Category: Appetizers

The Ebb and Flow of Life and Some Lobster Rolls

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Finally a moment to reconnect with me, my home, and blog. The past few weeks have been crazy busy , but in a good way.  I have so much to tell you. First I got a job! Yeah. Is it the sort of job I was seeking or used to? Not necessarily, but its in my field of expertise ( retail cosmetics management), and company I have long admired and respected. I had to take a pay cut, but its the sort of company you start from the bottom and that’s OK with me as I actually snagged a management position. And great benefits ! This is why we work. The first week I hit the ball out of the park and the powers that be are impressed with my knowledge and history. So for now it works for me and I am grateful. I think there are so many people who refuse to take a step back or settle in this ecomony, but I dont want to sit at home whining and broke  waiting for handouts from Certain Someone (he’s been awesome and very supportive by the way, but a girl has to have her own stash and means). I have met many like myself or even not that were making over six figures andf suddenly having to fall into service jobs or retail after being laid off. You do it with your head held high and joy and gratitude.

I also have been juggling Coco Cooks Catering , and have to date produced two successful events. I love it when people love my food and services. I have been studying and working part time in the industry towards this for years to learn the ropes and it is actually into fruition. I know the level of hard painful work involved and have no illusions of instant payoff and glamour. I do it because I love it. Word of mouth and reputation is huge and that’s how it all started thanks to French Foodie Mom and her social set. You never know and  must be ready when opportunity comes knocking. After the first event  everyone said I should I should focus on this and get my business affairs in order. Thanks to my generous aunt, I got the small start up moneies needed to be totally official and meet all requirements. with insurance, licenses, etc. It’s a lot of work and detail, but worth it. Can I give up the day job yet? No. But that day will be coming. Here is a great article in the New York times addressing that very issue. Read it if you want to take a leap into entrepreneurship. I think this is the wisest way to start and I realize it means burning the candle at both ends. But the payoff will be worth it.

My latest client  wanted a whole Cape Cod Surf and Turf Theme . She had very definitive views of what she wanted food wise and her decor which was lovely. Naturally I knew I had to add Lobster Rolls to my menu proposal as well. They were the hit of the party! I remember those fantastic lobster rolls I had in Boston a few years ago. There are two camps for making Lobster Rolls. The simple rich decadent tossed  in butter  method or the Celery  and Mayo way.

Here is a simple recipe  to celebrate the last few days of summer. My recipe in my head is for 200 mini Lobster rolls , but I will pare it down to give you an idea of proportions. The key to a great Lobster Roll, which will have people bursting into your kitchen demanding more, like the the party guests, is a heavily buttered toasted bun. I also used a mixture of Creme Fraiche or Sour Cream cut into the mayonnaise to add extra flavor, and reduce an overly mayonnaise, fatty taste. A little secret a chef taught  me along the way.

Here was the final menu for the event. The top hits being the Lobster Rolls, Beef Tenderloin Crostinis with choice of Horseradish Aioli or Red Pepper Aioli, and the Herb Stuffed Cremini Mushrooms topped with Tallegio. Oh and Shrimp and Deviled eggs with Wasabi! It was all so good.

Traditional Deviled Eggs and Wasabi Deviled Eggs

Old Bay Marinated Shrimp on Skewers

Herb Stuffed Cremini Mushrooms topped with Tallegio Chesse

Lobster Rolls

Beef Tenderloin Crostini with Red Pepper Aioli or Horse Radish Aioli

Cheese and Relish Platter with Coco’s Picklings Giardiniera

Warm Spiced Mixed Nuts ( Pistachios, Pecans,Cashews, Almonds)

 

