Caesar’s Sables and Warm Olive Tapenade with Preserved Lemon

If I plan to serve dip at a party, it’s always homemade. And, when I start thinking about what kind of dip to make, my next thought is that I really should make the crackers too. I have a recipe or two here and there for flatbreads that work with dips, but I didn’t have a good reference for a variety of crackers until now. Crackers and Dips by Ivy Manning, of which I received a review copy, will solve all my future party snack dilemmas. With each cracker recipe, there’s a suggested dip or two to go with it. Corn Bread Crisps with Tangy Roasted Tomatillo and Avocado Dip sounds like a great match, and so does Black Pepper Taralli and Trieste-Style Crab Gratin. There are crackers with simpler flavors like Soda Water Crackers that work well as shy vehicles for toppings and some like Brown Butter-Hazelnut Crackers that draw more attention to themselves. There are even dessert crackers like Rosemary Graham Crackers and Animal Crackers with Zesty Lemon Frosting, and I ordered some little animal-shaped cutters just so I could try these. The first recipe I wanted to taste from the book was Caesar’s Sables which capture all the big flavors of a Caesar salad in a neat, little cracker. Serving suggestions for them included using them as croutons on a Caesar salad or as an accompaniment to Warm Olive Tapenade with Preserved Lemon. They were great both ways. 

The dough for the crackers is just like that for refrigerator cookies. In fact, you can keep the dough wrapped and refrigerated and just slice and bake some crackers as you need them rather than making them all at once. Flour, grated parmesan cheese, olive oil, lemon zest, finely chopped garlic, and salt were pulsed in a food processor. Anchovy paste is an optional ingredient, and I added it because I love the extra hit of umami from anchovies. So, the anchovy paste was added with some water, and the mixture was pulsed until the dough came together. The dough was divided in half, and each was kneaded and rolled into a long cylinder. The dough cylinders were wrapped in plastic and chilled for a couple of hours. Meanwhile, I made the tapenade which was started by sauteing finely chopped shallot and garlic, and fresh thyme. Then, chopped pitted Castelvetrano green olives, pitted Kalamata black olives, and finely chopped preserved lemon were added and warmed. The tapenade can be stored in the refrigerator and re-warmed before serving. The cracker dough cylinders were sliced into thin circles, the circles were topped with freshly ground black pepper, and then baked for about 15 minutes until browned and crunchy. 

These peppery, parmesany, and slightly lemony crackers with the tapenade were great with drinks for a pre-dinner snack. And, I love that I don’t have to fret about what I could possibly make to go with dip ever again. I just have to decide which combo to try next. 

Caesar’s Sables  
Recipes reprinted with publisher’s permission from Crackers and Dips.

Everyone loves Caesar salad. So what if you could fit all the savory, salty flavor of that brilliant salad into a little crumbly cracker? Caesar lovers everywhere, rejoice: here is your cracker! These rich crackers are similar to the French pastry/cookies called sables [sah-BLAY], which means “sandy,” and as the name advertises, these crackers have a sandy, crumbly texture and they’re very rich, thanks to an ample dose of lemon olive oil. The dough can be made up to three days in advance, so they’re perfect for entertaining; just slice and bake when needed. Try them with a dab of Warm Olive Tapenade with Preserved Lemon, eat them by the handful, or use them as a garnish for Caesar salads as a sort of overgrown crouton. Whatever the application, they’re tres delicieux. 

MAKES 50 TO 60 CRACKERS 

2 cups/255 g unbleached all-purpose flour 
1 cup/115 g grated Parmesan cheese (firmly packed) 
1/2 cup/120 ml lemon-infused olive oil, or extra-virgin olive oil 
1 tbsp finely grated organic lemon zest 
1 garlic clove, finely chopped 
1 tsp fine sea salt 
1 tbsp chopped anchovies (about 6 small fillets) or 1 tbsp anchovy paste (optional) 
1/4 cup/60 ml water 
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper 

In a food processor or large bowl, pulse or mix the flour, cheese, olive oil, lemon zest, garlic, and salt until well combined and crumbly. Add the anchovies (if using) and water. Pulse or stir until the mixture becomes crumbly and begins to stick together, 15 pulses (do not overmix), stopping once to scrape the sides of the bowl. 

