Martinis have always seemed like such a sophisticated drink, probably in the past due to James Bond and nowadays thanks to one of my favorite television shows, Mad Men… Don Draper…deep sigh.

These delectable Martini Puffs are equally upscale and easy to make, as long as you can wait the full week for the olives to marinate. Equally wonderful, they can be assembled and frozen before baking, then go directly from the freezer to the oven for impromptu entertaining.

Martini Puffs

10 ounce jar large green olives stuffed with jalapeno, garlic, or pimento
3/4 cup Vermouth
1/4 cup high quality Gin
1 puff pastry sheet
1 egg
1 tablespoon water

Pour olives, along with 1/4 cup of the brine they are packaged in, into a large bowl or jar.  Add Vermouth and Gin, cover and refrigerate, for 1 to 2 weeks to marinate. Drain olives, reserving marinade for brushing pastry and for future olives batches, if desired.  Place olives on paper towels to further drain.

Thaw frozen puff pastry at room temperature for 30 minutes.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Mix egg and water and set aside.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat mat.

Unfold pastry on lightly floured surface.  Roll into a 14-inch square.  Cut into 2-inch squares.  Place an olive in the center of each square.  Brush the edges of the squares with the marinade. Fold pastry up and around olive and pinch to enclose at the top.  Brush each olive package with egg wash.

Place 2-inches apart on lined baking sheet. (May be made to this point, placed on baking sheet and placed in freezer. Freeze for 2 hours uncovered, then remove the individually frozen puffs from the baking sheet and quickly place in a labeled freezer zip-lock for up to 3 months. Remove as many as desired and bake directly from the freezer, adding 4 minutes to the baking time.)

Bake 15 minutes, or until golden.  Allow to cool slightly, about 5 minutes. Serve warm, ideally with an ice cold dry martini.

Makes about 4 dozen

Bruschetta (pronounced  brus ‘ketta) is a snack or appetizer from Italy. It consists of grilled or broiled bread that is traditionally rubbed with garlic and topped with olive oil, salt, and pepper. There are more variations of toppings than one can count, making it a very fun and versatile hor d’oeuvre.

I love roasting cherry tomatoes that have been drizzled with olive oil, salt and pepper. They are sweet and tangy and are like little bursts of goodness in your mouth. If possible, use different colors of tomatoes for an even more pleasing presentation. In the photo below, my daughter, Marissa, and her boyfriend, Alberto, are enjoying the bruschetta with us on New Year’s Eve.

Brie and Roasted Cherry Tomato Bruschetta

2 pints cherry tomatoes
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
3 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1/2  whole grain baguette, cut into 1/2-inch slices on the diagonal
1/2 pound brie, rind removed and thinly sliced
Fresh thyme leaves, for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place the cherry tomatoes and garlic onto a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with thyme and season with salt and pepper. Bake just until they burst and the juices are lightly caramelized, about 20 minutes.  Use a rubber spatula to gently scoop the tomatoes into a microwave-safe bowl along with all the juices on the pan; set aside. Set the oven to broil.

Butter the bread on both sides and top each with a couple slices of brie. Broil until the cheese is bubbling and slightly browned. Top with the tomatoes, reheating them briefly in the microwave, if needed.  Garnish with fresh thyme leaves. Serve immediately.

Serves 6 to 8

Happy New Year, wishing you and yours a happy, healthy, prosperous 2010! To start the year out on a yummy note, why not combine two Italian favorites? This is a quick and easy lasagna, no boiling of noodles or making of a time-consuming homemade sauce. Just purchase the various items for the layers and go to town assembling a big old pan of goodness. To change to a vegetarian dish, substitute diced or sliced zucchini, yellow crookneck squash, and/or bell peppers for the sausage. Sauté the veggies in an additional tablespoon olive oil and proceed as directed.

When it comes to nutmeg, there is no comparison between freshly ground and the already ground stuff you’ll find in the spice aisle. Purchase the whole nutmegs and use any of the tools above to grind it fresh whenever you need it.

