Goats' cheese and beetroot stack 'water lillies' gluten-free appetisers

Perhaps one of the most intriguing aspects of Charles de Gaulle's famous declaration concerning the politics of France...

"Comment voulez-vous gouverner un pays où il existe variétés 365 de fromages?"

..is that each time you find it quoted, the number of cheeses seems to have changed. However this is not so strange because France has not just hundreds of different kinds of cheeses but dozens of varied shapes, coatings and stages of maturity and each of those create their own specific cheese. For a maker of appetisers, goats' cheese is a gift because apart from the pyramides, crottes, crottins.., it is also lovingly crafted into, bouchon, bûche and bûchette, all three just waiting to be sliced up and made into canapés.

Here I'm using a bûche, a speciality from the Poitou-Charentes and which comes in a very handy size to make stacks. This is a very quick and easy appetiser to put together. The beauty is in growing small, delicious and perfectly lovely Chioggia aka Candy Cane beetroot, of which I am inordinately proud.

INGREDIENTS

(makes 20)

1 bûche de chèvre
20 slices of cucumber
10 black olives
1 small Chioggia beetroot
1 dessert spoon apple cider vinegar
2 dessert spoons olive oil
½ teaspoon of whole grain mustard

Once again I went to town with my new cutters.

METHOD

Cut the cucumber slices into flowers with the medium sized cutter.

Use the smallest of the star cutters to create  shapes from the sliced beetroot.

Slice the goats' cheese into twenty and place a slice of cucumber onto each.

Alternate with toppings of black olive and Chioggia stars. Mix the oil, vinegar and mustard to form a vinaigrette and add a little of each to the beetroot to resemble stamens.

Serve chilled. These are simple easy and refreshingly delicious and if you've never eaten raw beetroot before you are in for a treat. I always use a mustard vinaigrette with raw beetroot because they compliment each other so well.

Enjoy!

All that needs to be said now is Bon Appėtit!

Hope to see you here again for another recipe from my 100 Gluten-Free Organic Party Foods Challenge!

All the best,
Sue

MORE APPETISERS USING CHEESE

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Marinated Feta on Sticks - Gluten-free Cocktail Party

The tenth recipe in my 100 Gluten-free Party Food Challenge. The Feta I'm using is a classic Greek one with 30% goats' and 70% ewes' milk...read more

Fresh Figs, Smoked Salmon Wraps. Gluten-free

The twenty-second recipe in my 100 Gluten-free Party Food Challenge. For a Winter party there is nothing more refreshing than a reminder of Summer; sun-kissed figs...read more

Mini Scottish Oat Cakes with Roquefort Salad - Gluten-free

The sixth recipe in my 100 Gluten-free Party Food Challenge. As the oatcake recipe was handed down through families, it is difficult to know its exact origins...read more

60's Cocktail Party Classic:  Cheese, Ham & Pineapple Sticks

The twentieth recipe in my 100 Gluten-free Party Food Challenge. A 60's cocktail party classic, cheese and pineapple on a stick but this time with marinated cheese...read more

RETURN TO MAIN CONTENTS PAGE 

RETURN TO 100 GLUTEN-FREE PARTY RECIPES CONTENTS 

©  Sue Cross 2017 

Sixties Cocktail Party Classic: Cheese and Pineapple Sticks. Gluten-free Appetisers

The Sixties was about youth. Couture and cuisine came not from designers and chefs but from the street. Food and fabrics were noisy and boisterous, juxtaposing clashing colours and big bold patterns. It seemed as if the 'Established Order' had turned a somersault and had landed upon its head. The Sixties was a decade of the Feast of Fools, following the dictates of the young and redolent of the Twenties and hence the return of the flapper dress and the cocktail. As has often been written of that previous period; 'the party was in full swing and everyone who had been invited had arrived.'

For this recipe I've taken a cider braised ham so it doesn't quite have the authenticity of the lurid pink of the 60's product but in keeping with the spirit of the age I've accompanied them with some long retro pink flamingo skewers!

Left Twiggy, the face of the 'Swinging Sixties' in  Biba, the epitome of the London fashion scene. Biba started out in mail order with just one pink 'Mod' gingham dress, similar to one worn by Brigitte Bardot, they received 4,000 orders on the first day. Biba was so successful it ended up in Kensington High Street in the former home of an earlier icon, beloved of Agatha Christie's, Miss Marple; Derry and Toms. Big Biba had a roof garden complete with pink flamingos!

