This is so easy, it is ridiculous. Not only that, it is good too.
- 4 cups whole milk (not skim, 1 or 2%)
- 2 tbsp. Greek yogurt
- juice of 2 limes
- cheesecloth
Bring milk and yogurt to 180 F over medium heat. Remove from heat and mix in the lime juice. Cover with a damp clolth and let sit 15 minutes.
Strain through the cheesecloth for 25-35 minutes, depending on soft you want the cheese to be. Refrigerate.
I told you it was simple.
Pico De Gallo
Earlier this year we were at a cooking class in Osoyoos and Chef Liam and his co-hort Moss gave us a Mexican meal. This is one of his recipes and believe me, it was really good.
- 1/2 cucumber, seeded and diced
- 1 yellow sweet pepper, seeded and diced
- 1/2 red onion, finely diced (maybe)
- 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
- 4 roma tomatoes
- 1 cup roasted corn kernals (off the cob)
- 1/2 cup cilantro
- juice and zest from 1 lime
- Olive oil
- salt and pepper
Combine all the ingredients and let sit for 1 hour. Season to taste.
This was put into tortillas and it was really tasty.
Cheese And Ham Tartlets
This is an easy recipe because you can use the frozen unbaked tart shells. Okay, sometimes I cheat….just a little.
- 2 cups grated Swiss cheese
- 2/3 cup finely chopped cooked ham steak, fat removed
- 1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- pinch of salt and pepper
Combine the cheese, ham, shallots and sour cream in a medium bowl and mix really well. Add the salt and pepper.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Arrange the tart shells on a cookie sheet and bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven.
Evenly distribute the cheee mixture in the shells and return to the oven and bake a further 10 minutes (until the cheese mixture is hot right through and the cheese is melted.
Serve warm. There won’t be any leftovers, I promise!
Homemade Crab Pate
The title should have read ‘elegant crab pate’. This is another way to make it look like you really worked long and hard in the kitchen. Pfft! NOT!
- 2 tins (113 g crab meat)
- 1/2 block cream cheese (250 g)
- 1 small garlic clove (minced)
- 4 drops of Tabasco sauce
- 1/4 tsp. dijon mustard
- 1/4 tsp. parsley, chopped very fine
- 1 tbsp. grated Asiago cheese
- lemon wedges, sliced thin
Drain and squeeze the crab meat. Check through to avoid cartilage.
Put 2 tins of the crab meat (removing any large pieces and set aside).
Place remaining ingredients in the blender and puree until smooth. Stir in the larger pieces of crab meat and cover and place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
Serve with your favourite crackers and, of course, a glass of chilled white wine. Place lemon wedges on plate for anyone to use.
Phyllo Pizza With Mozzarella Cheese And Cherry Tomatoes
I can think of a few in our family who will run from this recipe (they don’t like tomatoes) so change it and add whatever you will eat, basically. This is a simple pizza without heavy foods piled on top. After all, it is a phyllo dough. Actually, I can see my son-in-law making this. He makes a mean bruschetta as well.
This would make an awesome hors d’oeurve in the summer, on the patio, glass of wine in hand…what else is there?
- 12-14 oz. pear shaped and/or cherry tomatoes
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- generous pinch of sea salt
- 1/2 tsp. dried basil
- 12 – 12 x 9 inch sheets of frozen phyllo pastry, thawed
- 6 tbsp. unsalted butter
- 5-6 tbsp. finely grated Asiagpo cheese, packed, divided
- 1/2 orange or yellow bell pepper, cut into thin strips
- 2 tbsp. coarsely chopped fresh basil
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss the tomatoes with oil, salt and dried basil in a medium bowl; and scatter on an parchment lined baking sheet. Bake until they start to collapse (about 18-20 minutes).
Remove from the oven and let the tomatoes cool down. Keep the oven temperature at 400 degrees.
