This salmon, corn chip and lemon dill sauce canapé is very simple to make and tastes light, refreshing and elegant. We actually made our own corn chips by simply frying corn tortillas cut in pieces in some oil in a pan. It's really easy to do, and would be perfect if you have leftover corn tortillas in the fridge. Also, when you make your own chips, you know exactly what's in them.

We actually grilled the salmon here, but any way of cooking it would be great. Then we made a nice cool sauce with lemon and dill and topped each chip with a piece of salmon, some sauce, a slice of cherry tomato and some ruccola salad. 

How to make corn chips:

Add an inch or two of vegetable oil in a heavy bottom pot, and turn the heat to medium. Cut each corn tortilla in four pieces, for a nice snack size. The oil is hot enough when a piece of tortilla sizzles when you drop it in the oil. Cook the tortillas in batches - do not overcrowd the pan. Cook for about a minute or two on each side until golden, then place on paper towels to drain. Immediately add fine salt to the hot chips. (these are vary simply seasoned, for a more flavorful version, you could either dip the tortillas in a spicy vinegar solution before cooking, and once they are crispy add a combination of chili powder and other spices.)

Ingredients:

- Chips - make the chips, or use store bought (thin slices of baguette would work too.)

- Salmon

- Cherry Tomatoes, Ruccola

Sauce:

• sour cream
• mayonnaise
• garlic
• dill
• lemon
• salt
• pepper

Method:

Mix sour cream, a very small amount of mayonnaise, some minced garlic, a generous amount of dill, some freshly squeezed lemon and some salt and pepper.

Cook the salmon. Cut in bite size pieces.

Cut the cherry tomatoes in fine slices, and coat them in some olive oil, salt and pepper.

Assemble: on each chip put a piece of salmon, a small spoonful of sauce, a cherry tomato slice and a piece of ruccola.

Serve immediately.

How wonderful that strawberries are in season and so sweet and plentiful! We had a lot of strawberries on hand and needed to eat them before they went bad! So we extended our strawberry intake to appetizers as well into this classic combination of goat cheese, strawberries and reduced balsamic vinegar. And I have to say that this is really the epitome of summer sweetness - such a simple yet delicate treat. Try it!

Ingredients:

• Good, crispy bread base such as grilled flat bread, baguette, toasted tortilla, crackers.. (we used grilled flat bread)
• Fresh strawberries, cleaned and cut into bite size pieces
• Soft goat cheese
• Cream cheese
• Some fresh basil
• Balsamic vinegar

Method:

Start with putting some balsamic vinegar in a small casserole on the stove and let it the reduce for a few minutes until syrupy (yes the aroma in your kitchen will be over-pungent, but just bear it out.)
Grill or toast your bread and cut into bite-size pieces. Mix the goat cheese with cream cheese until you achieve a good balance (if you really like goat cheese, you can use that as it is) and add some fresh, chopped basil. Spread on the bread, top with a few strawberry pieces and drizzle over some of the balsamic syrup.

Enjoy in warm weather along with some taste coctails!

Ingredients:

3 pounds whole chicken wings (or drumsticks)
4 tablespoons butter
½ cup Frank’s Louisiana Hot Sauce
2 tablespoons Tabasco
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
1 – 2 quarts of oil for frying (vegetable or peanut oil)
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt

Method:

1. If you are using wings, then cut the top of the wings off.

2. Make the sauce: melt the butter on the stove, whisk in the hot sauce, Tabasco, brown sugar and vinegar. Mix well, then set aside and let cool.

3. Heat the oven to 200 degrees F. Heat the oil up in a large pot (preferably Dutch oven). Make sure to use enough oil so it measures 2 1/2 inches in the pot (only about 3 tablespoons of oil is actually soaked up during frying). Check with a thermometer and let the oil come up to 360 degrees F (or 375 degrees F if you are making drumsticks).

4. While the oil is heating up, mix the cornstarch, cayenne pepper, black pepper and salt in a bowl. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels (you don’t want the chicken to be wet at all!), then toss the chicken in the cornstarch mixture.

5. Fry the chicken in batches in the hot oil for about 10 to 15 minutes until golden – you don’t want the chicken to overcrowd the pot. Transfer the cooked chicken to a baking sheet lined with newspapers or paper towels and topped with a drying rack positioned upside down. Keep the chicken warm in the oven while you cook the next batch.

Few things are as delectable as chantarelle mushrooms sauteed in cream and served on toast. If you have the good fortune of coming across chantarelle mushrooms in the grocery store, at the farmer's market, or perhaps even in the forest, then you definitely want to use them carefully. First of all, in the store they are rather expensive to buy, so you might not be able to afford to buy too many. Secondly, chantarelles have such as a wonderful distinctive taste and it would be a shame to waste them by adding too many ingredients or cooking them the wrong way.

