Honey Roasted Cherry Tomatoes On Whipped Feta

Honey-Roasted Cherry Tomatoes On Whipped Feta

Roasting tomatoes in honey brings out their natural sweetness, especially when paired with tangy, whipped feta. Served with toasted sourdough, it’s an impressive appetizer that belies its simple preparation.
Ingredients:                                                                                             1/2 cup (125 mL) Greek feta

1/4 cup (60 mL) cream cheese

3 tbsp (45 mL) extra virgin olive oil, divided, plus more for bread

1 tbsp (15 mL) lemon juice

1 tsp (5 mL) lemon zest

2 tbsp (30 mL) amber honey, such as wildflower or clover

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

3 cups (750 mL) cherry tomatoes

1/4 tsp (1 mL) fine sea salt

6 slices sourdough bread,

1/2 inch (1 cm) thick

Freshly ground black pepper and sumac to taste

1/4 cup (60 mL) loosely packed torn parsley

Directions:                                                                                 Combine feta, cream cheese, 2 tbsp (30 mL) oil, lemon juice and zest in bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Spread onto a large plate.

Arrange rack in top third of oven. Preheat oven to broil.

Combine honey, remaining 1 tbsp (15 mL) oil and garlic in a medium-size oven-proof skillet. Broil until garlic is golden-brown, about 2 minutes. Carefully remove from oven. Stir in tomatoes and salt. Broil, stirring halfway through, until tomatoes are blistered and charred, 10 to 12 minutes.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer tomatoes onto whipped feta. Place cooking liquid over medium-high heat. Reduce until thick enough to coat back of spoon, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat.               

Arrange bread in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Drizzle both sides with oil. Broil, watching closely, until golden-brown and slightly charred, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Let cool slightly, then tear in half.

To serve, drizzle about 1 tbsp (15 mL) reduced sauce over tomatoes, saving rest for another use. Sprinkle with pepper and sumac. Garnish with parsley. Serve with charred bread.   Serves 4 to 6

Fig and Blue Cheese Savouries

Fig And Blue Cheese Savouries

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup butter
4 ounces blue cheese
Ground black pepper
Fig Jam, about 3 tablespoons

*

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Place the flour, butter, blue cheese and a few grinds of black pepper in the bowl of a food processor. Process until the dough just comes together and starts to form a ball.

Dump the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead a few times to pull the dough together. Roll out to 1/8 inch thick with a floured rolling pin. Cut rounds out of the dough with a floured 1-inch cutter and transfer the rounds to the parchment-lined baking sheet.

Using the back or a round half-teaspoon measure or your knuckle, make an indentation in the top of each dough round. Spoon about ¼ teaspoon of fig preserves into each indentation, using your finger to push the preserves as best as possible into the indentations.

Bake the savories for 10 – 14 minutes, until the preserves are bubbling and the pastry is light golden on the bottom.

Let cool on the baking sheet for at least 10 minutes, the remove to a wire rack to cool.  Makes 3 doz. 

You’ll find fig preserves at the grocery – it may be shelved with the “fancy” jams and jellies. You can make these a day ahead and keep them in two layers separated by waxed paper in an airtight container.

Crab Stuffed Mushrooms

                            Crab Stuffed Mushrooms

Ingredients: 24 lg. mushroom caps Juice of 1 lemon 1/2 lb. crab meat 1/2 c. mayonnaise 1/4 c. minced celery Dash of Tabasco 1/2 c. minced parsley Directions: Toss mushroom caps in lemon juice; set aside. Mix together crab meat, mayonnaise, celery and Tabasco. Fill each cap with crab mixture. Chill and serve. Sprinkle with parsley just before serving. Makes 24.

Crisp Skin Salmon

Crisp Skin Salmon ~ Appetizer

The sweetness of the leeks, the red wine sauce and the sweet spices on the rich, fatty salmon make this an excellent match for Pinot Noir’s acidity. The skin crisps best if it is very dry. Serve this dish either warm or at room temperature. Ingredients: LEEKS 2 tbsp. butter 3 leeks, white and light green portion only, thinly sliced Salt and freshly ground pepper ¼ cup water RED WINE SAUCE 1 cup Pinot Noir 2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar ¼ cup chopped shallots 2 tsp chopped fresh tarragon ⅓ cup cold butter, diced SALMON 4 salmon fillets, each 6 oz. skin on 1 tsp ground coriander 1 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp ground black pepper Salt to taste 1 tbsp olive oil Directions: 1 Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add butter and, when it sizzles, add leeks. Sauté for 2 minutes, then season with salt and pepper. Add ¼ cup water and cook until water has evaporated and leeks are very soft, about 3 to 4 minutes. The leeks should not brown. Reserve. 2 Combine wine, vinegar, shallots and tarragon in a pot. Bring to a boil and boil until reduced by half. Reduce heat to low and whisk in butter slowly until butter is absorbed and sauce is thickened. Season with salt and pepper and reserve. Reheat gently when needed. 3 Draw the blunt side of a knife over the salmon skin to release any water. Pat salmon skin with a paper towel. 4 Combine coriander, cinnamon and pepper in a small bowl. Season flesh side of salmon with salt, then rub with spice mixture. Do not season skin side. 5 Heat a nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Add oil. Place fish skin-side down and sear 4 minutes or until skin is crisp and releases easily from the pan. Reduce heat to medium and flip onto flesh side. Cook 3 to 5 minutes more (depending on thickness) or until salmon is still slightly pink inside. 6 Let salmon sit for 5 minutes then cut each fillet into 6 portions. Plate each on top of some leeks and drizzle with a little sauce. Serves 12 as a tasting size