Finger Food for Parties

Posted on November 15, 2013 by Helen Jackson

Party season is here and be it 15 or 50, chances are you will need to host drinks for friends and families some time over the next few months.

With that in mind we have grouped some of our favourite finger food recipes here in one place with tips on what to buy and what to make.

Some blini topping suggestions include
* Prawn, Asparagus and Dill
* Smoked salmon, creme fraiche, dill and lemon
* Chicken tossed in hoisin sauce and topped with slivers of spring onion

People at parties like eating food and generally the more the better. While it also needs to be stylish there are some great options for making it easy on yourself.
Caterers of course are the easiest option but come with a price tag that can make a party price prohibitive.

Instead, I suggest you minimise your varieties and stick to 4-5 different options. Start off with something that looks fabulous but is completely easy to make and then gradually progress in both portion size and quantity so people really feel genuinely satiated. Bowls of spicy nut mixes or
and dips such as guacomole or hummus are popular and can be placed strategically around the room.
A cheeseboard with a couple of large wedges of cheese can look spectacular, pile sliced baguette or gourmet crackers alongside with some walnuts and perhaps a chunk of quince paste.

Oat biscuits, blue cheese and quince paste is a favourite combination and can be presented as an easy canape.

Evenings generally evolve to the obligatory glazed ham or beef with rolls but you can also crank up the barbecue and get some interesting burger combinations rolling.
Sliders have been hugely popular over the past year or so and are great for parties. Pulled pork can be cooked earlier in the day and then presented with a bowl of coleslaw or lettuce leaves and a mountain of buns for self assembly.

There are loads of great finger food recipes on foodlovers but here are some of my absolute favourites as well as some good party tips.

* Allow 3 glasses per person (of actual glasses not liquid) – this means you shouldn’t have to start washing glasses half way through the evening.

* Ensure you have a refreshing non alcoholic drink available. My all time favourite is pineapple juice with l&p and lots of mint – it sounds ho hum but I assure you it is delicious and not too sweet.

* When menu planning try not to have too many of the same protein – eg if you have chicken sandwiches then don’t do chicken pies or chicken kebabs.

* Puff pastry makes a great base for a variety of toppings – if you cut the pastry into squares then you won’t have any waste.
Suggested toppings include:
caramelised onion, goats cheese and chopped rosemary
pesto, prosciutto or ham and cherry tomato
caramelised onion, blue cheese and rosemary
caramelised onion, olive, thyme and anchovy

* While toasted bread – crostini, also makes a good base for toppings, just be careful they are not so brittle so as to snap in half at a bite. Mini poppadoms can be found at Indian spice shops and sometimes in supermarkets and are ideal as a base for toppings such as this one for hoisin pork, coriander and sprouts.

Wontons also make a great base for toppings such as this one with prawns, lime and chili.

* Sandwiches are quick to make and while not the most glamourous of offerings, they are popular and they do fill a gap.

* Balls such as meatballs are great as they can generally be cooked ahead of time and reheated in the oven prior to serving.
I really like these chicken, ginger and coriander balls but you can make regular beef meatballs with beef mince, breadcrumbs, finely chopped onion, fresh chopped herbs and an egg to bind.
These prawn and coconut balls are absolutely gorgeous and a real party hit.
Another prawn favourite is these coconut prawns with mango and chilli salsa.

Smoked salmon is an obvious choice for finger food, it is luxurious and is able to be used in varied ways. Aside from the obvious smoked salmon blinis check out these Indonesian style fish cakes and corn fritters with goats cheese, smoked salmon and strawberries.

We all love party pies and once again they can be chilled and then heated to serve.

Beef, guinness and mushroom makes a delicious filling as does chicken and leek, these beer braised beef pies with kumara topping from Dawson’s catering are amazine.
You can make and freeze them ahead of time, mini muffin tins work well.

Shortcrust pastry is an ideal base with puff on the top.
Also quiche and little freeze well and are popular – these gruyere and leek tarts are delicious.
When making quiche the ratio of 1 egg to 100ml of cream is good to work on and then add other ingredients such as bacon, pesto, tomato, mushroom, to suit your taste.

Whatever you decide to make do ensure that you have time to enjoy your own party and often hiring some staff to do the “dirty work” will ensure that you can catch up with your guests as you should!

What are some of your favourite finger food ideas?

