Mad Men Season 6 - Sixties-Inspired Party Bites

Season 5 Spoiler Alert! 

We left Don Draper in a familiar place at the close of season 5 of Mad Men - sidled up to the bar, deep in thought, with beautiful strangers buzzing around nearby. When one of the women propositions him on behalf of her friend, Nancy Sinatra's ominous rendition of "You Only Live Twice," swells even louder.

Then the screen goes black. 

Photo Courtesy of AMCTV.com

So we begin the penultimate season of our most favorite show with great anticipation. Will he or won't he? The suspense has been killing us for a year. 

Whether or not Don will return to his skirt-chasing ways, we are surely back to our old tricks with yet another Mad Men Premiere Party Menu. The success of last year's (check it out HERE) made us even more excited to create the spread that we'll feature today. 

Yet again, we set out to remake some mid-century classics, but this time, we are focusing on retro-inspired finger foods that are party-ready and easily adaptable to feed a crowd. Naturally, cocktails will also be involved. If you're waiting to watch Season 6 on tivo and looking for some easy to make nibbles, you're in luck: 

Coconut Shrimp, Photo: NK

Mad Men Menu for 4

Cocktail - Moscow Mule 


Baked Coconut Shrimp Served in a Pineapple


Steak Satay "Diane"


Dessert - New Ambrosia Fruit Dip 

COCKTAIL:

The Moscow Mule originated several decades before the Mad Men days, but it does make our list of cocktails that our favorite ad execs would have enjoyed. A party-ready drink that can be assembled right in the glass, the Mule is, as classic cocktails go, somewhat under appreciated. We chose it for its refreshing character. A healthy squeeze of Lime pairs with a clean Vodka base while slightly sweet and refreshing Ginger Beer (we prefer Gosling's brand) rounds out the drink. Toss in a sprig of Mint for color. 

Want other ideas? Check out AMC's Official Mad Men Cocktail Guide: HERE.

Moscow Mule

Recipe from AMC's Mad Men Cocktail Guide

Makes 1 Drink

Ingredients:

1 1/4 Oz Vodka

3 Oz Ginger Beer

1 teaspoon Simple Syrup

1/4 Oz Lime Juice

1 Sprig of Mint

1 Slice of Lime

Method:

Pour Vodka over Ice in a short glass or copper mug. 

Add Lime Juice and Simple Syrup

Top with Ginger Beer and stir.

Garnish with a Mint Sprig and a slice of Lime. 

Enjoy! 

Moscow Mule, Photo: NK

PARTY BITE # 1:

Our first shareable dish is Baked Coconut Shrimp served in a Pineapple. A nod to the fact that all things Polynesian often dominated Sixties cocktail parties, the presentation and some of the ingredients of this dish are also inspired of my grandma, Dolly. One of her standard party classics, she would coat the Shrimp in a little Bisquick and Egg batter before rolling them in Sweetened Coconut Flakes and deep frying them. Grandma was always focused on smashing presentation,  so she'd serve these crowd-pleasers in a hollowed out Pineapple. While we won't be deep frying our Shrimp, we will use her serving method and will also adapt her standard Duck Sauce accompaniment to add a bit of spice and a bit more tanginess. She liked to use Saucy Susan brand Duck Sauce. I hope you enjoy! 

Lighter Baked Coconut Shrimp Served in a Pineapple with Lime Jalapeno Duck Sauce

Adapted From The Girl Who Ate Everything and My Grandma, Dolly

Approx 24 Shrimp - Serves 8 as a Cocktail Nibble, 4 as an Appetizer 

Ingredients:

1 Lb Large Shrimp, peeled, deveined, tail on 

1/2 a whole Pineapple, hollowed out (flesh reserved for other use - like our dessert!)

2 Egg Whites

2 Tablespoons Cornstarch

2 Cups Sweetened Coconut Flakes

1/2 Cup Duck Sauce

1.5 Tablespoon Lime Juice

1.5 Tablespoon Jalapeno, chopped finely 

1/8 teaspoon Salt

Method: 

For the dipping sauce - combine Lime Juice, Jalapeño, Duck Sauce and Salt. Stir and set Aside.

Preheat oven to 400 and line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper. 

Spread Coconut Flakes and Cornstarch on two different plates.

Place Egg Whites in a bowl and whisk vigorously until frothy.

Holding Shrimp by the tail, dredge in Cornstarch, dip in Egg Whites, and finally, roll in the Coconut Flakes. When finished, sprinkle all the Shrimp very lightly with a pinch of Salt. 

Place Shrimp on cookie sheet and bake for 15-18 minutes until they become golden. Make sure to turn in the middle of the cooking process, at around 8 minutes in.