Mini Lobster Rolls
 
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A entree or appetizer for a summer soiree.
Author:
Recipe type: Entree
Ingredients
  • Lobster Claw and Knuckle Meat ( wholly cooked frozen and defrosted)
  • Mayonnaise
  • Creme Fraiche or Sour Cream
  • Celery finely minced
  • Celery Seeds
  • Celery Salt
  • Melted Butter
  • Mini Croissants (cut in half) or a split Hot dog Bun type of bread for an Entree
Instructions
  1. Remove the lobster meat from the shells and place in bowl.
  2. Depending on quantities needed , take 1 part mayonnaise to ⅓ part cream fraiche or sour cream. You don't want to much of this and you want the lobster salad to hold and not be soupy.
  3. Add minced celery( again depending on quantity and taste)
  4. Add a pinch of celery salt and celery seeds to taste to build up to taste.
  5. Mix thoroughly and chill until ready to use.
  6. In a separate pot melt the amount of butter needed to dip and toast the quantity of bread you are using.
  7. If you serving these as appetizers cut the mini croissants in half and split lengthwise.
  8. In a grill pan or skillet pour in some butter to soak the bread in.
  9. Place the buns split open to absorb the butter and lightly toast on each side. Set aside until ready to fill.
Notes
As I made this recipe for a very large crowd, I am giving you the ingredients and method, as opposed to actual quantities of ingredients.
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Off to do another proposal for a client on this rare day off. Life is good. Enjoy it and embrace it.

Pickled Pepquinos with Daikon and Carrots

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What is Pepquino, you may ask? That’s what I thought as saw these tiny vegetables looking like micro watermelons. Freaks of nature or genetically engineered? Pepquinos are a native and ancient species  from South America and marketed and brought to world by the Dutch company Koppert Kress.

Looking like watermelon on the outside, they are green on in the inside and have a sour like cucumber taste. You can pop them in your mouth raw , or pickle them, as I did.I can even imagine a fantastic cucumber like martini.Use your foodie imagination. I wanted to play with sweet and sour with some acidity. Pepquinos Availability is from April to November .

I cant go throughout summer without canning or pickling something and I quickly went to work on the Pequinos. I had some Daikon Radish and rainbow hued carrots , which once in the hot brine gave the liquid a pinkish hue. I love my relish and have been eating it with sandwiches, cheeses, pates, etc. You can process the batch or just refrigerate immediately if you plan to serve and consume within the next few weeks. The Pepquinos will definitely be a conversation starter with your guests.

Pickled Pepquinos with Daikon and Carrots
 
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A pickled relish with the micro fruit Pepquinos.
Author:
Recipe type: Appetiser
Ingredients
  • 8 oz Pepquinos
  • 4 rainbow hues carrots , peeled and sliced into rounds
  • 1 yellow onion sliced into rings
  • ½ of a large Daikon Radish, peeled and cut into strips
  • ⅓ cup Kosher Salt
  • Brine solution of 1 part sugar to 2 parts vinegar
  • 2 dried chili peppers per canning jar
  • 1 tablespoon mustard seeds
Instructions
  1. Prep your vegetables .
  2. Wash your Pepquinos.
  3. Peel and slice your carrots, onions and Daikon radish.
  4. In a bowl add your Pepquinos,onions, carrots, Daikon . Add Kosher salt and cover with cold water.Chill overnight or for at least 4 hours.
  5. Drain vegetables.
  6. In a sauce pan heat vinegar and sugar with mustard seeds and dried chilies.Heat until a boiling.
  7. Prep and sanitize your jars (in hot boiling water).
  8. Pack your vegetables in to the jars and put the hot brine over the vegetables. Slide the dried chilies into the jar and add the lids.
  9. From this point you can refrigerate to eat immediatlety or process in a water batch for about 7-10 minutes. Don't over-process as you want the vegetables to remain crisp.
Notes
You can either process in a hot water batch to put up or refrigerated to consume immediately.Lasts a few weeks refrigerated.
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Fried Squash Blossoms…Tasty and Beautiful

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I remember when I first heard about fried squash blossoms. It was many years ago and my roommate Anita was going on about how fabulous this Italian woman’s fried flowers were in her recent travels. Having no foodie point of reference on them, I thought the concept of eating fried flowers was kind of gross. Boy was I wrong. As my tastebuds  became more sophisticated, I see the charm in this beautiful delicacy nature offers up from the Zucchini plant. I love the scene in the movie Eat Pray Love where Julia Roberts character shares a meal of fried squash blossoms while learning Italian from her tutor. They camera zooms into them cutting into the juicy  and cheesy fried treat and it looks so delicious.

