Make ahead - travelling appetizers? - 3hr drive

BigWader

This weekend is Canadian Thanksgiving and the family is going to my brothers - almost 3 hours away.  We're bring appetizers and I'd like to do something off the egg since only my parents have had anything off the egg.

My question is what could I do that would travel well?  Maybe not even need reheating?

My brother has a gasser so I could maybe reheat something there.  Thanks for your suggestions...

Also - this is my first post!  I've been a BGE owner since March (my 40th) when my wife got me the egg I've wanted for years and hadn't gotten.  It's been a very fun summer.

bigphil

congrats and pretty much anything really abt's, pig shots , zucchini crab cakes anything you want and reheating is simple on the (cough) gasser (cough) lol or the hot box in the kitchen 

Little Steven

ABT's are good if you can go three hours without devouring them. You could smoke a fillet of salmon and serve it on those little pumpernickel breads with cream cheese, red onion and capers. Happy thanksgiving.

The Cen-Tex Smoker

Duck Breast Canape'

This is meant to serve cold but meant to have a smoky flavor. This is freaking awesome and will blow their minds. Can't take credit for the recipe but one of my chefs designed this when I had a restaurant and catering business and it was always the best thing on the menu

You will need:

2 (or more depending on # of people) duck breasts

a nice package of Brie

A jar of fig jam

Red Onion

1) Carmalize your onion. Chill and hold for transport

2) Smoke a couple of duck breasts on the egg. You can also grill them but don't over cook them. Smoke is better but either works. Then chill the breasts and cube them up in like 1/4" cubes. Put the cubes in a container or ziplock and chill until you get to your bro's house

3) Take a sliced baguette, brush the slices with olive oil and hit them with a little salt and cracked pepper. Then crisp up the baguette slices on your pizza stone or just right on the grid to give them a little smoky flavor. You don't want them too crispy, just a little smoky and starting to brown. Put them in a zip lock for transport

4) Take all of this to your brother's and also take the Brie and jar of Fig Jam.

5) When you get there, put a small schmear of the brie and a small (dime sized) dollop of fig jam on a slice of baguette. Take a pinch of the chilled duck breast cubes and pile them on top of the fig jam. then put some caramelized onion on top of that. 

They are smoky, salty, sweet and creamy. Crazy good and a little out of the ordinary. I think they will be impressed with your mad egg skillz

bigphil

@Cen-Tex those sound awesome will have to try those out for sure completely different than anything else  

nolaegghead

That sounds excellent!  Are duck breasts sold without the rest of the duck?  I don't recall seeing them before.

The Cen-Tex Smoker

nolaegghead said:

That sounds excellent!  Are duck breasts sold without the rest of the duck?  I don't recall seeing them before.

They are sold separately.  We actually used to buy Nueske's Applewood smoked duck breast. They come in single packs and are already smoked and refrigerated. You can buy duck breast at better stores too. Nueske's is the bomb. If you have never tried their bacon, order it today and have them throw in a couple of duck breasts You won't be sorry.

http://www.nueskes.com/

Little Steven

D'Artagnions sell them but they are really pricey and sold at high end stores. We can get them here from a quebec producer. Ducks butcher pretty easily and you can make confit from the leg and thigh.

The Cen-Tex Smoker

I turned another guy on here on to these in the spring and he said they were a huge hit. he had some wild duck and just grilled the breasts up. Same thing, he took them to a party and served cold and said they were gone quickly. I've served them dozens of times at catering jobs etc, they are always a winner. Don't be intimidated by the out of the ordinary ingredients, They all play perfectly with each other and the smoke form the egg. This chef was a psycho but dude could cook!

nolaegghead

I'm totally making that.  Nueske's looks like a great resource.  I didn't see the duck breast except in a gift basket, but saw lots of other delicious smoked meats.

The Cen-Tex Smoker

nolaegghead said:

I'm totally making that.  Nueske's looks like a great resource.  I didn't see the duck breast except in a gift basket, but saw lots of other delicious smoked meats.

I noticed that too. I was buying it commercially so maybe they don't sell it at reatil outside the gift packs. They obviously have it though (since it's in the gift pack)  so I would ask if they can piece it out for you. It's amazing stuff

New York Times called their bacon "The Beluga of Bacon" and the best in the world. I've never had one better. I can buy it locally at fancy grocery stores but you may have to order online. It is like crack.

Fred19Flintstone

CT this sounds exactly right for Thanksgiving.  I hope I can find some duck breast locally, otherwise it's internet time.  I've never cooked duck breast before.  What temp do you recommend?

billyray

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

Duck Breast Canape'

This is meant to serve cold but meant to have a smoky flavor. This is freaking awesome and will blow their minds. Can't take credit for the recipe but one of my chefs designed this when I had a restaurant and catering business and it was always the best thing on the menu

You will need:

2 (or more depending on # of people) duck breasts

a nice package of Brie

A jar of fig jam

Red Onion

1) Carmalize your onion. Chill and hold for transport

2) Smoke a couple of duck breasts on the egg. You can also grill them but don't over cook them. Smoke is better but either works. Then chill the breasts and cube them up in like 1/4" cubes. Put the cubes in a container or ziplock and chill until you get to your bro's house

3) Take a sliced baguette, brush the slices with olive oil and hit them with a little salt and cracked pepper. Then crisp up the baguette slices on your pizza stone or just right on the grid to give them a little smoky flavor. You don't want them too crispy, just a little smoky and starting to brown. Put them in a zip lock for transport

4) Take all of this to your brother's and also take the Brie and jar of Fig Jam.

