This is from the Pioneer Woman's cookbook, which is a lovely book filled with all sorts of not-at-all lowfat foods that are delicious.
I suggest you make a rule for yourself regarding this bread. My rule is that I can only make it when I'm not at home. It is strictly reserved for vacations, because it is so good, but so bad for you, and once you try it you will have to force yourself to stop eating it.
Seriously.
But if you do make it at home, don't say I didn't warn you.
1 14.5 oz can black olives, drained
1 6-oz jar pimiento-stuffed green olives, drained
2 green onions
1/4 lb (1 stick) butter, softened
1/2 cup mayonnaise (real mayo, no substitutions)
1 lb Monterey Jack cheese, grated
1 loaf crusty French bread.
Preheat the oven to 325.
Chop the olives roughly until most of the large pieces are broken up. Slice the green onions, then chop them roughly.
In a large bowl, combine the butter, mayo, cheese, and chopped olives and onions. Stir until thoroughly combined.
Slice the French bread loaf in half lengthwise and spread olive-cheese mixture in an even layer on each half.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the cheese mixture is thoroughly melting and beginning to turn light brown.
Cut into diagonal slices and serve immediately.
Or take into closet and eat them yourself.
You can prepare the olive/cheese mixture up to 2 days ahead of time and store it tightly covered in the fridge, or spread it on the bread and freeze, tightly wrapped, up to 6 months (thaw before baking).
She also says the cheese mixture is good on crackers and that you can sub drained, chopped artichoke hearts and grated Parmesan cheese for the black olives and Monterey Jack cheese.
Don't say I didn't warn you.
Showing posts with label appetizer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label appetizer. Show all posts
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Fontina-Stuffed, Bacon-Wrapped Dates
These also came from Brown Eyed Baker's blog. Thanks to this recipe, I discovered something: I don't really like dates. Even wrapped in bacon, they're not my favorite things. However, people who love dates seem to think these are quite tasty.
Go figure. :)
You need:
Bacon, cut into 3 inch pieces (I just cut each piece in half)
Fresh dates (dried is ok if you can't get fresh)
Fontina cheese, cut to fit inside dates
1. Pre-cook bacon in microwave for 1 min. It will not be fully cooked. You're just trying to reduce how long it takes to cook in the over so the filling doesn't over-cook.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat the broiler.
3. Slit the dates open, keeping the bottom and as much of the sides as possible in tact. Remove pits and place cheese insde each date. Wrap bacon around the stuffed date, overlapping the ends on the bottom. Place on parchment paper.
4. Broil for approx. 5 min. Watch them closely so they don't burn! When the bacon is done, they are done.
I do think these would be better with a saltier cheese, like Parmesan or Asiago. If you like dates, I'd encourage you to try this out and experiment with different cheeses. If you don't like dates, these probably won't be your favorite things.
Go figure. :)
You need:
Bacon, cut into 3 inch pieces (I just cut each piece in half)
Fresh dates (dried is ok if you can't get fresh)
Fontina cheese, cut to fit inside dates
1. Pre-cook bacon in microwave for 1 min. It will not be fully cooked. You're just trying to reduce how long it takes to cook in the over so the filling doesn't over-cook.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat the broiler.
3. Slit the dates open, keeping the bottom and as much of the sides as possible in tact. Remove pits and place cheese insde each date. Wrap bacon around the stuffed date, overlapping the ends on the bottom. Place on parchment paper.
4. Broil for approx. 5 min. Watch them closely so they don't burn! When the bacon is done, they are done.
I do think these would be better with a saltier cheese, like Parmesan or Asiago. If you like dates, I'd encourage you to try this out and experiment with different cheeses. If you don't like dates, these probably won't be your favorite things.
Cucumber Tomato Phyllo Cups
I burned my hand a few weeks ago, which interfered with some of my cooking plans. Thanks to a miracle cream, all is now well, and cooking has resumed.
I found some phyllo cups at Nob Hill, so was able to try this tasty little appetizer. They're light and cool and refreshing and surprisingly addictive. Now that I've used phyllo cups, I'm full of all kinds of ideas for how to use the handy little things (that are pre-baked and require practically no work). These were based on Brown Eyed Baker's "Cucumber-Tomato Bruschetta in Phyllo Cups" recipe.
Ingredients:
30 phyllo cups
1 med cucumber, finely diced
1 tomato, seeded and finely diced
1 small red onion, finely diced
1/4 cup sour cream (I used the real deal--you could use low fat)
3 Tbsp cream cheese, softened (again, real deal--you could use low fat)
2 tsp lemon juice (I used fresh thanks to a generous friend)
3 Tbsp finely chopped chives, divided (or, in a pinch, green onion stems)
2 Tbsp finely chopped parsley (I had to skip this as my parsley "died" between when I planned to make these and actually was able to make them)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1. Remove phyllo cups from freezer.
2. In medium bowl, toss the cucumber, tomato, and onion to combine.
3. In small bowl, mix the sour cream and cream cheese with a spoon until thoroughly combined. Stir in the lemon juice, salt, pepper, 2 Tbsp chives, and parsley.
