Category Archives: Appetizers

March 7, 2018 · 9:28 am

Clotted Cream (in an Instant Pot)

Clotted cream is a delicious British condiment. Perfect for topping scones, muffins, cornbread, bagels: anything that you might put butter, cream cheese, or whipped cream on. Or try a dollop on oatmeal with fresh fruit for a wonderful breakfast treat.

Clotted cream’s texture and taste lie somewhere between whipped cream and butter. So: the best of both worlds.

Clotted cream is made by heating cream and keeping it at a low temperature while the fat solids separate from the thinner milk and whey. Maintaining a consistent low heat for a long time is the perfect job for an Instant Pot.

The hardest part of making clotted cream is finding heavy cream that is NOT ultra-pasteurized. Most grocery stores in the US do not carry cream that isn’t ultra-pasteurized. (You can use regular pasteurized cream, but not ultra-pasteurized. The cream will not clot the same.) I bought mine at a local farmer’s market. Some Whole Foods stores also carry it.

**Save the thinner milk/whey that is left after separation to use in other recipes where you would use milk.

RECIPE:

Clotted Cream (in an Instant Pot)

4 cups heavy cream, not ultra-pasteurized

1. Pour cream into the Instant Pot and close lid (use glass lid if you have one).
2. Set Instant Pot to Yogurt and then Boil (press the Yogurt button, then press Adjust until it says Boil).
3. When the Boil cycle finishes, use a thermometer to check that the cream has reached 180°F. Repeat step if cream has not reached 180°F.
4. Return lid (glass) to pot and press Keep Warm button. Leave at Keep Warm for 8 hours.
5. Turn off Instant Pot and set insert on a cooling rack. Cool to room temperature. Do not stir.
7. Cover with glass lid or plastic wrap and refrigerate for 8-12 hours. Do not stir.
8. Remove from fridge. The clotted cream will have thickened and risen above a layer of milk/whey.
9. Use a spoon to scoop out a small section of clotted cream from the side of the pot, and place in a bowl. Carefully pour off the milk/whey at the bottom of the pot (keep to use in other recipes that call for milk or whey). Scoop the remaining clotted cream out into bowl. Stir back in a little whey if you want a thinner texture.
10. Store clotted cream in the refrigerator or freezer. For a softer texture, remove clotted cream from refrigerator about 30 minutes before serving.

Yield: about 2 cups clotted cream

NoEmptyChairs.me

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Filed under Appetizers, Breakfast/Brunch, Condiments/Sauces, Desserts, Instant Pot, Tips and Tutorials

Tagged as British, clotted cream, heavy cream, Instant Pot, scones, Scottish

December 4, 2017 · 6:47 am

Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies (and other stuff): Roasted Spiced Pecans

DAY 4: Roasted Spiced Pecans

These slightly spicy nuts are my family’s very favorite snack. I make them all year round, at least once or twice a month.

And since this is a savory treat, not a sweet one, you can feel good about dipping into these all through the holidays!

RECIPE:

Roasted Spiced Pecans

Yield: 6 cups

6 cups (24oz bag) pecan halves
5 Tbs butter
2 Tbs Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbs Sriracha sauce (adjust to taste)
1 tsp coarse kosher salt
¾ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp onion powder
½ tsp ground mustard

Preheat oven to 300°F. Line a large baking sheet with foil.

Place pecan halves in a large mixing bowl. Melt butter in a glass measuring cup or small bowl. Stir in remaining seasonings and mix well. Pour butter mixture over pecans and stir until pecans are well coated.

Spread pecans in an even layer on baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes; stir and bake for an additional 10-12 minutes. Allow pecans to cool on the baking sheet, stirring occasionally as they cool. Store in an airtight container.

NoEmptyChairs.me

Roasted Pumpkin (Squash) Seeds

What to do with all of the seeds from your recently carved Jack-o-Lantern or roasted pumpkins and winter squash? Whatever you do, don’t throw them away! Save them for a super delicious (and nutritious) snack that will keep you out of your kids’ Halloween candy.

Seeds from any variety of winter squash or pumpkin can be roasted and eaten.

Scrape pumpkin/squash and remove pulp and seeds.

Separate seeds from pulp, discarding pulp. Rinse the seeds and pat dry with paper towels or a dishtowel. Place the dry seeds in a shallow pie plate or roasting pan.

Seeds can be cooked immediately, or allowed to further dry first. Drying the seeds longer will make them less chewy, more crisp. This will help if you tend to get things stuck in your teeth or dental work.

To dry, let seeds air dry in a shallow pan for several hours up to several days, stirring occasionally, to keep them from sticking to one another.

Stir in seasonings and roast seeds until they are a golden brown.

Roasted pumpkin, butternut squash and acorn squash seeds.

Roasted Delicata squash seeds (small yellow squash with green stripes). These are especially delicious. Very tender.