Place Shrimp in the hollowed out Pineapple with the dipping sauce on the side. 

Serve and enjoy!  

Baked Coconut Shrimp in a Pineapple with Lime and Jalapeño Duck Sauce Dip, Photo: NK

PARTY BITE # 2:

Our second shareable party bite is derived from an uber popular Sixties dinner party dish - Steak Diane. The earliest mention of Sauce Diane comes from French culinary master, Escoffier, around the turn of the century, but in the Sixties, Steak Diane was de rigueur for any elegant soiree. How do you translate this sit down dish for a crowd?  I decided to make it handheld by putting it on a stick just like you would Beef Satay. Steak Diane's typical cream sauce laced with flambeed Cognac and Beef Broth can be drizzled over the Satay or served in a small bowl. Either way, the dish that was once the hallmark of haute cuisine (and fittingly for Mad Men, is said to have originated in New York) deserves a remix. 

Steak Satay "Diane"

Adapted from Saveur and Epicurious 

*Cooks note - start marinating the steak at least 2 hours ahead 

Serves 8 as a Cocktail Nibble, 4 as a Light Entree

Marinade Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon Low Sodium Soy Sauce

2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce

1/2 Cup of Vegetable Oil 

Tablespoon of Chopped Chives

Tablespoon of Chopped Parsley

1 teaspoon Dry Mustard

Ingredients for the Skewers:

1 Lb Flank Steak 

Salt

At least 25 Long Wooden Skewers 

Sauce Diane Ingredients:

1 1/2 Cups Beef Stock

2 Tablespoons Salted Butter

3 Cloves Garlic, finely minced

1 Large Shallot, minced 

Black Pepper

4 Oz Cremini Mushrooms, roughly chopped

1/4 Cup Cognac

1/4 Cup Half and Half

1/4 teaspoon Tabasco Sauce

1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard 

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce

3 Tablespoons minced Chives plus extra for garnish

1 Tablespoon chopped Parsley

Method: 

Several hours before, whisk the marinade ingredients together in a bowl. Put Steak in a large ziploc and pour Marinade over Steak.  Let it sit refrigerated for at least two hours or overnight.

Soak wood skewers in a bowl for at least a half hour. 

When ready to cook or an hour before, slice Steak against the grain into centimeter wide strips. Thread a strip of Steak onto each wooden skewer and when done, sprinkle them all with a pinch of Salt. 

Put Beef Broth in a medium sauce pan. Over medium high heat, cook for 15 minutes until reduced to about a 1/2 to 3/4 cup. Remove broth to a bowl and set aside.

Reheat the Saucepan and melt 2 Tablespoons of Butter in it. Next add Garlic and minced Shallot and cook for another 2 minutes until softened. Add the Mushrooms and cook, stirring, another 4 minutes until tender. Add Cognac to the sauce pan.

Carefully light the Cognac aflame using a long match. Allow to flambée until the flame dies down naturally. Next, stir in your Beef Stock, Cream, Mustard, Worcestershire and Hot Sauce. Cook another 4-5 minutes until sauce thickens a bit. Finish with a sprinkle of Black Pepper. Turn flame to the lowest heat to keep warm. 

Heat up a grill or grill pan over high flame. Cook each skewer about 2 minutes per side until medium rare or done to your liking. Stir Parsley and Chives into the Sauce Diane and remove it to a small bowl. Serve with Skewers around the sauce and garnish with extra Chives and Parsley.

Enjoy!

Steak Satay "Diane," Photo: NK

DESSERT:

Since everything old is new again, I figured why not revamp another Sixties' holdover: Ambrosia Salad. Ambrosia is said the be the nectar of the gods, but this questionable creamy Fruit Salad with Coconut and Mini Marshmallows appears to be anything but. Still very popular in the southern states, there's no doubt that Ambrosia can indeed be incredibly delicious, but I think we can agree that the standard presentation leaves much to be desired. If you fancy traditional Ambrosia, I really love the following recipe and post from a blog called The Country Cook HERE. To modernize this dish and make it more visually appealing, we took all the creamy, marshmallowy goodness of it and turned it into a more palatable fruit dip. This recipe is easily adaptable to any fruit that suit your tastes, and bonus - our version is deliberately lighter in calories and fat. A sprinkle of toasted Coconut enhances both the taste and visual appeal. We hope you take a dip!

