Appetizers and Soups
Crab Toasts with Sriracha Mayonnaise
This is a wonderful appetizer using delicious crab meat and the Asian hot sauce, Sriracha. Sriracha is made from sun-dried chiles and garlic and is a very versatile condiment to have in the kitchen. The most popular brand in the U.S. is Rooster Sauce from Huy Fong Foods.
Momma Rochelle’s Stuffed Quail Gumbo
French meets Cajun in this beautiful rendition of a Southern classic. Bacon and andouille sausage are sauteed together with rice and vegetables for the perfect Cajun stuffing. The duck or chicken stock should be very rich to have a good depth of flavor.
Apple Pie Soup
This velvety smooth apple soup fills your kitchen with the delicious aroma of fall spices: cinnamon, cloves and allspice. Garnish with chopped, toasted walnuts, grated sharp cheddar cheese, or a dollop of sour cream or yogurt.
Squash Blossom Tortillas
Squash blossoms (also known as zucchini flowers) are in season from mid-spring to mid-summer. Commonly used in Mexican cooking, their bright yellow color and unusual flavor are great in quesadillas or soup.
Chipotle Pulled Pork Tacos with Queso Fresco
Here is a delicious recipe for pulled pork tacos. Slow-roasted pork is shredded and mixed with chipotles, dried chiles, garlic and topped with queso fresco and a spicy red cabbage slaw. Great flavor and great eye appeal.
Smokey Cheddar and Apricot Fritters
Deep fried fritters are the perfect snack food for your next party or get together. Smoked cheddar and dried apricots make for a rich, flavorful fritter with a bite of sweetness. The Creole Remoulade is a great zesty dipping sauce to match these fritters.
Peekytoe Crab Cocktail with Sevruga Caviar and a Lemon Verbena Vinaigrette
Roasted Tomato and Smoked Bacon Bisque
Gingery Pork Pot Stickers
Made with ground pork, fresh ginger, tamari and sesame oil, these pot stickers are deeply flavorful and just as delicious as those from your favorite Chinese restaurant.
Garlic and Black Pepper Soft Shell Crab
This is a very simple way to prepare soft shell crab but all your guests will know is how delicious it tastes.
Ham Croquettes with Parsley Sauce
Croquettes are a traditional Southern finger food of the past that is once again coming to prominence. A doughy mixture of meat, poultry, or seafood is combined with eggs and spices, rolled in bread crumbs, then deep fried for a mouthwatering treat served with a mustard, tomato, or cream sauce.
Butternut Squash Soup with Fontina Cheese Crostini
This velvety soup is perfect for a fall dinner or celebrating Thanksgiving. Butternut squash, carrots, garlic and fresh sage meld into a complex flavored soup that will delight your guests. Serve with crostini topped with Fontina cheese and more fresh sage for the perfect accompaniment.
Baked Zucchini Fries
French fried potatoes are delicious and will always be a favorite, but give these baked zucchini fries a try for something different. Healthier, yes, but absolutely scrumptious flavor will have everyone scrambling for the last fry. The tomato coulis is an upscale version of ketchup with pureed tomatoes, honey and fresh basil - goes wonderful with the zucchini fries!
Deep Fried Bacon Wrapped Oysters with Rémoulade
This deliciously savory appetizer is of British origin, where fresh oysters are wrapped in bacon and then broiled. Here we deep fry them for an unbelievably tasty treat. The smokiness of the bacon pairs very well with the rémoulade, which also makes a great dipping sauce for other seafood.
Bourbon Street Buffalo Wings
Buffalo, New York is the birthplace of the simple but ingenious fiery snack - Buffalo Wings. Drew Cerza, the Wing King, is the founder of the National Buffalo Wing Festival. Drew has 3 rules for the perfect Buffalo Wing: 1. No breading. Breading is a big no-no. 2. Deep fry. You can cook chicken an hundred different ways, but deep frying is the...
Spaghetti with Shrimp and Tomato Passatina
Spaghetti with tomato sauce is a classic Italian-American dish that everyone loves. This version is more authentic Italian and is based on a meal cooked often by the fishermen of northeastern Italy. The wonderful flavor comes from shrimp cooked with the shell on and a little white wine. The shrimp are later ground up with a food mill to form a...