RECIPE:

Roasted Pumpkin or Squash Seeds

2 cups rinsed and dried pumpkin or winter squash seeds
2 Tbs butter
1 Tbs Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp hot (spicy) Hungarian paprika

Place seeds on a foil lined (I like non-stick foil) baking sheets. Preheat oven to 350°F.

Melt butter and stir in remaining seasonings. Pour over seeds in pan and stir until well coated.

Roast for about 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until seeds are golden brown. Cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

Yield: 2 cups roasted seeds

NoEmptyChairs.me

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Filed under Appetizers, Tips and Tutorials

Tagged as acorn, appetizer, butternut, delicata, Halloween, recipe, roasted pumpkin seeds, squash, squash seeds

June 30, 2016 · 3:11 pm

Greek Seven Layer Dip

Seven Layer Dip gets a fresh summertime make-over. Or make it with eight layers (pictured above) if you want to really get fancy.

This is a great way to dress up plain hummus. Similar to the traditional Mexican 7-Layer Dip, but lighter and with fresher ingredients. With the huge variety of hummus available these days, you can adapt this recipe to suit your taste. My favorite hummus (after homemade) is the Supremely Spicy Hummus: it has a real kick!

Start with layers of hummus and tzatziki, and then add whatever fresh ingredients you are in the mood for. I usually include most or all of the following layers:

- Hummus
- Tzatziki (Homemade recipe HERE)
- Thinly sliced mini cucumbers
- Sliced Kalamata olives
- Chopped artichokes
- Sliced sun-dried tomatoes (or use fresh tomatoes)
- Sliced green onions
- Feta cheese, crumbled

Serve with pita chips, crackers, fresh-cut vegetables, or wedges of homemade Pita Bread. (Pita Bread recipe HERE)

RECIPE:

Greek Seven Layer Dip

In a glass pie plate, tart dish or bowl, layer the following:

- Hummus
- Tzatziki
- Thinly sliced mini cucumbers
- Sliced Kalamata olives
- Chopped artichokes
- Sliced sun-dried tomatoes (or use fresh tomatoes)
- Sliced green onions
- Feta cheese, crumbled

Serve with pita chips, crackers, fresh-cut vegetables, or wedges of homemade Pita Bread.

NoEmptyChairs.me

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Filed under Appetizers

Tagged as Appetizers, dip, fresh, Greek, hummus, recipe, seven layer dip, summer recipes, tzatziki

December 5, 2015 · 3:55 pm

Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies: Caramel Christmas Chex Mix

DAY 5: Caramel Christmas Chex Mix

Not a cookie, but a fun treat to make for family and friends. And maybe slightly addicting. Just a friendly warning.

RECIPE:

Caramel Christmas Chex Mix

1 cup butter
1 ½ cups brown sugar
½ cup light or dark corn syrup
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla extract
14 0z box Chex cereal (Rice and/or Corn)
1 ½ cups dry roasted peanuts
1 ½ cups whole cashews
½ cup Christmas sprinkles

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 1 large or 2 medium rimmed baking sheets with non-stick foil.

In a medium saucepan, combine butter, brown sugar and corn syrup. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in baking soda and then vanilla (mixture will foam).

Place cereal and nuts in a very large bowl. Pour caramel over the cereal/nuts and gently stir with a large rubber spatula. Spread mixture onto prepared baking sheets.

Bake for 10 minutes. Let mixture cool in pan for 2 minutes. If your sprinkles DO NOT melt when heated, stir them into the mixture now. Let Chex mix cool completely in pan, stirring 2-3 times as the mixture cools. If your sprinkles DO melt when heated, wait until mixture is cool to touch, and then stir in the sprinkles.

Break into pieces and store in an airtight container.

NoEmptyChairs.me

Caramelized Onion Dip

Like everyone else, we are preparing ourselves for a day of snacking tomorrow. We don’t feel particularly attached to either football team, so for most of the family it is all about the food and the commercials.

Caramelized onion dip is a nice alternative to the traditional onion soup mix chip dip. You can serve it with either potato chips or a vegetable tray.

RECIPE:

Caramelized Onion Dip

2 Tbs unsalted butter
2 large onions, halved and thinly sliced (3-4 cups)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp dried parsley (or 1 Tbs chopped fresh)
½ tsp onion powder
¼ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp salt
½ tsp fresh ground pepper
4 oz cream cheese
1 cup sour cream, at room temperature
2 Tbs fresh chives, optional
Potato chips or sliced vegetables for dipping

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 30 minutes. If the onions begin to stick to the bottom of the pan, add 1-2 Tbs water and lower heat slightly; continue to cook until onions are golden brown. Add minced garlic and cook 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat.

Stir balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, parsley, onion and garlic powders, salt and pepper into the onions in the skillet. Stir to loosen any caramelized bits from the bottom of the pan.

Place cream cheese in a large bowl. Stir onion mixture into the bowl with the cream cheese. Let onions cool slightly, and then stir in the sour cream. Garnish with chopped chives, if desired and serve at room temperature with potato chips or sliced vegetables.

Dip can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator. Allow to sit at room temperature for about 1 hour before serving.

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