Tag rock shrimp sliders

March’s Multitasking Cookbook Club: Parties That Cook’s Spring Menus

0 comments By The Kitchen Whisperer Filed in Menus & Recipes, News & Events Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , April 10th, 2012 @ 7:52 am

A few short weeks ago we had our most important cookbook club meeting in months. In an attempt at ultimate productivity, we decided to host a lunch featuring none other than Parties That Cook’s Spring Menus. The finalized list of recipes for all Spring cooking parties, corporate team building events, and classes hadn’t yet been released (Top Secret!). I must admit, I felt a bit special.

This season, you can expect to see a lot of familiar recipes. Call them what you will — classics, favorites, “mine” — we love these recipes, and we’re sure you will, too. Let’s dive right in, shall we?

Creamy Artichoke Soup with Basil Pistou – Crissy elected to make this dish after a few days of indecision, and we were not disappointed! The soup had a delightful flavor, and was not heavy enough to overpower our appetites. Refrigerated, the soup lasted for a few days beyond this lunch!

Sweet Pea Galetes with Prosciutto and Sour Cream – Christina signed on to make this dish. Having tried a few of the other galete varieties we’ve had on our menus over the years, I had high expectations. One bite was all it took to know we had another winner on our hands. Whole peas add a nice texture and a little surprise in the galetes, and you really can’t go wrong with a prosciutto and sour cream combo!

Greek Salad with Grilled Halloumi Cheese, Kalamata Olives and Smoked Olive Oil Dressing – Rebecca swooped on the opportunity to try this recipe. (“You had me at ‘halloumi’.“) What could have been another plain salad turned out to be a delicious dish worthy of center-plate. The ingredients really come together to provide the perfect balance of salty, sweet, and tangy flavors. Word to the wise: Do make sure you use a ridged grill pan when grilling halloumi. You really want those beautiful grill marks!

Crispy Pancetta Wrapped Marble Potatoes with Caperberry Remoulade – Kelle called dibs on this recipe rather early in the game. Unfortunately, she came down with the worst cold the office has seen in a while, and was unable to bring anything in this cookbook club.

Spinach and Feta Cigars with Tzatziki Sauce – Bibby immediately staked her claim on these fun little “cigars”. To the best of my knowledge, she stuck to the recipe. A couple of ladies at the table expressed an initial concern about this dish, but all were silenced with the first deliciously crunchy bite. I, for one, am intrigued to learn just how many dipping sauces (and which sauces) would pair well with the cigars.

Philly Cheese Steak Bites with Peppadew Peppers and Melted Gruyere Cheese Sauce – Rosie opted to make TWO dishes this cookbook club (she’s quite the over-achiever). This appetizer was so delicious (and colorful!), I continuously piled a few more on my plate throughout lunch. Sadly, a staff meeting later that afternoon wiped out any I had refrained from eating myself…

Open Face Rock Shrimp Sliders with Lotus Root Pickles and Rainbow Micro Greens – Tanya, our very own Executive Chef and mastermind behind most recipes you find at events, wanted to take on this recipe. And she sure did it justice. With maybe a couple of tweaks here and there, she got this recipe ready for the lime-light (Recipe of the Month, anyone??). The final product was almost too pretty to eat, (Almost.) and definitely too good not too eat. (Definitely.)

Baby Polenta Cakes with Raspberry Coulis and Amaretto Cream – Erin went back to her preferred course: Dessert. Let me just say: YUM. Though I can’t speak for everyone, I really enjoyed the grainy texture the polenta provided. There were absolutely no complaints about flavor, and the next day, I could find absolutely no trace of left-overs. (‘Twas a sad day for me..)

Strawberry and Rhubarb Empanadas – Rosie, the over-achiever, brought in these monstrous desserts for her second dish. They weren’t actually that big, but after eating so many other dishes, I knew I could/should/would not attempt an entire empanada on my own. These were so delicious! The crust was not too thick, and as a whole, the dessert was not overly sweet. Ya gotta try these!

Overall, the lunch was great! I walked back to my desk feeling satisfied, if not a bit too full, and excited for all the positive feedback we can only imagine trickling in this season. Get ready for some awesome recipe blogs to come!

