| Spoon Appetizers |
From "Ask DIY"
episode ADI-103 |
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When you're entertaining at home, the appetizers or hors d'oeuvres really set the tone for the evening, says Ask DIY Cooking Expert Paul Sturkey. If you're looking for a really different way to present your appetizers, he recommends serving them on spoons. "It's really a lot of fun and you can really be creative with the toppings," he says. Here's how to create these elegant conversation-piece appetizers. Materials:
Enough spoons to accommodate three or four appetizers per person per hour
A visually pleasing container into which guests can discard the spoons
Disposable pastry bags
Cake-decorating pastry tips
Spatula
Knives, bowls and cutting boards to prepare flavor ingredients
Ingredients:
Cream cheese in a variety of flavors, chosen from the following list (figure A):
Smoked salmon
Chunks of king crab
Alfalfa sprouts
Olive paste
Chunks of artichoke bottoms
Smoked scallops
Julienne sweet peppers
Minced fresh herbs
Sliced pickled ginger
Salmon caviar
Sauteed and diced root vegetables Preparation:
Amass a variety of spoons, figuring on three or four spoons per person per hour, because that's how many appetizers you'll want to have available. If you don't have enough, scour flea markets, or pull out grandma's good silver or the household baby spoons. Borrow from friends and family, or use plasticwear if it's suitable for the tone of your party. Also come up with eye-catching containers where guests can toss their spoons once they've eaten. An earthenware pitcher or a pewter vase are just two receptacles that would work. Decide what ingredients you'll use to accent the cream cheese on each spoon. "You can really be creative here," says Sturkey, "but make sure you don't repeat an ingredient that you're using in another part of the meal. If you're serving poached salmon later, don't have salmon as one of your appetizer ingredients." Try to hit the guests with several unique flavors during the course of the appetizers. "Consider all the things you like, and that will go well with your meal." Just a few suggestions include smoked salmon, chunks of king crab, alfalfa sprouts, olive paste, chunks of artichoke bottoms, smoked scallops, julienne sweet peppers, minced fresh herbs, sliced pickled ginger or sauteed and diced root vegetables, Blend whipped cream cheese with minced fresh herbs. If you'd like to make it spicy, add a bit of cayenne pepper or Cajun seasoning. If you like, you can use another soft cheese in place of or in combination with the cream cheese, or use garlic mayonnaise in place of the cream-cheese mixture. Attach a tip to a disposable pastry bag and then grasp it by the middle. Fold the brim of the bag over your hand (figure B). Stuff the bag with cream cheese, using a spatula. Then close the bag, squeeze the air out and work the cream cheese down to the bag tip. Get a good grip on the pastry bag near the tip and pipe the cream cheese onto the spoon, with the handle facing away from you (figure C). Start at the back of the spoon's bowl and work toward yourself, in a back-and-forth motion or a figure-8 pattern. Nobody's perfect: Only use enough cream cheese for a single-bite appetizer, keeping in mind how many other ingredients you'll want to put on the spoon. Garnish the cream cheese with a selection of the flavor ingredients. One is fine, and you should use three at the most. Arrange the spoons, handles out, on a circular tray, with a discard receptacle in the middle. For more information on Paul Sturkey and his Cincinnati restaurant, click here. Web site resources for appetizers: Appetizer recipes from StarChefs.com Appetizer recipes from Mcgees.com Appetizer recipes from Prevention.com Appetizer recipes from About.com Appetizer recipes from RecipeZaar.com Appetizer recipes from AllRecipes.com Appetizer recipes from 4Bubbly.com Appetizer recipes from Simply-Recipes.com Book: Fast Appetizers
By Hugh Carpenter & Terri Sandison
Ten Speed Press, 1999
P.O. Box 7123
Berkeley, CA 94767
Phone: 510-559-1600
Fax: 510-524-1052
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