456238 Thu Nov 01 09:05:11 -0700 2007 41 31 Home Cooking 0 3085917 November 2007 Cookbook of the Month: The Silver Palate Cookbook by Julee Rosso & Sheila Lukins. Please post your full-length reviews of hors d’oeuvre recipes here. Please mention the name of the recipe you are reviewing as well as any modifications you made to the recipe. A reminder that the verbatim copying of recipes to the boards is a violation of the copyright of the original author. Posts with copied recipes will be removed. Thanks for participating! Thu Nov 01 09:05:11 -0700 2007 11407 JoanN 1 3086024 Dumb question...Just the SP or are you including the Good Times? Thu Nov 01 09:36:44 -0700 2007 3085917 50431 chef chicklet 2 3086126 Not dumb at all, and you're not the first to ask. I've amended the copy on the master links thread in the hope that more people will see it over there. http://www.chowhound.com/topics/456241 Thu Nov 01 10:13:48 -0700 2007 3086024 11407 JoanN 1 3098527 Cheese Straws, p. 8. I haven't made these in years, but don't know why not. They're easy, tasty, and store well. I thought they would be nice along with chefchicklet's FABULOUS spicy garbanzo soup (link below). Basically, roll puff pastry out, sprinkle with freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, fold the dough over and roll out again, and sprinkle with more cheese. Cut into strips, twist, and bake for about 15 minutes at 350 degrees. An oldie but goodie. ChefChicklet's Spicy and Creamy Garbanzo Bean Soup http://www.chowhound.com/topics/449283#3091594 Mon Nov 05 19:34:27 -0800 2007 3085917 10271 Rubee 2 3116908 Do you think I can make these cheese straws with a prepared puff pastry? Thanks Mon Nov 12 08:22:04 -0800 2007 3098527 18881 bxgirl 3 3116972 Definitely - that's what I did (I didn't have Dufours, but used Pepperidge Farm). Mon Nov 12 08:35:42 -0800 2007 3116908 10271 Rubee 4 3117031 Thanks for the quick response. I think I'll try these for Thanksgiving. Mon Nov 12 08:51:27 -0800 2007 3116972 18881 bxgirl 5 3117148 You're welcome! I'm going to do them for Thanksgiving too. They're so easy, and the best part is you can make them earlier in the week. The Silver Palate authors says they will keep fresh for a week in an airtight container. Mon Nov 12 09:18:56 -0800 2007 3117031 10271 Rubee 6 3117393 And they do rubee! Mon Nov 12 10:22:42 -0800 2007 3117148 50431 chef chicklet 7 3117492 Good to know for sure! I was going to make them a couple of days ahead, now I'll do bake them the weekend before. BTW, had your leftover soup for lunch last week - Just as DEEELICIOUS! Mon Nov 12 10:50:04 -0800 2007 3117393 10271 Rubee 2 3149872 Cheese Straws I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed with these. I'm not the best baker, so it's probably me. I used Dufour puff pastry and followed the not at all difficult instructions, but found that they didn't puff and brown the way I had hoped (even leaving them in far longer than the 15-20 min called for). Oh well. Fri Nov 23 15:45:25 -0800 2007 3098527 24075 onefineleo 3 3150175 Cheese Straws I didn't like them either. I also used the Dufour puff pastry (maybe that's the X factor). Anyway, mine did puff and brown (albeit longer than the 20 called for minutes) but I found them oddly flavorless. I used more cheese then called for AND I sprinkled them with hungarian paprika to give it an extra oomph. The cheese straws needed a sprinkle of salt on them to bring out the flavor. All in all, disappointing. Fri Nov 23 18:41:09 -0800 2007 3149872 10214 beetlebug 4 3150314 Oh that's disappointing. Yes, I should have added that I sprinkled them with coarse sea salt. I may have used more cheese than the recipe called for too, I just eyeballed it. I did prefer Martha Stewart's version with the straws brushed with butter, and sprinkled with parmesan and parsley. http://www.chowhound.com/topics/457133#3136527 Fri Nov 23 20:21:57 -0800 2007 3150175 10271 Rubee 4 3155666 I had the same experience as you. They puffed and browned beautifully, but I thought they were lacking in flavor as well. Mon Nov 26 11:25:46 -0800 2007 3150175 10763 Miss Needle 1 3111079 Gougere, p. 10 WOW! This is my first time making these little treats, and what a hit! Last night I whipped them up in no time, and I couldn't believe how adorable they looked *and* how delightful they taste! Their recipe calls for Parmesan or a Parm/Gruyere mix, but I only had Pecorino Romano, which I often sub for Parm, so I used that... mmmm! Excellent little snacks, and I immediately stashed these