Starters
Here are some recipes of delicious starters to impress your guests.
Here are some recipes of delicious starters to impress your guests.
Preparing Tartare for a dinner party such as Christmas or New Year’s Eve is a longtime tradition in our house. It’s always a hit when serving it in small bowls together with a nice glass of champagne when welcoming dinner guests, or as a seated starter nicely plated. I have to get creative with the ingredients to surprise my guest over and over again. This time I combined the creamy avocado with the well balanced spiciness of the horseradish and the fresh mild flavor of the spring onions, which goes very well with the fresh salmon tartare.
If you love Asian flavors, this is a great summer starter with lots of Umami taste in it. Fresh seafood is combined with delicious Edamame puree that has a hint of sweetness from the coconut, and the soy reduction gives it a salty balance. Make sure you buy organic Edamame (soy beans) that are Non-GMO certified (GMO stands for genetically-modified organism). They can be hard to find in some places, but can be substituted with organic peas.
Salmon Tartare is one of our favorite starters, especially during spring and summer time. It’s easy to bring in different flavors from cuisines around the world. This time I wanted to add a crunchy texture and a touch of Asia, so I added a few extra ingredients like avocado, bell pepper, and snow peas. The crunchy texture of the bell pepper and snow peas make a great combination with the creamy avocado and salmon.
We just returned home after a few days in Dubai where we enjoyed the food and the various international flavors. We ate at one of our favorite Thai restaurants several times, and it was so delicious! Inspired by this experience, and thinking about what to cook for dinner tonight, I decided to go for Thai. I wanted to combine the crunchy texture of the Laab Gai Salad (minced chicken salad) and the spicy creamy flavor of the Thai Red Curry. To keep it light and healthy, I served it on Chinese cabbage, which you can fold into a wrap. You can serve this dish as a starter (8 servings) or a main dish (4 servings).
My husband is a huge scallop fan. He eats scallops any time they’re on the menu in a restaurant. In Luxembourg, we’re fortunate to get sashimi-grade scallops at our local supermarket, which allows me to experiment with different kinds of recipes. Here I combine the fresh ocean flavor of the scallop with the exquisite flavor of saffron. This can be a starter or a main dish, and the below ingredients make starters for four. For a main dish, you can double the scallops and the vegetable spaghetti. The amount of sauce should be enough.