Appetizer/Hors D'Oeuvre/Starter Ideas

[heidih]

My mom used to do these as a pass around bit for dinner parties - with cocktails. I think just mayo and green onion thinly sliced. I have the recipe somewhere..

[blue_dolphin]

One of the "recipes" in Renee Erickson's Getaway is this one for Goat Cheese with Honeycomb, Chipotle and Salt served with charred tortillas or tortilla chips.

 

The combo of warm charred tortillas, creamy goat cheese, smoky-hot chipotle and sweet honey is delicious and the delicate crispness from the bits of honeycomb make it special. 

Any flatbread, toasted for a bit of char would easily sub for the tortillas. 

 

[MaryIsobel]

2 minutes ago, blue_dolphin said:

One of the "recipes" in Renee Erickson's Getaway is this one for Goat Cheese with Honeycomb, Chipotle and Salt served with charred tortillas or tortilla chips.

 

The combo of warm charred tortillas, creamy goat cheese, smoky-hot chipotle and sweet honey is delicious and the delicate crispness from the bits of honeycomb make it special. 

Any flatbread, toasted for a bit of char would easily sub for the tortillas. 

 

Definitely sounds like a winning combination!

[JAZ]

On 4/23/2023 at 2:41 AM, Katie Meadow said:

Whatever Gabrielle Hamilton puts on a cracker I'll try at least once. She has a knack. Recently I read her "recipe" if you can call it that for fried saltines with dijon mustard, cheddar and white onion. You briefly fry saltines in oil until golden, let them drain and cool,  then spread a modest amount of mustard on, topped with a saltine sized slice of cheddar and a few wisps of thinly sliced white onion. Low-brow ingredients, high payoff! Of course she's absurdly fussy about all her combos, and in this case she instructs you how to cut the onion: in half-moons, not semi circles! We devoured them.

 

 

I was intrigued with the idea of fried saltines so I tried them, but topped mine with pimento cheese instead. Definite keeper.

[Kerry Beal]

I fried a sleeve of saltines this evening in sunflower oil with a bit of olive oil. They don't take long - so some where a bit (OK a lot) overdone. 

 

Topped with some old cheddar and a bit of something I found in the fridge which might have been red pepper chutney. 

[gfweb]

On 7/10/2023 at 8:11 PM, Kerry Beal said:

I fried a sleeve of saltines this evening in sunflower oil with a bit of olive oil. They don't take long - so some where a bit (OK a lot) overdone. 

 

Topped with some old cheddar and a bit of something I found in the fridge which might have been red pepper chutney. 

 

Does a fried saltine differ from a squared ritz?

[Kerry Beal]

Squared ritz?

[JAZ]

On 7/10/2023 at 8:11 PM, Kerry Beal said:

I fried a sleeve of saltines this evening in sunflower oil with a bit of olive oil. They don't take long - so some where a bit (OK a lot) overdone. 

 

Topped with some old cheddar and a bit of something I found in the fridge which might have been red pepper chutney. 

 

I love the combination of aged cheddar (or aged gouda) with roasted red peppers, so I can see that working quite well.

[Maison Rustique]

I made this Dirty Martini Dip to take to a party today. It is so good! I tried it with potato chips and I could sit and eat them all day. Very easy--I think I'll be making this again!

[MaryIsobel]

3 hours ago, Maison Rustique said:

I made this Dirty Martini Dip to take to a party today. It is so good! I tried it with potato chips and I could sit and eat them all day. Very easy--I think I'll be making this again!

I saw that recipe. Since I love a dirty martini, I'm sure I would like it. I'll have to make it next time I have company.

[blue_dolphin]

4 hours ago, Maison Rustique said:

I made this Dirty Martini Dip to take to a party today. It is so good! I tried it with potato chips and I could sit and eat them all day. Very easy--I think I'll be making this again!

You could make these Dirty Martini Stuffed Olives to go along with the dip. They’re stuffed with what’s basically a Jell-O shot. 
I'd use gin instead of vodka but each to their own!

