Tapas-Style Fiesta

We met at Mindie's house in January for a tapas-themed dinner.  Mindie introduced us to the concept of 'tapas' which means appetizers in Spanish.  The idea is to eat small appetizer-sized portions for each course of the meal so only have to eat 2-3 bites of the dish to finish it off.  This time-saver allows more time for conversation as people are not focused on eating large portions of food.  It was a fun idea and we enjoyed our tapas-style dinner.  By the end of the night, we were stuffed.  

Drink:  Sparkling Apricot Mocktail

Ingredients
Apricot nector 
Sparkling apple cider


Directions:  Mix together and serve chilled.




Savory Gougeres & Cream Puffs with Pineapple Curd

Ingredients:

Basic Cream Puff Dough

6 tablespoons butter

3/4 cup water

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

4 eggs

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In 2 quart pot, combine the butter and water. On a piece of wax or parchment paper, sift together the flour, salt and sugar. Bring the water and butter to a rolling boil, remove from heat and dump the flour mixture in all at once. Stir with a wooden spoon or paddle to incorporate.

Return the saucepot to high heat and cook, stirring, for about one minute. The mixture will form a ball and coat the pan with a thin film.

Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl or standing mixer equipped with the paddle attachment. Mix the dough for a minute or so, on low speed, to release some of the heat. Add the eggs, one at a time, completely incorporating each one before adding the next. Beat until the dough gets thick.

Split the dough in half into two bowls. In one bowl, add ½ cup diced sun dried tomatoes and ½ cup feta cheese and mix until incorporated. In the other bowl, add 1 tsp of sugar and mix well.

Line a heavy cookie sheet with parchment paper. You can spoon 1 ½ inch mounds about two inches apart, or put the mixture into a piping bag and pipe the same size mounds onto the parchment paper. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until golden and puffed. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for another 10 minutes or until they are golden brown and there are no droplets of moisture in the crevices. Turn off oven and leave the choux to dry for another 10 minutes.

The savory ones are done! When the plain cream puffs are cool, slice through the top (but not all the way through) and add a spoonful of pineapple curd.

Pineapple Curd

2 large egg yolks

3/4 cup pineapple juice

1/4 cup sugar

5 teaspoons cornstarch

Whisk egg yolks, pineapple juice, sugar and cornstarch in a small saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until thick and beginning to bubble, 3 to 5 minutes. Let cool completely. Once it had cooled in the fridge overnight, I added ¼ cup sour cream to add a tang and make it creamy. It was delicious either way!

Appetizer 1:  Roaster Winter Vegetable Soup & Vegetable Cups

Roaster Winter Vegetable Soup

1 medium butternut squash

3 to 5 large parsnips

3 to 4 large carrots

2 to 3 medium onions

3 tablespoons butter or olive oil

3 to 5 cloves garlic, peeled

6 cups vegetable broth, chicken broth or water

salt and pepper to taste

Peel the squash, parsnips, carrots and onions.  Dice them into 1 inch cupes.  toss them with the butter or oil.  Spread them in one layer on a lightly greed or parchment lined baking sheet.

Roast the vegetables in a preheated 400 degree over for 30 minutes.  After 30 minutes, toss the vegetables around a bit and add the garlic.  Roast for an additional 30 minutes, turning the vegetables every 10 to 15 minutes - they need to be brown and caramlize o the ediges, to help bring out the flavor.

Once the vegetables are soft and caramelized, remove from the oven and let cool slightly. Puruee them in a food processer or blender, or put through a ricer.  Add some of the water or brother to help make a smooth puree.  Place the puree in a large pot and add the reminaing stock/wter.  Bring the soup to a simmer.  Salt and pper as desired.

Vegetable Cups

Wanton Wrappers

Olive Oil

Vegetable mixture

Cheese

Salt and Pepper

Dice the vegetables and cheese into desire bite sized pieces.  Toss with a little salt and pepper

Spray a mini muffin tin with cooking spray

Brush the wanton wrapper lightly with olive oil on both sides

Place the wrapper in the muffin tin.  Fill the wrapper with the vegetable/cheese mixture

Bake at 350 degrees for 5 to 8 minutes - until the edges of the wanton wrapper at crispy and golden brown

If adding meat to the mixture, cook the meat thoroughly first.

