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‘Cocktail Party’ Category

  1. Green Tea Vodka Cordial

    October 25, 2011 by Cas

    “Hello, my name is Food D., and I’m an alcoholic.”

    If you didn’t know that, let’s be up front. I’ve been on the wagon successfully and with no feelings of loss for six years now and I have zero problem with liquor being near me, or me being near it.

    But this isn’t a political discussion or a self-help blog, so that’s that.

    The only reason you need to know that about me is so you’ll understand my developing a liquor-heavy recipe is tantamount to someone with celiac giving you a wheat bread recipe: I’m to an extent floating blind because I can’t really taste-test my own work.

    I have no problem finger-tasting, though. It’s not like I’m downing a shot and having at it with my old-school ways. So it’s not COMPLETELY blindly that I develop such recipes; it’s more like visual impairment of the tongue.

    Anyhoo…

    I ran to post this because over the weekend, I had a cocktail party and decided that cooking for two dozen guests wasn’t a difficult enough task. No… I had to make liquor as well.

    Well…

    This was one of the best-received of the batches, and I now know that my intent to make Cordial/Cookie/Snack pairings as Christmas gifts was indeed inspired, and must indeed come to fruition this season.

    Not an easy task, mind you, as I’m also starring in an off-broadway show that runs through New Year’s — but if a silly little thing like alcoholism can’t hold this guy down, certainly a 5- and 6-performance-a-week gig can’t dampen my ability to get my Holiday Kitchen Freak on.

    Herewith the first of the cordial and liquor recipes I have to share with you. I keep clear bottles and green glass bottles, and anything nice I can get my hands on, just for the sake of putting up cordials and soda syrups. Screw top, or cork top matters not. The alcohol keeps them shelf stable, but if my party was any indicator, they won’t be sitting on the shelf long.

    This recipe yields about a quart, so the chef has a bit for tasting left over after pouring into a standard wine bottle.

    1-1/2 Cups white sugar
    1 Cup water

    2 Cups vodka
    1 Heaping Tbsp. green tea leaves

    1 or 2 Drops green food dye (optional — completely)

    Combine sugar and water in a saucepan, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to medium and simmer, 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

    In a separate saucepan, add tea leaves to 1/2 Cup of the vodka. Heat over medium-high heat just until the tea leaves begin steeping and releasing their color. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to warm the vodka tea stirring constantly for a minute. Remove from heat, add remaining vodka, and stir. Allow vodka tea to sit and steep fully for ten more minutes.

    Using a fine-mesh sieve, strain vodka to remove all tea leaves. Press remaining liquor from the leaves before you discard them.

    Add the vodka tea to the sugar syrup. As the natural color of steeped green tea ranges from a pale yellow to a deep greenish yellow, you may choose at this point to add a drop or two of the optional food coloring. I prefer mine without.

    Bottle your cordial (which will now be approximately 40 proof, or half the 80 proof of the vodka which should be, at the outset, the cheapest crap you can find on the bottom-most shelf at the liquor store. It’s this process here that’s making a top-shelf artisan creation, so your raw-good base liquor needn’t be at all premium).

    I will be experimenting with different flavorings as I recreate and concoct through the season, but if you’re game ahead of my own timeline, think of common green tea pairings like ginger and lemon zest for your own experimentation, and please report your findings back here!

    “Thank you for sharing, Food D….”

    Category Cocktail Party, Housemade Liquor Cordials & Liqueurs | Tags: , | 4 Comments

  2. Daddy’s Spicy-Sweet Nuts!

    October 7, 2011 by Cas

    Deck the Halls!

    As the holiday season approaches, I start thinking about homemade treats — both for serving and for gift-giving.

    Seriously, folks: nothing says “from my home to yours” more than something that was actually MADE in your home. That’s why I’ve always encouraged crafting and ornament-making with my kids and party guests — when you unwrap a sweet or a savory that you know was carefully prepared with your enjoyment in mind, it just makes you smile a deeper smile than  you’d get from the tissue paper wrap and logo-emblazoned sticker sealing up a store-bought gift that sometimes can say, unwittingly, “I’m Thinking of You… But Only While I’m Standing at the Cash Register.”

    Here is a recipe for nuts that definitely have a holiday — or at least Autumn — taste to them. I decided to shake things up a bit with an egg-white based coating which will require a bit of baking off in the oven, as you’ll see, versus my stove-top versions which I will share in the coming weeks as well. The benefit of using egg to act as glue versus honey, caramelized sugar or corn syrup is twofold:  you can use less sugar than normal, plus you can create purely savory coatings that don’t have any sweetness to them at all.


    These are lovely as a gift: they’re pretty and festive and versatile. In a nice, shiny confection bag (available in sizes from lollipop cover to Groom’s Cake take-home favor at virtually every craft or culinary store) or a gathered square of wrapping cellophane — each tied with a bit of colored ribbon or natural raffia or twine — these say “I worked hard to make something special just for you.” In a glass container — think a fish bowl, or mason or apothecary jar — even a fluted champagne or a martini glass, covered with a round remnant of plain or colored fabric secured with a bit of double-faced tape and decorative string — these become a lovely hostess gift or part of a basket of holiday-inspired homemade treats.

