Category: Appetizer

Discovering a New Taste

February 25, 2010

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Randy and I moved to London in the summer of 2003.  If you are European, you probably remember that summer because it was the one with the unbelievable heat wave.  Temperatures soared in normally very mild (read: cold) London and got so high in France that hundreds of people died.  For over a week, temperatures in jolly old England were close to 100 degrees (that would be 33 Celcius) and we were all miserable.

When we get high temps in Seattle each summer (for three or four days), people go crazy because no one has air conditioning.  But, to be fair, all the shopping malls, movie theatres, museums, and many restaurants do.  There are places where you can go to be cool.  And, of course, Seattle is surrounded by water.  There are many places to just go, well, jump in a lake (or the Sound).

London?  Not so much.  First of all, no one in their right mind would jump in the Thames.  And, at least when we were there, every place we thought would be cool was not.  And believe me when I tell you that we tried a variety of options.  On the fifth or sixth day of the heat wave, we decided to head out of the city to try and find some cool.  I’m not sure why we thought taking the Tube was a good idea but there we were, with my brother Michael in tow, heading to Hampton Court, trying not to move a muscle, trying not to stick to the seat.

We went to a movie and sweated.  We ate lunch and sweated.  We sweated even more on the way home.  Just blinking my eyes made me hot.  I remember a lot about that day – I even remember the movie we saw (Pirates of the Caribbean – come on, we were desperate.)  For people who love to eat, many memories are associated with food.  That day sticks out so clearly for me because it was the first time I tasted Haloumi.

Ha-what? you may ask.  Haloumi is a cheese originating from Cyprus that is, in my experience, totally unique.  It is extremely dense and holds its shape when you cook it.  Raw, it’s a bit intense.  Squeaky is not usually an adjective I like to use in describing a cheese I am eating.  Cooked, it mellows a bit – softens, gets less squeaky.  It is quite salty, but for savory loving people like me, that is a compliment.  That hot hot day, the cheese was in a salad and it really blew my mind.  It is such a treat to be a food person and to eat something completely new and different.  Since then, I have tried numerous recipes using it and this is my favorite.

For this appetizer, you grill both the haloumi and lemon slices.  The taste combination with the dill-intense dressing is so unique that everyone I have ever served it to goes crazy for it.  If you have a non-stick grill pan, that is a great thing to use for the cheese.  I gave that pan away and used the grill on my stove and made a mess.  Totally worth it though.

UPDATE: I’ve had a few questions about whether or not you eat the lemon rind.  You do!  The lemon is sliced very thinly and being tossed in the marinade and then grilled, it becomes very soft.  Its intense citrus flavor is most welcome against the saltiness of the cheese.

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One Year Ago: Dinner Spanikopita

Grilled Haloumi Cheese and Lemon
Adapted from Gourmet
Serves 4-6

Haloumi can be a bit hard to find, but they always have it at my Whole Foods.  I would recommend using a nice dense bread (like a pain de campagne) and cut multiple slices – I’ve done as many as 8 depending on the size of the bread.

2 lemons
½ pound Haloumi cheese
1 large garlic clove
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. sugar
¼ cup plus 2 tbsp. olive oil
4-8 (¾-inch thick) slices country bread
2 tbsp. finely chopped dill

Prepare a gas grill (or a grill pan) over moderately high heat.

Cut 8 thin slices from the lemons, then squeeze enough juice from remainder to measure 2 tablespoons and put it in a bowl.

Halve cheese diagonally, then cut each triangle, cut side down, into 1/3-inch thick slices.

Mince garlic and mash to a paste with a pinch of salt using the side of a large heavy knife, then add to lemon juice.  Whisk in salt and s sugar until dissolved, then add ¼ cup oil, whisking until combined.  Separately toss lemon slices ad cheese each with ½ tablespoon dressing.  Brush both sides of bread with remaining 2 tablespoons of oil.

Grill bread, cheese, and lemon slices on grill rack (or in pan), covered, turning once (use a metal spatula to scrape under cheese) until bread is toasted (2 to 3 minutes), grill marks appear on cheese (3 to 4 minutes total), and lemons begin to wilt (4 to 6 minutes total).

Whisk dill into remaining dressing.  Divide cheese and lemon slices between bread and drizzle with dressing.  Serve immediately.


Category: Appetizer, Cheese
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White Bean Dip

January 25, 2010

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We’ve all had white bean dip, right?  I’ve made it myself many times and have had it made by friends and in restaurants.  Hummus would still be my first dip choice, but I do enjoy a good white bean dip.  I love finding recipes that are familiar but with a twist.  In this recipe, you sprinkle a breadcrumb mixture over the top and bake it.  Not rocket science but I never would have thought that warm bean dip could be so good.  I consider this a pantry staple dish because I always have onions and garlic in my vegetable basket, white beans in my pantry, and rosemary growing in my yard.  I made this for a dinner party and adults and kids alike were crowded around the bowl.  What more could you want from a dip?

