Tex-Mex Cilantro Crepe Pinwheels

These pretty appetizers are lighter and fresher tasting than tortilla pinwheels. 

Crepes

2 eggs

Pinch salt

½ c flour

½ c milk

¼ c chopped cilantro

1 T butter, melted

Filling

8 oz / 250 g cream cheese at room temperature

½ t chili powder

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 green onions, finely sliced

¼ c red pepper, finely chopped

¼ c pickled jalapenos (or less, depending on taste), well drained and finely chopped

¼ c black olives, well drained and finely chopped

Put eggs and salt in a medium bowl and whisk well.  Add flour all at once, and whisk until smooth.  Gradually add the milk, whisking after each addition, until you have a smooth, thin batter.  Add cilantro, and stir through to combine.

Melt butter in small dish, and put aside.

Put a 17 cm non-stick frying pan over medium heat until hot.  Brush some melted butter onto the surface of the hot pan using a pastry brush.  Lifting the pan off the heat and tilting it away from you, add 2 oz / ¼ c batter to the pan, tilting the pan in a counter-clockwise motion until the surface has been covered.  Return to the heat just until the sides start to pull away from the pan.  Flip the crepe over, and cook on the second side for ten seconds or so.  Turn out onto clean kitchen towel and continue with next crepe.  You should have enough for six crepes.

In a medium bowl, add cream cheese, chili powder and black pepper.  Using a fork, mix until well combined.  Add green onion, red pepper, jalapenos and olives.  Mix.

Arrange the crepes so that the ‘pretty side’ is facing down.  Divide the cheese mixture between the six crepes.  Spread out evenly on each, leaving a 1 cm space around the circumference.   Roll each into a tight cigar shape.  Lay each rolled crepe onto the centre of a piece of plastic wrap which is at least two inches longer that the crepe.  Roll the plastic wrap around the crepe, hold both ends, and spin the crepe so that both ends twist like a candy wrapper.

Place on flat surface in fridge, and chill for at least one hour.  Unwrap each, and using a thin, sharp knife, cut 1 cm or so off both ends (cook’s treat).  Cut the remainder into 2 cm thick portions.  Place on platter, with a bowl of salsa in the middle.  Makes three dozen.

The 'pretty side'

Lime & Basil Shrimp Salad in Wonton Cups

As you may have noticed, I love hors d'oeuvres.  Anything bite-sized and delicious is fair game, with a little drink on the side, natch.  A perfect start to an enjoyable evening.  

18 wonton wrappers

18 frozen raw shrimp (31-40 size)

1 clove garlic, minced

2 T lime juice

4 T olive oil

2 T minced basil or cilantro

½ red bell pepper, diced

Salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 325F. 

Spray one side of each wonton wrapper with vegetable oil.  With the oiled sides down, line each section of a mini muffin tin, gently pressing to form to the shape of the cup.

Bake for 10 minutes.  Remove from oven, and cool in pan for five minutes.  Remove each shell from the tin and put onto a wire rack.  Repeat process with remaining wonton wrappers.

Bring a small saucepan of salted water to a boil.  Add shrimp and cover.  As soon as the water comes back to a gentle boil, drain shrimp and put into iced water.  Peel (if necessary) once cool.

Dice shrimp into ½ cm size pieces (don't worry if the shrimp aren't fully cooked; the lime juice will finish the job).  Add remaining ingredients, toss well, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until just before serving.

Spoon a teaspoon of the shrimp mixture into each wonton cup, garnishing with additional basil if desired.

Smoked Salmon & Asparagus Pinwheels

Another little 'something different' to serve with drinks before dinner.  Light and fresh.

Batter

½ c flour

Pinch of salt

2 eggs

½ c milk

10 or so chives, finely sliced

1 T melted butter, for greasing fry pan

Filling

4 oz cream cheese at room temperature

Zest of half a lemon

1 t capers, chopped

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Pinch of salt

100 g smoked salmon or gravlax

6 asparagus spears, blanched in boiling water for 1-1/2 minutes and cooled

In a medium bowl, combine flour and salt.  Whisk through to combine.

In a small bowl, beat the eggs well, then add the milk.  Add roughly half of the egg/milk mixture to the flour.  Whisk until lump-free and thick.  Gradually add the remaining, whisking after each addition.  Add the chives and stir to combine.

Preheat a (preferably non-stick) medium-sized fry pan (base approximately 17 cm wide) over medium heat.  Once hot, dip a pastry brush into the melted butter and apply a thin coating to the fry pan.  Tilting the pan away from you, add ¼ c of the batter, and immediately begin tilting the pan in a circular motion, moving the batter in the pan to cover the bottom.  Place back on the heat, and flip once the edges begin to release themselves from the sides of the pan (this will take approximately 30 seconds, depending how hot your stove is).  Cook on the second side for ten seconds or so; remove to a plate to cool.  Repeat until all the batter has been used.

Combine the filling ingredients (excluding salmon & asparagus), and mix well with a fork to combine.

Spread one-sixth of the mixture over each cooled crepe, going almost to the edge.  Place roughly one-sixth of the smoked salmon in the lower third of each crepe, and place an asparagus spear on top of the salmon.  Starting at the bottom edge, roll each crepe up tightly to enclose its ingredients.

Wrap each snugly in a piece of cling film, and refrigerate until well-chilled.  Remove cling film, cut a centimeter or so off each end (cook’s treat), and slice the remaining into five pieces, either straight across or on the bias.     

