My Homemade Spicy Potato Hors D'oeuvres

These homemade pastries are finger licking good. You can enjoy them at pretty much any time you want. However, my favorite time is, in the evening with a cup of hot tea.

For all those who love using readymade pastry dough for making quick appetizers, this homemade pastry dough is a must try. All you need is a pack of cream cheese and 2 sticks of butter, 3 eggs and some flour. Believe me, it doesn’t take much to make this flaky, delicious pastry dough from scratch.

I started by kneading the dough then freezing it overnight. Next day, I transferred the dough to the fridge so that it can thaw. Then I made a spicy potato filling and allowed it about an hour to completely cool down. After that it was easy business. I rolled the dough, spread the filling on it, cut into thin pizza slices and rolled them up. A quick egg wash and bake and they were ready!

These flaky pastries are as good as they look! They are decadent and delicious. You can serve them as Hors D'oeuvre (because they are bite sized) with a Cilantro chutney and drinks or as a side dish with your dinner.

I think I have a thing for all things petite. I think they require more attention to make and must taste incredibly superb. Because they are so small in size they really have to be loaded with flavors and colors. These light golden pastries are so petite that they can safely be called Hors D'oeuvres. Doesn’t this term sound fancy? Hors D'oeuvre! Wow! I feel like I am in a French restaurant and with this easy recipe you too can make them at home.

I have a gorgeous baking handbook by Martha Stewart and it has all these fancy recipes. The only downside is, most of them are sweet. Now don’t take me wrong, I enjoy sweet confections but I think we should always know savory recipes as well. They do need a little planning ahead but it’s completely doable.

So give these delectable hors d'oeuvres a try and then post your photos and comments using #lifewithoutalu.

Ingredients:

For the dough:

• Unsalted Butter - 2 sticks, room temperature
• Cream Cheese - 8 ounces, room temperature
• Egg Yolks - 3 large
• Salt – ½ teaspoon
• Red Chili Powder – ½ teaspoon
• Ajwain (Carom Seeds) – 1 ½ teaspoons
• All-Purpose Flour – 2 1/3 cups, plus more for dusting

Tip: Read Basic Kitchen Measurements to learn how to separate egg whites and yolks.

For the Filling:

• Potatoes – 2 large (boiled, peeled and mashed)
• Onion – ½ medium, minced
• Garlic – 2-3 cloves, minced
• Green chilies – 2, minced
• Cilantro – a handful, minced
• Salt - to taste (about ½ teaspoon)
• Crushed Red Pepper – 1 teaspoon
• Cumin powder – 1 teaspoon
• Coriander powder – 1 teaspoon
• Chat masala – ½ teaspoon
• Amchur – ¼ teaspoon
• Garam masala – ¼ teaspoon
• Oil - about 4-5 tablespoons

For the Finishing:

• Egg - 1 large, beaten lightly
• Pastry Brush
• Parchment Paper

Directions:

Make the dough:

• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and cream cheese on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl.
• Add the Salt, Red Chili Powder and Ajwain, beat until combined and fluffy, about 1 minute.
• Add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating to combine after each.
• With the mixer on low speed, beat in flour to combine.
• Turn out the dough on a lightly floured work surface.
• Divide into 3 equal pieces and shape into flattened disks, wrap each in plastic.
• Refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight. (Tip: I froze the dough overnight then thawed it in fridge for 4-5 hours, it helped shape the dough better).

Make the filling:

• Heat a wok over medium high heat.
• Add Oil in it.
• After a couple of seconds, add the Onion and Garlic and fry them till they are golden brown in color.
• Add the Green Chilies and mix well.
• Add the mashed Potato in it with Salt and mix well.
• Now add all the spices - crushed Red Pepper, Cumin powder, Coriander powder, Chat masala, Amchur powder and Garam Masala.
• Mix everything well and fry the mixture until it’s fragrant and the Potatoes change color to dark red and get dry.
• Turn off the heat and allow it to cool down (about 10 minutes).
• Add the Cilantro.

