Category Archives: Appetizer

The Laudie’s and Christensen’s Cook: Bruschetta, Quiche, Fried Shrimp, and Virgin Pina Coladas

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My wife’s family in Ohio has been up to a few things in the culinary world. A week ago they sent Mindy these pictures of an appetizer heavy dinner party they held where each family would bring some appetizers.

What they didn’t know is that I was going to post it on here (I think it’s awesome and it was one of my goals for this blog….to get people to cook!!!). Also, I want recipes.  Yup, this is what happens with crazy food bloggers, you get everyone involved in your addiction.

Here are the pictures….Now we’ll just wait for the recipes. :)

Virgin Pina Colada’s

I’m loving the idea of serving it in the pineapple.

Bruschetta and Quiche

Fried Shrimp

Ummm, why didn’t you guys do this when I was in Ohio?  Right, I took over the kitchen.

Anyway, I want recipes.

Eric

Roasted Red Pepper Stuffed with Ubriaco alla Birra Rossa Cheese

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This is part of the late night menu here at the Rivera household.  The cheese is one of my favorites so I’m always looking for new places to sneak it into. It’s a raw cow’s milk cheese that has been soaked in stout beer for over 100 days. I took it and placed it in some roasted red pepper then baked it until the cheese melted then topped it with a red wine vinaigrette with fresh herbs.

Try it, you’ll like it.

Eric

Spam and Egg with Glace de Foie Sauce

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Eric, what the hell….why?  Why not! I’ve been reducing that damn sauce for a few days now so I wanted to serve it with something fantastic. Yes, Spam.  I love Spam, I grew up on the stuff so eating isn’t a culinary disaster like most food snobs think. Guess what I’m going to do next with it?  I’m going to pair wine with Spam just to keep this party going.

I could eat this everyday and be extremely happy.  BP 118 over 77 and right around 158lbs.  :) SPAMTASTIC!!! I can feel it flowing through my veins….is that good or bad?

Ingredients:

  • SPAM!!!
  • 1 egg
  • Glace de Foie Sauce…..pain in the butt to make but totally worth it.  Basically I start off with 3-4 gallons of beef stock and turn it into 1 1/2 cups of sauce…then I added the remaining foie gras fat from yesterday. I use a little bit of the Swinery’s glace de viande but only to create more texture at the end. Goopy goodness.
  • Russet potatoes, fry cut….alummette or batonet…..do it by hand, you need the practice……took me forever!!!  Couldn’t find my mandoline……oh, there it is……ugh!
  • Fresh thyme

Procedure

  1. Fry an egg, deep fry potatoes, sear the spam, heat up the sauce then do a backflip (doctor says I can’t, so do one for me), high-five yourself (can’t do that either), and eat it (I can do that!).

Eric

Seared Scallop with Lemongrass Buerre Blanc and Meyer Lemon Puree

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Two different plating options!

The flavor is there on all this stuff. I just need to figure out how to make it all look good. First time I’ve used coconut oil to sear something….I like it!

Eric

5’10″ Eggs with Saffron Buerre Blanc and Pickled Cucumber

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This looks very sloppy but the flavor is all there. I intend to tighten the sauce up and serve it with some sort of toasted bread. Also, I’m going to pickle the egg as well.  The whole thing is brought together by the buerre blanc which gives it a luxurious buttery goodness with a small hint of saffron…..nice!

David Chang is a f’ing genius…..

Ingredients:

  • Two eggs cooked for 5 minutes and ten seconds
  • Cucumbers, quick pickled…………..buy the MOMOFUKU cookbook……….now!
  • Saffron Buerre Blanc (click here for ingredients)

Procedure:

  1. Put them all together on a plate……….take a picture…….look at picture….realize how crappy it looks…..try it again some other time!

Eric

Caramelized Pork Tenderloin with Cilantro Oil

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Definitely going to be a menu item one day.

Ingredients:

Pork Tenderloin

  • Cut into 1 inch medallions then quick brined for 20 minutes in salt and sugar then rubbed with adobo (my own blend), ghost chili, and sugar

Cilantro Oil

  • Cilantro
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • Black pepper
  • Garlic salt!

Procedure

Pork Tenderloin

  1. Take a pan, place it on the oven and turn burner to high
  2. Sear each side of the pork tenderloin then place entire pan with meat inside oven at 325F and cook until you have reached your point of being done.  I like my pork pink…..

Cilantro Oil

  1. Place cilantro, garlic salt, and pepper in food processor
  2. PUSH GO and slowly add the extra virgin olive oil
  3. Remove from food processor and strain.  I chose not to use a fine sieve….I wanted to have a few chunks of cilantro in the mix…..call me a traditionalist
  4. Serve over and around pork tenderloin
  5. Enjoy

Hummus…….

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So hard not to say something angry.  Anyway, here’ s a hummus recipe!

Ingredients:

  • Garbanzo beans, soaked with water reserved
  • Cumin
  • Paprika
  • Cayenne
  • Tahini
  • Sour cream
  • Lemon zest
  • Lemon juice
  • Pinch o’ saffron
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Salt and pepper, tt

Procedure:

  1. Place beans with water in a large pot
  2. Add cumin, paprika, and cayenne to the water
  3. Cook beans until they are just close to being done then remove from broth and place beans in food processor
  4. Reduce water mixture by 80%….slowly……slower………there, good!
  5. In food processor add tahini, sour cream,  lemon zest, lemon juice, and pinch of saffron
  6. Hit the “on” button and watch it turn into hummus right before your eyes.
  7. Slowly add the olive oil as the machine is on
  8. Remove hummus from food processor and place in bowl then take a spatula and slowly work in the broth and then add the salt and pepper to taste…..it’s optional to add salt or pepper….
  9. When you’re ready to serve it then sprinkle a nice amount of olive oil on the top with a pinch o’ cayenne
  10. Enjoy

Eric

Pickled Asparagus on French Bread with Parmesan

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Had a few things lying around the kitchen so I put them to use.

