PopSugar

Perfect Holiday Appetizer: Ham and Cheese Thumbprints

partysugar — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 09:17:29 -0800

I love recipes that take simple, classic ingredients - in this case ham and cheese - and recreate them into something sophisticated and elegant. This recipe also uses a technique normally reserved for sweets (jam-filled thumbprint cookies) and applies it to savory components. The end result is an appetizer that is scrumptious, innovative, and delightfully balanced. It's crisp on the outside, light and puffy on the inside, delicately cheesy, and subtly porky. Don't be intimidated by the dough, it's incredibly easy to make. I opted not to pipe mine and instead made circular mounds. Once you have the mastered the procedure, the recipe is highly versatile. I plan on experimenting with several variations: substituting herbs for the ham and pepper jack cheese for the gruyere. To look at the basic recipe, read more.

Ham and Cheese Thumbprints
From Martha Stewart

Ingredients

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into large pieces
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1 cup water
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped or ground Black Forest ham (2 ounces)
1 cup finely shredded Gruyere cheese, plus 36 cubes (1/2 inch) for centers (8 ounces total)

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Bring butter, salt, and the water to a boil in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Add flour; stir vigorously until incorporated. Continue to cook, stirring, until the mixture pulls away from sides of pan and a thin film forms on bottom of pan, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat; let cool 2 minutes.

Transfer dough to a large bowl; add eggs 1 at a time, beating with a wooden spoon to incorporate each before adding the next, about 2 minutes. Stir in pepper, ham, and shredded cheese.

Spoon dough into a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch star tip. On baking sheets lined with nonstick baking mats or parchment paper, pipe rosettes (each 1 1/2 inches wide), 2 inches apart. Make a deep indentation at the center of each with your thumb (dampen thumb to keep it from sticking to dough). Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until crisp and golden, 25 to 30 minutes.
Remove from oven; press a cheese cube in each indentation. Continue baking until cheese is melted, about 10 minutes. Serve warm.

Makes 3 dozen.

Make ahead: The thumbprints can be partially prepared ahead and then frozen. Form and bake thumbprints as directed in steps 1 to 4. Transfer to wire racks to cool before inserting cheese cubes; place on clean baking sheets, and freeze until firm, about one hour, before freezing in airtight containers, up to six weeks. To serve, remove from freezer and bake (without thawing) in a 425-degree oven for about 15 minutes.

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Come Party With Me: Potluck - Menu

partysugar — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 10:18:31 -0800

After New Year's, the last thing I feel like doing is planning another huge party. However, I want to get all of my friends together for a family style dinner, so I've decided to do a potluck. Hosting a potluck is a no-fuss way to throw a party. Start by downloading and filling in our potluck invite. Ask or assign guests to bring a side, salad, pasta, appetizer, or dessert. If one friend loves to bake, ask her to bring a dessert. Likewise, if another friend is plagued with chronic lateness, don't appoint him an appetizer.

As the hostess you should supply the main dish. A delicious citrus glazed ham will feed a crowd and is simple to make. Also, make an appetizer so when guests arrive they have something to nibble on. Little mushroom tarts are bite sized pastries that will have your guests licking their fingers. For these recipes please, read more.

Baked Ham with Citrus-Rum Glaze
From Emeril Lagasse

For the glaze:
3 cups orange juice
1 1/3 cups light brown sugar
1 orange, zested
1 bay leaf
1 cinnamon stick
2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns
8 whole cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons dark rum
For the ham:
1 (8 to 10-pound) fresh ham, shank end, bone-in and skin-on
1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 1/2 tablespoons Essence, recipe follows
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

