We love Plum Tv ! In our featured video today, Chef Joshua Hollinger and Chef Lavon Wallace from the Harbor View Hotel in Martha’s Vineyard share their recipe for a fresh and creative salad appetizer, tuna stuffed avocado balls with a soy aioli sauce! Give it a view!
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Appetizer Recipes
Score! We found another amazing food blog! “Rockin the Stove” features Chef Shirlé Hale-Koslowski of Four Corners Cuisine serving up healthy vegetarian recipes.
In this video she shows us how to make an easy and affordable roasted red pepper hummus, using chick peas, roasted red peppers, fresh garlic, tahini, lime juice, lemon zest, spanish smoked paprika, salt, and water. This Middle Eastern snack with a Latin flair is perfect on sandwiches or as a dip for whatever your heart desires.
Today we are featuring Executive Chef Eric Hulme of the CA based Tender Greens restaurants, in this quick and easy recipe of wild mushroom bruschetta on ciabatta bread, topped with manchego cheese.
For this simple appetizer you will need: 2 cups of your favorite mushrooms, chopped garlic, chopped shallot, rosemary sprigs, butter, olive oil, 1/4 cup both chicken stock and white wine, 3 slices of ciabatta bread, and shredded manchego cheese. (If you haven’t tasted manchego cheese, you’re in for a treat! This slightly salty Spanish sheeps milk cheese has a gorgeous, buttery, nutlike flavor. You should be able to find it in your local supermarket, or Whole Foods.)
Also feel free to check out this recent post which discusses the history, legends, and correct pronunciation of bruschetta.
What to do when unexpected guests stop by? Uncork a bottle or two of wine, and serve a quick appetizer, relax, and enjoy. Small finger foods are a wonderful option, and are perfect for the coffee table or the patio tray. In this video, Chef Eric Ripert creates scrumptious warm fresh goat cheese truffles blended with herbes de Provence and breadcrumbs, a simple treat that will take you less than 10 minutes to execute.
P.S. Did you ever wonder exactly what herbes de Provence is? Consisting of thyme, bay leaf, marjoram, rosemary, savory, fennel, and often lavender, this delicious mixture varies by the manufacturer. Pronounced “EHRB duh proh-VAWNS” the spice plants are abundant in southern France in the summer, and can be used to season anything from meats, fish, fruits, and even vanilla ice cream. You can grow your own, mix your own recipe, or simply buy a spice blend. Our favorite online spice shop (and no, it’s not because of the name!) is the Savory Spice Shop, which we discovered in Downtown Denver several years ago and have been devoted to ever since. Owners Mike and Janet Johnston offer freshly ground spices, blends, recipes, and even classes if you are lucky enough to live in the Denver area. We highly recommend them!
Click on “read more” for the video recipe.
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Always a fan of Eric Ripert, we were recently reminded of his sincere charm and culinary talent after watching this weeks Top Chef, where he appeared as a guest judge. Believe it or not, this french master actually produced an entire video series of toaster oven recipe videos! This simple video recipe features bacon wrapped mission figs. Wondering about his toaster oven? It’s a very cool Cuisinart Brick Oven
Recipe courtesy of Eric Ripert
Bacon Wrapped Figs
Serves 4
12 figs, peeled
12 bacon slices
freshly ground black pepper
1. Heat toaster oven to Broil.
2. Wrap each fig in a strip of bacon, trimming the bacon as necessary, and secure with a toothpick.
3. Bake for about 8-10 minutes until the bacon is crisp and the figs are tender.
4. Season with black pepper and serve immediately
Bacon heaven! Watch as Chef Leanne Wong prepares Chef Tre Wilcox’s winning dish from season 3 of Bravo Tv’s Top Chef. This decadent meal is bacon wrapped shrimp over grilled corn and cheddar grits with a chipotle tomato sauce.
While you’re on a bacon kick, also feel free to watch chef Eric Ripert prepare bacon wrapped figs!