Roll, Fill and Bake:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F with racks in the upper and lower thirds.
• Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, set aside.
• On a lightly floured work surface, roll out one piece of dough into a 10-inch round, about ¼ inch thick.
• Sprinkle with a third of the Potato mixture.
• Using the rolling pin, gently roll over the round to press the filling into the dough.
• Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut the round into 16 equal wedges
• Beginning with the outside edge of each wedge, roll to enclose filling.
• Place about 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets (I put the rolled side down, it helps to hold it together).
• Repeat with remaining dough and filling.
• Brush the beaten egg over the tops of the pastries.
• Bake the sheets, rotating halfway through, until the pastries are golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
• These savory pastries can be kept in an airtight container/ zip lock in fridge for up to 4 days (or freeze them). Serve them at room temperature with Cilantro chutney or reheat them in a 200-degree F oven for 10 minutes. Enjoy!

Love hors d'oeuvres? Try these as well:

• Debarshi’s Amuse Bouche
• Namkeen (Savory Deep Fried Indian Snacks)
• Pyaz Ke Pakore (Onion Fritters)
• Alur Bora (Mamma’s Potato with Garlic fritters)
• Meethi Chutney Matar Phulki
• Methi Pakora (Gram flour and Fenugreek leaves Fritters)
• Palak ke Pakore (Gram flour and Spinach Fritters)
• My Homemade Sausage and Feta Hors D'oeuvres

My Homemade Sausage and Feta Hors D'oeuvres

When I am hosting a party, I love serving everything homemade, made from scratch. Now these pinwheel pastries may look super fancy but they are quite easy to make at home. You just need a little planning and do a couple of steps ahead of time. I am telling you, these will be gone within minutes!

You can serve these pastries as Hors d'oeuvre or as a side dish with your dinner. The pastry is prepared with an enriched dough kneaded with cream cheese and butter. The pastry swirl is very easy to make and just requires a delicious filling to accompany the flaky pastry. You can also make these with kids! They can help you to spread the cheese and the filling and then arrange the sliced pieces on the baking tray.

This rolled up feta, chicken sausage and caramelized onions topped with parsley is indeed a fancy treat. This pastry dough is decadent, flaky and easy to work with. Just make sure to use a cool space to roll out the dough because we don’t want the butter to melt.

Before trying this recipe, I used to look longingly at the bakery windows wondering how they could create such petite masterpieces. Well, making these swirls or pinwheels may sound intimidating but the recipe is actually pretty easy. The first step is rolling the dough into a thin rectangle. If the shape is not perfect don’t be afraid to use the knife and give it a little trim. Stick the pieces where appropriate using a little water (so that it sticks) then sprinkle a little flour on it to dry it up. Once you get the perfect shape, spread the sausage and caramelized onions on it, followed by the feta cheese and chopped parsley. Now all that is left is to roll the pastry dough into a log, cut it into slices and bake.

So give these delicious and beautiful pinwheel hors d'oeuvres a try and then post your comments and photos using my hashtag #lifewithoutalu.

Ingredients:

For the dough:

• Unsalted Butter - 2 sticks, room temperature
• Cream Cheese - 8 ounces, room temperature
• Egg Yolks - 3 large 
• Salt – ½ teaspoon 
• Red Chili Powder – ½ teaspoon 
• Fennel Seeds - 3 tablespoons 
• All-Purpose Flour – 2 1/3 cups, plus more for dusting

Tip: Read Basic Kitchen Measurements to learn how to separate egg whites and yolks.

For the Filling:

• Extra-Virgin Olive Oil – ¼ cup 
• Chicken Sausage - 1 pound, casings removed
• Onion - 1 large, thinly sliced
• Crushed Red Pepper Flakes – ½ teaspoon (optional)
• Salt – a big pinch
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper – ¼ teaspoon
• Feta Cheese - 8 ounces, crumbled
• Fresh Flat-Leaf Parsley Leaves – ½ cup, washed and coarsely chopped

For the Finishing:

• Egg - 1 large, beaten lightly
• Pastry Brush
• Parchment Paper

Directions:

Make the dough: 

• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and cream cheese on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl. 
• Add the Salt, Red Chili Powder and Fennel Seeds, beat until combined and fluffy, about 1 minute.
• Add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating to combine after each.
• With the mixer on low speed, beat in flour (a couple spoonfuls at a time) to combine.
• Turn out the dough on a lightly floured work surface. 
• Divide into 3 equal pieces and shape into flattened rectangular disks, wrap each in plastic. 
• Refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight. (Tip: I froze the dough overnight then thawed it in fridge for 4-5 hours, it helped shape the dough better).