Make the glaze by combining the orange juice, brown sugar, orange zest, bay leaf, cinnamon stick, peppercorns, cloves and allspice in a large saucepan and bring to a boil.
Continue to cook at a brisk simmer until the mixture has reduced in volume to just over 1 cup and is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 30 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the rum, and set aside to cool.
Remove the ham from the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature for at least 30 minutes before baking. While the ham is still cold, using a sharp knife, score the skin of the ham, making a diamond-pattern through the skin and fat about 1/2-inch deep.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
Using your hands, rub the salt, Essence, and pepper evenly over the entire surface of the ham.
Place the ham in a large roasting pan and bake, uncovered, for 1 hour, or until the scores begin to open up and the ham begins to color.
Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F and continue to cook the ham until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the ham registers 155 to 160 degrees F, 3 to 3 1/2 hours longer. The ham will continue to cook after removed from the oven.
During the last hour of cooking, baste the ham often with the glaze and any pan juices that have accumulated. The skin should be crisp and dark. If the skin threatens to burn before the ham is cooked through, cover the ham loosely with aluminum foil.
When the ham is ready, transfer it to a large platter or carving board and let sit for at least 20 minutes before carving.
To serve, slice the meat thinly across the grain and arrange slices on a platter. Serve with any pan juices passed on the side.

Serves 10-12.

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Little Mushroom Tarts
From Sunset magazine

4 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms
8 ounces fresh common mushrooms
3 tablespoons butter, plus 6 tablespoons chilled butter cut into chunks
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion (8 oz.), peeled and minced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
1 tablespoon minced Italian parsley
About 1/2 teaspoon salt
Fresh-ground pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 large egg, beaten to blend

Rinse shiitake and common mushrooms. Trim and discard shiitake stems; coarsely chop both kinds of mushrooms (keep separate).
In a 10-inch frying pan over medium-high heat, melt 1 tablespoon butter with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add shiitakes and stir often until browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Pour into a bowl.
Melt another tablespoon butter with another tablespoon olive oil in pan. Add common mushrooms and stir often over medium-high heat until liquid evaporates and mushrooms are well browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Add to bowl. Cool slightly, then finely chop mushrooms.
In same pan, over medium-high heat, melt third tablespoon butter. Add onion and stir often until beginning to brown, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Pour in vinegar and stir until liquid evaporates, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in parsley and the mushrooms; season to taste with salt and pepper.
Combine flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt in the bowl of a food processor. Whirl briefly to mix.
Add 6 tablespoons chilled butter and whirl until coarse crumbs form. Pour in 1/4 cup cold water and whirl just until dough comes together. Squeeze a little in your hand; if it doesn't hold together, add another tablespoon or two of water and pulse to mix. Pat dough into a ball, then flatten slightly into a disk, wrap in plastic, and chill until cold, 15 to 20 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375°. On a well-floured surface, with a floured rolling pin, roll dough into an oval 1/4 to 1/8 inch thick. Brush half with beaten egg.
Spoon tablespoonfuls of the mushroom mixture into one hand, squeeze tightly, and mound an inch apart on egg-washed side of dough. Fold bare half over mounds, and press between them to seal. With a 2-inch cookie cutter, cut out tarts and transfer to a baking sheet.
Gather remaining dough, roll again, fill, and cut out more tarts.
Bake until beginning to brown, about 15 minutes. Brush tarts with egg wash (discard any remaining) and continue baking until deep golden brown, about 5 minutes longer.
Serve warm.

Makes 12 to 16 tartlets.

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'Wich of the Week: Prosciutto and Mango Panini

YumSugar — Wed, 13 May 2009 14:00:29 -0700

Prosciutto and melon is a classic Italian appetizer, but right now, the abundance of juicy, summery mango is too tempting to resist. Combined with the salty, cured ham, this tropical fruit works just as well, especially when freshly cut mint from your garden (or grocery store) is added to the mix.

To balance out the bold trio of mango, prosciutto, and mint, I went basic with the rest of the ingredients: bitter arugula to cut the sweetness, simple hollowed-out ciabatta for the bread, and mild mozzarella to meld it all together. The resulting recipe sounds divinely high-end, but it's just as easy to make as any old panini - whether you own a panini maker or not. Get the recipe, complete with step-by-step photos, when you read more.

Prosciutto and Mango Panini
Original recipe

Ingredients

2 small ciabatta rolls (individual sandwich size)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup arugula
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, julienned
4 large slices of prosciutto
1/2 mango, cut into 1/2-inch thick slices
4 ounces fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/2-inch thick rounds

Directions

Preheat the panini maker or, if you don't own one, place a cast iron skillet in the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Slice the ciabatta rolls in half horizontally and scoop some of the bread out of the top half to hollow out. Drizzle the bottom half of each roll with olive oil.
On each bottom piece of bread, pile half the arugula and top with half the mint.

