Appetizers – Let's Cook Together

Tzaziki

Denis Martel — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 17:52:08 +0000

There is nothing like freshly made Tzaziki with lightly toasted pita bread during Summer. This is of course if you like garlic like I do!

It is also a good way to use a surplus of cucumber from your garden when they begin to get ripe all at the same time.

Ingredients:

One cucumber, finely chopped
705 ml plain yogurt
100 ml olive oil
2 or 3 garlic cloves
5 ml salt
Pita bread, cut in triangle

Method:

Remove the seeds from the cucumber and let the cucumber to drain in a sifter for a few minutes to remove as much water as possible
Mix all ingredients together (except for the pita bread) and leave in the refrigerator for about 2 hours
Eat with the warm pita bread

Two Salmons Pastry Shell

Denis Martel — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 17:50:45 +0000

It is so easy to make that I do it in the middle of the week when I come home from work.

You can use only one kind of salmon. You may want to use some leftover salmon you may have.

If you have a smoker (no, I am not talking about your spouse), marinate some filet in a mixture of wine and herbs for 2 or 3 hour then smoke the salmon until cook (duration will depend of the thickness of the filet). I do this a couple of times a year and freeze whatever I do not use right away.

Ingredients:

50 ml flour
75 ml butter
500 ml milk
250 ml white wine
250 ml frozen mix vegetables
2 ml cayenne
10 ml onion salt (5 ml if you use regular salt)
Pepper from the mill
250 ml smoke salmon broken in pieces (I smoke mine so it is better than the commercial sliced one)
One can of salmon
6 pastry shells

Method:

Melt butter and mix in the flour over low heat
Cook for about 4 or 5 minutes to make a roux, stir with a whisk from time to time
When roux begin to change colour, whisk in slowly the milk in a stream
Do the same with the white wine
Increase heat to medium and, stirring constantly, bring sauce to a boil
During that time, cook the frozen mix veggies in boiling water, then throw the water out
Simmer for an additional 5 minutes, stirring a few times
Add other ingredients, including the veggies and verify seasoning
Heat up the pastry shells
Serve the sauce in the pastry shells

Tuna Tartar with Lime Mayonnaise

Denis Martel — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 17:48:36 +0000

This recipe come from the TV show A La diStasio. It is worth trying since it is so easy to make.

Ingredients:

Lime Mayonnaise:

One yolk
10 ml Dijon mustard
Peel of one lime
15 ml lime juice
60 to 75 ml of olive oil
A few drop of Tabasco sauce
Chopped chives
Salt

Tartar:

360 gr red tuna, sushi grade
Lime mayonnaise
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Mayonnaise:

Mix together the yolk, mustard, lime peel and lime juice
Add slowly the olive while beating
Add Tabasco sauce and a lot of chives
Mix well and place in the fridge

Tartar:

Chop tuna in chunk
Mix in the mayonnaise
Season with salt and pepper
Check taste and add more Tabasco sauce and/or lime juice if required
Serve on a bed of lettuce or endive

Shrimps and Mushrooms Appetizer

Denis Martel — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 17:46:05 +0000

You can prepare this appetizer before your guests arrive. This will leave you more time to spend with them!

Ingredients:

30 ml olive oil
250 ml finely chopped celery
One large onion finely chopped (about 250 ml)
½ green pepper finely chopped (about 200 ml)
One can of shrimp salad
One can of sliced mushrooms (284 ml)
125 ml cream (35%)
2 egg yolks
6 pastry shells (vol-au-vent)
Lemon and cucumber slices – optional

Method:

Sauté celery, onion and green pepper in olive oil
Remove from heat and let cool
Mix the shrimp and mushroom delicately with the cooked vegetables
Add eggs yolks and cream
On low heat, stir while cooking the preparation will take a few minutes allow to thicken
Let cool and distribute the preparation over the six pastry shells
Decorate with a slice of lemon and cucumber, and serve

Pears with Shrimps

Denis Martel — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 17:44:17 +0000

This is a refreshing appetizer. It’s very easy and quick to prepare. Moreover, it is not too filling so you will still enjoy the main course!

Ingredients:

One can of half pears
75 ml mayonnaise
125 g cream cheese
One can of cocktail shrimps
2 chopped green onions

Method:

Enlarge the crevice of each pear, using a spoon
Mix all the other ingredients using a hand mixer
Spoon mixture in each pear and refrigerate for about one hour before serving

Liver Pâté

Denis Martel — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 17:42:51 +0000

Contrarily to the store bought pate, this one will not have a pink colour because we are not adding a chemical product (potassium nitrate or saltpetre) to extend its life span and avoid a chemical reaction with the air.