Salted Caramel Macarons

Posted on November 15, 2013 by Helen Jackson

Making Meringue Desserts

Posted on November 15, 2013 by Helen Jackson

Summer and meringues go hand in hand, whether they are crisp and crumbly, a little chewy, marshmallow like or soft swirls topping fruit tarts. Continue reading →

Limoncello

Posted on November 8, 2013 by Helen Jackson

7 lemons*
750ml vodka
2 cups sugar
2 ½ cups water

Roasted Cauliflower “Couscous”

Posted on November 8, 2013 by Helen Jackson

Not a couscous at all, but when cauliflower is pulsed in the food processor it resembles little grains almost identical to couscous.
The flavour combinations are endless, try finely chopped radish, almonds, parsley, pistachio nuts, celery etc…

1 head cauliflower
olive oil
3 spring onions, finely sliced
1/4 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted
1/4 cup mint leaves
3/4 cup small double podded broad beans
1 tablespoon lemon juice
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Oat Biscuits

Posted on November 8, 2013 by Helen Jackson

November

Posted on November 5, 2013 by Helen Jackson

A few days in Otago at the NZ Foodwriters Conference has had me eating some of the tastiest dishes and freshest produce you could ever hope for. I also managed to tick off a couple of places that I had been keen to visit for ages.
Lunch at Riverstone Kitchen was a treat and their kitchen gardens are certainly enviable. Fleur’s Place at Moeraki we had some of the most delicious fish I have ever eaten. Sitting upstairs enjoying fish pie while the wind billows around us, listening to Fleur tell her story is one of the special highlights of the weekend.
While some of us head home armed with bags of asparagus, potatoes and clutching large bunches of peonies, I just return satiated and happy.

Happy Cooking!

Pistachio Crusted Salmon with Pomegranate

Posted on November 3, 2013 by Helen Jackson

This salmon tastes and looks fantastic, it is the perfect entertaining choice!

See our video for this recipes on foodlovers TV.

Asparagus with Goats’ Cheese, Pine Nuts and Currants

Posted on October 23, 2013 by Helen Jackson

Blender vs Food Processor, which one for which job?

Posted on October 23, 2013 by Helen Jackson

I have a food processor and a blender, both are permanent fixtures on my bench although if one was to be relegated to a cupboard it would be the food processor. Not because I don’t use it but with smoothie obsessed children our blender is used daily.
While both machines are similar and have a degree of overlap they do have some quite different functional abilities and I would be pushed to pick one over the other in terms of usefulness.
What about you, do you own one or both and do you have a favourite?

A blender’s main function is to puree or mix soft foods and liquids, whereas a food processor is designed to finely chop and also using the extra attachments to shred, grate and slice.

I have heard others say that they find their food processor essential for making pizza dough and also tortilla dough – has anyone else tried this?
I leave that task to my cake mixer with dough hook.

For anything that has a substantial liquid component I use a blender as opposed to the food processor. Has anyone else noticed how quickly the liquid in a food processor leaks out even though it didn’t look that high in the first place?

10 uses for a food processor

1. Finely chopping large quantities of vegetables
2. Making coleslaw using the shredding and grating attachments
3. Making pesto, hummus and salsa
4. Using the pulse mechanism to make short pastry.
5. Making bread crumbs
6. Pulsing praline into small pieces (if you have a strong machine).
7. Turning biscuits into crumbs.
8. Grating large quantities of cheese.
9. Finely chopping nuts (think macarons)
10.Making peanut butter

10 uses for a blender

A blender is idea for converting soft food into a smooth liquid.
Blenders need liquid to work at their best so leave the dryer chunkier mixtures to your food processor.

1. Smoothies
2. Emuslified sauces such as mayonnaise, hollandaise and aioli. While these can also be done in a food processor, unless you have a very small food processor bowl you will find it is easier to make domestic quantities in a blender.
3. Pureeing soups
4.Vegetable purees such as cauliflower.
5. Make slushy drinks and frozen cocktails such as margaritas
6. Crush ice (make sure your blender is up to it though).
7. Making smooth dips.
8. Blending custard type tart fillings
9. Removing lumps from gravy
10. Making pancake batter

Some of our favourite smoothie combinations are

Banana, maple syrup, yoghurt and milk (best with frozen bananas due to chill and texture)
Frozen berries, banana, vanilla and milk
Chocolate syrup, banana, ice cream, milk
Mango, yoghurt, coconut milk
Banana, rolled oats, LSA, yoghurt, vanilla and milk (great for breakfast)
Peanut butter, chocolate syrup, ice cream, milk (think peanut butter cups)
Peach, raspberry, yoghurt, apple juice and ice (use canned peaches)
Blueberries, ice cream, milk and vanilla
Banana, coconut milk, coconut, vanilla ice cream and pineapple juice

What are some of your best smoothie mixes?

For those that have wanted a blender but don’t have one or need an upgrade we happen to have 2 of these top notch Breville Kinetix Control Blenders to give away.
These are model: BBL605BS and the colour is black sesame.
Recommended retail is $349.95 each!

