Monday, June 27, 2016

Sixpence Meat Pies (Picadillo Pot Pies)

I've had this recipe idea bouncing around in my head since last year and I'm so happy I finally put this one together. Originally, this idea was going to be a dessert with the inspiration being a verse from the children's nursery rhyme, Sing a Song of Sixpence...

"Sing a song of sixpence, pocket full of rye.
Four and Twenty blackbirds, baked in a pie... 

My idea was a simple one. Replace the blackbirds with blackberries and bake individual pies. Easy enough right? Well, as I began to read the rest of the poem, I realized I needed to know what the hell that poem meant. It had birds pecking off noses and other strange lines. With my curiosity piqued, I looked into the meaning of the nursery rhyme and found many interpretations. A few explanations included that the poem was a parody of the British monarchy, and even a covert way to recruit piratesAnother explanation, which happened to be the most literal, was that in the 16th century it was common practice to bake live birds into pies as a form of entertainment, or an entremet. Today, an entremet describes a dish served between courses or just simply a dessert;each not requiring the theatrics seen during the late middle ages. Although, birds will not fly out of these Sixpence Meat Pies, they pay homage to the entremets of the middle ages by adding an entertaining and delicious addition to your next Halloween-inspired meal! I chose Picadillo because it is absolutely delicious and perfect as the olives double as eyeballs! Enjoy!



Sixpence Meat Pies (Picadillo Pot Pies)



Serves 4

3/4 cup onion, diced
3/4 cup green bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 T olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound lean ground beef
1-14 oz. can of diced tomatoes
1-14 oz. can tomato sauce 
1 T cumin
1/2 t oregano
1 bay leaf 
1/8 cup raisins
1/4 cup green olives with pimento
salt and pepper to taste


Preheat oven 350 degrees.
Saute the onion and bell pepper in olive oil in a large skillet until onions are soft about 5 minutes, then add the garlic and ground beef. Mix all ingredients together as the ground beef browns. Add tomatoes, cumin, oregano, and bay leaf, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes or longer. Add olives and raisins and simmer for an additional 5 minutes. Divide picadillo mixture into four individual casserole dishes and prepare masa dough.


Masa Pie Crust
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup Masa (corn flour)
1/2 cup shortening or butter
1/4 cup ice water
1/2 t salt 
egg wash

Mix flours and cut in shortening or butter with the back of a fork until the dough is crumbly. Add ice water and blend until it forms a smooth ball. Make sure you don't work the dough too much or it will be tough. Cut dough into 4 equal portions and roll each portion out with a rolling pin to create 4 rough edged pie crusts. Use a knife to cut out rough faces. (My picture was too blurry so I didn't include it) Place dough over the picadillo meat mixture allowing olives to show through eye holes. Pinch the dough to create the bridge of a nose. Don't worry if the dough cracks, it adds to the Leatherface feel of the pot pies.



Brush an egg wash over the crusts to ensure a golden brown. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Ovens vary so watch closely so they don't burn. Let cool slightly and enjoy!


 More Halloween-inspired dishes to try:
Roasted Brains
Love at First Bite Linguini
Midnight Sushi with Wasabi Skulls
 

Friday, June 24, 2016

Top 10 "Horror' d'oeuvres


I live for Halloween!  I spend all year planning and experimenting with new, fun Halloween inspired dishes that not only look festive for Oct. 31, but taste super delicious and can be made any time of year. But if you ask me, Halloween is the perfect holiday that screams for ghoulish and fun appetizers! My husband calls them "Horror d'oeuvres"...So here are my top ten 'Horror' d'oeuvres. Happy Halloween!

1. Bloody Eyeball Bruschetta

A one bite appetizer of fresh cherry tomato and mozzarella topped with an eye-opening combo of green and black olives dripping with a sriracha olive oil, topping a crunchy mini toast.

Bloody Eyeball Bruschetta


2. Antipasto de los Muertos

You can't go wrong with an Antipasto Appetizer when it comes to feeding a crowd and this Dia de los Muertos platter will please your ghouls and goblins all night. Marinated Mushroom Skulls, Pickled Shrunken Heads, and mozzarella eyeballs sit along side the familiar cast of Artichoke Hearts, Olives, Pepperoncini, Summer Sausage and Roasted Red Peppers. Serve with plenty of crusty bread and wine.

