Beggars Purses Filled With Shrimp And Scented With Lemon And Thyme Food

BEGGARS' PURSES

Steps:

• Make crêpe batter:
• Melt butter in a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat and set aside 2 tablespoons for cooking crêpes. Continue to cook butter remaining in skillet until it has a nutty fragrance and is golden brown, about 2 minutes. Blend brown butter with remaining crêpeingredients, except chives, in a blender until smooth. Add chives and pulse 1 or 2 times to just combine. Let batter stand 30 minutes.
• Blend brown butter with remaining crêpe ingredients, except chives, in a blender until smooth. Add chives and pulse 1 or 2 times to just combine. Let batter stand 30 minutes.
• Blanch whole chives:
• Blanch chives in a small saucepan of boiling water 10 seconds. Drain and plunge into an ice bath. Pat dry.
• Make crêpes:
• Lightly brush skillet with butter, then heat over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Stir batter. With skillet off heat, add a scant 1/4 cup batter, tilting and rotating skillet to coat bottom. (If batter sets too fast, reduce heat slightly.) Cook until golden around edges, 15 to 30 seconds. Loosen with a heatproof plastic spatula, then flip crêpe over with your fingertips. Cook until underside is set, about 30 seconds. Slide onto a plate. Make more crêpes, brushing skillet with butter and stacking crêpes on plate.
• Assemble purses:
• Top each crêpe, browned side up, with about 1 1/2 tablespoons sour cream and 2 teaspoon caviar. Gather crêpe around filling and tie 1 or 2 blanched chives in a knot to close purse. Trim ends of chives if necessary.

BUTTERFLY CHICKEN WITH LEMON AND THYME

Steps:

• Turn the chicken breast-side down. Use kitchen shears to cut out the backbone of the chicken. Flip the chicken back over and press it down flat with the palms of your hands against the cutting board to open it up like a book. Place the chicken in a large zip-top bag.
• Whisk together the olive oil, fennel seeds, thyme, garlic, lemon zest and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Pour the marinade over the chicken and place in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours and up to 1 day.
• Preheat the grill to medium-high heat.
• Use a clean tea towel and wipe the grill grates with oil. Remove the chicken from the marinade and place skin-side down on the grill and close the lid. Grill until the skin is nice and golden and crisp, about 15 minutes.
• Once the chicken has nice golden grill marks, turn the grill to medium-low heat. Flip the chicken again, close the grill lid and continue cooking until a thermometer reaches 165 degrees F when inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, 20 to 25 minutes longer. Check the chicken occasionally to make sure it's not burning and rotate as necessary.
• Cut into 6 to 8 pieces before serving. Serve the chicken on a platter with the Simple Green Salad.
• Add the greens to large bowl. Add the mustard and lemon juice to another bowl. Drizzle in the olive oil while whisking to emulsify. Season the dressing with salt and pepper. Toss the greens with the dressing and transfer to a platter.

RASPBERRY PUFFS WITH GOAT CHEESE MOUSSE AND THYME

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Unfold pastry sheet; cut along fold line to make 3 strips, trimming rough edges. Cut each strip in half crosswise. Place pastry rectangles on an ungreased baking sheet and bake until golden brown, 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer pastry to a rack and cool (about 8 to 10 minutes), then cut horizontally into 2 layers.
• While pastry bakes, in a medium bowl whisk the goat cheese, 6 tablespoons powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt until blended. Using electric mixer, beat whipping cream in another medium bowl until peaks form; fold into cheese mixture. Chill 10 to 15 minutes.
• Heat the jam in a medium microwave-safe bowl until just melted (about 10 seconds). Add berries. Toss to coat.
• Just before serving, put bottom halves of pastry on plates; top with mousse and raspberries. Sprinkle with minced thyme, cover with top half of pastry, and dust with powdered sugar. Garnish with thyme sprigs.

SMOKED SALMON BEGGARS PURSES

Steps:

• Split leek in half lengthwise. Rinse under cold water to remove any dirt, remove the white bottom end and peel the layers apart. Fill a large bowl with ice water.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the leeks to the boiling water and cook for about 20 seconds, remove and plunge into the ice water to cool. Remove leeks to a tray lined with a paper towel to dry. When dry cut each leek layer lengthwise in strips about 1/8-inch thick and reserve.
• In a medium mixing bowl combine the flour, salt and pepper. In another small bowl whisk together the eggs and milk until well combined. Add the milk mixture to the dry mixture, whisking to prevent lumps, being careful not to overwork. In a small saute pan melt the butter until lightly browned and mix into the batter along with the chopped chives. Let batter rest while you make the filling.
• In a medium mixing bowl combine all of the ingredients for the filling, folding salmon in last and mix until just combined.
• Melt a small amount of the butter in a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add 2 ounces, about 1/4 cup, of the crepe batter to the hot skillet. Remove from the heat and tilt slightly to coat the entire pan evenly with batter. Return to the heat and cook until lightly browned on the bottom side, about 50 to 60 seconds. Using your fingertips or a rubber spatula, carefully turn the crepes over and cook on the second side for 10 to 15 seconds. Set the cooked crepe aside on a baking sheet to cool and repeat this process with the remaining batter. Should make 8 crepes.
• When the crepes are cool lay out on a flat surface and with a spoon place some of the smoked salmon mixture in the center dividing evenly among the crepes. Pull the crepe together to form a little purse and tie the top of the crepe with one of the blanched leek strips. Serve 1 or 2 per person.