Spicy Tomato Gazpacho with Fresh Horseradish
Double-Cheese Focaccia Bread with Tomato Sauce
You won't believe this scrumptious cheesy bread is gluten-free. Created by wunder-baker Peter Reinhart, this delicious focaccia is made with almond and sunflower seed flours and lots of yummy cheese! Served with the perfect accompaniment - a simple tomato sauce.
Pea, Pesto & Arugula Soup
Here is a beautiful soup recipe that uses the very first produce of the spring season - English peas, basil and arugula. Fantastic color and a complex, fresh flavor make this a terrific soup. Great served warm or cold.
Black Pepper Cheese Shortbread
If you love cheese straws, you'll love these delicious little crackers. Packed with white cheddar and garnished with pecans, they are the perfect starter to a fine meal or to serve as an appetizer at your next party.
Oysters Rockefeller Deconstructed
This a beautiful reinvention of a classic dish! Fresh oysters are gently poached in butter and topped with crispy bacon and hint of grated licorice root. Delicious!
Simple Fish Bouillabaisse
This is a very simple recipe for enjoying a wonderful warm and hearty stew created long ago in the port city of Marseille, France. Delicious and flaky white fish (such as cod or monkfish) is simmered with a rich fish broth, garlic and fennel, tomatoes and white wine.
Seared Scallops, Tomato-Chile Jam, Fresh Peas, and Bacon
This dish is a beautiful symphony of flavors, the perfect way to start any elegant dinner. Scallops are perfectly seared creating a nice crunch on the outside while preserving that fresh ocean taste inside. The scallops are dressed with a home made tomato and chili jam, some fresh peas and bacon for a stunning flavor combination that will wow your guests.
Simple Seafood Stew with Grilled Bread and Smoky Red Pepper Mayonnaise
This is an outstanding seafood stew that is quite simple to make. This tasty stew has a spicy twist with fresh jalapenos and Sriracha sauce. The recipe calls for a firm white fish but, for an even hardier dish, feel free to add clams, mussels, or shrimp.
Sake Steamed Mussels
This delicious seafood appetizer is wonderfully simple to make but is packed with flavor - fresh mussels are cooked in sake with fresh ginger, garlic, and basil. If you don't have sake, a dry white wine will work just fine.
Bacon-Wrapped Parmesan-Stuffed Dates
Only 3 simple ingredients create this very delicious hors d'oeuvres. Sticky, rich dates are stuffed with quality Parmesan cheese, wrapped with smokey bacon and baked to perfection.
Spicy Steamed Mussels with Fennel and Tomatoes
I love mussels and I love the presentation. Here is a spicy version of the classic dish mussels in white wine. The peppery tomato broth is great with some crusty bread or over a bowl of hot noodles.
Prime Mini Burgers with Cheddar Cheese and Remoulade
They sound fancy and celebrities love to snack on them, but in reality it's quite simple to prepare these miniature burgers. The key to great taste is to buy the best ground beef you can find.
Minted English Pea Soup
Fresh mint leaves are the perfect complement to spring peas. This soup is easy to make but has a very light and fresh taste. For 1 quart of fresh peas you will need about 4 pounds of peas in the shell or, if frozen, 2 10-ounce bags.
Edamame Guacamole
Edamame (steamed soybeans) adds a nice flavor twist to traditional guacamole as well as creating a lighter texture. Serve with some warm tortilla chips or fresh vegetable crudités.
Sweet Corn Vidalia Onion Rings with Crabmeat Dip
Vidalia onions have a nice sweetness to them and make fantastic onion rings! This delicious recipe adds
fresh and creamed corn to the batter for a wonderfully tasty combination. Crabmeat and cream cheese dip is the perfect accompaniment!
Grilled Clams and Chorizo
This a wonderfully tasty Latin dish that is quick and fun to make! Shellfish cooks very quickly on the grill and you know the clams are done as soon as the shells open. Easy! Delicious fresh clams and spicy chorizo sausage are added here to a nice smoked paprika and butter sauce. Clams are used in this recipe, but you could also use mussels or shrimp.
Roasted Yukon Gold Potatoes With Crème Fraîche And Osetra Caviar
Sometimes the simplest things are the most delicious! This is especially true with good caviar. Perfectly cooked potatoes and a dollop of crème fraîche pair beautifully with the salty magic bite of the caviar.
