Can’t get enough appetizer spoons recipes, I just can’t get enough
Their secret resides in mixing textures and getting the flavors not to override one another. In general, 2 to 3  different main ingredients are enough.

In this amuse-bouche recipe, we have a creamy texture thanks to the avocado and mascarpone cheese contrasting with the grapefruit pulp’s distinctive texture. My advice so the flavors are well balanced is to be very generous when topping with the crab flesh. Grapefruit’s bitterness tends to be too prominent otherwise. And don’t forget avocado oxidates pretty quick, so don’t prepare your appetizer spoons too much in advance.

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Ingredients (for 15 to 20 spoons)

2 crab claws
1 ripe avocado
1 grapefruit
2 tablespoons of mascarpone cheese
1/2 teaspoon of pimentón (smoked paprika)
Tabasco drops (optional – quantity according to your taste)
Salt & pepper

Instructions

1/ Cut avocado in half and remove pit. Scoop the flesh out with a spoon and leave in a food processor bowl.

2/ Open grapefruit and remove pulp carefully with a teaspoon. Keep juice in a small cup and pulp in a bowl.

3/ In the food processor bowl, add mascarpone cheese, grapefruit juice, pimentón and tabasco (optional). Mix until you get a smooth texture. Add salt and pepper. Mix again. Taste and adjust seasoning.

4/ Crack crab claw and carefully remove flesh. Set aside.

5/ Prepare the Chinese soup spoons by adding to each one a tablespoon of the avocado mixture, followed by a piece of grapefruit pulp. Top generously with crab flesh.

Happy New Year fellow foodies . May 2010 bring you and your loved ones everything you’ve been hoping for!

I’m usually not really good at realizing new year’s resolutions, that’s why I stopped making them a few years ago. This time is different, I do need to be more organized in 2010 in order to be able to keep posting at a regular pace. A whole load of work is ahead in a business project I’m part of, it should take most of my time this year. I’ll try to stick to more organization and see how it goes

Let’s get back to this salmon now. It’s been part of the appetizers I made  for New Year’s eve dinner and I must say we all enjoyed it. At first, I was planning on using salted soy sauce and pretty disappointed when I found out I didn’t have any. Well, now I can say I’ll do it again with sweet one. It tastes amazing with ginger!  I kept lime as a last ingredient to give this tartare a fresh taste. If you want to experiment you can also add the grated zest before marinating but don’t forget lime juice has to be added last if you don’t want your tartare to turn out being a ceviche!

This ginger and lime salmon tartare recipe is meant to be served in appetizer spoons or small verrines (glass cups) but if you wish to have it as a unique starter, count about 4.5 oz per serving and adapt the ingredients’ quantity accordingly.

Preparation time: 10 minutes – Marinating time: at least 30 minutes

Ingredients (for 6 servings as an appetizer)

15 oz (425 g) of salmon fillets (skinless, boneless)
2 spring onions
1-inch square of fresh ginger root (= 1 tablespoon grated)
1 non-treated lime
6 tablespoons of sweet soy sauce

Instructions

1/ Clean and chop spring onions.

2/ Peel and grate ginger.

3/ Rinse and dry salmon fillets. Cut them into small dices (around 1/2-inch square).

4/ Combine salmon, spring onions, ginger and sweet soy sauce. Cover and leave in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

5/ Serve in Chinese soup spoons, small individual ramekins or glass cups leaving marinade in the plate.

6/ Rinse lime and grate zest over individual portions.

7/ Squeeze lime, add on top and serve tartare right away.

Appetizer spoons are great for an « apéritif dinatoire » when your guests are only going to eat finger food. But they’re also perfect as an elaborated amuse-bouche to be served before a nice meal. We’re in the middle of holiday season, it’s a perfect time to share with you this delicious coconut ceviche recipe. Believe me, it would make a great appetizer for your Christmas or New year’s eve dinner.

Ceviche is a Peruvian dish in which citrus marinade contributes to « cook » the fish. That’s why the indicated marinating time can vary depending on your tastes. If you like eating raw fish, then you won’t let it marinate for long. On the contrary, if raw fish doesn’t appeal you at all, you can even prepare it the day before so it marinates overnight and gets a harder consistence.