New Ambrosia Fruit Dip 

Adapted from Taste of Home

Serves 4 to 6 

Ingredients: 

2 Cups Strawberries

1/2 a Pineapple, cut into bit size wedges

3 Fresh Mandarin Oranges, peeled and sectioned

Fruit Dip and Topping

1/4 Cup Sweetened Coconut flakes, lightly toasted for 2 min in the toaster oven* 

4 Oz Fat Free Cream Cheese, softened

3 Oz Fat Free Greek Yogurt (we like Fage brand)

4 Oz Cool Whip Free

4 Oz Marshmallow Fluff

1 Heaping Tablespoon Confectioners Sugar

Method:

*When toasting Coconut, keep an eye on it as it burns and smokes easily. Once golden brown flakes begin to appear, it is done enough. 

In a large bowl, combine yogurt and cream cheese until well incorporated. Gently stir in Marshmallow Fluff, sprinkle on Powdered Sugar, and add Cool Whip. Stir to combine.

Add half of the Toasted Coconut to the mixture and stir again to incorporate. Serve Dip in a bowl surrounded by assorted fruits. Top the Dip with the remainder of the Toasted Coconut and sprinkle additional Coconut over Fruit as well. Refrigerate dip until ready to use. Enjoy!  

New Ambrosia Fruit Dip, Photo: NK

We hope you enjoyed our Mad Men Party Bites Menu. Until next season! And enjoy the show!

Neurotic Homestyle - Chicken and Dumpling Soup

Had it not come out so tasty, this recipe for Chicken and Dumpling Soup might never have made it to Neurotic Kitchen. 

Chicken and Dumpling Soup, Photo: NK

It's great to use a large Dutch Oven for this dish Photo: NK

Before setting out to adapt a really wonderful version of Chicken and Dumpling Soup from Taste of Home Magazine, I conveniently forgot that when I made it last year it took quite a while and made a colossal mess in my kitchen because it requires so many pots and bowls. See, the trouble is, there are several steps to this thoughtful recipe - which is probably why it comes out so good. The original author ingeniously suggests using a pre-cooked Rotisserie Chicken to cut down on prep time. I followed that very clever directive, but still found the process of creating the stock, browning the Vegetables, simmering the Broth and Chicken, preparing the Dumpling Batter, and finally, cooking the Dumplings, a bit too time consuming and messy for a weeknight meal. What I'm getting at is, I just can't say with certainty that this is a fast, no muss no fuss meal - what I can say is that it's delicious. 

Before setting out to cook, I planned out a few changes to the recipe meant to make it slightly lighter. The main change was to use Evaporated Milk instead of Heavy Cream. Doing so shaves 120 calories and 18 grams of fat off the original. Even still, this is definitely not a diet meal by any means, but lightening it up never hurts when no flavor is sacrificed. We also used mostly Fat Free Chicken Broth, less Oil, and less Butter. What makes this recipe special in the first place is that it has an element of spice (which I admittedly increased) and also results in particularly tasty dumplings thanks to a healthy dose of Cayenne Pepper and Salt in the batter. Some Chicken and Dumpling recipes can be a bit bland for my taste, but this version has a ton of flavor and loses none of the homey comfort qualities that make this classic Southern dish so well loved.

I realize I am sending mixed messages but this dish is worth making. Do it when you have an hour and a half, and start it at least that long before you'd like to serve it. A hungry partner staring at me never helps me stay calm in the kitchen.  

Before we begin, some tips on how to make the preparation just a little smoother:

Purchase and chop up a ready-cooked Chicken such as a Rotisserie Roaster, perhaps even do so the day before if you can. It's no fun to have Chicken shrapnel all over your hands when you are trying to stir broth and simultaneously brown Vegetables at the same time. The recipe below asks you to use the whole Chicken (a roaster big enough to serve 2) but the Soup would be just as good if you only have half the chicken. It'll just be a bit less chunky. This means that perhaps you can make sandwiches with half the roaster the first day, and chop up the rest for the soup. You could also use a couple of cans of ready-cooked Chicken. That's not really my thing because such a product is hard to find in organic form, but if you choose to do so, it would certainly eliminate a lot of the mess and chopping. I should also mention that any type of cooked Chicken will do! Light meat, dark meat, tenders, breasts, thigh meat shredded off the bone. Chicken and Dumpling Soup is a great thing to make with leftover cooked Chicken from any other recipe. 

Stir up all your Dry Dumpling Ingredients (Baking Powder, Flour, Cayenne and Salt) in a large bowl before you start cooking. Whenever I am messing with Flour and cracking eggs mid-recipe, I inevitably make an unholy mess. 

Same story with the Wet Dumpling Ingredients (slightly beaten eggs and Buttermilk). Crack and beat the eggs and combine them with the Buttermilk in a measuring cup or small bowl in advance. When it's time to create the quick Dumpling batter, having everything ready and at your fingertips is most definitely a good thing.