These days I’m trying to launch my own off premise catering services, and have been having some great success. So while shopping in a restaurant supply depot for supplies to test for an upcoming event , I came across a large clam shell of squash blossoms in the produce section. I knew I wanted to stuff them with a spiced and herbed goat cheese and devour. I worked for a chef who bemoaned the fact that people fried them and preferred them in their raw state. There is a lot you can do with them, but fried is always good.

I am not a huge fryer but lately have been playing around with fried items, as I find they go over well at parties both large and small. I wouldn’t offer up these fried blossoms for a huge event , but say a dinner for no more than ten people as a starter . I find using club soda for me when frying, makes the batter pure perfection and provides a real crunchiness almost like a tempura . My new favorite secret ingredient is a Eastern European spice and vegetable blend you can find throughout Chicago called Vegeta. I throw it in everything from soups to eggs as a great flavor enhancer. Vegeta worked really well in this recipe. So those are my tricks or trucos. Also if  you want perfection and less mess, use a piping bag to stuff your flowers. Your work will go quicker.


Fried Squash Blossoms...Tasty and Beautiful
 
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Fried Squash blossoms stuffed with goat cheese.
Author:
Recipe type: appetiser
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • For the Stuffing
  • 1 egg lightly beaten
  • 12-18 zucchini flowers ( some may be larger or smaller)
  • 6-8 oz of goat cheese depending on amount / size of zucchini flowers
  • ¼ cup grated Parmesan
  • a dash of grated nutmeg
  • 2 teaspoons dried or fresh chives
  • 2 tablespoons Vegeta * optional
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • For the Batter
  • ½ cup all purpose flour
  • 2 eggs lightly beaten
  • 4 tablespoons cold club soda
  • Olive Pomace Oil to fry
Instructions
  1. Batter
  2. In a small bowl mix , beat the 2 eggs.
  3. Gradually add the flour to incorporate.
  4. Then add the cold Club Soda.
  5. With a wire whisk, mix until batter is smooth and not lumpy.
  6. Set aside and allow to sit.
  7. Gently clean your zucchini flowers and remove the stamens inside which cause bitter taste. Be careful as to not soak or wilt your your flower.
  8. Pat dry any moisture.
  9. In a bowl mix / cream your cheeses and spices with the 1 beaten egg.Mix completely until you have smooth incorporated mixture that is thick enough to pipe. If mixture is too runny add more goat cheese.
  10. Place mixture in a piping bag with tip.
  11. Carefully open and pipe goat cheese mixture into each blossom leaving enough room at the top to twist the ends close.
  12. Prepare your fry pan or deep fryer with enough oil to fry.
  13. Wait until oil is ready by dropping a bit of batter and watching to see if it sizzles and bubbles. Heat should be medium high.
  14. Drop each blossom into the batter and then into the hot oil. Turn after a minute or two to cook the other side. Blossom should be golden and crispy and heat should be high enough but not not too high. Careful in frying and turning as to not loose the cheese stuffing.
  15. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a dish lined with paper towels to absorb excess oil.
  16. Sprinkle with salt while hot and serve.
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Pork Belly Buns or Bao…Dim Sum Treats

