Tusko

i need to get my food brain going. i've been mulling over a ton of ideas, and nothing has settled.

going to a classy party. gonna bring apps.

last year i made some stuffed filo- goat cheese, sauteed mushrooms, port wine reduction. pretty simple but killer.

i need to one up myself.

i am quite confident in my skills, and want something pretty difficult, and something really interesting looking ( i might enjoy plating more than cooking itself!) i love intricate little bundles, drizzles, colours, layers.

has to be vegetarian (makes things a bit hard!)


i'm at a loss for idea.


i want to wow taste and sight wise, but perhaps due to exams, i'm short on ideas.


some of the ideas i was entertaining:


something served in a pear cup. perhaps ajo blanco.

but i was thinking of something a bit richer, darker, red/black/peppery/wine

i was thinking something cappucino based... savory cappucino, perhaps a reduction. something like a mole sauce.

but what vegetables? good old black bean?


i'd optimally enjoy do use relatively seasonal vegetables. or at least yams.

perhaps some sort of sweet potato mole mixture.


carve out the innards, figure out the right mix, stuff back inside skin, bake/roast for a while, and then cut sweet potato in rounds- and have it come out like sushi? hmmm. good idea, but i the sweet potato skin will just go soft. perhaps if i'm delicate...

or i could cook the mix seperately and just pack in the skin for presentation? this way the skin isn't edible.

perhaps make the "sushis" first, and then cook?

maybe tie them with butcher's twine?

arrange them on a big platter (since it will unfortunately be more buffet style) but within the 'sushis' roll some colourful vegetables?

i don't want the mole/coffee/cinnamons etc that are likely to accompany the sweet potato to darken it too much..


hmm, help me brainstorm!

i want it to be a bit spicy too.. argg.

i like the sound of these timbales!

http://thyme2.typepad.com/thyme_for_...nut-squas.html

snowy

Let me mull this over a while. I'll get back to you with suggestions after I do some brainstorming myself.

It sounds like a fun chance to cook something really special.

Sometimes tiny versions of main dishes make good apps. Something to think about. One thing your dish from last year reminded me of was tiny vegetarian portobello Wellington. I might have to try actually doing a tiny portobello Wellington sometime with creminis. It sounds quite toothsome.

__________________
If I am not better, at least I am different. --Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Daniel_

Steamed artichoke with fresh hollondaise.

Piece of piss to make, tasty and looks great.

__________________

╔═════════════════════════════════════════╗
Overhead, the Albatross hangs motionless upon the air,
And deep beneath the rolling waves,
In labyrinths of Coral Caves,
The Echo of a distant time
Comes willowing across the sand;
And everthing is Green and Submarine
╚═════════════════════════════════════════╝

squeeeb

***Curried roasted garbanzos (makes 2 cups)***
2 cups cooked garbanzos
1 1/2 teaspoons coriander powder
1 teaspoon curry powder, mild
1 teaspoon salt (or to taste --- I use less)
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix all ingredients together and spread on
a non-stick cookie sheet or jelly roll pan (something with sides is
best, so the beans don't roll off). Slow cook them for 30 minutes or
until the garbanzos are crisp on the outside, slightly tender on the
inside. Makes 2 cups.

__________________
onward to mayhem!

Daniel_

What's a garbanzo?

__________________

╔═════════════════════════════════════════╗
Overhead, the Albatross hangs motionless upon the air,
And deep beneath the rolling waves,
In labyrinths of Coral Caves,
The Echo of a distant time
Comes willowing across the sand;
And everthing is Green and Submarine
╚═════════════════════════════════════════╝

maleficent

Chick pea - ceci bean... the bean that's the base for hummus

__________________

Daniel_

So why not say chick pea?

:'(

__________________

╔═════════════════════════════════════════╗
Overhead, the Albatross hangs motionless upon the air,
And deep beneath the rolling waves,
In labyrinths of Coral Caves,
The Echo of a distant time
Comes willowing across the sand;
And everthing is Green and Submarine
╚═════════════════════════════════════════╝

thebeat

That does sound fantastic, however, have you ever made your own sushi before? Depending on your guests, that could be a hit too.