Ravioli Lasagna

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, peeled and diced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 pound ground Italian sausage
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
28-ounce can crushed roma tomatoes
1 cup prepared pesto sauce, divided
4 ounces fresh baby spinach, stack the leaves and thinly slice (about 2 cups)
15-ounce container ricotta cheese
1 cup grated or shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Two 16 to 18-ounce packages frozen cheese-filled raviloli
3 cups grated Mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, add onion and saute until soft, add garlic and cook about 4 minutes longer, transfer to a small plate.  Add the sausage to the same skillet and cook, stirring often to break up for about 12 minutes or until sausage is browned. Drain off any grease, then add the onion-garlic mixture back to the pan and season with salt and pepper.

In a medium bowl, stir together the crushed tomatoes and 1/2 cup of the pesto sauce. In a separate medium bowl, mix together the sliced spinach and the remaining 1/2 cup pesto sauce. In a third medium bowl, mix together the ricotta cheese and 3/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese (reserve remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan for sprinkling on at the end), stir in the nutmeg and season with salt and pepper.

In a 9 x 13-inch baking pan, spread 1/2 cup of the tomato-pesto sauce on the bottom and the pan and lightly coat the sides of the pan with the sauce as well, to prevent the lasagna from sticking after baking. Top with 1/2 of the sausage-onion mixture, then 1/2 of the spinach mixture. Top with 1 package of the ravioli, laying out evenly in a single layer. Dollop 1/2 of the ricotta mixture over ravioli, then top with 1/3 of the mozzarella.

Spread with 1/2 of the remaining tomato sauce, top with remaining sausage, then with remaining spinach. Top with second package of ravioli, dollop with remaining ricotta and 1/3 of the mozzarella.  Spread on the rest of the sauce.

Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven, discard foil and sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella and the reserved 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Return to oven and bake another 12 minutes.

Serves 10 to 12

(Lasagna may be baked 1 day ahead up to point of adding last layer of mozzarella and Parmesan. Cool completely, then chill, covered. Bring to room temperature before topping and reheating with final layer of cheeses, in a 375 oven until hot, 20 to 30 minutes)

There aren’t too many dishes more extravagant than a rich and creamy lobster bisque. This is a short-cut version because it begins with already cooked lobsters, making it quicker to pull together. Both of my lobsters were female (also known as hens), which was a happy and unexpected bonus, since they included the roe which is also called the coral or caviar. Enjoy and have a fun and safe (that doesn’t have to be an oxymoron) New Year’s Eve!

Lobster Bisque

2 cooked lobsters, (about 2 pounds)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 onion, peeled and cut into 8 pieces
1 celery stalk, cut into 8 pieces
1 large carrot, ends trimmed then cut into 8 pieces
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup cognac or brandy
1/4 cup Grand Marnier or Triple Sec
1/4 cup flour
4 cups heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon whole peppercorns
Salt and freshly ground white pepper, to taste

6 to 8 tablespoons dry Sherry
Fresh minced chives, for garnish

Place the lobsters on a rimmed baking sheet to catch all the juices as you break down the lobsters and remove the meat. Break off the tails and claws. Using kitchen shears, snip up the back of the tails to open and remove the meat. Do the same with all four claws. Chop the meat roughly, place in a bowl, cover and set aside at room temperature.

Heat the olive oil and butter in a large pot until butter is melted. Add the lobster shells and their juices that collected on the baking sheet, the onion, celery, carrots, thyme, and tomato paste. Cook until the vegetables are soft, about 10 to 12 minutes.

Remove the pot from the heat and pour in the cognac and Grand Marnier. Ignite the liqueurs with a long wooden match and let the alcohol burn off. Return to the heat, sprinkle in the flour, stir, and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Add enough cold water to cover and stir the bottom of the pot with a heat-resistant spatula to get up all the browned bits. Add the cream and bring to a boil. Immediately upon the boil, reduce the heat and gently simmer until the bisque reduced and thickened, about 40 to 45 minutes.  Using a very fine-mesh strainer, strain the bisque into a clean pot and season with salt and pepper, to taste.