Turn half of the dough out onto a 16-in-/40.5-cm-long piece of plastic wrap and squeeze and gently knead the dough to form it into an 8- to 9-in-/20- to 23-cm-long log that is about 1 1/4in/3.5 cm in diameter. Roll up the log in the plastic wrap and roll on the work surface under your palms to make a uniform cylinder. Repeat with the other half of the dough and another piece of plastic wrap. Chill the logs in the refrigerator until firm, at least 2 hours and up to 3 days. 

Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C/gas 4. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Unwrap the logs and use a sharp, thin-bladed knife to cut the logs crosswise into 1/8-in-/3-mmthick slices using a gentle sawing motion. If any crumbly bits break off while slicing, press them into the cracker and shape with your fingers into a round. Arrange the slices 1 in/2.5 cm apart on the baking sheets and sprinkle them with the pepper. If any of the crackers were sliced too thickly, use your fingers to press them out until they are of the same thickness as the others. 

Bake until the crackers are golden brown around the edges, 15 to 20 minutes. Rotate the pans once from top to bottom and from back to front while baking. Transfer the crackers to a cooling rack. Once cool, store the crackers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. 


Warm Olive Tapenade with Preserved Lemon 

Cold olives leave me cold. You can marinate them, stuff them, or purée them into a tapenade, but if they’re cool, I’m bored to tears. Warm olives are another matter. Applying just a little heat to olives transforms them into a fruity, sensuous pleasure. For this warm olive tapenade, I use a mix of meaty, bright green Castelvetrano olives (find them at olive bars or in jars at better markets) and brinier kalamata olives to achieve a balance of sweet, salty, fruity, and bitter flavors. This warm dip goes splendidly with the Caesar’s Sables, the Smoked Almond Thins, and the buttery Macadamia Nut and Coconut Flour Club Crackers. It can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, so it’s a great homemade holiday gift; consider making a double batch so you can share the warm olive love. 

MAKES 1 1/2 CUPS/360 ML 

1 cup/160 g pitted Castelvetrano green olives 
1/2 cup/80 g pitted kalamata black olives 
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 
1 shallot, finely chopped 
1 garlic clove, finely chopped 
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme 
1 tbsp finely chopped preserved lemon 

In a food processor, pulse all the olives until they form a chunky paste the consistency of granola, or mound them on a cutting board and chop with a sharp chef’s knife. 

In a small saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallot, garlic, and thyme and saute until the shallot is tender and the garlic is fragrant but not browned, 1 minute. Add the chopped olives and preserved lemon and cook, stirring frequently, until the olives are hot to the touch, 3 minutes. Transfer the tapenade to a serving bowl and serve immediately. (Once cool, the tapenade can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. Rewarm in a small saucepan or in the microwave before serving.) 

I am a member of the Amazon Affiliate Program.

Very Green Avocado-Tahini Dip

This week is all about red, white, and blue for the Fourth of July, but why not add some green? A few days ago, I mentioned how much I’m enjoying the new book Wild About Greens, and this is another recipe from its pages. Here, the greens are arugula leaves which bring even more green color to a dip made with avocado. And, this very green dip just happens to be great for a summer party. I didn’t set a timer when I served it, but I can tell you that from the moment the bowl of dip appeared until the second I noticed that bowl was completely empty, very few minutes elapsed. It had to have been a record. The dip is sort of a cross between guacamole and hummus given the avocado and tahini, but mostly it’s a fantastic match for raw vegetables or chips.

