The Traveling Epicurean

Favorite food recipes

Crostinis

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Crostinis

Crostinis are an essential part of my entertaining.  They can be used in so many appetizers with an unlimited number of toppings, with dips and spreads. They only take a matter of minutes to make and stay well for days on the counter in a zip lock and even longer in the freezer. That convenience of being able to make them ahead of time leaving you with one less thing to do and allowing you more time to enjoy yourself with family and friends goes with out saying!

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Ingredients: 

  • 1 baguette sliced into 1/4″ pieces (you get approx 22 pieces in a baguette)
  • cookie tray

Directions: 

  1. Pre-heat oven to 400º.
  2. Take all the slices and place onto a cookie….no need to coat cookie sheet with anything.
  3. Bake for 12 minutes until golden around the edges.
  4. No need to flip.
  5. Let them cool completely and then you can store them in a zip lock baggie.
  6. For a delicious crostini appetizers try my Pesto recipe or the Crostinis with Fresh Mozzarella, Pesto and Roasted Tomato recipe!

 

Baked Coconut Shrimp

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Baked Coconut Shrimp

Who needs to go thru all the trouble of deep frying when homemade coconut shrimp can taste this gourmet and be BAKED.   You don’t get that heavy fried taste …… it’s lighter, fresher and so flavorful with the crispy caramelized coconut.  This Baked Coconut Shrimp recipe is from Bobby Deen with some minor altercations from me.  I wanted to add a little more flavor and more volume so I made the addition of sweetened coconut, Italian seasoned bread crumbs and Siracha instead of Tabasco.  I really like to have a hot pepper jelly to go with coconut shrimp this particular one made from Beth’s-Farm-Kitchen called “Mighty Hot Pepper Jelly”.  Their web site is www.bethsfarmkitchen.com and you can pick up the jelly and the shrimp locally at a favorite fish market of mine Star Fish Market in Guilford, CT.  This homemade gourmet baked coconut shrimp recipe is such a quick and easy recipe and you’ll just love the results.  There isn’t any fussing or flipping over of the shrimp during the baking either because the bottom side does get the caramelization.  Also your hot pepper jelly will of course be in that thick jelly form and you’ll want to put the jelly into a bowl and heat it in the microwave for 15 seconds to smooth out the consistency so it makes for a nice dipping sauce (it should be room temperature when serving).  After heating the jelly briefly give it little whisk and that should do the trick!

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Ingredients:

  • 1 lb. med/lg shrimp ( peeled and deveined with tails off too!)
  • 3 tbsp all purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut
  • 1/2 cup sweetened coconut
  • 2 lg egg whites whisked til lightly frothy
  • a dash of Siracha or Tabasco in the EGG WHITES (Siracha is hot chili sauce found on shelf at store where tabasco is sold)
  • S&P
  • Pam canola oil spray

Directions:

  1. Pre-heat oven to 400º.
  2. Spray cookie tray with canola oil.
  3. Place all of the dry ingredients in a medium bowl and mix with a fork.
  4. Add a dash of Siracha or Tabasco to the frothy egg whites-Optional.  Add and coat raw shrimp with whisked egg whites.
  5. Then dredge shrimp into the dry coconut mixture and place onto the cookie sheet in rows approx. 1″ from each other.
  6. VERY IMPORTANT:  spray a coating of Pam canola oil over all the coated shrimp and place into the oven.
  7. Bake for 12 minutes.  (No need to flip shrimp).
  8. Using a spatula remove shrimp from cookie tray and place onto a serving platter flipping them over now to show the caramelized side and serve with your favorite hot pepper jelly.
  9. Don’t forget to warm the jelly briefly and whisk it to get that nice smooth consistency serving it room temperature with the shrimp.

 

 

 

Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts

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Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts

These bacon wrapped water chestnuts are sweet and savory. You have that slightly smokey and salty flavor from the bacon, a sweet candy-like carmelization from the brown sugar, a little kick from the dry mustard and a lovely crunch from the water chestnut. All those amazing flavors packaged up in one little morsel!

Nut or vegetable?  Well I will tell you – a water chestnut is actually an equatic vegetable grown in marshes. Didn’t you always want to know that?   This water chestnut recipe came about from a Trader Vic’s recipe called Rumaki . Except this original recipe was done with chicken livers and water chestnuts wrapped in bacon with a wet marinade.  Now don’t get scared away . Even though I do love chicken livers sautéed with lots of chopped garlic and a crusty baguette this recipe is made without the liver or wet marinade for that matter.

