Sushi

I have a dear, sweet family member, Liz, Ole Sweetie-Pi's youngest daughter, who is allergic to all kinds of foods:  wheat, dairy, soy, corn, white potatoes, beef, peanuts, almonds, some fruits...poor thing. And doggone, doesn't corn syrup show up in a ton of  processed food, same with gluten in its many disguises.  I don't know what's left.  Rice, beans, fish, some vegetables, some fruits,  sweet potatoes.   When it's time for family gatherings it's a challenge to find food that is delicious as well as belly friendly.

I remember my mother making sushi when my brothers and I were children.  She had the sushi mat and she'd have rolls made in no time.  And boy, did I love them.  Hers were very simple, just nori,  sushi rice, deli ham and sliced gherkin pickle.  We'd eat them as fast as she could make them.  When I went to make my own sushi, I was concerned about rolling the sushi, but there's absolutely nothing to it.  If you've ever rolled dough for cinnamon rolls, made a jelly roll, or even rolled your own cigarettes (okay, just looking and seeing if you're paying attention with that last one), you shouldn't have any kind of trouble.  You don't even need a sushi mat ~ a plain white linen dish cloth covered with a piece of plastic wrap will serve you better than good.

I have to smile.  Sushi is an acquired taste; it's the idea of dried seaweed that throws off a lot of people and the fear that the sushi has raw fish in it.  Let's just say that at Ole Sweetie-Pi's family gathering, this was not a huge hit, even the sushi that did not have the salmon in it, with only three of us trying various selections.

The recipe I'm going to share with you is for the sushi rice only, but for the "stuffing" you can put together any combination of ingredients you think would be delicious and complement the sushi rice.  Try not to overstuff because you need to roll the the nori/sushi rice/filling.  I made three different flavors:  diced avocado and shrimp; sliced deli ham and gherkin pickles; smoked salmon and sliced, peeled English cucumbers.  Because I had a ton of the cucumber and salmon left over, I sliced the cucumbers into discs, put on a dollop of herbed pub cheese  and topped with a couple pieces of smoked salmon.  Served on a tray, it made a tempting, delicious presentation, I think.

Sushi Rice
(found here:  http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Moms-Sushi-Rice/

2 1/4 cups uncooked sushi rice (not long-grained rice!)**
3 cups water

1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 1/4  teaspoon salt

Place rice into a large, deep bowl. Fill with cold water and rub rice together with hands until the water turns milky white. Pour off the cloudy water, being careful not to pour out the rice. Repeat 3 or 4 times until you can see the rice through 3-inches of water.

Drain the rice in a fine strainer, then place into a saucepan with the 3 cups of water. Allow to stand for 30 minutes. Cover; bring rice to a boil over high heat; then reduce heat to low, and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to stand for 5 minutes.

In the meantime, while the rice is cooking, stir together rice vinegar, sugar, and salt until dissolved in a small bowl, set aside.

Scrape rice into a bowl. Stir in vinegar mixture until well incorporated and no lumps of rice remain. Allow to cool at room temperature.

MY NOTES:  Lay out your impeccably clean white linen (not terrycloth!) dish towel.  Lay a piece of plastic wrap over that.  Open up your package of nori and lay the nori on the plastic wrap.  The nori is a small square and fragile.  Using wet fingers, spread about 3/4 cup of the sushi rice evenly over the nori square, leaving no bare spots, going to three edges, leaving about a half an inch or so at the far end without any rice. 
The rice is pretty sticky, so you'll probably want a clean bowl of water and towel to rise off your fingers as you work.

At the end closest to you, lay out what you want your filling to be.  Small slender slices work best and make the most attractive presentation as well the easiest to eat and enjoy.  At this same end, gently begin to roll, using the plastic sheet to raise and roll the nori/rice over and then under the filling.  Tug the plastic out from underneath the nori roll if it's caught underneath and raise the plastic sheet again, rolling the nori over, using the plastic sheet to help you form the roll, gently using your fingers pressing and forming,  keeping everything together.  It's not difficult, you can do it!

Mini Onion Tarts and a Giveaway!!!

Congratulations, Shelby, on the four-year anniversary of The Life and Loves of Grumpy's Honeybunch!

