Holiday Menu

 Fruit Cous Cous Salad

Smoked Salmon Tea Sandwiches

We recently cater a Holiday party for one of our customers. The plan was something easy to served and eat, effortless and fresh. The menu was two salads and two options of tea sandwiches. For salads we served a cold pesto pasta with cherry tomatoes, chunks of grilles chicken and shaved parmessano regiano as well as a cous-cous salad with toasted walnuts, dried cranberries and fresh gorgonzola cheese. For the tea sandwiches we made smoked salmon with an herb butter in whole grain bread plus an apple and brie cheese sandwich in a rosemary bun. We are happy to say that the food was a success and guests even asked for the recipe (good sign!). So here are two of the recipes:


FRUITY COUS-COUS SALAD: 
(serves 8)
Ingredients

• 1 1/3 cups dry couscous
• 2/3 cup slivered almonds
• 1/2 cup packed dried apricots, chopped
• 2/3 cup Craisins (sweetened, dried cranberries) or raisins, microwaved in
• 1 cup water for 1 minute
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced with greens
• 1 pinch Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions

Prepare couscous according to package directions. Combine all ingredients; toss. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

SMOKED SALMON TEA SANDWICHES:
(serves 32 sandwiches) 
Ingredients

Herb butter:

• 1/2 pound unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/4 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon minced scallions (white and green parts)
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh dill
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 
  

Sandwiches:

• 1 loaf dense 7-grain or health bread, unsliced
• 8 slices smoked salmon

Directions

For the herb butter, combine all the butter ingredients in a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat until mixed, but do not whip.

For the sandwiches, have the store slice the bread lengthwise on a meat slicer into 1/4-inch-thick slices. (If that isn't possible, you can slice it crosswise with a very sharp knife.)

Lay out 8 slices of bread and spread them all with a thin layer of herb butter. Place smoked salmon on 4 of the slices. Top with the other 4 slices of bread, butter side down. Place the sandwiches on a baking sheet and wrap with plastic. Refrigerate until the butter is very cold. Place the sandwiches on a cutting board. With a very sharp knife, cut off the crusts, cut each large sandwich in half crosswise, and then cut each half diagonally twice to make a total of 8 small triangles. (If the bread was cut crosswise, follow the assembly directions, then cut off the crusts and cut diagonally, twice, to make 4 small triangles.) Serve chilled. 

All the recipes went well with the white sangria that they were serving.Cheers!