New Year's Eve Done Ketoliciously

 

For me, celebrating the holidays and maintaining a keto diet is easy. All the luxurious foods I associate with holiday meals are naturally high in fat, it’s only the accompaniments that I would typically serve with them that occasionally have carbs, but fortunately I know how to make those foods low carb. Like the crisp keto sesame crackers I quickly baked to serve with my duck pate and truffled cheeses. I doubt anyone on the planet would know they were keto. And the broccoli-parmesan fritters served as a vehicle for smoked salmon - crisp, delicious hot fritters, totally keto-friendly. And of course the shrimp and avocado ceviche is naturally keto. For dessert, we had Basque Cheesecake made with Swerve instead of sugar... all of it was completely satisfying, absolutely luxe, and so delicious. In fact, I cut out the main course because we were too full from all the appetizers! I’m afraid el Esposito yelled “Uncle!” after the first few courses, so my Coquilles St. Jacques was served as our New Year's Day entree the following evening... I was able to loll back on my couch a la the raja of days yore, swill my glass of champagne, and listen to The Karminsky Experience as el Esposito attended to the dishes! A grand and fitting way to end the year, and what made it all the better was it didn’t require us to deviate from our commitment to good health.

Leftover broccoli-parmesan latkes turned into breakfast today.
They'd be a great base for eggs Benedict instead of an English muffin. 

Thanks to Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods online shopping and home delivery service, I didn’t even have to go out into the crowds to shop for what we needed. This pandemic has forced me to be more organized, more flexible, and more creative with meals which all in all? Is a good thing - the silver lining in the dark cloud. So, I will give you all three recipes: Keto Crackers, Broccoli Latkes, and Shrimp Ceviche - all ketolicious, quick to make, with relatively few, easily obtainable ingredients. Happy New Year, everyone, and happy cooking!

Keto Sesame Seed Crackers

Note: This dough had me doubting it because it was too easy to be true... it is equal parts mozzarella and almond flour (1 cup each), plus1 tsp baking powder (because I like baking with baking powder, you can substitute salt), 1 tsp psyllium husk (for a wheatier fragrance and texture, but you can omit it), and 2 tablespoons of heavy cream (as needed) all whirred together in the food processor! No melting of the cheeses, no careful folding in of ingredients, nada... it looked a bit crumbly in the processor so I was worried, but by the time I oiled my hands with olive oil to give it a quick knead and press on parchment paper before rolling it out? It became quite a workable elastic dough... whenever it crumbled apart, I just pasted the crumbled parts back on with fingers and rolling pin. 

You can vary the cheeses used. I chose mozzarella this particular time because it is the most neutral and least intrusive flavor (I was serving them with delicious uniquely flavored cheeses and a duck pate, so I didn't want a strong cheesed flavor cracker to conflict and interfere with my enjoyment of other delicacies), but cheddar, parmesan, gruyere, gouda, provolone, red pepper monterey jack would all work fine.  For cheeseless crackers, replace the cheese with 1 egg and 1 tablespoon of melted butter (or coconut oil). 

I added sesame seeds because I love sesame seeds, but you can omit them or use any garnish you like: poppy seeds, sea salt, cracked pepper, grated parmesan, etc. 

The thinner you roll this dough out, the crisper the cracker. I rolled it out until it was 1/8" thick, but 1/4 inch is fine. You can roll it out as a round, an oval, a rectangle... doesn't matter. Depends mostly on what you choose as a surface to bake it on with the parchment. A large cookie sheet is best. After rolling, I use a pizza cutter to cut it into squares and rectangles... bake for 12-15 minutes (depending on how thick you roll them) in a preheated 350F oven and done! Don't worry about making perfect shapes, the charm of homemade crackers is their irregular shape, but you can use a cookie cutter if you like a more sharply defined shape.  You can flip them half way through baking if your crackers are a bit thicker, but I find don't need to because mine are so thin. 

If your crackers become soft after storing them (in a sealed container, they will easily last 3 days; you can store them in the fridge if you want to extend their shelf-life, or stick them in the freezer in a ziploc bag for more extended storage), just crisp them in a hot oven for a few minutes. Do not microwave them. 

