Tag: Appetizers

Smoked Mussel, Bacon and Brie Tarts

Do you remember that song from Sesame Street, “One of these things is not like the other things; one of these things does not belong?”  I think that many people may feel that song was made for these Smoked Mussel, Bacon and Brie tarts.     Smoked Mussels and Bacon sounds like a delicious version of Devils on Horseback.  Bacon and Brie?  You betcha!  Smoked Mussels and Bacon and Brie?  Hmmm…But, trust me on this one.  They are amazing!  Such yummy tasty little bites!

Smoked Mussel, Bacon and Brie Tarts

Mmmmm…melty cheese….bacon…how could these not be good?  And the smoky mussels combined with the smoked bacon is a perfect combo!

The recipe I used called for a can of smoked mussels.  You could use these but I used some gorgeous chilli smoked mussels from my fishmonger which, IMHO, took these tarts to next level!   The smoked mussels were actually the inspiration for me making these tarts.  As soon as I saw them I knew I had to make something with them!  And thankfully, the tarts did not disappoint.  The chilli on the mussels added a lovely kick to the tarts.  If you can’t find fresh smoked mussels, by all means, use tinned.  And feel to add a few chilli flakes if the mood takes you!

Smoked Mussel Tarts 3

I was thinking as I write it what a funny word monger is.  There are not that many mongers about.  Fish, cheese, gossip, iron and war were the only ones I could think of.  Which is almost as odd a combination as mussels, bacon and brie!

Smoked Mussel Tarts 4

Google also says there are scaremongers, fleshmongers, pearmongers and whoremongers among others.  Who knew there was a specialised name for a pear seller?

Anyway, I digress.  The other major thing I changed from the original recipe is the pastry.  The OG recipe called for filo pastry.  I’m not a fan of filo pastry for something like this.  I think this sort of quiche type pastry needs a more solid shortcrust which is what I used.

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You can find a link to the original recipe here.  They really are delicious and a breeze to make. Even the fussiest eater in the world thought they were more-ish and believe me, those endorsements don’t come too often!

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So why not flex your mussels and start bacon these tarts!!!!  They’ll brie amazing!

Have a wonderful week!

 

 

REPOST from 2016 -Four Kumquat Canapés For Four Food Heroes

I was celebrating this week and these kumquat canapés helped to get the party started!  How pretty are they?

Kumquat Canapes

These lovelies were inspired by a recipe by Gretta Anna Teplitzsky.  Gretta Anna has been called the Julia Child of Australian Cooking.  Through her books and her cooking school she brought French cooking to the Australian masses . She is one of my food heroes and an absolute glamour puss to boot!  I have spoken about her before but as a refresher, her she is in all her glory!

Gretta AnnaI said it before and I will say it again.  That fireplace!  The colour co-ordination of caftan, candlesticks and couch!    Love, love, love.  Gretta Anna is the big sister I never had, the cool older girl at school I always aspired to be but never quite pulled it off.

I was looking for Gretta Anna recipes this week because, as a little present to myself I popped online and bought a copy of her second book, More Gretta Anna Recipes.  And I was buying myself a little present because May is the month of the blogiversary!  Retro Food for Modern Times will turn four later this month.  Can you believe it?   And we will celebrate in style but first, we need to talk about Kumquat Canapés because they are super delicious and a snap to make!

KumquatsKumquats are a small citrus fruit (about the size of a large olive) and incredibly sour which I love! A funny thing about them, is that if you eat them peel and all they actually become sweeter.  It is the season for them here and as I was making my Gretta Anna inspired canapes I started thinking about my other food heroes and got totally carried away.  I ended up making four different kumquat canapés because of the blogiversary and I named them after my food heroes. So without further ado, here they are.

Kumquat Canapé 1 – The Gretta Anna

Gretta Anna’s original recipe called for kumquats, rare roast beef and mint.  She also wanted you to roast the beef.  I just bought some rare roast beef slices from my local deli.  I also had another idea for my mint leaves so I subbed in some rocket (arugula for my American friends).

Kumquat Canapes Roast BeefWhy this works

The rare roast beef has a slightly metallic taste with some saltiness and umami.  The acidity of the kumquat worked really well against this and the rocket gave a note of pepperiness.  A little dob of horseradish would also not go astray here either!