It is some what comical too because your guests will think they are bacon wrapped scallops at first glance.  These homemade gourmet little morsels are a must try for the holidays. Your guest’s will love them. In fact, you better grab one before the tray goes out because it’s coming back empty!

IMG_4416If you are on an appetizer roll you ought to try my Crab Cakes with Homemade Thousand Island Dressing, or Baked Spinach & Feta Spankopita Triangles with Metaxa Mojito’s are to die for, Homemade Salmon Gravlax are one of my all time favorites and so easy to make with fresh dill sprigs and vodka or eau de vie! My “Steakhouse” Cream Spinach is a huge crowd pleaser. For dessert, a Best Blueberry Pie with My 5 Minute Pie Crust always calls out to me! ENJOY! 🙂

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Ingredients:

  • 2 cans whole water chestnuts ( Geisha – approx 18 per can)
  • 1 lb. Boar’s Head bacon (sliced into 3″ strips)
  • 1 cup light brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp  Colemans dry mustard – (if you like it less spicy only use 1 tbsp)

Directions: 

  1. Pre-heat oven to 375º
  2. Whisk brown sugar and dry mustard together in a medium size bowl
  3. Slice up the bacon into 3″ pieces
  4. Wrap each water chestnut on the bacon strip and roll-up,
  5. Then roll it around in the brown sugar mixture, you will need to press down a little to help the mixture adhere
  6. Place the appetizer’s seem side down on a cookie sheet
  7. You can use a silicone baking mat or Silpat to bake the bacon wrapped water chestnuts on, DO NOT USE FOIL because it will be stuck to the waterchestnut!
  8. Bake for approx. 15 minutes
  9. Do not flip them over
  10. The bottoms will be more caramelized then the tops so flip them over when you plate them to see the carmelization
  11. Be sure to let them cool a pinch before eating because the chestnuts get pretty hot along with the sugar
  12. These are a great party item because you can prep a day ahead, BUT DO NOT DREDGE them into the brown sugar mixture until right before you put them into the oven or they will get watery
  13. Just wrap chestnuts in bacon, place onto a cookie tray and pop them into the frig until you are ready for them

 

Best Mango-Avocado Salsa Ever

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Best Mango-Avocado Salsa Ever

This truly is the most amazing salsa ever!  In fact I found salsa difficult to photograph so I took many pictures of the finished salsa worried that you won’t be able to tell how delicious it is just by looking at the pictures.  Gotta love those sweet and hot flavors together and just knowing that it is all so good for you makes it even better, if that’s possible.   I make this for friends when they come over it’s the first thing gone.   There really is nothing like refreshing mango-avocado salsa in the hot summer months but why should we have to wait until then when we can enjoy ripe mangoes in the winter too!  When I go to the market to buy mangoes this time of year they are usually not quite ripe enough to eat right away.  It’s one of those things where you need to plan a few days ahead so you have time to leave them on your counter to fully ripen.   It’s definitely worth the 2-3 day wait for the mango to soften slightly and the juicy flesh to turn a deep golden color and taste as sweet as honey.  Be sure not to let them get too soft….better to be slightly soft then mushy because that lovely golden flesh starts to turn brown.

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Ingredients:

  • 2 lg mangoes chopped 1/4″ cubed
  • 1 avocado chopped 1/4″ cubed
  • 2 med/lg size tomato’s or 5 small tomato’s chopped 1/4″ cubed
  • 1/2 vidalia onion (or yellow) FINELY chopped
  • 1 FINELY chopped jalapeno
  • juice from 1 lime
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
  • 1/2 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
  • a dash of Siracha (optional)
  • S & P

Directions:

  1. Add all of the ingredients to a large bowl and mix thoroughly.
  2. We really love to eats this salsa with blue chips.
  3. I have also served this salsa up on the tips of endive leaves, and or with a cooked shrimp on top of that ….yum!
  4. I must warn you this salsa is highly addictive……consume at your own risk! LOL

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TIP:  There is an easy way to get the pit out of a avocado which I have displayed in the pictures above.  After running the knife around the flesh of the avocado against the edges of the inside pit… put the knife down and twist the avocado halves and pull apart. Then stick the knife into the pit and do the same thing holding on to the knife with one hand and carefully twist the avocado pit and it will pop right out.  Then knock the pit off onto the board away from your hands.  This can be a little tricky the first time so I would advise that this would be for an adult to try.   Finally, Insert a large spoon and scoop the avocado along the edge of the avocado skin to remove avocado flesh.