Baked White Bean Purée
Adapted from The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook – The Original Classics
Makes 3 cups, serving 6-10

If you want to make this vegan, just leave out the tablespoon of Parmesan in the topping and up the amount of breadcrumbs slightly.

2 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tbsp. minced garlic
2 tsp. finely chopped fresh rosemary
2 15½-oz. cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp. white wine vinegar
1 tbsp. dry bread crumbs
1 tbsp. freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1.  Preheat oven to 350°F.  Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Add the onion and garlic and cook until translucent, about 8 minutes.  Add 1 teaspoon rosemary and salt and pepper and stir well to combine.  Scrape into a food processor fitted with the steel blade.

2.  Transfer the beans to the food processor bowl and add the vinegar, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and 3 tablespoons water and purée until smooth.

3.  Combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, remaining rosemary, and remaining olive oil in a small bowl, and stir until combined.

4.  Place bean purée in an ovenproof bowl; top with the bread-crumb mixture.  Transfer to oven; bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.  Serve hot.

(DT: I prepared this through step 2 and refrigerated it overnight.  Add 5 minutes to baking time.)


Category: Appetizer, Dip, Quick and Easy
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Pop-In-Your-Mouth Appetizer

January 8, 2010

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Everyone needs a good appetizer recipe in their back pocket, right?  For party food, I am currently enamored with things that can be picked up and popped in the mouth rather than things that require a plate and a fork.  I have done three parties in the last six months (one was mine, two I catered) where only finger food was served.  I made a different version of this Pissaladière for two of those parties, but this one is even easier and less messy.

The first time I made these mini tartlets was for my rehearsal dinner just over seven years ago.  Randy and I had both been married before and we had both had the big fat wedding the first time around.  We decided to do something very small and personal and to have the wedding on Lopez Island which, if you read this site, you  know is very near and dear to my heart.  A small group of friends and our families caravaned over on ferries to spend the weekend with us on the island.

We had the rehearsal dinner at our family’s little house.  I use the term “rehearsal dinner” lightly because there was no rehearsal.  Our wedding was non-traditional and informal so there was no need to rehearse anything.  We had no attendants and we had a Universal Life Minister ferry over from another of the islands to marry us.  My dad did not walk me down the aisle (Randy did) and we asked that everyone contribute a heart gift – something to share with us from their heart.  Some people read the vows from their own weddings, my sister-in-law did a Nepalese love dance, a friend impersonated Dr. Ruth, and my brother Michael read an old passage from his journal about how much he loved his sister.  Everyone cried at that one.

Anyway, the night before the big night, everyone came to our house for a dinner cooked by me.  I remember all the appetizers but I have no memory of what I served as a main course.  I was a good cook then – I am a much better and more organized cook now.  Still, I did pretty well.  I got everything up there without leaving anything behind.  I was smart enough to out-source dessert to a very good baker, and we had plenty of wine and beer.  I loved these mini onion tartlets and can’t believe it has taken me theses many years to make them again.

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One Year Ago: Poblano-and-Cheddar-Stuffed Portabello Mushrooms (This is a favorite of mine.)

Petites Pissaladieres
Adapted from Gourmet
Makes 36 tartlets

1 frozen puff pastry sheet (from a 17 1/4-oz. package), thawed
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 large onion, halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1/8-inch thick slices
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 tbsp. chopped fresh thyme, plus more for garnish
1/4 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and very thinly sliced lengthwise

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Roll out puff pastry on a lightly floured surface into a 12 1/2-inch square, then trim the edges to form a 12-inch square.  Prick sheet all over with a fork.  Cut into 36 (2-inch) squares and and transfer to 2 baking sheets lined with parchment paper.

Bake in upper and lower thirds of oven, switching position of pans halfway through baking, until puffed and golden, 12 to 15 minutes total.  Transfer to racks to cool until just warm.

While pastry is baking, heat 2 tbsp. olive oil in a large skillet until hot but not smoking, then cook the onion with salt and pepper stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 20 minutes.  Stir in the thyme half way through cooking time.

Lightly brush tops of pastry squares with remaining tablespoon olive oil.  Make a small indentation in center of each square with your finger, then top each with 1 teaspoon onion mixture and a few olive slivers.  Sprinkle squares with fresh thyme.

(Pastry squares can be baked 1 day ahead, cooled completely, and kept in an airtight container at room temperature.  Reheat in a 350ºF oven 6 minutes before topping.  Onion mixtures can be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered.  Reheat over moderate heat, stirring, until heated through, about 10 minutes.)


Category: Appetizer, Party Food
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Spicy Tomato Jam to Share with New Friends

December 4, 2009

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Once upon a time, I happened upon a blog.  I used to read the food section of the Seattle Times regularly each week and one day they featured a woman who went by the name of Gluten Free Girl.  I clicked on the link to her site and was captivated by her writing and her story.  This was long ago, long before food blogs were as common and ubiquitous as pennies.  And long before I truly understood what it meant to eat gluten free.  I didn’t know how to bookmark, deli.ci.ous didn’t exist and so once I clicked away, I lost her.