Recipe courtesy of Bravo Tv
Bacon Wrapped Shrimp
Chef Tre Wilcox
18 pc black tiger shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2T Kosher salt
9 bacon slices
2t cracked black pepper
Grapeseed oil for searing
For the Grits:
2qt chicken stock
1qt milk
1/4 stick unsalted butter
1qt instant grits
2 cups grilled corn kernels
1 cup poblano peppers, small diced
2 cups aged white cheddar cheese
3T chopped cilantro
2T Kosher salt
2T cracked black pepper
For the Chipotle-Tomato Butter:
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
2T chopped garlic
3 Roma tomatoes, chopped
3T chipotle peppers (in Adobo)
1t black peppercorns
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 stick unsalted butter
1/2 bunch cilantro
1 lemon, juiced
2t Kosher salt
Wrap each shrimp with a half piece of bacon. Season with salt and pepper. Sear each shrimp in grapeseed oil till crispy on both sides.
Using a deep saucepot combine chicken stock and milk. Bring to a simmer, add butter, and allow time for it to dissolve. Slowly whisk in grits a little at a time. When grits begin to thicken, lower heat. Switch to a spatula and fold in the rest of the ingredients. Adjust for addition seasonings if needed. If grits are too thick, add more chicken stock or milk.
In a saucepot, sauté onions and garlic over medium heat. Next, add tomatoes, chipotle peppers and peppercorns. Continue to cook for another three minutes. Deglaze with chicken stock and lower heat. Cook for 5 minutes then place in a blender; blend till smooth. Place liquid back in saucepot and over low heat mount with butter, whisking in a little at a time. Add cilantro and season with lemon juice and salt. Turn off heat and allow 5 minutes to steep cilantro. Strain through fine mesh strainer and reserve warm till time to serve.
Place small amount of grits in the center of a large plate. Drizzle sauce around grits. Place three pieces of shrimp around grits, and serve.
Here’s an afterthought: bacon has hit the big time lately, achieving hipster status. Bacon bourbons and vodka, bacon ice cream, bacon popcorn, and even bacon bloggers, are just a few of the bacon candidates adoring the spotlight. Dan Phillips, CEO of the Bacon of the Month Club, says “Bacon is the chocolate of the new millennium”. We all agree that bacon is delicious, but, what do you think of this bacon bonanza? Overplayed or well deserved? Let us know in the comments!
Savory Tv loves cheese as an appetizer. Are you planning a cheese tray for your holiday party, and looking for tips beyond the ordinary as we are? We love this helpful video from cheesemonger and author of The Cheese Primer Steven Jenkins, as he discusses the perfect cheese appetizer plate with Serious Eats, which includes a combination of sheep, goat, and cow cheeses. He recommends staying fairly mild to please all of your guests, and to choose no more than 3 to 4 cheeses, and ensure that all are different from each other in both texture and flavor. Steve says to opt for cheeses that are unique, primitive, or rustic in appearance. In the video, he chooses a few of his favorites, including a Poitu Chevre (goat – France), a Tomme de Cabrioulet (raw goat – France), Torta del Casar (sheep – Spain), Serpa (raw sheep – Portugal), and a Smokey Blue (cow – US) from Oregon’s Rogue Creamery that has been smoked with hazelnut shells.
What is a cheesemonger exactly? Basically a cheese expert. Although not having the strict educational requirements as a sommelier has for wine, cheesemongers often are top experts in their field, and are well respected and appreciated in the culinary world. In our world of chain stores and the sad decline of Mom and Pop, cheese mongers can be tricky to find if you are not in a large metropolitan area. Our best advice is to Google “cheesemonger” (or “cheese shop”) and the name of your city, and to search the message boards at Chow.com. You can also ask your favorite restaurant chef if he has suggestions for a reliable source. The best shops will encourage tasting and help you with wine pairings.
For more cheese suggestions, absolutely check out these great cheese plate tips and recipe ideas from chef Michael Chiarello. Michael recommends soft and aged goat cheeses, Teleme, Parmigiano-Reggiano, Gorgonzola, Camembert, to serve with bread, and offers wine pairing and plating suggestions.
Do you have a favorite cheese that your party guests love? Let us know please in the comments section!
Jacques Pépin is truly one of our favorite chefs of all time. Author of 25 cookbooks and host of over 300 cooking shows on public television, his elegant recipes and detailed instructions command a deep level of respect from both home cooks and culinary experts throughout the world.
In this video from Food & Wine magazine, Jacques and his daughter Claudine prepare a 10 minute recipe of cured salmon gravlax pizza, a quick and delicious appetizer that would bring holiday cheer to your Christmas party with minimal effort!