Ready Chopped Celery and Carrots can be a huge timesaver. Unfortunately, they can also add to the expense of the produce. At the very least, you can certainly buy pre-peeled small carrot sticks so you don't have to peel the carrots. I like to do this because Carrot Sticks make a handy snack to have around for later and you'll definitely have some leftover. It's also important to chop all your Garlic in advance so it is at the ready. 

Set aside a sieve with a handle if you have one. I use this to scoop out the aromatics that must simmer in the broth as you are creating the Chicken Stock. A slotted spoon works well too. I do this so I don't have to mess up yet another bowl when the recipe calls you to strain out the Thyme Sprigs, Garlic, Bay Leaves, and much of the Crushed Red Pepper. If you have cheesecloth and twine, you can also wrap up the aromatics in a little bouquet so they are even easier to fish out.

Have all additional ingredients out on the counter and ready to go. 

Finally, feel free to have a plan for your Buttermilk. You will have a bunch left over. Use it as an overnight marinade for Chicken or Pork Chops, or maybe you are craving Buttermilk Pancakes this weekend? 

Now, Are we ready to cook? I think so!

Chicken and Dumpling Soup
Adapted from Taste of Home/Jessica Rehs
Serves 4 to 5 
Ingredients: 
4 Cups Reduced Sodium and Fat Free Chicken Broth 
2 Cups Prepared Chicken Stock
1 Cup Water
3 Bay Leaves 
1.5 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes 
6 Fresh Thyme Sprigs
5 large Garlic Cloves, peeled
3 Garlic Cloves, minced and set aside 
1 Cup chopped Carrots
1 Cup chopped Celery
2 Tablepoons Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon Butter
2 Tablespoons All Purpose Flour
1 Cup Frozen Peas
1 Rotisserie Chicken, meat chopped into bite-sized pieces
1/4 Cup Evaporated Milk
1/2 Cup chopped Chives (optional) for garnish 
Dumpling Ingredients: 
2 Cups All Purpose Flour 
1 Tablespoon Baking Powder

Removing the aromatics, Photo: NK

1.25 teaspoons Cayenne Pepper
1.25 teaspoons Salt 
1 Cup Buttermilk 
2 Eggs, lightly beaten

Method:
Create the Stock:
In a large saucepan, add the first 7 ingredients and combine. Bring liquid to a boil, reduce the heat, and allow to simmer uncovered for about 25 minutes. Once done, scoop out most of the Crushed Red Pepper, all of the Garlic, Thyme, and Bay leaves. Discard. 
Note: You can also leave a few Cloves of whole Garlic in for the entire cooking process if you like extra Garlic flavor. I did of course. Just be sure to remember to scoop them out later! 

Cook Vegetables and Create the Soup Base:
In a large dutch oven or very large pot add oil and melt butter. Add Carrots and Celery and sauté until they are tender, stirring occasionally and taking care not to burn. This should take about 6-8 minutes. 

Dumpling batter, Photo: NK 

Bring it all together:
Next, add the Minced Garlic and cook about 1 minute longer, stirring. Stir in the 2 Tablespoons of Flour until incorporated. Now, slowly add the prepared Stock. Bring it to a boil and cook, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes to allow it to thicken. Add the Peas and return the mixture to a boil. Cook for another 3 or so minutes until Peas are tender. Stir in Chicken and Evaporated Milk and lower the heat a bit. Allow the mixture to heat thoroughly for another 3 or so minutes.

Make, add, and cook the Dumplings:
In a large bowl, combine Flour, Cayenne, Salt and Baking Powder. In a separate smaller bowl combine slightly beaten Eggs and Buttermilk. Pour the Wet ingredients into the dry ingredient bowl and stir until incorporated and just moistened.

Photo: NK

By the teaspoonful, drop batter into the already simmering broth. Add as many dollops of batter as you'd like keeping in mind that you may have some batter left over. When done, cover the pot and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when poked into a Dumpling. 

When the Dumpling are finished cooking they will inevitably have stuck together. You can easily remedy this by running a sharp knife around each to separate. 

Photo: NK 

To Serve, portion out the Soup and Dumplings into individual bowls and garnish with ample amounts of Chives.

Cooks note - this "soup" has the potential to come out more stewlike - much of liquid gets sucked up by all the Dumplings, especially after you've stored this and served it as a leftover. You can certainly store the Dumplings apart from the broth, or feel free to add more Chicken Broth or Even a bit of water before reheating to 
increase the amount of liquid. 
Enjoy! 

Ready to serve Chicken and Dumpling Soup, comfort food at its finest, Photo: NK