Lay two slices of prosciutto on the arugula, followed by the mango and the mozzarella, dividing equally between the two pieces of bread. To close each sandwich, cover with top half of ciabatta .

Place sandwiches in panini maker for about 5 minutes, until cheese is fully melted. Or, if you don't have a panini maker, arrange sandwiches side-by-side on a baking sheet and cover with cast-iron skillet. Cook for about 5 minutes, until cheese is fully melted.

Makes 2 panini.

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Must Read: The Best Casserole Cookbook Ever

partysugar — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 07:45:08 -0800

Due to the difficult economic climate, in the past couple of months, the casserole - a one-pot dish that feeds a crowd and often consists of budget-friendly ingredients - has made a strong comeback. To fully embrace the trend, I recently obtained a copy of The Best Casserole Cookbook Ever ($24.95) by Beatrice Ojakangas. It's filled with over 500 casserole recipes, and to find out what I thought of this cookbook, read more.

Pros:

The book takes a healthy approach to casseroles by encouraging home cooks to make their own sauces to replace the "cream of" soups.
There's a loose interpretation of the word "casserole." According to the author, casserole can "refer either to the dish that the food is cooked in or to the food itself." So, while there are plenty of classic casserole recipes, there are also tons of recipes for one-pot, baked dishes.
The book covers every type of cuisine and cooking procedure, from classic breakfast dishes to Moroccan-influenced dinners to casseroles for two.

Cons:

Some of the recipes lack important details. For example, step two in the chili con queso recipe says to "melt butter in a small skillet and add the green onions and poblano peppers. Saute for 5 minutes." The recipe fails to mention the temperature of the stove.
The ingredient lists have too many options, leaving it up to the home cook to decide what to include in the casserole. A recipe will say "heavy cream or sour cream" "4 slices of bacon or 1/2 cup cooked ham." Surely the casserole tastes different depending on which ingredient is used. I prefer for the cookbook author to tell me which one tastes better.
There are virtually no color photographs. In fact, there are almost no photos at all.

Recipes: The focus of this book is clearly the recipes and there is definitely something for everyone. Here are the casserole recipes I would like to make:

All of the hot cheese slather spreads in the appetizer section
Cheese and sausage breakfast pie
Chicken Marengo
Chicken, polenta, and morel casserole
Beer-baked Irish beef
Fiesta casserole
Casserole-braised lamb shanks
Crab melt casserole
Corn and chive pudding
Peaches and cream dessert casserole

Imagery: There are about 16 color photographs in the entire book. Although these images are mouthwatering and professional, some seem a little too stylized.

Overall Rating: If you love casseroles or use the oven to do most of your cooking, you will love this book. The insane quantity of recipes guarantees that you'll be using it in the years to come.

What's Yummy This Week - YumSugar Weekly Recap

YumSugar — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 09:30:56 -0800

This pomegranate guacamole is tart, colorful, and perfect for a holiday appetizer.
What's your stand on using produce that's out of season?
Celebrate the repeal of Prohibition with Le Coup de Jarnac.
PartySugar's got the Top Chef scoop on this week's elimination.
Shop for your favorite foodies this season with the help of our holiday gift guides!
Find out how much you know about classic Christmas desserts.
Try your hand at savory thumbprints made with ham and cheese.

Sugar Shout Out: Michael Phelps Is Sportsman of the Year

PopSugar — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 23:50:00 -0800

Salty Series: Smaller Dishes

FitSugar — Wed, 07 May 2008 11:00:00 -0700

Some people are in love with salt. They can't eat their food without adding a little sprinkle here and there. It's fine to indulge in a little of the white stuff, but what many of us forget is that there's already tons of sodium in the foods we eat already. I told you about the sodium content of some entrées at popular restaurants, and now you may want to put down that salt shaker before reading about these smaller dishes.

Saltiest Side Dish: Denny's Honey Smoked Ham, grilled slice - 1,700 mg. It's steeped in salty brine before it's smoked.

Saltiest Breakfast: Arby's Sausage Gravy Biscuit - 3,754 mg. What can you expect from cured meat and lard? Well surprising enough, the gravy is the real culprit here with 2,600 mg of sodium on its own.