[Katie Meadow]

On 7/10/2023 at 5:11 PM, Kerry Beal said:

I fried a sleeve of saltines this evening in sunflower oil with a bit of olive oil. They don't take long - so some where a bit (OK a lot) overdone. 

 

Topped with some old cheddar and a bit of something I found in the fridge which might have been red pepper chutney. 

Yes, the only challenging part to fried saltines is adjusting the heat and getting the saltines the hell out of the pan quickly. When they sit on paper towels after frying they continue to darken. We've tossed a lot of mistakes into the garbage.. 

[blue_dolphin]

I used one of the little Dorothy's cheeses I got at Trader Joe's to make this Throwback Baked Brie with Spicy Honey Upgrade from The Global Pantry Cookbook and really enjoyed it. 

The recipe calls for brie, honey, sour dried cherries, Calabrian chiles, thyme and toasted black walnuts.  I say it's a great template for either a baked cheese appetizer or even a very upgraded grilled cheese sandwich  Pick a soft, ripened cheese, a sweet syrup, a tart, dried fruit, something spicy, a compatible herb, a toasted nut and it will be delicious!   I used that Dorothy's Garden Secrets cheese, a mix of unsweetened dried cranberries and dried sweet cherries, Bomba sauce, thyme and toasted walnuts. The recipe says to serve with crackers and apple slices.  I say bread rules but the apples are good, too.

 

[RWood]

I haven’t made these in years, but I found some really nice sun dried tomatoes at the Buford Hwy Farmers market. 
These are soaked in vinegar with sliced garlic, herbs, parm, olive oil and capers. Really good with goat cheese or burrata and grilled bread.

[Maison Rustique]

14 hours ago, RWood said:

I haven’t made these in years, but I found some really nice sun dried tomatoes at the Buford Hwy Farmers market. 
These are soaked in vinegar with sliced garlic, herbs, parm, olive oil and capers. Really good with goat cheese or burrata and grilled bread.

That looks amazing!

[blue_dolphin]

Yesterday I made the Royal Tuna Tartare from Kris Yenbamroong's cookbook, Night + Market and it's very fun.  Like ceviche and poke ran off to Thailand for a little fling. I couldn't find the recipe online but if anyone wants the proportions, just say so and I'll paraphrase it. 

You fry up some wonton wrappers and top them with a mix of raw tuna, cut in 1/4" pieces, shallot, lime, lemongrass, bird's eye chiles, makrut lime leaves, Seasoned Fried Peanuts (also from the book) and the ingredient that gave me pause - grated coconut, toasted in a dry pan with sugar. I was worried I was ruining everything but it adds a crunchy little hit of toasty sweetness that's just perfect. The flavors aren't all blended together, it's like a bunch of little flavor explosions in each bite, and all kinds of textures, too.

This would be equally at home over rice like poke, scooped up with tortilla chips like ceviche or spooned into an avocado as I did with the leftovers:

[Katie Meadow]

Fried wonton wrappers are also good with creme fraiche, scallions and salmon roe and a little seaweed salad as a garnish. If you are lacking wonton wrappers potato chips work with creme fraiche and salmon roe as a dip. The ahi tuna recipe sounds great, if a little more labor intensive plus more ingredients.

[MaryIsobel]

I often use wonton wrappers in mini muffin cups as a base for appies. Very little carbs for those who count and you can fill them with anything!

[Smithy]

1 hour ago, blue_dolphin said:

... it's very fun.  Like ceviche and poke ran off to Thailand for a little fling.

 

I adore this simile! 😄

[Tropicalsenior]

I have a dip recipe that I have been making for 40 years. It's probably the easiest dip in the world and one of the best. I got it from a chef at a country club in Reno. It was his specialty and he never told anybody what was in it but I did him a favor by working for him through the holidays when he really needed it and as I left he gave me the recipe, making me promise to never divulge it.

It is simply 8 oz of cream cheese and one small can of anchovies. Mash the anchovies to paste and combine with the cheese. I've always gotten rave reviews and even some anchovy haters have loved it. I'm always asked for the recipe and especially in the cases of the anchovy haters I just have to smile and tell them I promised never to tell anyone.