Mussels al Diablo
This wonderful mussel recipe comes from Barcelona, the Spanish tapas restaurant in Connecticut. Simple ingredients: tomatoes, garlic, white wine and a little spice turn mussels into something spectacular.
Caramelized Vidalia Onion Bread Pudding With Fresh Goat Cheese
Caramelized Vidalia onions are the star ingredient in this savory bread pudding - sweet Vidalia onions, creamy goat cheese, and fresh herbs.
Spicy Tuna Tartare In Sesame Miso Cones
This is a signature appetizer of Chef Wolfgang Puck - one he always serves at the Academy Awards' Governors Ball. Sushi grade tuna is mixed with wasabi, pickled ginger, and a spicy chili mayonnaise then served in a baked miso cone.
Smoked Salmon Crab Cakes
Smoked salmon makes a wonderful addition to classic crab cakes.
Baked Macaroni and Cheese with Truffles
Mac and cheese for grown ups! Three kinds of cheese - white cheddar, Gruyère, and Parmesan with brioche bread crumbs and black truffles. If you don't want to splurge on the truffles, just add a touch of truffle oil. It'll still be delicious.
Hot and Spicy Chicken Feet
Here's something different from Andrew Zimmern, host of the Travel Channel's Bizarre Foods. Hot and spicy chicken feet are a favorite treat in Asian countries.
Fava Bean Bruschetta
This tapas-style appetizer is a simple and delicious start to a meal. Served at MarketBar in San Francisco.
Lobster Corn Chowder with Applewood Smoked Bacon and Garden Tarragon
This wonderful lobster soup is elegant in its presentation but is really simple to make. Creamy and delicious with great depth of flavor.
Guacamole with Lobster
This is a wonderful version of guacamole created by Chef Julian Medina. Ripe avocados, lobster, mango, onions, and jalapeño combine for a delicious dip perfect for an upscale dinner party or weekend football game.
Creamy Tomato Basil Soup
Berghoff Restaurant's (Chicago) Chef Matt Reichel says this is his favorite soup to make for his kids.
Grilled Shrimp with Mint and Cilantro Pesto
Here is a wonderful grilled summer appetizer from Zov Karamardian's cookbook. Zov is the chef and owner of Zov's Bistro in Tustin, California.
Michael Chiarello's Crispy Sausage-Stuffed Olives
This appetizer packs a lot of southern Italian attitude into every bite. I love to catch my guests off-guard with a flavor they don't expect. The idea is to wake up their palates with some big tastes and textures. This dish does just that. - Michael Chiarello
Baked Crab Cakes with Spicy Mango Lime Sauce
Crab cakes are a wonderful American tradition found in most areas of the country. Crab cakes are an elegant dish, yet comfort food at the same time. You will find them on the menus of five-star restaurants and at most hole-in-the wall crab shacks. This particular recipe uses fairly traditional ingredients for the crab cakes, but adds spicy...
Heirloom Tomato–Avocado Tartare
This 'raw' recipe pops with the flavors of summer! Beautiful, juicy heirloom tomatoes, fresh avocado, cucumbers and oyster mushrooms create a delightful contrast of flavors. This makes a great appetizer with tortilla chips or crackers, or serve as a side dish at your next barbecue.
Cider Glazed Roasted Root Vegetable Stew
This is a hearty stew full of flavor. Roasting the vegetables creates an extra depth of flavor. Low-fat and nutritious are added bonuses to this very delicious meal.
Turkey Cranberry Stew
Sweet and earthy, turkey cranberry stew is delightful combination of turkey, fruit, and vegetables. Healthy and low fat, but full of flavor. A simple fall recipe that makes good use of leftover turkey.
Trio of Wild Mushrooms Soup
There's more to mushrooms than just the white button variety. Mushrooms have a wide variety of flavors, aromas, and textures. This soup is a great example of showcasing the flavors of wild mushrooms. The depth and complexity of flavors found here create a very interesting soup that is both comforting and delicious.
Susanna Foo's Wok-Shaking Shrimp with Pink Peppercorns
"The shrimp are fried in their shells, which keeps them tender and juicy. In the orginal version, they're coated with a spicy mixture of sea salt, white pepper, chopped scallions, and ginger. I prefer to use pink peppercorns, which I like because of their subtle spiciness." - Susanna Foo
Beef Carpaccio with Arugula, Parmesan, and Balsamic Vinegar
This is a very simple recipe that celebrates good beef. It may be used as wonderful starter for a dinner party or as an elegant hors d’oeuvres.