Ingredients

For the Marinade:

1 teaspoon of whole grain mustard
1 tablespoon of raw apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons of olive oil
Szechuan or black pepper (freshly ground)

Method

For the Marinade:

Mix all the ingredients together to form the marinade.

Ingredients 

For the Sticks: 

(makes 24 appetisers)

Cocktail Sticks
180g of Gruyère or similar hard waxy cheese
Mix and Match was a big 60's thing so as long as it's brightly coloured  a selection of the following:
Ham
Cherry Tomatoes
Cubes of Cucumber
Black Olives
Red Pepper
Cubes of Pineapple

Method

For the Sticks:

Cut the Gruyère into cubes and pour over the marinade. Make sure each cube is well coated and then cover. I marinated the cheese for around 2 hours and that gave me a great mustard taste but obviously you can experiment with a longer marinating period if you wish.

Thread a cube of marinated Gruyère onto each stick and then add the other ingredients in a fiendishly studied but seemingly haphazard way. Mix in some longer sticks, preferably with something colourful attached like my flamingos! Do not have too much symmetry.

For a real authentic 60's look, the sticks should be served by pressing them into a half grapefruit or water melon, in the manner of porcupine quills.

Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Enjoy!

All that needs to be said now is Bon Appėtit!

Hope to see you here again for another recipe from my 100 Gluten-Free Organic Party Foods Challenge!

All the best,
Sue

MORE THINGS ON STICKS!

Radish Sail Boats Laden with Ricotta. Gluten-free

The fifteenth recipe in my 100 Gluten-free Party Food Challenge. Contrary perhaps to perceived wisdom, that picnics are a warm weather event, there is nothing quite...read more

Devils on Horseback

The seventh recipe in my 100 Gluten-free Party Food Challenge. Nowadays served as an appetiser, this is a variation on the Victorian savoury Angels on Horseback itself a popular final dish served in a formal 19th century dinner....read more

Sausage & Mash on a Stick

The thirteenth recipe in my 100 Gluten-free Party Food Challenge. A British traditional recipe on a stick. One of the Tavern dishes which was not pastry-based and is still a favourite pub meal today...read more

Marinated Feta on Sticks - Gluten-free Cocktail Party

The tenth recipe in my 100 Gluten-free Party Food Challenge. The Feta I'm using is a classic Greek one with 30% goats' and 70% ewes' milk...read more

Fresh Figs, Smoked Salmon Wraps. Gluten-free

The twenty-second recipe in my 100 Gluten-free Party Food Challenge. For a Winter party there is nothing more refreshing than a reminder of Summer; sun-kissed figs...read more

RETURN TO MAIN CONTENTS PAGE 

RETURN TO 100 GLUTEN-FREE PARTY RECIPES CONTENTS 

©  Sue Cross 2017 

'Twiggy in Biba' Thanks to Pinterest Board of feedly.com

Marinated Feta on Sticks - Gluten-free Cocktail Party Appetisers

In the 1926 edition of Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management, the inclusion of cocktails was prefaced with the words '....chiefly remarkable for the many ingredients which enter into their composition, the use of various fresh fruits in addition to lemons and oranges and the extraordinary names bestowed on many of (them)'. Cocktails and cocktail foods have a rather mythical colourful history, an international flavour and are also associated with times of upheaval, unrest and often despair perhaps they are the leitmotif for an era when people just want to eat drink and be merry.... That said cocktail parties, with or without alcohol are a great way to start on the 'entertaining-at-home' circuit. There are so many foods that can be cunningly presented on sticks, as I hope I'm going to be able to prove. Furthermore, with no cutlery/silverware and offering pretty cocktail napkins rather than individual plates, there is much less washing and clearing up!

The idea of serving food on sticks is as old as the hills but nowadays with the iconic cocktail stick and thus cocktail parties, it is perhaps the 1920s that spring to mind. On this side of the Atlantic, we might think of Evelyn Waugh and  'The Bright Young Things'.  In legend, Waugh's elder brother  Alec, is credited with throwing the first ever cocktail party. In the US cocktails are redolent of Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, Jazz and Prohibition. Peter Waugh's theory is that the cocktail party was indeed an American phenomenon that his father introduced into England as an antidote to afternoon tea.