Shelby of The Life and Loves of  Grumpy's Honeybunch is celebrating her four-year blog anniversary and when she invited me to participate in her celebration, I had to say yes.  I knew Shelby before her blogging days, knew she was a fine cook and an equally fine person and so it is my privilege and delight to join her and other bloggers in marking this special occasion.

In her true, generous Honeybunch style,  Shelby is giving away a fabulous $50 gift certificate (see her post for details) to one lucky Canadian or U.S. commenter whose name will be drawn by Phil, her beloved Grumpy.  The winner will be announced on January 8, 2012.  So please leave a comment on my post no later than 5 p.m. on January 7, and visit the other wonderful bloggers who have linked to this event to see what delicious bites they have cooked up. Leave a comment with them as well to increase your chances of winning.  Good eating and good luck!

Shelby asked us to write about someone who has made a difference in our lives, and my first thought was my sainted grandmother.  She was the one who taught me to cook in her little two room house. She also taught me about God and she taught me about love and loyalty and she taught me about friendship because she was also my best friend. Then I started thinking of all my other family members and how important they are to me, and then I started thinking about my friends.  I am not going to get all preachy here because this is a food blog, but just let me make one statement:  I know God lives because I see Him in those who have blessed my life..

It's impossible to pick the one person who has made the biggest impact or has been the great influence because each one has made me a a better person than I was before.  So I decided to go with the one friend  I shared the most food history with, and she is Jane H.  Jane and I lived next door to each other, we worked at the same offices, got into numerous harmless shenanigans together that she put me up to.  She was the sister of my heart.

When it came to holidays and celebrations of any kind, it was Jane who'd decide we'd have to have a party.  Before I knew it, our two houses  would be abuzz as we spent hours pouring over cookbooks, magazines,  and recipes, planning, making lists, discarding ideas, adopting new ones, and cooking!!  When the day came, there didn't seem to be enough ovens or time and yet somehow it all came together. We'd open the doors to dozens of friends and family members and soon our guests would be eating and laughing and talking and eating some more, oohing and aaahing over the abundance and diversity we'd spread out.  Such great fun we had. It seemed that we hardly cleared the tables and Jane would be dreaming of the next occasion. 

Even after I moved away to New Hampshire, we talked to each other almost every day, and Jane was still planning parties and get togethers.  It was like living next door to her again as we discussed recipes, food preparations and decorations.  We were each other's go-to person.

As life would have it, my cherished friend, is no longer with us.  It's only been a few short months but I still miss her as deeply as if I had only lost her yesterday.  Even now as I looked for appetizer recipes for a family get-together for the holiday, I was thinking, I should ask Jane what she'd think of these.  I'm sure she'd have something outrageous to say about making sure everyone ate one so we'd all have onion breath at the party.  Then she would consider the monochromatic color scheme of my presention, (she loved beautiful things and beautiful presentation and it was she who did all the breathtaking decorating), she'd firmly suggest that I add some color to my all white plate.

And I'd have to report back and say, "Jane, these went over a storm!  They flew off the milk glass cake plate  (you know the one I have with the ruffly edge that looks like ribbon candy....I doubled it as an appetizer plate, you'd be so proud of my creativity).  They were virtually all gone within the first 20 minutes of putting them out. One of the guests called them onion candy!"

And yes, for Jane...I did add vibrant green parsley  sprigs in between the mini tarts to give some color.  I  had to smile when I overhead someone say..."Oh, how pretty!"

Onion Tarts

These can be made up to one day ahead, and reheated just before serving.  Or if you prefer and time and oven space is at a premium, these can be served at room temperature.

2 tablespoons butter
1 to 2 large sweet onions (Vadalia or Walla-Walla), chopped small
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup water

2 large eggs beaten
1 cup half and half  (or milk, or light cream, or heavy cream)
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
pinch of salt (optional)

1 package refrigerated two-crust pie crust, brought to room temperature

Preheat oven to 375*F.  Spray a mini-muffin pan or mini-tart pan with spray release.  Set aside.