You could use spinach or arugula here, and since I had some CSA arugula, that’s what I used. The rinsed arugula leaves were quickly wilted in a hot saute pan and then set aside. Into the food processor went a peeled and diced avocado, some tahini, the juice of a lemon, ground cumin, some cilantro, and salt and pepper followed by the cooled arugula. The mix was processed until smooth, and the dip was ready. I served it with sliced cucumber and celery to stick with the green theme and made some baked whole grain tortilla chips for dipping as well.

I knew this was going to be delicious, but I was shocked at how quickly it was consumed. The recipe below shows the quantities I used, but next time, I’ll definitely double it.

Very Green Avocado-Tahini Dip
Recipe reprinted with publisher’s permission from Wild About Greens

About 1 1⁄2 cups

A marriage of guacamole and hummus—and infused with a good amount of leafy greens—this rich dip makes its own unique statement. Serve it with tortilla chips, fresh pita, pita chips, raw veggies, or any combination that suits you.

3 to 4 ounces baby spinach or arugula, or a combination
1 large, ripe avocado, peeled and diced
1⁄3 cup tahini (sesame paste)
Juice of 1 lemon
1⁄2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley, cilantro, or dill
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Rinse the greens and place them in a large skillet or saucepan. With just the water clinging to the leaves, cook the greens until just wilted down. Remove from the heat.

Place all the ingredients in the container of a food processor, and process until smooth. Add 1⁄4 cup water, as needed, to achieve a medium-thick consistency. Transfer to a serving bowl. Keep covered until ready to serve.

Serve at once as suggested above. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two days.

I am a member of the Amazon Affiliate Program.

Fried Olives

Have you had fried olives? I ask because Amamda Hesser writes in The Essential New York Times Cookbook "If you've never had a fried olive, do not let another day pass without tasting one." And, I couldn't agree more. I had enjoyed fried olives at restaurants, but when I saw this in the Hors D'Oeuvres chapter of TENYTC, I knew it was time to make them at home. In each chapter of that book, the recipes are listed chronologically according to when they appeared in the newspaper. I was charmed by the Hors D'Oeuvres chapter from the earliest entries. The salted and deviled almonds from 1897 and eggs suffragette from 1909 made me want to start planning a cocktail party. By the time I got to the fried olives from 2004, I was ready to start cooking and then mix some drinks. Having to fry something for a party never sounds like fun, but these crispy, little orbs hold up well for a few hours. You can do the frying in advance, and then re-warm the fried olives in the oven. There are suggestions for serving them with wedges of lemon, fennel slices, radishes, or a dusting of parmesan cheese. I liked the idea of a parmesan garnish and added some chopped parsley as well.

At our two grocery stores that I visit every week, and often several times a week, we have really good selections of olives. I can buy various types of olives stuffed with all kinds of ingredients, but since I was going to the trouble of breading and frying them, I decided to buy plain olives and stuff them myself. I chopped marcona almonds and piquillo peppers into thin strips and stuffed pieces of both into each olive. Other options might have included blue cheese, anchovies, other nuts, pickled vegetables, spicy chiles, or whatever sounds good in an olive. The stuffed olives were breaded by rolling them in flour, dunking them in egg, and then coating them with breadcrumbs. You can bread the olives in advance and refrigerate them until you're ready to begin frying. I heated olive oil in a saucepan and fried four or five olives at a time. They become golden in a minute or less and should then be drained on a paper towel-lined sheet pan.

Crispy and salty goes perfectly with bubbly. Champagne would have been an obvious choice, but instead, I poured a glass of sparkling, hard cider and it was a great match. The warm, crunchy-coated olives disappear quickly, so if you're serving a crowd, make more than you think you'll need.

