Frozen puff pastry is your friend; each time you bake with it, you'll enjoy it more and guests will be dazzled. When you're expecting a crowd, make the pretzels a bit smaller for easier serving. Sprinkle them with your favourite topping.
1 sheet frozen puff pastry,
thawed (half 17.3-ounce
package)
1 large egg yolk beaten with 2
teaspoons water, for egg wash
Finely grated Parmesan cheese
Crumbled dried rosemary
Coarse salt
Caraway seeds
The Mustard Triplets
(recipes below)
METHOD
1. Position racks in the upper third and lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Have ready 2 large non-stick baking sheets.
2. Between 2 sheets of waxed paper, roll out the puff pastry to a 10-by-12-inch rectangle.
3. Remove the top sheet of waxed paper and cut the dough lengthwise into 1/2-inch strips. Shape each strip into a traditional twisted pretzel shape. Or cut each strip into two 6-inch pieces and shape into circles, squares or triangles. Arrange the pretzels 1 inch apart on the baking sheets.
4. Gently brush the top of each pretzel with egg wash. Sprinkle one third of the pretzels with cheese, one third with rosemary and salt, and one third with caraway seeds; use as much as you like.
5. Bake the pretzels 6 minutes. Switch the baking sheets between the upper and lower oven racks, and bake 6 to 8 minutes longer, or until the pretzels are golden brown. Carefully transfer the pretzels to a wire rack to cool.
6. Serve the pretzels at room temperature, with the mustards in small bowls for dipping.
Serves 8.
Spicy Peanut Sauce
All we can say is it's ADDICTIVE! Inspired by Thai cooks, this is dip dynamite. We've set the spice-meter at smoulder; stoke it with more curry and cayenne pepper if you really like fire. Enjoy the sauce, too, as a savoury hors d'oeuvre on crackers topped with chutney.
1 cup peanut butter
2 tbsps. soy sauce
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
and mashed
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
(or 1/2 tsp. lime)
1/2 tsp. curry powder
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
METHOD
1. In a blender, combine the peanut butter, soy sauce, garlic, lemon/lime juice, curry powder and cayenne pepper with 1/2 cup hot water. Blend until the mixture becomes a smooth paste. Cover the sauce and refrigerate several hours.
2. Let the sauce sit at room temperature 20 minutes before serving.
Serves 8.
Celestial Blue Cheese Dip
Here's a favourite flavour at the dip station -- tangy blue cheese. This dip is rich and creamy, just the way it should be for a party. Made a couple of hours ahead and refrigerated, the dip will intensify in flavour. Its creamy contrast is terrific with a crisp vegetable such as cucumber.
1 cup crumbled blue cheese
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
(or 1/2 tsp. lime juice)
1/2 cup heavy cream
(or evaporated milk)
METHOD
1. In a blender, puree the blue cheese with the olive oil and lemon juice until smooth.
2. Transfer the cheese mixture to a bowl and whisk in the heavy cream. Serve slightly chilled.
Serves 8.
Salami hash
No time to shop? No idea how many guests? Double, triple or quadruple this effortlessly. Save any leftovers (as if!) for a salami hash you can whip up for tomorrow's breakfast.
Roasted Salami (look for
salami in the deli section of
larger supermarkets)
1 (12-ounce) salami
The Mustard Triplets
(recipes below)
METHOD
1. Preheat the oven to 425ºF.
2. With the tip of a sharp knife, make a 1/2-inch-deep slit lengthwise in the salami. Place the salami in a baking pan, slit side up, and roast 1 1/2 hours, or until it is crispy and dark. Transfer the salami to a cutting board and let rest 5 minutes.
3. Cut the salami into bite-size chunks. Spear the chunks with toothpicks and serve with the dipping mustards.
Serves 8.
The Mustard Triplets -- Grainy, Spicy & Wasabi
Grainy Dipping Mustard:
1/2 cup grainy Dijon mustard
1 tsp. each finely chopped
fresh tarragon, basil
and parsley
Spicy Dipping Mustard:
1/2 cup yellow mustard
1 tsp. hot sauce
Wasabi Dipping Mustard
1/2 cup yellow mustard
1 1/2 tsps. wasabi powder,
or to taste (check out the Asian
section in larger supermarkets)
METHOD
For each mustard flavour, combine the ingredients in a small bowl. Mix the ingredients until they are blended and cover the bowls. The mustards can be made up to a day ahead and kept in the refrigerator. Allow them to stand at room temperature 30 minutes, then transfer them to serving bowls.