I used a mini-muffin pan (24 mini muffins to the pan) plus a 12-mini muffin pan and used a 2 inch cookie cutter to cut circles of dough out of the refrigerated pastry crust.  Any leftover dough, I rerolled and cut out more circles. I have a tart presser, but couldn't find it, so just used the end of a wooden handle oyster shell opener (!) and gently pressed the dough into the muffin openings. I used my fingers to pinch the dough up the sides if it needed it. In all, I made 40 mini tarts.  You may need to adjust the size of your cookie cutter if your mini-tart pan has larger openings.

Melt the butter in a large skillet and add the onions and brown sugar.  Cook, stirring frequently, over medium high heat,  for about three minutes.  Add the 1/2 cup water and stir, for about five minutes or until the onions turn a golden brown, and water is evaporated.  Allow to cool a bit.

While the onions are cooking, beat the eggs and add the half and half, Swiss cheese and black pepper and the salt if you are using it.  Mix well.  Add the cooled onions.

Using a tablespoon, use one scant tablespoon of filling and fill the tarts.  These will puff as they cook so you don't want to overfill them.  Bake for 20 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center of the tart tests clean.  Let them rest for five minutes before removing, or if you're not going to serve them right away, leave them in the pan to reheat. 

To remove, I tried a slim knife, but found that a small spoon even worked better.  The spray release used before baking helped these to remove easily, and I didn't lose a single one.

Chicken Liver Pate with Pistachios

I know, I know, the thought of liver sends most of you screaming and running for the hills.  For the most part, it does me, too, except I have acquired a taste for chicken liver. I only like it in a couple of  recipes, and let me assure you, I loved it in this one.  There is a suaveness and sophistication that is beyond description.  If you need something different and elegant, I hope you try this.  I made this for New Year's, and this went down a storm with everyone, except for Ole Sweetie-Pi.  He was running for the hills!

Speaking of elegant, I discovered this keeper recipe on the very elegant Christine's blog,  Fresh Local and Best.  I am a big fan of Christine; her food is consistently amazing and her photography and travels leave me wanting more.  Christine's recipe and  title is fancier than mine, as my little grocery store didn't have porcini mushrooms, and you know they didn't have duck fat, smiles.  I made do with regular button mushrooms and real butter, and this pate was still out of this world wonderful. 

Chicken Liver Porcini Pate with Pistachios
(Christine's Fresh Local and Best)

5 grams dried porcini mushrooms (I used 5 grams fresh)
200 grams chicken livers
75 grams butter, divided
3-4 thyme sprigs
1 scallion
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons Marsala wine
2 tablespoons heavy cream
3 tablespoons salted pistachios, coarsely chopped, divided
3 tablespoons duck fat or butter

Soak the porcinis in hot water for at least fifteen minutes, then squeeze the excess liquid out of them, and chop finely.

Prepare the liver:  Put the liver in a strainer and rinse the livers under cold running water.  Dry with a paper towel.  Remove the sinews and membrane. Cut large livers in half.

Melt 50 grams of the butter in a small saucepan and set aside.

Rinse and dry the scallion and thyme.  Pluck off the thyme leaves.  Finely chop the scallion.  Set aside.

In a small-to-medium saute pan, melt the remainder of the butter over medium heat until it foams.  Saute the scallions.  Add the thyme, liver and porcinis.  Saute until the liver is cooked through, approximately six minutes.  You can test for doneness by taking one of the larger pieces and cutting through the middle.  The center should be barely pink.  Add the Marsala wine and salt and pepper to taste. 

Briefly cool the liver and  then place the liver mixture  into a food processor.  Pulse several times, watching for texture; you do not want to pulse this too fine.

Stir in the cooled butter that was set aside and the heavy cream.  Add half the coarsely chopped pistachios and mix into the pate.  Put the pate in a small bowl that still leaves some headroom at the top.  Cover and chill in the refrigerator for about an hour.

Melt the 3 tablespoons of duck fat or butter over low heat and pour over the chilled pate with a tablespoon.  Evenly distribute the fat by tilting the bowl so that the fat covers the pate.  Sprinkle the remainder of the pistachios over the pate, cover, and refrigerate for another hour.

Christine says the pate should last about four days.  Ours was gone long before that!

Wedding Appetizers - Part IV

Well, this is the final installment of the Wedding Appetizers.  When I was preparing all this food, it didn't seem like a lot, but in retrospect WHEW!  No wonder it has taken me a week to recover (smiles) but it was all worth it.