with my "unexpected guests pop over" quick dazzling recipes... These will certainly elicit this response: "Wow, how did she manage to whip up this magical delight at a moment's notice?!" I followed instructions precisely, and ended up with 18 delectable puffs. Mmmmm. Note how pretty they are in the picture -- very light and moist, too! Fri Nov 09 12:47:22 -0800 2007 3085917 56490 foxy fairy 2 3111086 They look lovely - I've not used this recipe, but wanted to mention that they freeze beautifully, so you can always have some on hand for any impromptu visitors - just pop in the oven straight from the freezer. And now that you have mastered these, you can easily make cream puffs as well! Fri Nov 09 12:49:18 -0800 2007 3111079 10985 MMRuth 2 3111349 And just about any cheese will do. Within reason. I like Guyere. Fri Nov 09 14:08:51 -0800 2007 3111079 85422 clepro 3 3111452 And, you can stuff them using a pastry bag (was about to write "with a pastry bag", which would not be quite as tasty). Fri Nov 09 14:42:25 -0800 2007 3111349 10985 MMRuth 3 3118782 I was making gougere last weekend and realized I didn't have Gruyere, so I used Parmesan and lots of black pepper. Amazing flavor, big old "wow" factor and so easy. What I really love is that you can make them itty-bitty, two-bite sized or whatever pleases you at the moment. Mon Nov 12 16:22:59 -0800 2007 3111349 26353 Elizzie 4 3119496 All right, that's it. You've all convinced me to try making gougeres too! MMRuth, I'll be sure not to make them "with" the bag - hmmm...extra minerals and fiber? heh. I assume you freeze them uncooked, is that right? Mon Nov 12 20:26:18 -0800 2007 3118782 10271 Rubee 5 3119918 I freeze them after baking. I nearly always have some in the freezer. They crisp up beautifully. And because they're essentially hollow, it takes no time to heat them up from frozen. Tue Nov 13 04:53:51 -0800 2007 3119496 11407 JoanN 2 3117399 These look so wonderful! I made this recipe years ago, I need to do it again, nice job! Mon Nov 12 10:24:07 -0800 2007 3111079 50431 chef chicklet 2 3136117 I had to make the gougeres too. I used half parmesan half gruyere. These are great. How would I heat them up after freezing? Pop them in the oven for awhile? Sun Nov 18 11:29:14 -0800 2007 3111079 61733 Linda513 3 3137066 I found the gougeres soooo easy to put together -- did you? On another gougere thread, hounds mentioned that with other recipes, it was really arduous (actually causing sore arms!) to beat each egg into the batter, but I didn't find that at all with this recipe. Did you, Linda? Sun Nov 18 18:06:11 -0800 2007 3136117 56490 foxy fairy 4 3137172 My arm was a little sore from stirring in the eggs. I had to switch arms a few times. Maybe you're just really strong! But it was worth it - they are so good. Sun Nov 18 18:50:13 -0800 2007 3137066 61733 Linda513 5 3137539 ;) Yes, maybe my arms are in better shape than I thought! :) I'm just trying to recall with clarity... I don't remember it being an issue at all. We'll see this time - Thanksgiving Eve, gougeres! Sun Nov 18 21:20:49 -0800 2007 3137172 56490 foxy fairy 6 3150083 Gee whiz! The first time I ever made gougeres was from a recipe that came with the Cuisinart. This was about 20 years ago when Cuisinarts were new to the U.S. I hate to think what it'd do to my arms and wrists! Is there any reason that you guys didn't use the food processor? Fri Nov 23 17:36:20 -0800 2007 3137539 10245 oakjoan 7 3150177 I think I may have been the one to start the whole tired arm thing. I was using the Zuni recipe where Judy Rodgers gave explicit directions about the dough coming together, etc. At that moment, taking the FP out would have been an additional step and thing to clean. Fri Nov 23 18:43:23 -0800 2007 3150083 10214 beetlebug 7 3150649 I didn't know that was an option. Its a good idea, but just more equipment to wash. My arms could use the exercise. Sat Nov 24 06:03:31 -0800 2007 3150083 61733 Linda513 2 3156872 I've always been too intimidated to make these, but I'm going to try them now! One question... what kind of milk? Would it be ok to use 1%? If not, I'll just buy some whole milk. Mon Nov 26 17:05:18 -0800 2007 3111079 68213 cjc519 1 3116406 I don't have the book in front of me, so I'm not sure if this is the right place to discuss the Chicken Liver Pate with Green Peppercorns. Made this yesterday. I mostly followed the recipe, but at the last minute realized I didn't have any cream. So I just left it out. I loved the smell of the onion and garlic