Curried Chicken Wings with Peach Dipping Sauce

I get pretty excited about a new book with great recipes, and when it includes an interesting tip or two as well, I’m even more eager to use the book. With that in mind, the new book from Virginia Willis of which I received a review copy, Basic to Brilliant, Ya'll, will frequently be open on my kitchen counter. Willis combines classic, southern cuisine with perfected techniques and some French dishes that may have been given a southern twist. Every recipe in the book is presented first in its standard way, and that’s followed by a brilliant tip that makes the dish even more special. The tip might be a suggestion for the presentation, a garnish, or an added step in the process. They're all so brilliant because they’re not about adding to the cost of the recipe, they’re just about taking an additioinal step for special occasions. For instance, for the shrimp rillettes, the spread could be served with store-bought crackers or endive leaves, and the brilliant tip is to make homemade fennel flatbreads. I plan to try this for a Thanksgiving appetizer. The kale omelet would delicious on its own, but it’s made brilliant by being baked in a sourdough boule. And, the meringue pillows with strawberries and cream recipe is elevated by making dacquoise layers for a cake instead of individual meringues.

I couldn’t wait to try the curried chicken wings recipe and its accompanying brilliant tip. The basic recipe involves marinating chicken wings in a mix of curry powder, turmeric, cayenne, soy sauce, canola oil, chopped jalapenos, and finely chopped garlic. To up the presentation of the wings, they were turned into chicken “lollipops.” Each wing was cut into drumettes and flat pieces, tendons were cut, and the meat was pushed down the only bone on the drumette or the bigger of the two bones on the flat piece. On flat pieces, the smaller bone was then removed. You’re left with a scraped-clean bone that makes each cooked wing piece very easy to pick up and eat. After turning the pieces into lollipops and marinating them for at least an hour, they were baked while the dipping sauce was made. The sauce was a mix of Greek yogurt, peach preserves, hot sauce, and salt and pepper.

Cutting the wings to form the lollipops did require some extra effort, and the flat pieces were not as easy to convert as the drumettes. However, it was absolutely worth it. They looked great, and were perfect for serving yourself from a platter. They tasted as good as they looked too. Even though I only had time to marinate the wings for one hour, the spices flavored the chicken well. And, the sweet-spicy dipping sauce was exactly right with the flavors from the marinade.

See my review of Basic to Brilliant, Ya'll and get this curried chicken wings recipe at Project Foodie.

Sweet Potato Cakes with Sour Cream and Chipotle Black Bean Salsa

Football season is in full swing, and for me, the best part of watching a game is the spread of snacks that goes along with it. I was recently contacted by The Alcalde, which is an online magazine for the University of Texas alumni, and they asked if I’d like to submit a gameday recipe for this week. I’d be useless in a conversation about football stats, but coming up with food to serve at parties, I can do. Mine is one of four gameday recipes by Austin food bloggers who also happen to have graduated from UT. I wanted to use something seasonal for fall, and sweet potatoes are plentiful right now. There’s a recipe for sweet potato cakes in the book Plenty which is where this idea started. I imagined little, crisp cakes with some added big flavors that would still be easy to pick up at a party. I made some changes to the sweet potato cakes from the book by keeping them simple with just green onion added to the batter and by forming them in a nice, small size. And, since sweet potatoes and chiles belong together, I mixed a chipotle black bean salsa to sit on top and added sour cream for tanginess.

The sweet potato cakes in Plenty have some red chiles and soy sauce in addition to chopped green onions mixed into the batter for extra flavor. I added only green onion and salt and black pepper. Big chunks of peeled sweet potatoes were steamed until tender, allowed to drain until dry, and then mashed with a potato masher. Flour, the green onions, and salt and pepper were added and mixed in by hand, and then small cakes were formed. This process could be done in advance, and the cakes could be stored on a baking sheet in the refrigerator until you’re ready to fry them. They were fried for a few minutes per side in a mix of olive oil and butter, and the butter really adds great flavor. For the chipotle black bean salsa, finely chopped chipotle, small diced yellow bell pepper, minced red onion, chopped cilantro leaves, black beans, lime juice, and some salt were combined, and that’s it. Of course, taste as you go to decide it you’d like more chipotle heat and/or salt. The salsa could also be prepared in advance. For serving, the cakes were topped with sour cream which acts like a glue and holds the salsa in place.

