Appetizers

Roasted Fruits

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So, you probably know that roasted vegetables have a sweeter and deeper flavor to them –  and the same applies to roasted fruit!   Roasted fruit is a delicious addition to salads, cereals, rice dishes, chicken, fish, tacos, desserts and more.

Directions: 

1) Toss sliced fruit with a few teaspoons of olive oil or canola oil
2) Use parchment paper or a Silplat mat for easy clean-up
3) If desired, sprinkle with spices like cinnamon, nutmeg or ginger
4) Roast in a 400° oven. Times will vary based on the size of fruit – anywhere from 15 – 25 minutes.

Tips on roasting specific fruits:

Oranges/Grapefruit – Slice thinly (1/8-inch thick) and roast for 25 minutes. You can drizzle a little bit of honey over the grapefruit slices. Toss in salads, serve over fish or snack and enjoy them on their own. Try Roasted Orange, Asparagus and Cheddar Grilled Romaine Salad or Roasted Citrus and Kiwi – @MJ and The Hungryman

Grapes – Keep on the stems and roast for about 20 minutes. Mix into oatmeal, granola or rice dishes or try these recipes:  Honey-Roasted Grapes with Peanut Butter Granola
Maple + Mustard Roasted Chicken with Roasted Figs & Grapes – @Katie Cavuto
Sweet & Savory Harvest Rice Bowl – Natalie @Nutrition Ala Natalie

Avocados – Use firmer avocados. Peal, cut in half and remove pits. Sprinkle with a dash of cumin and sugar. Place cut sides up and roast for 15 minutes. Serve with tacos, nachos, chicken, fish or mash onto toast or try this Roasted Avocado Salmon Taco Salad.

Strawberries: My new favorite – each piece is tastes like a burst of strawberry jam – without the added sugar. Slice in half and place cut side down on parchment. Roast for 20 minutes.  Try Maple Vanilla Oatmeal with Roasted Strawberries – @Uproot From Oregon

And here are even more types of fruit to try roast along with some recipes for inspiration:

Figs:  Roasted Figs Blue Cheese & Walnut Spread – @Craving Something Healthy

Peaches:  Roasted Peach Salad with Peach Vinaigrette @Marisa Moore, Roasted Peaches and Figs with Mascarpone and Almonds – @Avocado A Day

Apricots: Roasted Apricot-Almond Smoothie – @The Foodie Dietitian, Brown Sugar Roasted Apricots with Creme Fraiche – @Mom’s Kitchen Handbook

Cranberries:  Spiced Cheese Cakes with Roasted Cranberries @My Cape Cod Kitchen,
Roasted Cranberry Brie Pastry Puffs @The Nutrition Adventure. )I made these at Christmas – delish!) Butternut Squash and Roasted Cranberry Quinoa @Nutritioulicious

Pears: Maple Pecan Roasted Pears – @Your Choice Nutrition, Spinach Salad with Roasted Pears @Food Confidence, Roasted Pears with Dried Plums and Pistachios @Nutrition Starring You

Apples: Autumn Salad with Roasted Chicken and Apples @Edwina Clark, Cinnamon Roasted Apples @Amy Gorin

Roasted Grapes with Walnut Oil
Roasted Orange Wedges with Herbs

 

How to Roast Fruit

  • Select fruit that’s ripe, but still firm — using fruit that’s too soft will lead to the fruit steaming, which will minimize browning.
  • Tossing fruit with a touch of oil (olive or nut oils are nice choices), citrus juice, or a splash of wine (or rum or beer) will ensure the fruit produces a sauce during roasting.
  • Add a little sugar to further encourage caramelization. Dust cut sides of the fruit with raw sugar for extra crispy edges. Try mixing sugar with warm spices like cinnamon and mace before sprinkling on the fruit.
  • Spread fruit out in a single layer on a parchment-lined, rimmed baking sheet to maximize browning and ensure even cooking.
  • Roast the fruit for 20-40 minutes depending on the size of the fruit. Roasted fruit should be tender throughout — test for tenderness by poking cooked fruit with the tip of a paring knife. If the knife easily pierces the fruit with little resistance, it’s ready.

Whole Fruit

  • Fall fruits with edible seeds, like figs and grapes, are excellent roasted whole.
  • Larger fruits like apples and pears should be cored before roasting (and stuffed, if desired), and then served whole or sliced.

Chopped Fruit

  • Fruit should be evenly chopped to ensure even cooking.
  • Fruit that is cubed then roasted will have a more uniformly browned exterior and crispier exterior than fruit that is roasted whole and then chopped.