Syllabub was originally a drink

The French also have a hand in cocktail legends with 'coquetier' meaning egg cup, when used by a Dr Peychaud, as an impromptu spirit measure. An apothecary/physician born in Bordeaux, Dr Peychaud re-established his business in Louisiana, in the French Quarter of New Orleans, having fled Saint-Domingue during the Slave Rebellion in 1791. As a popular orator and  Freemason, after lodge meetings a group of close friends and compatriots would adjourn to the back of his shop in the rue Royale, to partake of a few 'coquetiers'. When the circle of drinkers expanded to include English speakers the name was changed to cocktail. Peychaud's Bitters is one of the components of New Orleans' famous Sazerac Cocktails. In the US in the early 1800s, cocktails were originally referred to as 'slings' this came apparently from the German schlingen meaning to swallow something quickly! The idea of mixed fruit and alcoholic drinks and accompanying snack foods really goes back to 17th century punch drinking and the Punch Houses, popular haunts and alternatives to the possibly more sedate Coffee Houses and Cigar Divans. Above left, another precursor of the cocktail, an 18th century whipped cider syllabub with the Jamaica Tavern Coffee House c. 1868 pictured in the background.

A Foreword on Feta

The Feta I'm using is a classic Greek one and it's made from 30% goats' and  70% ewes' milk. I can attest to the common belief that Feta is sharper when it is made with a majority of ewes' milk. In fact this one was actually much tastier than any I have eaten before but it becomes even richer and more flavoursome with the marinade. The great advantage of using Feta for food on sticks is that it is easy to cut without crumbling and it sticks really well on, well...sticks.

Ingredients

For the Marinade:

(I used cumin because we really like the taste and it is a common spice used here with cheese but if you want something less spicy then fennel makes a great alternative accompaniment)

1 tablespoon of sesame seeds
1 tablespoon of cumin or fennel seeds
The juice of one lime
The juice of one small lemon
Two tablespoons of olive oil
Szechuan or black pepper (freshly ground)

Method

For the Marinade:

Dry fry the cumin (or fennel) seeds and sesame until they begin to crackle and or you can smell them cooking (around 3 minutes). Allow to cool.

Mix all the ingredients together to form the marinade.

Ingredients 

For the Sticks: 

(makes 24 appetisers)

180g of Feta
24 of each of the following:
Cherry Tomatoes
Cubes of Cucumber
Black Olives
Cocktail Sticks

Method

For the Sticks:

Cut the Feta into cubes in a shallow dish and pour over the marinade. Make sure each cube is well coated and then cover. I marinated the Feta for around 60 minutes and it tasted delicious. The cheese still retained its distinctive sharpness and salty tang but obviously you can experiment with a longer marinating period if you wish.

Thread a cube of marinated Feta onto each stick and then add the other ingredients. You can also use longer sticks and stand them vertically as the Feta makes a solid base for the rest!

Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Enjoy!

All that needs to be said now is Bon Appėtit!

Hope to see you here again for another recipe from my 100 Gluten-Free Organic Party Foods Challenge!

All the best,

Sue

MORE THINGS ON STICKS!

Devils on Horseback

The seventh recipe in my 100 Gluten-free Party Food Challenge. Nowadays served as an appetiser, this is a variation on the Victorian savoury Angels on Horseback itself a popular final dish served in a formal 19th century dinner....read more

Sausage & Mash on a Stick

The thirteenth recipe in my 100 Gluten-free Party Food Challenge. A British traditional recipe on a stick. One of the Tavern dishes which was not pastry-based and is still a favourite pub meal today...read more

60's Cocktail Party Classic:  Cheese, Ham & Pineapple Sticks

The twentieth recipe in my 100 Gluten-free Party Food Challenge. A 60's cocktail party classic, cheese and pineapple on a stick but this time with marinated cheese...read more

Radish Sail Boats Laden with Ricotta. Gluten-free

The fifteenth recipe in my 100 Gluten-free Party Food Challenge. Contrary perhaps to perceived wisdom, that picnics are a warm weather event, there is nothing quite...read more

Fresh Figs, Smoked Salmon Wraps. Gluten-free

The twenty-second recipe in my 100 Gluten-free Party Food Challenge. For a Winter party there is nothing more refreshing than a reminder of Summer; sun-kissed figs...read more