Kumquat Canapé 2 – The Nigella

For the Nigella Kumquat Canapé we are heading to Italy where we are pairing our tangy little friend the kumquat with some spicy chilli salami and a basil leaf.  And to steal a quote from one of my favorite movies ever, Gregory’s Girl (if you have not seen this, stop everything and see it now!) the Nigella is bella, bella (with those last two words being spoken in the broadest Scottish accept you can muster!

Salami Kumquat Canapes3Why The Nigella Works

The sharpness of the kumquat cuts against the fatty unctuousness of the salami, the chilli adds a kick of heat and the basil brings in some herby spiciness.This is a Mambo Italiano in your mouth!  Plus even writing the words fatty unctuousness made me feel like I was channelling the real Nigella.

Kumquat Canapé 3 – The Sabrina

As if I was ever going to make a food hero kumquat canapé and not include Sabrina Ghayour!    I still have 22 recipes to make from Persiana but Sirocco is wending it’s way to me as we speak!  I know I said I wasn’t going to buy it until I was totally done with the Persiana Project but I read on Twitter that if you ordered it pre-release on Amazon UK, you could  get it for a ridiculously low price.  And I’m all about the savings!

I promise I won’t read it, will not even open the package until the Persiana Project is done!

Well, I might open the package just to make sure they have sent me the right book and it is not damaged.  But then I will pack it back up again and put it out of sight until the end of the Persiana Project.

However, if during that purely quality control inspection it happens to fall open at a page….or ten….and my eyes just happen to fleetingly glance over them….then that is just what I like to call serendipity and no, it’s totally not cheating!  Let’s quickly move on to the objêt itself.

Kumquat SabrinaThe Sabrina Canapé takes us to the delicious flavours of the Middle East – hummus, dukkah, coriander and of course our little golden friend subbing in for what would traditionally be a preserved lemon.

Why the Sabrina Works

Is is a little bite of the Middle East.  The creamy earthiness of the hummus is complemented by the zing of the kumquat, the dukkah adds crunch and more spice and the coriander some greeny freshness.  And for them that care about such things the Sabrina is also vegan.

The final kumquat canape was the hardest to name.  It had some Mexican overtones, avocado, tequila, chilli but I was damned if I was going to name it after the writer of Cantina after the terrible problems I had with that book.  So, who else would I  count as a food hero who would suitably represent my canapé?  Jamie Oliver? Margaret Fulton? Charmaine Solomon?  No, no and no came the answers.  And then, taking inspiration from the tequila – which is possibly not always a good rule to live by I hit upon the name for my fourth and final kumquat canapé.

Kumquat Canapé 4 – The Floyd

So obvious!  I’m not sure if Keith Floyd ever made it to Mexico but I’m sure he would have, at the very least liked the idea of my tequila soaked avocados.  A bon vivant, raconteur and also a bit of a boozer, Floyd was one of the first celebrity chefs. Many of his shows are on you Tube and I can thoroughly recommend them  for the sheer force of his personality if not always for the recipes made.  Zebu Penis and Marijuana Stew anyone?

Kumquat Avocado CanapeThankfully, The Floyd contains none of the above but consists of avocado marinated in tequila and  sprinkled with salt with a side of radish, topped with a strip of pickled chilli and a slice of kumquat and garnished with a mint leaf. And again, it’s vegan!

Why The Floyd Works

It’s a bit like a deconstructed guacamole, all the flavours are their with the kumquat subbing in for the lemon or lime and the radish adding some crunch!

These were each delicious and I’m glad I expanded my thinking beyond the original!

Kumquat Canapes

Coming up we are celebrating the blogiversary and not only are we having a party with the letter D but it’s also themed!  I can hardly wait!

