Sur La Table Demo: Easy Thanksgiving Appetizers

I haven't taken a cooking class recently, but when I saw that Sur La Table was doing a demo, I figured that it might be beneficial. This demo was for easy Thanksgiving appetizers. The menu started off with a quinoa fritter topped with a lime mayo and smoked salmon. This is a much more creative option than doing crackers and cheese. The fritter was made with eggs, flour, shallots, spices and quinoa. You could also make these into patties for a different alternative to a burger if you don't want to do bite sized fritters. The key is to make sure that the edge is golden brown before you turn them. To make the mayo, it was mayo, lime zest and lime juice. I would use plain nonfat greek yogurt instead of the mayo. It was simple and fresh but brought out the flavors in the smoked salmon. The chef mentioned to read the recipe all the way through because sometimes will list the juice before the zest and once you juice something, you can't really get the zest. The crunchy outside kept the quinoa tender and the creaminess of the mayo with the smoked savory created a wonderful array of flavors.

Next on the menu was honey mustard palmiers. A palmier is a pastry that has been rolled into the shape of an elephant ear. You might be a bit scared of a making a pastry because I know I was a bit leery of it. However, you use a piece of store bought puff pastry and roll it out to makes the pastry a bit thinner. (Much more manageable than making your own!) This uses a combination of honey and Dijon mustard to make your own honey mustard. The chef also said that you could use grainy mustard which I think would be even better. Than you brush on the honey mustard, top with prosciutto and parmesan cheese. Roll each side to the middle and then slice and refrigerate. The best part is you can store them like this so all you have to do is brush with an egg wash and then back. Another kitchen tip I learned what that milk can also be used in place of an egg wash. These palmiers had a touch of sweetness and some salt from the cheese and prosciutto. The crust was nice and flaky and these seemed to be much easier then I thought. The only thing is that there is some waiting time for the dough to chill. If you are serving these, I would say make these in the morning and get them all ready to bake while other things are in the oven.

The last appetizer that we tasted were spiced nuts...and yes, these nuts had a good bit of kick to them but thy were a little bit addicting.  If you have never made coated nuts before, they are actually quite simple to make. All you need is an airy egg white, nuts and a spice mix. Toss it all together in a bowl and then bake. The most difficult thing is to make sure that you don't let the sugar over caramelize. If you begin to smell the nuts and the sugar than then, they are done. Baking them on a Silipat is helpful because it will prevent the nuts from sticking to the pan. These demo class was really great and though you don't get to do any of the cooking, sometimes it's helpful to get new ideas (that have been tested) and of course getting to taste is always fun!

Essential Kitchen Tools

The kitchen is a place where magic happens and you can create some of the most wonderful things for your tummy. However, without the right tools it can be very time consuming. Creating the perfect toolbox for the kitchen doesn't have to expensive or overwhelming. What I have found is that it is an evolving process. I love finding new things that make being in the kitchen fun. One year for Christmas, I had found a garlic zoom at Williams Sonoma. All it was was a little circular box with wheels and a blade. You put the garlic cloves in and rolled it on the counter to chop the garlic. Let's just say garlic got put in everything.

I think that some of the essentials are a spatula, whisk, tongs, kitchen scissors, turner, and a spoon. From there, you begin to see what you might need based on the things you like to make. Kitchen tools are there to make your life easier, so for me I make pasta a lot and a pasta or slotted spoon comes in handy all the time. Once you have the essentials, then you get to add fun ones that you don't absolutely need to have but are just fun. I bake quite a bit, so a cake tester is very useful. Luckily for me, I got a really cute one, but toothpicks are usually something that are on hand and do the job just as well.

One of the newest ones, I have gotten is a lemon and lime juicer. I don't do a ton of juicing, but when I have to it's a pain. Somehow my hand is not as effective and I feel like I am wasting a lot of juice, especially with limes. I have seen the individual colored ones, like orange, yellow, and green for oranges, lemons, and limes, but not one like this. It can be used for lemons and limes. The larger bottom section holds the lemons and the middle section is for limes. All you do is put the half of whatever you are juicing in the appropriate section and squeeze. I think that it will be much better than me squeezing them by hand.

Though you can buy garlic chopped or minced, somehow using freshly peeled garlic makes everything ten times better. Since I use a lot of garlic, I decided it was time to invest in a garlic press. This one has a removable tray for easy cleaning. However, I was slightly upset when I found out this one did not have an awesome cleaning tool that pushes the garlic remains out of the holes. Oh, well. If you have never used one before, all you do is put the peeled clove in and squeeze directly into the pan.

I know that you are probably thinking that this is a pretty expensive toolbox, but it doesn't have to be. I am not a seasoned chef, so I am okay with not having professional grade tools, which can be very pricey. The higher end kitchen stores, like Willams Sonoma and Sur La Table, have these tools, but are more expensive. I have found that Marshalls has a lot of these for about half the price and they have well known brands like KitchenAid. I hope that you have a better idea of how to put together your own kitchen toolbox. Feel free to leave any questions you have. Let me know what your favorite kitchen tool is and if you know of any places to get great deals on tools.