I have 2 big holiday parties coming up that my wife and I host. One is this Saturday and the other is Jan. 5th. About 30 people at each.
We usually do c*cktails and finger food Hors devoirs, but enough to make it a meal. I want to add some smoked items to my spread. I have a few thoughts already, but would love to hear any ideas you all have.
For this weekends party I am smoking 2 butts. I then paln on pulling the pork and puttin a piece on mini pitta bread that I found. They are about Ritz cracker size. Then I am going to smoke and then roast some sweet peppers (yellow and red) and possibly some pablano's, and put a piece on top of the pork with a toothpick and a little drizzle of iceman's sauce (if it gets here in time).
So, that's my big idea what are yours?
Thanks in advance for the help!!
Terry
Directions. :D Perhaps some smoked seafood, i.e. shrimp, scallops, etc.
I like to lightly smoke shelled shrimp until just done. Then I mix Italian dressing with some minced red onion and cilantro and drizzle it over the platter of shrimp and stick fancy toothpicks in them for easy serving.
I assume you have enough un-smoked ideas.
Don't forget smoked cheese!!!!!!!!!
Between an hour and an hour forty, depends on the thickness of the cheese.
Used apple this year for the first time, and I can't beat away the compliments with a stick.
Super easy - Super good. Your guests will rave, and so easy to make Ritz size to make it last.
Ribs...single bone serving = finger food. :D ;D
Whitetailfan
What kind of cheese do you smoke?
ABT's are pretty good too.
http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?t=25 (http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?t=25)
My daughter is having Christmas at her house. I will be making Kummoks smoked salmon and individual ribs.
Brad
Quote from: bigredsmoker on December 12, 2007, 10:47:20 AM
Whitetailfan
What kind of cheese do you smoke?
This year, two hunks of medium cheddar, mozza, havarti, and montery jack.
The cheddar and havarti are the king of the castle on this smoke batch.
Empanadas are always good and filling. Let me know if you want the recipe? Also, hubby and I make little mini quesadillas out of multi colored/flavored tortillas, with smoked shrimp, smoked chicken...you name it...they're cute and festive and REALLY easy to make!!
Quote from: La Quinta on December 12, 2007, 03:45:21 PM
Empanadas are always good and filling. Let me know if you want the recipe? Also, hubby and I make little mini quesadillas out of multi colored/flavored tortillas, with smoked shrimp, smoked chicken...you name it...they're cute and festive and REALLY easy to make!!
La Quinta
stop it yer makin me homesick :o :'(
nepas
Whitetailfan beat me to it, but CHEESE! It's so easy to do, and so delicious. I have 10 pounds of sharp cheddar and 5 pounds of pepper jack in the fridge just waiting for the weekend, when the temps are supposed to be in the 20's. Let it come up to room temp, smoke for 1 hour to 1 hour and 40 minutes, and then vac seal or saran wrap and refrigerate. Be sure to leave it in the fridge for at least 3 days (more if possible) after smoking, else you won't be very happy with the finished product (unless you like the taste of a dirty ash tray) :P. Good luck with your parties and make sure the host drinks heavily! ;D
Nepas....you need to visit the Motherland...re-charge the batteries...see Mom...play golf...tennis tourney...music festival...tamales...just a very light dusting of snow on the mountains right now...sunny and highs in the 60's....(is this working?) I need you to teach us how to make really good sausage...!!!! :) :) And some really cool places in Old Town LQ now, if you can believe that!!!
Did I hear sausage lessons? Where do I sign up?
Smoked Salmon dip, Smoked crab dip, Smoked green olives (yes La Quinta I tried them), are all good party snack foods.
Get out...smoked green olives...no way!
Smoked wings are also good.
Quote from: La Quinta on December 12, 2007, 03:45:21 PM
Empanadas are always good and filling. Let me know if you want the recipe? Also, hubby and I make little mini quesadillas out of multi colored/flavored tortillas, with smoked shrimp, smoked chicken...you name it...they're cute and festive and REALLY easy to make!!
Yes, I would like the recipe! I am currently collecting all the recipes I find enticing and putting them in a notebook for future smokes. Thanks!
I was also considering doing some smoked salmon. I am not a smoked salmon fan ( I have tried it many times, in places like Vancouver where it is supposed to be the best, and have never cared for it. A little too fishy I think.) Anyway, I would like to make some for my Jan 5 party. It is a little more up-scale so I usually go all out with the fancy stuff for that one. I have read nothing on smoking salmon yet so I would love some ideas on that and how to serve the finished product. Gizmo, I would like your smoked salmon dip recipe if you don't mind. I saw some salmon at Sam's Club, would that be good to use? Hard to get good fresh fish hear in Nebraska. Thanks!