What is gravlax you ask? Scandinavian in origin, gravlax literally translates to “salmon dug into the ground”. In the middle ages, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian and Estonian fisherman had a special technique to cure their freshly caught salmon. They salted it and fermented it (to preserve the fish) by burying it into the sand for several days. Modern preparation of gravlax is much simpler, thinly sliced salmon is simply cured with a dry rub of salt, sugar, and often dill.
Jacques Pépin’s recipe for salmon gravlax pizza calls for the following ingredients: thinly sliced raw salmon, kosher salt, pepper, brown sugar, sour cream, horseradish, a cooked thin pizza crust (you may use a frozen pizza dough to prepare this), thinly sliced red onion, black olives, capers, and basil.
Salmon Gravlax Pizza
Chef Jacques Pepin
For the gravlax:
½ pound skinless boneless salmon fillet
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
1 ½ teaspoons light brown sugar
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
A little oil
For the pizza:
1 flour tortilla
Olive oil
¼ cup sour cream
1 tablespoon horseradish, homemade or store-bought
¼ cup red onion, sliced very thin
6 black oil-cured olives, pitted and cut into pieces
7 or 8 fresh basil leaves
Fleur de sel, for garnish
Directions
For the gravlax, cut the salmon into 8 thin slices, and arrange them in a single layer on a flat plate or platter. Mix together the kosher salt, light brown sugar, and freshly ground black pepper. Sprinkle half of this mixture evenly over the salmon slices, turn the slices over, and sprinkle with the remaining seasoning mixture. Spread a thin coating of oil on the slices, just enough to make the salmon shiny, and press a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the salmon. Refrigerate to cure; it will be ready in an hour or less, although you can leave it overnight or even up to a day. (We are using only 4 slices of gravlax on our pizza. Make a second pizza, or enjoy the leftover gravlax with cucumber and/or sliced onion and buttered black bread.)
Preheat the oven to 500°F. Precook the tortilla for this pizza. Coat the tortilla with olive oil, using about ½ teaspoon on each side. Place the oiled tortilla on a cookie sheet and, to prevent it from curling up and bubbling in the oven without the weight of toppings to hold it down, place a rack or cake stand upside down directly on top of the tortilla. The rack will hold it flat as it cooks. Bake for about 5 minutes to brown the tortilla nicely and make it crisp. Let cool before continuing.
When the tortilla is cool, coat with the sour cream, and then spread on the horseradish. (My friend Claude has enormous and pungent horseradish in his garden that he peels, grates, and puts in a jar with a little vinegar, salt, and water.) Arrange 4 slices of gravlax on top, so the salmon covers most of the surface, although it’s attractive if a little sour cream shows through here and there. Sprinkle the sliced red onion on top, and then scatter the olives over the surface. Finally, coarsely tear the basil leaves into pieces, and top the pizza with the basil. Cut the pizza into 8 pieces. Sprinkle with fleur de sel.
Colorful, warm, hearty, vegetarian and simple, Mark Bittman‘s artichokes provençal is a strong contender for the perfect holiday appetizer. In this video, Bittman shares his special recipe of braised baby artichokes, garlic, black olives, thyme, and small tomatoes garnished with parsley. Serve it with slices of warm buttered baguette, and prepare yourself for praise!
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Our series of holiday appetizer videos are designed to help your winter party be the smash of the season! Serving a variety of gourmet appetizers will ensure you please the pickiest Christmas party epicures, and we love this video featuring Italian chef Mateo from Academia Barilla whipping up a decadent yet simple Italian eggplant and prosciutto starter. Check it out!
Rolled eggplant with prosciutto and pecorino cheese
Chef Mateo Carboni
Serves 4
1 eggplant,
12 slices ham (prosciutto)
3 oz Academia Barilla Pecorino Gran Cru (an Italian sheeps milk cheese)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
chives to taste
salt to taste
Preparation
30 minutes preparation
First slice the eggplants, then spread some extra virgin olive oil on both sides of each slice before grilling them for two minutes max on a pre-heated grill.
While the eggplant slices are still hot off the grill, sprinkle some grated Pecorino cheeses, then pair the slice with a slice of Prosciutto di Parma, and carefully roll them together, using chives to secure each roll, adding a final touch of flavor and presentation.
Central Italy: Le Marche, Lazio, Umbria, and Tuscany, 4 regions of delicious Italian food history. Here the summers are hot and long, and home to Italian delights such as the grain farro, the spice saffron, chestnuts, white beans, and truffles, and the world’s finest olive oils.
