Cooking Irish can also be found at Pinterest and PETITCHEF.
This post features croustades: the basic recipe and directions for making the mold or croustade and the fillings of salmon dill mayo and Caesar salad. They are wonderful little hors d'oeuvres made of filled buttery toasts baked in muffin pans to form the cup. You can really fill them with any ingredients you like, but the fillings found in my favorite hors d'oeuvres cookbook are especially delicious. Again we had many wonderful butlered hors d'oeuvres on a felucca cruise down the Nile in Egypt. I hope these posts presenting great hors d'oeuvres will inspire you to have a cocktail party or even use them for a Spanish tapas party. The possibil-ities are endless. I think I am becoming Mrs. Flax [Cher's character in Mermaids.] I could eat these finger foods for every meal for the rest of my life. That sounds like a good diet: portion control made easy, but still full-flavored food. I think I might be on to something. Is there a diet regimen and cookbook in the making here?
A little about the Nile River: the river flows north which is most unusual, and there is another river that flows beneath that is even larger. It is generally regarded as the longest river in the world. It has two major tributaries, the White Nile and the Blue Nile, the latter being the source of most of the Nile's water and fertile soil, but the former being the longer of the two. The White Nile rises in the Great Lakes region of central Africa, with the most distant source in southern Rwanda, and flows north from there through Tanzania, Lake Victoria, Uganda, and southern Sudan. The Blue Nile starts at Lake Tana in Ethiopia flowing into Sudan from the southeast. The two rivers meet near the Sudanese capital Khartoum. The Nile ends in a large delta that empties into the Mediterranean.
The Nile (iteru in Ancient Egyptian) was the lifeline of the ancient Egyptian civilization, with most of the population and all of the cities of Egypt resting along those parts of the Nile valley lying north of Aswan. The Nile has been the center of Egyptian culture since the Stone Age. Climate change, overgrazing, drying up of the pastoral lands of Egypt--all contributed to the formation of the Sahara desert, possibly as long ago as 8000 BC. The inhabitants then presumably migrated to the river, where they developed an agricultural economy and a more centralized society.
The Egyptians were able to cultivate wheat and other crops around the Nile, providing food for the general population. Also, the Nile’s water attracted game such as water buffalo, and after the Persians introduced them in the 7th century BC, camels. These animals could be killed for meat, or could be captured, tamed, and used for ploughing--or in the camel's case, used for travel. Water was vital to both people and livestock. The Nile was also a convenient and efficient way of transportation for people and goods.
A felucca near Aswan July 1985
Sailing on our felucca in the Nile River near Aswan in July of 1985. This is Nick, our Australian tour guide.
All these hors d'oeuvres recipes are found in my hors d'oeuvres bible: Hors D'Oeuvres, a 1999 A D K Publishing, Inc.® cookbook, by EricTreuille and Victoria Blashford Snell. I have made only slight alterations to these two recipes to make them more like the offerings on the cruise.
POACHED SALMON WITH DILL MAYONNAISE CROUSTADES [MAKES 20]
Ingredients:
2/3 lb. of salmon filet, bottom skin removed
20 croustades [Recipe included below]
Salt and white pepper to taste
Juice of ½ a fresh lemon
6 tbsp. of homemade or quality mayonnaise
2 tbsp. of fresh dill, finely chopped
20 dill sprigs for garnish
Preparation:
Place the piece of salmon into a sauté pan of salted boiling water. When the water returns to a boil, remove from the heat at once. Leave the salmon in the water to cool completely. Drain on paper towels and pat gently to remove any excess moisture. Sprinkle with lemon juice. Separate into large, bite-sized flakes and salt and pepper. Fill each croustades with the salmon. For presentation be sure to have pieces sticking up at various levels. Combine the mayonnaise with the chopped dill and blend well. Spoon the flavored mayonnaise into the middle of the salmon cup. Garnish each spoon of mayo with a dill sprig. Serve at room temperature for full flavor.
Variation: To create a subtle Asian flavor instead of dill use very finely chopped cilantro and instead of lemon use a squeeze of lime.
Tips: Cook salmon up to 3 days in advance. Cover and refrigerate. Fill croustades up to 45 minutes before serving.
