food & dining
Fancy Spring Appetizers
W ith spring arriving to
the great joy of many,
so comes the season of
garden parties. These events generally
feature menus of light finger foods and
beverages and conclude as the night
falls and people head out for a more
substantial repast.

In the spirit of this seasonal event
format, I offer two appetizer recipes
that, full disclosure, I would not nor-
mally make. My readers know me to be
a rather fuss-free cook, but with local,
fresh asparagus, cilantro and scallions
bursting from every market, I was
inspired to offer these fancy canapes.

Phyllo dough terrifies some people,
but it’s not that scary if you focus on
the task at hand and stick with it. It’s
not an ingredient that lends itself to
multitasking, but these beauties are
worth the effort, I promise.

These are on the large side for a
canape, because they use the whole
asparagus stalk. I have certainly seen
these that only feature the top bit of
the stalk, but that seemed wasteful.

If you prefer a smaller canape, you
can simply cut the asparagus into
smaller pieces and cut the phyllo
dough to match it.

Asparagus Phyllo Appetizers
Makes 10 canapes using whole
stalks Panagiotis Kyriakos / iStock / Getty Images Plus
KERI WHITE | SPECIAL TO THE JE
1 package phyllo dough, defrosted
(you will not use it all)
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
10 stalks green asparagus, trimmed
½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Coarse ground black pepper
Dipping sauce (recipe follows)
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

Blanch the asparagus in a large
pot of boiling, salted water for 2
minutes until it turns bright green.

Drain the asparagus and immedi-
ately plunge it into a large bowl of ice
water to stop the cooking. Pat it with
paper towels and set it aside. (This
can be done a day ahead.)
Remove the defrosted phyllo from
the package, and place a damp towel
over it to keep it from drying out.

Remove one sheet of phyllo, and
place it on your work surface. Brush
it with a thin layer of melted butter,
then sprinkle it with the Parmesan
and pepper. Place another layer
on top and repeat with the butter,
cheese and pepper until you have
three layers.

Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife,
cut the phyllo into pieces slightly
shorter than the length of the aspar-
agus stalks.

Position a stalk of the asparagus
on the bottom edge of a rectangle,
and roll it up. Brush the tips and
outside with more butter, and place
them on a parchment-lined baking
sheet, seam side down. Repeat the
phyllo brushing/cutting/rollup step
until all the stalks are used.

26 APRIL 28, 2022 | JEWISHEXPONENT.COM



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Bake until golden brown, approx-
imately 15 minutes. Serve hot or at
room temperature with the dipping
sauce (see below).

Dipping Sauce
This is wonderful on the asparagus
bites and, if you have extra, it is
delightful used in place of mayon-
naise on a sandwich, stirred into
tuna, slathered on grilled fish or
meat, used as a salad dressing or
offered as a dip for veggies.

½ cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon grated horseradish
1 teaspoon capers, minced
2 teaspoons grainy mustard
Salt and pepper to taste
In a small bowl, combine the
ingredients. Chill until ready to serve.

Salmon Toasts
Makes about 2 dozen canapes
This recipe is classic fusion cook-
ing. It combines Eastern flavors with
Western ingredients and techniques.

2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 scallion, green and white parts,
finely chopped
1 tablespoon minced peeled
fresh ginger
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon mirin (Japanese
rice wine)
2 teaspoons soy sauce
½ pound salmon, and cut into
½-inch pieces
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 8-ounce container cream cheese
1 loaf French bread
Mix the garlic, scallion, ginger, oil,
mirin and soy sauce in a bowl. Add the
salmon and chopped cilantro tossing
to coat. Cover and chill for an hour.

Prepare the toasts: Put the oven
rack in the upper third of your oven,
and set it to broil.

Cut the slices of French bread
about ½-inch thick, place them on a
baking sheet and toast them on one
side. Remove them from the oven,
turn over each toast round, spread
them with cream cheese and top
them with the salmon mixture. Press
gently to adhere. Repeat with the
remaining ingredients.

Set your oven to 450 degrees F
(on bake). Bake the salmon toasts
until the topping is cooked through,
about 10-12 minutes. Serve
immediately. JE
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