    If you’re paying a visit at Thanksgiving, mix these with some Reeses’ Pieces or just the brown, yellow and orange guys from a bag of M&Ms. The blue and white Hershey’s Almond Joy Pieces, or silver-wrapped Kisses, can be tossed in for the Happy Hanukkah Host. And Lord knows there are enough red, green and gold candies, wrapped and unwrapped, chocolaty and otherwise, that can provide some visual Christmas stimulation.

    Or just pack them up plain, alongside a sharp, tart cheese, some gourmet crackers and a bottle of your favorite wine.

    I love to keep these in display jars in different flavor varieties pretty much all year long. When someone drops in for a cup of tea these are a nice sweet note or addition to a plate of cookies or biscuits; and with bread sticks, dried meats and sliced cheese, olives and fresh or dried fruits, these nuts can really pull together an impromptu Tapas. They’re so simple to make that there’s very little excuse for me to answer “no, sorry,” whenever a guest in my house asks for them, out of Pavlovian expectation.

    It seems I’ve trained my foodie friends well, and irreversibly.

    No doubt, you will do likewise with your crew.

    Enjoy.

    INGREDIENTS:
    1 lb. Pecans

    1 Egg white
    1 Tbsp. cold water
    1 tsp. Vanilla

    1 Cup white sugar
    1/2 tsp. Salt
    1 tsp. Cinnamon
    1/2 tsp. Ground clove
    1/2 tsp. Nutmeg
    1/4 tsp. Cayenne pepper (optional, but just do it — it makes such a difference!)

    Preheat oven to 225°. Line two baking sheets with parchment or wax paper, or lightly grease the sheets.

    In a cold bowl, whisk egg white until frothy, about two minutes by hand. Add vanilla, whisk again for about a minute, then add water and whisk again. Mix does not have to be peaking, just foamy and gaining some volume.

    Add nuts, stirring to coat completely. Set aside.

    In a separate bowl, mix all remaining dry ingredients thoroughly with a fork until uniformly blended.

    Add half the wet nuts to the sugar and spice mixture. Toss to coat completely, using fork and hands. Holding a colander (not a fine mesh strainer) above the wet nut bowl, transfer the sugared half of the nuts into the colander and then, holding the colander above the dry ingredient bowl, shake to return any loose sugar mixture to that bowl. Transfer prepared nuts to one sheet, and repeat with the remaining nuts and sugar mixture. Transfer to second sheet, and toss nuts on baking sheets to separate as much as possible.

    Bake nuts 30 minutes. Remove from oven and carefully toss and separate them, moving them around on sheets as much as possible. Return to oven, switching each sheet’s prior position from top to bottom rack.

    Bake an additional 30 minutes. Carefully remove nuts on paper from baking sheets to counter top, table, or cooling racks. If using paperless greased sheets, transfer either to clean counter top, paper- or towel-lined surface, or large bowl affording “breathing room” for the finished nuts.

    Toss nuts frequently to cool. Allow to cool completely for 30 minutes to an hour depending on temperature and humidity, then transfer to serving bowl, storage bags or decorative container.

    Category Cocktail Party, Just Desserts, Snack Yourself Silly, Vegetarian (or Potentially So) | Tags: ,,, | 1 Comment

  3. Bi-Partisan BBQ Chicken Sliders

    May 20, 2011 by Cas

    When developing this recipe for “Meet the Lady: First Ladies”, this creation was code-named the “LBJBBBBQBBB”. If you try to pronounce that you’ll sound like you’re having a grande malle seizure; it’s an amalgam and not an acronym, standing for:

    The “Lady Bird Johnson Barbara Bush Barbecue Baby Burger Biscuit”.

    In a nutshell, the reason — not for the name, necessarily, but for this particular recipe –  is this: Both First Ladies were “Texas Homemakers”  in their private lives — before and, more arguably, after their husbands’ terms in office. And each was known for her barbecue contributions (Barbara for her chicken, Lady Bird for her down-home sauce). So a barbecue chicken burger seemed a natural finger-food extension of this theme, and to cross party lines in this hand-held homage, I used my own version of the simple, though famed, marinade from Mrs. Bush’s chicken recipe, and I modified Mrs. Johnson’s sauce to give our finished product its classic Texas barbecue appeal.

    The biscuit — a staple in southern cuisine — was also a staple in the White House of the 60s, as Lyndon Johnson was such a biscuit addict that Lady Bird made damned sure they were served at absolutely every meal — private or otherwise — to satisfy her husband’s cravings. But giving due respect, it wasn’t just like baked, buttermilk crack to LBJ: he was known to work until he dropped and often took meals while working and even while standing. He would have salads served to him while toiling in the Oval Office, chopped finely enough that he could eat them mindlessly with a spoon so as to not even divert his stare from whatever state work was at hand. Biscuits, likewise, were found to be an easy way to transport anything liquidy from plate to mouth without becoming a diversion.

