Christmas snacks
So on to the next course or actually I definitely think that this is more a first course with a nice glass of champagne to get everyone in a festive mood. I am not too fond of the filodough that I used as the recipe calls for brushing the filodough with butter but either my filo was old (it had been in the freezer for a while) or I put on too much butter. In any case; I am not a big fan of filo and think that this would be much nicer with regular puff pastry. The filo, once baked is very brittle and it then becomes one of those snacks that will be all over everyone’s festive clothing because the whole thing breaks apart when you bit it! So it looks better then it is, I think or at least it has great potential, so I hope the puff pastry works out better. We’ll see how that goes.
The guacamole is made with creme fraiche which I have never done before but it works really well and gives it a good consistency and maybe a little less heavy then avocado only. It is seasoned with cilantro (coriander), chili pepper and some lime juice and ofcourse salt and pepper and together with the dutch shrimps and cherry tomatoes (I used really good and tasty tomatoes. You don’t want the watery kind. These are pomodori I think)
And it looks nice and festive too doesn’t it? I mean it has to taste good, ofcourse, that is the obvious part but I also like it when you have something that you can also present nicely too!
We hesitated a lot wether or not this would be a good amuse for christmas day. First it was a no, but then we figured it does have a nice freshness to it and would actually be perfect so the final verdict is that this is also going to stay. So for now; we have the Celeriac soup (which is gonna be a keeper!) and this amuse before that!
Also from the Dutch Deliciousmagazine!
Mille-feuille with Dutch shrimps (and a nice glass of champagne to go along with it!!) (qty’s for about 8 pieces)
75 gr butter
4 sheets of filodough (20 x 30 cm)
1 tsp of cayennepepper or sharp hongarian paprikapowder
1 ripe avocado
100 ml creme fraiche
2 cm chili pepper, seeds removed, finely chopped
1 tbsp of chopped fresh coriander (cilantro)
2 tsp of limejuice
10-12 cherry tomatoes
100 gr Dutch grey shrimps
Prepare(30 mins) (can be done a few hours before) Heat the oven to 180C (360F). Melt the butter in a small saucepan on low. Put two sheets of filodough on a large cuttingboard and brush them with the melted butter. Put the other two sheets on top and also brush with the butter. Dust the sheets lightly with cayennepepper to form a little film on top. Don’t overdo this!
Cut the dough in 24 pcs of roughly 5 x 5 cm each. Put them next to eachother on a baking tray lined with baking paper and bake them in the oven for about 9 minutes or until crispy and golden.
Peel the avocado and remove the pit. Mash the avocado meat with a fork and add the creme fraiche, chilipepper, coriander, lime and some salt. Cover the guacamole with foil and put in the fridge until further use. Cut the cherry tomatoes in thin slices, remove most of the soft insides and seeds and keep them cool until you’re ready to use it.
Finishing (10 mins): Put some guacamole on the baked filo. Put some shrimps on top and garnish with the cherry tomatoes. Cover with another filo square.
{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
oh i love the wonderful pictures simone. a great christmas starte – love puff pastry and love shrimps!
Looks like it’s all coming together Simone! I’m enjoying your updates a lot.
Oh, Simone, thanks for this recipe. I don’t read Dutch, so I wouldn’t have seen it. This looks wonderful!
Oh I adore your photos!
Argh, I would kill for some grey shrimp for Christmas! I love guacamole, but I’ve never tried it with grey shrimp (I usually eat those suckers by themselves whenever I’m in Belgium – maybe with tomato if I’m feeling patient).
You’re probably right about filo dough being a bit too brittle for a Christmas party – unless you perhaps try to shape the filo sheets into bite-sized cups. At any rate, I’m sure people will love the flavour combination!
Looks scrumptious to me, nonetheless! I’ve heard so much about filo pastry … Don’t think I’ve tasted one either. But, it’s rather hard for us to get store-bought one as it’s rather an uncommon food item here. I’ve tinkered with the idea of homemade filo dough … Well, will see what’ll happen to me next …
It’s no doubt that puff pastry works well with this! I’d also think Greek yogurt, though way tarter, would work just as well as creme fraiche … Sour cream, too! Too bad, creme fraiche is very expensive here … All imported from France. =(
Love your work, keep it up!
Pei-Lin
I love shrimps and this looks so good. Can’t wait to try this delicious recipe.
This course looks scrumptious too! I’d join your Christmas dinner right away as I follow your menu
Beautiful festive photos!
Simone this is so beautifully done.
Forget the food!
I love how the xmas lights look on those photos: so inviting?
I would love to come to your house for the holidays. This sounds like a wonderful appetizer.
{ 2 trackbacks }