and thyme cooking in the butter, but my heat may have gone a little too high (crappy electric stove), and the butter burned a little. Not badly, just went a bit golden, making a few of the onion pieces crispy. My problem is that I'm not a great judge of chicken liver pate. I like to eat it out occasionally, but the idea of liver does skeeve me out a little, and maybe cooking and processing it myself put me a little too close to it. I know it's irrational, but I've never been able to shake the gross-out factor. I really want to, though, not least because I'm chronically anemic and liver is one of the best remedies for that! One thing I liked was the green peppercorns. I'd never used them before, so that was a novelty. I also liked the way they tasted. So now I have the pate in the fridge, and I want to try it this afternoon. There were no serving suggestions in the recipe, so I thought I'd ask fellow hounds what the best way to eat it is. All suggestions welcome! Mon Nov 12 02:10:45 -0800 2007 3085917 14139 Kagey 2 3117521 I'm very eager to hear how you like it. I may try for Thanksiving. My favorite way to eat pate is with thinly sliced baquette, mustard and cornichons. Mon Nov 12 10:56:53 -0800 2007 3116406 33755 NYchowcook 3 3119853 Thanks for that suggestion. I do have some cornichons, so I'll try it out! After leaving it for a day, I tried it yesterday afternoon. I was really pleasantly surprised. It was a little hard, but I think that's probably because I left out the cream. But it tasted really good and was nicely smooth. The green peppercorns seemed to have permeated the pate with a subtle flavor and a bit of heat. That was really nice. Tue Nov 13 02:35:46 -0800 2007 3117521 14139 Kagey 1 3118172 I did cheese straws with sharp cheddar & romano cheese using the new Trader Joes puff pastry. Worked great. The only complaint I have is that the TJ's pastry sheets don't have a dividing paper between them so they were totally stuck together. good thing I wanted to use the whole package, I had to wait for it to thaw before unsticking them. Mon Nov 12 13:33:09 -0800 2007 3085917 15291 ErikaK 1 3122745 Pepper Provencal has been a standby for years--it's so versatile and terrific on a sandwich with fresh mozzarella. It goes really well as a compliment to black olive tapenade or as a sauce for fish. Tue Nov 13 17:29:05 -0800 2007 3085917 19989 ketchupgirl 1 3136474 Spicy Shrimp, p. 19 (anniv. ed.) This was a nice simple dish and a good addition to an antipasti table, though it's not spicy at all so I'm unsure of the name. Shrimp is sauteed in butter and olive oil with minced shallots and garlic. Once cooked, season with s&p, and toss with lemon juice and dill. Refrigerate for 3-4 hours. I serrved it drizzled with some extra-virgin olive oil and lemon wedges. Sun Nov 18 14:03:27 -0800 2007 3085917 10271 Rubee 2 3150877 Wow just saw this, thanks for the photo rubee, it really helps me want to try the dish, looks good to me! Sat Nov 24 08:29:51 -0800 2007 3136474 50431 chef chicklet 1 3141291 Pate Maison -- chicken liver pate (p. 27). (It's in the "charcuterie board" section, but this seems the best place to post.) I always liked my mother's chopped chicken liver, but the idea of purchasing and handling and making livers just did not appeal. But when I was in the supermarket at the dog bone (er, beef marrow) section, there was a container of chicken livers that spoke to me. I went home and made Pate Maison. But first I did some research of other techniques (epicurious) and didn't think SP's technique of boiling (!) the livers was traditional, so instead I sauteed them, as described below, but I used pretty much the spices and other techniques called for in SP's recipe. I sauteed the onions in a ridiculously large amount of butter (1 stick), then garlic, liver and spices (I substituted allspice for cloves, because that's what I prefer, and added pepper. I omitted currants because I didn't have and that is just too far from traditional, in my book.) I stirred in Calvados near end of liver cooking time, and let it boil off (though recipe doesn't mention this). Tasted sauce to see if the flavor was repulsive (as I suspected), or not. Hmm. It was good! like SP says, the spices provide an interesting flavor for those who aren't certain whether they love liver. I pureed in food processor, and put into bowl and topped w/ clarified butter (who knows why?) and covered. I suppose more traditional would be schmaltz rather than butter, but all that fat either way is really what