    I have to admit, Johnson being the sitting President during my birth, and stories such as these, coupled with my research on Lady Bird as the supportive, and herself substantial, woman behind the man… I’m sort of sporting a crush on the pair. Not in a dirty way, mind you; Eew.

    But in that lovely, innocent, “fading-of-Camelot, boy from Brooklyn, loving barbecue and loving the fact that despite her public stance which was kept as quiet as possible, Barbara Bush was pro-choice and ballsy, and Lady Bird had the highest hair and sweetest smile” kind of way.

    Love them, love their cooking. And I love to think that if they tasted these, they’d taste the tribute and the admiration that I’ve baked — or rather,  fried — into each bite.

    1-1/2 lbs. Boneless, skinless chicken thighs
    1 Sleeve (approximately 3 dozen) saltine crackers
    1 Batch of Bar’s Lemon Garlic Marinade

    Oil for frying

    1 Batch (approximately 2 Cups) Lady Bird’s Bird Sauce

    24* Buttermilk Biscuits, either store-bought in the scary exploding tube, or Homemade

    *(This recipe will stretch VERY easily to 36 sliders for cocktail party catering, and if the chicken weighs in at even closer to 2 lbs., don’t be surprised to find a yield of 40).

    Place chicken thigh meat in the bowl of a food processor, and pulse to coarsely chop. Roughly crush saltines into a separate bowl, and soften with the marinade, tossing to mix (for the frou-frou among us, the resulting softened-starchy component to be added to the dish is known as a panade).

    Add the panade (see? Now we’re ALL frou-frou!) to the chopped chicken in the processor, and pulse to combine well. Then, taking care to stop and scrape down the sides and make sure the mix is being evenly tossed about, pulse the mixture to blend completely, then process until a smooth, soft, dough-like paste forms. Transfer to a bowl.

    Spoon out balls of dough about the size of a walnut if stretching the mix, or golf ball-size for larger patties, laying them out on sheets of wax paper until you have (depending on your serving needs), between 24 and 36 portions. Wetting fingers frequently to prevent sticking, flatten the mounds out by pressing them down onto the wax paper. Space providing, you can do the entire batch at once, or work in shifts — forming the next batch while the batch before is frying.

    Heat oil in skillet to medium-high (about 1/2 inch deep, so patties will be just about submerged), or set deep fryer to 375°.

    Cooking sliders in batches of 6 or 8 (keeping care not to let the oil become too cool with each addition), fry about 3 minutes, turning once halfway through, until patties are a dark, golden brown. Remove from fryer and set on paper toweling to drain.

    Once all the sliders are fried, transfer to a mixing bowl, cover with Bird Sauce, and gently toss to coat. Set aside.

    Cut or split buttermilk biscuits, and place a patty on each biscuit bottom. Spread inside of biscuit tops with remaining sauce to complete each “sandwich”, and place sliders on serving platter (or oven-safe tray to keep warm until serving).

    Serve with remaining or additional Bird Sauce for dipping; you may also want to serve them, given the fact that this sauce is so close to what originally inspired (and is thus very reminiscent of) what we think of now as “Buffalo” style Hot Wings, with bleu cheese dressing and celery sticks as garnish.

    Category Cocktail Party, Finger Foods, Uncategorized | Tags: ,,,, | 3 Comments

  4. Tofu BBQ Sliders

    May 20, 2011 by Cas

    Back in the day when I was a vegan (“Shiite Vegetarian”, I used to call myself) it dismayed me greatly that attending parties I’d have to make myself happy with cruditee platters (and usually not the dip) and the potato chip bowl because nobody ever thinks of the vegetarian. And I was a FAT vegan, so I wasn’t afraid of calories back then, but the cholesterol my doctor threatened to treat with massive doses of pharmaceuticals if I didn’t find a way to clean up my act on my own.

    So now, eating animal products as I do (though most of the time avoiding red meat and dairy more for middle-aged digestive reasons than moral or medical ones) I feel beyond compelled to make sure that I offer vegetarian fare whenever I cook or cater, because first and foremost I want my Veg-Heads to be Well-Fed-Heads, and second, I love when a meat-eater tastes something totally off his perceptual map in terms of vegetarian food and just has his mind blown.

    “I never knew I liked tofu!”

    That’s because you’ve only seen it all bloated and flavorless — a necessary last resort to fill the protein needs of gaunt, transparent-skinned PETA activists, and not a versatile and delicious component of a well-crafted dish.

    Trust me: I know how to fake people out. I also know how to illuminate them. And while the initial fun is in the wool that’s pulled over their eyes when they THINK they’re eating something that formerly walked on four legs, I get the most enjoyment out of seeing the “aha!” happen when I clue them in. I have, at various dinner parties, heard the following raves about my blind tofu swaps:

    “FINALLY you used whole-milk ricotta in your lasagna!” (No, I pureed extra firm tofu).

    “Oh yum! I love paneer!” (Actually, instead of the firm, white, Indian cheese cubes you USUALLY love in this vegetable dish, you’re currently loving cubed, drained tofu).