Antipasto de los Muertos

 3. Death Cap Kabobs 

These little morsels look like they have the ability to chase away the best dressed vampire of the evening with a whole clove of garlic front and center. Not so fast though, these cloves are mellowed by roasting and then married with a roasted mushroom skull dripping with a balsamic butter glaze. And as if that wasn't enough flavor, it sits on a toasted Panko bleu cheese crumble which adds a bit of crunch to this elegant 'horror' d'oeuvres. 

Death Cap Kabobs

4. Spiderweb Eggs

Deviled Eggs are one of my favorite appetizers and adding Latin spices and avocado really sets these apart. But its the striking webbing of the egg white that make these an elegant and festive appetizer.

Spiderweb Eggs


5. Amputated Appetizer

This appetizer will sure to be the talk of your party! Not only because of the life-size and realistic look of an amputated arm but also because of the deliciousness of each bite. Goat cheese, cream cheese, and mozzarella rolled with basil surrounded by thinly sliced prosciutto...slice off a fingertip, smear it on a cracker and enjoy! 
 

Amputated Appetizer

Amputated Appetizer

6. Ghoulish Goat Cheese Torte

This is one of my favorite appetizers any time of year! I molded this cheese ball in the shape of a brain but it can easily be molded in a rounded bowl for a less ghoulish presentation. Roasted red bell pepper puree and pesto layered with goat cheese, cream cheese and lots of garlic. This is so delicious that you will want to make sure you have plenty of baguettes on hand and have copies of the recipe handy, you will be asked for it!

Ghoulish Goat Cheese Torte

7. Fiendish Fingers

Bacon wrapped anything is pretty much the best thing ever! Wouldn't you agree? These bacon wrapped shrimp smothered in a spicy Diablo sauce mimics fingers of your worst nightmare and the best part is that they're finger-licking good!

Fiendish Fingers

8. Roasted Roaches

Nothing better than grossing out your Halloween guests by offering up roasted insects! Thankfully, these delicious morsels are not bugs but the perfect combination of sweet and salty. These cheese stuffed, bacon wrapped dates will disappear in a flash!

Roasted Roaches

9. Zombie Vomit

Zombie Vomit is a spicy black bean hummus with hints of cumin, coriander, cayenne pepper, and lime that will keep your guests coming back or more. Make it super spicy with the extra gross factor by adding chopped chipotle peppers and black olives for a chunky vomit look. Make sure you have plenty of pita chips on hand.

Zombie Vomit

10. Guacamoldy Mousse

A lite and cheesey take on guacamole that can be molded into your favorite Halloween mask and serve along side a big bowl of tortilla chips.

Guacamoldy Mousse

For Halloween decorating ideas click here.

Roasted Roaches

You are probably looking at this picture, squirming thinking how gross are roasted roaches. Well, thankfully they are not roaches but these scrumptious cheese stuffed, bacon wrapped dates that literally taste like candy! My girlfriend, Suzette who is an amazing cook, brought these yummy morsels to one of our dinner clubs and they were the HIT of the night. They are the perfect balance of salty from the bacon, sweetness from the dates a smooth tang from the cheeses. 

They might look a little intimidating because of all of the "brown" happening. It's likely similar to the reaction my kids get when they see green on their dinner plates, but don't let looks stop you from trying this delicious appetizer. If you are feeding a crowd make sure you double and triple the recipe below, they will go in a flash! Happy Halloween!

Roasted Roaches (Cheese Stuffed, Bacon Wrapped Dates)

Makes 12-16 
(slightly adapted recipe from Suzette Pedrin)

12-16 pitted dates
1/4 cup chevre cheese*
1/4 cup crumbled bleu cheese
6 slices of thin bacon, sliced lengthwise and halved

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small bowl, combine the cheeses making sure to break up the bleu cheese crumbles so that they will easily pass through a piping tip. Transfer cheeses to a pastry bag and pipe cheese into pitted dates.

*I added goat cheese here so it would be easy to pipe into the dates but you can always substitute with cream cheese or just use all bleu cheese by itself, which is true to Suzette's original recipe.
 



Wrap cheese stuffed dates in bacon, securing with a toothpick. 


Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes, rotate and bake an additional 10 minutes. Remove toothpicks and rotate to ensure even browning and bake an additional 5 minutes. Remove from oven, cool and enjoy!
 
More Halloween inspired recipes to try, click here.