Terry
Quote from: bigredsmoker on December 13, 2007, 06:11:49 AM
Quote from: La Quinta on December 12, 2007, 03:45:21 PM
Empanadas are always good and filling. Let me know if you want the recipe? Also, hubby and I make little mini quesadillas out of multi colored/flavored tortillas, with smoked shrimp, smoked chicken...you name it...they're cute and festive and REALLY easy to make!!
Yes, I would like the recipe! I am currently collecting all the recipes I find enticing and putting them in a notebook for future smokes. Thanks!
Me toooooooooooooo
Here is the recipe for the empanadas (the nice thing about these is the sky's the limit as to what you want to fill them with)
This recipe comes from a fabulous book that Martha Stewart wrote before she became a jail bird! The book is Martha Stewart's Hors D'Oeuvres Handbook. Seriously, if you do a lot of entertaining you should get this book. It's all "cocktail party" food. I have made a ton of stuff from it.
Dough:
3 and 3/4 cups of all purpose flour
3/4 TSP of Kosher salt
1 TBL of sugar
6 TBLS of veg shortening
12 TBLS of unsalted butter (cold and cubed)
1/2 cup plus 2 TBLS of ice water
As you can see this is almost a basic pie dough...if you don't want to go through making your own dough...buy the frozen pie dough from the market...works like a charm. So to continue...
In the bowl of your food processor, combine the first 3 ingredients. Pulse to combine. Add the shortening and butter and pulse until the mixture resembles cornmeal. (Don't overpulse or the butter will get too warm). With the machine running slowly add the water through the feed tube and mix until a ball of dough forms. Remove and make a disk about 4" around, wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill completely. (Overnight is best) Ok, so now we have dough. Take the dough out of the fridge and let it warm up before you roll it out. I like to roll them to 1/8" to a 1/16" thick. You should be able to get 40-50 hors d'oeuvres size "emapanaditas". Re-chill the rolled out "dough sheet".
THE FILLING: (The fun part) You can fill these little babies with what ever you want. I like to do a beef empanadita with a kind of Jamaican flair.
1/4 cup of pine nuts (toasted at 375F for about 4 minutes)
2 TBLS of olive oil
1 smallish onion, minced
2 TSP freshly grated ginger
1 LB ground sirloin
2 medium tomatos cubed into a small dice
1/2 TSP ground cinnamon
1/2 TSP ground cumin (I add more)
1/2 TSP ground corriander
1 TSP red chilli flakes
1 and 1/3 cups of tomato juice
4 TSP sugar
Salt and pepper
1 egg
1 TBL of milk
Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat add the onions and ginger...cook about 2-3 minutes. Add the beef and cook until done but not carmelized (about 7 minutes). Add the balance of the ingredients thru salt and pepper. Cook for 12-15 minutes until it resembles say...really thick chilli. Now add the pine nuts. (they're already cooked/toasted so you don't want to cook them again) Taste it now and decide what else you may want to add. I usually will add curry powder, raisins, and allspice. Whatever you add make sure to stir it through thoroughly and let the mixture cool completely.
Remove the dough from the fridge and using a 3 and 3/4 inch round cookie cutter, cut as many little rounds as you can get out (like I said you should get 40-50) If you don't...no biggie...increase the size of your cutter and make less. Just fill em up more!!
Mix the egg and milk together in a small bowl and set aside.
Put a very small amount of the beef mixture (if you use the smaller cookie cutter) into the center of each of your little dough rounds. (Remember if you over fill these little bad boys they'll kinda...explode in the over!!) Brush the perimeter of the rounds with the milk and egg mixture (thats the glue) and fold over into little half moons. Crimp the edges with the tines of a fork. Brush the tops of the empanaditas with the milk/egg wash. Bake (on parchment paper or a silpat) at 375F for 15 to 20 minutes or until they are golden brown.
So, you ask, where is the smoked part? You could do smoked chicken ones, smoked shrimp ones, substitute smoked sausage in the above recipe...you could fill them with pie filling and dust with powdered sugar, or dip in chocolate after they cool for desert. The nice thing is that they are filling and pretty inexspensive to make for a party!!! OK...I'm done...need a beer!! :)
PS....if you want to "kick it up a notch" if you use the raisins...plump those little suckers up in a bit of dark rum for an hour or so...drain the rum off and add them as per the recipe. :) Or just drink the rum instead!!!!!