Bacon and Tomato Cups
(Allrecipes.com)

One thing I learned while researching appetizers is that if you have one of those mini tart pans, wontons and/or a reliable biscuit recipe and a wooden tart tamper, there are innumerable appetizers that you can make.  I saw a hundred good ideas from mini tacos, lasagnas, pizza, salads, mousse, pates, you name it or if you can dream it, you can have an appetizer tray that will leave people talking and eating and wanting more. 

I chose these for a couple of reasons.  I wanted to have diversity in the color, shape, and ingredients in my appetizers.  Also I thought they would work well served at room temperature (they were good but warm would have been better, I think) and because I wanted to avoid the sog factor (remember I had to travel three hours from my house to the wedding destination). 

Bacon and Tomato Cups

8 slices bacon

1 tomato, chopped

1/2 onion, chopped

3 ounces shredded Swiss cheese

1/2 cup mayonnaise **

1 teaspoon dried basil

Your favorite biscuit recipe or 1 (16-ounce) refrigerated biscuit dough**

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.  Lightly grease a mini muffin or mini tart pan.  (I used baking spray).

In a skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon until evenly brown.  Drain on paper towels.  Crumble the bacon into a medium bowl and mix with remaining ingredients.

Separate the biscuits into halves horizontally and place each half into the cups of the prepared tins.  Fill each half with the bacon mixture.

Baked for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Made 24 mini tarts.

**As luck would have it, I did not have an ounce of mayonnaise in the house so I used an equal amount of  ricotta cheese.

**I'm not a big fan of refrigerated biscuit dough so I used a single recipe of  my favorite homemade biscuits and used a walnut sized piece of dough in each mini tart opening.  The wooden tart tamper is a wonder for this!  If  I remember correctly, the time was a little short, and I ended up cooking these an extra 3 or 4 minutes to get a desired level of golden brown on the biscuit.  

Meatballs in Wonton Cups

No real recipe here, more of a how-to. 

Have ready your favorite meatballs, rolled into mini size,  all cooked and waiting.  

Place wonton skins in each cup of a mini tart pan. (Or you could use biscuits again, yum!)  You'll probably have to ruffle them in to make them fit into the cups, but that only adds to their appeal.  

Place a meatball into each cup.  Add a couple of teaspoons of your tomato sauce, a sprinkling of cheese, bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10-15 minutes or until the wontons are nicely browned.  I confess, these did not travel well; the bottom of the wontons were a little soggy by the time I served them, but guests were delighted to see something they recognized and there weren't any left.

Cranberry Delight Cream Cheese Spread

(from CDKitchen.com)

I confess, I loved this!  As a matter of fact, I love it so much that I made it again after I came home so I could have a bowl of it all to myself; Ole Sweetie-Pi doesn't like cranberries so I this is all for me, smiles.  If ever you want something special to serve on bagels, this is it.  I can't stay away from it.

However, regrettably this did not go over well at the reception.  Perhaps it's because it's a spread and people didn't want to have to stop and fuss with it, perhaps it's just not good with crackers, perhaps because it's a little on the sweet side and doesn't go with alcohol, perhaps because it something that folks  didn't recognized (like onion dip)  and they were reluctant to try it.  Whatever, the reason, I had almost half of it left over.  Oh, well, live and learn.

Cranberry Delight Cream Cheese Spread

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons concentrated orange juice, thawed
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup finely chopped dried cranberries
1 orange, zest only **
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon (can be omitted if you want it less sweet)
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans

Mix cream cheese, juice concentrate, cinnamon, and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Fold in the orange zest, pecans and cranberries. Cover and refrigerate.

**I didn't have  fresh orange zest, but what I do keep on hand is the dehydrated orange peel you can find in the spice section of your grocer's shelves.   I added 1/2 teaspoon and it was delicious.

Wedding Appetizers - Part III

Here's the third installment of the wedding appetizers I brought.  I hope you find something you'll like and enjoy for your own gatherings and celebrations.