At this size, the cakes hold together well for picking up off a tray, and each one offers a bite or two of sweet, tangy, spicy, fresh flavors. I highly recommend them for a gameday party. Just don’t ask me who won.

Sweet Potato Cakes with Sour Cream and Chipotle Black Bean Salsa

For the sweet potato cakes:
Adapted from Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi
(Makes 34 small cakes)
2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into large chunks
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
5 green onions, both white and green parts, finely chopped
4-6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4-6 tablespoons butter

-Steam the sweet potato chunks for 15-20 minutes until completely tender, and then transfer to a colander and allow to drain until dry.
- Once very dry, place sweet potato chunks in a large mixing bowl and mash with a potato masher to break up chunks. Add flour and finely chopped green onions, and mix with your hands to form a smooth batter. Using your hands here is best so that it doesn’t become over mixed. In a food processor, the sweet potato mixture could quickly become gummy. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper if needed. Once the mixture is smooth, and the flour and green onions are mixed in, you’re ready to fry. Note: the mixture should be sticky but not wet, so more flour may be needed.
- In a non-stick skillet, heat two tablespoons extra virgin olive oil and two tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Form round, flat cakes from about two tablespoons of batter per cake, and fry four or five at a time for three minutes per side until golden. Transfer finished cakes to a paper towel-lined baking sheet to drain and cool. Add more oil and butter to pan between batches as needed, and continue frying a few cakes at a time until all are ready for their toppings.

For the black bean salsa:
1 16 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
1-2 chipotles in adobo, finely chopped
1 small, yellow bell pepper, small diced
¼ cup finely minced red onion
¼ cup cilantro leaves, chopped
Juice of 1 lime
¼ teaspoon salt

-Combine all salsa ingredients, starting with one chipotle, in a small bowl and stir to combine. Taste for chipotle heat and add more if desired, and taste for seasoning and add more salt if needed. Salsa can be made in advance and stored in the refrigerator.

To assemble for serving:
½ cup sour cream

- Place sweet potato cakes on a serving platter and add a small dollop of sour cream to each. Top sour cream with a small spoonful of black bean salsa, and enjoy.

Mini Artichoke Turnovers

These cute, little appetizers caught my eye when they appeared in the December issue of Living magazine. They looked like the kind of bite-sized food that would be popular at a party, so I made them for Oscars night. Sadly, I was once again completely wrong about all of my Oscar win predictions, but I was right about these mini turnovers. They’re kind of like everyone’s favorite artichoke dip tucked into pockets of puff pastry. The filling is a bechamel into which parmesan and pecorino are melted before the chopped artichokes are added, and it’s cooled and allowed to set up a bit before it’s used. Even though there are a few steps involved in preparing these, they can be made in stages. Once they’re all assembled, they can sit in the freezer until you’re ready to bake them. The quantities in the original recipe result in about 70 turnovers which is quite a lot. That’s great for a big party, but for a smaller gathering, you might want to cut the recipe in half or leave some in the freezer for another time. And, speaking of that original recipe, I wasn’t able to find it online, so I’ll include it below.

The sauce started with melted butter and minced shallot and garlic. Flour was added, and then white wine was whisked into the roux. Once reduced a bit, milk was whisked into the sauce and when it thickened, the chopped artichoke hearts, shredded parmesan and pecorino, some thyme, and lemon zest were added. I actually made the filling a day in advance, so once it was cool, I stored it in the refrigerator overnight. The next day, I rolled a sheet of puff pastry out to just over 15 inches by 21 inches and cut it into 35 three-inch square pieces. A tablespoon of filling was placed in the center of each square. The pastry was folded over the filling into a triangle and then two corners were folded in to meet in the center making a neat packet. When all 35 were filled, they were placed on a parchment-lined baking sheet and placed in the freezer, and the process was repeated with a second sheet of puff pastry. They were baked straight from the freezer after being brushed with egg wash.

