Showing posts with label appetizers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label appetizers. Show all posts
Last month we received a beautiful box of fish from Seafresh Quality Foods.
Seafresh is an on line fish monger, which sells quality fish, seafood,
poultry and meat.
I was incredibly impressed with both
their product and their delivery service! There was absolutely nothing
that I could fault with any of it. Feel free to read about my experience here.
Included in the box was a package of beautiful looking raw King Prawns. Their prawns are individually quick frozen so that you can take out as many or as little as you want, which makes them very handy to use and ideal for whatever size family you have.
They are also shelled and de-veined at the source, so you can just cook them without any messing about. BONUS!
One of my first jobs as a young woman was as the Pastry Chef in a big hotel back home. It had a four star restaurant attached to it.
The Old Orchard Inn was a prime destination for tourists and locals alike back in the day. It was a great place to work and to cut my chef's teeth in. I was responsible for the preparation of all of the Appetisers and desserts. I loved it! It was my dream job, and I learnt a lot!
Shrimp Cocktail was one of the most popular appetisers, along with Escargot. If I had a dollar for every one of those dishes I prepared, not to mention Black Forest Cakes, I would be able to retire as a very rich woman!
This classic appetiser was the epitome of fine dining back in the day! This Shrimp Cocktail Recipe is really a very simple dish to make as well!
Over here big shrimps are called King Prawns. But they are the same thing. Lovely and large and beautifully pink when cooked. They don't really quite a long cook time.
They are done in literally a few minutes. You just drop the thawed prawns into a large pot of salted water which has been infused with some lemon, and let them sit until they are pink and curled. That's it. Take out rinse off and chill.
Look at how beautifully they hook along the edges of the dishes . . . at the Manor they had dedicated Shrimp Cocktail Recipe glasses that had little bases you could fill with crushed ice to really keep them chilled.
I am not a millionaire so I don't have anything like that. Just sherbet dishes which do a rather dab job of presentation if I don't say so myself.
The cocktail sauce for this dish is also very simple to make.
Like in my hotel days, it is a blend of a few ingredients, that magically turn into something which is incredibly delicious when put together . . . tomato ketchup (use a good one), creamed horseradish (again use a good one), fresh lemon juice, Tabasco sauce, salt and pepper . . .
Simple. Traditional. Special. Delicious. Quick and easy to put together. What more could a person want when entertaining. Just watch the eyes light up when you present this to your guests!
Yield: 6
Classic Shrimp Cocktail
This classic recipe takes you right back to the 1960's when Shrimp Cocktails was considered the epitome of good taste served as a first course at dinner parties. In all truth it never goes out of style. This is always a hit!
ingredients:
For the Shrimps:
- a large pot filled with cold water
- 1 fresh lemon, cut into quarters
- 1 TBS fine sea salt
- 2 pounds King Prawns (large shrimps), thawed if frozen
For the Cocktail Sauce:
- 245g tomato ketchup (1 cup)
- 1 - 2 TBS prepared horseradish (depending on how spicy you want it)
- 1 TBS fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp Tabasco sauce
- fine sea salt and black pepper to taste
To serve:
- shredded lettuce
- lemon wedges
instructions:
How to cook Classic Shrimp Cocktail
- Put the lemon into the pot of water. Bring to the boil. Add the salt. Stir to dissolve. Add the prawns/shrimps. Turn off the heat. Let sit until the shrimp curl and turn pink. Drain well and rinse in cold water. Refrigerate until ready to eat.
- To make the cocktail sauce, stir all of the ingredients together to blend well. Taste to make sure you have enough salt and pepper added.
- To serve you will need six footed glass dishes, along with 6 smaller glass containers to sit in the middle of them to hold the cocktail sauce. Fill the smaller glass containers with the sauce. Place in the centres of the footed glass dishes. Surround the edges with shredded lettuce to fill. Divide up the prawns, and hook them around the edges of the dishes. Place the footed dishes onto small serving plates along with a wedge or two of lemon and serve immediately.
Sorry, I couldn't resist. The 60's and Tom Jones go together like peas and carrots! Let me tell you Todd was thrilled beyond measure with this.
A few things about Seafresh:
- Same Day dispatch on orders received before 1 PM.
- All packages are carefully hand packed.
- Free delivery on orders above £50, £8 on orders below that amount.
