I was talking to Speedy, and we were trying to think of a traditional New Year’s dinner for a good recipe idea. OK, we weren’t really talking; we were texting back and forth (But don’t even bother to try texting me. I can only text from home using my iPod touch; my phone doesn’t text, so if you text me, I’ll never get it.) Anyway, what we came up with is something I’ve mentioned a few times over the New Year’s past already and that is that there really isn’t a traditional meal, but rather it is a night for appetizers and snacks. Christmas and Thanksgiving are the two days during this period that are known for the meals.
One thing he was interested in was an individual-sized, roasted chicken pot pie. I thought about that for a few minutes and I have some ideas, but before I write that in an article, I need to make a few notes so I get the amounts down. I will say, for any of you that want to give this a shot, it’s a great idea. Use a mini muffin tin because the whole idea of an appetizer of this nature is to be one or two bites and you should be able to eat it while standing and socializing. Using a full-sized muffin tin will mean you need to sit down and use a plate. Now, you’re talking dishes and, well, you get the point.
One appetizer you can make on the same idea is a Chicken Duxelle Pinwheel. This is one of those apps that everyone, except maybe Hipper, will go straight for. This recipe is easy to add ingredients you might like or to substitute veggies for the chicken and make it vegetarian. Another option to this recipe, just in case you don’t eat mushrooms, Hipper, is to make a tapenade. This would be good for the veggie version or even as the only ingredient in the wheels.
One more app I want to mention quickly before I give you the recipe for the pinwheels, is the classic Bacon Wrapped Scallop. This is another appetizer with which it is hard to keep the platter full. They will disappear just as fast as you put them out. The one thing you should remember is that you need to par-cook your bacon before wrapping the scallop. Lay your bacon out on sheet pan with parchment paper and bake it at 350 degrees until it’s about half to three-quarters cooked. Let it cool, cut it to appropriate lengths, wrap the scallops and then bake at 350 degrees until the bacon is done. Have a great New Year’s.
Chicken Duxelle Pinwheels
1 sheet puff pastry dough, thawed & laid out flat
4 chicken breasts
1 pound mushrooms, chopped fine
2 shallots, chopped fine
1 C sherry
Choice of: 2 T demi glace, ½ C brown sauce or 1 can beef stalk or consume
½ stick butter
¼ bunch sweet basil, sliced
1 egg, beaten
Salt, pepper, poultry seasoning
½ C flour
On a floured surface, flour and roll out the dough to fit a half sheet pan and place in the refrigerator while you make the sauce and cook the chicken. Cut the chicken into small chunks, season with a little poultry seasoning, salt and pepper, sauté just until done, and let cool.
Sauté the shallots in a quarter of the butter on medium high until they just start to golden. Add the rest of the butter and mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms are cooked but not golden. You want the juice still present and not evaporated. Dust with about ½ T flour and stir to allow the flour to cook. Add half the sherry and let reduce until it is almost all evaporated and repeat with the rest of the sherry. Add the demi, brown sauce or half the can of beef stock, and let reduce and thicken while stirring so that it becomes a nice paste. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Let cool and then spread evenly onto the dough leaving a 2-inch or so strip across the top lengthwise bare. Sprinkle on the chicken and then the sliced basil. Brush the top strip with a little of the beaten egg. Roll toward the top from the bottom, brush the roll with the rest of the egg and bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes or until golden. Let cool and slice into pinwheels about a quarter- to a half-inch thick.
