What 3 appetizer's can my sister make for $20 for her cooking class?

Question

The class she loves and it makes her use money wisely. The appetizer's are for 3 teachers. 1 must be with meat, 1 with no meat, 1 with fruit. She has to make them as if they were for a 5 star restaurant, so no cheap idea's. Any recipe's would help. No website links.

Answer 1

For fruit you could make grilled peaches they are really yummy and easy and cheap. Just sprinkle some brown sugar on the fleshy side of the peach half and grill. Garnish with mint.

For no meat  you could make vegetable tempura with a soy sesame sauce. Here is the batter recipe  Ingredients:

1 egg

1 cup ice water

1 cup all purpose flour

Preparation:

Beat an egg in a bowl. Add ice water in the bowl. Be sure to use very cold water. Add sifted flour in the bowl and mix lightly. Be careful not to overmix the batter.

Makes 4 servings

After you make the batter dip desired vegetables in it usually sweet potato, mushrooms, potato, eggplant, green peppers and so on. Fry in vegetable oil at 350 degrees until golden brown.

For soy sesame sauce, Mix 2 parts soy sauce 1 part sesame oil and one part rice wine vinegar.

For the meat dish I would make kabobs since you can use smaller amounts of meat mixed with vegetables that would be pretty budget friendly.  You could maranade the meat also for tenderness, one of my favorite marinades is 3/4 cup of soy sauce, 1/4 cup of lemon juice, a small onion grated and two garlic cloves smashed mix together and add meat and marinade for at least thirty minutes.  

Answer 2

Watermelon Gazpacho Shooters

Difficulty:  Easy

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Inactive Prep Time: 1 hour

Yield: about 16 shooters

4 cups seedless watermelon (about 3 pounds), diced

2 to 3 tomatillos, diced

1 tablespoon seeded and diced jalapeno (about 1/2 pepper)

1 lime, zested and juiced

1/2 teaspoon salt

Pinch cayenne pepper

Lime slices, for garnish

Special Equipment: Shot glasses

Put the watermelon, tomatillos, jalapeno, lime juice and zest, salt and pepper into a blender or food processor, working in batches if necessary. Blend until the mixture is smooth. Chill well before serving, at least 1 hour and up to 1 day. To serve, pour about 2 ounces of the gazpacho into shot glasses and garnish with a lime slice.

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Wild Mushroom Tartlets

Prep Time:  25 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Yield: 5 dozen - Serves 30 (2 per person)

2 tablespoons butter

1 shallot, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 pound wild mushrooms (cremini, portobello, shiitake, morel, oyster), coarsely chopped

8 ounces goat cheese

1/4 cup truffle or olive oil

1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Salt and pepper, to taste

60 phyllo-pastry tartlet shells, packaged

Garnish: sliced mushroom, chopped chives

In a large saute pan over medium heat, melt butter. Add the shallot and garlic, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Add the chopped mushrooms. Cook until the mushrooms begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Transfer the mushroom mixture to a food processor and add the goat cheese. Add the oil and parsley. Pulse until the mixture comes together. Season with salt and pepper and pulse again.

Spoon mushroom filling into tartlet shells and place on a baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 10 minutes. Garnish with sliced mushroom and chopped chive before serving.

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Tuscan Mushrooms

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

Show:   Everyday Italian

Episode:   Great Weekend Hors d' Oeuvres

Tuscan Mushrooms

1/2 cup diced jarred roasted red bell peppers

1/2 cup diced pitted green olives

1/2 cup grated pecorino Romano

2 scallions, diced

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 pound white button mushrooms, cleaned and stemmed

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil leaves

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In a medium bowl mix together the roasted red bell peppers, olives, cheese, scallions, olive oil, salt, and pepper.

On a parchment paper-lined baking sheet place the mushrooms, cavity side up. Spoon the filling into the cavity of the mushrooms. Bake until the mushrooms are tender, about 20 minutes.

Transfer the mushrooms to a serving platter, sprinkle with chopped basil, and serve.

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Polenta and Chicken Tartlets

Difficulty:  Easy

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Inactive Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Polenta and Chicken Tartlets

For the tartlets:

1 pound instant polenta (about 2 1/2 cups)

1 cup cream

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the topping:

2 cups shredded store-bought roasted chicken

1/2 cup store-bought pesto

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup dried cranberries

Special equipment: 2-inch diameter scalloped cookie cutter

For the tartlets:

Make the polenta according to package instructions. Just before the polenta is finished thickening, add the cream, salt, and pepper. Pour the polenta onto a greased, rimmed baking sheet. Set aside to cool and firm up, about 30 minutes.

For the topping: In a medium bowl, combine the chicken, pesto, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine.

To assemble: Using a 2-inch diameter scalloped cookie cutter, cut the polenta into tartlet shapes, about 24, and place them on a serving platter. Top each polenta tartlet with a spoonful of chicken. Top the chicken with a few dried cranberries. Serve.

Answer 3

1.) no meat

-mini brushchettas...get a small baguette...and cut it into circles and make a bruschetta topping with tomatoes, onions peppers and chopped cilantro and top with either a little bit of feta or parmasean

-easy pesto

using the same bread as for the cilantro

to make the pesto...2 bunches of fresh basil

-2 cloves of garlic

-parmasean cheese

-italian dressing and 2 tablespoons of olive oil

-put all of those items into a blender or food processor and add the italian dressing to taste and so that the pesto is more of a paste

-lightly toast the bread spread regular cream cheese on top and then spread a layer of the pesto over the cream cheese garnish with some parm

-its really delicious

2.)  fruit...

you could dip different fruits into chocolate...specifically pices of pineapple and strawberries

3.)  meat

-you could make mini chicken skewers...and pick a choice of topings and seasonings for it..use fresh herbs

-somthing really delicoius I just had was asparagus wrapped in bacon...fry the bacon lightly to get some of the fat out and then cut the asparagus so its not too long (about 2 inches or so) and wrap the bacon around it holding it in place with toothpicks and put it in the oven for a little while...to finish cooking the bacon and to make the asaragus a little tender

PS you would have to make sure to blanche the asparagus first.!