Preparation time: 10 mn – Marinating time: 15 to 30 minutes

Ingredients (for 10 to 15 spoons)

1/2 lbs (225 g) of white fish fillets (sole, bass, hake, cod etc.)
1 lemon
1 lime
5 tablespoons of thick coconut milk
1 tablespoon of small chive
1 tablespoon of cilantro
1 teaspoon of turmeric
1 teaspoon of grated ginger
1 teaspoon of grated coconut (optional)
Salt

Instructions

1/ Rinse fish fillets and dry them with kitchen paper. Take bones away and dice them (size around 1 square inch).

2/ Rinse and chop small chives and cilantro.

3/ Rinse lime and lemon and grate their zest (optional: you can keep some for decoration, you’ll grate the rest over the spoons before serving them).

4/ In a soup plate, combine fish, lemon and lime zest, small chives, cilantro and a pinch of salt.

5/ Squeeze lime and lemon and add juice to the fish mixture. Cover and refrigerate at least 15 minutes (depending on how raw you want to serve it).

6/ Combine in a bowl coconut milk and turmeric.

7/ Fill spoons with ceviche (leaving lemon juice in the marinating plate) and coconut sauce.  Top with grated zests, ginger and coconut (optional).

I’ll finish this ‘appetizer spoons week’ by one recipe I discovered not long ago but I already know I’ll be making it quite often. Unlike the other recipes I posted along the week, you’ll need some cooking for that one . I caramelized shallots but you can also use onions as long as you slice them into thin pieces. They help sweeten blue cheese’s strong taste. The three flavors go just perfect together… I used raspberry vinegar when caramelizing shallots, it adds a delicious fruity taste; but you can replace it by red wine if you like.

Preparation time: 35 mn

Ingredients (for 10 spoons)

3 prosciutto slices
6 shallots (or 2 onions)
2 oz (55 g) of blue cheese
2 tablespoons of raspberry vinegar (or red wine)  (Click here to buy online)
1 1/2 tablespoons of butter
1 tablespoon of granulated sugar
Salt & pepper

Instructions

1/ Peel and chop shallots.

2/ Melt butter in a frying pan over low heat. (Be careful it doesn’t get brown, it’s very bad for health.)

3/ When butter has melt, add chopped shallots. Leave covered, stirring frequently, for about 10 mn or until translucent.

4/ Add sugar and stir. Let shallots caramelize for a couple of minutes, then add raspberry vinegar. At that time, you should probably go for medium heat. It’s important when adding alcohol to get it to a (smooth ) boil so the strong taste evaporates. When the strong smell is gone, you’re done. Take pan off heat.

5/ Cut prosciutto into small pieces.

6/ Dice blue cheese.

7/ Fill the bottom of your Chinese soup spoons with caramelized shallots. Add a dice of blue cheese and top with prosciutto pieces.

8/ Serve right away.

Here is another appetizer spoon recipe I made last week when having friends over. I really like this one because I’m sure it has plenty of great variations. I only had dried fig and raisin; next time I’ll try with dried apricot . The goat cheese I used is called ‘Crottin de Chavignol‘. Its a perfect cheese for this recipe because of its soft texture. The goat cheese you’ll choose for these appetizer spoons shouldn’t be too creamy so it doesn’t make a cheese paste when you dice it. Other than that I’m sure any other medium strengh goat cheese will do the job.

Preparation time: 10 mn

Ingredients (for 10 spoons)

3 1/2 oz (100 g) of goat cheese
2 dried figs
30 raisins
1 tablespoon of small chive
2 tablespoons of walnut oil
Salt & pepper

Instructions

1/ Scrape cheese and dice it.

2/ Rinse and chop small chives.

3/ In a bowl blend cheese, small chives, walnut oil, salt and pepper. Cover and set aside for at least 30 mn.

4/ Cut the fig’s hard part on top and slice it.

5/ Fill spoons with cheese and top with raisins and dried fig slices.