Arts 15 Life
Food
Party Apps
To please a crowd, try these delicious appetizers.
utes until very hot and serve sprinkled with pepper.
Makes 36 appetizers.
ANNABEL COHEN
Special to the Jewish News
AL
ppetizers scare a lot of people. With the multi-
tude of ready-made offerings available at just
about any mega-store and the ease of restaurant
or carryout ordering, some people have all but forgot-
ten how to prepare them.
Although dough wrapped knishes and mini hot dogs
are tasty, they're not interesting or unique. And with
everybody buying premade from the same few purvey-
ors, you can pinpoint where each came from. The
problems I have with frozen appetizers are their lack of
fresh ingredients and often large amounts of pastry cas-
ings.
Help is here. Once again, it's time for our annual
appetizer collection.
Of course, there's nothing wrong with combining
homemade and purchased appetizers. If time or lack of
love for cooking are issues, make a few and buy a few.
Or dole out appetizer recipes with your party invita-
tions, and ask each guest to bring a finished product.
If you're invited, try something novel. After all, it's a
whole new year and a time for some fresh starts.
•
12/24
2004
48
GLAZED APPLE AND BLUE CHEESE CROSTINI
1 baguette, cut into 1/4-inch rounds
3 T butter
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled and cut into thin
slices
2 T. sugar
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup crumbled blue cheese (any variety)
fresh ground black pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 350E Arrange the baguette slices on
a baking sheet and bake for about 10-15 minutes until
toasted. Remove from oven and set aside. Turn oven
off.
Heat butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Add the apple slices and saute for about 5 minutes,
until the apples are soft. Sprinkle the sugar over and
Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the apples
are caramelized, about 5-minutes more.
Remove from heat and allow the apples to cool. (You
may prepare the apples and toasts up to 2 days ahead.)
Assemble the crostini: Divide the apples among the
toasts. Sprinkle with the walnuts and blue cheese.
Heat the oven to 350F. Bake the crostini for 15 min-
CHICKEN TIKKA MINI KEBABS
Traditionally, these Indian-inspired skewers are served
with plain yogurt as a sauce. For a kosher version, serve
with apricot chutney or duck sauce.
2 pounds boneless and skinless chicken breasts, cut
into 1/2-inch cubes
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup minced onion
3 T. olive oil
1 T. minced garlic
1 T ground coriander
1 T dried parsley flakes
2 t. ground cumin
1 t. ground turmeric
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
24-30 round toothpicks, soaked in water for 1 hour
Combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl and
toss well to coat the chicken. (You may also do this in a
zipper-style plastic bag.) Chill for 2 hours or up to
overnight.
Thread about 3 pieces of chicken on a soaked tooth-
pick, and arrange the toothpick on a baking sheet that's
been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Continue
with remaining chicken and picks; cover with plastic
wrap and chill until ready to cook (up to one day
ahead).
Just before serving, preheat oven to 450E Cook the
chicken, uncovered, for about 8 minutes. Serve warm.
Makes 24-30 appetizers.
FETA AND MINT SPREAD
Different varieties of feta and ricotta cheese have varied
flavors — from mild domestic feta to pungent
Bulgarian or Greek feta or sheep's milk ricotta. Use
whichever you prefer. This is a great spread for crack-
ers, vegetables or pumpernickel party breads. I like the
spread on French bread rounds and topped with
chopped tomatoes and anchovies.
1 cup crumbled feta cheese (any variety)
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup fresh chopped mint leaves (plus whole leaves
as garnish)
1/2 t. ground cumin
2-3 T olive oil
fresh ground pepper to taste
Combine the feta, ricotta and mint in a medium
bowl and stir well. Spread this mixture in a shallow
bowl or plate with a spoon. Do not spread smooth, or
the olive oil will not pool in the depressions of the
cheese.
Sprinkle the cumin over the cheese and drizzle the
olive oil over. Sprinkle with fresh ground pepper, gar-
nish with fresh mint leaves and serve. Makes 2 cups of
spread (about 12-16 servings).
10-LAYER MEXICAN DIP
A few twists on an old favorite that serves a whole
crowd. The key is to make this in a clear glass bowl or
dish. (I like to use a clear trifle bowl or souffle dish.)
1 can (about 14 oz.) refried beans
2 cups (24 oz.) sour cream
2 red bell peppers, chopped
2 cups guacamole (homemade or premade)
6 oz. shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
1 1/2 cups (about 12 oz.) fresh salsa
1 can (about 14 oz.) black beans, drained
8 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups diced, seeded plum tomatoes
1 cup chopped or sliced pitted olives
juice of one lime
1 cup chopped cilantro, garnish
Spread the ingredients in the order given in an
attractive serving dish. Serve with assorted tortilla chips
(I like to use blue corn, white corn and yellow corn
chips.), and raw vegetables if desired. Makes 25-40
servings.
MINI SALMON KEBABS WITH
ROASTED PEPPER CHIPOTLE MAYO
1 1/2 pounds fresh, boneless and skinless salmon fillet
olive oil
kosher salt and pepper to taste
juice of 1 lemon
24-36 small bamboo skewers or round toothpicks,
soaked in water for 1 hour
Wrap the salmon fillet in plastic wrap and freeze for
about an hour. The salmon should not be completely
frozen. Slice all the salmon across the grain into about
1/4-inch slices (the full width of the fish). After cutting
the salmon, thread the salmon onto a skewer in an
accordion fold. Repeat with all the salmon slices.
Arrange the salmon on a baking sheet that's been
sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Brush the
salmon with olive oil and cover with plastic wrap until
ready to cook (up to one day ahead — you may also
freeze the salmon at this point for up to a week).
Just before cooking, preheat oven to 450E Cook the
salmon for about 7 minutes until just cooked through.
Do not overcook.
Season to taste with salt and pepper and drizzle the
juice over. Serve warm or at room temperature with the
roasted pepper chipotle mayo (recipe below) on the
side. Makes 24-36 skewers.
CHIPOTLE ROASTED
RED PEPPER MAYO
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup coarsely chopped and drained roasted red pep-