Holiday Canapes from Chef Josh Feathers

Deviled Bentons Country Ham

1 lb country ham cut into 1 inch cubes
4 cups apple cider or pineapple juice
½ cup chopped pickled shallots or onions
¼ cup sour cream or crème fraiche
¼ cup mayonnaise
3 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
½ cup small diced pineapple
½ tsp Tabasco

Bring the ham cubes to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Continue cooking until the ham becomes tender enough to pull apart. Transfer the ham to a food processor and reserve the cooking liquid. Puree the ham with the mayonnaise and sour cream. Next add in the oil, Tabasco and onions and pulse the processor to incorporate. Taste to correct the consistency and seasoning with a tablespoon of the cooking liquid and pinch of kosher salt if needed. Lastly stir in the pineapple pieces and serve as a tea sandwich or spread onto grilled bread.

Black-Eyed Pea Puree

1 pound dried black-eyed peas
4 each Roasted Garlic Heads
1 cup Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons + 1 Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon Cracked Black Pepper
2 Tablespoons parsley leaves, chopped
2 teaspoons chives, chopped
1 Tablespoon lemon juice

Method
• Soak peas overnight. Drain off liquid.
• Put peas in a large heavy-bottomed saucepot and cover with water, 1 inch above the level of the peas. Bring up to a boil and boil gently until peas are very soft, about 1 hour.
• When peas are 15 minutes from being cooked, add 2 tablespoons of salt to the water.
• Drain peas.
• Cut the tops of the roasted garlic heads and squeeze out the garlic.
• Pass the *peas and the garlic through a food mill into a large mixing bowl.
• Stir in olive oil, cayenne, the rest of the salt, pepper, parsley, chives, and lemon juice.

*The peas are much easier to put through the food mill when they are hot.

Portion using a 1½ ounce quenelle scoop. Serve with your favorite grilled bread.

Benne and Rice crusted Smoked Trout Cake

2 lb smoked trout, skin and bones removed
1.5 cup crème fraiche
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1 teaspoon worchestirshire
5 egg yolks
.5 cup sliced scallions
1 tsp citrus powder
1 tbsp lemon olive oil

Whisk all of the ingredients together in a bowl. Place half of the trout in a separate bowl and stir in half of the mix. Mix this vigorously to break up the trout. With the second half of the trout, flake it into quarter sized pieces and fold gently into the rest of the trout. the goal is that the meat that has been vigorously mixed will hold the larger pieces of trout which enables the recipe to need less of a binding agent. Season the mix with salt and pepper. Place 2 oz of trout into a 2.5” ring mold to shape the cakes. Refrigerate.

Breading
½ cup rice flour
½ cup benne seeds

Dust the top and bottom of each cake before browning in a skillet with grape seed oil.

Chef Josh Feathers

Deviled Bentons Country Ham

1 lb country ham cut into 1 inch cubes
4 cups apple cider or pineapple juice
½ cup chopped pickled shallots or onions
¼ cup sour cream or crème fraiche
¼ cup mayonnaise
3 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
½ cup small diced pineapple
½ tsp Tabasco

Bring the ham cubes to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Continue cooking until the ham becomes tender enough to pull apart. Transfer the ham to a food processor and reserve the cooking liquid. Puree the ham with the mayonnaise and sour cream. Next add in the oil, Tabasco and onions and pulse the processor to incorporate. Taste to correct the consistency and seasoning with a tablespoon of the cooking liquid and pinch of kosher salt if needed. Lastly stir in the pineapple pieces and serve as a tea sandwich or spread onto grilled bread.

Black-Eyed Pea Puree

1 pound dried black-eyed peas
4 each Roasted Garlic Heads
1 cup Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons + 1 Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon Cracked Black Pepper
2 Tablespoons parsley leaves, chopped
2 teaspoons chives, chopped
1 Tablespoon lemon juice

Method
• Soak peas overnight. Drain off liquid.
• Put peas in a large heavy-bottomed saucepot and cover with water, 1 inch above the level of the peas. Bring up to a boil and boil gently until peas are very soft, about 1 hour.
• When peas are 15 minutes from being cooked, add 2 tablespoons of salt to the water.
• Drain peas.
• Cut the tops of the roasted garlic heads and squeeze out the garlic.
• Pass the *peas and the garlic through a food mill into a large mixing bowl.
• Stir in olive oil, cayenne, the rest of the salt, pepper, parsley, chives, and lemon juice.

*The peas are much easier to put through the food mill when they are hot.

Portion using a 1½ ounce quenelle scoop. Serve with your favorite grilled bread.

Deviled Bentons Country Ham

1 lb country ham cut into 1 inch cubes
4 cups apple cider or pineapple juice
½ cup chopped pickled shallots or onions
¼ cup sour cream or crème fraiche
¼ cup mayonnaise
3 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
½ cup small diced pineapple
½ tsp Tabasco

Bring the ham cubes to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Continue cooking until the ham becomes tender enough to pull apart. Transfer the ham to a food processor and reserve the cooking liquid. Puree the ham with the mayonnaise and sour cream. Next add in the oil, Tabasco and onions and pulse the processor to incorporate. Taste to correct the consistency and seasoning with a tablespoon of the cooking liquid and pinch of kosher salt if needed. Lastly stir in the pineapple pieces and serve as a tea sandwich or spread onto grilled bread.

Black-Eyed Pea Puree

1 pound dried black-eyed peas
4 each Roasted Garlic Heads
1 cup Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons + 1 Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon Cracked Black Pepper
2 Tablespoons parsley leaves, chopped
2 teaspoons chives, chopped
1 Tablespoon lemon juice

Method
• Soak peas overnight. Drain off liquid.
• Put peas in a large heavy-bottomed saucepot and cover with water, 1 inch above the level of the peas. Bring up to a boil and boil gently until peas are very soft, about 1 hour.
• When peas are 15 minutes from being cooked, add 2 tablespoons of salt to the water.
• Drain peas.
• Cut the tops of the roasted garlic heads and squeeze out the garlic.
• Pass the *peas and the garlic through a food mill into a large mixing bowl.
• Stir in olive oil, cayenne, the rest of the salt, pepper, parsley, chives, and lemon juice.

*The peas are much easier to put through the food mill when they are hot.

Portion using a 1½ ounce quenelle scoop. Serve with your favorite grilled bread.

Benne and Rice crusted Smoked Trout Cake

2 lb smoked trout, skin and bones removed
1.5 cup crème fraiche
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1 teaspoon worchestirshire
5 egg yolks
.5 cup sliced scallions
1 tsp citrus powder
1 tbsp lemon olive oil

Whisk all of the ingredients together in a bowl. Place half of the trout in a separate bowl and stir in half of the mix. Mix this vigorously to break up the trout. With the second half of the trout, flake it into quarter sized pieces and fold gently into the rest of the trout. the goal is that the meat that has been vigorously mixed will hold the larger pieces of trout which enables the recipe to need less of a binding agent. Season the mix with salt and pepper. Place 2 oz of trout into a 2.5” ring mold to shape the cakes. Refrigerate.

Breading
½ cup rice flour
½ cup benne seeds

Dust the top and bottom of each cake before browning in a skillet with grape seed oil.

Chef Josh Feathers