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup superfine almond flour
• 1 cup grated low-moisture mozzarella
• 1 tsp psyllium husk
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1-2 TBS whipping cream (or water) as needed
• 2 TBS sesame seeds (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:

• Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In a food processor, add the almond flour, shredded mozzarella, baking powder, and psyllium husk, and process well, until something like a dough forms. If the dough is too dry and crumbly looking, add a tablespoon or two of cream with the processor running. Pinch it with your fingers after adding the cream, if it pinches together, it's ready to roll.
• Line a large sheet of parchment paper on a flat kitchen surface. Transfer the dough onto it and place another sheet of parchment paper on top. Press down on the dough, before rolling it out using a rolling pin, until anywhere from 1/8 inch to 1/4 inch thick. Using a pizza cutter, slice up squares to form crackers. Do not separate them until after baked and cooled.
• Transfer the crackers onto the lined sheet. Sprinkle evenly with sesame seeds. Bake for 12-15 minutes (flipping halfway through, if your crackers are thicker than 1/8"). Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Separate crackers. Enjoy! 

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

Shrimp Ceviche with Avocado

Note: This dish is light, flavorful, and refreshingly easy to cobble together. You can use raw shrimp, or lightly steamed shrimp... the citrus in the dressing will "cook" the shrimp (i.e. turn it opaque) when allowed to cure for an hour or so. Frankly? I cheated and used cooked shrimp sold at Whole Foods that has the shell and the intestinal vein already removed because they were on sale; San Francisco Whole Foods' shrimp is so lightly steamed it's perfect and still rare and moist enough to absorb the ceviche's flavors. All I had to remove was the tail from them. However, if you buy your shrimp raw and fully intact, but don't want to use raw shrimp in this dish, just steam lightly for one minute,  throw in a bowl full of ice and water, let cool, then shell and devein them before adding them to the dressing. I use lime in the dressing but any citrus would do: Meyer lemon, yuzu, or blood orange are especially nice if you want a change. Whatever you choose, do roll it on your countertop before cutting, that will help release more juice. 

I add a few decidedly untraditional ceviche ingredients like soy sauce and sriracha, they seem to mix quite cheerfully with the extra virgin olive oil, lime, cilantro, scallions, cumin, and oregano. I choose not to add raw minced garlic because it assaults the palate and I had so many other appetizers to consider that I didn't want the raw garlic to clash with.  You can make this spicier by adding Serrano or any other kind of chili, but I was drinking a lovely 2008 Moet & Chandon Rose' Champagne and didn't want to overwhelm the wine. I served it in martini glasses, but margarita glasses would be fun, too... 

I like to think of this dish almost like a chunky shrimp guacamole which is why I cut each shrimp in half, added cubes of avocado, and halved grape tomatoes so that all the main components are roughly the same size. I used shrimp that were  sized 25-30 to the pound. You can use larger shrimp, but it always seems a shame to me chop large shrimp... they should always be served proudly and whole. Rock shrimp (if you can find them) would be grand! Bay shrimp would work too, but they are not my favorite... they make me feel like a whale swallowing up krill one gargantuan mouthful at a time - out in the vast vast callous ocean;) 

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb. of shrimp, lightly steamed or raw, shell, tail and vein removed, cut in half
• a handful of cilantro, rinsed and dried well, finely chopped
• 3 scallions, light parts only, finely chopped
• 10-12 grape or cherry tomatoes, halved lengthwise
• 1 medium avocado, cut into dice
•  2 TBS extra virgin olive oil
• the juice of one fresh lime 
• 1 TBS of soy sauce (or to taste)
• Japanese rice wine vinegar (optional)
• 1 tsp of Sriracha sauce (or to taste)
• 1/2 tsp of ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon of oregano (fresh or dried, if fresh mince it)
• Freshly milled pepper, to taste

 

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Whisk the olive oil, lime juice, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, Sriracha, cumin, oregano, and pepper in a bowl
2. Add cilantro, scallions, tomatoes, and shrimp stirring in well
3. Gently fold in the avocado, adjust seasoning as needed 
4. Cover bowl in plastic wrap, place in refrigerator for 30 minutes
5. Spoon into martini or margarita glasses. 
6. Enjoy!
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Broccoli Latkes with Smoked Salmon and Truffled Chive Cream 