Saltiest Appetizer: Papa John's Cheesesticks with Buffalo Sauce - 6,700 mg. Even if you split this with two friends, you're still getting your daily supply of sodium and you haven't even gotten to the meal yet. In case you were wondering, one stick has the same amount of sodium as one slice of cheese pizza.

Is your mouth feeling dry yet? Want to see how much sodium is in a kid-sized pizza? Then read more.

Saltiest Kids' Meal: Cosi Kid's Pepperoni Pizza - 6,405 mg. WTF? Kids should be getting about 2,000 mg of sodium and this pizza contains three days worth. Fifty turkey sandwiches at Cosi have the same amount of sodium.

Saltiest Bread: Dunkin' Donuts Salt Bagel - 4,520 mg. This can't be right, oh but it is. It's so right, it's wrong.

Saltiest Sandwich: Quiznos Turkey Bacon Guacamole Large Sub with Cheese and Reduced-Fat Ranch Dressing - 4,670. This is two days worth of sodium. Two days! Eww.

Saltiest Pizza: Pizza Hut Meat Lover's Stuffed Crust Pizza (3 slices of the 14-in large) - 5,070 mg. The more meat, the more sodium. Six meats to be exact.

Source

Come Party With Me: My Half Birthday - Menu

partysugar — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 08:28:31 -0800

Since I am hosting my half birthday happy hour at a bar that does not serve food, I plan on making some snacks for my friends to enjoy. However, before I thought about the menu, I spoke to the owner of Rye and asked if I could bring in the food. After receiving his permission, I decided to keep things simple and elegant. I won't have access to an oven so the appetizers will be cold or at room temperature. An assortment of half sandwiches - brie and pesto, ham and gouda, shrimp salad - will be served on mini brioche buns.

Other savory bites include roast beef grissini and gruyere thyme crackers. For the recipes to these scrumptious hors d'oeurves, read more.

Roast Beef Grissini
From Food and Wine magazine

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 pound thinly sliced rare roast beef, cut into twenty-four 6-by-1 1/2 -inch strips
Salt and freshly ground pepper
24 arugula leaves, stemmed
8 to 10 grissini (about 1/2 inch thick) or breadsticks, broken into 4-inch lengths
Remoulade Sauce, recipe below

In a small saucepan, cook the garlic in the oil over moderate heat until golden. Using a slotted spoon, discard the garlic slices; let the garlic oil cool completely.
Spread the roast beef strips on a work surface and lightly brush them with the garlic oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper and cover each beef strip with an arugula leaf slightly larger than the strip.
Roll 1 beef strip tightly around 1 end of each breadstick.
Arrange on a platter and serve with the remoulade sauce.

Makes 2 dozen.

Make ahead: the assembled grissini can be refrigerated for up to 1 hour.

Remoulade Sauce
From Food and Wine magazine

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 hard-cooked egg, finely chopped
2 tablespoons minced gherkins
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon drained finely chopped capers
1 tablespoon finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon finely chopped dill
2 teaspoons finely chopped chives
1 teaspoon minced garlic
Freshly ground pepper

In a bowl, combine all of the ingredients and refrigerate until chilled or for up to 1 day.

Makes enough for 2 dozen grissini.

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Gruyere Thyme Crackers
From Martha Stewart

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme, plus extra sprigs for garnish
3 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 cup finely grated (2 1/2 ounces) Gruyere cheese
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon milk
1 large egg white, lightly beaten

Combine flour, salt, pepper, and thyme in the bowl of a food processor; pulse to combine.
Add butter; pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add cheese; pulse until combined. With machine running, add the milk; process until dough comes together and is well combined.
Transfer dough to a work surface. Shape dough into a 2-inch-wide log. Wrap with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 24 hours.
Heat oven to 325 degrees. Slice chilled log into 1/4-inch-thick slices.
Transfer slices to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Dip a sprig of thyme into egg white, and place in center of a cracker slice; repeat with remaining thyme and crackers.
Bake immediately, rotating sheet once, until crackers are golden brown and firm in the center, 25 to 35 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool.
Crackers may be made a day ahead and kept in an airtight container at room temperature.

Makes 20 crackers.

