Let's Get Together for the Holidays
It is that time of the year where holiday season party calendar is getting full. What is better to beat the grey sky, cold temperature and short days then going to a party?
We used to have big holiday parties with sometimes 70+ guests. It was a lot of fun, obviously. But we found ourselves exhausted afterwards and didn’t really talk to anyone at the party. As a matter of fact, we didn’t remember who was at the party. These days, we prefer more intimate holiday parties with 8-10 people to really enjoy each other’s company.
The menu for our latest holiday party is all small plates, with dishes for vegetarians, pescatatians, and the rest.
Cheese and Charcuterie Board
We only choose one cheese for our board: Vacherin Mont d'Or from Switzerland. It is a soft, rich, seasonal cheese made from cow's milk in the region around Switzerland and France border. It is only produced between August 15 and March 15, and sold around Christmas and the New Year in Toronto. You can buy them in specialty cheese stores in Toronto, such as Cheese Boutique. The cheese is packaged in stripes of spruce tree, which gives the cheese a distinct flavor.
Italian Flat Bread with Grapes and Rosemary
This is such a crowd pleaser. We have been making this for years and everybody loves it. It is also very easy to make.
1/2 pound seedless red grapes
225g mozzarella cheese (or other light flavor cheese)
1 sprig rosemary
225g (1 serving) butter puff pastry
Half the grapes. Cut the mozzarella cheese into 1/2 inch cubes. Finely chop the rosemary.
Roll out the puff pastry on a cook sheet with parchment paper. Spread grapes, mozzarella cheese and rosemary to the pastry.
Heat the oven to 375°F. Bake 15 minutes. Cut to squares to serve.
Avocado Toast with Garlic Shrimp
12 Argentinian Shrimp
1 large ripe avocado
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 wholewheat baguette
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Deshell shrimps. Pat the shrimps dry. Mix with the finely chopped garlic. Season with salt and pepper.
Put aside. Heat a skillet with the grapeseed oil. Add the shrimps to the skillet when it is hot. Cook the shrimps 1 minute each side.
Mash the ripe avocado. Cut the bread into 1/2 inch slices. Toast the bread lightly.
Spread the avocado mash on the bread and put shrimps on the top.
Potato Skins with Salmon Roe
These are the perfect finger food. The recipe is from Nadine Redzepi’s cookbook ‘Downtime’. Nadine Redzepi is the wife of the Danish chef Rene Redzepi, of the Copenhagen restaurant Noma fame. All the recipes in Downtime are easy to make and great for everyday meals.
This dish will give the ‘wow’ factor to your guests because they look like something from a fancy restaurant.
12 baby potatoes
2 ounces salmon roe
1 quart grapeseed oil (for deep frying)
Fine sea salt for seasoning
For the stuffing
1 cucumber
1 celery rib
1 lemon
1 cup organic mayonnaise
1 teaspoon sea salt
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spread the potatoes in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Pierce each potato a few times with a fork. Bake until the potatoes are barely tender. About 30 to 40 minutes. Let the potatoes coll while making the stuffing.
Peel the cucumber, cut it in half lengthwise, and scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Cut the cucumber into thin dices. Toss with 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt and let drain for 30 minutes. Rinse and pat dry. Put aside.
Chop the celery into small dices (similar size as the cucumber). Mix the cucumber, celery and mayonnaise. Grade the zest of the lemon, and add half to the mixture. Save the other half for garnish at the end.
Use a sharp knife to cut the potatoes in half. Use a teaspoon to scoop out most of the flesh, leaving the shell about 3 mm thick.
Fry the potato cups until the potato skins are golden brown, about 2 minutes. Transfer the skins to a baking sheet with paper towels to drain.
To serve, use a small spoon to fill the potato cups with the stuffing. Top each with a bit of the salmon roe, and sprinkle with the remaining lemon zest and sea salt.
Nettie Cronish’s Tofu Neatballs
For our vegetarian friends (and all of us, really), we also make our favorite tofu neatballs from our good friend chef Nettie Cronish. Nettie is one of the best vegetarian and organic food chefs in Canada. She is also a cookbook writer, with 6 cookbooks under her name. You can find more about her books and recipes here.
For the dish to work, extra firm tofu is the key. We also find that it is very helpful to put some weight on the tofu before crumbling to get the extra water out.
These tofu balls taste very much like real meatballs. Before we can take any pictures, they are all gone. They are addictive!
1lb extra firm tofu, crumbled
2 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon mirin
3 cloves garlic, minced
¾ cup whole grain bread crumbs
⅓ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
¼ cup chopped fresh sage
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon basil
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoon flax seeds, ground
6 tablespoon water
2 tablespoon olive oil
In a bowl, mix together tofu, soy sauce, mirin and garlic; let stand for 5 minutes.
Stir in bread crumbs, cheese, sage, oregano, basil and eggs.
Add water to ground flax. Wait 2 minutes. Add to mixture.
Shape heaping tablespoons into tightly packed balls.
Bake in preheated 350°F oven for 10 minutes. Use cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. For crispy texture follow step 6.
In a large skillet, heat oil over a medium-high heat; brown balls on all sides, about 10 minutes.