Cheddar Cheese Crackers

I'm an avid fan of Ann of  Thibeault's Table.  Really, have you ever seen her photos?  Magazine quality all of them.  And her food...well, let me tell you, I drool every time I visit there.  I've had this recipe bookmarked almost a year, waiting for an occasion worthy enough to make them, and they were worth the wait.  These worked up so easily, I'm not going to wait another year to make them. I made the dough up ahead of time, wrapped in waxed paper and wrapped again in aluminum foil.  I double the batch and made four rolls of dough, squaring off the edges.  These aren't crispy like Cheese Nips, for example, more cookie-ish in texture, but perhaps it's because they were frozen and defrosted. 

Cheddar Cheese Crackers

1 1/2 cups  all-purpose flour
1 cup  butter
3/4 cup  grated aged cheddar cheese
freshly ground black pepper (a couple of good twists)
cayenne pepper (about  a 1/4 teaspoon)
mustard powder (about a 1/4 teaspoon)
4-6 tablespoons cold water as needed to make the dough come to a ball

Heat oven to 350°F.  Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

Mix by hand or add flour and butter to food processor and pulse to cut in butter.  Add seasonings and pulse until just before dough comes together.  Add cheddar cheese and pulse again; add water one tablespoon at a time, processing in between until dough leaves the side of the processor bowl.  Roll dough out to desired thickness.  about 1/8" for crackers, 1/4" for cookies.

Cut into squares or rounds.  Bake until golden approximately 15 minutes. (I turned mine over partway through baking to brown both sides of the cracker.)

Makes about 3 dozen crackers.

Cheddar Cheese Thumbprints with Hot Pepper Jelly

Now this is another keeper recipe from Megan's Cookin'.  I swear, I just love her cookin'!  The minute I saw these I knew I had to try them.  I didn't get to try one of these, a fact which greatly aggrieves me, but I know that those who tried them loved them.  I made two different flavors for the center, sweet hot red pepper jelly (but I bought that jelly) and I made an apple-jalapeno jelly, which is a long time favorite of mine. 

Cheddar Thumbprints with Hot Pepper Jelly

2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
6 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
1 cup flour
1/3 cup hot pepper jelly


Place cheese and butter in a food processor; add flour and process until the mixture forms a soft dough. Gather up the dough and divide into two flat disks. Wrap in wax paper and freeze until chilled, about 45 minutes.

Preheat to 400° Fahrenheit.

Using 1 teaspoon dough for each, roll the dough into small balls and place 1 inch apart on  parchment-lined sheets. Bake 5 minutes. Remove from the oven. Using the handle of a wooden spoon,  poke an indentation in each cookie. Place 1/4 teaspoon of the jelly in each indentation, or enough to fill.

Return to the oven and bake, switching the positions of the sheets from top to bottom halfway through baking, until the tops are very lightly browned, about 10 minutes. (Cookies will continue to crisp as they cool.) Transfer to racks and cool completely. Recipe makes about 20 cookies.

Can be baked up to two days ahead. Store at room temperature in an airtight container and separate layers with wax paper.

Jalapeno-Apple Jelly
 

Hot and sweet,  yet cool and creamy. I love this jelly!  I can't tell you how many times I've made this over the years.  It's always a favorite.

I used this jelly to fill a second batch of the cheddar thumbprints, above.  I had visions of drippy jelly on dress clothes, so I chose not to use it as a dip this time.  However, the first time I had this jelly, it was served on cream cheese and buttery crackers and it is delicious! 

You can make the jelly hotter by leaving in some (or all if you really love hot stuff!) of the jalapeno seeds.  I think I probably left in about one-quarter of the seeds and it was plenty spicy hot for me. And remember to wear gloves when working with jalapenos.  I didn't and my hands burned for several hours afterwards.  Not fun!


Jalapeno Apple Jelly
(PepperFool.com)
5 cups sugar
2 cups water
8 large tart apples -- chopped (I always use Granny Smiths)
15 whole jalapeno -- chopped (and seeded, if desired)

Pour sugar into a heavy 5 quart  pot; stir in water until well blended. Bring mixture to a boil over high heat, stirring often. Reduce heat to medium and cook, uncovered, for 10 to 15 minutes. 

Pare and core apples; cut into small chunks, to make about 8 cups.Thinly slice or chop the peppers. Add apples and peppers to sugar-water mixture. Cook (boiling gently) over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 35 to 40 minutes or until preserve is thickened and apples are translucent. 