4. Add sour cream mixture to vegetable mixture and toss to combine.
5. Spoon into each phyllo cup. I had a bit left over. It was tasty.
6. Top with remaining 1 Tbsp chives and serve.
Perfect for a summer gathering!
I found some phyllo cups at Nob Hill, so was able to try this tasty little appetizer. They're light and cool and refreshing and surprisingly addictive. Now that I've used phyllo cups, I'm full of all kinds of ideas for how to use the handy little things (that are pre-baked and require practically no work). These were based on Brown Eyed Baker's "Cucumber-Tomato Bruschetta in Phyllo Cups" recipe.
Ingredients:
30 phyllo cups
1 med cucumber, finely diced
1 tomato, seeded and finely diced
1 small red onion, finely diced
1/4 cup sour cream (I used the real deal--you could use low fat)
3 Tbsp cream cheese, softened (again, real deal--you could use low fat)
2 tsp lemon juice (I used fresh thanks to a generous friend)
3 Tbsp finely chopped chives, divided (or, in a pinch, green onion stems)
2 Tbsp finely chopped parsley (I had to skip this as my parsley "died" between when I planned to make these and actually was able to make them)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1. Remove phyllo cups from freezer.
2. In medium bowl, toss the cucumber, tomato, and onion to combine.
3. In small bowl, mix the sour cream and cream cheese with a spoon until thoroughly combined. Stir in the lemon juice, salt, pepper, 2 Tbsp chives, and parsley.
4. Add sour cream mixture to vegetable mixture and toss to combine.
5. Spoon into each phyllo cup. I had a bit left over. It was tasty.
6. Top with remaining 1 Tbsp chives and serve.
Perfect for a summer gathering!
Monday, September 7, 2009
Jamaican Beef Patties
We took a little trip to the Island yesterday in honor of the holiday weekend. The Big Geek grilled jerk chicken and island chicken, bought a ton of Red Stripe, and plenty of RUM! I also made these little Jamaican Beef Patties. They're meant to be larger, but I made small ones as appetizers. You can do them either way, but if you make small ones you'll probably end up with extra filling (I doubled the filling recipe but had to triple the dough).
If I make these again (and I probably will), I think I'll use the patee brisee recipe instead of this one. It was much more moist and flaky than this recipe, even though the biggest difference was that this one called for half shortening, half butter and the patee brisee used all butter. I'd also leave out the curry powder from the dough because I thought it competed too much with the filling, but you can add it if you like. If you have a pastry dough recipe that you know and trust, go with it.
But here's the "original" recipe that I used yesterday:
Pastry:
2 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp curry powder
1/4 cup solid shortening
1/4 cup butter (called for margarine, but ew)
1/3 cup COLD water
I combined mine in the food processor like the patee brisee recipe, but the original says to sift together the dry ingredients, cut in the shortening and margarine until crumbly, and add cold water to make a stiff dough. Roll out the dough to 1/8 inch thick and cut out as many circles as possible (you want to roll it out as few times as necessary). I used a drinking glass to make 3-inch-ish circles, but you can use a saucer or a cookie/biscuit cutter or whatever to get the size you want. The "real" Jamaican patties are the size of a small calzone, probably 8-inch circles.
Filling:
Now this is the good stuff. I may play with this to make "Jamaican" meatloaf in the future, or hamburgers, oooh, or meatballs!
I did make this a day in advance, and I think the result was that the filling was too dry, so if you do that add some extra water or beef broth to get it a bit moist. I think in the better crust it might not have mattered as much.
2 Tbsp oil or butter
1 small white onion, finely chopped
1/4 tsp Scotch Bonnet pepper (habanero, seeded)
1/2 lb lean ground beef
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp allspice
1/4 cup Breadcrumbs
1/4 cup beef stock
dark brown sugar to taste (optional)
For Assembly:
small bowl of water
1 egg, beaten
In a heavy skillet, melt the butter or heat the oil and saute the onion and Scotch Bonnet pepper over medium heat until they become limp. Add the ground beef. Brown the meat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain fat, then add salt, pepper, curry powder, thyme, and allspice and mix well. Turn the heat down to medium low.
Add the breadcrumbs and stock and combine all ingredients well. Cover the skillet and simmer, stirring occasionally, until all liquids have been absorbed. It should be moist but not watery.
Taste the filling and, if desired, add dark brown sugar until you are happy. This will cut down the spice a bit and just make things even more delicious.
Remove from heat and preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Place filling in each dough circle (original recipe is for 8-inch circles and says 2-3 tbsp, but you'll need to adjust for your size of circle). Moisten the edges of the dough with water (just dip your finger into a bowl of water and trace the outside of the circle). Fold the dough circle over the meat filling. Pinch edges closed with a fork.
Brush each pastry with the beaten egg (or a mixture of 1 egg plus 1/4 cup water) and place onto a lightly greased baking sheet (or aluminum-foil-covered sheet).
Bake for 30-40 minutes until the pastry is golden brown.
Original recipe makes 10 patties.