makes the liver palatable. Had some that didn't fit into the bowl that I happily snacked on. This is for Thanksgiving. A success, indeed. Tue Nov 20 04:52:52 -0800 2007 3085917 33755 NYchowcook 2 3149881 Mushrooms Stuffed with Walnuts and Chesse p.12 These are great. The stuffing is made by adding defrosted chopped spinach to sauteed onions, walnuts, garlic, feta and Gruyere. I assembled them early in the day and popped them in the oven for 10 minutes. Couldn't be simpler or more satisfying. I have quite a bit of stuffing left over so I will buy more mushrooms tomorrow and make them again. We need something to help us finish the champagne! Fri Nov 23 15:50:12 -0800 2007 3141291 24075 onefineleo 2 3155684 I really didn't like this recipe, but I followed it exactly as written. btw, I made this 15 years ago so I'm doing this from memory. I love chicken livers -- there's no need to hide the taste. I really didn't appreciate the currants in the pate. And as I didn't cook off the alcohol, the alcohol taste really got in the way of this dish. If I would make it again today, I would probably modify the recipe the same you you did. Mon Nov 26 11:31:16 -0800 2007 3141291 10763 Miss Needle 1 3165059 Rosemary & Prosciutto Phyllo Triangles, page 9 For something easy (and b/c we had some prosciutto and ricotta from the Big Bread Sandwiches), we decided to go with these last night. Filling came together in about a minute :) -- 2 egg yolks beaten into a cup of ricotta, with some chopped-up prosciutto and 1/4 cup grated Parmesan, some rosemary, salt and pepper. We used fresh rosemary as I have lots of herbs around after Thanksgiving and I used about, hmm, 3/4 Tbsp of the fresh. The flavor came through and was really nice - I think it would have been a bit flat with the dried. We make phyllo triangles all the time -- probably every week. Our favorites are sauteed mushroom or asparagus mixed with cheeses (I usually do cream cheese with a little yogurt or sour cream) and fresh herbs. These fell a little short of our expectation, probably because of the texture and our intense love for veggies. The phyllo, of course, was delicious and crispy, but I enjoy a little more texture to the filling. These were just squishy inside. They were good, but a little rich for us. I did like the manner of actually assembling the triangles - stack two sheets, brushing each with butter, and cut (the short way) into five strips. Then roll up each in triangles, flag-style. I usually fold differently, but these ended up the same size, and I think this approach was actually easier to compile. **If you are a first-timer with phyllo, try working with these delicate sheets when you're in a good mood. ;) Patience is key. Get a damp (but not wet) towel and drape that over the stack of phyllo awaiting. This will really keep it from becoming brittle. If it tears a little, don't freak out - you're layering and folding, so no one will ever know. Just nudge it gently back into place. SP suggests baking at 350 for 25 mins -- we pulled them out, golden and perfect, after about 12 minutes, which is how we usually do phyllo triangles. They would have been burnt to a crisp after 25 mins, I would think. We must have added more filling than the prescribed teaspoon - because we ended up with exactly 30 triangles, not 60. With the mushroom ones (or spinach, or asparagus) I can't leave them alone, but we did have some of these left over. Pretty good, but not great -- I think it's a matter of taste though. I could see that these would be great at a cocktail party, though - as some people would prefer this kind of filling I think, and they could be a great contrast with other hors d'oeuvres. Not everyone is the veggie-monster that I am. Plus, this drastically reduces prep time: nothing to sautee. Thu Nov 29 09:17:58 -0800 2007 3085917 56490 foxy fairy 2 3165095 I notice that SP Good Times includes a recipe for phyllo "kisses" (cute name) - filling is just goat cheese and herbs de Provence (page 116, Chevre and Phyllo Kisses). These are in the spring wedding chapter. You layer 2 sheets of phyllo and then cut itsy-bitsy squares (30 squares per double-layered sheet of phyllo!) and twist up the edges into kisses* In Good Times, they also roll phyllo diagonally and shape into a spiral??? with sauteed mushrooms "in the center of the spiral" -- I guess you just press it into the center? The spirals must be small. Anyone done it that way? (Wild Mushroom Pastries, p. 255) Thu Nov 29 09:25:54 -0800 2007 3165059 56490 foxy fairy