Edited June 7 by Tropicalsenior (log)

[liuzhou]

Dinner was an old standby I've posted a dozen times, so I'm sparing you that but to start:

 

 

Auditory organs of Sus scrofa scrofa

 

 

[KennethT]

On 6/7/2024 at 2:36 PM, blue_dolphin said:

Yesterday I made the Royal Tuna Tartare from Kris Yenbamroong's cookbook, Night + Market and it's very fun.  Like ceviche and poke ran off to Thailand for a little fling. I couldn't find the recipe online but if anyone wants the proportions, just say so and I'll paraphrase it. 

You fry up some wonton wrappers and top them with a mix of raw tuna, cut in 1/4" pieces, shallot, lime, lemongrass, bird's eye chiles, makrut lime leaves, Seasoned Fried Peanuts (also from the book) and the ingredient that gave me pause - grated coconut, toasted in a dry pan with sugar. I was worried I was ruining everything but it adds a crunchy little hit of toasty sweetness that's just perfect. The flavors aren't all blended together, it's like a bunch of little flavor explosions in each bite, and all kinds of textures, too.

This would be equally at home over rice like poke, scooped up with tortilla chips like ceviche or spooned into an avocado as I did with the leftovers:

These look amazing, but I"m sure I'm not the first to think that you'd never see this in a night market in Thailand or anywhere else in SE Asia - I've never seen raw fish served anywhere, which would be obvious when you see the fish markets and all the fish laying around in 90 degree heat!  The usual cooking method for fish is "cook the crap out of it to make sure everything is dead".

[blue_dolphin]

19 minutes ago, KennethT said:

These look amazing, but I"m sure I'm not the first to think that you'd never see this in a night market in Thailand or anywhere else in SE Asia - I've never seen raw fish served anywhere, which would be obvious when you see the fish markets and all the fish laying around in 90 degree heat!  The usual cooking method for fish is "cook the crap out of it to make sure everything is dead".

 

Yes, cooking the heck out of that fish would seem wise!  

To be clear on this dish and the book, the recipes are mostly from Kris Yenbamroong's Night + Market restaurants of that name in Los Angeles.  He does draw on the foods and flavors of Thai street food where he lived with family but also on his experience growing up in the Los Angeles Thai restaurant, Talésai, that his immigrant parents opened, with his grandmother helming the kitchen. According to the header notes, it was his grandmother who came up with this idea at Talésai to take the flavor profile of the Thai dish, miang kham, of aromatics and crunchy bits wrapped in betel leaves and apply it to tuna tartare.  He has more to say in the header notes, but that's the gist of it.   Zero connection is implied to any fish served at a night market in Thailand!

[KennethT]

35 minutes ago, blue_dolphin said:

 

Yes, cooking the heck out of that fish would seem wise!  

To be clear on this dish and the book, the recipes are mostly from Kris Yenbamroong's Night + Market restaurants of that name in Los Angeles.  He does draw on the foods and flavors of Thai street food where he lived with family but also on his experience growing up in the Los Angeles Thai restaurant, Talésai, that his immigrant parents opened, with his grandmother helming the kitchen. According to the header notes, it was his grandmother who came up with this idea at Talésai to take the flavor profile of the Thai dish, miang kham, of aromatics and crunchy bits wrapped in betel leaves and apply it to tuna tartare.  He has more to say in the header notes, but that's the gist of it.   Zero connection is implied to any fish served at a night market in Thailand!

Ah!  That makes sense.  It's funny, when I was reading your post, the first thing I thought of was miang kum, which we had in Chiang Mai (where it originates) and it was amazing - but even better is the sweet/salty sauce it comes with which is thick palm sugar syrup with shirmp paste, dried shrimp, galangal, etc.  I think a drop or two on top of what you've got would be fantastic, although it makes it a bit more work to make the sauce.

[FrogPrincesse]

Toasted Japanese white bread with crème fraiche and salmon roe. Little squeeze of lemon juice. So good!

 

 

Edited June 22 by FrogPrincesse (log)