Wolfgang Puck - Italian Shrimp Cocktail

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Italian Shrimp Cocktail

Zola Gorgon

The Boys vs. The Girls... Boys just don't eat the same way girls do. What I mean is, they don't like the same things, or more exactly put, they are attracted first to certain foods more than others and girls are attracted equally to different foods. Let me explain. I was working closely with a great friend, Rachel, on the menu for a couples' wedding shower she was hosting. There was much excitement in the air. The bride is one of her best friends and she wanted to impress the 40 people that were coming to her big event. She wanted them leaving the building talking about how much fun they had and how great the food was. We were working off the Zola website, concentrating on the perfect "heavy hors d' oeuvres" combination that would be enough food for everyone to be sated, but also give them some new culinary taste experiences. Rachel was great at choosing things that are a good flavor mix. We were shooting for 7 or 8 appetizers so there'd be plenty of variety. They all had to be easy enough to make so she could coordinate the whole cooking experience in less than 6 hours. That's not always easy; even though Rachel is an excellent cook. Rachel had chosen a few things she was interested in making, when I brought up the concept of "Boy Appetizers" vs. "Girl Appetizers." (Let's admit here that I'm stereotyping, but for the sake of brevity, let's just leave it that way.) So what's a "Boy Appetizer?" The obvious ones to jump to would be buffalo wings or spare ribs. Sure, the ladies might like to eat them too, but the attraction is going to first be from the males. They'll certainly choose those things over a tiny tart or something balanced on a piece of cucumber. Do you get my drift? So when I am planning an appetizer menu and I want everyone to enjoy the food equally I make sure I have a mixture of "Boy Appetizers" and "Girl Appetizers." What I'm going to do here is list out the menu. You'll be able to take your own survey of which appetizers you'd label "Boy" or "Girl." Then I'll take a few examples and give you my take on why I'd put them in one category or another. Some would straddle both sides of the fence. You might have great fun guessing and forming opinions. Bonus: Just in case you have a cocktail party coming up I'm going to list the whole menu on my website under the Party Menu category at www.dinnerwithzola.com and then you can easily access each recipe off the site, make your grocery list and go to town putting together your own "heavy hors d' oeuvres" cocktail party. Cocktail Party for 40 Italian Shrimp Cocktail
Middle Eastern Flatbread with Mango Salsa
Caribbean Pork Tenderloin with Fresh Fruit Sauce
French-Italian Mushroom Tart
Asian-rubbed Chicken Tenders with Mango-lemongrass dipping sauce
Bacon-Tomato mini-tarts
Pesto-proscuitto focaccia
Tiny tomato and fresh mozzarella "sticks" with an aged Balsamic drizzle So, which are Boy Appetizers and which are Girl Appetizers? Have you voted yet? Here are some side comments to "chew" on. The Italian Shrimp Cocktail is definitely in the "Boy" category. Every guy knows what shrimp cocktail is and Italian food is universally loved so they won't shy away from this one. On the other hand, anything from somewhere really foreign, like the Middle East might scare off the American men, while women are more interested in taking food risks. Women are the ones that will say things like "I've never tasted lemongrass. I've seen it in the stores but had no idea what to do with it. I can't wait to try this!" One of the ones that you might categorize as going "Boy" or "Girl" is the pork tenderloin. I suggested it as a "Boy Appetizer" because it's a fairly spicy meat base. The fruit sauce might make men a tad nervous but Rachel served the pork on small pieces of toasted French bread so they served like a crostini or a mini, open-faced sandwich. Men understand sandwiches. These were a big hit with both sexes. There's no right or wrong here. The chicken tenders, even with mango and lemongrass in the title also turned out to be a big hit with the men, when I just finished saying it would probably be categorized as a "Girl Appetizer." Truth be told, once the guys started eating the ones they recognized and loved them, they took the risk, branched out and tried things they might not order as an entrée on a restaurant menu. There's less risk in an appetizer. It's smaller. If you hate the first bit you just fold it in a cocktail napkin and "hide" it somewhere. Right? So have fun with this menu and don't hesitate to throw cocktail parties with flair. The recipe I'm giving you today is one of my secrets. It's what I call cheating when I'm in a hurry. I use my favorite bottled Italian dressing as the marinade and everyone thinks I put so much effort into this really pretty dish. One of the other secrets to this dish is to serve it in a pretty bowl. Rachel served hers in a glass trifle bowl so the orange of the shrimp sparkled attractively from across a crowded room. Brilliant idea. Italian Shrimp Cocktail Serves 40 as part of a large cocktail party or fewer as a single appetizer 1 and 1/2 pounds large cooked shrimp. Thawed and rinsed.
1 large red bell pepper diced
1 bunch green onions trimmed and diced. Include some of the green part Pile all of these items in a large zip lock bag. Pour half of the jar of Italian dressing in the bag about 6 hours before the party. Zip the bag tightly so there's no leaking. (If you worry about leaking, put the bag inside a bowl). Now, refrigerate. Whenever you open the refrigerator door to get something out just flip the bag over so all the shrimp get coated. When party time comes put the shrimp in your display/serving bowl. If you think it needs a little more dressing, drizzle it on. It's a lot easier to add more than it is to get it back off! Serve well chilled. Two Special Notes for ArcaMax Publishing readers: 1. Last week I made a typo. I told you to get an 8 oz. can of baby shrimp for the Fireside Shrimp Dip. It's actually a 3.5 oz can. When you open the can and drain the shrimp you'll have about a cup of shrimp. My mistake. Sorry. 2. Many of you have been asking for a health update. I did get to see the head surgical nurse at the hospital for a check up and clearance report. As far as clearance, I can now take a shower! Yahoo! I can also walk stairs on my own. (We really need to put in a passing lane on our stairway because I'm so slow but I do make it in time). I can sit for 15 minutes. That leaves out nice restaurant dining and I do miss it. I can drive for 15 minutes. That will get me to the grocery store or the doctor, but not to our place in Madison or to the beautiful cottage our friends invited us to visit. The no long sitting rule also means I had to cancel my trip to Toronto next week and no vacation in northern Canada after that. Boo hoo, but there will be other years. The marvelous news is I have no pain related to the disc problems. I have post surgical pain and am still on narcotics but that can be dealt with and I am so happy to walk with no pain I could scream for joy! It will take a full year to know when and if I'm fully recovered but right now I'm working to be a good girl and follow doc's directions. It's really tempting to bend over to pick something up or clean something on the floor, but I am not allowed. My husband is doing the bulk of the grocery shopping which is new for him but the bonus for both of us is I am venturing back into my kitchen. He's fabulous at meeting me there when it's time to make dinner because I need him to get out every pan, casserole dish or bowl I might need from a lower cupboard. I am designing recipes, or executing other people's recipes, in 15 minutes or less so I can continue resting. I still can't empty the dishwasher. What a shame... God Bless him, my husband did it most of the time anyway. So thank you for all of your prayers. They are working and I cannot express in words how much I appreciate them. Cheers, Enjoy!
Zola

This news arrived on: 08/20/2007

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