Ingredients:

1 kg chicken liver
300 gr ground pork
200 gr pork fat
50 ml brandy
100 ml red wine
2 chopped onions
3 chopped garlic cloves
15 ml whole black pepper
1 egg
Mix of herbs and spices to your taste (such as parsley, oregano, thyme, black pepper, etc.)
Sliced olives
Bacon strips

Method:

Mix all ingredients except the last two in a food processor and reduce to a purée
Place bacon at the bottom of your dish (you can use a bread pan or small round Pyrex dishes)
Pour puree over bacon
Put a few sliced olives on top to decorate
In a large Pyrex dish, place the pâté dish, filling the larger dish with water, at least up to the level of the purée
Bake in the oven at 275⁰F for about one hour
Remove from oven and placing weight on the pâté to compress it for a day
Refrigerate for 24 hours

Gravlax

Denis Martel — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 17:40:49 +0000

You will be surprised when you remove the aluminium paper. The salt will have dried the salmon and it will look like smoked salmon, just a bit more salty.

Ingredients:

2 to 2.5 kg very fresh whole salmon
300 ml coarse salt
300 ml sugar
20 branches of tarragon or dill

Method:

Clean and dry salmon
Filet salmon
Remove bones with a pair of long nose pliers
Mix salt and sugar together
Prepare a piece of thick aluminium foil large enough to wrap the salmon
Spread ¼ of the salt mixture on the foil
Lay 5 branches of herb on the salt mixture
Place one filet, skin down
Lay ¼ of the salt mixture on top followed by 10 branches of herbs followed by another ¼ of the salt mixture
Place the second filet, skin up, on the salt mixture
Lay the remaining herbs and cover with the remaining salt
Wrap the salmon tightly in the foil (I would recommend several layers)
Place the salmon in a large Pyrex dish or a cookie sheet
Place some weight on top of the wrapped salmon (I use a few large cans such as tomatoes or apple juice)
Leave the dish in the refrigerator for 48 hours turning the salmon every 12 hours
After 48 hours, unwrap the salmon and wash thoroughly under cold water removing the salt
Cut the salmon in thin slices, similar to smoked salmon and serve on crackers with capers

Escargots and Sundry Tomatoes

Denis Martel — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 17:39:02 +0000

My sister Louise told me about this appetizer. I personally replace the white wine with Port. It gives a slightly deeper taste.

Ingredients:

15 ml butter
15 ml olive oil
3 chopped shallots
2 chopped garlic cloves
6 chopped sundry tomatoes in olive oil
75 ml white wine
75 ml chicken stock
75 ml cream 35%
2 cans escargots (I usually chopped them a bit if they are too big)
15 ml fresh basil
Salt and pepper to taste
Pastry shells or small toasted slices of bread (baguette)

Method:

Cook shallot, garlic and tomatoes for 3 minutes in the mixture of butter and oil
Deglaze with the wine and let diminish for about 3 minutes
Add chicken stock and reduce for 3 minutes
Add cream and cook another 2 minutes
Add escargot and basil and cook until a fairly thick consistency (a couple of minutes)
Add salt and pepper to taste
Serve either on small toasted slices of bread or in a pastry shell

Crapaud Sauce

Denis Martel — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 17:36:33 +0000

The Crapaud sauce (named like this because of the green colour!) is excellent to serve when you have several friends coming over and you want to serve something in the middle of the afternoon.

I did not personally try it but a friend of mine does not even cook the spinach. She tells me it is just as good. It is up to you to try it!

Ingredients:

One pack of fresh spinach
One can of water chestnuts
3 green onions
One pack of Knorr leek soup
125 ml sour cream
125 ml light mayonnaise
One round bread of your choice
One baguette

Method:

Wash the spinach and cook for 3 to 5 minutes in a bit of water
Drain the spinach and place in a food processor with the water chestnuts, green onions, leek soup, sour cream and mayonnaise. Blend until the mixture is smooth (about 1 to 2 minutes)
Adjust seasoning, if required
Slice the top of the round bread and remove the inside so the bread becomes a bowl
Place the spinach mixture in the bread/bowl
Cut the bread you took out from the inside into cubes. Also cut the baguette in bit size pieces

Coconut Shrimps

Denis Martel — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 17:29:09 +0000

We find those shrimps on the appetizer list in some bars for the happy hour. Often they are sold $5 for three at this price, you could have about 30 at home!

Ingredients:

One pound of shrimps, size 31 to 40 or bigger (which means smaller number)
125 ml flour
15 ml onion salt
15 ml ground pepper
2 eggs, beaten
250 ml sweet coconut flakes
50 ml Red Hot sauce
Oil to deep-fry
About 40 skewers, soaked in water for about 30 minutes

Method:

Wash thoroughly the shrimp under cold water
Pat dry them and put them on skewers, one per skewer
Mix flour, salt and pepper in a soup bowl
In another bowl, beat the eggs
In a third bowl, mix the coconut and sauce
Roll the shrimps first in the flour, them in the eggs and lastly in the coconut.
Deep-fry for about 1 or 2 minutes about 10 at the time
Place the shrimps on a paper towel to absorb the surplus of oil
Eat while warm. Be careful, they might be to hot at the beginning