Imagine a warm evening, there’s the slightest hint of a breeze, and the term Lazy summer has redefined itself in how you’re feeling. Nothing would feel so good as a cone right now, but which flavor should you have? How about Chocolate Mousse, or Thai peanut chicken or Fresh Ahi Tuna….. Whaaaaa…..??????

It’s true cones are not just for Ice Cream any more. This trend has been the rave of many a hor d’oeuvre party or an appetizer before a meal. These little cuties will drive up your acceptance points with just about any social group, and they can be used with most any type of food. Now most of the types of cones (if not all of them) I’ve run into have been of the sweet nature and if you’re going to use them with a savory filling then you should be careful what you fill them with. I’ve seen the majority of them filled with Ahi Tuna which is raw and possibly seasoned only with a special soy sauce. Even here you have to be careful, if your filling has too much moisture, the cones may get a little soggy if they’re too thin. A helpful tip to remember is that if you can, coat the inside with something edible & moisture proof. i.e. chocolate, or white chocolate. For more savory fillings, try not to marinate your filling after it is cooked, ruduce the amount of liquid on your product so as not to soak through the cone. If you must have a sauce, serve it on the side so your guests can drizzle it on as they desire. (PLEASE, NO DIPPING!!!)

I, however, love the concept of them. I go by the golden rule of an appetizer should be no more than 2 bites in size, unless you’re having a “Everything is bigger in Texas,” theme. Then by all means, make them a lot bigger, but try to stick by the rule. A few lucky ppl will be invited to our first ever S&B Appetizer Party, and they will get to see these wonderful cones at work, along with a few other snazzy ideas we may come up with.

If you don’t get invited to this one, don’t dispair, we’ll be having more. If you feel you must have these at your next party, ask yourself if you will be using this theme a lot or just once or twice a year. If you’re going to be using it a lot then I suggest you invest in a waffle cone maker. I found one on kitchenemporium.com and the price was $49.99, not bad considering you may only use $5-$6 of food to fill 50 cones. Then I stumbled on the price of the cone mix; $13.99 a bag and it only makes enough batter for 40 cones. You’ve gotta be kidding me!!!!! Don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye out for a more reasonable price, and if I can’t find one, I’ll post a recipe for them.

That’s it for the trend in me, keep it cool, sweet and rude! This is your Rude Boii Chef….. and I’m out!