Brie & Bacon Jam Canapés
SMOKY ORANGE OLD-FASHIONED
MAKES 1 SERVING HANDS-ON TIME 10 MINUTES TOTAL TIME 10 MINUTES
½ oz Orange & Date Maple Syrup (recipe, this page)
2 dashes smoked bitters or
1 drop liquid smoke
ice cubes 1½ oz bourbon
½ oz amber or red vermouth
1 strip orange zest
In old-fashioned glass, combine Orange & Date Maple Syrup and bitters. Fill glass halfway with ice cubes; stir for 5 seconds. Pour in bourbon and vermouth. Top up with ice cubes; stir for 5 seconds. Garnish with orange zest.
PER SERVING about 180 cal, 0 g pro, 0 g total fat (0 g sat. fat), 16 g carb (trace dietary fibre, 15 g sugar), 0 mg chol, 15 mg sodium, 0 mg iron.
Orange & Date Maple Syrup
In glass jar, combine 1 cup maple syrup, ½ cup julienned orange zest and ¼ cup quartered pitted dates. Seal jar and refrigerate for 48 hours. Strain through fine sieve. (Make-ahead: Can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.) Makes about 1 cup.
BRIE & BACON JAM CANAPÉS
MAKES 12 CANAPÉS HANDS-ON TIME 15 MINUTES TOTAL TIME 45 MINUTES
250 g bacon, chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 tbsp cranberry juice 3 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp cider vinegar
¼ cup dried cranberries, coarsely chopped
1 tsp paprika pepper
12 slices baguette
250 g Brie cheese, sliced
2 tbsp chopped fresh chives
In large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat, stirring, until crisp, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to paper towel-lined plate; set aside. Pour off all but 1 tbsp fat from skillet. In same skillet, cook onion over medium heat, stirring often, until golden, about 5 minutes. Add garlic; cook for 1 minute. Return reserved bacon to skillet, along with cranberry juice, maple syrup, vinegar, cranberries and paprika; season with pepper. Bring to boil, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of pan.
Reduce heat to medium; simmer, stirring occasionally, until liquid has evaporated and bacon is caramelized, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat; let cool. (Make-ahead: Can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before using.)
Preheat oven to broil. Arrange baguette slices on baking sheet lined with parchment paper, top with Brie. Bake for 2 minutes or until cheese begins to melt. Top with with bacon jam, then sprinkle with chives.
PER CANAPÉ about 215 cal, 12 g pro, 8 g total fat (4 g sat. fat), 30 g carb (1 g dietary fibre, 24 g sugar), 145 mg chol, 480 mg sodium, 1.5 mg iron.
SAKE COCKTAIL WITH MINT & GINGER
MAKES 1 SERVING HANDS-ON TIME 10 MINUTES TOTAL TIME 10 MINUTES
½ tbsp liquid honey
1 thin slice fresh ginger, julienned
2 oz sake
¾ oz freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 dashes citrus bitters
8 fresh mint leaves
ice cubes
sprig fresh mint
In small bowl, combine honey and ½ tbsp hot water, stirring until honey is dissolved. Set aside.
Place ginger in shaker; crush lightly with pestle. Add sake, lemon juice, bitters, mint leaves and reserved honey syrup. Top up with ice cubes; shake vigorously for 10 seconds. Place fine sieve over lowball glass; pour in sake mixture through cocktail strainer. Garnish with mint sprig.
PER SERVING about 120 cal, trace pro, 0 g total fat (0 g sat. fat), 14 g carb (trace dietary fibre, 9 g sugar), 0 mg chol, 5 mg sodium, 0 mg iron.
CLEMENTINES STUFFED WITH TUNA TARTARE
MAKES 10 SERVINGS HANDS-ON TIME 30 MINUTES TOTAL TIME 30 MINUTES
10 clementines
500 g fresh tuna (sushi-grade quality), diced ¼ cup finely chopped fennel
2 green onions, finely chopped
4 tsp olive oil
1 tsp lemon juice
½ tsp Dijon mustard salt and pepper
1 tbsp chopped fennel leaves fennel fronds
Wash clementines; cut off tops. Working over a bowl and using small spoon, gently remove pulp, keeping clementine peels intact. Squeeze enough of the clementine pulp to obtain 1 tbsp juice; coarsely chop remaining pulp.
In bowl, combine clementine juice and chopped pulp, tuna, fennel, green onions, olive oil, lemon juice and mustard. Season with salt and pepper. To serve, stuff clementine shells with tuna tartare. Garnish with fennel fronds.
PER SERVING about 80 cal, 7 g pro, 2 g total fat (trace sat. fat), 9 g carb (1 g dietary fibre, 7 g sugar), 10 mg chol, 150 mg sodium, 0.5 mg iron.