Quote from: La Quinta on December 13, 2007, 02:22:47 PM
PS....if you want to "kick it up a notch" if you use the raisins...plump those little suckers up in a bit of dark rum for an hour or so...drain the rum off and add them as per the recipe. :) Or just drink the rum instead!!!!!
Well you just scored a 10 with me LQ!!! :D ;)
Empanadas here I come ;D
Quote from: bigredsmoker on December 13, 2007, 06:18:37 AM
I was also considering doing some smoked salmon. I am not a smoked salmon fan ( I have tried it many times, in places like Vancouver where it is supposed to be the best, and have never cared for it. A little too fishy I think.) Anyway, I would like to make some for my Jan 5 party. It is a little more up-scale so I usually go all out with the fancy stuff for that one. I have read nothing on smoking salmon yet so I would love some ideas on that and how to serve the finished product. Gizmo, I would like your smoked salmon dip recipe if you don't mind. I saw some salmon at Sam's Club, would that be good to use? Hard to get good fresh fish hear in Nebraska. Thanks!
Terry
The smoked salmon dip I have done is a salmon substitue for the crab dip. WCK hopefully will show up and give us his as it was much different and very good.
The salmon I made was with Kummok's recipe on Old's website.
8 oz. cream cheeze
1/2 cup sour cream
1 package knorr vegtable soup mix
12 oz. bottle of Heintz Seafood C0cktail sauce.
Crab or Salmon amount desired (around 8 oz)
Soften cream cheeze and mix with sour cream and soup mix. Spread mixture over a serving tray, cover with plastic wrap and Let this sit for a couple of hours in the refrigerator if possible for the mix flavors to blend. Spread sauce over the top of the cream cheeze mixture spread and then sprinkle the salmon over the top. The crab dip version has been a holiday staple in the family for many years and the person that is responsible for bringing it better not forget!
I went to a Christmas party last night and they served quesadillas filled with melted brie, carmelized onions and cranberry sauce!! They were to die for. Easy to make that's for sure!!
Ok...another party...another diddy...little sausage balls. Bisquick, hot Jimmy Dean sausage and chedder cheese...I called them stomach grenades...forgot about those...made them years ago. As luck would have it Paula Deen made them today on her show...they are too simple to make and great as an appetizer. You can get the recipe from the food network. They are ridiculously easy to make and good!!!
Keebler makes a cracker called Toppers. They are oval shaped and have a rim so you can add toppings in the center. They come in regular and Garlic & Herb flavors. What I did was to lay the crackers on a cookie sheet, and then sprayed them with a butter flavored cooking spray. I sprayed them with the oil to prevent the crackers from getting soggy. Add what ever filling you want in the center, top with a thin slice of smoked cheese and place under the broiler until the cheese is melted. Some of the fillings I've used under the cheese was pulled pork, various pickled vegetables, but the ones that most people liked where the ones that had sliced olives under the cheese. If you run out, it is very easy to make up another batch. I also use the crackers to make pizza bites.
The olives I use were stuffed with either jalipeno or garlic. I happen to see them when I was at Sam's Club.
Good tip about spraying the crackers Habs. I've ruined many a cracker by piling it up with stuff and then "soggy city". Another really good sturdy cracker is Carrs Cheese Melts. I have been disappointed by the Tablewaters as they DO NOT last very long. Tend to go stale quick. The Cheese Melts have more fat in them...longer shelf life...loaded with poppy seeds and alot of other "stuff". Very nice if you can get them where you are.
I'll keep my eye open for Carrs Cheese Melts crackers. I'm always looking to try new products.
Sorry I haven't gotten back to you all sooner, but my party was a big success and a lot of the thanks goes to this board. I made LaQuinta's empandas which came out great. Loved the jamaican flare of the spices used. I did kick it up a little with cayenne pepper, but not a lot. I also made the crackers with the olives and melted smoked cheese. I found the Carr's cheese melts at Super Target and they worked great, not soggy at all. I really liked those crackers and will use them again. The rest of the menu consisted of smoked Salmon (actually Steelhead trout, but no one knew the difference), Pulled pork, smoked and camalized sweet peppers and red onions and icemans sauce in crescent pockets. Prosciutto wrapped pork tenderloin bites, prosciutto and asperagus in a mini parmessean taco, vegetable tray and fruit pizza. Oh, and I made smoked onion dip that everyone said was the best they have ever had. Top the food of with an open bar, and my signature choice of red or green martinis and the last guest (we had 26 total) finally left around 3:00am. The Mrs. and I then took a dip in the Hot tub to unwind and crawled into bed around 4:00. Thank God I don't do those party's often. Don't think my liver could handle it. One of my friends called the next day and asked if I had found his liver yet and would I send it to him if I did. I got a laugh out of that one.
