Archive for the ‘Appetisers’ Category

Prawn cocktail choux puffs

February 21st, 2009

Ingredients:

25 g butter
60 ml water
¼ tsp salt
40 g flour
1 egg

For the prawn cocktail:

100 g prawns (cooked and peeled)
1½ tbsp mayonnaise
1 tsp ketchup
1 dash Worcestershire sauce
1 dash Tabasco
White pepper
1 handful rocket (roughly chopped)
Paprika (for decorative sprinkling)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 180 C. Heat the water in a pot, dissolve the butter and salt in it, then, removing it from the heat, and gradually work in the flour with a wooden spoon. Beat until you have smooth dough which pulls away from the pan. Incorporate the egg until well combined and shiny. Using a piping set, create small mounds of pastry on a non-stick baking tray. Make sure you place them well apart, as they will rise. Bake them for ca. 30 – 35 minutes, until golden brown.

For the prawn cocktail, combine all ingredients save the rocket and paprika in a bowl. Top the choux pastry bases with some rocket, then spoon on the prawn cocktail and sprinkle with paprika just before serving.

The choux pastry can be prepared 3 days in advance, then stored in an air-tight container

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Cucumber boats with smoked trout mousse

February 20th, 2009

Ingredients:
1 medium cucumber (not too thin)
60 g smoked trout
100 g philadelphia cream cheese
white pepper
12 dill tops or cayenne pepper, to decorate

Directions:

  1. Cut the cucumber into rounds of ca. 1 – 1.5 cm – no need to peel. With a round cookie cutter (ca. 4 cm diametre) out rounds, dispose of the outer skin. Using a melon baller, cut a dip into the cucumber, deep enough to accommodate the mousse, but without cutting through to the bottom. Leave to “sweat” for at least 20 minutes. Before assembling, dry the cucumber “boats” thoroughly with kitchen towel. You can prepare these the day before, if you want, for a dryer result – simply store in a plastic container lined with kitchen towel.
  2. In the meantime, blend the trout and the cream cheese with a fork or in a blender, until well combined. Season.
  3. To assemble, fill a sandwich bag with the trout mousse, tie up, then cut off one edge to create a make-shift piping bag. Dry the cucumber boats with kitchen towel, then fill with the mousse and decorate with the dill tops or some cayenne pepper.

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Honey-tamari prawns with nam-pla dip

February 20th, 2009

30 uncooked, shelled tiger prawns (never been frozen)

For the marinade:
4 tbsp Tamari (dark soy sauce)
1 clove garlic (crushed)
zest of half a lime
1 tsp freshly chopped red chilli
1 tbsp honey/Syrup

For the dip:
1 small red chilli (deseeded & finely chopped)
20 g coriander leaves (finely chopped)(Leave Out)
juice of 1 lime
1 clove garlic (crushed)
1 small spring onion (finely sliced)
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp Tamari (dark soy sauce)
1 dash nam pla (fish sauce)
1 tbsp muscovado sugar

  1. Mix all the ingredients for the marinade in a tupperware container, add the cleaned prawns. Close the lid tightly and shake thoroughly so that the prawns are evenly coated. Leave to stand in the fridge overnight or for at least 2 hours. Toss the container every time you go past it.
  2. Combine all the ingredients for the dip (except the coriander) and heat in a pot until the sugar has dissolved. Leave to cool, then add the coriander leaves.
  3. When you’re ready to serve, heat some oil in a wok, when it is really hot, add the prawns and toss them until they’re cooked through and starting to brown. Depending on how much contact they have with the pan, this should not take more than 3-5 minutes.
  4. Serve the prawns and dip on a large plate, alongside skewers to pick them up with.

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Crab meat Parmesan Canapes

February 20th, 2009

Ingredients:

12 slc Homemade-type white bread, crusts discarded and bread cut into 4 triangles
1 cup Fresh lump crab meat, picked over
2/3 cup Mayonnaise
2/3 cup Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
4 x Scallions, chopped fine
1 tsp Fresh lemon juice, or to taste

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 400F.
  2. Toast bread on a baking sheet in oven until golden, about 5 minutes.
  3. In a bowl stir together remaining ingredients with salt and pepper to
    taste. Toasts and crab-meat mixture may be made 1 day in advance.
  4. Reduce oven to 375F. Spread crab-meat mixture on toasts and arrange on
    baking sheet. Canapes may be assembled 30 minutes in advance. Bake
    canapes in middle of oven until puffed, about 10 minutes.

Makes 48 canapes.

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Hot Asparagus Canapes

February 20th, 2009

Ingredients:

20 x thin slices white bread
3 oz Bleu cheese
8 oz cream cheese
1 x egg
20 x spears cooked asparagus
1/2 lb butter, melted

Method:

1. Trim crust and flatten slices with rolling pin.
2. Blend cheese and egg and spread on each slice.
3. Roll 1 spear in each slice; use toothpick to fasten and dip in butter to coat thoroughly.
4. Place rolls on cookie sheet and freeze.
5. When firm slice into 3 equal sections. When ready to serve,bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes until lightly browned.


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