Make the filling:

• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat. 
• Crumble sausage into pan; cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 4 minutes. 
• Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sausage to a paper-towel-lined plate; set aside.
• Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to the skillet along with the onion; cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes. 
• Add the Red Pepper Flakes and season with Salt and Pepper. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until Onion turns golden red, about 8 minutes. 
• Add the reserved sausage, and stir to combine. Remove from heat, and let cool completely. 
• Stir in feta cheese and parsley; set filling aside.

Roll, Fill and Bake:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F with racks in the upper and lower thirds. 
• Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, set aside.
• On a lightly floured work surface, roll out one piece of dough into a 10X12-inch rectangle, thin like a roti or tortilla.

• Sprinkle with a third of the Sausage mixture.

• Gently spread the filling all over the dough, leaving a ½-inch border on all sides.
• Starting at the long (12-inch) edge, roll the pastry into a log.

• Turn the log down so that the open edge is on the kitchen counter. Using a sharp, serrated knife, carefully cut each log into ½ -inch-wide slices. 
• Place about 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets.
• Repeat with remaining dough and filling. 
• Brush the beaten egg over the top of the pastries.
• Bake the sheets, rotating halfway through, until the pastries are golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
• These savory pastries can be kept in an airtight container/ zip lock in fridge for up to 4 days. You can also freeze them. Serve them at room temperature or reheat them in a 200-degree F oven for 10 minutes. Enjoy! 

Tip:

• It may be difficult rolling the dough into a thin rectangle. If the shape is not perfect don’t be afraid to use the knife and give it a little trim. Stick the pieces where appropriate using a little water (so that it sticks) then sprinkle a little flour on it to dry it up. 

Love serving Hors d'oeuvres? Try these as well:

• Debarshi’s Amuse Bouche
• Namkeen (Savory Deep Fried Indian Snacks)
• Pyaz Ke Pakore (Onion Fritters)
• Alur Bora (Mamma’s Potato with Garlic fritters)
• Meethi Chutney Matar Phulki
• Methi Pakora (Gram flour and Fenugreek leaves Fritters)
• Palak ke Pakore (Gram flour and Spinach Fritters)
• My Homemade Spicy Potato Hors D'oeuvres 

Jalapeno Poppers with Cream Cheese and Bacon

These Jalapeno Poppers are a great addition to our movie nights. Since they do not contain any added carbs they are also a nice appetizer in our Keto diet. However, the beauty of this dish is, you can enjoy them anytime you want, Keto or not. They are the perfect party finger foods. If you don’t mind a little heat in your food, you will become seriously addicted to these. They taste absolutely creamy, cheesy and decadent. 

I love these types of recipes where you don’t have to work a lot to eat something delicious and this recipe is incredibly easy. All you have to do is mix the cream cheese with the cheddar, garlic and onion and stuff it in halved jalapeños, then bake. That’s it! no mess no fuss. Yeah don’t forget to wear gloves otherwise there will be a lot of mess and fuss. Believe me, last time I did this mistake and after a while my hands started burning really bad and if that wasn’t the whole punishment! I accidentally touched my face! Ah! So you can understand how a small step is so important.

If you have friends coming over, having a movie or game night and want to prepare something quick then this is definitely the best thing to go for. Everyone just loves these irresistible Poppers. Plus, the convenience of using only a handful of ingredients is always a plus side. As I always say, the less time you spend in the kitchen, the more time you have with your loved ones.