To serve, ladle the bisque into warmed soup bowls. Add the chopped lobster meat and 1 tablespoon dry Sherry to each bowl, garnish with chives and serve immediately.

Serves 6 to 8

Another December birthday for another important person in my life. Today is Cyndi Greening’s birthday. Cyndi is a filmmaker, teacher, writer, webmast, and my dear friend!  I first met here when we worked on a fundraiser for Phoenix Children’s Hospital called the Beach Ball, some Without Cydni, there would be no Les Petites Gourmettes blog! I’d had my website for about 10 years and was itching to turn it into a blog. Thanks to Cydni, that became a reality and 125 posts and nearly 4 months later, here we are. Cyndi, thank you, and Happy Birthday! xoxo

Love this picture of Cyndi as a kid - she's in the kitchen! So cute!

Way back on September 16, Cyndi made a comment about a mango and chicken recipe she had gotten from me years ago. I’m not quite sure if this is the recipe she was talking about, but it’s a great appetizer and can be either passed or be used as part of a buffet at a Christmas or New Year’s Party. It is also perfect alongside a salad for a light lunch or dinner. So in honor of Cydni, I shall share it here today.

For the chicken meat, I purchase a rotisserie chicken and use the breast meat for this and the dark meat for something else, maybe chicken salad sandwiches or stir-fry.

Chicken, Mango, and Brie Quesadillas

Eight 8-inch flour tortillas
2 cups cooked and shredded chicken breast meat
1 mango, peeled and thinly sliced
8 ounces brie, rind removed, then thinly sliced
1 red or orange bell pepper, seeded, and thinly sliced
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Purchased tropical fruit salsa

Lay out all eight of the tortillas on a work surface. Place Place 1/8 of the shredded chicken and sliced mango along one half of each of the tortillas. Divide the brie among the tortillas still leaving one half of each tortilla without any toppings and placing the cheese towards the center, so it will not run out the sides as it melts. Top with 1/8 of the bell pepper strips on each tortillas. Sprinkle each with about 1/2 tablespoon cilantro. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Fold the plain half of the tortilla over the filled side and press together slightly. (At this point, each quesadilla may be individually wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 1 day.)

Place a large skillet over medium-high heat, place two quesadillas in bottom of the dry skillet. Let bottom of each tortilla brown, then turn over quesadillas and brown the other side. Repeat with remaining 6 quesadillas.

Spoon the salsa into a bowl and place in the center of a large serving platter. Cut each quesadilla into 4 wedges and place on the platter, so guests may serve themselves.

Makes 36 wedges

Tonight my husband, Dave, is off at a Company Softball Game. This is a new thing for his office – participating in softball. They played their first game last week and lost. Tonight is a double-header, so there’s a 50/50 chance they might win one, right? I don’t know, he’s the CPA, so my life-long mental handicap in math is kept in business without a need to ever have to do any sort of it that doesn’t involve measuring cups, degrees, ounces, and pounds, etc. And I thank God for that on a daily basis! If they do start winning, maybe I’ll go watch a game, but there has to be at least a chance of a win for me to get excited enough to go! Something that does excite me?…I went to lunch today my BFF, Peggy, I love, love, love, her and love to spend time with her!  So after a lunch out, I needed a light and quick dinner tonight and this one fits the bill. BTW, Peggy had a very yummy Corn Chowder that I will be trying to duplicate for her, so she can make it at home. Look for that in the next week or so. Back to the recipes at hand, here are a few tips and techniques to make this dinner truly quick and easy. Usually I think of Potato Pancakes as a bit heavy, but these really are light and oh so tasty. Part of the secret is adding the 0% Greek yogurt, I keep pushing here, instead of milk and butter for the mashed potatoes. Chilling the mashed potatoes before forming into cakes is also important to the texture of the finished product. I had leftover Brie cheese from the salad a few days ago, so I actually made 4 of the cakes with Brie and the other 4 with Parmesan. Honestly any type of cheese you like or have on hand is fine to use and I couldn’t really tell any difference in texture or enough difference in taste between the two versions. Next, what are Panko breadcrumbs? Panko are Japanese breadcrumbs. They are made from crustless bread and are a coarse grind which are more like flakes than crumbs. These fakes have a larger surface area, that not only absorbs flavorings and seasonings well, but absorb far less oil or grease and stay crispy longer. They are readily available in the Asian section or where you would find breadcrumbs in your grocery store.  Use them in any and every recipe that calls for dried breadcrumbs, from now on, and you will be a happy camper!  Lastly, for the salad, you’ll notice that all of the vegetables are julienned. If you don’t know what that means, hey, I’m not going to tell you here! You will benefit by going to my July 27 post “the basic kitchen: glossary of cooking terms” and learning about it there. All of the July posts are “the basic kitchen” and are a wealth of information, so check it out! This is a colorful and healthy salad anytime, but especially if you have carrots in your garden or pick them up at a farmer’s market. It is “The Best” with fresh carrots! If you don’t have access to them, just purchase a bag of shredded carrots (which are the same size and shape as hand-cut julienned) from the grocery store and use them, it is delicious and convenient that way!

