Winter Gatherings (2 page)

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Authors: Rick Rodgers

Tags: #Cooking, #Seasonal

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Sweet and Spicy Chicken Wings

Makes 6 to 8 servings

What’s Super Bowl Sunday without a pile of jazzed-up chicken wings? These have become one of my favorite appetizers, as they couldn’t be simpler to throw together, and they always disappear. I like the smoky high heat of the ground chipotle, but you could use milder, somewhat sweet ancho or hotter-than-hell habanero, if you prefer. Don’t use the frozen “wingettes,” however, because they give off too much liquid and don’t crisp up nicely.

Vegetable oil for the baking sheet

4 pounds fresh (not thawed frozen) chicken “wingettes”

1½ teaspoons pure ground chipotle

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon kosher salt

3 tablespoons honey

1.
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 425°F. Lightly oil a large rimmed baking sheet.
2.
Put the chicken wings in a large bowl. Mix the chipotle, cumin, and salt together in a small bowl. Sprinkle over the wings, tossing well. Spread on the baking sheet.
3.
Bake for 20 minutes. Turn the wings over and continue baking until golden brown and they show no sign of pink when pierced with the tip of a knife, about 25 minutes longer.
4.
Transfer the wings to a large bowl. Pour off and discard the fat in the baking sheet. Drizzle the wings with the honey and toss. Spread again on the baking sheet and return to the oven. Bake until the wings are glazed with the honey, 5 to 10 minutes longer.
5.
Transfer to a platter and serve hot, with a bowl for collecting the bones. (They’re not very manly, but moist disposable towelettes of some kind would be welcome, too, as fingers will get sticky when eating these.)

Dill–Whole Wheat Blini with American Caviar

Makes 24 blini; 6 to 8 servings

Traditionally, imported caviar arrived in our country in November, but now, with the popularity and availability of American caviar, you don’t have to wait for the cool weather to serve it. It remains one of the most elegant items to offer guests at New Year’s. Some people wouldn’t think of serving caviar without small buckwheat blini. Because buckwheat isn’t the most common flour, I prefer to use whole wheat, which provides the whole grain flavor but will be used up much more quickly and not left to sit in the pantry.

B
LINI

½ teaspoon dry active yeast

3 tablespoons warm (105° to 115°F) water

¾ cup whole milk

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

2 tablespoons sour cream

1 large egg, separated

1/8 teaspoon sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

½ cup all-purpose flour

½ cup whole wheat flour

2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh dill

Nonstick cooking spray for the skillet

2 ounces American caviar, such as black paddlefish

½ cup sour cream or crème fraîche

1.
To make the blini, sprinkle the yeast over the warm water in a small bowl. Let stand until the mixture looks creamy, about 5 minutes. Stir to dissolve the yeast.
2.
Whisk the milk, dissolved yeast, melted butter, sour cream, egg yolk, sugar, and salt together in a medium bowl until combined. Add the flour and whole wheat flour, and whisk until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature until bubbly (it will not double in volume), about 2 hours.
3.
Whisk the egg white in a greaseproof small bowl until soft peaks form. Add to the batter, along with the dill, and fold together.
4.
When ready to serve, heat a griddle or large skillet over medium-high heat until a sprinkle of water splashed on the surface forms skittering beads. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Using a heaping tablespoon for each blini, spoon the batter onto the griddle. Cook until holes appear in the tops of the blini, about 1 minute. Turn and cook until the other sides are golden brown, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a platter lined with a clean, fragrance-free napkin or kitchen towel, and wrap the blini in the towel to keep warm while making the remaining blini. (The blini are best freshly made. They can be made up to 2 hours ahead and stored at room temperature. To reheat, overlap blini on a large baking sheet and bake in a preheated 350°F oven, uncovered, until hot, about 5 minutes.)
5.
Serve the blini, accompanied by bowls of caviar and sour cream. Allow guests to top each blini with the caviar and sour cream.