Anyway, In the rush to get everything ready I forgot to take pictures so sorry, I will do better next year. Thanks again for all your help. I couldn't have done it without you all!!
Quote from: bigredsmoker on January 11, 2008, 07:16:12 AM
One of my friends called the next day and asked if I had found his liver yet and would I send it to him if I did. I got a laugh out of that one.
Should have told him to don't worry, no one has come up with a good smoked liver recipe yet so it still must be laying around somewhere. ::)
Hot tub, Matinis, you are truly a couple after my own heart. Man after all that good food and company that is the way to end the evening. Glad it all turned out. ;)
Hell...we wanna be invited to the next party!!!
Hows about some olive penguins ;D
(http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o290/stlthy1/PICT0348.jpg)
nepas
Nepas...Those are really kool!!! Looks like...black olives...carrots (Ice take note) and cream cheese?
I was reading this thread just now and the "march of the penguins" was singing. Thanks, Neps for posting, cuz I was going to have a heck of a time trying to find the earlier post.
On a different front, try Broccoli alla Romana, a cold spicy dish (recipe from Bugialli's Classic Techniques of Italian Cooking)-- I'll vouch and so will the wife:
1 bunch broccoli
Coarse salt
1/4 cup olive oil (cons. note: evoo is best)
2t red wine vinegar (cons. note: use barrel vinegar, if available)
1-2 cloves garlic, chopped coarsely.
1/2t red pepper flakes
Soak broccoli in cold water for .5 hour. Bring a large pot of water to boil while waiting; add the coarse salt to taste.
Prepare the broccoli by trimming off the tough ends. Cut away the flowerlets from the stems. cut the stems into 2 inch x .5 inch shoots. Add the stem shoots to the boiling water first and allow them to cook for about 5 minutes. Add the Flowerlets and cook an additional 5. Strain the B and douse with cold water to stop any passive cooking (and strain away again).
Toss with the remaining ingredients and add additional salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate in a glass or crockery bowl covered with plastic for at least one hour. Stir, plate and serve. Buon appetito. If you try, please post your thoughts.
Consigliari, I like to steam my veggies, that should work as well don't you think??
Terry
Quote from: bigredsmoker on January 19, 2008, 07:19:05 AM
Consigliari, I like to steam my veggies, that should work as well don't you think??
Terry
I'm sure steaming will work just fine. The goal is to have al dente vegetables. You want some of the crispness to remain. Give this recipe a try, you'll like it.
May have to try tonight. I have a bunch of Broccoli in the fridge to use up before it goes bad. Thanks!!
Terry
Did you try the broccoli?
So Consigs...you eat the stems as well? For some reason reading the recipe I assumed you just wanted the stems to flavor the water? I guess I should go back and re-read....I like broccoli (tops) with lemon juice, garlic and olive oil...maybe a little salt! Never did the pepper flakes...gotta try that!! Thanks! :)
Yes we did. They were good, seemed to be missing something that we couldn't put our finger on. We thought maybe try Basalmic vinager next time. I even used the barel aged red wine vinagar. I know broccoli is not the most falvorful of veggies, but it just seemed like it needed something. On a scale of 1-10 I would rate it a 6. Thanks for the recipe.
Quote from: bigredsmoker on January 24, 2008, 04:04:29 PM
Yes we did. They were good, seemed to be missing something that we couldn't put our finger on. We thought maybe try Basalmic vinager next time. I even used the barel aged red wine vinagar. I know broccoli is not the most falvorful of veggies, but it just seemed like it needed something. On a scale of 1-10 I would rate it a 6. Thanks for the recipe.
The last time I did this one, I think I used a mixture of barrel and balsamic. With the salt and the red and black pepper, it can have quite a kick. Did you let it sit in the glass bowl refrigerated for an hour (that seems to let the flavors settle in)? Anyway, thanks for being adventurous.
LQ: carve away the tough ends of the stems, but you can use the rest. Start cooking those before the flowers.
Yes, I did let it rest in the fridge for more like 2 hours. I ended up boiling them as you instructed, I think I could have done them for less time as well. I think 3 minutes would have been long enough. I do think I willtry again and use Basalmic. I think that would add the little something we thought was missing. Thaks again. I am always willing to try something new, so don't hesitate to offer up any new recipes you may have.
Terry