Meanwhile, prepare 6 half-pint canning jars (sterilize according to standard canning directions). Fill jars to within 1/8 inch of rim. Wipe clean and place lids and rings on screwing on as tight as comfortable. Let cool on a towel out of a draft; then press lids with your finger. If they stay down, they're sealed. Label and store in a cool, dark area. If not sealed, store in refrigerator. 

Makes 6 half pints

Wedding Appetizers - Part II

Now's here's a couple of appetizers that I didn't try but only because I rarely eat fish, and when I put on my big girl pants and try again, it's merely to take a sample to ensure reaffirm, yep, I don't like fish.  However, because I'm that kind of girl, I will prepare fish and seafood for others but I have to rely on the taste buds of others to tell me whether or not something is good.  Hence, Allrecipes.com and Food.com (formerly Recipezaar) have become a valued resources for me in trying new recipes.  People can be pretty honest in their opinions if a recipe is delicious or not.  Here are two that were very well received, definite 4 star if not 5 star quality.

Salmon Dip
(Food.com)

2 cans shrimp **
1 small onion, chopped fine
1 dash Worcestershire sauce
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, plus 1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon horseradish
2 teaspoons ketchup
2 teaspoons dill weed

Prepare one day in advance:  In a medium sized bowl combine all ingredients. (The original decorations don't say to, but I roughly chopped the shrimp.)    Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Ordinarily, I think this dip is probably served with crackers, but I wanted something a little more festive looking and I didn't want the guests to have to scoop and possibly spill.  As a base for the dip, I used English cucumbers, sliced about 3/4 of an inch thick and dolloped a good teaspoonful or so of the dip on each slice, topping with a whole piece of shrimp.  In retrospect, I think it would have been nice to slice the cucumber peel off in strips, to add just a wee bit more color and visual appeal, and perhaps a sprig of fresh dill as well. 


**I don't like the flavor of canned shrimp so I used a one-pound bag of frozen baby shrimp and eyeballed the amount to use, reserving perhaps one quarter of the shrimp to use as a decorative touch.

Smoked Salmon Spread in Wonton Cones & The Elsea Family Salami Roll-Ups

This had to be the prettiest of the platters that was put out.  Ole Sweetie-Pi's oldest daughter Erin was the artist for this platter, and when she was done we all oohed and aaahed over it.  The colors completed each other, the presentation was appealing and delicious looking; this platter was among the first to be emptied.

Smoked Salmon Spread
(Allrecipes.com)

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened **
12 ounces smoked salmon, chopped
3 dashes Worcestershire sauce
3 drops hot pepper sauce
1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill weed
2 tablespoons chopped green onion

At least one day ahead, in a medium bowl, stir cream cheese until it is no longer in a hard form. Add salmon, Worcestershire sauce, hot pepper sauce, dill and onion; mix well. Cover and refrigerate until serving time.  Typically served with crackers,  I served this in  baked wonton cones.

**I reduced the amount of cream cheese in this to one 8-ounce package but followed the remainder of the recipe.  The salmon flavor really stood out, but you may want to add more cream  cheese for your tastes.

The baked wonton cones are pretty easy to make with a little time and patience.  Purchase a package of wonton wrappers (usually found in the refrigerated vegetable section of your grocers, with tofu and such) .  Preheat your oven to 350* Fahrehenheit. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Place a wonton wrapper on a work surface with one corner facing you,  roll into a cone.  Gently stuff a ball of crumbled tinfoil into the open end.  Place seam side down and bake for about 15 minutes, checking maybe at 12 minutes to see how they're coming along.  You can also use those fancy metal cone molds used for Italian pastries, or even paper cones.  The cones are fragile but can be stored a couple of days in an airtight container until ready to use.

The Elsea Family Salami Roll-Ups

I should be ashamed of myself for including this appetizer at Liz and Jerrad's wedding.  Liz had given everyone dire warnings about "no redneck" foods and these salami roll-ups easily fall into that category.  However, these roll-ups were a favorite of the matriarch of the family and have been included in nearly every family event since the 1960's when they were first introduced to the Elseas; on tradition alone these could not be omitted.

