With the event deadline looming, I visited a 3D printing studio. They gave me a price of almost ten dollars per bone. “Well, that’s not going to work,” I thought, especially since things that are sort of cute might be thought of as favors and sometimes end up in people’s pockets.
Looking at the unit cost, and realizing I needed about six hundred bones for one party, I decided to just buy a 3D printer for the company. When I brought it to one of my team members and said, “You’re now a 3D printing expert,” he looked at me in horror. We couldn’t get up to speed on this new technology fast enough, but luckily a group of 3D printing teachers from Brooklyn helped us program the printer and get it up and running—and they came by all weekend to check on us and make sure everything was going right for the party on Saturday.
It’s really nice how a community comes together. They didn’t know us at all, but they thought what we were trying to create was kind of fun and they understood that we were in a jam. They came to our rescue like superheroes.
We’re rolling out chicken wings all the time, and are now on to the next frontier—making edible chicken bones with the help of 3D printers. We use a food 3D printer to produce them and a standard 3D printer to make the molds.
SPAGHETTI WITH EGGPLANT MEATBALLS
A spaghetti and beef meatball hors d’oeuvre is on the cover of my first book, Bite By Bite. When a client asked for a vegetarian version, one of my chefs came up with an eggplant meatball that has become our new favorite—in fact, we like it better than the meat version! Even those who don’t care for eggplant love it.
Makes about 60
For the Eggplant Meatballs:
3 medium eggplants (about 3 pounds), peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
2½ tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon coarse salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
⅔ cup minced shallots
⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 garlic clove, finely minced
⅓ cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1½ tablespoons finely chopped fresh thyme
¼ cup dried oregano
2 tablespoons white miso
⅔ cup panko, plus more for rolling
Vegetable oil, for frying
For the Béchamel Sauce:
4 teaspoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons diced white onion
4 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the Spaghetti:
4 ounces angel hair pasta
¼ cup Marinara Sauce (this page; see Note)
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
Small basil leaves, for garnish
EGGPLANT MEATBALLS
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
In a large bowl, toss the eggplant cubes with the 2½ tablespoons olive oil, the salt, and pepper. Spread the cubes across a baking sheet and roast until tender, about 40 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Heat the 2 teaspoons olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Sauté the shallots until translucent but not brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Set aside.
In a food processor, combine the roasted eggplant, Parmesan, garlic, parsley, and thyme and pulse until the eggplant is just chopped. Do not overmix. Gently stir in the shallots, oregano, white miso, and the ⅔ cup panko.
Fill a shallow dish with a layer of panko crumbs. Shape the eggplant mixture into small balls about 1 inch in diameter (we use a #100 disher) and roll them in the panko to coat completely. You should have about 60 balls. Set the balls on a baking sheet and place in the freezer for at least 30 minutes before frying.
In a deep 10- or 12-inch sauté pan over medium-high heat, bring at least 3 inches of vegetable oil to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with paper towels.
Carefully drop a few balls at a time into the hot oil and fry until golden. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the balls to the lined baking sheet to drain.
BÉCHAMEL SAUCE
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onion and sauté until translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the flour and whisk well to combine. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes to diminish the flour taste. Add the milk and whisk until thick. Whisk in salt and pepper to taste. Strain the sauce through a fine sieve into a medium bowl; discard the solids.
SPAGHETTI
Cook the pasta until al dente according to package instructions; drain. Warm the marinara sauce.
ASSEMBLE
Set the eggplant balls on a baking sheet. Using a two-tined fork (such as a fondue fork), twirl 3 or 4 strands of pasta to make a nest and dip it in the warm béchamel sauce. Slide the pasta nest carefully off the fork onto the top of a meatball.
Keep the assembled hors d’oeuvres warm in a low oven until just before serving. Finish with a dot of warm marinara sauce, a sprinkle of Parmesan, and a small basil leaf.
NOTE
Feel free to use your favorite marinara sauce for this hors d’oeuvre. If using the recipe on this page, substitute 1 small bunch of basil for the oregano.
CHEESE AND CHARCUTERIE BUFFET To top the table, we used chalkboard paper, which is inexpensive and easily found. The rustic platters and wooden boards emphasize the artisanal, handmade quality of the cheeses, charcuterie, and breads. We simply wrote the names of the meats and cheeses right on the chalkboard paper. It’s a rustic look that’s also very sophisticated. You could do this for bars, dinner buffets, and other setups.
STILTON CHEESECAKE WITH BACON-ONION MARMALADE
This is an unexpected hors d’oeuvre—our version of a savory cheesecake. We first made this as a round cake, but it just looked like a little cheese puff, which was not the effect I wanted. So we did it as a wedge, because that’s how I think of cheesecake. The bacon and caramelized onion on top provide a great, savory flavor—a rich, jam-like topping that’s a little reverse play on the graham-cracker crust that a sweet cheesecake would have. We usually offer this as an hors d’oeuvre, but we also serve it at the end of a meal as a counterpoint to fresh fruit or as part of a cheese plate.