__________________
random

Tusko

i've made sushi a few times, had it at restaurants, and had it prepared for me by kind little japanese folk who took me in to drink tea and learn about taosim.

and i never really liked it

updates:


i was thinking more along the lines of pseudo-sushi.

what is white like rice?

coconut.
pear.
apple.

i still want to retain a sort of savoury coffee/pepper/wine profile.

and i want it to be a bit spicy.


now, coconut + cardamom + coffee would work, especially if served cold. that would be great, but i want to do more of a savoury dish.

i guess i might have to ditch the 'dark/red' flavour profile if i'm going to stick with this idea. i'm not happy about this.


coconut, thai chili, green onion?

with a splash of sweet cardamom sauce for colour?


how then do i "wrap" it like sushi?




forget all that.


whatever i'm going to "roll" roll it up with a leek, place the leek bundle in a small muffin tray? bake 'er there?




agh.



i was also thinking about pears and cucucmber.


pears aren't exactly round, but they have nice flesh.


cut a cucumber on it's length, about an inch in thickness. hollow out a hole but not the whole way through. fill with pear. other things.


again, not quite the flavour profile i'm going for..

dammit!

Dtamr

I dont recall the exact recipie, but I remember having stuffed portobello mushrooms last thanksgiving. They had sausage in them, but I;m sure you can find a great recipie for them online.

__________________
E fuhtan ruf syho baubma femm ihtancdyht drec saccyka?

Mister Coaster

Here's my 2 pennies... One of my 'originals' that I'm adjusting to the vegetarian requirements.

Gorgonzola Stuffed Mushrooms with Roasted Asparagus & Red Peppers.

I'm not going to have exact measurements or cook times because this was something I always just played by ear, and it was a long time ago.

Button or Crimini mushrooms
gorgonzola cheese
sour cream
asparagus
red peppers
garlic powder
balsamic vinegar

Mix gorgonzola and sour cream in order to cut the strength of the gorgonzola. Because there are so many brands (some stronger than others) you are going to have to taste for desired strength of the blue. You are looking for something that can be eaten straight without being too overpowering.

Remove stems from mushrooms and stuff caps with the gorgonzola mix. Place on baking sheet and prepare the next step.

Cut red bell peppers in strips to match the thickness of the asparagus. Trim asparagus to match length of the peppers. Toss asparagus and peppers with garlic powder and balsamic vinegar. Place on a separate baking sheet in a single layer and roast along with mushrooms.

Bake the 2 sheets together at about 400 until they look nice and roasted. Once done, place an asparagus spear and a red pepper on top of each mushroom and serve immediately.

This has a little of everything... Sweet (red pepper) salty (gorgnzola) bitter (asparagus) and savory (mushroom). Plus it has red and green for the holidays, assuming you celebrate. I suppose a spicy mustard suace may compliment them well, but I never served them with sauce.

__________________
If you have any poo... fling it NOW!

squeeeb

for fake sushi, the only thing i can think of is a "dessert" using rice krispy treats (rice krispy and melted marshmallow) rolled in green fruit rollups (the "seaweed") with red licorice in the center. more like a dessert kim bop.

__________________
onward to mayhem!

Hanxter

your wish is my deliverance...

Crab Tater Tots

1 lb cream cheese softened
3 tbls minced garlic
1/4 c fresh cilantro chopped
1/4 c scallions chopped
1 tbls chipotle sauce
1/4 c cream
1 c shredded mild cheddar
1/2 tbls tabasco
1 lb crab meat
1 pound shrimp chopped
3 lb frozen shredded hash browns
3 c bread crumbs - panko if you can find it

blend the cream cheese till smooth
fold in the rest of the ingrediants and blend thoroughly
scoop a tablespoon of the mixture and roll into a ball, then squeeze it gently to form a cylinder "tot"
into the fridge for an hour or two
deep fry at 375 for 3 - 4 minutes or into the oven on a greased cookie sheet at 400 for 10 - 12

this will make nearly 100 tots - so any more than you can eat you can freeze, then thaw and reheat...

you will be named king... or you can try this puppy courtesy of my wife just for you...

NoNo's Spinach Dip

1/2c heavy cream
1 lb hot pepper cheese cubed {monteray jack)
8 oz cream cheese cubed
1 small onion diced
1/3c chopped celery
10 oz pkg frozen chopped spinach thawed and drained
1 jar chopped pimentos drained
1/4 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

1 Bouli bread hollowed out (slice off the top and hollow out the to make a bowl - save the top for a lid (and the rippings you can cut into 1" squares for dippers))

over medium heat melt the two cheeses
stir in remaining ingrediants
when thoroughly blended pour in the Bouli bread and serve with dipper chips

that one is killer and cheap to make - might wanna do 3 and be diverse in the cheese choices - you're limited by your own imagination when it comes to ingrede's & presentation - manja!!!