Category Archives: Appetizers

Dec 30

Smoked Salmon Dip

smoked salmon dip

I am about to say something borderline outrageous and perhaps controversial. But hey, life’s too short not to say what you feel. Please, correct me if I’m wrong, but here it goes: This dip will change your life. Yep, you heard me. If you are not a dip person (who are you?), this dip will convert you into one. If you are not a salmon lover, be prepared to abolish it from your “won’t eat” list. There is something almost transcendent about this, I swear. The texture? Like a cloud. The flavor? Celestial.

Over the holidays, I made a few jars of this “heaven”, planning to give them away as gifts. But I bet you can already predict what happened… Oops! So now, to make amends for my selfishness and gluttony, I give you the recipe to [one of] the most scrumptious dips you may ever taste. ¡Buen provecho and happy new year!

And, in case you are curious, and to tie into the “controversial” nature of this blog post, check out this article on a new strain of genetically engineered salmon. Thoughts?

 

Smoked Salmon Dip

adapted from epicurious.com

Difficulty: Easy

makes about 3 cups

 

Ingredients:

1 cup crème fraîche*

1 cup plain greek yogurt (any fat content)

3 teaspoons horseradish

1/2 lemon, zest and juice

1 pound smoked salmon, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon chives, thinly sliced

1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper

 

*If you can’t find crème fraîche in your grocery store, you could substitute full fat sour cream and a few tablespoons of cream cheese. But most stores carry it now.

Method:

Combine all ingredients (except chives) in a blender or food processor and pulse until smooth. Garnish with chives and serve with crackers, crostini, pumpernickel toasts, or even use as a spread on a sandwich.

 

 

Nov 17

Tortilla Española

Next month I will be graduating from college.  As I near this monumental time in life, my tendency towards nostalgia is stronger than ever, and I constantly find myself reflecting on these past four (and a half) years with great joy and yes, a tinge of sadness as well. From Florida, to Spain, back to Texas and everywhere in between, my college years have been replete with constant adventure and growth. There has yet to be a dull moment.

While every phase of my journey has played a significant role in who and where I am today, I can’t help but refer to my time in Spain as one of the most life changing. In Spain, a part of my soul was awakened, my perspective drastically magnified. In Spain, I fell in love with a people, a culture, a cuisine, and a language. Little did I know it would all change the course of my life forever…

Spain taught me the importance of slowing down and living in the moment and the unimportance of resigning to the thralls of the unsustainable American pace. Simply put, Spain taught me to follow my dreams. And so, while I have not yet returned (okay.. maybe once!), a piece of Spain will always reside in me.  And, when I find myself aching to experience it all over again, what can a person do but make some tortilla española like my “madre” did, smile, and thank the Lord I am where I am today. ¡Buen provecho!

Tortilla Española

Difficulty: Medium

Servings: 6-8 as tapas, 3-4 as a main

 

Ingredients:

3 medium-sized Yukon Gold potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled and diced

1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 small onion, diced

sea salt and pepper

6 large, very fresh eggs, preferably organic

 

Method:

Heat olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the potatoes. Cook, stirring occasionally, to prevent the potatoes from sticking, about 9 minutes. Reduce heat to low, stir in the onion and cook with potatoes about 15 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, drain potatoes and onion on a paper towel and season with salt and pepper. Remove all but ~3 tablespoons oil from the pan.

Whisk eggs in a bowl and add potato/onion mixture. Pour into skillet (on medium heat). Cook, pressing down, moving and shaking the skillet, running a thin spatula around the edge and sliding it into the middle so that some of the egg runs under for about one minute, then let it cook undisturbed until the top still jiggles, about 6 minutes.

Top the skillet with a plate slightly larger than the skillet and quickly invert the tortilla onto the plate. If the skillet looks dry, add a little more olive oil. Carefully slide the tortilla back into the skillet, uncooked side down. Shake the skillet to straighten the tortilla and push the edges in with the spatula. Reduce the heat to low and cook the tortilla about 3 to 4 more minutes. Cut like a pie and serve, preferably at room temperature.