Later, once food blogging became more common and I started reading more and more amazing sites, I rediscovered Shauna’s blog.  And I went all the way back to the beginning and read every single one of her posts.  I loved her conversational style and the way she wrote so tantalizingly about food.  She has that rare ability to make people want to jump out of their chairs and get in the kitchen.  I also loved how she approached her inability to eat gluten as a challenge and a celebration.  Rather than bemoan all the things she couldn’t eat, she celebrated the things she could.  I saw some similarities in how I approach vegetarianism (although I get it that my diet is a choice and hers is not.)

Fast forward and insert some conversations on Twitter, and I got an invitation to visit her, her wonderful husband Danny and adorable daughter on the idyllic island they call home.  Whenever I go to meet a new friend, I always bring something from my kitchen.  Because I love to bake, and because I often have treats lying around, it is usually something sweet.  But almost everything I bake has gluten in it.  I thought about  making some coconut macaroons but I imagined she has had her fill of those.  Instead I brought my fool-proof toffee and a recipe that was new to me.  Spicy Tomato Jam.

I decided to make it because it comes from a trusted cookbook and is something I have thought of making on many different occasions.  I imagine it would be good with goat cheese on top of crostini.  I’m sure it would make a good omelet filling.  But I also think it would be really good with meat – pork most likely – and I know that Shauna and Danny love pork.  So I filled my kitchen with the intoxicating smell of cherry tomatoes cooking down with sugar and spices and then spooned it up into a jar for them to enjoy.

My boys and I shared a wonderful morning with that sweet family.  It was a gorgeous day and that island is more beautiful than I could have imagined.  Danny made us a lunch I have been dreaming about every since – black quinoa with incredibly flavorful lentils, celery root, and cashews all topped with red cabbage.  It was a perfectly balanced meal both in terms of flavor and health.  I could eat that every day.

The amazing day was capped off by a Santa Claus siting on the ferry.  No joke.  We were sitting and looking out the window when we heard bells and up the stairs he came.  The boys’ eyes got as big as saucers and then they had a lengthy discussion with him about Bob the Builder hats and cement mixers.  We imagined that his sleigh was somewhere on the ferry and the boys talked about nothing else the whole ride home.

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One Year Ago:  Seitan Bourguignonne

Spicy Tomato Jam
Adapted from Everyday Greens
Makes about 2 cups

There is quite a bit more sugar in the original recipe but I think the amount listed below is plenty sweet.  You could probably even scale back more.

1 pound ripe cherry tomatoes, about 3 cups
4 tbsp. sugar
4 tbsp. light brown sugar, packed
2 tbsp. grated fresh ginger
1/2 lemon, sliced into thin half moons
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
2 tbsp. unfiltered cider vinegar
Salt and cayenne pepper

Combine the tomatoes, sugars, ginger, lemon, spices, and 1 1/2 tablespoons of the vinegar ina medium-size, heavy-bottomed saucepan.  Add a pinch of salt and a pinch of cayenne and cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until the tomatoes cook down to a jam and the sugars are bubbly and caramelized, 15-20 minutes.  Set aside to cool.  Add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon vinegar to taste.


Category: Appetizer, Vegan
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Last Minute Appetizer

November 25, 2009

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If you are hosting Thanksgiving, chances are you are in the kitchen with all burners going and the oven on.  Or you are at work just waiting until you get home so you can get all burners and the oven going.  Or, if you are like me, you are procrastinating and also waiting for your husband to wake up from a nap so he can deal with the 23-pound turkey in the refrigerator.  Whatever the case, probably the last thing you want to see is another recipe.

That’s why I’m not giving you a recipe.  Just an idea.  I made this lovely little appetizer for the party I catered a couple of weeks ago.  On the menu there was a lot of comfort food which was what the birthday girl requested.  As I was putting the dishes together, I thought we needed something a little fresh to balance out all the carbs and cheese.  I wanted to keep it as something you could pick up and thus this little appetizer was born.  Nothing earth-shattering or super fancy, but it looks pretty and has a perfect sweet/salty/bitter bite.

All you need is endive, radicchio, Manchego cheese, and membrillo (quince paste).  But before you email asking how dare I suggest you find a Spanish market on the day before Thanksgiving…hear me out.  You could really substitute any kind of hard cheese and any kind of fruit paste (I actually used apple because I wanted to try it and I did go to a Spanish market that has things like that.)  You could also just use jam or jelly and hell, you could use soft goat cheese too.  The key is to make sure the flavors balance and that it looks pretty.  Slice the radicchio into ribbons at the top (not the root) end where the leaves are much more colorful.  Have fun with this.  Or just file the idea away for a less harried time.

For those of you who celebrate Thanksgiving, I hope yours is one filled with friends, family, and delicious food.  For those of you who don’t, I wish you happy Thursday!


Category: Appetizer, Cheese, Dana Treat Original, Quick and Easy
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