Hurricane Irene wrecked a perfectly delicious dinner party

I returned to North Carolina again before Labor Day–just in time to welcome in Irene.  The  premise of my visit was to prepare a tapas-style dinner party, but I only got as far as shopping for all the food before Irene knocked out our power (for multiple days) and the party was cancelled. Below is the menu we were going to do, fortunately we were lucky enough to have a generator so I was able to salvage some of the food  for future use. I really like the chicken lollipops with a sweet chili dipping sauce.

Starters:

Eggplant Napoleon: lightly fried eggplant rounds topped with local grown tomatoes,  garden basil and finished in the oven with fresh mozzarella melted on top

Individual chorizo pizzas with sliced tomatoes, roasted peppers, and shaved Manchego

Warm blue cheese filled dates wrapped in bacon

Main course:

Cucumber dill salad: fresh dill, light sour cream, lemon juice and sea salt

Chicken lollipops on sugar cane skewers with a sweet chili sauce

Seared duck breast with a lingonberry sauce

Sea scallops on a pea puree

Spicy shrimp on a cornbread soufflé

Miniature Beef Wellingtons

Chicken Lollipops – makes approximately 12

Season two pounds ground chicken - I used a heavy hand while seasoning you may back off a little if you wish

1 T onion powder

1 T cumin

1 T (heaping) curry powder

1 T chili powder

6 cloves roasted garlic (mashed)

1 t sea salt

2 eggs

¾ cup bread crumbs (I like panko)

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl, wrap with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator.

Making the sugar cane skewers – (some places do carry the skewers) sugar cane can usually be found in the refrigerated produce section (Melissa’s is a popular brand). It comes whole, approximately 8 inches long.

Using a sharp knife peel the outer layer away. This will leave the light colored inner pulp. Using your knife cut approximately ¼ inch wide strip all the way down then slice up the length to make the sticks. I then cut the sticks in half to make appetizer size lollipops, you could leave them whole and make larger size skewers.

Take the seasoned chicken out of the refrigerator. Using your hand, mold the chicken around skewer. Place the molded skewers in a baking dish (place plastic wrap between layers). When all made, cover with plastic wrap and place back in the refrigerator.  It's best when the skewers can sit overnight in the refrigerator thus allowing the flavors to marinate.

Cooking options:

-Grill on the BBQ on medium high

-Sear off in a pan on the stove with a little olive oil

-Bake in a 375º oven for 15 to 25 minutes on a jelly roll pan with a baking rack in it to keep the skewers elevated while they cook

Serve with a sweet chili sauce