Ingredients:

  • Pickled asparagus cut into 1/4 inch medallions with top reserved for decorative/functional/awesome purpose
  • French bread, 1/4 inch
  • Pesto
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Parmesan cheese
  • Salt and pepper, tt

Procedure

  1. Pour a little olive oil on bread then place in oven at 400F for 3-4 minutes then remove
  2. Combine pesto and asparagus
  3. Place asparagus medallions then cheese then asparagus top on bread then season with salt and pepper
  4. Place in oven until cheese is melted
  5. Serve with a little more olive oil on top
  6. Enjoy

Eric

Pork Belly with Doble Diablo Sauces (making up names is fun!)

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I was so excited to eat it that I didn’t really bother to take a nice picture.  The doble diablo sauces are two sauces that by themselves aren’t that big of a deal but together are transformed into the doble diablo!   Sriracha with Ghost Chili paste (red sauce on the plate) and a blonde roux based sauce (made with the pork fat in the pan…I poured it over the top of the pork belly once it was done) with saffron, cumin, and black pepper.   One sauce will make you hot like the devil and the other will send you to him with a heart attack! If I had a restaurant something like this would definitely be on the menu. I just need to make it look better……

I could eat this all day.  Stay away from this one “health” bloggers.

Ingredients:

  • Pork Belly…..brined in alderwood smoked salt and turbinado sugar
  • Turkish Saffron (thanks mom!)
  • Cumin
  • Black Pepper
  • White wine
  • AP flour
  • Ghost Chili Paste (you’ll never get the recipe from me!)
  • Sriracha hot sauce

Procedure:

  1. Remove pork belly from brine bag and run pork belly under water for a few seconds
  2. Cut pork belly into smaller cubes….the pork belly I started with was a little mangled…….
  3. Sear each side of pork belly on high heat
  4. Place in oven set at 250F until pork belly is done
  5. Remove pork belly from pan and place on cutting board
  6. Deglaze pan with white wine
  7. Build blonde roux with AP flour
  8. Add saffron and cumin then strain sauce and pour over pork belly with a small spoon
  9. Combine ghost chili and sriracha hot sauce
  10. Enjoy

Eric

Weeble Cheese Reduction Sauce for Macrina and Hightower Cellars Bread

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The folks over at Macrina and Hightower Cellars sent me over some of their new bread so of course I decided to make it even more awesome than it is by adding a little cheese with that wine. :) The bread is fantastic and doesn’t need this cheese reduction sauce but if you ever want to add a little something extra to this bread then here it is.

Thanks again Macrina Bakery and Hightower Cellars.

Macrina Bakery (click)   Highland Cellars (click)

Ingredients:

  • Pane Francese Loaf
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup Weebles Cheese.
  • Pinch of nutmeg
  • Pinch of ground white pepper
  • Parsley, minced

Procedure:

  1. Slice bread!
  2. In a small sauce pot place the cheese on low heat and melt….do not let the cheese go over 185F or it will separate
  3. Once the cheese is melted add the heavy cream and reduce to about half then add the nutmeg and pepper
  4. Pour cheese sauce over bread and throw on some parsley

Enjoy,

Eric

Brandy Soaked Lady Apples and Weebles Cheese on Baguette with Cinnamon Vinaigrette

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This is one of my little works in progress but the flavor is all there. I just need to figure out what to serve it on instead of baguette bread. I think it might go well on meat instead. We’ll see..

Ingredients:

  • Lady apples, sliced thin on mandoline
  • Weebles Cheese, sliced thin on mandoline
  • Cinnamon Vinaigrette, I’ve told you once before
  • Baguette bread, sliced 1/2 inch thick
  • Brandy V.S.O.P.

Procedure:

  1. Soak the apples in the brandy for 5-7 minutes
  2. Pre-heat oven to 375F
  3. Place cheese on bread then place apples on as shown and throw on baking sheet
  4. Bake for 3-5 minutes then remove from oven
  5. Squeeze a tiny amount of cinnamon vinaigrette on top.

Enjoy,

Eric

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Heirloom Tomato Pumpkin Pizza Bites

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It’s so damn cute that I don’t even want to look at it. It’s like watching two puppies play the banjo…..what?

Ingredients:

  • 1 yellow heirloom tomato
  • 2 tbsp. pumpkin puree (click)
  • 2 stalks celery, sliced thin
  • 1/2 white onion, small dice
  • Olive oil
  • Garlic clove
  • Crushed red pepper
  • White wine
  • Kosher Salt
  • Mozzarella Cheese
  • Fresh rosemary, parsley, and oregano
  • Parsley, for garnish
  • Butter
  • Baguette sliced thin
  • Black olives, minced

Procedure:

  1. Toast garlic and crushed red pepper in olive oil
  2. Add celery,onion then sweat
  3. Deglaze with white wine
  4. Add tomato, herbs, and salt
  5. Remove from heat after simmering for a 10-15 minutes then run through food mill or strainer
  6. Place sauce back on heat then add pumpkin puree and butter!
  7. Place slices of mozzarella on bread and douse with a little olive oil then place in oven at 375 for 3-4 minutes or until cheese starts to melt
  8. Remove from oven then spoon on sauce and black olives and cook for another 3-4 minutes

Enjoy,

Eric