Tag holiday appetizers

It’s Prime Time for Butternut Squash and Bacon Galletes!

Now that we’ve all had a full month to recover from nightmares of Lady Gaga’s meat dress, it’s time to get back to the goods. Not to worry, we won’t jump head first into a meaty meal –though if you fancy that idea, check out these ten ways to show your love of bacon. This recipe for Butternut Squash and Bacon Galettes will ease you back into the swing of the carnivore (or omnivore) lifestyle with just the right amount of BACON… for now.

Nothing says “Holidays” better than a Butternut Squash recipe. Really! Butternut Squash is a close relative to the beloved pumpkin -like a cousin, or maybe even fraternal twin? It’s also a staple in those Thanksgiving food horns we colored every year in middle school. Sticking with the Holiday foods theme, this recipe can also be made with Sweet Potato! Check out the original Sweet Potato version of this recipe here.

Butternut Squash and Bacon Galettes
For other great Holiday appetizer ideas, visit our Appetizer Recipe Library!

Ingredients
Galettes:
6 slices bacon
1 small butternut squash yielding 1 1/4 cup of cooked pulp
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup milk
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon sage leaves, chopped
1 teaspoon rosemary needles, chopped
2 teaspoons kosher salt
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
Canola oil

Garnish:
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
Baby sage leaves

Methods/Steps
Preheat oven to 400°F.

Cook Bacon: Put bacon on a cooling rack over a sheet pan. Transfer to the oven and cook until crisp, about 12 minutes. Let cool on the cooling rack.  Once cool, chop  into small 1/4” bits and transfer to a small bowl .  Set aside.

Cook Butternut Squash: Cut the butternut squash in half, scoop out the seeds and roast squash on a lightly oiled sheet pan, flesh face down, until a knife inserted into the thickest part encounters no resistance, about 1 hour.  Cool squash slightly and scoop flesh from shell. Measure out 1 cup of pulp.   Set the rest aside for another use.

Make Batter: In a medium bowl, mix together flour and baking powder; set aside.  Place the cooked butternut squash in the jar of a blender.  Add the cream, milk, melted butter, sage, rosemary and salt; blend for 20 seconds.  Add eggs, and process a few seconds more until fully combined.  Pour butternut squash mixture into flour mixture; fold to mix. Add lemon juice and half of the chopped bacon, reserve the rest of the bacon for garnish. Stir just to combine.  Do not over mix or the galettes will be tough.

Cook Galettes: Pour a Tablespoon of canola oil into a non-stick pan. Spread around the pan with a paper towel.  Working in batches, drop a heaping Tablespoon of batter into the pan, being careful not to overcrowd.  Cook until the underside is golden, about 2 minutes.  Turn pancakes over and cook until the other side is golden and the pancake is cooked through, about two minutes more.  Transfer to a cooling rack over a sheet pan.  Repeat with the remaining batter, adding more canola oil as needed between batches.

Garnish: Combine the sour cream and salt.

Serve: Put the pancakes on a serving platter. Top each pancake with a tiny dollop of sour cream and sprinkle with a little bit of the reserved bacon. Add a baby sage leaf and serve immediately.

Makes 24 delicious galletes.

The Perfect Cocktail Party Appetizer: Buckwheat Blinis with House Smoked Trout and Sour Cream

We are smack in the middle of San Francisco’s Cocktail Week! Presented by the Barbary Coast Conservancy of the American Cocktail, and in its third year, SF Cocktail Week is prided as the World’s First Cocktail Week. Cocktail fans and aficionados can attend various special events such as classes on cocktails, booze-related educational seminars, a cocktail crawl, distillery tour, and cocktail cookout! Check out the full schedule of events here.

Of course, this week is also choc full of cocktail parties. But why should the fun end after this week? Throw your own cocktail party, and keep the fun going until those Holiday parties take over! Keep in mind, guests need to eat. Solution: an appetizer of Buckwheat Blinis with Smoked Trout and Sour Cream. Trust me, they are AMAZING, and are sure to be a hit with co-workers, friends, and family! Be sure to save this recipe, because Buckwheat Blinis transition seamlessly from Fall to Winter Holiday parties.

Buckwheat Blinis with House Smoked Trout and Sour Cream
This Parties That Cook recipe can also be found here.

Ingredients

Trout Brine and Smoke Mixture
1 cup kosher salt
2 quarts of water
2 whole fresh trout (about 6 ounces)
1/2 cup raw rice
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 sticks cinnamon
4 large strips of orange rind

Buckwheat Blinis
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
4 large eggs, separated
1 cup milk
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Garnish
1 cup crème fraîche
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Chive tips for garnish

Methods/Steps

Brine: Dissolve salt in water in a large bowl. Place the fish in brine. Let the fish soak in the brine for 20 minutes. Remove from brine, pat dry.

Smoke Trout: Line a 12-14 inch wok with aluminum foil, allowing 4 inches of overhang to seal around lid. Put rice, brown sugar cinnamon and orange peel in the bottom of the foil lined wok. Set a round cake rack or pan about 3 inches above the smoking mixture (you may need to make a ring from foil to support the rack). Cover the rack with a piece of foil and place the trout on the foil in a single layer. Place the cover on the wok, crimp the overhanging foil around the lid to completely seal the wok and to prevent steam from escaping. Turn the heat to high, smoke for 10 minutes then turn off the heat and leave for another 5 minutes. Remove trout from smoker and remove skin from the trout. Gently pull the flesh off the bone and break the meat into small pieces. Set aside.

Blini Batter: In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, buckwheat flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, milk and melted butter. Pour into flour mixture, whisk just to combine. Set aside.

Beat Egg Whites: Using a hand or stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites until they hold soft peaks. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter. Do not over mix. Some egg white can still be visible.

Cook Blinis: Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Drop 1 heaping tablespoon of batter into skillet for each blini.(Make the blinis the size of a silver dollar).  Cook until blinis are covered with holes and have set, 1 to 2 minutes.  Flip; cook until brown, about 1 minute more.  Repeat with remaining batter.  Keep finished blinis warm by covering loosely with foil.

Garnish: With a fork, mix together the crème fraîche, lemon juice and salt.  Adjust seasoning if necessary. Pour into a squeeze bottle.

Serve: Top blinis with a piece of smoked trout  and squeeze a dollop of crème fraîche on top. Feel free to try fun designs, too!  Garnish with two sprigs of chive.

Makes about 32 blinis.

Check out more great cocktail party and Holiday party appetizers in our Appetizer Recipes Library!