Christmas Canape Rundown

So, here are two of my biggest crowd pleasers.  Smoked Salmon Blinis and Fried Artichokes (carciofi fritti).  Neither are particularly difficult to make however they are packed with flavour and cheap to make.

Smoked Salmon Blinis – makes 48 - 50

 

Ingredients

300g Scottish Smoked Salmon

300g Cream Cheese
150ml Sour Cream
Lemon Juice
48 - 50 Blinis – I usually get shop bought Blinis to save time when I’m throwing a party.
Garnishes – I use Radish shavings, Dill and Caviar

Method

Lightly grill the Blinis, roughly 2 ½ minutes on each side.  Let them return to room temperature before adding any toppings.
 
Prepare the creamy topping by mixing 300g of cream cheese with 150ml of sour Cream and the juice of half a lemon.  Season well.

Lay out all your Blinis on the serving trays.  Top each one a small slice of Salmon and a generous teaspoon of the creamy topping.  Once you have completed this step top half the Blinis with a small dollop of Caviar and the other half with a shaving of Radish and small sprig of Dill.  You can use any garnish you like, another option be to garnish with chives and or capers.

Fried Artichokes (carciofi fritti) – makes about 45

Ingredients

3 tins Artichoke Hearts

3 Large Eggs

Handfull of Parsley

2 Cloves of Garlic

4 cups of Breadcrumbs

¾ cup of grated Parmezan (Grana Padano will be fine for this)

Veg oil for frying

Method

Drain the Artichoke Hearts well…you’ll be frying them later so this step is important.



In a large bowl combine the Eggs, crushed Garlic cloves, roughly chopped Parsley, Salt and Pepper.

Slice the Artichokes in half or thirds depending how large they are and marinade in egg mixture.  Leave in fridge for at least 2 hours.

In a large plate combine the Breadcrumbs, Parmezan and a tsp of Salt.  Remove Artichokes from Egg mixture and roll them in the Breadcrumb mixture making sure they are all well covered. 

Fry on a medium heat until golden and crispy.  Can be served hot, cold or at room temperature.  Serve with Aioli on the side.

TOP TIP:  Substitute Artichokes with strips of Chicken breast or slices of Aubergine and serve with a salad for a delicious mid-week dinner.

Christmas Party Success

Well….what a night!!  100% turnout and lots of ‘Oooo’ing and Aaaa’ing’ at my lovingly prepared foodie treats.  As the unofficial family ‘feeder’ I get a lot of joy from seeing my peeps enjoy my creations.  As my extended family I hope that you try out some of my recipes and that you enjoy them too.

(One of the tables of food at our Christmas Party)

(My youngest daughter and my dad getting into the party spirit)

Allready planning next years party ;)

Christmas Party Menu 2011

Tonight is my Christmas Party woo hoo!!  Come 7pm my dining room will be a a sea of Scots/Italians munching on festive nibbles and quaffing wine by the barrell load.  Lots to do but i'm amazingly well prepared and seem to still be in control of the situation.  I have to say my current obsession with time planning has come from years of piss poor planning and school girl errors...which often resulted in me trying to prepare a million dishes just before my guests arrived....the words 'fetal position' and 'rocking back and forth' spring to mind.

This year my menu is a nod to my heritatge...Scots/Sicilian.  Everything from Chinotto to IRN BRU and Crostini to Haggis but not a Horses head in sight.

Party Menu

Savoury Canapes

Pasta Fagiola – served in mini mugs

Figs and Melon wrapped in Parma Ham

Arancini  

Fried Artichokes

Smoked Haddock pate

Crostini – Toppings include Tomato and Mozzarella with Basil, Goats cheese and Caramelised Onions, Sugo ai Carciofi.

Pastry Spoons -  Figs and Honey with Blue Cheese and Roast Beef with Horseradish.

Smoked Salmon Blinis

Cheese platter. Served with Mejoule Dates, Grapes, Walnuts and chutney on the side.

Meat Platter – Salami, Mortadella, Ham.

Mini Prawn Cocktails

Devilled Eggs

Haggis in Porridge Oats

Snake Bread

Sweet

Mars Bar Ravioli with IRN BRU ice cream

Baci Gelato in a Brioshe

Petite Fours

 

Rocky Road

Pasta Secca

Tunnocks Tea cakes

 Drinks

Chinotto

Irn-bru

Tennants

Birra Messina

Wine

Cocktails

I also have a little treat for all my guests

I'll be taking loads of photos and adding them to the blog over the next few days.  I'll also be posting some of my canape recipes (step-by-step pictures) and tips. 

Wish me luck!!

xxx

Snake Bread

I’m feeling the Wizard of Oz vibe today.  As I look out my window I can see furniture, rubbish and the occasional Umbrella flying around as if frantically seeking their previous owners.   So as the worst Gales in years hit Scotland, what do I do??  Surely it’s clear….I cook!!

Well in-keeping with my current Kansas style I shall bake Bread….BOO!! I hear you cry.  We know how to make Bread!  I know, I know but I’m putting my country spin on my Classic Bread recipe by making my famous Snake Bread.  This clever little recipe is great for parties and your kids will think you’re a God amongst Bakers.

Ingredients:

500g Strong Bread Flour
300ml tepid water – similar temp to baby bath water.
30ml Olive Oil
7g Dried Yeast
Tsp Salt
Tbsp Sugar – optional if you like crispy bread
2 Pepper Corns or 2 cloves – snake eyes

Put all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and combine well (there is no need to gradually add the water as this is a fairly fail-safe recipe).

(Dry ingredients before olive oil and Water is added)

Transfer mixture onto work surface and knead bread for at least 15 mins…..longer if you’re feeling up to it.  You shouldn't need to flour the work surface, a good dough won't stick.

Put kneaded mixture back into the bowl, cover with a damp dishcloth and leave in a warm room/cupboard until it has doubled in size…usually about an hour.

(Dough after it has been proved once)

Once the mixture has proved it should be kneaded again then divided into 16 balls (using a bench scrapper makes this much easier).

(Bench scrapper - about £5 from ebay)

Arrange the balls in a snake formation – 1 for the head, 1 for the tail (made more triangular) and the other 14 should be lined in rows of two…this will form the body.  Use two pepper corns or cloves to create the Snakes eyes.

Again cover the mixture with a damp cloth and place back in the warm room/cupboard for a further 30 mins. 

Finally brush the dough with an egg/milk wash and place in a pre-heated oven until golden brown.  This usually takes around 35 mins at 180/190C.

Once cooked you must immediately remove the bread from the tin and allow to cool on a baking rack……this step is very important as the bread will “sweat” if left in the tin.

After all that make sure you get a photo of your masterpiece before it’s devoured J.  It looks pretty cool but takes hardly any effort.

Eeeck, I'm nervous :p

Well hello world!!  I have never written a blog before so hopefully I won't bore you too much. 

I decided to start this blog as I am keen to reserve my family recipes and am always asked "how do you cook this/that?"  I am not a professional cook just a mega keen amateur.

I'll be telling you all my top tips, my favourite kitchen gadgets, what's worth trying - what's worth giving a miss, detailed recipes, menu plans, meal ideas for the kids and everything else I can come up with.

I hope to learn a lot from fellow bloggers and sharing all my best recipes with you.

Happy Cooking