For the Keto dieters, these Jalapeno poppers are not just party food but just the right food for their diet. The cheese and bacon adds in all the necessary fats and since we wont be wrapping the bacon around the jalapenos, it also saves a ton of time.

Bon Appetit!

Ingredients (serves 2):

• Jalapeno – 2, medium, washed
• Cheddar Cheese - 2 tablespoons, shredded or cut into small cubes
• Cream Cheese - 1 ounce, softened
• Onion - 1 tablespoon, chopped
• Garlic - 1 clove, minced
• Bacon - 2 slices (pre-cooked)

Others:

• Parchment Paper
• Disposable gloves

Core the Jalapenos:

• Coring will help to remove most of the heat because we will be cutting out and removing the insides of the pepper. 
• Start by wearing disposable gloves so that the seeds do not burn your hands. Always wash your hands after touching the Jalapenos and do not touch your eyes or face while cutting them.
• Cut the stems and slice the jalapenos in half.
• Take a spoon or a short knife and scrape out the membrane working from the bottom to the top of the pepper. 
• Your jalapenos are now ready to be filled.

Directions:

• In a small bowl, mix the Cream Cheese, Cheddar cheese, Onion and Garlic. 
• Crumble the Bacon strips and stir in the above mix.

Tip: If the Cream Cheese is too hard, put it in the microwave and heat for a few seconds.

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. 
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Fill the Jalapeno halves with the mixture pressing lightly to stuff it properly.
• Place onto the lined baking sheet.

• Bake about 15 minutes or until the peppers are soft. Remember if the peppers are not yet soft then they will taste very hot.
• Remove from the oven and serve hot.

Tips:

• When properly cooked, the peppers wont taste hot but still carry a hint of heat and flavor.
• For an enhanced palate, use a flavored cheddar cheese.
• Make sure not to overfill your jalapeno halves because the cheese will ooze out when they bake.
• Don’t forget to wear gloves and wash your hands well after handling the jalapenos.
• Make sure to soften the cream cheese. I always keep it outside, on the kitchen counter for 15-20 minutes before mixing it in any dish. It makes it soft and easier to mix in.
• You can prepare some extra filling and use it as a dip or a spread.
• Buy Jalapenos which are about 3-4 inches long. The smaller ones are harder to stuff in. 
• If you like spicy and hot food, feel free to leave some of the seeds in the jalapenos (keep a drink ready at hand, just in case).

Cooking the Bacon:

• I find cooking the Bacon in the microwave a lot easier than doing it on the stovetop. 
• Place a sheet of paper towel on a microwave-safe plate.
• Lay the Bacon slices on the paper towel in a single layer.
• Place another sheet of paper towel on top.
• Heat in the microwave on high for 2-3 minutes (usually the packet will have the cooking time mentioned on it).
• Remove from the microwave, wait for a few minutes then crumble.

Recommended Reading:

• Debarshi’s Amuse Bouche
• My Cheap and Delicious Cheese Plate
• Pyaz Ke Pakore (Onion Fritters)
• Cheela (Savory Indian Crepes)
• Mughlai Kabab
• Tandoori Chicken
• French Chops
• Samosa (Spicy Potato stuffed Pastries)
• Alur Bora (Mamma’s Potato with Garlic fritters)
• Kabiraji
• Un-Sweet Tea
• Allahabadi Alu Patty (Puff Pastry with Spicy Potato Filling)
• Veggie Puffs
• Lovely Cranberry Margarita

Allahabadi Fruit Cream

Fruit Cream is one of the gourmet desserts of my hometown – Allahabad. It is prepared by mixing finely chopped colorful fruits and nuts with freshly whipped cream. Growing up I must have had it hundreds of time and needless to say I still love it! When Debarshi suggested to include this in our North Indian themed get together party, my immediate reaction was, “This will be perfect!”. 

I think it is absolutely amazing how food is intertwined to any person’s life. Of course when I was in Allahabad, I could enjoy Fruit Cream whenever I wanted and hence it never occurred to me that I can prepare this at home myself! Let me tell you that in Allahabad, Fruit Cream is served in the traditional way - in a clay cup. This clay cup is handmade on a pottery wheel and is not only environment friendly but also instills an earthy smell in the cream. Furthermore, the fresh fruits and nuts add a mouthwatering flavor in the cream. It is served cold and hence is a summer dessert.