And here we find the origins, and fables, of Bruschetta.
The most common bruschetta legend is that olives harvested in November and December were taken to the local central Italian mill for pressing, the mill having a burning fireplace. The presenters to the mill brought local Italian bread, grilled it on the fireplace and rubbed it with garlic. The toasty bread served as a canvas to test, and to show off their prized oils.
Or a less romantic story is from “The Dictionary of Italian Food and Drink” by writer John Mariani, stating “”Bruschetta. Toasted bread, often rubbed with garlic and drizzled with olive oil. Also schiena d’asino, soma d’aj in the south, and fettunta in Tuscany. Bruschetta has always been a way to salvage bread that was going stale by adding oil and seasonings. Sometimes the bread is entirely immersed in oil, but usually the oil is poured on the top after the bread is rubbed with a garlic clove. In recent years adding toppings, particularly chopped onions and tomatoes, has become popular in restaurants.”
Rumors and legends aside, Bruschetta wins our heart. Tuscan Chef Gabriele Corcos with his beautiful wife Debi Mazar have won our heart as well, with their delicious video version of Bruschetta with a surprising twist!
Check out all of their delicious recipes and fall in love with them here, at Under The Tuscan Gun.
BRUSCHETTA WITH SAUSAGE, BRIE CHEESE AND FRESH HERBS
Gabriele Corcos – Under The Tuscan Gun
Serves: 6
Prep Time: 5
Cooking Time: 15 min. for the sausage sauce + 5 min. in the broiler
Ingredients
6 slices of bread
2 pork sausages (mild or hot according to taste)
¼ Lb of Brie Cheese (or other semi-soft cheese)
¼ Red Onion
1 Handful of Rosemary
1 Handful of Sage
½ Glass of White Wine
Olive Oil, Salt and Pepper
How to:
-getting ready-
Chop the Onion finely and rinse the herbs thoroughly. Chop the sage finely.
Slice the bread.
Pop the wine open and start sipping!
Cooking your dish
Open the Sausages and sauté the meat with the onion in a tablespoon of olive oil for about 5 minutes in a medium sized non stick pan, until the meat starts browning.
Add the half glass of wine, the rosemary and the sage.
Cook for about 5-7 minutes, until the wine has been completely absorbed, take off the fire and set aside.
Toast your bread on a fire grill, in a toaster or on the barbecue; do not use a sandwich press, otherwise you will make crackers.
Note: the correct pronunciation of bruschetta is “broo-sketta”. If the video was not clear enough, here is a sample sound clip from an Italian female that should help you say it the right way:
Appetizer Recipes French Recipes
Cheese ambrosia! Chef Jacques Pépin shares a favorite family appetizer
Author and Master Chef Jacques Pépin and his daughter Claudine show us their family French recipe of fromage fort, meaning “strong cheese” in English. This creative appetizer utilizes all of the random small pieces of cheese that you may have stashed in your fridge! Use camembert, swiss cheese, goat cheese, brie, or whatever you happen to have available. Combined with white wine, garlic, and pepper, the end result is a warm cheese blend that may be served on baguette toast or crackers for a heavenly appetizer or snack.
Watch the video for the details, and visit the Food and Wine Magazine site for more delicious recipes.
Fromage Fort
Chef Jacques Pepin
1/2 pound cheese pieces
1 garlic clove
1/4 cup dry white wine
Black pepper
Salt
Put 1/2 pound of cheese pieces in the bowl of a food processor, add 1 garlic clove, about 1/4 cup of dry white wine and a big grinding of black pepper. Salt is usually not needed, but taste the mixture and add some if it is. Process for about 30 seconds, until the mixture is creamy but not too soft, and then pack it into small containers. The fromage fort is now ready to use. You may serve it cold or spread on bread and broiled for a few minutes. Broiling will brown the cheese and make it wonderfully fragrant.
October is past the mid month point and you haven’t yet had your dose of pumpkin trivia! Let’s fix that!
Pumpkins are considered a superfood, meaning they have high levels of antioxidant flavonoids and micronutrients, most notably vitamins A, C, potassium, and fiber. Pumpkin seeds are a great source of Omega 3 fatty acids, which contribute to healthy brain function according to recent research from UCLA. Enjoy that fact while munching on your pepitas!
