snack.  Toast any bread that you like (ie. crusty bread or rye).  Spread the ricotta on the toast and top it with thin tomato slices, a pinch of coarse salt, freshly cracked black pepper, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.  Infused olive oils are great for this, ie. garlic, herb, or lemon.  Use your favourite variety of tomato.

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After John’s housewarming party, I made ricotta and tomato crostini to use up a variety of our leftovers.  Ricotta and tomato crostini are beautiful and easy to make for any party.  Top toasted baguette slices (baked in a preheated 350 degrees F oven for about 7 minutes) with a thin layer of ricotta cheese, baby arugula or rocket, and halved cherry tomatoes (try combining red and yellow cherry tomatoes).  Top with coarse sea salt, freshly cracked black pepper, a light drizzle of high quality extra virgin olive oil, and some fresh basil for garnish (if desired).

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Cheese Ball Recipe

In Appetizers, Hors D'oeuvres, Snacks on June 13, 2010 at pm

I needed to make a quick and easy snack for a weeknight because I was having some girls over for a clothing exchange party.  I was already making hummus, deep fried ravioli and fudge brownies and decided that I was missing cheese.  Instead of doing the standard cheese platter, I thought I’d try making a cheese ball, because I already had most of the ingredients that I needed.  It’s a nice, flavourful cheese spread.

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Deep Fried Ravioli

In Appetizers, Hors D'oeuvres, Snacks on June 3, 2010 at pm

I made deep fried ravioli for my Deep Fried Food Party and for my latest clothing exchange party.  This has been sitting in my “to try” pile for years now, so I was very happy to finally make it.  I compared a milk wash to an egg wash and I compared a bread crumb coating to a corn meal coating.  I didn’t notice a significant difference between the milk and egg washes.  For the coating, I preferred the bread crumbs, because it gave the ravioli a nice brown colour.  Also, bread crumbs coat the ravioli more lightly than cornmeal, so the ravioli maintain their slightly chewy texture.

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Deep Fried Onion Rings (3 ways)

In Appetizers, Hors D'oeuvres, Snacks on April 24, 2010 at pm

A friend of mine was sick with gall bladder problems that prevented her from eating [pretty much] anything for several months.  So when she recovered, I threw her a Deep Fried Food Party.  She requested onion rings so I took this opportunity to try some new recipes.  There are many different breading options and several different methods of coating onion rings.  In search of my favourite onion rings recipe, I discovered that everyone likes their onion rings done differently. So I have posted three different recipes that I think are good.

The first recipe is for battered onion rings.  This one takes the least amount of time to prepare.  If you cut your onion rings thicker (1/2 inch) and if you have a thick enough batter, you will get a thick coating that’s crunchy and soft.  They’re different from what you normally get in restaurants and bars, so I really like them.  The second recipe is for basic onion rings that are pre-soaked in milk and can be coated with your choice of flour, bread crumbs, cracker meal, or cornmeal.  This takes the most amount of time to prepare.  The third recipe is for panko crumb coated onion rings.  In my opinion, these had the most crunch and the texture is unique to that of classic onion rings.  These were more tedious to make than the basic onion rings.  Before you choose a recipe, keep in mind what you’re serving them with.  For example, the battered onion rings would be great on their own with beer, but you might prefer the panko coated onion rings if you’re serving them with burgers.

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How to Poach Eggs

In Appetizers, Hors D'oeuvres, Snacks, Breakfast, How-To, Red Meat and Eggs on April 19, 2010 at pm

I love love love eggs.  So, I’m well practiced at soft boiling, scrambling, and making sunny side up and over easy eggs.  I even stir fry and steam them in Chinese dishes (recipes in the Asian – Other Asian Foods category).  But I never poach them.  So when I watched Anne Burrell poach eggs on the Food Network, I figured it was about time that I learned this technique.  So I did some research online and pooled together some tips for poaching eggs.  I was very excited to learn (from Anne Burrell) that poached eggs can be made ahead of time.  Apparently, restaurants do this all the time.  So you could easily make several batches of these one day in advance if you’re having guests over for brunch or dinner.

Pictures above:  From my Poached Eggs with Asparagus, Prosciutto and Hollandaise Recipe here.

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Fruit Salad

In Appetizers, Hors D'oeuvres, Snacks, Other Desserts on April 16, 2010 at pm

I love fresh fruit salads.  I like serving them with brunch, or as a snack or dessert.  Instead of following a recipe, I usually choose fruits based on 2 textures and 4 colours.  I like to use one fruit that adds a slight crunch, so I usually use grapes (red or green) or apples (red or green).  Then I choose fruits of each of the colours: red, green, white, and orange.  For the red, I like to use strawberries or raspberries.  For the green, I like to use kiwis.  For the white, I like to use bananas or pears.  For the orange, I like to use citrus slices (orange, tangerine, and/or grapefruit), mangoes, peaches, or nectarines.  Sometimes I like to add blue or purple by adding blueberries or plum slices.  Use any fruits in any combination that you like.  You could try making an exotic fruit salad using fruits like papaya, pineapple, passion fruit, lychee, dragon fruit, etc.

If you’re eating the salad right away, there’s no need to dress it.  But if it’s going to sit for a while, then you should dress it with some freshly squeezed lemon juice (do not substitute with bottled lemon juice) and some honey or white granulated sugar to taste.  This will prevent certain fruits from browning.

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Stuffed Celery Sticks

In Appetizers, Hors D'oeuvres, Snacks on April 9, 2010 at pm

Celery is not one of my favourite vegetables, but when I have leftover celery, I like to make stuffed celery sticks.  They’re great snacks and they’re very quick and easy to make.  I’ve posted two versions of stuffed celery sticks here, one sweet (kid friendly) and one savoury that’s sophisticated enough to entertain with.

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Deep Fried Chick Peas

In Appetizers, Hors D'oeuvres, Snacks on April 8, 2010 at pm

I’ve been trying to incorporate more legumes into my diet in hopes that I’ll develop a better appreciation for them.  I love hummus but I don’t like eating chick peas whole.  So when I first heard of people deep frying chickpeas, I knew I had to try it.  It was the perfect snack for a poker night that I hosted, because I needed a vegan alternative for one of the guys.

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Tuna Ceviche / Tuna Tartare (and Wonton Cups Recipe)

In Appetizers, Hors D'oeuvres, Snacks on April 7, 2010 at pm

I love eating raw fish so, of course, I love tuna tartare and tuna ceviche.  I’ve posted my two favourite versions of tuna ceviche / tartare below.  Tartare is a dish where raw fish or meat has been cut into small pieces and can be lightly seasoned.  Ceviche is a dish where raw fish or seafood has been cut into small pieces and “cooked” or marinated in lime or lemon juice.  These are really simple to make and are perfect for parties, because you can be creative with the presentation.  For example, you could serve these in spoons, martini glasses, or wonton cups (recipe below).  Also, you could make towers using round cookie cutters or ring molds and serve them on top of salad to make a very impressive appetizer.

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Camembert Cheesecake with Roasted Red Pepper Coulis

In Appetizers, Hors D'oeuvres, Snacks on April 2, 2010 at pm

I made these mini cheesecakes a few years ago for a holiday pot luck with co-workers.  Several people asked for the recipe, so I knew it was a success.  I made them again for my 100th Post Party.  It would also make an incredibly sophisticated entree for a dinner party or a special occasion.  The great thing about this recipe is that it can be made up to 2 days in advance.

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