5) When you get there, put a small schmear of the brie and a small (dime sized) dollop of fig jam on a slice of baguette. Take a pinch of the chilled duck breast cubes and pile them on top of the fig jam. then put some caramelized onion on top of that. 

They are smoky, salty, sweet and creamy. Crazy good and a little out of the ordinary. I think they will be impressed with your mad egg skillz

I noticed you had a slightly different recipe in an earlier post. You added a sliver of jalapeno pepper instead of the onion. Which do you like better, or how do you think combining both the onion and pepper be?

The Cen-Tex Smoker

Fred19Flintstone said:

CT this sounds exactly right for Thanksgiving.  I hope I can find some duck breast locally, otherwise it's internet time.  I've never cooked duck breast before.  What temp do you recommend?

Honeslty, I've only done them with the Nueske's and they came pre smoked. There are better guys for that on here than me.

billyray

Here's a good web site. http://www.mapleleaffarms.com/index.php?pg=100

I always score the skin side, season it and sear it skin side down in a saute pan over medium heat on the stove top. Scoring helps the fat to render out. Then finish on the Egg at 400 raised indirect to 165 or so.

henapple

On my to do list....it keeps growing. Happy Canadian Thanksgiving. I'm not sure how turtle eggs will travel but there a hit. I gotta order some of that bacon.

The Cen-Tex Smoker

billyray said:

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

Duck Breast Canape'

This is meant to serve cold but meant to have a smoky flavor. This is freaking awesome and will blow their minds. Can't take credit for the recipe but one of my chefs designed this when I had a restaurant and catering business and it was always the best thing on the menu

You will need:

2 (or more depending on # of people) duck breasts

a nice package of Brie

A jar of fig jam

Red Onion

1) Carmalize your onion. Chill and hold for transport

2) Smoke a couple of duck breasts on the egg. You can also grill them but don't over cook them. Smoke is better but either works. Then chill the breasts and cube them up in like 1/4" cubes. Put the cubes in a container or ziplock and chill until you get to your bro's house

3) Take a sliced baguette, brush the slices with olive oil and hit them with a little salt and cracked pepper. Then crisp up the baguette slices on your pizza stone or just right on the grid to give them a little smoky flavor. You don't want them too crispy, just a little smoky and starting to brown. Put them in a zip lock for transport

4) Take all of this to your brother's and also take the Brie and jar of Fig Jam.

5) When you get there, put a small schmear of the brie and a small (dime sized) dollop of fig jam on a slice of baguette. Take a pinch of the chilled duck breast cubes and pile them on top of the fig jam. then put some caramelized onion on top of that. 

They are smoky, salty, sweet and creamy. Crazy good and a little out of the ordinary. I think they will be impressed with your mad egg skillz

I noticed you had a slightly different recipe in an earlier post. You added a sliver of jalapeno pepper instead of the onion. Which do you like better, or how do you think combining both the onion and pepper be?

The onion is the original recipe. I had changed it to use the jalapeno the past few times I made it.TFJ (My Wife) gave me the original recipe today (I had forgotten about he onion). You can do either, or both. Could hide a little sliver of jalapeno under the onion for a nice little surprise kick. I love jalapeno but they were awesome with just the onion. Our shop was in Wisconsin so people had milder tastes. 

 

Little Steven

billyray said:

Here's a good web site. http://www.mapleleaffarms.com/index.php?pg=100

I always score the skin side, season it and sear it skin side down in a saute pan over medium heat on the stove top. Scoring helps the fat to render out. Then finish on the Egg at 400 raised indirect to 165 or so.

Maple Leaf Farms isn't far from my office. Do they ship to the US?

billyray

Yes they do.

billyray

They have a company store in Leesburg, In.

Little Steven

Didn't know they were that big

The Cen-Tex Smoker

Little Steven said:

Didn't know they were that big

Big enough to have a store in Leesburg IN?

Little Steven

Canadians have an inferiority complex. Could be Pine Bluff AK or Gerald MO and we would be impressed

The Cen-Tex Smoker

Little Steven said:

Canadians have an inferiority complex. Could be Pine Bluff AK or Gerald MO and we would be impressed

Pine Bluff would kick the sh@t out of Leesburg in a war

Gerald might be a fight

Little Steven

Ever been there? Gerald I mean

The Cen-Tex Smoker

Little Steven said:

Ever been there? Gerald I mean

nope

Little Steven

Eggzactly my point

BigWader

Wow thanks for all the ideas.  Despite the awesome sound of the smoked duck breast canapé I'm going to go a little less refined (will definitely make the duck breast canapé for me and the wife though - she loves brie and onions and fig jam - duck breast will be a surprise)

So I'm all set up to make a couple dozen ABTs and MOINK balls.  I've never done them but I've got some 3 yr old sharp cheddar to blend into the ABTs and some good lean bacon for wrapping.

I'm going to make tonight and chill and warm through tomorrow on big brother's gasser. 

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone - Gotta take it easy on the turkey - I need to make the 3 hr drive home later on too.

 

henapple

I've been on another post...sounds like we need a small egg for traveling...

BigWader

how do 6 adults and three kids devour Thanksgiving appetizers?

I made 26 ABT's and about 30 Moink Balls plus about 3/4 of a pound of smoked almonds and we ate almost all of it before my other brother and his inlaws showed up.  We left them maybe 10 moink balls :-)

Now that's good eatin'

Tomorrow is a nice prime rib on the egg for our quiet family Thanksgiving.

 

nolaegghead

I found duck breasts at the Rousses (in the old Cadillac dealership) right near the Superdome.  And bought some fig jam.  Have everything else, so I'm makin' it.