George (my husband) and I went on a cruise in Alaska for our honeymoon, over 11 years ago. While we were there we fell in love with the salmon mousse that our cabin steward brought to us everyday at 4:00 for cocktail hour (yes, I know, spoiled rotten, we were). Ever since, I've been looking for a recipe that could come close to that wonderful, tasty spread. Below is a recipe I found (along with some notes) from the Barefoot Contessa. It's pretty darn close.
Smoked Salmon Spread
4 oz. smoked salmon (I found this at Sam's Club)
8 oz. cream cheese (I used light)
1/2 cup sour cream (I used light)
1 tbsp lemon juice fresh squeezed
1 tbsp minced fresh dill (I think more like 1/2 tbsp is plenty)
1 tsp horseradish, drained
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
Toss this all in the food processor and blend until smooth. Serve with crackers. Yum!
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Summertime Sangria
Wow ... Easy Sangria!
Most of the recipes I found called for Grand Marnier or Cointreau which are both very expensive. I didn't have any so we improvised. It was quite good.
2 cups fresh pineapple chunks
1 cup fresh orange slices, peeled
1 apple cored and sliced
1 cup fresh blueberries (if you had some, strawberries would be good too)
1 cup raspberry flavored vodka (I bet you could use any kind of vodka)
1 cup triple sec
1/2 cup brandy
2 bottles red wine (I used merlot)
Sparkling water
Soak fruit in vodka, triple sec and brandy for 3 hours.
Add red wine. Serve over ice with a splash of sparkling water.
Yum ... and packed with a punch (pardon the pun).
Most of the recipes I found called for Grand Marnier or Cointreau which are both very expensive. I didn't have any so we improvised. It was quite good.
2 cups fresh pineapple chunks
1 cup fresh orange slices, peeled
1 apple cored and sliced
1 cup fresh blueberries (if you had some, strawberries would be good too)
1 cup raspberry flavored vodka (I bet you could use any kind of vodka)
1 cup triple sec
1/2 cup brandy
2 bottles red wine (I used merlot)
Sparkling water
Soak fruit in vodka, triple sec and brandy for 3 hours.
Add red wine. Serve over ice with a splash of sparkling water.
Yum ... and packed with a punch (pardon the pun).
Deck Warming - Crab Cakes
We recently finished the construction of a new deck on our house. A perfect reason for a party! So, for our Deck Warming party, I wanted to serve some unique appetizers. The menu consisted of two grilled pizzas (Thai chicken and Sausage/portabello); smoked salmon spread; tomato, fresh mozarella and basil with balsamic & olive oil ... and CRAB CAKES with a spicy chipotle mayo. Below is the recipe for the crab cakes ... which, incidentally, turned out very yummy.
2-3 lbs. potatoes, boiled, drained and mashed
2 cups whole milk
4 tablespoons butter
20 peppercorns
1 bay leaf
4 sprigs fresh thyme
kosher salt to taste
fresh cracked pepper to taste
2 cups regular bread crumbs
3 cups panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup fresh chopped chives
32 oz. (2 lbs) crab meat
3 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 tablespoons Old Bay seasoning
2 eggs
Peel, dice and boil potatoes, mash and set aside.
In a small sauce pan, warm milk, thyme, peppercorns and bay leaf -- do not let boil but heat for 10 minutes until milk is well-seasoned. Pour mixture over sieve onto mashed potatoes, so that only the liquid goes into the mixture. Mix in Old Bay seasoning, salt, cracked pepper, crab meat, eggs, chives, and bread crumbs. If mixture feels too loose, add more bread crumbs. Form into small patties and refrigerate on parchment on a cookie sheet for at least 30 minutes.
Coat with panko and fry in electric fryer at 350 degrees (4-5 minutes) until browned. Serve warm with chipotle mayo and/or cocktail sauce.
This recipe makes about 30 crab cakes ... so cut in half if you don't need that many :-)
Or you can do what I did ... make up all the mixture, form only what you need now into patties and coat with panko and fry ... freeze the others (without the panko) to be fried at a later date.
Spicy chipotle mayo
1 cup light mayo
1 cup light sour cream
3 chipolte peppers (canned in adobo sauce)
2 tablespoons adobo sauce
1 clove garlic
Mix all ingredients together in food processor until well chopped and blended.
2-3 lbs. potatoes, boiled, drained and mashed
2 cups whole milk
4 tablespoons butter
20 peppercorns
1 bay leaf
4 sprigs fresh thyme
kosher salt to taste
fresh cracked pepper to taste
2 cups regular bread crumbs
3 cups panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup fresh chopped chives
32 oz. (2 lbs) crab meat
3 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 tablespoons Old Bay seasoning
2 eggs
Peel, dice and boil potatoes, mash and set aside.
In a small sauce pan, warm milk, thyme, peppercorns and bay leaf -- do not let boil but heat for 10 minutes until milk is well-seasoned. Pour mixture over sieve onto mashed potatoes, so that only the liquid goes into the mixture. Mix in Old Bay seasoning, salt, cracked pepper, crab meat, eggs, chives, and bread crumbs. If mixture feels too loose, add more bread crumbs. Form into small patties and refrigerate on parchment on a cookie sheet for at least 30 minutes.
Coat with panko and fry in electric fryer at 350 degrees (4-5 minutes) until browned. Serve warm with chipotle mayo and/or cocktail sauce.
This recipe makes about 30 crab cakes ... so cut in half if you don't need that many :-)
Or you can do what I did ... make up all the mixture, form only what you need now into patties and coat with panko and fry ... freeze the others (without the panko) to be fried at a later date.
Spicy chipotle mayo
1 cup light mayo
1 cup light sour cream
3 chipolte peppers (canned in adobo sauce)
2 tablespoons adobo sauce
1 clove garlic
Mix all ingredients together in food processor until well chopped and blended.
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