    “This chicken is so tender for something potted in a casserole.” (Actually, it’s strips of marinated, baked tofu, but I’ll pretend it’s FREE-RANGE tofu if that makes you feel better).

    I also love using grains and vegetable to make burgers and loaves you’d usually associate with meat. One time my black bean and brown rice meatloaf disappeared at a birthday party while its beef-based cousin sat and watched jealously from across the table. Go figure.

    And go try these.

    Since the tofu is pureed I didn’t craft this to be marinated in the marinade, but to incorporate a small amount of the marinade in the actual mix to impart the same flavor. And the bacon flavor in there is just to remind your palate that this is a barbecue-inspired creation. When I whipped up a batch of these at first, I just kept noshing on the patties as they were, because they’re flavorful and satisfying all on their own. So feel free some time to just serve up a plate of these with a dip of your choice.

    You can also skip the marinade and smokey bacon bits and just puree the tofu with the crackers and, making larger chunks versus flatter patties, fry them up and serve them with ramekins of various dippers like honey, BBQ sauce, ranch or bleu cheese dressing, and ketchup, and you’ve got a veggie version of McNuggets that’s sure to please.

    But try it this way first…

    1/4 Cup Bacos (or similar) bacon flavor bits
    1/2 Sleeve (approximately 18) saltine crackers
    1 (14 0z.) Block extra firm tofu, drained
    1/4 Cup Bar’s Lemon Garlic Marinade

    Oil for frying

    1 Batch (approximately 2 Cups) Lady Bird’s Bird Sauce

    24 Buttermilk Biscuits, either store-bought in the scary exploding tube, or Homemade

    Grind the bacon bits and the crackers in a food processor (or blender) until fine. Break up tofu and add to dry mix along with marinade.  Pulse mixture to blend completely, then process until a smooth, soft, dough-like paste forms. Transfer to a bowl.

    Wetting hands frequently to prevent sticking, spoon out balls of dough about the size of a walnut, and pat flat to form a mini-burger or “slider”. Lay sliders out on sheets of wax paper until all patties are formed.

    Heat oil in skillet to medium-high (about 1/2 inch deep, so patties will be just about submerged), or set deep fryer to 375°.

    Cooking sliders in batches of 6, fry about 3 minutes, turning once halfway through, until patties are a dark, golden brown. Remove from fryer and set on paper toweling to drain.

    Once all the sliders are fried, transfer to a mixing bowl, cover with Bird Sauce, and gently toss to coat. Set aside.

    Cut or split buttermilk biscuits, and place a patty on each biscuit bottom. Spread inside of biscuit tops with remaining sauce to complete each “sandwich”, and place sliders on serving platter (or oven-safe tray to keep warm until serving).

    Serve with remaining or additional Bird Sauce for dipping.

    Category Cocktail Party, Finger Foods, Vegetarian (or Potentially So) | Tags: ,,,,,,, | 2 Comments

  5. Baked Polenta Lasagna

    March 16, 2011 by Cas

    Lasagnas are like people: there are a million variations, each with its own odd and sensational characteristics, and you should go out of your way to meet and experience as many of them as possible.

    Here, with Food Daddy’s first foray into the world of Baked and Layered and Off the Boat, I present a lasagna that combines some elements (ricotta filling and tomato sauce) that usually come to mind when you think “lasagna”, with a bit of a perk via the inclusion of some chopped sausage (vegetarian or otherwise) and a departure from the norm of white-flour lasagna noodles, relying instead on polenta –  here made into sheets — as the “pasta” holding the whole affair together.

    We will experiment with other polenta dishes, and MANY, many more lasagnas (there’s already another incredible recipe in the hopper I can’t wait to refine and share with you) but this is a nice way to take a few old Italian favorites and work them together.

    A note to my gluten-sensitive and full-on Celiac Foodies out there: THIS IS GLUTEN-FREE! And I’m marking it as such by including it in the GF category. BUT BE WARNED: if you choose to use a vegetarian sausage — many of which are just so good that nobody but you will ever know it’s not real pork — you MUST read labels, as the majority of these fine products have, as their main ingredient, the dreaded Vital Wheat Gluten.

    This lasagna is dense, and satisfying. And did I mention DENSE? A little goes a long way. I fed five people and still had leftovers. This is, if you cut the proposed 9 portions into 18 portions, a PERFECT central entree for a dinner or cocktail party.

    A further note from an Italian boy: as you serve this, the host gets the first piece. And not because he or she earned it, but because the first is the hardest to get out of the pan until you’ve made way for the others to slide out more easily — like one of those “mix and move the pieces” puzzles with the squares and the one open space. The sloppy-ass first hunk goes onto a plate which is quickly removed from sight, and then the guests are served the pristine slices that follow. The cooling time noted makes slicing and serving SO much easier, and nobody cries in pain as they burn the roofs of their mouths on molten cheese.