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One of the favorite dining experiences of Certain Someone and I, is going to China Town on a Sunday and indulging in Dim Sum. The tasty assortment and nibbles are endless and satisfying. Another added bonus is that is doesn’t cost us a fortune.  I love any sort of steamed bun or bao and normally have purchased them frozen. I finally decided to make my own after finding some pork belly in my freezer. Brainstorming on what to do with my hunk of rich meat , I thought back to last December and a long weekend in New York City. Certain Someone had purchased tickets for his favorite band Rammstein, an industrial metal German band known for intense pyrotechnics. This was their first concert in the United States in 10 years  to test the waters. It was so good that they are now on tour in the US. Anyway, as I’m normally in charge of the food recommendations. I was dying to go to the famous Momofuku Noddle Bar. The hype over the years was huge and I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. They don’t take reservations there except for the fried chicken. So we taxied over and waited  in line for approx 30 minutes on a Friday night. If it was any longer Certain Someone would have walked. But he was a good sport and we waited for the surprisingly short duration. Finally two spaces opened up for us at the bar. Tight ,noisy , and nor very intimate. But I was there for the food. Our server /bartender was very hospitable to us and Certain Someone ordered a nice selection of items. Was it good? Yes. Was it an epiphany , not so much. Was it expensive for what you got, yes again, with all the drinks thrown in as well. Compared to the venues we have gone to in various Chinatowns,we were paying for the scene , more than the food. In the end , we are the types who prefer a more low key , non pretentious place that gives more value for the price. But I can say been there , done that. If the place wasn’t so loud, small and had better seating, then maybe I would view the whole experience differently. Its hard to enjoy a meal cramped up , elbow to elbow on a high chair at the bar, with your backs against the cold new York winter air.I do need to visit David Chang’s other venues .

So I decided to make my own buns for way less money. Be prepared to dedicate a better part of your day to these. Some aspects can be pre made , thereby making it an excellent appetizer for parties or summer cookouts coming up. The most intimidating piece of this for me was the bun/bao, as Chinese pastry has always mystified me. You can dress the buns up in a myriad of ways. I love various Asian influence like pickled vegetables and maybe some spice to offset the rich fattiness of the pork belly. If you don’t like pork, try roasted chicken or duck with the crispy skin left on. Shrimp or beef works too. I made quick pickle of julienned Daikon radish and carrots, sliced some cucumbers, green onion, and cilantro.  Add a slather of Hoisin and you are in for a treat.

I followed this recipe from Gourmet’s Diary of a Foodie , but made some changes in the dough as I didn’t have dried milk in my pantry. I substituted 2 tablespoons  heated whole milk to the 3/4 ( less 2 tablespoons ) of water. The dough turned out beautifully. If you need more flour or liquid, add it slowly until the dough forms a nice ball while kneading.

Next time I’m going to make my own brine with some aromatics like star anise and garlic, and peppercorns. Or I may just add them to my braising liquid for a more luxurious flavor.

For the quick pickle, I didn’t soak my vegetables in salt water overnight, as normal picking recipes call for. I just heated 1 part sugar to 1 part white vinegar, a start anise and dried Thai chili to a boil and plunged my vegetable in . Remove from heat immediately and let cool submerged in  the liquid. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Warning…These bao are quite filling and somewhat addictive. But I suspect the whole family will love them. Try various proteins as filling choices, and have yourself a little Bao party with all the fixings.

Food & Friends. Recipes and Memories from Simca’s Cuisine

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It seems like forever since I posted an actual food recipe. With the Holidays, new boss, some travel, venturing into soap making, and the whole Ebony article thing, well I’ve been busy. Did I mention the flood in my storage unit? Not pretty. Anyway I’m due for some cooking posts, some more giveaways, and a winner announcement.

First…I picked the Senseo Stay or Go Personal Coffee maker winner. I decided to pick the third name on the list  from the random generator.

List Randomizer

There were 23 items in your list. Here they are in random order:

  1. Sabrina December 31, 2010 at 2:42 pm [edit]
  2. @parmie January 2, 2011 at 9:50 pm [edit]
  3. Louise January 1, 2011 at 8:06 am [edit]
  4. Megan January 4, 2011 at 2:42 pm [edit]
  5. Vicki (veeezeee) December 31, 2010 at 2:34 pm [edit]
  6. Henderson Honey January 4, 2011 at 9:07 am [edit]
  7. Pat R January 1, 2011 at 2:11 pm [edit]
  8. Carolina Epicurean January 3, 2011 at 1:33 pm [edit]
  9. Lynne Estes January 7, 2011 at 2:15 pm [edit]
  10. Megan January 4, 2011 at 2:43 pm [edit]
  11. Pat R January 1, 2011 at 2:13 pm [edit]
  12. John Ariatti January 4, 2011 at 9:41 am [edit]

And the winner is Louise of Month of Edible Celebrations. She needs it as she writes some pretty prolific and wonderful food history posts. Enjoy my friend.

