For dinner? no… Just saw these guys on the side of the road and could not resist.
These cakes are unique and very delicious. Rustic and elegant at the same time. A perfect appetizer, or perhaps as a garnish to a baby green or spinach salad. The finishing crust and sauce may vary to one’s whim - try rosemary and panko with a roasted red bell pepper coulis or maybe something with a grilled fruit sauce…
The permutations are endless…
Black and white Sesame crusted chicken and wild rice cakes with a Pacific Rim aioli-
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast
2 cups cooked wild rice
1 cup bread crumbs, preferably Japanese style (panko)
½ cup minced chives
1 tbl. minced ginger
1 cup sautéed red and yellow peppers
¼ lb. melted butter and sesame oil
Salt and pepper
Sesame seeds, black and white
Puree the chicken in a food processor until smooth. Mix with the remaining ingredients except the sesame seeds.
Shape mix into 12 cakes and coat with the sesame seeds. Bake the cakes in a 400 degree until golden brown, about 8 – 10 minutes. Serve with the aioli.
Pacific Rim aioli
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp ginger
1 tbl. sesame oil
1 tbl. sweet chili sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbl. minced scallions
Salt and pepper
Mix all ingredients.
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A simple salad with a colorful look and feel. Contrasts abound with the sweet flavor of caramelized scallop, silky avocado and the complex combination of baby field greens. Finished with lightly toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds) creates a final touch for an ideal hint of earthiness.
Try an intimate demonstration dinner in our custom kitchen here at Applewood; four courses of cuisine, paired and served with fine wines, prepared step by step and served. All dinners are accompanied by a syllabus which includes all recipes, and can be scheduled on Tuesday evenings at 6:00 and last approximately two and a half hours. Cost is $75.00 per person and includes a complete meal, syllabus and wine.
I have family coming in. Mom, Dad, mother in law… And a few others will be joining us next Thursday. My mom, who is a great cook (and a wonderful woman) will be my sous chef (and wine drinking partner) in a very non traditional holiday meal. No turkey this year. I’m thinking rack of lamb and a stuffed pork loin roulade as mains.
We’ll start with some unique appetizer; smoked trout and mascarapone cheese with chives in phyllo pastry tartlets; a great start with a fresh tasting pinot gris… And maybe a nice array of cheeses and anti pasti to accompany.
Complementing our main course I am thinking sweet potato cakes with herbs and caramelized leeks, green beans with toasted sesame seeds, a romaine salad with hard cooked egg, walnuts and capers with a roasted garlic vinaigrette (my mom’s “special” salad recipe- that I love!), and so on… remainder TBD…
A relaxed day of food, family, friends and wine is on tap at my home.
My pork loin roulade:
And carrot ginger soup…
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Applewood has over 120 different wines to choose from; a photographic sampling:
Enjoy!
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Seaweed. Nori. Japanese seaweed. We turn it into rolls filled with sweet rice, avocado, cucumber, bells pepper and scallion. Delicious with pickled ginger, wasabi and soy sauce. Always a treat for any occasion…
D40, shooting with a macro lens…
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Last big road trip of the season; the California Redwoods! Had to do it. Needed to get away and this was the spot. Four days with great weather (no rain), cool mornings, some fog on the coast and high temps for the inland mountains. Overall an awesome trip.
Bandon OR…
Self portrait
South of Crescent City
A welcome sign…
Catered recently for a gentleman’s 75 birthday. Not often I go out to cater these days either… His request were blinis; I had to make them them unique, being the creative person I am, and with white corn being sweet as can be, i give you
Fresh corn blinis with caviar
Makes- 8 servings
Ingredients
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon minced fresh chives
1 ear shucked corn
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons fine-ground yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup low-fat milk
1 large egg yolk
Salt and black pepper
1 large egg white
Cooking spray
1 oz. caviar
Chopped fresh chives
Combine sour cream and chives in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate.
Cut kernels from ear of corn. Scrape remaining pulp from cob using the dull side of a knife blade. Discard cob. Set corn aside.
Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and cornmeal in a medium bowl; make a well in center of mixture. Combine milk and egg yolk in a small bowl; stir well with a whisk. Add milk mixture to flour mixture, and stir with a whisk just until moist. Stir in corn, salt, and pepper.
Place egg white in a bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed until foamy. Gently fold egg white mixture into corn mixture.
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Spoon about 1 tablespoon batter per blini onto pan, spreading to about 2-inch diameter. Cook 2 minutes or until tops are covered with bubbles and edges begin to set. Carefully turn blinis over; cook for 1 minute longer. Transfer blinis to a serving platter, and arrange in a single layer; keep warm. Repeat process with the remaining batter. Let guests top each blini with caviar and sour cream mixture, garnishing with chopped chives.
ENJOY!
And to follow up, his request for rack of lamb:
Brushed with dijon mustard and sesame oil, crusted with black and white sesame seeds and panko. Finished with an additional sauce of dijon and sesame plus a Vietnamese sweet red chili sauce. Add Chinese five spice fingerling potatoes, and green beans. Paired with with a vintage Burgundy, I think for this gentleman it was a birthday to remember!
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