Cooking with Alison

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

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White Bean Puree Crostini

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

Growing up, my mother made – very regularly – a healthy Chinese bean soup that I really really didn’t like.  The memory alone was enough to turn me off of beans in general for many many years.  But I’ve decided that they can’t all be bad, so I’m giving them another chance by cooking my way through different types.  For example, it turns out that my aversion to all things bean-like was misdirected towards lima beans (Lima Bean Soup recipe here).  So for my Cooking with Ali’s 100th post party, I tested out navy beans by making a white bean puree and serving it on toasted slices of baguette.  The sweetness and texture of the onions is perfect in this simple bean spread.  I also love that the subtle flavour of the garlic takes a few seconds to surface.  My guests really liked it too.  I owe you an apology, navy bean, for 2 decades of misjudgment.

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Shrimp Salad on Endive Recipe (plus a Wonton Cups Recipe)

In Appetizers, Hors D'oeuvres, Snacks on March 31, 2010 at pm

This was one of the hors d’oeuvres that I made for my 100th Post Party.  I love shrimp salad and this was my first time serving it in endive leaves (also called endive spears or endive boats).  The crunchiness of the endive paired really well with the creaminess of the shrimp salad.  It was also easy for my guests to eat and it looked very elegant.  Another option is to serve this shrimp salad in wonton cups.  I had excess shrimp salad so I made some wonton cups for that (recipe below).

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Candied Walnuts

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

I started making my own candied walnuts when I started making waldorf salads (recipe here).  These are fantastic snacks, especially while watching a movie or a game.  And if you put them into clear gift bags tied with pretty ribbon, you can sell them at bake sales or use them as cute favours for dinner parties, showers, or gifts over the holidays.

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Potato Skins

In Appetizers, Hors D'oeuvres, Snacks on March 18, 2010 at pm

Ed and I used to order potato skins in bars and restaurants all the time, until I started making them at home.  It takes a bit of work but they’re really easy to make, they’re perfect for parties, and it’s much more cost efficient to make your own.  The bars and restaurants deep fry their potato skins but these are baked in the oven so they’re not as crispy.  You could deep fry your potato skins (after you’ve scooped out the baked flesh) in vegetable oil at 350 degrees F.

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Hot Cheesy Spinach and Artichoke Dip

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

I watched the mens’ hockey game for the gold (Winter Olympics, Vancouver, 2010) at a friend’s house.  It was the gold medal that helped Canada set the new world record for most gold medals at the Winter Olympics.  I made this baked cheesy spinach and artichoke dip and served it with thin slices of toasted baguette.  I used my new brie baker for this.

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Potato Pancakes with Smoked Salmon

In Appetizers, Hors D'oeuvres, Snacks on March 5, 2010 at pm

Potato pancakes (also called potato latkes) can be made bite sized for hors d’oeuvres or medium to large for appetizers.  I like topping these with caviar for hors d’oeuvres or with smoked salmon for appetizers, served with sour cream and garnished with chives.

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How to Steam Cook Food

In Appetizers, Hors D'oeuvres, Snacks, Asian, Breads, Breakfast, Desserts, How-To, Main Course on February 24, 2010 at pm

I received a comment asking for pictures of my steaming equipment and technique.  So here I show you how I steam food, I discuss other methods of steaming, and I go into detail about the steaming equipment that you’ll need for each method.

Steaming food is very commonly done in Chinese cooking.  It’s a very healthy way of cooking as it maintains a lot of the nutrients in vegetables and reduces the amount of oil that you use.  It results in tender veggies and moist and juicy meats.  I steam cook vegetables, dumplings, whole chickens and fish, pork spareribs, a specific Chinese egg dish, etc.  (You can do a search for some of these recipes on my website.)

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Twice Baked / Stuffed Potatoes

In Appetizers, Hors D'oeuvres, Snacks, Sides and Sauces on February 21, 2010 at pm

Ed loves twice baked potatoes.  Back when I had more time on my hands, I often made these with mini potatoes for parties or pot lucks.  It took a lot of work but people really loved them.  They were so cute and so easy to eat.  Recently, I made miniature twice baked potatoes (photo below) for a miniature bbq lunch.

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Turkey and Stuffing Pinwheels

In Appetizers, Hors D'oeuvres, Snacks, Poultry on January 26, 2010 at pm

For thanksgiving 2008, Ed’s parents came to visit so I made them a thanksgiving lunch.  Instead of roasting a turkey, I made turkey and stuffing pinwheels and served them with hot gravy.  I served them as an entree but they would be great as an hors d’oeuvre at a party or for a pot luck.  I’ve also made these with chicken instead and they were just as good.

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Baked Brie or Camembert

In Appetizers, Hors D'oeuvres, Snacks on January 22, 2010 at pm

I was browsing through Indigo on my lunch break and I found a brie baker – it looks like a small (cute) round casserole dish with a lid.  I figured it would be a good size for serving warm dips or even as a bowl for meals for one of stews, soups, curries, etc.  I used it to bake a round of Camembert at the last clothing exchange party* that I threw. It was elegant looking, the baker kept the cheese warm for a long time, and all of the mess stayed within the bowl.

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Caramel Popcorn Recipe

In Appetizers, Hors D'oeuvres, Snacks, Other Desserts on January 21, 2010 at pm

I love good caramel popcorn.  My favourite caramel popcorn comes from Kernels (from Canada) and Garrett’s (from Chicago), but their popcorn is ridiculously overpriced, especially considering how easy and cost efficient it is to make at home.  I eat this stuff until my mouth hurts.  🙂  My recipe always gets great reviews.

Krystal’s company holds an annual baking contest to raise money for charity (United Way).  The winner is determined by the employees’ votes.  But since employees have to pay for the baked goods that they want to sample, not everything gets tasted.  This is the most challenging aspect of this competition, because your entries need to be unique and visually appealing in order to get picked over the other, 30 or more, entries.  The best tasting brownies or cookies wouldn’t stand a chance in this bake-off, because no one would even try them.  In November, 2009, I competed for the first time with my caramel popcorn.  Only 3 people sampled it, haha  🙂  However, 2 of the 3 people that sampled it, voted for it.  So I consider that a success.  🙂  Update:  In November, 2010, I competed for the second time and won 1st place with my Chocolate Bar Cheesecake Bites (recipe here).  In November, 2011, I placed 3rd with my Butter Tarts (recipe here).

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