3 Quick and Impressive Dinner Party Dishes

So I figured it’s about time I added some recipes to this site. A few nights ago I had a little dinner party/reunion at my apartment and made three dishes which came out really well but were rather easy to prepare. I did my ol’ faithful: Baked Brie, plus two new dishes: Baby Lamb Chops with Artichokes and Egg-Lemon Sauce and Tuna and Avocado Tartare.

StrumErika’s Baked Brie

I have been making this same baked brie dish since I was a freshman in High School and it has always been a hit. At this point, it is synonymous with me. Whenever I am hosting or going to a party I am always asked are you making baked brie? Well folks, I’m letting the cat out of the bag and now you can make it yourself at home

Ingredients:

1 wedge of brie (triple creme)
1 puffed pastry sheet (Pepperidge farm is the brand I always use, find these in the freezer section of the grocery store)
1 egg
Waxed paper
Tbsp butter
Tbsp honey
1 clove garlic, finely minced
Dash of flour
Dash of milk

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lay out your waxed paper on a flat surface and sprinkle with enough flour so the pastry does not stick to the pan. Open your puffed pastry and lay flat on the waxed paper. Using a roller- I tend to use wine bottles because I don’t bake and thus have no reason for rolling pins- roll the pastry so it spreads thin and has extra space to enclose the brie. Place the brie in the center of the pastry and fold the pastry over the brie so the entire wedge is enclosed in pastry. Moisten your fingers and seal all edges of the brie smoothly. Remove any excess pastry. The extra pastry can be used for decoration on top of the brie. I’ve shaped the pastry into footballs (super bowl parties), hearts (Vday), whatever. Be creative and as corny as you’d like.

Whisk your 1 egg with a dash of milk in a small bowl to make an egg-wash for the brie. Using a pastry brush, paint the egg wash on all sides of the brie.

Grease a small cookie sheet. Place the brie on the sheet and in the oven for around 18-24 minutes.

Just before the brie is ready, heat a small pan over a medium flame. Add your butter, honey, and garlic. Stir the sauce until the garlic becomes fragrant and sauteed.

When the brie becomes lightly browned, remove from the oven and place onto a serving platter. Pour the sauce over the brie and serve with Carr’s crackers or French bread. Enjoy!

Tuna and Avocado Tartare on Sesame Wonton Crisps (adapted from Epicurious.com)

Tartare
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons wasabi paste*
3/4 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
8 ounces sushi-quality ahi tuna steak, cut into 1/3-inch 12 wonton wrappers, each cut diagonally in half to form 2 triangles
Olive oil (for brushing)
Sesame seeds
1 medium avocado, halved, pitted, peeled, cut into 1/3-inch cubes
1 cup 1/3-inch cubes seeded English hothouse cucumber
1 green onion, finely chopped
Toasted sesame seeds
Chopped fresh chives
*Wasabi paste (horseradish paste) can be found in tubes in the Asian foods section or freshly made in the sushi section of most supermarkets.

For crisps:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange wonton triangles on sheet; brush each with olive oil and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake until triangles are golden brown, about 9 minutes. Cool on sheet. Can be made 8 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.

For tartare:
Whisk first 5 ingredients in medium bowl to blend. Add tuna, avocado, cucumber, and green onion; stir gently to coat. Spoon tartare into bowl; sprinkle with sesame seeds and chives and place on platter. Surround with crisps.

You can also serve the tartare with any other kind of flatbread or chips if you don’t have time to make the crisps. Personally, I couldn’t find wonton wrappers because I shopped in a small grocery store so I used sesame flatbread and it worked nicely.

Baby Lamb Chops with Artichokes and Egg-Lemon Sauce (recipe adapted from Michael Chiarello)

This recipe comes together really quickly. You can make the roasted artichokes in advance if you don’t have a lot of time on the day of your party. Be sure the butcher trims the bone on the chops for you.

Roasted Artichokes:
1/3 cup lemon juice
6 medium artichokes
2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, quartered lengthwise
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Preheat the oven to 325ºF.

Make the artichokes: Select a non-reactive bowl large enough to hold all the artichokes once they are trimmed and pour the 1/3 cup lemon juice into it. Working with 1 artichoke at a time, bend the tough outer leaves backward until they break at the point where the tough leaf becomes part of the tender base; stop when you reach the more tender interior leaves that are at least half yellow-green. With a serrated knife, cut across the leaves at the point where the color changes from yellow-green to dark green. Trim the stem of its outer layer, then trim the base, removing any dark green bits. Quarter the artichokes lengthwise and scoop out the hairy choke. As the artichokes are trimmed, drop them into the bowl holding the lemon juice and turn to coat. Toss occasionally to keep them coated with lemon.
When all the artichokes are trimmed, transfer them and the lemon juice to a large skillet along with the olive oil, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, salt, and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil over moderate heat, tossing to coat the artichokes with the seasonings, then transfer to the oven and cook until the artichokes are browned in spots and tender when pierced, about 35 minutes. Let cool, then cut each quarter into halves or thirds lengthwise.

Ingredients:
2 eggs
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
12 baby lamb rib chops
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup chicken stock or canned low-sodium broth
2 tablespoons finely minced fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley
1 large clove garlic, minced
1/2 recipe roasted artichokes,quarters halved lengthwise

Directions:
In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and lemon juice.Season the chops with salt and pepper. Just before you are ready to cook, dip the chops in the flour to coat both sides lightly. Shake off the excess.Heat a heavy 14-inch skillet over high heat. When the skillet is very hot, add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and swirl to coat, then add the chops. Sear them on one side until you see bloody juices rising, 3 to 4 minutes, then turn and cook for about 30 seconds on the second side. Transfer to a platter and keep warm in a low oven. Pour off the excess fat in the skillet. Return the skillet to high heat, add the wine, and stir with a wooden spoon to release any flavorful bits stuck to the skillet. Add the stock or broth and simmer until reduced by one-third. Pour the reduced liquid into a bowl and wipe out the skillet with a paper towel.

Return the skillet to moderately high heat and add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. When hot, add the parsley and garlic and saute½ briefly to release their fragrance. Add the artichokes and stir to coat with the seasonings, then return the liquid to the pan. Bring to a simmer, then remove the skillet from the heat and add the egg-lemon mixture. Swirl the pan constantly until the eggs thicken the sauce, which will happen quickly. Spoon the artichokes and sauce onto a warmed platter. Top with the lamb chops and serve immediately.

Related Posts:
Rice Paper Rolls of Sauteed Beef and Marinated Mushrooms

Introducing: Quick Bites

Bocca di Bacco

Filed under Appetizers, Fish, Lamb, Recipes | Comments (3)