JALAPENO SOUFFLES AND CRAB CAKES WITH CAPER LEMON SAUCE
JERK CHICKEN WITH PINEAPPLE SALSA AND PESTO SHRIMP WITH GUACAMOLE AND BBQ SAUCE
CAPRESE SKEWERS WITH TOMATO, MOZZARELLA, AND BASIL
DESSERT TRAY WITH LEMON AND CHOCOLATE TARTS AND CHOCOLATE COVERED STRAWBERRIES
One of the things I love to do is help out the Shea Center where I used to work. Every year they auction off an appetizer or dinner party and some years they sell 2 or 3 at once! yikes! But it's always really fun! I cook with an employee there, Susan who is a really good cook and combined we make some really delicious food. We spend all day friday prepping everything and then put everything together on the day of the event. The big hits of the night were the jalapeno souffles and the jerk chicken. The chef found all these recipes online and I'll put up as many as I can find. : ) The dates and caprese skewers are explained below because they are so simple to make but they have to be made the day of the event.
The menu consisted of:
-Salmon Gravlox w/mango salsa (make 3 days before, add mango to salsa day of)
-Jalapeno Souffles (make day of is best, make early in day and reheat with cheese later)
-Dates Of course- Mejdol Dates stuffed with goat cheese and wrapped in basil and proscuitto. Eventually broil at 400 fro 3 minutes until cheese bubbles and proscuitto is crispy. (make day of)
-Crab cakes w/ lemon mayo sauce (make sauce cakes except don't add crab till day of)
-Cilantro pesto shrimp on avocado chipotle toasts (really tostitos scoops)
-Caprese Skewer- small tomatoes, bite size pieces of mozzarella, basil leave, and balsamic vinagrette (make day of)
-Jerk Chicken skewers (marinade night before, cook day of)
For Dessert we made:
Mini lemon pies and dark and white chocolate tarts
chocolate dipped strawberries.
We were able to make the tart shells the day before then fill them and cool the day of. The shells were just store bought pie dough cut into small rounds and baked in a mini muffin pan. To make them look really pretty we added fresh berries to the pies and found a really cool silver serving tier tray.
JALAPENO SOUFFLES by Sara Moulton
The beauty of these little souffles is their resilience. You can make them a day ahead, toss them in the refrigerator, and then just top with cheese and reheat them when your guests arrive. People aren't usually served mini-souffles, so they will be charmed. Indeed you might find yourself reaching frequently for those mini-muffin tins. You can minimize just about any cake or muffin. If your jalapeno lacks bite (as so many do these days), just reach for a pickled jalapeno, either your own homemade version, or your favorite store-bought brand. I always keep a jar on the door of the refrigerator to toss into those dishes that need a little perking up.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, plus extra for buttering the tins
2 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons very finely chopped pine nuts
1 small jalapeno, seeded and minced
6 tablespoons whole milk
1/4 cup grated Gruyere cheese
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 large egg, separated
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Butter a nonstick mini-muffin tin with 12 (1/8-cup) wells that measure 1 3/4 inches in diameter and 3/4-inch deep. Mix 1 tablespoon of the flour with 1/2 the pine nuts in a small bowl. Dust the tins with the flour and nut mixture. Tap out the excess.
Melt the 1 tablespoon butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons flour and the jalapeno. Cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes. Whisk in the milk and add the cheese, salt, pepper, mustard, and egg yolk. Cool to room temperature.
Beat the egg white until firm but not stiff. Stir a 1/4 of the white into the cheese sauce. Gently fold in the remaining white. Spoon into the prepared tins and bake until puffed and golden, 7 to 10 minutes. Cool in the tins on wire racks. When cool, run a small knife around the edge of each souffle. (The souffles will fall as they cool.) They can be prepared up to a day in advance and refrigerated. Bake in the muffin tins in a preheated 400 degree F oven for 5 to 7 minutes before serving.
JERK CHICKEN
Marinade:
4 whole green onions, ends trimmed
2 tbs fresh thyme leaves
1 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
4 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
3 serrano chiles, minced (include seeds for extra spice)
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
1/4 cup cooking oil
2 tbs soy sauce
1 tbs cider vinegar
Chicken thighs or breasts, cut into bite size pieces
Directions:
Char green onions on the grill or stove burner. Chop when cool enough to handle. In a food processor combine all the ingredients for the jerk marinade. Add chicken and marinade over night.
On the day of the party, remove chicken from marinade and thread onto metal skewers. Grill for a few minutes until chicken is cooked through and has nice grill marks. Rest chicken on the metal skewers and when cool enough to handle place on small wooden toothpicks or skewers.
At the party we served the chicken with a pineapple salsa but you could also serve it with some marinade that you reserved originally. (don't use marinade that had raw chicken in it over night). This is better if its served warm but still tastes really good when its at room temp.
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