Perfect Pairings

  • Cored apples stuffed with raisins, hazelnuts, and brown sugar, and then roasted whole.
  • Figs roasted with rosemary and walnut halves, served chilled with blue cheese (or goat cheese!) and crackers.
  • Pears roasted with cinnamon and a split vanilla bean, and then chopped and served as a compote over ice cream.
  • Toss quartered and seeded apples alongside a pork roast during the last 20-30 minutes of cooking.
  • Persimmon wedges (try underripe fuyu persimmons for best results) roasted with grated nutmeg and honey.
  • Roasted red grapes lightly coated in a splash of sherry vinegar and tossed with cooked farro and big flakes of Parmesan.
  • Tuck maple-drenched, roasted fresh cranberries into your favorite pancake batter.
  • Roast all the fall fruit you can get your hands on, squeeze a bit of fresh lemon juice over the top (add a drizzle of honey, if necessary) and serve as an elegant warm fruit salad.

Spinach Balls

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These look sort of odd but taste really good.  If you think you need a dip, try Marinara sauce.  They can be frozen.

Ingredients:

  • 2 (10 ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach
  • 1 (6 ounce) packages chicken Stove Top stuffing mix
  • 1 c grated Parmesan cheese
  • 6 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 3/4 c butter, melted
  • salt, pepper to taste
  • toothpicks

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven 350°
  2. Cook spinach according to instructions.
  3. Drain in a sieve. Use back of a wooden spoon to press the spinach against the sieve to get as much moisture as possible out.
  4. In a bowl combine the spinach, stuffing mix, cheese, eggs, butter, salt& pepper
  5. Mix thoroughly.
  6. Roll into small balls 3/4 to 1″ size.
  7. Place balls on a cookie sheet.
  8. Bake 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned. (If you are doing them fresh or thawed only bake for 7-10 minutes.)
  9. Serve hot.

Serves:  6 dozen

Source:  Genius Kitchen, Recipe by Bergy

Baby Bay Shrimp Cups

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You will just gobble these down!

Ingredients:

  • 2 lbs tiny bay shrimp, rinsed and dried on a towel.
  • 1 large bag Tostitos Scoops
  • 1/4 c cocktail sauce
  • 1 c sour cream

Directions:

  1. Mix shrimp, sour cream and cocktail sauce.
  2. Spoon into Tostitos Scoops.
  3. Serve pretty soon as they tend to get soggy.

Serves:  Makes about 40, how many will you eat?

Source:  Can’t find it.  It may have been on the bag.

 

Gorgonzola Squares

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An easy hors d’oeuvre.  Also a nice “bread” addition to a salad.  It will work with a variety of cheeses:  goat (add a little curry), Mozzarella (add a little Italian seasoning), Jack (add a little diced chili)  etc.

Ingredients:

  • 1 box puff pastry
  • 1 egg
  • Gorgonzola filling

Ingredients for filling:

  • 8 ozcream cheese softened
  • 4 oz Gorgonzola crumbled (or any blue cheese)
  • 2 green onions sliced
  • 1 Tab fresh minced parsley
  • ½ tsp black pepper

Directions for filling:

  1. In a medium bowl, stir together cream cheese and remaining ingredients until combined.  (Mix until smooth in food processor if piping with frosting tip)
  2. Set aside until ready to cook puff pasty.

Directions for puff pastry:

  1. Preheat oven to 400° F.
  2. Unfold pastry sheets onto lightly floured cutting board.
  3. Cut each into 9 three-inch squares.  (Way too big!!  1 1/2 inch is bite size)
  4. Poke centers (not the edges) multiple times with fork.
  5. Lightly brush tops with egg.
  6. Place pastry square on a parchment lined baking sheet one inch apart.
  7. Bake 10 minutes.
  8. Remove from oven and flatten centers with back of a spoon. (or the end of a wooden spoon)
  9. Place a dab of blue cheese mixture in the middle.
  10. Bake 7-10 minute more until golden brown.
  11. Garnish with additional green onion slices.
  12. Serve immediately.

Serves:  18-27

Source:  Plating Pixels

Jumbo Jim’s Tower of Fruit

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Jumbo Jim’s Tower of Fruit is a tradition at our summer parties.  It is pretty free form and flexible – how big is the group, how much table space, what fruit is in season.  We sometimes have dishes of sweet dips for the fruit.

