Nibble advice, please

How funny, most of my appies are Italian but this is a good one: Phyllo Pastries w/ Brie & Walnut-

Grape Salsa....

My friend was a Sinatra party and these were served, we made them together for another party, really tasty and different! But is it bad form to serve a chef premade phyllo cups??


Phyllo Pastries with Brie and Walnut-Grape Salsa
(approx. 30 mini pastries)

2-3 packages Athens pre-baked phyllo pastry shells (Safeway carries them in frozen section)
8 oz. brie, rind removed
1 c. seedless red grapes, cut in half
1/4 t. kosher salt
1/4 t. fresh chopped rosemary
1/4 t. fresh minced garlic
1/8 t. pepper
2 Tbls chopped green onions (green part)
1 Tbls (or less) balsamic vinegar
2 t. walnut oil
1/2 c. finely chopped walnuts, toasted

Coarsely process the grapes and salt, then let sit in a strainer while you chop the other ingredients. In small bowl, mix rosemary, garlic, pepper, green onions, vinegar, and walnut oil. Add grape mixture. Place small amount of brie in pastry shell (approx. 1/2 t. or nickle sized piece, top with 1/2 t. salsa, then sprinkle with toasted walnuts. Repeat until you run out. Bake for approx. 5 mins at 300, until brie melts.

 
I made these w/o the almonds and shaped them into bowls and served ceasar salad in them. Very fun.

 
Do you have recipes for these? The rosemary sounds great.

Love your Annie Dillard quote, btw. I saw her at the Chicago Humanities Festival a couple of years ago. She's a great speaker.

 
Here's another fun one: Sozzled Celery, might be too strong though....

Sozzled Celery

my favorite cocktail nibble - and they disappear from the buffet!

1 bunch of celery, cut into 3" stalks
1 chili pepper - you choose the heat level (I like a mild Jalapeno)
juice of 1/2 a lemon or 1 lime
2 cups good vodka

Arrange the stalks of celery standing up on a container just large enough to hold them in one layer. Sprinkle over the minced chili pepper and the citrus juice. Pour over vodka and cover and chill 24 hours before serving (not much longer or they start to discolor).

Serve in old-fashioned glasses standing up, with a splash of the vodka mixture at the bottom.

Be careful - can't have too many of these and operate heavy machinery! enjoy...

 
Oooh, I just noticed the rest of the menu...this probably won't work...

The flavors are assertive and would likely blow out your palate for the more subtle flavors on the menu.

 
These were posted awhile ago and looked marvelous...Black Pepper Almonds

* Exported from MasterCook *

BLACK PEPPER ALMONDS

Recipe By :Bon Appetit Dec. 1997
Serving Size : 1 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Appetizers Nuts

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

1 tablespoon black pepper
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup butter -- (1/2 stick)
3/4 cup golden brown sugar -- (packed)
4 teaspoons water
2 2/3 cups blanched whole almonds

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line large baking sheet with foil. Lightly butter foil. Mix pepper and salt in small bowl. Melt butter in large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add sugar and 4 teaspoons water; stir until sugar dissolves. Add almonds; toss to coat. Cook over medium heat until syrup thickens and almonds are well coated, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle half of pepper mixture over.
Transfer almonds to baking sheet. Using spatula and working quickly, separate almonds. Sprinkle remaining pepper mixture over. Bake until deep golden
brown, about 10 minutes. Transfer sheet to rack; cool. (Can be made 4 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.)
Makes 2 2/3 cups

 
Question -- Julia uses

all the court bouillon (2 c.) for 1 lb. mushrooms. What's the advantage of using only half, as you do? Did you find it gave a better flavor, or ...?

 
Here's another...Pea Pancakes with Sour Cream & Apple Smoked Bacon

This recipe comes from my friend Becky, who is a personal chef. She serves this at dinner parties and I just love it.

You can swap out the bacon/shallot mixture for a bit of smoked black cod (I buy that at Whole Foods and it's amazing...I like it better than smoked salmon).

Pea pancakes with sour cream and apple-smoked bacon
Serves 12
1 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons yellow cornmeal

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup whole milk

1/4 cup peas (can be frozen or quickly blanched fresh peas)

1/2 cup Italian parsley

1/2 cup sour cream

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 cup sour cream

1/4 cup sorrel

1/4 cup chives (some tips reserved for garnish)

1/4 cup mint

4 pieces of apple-smoked bacon, cut into very small dice

1 small shallot, very small dice

coconut oil, as needed

1/4 cup peas

Whisk dry ingredients in a bowl. Blend milk and 1/4 cup peas and Italian parsley in blender or food processor until green and well blended. Whisk in sour cream and oil and quickly mix with the dry ingredients; some lumps are okay.

Mix chopped herbs into sour cream. Reserve. Heat a sauté pan over medium heat and add bacon and shallots. Cook gently until the fat is rendered from the bacon and the pieces are crisp and the shallot is tender. Drain on some paper towel and reserve.

Heat a nonstick or cast iron pan over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons coconut oil and when hot ladle batter into small pancakes. Drop a few peas onto each pancake and flip when bubbles form on the top. Reserve cooked pancakes in a 200 degree oven.

When ready to serve, add a small dollop of herbed sour cream on top, sprinkle with the bacon-shallot mixture and garnish with a chive tip. Serve right away.

 
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