Makes 32 to 40 small wedges
For the Cheesecake:
Nonstick cooking spray
8 ounces Stilton cheese, at room temperature
1½ packages (12 ounces) cream cheese, at room temperature
2 tablespoons sugar
3 large eggs
⅓ cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sour cream
For the Marmalade:
½ pound thick-cut bacon, finely diced
1 sweet onion, finely diced
¼ cup (packed) light brown sugar
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
CHEESECAKE
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Lightly coat a pie dish with nonstick cooking spray.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the Stilton, cream cheese, and sugar on medium speed. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. On low speed, gently blend in the flour and then the sour cream.
Pour the mixture into the prepared pie dish and bake just until set and no longer jiggly in the middle, 20 to 30 minutes. Refrigerate until completely cold, about 1 hour.
MARMALADE
Meanwhile, in a skillet over medium heat, fry the bacon until two-thirds done, about 7 minutes—it should still be chewy and not crisp. Transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain and discard all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat from the pan. Over medium heat, sauté the onion in the bacon fat until translucent. Add the brown sugar, vinegar, mustard, and salt and pepper and cook until the mixture reaches a thick, jam-like consistency. Let cool completely.
ASSEMBLE
Cut the cheesecake into strips about 1½ inches wide; then cut the strips into small triangular wedges. Top each piece of cheesecake with a small spoonful of the marmalade.
/> TRUFFLE RISOTTO CAKES
Risotto cakes with truffle slices are a classic hors d’oeuvre—and they’re easy. Chill the cooked risotto overnight in the fridge and then just cut out the cakes with a cookie cutter—or simply cut them into 1-inch squares. These also make a great first course in a larger size.
Makes 80
6 tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 onion, cut into small dice
1 pound Arborio rice
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons dry white wine
5½ to 6 cups chicken stock
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
5 tablespoons white truffle oil
1½ tablespoons coarse salt
Vegetable oil, for searing
1 fresh truffle (1 to 2 ounces), thinly sliced
In a 3- or 4-quart pot over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onion and rice, stir to coat, and sauté until the grains are translucent. Add the white wine and cook, stirring, until the liquid is absorbed.
Add the chicken stock 1 cup at a time and cook, stirring, until all the liquid is absorbed before adding the next measure of stock. When all the chicken stock has been added and is completely absorbed, add the Parmesan, truffle oil, and salt. Stir until thoroughly combined.
Spread the risotto evenly in a 9-inch square pan, making sure the top is completely smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or until completely cold.
With a 1-inch round cutter, cut the firm risotto into circles. Lightly oil a sauté pan, heat over medium heat, and sear the risotto cakes on both sides until golden.
To serve, top each risotto cake with 1 truffle slice.
BREAKFAST EGG ROLLS
We do a lot of breakfasts for the fashion industry so we’re always trying to come up with a new way to do eggs. Enter this breakfast egg roll. Sometimes we add bacon, sometimes bacon and cheese. Who doesn’t love a fried breakfast sandwich? Even fashion people will eat something fried if it’s small enough—especially if it’s stylish, too. But you have to keep it small. And we’d pair these with lighter options.
Note that the egg rolls must be assembled one day ahead and frozen overnight before frying.
Makes 16
8 strips of bacon
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
8 large eggs
¼ cup milk
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
16 wonton wrappers
6 ounces sharp Cheddar cheese, thinly sliced
Chopped fresh chives
Vegetable oil, for frying
Lay the bacon in a quarter-sheet pan and place in the center of a cold oven. Heat the oven to 400°F and roast the bacon until completely cooked and crispy, about 20 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain and cool. Break each bacon strip in half.
Melt the butter over medium heat in a 10-inch skillet. Beat together the eggs, milk, and salt and pepper in a medium bowl and pour into the pan. Let the eggs set and then begin to lift and fold with a spatula to form soft curds. Remove the eggs from the pan when they are just slightly undercooked.
Lay the egg roll wrappers on a work surface and divide the scrambled eggs evenly among them. Top each mound of eggs with 1 slice of cheese and a half strip of bacon; sprinkle with chives. Roll up egg-roll style: fold in each long side and then roll the short edges up from the bottom. Seal the edges with a dab of water.
Place the egg rolls in a lidded container and freeze overnight until solid.
When ready to serve, pour at least 3 inches of vegetable oil into a deep 10- or 12-inch sauté pan. Bring the oil to 350°F over medium heat. (If you don’t have a thermometer, drop a small cube of bread into the oil. If the oil begins to bubble, it is ready.) Line a plate with paper towels. Very carefully lower the egg rolls, a few at a time, into the hot oil. Fry until warmed through and golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain on the lined plate and serve warm.