Place the phyllo on a work surface and cover with a damp towel. Place 1 sheet at a time on a baking sheet and brush with melted butter (Another neat trick here is to melt the butter and place in a spray bottle. Just mist the dough with the melted butter. Stack each sheet, one at a time, misting each one. Every third layer of dough, also sprinkle some of the Asiago cheese. This will use up the cheese by the time you finish the layers.
Leave a 1 inch border all around the pizza without anything on it.
Top with the roasted tomatoes, pepper strips and fresh basil and bake for about 25-27 minutes. Loosen with a large spatula and slide onto a cutting board. Slice into squares and serve.
As I mentioned before, pour a glass of chilled white wine, invite some friends, serve this pizza and the conversation and laughter will abound.
Enjoy!
Chicken Liver Pate With Brandy
This recipe is a great go-to when you are preparing a gathering of the clan or some kind of special celebration. Read it, try it and become the “star” hostess. When you add a decoration set in the butter topping, you will get oooohs and aaaahs and you can say to yourself “damn I did this”.
- 3 tbsp. butter, plus an extra 1/4 cup for sealing in the pate
- 1 cup finely chopped shallots
- 1 tbsp. finely chopped garlic
- 1 tbsp. fresh thyme, finely chopped
- 3/4 tsp. allspice
- 3/4 cup brandy
- 1 1/4 lbs. chicken livers, rinsed
- 2 tsp. sugar
- pinch of salt
- 3 tbsp. heavy cream
Heat 3 tbsp. of butter in a saute pan and saute the shallots, garlic and thyme until the shallots are translucent (about 4-5 minutes). Do not brown.
Add the allspice and brandy to the pan, reducing until the brandy thickens slightly (about 40-45 seconds).
Increase the heat to medium and add the chicken livers. Saute until the livers are cooked on the outside but still pink on the inside (about 5 minutes). Do not cook through all the way.
Immediately scrape the liver mixture into a food processor, add the cream, sugar, salt and puree until smooth. Scrape this into a 1 1/2 cup ramekin or pretty bowl. Place the edible flowers in a pretty pattern or herb leaves on top of the pate.
Melt the remaining butter and let it the milk solids settle. Skim the froth off the top and discard. Pour the clarified butter over top, covering the design. Set in the fridge until it becomes solid. Cover with plastic wrap, letting it sit for a day or two for the best flavours.
This will keep for a week…..but trust me, you won’t have any leftovers. This pate will serve 6.
Chicken Quesadillas
This is easy to make and even more tasty when served on the deck with a glass of your favourite cold beverage, while waiting for the steak and corn on the cob is served.
Serves 4 (as a main course) More as an Hors d’ Oeuvres
- 3 1/2 cups cooked, roasted chicken
- pinch of salt
- pinch of pepper
- 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
- 1 large garlic clove, sliced thin
- 6 oz. grated Monterey Jack Cheese
- 1/2 each yellow and red bell peppers, chopped coarsely
- 8 flour tortillas
Cook the garlic clove and bell peppers in a frypan until soft. Add the chicken and cheese and stir to mix.
Spread out the tortillas, and add the chicken mixture to 1/2 half side of each one. Fold over to form a half moon, pressing firmly on the edges to seal.
Heat an oiled skillet and, 2 at a time, turning only once, cook until the cheese melts and grill marks appear. (about 4 minutes each batch).
Transfer each one to a cutting board and cut in half. Serve with salsa and sour cream.
What a treat!
Blue Cheese Toasties
This is a great hors d’oeuvre or accompaniment to soup. It makes 12 toasties.
- 1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
- 2 tbsp. butter
- 12 1/2inch thick rounds of a sourdough baguette
- brown sugar
Preheat broiler. Mix the chese and butter in a small bowl and spread over the bread rounds equally.
Sprinkle each one lightly with sugar. Broil until the topping is just brown and the cheese softens. This will take 1 – 1 1/2 minutes.
Serve on a plate or by the soup bowl, if using.