Appetizer 2:  Barbecue Chicken & Cheese Biscuits

Appetizer 3:  Stuffed Mushrooms & Bacon-Wrapped Asparagus

Appetizer 4:  Avocado Shrimp Ceviche on Cucumber

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds large shrimp - peeled, deveined and chopped
• 3/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 5 roma (plum) tomatoes, diced
• 1 white onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon ketchup
• 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 avocado - peeled, pitted and diced
• 16 saltine crackers

Directions:

1. Place the shrimp and lime juice into a large bowl, and stir to coat. Let stand for about 5 minutes, or until shrimp are opaque. The lime juice will cook them. Mix in the tomatoes, onion, and cilantro until coated with lime juice; cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
2. Remove from the refrigerator, and mix in the Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, hot sauce, salt and pepper. We have our own hot sauce recipe, but you can use whatever hot sauce you like, or leave it out and let people add their own when serving.
3. Serve in glass tumblers and top with avocado pieces. Set out extra Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, lime wedges and hot sauce for people to individualize their dish. Serve with saltine crackers.

Appetizer 5:  Veggie Bread Cups

Ingredients

• Vegetable cooking spray
• 12  slices

  Pepperidge Farm® Light Style Extra Fiber Bread
• 1  cup

  shredded lowfat Cheddar cheese (about 4 ounces)
• 2/3  cup

  liquid egg substitute
• 1  pkg.

  (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach , thawed and well drained
• 1  can

  (about 14 ounces) artichoke heart , drained and chopped
• 2  tbsp.

  finely chopped red bell peppers
• 2  tbsp.

  chopped fresh basil leaves
• 1/2  tsp.

  garlic powder
• 1/8  tsp.

  ground red pepper

Directions

1.  Heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spray 12 (3-inch) muffin-pan cups with the cooking spray.

2.  Press the bread slices into the bottom and up the sides of the muffin-pan cups. Spray the bread cups with the cooking spray.

3.  Bake for 10 minutes or until the bread cups are lightly browned. Remove the pan from the oven. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.

4. Stir 1/2 cup cheese, the egg substitute, spinach, artichoke hearts, bell pepper, basil, garlic powder and ground red pepper in a medium bowl. Spoon the mixture into the bread cups.

5. Bake for 20 minutes or until the filling is set. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Serve immediately.

Tip:  You can substitute Pepperidge Farm® Light Style 7 Grain, Oatmeal or Soft Wheat Bread for the Extra Fiber Bread.

Make-Ahead Tips: You can make the bread cups up to 8 hours ahead. Store covered at room temperature and reheat at 350 degrees F. for 5 minutes before filling with the vegetable mixture as directed above. You can also refrigerate the finished veggie cups, covered, for up to 1 day. To reheat, uncover and let the veggie cups stand at room temperature for 10 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees F. for 10 minutes or until hot.

Dessert 1:  Awesome Almond Cookies

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 9 minutes per batch

Ingredients:

1 package (15 ounces) sugar cookie mix

½ teaspoon Pure Almond Extract

1 cup chopped sliced almonds

Prepare cookie mix as directed on package, stirring in Pure Almond Extract. Shape dough into balls. Roll in almonds. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake and cool as directed on package.

Makes 3 Dozen

Dessert 2:  Chocolate Fondue & Pound Cake

Pound Cake

from JoyofBaking.com

Ingredients

• 3 large eggs
• 3 tablespoons milk, room temperature
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cups granulated white sugar
• 13 tablespoons (1/2 cup + 1/3 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177degreesC) and place rack in center of oven. Butter or spray with a non stick vegetable spray, a 9 x 5 x 3 inch (23 x 13 x 8 cm) loaf pan. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper and butter or spray the paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, and vanilla extract. In the bowl of your electric mixer, with the paddle attachment (or with a hand mixer), place the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar) and mix on low speed for about 30 seconds or until blended. Add the butter and half of the egg mixture. Mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for about one minute to aerate and develop the cake's structure. Scrape down the the sides of the bowl. Gradually add the remaining egg mixture, in 2 additions, beating about 30 seconds after each addition to incorporate the egg and strengthen the cake's structure.  

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Bake for about 55 to 65 minutes or until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If you find the cake browning too much as it bakes, cover with a piece of lightly buttered aluminum foil after about 30 minutes.

Remove the cake from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool for about 10 minutes. Remove the cake from the pan and cool completely on a lightly buttered wire rack.

The Pound Cake can be covered and stored for several days at room temperature, for one week when refrigerated, or it can be frozen for two months.

Makes one 9 x 5 x 3 inch (23 x 13 x 8 cm) loaf.

Eagle Brand® Chocolate Fondue

Ingredients

• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
• 1 (14 ounce) can EAGLE BRAND® Sweetened Condensed Milk (NOT evaporated milk)
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. In heavy saucepan, over medium heat, melt chocolate chips and butter with EAGLE BRAND® and water. Cook and stir constantly until thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Add vanilla.
2. Serve warm as a fruit and cookie/cracker dipping sauce or drizzle over ice cream or cake. Store leftovers covered in refrigerator.