They came out of the oven golden and flakey, looking like ideal partners for cocktails, and the wine, lemon zest, and thyme in the filling gave it more interesting flavor than the stand-by artichoke dip. They were one of the big winners of the night since they were long gone well before best picture was announced.

Mini Artichoke Turnovers
from December 2010 Living
4 tablespoons butter
1 large shallot, minced
2 teaspoons minced garlic
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup whole milk, warmed
salt and pepper
pinch cayenne
3 cups canned artichoke hearts, rinsed, drained, and chopped
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan
1/2 cup finely grated Pecorino Romano
1 tablespoon chopped thyme
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon zest
2 packages all butter, frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 large egg, lightly beaten

-Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, and add shallot and garlic and cook for one minute. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, for about two minutes. Whisk while slowly pouring in the wine and allow to cook until reduced by half, about two minutes. Whisk in milk, bring to a boil, and allow to thicken while stirring. Season with salt, black pepper, and cayenne.

-Remove from heat and stir in artichoke hearts, cheeses, thyme, and lemon zest. Let cool completely, and refrigerate until ready to use.

-Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Roll out puff pastry to a 1/8 inch thickness, about 15 inches by 21 inches, on a lightly floured surface. Cut into 35 3-inch squares.

-Arrange 1 tablespoon artichoke mixture in the center of each square. Brush two perpendicular edges with water, and fold over to form a triangle and press to seal. Brush a corner of the triangle with water and join it to the opposite point to form a little folded-in packet. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough and filling. Refrigerate or freeze until firm, 30 minutes to 1 hour. (Or, freeze for up to two months.)

-Brush turnovers with egg wash. Bake until golden, about 20 minutes.

Double Blue Crostini and Fully Loaded Potato Skins

While my couch and I were re-connecting during that lovely, lazy week before the new year began, one of the books I read was Nigella Christmas. This was my first experience with a Nigella book. So, the references made to her previous books regarding recipes and friends were lost on me. It is, however, full of festive ideas for entertaining during the holiday season, and I was instantly inspired to try a couple of things. She presents ideas that don't require too much preparation time for casual gatherings. For our New Year’s Eve night of fun food, I wanted to try the double blue crostini and the fully loaded potato skins. Nigella explains that she makes simple canapes with tortilla chips rather than toasted pieces of bread because it's a time saver and good, thick tortilla chips 'resist sogginess longer.' The double blue crostini were blue corn tortilla chips with a blue cheese dip, and the fully loaded potato skins involved yet another bacon situation which I’ll explain.

For the blue cheese dip, room temperature cream cheese and sour cream were stirred together, and then blue cheese was mashed into the mixture. Finely chopped, pickled jalapenos were added, and the finished dip was scooped onto blue chips. Celery is always good with blue cheese, even though it went against the double blue concept, so I used some as a chip alternative.

Now, the point of the potato skins was that the filling mixture plus bacon on top made them fully loaded, so I couldn't skip that topping. I could have gone the route of using turkey bacon, but instead I decided to get creative, make a change, and use hot smoked chipotle salmon. I opted for mini yukon gold potatoes, and they were baked, halved, and hollowed. The potato pulp was combined with sour cream, chopped scallions, shredded cheddar cheese, and a bit of Worcestershire sauce. More shredded cheddar was applied on top, and they went back into the oven until melty and warm. Just before serving, I added pieces of smoked salmon to each.

I completely understand if you choose to fully load your potato skins with proper bacon, but the chipotle smoked salmon was a delicious alternative. As for the filling, there’s no denying the lure of potatoes with sour cream and cheddar. Regarding the double blue hors d’oeuvre, this was a simple but genius combination. The pickled jalapenos added addictive acidity and spice. Don’t start eating these while you’re hungry like I did because they’ll be gone far too quickly. This book offers Christmas-specific recipes and some to use all year, but I especially look forward to pulling it off the shelf when the holidays arrive again.