SAFFRON AND PRESERVED LEMON SCENTED SHRIMP RICE PILAF

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, add 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil and heat. Add the onions and saute for 3 minutes, until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and saute for another 2 minutes. Add the saffron threads and saute for 1 minute. Season with salt. Add the rice and saute, stirring constantly for 2 minutes. Add the water and cover the pot. Lower the heat to simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and let sit, covered for 5 minutes. Uncover and fluff with a fork. While the rice is cooking, in a saute pan, over high heat, add the remaining vegetable oil. When the oil is hot, add the tomatoes and the cayenne pepper. Saute for 5 minutes, or until the liquid begins to evaporate. Add the olives, shrimp and preserved lemons and cook until the shrimp turn pink and their tails curl completely, about 4 to 5 minutes. Be careful not to overcook. Season with salt and pepper. Add the shrimp mixture to the rice mixture and mix well. Check for seasoning. Garnish with almonds and parsley.

BEGGARS PURSES FILLED WITH SHRIMP AND SCENTED WITH LEMON AND THYME

Steps:

• Start by making the aromatic shrimp filling: Combine the first 5 ingredients in a small bowl and stir to combine. Season the mix with salt and pepper, to taste. Set aside. In a small saucepan, bring 1-inch of water to a boil over medium-high heat. Place the chives in the water and blanch for 1 minute. Remove the chives and squeeze them dry in a paper towel. The chives will be all bunched up in a ball at this point, so carefully separate them and set them aside. To assemble your purses: take a crepe and cut it in half. Place a heaping tablespoon of the shrimp filling in the middle of each half of crepe and draw up the sides of the crepe as to make a pouch of filling resembling a purse. Carefully twist the crepe around at the top and lay it on its side, holding the crepe closed at the top. Slip a chive under the crepe and tie it around the twisted top in a knot to secure the purse. Trim away any extra crepe and length of chive. After practicing this technique a few times you will get the hang of it and they will come together nicely. These may be made ahead of time and frozen for up to 1 month. Crepes: 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 cup milk 1/4 cup water 2 eggs 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted Pinch salt Crepe batter: combine flour, milk, water, eggs, 2 tablespoons of butter, and salt in a blender. Blend on high until smooth. Cover and let sit for 30 minutes. This is essential in creating strong crepes which will hold up to the stress of tying them into your beggars purses. Place a 7 1/2-inch nonstick crepe pan over medium heat. Brush a little of the remaining melted butter into the pan with a pastry brush. Ladle 2 tablespoons of batter into the pan and swirl to coat the entire pan evenly. Cook until it is set and the bottom is golden brown. Flip the crepe over and cook on the second side until it is lightly browned as well. Set aside covered with a dish towel until you are ready to assemble your beggars purses. Yield: 12 crepes

WILD MUSHROOM AND LEEK BEGGAR'S PURSES

Steps:

• Split leeks in half lengthwise, leaving root attached. Remove some of the inner layers to use for tying purses; blanch them for 30 seconds in boiling water, refresh in cool water, drain, and set aside.
• Remove green tops and thinly slice leeks. Saute in 1 tablespoon of the oil until soft, about 5 minutes. Do not brown. Remove from pan to a large bowl.
• Add another tablespoon of oil to pan, turn heat to medium high, and add enough mushrooms to cover bottom of pan. Cook, stirring frequently, until just softened, about 3 minutes. Remove from pan and add to leeks. Repeat until all mushrooms are cooked. If using a variety of mushrooms, cook each type separately.
• Return mushrooms and leeks to pan. Add thyme, salt, pepper, and Madeira or stock, and cook over high heat, stirring, until liquid is reduced to a syrupy consistency. Set aside to cool.
• Unwrap phyllo pastry and unroll flat. Cover completely with damp dish towel to prevent drying out. Lay out a sheet of phyllo and brush it sparingly with melted butter. Repeat until you have three layers. Cut into 4 rectangles. Place 1/3 cup filling in the center of each and gather into a cinched-purse shape. Repeat with remaining filling. (Wrap and refreeze remaining phyllo dough.) Chill purses until firm.
• Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place purses on a baking sheet and bake until evenly golden brown, about 15 minutes. Tie each purse with a leek ribbon and serve hot.

APPETIZER/MUSHROOM BEGGAR'S PURSES RECIPE

Steps:

• Slice the mushrooms. Use 1 Tbsp butter and 1 Tbsp olive oil. Saute mushrooms in saucepan over high heat for 2-3 minutes. Transfer to large bowl. Over medium heat, saute garlic, shallots and bacon for 5 minutes or until bacon is golden brown. Add the herbs and cayenne pepper and remove from heat Combine with mushrooms, toss with salt and pepper to taste. Roll out pastry on a lightly floured surface to 1/8"thick. Cut each half into 20 pieces. Brush each square with eggwash. Spoon onto square. Fold up the four corners. Pull corners up and squeeze edges to form purse. Tie with scallion greens that have been dropped in boiling water for 30 seconds. Tie each purse with a scallion green. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove purses from refrigerator and brush with eggwash. Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue baking until golden (10-15 minutes).Remove from oven and sprinkle with chives and parsley