WARM BUFFET
I’m always looking for attractive ways to incorporate the nuts and bolts of catering into an attractive display. Back in the day, when serving food that had to remain hot, some used food service heat lamps (and some places still do). Here, we’ve covered food service bulbs that warm the food with chic shades that double as identification for the dishes following. We do all shapes, colors, and styles of lamp shades, from industrial steel to modern, oversize shades in bright colors or patterns. Above all, this helps solve the long-standing universal puzzle of how to keep food warm on buffets without using chafing dishes.
DEVILED SCRAMBLED EGGS
Deviled eggs are one of those iconic retro foods that have really never gone away, but are in need of an update. For breakfast-food hors d’oeuvres we let the egg white become the serving dish for the scrambled yolk. These also welcome different toppings, such as caviar, a dollop of chipotle sour cream, or a tuna sauce for a daytime or evening cocktail hour.
Quail eggs are so beautiful in and of themselves that I often make them part of the display. When we do, the display eggs are always hard-boiled—guests will often pick them up and start to shell them, assuming that they’re cooked, and we don’t want them to be surprised!
You’ll have cooked egg yolks left over from the quail eggs. Chop them into salads or crumble them as a garnish over steamed asparagus or other vegetables.
Makes 24 egg halves
For the Egg Base:
12 quail eggs (see Notes)
For the Scrambled Eggs:
1 tablespoon crème fraîche, plus more for garnish
½ teaspoon dry mustard
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons unsalted butter
2 large chicken eggs, beaten
Pinch of paprika
Small celery leaves or fresh herbs, for garnish
EGG BASE
Prepare an ice water bath and place it next to your work surface. Place the quail eggs in a medium pot and add cold water to cover by 2 inches. Cover the pan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, swirling the pan a few times as the water heats up (this helps the yolks stay centered in the eggs). As soon as the water comes to a boil, remove the lid and reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer gently for 5 minutes, then turn off the heat. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the eggs to the ice water bath. Let cool for 5 minutes, then peel the eggs and slice them in half lengthwise. Carefully remove the yolks (see Notes) and reserve for another use. Set the egg white shells aside.
SCRAMBLED EGGS
In a small bowl, combine the crème fraîche and dry mustard and season with salt and pepper. Melt 1 teaspoon of the butter in a small skillet over low heat and add the beaten eggs. As the eggs begin to set around the edges, add the remaining butter and stir continuously with a rubber spatula. When the eggs are almost cooked through, add the crème fraîche mixture and stir to combine.
ASSEMBLE
Fill the reserved egg white halves with scrambled eggs and garnish with a pinch of paprika or a dot of crème fraîche and a small celery leaf or herb sprig.
NOTES
If you can’t find quail eggs, medium chicken eggs are a good substitute.
Since quail eggs are small, it can be tricky to remove the hard-boiled yolks. If you like, leave the yolks intact and simply lay the scrambled eggs on top; garnish as described.
MINI FUNFETTI LAYER CAKE WITH FUNFETTI FROSTING
Many of my clients are very wealthy people who can have anything they want, but guess what they love for dessert? They want cake like Mom made out of a Duncan Hines box! So when we make cakes, people say, “Oh my god, I haven’t tasted a cake like this in years!” That’s because it’s just like the ones my mother used to make.
That was the inspiration for this hors d’oeuvre. For years I had talked about wanting to do this kind of cake, and over and over, we tried to do a mini round cake, but it looked too abstract, not like a cake at all. Finally one day I realized it needed to be a wedge. So now we make a midsize layer cake and cut it into bite-size wedges, and it
’s perfect. Everyone loves cake, but now you have room to try lots of other small desserts.
If it’s someone’s birthday we’ll put little candles on that person’s piece or mini sparklers on a few pieces. This dessert can also be made using a favorite cake such as red velvet with cream cheese frosting or yellow cake with vanilla frosting.
Makes about 48
For the Funfetti Cake:
1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for the pan
3⅓ cups sugar
3 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
1½ teaspoons coarse salt
4⅓ cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
12 large egg whites
1½ cups milk, at room temperature
3 cups rainbow sprinkles
For the Funfetti Buttercream Frosting:
1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 teaspoons coarse salt
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups rainbow sprinkles
CAKE
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease an 18 × 13-inch baking sheet and line it with parchment.
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt on medium speed until fluffy, 6 to 7 minutes. Gradually add the flour and baking powder and mix on medium speed until smooth, about 4 minutes. Add the egg whites and mix on medium speed until well combined, about 4 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the milk, mixing on medium speed until combined, about 2 minutes. Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in the sprinkles.
Peter Callahan's Party Food Page 5
