New Year's Eve Appetizers

A few suggestions for appetizers to serve New Years Eve and New Years Day.  Some of my tried and true favourites.

Thibeault's Table - Recipe Collection - Appetizers

Escargot In Mini Toast Cups

Escargot In Mini Toast Cups
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Source: Elegant Entertaining Cookbook - M. Sable

1 loaf of white bread
1/4 cup melted butter
1 can escargot (36 to 50 size)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 shallots
2 teaspoons fresh thyme (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
1 bay leaf
1 cup whipping cream
2 cloves of garlic
salt and pepper
1/4 cup butter
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Option:  Puff Pastry instead of toast cups)

Preheat oven to 400° Cut crusts off bread and roll out very thin. Cut 2 inch rounds and fit each round gently into a well buttered 1 1/4 muffin tin. Brush tops of rounds with melted butter and bake them for 10 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Remove from tins and cool.
In a medium sauce pan combine wine, chicken stock and shallots, thyme and bay leaf. Bring to a boil and reduce liquid to 1/3 cup. Stir in cream, garlic, salt and pepper. Reduce liquid to 1/2 cup. Add escargot. Remove bay leaf and stir in butter. Fill each croustade with 1 or 2 escargot and some of the sauce. Sprinkle with minced parsley.

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 Serve in larger toast cups for a first course at the table

Blue Cheese Tartlets 

Recipe 

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Escargot Stilton

Recipe - Escargot Stilton

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Focaccia  Topped with Warm Goat Cheese

with Tapenade and Roasted Red Peppers
Recipe 


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La Gougere
This is one of my son's favourites

Recipe for La Gougere
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Layered Crab and Spinach Terrine

Layered Crab And Spinach Terrine
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From the California Culinary Academy

Crab Layer

1/2 pound crab meat, picked over and flaked

1/4 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon Dijon Mustard

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 large eggs



Spinach Layer

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter

2 teaspoons flour

1/2 cup whipping cream

2/3 cup half and half

1 1/4 pounds cooked spinach
Drained and squeezed to remove excess moisture

3 eggs

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon sugar

salt to taste

Sauce

Mix together,

1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon finely minced roasted red pepper
1 clove of minced garlic
salt and pepper to taste.

Chives for garnish

Preheat oven to 375°F.  For the crab layer:  In a medium bowl combine the crab, sour cream, lemon juice, mustard, salt, pepper and cayenne.  Stir in eggs and set mixture aside.

For the Spinach layer:  Melt butter in a heavy saucepan until foamy.  Whisk in flour and cook for 3 minutes over medium heat, stirring constantly.

Whisk in whipping cream and half-and-half.  Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer slowly 10 minutes.  Stir occasionally, scraping down the sides and around the bottom as necessary.  Mixture will
thicken as cooks.

Remove from heat and stir in spinach.  Let cool.  Stir in eggs, one at a time then add black pepper, nutmeg, sugar and salt.

To assemble the terrine:  Grease an 8 cup loaf pan/terrine pan with butter.  Spoon half the crab mixture in the bottom and cover with all of the spinach mixture.  Spoon remaining crab mixture over the spinach.

Set the terrine in a baking pan and pour 1 inch of hot water into the baking pan. Bake uncovered until golden brown and puffy.  Approximately 30 to 45 minutes. Cool on a rack and then refrigerate.

To serve, run a knife around the edge and invert on to a serving platter.  Slice about 1/2 thick slices and place two on each plate.  Decorate plate with a lettuce leaf and place a dollop of the sauce on the lettuce leaf.  Garnish with a few chives.

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Mushrooms and Pimento in Puff Pastry

(Spanish Tapa)

Recipe - Mushroom and Pimento in Puff Pastry

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Tuna Pate

Don't let the name throw you off.  This is a very rich buttery pate.  One of my favourites.

Recipe - Tuna Pate

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Jacques Pepin's Chicken Liver Pate

 Recipe - Jacques Pepin's Chicken Liver Pate

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