- Responsibly and sustainably sourced.
- Air Blast Frozen at source within 4 hours of being caught.
- Wide variety to choose from.
Follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Note - Although I was gifted with product free of charge for the purposes of review, I was not required to write a positive review in exchange, nor would my integrity allow me to recommend anything if I did not truly like it. Any and all my opinions are my own entirely.
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again!
What I am showing you today is not so much a recipe as it is a technique, although I will certain give you a tasty recipe that you might want to make at the end! Bagel Chips. These crisp delicious crisp snack breads are so simple to make and you will find that they come in handy all year round, especially if you are entertaining! I would probably even go so far as to say that if you have these in the house, you got a party in the making!
All you need for them is a bag of bagels (use your favourite kinds) some kind of fat for spreading on them, and a seasoning sprinkle. Today I did them three ways so I could compare the taste.
I did a batch with olive oil, a batch with sunflower oil and a batch with softened butter. All three I used the same Italian garlic seasoning on. Can you guess which was the tastiest to me? No surprise there . . . butter. As you can see they also got a bit crisper with the butter as well.
You will want your bagels to be a bit stale as they will be easier to slice thinner the harder they are. Use a serrated knife. I got about 5 slices from each bagel. I don't recommend using cinnamon raisin ones as the raisins will burn, but I can't think of another kind that wouldn't work well.
Just brush them well on both sides with your preferred fat/oil. Then sprinkle with seasoning. I used Garlic Italian today, but seasoning salt would work well . . . your own herb mixture. Whatever floats your boat.
I had my oven temperature at 230*C/425*F/ gas mark 7, which worked very well. They took less than five minutes at that temperature. Be careful not to slice them too thin as they will burn if they are too thin.
Try to brush the fat on as evenly as you can . . . so you don't get pale spots, that is where butter worked better than the other fats . . . it actually spreads whereas the oils tended to soak into spots, even though I was using a brush and brushing it over top.
The thinner ones are crisper, but all are quite nice . . .
Kind of like bagel shaped melba toasts. Crisp and ready to spread with your favourite spread . . .
I highly recommend this Smoked Salmon Spread which is really popular around here during the holidays, but its also nice for your summer get-togethers! It was something I often made when I worked at the Manor! You can buy smoked salmon off cuts for this without a problem. They are perfect for such a dish. I always get my smoked salmon here. Its the best.
Smoked Salmon Spread
Yield: Makes 2 cups
Serve this delicious spread with breadsticks, crackers or slices of toasted baguette. Deliciously different!
ingredients:
- 12 ounces cream cheese, room temperature (340g)
- 1/3 cup dairy sour cream (40g)
- 6 dashes of Tabasco sauce
- 1 TBS fresh lemon juice
- 3 spring onions, white and green parts, thinly sliced
- 3 TBS capers, rinsed and drained
- 8 ounces smoked salmon, coarsely chopped
- 3 TBS chopped fresh dill, or 1 TBS dried dill tops
- fresh ground black pepper to taste
- fresh dill to garnish
instructions:
How to cook Smoked Salmon Spread
- Put the cream cheese, sour cream, Tabasco sauce and lemon juice in a food processor. Blitz to combine. Add the spring onions, capers, salmon, chopped dill and pepper. Pulse to blend. Scrape into a serving bowl. Garnish with the dill and serve chilled or at room temperature. Fabulous!
What more can I say, but these are incredibly moreish. Especially the butter ones. I find myself wondering now what if I made cinnamon toast ones? And served them with a cream cheese dip . . . hmmm . . . sounds tasty . . . the wheels are turning!
I cannot tell a lie. The potato is my favourite vegetable. That is probably why I have never been able to stick to a low carb diet. I like bread and potatoes too much. I have modified my diet somewhat in recent years however, eating only whole grain bread and new potatoes most of the time . . . new potatoes are low GI.
A week or so ago the Manomasa Family asked me if I would be interested in trying out their new line of chunky dips, inspired by the Taquerias in the markets of Mexico. Arriba! Didn't have to ask me twice. I adore Mexican anything, and I was already a fan of their fabulous tortilla chips.
They have several variety of chips . . . each one as good as the other. They also sent me a bag each of their Green Lemon and Pink Peppercorn, and the Classic Cantina ones to enjoy.