The online recipes suggested to get readymade cream (or cool whip), but we decided to prepare it from scratch and it turned out to be the best decision for this dish. Believe me cool whip can never compare with the homemade thick cream which is pretty easy to prepare if you have a stand mixer or hand mixer at home. Once the cream is ready, mix all your favorite fruits and nuts in it, cover and refrigerate. Before serving to guests, don’t forget to ask them for any dietary restrictions or allergies. Serve the fruit cream cold in beautiful bowls and enjoy!

Ingredients for the Whipped Cream:

(Stand Mixer recommended recipe)

• Heavy Cream - 2 cups 
• Vanilla Extract - 1 teaspoon 
• Confectioners' Sugar - 2 tablespoons

Fruits and Nuts:

• Grapes - ½ cup
• Banana - ½
• Apple - ½
• Cashews – 1-2 tablespoons
• Pomegranate seeds - ½ cup 
• Golden Raisins - ½ cup 

Tips:

• Make Confectioners' Sugar at home - Pour granulated sugar into a blender or food processor. Blend the sugar until it is a fine, fluffy powdered sugar. The more refined, whiter sugars will make the fluffiest powdered sugars. You can use the powdered sugar immediately or save it for later (If using Nutri bullet, use the milling blade).
• Do not use the beater and bowl directly after washing as the water may be hot and it will immediately warm up the cream.
• Keep the cream refrigerated until you're ready to whip it. Keeping everything cold is important.
• Heavy whipping cream is usually available in the dairy section of any grocery store. Always check the expiration date prior purchasing it. I used the below brand:

Let’s do some preparations:

• Half an hour prior making the Whipped cream, keep the beater and the bowl in the refrigerator so that they chill.
• Chop all the fruits and nuts into small pieces.

Directions to prepare the Whipped Cream:

• Pour the Heavy Cream in the stand mixer’s bowl. 
• Add the Vanilla Extract.
• Attach the beater.

• The frothy and bubbly stage: Let’s start the whipping, start on low speed then after a few seconds increase the mixer speed to medium. For the first several minutes, the cream will be very frothy and bubbly (hence the stage name).

• The soft plop stage: Continue to whip till you start seeing trails in the cream. Trails will usually appear after 4 to 5 minutes. When you start to see trails in the cream that don't immediately dissolve after the whisk moves, you've reached what's called the "soft plop" stage. If you take your whisk out of the bowl, the whipped cream will barely hold to the whisk. Have patience, you still have to whip for quite sometime. I actually increased the mixer’s speed at this time but let me tell you, by increasing the speed you are decreasing the whipping time so be careful, extra whipping will result in butter.

• The soft peak stage: Keep a watch for soft peaks which will appear after 6 to 7 minutes. When the trails in the cream become more solid and a dribble of whipped cream stays floating on the surface of the cream, you've reached "soft peak" stage. If you take your whisk out of the bowl, more of the cream will cling to the whisk but any peaks will quickly soften.

• The soft tip stage: If you notice in the above photo, the consistency of the cream has beginning to change. You will start noticing firm peaks in 7 to 8 minutes. This means that the trails in the cream will become stiffer and stiffer, and the cream will start to take on volume. If you take your whisk out of the cream, the peaks in the whipped cream will hold firmly but have slightly softened tips. This is typically the best stage to stop whipping and serve the cream.

• Finally Whipped Cream - the stiff cream stage: After the soft tip stage, be very careful not to over whip. You will notice firm peaks in about 8 to 9 minutes. If you continue whipping, the cream will stiffen even more and you might notice it taking on a grainy texture. If you take your whisk out of the cream, the peaks will be completely stiff. If you whip much more beyond this stage, you'll make butter so be careful and keep checking the consistency. I think this is the perfect stage for the Fruit Cream so I continued till this stage.

