mini shrimp cakes

i needed to make something for a picnic. i wanted to make a finger food that was bite-sized so i made these mini shrimp cakes. its the cousin to the crab cake. instead of using a crab mixture, i used a combination of shrimp and bacon. the shrimp is cook in the bacon fat so the flavor is infused throughout! i made it in a mini muffin pan so you can just pop them in your mouth.

mini shrimp cakes
yields 24 mini cakes
3 strips of bacon (i used smoked applewood)
1 dozen shrimp, peeled and deveined
4 oz of cream cheese, room temperature
1 large egg
1/4 cup creme fraiche
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
large pinch of cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon shallots, minced
1 cup panko bread crumbs
3/4 cup of parmesan cheese, separated
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. lightly butter a mini muffin pan and set aside. on medium-high heat, cook bacon in a pan. set aside on paper towel. discard most of the bacon fat but leave a thin layer for the shrimp. cook the shrimp in the same pan, the bacon fat will flavor the shrimp. cool and roughly chop the shrimp and bacon.

in a large bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. then add 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese and egg. beat to blend. mix in creme fraiche, salt and cayenne. fold in shallots, chopped shrimp and bacon into mixture.

in another bowl, toss the panko bread crumbs and 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese. drizzle the melted butter all over and toss with a fork, until evenly moistened. spoon 1 tablespoon of the panko mixture into each cup of the muffin pan. lightly press down with your finger or spoon. add 1 table spoon of the cream cheese/shrimp mixture in each cup. make sure each cut has shrimp and bacon. sprinkle 1 teaspoon of the panko mixture on top.

bake for 30 mins. let cool before serving.

bon appétit~!

risotto balls (arancini)

i don't know what rock i was living under, but i recently had the pleasure of eating a deep fried risotto ball (arancini). the first time i put that sucker in my mouth, i was floooooored. to deep fry balls of creamy risotto and stick a piece of cheese in the middle...is simply genius. i want to shake the hand of the person who invented this bad boy.

since i've popped my arancini cherry, i tried it two more times and all three times were made slightly different. little dom's serves them large and in charge with no sauce. tasca winebar serves them medium sized with a truffled cream sauce. and fraiche serves them mini bite sized with marinara sauce. i came to the conclusion that i like the medium size and served with some sort of sauce.

they are usually made with plain risotto and with seasoned breadcrumbs...but i tried them with a mushroom risotto and panko bread crumbs for that extra CRUNCH. you can make your own rules here. let me know what other mouthwatering flavor combos you come up with.

risotto balls (arancini)
4 servings
3 cups cooked mushroom risotto, cooled
12 mozzarella cubes, 1/2 inch
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup panko bread crumbs
vegetable oil for frying

to serve
1/2 cup of marinara sauce
1 tablespoon flat leaf parsley
2 tablespoon of parmesan (optional)

wet your hands with water. scoop a heaping tablespoon of the risotto and roll into a ball. gently toss back and forth between your hands. poke a small hole in center of each ball with your finger. insert a cube of the mozzarella, add 1/2 tablespoon more risotto to close up the hole and form back into a ball.

place the flour, eggs and panko crumbs in 3 separate bowls. first, dredge a risotto ball in flour, shaking off excess. second, dip in egg, letting excess drip off. lastly, dredge in bread crumbs.

when you are ready to fry, fill large pot with about 1.5 inches of vegetable oil on medium high heat. in small batches, carefully place the risotto balls into the oil. when one side is golden brown, turn the ball so all sides are evenly browned, about 4 mins total. using a slotted spoon, let the excess oil drain and place on a wire rack, with paper towel underneath it.

top with parsley and serve with a side of marinara sauce. i sprinkled some parmesan cheese on mine cus i love CHEEEESE!

bon appétit~!