Todd's not a huge fan of overly crunchy things like chips however, so I wanted to make something that he could enjoy these dips with as well . . . voila! Crispy Smashed Baby Potatoes!! Seriously tasty!
These chunky new dips are made with the finest ingredients ready to be scooped from the jar into a bowl. Created for celebrations that centre around good food, and exclusive to Waitrose, I thought they would be perfect for serving with the potatoes.
Pineapple Habanero Salsa - This salsa delivers the perfect pairing of sweet and spice. The juicy pineapple chunks are kept in check with the feisty heat of habanero chili. The pink peppercorns, ripe berries of the Brazilian pepper tree, bring a delicate taste.
Street Corn Relish - The sweet taste of summer in a jar. This versatile relish is an essential for any celebration where you're feeding a crowd. Eat with crispy tortillas or use as a condiment on hamburgers or veggie burritos. I think they would also be great on hot dogs.
Frijole Bean Dip - This classic Latin American dip blends the rich flavours of Black Turtle Beans, Red Kidney Beans and Pinto Beans to make a delicious creamy base. The texture makes this a winning alternative to guacamole. Serve hot with melted cheese or add sour cream for a truly authentic dish.
I felt that these crispy smashed baby potatoes would make the perfect canvas to showcase all of these wonderful flavours . . .
Baby new potatoes, boiled in lightly salted water until tender . . . .
Drained, dried and then gently smashed with a potato masher on a lightly oiled baking sheet . . . you want them flat, but not totally smashed to smithereens. Just thin enough that you know they are going to get crisp . . . I use a nylon one that has slots in the base, not holes. It works perfectly.
You want the potatoes flattened, but not obliterated, with lots of little bits sticking up that will get all crispy and moreish in the heat of the oven.
Drizzled with olive oil, sprinkled with some seasoning and then baked in a hot oven until crisp and golden brown . . . I like to sprinkle them with a tiny bit of cheese at the end as well . . .
They made a perfect canvas for each of the dips . . . along with a dollop of sour cream to keep the heat in check if you are a heat wimp like myself. Actually, however, none of the dips were intolerably hot. The Pineapple one packed a bit of a whammy, but nothing I couldn't tolerate. (Habanero peppers are known for their heat!)
The Pineapple & Habenero was quite spicy and hot, but not so bad that I couldn't tolerate it. Lovely and sweet as well, peppery. I think this was my favourite of the three!
The Street Corn Relish was quite lovely also, lightly spiced, nice and chunky with lots of pumpkin seeds for added crunch.
We also really enjoyed the flavours of the Frijole Bean Dip. I can see using this particular one in my 7 Layer Mexican Dip! Or mixed with cheese and served hot! Nummy nummy!
Crispy Smashed Baby Potatoes
Yield: 24
Crisp and delicious served with your favourite dips or sauces!
ingredients:
- 24 baby new potatoes
- lightly salted boiling water
- 3 TBS light olive oil
- Tex mex seasoning herbs
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 6 TBS finely grated strong cheddar or jack cheese for sprinkling
You will also need:
- a variety of dips to serve
- sour cream for spooning on top
instructions:
- Cook the potatoes in a pot of lightly salted water for 12 to 15 minutes until tender. Drain well and allow to air dry for several minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 230*C/425*F gas mark 7. Lightly spray a baking tray large enough to hold the potatoes in a single layer without touching, with some cooking spray. Taking a potato mashed with a flat end, use it to gently smash the potatoes down into one thin layer, no more than 1/3 inch thick. (It helps to spray the masher so that they don't stick too much.)
- Drizzle with the olive oil, dividing it equally amongst the potatoes. Sprinkle with the seasoning mix. (I used Swartz Street Food Mexican.)
- Roast in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes until nice and crisp on the outsides. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the cheese. Return to the oven and cook for a few minutes longer.
- Serve hot with your favourite dips and the sour cream.
Overall I was very impressed with the quality and flavours of these dips. I would definitely buy them. Many thanks to Manomasa for sending them out for me to try. Perfect for sharing, these new dips are available exclusively to Waitrose.
The Manomasa Website
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Note - Although I was send a selection of dips and chips free of charge for the purpose of review, I was not required to write a positive review in exchange. Any and all opinions are my own.