• Serve or store: Once you've reached your ideal stage of whipped cream, serve the whipped cream immediately or cover and store it in the refrigerator for a few hours.

Tips:

• Cream roughly doubles when it is whipped so two cups of cream will make about four cups of whipped cream, which is enough to make Fruit cream for 10-12 people.
• The times given above are using a stand mixer on medium speed. If you use a higher speed, the time between stages will be shorter. If you are whipping by hand, the times will likely be longer. Do not use a fork to whip the cream, I tried and it took me forever, finally I gave up at the soft plop stage.

Directions to prepare the Fruit Cream:

• Take a big bowl and transfer all the chopped fruits and nuts in it.

• Slowly transfer the whipped cream into the bowl.

• Using a spatula, gently fold all the fruits and nuts into the cream.

• Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. 
• To serve, use beautiful small bowls, dessert cups or shot glasses. Serve cold.

Tips:

• Make sure not to slice the banana too soon otherwise it will change to a dull brown color.
• The best part of this dish is, you can add your favorite fruits and nuts in it. You can make it more colorful by adding fruits of different colors like Mango, Kiwi or Peach.  You can also add Pecans, dried Cranberries and Pistachios in it to create a different flavor. However, the fruits and nuts given in the recipe are the actual ingredients used in the Allahabadi Fruit Cream so I would urge you to try it as it is at least the first time so that you know the actual gourmet taste of the dish.
• If you have some leftover Whipped cream, you can always freeze it. It can be frozen with the nuts in it. Before serving, thaw it by keeping outside for an hour or overnight in the fridge. Add fresh fruits and serve.
• If you don’t have a stand mixer or hand mixer at home, you can use any ready made store bought whipped cream or cool whip. Adjust the sweetness by adding some Confectioner sugar in it.

Recommended Reading:

• Debarshi’s Amuse Bouche
• Tomato Basil Soup
• Chocolate Whipped Cream Frosting
• Whip the Cream for Black Forest Gateau
• Loknath wali Meethi Lassi (Sweet Yogurt based drink)
• Make Homemade Butter from Spoiled Cream
• Moong Dal ka Halwa (Indian Yellow Lentils Dessert)
• Rabri (Clotted Cream in Condensed Milk)
• Sevai ki Kheer (Semai Payesh / Vermicelli Pudding)
• Dry Fruit Laddu (Mamma’s homemade sweets with dry fruits)
• Gujiya (Crispy Flaky Indian Sweet Dumpling stuffed with Milk Solids and Nuts)
• Gajar ka Halwa (Indian Carrot Dessert)

Debarshi’s Amuse Bouche

Photo and Recipe Courtesy: Dr. Debarshi Chatterji

I think the love of food makes a person do incredible things. We experiment, never give up hope and always try to push ahead to create and share something new. I recently got the opportunity to witness all these stages and I must say that moment when you actually put your ideas into motion and create a masterpiece is beautiful! 

A few weeks back Debarshi and I decided to do a soiree. We started by deciding our main course (the star of the evening), next came the appetizers, drinks and dessert. It was a long discussion as both of us wanted to cook our best dishes. I was just about to put down my notebook when Debarshi said, “You know what? I want to serve an Amuse Bouche”. Now I don’t know if it was the way he said it or the words themselves but I just burst into laughter and so we decided that Debarshi will be in charge of the Amuse Bouche and Welcome Drink. The idea was to greet our friends with these two items as soon as they enter our home.

I know I have started telling you this story and never explained anything about the title. Let me make things easier for you, an Amuse Bouche is a single bite sized starter typically served before everyone sits. They are so small that normally everyone uses their hand to eat them. Unlike the appetizers, Amuse Bouches are never given on the menu and are served free of charge as a compliment from the chef. They often reflect the type of meal/ cuisine the chef will be serving. 

Amuse Bouche is a French term meaning “mouth amuser” in other words it gives you an idea what type of palate you should be expecting from your meals. An Amuse Bouche can be served on crackers or cucumber slices and it is not uncommon for the chefs to show their creativity in these small portions. You will see beautiful single bite pastries, fruits or grilled vegetables/ meat on cocktail pins, pre rolled pasta on forks with a single meatball or shrimp, or soup/ fish in flat bottomed soup spoons. It is a great way for the chef to show their gratitude towards their guests and this is what clicked Debarshi. He said, “This is a special dinner party and I want to surprise everyone with something exceptional”. 