The amber pumpkin flowers are also an edible food, and considered a delicacy in many cultures. I found a few interesting pumpkin flower recipes! The first one is a Bengali dish, Kumro Phool Bhaja which translates to “Pumpkin Flower Fry”, you can see a recipe here. Sopa Mexicana De Flor De Calabaza is a traditional Mexican dish that translates to “pumpkin flower soup” and a recipe from Miguel Angel Castillo can be found here.
Pumpkin seed oil is a viscous, nutty, dark green nutrient packed oil made from roasted pumpkin seeds. It is traditionally used in the Styrian region of Austria as a salad dressing ingredient combined with apple cider vinegar.
Our pumpkin tribute today is concluded with a video by Chef Matteo Carboni from the Academia Barilla Culinary School in Italy, and he prepares penne with a pumpkin and bacon sauce, garnished with balsamic vinegar and parmesan cheese.
Penne pasta with pumpkin sauce
Chef Matteo Carboni
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 lb pumpkin
3 oz smoked pancetta (or bacon)
Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
parsley to taste
rosemary to taste
garlic
few drops of Academia Barilla Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena, aged 12 years
½ onion
extra virgin olive oil
1 lb penne rigate
Peel and remove the seeds from the pumpkin.
Cut into cubes of about 0.5 inch each side.
Place the rest of the pumpkin, the onion, and a little salt in a pan and cover with water until it boils.
When the vegetable is cooked, whip until you obtain a cream.
First cut the smoked bacon into pieces of about 0.2 inch in length and then cut in Julienne style.
Mince the rosemary, garlic and parsley.
Put a pan on medium heat, add a drop of oil and fry the smoked bacon.
Remove the smoked bacon from the pan, add the pumpkin and cook, adding salt and pepper to taste.
Add garlic, rosemary and the bacon to the pumpkin and after 2 minutes of cooking, add the pumpkin cream. In plenty of salted boiling water cook the pasta, drain and add with the previously prepared sauce.
Add the Parmesan grated, plate the pasta and drizzle with Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena before serving.
Appetizer Recipes Latin Recipes Seafood Recipes
Shrimp and scallop ceviche in a delicious citrus marinade with Chef Aaron Sanchez
Chef and owner of the Manhattan restaurant, Paladar, Aaron Sanchez creates a fusion Caribbean, Central and South American flavors. In this video Aaron creates a shrimp and scallop ceviche in citrus marinade, a perfect dish for summer.
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* Juice of 1 lemon
* 2 bay leaves
* 1 tbsp. Tabasco
* 1/2 lb. 20 / 30 size sea scallops
* 1/2 lb. 16-20 size shrimp, peeled, deveined, cut in half lengthwise
* 1/2 med. Tomato, diced
* 1 jalapeno chile, chopped, seeded
* 1 tsp. Aji Amarillo
* 1 tbsp. chopped chives
* 1 tbsp. chopped cilantro
* 1 cup mango nectar or orange juice
* Juice of 1 lime
* 1 tsp. salt
Bring to boil medium pot of water. Add lemon juice, bay leaves, salt, submerge sea scallops for 5 minutes, add shrimp. Cook 30 seconds. Remove from boiling water into ice bath. Drain seafood. Cool. Combine remaining ingredients. Add to seafood.
Appetizer Recipes Grilled Recipes Side Dish Recipes
Chef Adam Perry Lane grills fresh peaches, plums, and nectarines
Chef Adam Perry Lang’s popular restaurants, Daisy May’s BBQ U.S.A. and Robert’s Steakhouse, have received praise throughout the food media world. Daisy May’s BBQ U.S.A., is described by Food & Wine Magazine as the “Height of Pit Cuisine”, and has been rated in the Zagat’s Survey, as New York City’s number one BBQ Restaurant for 2005 and 2006.
In this video, Adam demos grilling fresh California fruit, including peaches, plums and nectarines. Grilled fruit is simple to prepare, healthy, and perfect for summer. Serve with ice cream for desert, in a salad, or as a side dish with meat or fish.
Appetizer Recipes Latin Recipes Salsas and Dips Seafood Recipes
Shrimp Ceviche Recipe with Chef Mario
Chef Mario from 2MinuteChef.tv prepares a simple and delicious shrimp ceviche.
Feel free to also visit our Shrimp and Scallop Ceviche video and recipe.