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2001
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2000
September, October, November, December
Favorite Cookbooks
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Favorite Cookbooks -
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Party Food: Small and Savory
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Food writer Barbara Kafka has authored many top-selling cookbooks, and Party Food is one of the best and most useful. What is the category of food that stops most cooks in their tracks? I’d bet it is appetizers and finger foods, the kind of nibble you eat standing up (or sitting at a bar). Yet what easier way to entertain than at a buffet of small and savory foods? The author includes recipes for vegetarians and omnivores alike, and covers the banquet table from dips and spreads to biscuits, pâtés, wrapped and rolled tidbits, seafood, meatballs, and classic pub food. The photographs by Tom Eckerle are beautifully lit and give lots of visual clues for appealing presentations of the food.
Party Food features 425 recipes, so the handful that follow constitute just a small bite, the merest appetizer to her book.
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Sample Recipes:
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Walnut Dip
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| Delicious with crackers, breadsticks, or raw vegetables. If any is left over, serve it over steamed vegetables or fish, or with boiled potatoes. It will keep in the refrigerator for at least two weeks. |
1 pound shelled, unsalted walnuts
15 medium cloves garlic, peeled
2-1/2 ounces crustless Italian bread (about 6" by 2"), torn into pieces
2-1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2-/2 cups olive oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
Chop the nuts, garlic, and bread in a blender or food processor until mealy — not puréed. Add the lemon juice and process. With the machine running, pour in the olive oil in a steady stream. When the oil has been incorporated, add the salt and pepper. Use immediately or refrigerate in a covered glass jar. Makes 4-1/2 cups.
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Swiss Potato Pancakes |
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Make these small and crisp and serve on platters, topped with sour cream and chives (or caviar), or perhaps smoked fish. The pancakes can be made ahead, frozen, and reheated on a baking sheet at 375°F for about 6 minutes (turn once). |
1-1/2 pounds boiling potatoes, peeled
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
vegetable oil for frying
Grate the potatoes lengthwise with a coarse grater into a mixing bowl. Add salt and pepper and toss to mix. Pour oil into a nonstick frying pan to make a film about 1/8" deep. Heat over medium-high heat until wavy. Using a tablespoon of potato mixture per pancake, form 2" pancakes and fry a few at a time. Cook, turning once, until golden brown, about 6 minutes. Drain on paper towels and keep them warm in a 200°F oven until needed.
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Sweet Potato Terrine |
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This brilliant-orange mold can be served with crisp crackers or bread. |
2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1" pieces
2 medium cloves garlic, peeled and halved
0.19-ounce agar-agar flakes (1/4 cup) or 1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1 cup vegetable broth
pinch of cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
kosher salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste
Steam potatoes and garlic on top of stove until tender. Transfer to a food processor and process until finely chopped. Dissolve agar-agar or gelatin in 1/2 cup vegetable broth. With processor running, pour in dissolved mixture and add remaining 1/2 cup broth. Process until smooth and season with cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and white pepper. Prepare a mold or loaf pan by rinsing with ice water and shaking out excess water. Scrape sweet potato mixture into mold, cover, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Loosen edges with a knife, dip mold into hot water, and unmold terrine onto a serving plate. Makes 3-1/2 cups.
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Spicy Crab Cakes |
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1/2 pound lump crab meat, picked over
1-1/2 cups fresh bread crumbs, plus 2 tablespoons
2 scallions, finely chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, seeded and minced
1/2 to 1 teaspoon hot red sauce
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
vegetable oil for frying
Combine all ingredients except vegetable oil in a medium bowl. Using 2 teaspoons of the mixture for each cake, form into 3/4" thick patties. Crab cakes may be refrigerated at this point for up to 6 hours.
Working in batches, cook the cakes in hot shallow oil (about 1/4") until brown on the bottom, about 1 minute. Turn and cook on the other side until brown, about 45 seconds. Drain on paper towels. Serve with biscuits.
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Smoked Salmon Roll-ups |
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10 slices smoked salmon, about 2/3 pound
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
3 scallions, trimmed and cut into 2" lengths
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Lay salmon slices out on work surface and trim edges to make rectangles. In a food processor, process cream cheese until smooth, and add remaining ingredients. Pulse until scallions are finely chopped. Spread each slice of salmon with 1 tablespoon of cream cheese mixture. Roll up, starting with the shorter end, and finish so that the seam is on the bottom. Refrigerate under plastic wrap for at least one hour. When ready to serve, unwrap, trim off ends, and slice each piece into 6 slices. Makes about 60 roll-ups.
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