Gourmet Festive Appetizers

GASTRONOMY TOURS RECIPES 

Around the Table with Angelina Kalogeropoulou, twominutesangie.com

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Για Ελληνικά πατήστε εδώ.

The festive table gets “dressed up” with one of the finest Greek treats, the Trikalinos bottarga. This year we avoid complex and heavy appetizers and to welcome our guests we serve bottarga, a tasty amuse bouche for the first glass of Kir-Yianni Estate wine. 

Choose one of the three easy recipes presented here, with the wine that pairs with them, to get to know the most umami Greek taste and serve it exquisitely in its simplicity.

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Mini Tart with Yogurt Cream and TRIKALINOS Grey Mullet Bottarga Slices
& Kir-Yianni TARSANAS White Wine

Serving: Makes 20 single tarts or 30 small squares.

Tart Crust ingredients: 

• A handful of hard flour
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter 
• 2 pinches of salt
• 1-2 tbsp cold water, 
• 1 egg.

Instructions:

Using the blender with the hook, or just your hands, combine all the ingredients.
Store the dough in the refrigerator wrapped in cling film for 20 minutes. 
Using a water glass turned upside down, cut the dough for the small individual tart pans, or if you don’t own mini tart pans, roll out the dough and cut it in square or round pieces, like crackers.
The colder the dough is when it goes into the oven, the crispier and fluffier the tart crust will be when baked.
Bake the tart in a well preheated oven at 180°C degrees for 15-20 minutes.

Yogurt cream ingredients:

• 100g strained yogurt 2%fat,
• 50 ml cream 20%fat,
• Zest from an unwaxed lemon,
• green pepper 
• 1 tsp finely chopped fennel or dill.

Instructions:

Lightly whip the cream until it thickens and incorporate it into the yogurt. 
Add the rest of the ingredients and refrigerate until serving.
Serve each tart with 1 teaspoon of the yogurt cream and 2 thin slices of bottarga.

Topping ingredients:

• 40 or 60 thin slices of bottarga (depending on the size and shape of the base).

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Canapés with TRIKALINOS Grey Mullet Bottarga &
Kir-Yianni AKAKIES Rosé Wine

Serving: Makes 10 canapés

Ingredients:

• 10 thin slices of bottarga
• 10 pcs. of German type brown bread, or rye bread
• 2 dried figs, thinly sliced
• 1 & 1/2 tbsp cream cheese
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Instructions:

Spread the cream cheese on the bread, then add 1 thin slice of fig and 1 of bottarga. 
Mix the honey with the vinegar and with a toothpick add two drops to each slice.

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Pâté of Chicken Livers and TRIKALINOS Bottarga, on Toasted Bread
& Kir-Yianni RAMNISTA Red Wine

Serving: Makes 20-30 canapés depending on the size of their base

Pâté ingredients:

• 1/2 kg chicken livers, finely chopped
• 1/2 a small onion, thinly sliced
• 1 small clove of garlic, crushed and peeled
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 tsp thyme 
• Sea salt
• 1/2 cup water
• 6 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature 
• 100 ml cream 20% fat
• 2 tsp Trikalinos Grey Mullet Bottarga Powder
• 2 tsp cognac
• Freshly grounded pink pepper

Other ingredients:

• 2 slices of bottarga for every canapé or
• A small teaspoon of Avgotaraho Psyche

Instructions:

In a medium saucepan, mix the chicken livers, onion, garlic, bay leaf, thyme and 1/2 tsp sea salt. 
Add the water and let it simmer. 
Cover, lower the heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the livers are golden brown, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and let it sit covered, for 5 minutes.

Discard the bay leaf. Using a perforated spoon, transfer the livers, onion and garlic to a food processor and blend until coarsely chopped. With the machine on, add the butter, 2 tbsp at a time, until incorporated.

Add the cognac, season with salt and pepper and process until smooth. Add the cream and 2 tsp of bottarga powder and mix for 1 more minute, at medium speed. Pour the pâté into a rectangular pastry mould, coated with cling film on the inside. Cover the pâté tightly with cling film and refrigerate until it hardens.

Toast thin slices of bread and spread them with a thin layer of pâté. Finish with 2 slices of bottarga (or a small teaspoon of Avgotaraho Psyche) and pink pepper.