Caprese

A simple, elegant appetizer that is sure to please.

Recipe- Caprese. Adapted from all recipes.

20 grape tomatoes

8 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 1 inch cubes

1 bunch of fresh basil

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons red wine or balsamic vinegar

salt and freshly ground pepper

Whisk oil and vinegar together.  Drizzle over tomatoes and cheese.  Thread tomatoes, cheese, and basil onto toothpicks (one grape tomato, one basil leaf, one 1inch cube of cheese). Season to taste.

Classic Cheese Fondue

Fondue. It comes from the French word "fondre," which means "to melt."

If you read this blog and you know me at all, you know that I love fondue! It's such a wonderful winter treat. One of my favorite fondues is the "classic" cheese fondue. It's a combination of Gruyere and Emmenthal cheese. It really is a classic fondue, and it is so delicious! I like to serve this with bread, apples, broccoli, and cauliflower.

My fondue pot is electric, so it's super easy and convenient. This recipe is for an electric fondue pot, but if you have a regular one, just make it in a saucepan and then pour into your fondue pot. Enjoy!

Recipe- Classic Cheese Fondue
6-8 Servings

1 pound Gruyere, grated
3/4 pound Emmenthal, grated
6 teaspoons cornstarch
1 garlic clove, cut in half
2 and 1/4 cups DRY white wine
dash of nutmeg
2 and 1/2 tablespoons Kirschwasser

1. Place the grated cheese in a large bowl and toss to combine. Add the cornstarch and toss to coat the grated cheese completely. Reserve.
2. Rub the bottom and lower half of the sides of a fondue pot (or sauce pan) with the cut sides of the garlic cloves. Add the wine to the pot and bring to a strong simmer (bubbling, but not boiling strongly).
3. While stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or nonstick whisk, gradually whisk in the grated cheeses, sprinkling in one handful at a time; don't add any more cheese until each handful is completely melted and smooth. Stir in the kirschwasser and nutmeg.

Crab Cakes

My family first made these crab cakes last month for Lucy's BR birthday gathering. I think one of my mom's co-workers shared the recipe with her.

These were the hit of our L.A. Christmas party! We probably made about 100. We quadrupled the recipe, and Lucy spent the first hour and a half of our party cooking them! The only snafu was about halfway through, the lemon wedges were put in the refrigerator (and we couldn't find them), so the last half lacked acidity :(

We didn't have a sauce for them, because we figured it would be much easier to pass them around to our guests without a sauce. But, I don't think they needed a sauce--just a squirt of lemon juice!

These are going to be a staple at our family functions. Look for them at our Annual Christmas Eve party!!

Empanadas de Pollo (Chicken Empanadas)

I went to a "bring an appetizer" party/potluck this Saturday. I wanted to bring something that was easy to make, used few ingredients, yet was tasty, filling, and a crowd pleaser. I came across this recipe for baked empanadas. I chose not to make my own dough and use frozen dough. You can also use dough in a can (just try to find one with few preservatives and little trans fat).

These were so delicious. A lot of recipes call for cheese, but this one does not. You definitly don't need cheese--the Russian salad dressing and red pepper flakes add so much flavor! You won't be able to stop eating them!

I ended up making this at home and not for the party. It was perfect for a small dinner to nibble on while we made a chocolate souffle (blog post coming soon).

Recipe- Empanadas de Pollo

1 and 1/2 cups roasted chicken, finely shredded

1/4 cup toasted almonds, chopped

1/4 Russian salad dressing

2 cans (8 oz each) crescent rolls, with each triangle cut in half, OR pastry dough (16 oz.), cut into triangles.

1. Position rack in center of oven. Preheat to 375.

2. Combine all ingredients and stir.

3. Spoon about 1/2 tablespoon into each triangle. Fold the dough over and close each triangle by pressing the dough together along the edges. Make sure the dough does not get too thin, or it will tear. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Enjoy!

Hummus

Great as a snack, starter, dip, or even a side--hummus is nutritious and easy and fast to make. It's one of those great dishes (like pesto), were you can just throw everything into a food processor--so it takes literally seconds to make. I love hummus as a dip for fresh veggies--especially carrots or celery. I also like to put hummus on pita bread with feta cheese.

Hummus is popular throughout the Mediterannean. My roommate prefers chunky hummus, so the hummus that I made is a chunky, peanut butter hummus. Hummus is traditionally made with tahini (seaseme seed paste), but since I had peanut butter in my pantry, I opted to go with the peanut butter hummus. I'll include a traditional hummus recipe below as well. Again, like pesto, this is one of those recipes that don't really require a recipe--just add however much of the ingredients to your liking.

Prep time: 5 minutes

Difficulty: Super Easy

Recipe- Hummus (with peanut butter)

1 15 or 16 oz. can of garbanzon beans (a.k.a. chick peas), drained (with liquid reserved)

2-3 cloves of garlic, minced

2-3 tablespoons of smooth peanut butter

1 tablespoon chopped, fresh parsley

1 lemon, zested and juiced OR 2 lemons juiced

1/3 cup Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4-1/2 teaspoon ground corriander

1/4 teaspoon paprika

salt and pepper to taste

Chop the garlic, beans, and half of the reserved liquid in a food processr until desired consistency. Add the peanut butter, parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, cumin, corriander, and paprika. Process until it forms a paste. Salt and pepper to taste. May need as much as a teaspoon or more of salt. Add enough salt until you can taste the flavors--stop adding salt JUST BEFORE the hummus tastes "salty." Drizzle with olive oil and garnish with parsley.

Recipe- Traditional Hummus

1 15 oz. can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

1 garlic clove, minced

6 tablespoons Extra-Virgin Olive Oil, divided

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/2 tsp. sugar

1/4 tsp. ground cumin

Puree beans, garlic, lemon juice and 3 tablespoons olive oil in bleder or food processor until creamy. Add remaining oil, sugar, and cumin. Puree until very smooth (about 2 minutes). Season with salt and pepper.