RETURN TO MAIN CONTENTS PAGE 

RETURN TO 100 GLUTEN-FREE PARTY RECIPES CONTENTS 

©  Sue Cross 2017 

Mini Scottish Oat Cakes with Roquefort Salad - Gluten-free

As the recipe for the oatcake was handed down through families, it is difficult to know its exact origins. However, like the ancient Mongolians, who used their shields to cook their food, documents show that in the 14th century the Chieftain and his clan used theirs to bake oatcakes. It is even believed that the Romans, whilst in the country, to misquote Saint Ambrose; 'did as the Scotch did' and survived on oatcakes! As for Dr Johnson in his famous dictionary of the English Language, published 1755, under the entry for the grain he wrote: 'Oats n.s. [aten, Saxon.] A grain, which in England is generally given to horses, but in Scotland supports the people.'

To which the writer Walter Scott returned:
'Did you ever hear of Lord Elibank's reply when Johnson's famous definition of oats was first pointed out to him? 

"The food of men in Scotland and horses in England," repeated Lord Elibank; "very true, and where will you find such men and such horses?"'¹

FOREWORD on Gluten-free Oats

Oats do not contain gluten, however it is best not to buy them, if you are gluten intolerant, unless they are labelled as certified gluten-free. In countries where oats are not a traditional crop, fields can be contaminated by stray plants when other cereal crops are grown in close proximity. Here in France, for example, where there were no dedicated oat-growing areas, we used to find it impossible to buy certified organic gluten-free oats. However, due to the ever increasing popularity of gluten-free foods and international cuisine, we are now seeing certified oats on the shelves. It is also worth noting that post harvest, certified gluten-free oats are processed in dedicated mills where they can not be contaminated with other grains. This is why people often get confused about why all oats are not labelled as suitable for those allergic to gluten.

OAT CAKES

INGREDIENTS

(makes 30 small oatcakes)

225g - 8oz rolled, pinhead or steel cut gluten-free oats

1 generous pinch salt 1 tablespoon butter or butter and palm oil, dripping, bacon fat or lard

¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

8 tablespoons (120ml) of hot water (steel cut oats may require a little more water)

Extra oats for sprinkling

TEMPERATURE & TIMES

Preheat the oven to 390°F or 200°C. Cook for approximately 20-30 minutes.

METHOD

Oats in recipes and porridge are traditionally mixed with a wooden spurtle in Scotland. One day we will get around to turning one on the lathe but until then we use a wooden spoon handle!

Chop up oats using a coffee grinder or similar for a few seconds so as to retain the texture of the oats without making a flour.

Mix the dry ingredients and add the melted fat by pouring into the centre of the mixture.

Using a wooden spoon handle stir well whilst incorporating enough water to make a stiff dough.

Powder your hands, bowl or board with chopped oats or oat flour and knead the dough, working quickly.

Using plenty of chopped oats on your board and pin, roll out into a thin round, traditionally these are cut into wedges but for finger food we cut them into small biscuits.

Place on a buttered baking tray put in the pre-heated oven for 20-30 minutes.

If you decide to make them in the traditional way, cook on a medium heated griddle or frying pan for approximately 3 minutes. When they are cooked the edges will begin to curl and turn golden brown.

 

ROQUEFORT SALAD

Traditionally oatcakes are eaten with butter, honey, game, smoked salmon, soup and cheese. I am matching them with a Roquefort salad, a simple yet satisfying accompaniment made from:

-  a slice of pear

- a smidgen of raw butter and a bed of  nasturtium leaf (to prevent sogginess) 

-  arugula/rocket flowers

-  a crumble of Roquefort (or your 'local' blue cheese)

-  walnuts in season

The salad is dressed with a simple vinaigrette made of one part apple cider vinegar to three parts olive oil.

Oatcakes will keep well in an airtight tin  so can be prepared in advance. We usually crisp them up in a warm oven for around 5 minutes.

Enjoy!

All that needs to be said now is Bon Appėtit!

Hope to see you here again for another recipe from my 100 Gluten-Free Organic Party Foods Challenge!

All the best,

Sue

RETURN TO MAIN CONTENTS PAGE 

RETURN TO 100 GLUTEN-FREE PARTY RECIPES CONTENTS 

©  Sue Cross 2017 

¹ Letter from Sir Walter Scott to Mr Croker March 14th 1829, The Croker Papers Vol ii p. 35