This is another wonderful Hors d’Oeuvre to serve when having a dinner party or just a simple wine and cheese evening with family and friends.
- 6 large Belgian endive, make sure they have firm fat heads with yellow tips that are at least 6 inches long.
- 1/2 fennel bulb, trimmed and finely chopped
- 1/2 lb. fresh Dungeness crabmeat
- 1 finely minced shallot
- 2 tbsp. mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp. sour cream
- 1 tsp. finely grated lime zest
- 1 tsp. orange zest
- 1 tbsp. lime juice
- 2 tbsp. orange juice
- pinch of sea salt
- pinch of lemon pepper
- 1/2 cup orange segmented, skinned and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
Trim the ends off the endive and separate into spears. Keep 24-30 of the largest ones and place in a ice water bath. Chill no less than 15 minutes, then drain and pat dry with paper towels. Refrigerate.
In a bowl mix together the fennel, crabmeat, shallot, mayonnaise, sour cream, lime and orange juice and zest. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.
Spoon a generous amount of the crabmeat salad onto the wide bottom of each spear. Garnish with a few segments of the orange. Serve immediately.
Jump back so you don’t get trampled by the stampede of everyone wanting to try these. Yup! You did it again.
Seared Duck Breast Hors d’Oeuvres
This, I will admit, is a bit off the wall but actually a ‘step up’ for a fabulous evening. Valentine’s is coming up soon. Maybe this is the answer. This would be great to have as a bite before going out for dinner and served with a signature drink.
- 8 oz. duck breast (frozen)
- 2-3 heads Belgian endive
- 1/2 cup roasted and salted almonds, coarsely chopped
- 2 pinches of hot paprika
- 8-10 basil leaves, very finely shredded
- 1/2 cup red currant jelly
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Score duck skin with shallow cuts in a diamond pattern. Place a small to medium size skillet over medium heat. Add breast, skin side down. Cook about 15-18 minutes until fat renders and the skin becomes deeply brown and crispy. To avoid spattering, pour off the excess fat into a small bowl as it accumulates.
Place skillet in oven.
Bake duck for about 8-9 minuites until it reaches an internal temperature of 135-140 degrees. (If made ahead, cover and refrigerate up to two days).
Separate endive leaves and lay out in a single layer on a work surface, Stir almonds with the paprika to taste (not kill). Crosswise, very thinly slice duck. Lay the slices on the leaves, add a generous pinch of the basil and a dab of the jelly. Scatter the tops with the almonds and serve immediately.
Have fun with this and remember when y ou finish reading through, be sure to say out loud “damn, I can do this.”