Good luck...hope its a little helpful!

Sounds like a fun class

Answer 4

Suggestions:

Meat: Lettuce cups with marinated chicken topped in a teriyaki sauce (I can give you my recipe if you want it)

No Meat: Grilled Pita bread sprinkled with salt and pepper & topped with goat cheese, carmelized onions and fresh parsley

Fruit: Take whole strawberries and put them on skewers. Heat balsamic vinegar and sugar down in a pan, then drizzle over strawberries. Sounds weird but its good...

Answer 5

no problem

5 star doesn't always have to be expensive.

a few tips before we get started.

Make sure the plate is clean and no finger prints. Chef's use rubber gloves when handling plates or don't touch the top rim of the plate.

simple garnish.

big plates with small portions

colour, colour

contrasting colours

recipe 1

cold rolled tortilla

ingredients

3Large whole wheat flour tortilla

cream cheese 8 oz.

fresh parsley chopped fine 1/8 cup

tomatoes 2 chopped fine

1 yellow pepper chopped fine

8 pickles whole

salt and pepper

prepraration

seperate cream cheese into three bowls

add chopped parsley to one

add chopped yellow peppers into one

add chopped tomatoes into one

9 pickles (not sweet) depending on size

mix each bowl so cream cheese and ingredients are mixed very well and cheese is spreadable

lay tortilla flat and spread a thin layer of each cream cheese mixture on the tortilla

use a spatula and dip into a glass of hot water to help the spreading

layer one parsley

layer two yellow peppers

layer three tomatoes

1/2 cup salsa

repeat with all tortillas

then place pickles on tortilla about 3 inches from the edge.

make sure pickles are reaching the edge of boith sides of tortilla.

then roll

refridgerate for 1 hour

then cut into rolls about 1 inch in size.

on large platter or plate place bowl of salsa in the cente

Layer  rolls around salsa creating a sprial effect work from the inside out.

recipe 2

beef with spicy mustard

ingredients

6 slices of thin sliced cook beef ( deli roast beef)

1/4 red onion sliced thin

horseradish mustard

6 stuffed olives cut in half keeping the circle shape

12 triscuit crakers

12 sprigs cilantro

2 tbsp mayonaisse

preparation

cut roast beef slices in half to get 12 pieces

roll the roast beef up into thin sticks

place a 1/4 tsp of mayonaisse on one corner of cracker.

Lay roast beef on a angle one end touching the mayonaisse. If beef is to long trim so it fits on the cracker.

Place olive large side up on mayonaisse side on an angle

squeeze a small thin stirp of mustard corner to corner going across roast beef slice.

place three thin strips on onion on top of roast beef

place small sprig of cliantro on top of beef using mustrad to secure the cilanrto

arrange on plate

recipe three

sweet harvest crunch

ingredients

1 seedless cucumber

6 cherry tomatoes

1 cup 1 inch diced cantalope seeds and skin removed

12 drops balsamic vineger

sesame seeds

salt and pepper

12 -6 inch tooth picks

preparation

cut 12 slices 1/4 inch thick cucumber

cut cherry tomatoes in half

place cherry tomato on cucumber season with salt and pepper

place cantalope on tomato and secure everthing with toothpick

arrange on large plate

put 1 drop of balsmaic vinegar on top of each appetizer

sprinkle sesame seeds on top of each appetizer ( three or four seeds)

then sprinkle seeds around plate for garnish

I hope this helps

chef robert

culinary instructor

Author of Chef robert presents romantic dinners for two

  

Answer 6

mini burgers with all the works

deep fried goatcheese balls on top of baby greens

mini fruit tarts

Answer 7

Stuffed Bell Peppers with meat, cheese and whatever else you want to add.

Little Pizzas using maybe french bread with sauce and cheese, onions, peppers, tomatoes.

Cut up fruit served on wooden skewers.  Can even be grilled.

Answer 8

i love the fact you say for 20 dollars then you say no cheap ideas? you contradict yourself with that statement.

the santa fe wraps cut into pieces w toothpicks is wonderful ...idea and makes plenty.http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula...

chicken drumettes as the meat one http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/...

tomato and watermelon skewers w basil..i would make a dip for this...

w cream cheese..but you dont have enough money left.http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/every...

Answer 9

$20 each or $20 altogether?  It would be hard to make 3 good appetizers for only $20.  One I like to make is BLT dip...I mix half and half may and sour cream and layer it in the bottom of a casserole dish, put a layer of cut up avocado, lettuce bacon and tomato and serve with crackers.  People love it and its not TOO expensive.

Another dip I like to make contains shrimp, avocado, black beans, corn tomatoes, chili powder, cilantro and lime...served with crackers.

Tuna roll ups are cheap.  I make my tuna with onions an what not mixed in and roll the tuna in to lettuce leaves.

There is also mini weiners in blanket.  I get lil smokies and pillbury cresent rolls.  Quarter or half each cresent roll and wrap the weenies...bake.  You can add cheese to these also.

Hot wings...make a flour batter with ceyanne pepper, coat wings, deep fry for like 10 minutes then toss in a mixture of half melted butter and half lousianna hot sauce.

Answer 10

If they are asking for 5 star quality, I suggest she go to foodnetwork.com.  Hey, they are from top chefs that own 5 star restaurants, so can't go wrong there.