I am a huge fan of hummus. I often make it to enjoy with crisp crackers or raw vegetables. It has been my snack of choice for many years.
It is one of the few ways I can tolerate chick peas due to my diverticulitis. I used to love to make a vegetarian chili which used tinned chick peas when my children were growing up. It was really delicious. Sadly those days of enjoying those types of things in abundance are over for me!
So far I have been able to enjoy hummus however. Probably because the chick peas are pureed, which makes them easier to digest.
I love all kinds of hummus. Perfect Hummus is the recipe I normally use. But my Roasted Beetroot Hummus is also very good, and a very pretty pink colour.
This All Dressed Hummus is also a real favourite around here. I call it all dressed because it is topped with lots of lovely bits to dress it up.
Its like the Cinderella of Hummus all dressed up and ready to go to the ball, glass slippers and all . . .
I like to top it with a variety of finely chopped vegetables.
Chopping things up really finely isn't really a chore if you have a good set of knives to work with.
For all of my chopping needs I like to use these lovely knives from the MyKtchn Premium Black Ceramic Kitchen Knife Set.
Along with the variety of diced veg I used, I topped this Hummus with some Crispy Chickpeas. If you have never eaten them or made your own, you really need to try. The oven basically does all the work and they are wonderfully crunchy and crisp, quite addictive as a snack or a garnish.
Yield: Makes about 1 1/2 cups
Crispy Chickpeas
These are crisp and delicious. They are fabulous eaten out of hand as a snack, or used as a garnish.
ingredients:
- 1 (400g) tin of chick peas, drained and patted dry (14 oz)
- olive oil to drizzle
- ground cumin, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and coarse black pepper
- (according to your taste, I find about 1/4 tsp of each is ample)
instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Line a baking tray with foil. Scatter the chick peas over top and then drizzle with a bit of extra virgin olive oil. Only about 1 TBS for the whole tin if that.) Sprinkle with the spices/seasonings and toss to coat well with the oil and seasonings. Spread out evenly leaving space between. Pop into the pre-heated oven and roast for about 25 minutes until crispy. Cool completely and then store in an airtight jar.
Created using The Recipes Generator
Almost like popcorn, except they contain a lot more fibre and protein. I flavour mine with ground cumin, garlic, paprika, onion powder, salt and pepper, but you can use whatever flavours you desire. As a snack you can also make a sweet variety as I did here with my Gingerbread Roasted Chickpeas. They also make a tasty snack. Again I have to control my consumption of these things because of my tummy. 😓 Getting older is not for sissies for sure.
Today I topped my hummus with chopped tomatoes, red onions, cucumber, coriander leaf, a drizzle of EVO, and some crispy chick peas.
Altogether this made a really delicious and healthy lunch for me, which I really enjoyed.
Yield: Variable
All Dressed Hummus
An incredibly tasty and pretty appetiser. Serve chilled with plenty of warm pita breads and crisp vegetables for dipping.
ingredients:
- 1 (400g) tin of chickpeas, drained (reserve the liquid) (14 oz tin)
- 2 TBS Tahini paste
- 3 TBS extra virgin Olive Oil
- 1 clove of garlic, peeled
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp sweet paprika
- 1/4 tsp ground cumin
- 4 TBS water
- 1 TBS packed fresh coriander leaf (cilantro)
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 1/2 tsp coarse ground black pepper, or to taste
Toppings:
- extra virgin olive oil to drizzle (optional)
- 4 TBS chopped cherry tomatoes
- 4 TBS chopped red onion
- 4 TBS chopped unpeeled cucumber
- crispy chickpeas (optional)
- toasted mixed seeds (optional)
- chopped fresh coriander (cilantro)
- crumbled feta cheese (optional)
instructions:
- Combine all of the hummus ingredients in a food processor and blitz until smooth and to your desired consistency, adding reserved chickpea liquid as desired to give you what you want. Spread the hummus in a large flat bowl. Cover and chill while you create the toppings.
- When you are ready to serve, sprinkle your desired toppings over top of the chilled hummus and serve immediately with plenty of crisp vegetables and warmed pita bread cut into pieces.
Created using The Recipes Generator
This makes a fabulous group appetizer for when you are entertaining, or for picnics (you can top it just before you serve it) and of course its great in the lunch box. I would pack the hummus and the toppings and the dippers separately in that case. What a treat!
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