Oviedo, Asturias…where I lived

Oct 15

Caprese Kabobs

This delightfully simple appetizer evokes fond memories of Italy and many of its gastronomic gems. Just look at it! It’s a red, white, and green beauty. For me, just saying the word “Italy” puts me in a happy state. Doesn’t it you? It is my favorite comfort food of all. I can close my eyes and almost taste the lemony, salty air of Lago di Como or the world’s most mouth-watering ravioli with brown butter and fried sage at a corner trattoria in Roma. Swoon.

The ingredients do all the work here and the result is pop-in-your-mouth perfection. Creamy mozzarella nestled against juicy cherry tomatoes in the pure and vibrant comfort of a basil leaf equates to almost everything I love about Italy in one little bite.

So, in honor of one of my favorite countries, and of the day of my birth, I’ll send along this lovely recipe…and as for me, well, I am off to try a new Italian restaurant here in Austin. :) Buen provecho….or, mejor dicho, buon appetito!

Caprese Kabobs

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: about 2 dozen

 

Ingredients:

12 ounces fresh marinated mozzarella balls

12 ounces cherry tomatoes (or tomatoes of similar size)

about 24 fresh basil leaves

 

Method:

Assemble as pictured above.  Drizzle remaining mozzarella “marinade” (aka seasoned olive oil) atop. Serve room temp and enjoy!

 

 

 

Sep 30

Crab Cakes with Lemon Chipotle Rémoulade

When people ask me what my favorite food is or what I like to cook most, I normally have to rack my brain (and my stomach) for an answer because, quite honestly, that is an impossible question!  It depends on the day of the week, my mood, the occasion, etc.  However, I would be lying if I said the image of crustaceans didn’t float across my mind.  I adore seafood, especially shellfish. Luscious lobster, shrimp, and crab are undoubtedly some of God’s greatest gifts to man.  And, speaking of crab, you cannot do me wrong with a perfectly moist-on-the-inside, crispy-on-the-outside crab cake. What follows is a recipe just for that. Served with creamy, tangy lemon chipotle remoulade, this crab cake just can’t be beat.   ¡Buen provecho!

Crab Cakes with Lemon Chipotle Remoulade

Makes about 6 crab cakes

¼ cup mayonnaise or vegenaise

1 large egg, beaten

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, plus 1 teaspoon zest, plus wedges for garnish

1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning

½ teaspoon pimentón (smoked paprika)

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

3 scallions, chopped

1 pound lump crabmeat, picked over for shells

1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons vegetable oil, for frying

Whisk first 8 ingredients together in a bowl. Fold in crabmeat, then panko, salt and pepper. Form into 6 patties and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes. Heat oil and lightly fry cakes, about 4 minutes each side over medium heat. (Sometimes I like to add more panko on the outside of the cakes before cooking; I find this gives them a better crunch!) Serve over lettuce with lemon chipotle remoulade.

 

Lemon Chipotle Rémoulade

½ cup mayonnaise

½ cup plain nonfat greek yogurt

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

juice and zest of one lemon, about 2 tablespoons

1 chipotle pepper in adobo (canned), chopped

salt and pepper to taste

 

Combine all ingredients and refrigerate.  Keeps for about a week.

 

Sep 24

The Perfect Cheese Board

Cheese. Queso. Fromage. Formaggio… Every culture and country speaks its own unique cheese language. It’s a universal understanding. And, out of every country I’ve ever visited, I have yet to find one I don’t like. It’s my number one indulgence, and reasonably so. Some people say they have a sweet tooth, well, not me…I’d take a sliver of Robusto over chocolate cake any day.

Assembling the perfect cheese board is a fantastic entertaining skill to have. It requires zero cooking and is sure to be a hit at any party. However, there is a method and science to it…

The formula for a beautifully balanced cheese board consists of 5 cheeses: Goat cheese, Soft, Hard, Washed Rind, and Blue. (3 is okay, too…but the mo cheese the betta.)

