Moo's Beer Puffs w/Coconut Chicken Filling

Here's a versatile appetizer. You can come up with all kinds of fillings. I've included Moo's coconut chicken filling. The filling alone is a real palate pleaser.

Puffs Batter
1 cup beer
Pinch of salt
1/2 stick butter (1/4 cup), cut into small pieces
1 cup flour, sifted
4 eggs
1/8 tsp. nutmeg

Glaze
1 egg yolk
1 T milk

Filling
Chopped chicken
Angel Flake coconut
Coconut cream
Mushrooms or nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a large cookie sheet. Put beer in saucepan with salt and add butter pieces. Bring to boil (you want to watch heat carefully so that butter melts at same time beer starts to boil). Add flour all at once. Add nutmeg. Remove from heat and add eggs (one at a time and stirring in between). Stir until dough forms into a ball (about 2 minutes). Drop dough from a teaspoon onto the prepared cookie sheet. Combine glaze ingredients and brush on each puff before popping into the oven. Bake 25-30 minutes until golden brown. Let puffs cool on racks. Fill with desired filling or freeze in plastic bags until ready to fill and serve.

Moo's Marinated Mushroom Salad

1 1/4 lbs small mushrooms
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup parsley, chopped

Marinade
6 T olive oil
2 T lemon juice
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp. whole black pepper, crushed
1/2 tsp. whole coriander seed
1/2 tsp. whole mustard seed
1/2 tsp. salt

Wash mushrooms and remove stems. Add mushrooms to a sauce pan of boiling salted water (enough water to cover mushrooms). Simmer uncovered for 5 minutes. Drain and let mushrooms cool. Set aside. Mix together olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, pepper, coriander seed, mustard seed, and salt. Add mushrooms, onion and parsley. Blend thoroughly. Cover and chill, stirring occasionally. Set aside for at least 2 hours (best overnight). Serve in the marinade.

Spicy Prosciutto Wrapped Avocado

This is a little something special Moo cooked up. It's hot. It's delicious. And it's fast and easy to make. It's a palate pleaser.

Prosciutto, sliced just thick enough to stay together when you wrap around avocado
Ripe avocado, peeled and cut into bite-size pieces

Hot Sauce
4 T butter
2 T water
4 T ketchup
2 T vinegar
2 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/3 tsp. salt
Dash of Tabasco sauce

Prepare prosciutto by cutting slices in half. If you want more prosciutto per bite, use a whole slice. Peel avocado, remove seed and cut into bite-size pieces. Wrap prosciutto slice around avocado. Hold in place with toothpick. Prepare hot sauce in a double boiler with water simmering: combine butter, water, ketchup, vinegar, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, salt, Tabasco sauce. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Drizzle a little over the hors d'oeuvres--not too much you don't want it to be messy when picked up. Serve additional hot sauce in a bowl on the side for dipping. This thing has zing!

Moo's Steamed Asian Dumpling Filling

This is an excellent all-around filling for dumplings. You can use it to make pot stickers, Siu Mai or 4-color dumplings. Your dumplings will be real palate pleasers.

1 lb. ground pork
1/4 cup chicken broth
2 T sugar
1 T soy sauce, I prefer low sodium
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. teriyaki sauce
1/2 tsp. sherry
1/2 tsp. sesame oil
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped and packed tight
8 water chestnuts
4 fresh shitake mushrooms
1 scallion, minced
1 T fresh ginger, minced
1/4 cup cornstarch

Dumpling skins

To the pork, add broth, sugar, soy sauce, salt, teriyaki sauce, sherry and sesame oil. In food processor, fine chop all vegetables. Fold vegetables into pork mixture. Finally add cornstarch. Fill dumpling skins and either freeze until you need them or steam and serve.

By the way, here's a simple but good dipping sauce: 3 T low-sodium soy sauce, 1 tsp. rice vinegar, and 1 tsp. sesame oil

Moo's Coconut Shrimp

You're going to love these shrimp. They are a palate pleaser you have got to make. Like a lot of health-conscious people, I don't eat much fried food these days. That's not to say the taste isn't a real palate pleaser. And there is the rare occasion and the right food can tempt. Moo used to make this one a lot...back in days when we all ate more fried food. You might come up with a way to take this taste and prepare it without the frying. In any case, I don't deep fry any more, I saute in the skillet with a little olive oil.