Ingredients:

  • kiwi
  • cantaloupe
  • honeydew
  • watermelon
  • oranges, lemons limes
  • pineapple
  • bunches grapes – red and green
  • strawberries

Tower:

  • lettuce, kale, Swiss chard (large leaves of something)
  • parsley
  • green Styrofoam pieces – cubes and/or rounds to use like building blocks
  • long skewers
  • toothpicks

Directions:

  1. Arrange Styrofoam (of various sizes)  to form the structure for the tower.  Stair step them up to a single round top piece.
  2. Skewer them securely together with long skewers.
  3. Cover them with lettuce, kale or other large leafed greens secured with toothpicks.
  4. Cut the whole pineapple in half lengthwise.  Leave the top on.
  5. Extract the fruit, leaving a shell to use as a dish.
  6. Cut the cantaloupe in half.  You can use a v shaped tool to make the edge fancy.
  7. Extract the fruit, leaving a shell to use as a dish.
  8. Cut the honeydew in 1/3 – 2/3 to make a deep shell.  You can also use a little watermelon.
  9. Cut a thin slice off the bottom so it will sit flat.
  10. Extract the fruit, leaving a shell to use as a dish.
  11. Cut all the fruit you extracted into large bite size pieces- keep them separate.
  12. Now comes the fun.  Place the honeydew at the top of your”tower”.
  13. Arrange the cantaloupe on the next layer.
  14. Use the half pineapples on the lowest corners.
  15. Skewer all these in place.  They will be the bowls for your fruit.  You can add other containers – large sea shells, pretty baskets, etc.
  16. “Decorate” the tower with parsley (fill in blank spots) half oranges, lemons, limes (cut side out) and even flowers (real or not).
  17. At party time, fill the containers with a variety of fruits – not necessarily what the container originally had.
  18. Don’t forget toothpicks for serving and a dish for used toothpicks.

Serves:  Usually more that you think it will.

Source:  Jim Kleerup

 

Brie in Puff Pastry

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Another low on the difficulty – high on the delivery appetizer. All you do is wrap a wheel(any size) of brie in a thawed sheet of puff pastry and bake until golden. 

Ingredients:

  • 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
  • flour, for rolling
  • 1 round brie cheese (8 to 12 ounces, 5- to 7-inch diameter)
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • optional variations
  • baguette slices or crackers

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°.
  2. Place an oven rack in the middle position.
  3. Dust your counter with a small amount of flour.
  4. Unwrap your puff pastry and place it on the counter.
  5. Rub your rolling pin with a little flour. (What, no rolling pin – use a wine bottle or other round container)
  6. Roll the puff pastry until it measures roughly 11 inches by 11 inches.
  7. Place the round of brie in the middle of the pastry.
  8. Top with any optional extra toppings, if using.
  9. Fold the corners over the brie, forming a neat package.
  10. Use your hand to gently press the edges against the brie and neaten up the sides.  If you ended up wheel that’s too large for the pastry to totally wrap the wheel, just bunch the pastry inwards as well as you can; leave the middle exposed and call it “rustic.”
  11. Transfer the wrapped brie to an oven proof dish or pie plate. If the pastry has warmed and is no longer cool to the touch at this point, place the tray in the fridge for 10 minutes, or until you’re ready to bake (even the next day)and serve.  Brush with egg wash just before baking.
  12. For a shinny, golden brown crust brush the pastry all over with the beaten egg. Be sure to get the sides and around the folds. Try not to let the egg puddle under the brie.  It can be baked without the egg it just won’t be shinny.
  13. Bake until golden-brown, 35 to 40 minutes.
  14. Allow to cool 5 to 10 minutes: This gives the hot cheese time to firm up a little and not burn your guests.
  15. Arrange sliced baguette or crackers around the brie and serve while warm.

Baked Brie Variations:
Top with a few spoonfuls jam or preserves, like raspberry jam, apricot jam, or jalapeño jelly.
Top with honey and nuts: especially almonds, walnuts or pecans.
Top with a few spoonfuls of store-bought or homemade cranberry sauce.  (whole berry, not jellied)
Slice or chop any tart baking apple and cook with butter over low heat until soft and warmed through. Scoop on top of the brie.
Slowly caramelize one onion over low heat until very brown, soft, and sweet-tasting. You can stir in a few teaspoons of brown sugar or balsamic vinegar if you like. Scoop over the brie.
Caramelize one onion and add chopped or sliced mushrooms in the last half of cooking.

Serves: 10 to 12

Source:   thekitchn.com

Scallops Brochette

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There are scallops and there scallops.  For some great information, check the blog (Margie’s Kitchen – Food is good) for Scallops – More That You Ever Wanted To Know.  We served this with Caribbean Salsa and a Fruit Salsa as an appetizer course.

Ingredients:

  • scallops – use the larger ones (10 – 15/lb)
  • 1/4 c melted butter or olive oil
  • 1 Tab lime juice
  • 1/4 c chopped chives
  • salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Thread scallops on to 4 skewers.
  2. Combine butter, chives and lime juice.
  3. Brush some on the scallops.
  4. Grill under a pre-heated grill or over a hot charcoal fire for approximately 5 minutes, turning often.
  5. Baste with a little more melted butter while cooking.
  6. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  7. Serve immediately.