Little and Friday Celebrations

Posted on October 22, 2013 by Helen Jackson

While Kim Evans may have come from humble beginnings with her Little & Friday cafe in Takapuna, in true “hard work brings success” style, Kim now has her cafe in Newmarket Auckland, a hugely popular first book –Treats from Little and Friday, and most recently her hot off the press addition Little and Friday Celebrations.
Celebrations has a lovely medley of party recipes for a host of fun-filled occasions. Kim has a knack of blending great recipes with super styling and her recipes not only taste good but they look fab too.
Little and Friday Celebrations is packed full of mouth-watering miniature tarts and cakes, savoury galettes, breads, biscuits and decorative cakes. These can be for something as simple as a summer picnic, family get-togethers, birthday celebrations plus Easter and Christmas. Capturing the delightful style that has made Kim’s Little and Friday cafes so popular, the recipes in this book promise plenty of good times with friends and family – and make every day worthy of a celebration.
The Christmas market is sure to embrace Celebrations so if I were you I would secure a copy fast!

Strawberry Tart

This festive tart is also delicious made with sliced mango in place of strawberries.

1 recipe Sweet Pastry (see below)

Filling

4 cups Crème Patissière (see below)
3 cups frozen raspberries
1½ cups Crème Diplomat (see below)
2 punnets strawberries, sliced icing sugar, for dusting

Makes one 28cm tart

1. Line a 28cm tart tin with baking paper cut to fit.

2. On a lightly floured bench, roll out pastry to 3mm thick and line tart tin, making sure to press pastry into edges of tin. Rest pastry case in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.

3. Preheat oven to 180°C. Fill pastry case with Crème Pâtissière and scatter raspberries over. Place filled tart tin on a baking tray and bake for 50 minutes, or until pastry is golden. Allow to cool completely before removing from tin.

4. When ready to serve, cover tart with Crème Diplomat. Arrange layers of sliced strawberries over tart as pictured. Dust with sifted icing sugar.

Kitchen Notes
When transferring pastry to line a tart tin, drape the pastry over a rolling pin. Then roll it back off the rolling pin and lay over the tin. Gently press into the tin to line the base and edges. You will need to make a double batch of Crème Pâtissière for this recipe.

Sweet Pastry

2¾ cups flour
1 cup icing sugar
pinch of salt
250g unsalted butter
1 egg
1 tsp lemon juice
½ tsp lemon zest
vanilla extract or paste, to taste

1. In a food processor, combine flour, icing sugar and salt and pulse in 2-second bursts to aerate and combine.
2. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
3. Add egg, lemon juice, zest and vanilla and pulse 10 times. The mixture should look dry and crumbly.
4. Turn out onto a clean work surface and gather mixture together with your hands. Gently shape mixture into a ball.
5. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 2 hours before using.

Crème Pâtissière

500ml milk
1 tsp vanilla essence
½ cup caster sugar
3 egg yolks
¼ cup cornflour

1. In a saucepan, combine milk, vanilla and ¼ cup caster sugar, and bring to the boil.
2. In a bowl, beat together remaining caster sugar, egg yolks and cornflour until mixture is pale and thick.

3. Whisking constantly at low speed, slowly pour half the milk mixture into the egg mixture.
4. Return remaining milk to the heat and quickly add egg yolk mixture to milk, beating constantly. It is a real workout, but if you don’t beat it vigorously enough the Crème Pâtissière will be lumpy. Keep beating the mixture over the heat until it comes back to the boil, then remove from the heat, pour into a bowl and cover with cling film. Cool before using.

Kitchen Notes

Crème Pâtissière may be kept refrigerated for up to three days. Before using, beat with a wooden spoon, or in an electric mixer, to bring it back to a smooth consistency.

Crème Diplomat

1 cup cream
1 cup Crème Patissière (see above), chilled

Makes 2½ cups

Whip cream until stiff peaks form. Beat chilled Crème Pâtissière until smooth. Using a metal spoon, fold Crème Pâtissière through whipped cream. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to three days.

Chocolate Salami

This is a super-easy, no-bake treat.

250g Super Wine biscuits
2 eggs
½ cup caster sugar
110g unsalted butter
1 cup good-quality cocoa
100g good-quality dark chocolate, chopped
½ cup pistachios
½ cup dried pears, finely chopped
3 tbsp Stone’s Green Ginger Wine
½ cup icing sugar

Makes approx. 20

1. Blitz biscuits in a food processor until fine crumbs form.
2. Put eggs and sugar in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Whisk until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture has thickened.
3. Add butter, ½ cup cocoa and chocolate and whisk for 2 minutes or until smooth. Remove from heat and stir in biscuit crumbs, pistachios, dried pears and wine.
4. Turn mixture out onto a sheet of cling film and roll into a thin log. Wrap and refrigerate overnight.
5. To serve, mix together remaining ½ cup cocoa and icing sugar in a shallow dish. Unwrap Chocolate Salami and roll in cocoa mix. Cut into 1cm slices and serve in mini patty cases.

To enter into the draw to win one of 2 copies of Celebrations enter your details below