Oysters With Spicy Garlic Butter

I’m trying to remember how I chose this oyster dish to start our Christmas Eve meal last week. There’s an entire chapter devoted to oysters in John Besh’s My New Orleans, and I wanted to make every single recipe. I believe I decided to try this one first just because it’s so incredibly easy and it wouldn’t keep me in the kitchen for long. The oyster gratin could also have been served as an hors d’oeuvre with the breadcrumb topping applied to each half shell, and it wouldn’t have taken much longer. The oyster and artichoke soup could have mostly been prepared in advance and would have been delicious. The crispy fried oyster salad was another option, but I’d love to get some Louisiana caviar to present that dish properly. And, that’s just some of the oyster chapter. The book is divided seasonally starting with crawfish and Mardi Gras dishes, moving on to feast days and shrimp season, then fish followed by summer vegetables and crab season. There’s a chapter for gumbos and one for Thanksgiving, one for pork since Chef Besh raises his own hogs, and a final chapter for Reveillon or the feast served on Christmas Eve. It’s a beautiful book, and I’m enjoying cooking from it.

For these oysters, the intention was to grill them to impart some smokiness, but I was too lazy for that. I broiled them instead. A compound butter was made with garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, chopped chives, thyme leaves, and lemon juice. Slices of that butter were placed on top of each shucked oyster in its half shell, and then the oysters were broiled for a few minutes until they started to curl. They went from broiler to plate to our mouths in minutes.

These were simply fresh, spicy, and garlicy, and I should have made a dozen or so more than I did. I can’t wait to taste them off the grill when I make this again. I’ve tried a couple of other things from the book including the fall greens salad with blue cheese and pumpkin seed brittle. The vinaigrette with sherry vinegar and walnut oil was nutty and lovely with the blue cheese and cayenne-spiced pepita brittle. Also, the green tomato and pepper jam was sweet, tart, spicy, and just what some goat cheese on crostini needed. I’m already looking forward to Mardi Gras and strawberry season and all the other reasons to use this book throughout the coming year.

Thai Style Crab Cakes

I’ve made crab cakes many times in the past. I’ve made different sizes and mixed up the ingredients in small ways, but nothing really new and different in any significant way ever happened with my approach. Then, I saw Mark Bittman’s NY Times article about Thai style crab cakes, and there was a new and different twist that I simply had to try. His idea was to mimic Thai fish cakes that use pureed fish as a binder, but he used shrimp instead of fish for a better melding of flavors with crab. A few more ingredients common in Thai cuisine were added, and he had a new kind of crab cake. I had prepared a shopping list with this recipe in mind, and we stopped off at the farmers’ market before going to the grocery store. I was excited to find locally grown Thai chiles and Thai basil to use in the crab cakes.

For one pound of lump crab meat, six medium, raw shrimp were pureed in a food processor. The pureed shrimp were added to a mixing bowl with a little fish sauce, one egg, some chopped green onions, cilantro leaves, a seeded and chopped Thai chile or two, minced fresh ginger, chopped Thai basil, and the crab. This was carefully mixed together while trying not to break up the crab too much. Two to three tablespoons of fresh bread crumbs were to be added, and I think I used even less than that. The shrimp and egg held the mixture together very well, and the breadcrumbs were almost unnecessary. The cakes were formed and refrigerated for 30 minutes or so and then were dredged in flour before being fried for a few minutes on each side.

In the article, Bittman suggested serving the cakes with a dipping sauce of fish or soy sauce with lime juice, etc. or possibly with a mayonnaise mixed with fish sauce. I stirred together a quick sauce with mayonnaise, fish sauce, lime juice, and chopped Thai basil. These crab cakes were fantastic with a little dollop of that on top, but they were so full of flavor, they were also great all by themselves. I’m definitely hanging on to this recipe and foresee cute, little, mini versions of these cakes being served at upcoming holiday parties.