Jalapenos Stuffed with Smoked Trout, Bacon, and Avocado
Not your ordinary stuffed jalapenos. Smoky fish and spiciness combine for a party favorite.
Grilled Sardines with Mint Salsa
Sardines have gotten a bad reputation. Sardines are more than the oily, salty versions we find in cans at the supermarket. Fresh sardines are a gourmet delight. Here is a simple recipe that tastes sublime and make a great presentation for your next party.
Caviar with Blinis and Crème Fraîche
The delicate taste of caviar should be enjoyed on its own. Two traditional accompaniments, blinis and crème fraîche, will add to the experience without overwhelming the caviar.
Foie Gras Mousse
This very simple recipe combines the luxurious fattiness of foie gras with the tartness of apple brandy. A divine combination that is sure to be a party favorite.
Bruschetta with Jamón Serrano, Fennel, Olives, and Pecorino Romano
The basis for bruschetta is simple, grilled bread with a little olive oil on top, salt and pepper, and whatever else your heart desires. This recipe has a rich, deep flavor with Serrano ham, Pecorino Romano cheese, black olive tapenade and fresh fennel. If you can't find olive tapenade, you can make your own by finely chopping together black olives, garlic, capers, olive oil and anchovies (optional). This recipe was created by Chef Shaun Doty (Mumbo Jumbo, Atlanta) for the James Beard House.
Warm Oysters with Cucumber & Caviar Butter
This is wonderful way to serve oysters. Warming the oysters brings out the flavor and the brininess pairs well with the salty caviar.
Cumin-scented Tomato Soup with Lobster and Corn Salsa
This deliciously hearty soup uses a wonderful combination of flavors with lobster, tomatoes, corn, fresh garlic, spices and a little crème fraiche to finish it.
Latkes - Potato Pancakes
Latkes are fried potato pancakes traditional eaten during Hanukkah. Made from grated potato, flour and egg, they are sometimes flavored with onion or garlic and served with applesauce or sour cream. True comfort food, here is a recipe for latkes that hits the spot.
Seared Scallops with Lemongrass Crème Fraiche
Asian cuisine fuses with French style in this lovely appetizer recipe that's simple to make. Seared scallops are placed on a bed of watercress with teriyaki sauce and an Asian-inspired crème fraiche with sour cream, rice wine vinegar and lemongrass.
Spicy Duck and Corn Empanadas
These delicious baked empanadas are a perfect finger food for your Cinco de Mayo party. Shredded roast duck with Mexican cheese queso fresco, chipotle chiles, and lots of spices and herbs fill these bite sized appetizers.
Persian Style Chicken Soup
Here is a beautiful version of chicken soup with lime and garnished with fresh herbs and fava beans. "Fava beans are always sprouting around this time of year and strongly represent a staple food of the Egyptians, one that the Jews of the Exodus had a strong craving for during their Journey to the Promised Land."
Moroccan Charoset Truffles with Dates, Almonds and Apples
Charoset is a paste made from fruit and nuts and rolled into balls. Traditionally served during Passover Seder, the color and texture are meant to represent the mortar with which the Israelites bonded bricks when they were enslaved in Ancient Egypt. Charoset comes from the Hebrew word for clay.
Monk’s Famous Seafood Chowder
Monks Bar and Restaurant (http://monks.ie)is a famous Irish landmark in the village of Ballyvaughan, in County Clare, located in the West of Ireland. The Seafood Chowder is their signature dish. Here's the recipe.
Smoked Duck and Oyster Gumbo - Gourmet Soup Recipes
Gumbo is an African word that originally meant okra. Now gumbo refers to any kind of soup or stew with okra in it. Okra is used to thicken and flavor the dish. Gumbos come in all sorts using a variety of ingredients, typically what the cook can find in the pantry. This recipe contains oysters, andouille sausage, and smoked duck.
Gingered Pumpkin Soup with Gruyere Cheese
A little sweet and a little spicy, this earthy pumpkin soup will surely keep you warm on those cool, dark days.