Can be made the day ahead; makes 30 pieces.

Baked Salami Cups with Antipasto Salad

I'm always looking for different appetizer ideas to accompany cocktails when we're entertaining. These take a little time, but they're sure to impress.  

The salami cups can be made early the day of, provided they're left out at room temperature. Don't fill them until right before you're ready to serve.

1 Roma tomato, seeded & diced

¼ c marinated artichoke hearts, diced

¼ c roasted red pepper, diced

8 or so oil-cured black olives, diced

¼ c finely diced Parmesan cheese

1 T olive oil

1 t dried oregano (or 1 T fresh)

1 small clove garlic, finely minced

2 T chopped parsley (optional)

24 salami slices (approx 8 cm diameter)

Basil leaves for garnish (optional)

An hour or two before serving, combine tomato, artichoke hearts, roasted red pepper, black olives, Parmesan, olive oil, oregano, garlic and parsley in a small bowl.  Stir well to combine.  Cover and leave at room temperature.

Preheat oven to 350^o.

Line each section of a mini muffin tin with a slice of salami, gently pressing to form it to the shape of the cup.  Roll up enough small balls of tin foil (about the size of a ping-pong ball) to put into each cup (this will help hold the shape of the salami as it bakes).

Bake for 15 – 20 minutes until crisp; drain on paper towels and cool to room temperature. 

Fill each cup with the antipasto mixture, and garnish with a basil leaf, if using.  Serve immediately.

Pita Chips

Everyone loves these.  They take a little time to prepare, but they’re well worth it.  Best of all, you can flavour them as you wish to compliment the rest of your menu.  The ones shown are just oregano, salt and pepper, but the possibilities and endless. 

-As many pocket-type pitas as you wish (you will get 16 chips from each pita)

-Vegetable or olive oil spray

-Salt & pepper

-Dried spices or herbs of your choice (basil, chili powder, coriander, curry powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, paprika, thyme…)

Cut the pitas open by carefully inserting a sharp paring knife at the edge, and carefully running it around the circumference of the pita.  Gently pry the two halves apart.

Line your kitchen sink with either paper towels or an old tea towel.  Lay your first pita half in the sink, inside facing up.  Lightly spray with oil, season sparingly with salt and pepper, followed by your choice of seasonings.  Place the next pita half on top (also inside facing up), and continue in same manner.  Repeat until you have four stacked pitas.  Move them to a cutting board and cut the stack into eight triangles (giving you 32 pieces).

Bake in a single layer on cookie sheets in a preheated 325 degree oven for approximately seven minutes, rotating trays at half time, until lightly browned.  Keep an eye on them; once they begin to brown, it happens quickly.  Adjust baking time as needed.

Remove the pita chips from the cookie sheets and cool on a large rack.  Continue making and baking additional batches as desired.  You can cool each batch on top of the previous batch, just keep mounding them up.

Store in zipper bags once completely cooled.  Serve with dips, if desired.

Incidentally, when broken into bite-size pieces, these make an excellent substitute for salad croutons!

  

Simple Smoked Salmon Canapes

Quick, fresh, and a little different.  Good for when you want to give your guests something to nibble on with their pre-dinner bevvies, without killing their appetite for the main event.

1/4 lb cream cheese, softened
6 brined capers, drained, rinsed and finely chopped
Juice of 1/4 lemon
2 t minced fresh dill
2 t minced fresh chives
Coarsely ground black pepper to taste

1/4 lb smoked salmon
1 English cucumber
Dill sprigs for garnish

In a small bowl, stir the cream cheese until softened.  Add remaining ingredients (excluding salmon, cucumber and dill sprigs), stirring until well blended.  Cover with plastic wrap and put in refrigerator for 1 hour. 

At the end of the hour, wash and dry the cucumber.  Using a vegetable peeler, remove four evenly-spaced lengths of skin from the cucumber.  Slice in 1 cm rounds, place on platter, and blot tops with paper towel.

Using a knife, place 1 t of the cream cheese mixture onto each cucumber slice.  Gently tear the salmon into pieces roughly 3 cm X 3 cm.  Drape the salmon pieces over the cucumber slices, in any manner which makes them look irresistible, and top each with a dill sprig.  Chill, covered, until ready to serve.



Appetizer: Sauteed Panner with Herbed Vinaigrette

I had a package of paneer (South Asian fresh cheese) in the fridge which I wanted to use up.  Other than making a curry, I had very little idea of what to do with it.  With friends coming over for dinner, and nothing to offer beforehand other than some chips, I decided to use it as an appetizer. 

I cut it into centimeter-thick slices, then cut each slice in half.  Patted them dry with paper towels, then seasoned with salt & pepper.  I sauteed them in a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat until they were beautifully browned on both sides, and arranged the slices onto a platter.  Made a vinaigrette consisting of 1/4 c olive oil, 2 T lemon juice, the grated rind of half the lemon, a fat clove of garlic and fresh chopped herbs from the garden (in this case it was rosemary, basil, thyme, parsley, mint and chives - but anything fresh will do).  Poured it over the paneer, turned each piece until coated, and scattered a few cherry tomatoes amongst for colour.  Covered it and allowed it to marinate at room temperature for a couple of hours.

Delicious served as-is, but if you had a baguette to hand to mop up all the lovely marinade, all the better.