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (10-ounce) jar sweet red pepper relish
1/2 pound (or so) sliced hard salami

Mix the cream cheese and about three-quarters of the sweet pepper relish together until well combined.  The mixture will be lumpy but try to make sure that there aren't any big lumps of cream cheese remaining.  Spread the mixture onto a slice of  salami and roll up as a jelly roll.  Hold together with a toothpick. 

Thank you, Sweet Erin. Your gracious help was invaluable!  Hugs!!

An Appetizer Wedding

My, my, my.  It has been quite some time since I've been here. However, Ole Sweetie-Pi's youngest daughter, Elizabeth and her husband, Jerrad, had a breathtaking  wedding vow commitment ceremony (they had eloped some 3 months earlier, little sweetie rascals!)  in the seacoast town of Cape Neddick, Maine, that I was honored to be asked to participate in. Would I make cold appetizers, Elizabeth asked.  I would be honored! I answered.

From that moment,  I had spent every available minute (and brain cell, it seems) in scouring the internet and my cookbooks for delicious, unique, and portable appetizers.  I was challenged by distance (3  hours travel time one way) and not having  the comfort of my own kitchen for last minute preparation work. A flurry of support, encouragement and ideas from my long-time dear friend Jane, and blogging friends, Coleen of Coleen's Recipes, Ingrid of 3B's...Baking, Baseball and Books and Rhiannon Nicole of Hey Gorgeous poured in and kept me sane.  Thank you, ladies, I owe my success in large part to you!  Hugs!

So where to start.  I brought eight items; some where more favored than others (which always happens doesn't it) and a couple where a surprise it.  I'll break these down into two or three posts to keep them reasonable short.

This was a huge surprise.  I made the bacon-wrapped dates more as an afterthought because I thought I hadn't made enough food (!) and wanted something quick and easy.  Little did I know just how delicious they are.

Bacon Wrapped Dates

Dates wrapped in bacon.  No recipe really needed for these, just an explanation of method.  Take a whole pitted date (I made a mistake of buying dates with the pits still in them, but they were still wonderful) and wrap half a slice of bacon around the date.  Place the wrapped dates on a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake in a 350*F oven for about ten minutes, seam side down, turn the dates over, and bake further until the bacon is cooked, turning as necessary.  Be careful, these get mighty hot and should be served barely warm or at room temperature.  I think with a  pound of bacon I made 32 wrapped dates, but I could have done another whole batch and I believe all those would have been eaten as well. Guests were just in awe of these sweet and salty morsels.


Chevre Cheesecake with Biscotti Crust

(from my esteemed blogging friend, Megan's Cookin')

If you ever want a unique and elegant appetizer, you must try this recipe!  Oh my gosh is it lovely.  When I explained to guests that this is not a sweet but is a savory cheesecake, (savory is so much nicer with champagne, grins) they couldn't wait to try it, and this rich cheesecake enthralled those who tried it.  I made this in two 11 x 7 inch pans because that's the pan sizes I have.  Megan makes hers in a tart pans, which I think is a much prettier pan, but in my little country city (an oxymoron!) tart pans of this size are not available. We don't have an Italian bakery here, so I made the biscotti from scratch (that recipe to follow).

Crust
6 ounces soft butter
1-1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup biscotti crumbs
1/2 cup ground walnuts

Filling
2 cups cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup goat cheese (chevre)
4 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon chopped rosemary
1 teaspoon salt

Preheat over to 325 degrees. Place butter, confectioners' sugar, flour, walnuts and biscotti crumbs in a 5-quart mixing bowl with a paddle attachment. Beat on low speed until ingredients are incorporated. Do not over mix.

Press the dough into pan(s), being careful to press the dough evenly on the bottom and sides of pan. Place pan(s) in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to allow the dough to set.

Place cream cheese and goat cheese in a 5-quart mixing bowl with paddle attachment and beat on low speed until incorporated. Add eggs one at time until incorporated. Add sugar, rosemary, and salt. Mix for one minute.

