Surreal Gourmet Bites: Showstoppers and Conversation StartersThe Food Network's Bob Blumer is called the Surreal Gourmet for good reason: he's an artist when it comes to creating dishes as fun and delicious to look at as they are to eat. Ceci n'est pas your ordinary party fare, but an array of 50 little mouthwatering masterpieces. With recipes such as Coconut Shrimp Lollypops (skewered shrimp with an amazing apricot dipping sauce), Chinese Snow Cones (wontons stuffed with chicken salad and ginger vinaigrette), and the ingenious and very adult S'more Shooters (amaretto hot chocolate with roasted marshmallows), guests will be abuzz about the food all the way home. Complete with tips and techniques, including shortcuts and prep times, as well as whimsical presentation ideas and Bob's quintessential suggestions for music to cook by, each cocktail bite is simple enough for the home cook and memorable enough to become addictive. With Surreal Gourmet Bites, the food will be the life of the party. |
Contents
table of contents 8 introduction | 8 |
fish | 13 |
haiku halibut misomarinated halibut on cucumber noodles | 14 |
psychedelic caviar wasabi caviar and salmon roe on gingered lemon slices | 17 |
bloody oyster shooters freshly shucked oysters in clamato bloody marys | 18 |
fish cakes salmon cupcakes with dill mashed potato icing | 21 |
samurai scallops sesamecrusted panseared scallops in an asian vinaigrette | 23 |
fingerlickin shrimp saltcrusted shrimp with an herbed olive oil dipping sauce | 27 |
cauliflower popcorn ovenroasted caramelized cauliflower florets | 79 |
byzantine bruschetta heirloom tomato bruschetta | 80 |
french fried polenta panfried truffled polenta | 83 |
rings of fire fiery beerbattered onion rings | 84 |
bee stings truffled honeydrizzled parmigianoreggiano nuggets | 86 |
gazpacholé tomato gazpacho in tomato cups | 89 |
cucumber shooters cucumber gazpacho in sculpted cucumbers | 90 |
lovin spoonfuls panfried polenta hearts in roasted red bell pepper sauce | 93 |
maple salmon suckers mapleglazed peppercrusted salmon | 28 |
margarita ceviche tequilaspiked scallop ceviche | 31 |
vodka latkes latke and smoked salmon sandwiches with lemon vodka shots | 32 |
tuna fish chips cumincrusted ahi tuna with avocado relish on blue tortilla chips | 35 |
coconut shrimp lollypops coconutcrusted shrimp with an apricotginger dipping sauce | 37 |
meat | 39 |
gaucho snacks new york strip with chimichurri sauce on sourdough wafers | 42 |
chorizo corn pups cornbattered chorizoonastick | 45 |
cocktail dates baconwrapped parmesanstuffed dates | 46 |
nest eggs softboiled quail eggs on a bed of frisée aux lardons in fried potato nests | 49 |
cowboy cookies chilecrusted tenderloin between caramelized yam slices | 51 |
hog heaven mortadella crostini | 55 |
insideout BLTS bacon arugula and goat cheese sandwiched between fried tomato slices | 56 |
fowl | 59 |
chicken popsicles lemonglazed herbbreaded chicken tenders | 60 |
foie gras jam foie gras pâté and savory strawberry compote crostini | 62 |
chinese snow cones chinese chicken salad with ginger vinaigrette in wonton cones | 65 |
lucky duck panseared duck breast with plum compote on fried wontons | 67 |
goose mousse goose liver pâté crostini | 71 |
bangbang drummettes cinnamonhabanero chicken drummettes | 72 |
veggies | 75 |
caesar teaser caesar salad in mini parmesan cups | 76 |
sweets | 97 |
egg creams white chocolate mousse eggs with mango yolks | 98 |
pearls of wisdom white chocolate truffles | 100 |
nutcases honeydrizzled spiced walnut and gorgonzola bites | 103 |
lemongrass licks frozen fruit cocktails on lemongrass skewers | 105 |
smore shooters amaretto hot chocolate with roasted marshmallows | 106 |
coffee crisp espresso crème brûlée | 109 |
dog bones white pepper ginger biscuits | 110 |
carrot cake shooters sugared and spiced carrot juice | 112 |
hangover helpers strawberry milkshakes with chambord | 114 |
honey do shooters honeydew melon purée | 116 |
ice breakers fruit juice ices drizzled with ice wine | 119 |
knuckle sandwich nutella hazelnuts and sautéed pears on toasted pound cake | 120 |
yum yum wontons candied ginger and mango wontons | 123 |
fodder | 125 |
fear of frying | 126 |
proper handling of advanceprepped ingredients raw and coddled eggs wine for the road | 127 |
suggested menus | 128 |
praise | 129 |
| 130 | |
table of equivalents | |
Common terms and phrases
1/2 teaspoon 12 bites 20 minutes shortcuts active prep 25 aioli baking sheet batch batter bell pepper black pepper bread canola oil carrot caviar cheese chicken chimichurri chocolate chorizo coconut cream crispy cucumber days in advance dipping sauce drizzle duck flavors freshly ground black frozen frying golden brown grill ground black pepper honey hour shortcuts ice wine inch ingredients Let cool level of difficulty liquid assets mango marinade medium bowl medium-high heat melon baller minced minutes cooking minutes inactive prep minutes shortcuts Skip music to cook olive oil Parmigiano-Reggiano peeled polenta pony glasses potatoes Preheat oven prep 1 hour prep 30 minutes purée refrigerated Reserve salmon sauté pan scallops seeds discarded serving shallot shells shooters shot glasses shrimp slices small bowl spoon store-bought strainer sugar Surreal Gourmet tablespoons tablespoons freshly squeezed teaspoon teaspoon salt toasted tomato Toss truffle oil uncommon vinegar whisk wonton wonton wrappers yield yolk