24 jumbo shrimp, clean and flattened
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1 bag flaked coconut, slightly toasted
2 eggs
4 T coconut cream

Marinade
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
1-1/2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp ground ginger

Dipping Sauce
To taste combine orange marmalade, hot Chinese mustard and Curaco.

Clean and flatten shrimp then marinate overnight. Line cookie sheet with wax paper and combine flour, salt and dry mustard on the wax paper. Spread toasted coconut on another cookie sheet. In a bowl, combine eggs and coconut cream. Heat a deep fryer, skillet or wok with olive oil. Dredge shrimp in flour. Then egg mixture. Then coconut. Deep fry (375 to 400 degrees) to a golden color. Serve with dipping sauce. Note: if you do 30 shrimp or more, double the flour and marinade mixtures.

Kendra's Cold Zucchini with Salsa Verde

You have a few options with this recipe. You can serve it as an appetizer or as a salad. With the exception of the herbs, I did not tell you how to chop the vegetables. This should be your preference. Some people like a smooth salsa, others like it chunky. Personally, I think you might want to blend in food processor until smooth if you are serving this as a salad.

8-10 small zucchini, trimmed and cut in half lengthwise
1 cup fresh parsley, chopped coarsely
1 cup olive oil
1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 small onion, chopped
4 anchovy fillets
3 t. capers
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 shallot, chopped
1 tsp. seasoned salt
1 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
1/2 cup fresh basil, finely chopped
Ground pepper to taste

Cook zucchini in boiling salted water for about 4 minutes. Drain, rinse under cold water to cool quickly. Drain. Refrigerate. Combine coarsely chopped parsley with olive oil, lemon juice, onion, anchovies, capers, garlic, shallot and salt in food processor. Blend on pulse so you can control the consistency. Transfer to a bowl for serving and stir in finely chopped parsley and basil. Season with pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate until cold.

When ready to serve, arrange zucchini on cold platter. For appetizers, slice zucchini into sticks and serve salsa in a bowl for dipping. As a side dish/salad, arrange zucchini halves on cold plate and spoon salsa over the top.

Moo's Lychee Kumaki

Well, this is different sort of appetizer that will have your guests wondering where it's been all these years.

1 can lychee fruit, drain and reserve syrup
1/2 cup peanuts, coarsely chopped
15 bacon slices, cut in half
Soy sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar

Drain lychee fruit thoroughly, reserve the syrup. Fill the cavity of each lychee with some of the chopped peanuts. Wrap a piece of bacon around the fruit, be sure to cover the opening with the peanuts inside. Secure with toothpick. Make a mixture of equal parts lychee syrup and soy sauce (about 1/4 cup of each should do it). Dip prepared lychee in liquid then roll in brown sugar. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place lychees on cookie sheet and into oven for 20 to 30 minutes or until the bacon is crisp. Watch carefully. Serve with plum brandy sauce.

Moo's Clam Puffs

These are fun and they taste good too.

3 6-1/2 ounce cans chopped clams, drained (save 1/4 cup of liquid)
2 eggs, separated
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 stick butter, melted
1/2 tsp salt
Pepper to taste
Olive oil for deep frying

Combine clams, clam liquid and egg yolks in medium bowl. Add flour, baking powder, melted butter, salt and pepper. Mix well. Beat egg whites to stiff peaks. Fold into clam mixture. Chill at least 3 hours (even overnight).

Heat oil in deep fryer or large frying pan to 375 degrees. Drop mixture by teaspoonfuls; don't crowd. Fry until brown and crisp, turning once. Drain on towel, sprinkle lightly with salt. Serve hot.

Moo's Stuffed Peapods

Here's another of Moo's favorite, holiday appetizers. They're easy to make, but to make a large batch will take you some time. Be patient, put on some music or a favorite movie while you work. The results of this palate pleaser are worth the time.

3/4 pound snow peapods
2 8-oz. packages cream cheese, cut in bits for easier blending
1/2 cup chives, chopped
Worcestershire sauce to taste
Salt and white pepper to taste

Blend in batches, cream cheese, Worcestershire sauce, salt and white pepper. This is really a personal taste thing and how spicy you want the peapods. Blend all the mixture until it is smooth. Put it in the refrigerator to chill. Now prepare the peapods by breaking off the ends and removing the strings. Wash then toss into boiling salted water for about 1 minute (until bright green). Drain peapods and run under cold water to stop the cooking process. Pat dry. Slit open each peapod to within 1/4 inch of each end. Once all peapods are prepared, get ready to fill. Apply a decorative tip to your pastry bag, fill bag with cream cheese mixture. Pipe cheese filling into each peapod and arrange on serving plate. Chill, loosely covered, for at least an hour.