    For the Polenta:
    1 Cup “Quick” Polenta (corn meal) or precooked cornmeal (masa)
    (regular corn meal can be used, but stove-top time will be tripled)
    3 Cups water
    1 tsp. Salt

    For the Marinara Sauce:
    1 Can (28 oz.) diced tomatoes, rinsed and drained
    1 Small yellow onion, diced
    2 Tbsp. olive oil
    2 Tbsp. chopped garlic (or three cloves fresh, chopped)
    1 Tbsp. dried parsley
    2 tsps. Dried oregano
    1 tsp. Dried thyme
    1 tsp. Salt

    For the Filling:
    1 (15 oz.) Container ricotta cheese
    1 Large egg
    1 Cup plus 1/4 Cup grated parmesan cheese
    1 Tbsp. Parsley
    1/2 tsp. Salt
    1/2 tsp. Black pepper
    2 Cups shredded mozzarella cheese
    4 Links Italian sausage (cooked and drained, precooked, or vegetarian), diced

    Prepare the Polenta:
    Bring corn meal, water and salt to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Once bubbling reduce heat to medium and stir frequently, about 5 – 7 minutes, until thick and belching steam. As it gets thicker you’ll need to stir constantly for the last minute or so. The resulting porridge should be the consistency of loose mashed potatoes.

    Lay out a long sheet (about a yard or so) of waxed paper on a flat surface. Remove polenta from heat and spoon it quickly down the center lengthwise of the wax paper. With a rubber spatula, dipping it frequently in warm water, spread polenta thin to form a long rectangle at least three times as long as (and at least the single width of) your 9″ x 9″ square baking dish. God, I hate fucking math. Roughly? A 10″ x 30″ sheet of polenta. An alternate method, once you’ve spread the polenta to near-size, is to cover with an additional sheet of wax paper and, with light pressure, use a rolling pin to smooth it out. Leave polenta to cool and set up until firm.

    Prepare the Marinara:
    In a suace pan, saute onions in olive oil over medium high heat, until transparent. Add garlic and continue to cook until the onions begin to brown, stirring frequently.

    Add remaining sauce ingredients and cook, covered, over high heat until mixture comes to boil. Reduce heat to medium and continue to cook 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. When the tomatoes are tender and have given off all their liquid, puree to a chunky consistency with a hand blender or by transferring to the bowl of a blender or food processor. Return to pot, bring to a boil over high heat, then cover and remove from heat.

    Prepare the Filling:
    In a mixing bowl, mix all the ingredients (except the remaining 1/4 cup of  parmesan, the shredded mozzarella and the sausage), until well combined.

    Preheat oven to 400°, and Assemble the Lasagna:
    Cut the polenta into three equal sections. Each should be roughly the size of the baking pan. They will be slightly larger (who wants slightly smaller? How ugly that would turn out!) so again, cut each square section into four squares. It makes placing them easier and accounts for uneven edges. I’ll explain how when we get to it. Please don’t rush me, I’m under enough pressure as it is.

    Ladel a thin layer of sauce onto the bottom of your 9″ x 9″ baking pan. If you’re smart it will be disposable aluminum, or your husband will be on dish duty after dinner. Take your first 1/3 of the polenta, which you’ve cut into 4 squares. Reassemble the square in the bottom of the pan by placing each one with the clean-cut center corner toward the outside corners of the pan; this will place the jagged edges and rounded corners in the center, and you’ll have a nice neat square with more consistent thickness.

    After the first polenta layer, spread on 1/2 of the ricotta cheese filling mixture; ladel on 1/3 of the remaing sauce. Top with 1/2 of the sausage and 1/3 of the mozzarella.

    Repeat with the next layer of polenta, the remaining ricotta, another 1/3 of the sauce, the remaining sausage, and another 1/3 of the mozzarella. Top that with the remaining layer of polenta, and cover with the last of the sauce and the mozzarella, and the reserved 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese.

    Bake in center of oven at 400° for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 350° and continue to bake for 30 minutes more, or until top is golden brown and with crispy, dark edges.

    Remove from oven to cooling rack or heat-proof surface, and allow to sit at room temperature for 20 minutes. Cut into wedges (3 x 3 works best) and let your guests fight over who gets the coveted center square. Or the coveted corners with their TWO exposed sides of crispy edges. People are funny that way. And we fucking love ‘em for it.

    Category Cocktail Party, Entrees-Vous!, Featured Fare, G.F. Yourself! Gluten-Free Food Daddy, Pasta-liscious, Vegetarian (or Potentially So) | Tags: ,,,,,, | 1 Comment

  6. Savory Rosemary Parmesan Oatmeal Cookies

    March 10, 2011 by Cas

    Waffle? What the hell is a waffle?

    We’re on to other things. I can’t say “bigger and better” things because the 30-day Waffle marathon was such a successful leap out of the starting gate for Food Daddy.

    But we’re on to other things.

    When I asked my wonderful, faithful Foodies for input on future Food Daddy endeavors, so many great ideas came bursting forth. And other friends, off the blog, have said repeatedly in response “whatever the hell you do with the food writing, just make sure we get to eat the results.”

    Read: throw a party.