Paprika Palmiers

About a month ago, I attended a Central Market cooking class taught by remarkable baker and teacher Nick Malgieri. For this class, he prepared sweet and savory pastries from his new book The Modern Baker. This book provides time-saving techniques for all types of baking. Throughout the class, Malgieri’s vast experience was evident as he demonstrated multiple ways to complete several tasks. One technique he explained was taking the base out of a removable bottom tart pan and rolling pastry right on it. That way, you know exactly when you have rolled it to the proper size. He also demonstrated his general technique for rolling pastry and making quarter turns between rolls to arrive at a perfect circle. Both demonstrations took him about two and a half minutes total and couldn’t have appeared any easier. He also had great insight about baking times and temperatures. His preference is for well-done, flaky, and crisp tart and pie crusts. He mentioned that he sometimes bakes them directly on the floor of an oven to achieve such a crust. Interesting.

One of the savory items he prepared that night was this paprika palmier. Now I have to mention a detail that stuck in my craw. Malgieri prepared and included in the book a recipe for instant puff pastry. This pastry was prepared in a food processor and was then rolled and folded. For me, it was not puff pastry. This is what he used for these palmiers, and the sample was delicious, and he did point out that the pastry would not achieve the volume of a true puff pastry. So, maybe if it were called quick pastry that tastes good but isn’t quite like puff pastry, then I would have accepted it and moved on. For a palmier, savory or sweet, I wanted the pastry to be of the real puff variety. That’s why I chose purchased puff pastry to prepare this quick hors d’oeuvre for a holiday party this past weekend. Great news: Whole Foods now makes their own brand of all-butter puff pastry, and it’s found in the freezer section.

These little gems came together incredibly simply. Roll out pastry. Brush an egg wash over entire surface. Sprinkle on grated parmigiana reggiano, smoked Spanish paprika, and sea salt. Roll, chill, cut, and bake. Smoky, nutty, salty, and buttery flavors melded into lovely, little cocktail snacks. I’d love to attempt making my own pate feuilletee, but the pre-made all-butter version is a great alternative. I’ve flipped through The Modern Baker, and every recipe in it looks like a winner. There are a few cookies from it that are already on my Christmas baking list and several tarts and cakes that I look forward to trying too.

Blue Cheese Popovers

On Monday, I mentioned a celebratory dinner party and went straight to discussing dessert. Today, I’ll backtrack and describe the hors d’oeuvre course. We toasted with a Louis Bouillot blanc de blancs sparkling wine and whetted our appetites with blue cheese popovers and herb-marinated green olives. I found the mini popovers in Martha Stewart's Hors d'Oeuvres Handbook. I’ve used this book many times over the years and have come to depend on it. The chapters are organized by shapes or styles such as skewered, stacked, or stuffed. There are meat, cheese, and vegetable options throughout, and several of the spiced nut variations have become perennial, holiday favorites of mine.

The genius of these popovers is that the batter needs to be chilled before it’s baked so it’s not just convenient but also necessary to make it the day before. I crumbled a Roquefort cheese as small as I could into the milk and melted butter batter which sat in the refrigerator overnight. Unlike baking full-sized popovers, the pan does not need to be pre-heated. A mini-muffin pan is used, and the batter is spooned in to fill each cup. They pop up nicely, hold their shape well even as they cool, and they can even be re-heated which I discovered when we snacked on the leftovers.

Served warm, these little, bite-sized morsels had a light, golden crust on the outside with pillowy, moist, and savory insides. The amount of blue cheese used here provides just a mild pungency. To my taste, I would actually consider increasing the amount to push that flavor forward. But, if blue cheese isn’t your thing, try these simple, tidy popovers with gruyere or parmigiana reggiano for your next cocktail hour.