Cornmeal Blini Appetizers

Is everyone ready to welcome the New Year?

It seems to me that the clock is ticking  faster and faster every year.

If you are hosting a party this year, how about try some of these?

These are bite sized appetizer also known as amuse-bouche. It’s perfect for any cocktail party with friends or family or when you’re home alone and feeling particularly fancy.

 

If you love eating sushi with it’s fresh and delicate flavors then you will definitely love this take.

The base is made of cornmeal blinis. Then topped it with pickled ginger (gari) sour cream, thin slices of salmon sashimi and caviar.

Cornmeal Blini Bites  adapted from The Foodnetwork’s website

1 8.5-ounce box corn muffin mix
1/2 cup milk
1 large egg, beaten
1/4 cup melted butter
salt pepper

butter or olive oil, for shallow frying

1/2 cup sour cream
salt and pepper
2 tbs chopped pickled ginger (gari)

Fresh salmon sashimi and caviar

Whisk the muffin mix, milk, egg, butter and salt and pepper together until smooth.

Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add 1/4 inch of oil or butter to the pan and heat until shimmering. Working in batches, drop teaspoons of batter into the oil to make small pancakes, about 1 1/2 inches or smaller about 1 inch wide. Cook until bubbles appear on the tops and the bottoms are golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip and finish cooking, about 1 more minute.

Top each blini with the sour cream and ginger mixture and then finish it with  thin slices of fresh salmon sashimi and caviar.

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Crispy Lemon Fish with Saffron-Butter Rice

Last weekend at the farmer’s markets, I bought a ton of fresh lemons. I was really inspired by all the pretty bright colors of summer and wanted to make something really pretty and bright! Following my previous post on the mango salad, I couldn’t help but make another summer theme dish. I also bought some fresh cod fish fillets and decided on making some crispy fried fish.

I‘ve always love fried fish. Not so much of fried chicken, but a good fried fish is always on my list of current cravings. Now, normally I would love the pairing of crispy fish with chips but somehow this time, I decided on the the saffron-butter rice option instead. I feel that the saffron-butter rice just complements the  fish so well and a couple squirts of fresh lemon juice to finish just makes the flavors pop!

Crispy Lemon Fish

1lb cod fish fillet
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
2 egg
3/4 cup all-purpose flour (plus extra for dredging)
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup oil for frying
1 whole lemon 

To make the crispy fish:

Heat the oil in a large heavy skillet over a medium-high heat.

Meanwhile, season the fish with salt and pepper and then coat them in a little all-purpose flour.

Now, in a shallow dish break the eggs and lightly season with salt, pepper, and then add in the fresh thyme leaves. Mix that all together. Dip the flour coated fish into the egg mixture and then coat them with the combine flour mixture of all-purpose and the cornstarch. Shake off excess flour and let it rest for 5 minutes. Cook the fish fillet in the hot oil for 4-5 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Squeeze the juice of a whole lemon over the hot fried fish.

 

Saffron-Butter Rice
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup uncooked long grain white rice
2 cups chicken broth or water
1 pinch saffron threads
salt and pepper
1 whole lemon, juice and rind

Heat the butter and olive oil in a pot over medium heat, then add the rice,saffron, salt and pepper and stir to coat. Then add in the chicken broth and lemon rind. Reduce the heat and cover. Allow it to simmer for about 20 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed. Fluff it with a fork and then squezee the lemon juice over the warm rice.

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