    I get hinted at often to host cocktail gatherings. If I have to be known for SOMETHING in this life, I certainly don’t balk at the fact that folks are both comfortable in my home and delighted by my cooking. And I have found that I’ve relieved a major amount of stress in the planning process by eliminating one huge roadblock I never realized could be bypassed:

    Not knowing what to serve.

    Now, I’m not saying that you say “cocktail party” and I have a knee-jerk reaction whereby, tourettes-like, I suddenly spew a menu and case closed, the party plan is done.

    What I AM saying is that, if for any given cocktail or dinner party I know I need six, twelve, or twenty things to offer my guests, I have my go-to collection of tried and true recipes to dive into to provide the basis for my menu.

    Cooking as much as I do as often as I do — and constantly expanding my repertoire with new recipes and new ideas — I now have a cornucopia of possibilities every time I set a table, from grand buffet for a birthday celebration to bowls of snacks and (as I like to call them) fabulous nibbly bits to accompany a cocktail or two before going out for dinner or a movie with just a handful of friends.

    I also learned that it is much easier to plan a VARIED menu with a big ol’ bag of tricks at my disposal because once (and this led to more planning stress for every future party until I got my shit to its present state of togetherness) I served a lovely variety of hot and cold hors d’oeuvres that turned out to contain, each and every single one, either meat, cheddar cheese, or both.

    Now, I can plan a menu that will cover breads and nuts and sweets and meats and veggies and cheeses and spreads and dips and finger and fork foods, and know not only — because there are so many wonderful concoctions from which to choose — that I won’t be duplicating tastes with way-too-similar food creations, but complementing each dish by pairing the components with tasty counterparts.

    For instance, if I’m serving something very fragrant in the way of cheese, like a bleu cheese spread, or a whole sliceable chunk of gornonzola, I will readily pair it with closely placed bowls of sliced pears sprinkled with a bit of taragon, lemon zest and black pepper, as well as pitted dates stuffed with whole almonds, and “married figs” sliced and stuffed with a walnut half, and a flower pot filled with endive leaves accompanied by a simple garlic aioli dip. A guest can enjoy any single one of these complimentary foods — all part of one presentation, because Lord knows this is treated as one dish on my table, and gets lost among the ten others anyway — or he can stuff any or all of the components in his mouth at once and find the combination heavenly.

    Whereas once upon a time I might inadvertently wind up offering up blue cheese dip with my cruditee, situated right next to bleu cheese and asparagus rolls, bleu stuffed olives and a salad with fruit and crumbled bleu, and stand there wondering why people kept disappearing and coming back with sacks of White Castle burgers.

    Herewith, to help you build or expand your own cocktail party recipe box — as I expand my own — is our first newfangled finger food, the Savory Rosemary Parmesan Oatmeal Cookie.

    Part cookie, part cracker, part shortbread, this is so delicious I defy you not to dip into the dough as you’re making them. Try not to do too much of that; depending on how thick you roll them and how thin you slice, the recipe can yield 4 dozen. But if you eat your way through the mixing bowl as I tend to do, you’ll wind up with a dozen finished cookies you won’t want to eat because you’ll already have three batches baking in your belly.

    These are great to eat by themselves, or will go nicely with a small slice or cube of a mild cheese or cream cheese-based spread. We’ll get to a ton of ideas for those as time goes on, but my hopes are simply that within a few months, you’ll be planning a party and you’ll be able to turn to our Cocktail Party category and have a host of appy possibilities and small plates to serve to your lucky guests. I’ll even plan some theme menus, Kitschy to Klassy, to jump start your own creativity.

    I love only one thing more than having you turn to me for cooking and entertaining ideas: that’s finding inspiration in what I bring to this little party, to tap into your own inner chef. If you can emerge from your kitchen serving up something you find satisfying and delicious and which you had fun making…

    Then Food Daddy has done his job. And you’ve done yours. And the world has been made richer for both our efforts, one pleased belly at a time.

    1-1/2 Sticks butter, softened
    1/4  Cup olive oil
    2 Eggs
    2 Tbsp. Milk
    1 Cup grated parmesan
    1-1/2  Cups all-purpose flour
    1  tsp. Baking soda
    2 tsps. Dried rosemary, crumbled
    1 Tbsp. Dried parsley
    1/2  tsp. Salt
    1/2  tsp. Ground black pepper
    3  cups Oatmeal (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)

    With hand mixer or in a stand mixer, blend softened butter and olive oil. Beat in egg and water until smooth. Blend in grated cheese, and beat thoroughly.

    In a separate bowl, combine all dry ingredients except for oats, and hand “sift” with dry whisk or fork. When combined, add oats.

    Add wet ingredients to dry oat mixture, and stir to mix thoroughly.

    Divide dough into two halves. Form each half into a log about 2″ thick. Wrap in plastic wrap and roll and pat slightly to make each log smooth and uniform. Refrigerate for two hours or overnight, until ready to bake.

    Preheat oven to 425.

