[Jamestown1630]

This month, Appetizers!

(If you would like to be on or off of this monthly cooking-thread ping list, please send a private message.)

-JT

[umgud]

That looks so good and so easy, you could prolly FEDEX me one.

[Fungi]

An elaborate mushroom duxelle.

[Tuscaloosa Goldfinch]

Thanks for the ping! That pastry looks amazing!

My husband’s new favorite - stuffed mushrooms. Use white mushrooms, clean, remove stems and trim those, then chop. Mix the chopped stems with some chopped green onion and saute. Then add sausage like Jimmy Dean pork, saute that with the other until done. Then stir in some ... goat cheese :-) and a little Parmesan. Preheat the oven to 350, put the filling into the mushroom caps and position them closely together in a casserole dish or skillet, pour in some Marsala and maybe white wine, and bake.

[Dragonfly]

Perfect!

[Liz]

Bright, refreshing, sweet, and tangy, I love the way this recipe dresses plain old cucumbers......with a Sweet Lime Vinegar. Might be nice on an appy table. Any leftover cucumbers will keep well for a few days in the refrigerator, but they will continue to give off liquid; just drain it off and add another squeeze of fresh lime juice before serving.

CUCUMBER SALAD / SWEET LIME VINEGAR

ING 1 1/2 lb 1/8" thick slices English (seedless) cucumbers, Kosher salt 1/4 cup Sweet Lime Vinegar (recipe follows)
tb black sesame seeds, toasted tb fresh lime juice 3 tb fresh tarragon leaves

METHOD Salt cucumber slices, spread out in colander, set over large bowl; drain 30 minutes.Press down to release as much liquid as you can, then blot very dry and transfer to a server. Add Sweet Lime Vinegar, sesame seeds, reserving some for garnish. Toss/combine; chill. Can do ahead 2 days or longer.

SERVE using slotted spoon, transfer to server; discard liquid. Add lime juice and tarragon, toss/combine
(use a fork to separate the cucumbers). Scatter sesame seeds over top and serve.

SWEET LIME VINEGAR
ING 1/2 cup rice vinegar1/2 cup sugar Grated zest and juice of large or 2 small limes

METHOD BTB on med vinegar and sugar, stirring occasionally. Then simmer 2-3 min, sugar dissolves, mixtture is slightly syrupy. Offheat, stir in lime zest and 1/2 of juice. Cool enough to taste, then check for limey-ness, adding more juice if necessary. Cool completely before using. Keeps 2 weeks or longer in the fridge.

[miss marmelstein]

Hmmm...my idea of appetizers is generally potato chips and Lipton onion/sour cream mix. Why? Because I found people dodged the Kalamata olives and hummas with homemade pita chips and went straight for this salty, noxious, delicious treat. It brings out the inner child, I guess.

I discovered people love bad appetizers. When I was a member of a tony NYC club, the manager realized that all the folks wanted with their drinks were Pigs in a Blanket.

But I look forward to reading all the recipes posted here!

[pugmama]

I make this for a crowd and it always gets rave reviews. I do make the curried peach preserves as well. You can click on the recipe at the bottom of this one.

http://www.achefslifeseries.com/recipes/32

[pugmama]

This in from my SIL and is always appreciated by guests:

CASA LAZARO BAKED CROSTINI
 
1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees
 
2. Slice long baguette (French, sourdough, whole wheat, or artisan) about 1/3 inch slices, spread out in baking tray that’s been lightly PAM-sprayed.
 
3. In a large bowl, combine the following into a well-mixed spread:
  -  one 16oz cottage cheese or ricotta
  -  one pkg blue cheese crumbles
  -  one/half container shredded parmesan cheese
  -  six to eight ounces fresh pesto
  -  sliced bunch of green onions and/or onion powder to taste
  -  crushed garlic or garlic powder to taste
  -  herbs (oregano, basil, thyme, sage, rosemary)
  -  black pepper & sea salt, to taste
  -  white wine to taste
  -  Optional: slices almond; finely chopped apricots
 
4. Spread the mix liberally on the baguette slices, and place baking tray in the oven. Bake about 15 minutes, or until top is bubbly and lightly browned.
 
5. Meanwhile, chop one bunch of fresh basil, and one bunch of fresh oregano, and mix in small bowl - have ready.  Then, slice 2-3 tomato’s, about 5 slices to an inch.
 
6. Optional for meat-eaters only - also use thin-sliced deli ham (chicken or roast beef second choices.)  
 
7. As soon as baguette slices are ready, remove from oven and IMMEDIATELY add layer of chopped basil/rosemary; thin-sliced ham if desired; and slice of fresh tomato on top. A sprinkling of fresh parmesan on top of tomato is also good.
 
8. While baguette topping is still hot and semi-melted, press the above ingredients into the cheesy topping so they adhere to top of crostini.
 
9.   Place on serving platter and serve to guests.
 
 

[Lurkina.n.Learnin]

I see everyone talking about bacon wrapped jalapenos . I like them but I also like garlic stuffed olives wrapped also. I did use bacon but they were too salty. I tried rinsing and soaking the olives in water and that was an improvement. Then I got some sidepork and wrapped the olives. That turned out great.

[Covenantor]

How about desserts for the Fourth of July? Here's a beauty...

Blueberry and cherry pie