Festive Asian Appetizers
Festive Asian Appetizers: mango salsa and ginger scallops are yummy
It's easy to "Asianize" your appetizers, add some exotic fruit here or a dash of ginger there to make your holiday party sparkle.
Since this is the festive season, here are a couple of fairly easy-to-follow appetizers that will infuse your revelry with a dash of the exotic.
The mango salsa tart recipe, great party food, is courtesy of New Light Cooking by Anne Lindsay (Random House Canada) while the scallops, excellent for a dinner starter, are from Donna Hay’s entertaining cookbook (Murdoch Books).
If you're in the mood for more Asian offerings, check out my Christmas Pineapple Tarts, Exotic Drinks, Celebratory Sweets and Asian Holiday Salads.
MANGO SALSA IN MINI-PHYLLO TARTS
Mix these ingredients in a bowl:
- 1 mango, peeled and finely diced
- ½ cup dinely diced red onion
- ½ cup chopped sweet green pepper
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon or lime juice
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro and/or mint
- ¼ tsp cumin
- ¼ tsp ground pepper
Make 30 mini phyllo tart shells.
Mini Phyllo Tart Shells: With one sheet of phyllo at a time, lay out a sheet on a flat surface. Brush with melted butter and fold in half so it measures 8 x 12 inches. Brush top with butter and cut into 2-inch squares. Stack the squares on an angle to make each shell 4 sheets thick. Press into 1 ½-inch tart cups. Bake in a 375-degree oven for a few minutes. Cool before filling with the salsa.
LIME AND GINGER SCALLOPS
24 scallops in a half shell
lime and ginger butter:
- 2 tbsp finely shredded ginger
- 2 tsp finely grated lime rind
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- cracked black pepper
- 2 tbsp lemon thyme leaves
- 100 grams softened butter
- To make the ginger butter: place ginger, lime rind, sesame oil, pepper, lemon thyme leaves and butter in a bowl. Mix.
- Spread a bit of the mixture on top of each scallop.
- Prior to serving, place the scallops under a very hot grill and cook 1 minute or until they are golden. Serve immediately.
Watch this space for more holiday recipes. By the way, here are more offerings from Suite 101 that can help you with your festive needs:
- Five Fast Party Food Fixes by Devy Stone
- Mary Luz Meija's Betty Crocker Holiday book
- Asian Holiday Drinks
- Christmas Pineapple Tarts
- Asian Holiday Salads