Now the first principle of creating an Amuse Bouche is, it should look beautiful and elegant. It doesn’t have to be an over complicated dish but it should have a perfect balance of flavors and colors. Something to captivate the eye immediately. Well…. what do you think?

Since we were doing a North Indian menu with a main course prepared with Paneer, Debarshi immediately decided that the Amuse Bouche had to be something prepared with Paneer and seasoned with Indian spices. He actually plated this elegant platter in just 15 minutes. If you see the recipe you will find that there is nothing overly complicated, it is just a perfect balance of seasoning and presentation. Come on! I really encourage you to read on because believe me you can impress anyone with this.

Ingredients:

• Paneer – about 3 cups, cut into bite sized cubes (about 32 pieces)
• Butter – about 3 tablespoons, to fry
• Tomatoes – about 15-20, Cherry or Grape tomatoes, cut in half
• Basil Leaves – about 30, fresh, washed and patted dried, neatly cut from the stems
• Chaat Masala – about 1 tablespoon
• Black Salt – about 1 teaspoon
• Salt – about ½ teaspoon, plain white
• Black Pepper – coarsely grounded, about 2-3 teaspoons

Others:

• A beautiful platter
• Cocktail Pins

Tips: 

• Paneer or fresh cheese can be easily found at your local Indian store along with Chaat Masala and Black Salt.
• Cocktail Pins can be found at a party store like Party City. They look like short cylindrical sticks, made of wood with sharp points on one or both ends depending on the decoration attached on them. They are used as a skewer to decorate cocktails (cherries or olives) and for serving Amuse Bouche.
• Use a scissor to neatly cut the Basil leaves from the stems.

Directions:

• Divide the Paneer into two parts (16 pieces in each part).
• Season one part with plain white Salt and another with Black Salt.
• Heat a big skillet over medium heat.
• After a couple of seconds, add the Butter (1 tablespoon).
• When the Butter melts, add the first batch of the Paneer (seasoned with plain white Salt).
• After a minute, turn the Paneer pieces to fry the other side as well. Keep turning them at regular intervals so that they get fried on all sides and develop a golden color.
• Remove from the skillet and transfer to the chopping board or a big plate.
• Sprinkle the Chaat Masala, turn the pieces so that all the sides get a little masala on them. Taste a piece to check the seasoning. 
• Repeat the same steps with the Black Salt seasoned Paneer pieces (add a little more butter and fry the Paneer pieces till golden, transfer to the board and sprinkle Black Pepper on them, taste to check the seasoning).

Let’s decorate and serve the Amuse Bouche:

• To assemble, place a piece of Paneer, top with a Basil leaf and half piece of the tomato. Secure with a cocktail pin. 
• Repeat for all the Paneer pieces then transfer to the platter and serve as soon as your guests come in.

Recommended Reading:

• Tomato Basil Soup
• Homemade Pizza with Paneer, Tomato and Basil
• Palak Paneer (Fresh Cheese in Spinach gravy)
• Allahabadi Fruit Cream
• Jalapeno Poppers with Cream Cheese and Bacon
• Loknath wali Meethi Lassi (Sweet Yogurt based drink)
• Chanar Dalna (Bengali recipe: Fresh Cheese and Potato Curry)
• My Homemade Sausage and Feta Hors D'oeuvres
• My Homemade Spicy Potato Hors D'oeuvres 
• Paneer Bhurji (Crumbled Fresh Cheese with sautéed Onions)
• Mamma’s Matar Paneer (Peas and Indian Cottage Cheese in a tomato gravy)
• Shahi Paneer (Indian Cottage Cheese in a creamy gravy)
• Easy Air Fryer Paneer Tikka
• Thandai (Refreshing Indian Drink)
• Lovely Cranberry Margarita