When I spent some time learning to cook (and eat, mostly) in the South of France last summer, I also learned that you generally want to eat the cheeses in the aforementioned order, mildest to most pungent. This method maximizes all savoring, happy-food-dance potential. However, you don’t have to go to the France to learn this (but, of course, I would never dissuade you from that)…

If you’re in Austin, my favorite cheese shop is Antonelli’s  in Hyde Park. I could spend (and have spent) hours in there tasting and learning my way through the world’s greatest (and smelliest) cheeses. The friendly folk who work there are true cheese experts and I wish I could be them. Sometimes.

Also, if you’re in New York and love cheese, well, I probably needn’t introduce you to  Murray’s Cheese Shop. Unequivocal paradise.

¡Buen provecho and happy cheesin’!

Above picture: Cheese and charcuterie board we had at L’Antico Pozzo in Bellagio, Lago di Como, Italy.

Here’s a fromagerie we visited in Avignon, France…I know you’re salivating too.

Here is a cheese board I assembled as an appetizer for a birthday party this summer. All of the cheeses are from Antonelli’s here in Austin. I served them with sliced baguette, fig jam, prosciutto, and Creminelli’s Tartufo Salami (aka truffle sausage, aka heaven).

Sep 8

Touchdown Jalapeños

 

Being a Texas girl, I have grown up around spicy foods for the majority of my life. In fact, I wouldn’t doubt chips and salsa were my first solid food. I love the stuff. However, I can still be kind of a wimp when it’s actually time to eat something like, say, a jalapeño. I have always thought eating should be an experience that is replete with pleasure, an act where the “happy-food dance” (more on that later) immediately ensues. Not a masochistic, half-insane endeavor into tearful oblivion…

These stuffed jalapeños are the answer to a pleasurably spicy experience and nowhere near a tearful one (unless you are crying out of sheer happiness). The melt-in-your-mouth factor of this adored “tailgating food” is unparalleled. After you make these once, I guarantee you’ll make them again and again.  And probably for more than a football game. :) ¡Buen provecho and Hook ‘em Horns!

 

Touchdown Jalapeños 

Difficulty: Medium

Makes 3 dozen

 

Ingredients:

20 jalapeños halved lengthwise, pith (the white ribbed part) and seeds removed*

1 lb pork sausage, browned and drained

1 package cream cheese, room temperature

6 oz freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon Pimentón (Spanish smoked paprika)

 

Method:

Heat oven (broiler) to 425. Brown sausage in a skillet and drain. While still warm, mix in with cream cheese, parmesan, and paprika.

Arrange jalapeño halves on a cookie sheet covered with foil. (doesn’t matter how much spacing!)  Fill with sausage-cheese mixture (about 1 tablespoon for each, depending on size of jalapeño). Heat in oven for 10 minutes, with oven door slightly ajar. Serve warm!

*I highly recommend using a pair of latex gloves while prepping these guys! If you don’t, your eyes (and whatever else you touch afterwards) might be sorry! Trust me…I know from experience. Ok, can’t say I didn’t warn ya!

Aug 23

Gorgonzola-Stuffed Dates

*photo courtesy of Jonathan Garza  

I recently made these delicious dates for an open house event I catered for my brothers awesome home-building company Gossett Jones Homes. They are beyond simple to make yet elegant enough to serve at any party or gathering. The combination of the sweet date and the creamy, pungent blue cheese can’t be beat. Sometimes I like to amp up the flavor volume even more by wrapping them in salty prosciutto and popping them in the oven for a few minutes. Just divine!

To make the job even easier, look for dates that are already pitted!

Gorgonzola-Stuffed Dates

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: about 2 dozen

Ingredients:

24 dates (preferably Medjool), pitted

4 ounces Gorgonzola cheese (or any kind of blue cheese)

Method:

Stuff dates with blue cheese. Arrange on a platter and serve! If you don’t wrap the dates in prosciutto, I would highly recommend adding some sliced prosciutto (preferably di Parma kind) on the platter.