Print

Kumquat Canapes

Some cute and quirky canapes using cute and quirky kumquats

Ingredients

Scale
  • 16 small cracker biscuits
  • 68 kumquats, cut into thin slices (I found you could only get 2-3 slices from each kumquat

For the Gretta Anna

  • 2 slices of rare roast beef, either home made or from your local deli,cut into two pieces
  • 4 rocket leaves
  • 4 little dobs of horseradish (optional)

For The Nigella

  • 2 slices chilli salami, cut into 2 pieces
  • 4 basil leaves
  • For the Sabrina
  • 4 tsp hummus
  • 2 tsp dukkah
  • 4 coriander leaves

For The Floyd

  • 4 chunks of avocado
  • 1 tbsp tequila
  • sea salt
  • 4 strips of pickled chilli
  • 4 mint leaves

Instructions

For the Floyd

  1. Sprinkle the avocado chunks with the tequila and allow to sit for a couple of hours.
  2. Just before serving remove from the tequila and sprinkle with the salt.

For All

  1. Arrange the ingredients on the crackers in a manner that looks appetising.
  2. Top with the kumquat slices.
  3. Enjoy!

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 2

Coming up we are celebrating the blogiversary and not only are we having a party with the letter D but it’s also themed!  I can hardly wait!

Meantime, if you were to make a canape for one of your food heroes, who and what would it be?

Have a great week!

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Safavid Style Beef Pastries

Hey, lovely people of retro food world.  I feel like I have been totally neglecting you recently but believe me, you are not alone.  Top o’ the list of neglect as been myself.  There was a night last week when my dinner consisted of 1 cronut and  2…ok…3 glasses of red wine.  Oh and tears. Which I figure counts for grains, fruit and salt.  That’s three of the food groups isn’t it?

I have been working all the hours and even though it has been crazy busy, I have also been loving it.

The tears were because that night I realised I had not only missed a book club meeting but I had missed the emails advising of the book club meeting so I was basically a no show which I hate.  Because that’s just rude.

Safavid Style Beef Pastries

So, there has not been much cooking done at all.  One of the few things I have made was the Safavid Style Beef Pastries from Persiana.  My plan was to get home by 7, maybe 7:30 and then  make a yoghurt sauce and some salad and the pastries – I had already made the beef mixture –  and we would eat, drink and be merry and marvel over the elaborate pastry swirls and curlicues I had formed.  Except I didn’t get home til closer to 8:30 and those pastries were thrown together with the love and attention that you would normally give a a not very interesting advertisement for something you have no intention of buying.  There was no yoghurt sauce.  There was no salad.  There were some badly formed pastries on a plate with a blob of ketchup mixed with tabasco sauce (me) and HP sauce (him).

BTW, these should have looked like this:

Safavid Style Beef Pastries3

I felt I had done really badly on this meal. So when I asked a very tentative “So what do you think?” I was pretty much bracing myself for critique that contained all the things I was berating myself for, being all the missing parts of the meal I had planned in my head.  And that the pastries looked like they had been made with someone with no opposable thumbs.

“These are great.  I really like them”

“What?”

“Are there more?  Can I have some more?”

Sabrina Ghayour, this is why I love you.

Speakin’ of which

The Persiana Project

Last time we spoke I had 32 recipes left to cook from Persiana.  Somehow, and I don’t even know how I managed to do this, we are now down to 26.

I made the Safavid Beef Pastries, the Cod with Relish, the marinated feta, the feta cigars from the marinated feta and….two other things  that I have no recollection of making.  Such is the fugue state of my brain. On the other hand, this challenge is going really well.  And OMG…the marinated feta and the feta cigars?  Delightful, delicious, delovely!

 

Persiana Marinated Feta

Turkish Feta Pastry CigarsNext on the list to cook is the Chicken and Artichoke salad which I am planning to make tomorrow night.  Then again, I was also planning to make it tonight and ended up having a jaffle made with some leftover curry instead.  This is actually one of the very best ways to eat leftover curry – and a special little trick – instead of just plain butter on the bread, make a little garlic butter.  Leftover heaven!

Curry JaffleInbox Zero

Because I have been so busy my personal inbox is out of control. At last count I had about 2700 unread emails.  My challenge for April is to get this under control i.e. no more than one page of unread.  I have found in the past, the best way to do this is to pick the latest email, search for all from that sender and work through them in a batch.  This is particularly good for anyone who is selling anything as you can do a mass delete and voila that’s 30 emails gone in 10 seconds.  But if anyone has any tips on how to control a crazy inbox, please let me know!

 Watching

I reinstated our Netflix subscription over Easter so I am finally watching Making A Murderer.