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Lil Treasures: Lunch Box Surprises

LilSugar — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 07:00:02 -0800

Don't let school lunches become as routine as a line-up of classes, surprise your kids by putting a few fun edible treats in their lunch bags. And, always make sure they are age appropriate.

Shaped Sandwiches - Turn your child's favorite sandwich, be it peanut butter and jelly or ham and cheese into an extraordinary one using stainless steel cookie cutters to make them into hearts, stars and animals.
Cereal Chain - String naturally colored fruit loops or Cheerios on a piece of unflavored dental floss to create a necklace or bracelet.
Mini Quiche - There's nothing like a lil brunch for lunch, make the quiche bite-sized using mini muffin pans or the pre-made appetizer pastry cups available at most grocers.
Scoops of Fruit - Rather than having the kids fuss with peels, pits and rinds, use a melon baller to make their favorite fruit medley.

And, for that added touch, tuck a note in wishing them luck on a test or just to say that you're hoping they are having a good day.
Source

Come Party With Me: Easter - Menu (Dinner, 1st Course)

partysugar — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 10:55:32 -0700

One of the reasons why I love the holidays so much, is because they allow me to make a big celebratory meal that is shared with friends and family. I adore making delectable dinners and hosting dinner parties, so this week I propose we host (me in my house, you in yours) an Easter dinner party for our friends and families. (More of an Easter brunch type? Don't worry I got you covered as well!) I've made the invites shaped like the cutest eggs and now I have to figure out what we will be eating. I can't have a dinner without at least one appetizer and what says Easter more than eggs? I'll have plates of deviled eggs awaiting my guests and follow those up with a first course of spring in a bowl: sweet pea soup. Want the recipes, you'll have to read more

Deviled Eggs
From Deviled Eggs

6 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and cut lengthwise
3 to 4 tablespoons Light Mayonnaise or Salad Dressing
1 tablespoon sweet red pepper - very finely chopped
1 tablespoon green onion or scallions - finely chopped
1 tablespoon celery - very finely chopped
1 teaspoon yellow mustard
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Paprika for garnish

Remove the egg yolks to a small bowl and mash with a fork.
Add the mayonnaise, red pepper, onion, celery, mustard, salt and pepper and mix thoroughly.
Fill the empty egg white shells with the mixture and sprinkle lightly with paprika.
Cover lightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to one day before serving.

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Sweet Pea Soup with Majorero Cream and Roncal Crisps
From Food & Wine magazine

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large shallot, thinly sliced
1 thyme sprig
1/3 cup dry white wine
3 cups water
5 cups frozen peas (25 ounces)
Salt
1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup coarsely shredded Roncal or semi-aged sheep's-milk cheese
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup coarsely shredded Majorero or other mild, buttery, semi-aged goat's-milk cheese

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the shallot and thyme and cook over moderately low heat until the shallot is softened, about 5 minutes.
Add the wine and simmer over moderately high heat until reduced by half, about 3 minutes.
Add the water and all but 1 cup of the peas and bring to a boil. Add a pinch of salt, cover and simmer over moderately low heat until the peas are tender, about 8 minutes.
Add the remaining 1 cup of peas and simmer for 1 minute, then remove from the heat.
Discard the thyme.
Stir in the parsley.
Working in batches, puree the sweet pea soup in a blender. Strain the soup through a coarse sieve set over another medium saucepan. Season the soup with salt and keep warm.
Set a medium nonstick skillet over moderate heat. Spread four 1-tablespoon mounds of the Roncal in the skillet and flatten slightly.
Cook the cheese over moderate heat until bubbling and set on the bottom, about 3 minutes; do not brown.
Using a spatula, transfer the crisps to paper towels. Let cool until firm. Repeat with the remaining cheese.
In a small glass bowl, heat the heavy cream in a microwave at high power until boiling, about 30 seconds. Add the Majorero and heat until the cheese is just melted, about 20 seconds. Stir until blended.
Ladle the soup into small bowls. Swirl in the Majorero cream and serve with the Roncal crisps.

Serves 4.

Make ahead: Tte pea soup can be refrigerated overnight. The crisps can be made earlier in the day and reheated in a 325° oven for 1 minute.

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What will you be making for your family on Easter? Share with us below your menu! Surf on over later this afternoon for the second course (ginger ale glazed ham!) and dessert.