This is simply one of the best appetizers or small meals you can serve. Sauteing these mushrooms in butter, releasing their liquids, and then simply adding heavy cream and some salt and pepper really brings the best out of these delicacies. Some fresh parsley on top completes the meal and adds some color.

4 servings – small appetizer portions

• 3 tablespoons of butter
• 1 pint of chantarelles (or more if you have on hand)
• 1 cup of heavy cream
• salt and pepper
• 4 pieces of white bread, toasted
• fresh parsley

Method:

Heat up a sautee pan, add the butter and let melt. Add the chantarelles and some salt and let cook on medium – high heat and let the mushrooms reduce their liquids. This takes a few minutes, you don't want to rush the process. Once the mushrooms are starting to brown, add the cream and let simmer for a few minutes. Taste and add some salt and pepper to taste.

Toast the bread, and distribute the mushrooms evenly. Add some freshly chopped parsley and serve immediately.

One of the best ways to utilize your left-over cheese – especially if you have small bits of different kinds, is to make a divine cheese spread. Almost any nice strongly flavored cheese could be used, but of course the flavor of the spread will be affected by what kind of cheese you add.

We were first introduced to this concept by Alton Brown, in an episode called “Fromage Forte.” The direct translation in French is “Strong Cheese' and that's certainly correct. If you use a few strong cheeses, your spread will be extremely flavorful.

The concept is just so simple: different kinds of cheeses, butter, wine, garlic, herbs. Could there be anything better?

It's essential to use a food processor to mix the cheeses completely. You want to end up with a really smooth spread, and that will require a few minutes of processing.

Method:

1. Start off with gathering your different cheeses (for example, use bits of Parmesan, Sharp Cheddar, Provolone, Blue Cheese, Asiago, Mozarella, Camembert). You can use a combination of soft and hard-rind cheeses.

2. Let the cheese come up to room temperature, remove any hard rinds, and cut into small cubes.

3. Place the cheese in a food processor and add a few tablespoons of butter (depending on how much cheese you use). Add a garlic clove, and some dry white wine. Start processing, and possibly add more wine if it's too dry.

Tip! If you are planning to store the spread and save for later (it will be better if it rests for a few hours anyway), then make sure to add enough wine. You want the spread to be quite loose, as it will thicken up in once it cools.

Process for a few minutes, or until it reaches the consistency of whipped cream: nice, smooth and fluffy. Taste and possibly season with salt and pepper.

Flavorings:

While this spread is very flavorful on its own, you might want to flavor it further, depending on what kind of cheese you use. If you are using relatively mild cheeses, then some additional flavor might be nice.

Possible flavorings: fresh herbs, sun dried tomatoes, olives, anchovies...

Either serve right away with crackers or vegetables, or store in an air-tight container. This spread can be stored about one week in the fridge.

To make crostini from old bread is an easy and delicious way to create a tasty appetizer or snack. Basically a crostini is bread sliced very thinly, baked in the oven until crispy, then rubbed with a garlic clove and brushed with olive oil. It's perfect to make if you have bread going stale, or if you just want to serve bread in a different way.

However, it seems that when most people think of crostini, they get stuck on tomatoes, herbs and cheese. This combination is of course very flavorful and tasty, although there are so many other options to consider which would make for a more varied selection.

Here are a couple of ideas for different crostini.

Basic Crostini
baguette
garlic clove
olive oil
salt and pepper

Method:

Slice the baguette very thinly. Distribute on a baking sheet, then bake in 400 degrees for about 10 minutes. When the bread comes out of the oven, cut a garlic clove in half and rub the cut side against the bread. Brush the bread with olive oil and assemble the toppings.

Toppings:

- Tomatoes & Goat Cheese

- Cannellini beans with lemon and garlic

- Fresh Mozzarella and pest

- Hummus, roasted red peppers, lemon

- Tuna with capers, oil, lemon and parsley

- Ricotta, honey, pinenuts

- Parmesan, artichokes

Ingredients:

10 ounces tortilla chips
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
2 habero peppers
2 fresh scallions
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro
1 cup salsa
1 cup guacamole
1/2 cup sour cream

Method:

Slice the peppers quite thinly. Don’t remove the seeds. Using a pyrex, or other large baking pan, evenly distribute the tortilla chips on the bottom of the pan. Spread about half of the shredded cheese on top of the chips and half of the sliced peppers. Top with an other layer of chips, then the rest of the cheese and peppers.

Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 8 – 10 minutes, or until the cheese have melted and is nice and bubbly. Once out of the oven, sprinkle fresh, sliced scallions and chopped cilantro. Serve with salsa, guacamole and sour cream.