Appies

Because sometimes an entrée just isn’t enough.
Here are some easy-peasy appetizers to whip up.

  

  

 

Auld Alliance: French Roquefort Cheese and Scotch Whisky Pate

Auchentoshan 3 Wood’s spicy, nutty background brings out all the flavours in this crunchy, nutty salad. This salad always reminds me of our holidays in the Languedoc in France. We have adapted it here with a whiskied walnut vinaigrette. It is a salad but it is quite filling and there’s no lettuce. It is crunchy, fresh tasting, extremely healthy and I think best served cold.

• SERVINGS: 4

INGREDIENTS

8 ounces green lentils, cooked and drained
2 carrots, peeled and very finely diced
1½ ounces walnuts, fairly finely chopped
2 plump garlic cloves, crushed
8 spring onions, trimmed and finely chopped
2 tomatoes skinned and de seeded, then chopped into fine dice
4 hard boiled eggs
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Vinaigrette
Auchentoshan 3 Wood Malt Whisky
1⅓ tablespoons red wine vinegar
5 tablespoons walnut oil
2 teaspoons salt
freshly ground black pepper
pinch of sugar to taste

Garnish
2 tablespoonfuls of fresh chopped flat leaf parsley

DIRECTIONS

Put the lentils into a large bowl with the carrots, walnuts, garlic, spring onions, tomato dice and vinaigrette. Mix well, season with salt and pepper and leave to marinate for several hours.

This recipe can be served as a starter or a main course. As a starter this recipe serves 6-8. Just sprinkle with fresh parsley and decorate with wedges of boiled egg. For a casual lunch for 4 people, spoon all the salad heaped up into a lovely bowl and refrigerate until you are ready to serve. Then sprinkle the parsley on top and surround the salad with the hard boiled eggs, shelled and cut into wedges and invite your guests to help themselves.

Courtesy of The Whisky Kitchen

Scotch Eggs with Mustard Sauce

Because there is no earthly reason why you cannot enjoy Scotch eggs with Scotch whisky first thing in the morning.

“Scotch Eggs are part of the traditional Scots breakfast, which also includes porridge, bacon, fried egg, sausage, black, white and fruit puddings and hot baps and jam. They are also sufficiently versatile to be served hot with gravy at teatime, or cold as a snack.”

• PREP TIME: 20 mins
• COOK TIME: 10 mins
• SERVINGS: 6

INGREDIENTS

1 egg
1 cup mayonnaise
¼ cup yellow mustard
2 tablespoons white sugar
6 eggs
2 quarts oil for deep frying
12 ounces ground pork sausage
1 tablespoon dried parsley, crushed
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon dried marjoram
salt and pepper to taste
1 egg, beaten
4 ounces dry bread crumbs

DIRECTIONS

1. To make the mustard sauce: Crack 1 egg into a small saucepan. With the heat on low, stir in mayonnaise, mustard and sugar. When it just starts to boil, it’s done. Remove and let sit until cool, then chill for at least 10 minutes.
2. Place 6 whole eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring water to a boil and cook eggs for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from hot water, cool, peel.
3. Heat oil in deep-fryer to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
4. Put the sausage into a bowl with the finely parsley, lemon rind, nutmeg, marjoram, salt and pepper. Work all the ingredients well into the sausage with your hands. Make a coating for each hand boiled egg out of the sausage, working it round the eggs with wet hands to form an even layer. Roll the covered eggs in beaten egg, and then in dried breadcrumbs.
5. Carefully slide in 3 eggs and fry for 4 to 5 minutes, until they turn deep golden brown. Turn them as they cook so that they brown evenly. Remove with a slotted spoon, drain on paper towel, and repeat with the remaining 3 eggs. Serve eggs with mustard sauce.

Courtesy of AllRecipes.com

Herring Sushi Roll with Black Mustard

• SERVINGS: 12 pieces

INGREDIENTS

2 cups fingerling potatoes, boiled
1 tablespoon mustard oil
½ teaspoon wasabi
1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon mustard
2 fillets of pickled herring

DIRECTIONS

Mash the potatoes with a fork. Add the salt, wasabi, rice wine vinegar, mustard and mustard oil. Let cool and set aside. Slice the herring lengthwise into thin strips and pat dry with a paper towel. For each roll, take 2 tablespoons mashed potatoes and spread evenly on top of a sushi mat. Press it into a rectangular shape and then put eight of the herring strips inside for each roll. Roll up as tight as possible.

Cut each roll into 6 bite-sized pieces right before serving.

Black Mustard

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons sweet mustard
1 tablespoons Chinese mustard
½ teaspoon squid ink
½ tablespoon miso
½ tablespoon black bean paste
1 tablespoon mustard oil
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons black mustard seeds

DIRECTIONS

Put the mustard seeds, miso and squid ink in a blender, adding the sweet mustard and Chinese mustard. Mix until smooth. Slowly pour in the mustard and mustard oil. To serve, drizzle Black Mustard Sauce on plate and top with sushi pieces.

Courtesy of StarChefs

Haggis Balls with Whisky and Mustard Sauce

INGREDIENTS

1 cup beer
1 cup flour
1 haggis
Seasoning (salt/pepper and a little paprika, mainly for color)
1 tablespoon whisky
oil for frying
mustard (arran grain if possible)
a little cream or thick milk

DIRECTIONS

Mix the beer, the flour, a little black pepper, and paprika to make a light batter. Form the haggis into balls the approximate size of small walnuts.

Place oil into a heavy pan or wok and heat (a deep fat fryer may do the job). When the oil is hot, roll haggis balls one by one in the batter until fully coated and drop into the hot oil. (Note: be careful as they may “spit.” Ahem…)

Cook until the batter is golden brown and remove with draining spoon and place on on kitchen paper or paper towels. Mix the whiskey, milk (or cream), and mustard in a little bowl to make a thin dipping or pouring sauce according to taste. Either pour sauce lightly over the haggis or serve haggis balls on a platter with the dipping sauce bowl in the middle.

Courtesy of Whisky Wise