I'm sure I'll play around with this recipe some more, because the filling was really really good. :)
If you're making this for kids, omit the Scotch Bonnet pepper. It won't taste the same, but there's a better chance that they'll eat it.
If I make these again (and I probably will), I think I'll use the patee brisee recipe instead of this one. It was much more moist and flaky than this recipe, even though the biggest difference was that this one called for half shortening, half butter and the patee brisee used all butter. I'd also leave out the curry powder from the dough because I thought it competed too much with the filling, but you can add it if you like. If you have a pastry dough recipe that you know and trust, go with it.
But here's the "original" recipe that I used yesterday:
Pastry:
2 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp curry powder
1/4 cup solid shortening
1/4 cup butter (called for margarine, but ew)
1/3 cup COLD water
I combined mine in the food processor like the patee brisee recipe, but the original says to sift together the dry ingredients, cut in the shortening and margarine until crumbly, and add cold water to make a stiff dough. Roll out the dough to 1/8 inch thick and cut out as many circles as possible (you want to roll it out as few times as necessary). I used a drinking glass to make 3-inch-ish circles, but you can use a saucer or a cookie/biscuit cutter or whatever to get the size you want. The "real" Jamaican patties are the size of a small calzone, probably 8-inch circles.
Filling:
Now this is the good stuff. I may play with this to make "Jamaican" meatloaf in the future, or hamburgers, oooh, or meatballs!
I did make this a day in advance, and I think the result was that the filling was too dry, so if you do that add some extra water or beef broth to get it a bit moist. I think in the better crust it might not have mattered as much.
2 Tbsp oil or butter
1 small white onion, finely chopped
1/4 tsp Scotch Bonnet pepper (habanero, seeded)
1/2 lb lean ground beef
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp allspice
1/4 cup Breadcrumbs
1/4 cup beef stock
dark brown sugar to taste (optional)
For Assembly:
small bowl of water
1 egg, beaten
In a heavy skillet, melt the butter or heat the oil and saute the onion and Scotch Bonnet pepper over medium heat until they become limp. Add the ground beef. Brown the meat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain fat, then add salt, pepper, curry powder, thyme, and allspice and mix well. Turn the heat down to medium low.
Add the breadcrumbs and stock and combine all ingredients well. Cover the skillet and simmer, stirring occasionally, until all liquids have been absorbed. It should be moist but not watery.
Taste the filling and, if desired, add dark brown sugar until you are happy. This will cut down the spice a bit and just make things even more delicious.
Remove from heat and preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Place filling in each dough circle (original recipe is for 8-inch circles and says 2-3 tbsp, but you'll need to adjust for your size of circle). Moisten the edges of the dough with water (just dip your finger into a bowl of water and trace the outside of the circle). Fold the dough circle over the meat filling. Pinch edges closed with a fork.
Brush each pastry with the beaten egg (or a mixture of 1 egg plus 1/4 cup water) and place onto a lightly greased baking sheet (or aluminum-foil-covered sheet).
Bake for 30-40 minutes until the pastry is golden brown.
Original recipe makes 10 patties.
I'm sure I'll play around with this recipe some more, because the filling was really really good. :)
If you're making this for kids, omit the Scotch Bonnet pepper. It won't taste the same, but there's a better chance that they'll eat it.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Buffalo Chicken Dip
If you like Buffalo wings, here's a twist--Buffalo Chicken Dip (sure to confuse Jessica Simpson).
2 bricks cream cheese (low fat is fine)
1 small jar chunky blue cheese dressing (low fat is fine)
2 cups (or so--add more or less to your taste) of shredded cooked chicken
1/2 to 1 cup of hot sauce (depending on how hot you want this--I use 3/4 cup). I use Frank's RedHot.
cooking spray
Preheat oven to 400.
Combine cream cheese, dressing, and hot sauce in mixing bowl. Mix with mixer until ingredients are well combined. Stir in shredded chicken. Pour into greased square casserole dish (or other small casserole--not 9x13, that will be too big unless you doubled the recipe).
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until bubbling.
Serve with celery sticks, carrot sticks, fritos, pita chips, tortilla chips, or anything else you like. My favorite is celery sticks.
I have decided this dip might also be good on pasta. I'm going to try to put together a Buffalo Chicken Pasta recipe at some point.
2 bricks cream cheese (low fat is fine)
1 small jar chunky blue cheese dressing (low fat is fine)
2 cups (or so--add more or less to your taste) of shredded cooked chicken
1/2 to 1 cup of hot sauce (depending on how hot you want this--I use 3/4 cup). I use Frank's RedHot.
cooking spray
Preheat oven to 400.
Combine cream cheese, dressing, and hot sauce in mixing bowl. Mix with mixer until ingredients are well combined. Stir in shredded chicken. Pour into greased square casserole dish (or other small casserole--not 9x13, that will be too big unless you doubled the recipe).
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until bubbling.
Serve with celery sticks, carrot sticks, fritos, pita chips, tortilla chips, or anything else you like. My favorite is celery sticks.
I have decided this dip might also be good on pasta. I'm going to try to put together a Buffalo Chicken Pasta recipe at some point.
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