I am also binge watching The Librarians…this is almost like someone make a show EXACTLY for me.  It’s set in a library and its about really smart people solving supernatural stuff. Who even knew I had that many buttons that could be hit?

 

Reading

The Midnight Watch

Loved it, loved it, loved it.  Best book I have read thus far this year.  And I feel like I have read a lot of good stuff already. Stay tuned.  There will be more. Soon.

The Method

I loved this too.  How is this for a premise?

“Imagine a helpless, pregnant 16-year-old who’s just been yanked from the serenity of her home and shoved into a dirty van. Kidnapped . . . Alone . . . Terrified.

Now forget her . . .

Picture instead a pregnant, 16-year-old, manipulative prodigy. She is shoved into a dirty van and, from the first moment of her kidnapping, feels a calm desire for two things: to save her unborn son and to exact merciless revenge.

She is methodical – calculating – scientific in her plotting. Leaving nothing to chance, she waits . . . for the perfect moment to strike. The Method is what happens when the victim is just as cold as the captors.”

This week I am hoping for a bit more time away from work to get my life back under control.  I am planning to cook the salad from Persiana as mentioned but also Anthony Bourdain’s Onion Soup Les Halles, and a mixed mushroom strudel.

Your turn now.  What are you cooking, reading, watching doing this week?  I love to hear from you so let me know.  Also., please send clearing email tips.

Oh and if anyone out there is a jam maker?  I have an A-Z of Cooking Project just for you – get your  1970’s jam on!  Just let me know.

Have a super week!

Signature 1 Vintage Valentine Quick as Wink2;

Old Bay Oyster Sliders

Maybe it’s because it’s Halloween week but here I am with another thing, actually two things that scare me.  Batter and deep-frying.  Because I made Sliders. And not just any sliders, Oyster Sliders.  And not just any Oyster Sliders but Old Bay Oyster Sliders!

Old Bay Oyster Sliders1Ooooooohhhhhyeeeeeaaaahhhh!!!

Can I just say that these were as good as they look?

Start off with some mini brioche…..hmmm..now where would you find some of them? And toast them up.

Toasted BriocheWhip up some aioli ( I had this saffron and roasted garlic aioli from something else I had made), but any aioli or even mayo would be fine.  But the saffron makes it look so pretty!

Saffron AioliChoose your vegetables.  I used lettuce, carrot, red cabbage and red onion.

Slider fillingsDon’t forget the pickle!  I used a pickled jalapeno but a dill pickle would also be fine.

Next up a tempura style batter loaded with Old Bay!  Heat some oil, drench your oysters in the batter and drop into the hot oil.  These only need a minute or so to cook.  Drain on crumpled paper:

Old Bay Oysters

Old Bay Oysters2And assemble.

Now, you have to promise not to laugh or judge me too harshly…(oh wow does that make a third thing that frightens me, in this post alone?) but I made my first ever gif.

Ok, deep breath, here ’tis…

SliderEeek….if anyone’s left after that, here’s the recipe!

Old Bay Oyster Sliders2

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Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

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The Margaret Fulton Cookbook 2- The First Course

If nothing else, the two editions of the Margaret Fulton Cookbook are a lesson in how food photography has changed over the years.  The theme of yesteryear seems to be very much “more is more” with multiple items on a page, whereas now we are far more minimalist with a much cleaner page.

Margaret’s words of wisdom on hors d’œuvre and canapes from 1977 seem to support the modern view:

“Hors d’œuvre and canapés are served with drinks before dinner (to give you an appetite).  They should be light, piquant and small, never larger than bite-size.  Attempting too many varieties has been the downfall of many a hostess and death to the meal that follows”

 MFC First Course Having said that, this is one of the few pages in where the 1977 version is my favorite.  Maybe it’s my love of fingerfood but give me the loaded page from 1977 (below) rather than the restrained simplicity of the modern photo (above) any day!  

I truly believe that when it comes to fingerfood more is more….I could scoff the lot on this page…except for maybe the green triangles in the bottom right corner.  I don’t know what they are nor do I want to.  But the rest…gimme, gimme, gimme…

First Course - 1977
First Course – 1977

 

Signature 1 Vintage Valentine Quick as Wink2