Cooking tip: If bamboo skewers are used, soak them for several hours in cold water beforehand to prevent them from burning

Serves: 4

Source:  Copy-cat from a couple of restaurants

Teddy’s Brie

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This recipe is harder to describe than it is to make.  Play with it.

Ingredients:

brie – 4 oz (2.5 inches), 8 oz (5 inches) 1 lb (1/2 kilo, ? inches), 2.2 lb (1 kilo, 7 – 9 inches)

Savory

  • green onions – chopped
  • bacon – crumbled
  • hard boiled eggs – chopped
  • olives, black or green – chopped
  • caviar, black or red
  • black pepper, cracked (coarse)
  • sun dried tomatoes – diced
  • red peppers, canned – diced
  • crispy onions
  • pine nuts – chopped
  • chives
  • parsley
  • guacamole

Sweet  – drizzle the fruits or nuts with honey

  • dried apricots – diced
  • dates – diced
  • pears -diced
  • nuts – chopped – almonds are especially good
  • cranberries – candied
  • carmelized onion
  • jam – raspberry, blackberry, cherry
  •  jalapeño jelly.

Directions:

To peel the top rind off of the brie or not – a personal choice.  I don’t bother.
The number of toppings will depend on the size of your brie.

  1. Take a table knife.
  2. Place it in the brie from center to edge, making a barrier for the topping.
  3. Using additional knives, divide the top into as many triangles as is appropriate for the size of the brie.  4 oz one get one or two, 8 oz can hold .
  4. Carefully top each sections with a topping – don’t overdo it.  Keep in mind how the colors play out.  The visual can be stunning – black caviar, next to red peppers, next to green chives.

Serves:  Depends on the size of the brie and how much other stuff you have.

Source:   Teddy Wells, Artful Gourmet, Villa Park, CA

Grilled Grapes

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 These can be a big surprise on a camp 0ut!   The grapes get blistered and caramelized on the outside, and extra juicy and practically jammy on the inside. To get fancier, throw some hardy fresh herbs like rosemary or thyme in the oil—they’ll perfume the grapes, making them just the right amount of savory.
Then it’s only a matter of what to do with them:
Serve them as a condiment for meat.  Spoon them over pork, chicken, or even flaky white fish to instantly upgrade your main course.
Spoon them over ice cream.  A big helping served over vanilla ice cream just may be the ultimate 2-ingredient sundae.
Sprinkle them on salad.  Swap raw grapes out for a handful of roasted grapes and even the simplest salad will be transformed into something much more.
Use them as a topping for crustini.  One serious party hit, crostini are a perfect vehicle for the juicy grapes. Swipe something creamy like  ricotta or goat cheese on the toasts first. Or don’t. Either way you win.
Toss them with pasta.  Fruit in pasta? Believe it. Roasted grapes add just the right amount of sweetness to balance spicy, savory  ingredients like sausage, and their juice creates an instant sauce.
Use them as a fancy addition to a cheese plate.  Serve them in a bowl alongside a cheese plate and your guests will instantly be impressed. They pair perfectly with both soft cheeses like brie and harder cheeses like cheddar.

Ingredients:
  • 1 small cluster red seedless grapes ( per person)
  • 1/2 teaspoon olive oil

DIRECTIONS – grilled

  1. For each cluster of grapes, use 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil. In a mixing bowl, toss grapes, still on the stem, gently with olive oil.
  2. Grill on a medium-high grill for 3-4 minutes.

Directions: – roasted

  1. Toss grapes, on or off the stem, with olive oil, salt, and pepper
  2. Roast them on a sheet pan for about 30 minutes at 425°F.
Source:  .geniuskitchen.com – Recipe by HokiesMom, Epicurious.com

Tomato Basil Brushetta

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Bruschetta is an antipasto from Italy consisting of grilled bread rubbed with garlic and topped with olive oil and salt. It can be topped with just about anything – tomato, vegetables, cured meat, cheese or pesto.  Pronounced “brusketta”, this classic Italian appetizer is a perfect way to capture the flavors of garden ripened tomatoes, fresh basil, garlic, and olive oil. Think of it as summer on toast! 

Ingredients:

  • Rondele (or other soft flavorful  cheese)
  • Roma tomatoes – diced and drained
  • basil – whole small leaves, or diced larger ones
  • red onion – finely diced
  • garlic
  • olive oil
  • balsamic vinegar – optional
  • Regina Panetini Garlic Italian Toast (Von’s)  or any baguette, sliced and  toasted on both sides

Directions:

  1. Brush the toast with oil.
  2. Rub with cut garlic.
  3. Mix diced tomatoes, onion and basil.  You can add a little garlic, salt, pepper and balsamic vinegar if you wish.
  4. Spread a thin layer of cheese on the toast.
  5. Top with automation mixture.
  6. Serve immediately or the toast will get soggy.

Source:   Many dinners at Italian restaurants