    Remove chilled dough from plastic wrap, and using a very sharp knife cut logs into thin slices, about 1/4″. Place on ungreased cookie sheets (these will not spread) and bake 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp around edges. Remove with a spatula to a cooling rack and cool thoroughly.

    Store leftovers (ha!) in an air-tight container or bag.

    Category Cocktail Party, Crackers and Flats, Finger Foods, Fresh Baked, S/S-S: Savory/Sweet-Swap! | Tags: ,,, | 4 Comments

  7. 30/30 WTF! #24: REUBEN SANDWICH WAFFLE

    March 3, 2011 by Cas

    Reuben, Reuben, I’ve been thinking…

    About how to turn your namesake sandwich into a delightful waffle. This is UBER delightful, and worthy of any delicatessen menu. Well, any delicatessen that features a long list of savory waffle creations on its menu.

    The final step can be a little tricky, melting cheese directly to the iron’s top. But I learned that if it sticks, it sticks, and it pulls off in a snap, and creates a lacy little garnish for the top of the waffle that tastes the same as the times it comes completely loose, but looks even cooler than normal.

    The batter is jazzed up a bit. You’d encounter this in the wild on rye bread, but I didn’t want to get everyone started on that whole task (I’ve got other things to bust your chops over) so I just made a really interesting bread base I think you’ll enjoy as a substitute.

    1-1/2 Cups Bisquick
    1/2 Cup instant mashed potato flakes (such as Hungry Jack)
    1/4 Cup whole wheat flour (or all purpose flour)
    1/4 tsp. salt
    1-1/2 Cups water
    1/4 Cup vegetable oil
    2 Tbsp. brown deli mustard

    1 Cup Sauerkraut, drained well
    8 oz. Cooked corned beef (or pastrami), shredded
    1 Cup shredded Swiss cheese

    Additional brown mustard OR
    prepared thousand island dressing

    Waffle Iron Setting/Cook Time: MEDIUM HIGH

    Mix Bisquick, potato flakes, flour and salt to combine. Add water, oil and mustard and mix thoroughly. Add kraut and shredded meat and stir to combine.

    Grease waffle iron with nonstick cooking spray, and spoon waffle mixture onto iron, leaving room at edges for spreading.

    When the waffle is golden brown, spread each section with a dab of additional mustard (if mustard is the preferred serving condiment).

    Top waffle sections with a portion of the shredded cheese, grease the top iron again, and close to melt cheese and brown it slightly.

    Open iron, and if cheese needs a bit of coaxing, do so carefully with a fork or some other pointy utensil, being very careful not to scratch the cooking surface.

    Transfer to serving platter, and serve with additional brown mustard, thousand island dressing, and of course… pickles.

    Half sour.

    Category 30/30 WTF!, Cocktail Party, Entrees-Vous!, Finger Foods | Tags: ,,,,, | 5 Comments

  8. 30/30 WTF! #22: STUFFED PIZZA WAFFLE

    March 1, 2011 by Cas

    These work best using the yeast batter, but again, you can use a substitute of 2 Cups Bisquick, 3/4 Cups water, and 1/2 tsp. salt.

    I find these best when cut into triangles and served warm, but not hot, giving the ingredients a chance to set in the center. And so you don’t scald your mouth when diving into them.

    I’m also giving you a variety of options here, to adress the fact that if we went out for actual pizza, none of us would order the same slice given a variety of choices. Get imaginative, but don’t overstuff.

    2 Cups Batter
    1/4 Cup Bisquick
    1/2 tsp. Salt

    1 Cup prepared pizza sauce (or, if you’re like me, your own homemade)
    1 Cup shredded mozzarella (or sliced fresh, or sliced mild provolone or fontina)

    OPTIONS:
    Sliced Pepperoni
    Sliced Ham
    Thinly sliced Tomato
    Whole fresh Basil leaves
    Waffle Iron Setting/Cook Time: MEDIUM (and, admittedly, to be largely ignored)

    Mix Yeast Batter or Bisquick Batter with additional Bisquick and salt.

    Grease waffle iron with nonstick cooking spray.

    Spoon just enough batter onto waffle iron so you can spread it evenly with the back of a spoon or with a silicon spatula to fill the recesses but just barely the tops of the dimples. Close iron and let this bottom layer go through one medium cook cycle. Open to check for doneness; batter should just be set, with no more wet spots.

    Spoon sauce over waffles, leaving about a 1/2 to 3/4″ border from the edges of the individual waffles or wedges. Add cheese and optional fillings, then top with another spoon of batter, smoothing it to the edges and sealing in the filling. Spray top iron again, and close to finish cooking.

    Check for doneness. When waffles are golden brown, leave the iron open for a minute to let them steam off, then carefully remove to a plate to cool.

    Cut into wedges if desired, and serve with additional sauce, shredded or grated parmesan, and if you’re from Brooklyn, it’s customary to have shakers of dried oregano, red pepper flakes and garlic powder on hand.

    Ayyyy, ohhhhhh… dat’s what ah’m tawkin’ ’bout, yo.