NOTE: These fritters are crisp, nutritious, and relatively easy to make so long as you are gentle and patient with them while forming and frying. Are they as good as potato or buckwheat blinis? Well... they are denser and more strongly flavored... they will never be the pillow-soft clouds of ethereal beauty that their starchier counterparts are, but once you accept this fact, you will enjoy them for the unique experience they offer.  The parmesan in them is HUGE value add. You can substitute gruyere or cheddar for them, but since I was pairing them with smoked salmon, I didn't want to use a cheese that would be too assertive. Cream cheese might be nice, but I haven't tried that yet, so I cannot vouch for it. I use scallions but grated onion or very finely minced shallots would work nicely in the batter. When ricing the broccoli be sure they are completely dry after cleaning them, and  do not over-process them in the food processor, just a few whirs using the pulse mode of the blade will be sufficient to make them rice grain-sized (about 5 seconds) ... use only the florets and make sure to cut all the florets an equal size before adding them to the processor. 

This is the ideal size: 

You will then combine all the ingredients in a separate mixing bowl and let the batter stand for at least 10 minutes to allow all the ingredients to bind. When frying, do not overcrowd the pan. I used a 14-inch non-stick pan and fried three at a time, allowing the latkes to fry undisturbed 4 minutes each side. Do not touch the latkes when they are frying on the first side, this batter has no starch which makes it very delicate and prone to break so just make sure you have plenty of oil in the pan over a medium heat, and that the pan is hot before adding the latkes. 

If you don't feel like ricing the broccoli in the food processor you can buy fresh or frozen riced broccoli and use that instead. There's no need to precook the broccoli because the pieces are small enough that they will cook as you fry them. There isn't a lot of almond flour in it, you can use any kind of flour you like, if you are not restricting carbs. The batter is dry and the parmesan in it will crisp up, so no need for an additional coating of flour or crumbs before frying. I used smoked paprika, but plain paprika is great. I recommend using garlic powder instead of freshly minced garlic to avoid having the garlic burn and turn caustic. Curry powder would be sensational in this, though not if you are pairing it with smoked salmon and the truffled chive cream. If you go curried, I'd make an avocado Greek yogurt cream, adding mint with a little fresh garlic and chives. This recipe will make about 8 3-inch latkes. I serve 2 per person.

INGREDIENTS:

• Two medium heads of broccoli, stalks removed
• 1/2 cup of grated parmesan
• 3 large eggs, room temperature, beaten
• 3/4 cup of superfine almond flour
• 3 scallions, white parts only, finely chopped 
• 1 tsp of garlic powder
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp of baking powder
• 1 tsp of chili flakes
• freshly milled black pepper, to taste
• 4 oz smoked salmon
• juice of half a lemon
• 4 TBS sour cream
• 2 TBS finely chopped or snipped chives
• 1 teaspoon truffle oil, plus more for drizzling  (optional)
• Oil for frying
  
  

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Process broccoli florets using the pulse button on food processor until broccoli achieves a rice-like consistency. Set aside.
2. Combine the cheese, eggs, almond flour, scallions and other seasonings into a large mixing bowl until well-incorporated into a batter.
3. Add broccoli rice to the batter mixture, incorporating well to combine.
4. Let mixture stand for ten minutes
5. Heat a large (12 to 14 inch) non-stick frying pan or well-seasoned cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add enough oil to completely coat pan, when in doubt? Err on the side of more oil. 
6. Oil your hands. Gently form mixture into 3-inch wide rounds and fry no more than three latkes per pan for four minutes on the first side. Do not disturb latkes when frying on the first side, this will prevent them from breaking, remember there is no starch to bind them and they will break apart if overly handled. Fry on the second side until golden and crisp.  About 3-4 minutes more, depending on the size of your patties. Turn oven on low with a cookie sheet to keep latkes warm if you fry several batches. 
7. Transfer to paper towel to drain. Place them on the cookie sheet in low oven to keep warm until you fry all your latkes. 
   
8. While latkes fry, make truffle cream by combining sour cream, truffle oil, lemon and 1 TBS of chives in a small bowl. Season with freshly milled pepper and/or salt to taste.
   
9. When ready to serve, warm plates in microwave, place two latkes per plate, top with a teaspoon of truffle-chive cream, a piece of smoked salmon rolled into a bundle, add another dollop of truffle-chive cream atop & sprinkle with reserved chives, drizzle with more truffle oil. Voila!