Terrific Party Appetizers

Whether you're serving your immediate family or a large gathering of friends, the Fourth of July is a great time to pull out all the culinary stops. The recipes we present this week will allow you to kick off your patriotic feast with two scrumptious appetizers.

Rick's Chicken - Rick Dykes, Granbury, Texas

• 12 to 16 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• Cavender's Greek Seasoning
• 12 to 16 small jalapeno peppers
• 1 pound sharp Cheddar cheese
• 1 pound bacon, uncooked
• Toothpicks

Prepare grill for cooking. Rinse chicken thighs; coat lightly with seasoning. Wearing gloves to protect your hands, slice peppers lengthwise and remove seeds. Slice cheese into pieces that will fit inside peppers. Stuff each pepper with a piece of cheese. Pound chicken thighs with a meat tenderizer to flatten. Wrap each pepper with a chicken thigh. Then wrap a piece of bacon around each chicken thigh. Secure well with toothpicks. Grill over low heat for 40 to 45 minutes, turning as the bacon cooks. The bacon will shrink and hold everything together. Allow chicken to cool. Remove toothpicks and slice into 1/2-inch rounds. Serves 8 to 10.

West Coast Salmon Cakes with Tangerine-Tarragon Sauce - Michaela Rosenthal, Woodland Hills, Calif.

Salmon cakes:

• 1 pound fresh salmon
• 1 tangerine, juice and zest
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 tablespoon heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1 tablespoon chopped tarragon
• 1/2 cup crushed buttery crackers, such as Ritz
• 1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
• Vegetable oil

Sauce:

• 1/2 cup fresh tangerine juice
• 2 tablespoons fruit-flavored vinegar
• 2 shallots, peeled and minced
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• 1 tablespoon heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place salmon on a large square of heavy-duty foil. Squeeze tangerine juice over salmon and sprinkle with zest. Bake 20 minutes or until fish flakes. Remove skin and bones and flake fish into a glass bowl. Add egg, cream, mustard, red pepper, tarragon and crackers. Mix well. Divide mixture into eight patties. Coat with breadcrumbs and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

To prepare sauce, boil juice, vinegar and shallots until liquid is reduced to about 2 tablespoons. Add salt, red pepper and butter, several cubes at a time, whisking constantly. Remove from heat when butter is incorporated. Whisk in cream. Keep sauce warm until salmon cakes have finished frying.

Fry salmon cakes in oil until golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Garnish with warm tangerine sauce.

Note: Use oranges if tangerines are not in season.

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