Remove pan(s) with crust from the refrigerator and pour the batter into the pan(s). Place in oven and bake for 30-40 minutes. Check for doneness with a toothpick or cake tester. The toothpick will be clean and the cheesecake will not be fluid. If the batter is still runny, turn the oven off and allow cake to remain in the oven until firm. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Two Kinds of Biscotti

It seems I forgot to take a picture of the finished biscotti, so I can only provide you with a picture of part of the baking procedure. Here I had baked it once and sliced it in readiness for the second bake. I made two different kinds of biscotti, one for the crust for the chevre cheesecake, and the second to dunk into coffee or wine, or simply to enjoy.  The biscotti, though different,  looked similar, so I never did take a picture of the second recipe.  Here are the recipes.

Biscotti

(King Arthur Flour 200th Anniversary Cookbook)


This recipe is the first biscotti I ever made and is still my favorite and is the recipe I used for the Chevre Cheesecake, above.  

1 1/3 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 (1 ounce) bottle (equals 2 tablespoons) anise extract
3 eggs
 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 egg, plus 1 teaspoon water (beaten together for egg wash)

Preheat your oven to 325* Fahrenheit.

Combine the sugar, baking powder, butter and eggs.  Blend in the entire bottle of extract and then the flour, one cup at a time. Remember that flour can absorb whatever moisture is in the air so on a humid day you may have to add a little more flour to your dough.

Spoon the dough onto a greased cookie sheet (I use parchment) to form two longs 1 1/2 inches wide by 1 inch high.  to shape the logs, wet your hands and pat the top and sides of the dough.  Brush the logs with egg wash and bake for 20 minutes.

Remove them from the oven and cut the logs diagonally into slices, 1 inch thick, to produce cookies.  turn the cookies on its side and rebake at the same temperature for an additional 15 minutes.


The second version of biscotti I baked is a recipe I found on Allrecipes.com.  It contains brandy and almonds, and is definitely a more "grown up" biscotti.

Anise Biscotti

(Allrecipes.com)

2 cups white sugar

1 cup butter, softened

4 eggs

4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup brandy

1 1/2 teaspoons anise extract

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup almonds

2 tablespoons anise seed

	Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper or foil.
	In large mixing bowl, beat sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine brandy, anise extract and vanilla in a small bowl or measuring cup. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Alternately add dry ingredients and brandy mixture to the butter mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Stir in the almonds and aniseed.
	Drop dough by spoonfuls onto prepared sheet, forming two 2 x 13-inch long strips on each sheet. Smooth dough into logs with moistened fingertips.
	Bake about30 to 35 minutes or until golden and firm to the touch. Place cookie sheets on racks and cool completely. Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F.
	Cut cooled logs on the diagonal into 3/4-inch thick slices using a serrated knife. Place slices on cookie sheets.
	Bake for about 20 minutes, turning after 10 minutes, until dry and slightly brown. Remove to a rack and cool.

Stuffed Mushrooms with Cream Cheese & Sausage

Tonight was a movie night for Sweetie-pi and me. We're addicted to a British who-dun-it series called "Midsomer Murders." Proper English manners, beautiful estates, sweeping English countryside, innuendos, murder, suspects galore, what more could we ask for. It's so tasteful and proper --can murder be proper?

Anyway, it's not a real movie night without some sort of tidbit, and since we didn't have a proper (there's that word again) lunch, I made something with a little more substance. I made Stuffed Mushrooms with Cream Cheese and Sausage. They work up pretty easily, and they look a little festive and fussy, which they are not (fussy that is).

I followed the recipe as written, with the exception of adding maybe 1/4 to 1/2 cup of Italian bread crumbs. I just eyeballed it and stirred, then tasted for texture and flavor until I thought it was enough. Then with my impeccably clean, damp fingers, I smoothed and patted the stuffing in and on the mushroom caps. (My fifth grade teacher, Miss Williams, always said that neatness counts. I've always remembered that, but I think in her case she was referring to my handwriting not stuffed mushrooms.)

I'm going to be honest here. I thought these were just okay. However, Sweetie-pi swears they're the best stuffed mushrooms he's ever put in his mouth and that they are party worthy! They are very rich, he says. He can only eat a few, he says. Oh? An accolade from a man who only likes iceberg lettuce? The day can't be more gratifying, I think.

Unless I figure out who-dun-it early on in the movie. Now I feel complete.