Quick bites

We had some friends over this weekend. I made margaritas, and two kinds of quick bites, before we adjourned to Astoria favorite Agnanti for some killer greek food.

Mini Crab Cakes - I used some claw crab meat from Wholefoods, to which I added lemon zest, parsley, salt, pepper, a little lemon juice, and a few whole wheat bread crumbs from a leftover breakfast toast. I dipped them in egg and breaded them in panko bread crumbs I had put through the food processor. I fried in a little olive oil, and then warmed up at party time in the toaster oven. Each little cake was topped with tartare (store bought mayonnaise, cornichons, salt-cured capers, and lemon) and a little piece of chive.

Gougeres - This is so easy, though I prefer choux in an eclair. Put a cup of water in a pan. Melt 4 tb of butter in the water at the boil, and add a little salt. Pour 4-4.25 ounces of flour (a cup, in other words) into the water all at once, pull off the heat, and stir enthusiastically. Put back on the heat, and dry the resulting dough. What you're trying to achieve is a soft, pretty oily dough that doesn't stick to your hands when you squeeze it. Dry the dough until it leaves a film on the bottom of the pan. Then let cool a little, and beat in 4 eggs one at a time until you have something that looks like mayonnaise. At this point, at flavoring - I used a lot of cheese and dijon mustard. Pipe into little balls, top with egg wash, and cook at 375 until golden brown.