MINI CAESAR SALAD CROUSTADES [Makes 20]
Ingredients:
2 Romaine hearts, leaves separated
2 tbsp. of homemade or quality mayonnaise
Dash of Worcestershire sauce
Squeeze of fresh lemon
5 drained anchovy filets, very finely chopped or squirt of anchovy paste
2 tbsp. of parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
20 croustades [Recipe included below]
Pie-shaped piece of parmesan cheese to shave for garnish
Preparation:
Stack salad leaves and roll up tightly. Slice across the roll to make ¼-inch strips or chiffonade. Flavor the mayonnaise with the Worcestershire sauce and lemon juice and anchovy paste if using that. My children were never anchovy enthusiasts so I always substituted the paste adding richness and full flavor and a bit of salt, but nothing over- powering that they ever expected. If and your guests enjoy the taste and texture of anchovies, use the filets. Toss the chiffonade with the mayonnaise, anchovies if using, parmesan cheese salt and pepper. Generously fill the croustades with the salad. To make the parmesan shavings, cut out a slightly curved indentation from the longest side of the piece of cheese with a sharp knife. Using a vegetable peeler to shave curls from the indentation. Garnish with the parmesan shavings.
Tips: Prepare the salad leaves or chiffonade [chiffonade in French literally means "made of rags"] up to one day in advance. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Fill the croustades up to one hour before serving.
CROUSTADES [Makes 20]
Ingredients:
7 thin slices of white bread
2 tbsp. of butter, melted
Essential Equipment: 1 rolling pin
1 2-inch fluted pastry cutter
2 12-cup muffin pans
Pastry brush
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400°. Roll out the bread slices thinly with the rolling pin. Cut out 3 rounds from each slice using the pastry cutter. Line each hole of one muffin pan with a bread round. Using the pastry brush, brush each round with the melted butter. Press the empty muffin pan on top of the first muffin pan. Bake until golden brown and crisp about 10 minutes. Repeat process with the remaining bread.
Tips: make up to 3 days in advance. Store in an airtight container at room temperature. If you are making many hors d’oeuvres, put your pasta machine to unusual but most efficacious use by rolling out the bread in it. Set machine on the third setting and roll the bread slices through twice. Cut out the rounds according to the recipe.
Start planning that end of summer cocktail/ hors d'oeuvres or tapas party on the patio, deck, lawn, beach, or porch.
This post features croustades: the basic recipe and directions for making the mold or croustade and the fillings of salmon dill mayo and Caesar salad. They are wonderful little hors d'oeuvres made of filled buttery toasts baked in muffin pans to form the cup. You can really fill them with any ingredients you like, but the fillings found in my favorite hors d'oeuvres cookbook are especially delicious. Again we had many wonderful butlered hors d'oeuvres on a felucca cruise down the Nile in Egypt. I hope these posts presenting great hors d'oeuvres will inspire you to have a cocktail party or even use them for a Spanish tapas party. The possibil-ities are endless. I think I am becoming Mrs. Flax [Cher's character in Mermaids.] I could eat these finger foods for every meal for the rest of my life. That sounds like a good diet: portion control made easy, but still full-flavored food. I think I might be on to something. Is there a diet regimen and cookbook in the making here?
A little about the Nile River: the river flows north which is most unusual, and there is another river that flows beneath that is even larger. It is generally regarded as the longest river in the world. It has two major tributaries, the White Nile and the Blue Nile, the latter being the source of most of the Nile's water and fertile soil, but the former being the longer of the two. The White Nile rises in the Great Lakes region of central Africa, with the most distant source in southern Rwanda, and flows north from there through Tanzania, Lake Victoria, Uganda, and southern Sudan. The Blue Nile starts at Lake Tana in Ethiopia flowing into Sudan from the southeast. The two rivers meet near the Sudanese capital Khartoum. The Nile ends in a large delta that empties into the Mediterranean.
The Nile (iteru in Ancient Egyptian) was the lifeline of the ancient Egyptian civilization, with most of the population and all of the cities of Egypt resting along those parts of the Nile valley lying north of Aswan. The Nile has been the center of Egyptian culture since the Stone Age. Climate change, overgrazing, drying up of the pastoral lands of Egypt--all contributed to the formation of the Sahara desert, possibly as long ago as 8000 BC. The inhabitants then presumably migrated to the river, where they developed an agricultural economy and a more centralized society.