3/4 of a pound of peapods should yield about 50 appetizers.

Moo's Avocado-Stuffed Cherry Tomatoes

This is a very simple recipe. Personally, I love the grape tomatoes for their sweetness, but you may prefer the cherry tomatoes. They are bigger and not quite as sweet. Which ever you choose, these are fun and pretty.

Wash a basket or two of cherry or grape tomatoes (depending on the size of your gathering). Slice off the tops and scoop out most of the seeds. Chill, as this makes them easier to work with. Now peel and pit a couple of nice ripe avocados. Add about 2 T lemon juice, 1 t. salt and a dash of cayenne pepper. Chill. When ready to assemble, fill a pastry bag with the avocado mixture and pipe into the tomatoes.

Moo's Japanese Chicken Wings

If you don't like wings...move along! Okay, I'm assuming about 98.9 percent of you are still with me. These are great. I think they are my all time favorite wings. An appetizer palate pleaser. Warning: Make plenty.

2 Plastic bags (you need clean bags--like garbage bags--with no scent or deoderizer imbued and no holes)
Start with about a dozen wings (about 2 1/3 lbs)
1 medium clove garlic
1 piece of fresh ginger (about 1”x1”), peeled
½ c. Japanese rice wine (sake)
½ c. soy sauce
¼ c. firmly packed light brown sugar
¼ t. dried hot red pepper flakes

Remove the tips from the wings and discard. Separate the remaining two joints. Place two plastic bags inside one another and place the wings inside. Place the bags (and their contents) in a large bowl.

To make the marinade, run garlic and ginger through a food processor. Chop about 10 seconds--until very fine. Scrape down the work bowl then add the remaining ingredients and process 5 seconds.

Pour the marinade over the bagged wings and toss to coat thoroughly. Seal each bag tightly with a twist tie. Let wings marinate in the refrigerator for 3 hours or overnight, turning the chicken occasionally.

Preheat the oven to 350. Line a shallow broiler pan or baking dish with heavy foil. Remove the wings from the bags and arrange them in a single layer in the pan. Reserve the marinade. Bake the wings uncovered until golden brown and crusty, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Turn and baste them every 15 minutes.

Glenda's Greek Chicken Wings

You can't have too many chicken wing recipes...Really. You can't. Wings ARE palate pleasers. This one comes from the mother of a friend of mine. I've been making this one for 20 years. They are soooo simple. Glenda doesn't use quantities. She just does this by starting with the number of wings she wants and then does everything else by eye and taste. You really can't go too wrong with this.

Chicken wings
Salt and pepper to taste
Flour
Whole and ground oregano
Olive oil
Fresh lemon juice

Lightly salt chicken, then dredge with flour that is seasoned with oregano. Put chicken into a baking dish that has about 1/4 inch of olive oil in bottom. Bake, covered with foil, for about 25-35 minutes at 450°. Remove foil and brown wings on both sides. Squeeze lemon juice on each wing (each side) and bake 5 minutes longer.

Moo's Brie Quiche

1 pound of brie
4 egg, separated
1 1/2 cup light cream
1/8 t. salt

Take out brie ahead of time to soften. Shave off the crust. When soft you can beat egg yolks and cream. Add brie to yolk mixture in chunks. Blend thoroughly. Add salt. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff but not dry. Fold into cheese mixture. Pour the entire mixture into a shallow baking pan or dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes (until custard is set). Cool slightly before serving.

Moo's Hot Black Bean Dipping Sauce

Moo sent this recipe with the following note: This is excellent. And it keeps in the refrigerator for 2 weeks.

1 pint olive oil
1/2 cup dried red chili flakes
2/3 cup fermented black beans
2/3 cup Tientsin preserved Chinese vegetables
1/4 cup Mainland preserved cabbage
1 T fresh garlic, minced
1 T fresh ginger, minced
1/2 cup scallions, minced
1 T sherry
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup cilantro, minced

Heat olive oil in your wok. One at a time and in the order listed, add all the ingredients except the cilantro. Mix thoroughly between ingredients. Take care not to let ingredients boil over. Once you are satisfied that ingredients are well infused, remove from head. Add cilantro. Cool and store in refrigerator.