Pizza with Fontina, Potatoes, and Tapenade

Makes 4 servings

Knowing how to make homemade pizza is a great skill to have because you are in charge of the toppings and their quality. While I have friends who are capable of churning out pizza after pizza for a crowd, I prefer to serve a single pizza as an appetizer. This vegetable pizza combines the mellow flavors of Fontina cheese and potatoes with bold accents of olive tapenade—much different than a summery tomato-and-basil pizza, but just as good in its own way. To give the pizza its crisp golden brown crust, use a pizza stone and paddle.

P
IZZA
D
OUGH

1 (¼-ounce) package active dry yeast (2¼ teaspoons)

¼ cup warm (105° to 115°F) water

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

2 cups bread flour

1 teaspoon salt

½ cup cold water, as needed

G
ARLIC
O
IL

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

3 small Yukon gold potatoes (8 ounces total), scrubbed but unpeeled

Cornmeal for the pizza paddle

1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan

1½ cups (6 ounces) shredded Italian Fontina d’Aosta

1 bottled roasted red bell pepper, drained, seeded, and coarsely chopped

3 tablespoons tapenade (see Note)

2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary

Crushed hot red pepper flakes

1.
To make the pizza dough, sprinkle the yeast over the warm water in a small bowl. Let stand 5 minutes; stir until dissolved. Add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil.
2.
Place the flour and salt in a food processor fitted with the metal chopping blade and pulse briefly to combine. Add the yeast mixture. With the machine running, gradually add enough cold water through the feed tube until the mixture comes together in a ball on top of the blade. Process to knead for 45 seconds. Gather up the dough and briefly knead by hand on a lightly floured work surface.
3.
Pour the remaining 1 tablespoon oil into a medium bowl. Add the dough and turn to coat liberally with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature until doubled in volume, about 1¼ hours.
4.
To make the garlic oil, heat the oil and garlic in a small saucepan over low heat until the oil bubbles around the garlic, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool.
5.
Place the potatoes in a medium saucepan and add enough salted water to cover. Cover with a lid and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and cook with the lid ajar until the potatoes are almost tender when pierced with a small knife, 12 to 15 minutes. Drain and let cool until easy to handle. Using a thin knife, slice the potatoes into 1/8-inch-thick rounds. Spread the potato rounds on a plate and lightly brush the tops with the garlic oil. Reserve the remaining garlic oil.
6.
Position a rack in the lower third of the oven. Place a pizza stone on the rack and preheat the oven to 450°F.
7.
Punch the dough down and transfer to a floured work surface. Roll, pat, and stretch the dough into a 12-to 14-inch round. Sprinkle a pizza paddle liberally with cornmeal. Transfer the dough round to the paddle and reshape as needed. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let stand for 10 minutes.
8.
Sprinkle the dough with the Parmesan and ½ cup of the Fontina. Arrange the potato slices, oiled side up, on the dough, leaving a 1-inch border around the edge. Sprinkle with the roasted red pepper. Drop heaping ¼ teaspoons of tapenade over the pizza. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup Fontina. Lightly brush the exposed dough border with garlic oil.
9.
Slide the pizza off the paddle onto the hot pizza stone. Bake until the underside is deep golden brown (using the paddle to lift the pizza and check), 15 to 20 minutes. Slip the paddle under the pizza and transfer to a cutting board. Spoon the remaining chopped garlic and its oil over the pizza to taste. Sprinkle with salt, rosemary, and red pepper flakes to taste. Cut into wedges and serve hot.

Note

Tapenade, a savory spread made from olives, anchovies, garlic, and herbs, is available at specialty grocers and many supermarkets. Olivada, an olive spread that does not usually include anchovies, is a good substitute. Or simply scatter
½
cup pitted and coarsely chopped black Mediterranean olives over the pizza.

Baked Brie with Wild Mushrooms and Thyme

Makes 6 servings

Here is a nigh-perfect appetizer to serve with red wine on a cool evening—earthy mushrooms served over melting Brie to spread on crusty bread. You’ll need a medium-size edible-rind cheese, such as Brie de Colummiers or imported or domestic Camembert, that is sold in a wooden box, as the box will contain the cheese while it heats in the oven. For a large crowd, use a large wheel of cheese and triple the topping.