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Monday, February 16, 2009

MLCC Assiniboine Conservatory Fundraiser


(Google Images)

Last week I had the pleasure of preparing Nibbles and Noshes for a fundraising event for the Assiniboine Park Conservatory held at the MLCC. It is truly delightful to share recipes and food ideas with an interested group of people and to learn about plants from around the world. The following is what I prepared for that event. I will be involved in other events for the Assiniboine Park Conservatory and will post them here.

Enjoy!

Nibbles and Noshes

1) Mushroom Toasts

2 cups sliced fresh mixed mushrooms
1 head roasted garlic
4-5 Shallots, diced
2 tbs. olive oil
2 tbs. Butter
1/3 cup cream
1/4 tsp. smoked paprika
1/2 cup dry white wine
salt and pepper
Crostini (sliced baguettes) or bouchés

Sauté shallots in olive oil until translucent. Add sliced Shitake Mushroooms and sauté on medium high heat until they begin to brown in the butter. Add roasted garlic, smoked paprika and white wine. Let cook down a little. Add cream and season to taste. Spoon onto crostini and toast in oven or into bouchés and serve while hot.

Enjoy!

2) Soba Spoons


1 pkg Buckwheat Soba Noodles
2 tsp good Dijon Mustard
1 tsp grainy mustard
1-2 tsp good soy sauce
1 inch grated fresh ginger
2-3 tbs white vinegar
1/2 tsp white sugar
2 green onions, finely chopped
drizzle sesame oil

Cook Soba noodles in unsalted boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain in cold water immediately. Drain completely. Drizzle with sesame oil to prevent sticking and set aside to chill.

In a larger bowl, mix grated ginger, vinegar, mustards, soy sauce, sugar, finely chopped green onions and a drizzle of sesame oil. When ready to serve, gently mix noodles with sauce. With a fork, twirl a bite-sized amount of dressed noodles and place on a Chinese soup spoon. Place spoons on a platter and serve.
Enjoy!

3) Ski Queen medley

Gjetost Goat Cheese
Roasted garlic
Toasted Pine nuts
Chopped cilantro
Baguette slices into crostini size slices or sourdough bread

Roast heads of garlic until fully caramelized. On a platter, place garlic heads or cloves, toasted pine nuts, chopped cilantro and brick or slices of Ski Queen Gjetost goat cheese.

To assemble, spread roasted garlic on bread topped with cheese, pine nuts and cilantro.
Enjoy!



4) Bison Carpaccio
Recipe By: Karen
Serving Size: 10
Preparation Time: 0:20

8 ozs tenderloin frozen
2 cloves garlic minced
1/3 c pomegranate molasses
1/3 c vinegar (shallot, raspberry, etc)
2/3 c extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp truffle oil optional
1/4 tsp truffle salt optional
1 tbsp fig preserve (or pear)

Mix last 7 ingredients together and set aside. Thinly slice tenderloin piece.
You can use bison, elk or beef tenderloin. Arrange slices on a platter and
drizzle vinaigrette over meat. Garnish with fresh berries or green onions.
Serve with baguette slices or water crackers.
Enjoy!
—————
Per serving: 128 Calories; 14g Fat (99% calories from fat); 0g Protein; 0g
Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 0mg Sodium




5) Spanikopita Triangles
Recipe By: Karen
Serving Size: 48
Preparation Time: 2:00

1 pkg filo dough
2 pkgs frozen spinach
1 white onions chopped
3 cloves garlic minced
1/2 c mushroom sliced
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp paprika
3 1/2 tbspsolive oil
1 1/2 c feta cheese crumbled
1 egg
pepper to taste
1/3 c butter
Thaw pastry in package. In advance, prepare filling. Sauté onion and garlic
until translucent. Add mushrooms and sauté. Add thawed spinach and
spices. Cook on medium-high heat until some of the water has cooked off.
Add grated feta. Mix in one beaten egg. Remove from heat and cool.
To prepare pastries: Heat oven to 350F. Dampen tea towel. Cut rolled
pastry into four equal parts and lay out on cutting board. Cover with
dampened towel. Melt butter and set aside with pastry brush. Fill pastries in
desired shapes (triangles, pockets, in muffin or cupcake tins, etc). Brush
pastries with melted butter before filo turns papery. Bake until golden, about
15 minutes.
—————
Per serving: 36 Calories; 3g Fat (77% calories from fat); 1g Protein; 1g
Carbohydrate; 10mg Cholesterol; 76mg Sodium

2 comments:

Elatia Harris said...

Makes me want to shop and throw a party!

On behalf of everyone who has had mixed experiences with smoked paprika, I have a question. Can it take direct heat at all? Or does one add it to things that will be heated gently. A few months ago, I made a sauteed apple garniture with smoked paprika and had to throw it out. Because I added it too early?? But I used it in a mushroom soup to good effect. There must be a principle involved in cooking with smoked spices -- adding them at the end, or cooking them in liquids only? Please comment!

Karen Food aka Bistro Arkadash said...

Thanks! I find that I can't saute the smoked spices but add them at the end. They can get bitter and burn and then their subtle sweetness is gone. In chili, I add the smoked spices with the beer and tomatoes. With the spanikopita filling, I add it toward the end as well.