DINNER PARTY FOR SEVEN
" Everyone had a wonderful time and were still commenting on your glorious food the following day." CJ
" Everyone had a wonderful time and were still commenting on your glorious food the following day." CJ
This was a recent dinner party for seven women who had rented a house to spend a weekend in honor of a friend who was soon to be married, a bachelorette party, if you will. In the picture of the appetizer you will see the plate that was available to use. When you rent a house most of the supplies are catch as catch can. I try to visit in advance to find out what is there and what needs to be be brought in for the dinner. These plates were nice with a Brooklyn theme on them. The recipe for the appetizer follows. It was something I invented especially for the occasion using locally available ingredients. You can appreciate the complexity that results in simplicity. Here is the menu:
MENU
Forbidden Rice/Avocado & Cucumber/Smoked Salmon/
Smoked Trout STACK – Salmon Caviar, Capers & Piquant Sauce
With Watercress, Belgian Endive, Red Cabbage
In Citrus Vinaigrette
Rosemary Grilled Butterflied Lamb
With Mint Oil & Lamb Jus
Scalloped Potatoes
Roasted Vegetables: Carrots, Parsnips, Turnips,
Brussels Sprouts, Rutabaga, Goldern Beets, Red Beets with Extra-Virgin Olive oil and Thyme
Chocolate Mousse with Whipped Cream & Cocoa
Powder
Mont St. Michel Biscuit
 |
| The Forbidden Rice and smoked fish appetizer from the top. |
Recipe for:
FORBIDDEN RICE MOLDED
STACK
Serves 8 to 10
This is a multi-layered stack with Black Forbidden Rice, topped with a mixture of Avocado and Cucumber in
a Citrus Vinaigrette, topped with
half Smoked Salmon and half Smoked Trout and garnished with Salmon Caviar and Capers. A piquant sauce is added to peek the flavors and retain
moisture.
FIRST LAYER
To make the Forbidden
Rice:
1 cup rice
¼ cup combination vinegar (2 tablespoons white wine vinegar/2
tablespoons rice vinegar)
2 tablespoons cane sugar
1 tablespoon salt
Rinse the rice, drain and let dry
in the strainer for 15 minutes. Add the rice to 2 cups of water. Bring it to a
boil, cover, cook for 10 minutes over medium heat, then 10 minutes over low
heat. The water should be absorbed by then, if not give it another 5 minutes. Then
remove from the heat and leave covered to rest for 15 minutes. Put into a
wooden bowl.
While the rice is cooking make the
vinegar sauce by combining the vinegars, sugar and salt and heating it until
the sugar and salt are dissolved.
Then drizzle the vinegar mixture
over the rice that has rested the full 15 minutes using a bamboo rice paddle or
spatula. Fanning with the paddle to separate the rice until the mixture is
absorbed. Cover with a damp towel and leave.
SECOND LAYER
1 ripe Avocado
1 cucumber, preferably a Kirby
Remove the flesh from the Avocado
and cut into small cubes. Peel and deseed the cucumber and cut into cubes about
the same size. Mix together. Add about 1-2 tablespoons of Citrus Vinaigrette
and a pinch of salt. Combine lightly careful not to mush the Avocado
Make a Citrus
Vinaigrette:
Juice of a lemon, lime and half an orange
Good quality extra-virgin olive oil
Combine well, beating with a fork.
THIRD LAYER
Smoked Salmon (local)
This calls for hot smoked salmon, not lox or Nova Scotia. I
buy mine from Hookline Fish Co. on Route 28 in Kingston.
Smoked Trout (local)
I buy Lenny B’s smoked trout either directly from him or
from Cheese Louise also on Route 28, Kingston, or Sunfrost on Route 212 in
Woodstock.
You need about a half cup of each.
The salmon is easy to separate from the skin and shred. The trout requires more
attention as it is a whole fish. Be careful to remove all the bones. Then shred
the flesh. This is best done with your fingers. Put each fish into a small
container. Note: It would be perfectly fine to just use one of these fish
instead of both.
The salmon caviar only requires you
to refrigerate the jar and to remove some caviar. The capers should be rinsed
and drained and loosely chopped.
You also need a round metal mold. Small
cans of tomato sauce with the ingredients removed and the top and bottom of the
can removed works well. Or, you can visit a kitchen supply store and get a
small mold. (add measurements)
THE SAUCE:
2-3 tablespoons Mayonnaise (I use Just Mayo)
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon roasted sesame oil
lime juice
dash of shiracha sauce
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger, or ginger juice, optional
Mix all together well. Put into a squirt container. Add more
lime juice if necessary to make the mixture slightly liquefied.
Now that you have all the ingredients prepared you can begin
to plate.
It’s preferably to have a chilled plate but if you don’t
that’s okay.
1 -Place the mold in the center of the clean plate. Take a
few spoonfuls of the prepared Forbidden rice and press it to the bottom.
2 -Then take a few spoonfuls of the avocado/cucumber mixture
and cover the layer of rice, spreading it out.
3 –Then take some smoked salmon and place it over one half
of the Avocado/Cucumber mixture. Do the same with the trout. Press both down
slightly.
4 – Take a few salmon eggs and place it on the smoked
salmon. Do the same with the capers on the trout.
5 – Shake the container with the sauce and using a zigzag
motion put some on top of the stack and down the front of the plate.
6 – Carefully pull up the metal mold. If some flakes of fish
fall off don’t worry about it. You can place them back if you like.
SALAD:
Watercress, with thick stems removed
Belgian Endive, sliced across in slivers
Red Cabbage, thin sliced
I used two different types of
watercress. I found a hydroponic variety at the local health food store that
gets sold still in the soil, and also used the more common type. You can use
whatever greens you like. Separate the sections into small pieces that don’t
require cutting in order to fit into someone’s mouth. Toss in the Belgian
Endive separating the leaves. Add some thin slices of red cabbage for color.
Julienned carrot and other ingredients could be added for color. Nasturtiums
would be nice. Coat and toss all the salad with a small amount of the Citrus
Vinaigrette, keep it light.
Place on the plate surrounding the top half.
