Cooking Irish can also be found at Pinterest and PETITCHEF.
The base of these hors d'oeuvres is cucumber. Kids love to cut out the cucumber rounds and top them by themselves. I will include the toppings as presented in the appetizer book I like, but you could top them with all your children's favorites: peanut butter, marshmallow, fruits, jams, cheese, Nutella®, hard boiled eggs, egg salad, chicken, olive, nuts, etc. The possibilities are as limitless as your children's imaginations. Have some fun in the kitchen this weekend with your kids or grandkids.
Carla Mooney and I sitting in the traffic circle in the center of Trim during the Tidy Town Awards in October of 1984
Erin, my father and mother, and Eli at the same traffic circle in April of 1985
Again let me credit Eric Treuille and Victoria Blashford-Snell for these wonderful recipes found in their Hors D'Oeuvres cookbook.
Cucumber Cups with Blue Cheese Mousse and Crispy Bacon
CUCUMBER CUPS WITH BLUE CHEESE MOUSSE AND CRISPY BACON [Makes 20]
Ingredients:
6 slices of bacon
4 oz. of Roquefort cheese
4 oz. of cream cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
1 scallion, cut into strips for garnish
1 cucumber made into 20 cucumber cups
Essential Equipment:
Piping bag with large star nozzle, 1 3/8-inch fluted pastry cutter, melon baller
Preparation:
Place bacon on a foil-lined baking sheet. Cook until golden and crisp, about 10 to 15 minutes. Drain on paper towels and cut into small triangular pieces as shown in photo. Cut the cucumber into 20 ¾-inch slices. Cut each slice with the pastry cutter. Using the melon baller, scoop out centers to make cups, leaving a ¼-inch layer as a base. Beat the cheeses until smoothly blended. Add the salt and pepper. Fill the piping bag with mousse and pipe into cucumber cups. [As shown on all cooking shows, you can substitute a plastic bag with the corner cut off for the piping bag.] Top with crispy bacon pieces and garnish with scallion strips.
Tips:
Prepare the mousse up to 3 days in advance. Cover and refrigerate. Cook bacon up to one day in advance. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Crisp in preheated 350° oven for two minutes. Make the cups up to 2 days in advance, and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Fill cups up to one hour before serving.
Cucumber Cups with Trout Mousse, Lemon, and Dill
CUCUMBER CUPS WITH SMOKED TROUT MOUSSE, LEMON, AND DILL [Makes 20]
Ingredients:
5 oz. of smoked trout
4 oz. of cream cheese
½ tsp. of grated lemon peel
1 tbsp. of lemon juice
Cayenne pepper to taste
1 cucumber made into 20 cucumber cups
1 tsp. of paprika for dusting
20 dill sprigs for garnish
Essential Equipment:
Piping bag with large star nozzle, 1 3/8-inch fluted pastry cutter, melon baller
Preparation:
Place the smoked trout, cream cheese, lemon peel and juice in a food processor or blender; pulse to a smooth paste. Add cayenne pepper to taste. Cut the cucumber into 20 ¾-inch slices. Cut each slice with the pastry cutter. Using the melon baller, scoop out centers to make cups, leaving a ¼-inch layer as a base. Fill the piping bag with mousse and pipe into cucumber cups. [As shown on all cooking shows, you can substitute a plastic bag with the corner cut off for the piping bag.] Dust with paprika, and garnish with dill sprigs.
Tips:
Prepare the mousse up to 1 day in advance. Cover and refrigerate. Make the cups up to 2 days in advance, and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Fill cups up to one hour before serving.
Illustration of how to make cucumber cups:
Next up: more kid-friendly hors d'oeuvres.
The base of these hors d'oeuvres is cucumber. Kids love to cut out the cucumber rounds and top them by themselves. I will include the toppings as presented in the appetizer book I like, but you could top them with all your children's favorites: peanut butter, marshmallow, fruits, jams, cheese, Nutella®, hard boiled eggs, egg salad, chicken, olive, nuts, etc. The possibilities are as limitless as your children's imaginations. Have some fun in the kitchen this weekend with your kids or grandkids.
Again let me credit Eric Treuille and Victoria Blashford-Snell for these wonderful recipes found in their Hors D'Oeuvres cookbook.
CUCUMBER CUPS WITH BLUE CHEESE MOUSSE AND CRISPY BACON [Makes 20]
Ingredients:
6 slices of bacon
4 oz. of Roquefort cheese
4 oz. of cream cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
1 scallion, cut into strips for garnish
1 cucumber made into 20 cucumber cups
Essential Equipment:
Piping bag with large star nozzle, 1 3/8-inch fluted pastry cutter, melon baller
Preparation:
Place bacon on a foil-lined baking sheet. Cook until golden and crisp, about 10 to 15 minutes. Drain on paper towels and cut into small triangular pieces as shown in photo. Cut the cucumber into 20 ¾-inch slices. Cut each slice with the pastry cutter. Using the melon baller, scoop out centers to make cups, leaving a ¼-inch layer as a base. Beat the cheeses until smoothly blended. Add the salt and pepper. Fill the piping bag with mousse and pipe into cucumber cups. [As shown on all cooking shows, you can substitute a plastic bag with the corner cut off for the piping bag.] Top with crispy bacon pieces and garnish with scallion strips.
Tips:
Prepare the mousse up to 3 days in advance. Cover and refrigerate. Cook bacon up to one day in advance. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Crisp in preheated 350° oven for two minutes. Make the cups up to 2 days in advance, and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Fill cups up to one hour before serving.
CUCUMBER CUPS WITH SMOKED TROUT MOUSSE, LEMON, AND DILL [Makes 20]
Ingredients:
5 oz. of smoked trout
4 oz. of cream cheese
½ tsp. of grated lemon peel
1 tbsp. of lemon juice
Cayenne pepper to taste
1 cucumber made into 20 cucumber cups
1 tsp. of paprika for dusting
20 dill sprigs for garnish
Essential Equipment:
Piping bag with large star nozzle, 1 3/8-inch fluted pastry cutter, melon baller
Preparation:
Place the smoked trout, cream cheese, lemon peel and juice in a food processor or blender; pulse to a smooth paste. Add cayenne pepper to taste. Cut the cucumber into 20 ¾-inch slices. Cut each slice with the pastry cutter. Using the melon baller, scoop out centers to make cups, leaving a ¼-inch layer as a base. Fill the piping bag with mousse and pipe into cucumber cups. [As shown on all cooking shows, you can substitute a plastic bag with the corner cut off for the piping bag.] Dust with paprika, and garnish with dill sprigs.
Tips:
Prepare the mousse up to 1 day in advance. Cover and refrigerate. Make the cups up to 2 days in advance, and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Fill cups up to one hour before serving.
Illustration of how to make cucumber cups:
Next up: more kid-friendly hors d'oeuvres.
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