New Season, New Recipes: Parties That Cook’s Open Face Rock Shrimp Sliders

0 comments By The Kitchen Whisperer Filed in Menus & Recipes Tagged with , , , , , , April 9th, 2012 @ 12:18 am

A couple of weeks ago, the Parties That Cook office crew sat down to a Cookbook Club meeting of epic proportions (blog to come). Together, we took on the task of testing (and taste-testing) the NEW recipes for our Spring Menus! As you may very well know, Parties That Cook changes the recipes available for our cooking parties and corporate team building events each and every season! This not only allows us to focus on seasonal ingredients, but also keeps us in step with current culinary trends.

Among the recipes selected for March’s cookbook club were these absolutely delicious rock shrimp sliders. The fact that they’re open faced is great because too much bread can easily overwhelm the precise blend of flavors achieved in this culinary creation. Once assembled, these tasty bites actually look like mini works of art. Hint: Great taste and elegant presentation reign at any Small Plates Competition!!

Open Face Rock Shrimp Sliders with Lotus Root Pickles and Rainbow Micro Greens
This recipe can be found in our Appetizer Recipe Library

Ingredients
Slider Patties:
2 garlic cloves
1 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled
3 Tablespoons coconut milk
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 1/2 pounds thawed, cleaned rock shrimp (if buying frozen, buy 3lbs to yield 2 1/2lbs thawed
2 Tablespoons cilantro, stem and leaves roughly chopped
1/4 cup olive oil-divided

Pickled Lotus Root:
1 small lotus root rhizome
1 cup rice wine vinegar
1 cup water for pickling liquid
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns

Garnishes:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup ketchup
1 Tablespoon chives, finely chopped
15 mini potato buns or parker house rolls, halved and toasted
1 avocado, peeled and very thinly sliced into 1 inch slices
1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut, lightly toasted
1/2 oz rainbow microgreens, about 3/4 cup

Methods/Steps
Preheat oven to 375ºF

Puree Shrimp: In a food processor fitted with the steel blade, finely chop the garlic and ginger. Add the coconut milk, salt, and pepper and pulse to mix. Add the cleaned rock shrimp and cilantro to the food processor and pulse about 15 times, or just until the mixture looks pureed. Do not over process.

Make Patties: Using a tablespoon dipped in a bowl of water, gently make patties, keeping the scoop and your hands wet at all times (for ease of forming patties). Place the patties onto a plastic wrap lined sheet pan. Refrigerate for 10 minutes or place into the freezer for 5 minutes.

Cook Sliders: Heat a flat, non ridged, griddle pan or large nonstick sauté pan over medium high heat. Working in batches, pour about 1 tablespoon of the olive oil onto the pan. Carefully place the slider patties onto the pan, and sear for 1-2 minutes, or until golden brown. Drizzle another tablespoon or so of olive over the tops of the patties then flip the patties over. Let sliders cook 1-2 more minutes. Remove cooked patties to a clean foil or parchment lined sheet pan(s).

Slice Lotus Root: Fill a sauce pan with water and bring up to a boil. Peel the lotus with a vegetable peeler. Fill a medium bowl almost full, with water and add about a tablespoon of rice wine vinegar (acidulated water prevents oxidation). Cut the lotus in half lengthwise or into quarters if really large. Using a mandoline, slice the lotus into 1/4 inch thick pieces and place into the bowl of water as they are being sliced. When the entire lotus is sliced, remove the lotus from the acidulated water. Blanch the lotus in the pot of boiling water for 2 minutes. Discard acidulated water from the bowl and remove lotus from the boiling water with a spider or skimmer back into the medium bowl. Set aside.

Make Pickling Liquid: Discard boiling water from the saucepan used to blanch the lotus. Combine the rice wine vinegar, 1 cup water, soy sauce, sugar, salt, and Sichuan peppercorns. Bring the mixture up to a boil and cook until sugar dissolves.

Pickle Lotus: Pour the pickling liquid over the louts and place into refrigerator until ready to use.

Make Slider Spread: In a small bowl mix mayonnaise, ketchup, and chives until combined. Set aside.

Toast Rolls and Warm Sliders: Cut the rolls in half and place onto a sheet pan. Lightly toast the rolls in the oven. Place the cooled sliders back into the oven just to warm through.

Assemble Sliders: Spread some of the flavored mayonnaise onto each of the toasted buns. Lay a shrimp patty on top of the spread. Garnish the top with an avocado slice, lotus root pickle, shredded coconut, and a pinch of the micro greens.

Serves/Makes
Makes 30 Sliders

Recipe adapted by Parties That Cook® | www.PartiesThatCook.com from Hubert Keller’s Secrets of a Chef and Burger Bar restaurant