Moo's Lemon Soy Dipping Sauce

Another of Moo's palate pleaser dipping sauces. This one is perfect for Japanese dumplings like gyoza and for tempura.

1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 T Mirin
3 T water
2 T rice vinegar
1 T bonito flakes

Combine all ingredients in sauce pan, cover and steep for 2-3 hours. Strain and serve.

Moo's California Ceviche

2 pounds fresh lean fish fillets
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
3 medium size onions, finely chopped
3 fresh green chilies, roast, peel and chop (or 1 can Mexican-style green chilies)
1 1/2 pounds ripe tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 t. dry oregano
1/2 t. marjoram leaves
1 t. celery seeds

Dice the fish, taking care to discard all bones and skin. Pour lime juice over fish, cover and refrigerate for 5 hours or overnight. Stir occasionally to ensure good coverage. Drain fish well, then add onions, chilies, tomatoes, orange juice, vinegar, olive oil, celery seed and herbs. Mix well. Serve immediately or refrigerate up to about 6 hours for freshest flavor.

Moo's Cheese Pie

This is a Fifties vintage recipe of Moo's. I've found some of these older recipes are fun to bring back and enjoy. An old palate pleaser is now new again.

2 cups cheese-flavored crackers, finely crushed
2 cups sour cream
1 green pepper, finely chopped
1/2 cup stuffed olives, chopped
1/2 cup celery, finely chopped
2 T lemon juice
1 small onion, minced
1 t. salt
1/4 t. paprika
1 t. Worcestershire sauce
Dash of Tabasco

Brush sides and bottom of 8" cake pan with butter (or spray with Pam). Cut a circular piece of wax paper to fit in the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle about 1/4 of the crackers in the bottom of the pan. Mix remaining ingredients together thoroughly. Spread layer of cream mixture on top of crackers. Alternate layers and finish with crackers on top. Store in refrigerator for 24 hours. Turn on to a plate shortly before serving. Garnish with crisp greens and olives.

Moo's Exotic Chicken Livers

We don't eat fried livers very often these days, but if this appeals (and it is a real palate pleaser) I recommend organic chicken livers and skillet cooking rather than deep frying. Olive oil, of course, helps too. Enjoy this guilty pleasure.

1/2 pound chicken livers
2 T Hoisin sauce

Fritter Batter
1 cup flour
1 t. salt
2 T cornstarch
2/3 cup water

Prepare livers by cleaning and cutting into bite-size pieces. Marinate in Hoisin sauce for 2 hours, turning regularly. Make batter about 20 minutes before you are ready to cook livers. Combine all the ingredients and beat until smooth. Dip livers in batter and skillet fry in olive oil. You can deep fry if you prefer. If you make ahead, reheat in a 400 degree oven for 5 minutes.

Moo's Asian Crab Balls

This crab appetizer goes fast, so make enough. Also you'll probably find other good uses for this dipping sauce. This is a palate pleasing crab dish.

1 pound crab meat, mince
1 egg
2 T scallions, chopped
1/2 t. salt
1 t. sherry
1 t. fresh ginger, finely chopped
1 t. sesame oil
1 T cornstarch

Olive oil

Dipping Sauce
1 t. hot soy bean paste
1 T catsup
2 T Worcestershire sauce
1 T sugar
1 T soy sauce
1/2 T garlic, crushed
1 T fresh ginger, very finely chopped

Mix crab meat with all other ingredients. Form into bite-size balls. Deep fry or pan fry until slightly brown. Serve with dipping sauce.

Moo's Simple Stuffed Mushrooms

Want to whip up a palate pleasing appetizer in no time? Try these stuffed mushrooms.

1 pound fresh mushroom caps
1 small onion, finely chopped
4 T butter
1 T flour
1/2 cup cream
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
Parsley for garnish, finely chopped

Wash and dry mushrooms and remove stems. Chop up the stems and any poorly shaped caps. Saute the onion in butter, add chopped mushroom stems and lemon juice. Cook until softened (about 3 minutes). Add flour and stir until thick. Add cream, season with salt and pepper and cook until thickened again.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Fill mushroom caps and bake on a buttered or Teflon cookie sheet for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with finely chopped parsley and serve hot.