Now onto the book review. I was given this wonderful book in November and in my spare moments of time read a bit here and there.Holidays are a bad time to try to read.Food and Recipes was first published in 1991, but with the resurgence of popularity of all things Julia Child, has been reprinted. Anyway most you you Francophiles and foodies know Simone Beck as the coauthor of Mastering the Art of French Cooking with Julia Child. After meeting in the women s cooking club Cercles des Gourmettes in Paris they began teaching private lessons together and collaborating on Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Stories of growing up Haute Bourgeois to an industrialist father  and Benedictine heiress mother in scenic Normandy, are interspersed with recipes and menus from another time and era. Luncheons after a Hunt, dinner parties in Paris  are are detailed with wine notes and recipes. Simone, or Simca she preferred to be called later on, chronicles learning how to make a roux and chocolate cakes for father from the family cooks. The reader sees how she emerges from a bad first marriage to a proper gentleman, to finally coming into her own and find a true love and partner.Scenes from the war, and finally Julia, and other great culinary figures such as James Beard and Richard Olney are told as well. Its a nice thick read, but half of the book is recipes. Recipes that haven’t been adapted to a modern day kitchen , but still work and offer great insight into technique.

I chose to make Croquettes au Fromage from A Hunt Dinner in Solange menu because I had the ingredients on hand. I did substitute out the French Gruyere cheese for Parmesan Reggiano figuring they were similar in texture. These were tasty nibbles that I think I could play on and even add more to. I found the recipe was like a pate  a choux that I ended up modernizing by a final whiz in my Kitchen Aid to really incorporate the final addition of egg yolks and cheese. I found the measurements may be questionable as the the description of the process , belied the measurements. But it still turned out  very nice. I also didn’t let it rest 12-24 hrs. but more like 6 hours as I felt those extra hours really didn’t matter. Remember these recipes were from another time but are still invaluable for technique and inspiration.

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Croquettes au Fromage

Cheese Croquettes

adapted from Food& Friends . Recipes and Memories From Simca’s Cuisine

  • 3 1/2 Tbsp Butter
  • 1 cup sifted flour
  • 1 cup milk
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 4 oz Gruyere Cheese
  • Pepper
  • 1 egg white
  • 2/3cup bread crumbs
  • Fried Parsley for garnish
  1. Heat Butter in thick bottomed sauce pan. Melt.
  2. Stir in flour and stir constantly for 2-3 minutes.
  3. Remove from heat.
  4. Pour in milk nand whisk until smooth.
  5. Return to heat and bring to boil while constantly stirring. ( Mine was to thick to boil but I heated it up again).
  6. Let cool slightly and whisk in egg yolk and cheese.( I transferred mine to Kitchen Aid and whisked it there).
  7. Add pepper.
  8. Spread on a oiled baking sheet and refrigerate for 12-24 hours.( I covered mine with plastic and chilled for 6 hrs).
  9. One hour before serving, shape the croquettes rolling chilled  mixture into small balls.
  10. Roll first in a plate of flour.
  11. Dip in egg whites.
  12. Roll in Bread Crumbs.
  13. Fry croquettes in small batches until golden.
  14. Remove and drain on paper towel.
  15. Can keep in warming oven until ready to serve.
  16. Garnish with fried parsley.

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I am giving away a copy of Food and Friends . Recipes and Memories from Simca’s Cuisine. Comments to win close on January 22. Tweeting , signing up for Coco Cooks by email,or joining my fanpage will give an extra entry. Just tell me you did so.