Tomato Florets
Company is coming and you want to offer up a different but tasty hors d’oeuvres. This will make about 18 so judge accordingly as to amounts required.
- 1/3 cup pepper Boursin cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup finely chopped basil
- 18 very thin slices of Genoa salami
- 18 grape tomatoes
- 18 long, fresh chives
Stir the cheese and basil together until well blended.
Put 1/2 tsp. of the cheese in the center of the salami. Press a tomato, with the stem down, into the cheese and wrap the salami around it. Put the bundle on its side while you wrap the long chive, CAREFULLY, around and tie it off. Make sure you leave the tomato exposed.
If you are making this ahead of time, simply cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator. To get ready to serve, on the counter and leave until it reaches room temperature -should be about 15 – 20 minutes.
No one will believe their eyes when you pass the plate and see the pretty flowers you prepared.
Yummy!
Guacamole – My Way
As you know from previous recipes, I do not eat onions. Never have and I can’t see it happening any time soon BUT at the same time, I admit, if done this way or the way I make the butter sauce for my perogies, it is edible.
- 3 avocados, halves, pulp removed
- Juice of 1 lime
- pinch of salt
- pinch of cumin
- pinch of cayenne
- 1/2 medium onion, diced
- 2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
- 1 tbsp. chopped cilanro
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 Roma tomato, seeded and chopped
Okay, toss the scooped out pulp of the avocado with the lime juice so they won’t turn brown and then strain the pulp. Save the juice.
Put the onions and garlic in a blender and puree. Add the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth.
You can put the guacamole in a bowl, add the chopped tomato, 1 tbsp. of the reserved lime juice and lightly stir. Cover and place in the refrigerator for about 1-2 hours before serving. This will allow the flavours to marry well.
Put out warmed taco chips, sour cream, melted cheese and the guacamole.
Cold beer anyone? Go Team Go.
Tapenade
Okay, you want to do something ‘special’ to go with your signature drinks prior to dinner….or just an evening together with good friends. Try this and surprise them and yourself. Remember your mantra “Damn, I can do this”.
- 20 oil cured black olives
- 2 medium garlic cloves, baked and removed from the base
- 2 tbsp. capers, really well drained
- 2 tsp. Dijon grainy mustard
- 2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
- 2 tbsp. chopped basil
- 1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley, fresh only
- More Italian parsley
- pinch of cayenne pepper
- 1/2 cup really good olive oil
Place the olives on a cutting board and smash them down to remove the pits. Place the olives and everything except the olive oil in a blender and puree.
Be sure to scrape down the sides of the blender. Slowly add the olive oil and blend until completely absorbed.
Refrigerate and place in a pretty bowl on a platter of toasted/buttered toasted baguette or focaccio crisps. Snips bits of parsley and scatter over the bread so it can be added (or not) to the tapenade.
Yummy!
Crispy Potato Cakes (Rosti) with Lemon Cream
This is a great Hors d’Oeuvres. In fact, for our dinner on Saturday, we will be serving these. I promise, we will take pictures. These are soooo tasty, my mouth is watering.
- 2 tbsp. butter, divided
- 2 shallots, chopped really fine
- 2 large, new baking potatoes, coarsely grated
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
Heat 1 tbsp. of butter in a skillet, add the shallots and cook until soft. Add the potatoes, stirring until the mixture becomes quite sticky. Set aside and cool.
Shape the cooled mixture into small rounds with wet fingers and flatten slightly. Melt the remaining butter and add the rounds, cooking until brown on both sides.
Serve warm with the Lemon cream.
Lemon Cream With Chives
- 4 oz. cream cheese
- 2 tbsp. sour cream
- grated lemon rind
- 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
- 1 tbsp. chopped fresh chives
Beat the cheese and cream until completely smooth. Add the grated rind, lemon juice and chives, mixing well. Place a dollop on each of the potato cakes. Serve warm.
in a word….YUMMY!