If your plan this year is to stay home and ring in the New Year with family and friends, then chances are you need a couple of fabulous appetizer ideas to start the year off with a bang! The Beef Welly Bites can be assembled ahead of time and then popped in the oven before eating. We’ve made them using PC Frozen Butter Puff Pastry, which works a whole lot better than pastry made with vegetable shortening.
The Chili-Lime Shrimp is excellent hot or cold – watch these be devoured. We use about a teaspoon of chili-garlic sauce, sometimes called sambal oelik, that can be found in the Asian section of most grocery stores. We love this sauce because it adds both flavour and heat to the dish.
Both appetizers make two dozen. Happy New Year!
Pre-heat oven to 425 F;
Slice the rib-eye steak into cubes, about 2 cm by 2 cm; sprinkle with salt and pepper;
Cut puff pastry into squares, 3 cm by 3cm, or one sheet into 12 squares; top each square with a cube of beef;
Brush egg wash on the sides of the pastry and ‘pinch’ pastry together at the top;
Place on a parchment line baking sheet and bake until nicely browned, 8-10 minutes;
Beef Welly Bites
- 1 lb beef rib-eye steak, sirloin steak or striploin
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper
- 2 sheets store-bought puff pastry, thawed, but cold (1 box of PC Butter Puff Pastry contains 2 sheets)
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1-1/2 tbsp whole-grain mustard
- Good splash of white wine
- 1/2 cup 35% cream
- Arugula or mixed greens (for platter)
Meanwhile, prepare sauce by sautéing the shallot in butter until soft;
Add mustard and wine and cook for 2 minutes; add cream and then reduce by half;
Plate Beef Welly Bites on platter on top of greens; drizzle with sauce or serve on the side in a small dish.
Heat oil with garlic in large sauté pan;
Add shallots; sweat one minute;
Add chili garlic sauce and shrimp; cook until just done (they have just turned pink and opaque); add lime juice for the last minute of cooking;
Turn off heat and stir in butter and cilantro; serve hot or cold.
Chili-Lime Shrimp
- 24 large (16/20) shrimp, thawed, peeled and de-veined
- 2 tbsp oil (for sautéing)
- 2 shallot, finely chopped
- 2 garlic clove, minced
- 1 tsp (or more!) chili garlic sauce (Lee Kum Kee Brand, for example)
- juice of 2 limes
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1-2 tbsp cold butter
- 1/2 loose cup of cilantro, chopped