Potato Cakes with Smoked Salmon and Dill

1  1/2 pounds small to medium Yukon Gold potatoes
2 tablespoons salt
3/4 cup Fage 0% Greek Yogurt (available at Trader Joe’s), divided
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 strips bacon, diced
2 green onions, (white and green parts) minced
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup olive oil, divided
1 cup Panko breadcrumbs

6 ounce package smoked salmon
Fresh dill sprigs

Place whole unpeeled potatoes in a medium saucepan, cover with cold water, add the salt and bring to a boil. Boil for 20 minutes or until cooked through and easily pierced with a knife. Drain and set aside until cool enough to peel with a paring knife.

Place peeled potatoes in a bowl, add only 1/2 cup of the yogurt and mash with either a potato masher or 2 forks, it’s OK if the potatoes are still a little bit chunky, not completely smooth. Season with salt and pepper, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight.

After the chilling time; in a large non-stick skillet fry the bacon until crisp, remove with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain and then remove all drippings from pan but do not wipe out skillet. Add the onions to the skillet and sauté for 2 minutes or until soft.

Remove mashed potatoes from refrigerator, add crisp bacon, sautéed onion, and cheese to potatoes and mix well with hands. Divide the potato mixture in to 8 equal portions and form into patties. Place the Panko on a plate and coat each potato cake in Panko, pressing the breadcrumbs into the patties.

Heat the same skillet and add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add four of the potato cakes to the pan and reduce the heat to medium, cook until browned, about 6 to 8 minutes per side. Repeat with remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and the remaining four cakes.

To serve, place two potato cakes on each dinner plate. Top with a slice of smoked salmon and a tablespoon of yogurt, garnish with a sprig of dill.

Serves 4

These Potato Cakes make wonderful hor d’oeuvres, shape mini-size cakes and drizzle with the Lemon-Dill Vinaigrette below.  Place on a platter for a buffet or pass at a cocktail party or Holiday Open House.

Julienned Carrot, Spinach, and Endive Salad

Lemon-Dill Vinaigrette

1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon minced fresh dill
1 garlic clove, peeled and finely minced
1 teaspoon sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup olive oil

2 cups peeled and julienned garden fresh or farmer’s market carrots (about 6 ounces) or store-bought “ready to use” shredded carrots

2 cups julienned spinach leaves (about 2 ounces)
1 head red Belgium endive, end trimmed off, julienned
1/4 cup minced parsley leaves

Dressing: In a small bowl combine lemon zest, lemon juice, dill, garlic, sugar, salt and pepper. Whisk in olive oil until emulsified.

Toss carrots, spinach, endive and parsley together with dressing. Season with additional salt and pepper if necessary.

Serves 4