    Category 30/30 WTF!, Cocktail Party, Finger Foods, Side by Side by Side Dish, Vegetarian (or Potentially So) | Tags: ,,,,,, | 2 Comments

  9. 30/30 WTF! #16: PIGS IN BLANKET WAFFLES

    February 23, 2011 by Cas

    That sort of sounds judgmental, calling them “pigs”, and rather banal, that whole “in blankets” thing.

    Better to go the French route, and call them “cochons en croute”, perhaps. Or gay it up and call them “Caftan Piggies”. Or let’s get PC about it and call them “Porcine Americans Just Trying to Stay Warm” (but we’ll leave off the part about how we help them in their quest by wrapping them in dough and then baking them to death).

    Whatever YOU choose to call them, I never found making PiBs a real chore, but someone suggested I try this as a waffle and it’s indeed quicker and weirder than the way you’re used to doing it.

    1-1/2 Cups Bisquick
    1/2 Cup Water
    2 Tbsp. yellow mustard
    2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
    2 Hot dogs

    Waffle Iron Setting/Cook Time: Medium

    Mix all ingredients but the hot dogs. I’m chuckling picturing the mess we’d make if the whole dogs went right into the batter.

    Slice each hot dog in half, then slice each half in half again, LENGTHWISE, and cut each of those halves again lengthwise, resulting in eight long slices of dog. Or pig. Jeeze, it’s like a fucking zoo in this kitchen. If you’re daring or love a proliferation of animals while you’re trying to cook, slice them in half lengthwise again producing 16 pigs. I wonder if cloning Dolly the sheep was this satisfying.

    Grease waffle iron with nonstick cooking spray. Spoon batter onto griddle, leaving room for spread around edges. Press hot dog slices down into each waffle section or wedge, and close to cook.

    Remove to serving platter, and serve with a side of mustard for dipping (your preference; mine is dijon). Or mix equal parts creamy dijon and mayonnaise. Or do both. Anyone who asks for ketchup should immediately be shown the door. If you’re serving a crowd and there are other finger foods to be had, cut wedges in half if making Belgians, or cut square waffles in half. And if you want, in half again. Oh, fuck it with this “halve it again and again and again” torture I’m putting you through. You’ll know how big you want them when you see them.They’re just fine as is; but, like all the really good little piggies I know personally…

    They’re completely versatile.

    Category 30/30 WTF!, Cocktail Party, Finger Foods, Side by Side by Side Dish | Tags: ,,,,,, | 4 Comments

  10. 30/30 WTF! #13: MONTE CRISTO WAFFLE

    February 20, 2011 by Cas

    This is the waffle that was Divinely inspired.

    If you follow me on Facebook you know that one night I breathlessly updated my status to reflect the burning bush nature of this waffle’s genesis: I had come home, taken a power nap, and awakened with two words on my parched lips (the heat is really powerful in my apartment, so I was inspired, but I was also really dry):

    “Monte Cristo”

    I hurriedly set about pulling the ingredients out of the refrigerator and the cupboard. Actually I hurriedly peed (and washed my hands, thankyouverymuch) because even though I was inspired and parched I had downed a quart of water before laying down so I was also really bursting at the seams, but on the way to the bathroom I turned on the waffle iron.

    I can’t tell you how everything just sort of fell into place with this creation: the ingredients and the amounts to use,  the preparation method — even how to achieve just the right note of sweetness that a traditional Monte Cristo gets from its dusting of powdered sugar.

    I’d say that the Lord wanted me to have this sandwich, but having tasted it I now know I misinterpreted the signs: the Lord wanted me to make HIM this sandwich, and I foolishly coveted it as my own. At least I stayed away from His apple tree. And given how damned simple this savory waffle is to make, I can whip Him up a fresh batch any time he chooses to Grace me with His presence.

    I want a holiday to honor this waffle. In my book this is even bigger than lamp oil burning for eight nights.

    I hope your soul and stomach are moved by this, hot off the griddle, just as mine were that very first miraculous night of culinary nights.

    2 Slices deli turkey, coarsely chopped
    2 Slices boiled ham, coarsely chopped
    4 Slices white bread, ripped into chunks
    1/4 Cup shredded cheddar
    1/4 Cup shredded swiss or mozzarella

    2 Eggs
    2 Tbsp. Milk
    1 Tbsp. Honey
    1/4 tsp. Salt

    Powdered sugar for garnish (optional)

    Waffle Iron Setting/Cook Time:  MEDIUM HIGH

    Toss the bread, meats and cheeses in a mixing bowl.

    In a separate bowl, lightly beat the egg, milk, honey and salt. Add to other ingredients and mix to coat thoroughly.

    Grease waffle iron with nonstick cooking spray. Spoon waffle mixture onto iron, leaving a bit of room at edges for waffle to expand. Close top and cook until golden brown. Cut into individual waffles or wedges and remove to serving plate.

    Serve warm, and eat by hand, or be all dainty and dust it with a bit of powdered sugar and eat it with a fork.

    Category 30/30 WTF!, Cocktail Party, Finger Foods | Tags: ,,,,, | 2 Comments

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