The Egyptians were able to cultivate wheat and other crops around the Nile, providing food for the general population. Also, the Nile’s water attracted game such as water buffalo, and after the Persians introduced them in the 7th century BC, camels. These animals could be killed for meat, or could be captured, tamed, and used for ploughing--or in the camel's case, used for travel. Water was vital to both people and livestock. The Nile was also a convenient and efficient way of transportation for people and goods.
Sailing on our felucca in the Nile River near Aswan in July of 1985. This is Nick, our Australian tour guide.
All these hors d'oeuvres recipes are found in my hors d'oeuvres bible: Hors D'Oeuvres, a 1999 A D K Publishing, Inc.® cookbook, by EricTreuille and Victoria Blashford Snell. I have made only slight alterations to these two recipes to make them more like the offerings on the cruise.
POACHED SALMON WITH DILL MAYONNAISE CROUSTADES [MAKES 20]
Ingredients:
2/3 lb. of salmon filet, bottom skin removed
20 croustades [Recipe included below]
Salt and white pepper to taste
Juice of ½ a fresh lemon
6 tbsp. of homemade or quality mayonnaise
2 tbsp. of fresh dill, finely chopped
20 dill sprigs for garnish
Preparation:
Place the piece of salmon into a sauté pan of salted boiling water. When the water returns to a boil, remove from the heat at once. Leave the salmon in the water to cool completely. Drain on paper towels and pat gently to remove any excess moisture. Sprinkle with lemon juice. Separate into large, bite-sized flakes and salt and pepper. Fill each croustades with the salmon. For presentation be sure to have pieces sticking up at various levels. Combine the mayonnaise with the chopped dill and blend well. Spoon the flavored mayonnaise into the middle of the salmon cup. Garnish each spoon of mayo with a dill sprig. Serve at room temperature for full flavor.
Variation: To create a subtle Asian flavor instead of dill use very finely chopped cilantro and instead of lemon use a squeeze of lime.
Tips: Cook salmon up to 3 days in advance. Cover and refrigerate. Fill croustades up to 45 minutes before serving.
MINI CAESAR SALAD CROUSTADES [Makes 20]
Ingredients:
2 Romaine hearts, leaves separated
2 tbsp. of homemade or quality mayonnaise
Dash of Worcestershire sauce
Squeeze of fresh lemon
5 drained anchovy filets, very finely chopped or squirt of anchovy paste
2 tbsp. of parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
20 croustades [Recipe included below]
Pie-shaped piece of parmesan cheese to shave for garnish
Preparation:
Stack salad leaves and roll up tightly. Slice across the roll to make ¼-inch strips or chiffonade. Flavor the mayonnaise with the Worcestershire sauce and lemon juice and anchovy paste if using that. My children were never anchovy enthusiasts so I always substituted the paste adding richness and full flavor and a bit of salt, but nothing over- powering that they ever expected. If and your guests enjoy the taste and texture of anchovies, use the filets. Toss the chiffonade with the mayonnaise, anchovies if using, parmesan cheese salt and pepper. Generously fill the croustades with the salad. To make the parmesan shavings, cut out a slightly curved indentation from the longest side of the piece of cheese with a sharp knife. Using a vegetable peeler to shave curls from the indentation. Garnish with the parmesan shavings.
Tips: Prepare the salad leaves or chiffonade [chiffonade in French literally means "made of rags"] up to one day in advance. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Fill the croustades up to one hour before serving.
CROUSTADES [Makes 20]
Ingredients:
7 thin slices of white bread
2 tbsp. of butter, melted
Essential Equipment: 1 rolling pin
1 2-inch fluted pastry cutter
2 12-cup muffin pans
Pastry brush
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400°. Roll out the bread slices thinly with the rolling pin. Cut out 3 rounds from each slice using the pastry cutter. Line each hole of one muffin pan with a bread round. Using the pastry brush, brush each round with the melted butter. Press the empty muffin pan on top of the first muffin pan. Bake until golden brown and crisp about 10 minutes. Repeat process with the remaining bread.
Tips: make up to 3 days in advance. Store in an airtight container at room temperature. If you are making many hors d’oeuvres, put your pasta machine to unusual but most efficacious use by rolling out the bread in it. Set machine on the third setting and roll the bread slices through twice. Cut out the rounds according to the recipe.
Start planning that end of summer cocktail/ hors d'oeuvres or tapas party on the patio, deck, lawn, beach, or porch.
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