Thanksgiving Appetizers

Before we get into this week's post I'd like to mention Sugpiaq Seafoods. They are a family seafood company that is centered in Portland. They sustainably catch all their seafood in Alaska. If you're in the Portland area you should definitely check out their king crab dinner. They're featuring sauces made by a local chef and a hand selected wine pairing. Can't make it to the dinner? No problem - you can order your king crab directly from their website!

Keeping in the theme of the reimagined Thanksgiving dishes we present the appetizer versions of pumpkin pie and green bean casserole. The first is a Savory Pumpkin Tart with Sage Whipped Cream and the second is Tempura Green Beans & Onions w/ Cream of Mushroom Dipping Sauce. 

The focus on Thanksgiving has always been about the meal, but what about the pre-meal food? The appetizers are an important part of the Thanksgiving meal; they ensure that the post-dinner food coma will last until dessert is served.

No, that's not gravel. That's some black lava salt that is going to be available soon from GrubNW! 

Sure, these appetizers may not be as healthy as your kale chips, but it's been proven by scientists (I assume they work for NASA) that heavy whip cream makes everything taste magical and 125% better. Mix it up this year and make something better than just okay. Plus, new experiences make us better people, or at least more well-rounded. Especially with these heavy-cream-rich recipes, you'll get round real quick! #Comedy!

Savory Pumpkin Tarts

Crust

• 2 cups Flour
• 1/3 cup Shortening 
• 1/3 cup Butter
• 5 tablespoons Cold Water
• 1 tablespoon Vinegar

1. Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl, mix in the butter, shortening and salt with a pastry blender. Blend until the bits of butter and shortening are about pea sized. Mix in the water and vinegar. 
2. Once the dough is in a ball like shape, roll it out on parchment paper. It  makes things a hundred times easier. Roll until you have a thin crust around 1/4 inch thick or so.
3. Spray a muffin pan with Pam, lots of Pam. Like too much Pam. Pam.
4. I used a glass Pyrex bowl to cut out the circle of dough that would go in the muffin pan. 
5. Place the dough circle in a cup of the muffin pan and crimp the extra dough around the edges to form the crust. 
6. Pre-bake the crusts at 375° for 5 minutes. 

Fillin'

• 2 cups Pumpkin Puree
• 2 Eggs
• 1/2 cup Milk
• 1/4 cup Brown Sugar
• 1 tablespoon Molasses
• 2 teaspoons Paprika
• 1 teaspoon Nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
• 1 teaspoon Coarse Salt (I used GrubNW's soon-to-be-released black lava salt)
• plus extra

1. Mix everything together in a big bowl. 
2. Pour into pre-baked tart crusts.
3. Top with the coarse salt before baking.
4. Bake at 375° until the edges of the crust turn golden brown, should be about 10 minutes depending on your oven. Let pastries cool before adding the whipped cream.

Sage Whipped Cream

• 12 Fresh Large Sage Leaves minced
• 2 tablespoons Butter
• 1 cup Whipped Cream
• 1 Egg White
• 1 Ziplock Bag
1. Melt the butter in a skillet. Add the sage. Sautee until your kitchen smells of sage.
2. Pour the sagey butter into a metal bowl. Add the whipped cream and beat with an electric mixer until fluffy. Time depends on your mixer, but be sure to avoid over beating it!
3. Use a spatula to scoop the whip cream into the ziplock bag. Place in fridge until you're ready to use it. Cut the tip of the corner of the bag to use it as a pastry bag.

Tempura Green Beans & Onions w/ Cream of Mushroom Dipping Sauce

Tempura

• Tempura Mix
• Water
• Green Beans
• Onion sliced
• Oil (enough to fry the vegetables in 2 inches of oil) 

1. I don't have a good tempura recipe, I'm not a recipe machine people! By the way, don't miss our Holiday Original Recipe Spectacular next month featuring 10 new recipes!
2. Heat oil in skillet or wok over medium high heat.
3. Dip the green beans and onion slices in batter and fry until golden brown. This shouldn't long. Also watch out for those green beans, they might pop while being bathed in the hot oil.

Cream of Mushroom Dipping Sauce

• 3 Shiitake Mushrooms
• 1/2 Medium Yellow Onion minced
• 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1/4 cup Chicken Stock
• 1 cup Heavy Cream
• Salt & Pepper to taste

1. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion. Stir occasionally until the onions are slightly browned add the mushrooms and let them brown slightly too. Add the chicken stock. Let the mushrooms absorb the liquid.
2. Add the cream. Heat and stir until it starts simmering.
3. Remove from heat and carefully pour into a blender. Blend until there's no more mushroom chunks.
4. Serve with the tempura green beans and onions.

So, don't make that casserole with canned beans and canned soup this year, make something better and different! You should probably still make that pumpkin pie in addition to these tarts though, because I mean come on it's pumpkin pie! Don't forget to share these recipes if you like them! Enjoy!

Katy outdid herself with these amazing photos! Check out her website!