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    Sunday, December 21, 2014

    Christmas Appetisers - Feed The Drinkers - When Only White Bread will do


    It's that wonderful time of the year again Christmas and it is usually full of good cheer
    It is really important that you feed the drinkers
    The best soaker upper, is of course...White bread
    Of course offer lovely crisp vege and dips, also I do have some gluten free appetisers in another blog
    Click here to view.

    You can serve a cheese board with cherries, for those who are not eating bread, but for the majority,

    How about these Little Chicken and Pistachio Sandwiches, and some Mushroom filled Patty Cases

    I have stolen the Sandwich filling from my good friends Mary and Catherine
    Probably a little different from theirs, but any way you do it,
    Guaranteed Tasty!

    So first buy some white sandwich sliced bread
    Butter well

    Filling
    1 medium chicken breast poached and finely chopped
    3 tablespoons chopped pistachio nuts
    2 tablespoons finely chopped chives
    2 tablespoons finely chopped gherkins
    3 tablespoons mayonnaise
    Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
    Mix together well
    Place filling on one slice of the bread
    Cover with another buttered slice
    flatten with your hand and cut off the crusts
    Cut into triangles
    Pop on a little plate
    Sprinkle with a little chopped parsley
    So for the Mushroom Savouries
    I found these in one of my Cajun Cooking Bibles

    Terry Thompson’s “Cajun-Creole Cooking”.
    I have just checked out Amazon.com and you can buy Terry’s book from them.
    It is a great addition to your Cookbook Library

    First make the Patty Cases.
    These are the best ones I have ever made.
    You must use the (as we call it) "plastic" white sandwich bread.
    You know that soft white bread that the food police say “DON’T EAT”…
    I have to say when one has a hangover, a little sandwich made from this bread, maybe bacon and mashed egg, is just the ticket.

    So cut the crusts off and roll the bread both ways
    Butter the bread 
    Cut out shapes with a pastry cutter.

    I used these mini muffin tins. I got 2 rounds per slice of bread.
    Butter the muffin tins and carefully press the bread rounds in.
    Buttered side down
    Bake 200C for 10 minutes. You can keep them in an airtight container for a few days or they will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
     Mushroom Filling.
    ¼ cup unsalted butter
    4 green onions chopped
    2 tablespoons minced parsley
    2 tablespoons minced chives
    250 gm mushrooms finely chopped
    3 tablespoons flour
    ¾ cup cream
    ¼ teaspoon dried thyme or 1 teaspoon fresh thyme finely chopped
    ¼ teaspoon cayenne
    1 ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
    Sea salt
    1 tablespoons lemon juice
    24 baked Patty Shells
    Grated Parmesan Cheese.
    2 tablespoons butter at room temperature


    Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat
    Add green onions parsley and chives
    Cook until wilted about 3 minutes
    Add mushrooms
    Cook 10 minutes, or until liquid evaporates.
    Sprinkle flour over mixture, stir till blended
    Cook 2 minutes stirring it will be dry be careful it doesn’t stick to pan.
    Stir in cream, thyme cayenne freshly ground black pepper, salt and lemon juice.
    Reduce heat to low cook 5 minutes or until thickened.

    Preheat over to 175C
    Place patty pans on baking tray and fill with cooled mixture.
    Top with a little Parmesan cheese and ¼ teaspoon butter
    To add to the Christmas Theme, 
    I topped them with a little slice of tomato and a little touch parsley

    Bake about 10 minutes until mixture is bubbling

     I made the Mushroom Savouries for a drinks party yesterday and they were gone in minutes
    BUT There is more
    There was a lot of buttered scraps of bread left over and being a good Waste Not Want Not girl
    I decided to make these into crisps to have with our pre-dinner wine
    I sprinkled them with Dukkah which I had leftover from some yummy cheese balls I made last week
    Then finely grated some Pecorino over the top
    Bake at 190C for about 10 minutes, check after 8 to make sure they don't burn
    On the left the breadcases about to be frozen for use next week
    On the right the crisps
    They all disappeared in one sitting
    Very pleased with those


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