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Archive for the ‘appetizers’ Category

Celebration Super Bowl Sunday – Artichoke and Spinach Dip from Holland America

Thursday, January 5th, 2012

.Artichoke Dip

I love Super Bowl Sunday…the game, the food and the drinks, usually beer. In New England we often hosted a small party with the usual dips, beer and chili.

This delicious dip recipe is the exact one that is served on the Holland America Line. A friend of mine spent Superbowl night on board and told me about this dish, and the best party he ever enjoyed on HAL. The crew and passengers were dancing together far into the night, when the best team won.

The excellent crew is one reason, besides the food, that I have enjoyed every voyage on Holland America. This creamy and colorful veggie dip is a recipe from Master Chef, Rudi Sodamin’s latest cookbook called Celebration. I discovered it last summer on the wonderful IFWTWA cruise to Alaska.

Hot Artichoke and Spinach Dip

Ingredients:

I (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained

11/2 grated Italian cheese, any blend

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1/8th teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

1 cup heavy cream

4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

1 Roma tomato, seeded and diced

5 leaves basil, minced

Method:

Heat oven to 350 F. Butter a 6 cup casserole dish.

In a food processor, combine the artichoke hearts, 1/2 the Italian cheese blend, garlic and nutmeg. pulse until chopped, but not ground. Set aside.

In a bowl combine the spinach, heavy cream, cream cheese and remaining 1 cup cheese blend: stir well. Fold in the arichoke mixture until well combined. Transfer the dip to the prepared cassserole dish.

Bake the dip for 20-25 minutes until browned on top and heated through.

Sprinkle with the tomato and basil.

Serve immediately.

Tips:

Chef Rudi uses mozzeralla, Romano and Asiago cheeses divided equally for his blend.

This dip is served with crisp tortilla chips.

The chef also suggests serving it in a bread bowl to make it even more festive.

I like lemonade, a crisp white wine or cold tap beer with the hot dip.

Brenda C. Hill

International Food Wine & Travel Writers Association
Books By Hills Success With Writing Where And What in the World

Tags: brenda c hill, Holland America Line, Hot Artichoke and Spinach Dip, ifwtwa, Master Chef Rudi Sodamin
Posted in Cruises, Tastes, Tastes - Appetizers, appetizers, books, chefs, recipes, travel | 2 Comments »

Goat Cheese–Stuffed Mushrooms with Bread Crumbs

Thursday, January 5th, 2012

The Hill Team always enjoys stuffed mushrooms, or at least, Brenda and I. These are considered healthy since goat cheese is generally lower in cholesterol, calories and fat, yet higher in calcium, than cows milk. This is a favorite from Food & Wine several years ago.

Goat Cheese–Stuffed Mushrooms with Bread Crumbs

24 large cremini mushrooms (1-1/2 pounds), de-stemmed
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon rosemary leaves, plus one 3-inch sprig of rosemary
Kosher salt and freshly grund pepper
3 tablespoons fine bread crumbs
6 ounces fresh goat cheese cut into 24 pieces

Method:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a bowl, toss the mushrooms with 3 tablespoons of the oil and the rosemary leaves and season with salt and pepper.
Transfer mushrooms to a baking sheet, rounded side up.
Roast about 30 minutes, until tender and browned around the edges.
Let cool to room temperature, about 15 minutes.

In a skillet, heat the remaining oil.
Add the rosemary sprig and cook over moderately high heat until the leaves are crisp, about 30 seconds.
Drain on paper towels, then strip off the leaves.
Pour off all but 1 teaspoon of the rosemary oil and reserve it for another use.

Add the bread crumbs to the skillet and toast over moderate heat until golden and crisp, about 2 minutes.
Stir in the fried rosemary leaves and season with salt and pepper.

Gently press a piece of goat cheese in the center of each mushroom, sprinkle with the bread crumbs and serve.

The can be refrigerated for up to 1 day. Bring to room temperature and sprinkle with the bread crumbs just before serving.

Our preference is not to make them ahead as we enjoy the mushrooms warm. If we wanted to prepare ahead, we would put the mushrooms in the EVO and rosemary leaves along with salt and pepper and let them sit covered in refrigerator. Then, we would finish the process the next day.

One serving (about 3 mushrooms: 138 cal. 11 gr fat, 3.9 gm sat fat, 5 gm carb, 0.6 grm fiber.

In other words, it’s a great appetizer as you can have 3 and still not consumed too many calories.

Enjoy!

: Maralyn D. Hill

The Epicurean Explorer

President, International Food Wine & Travel Writers Association

Editor-at-Large, CityRoom

Contributor: The Epoch Times, Spa Review Magazine, Global Writes, JustLuxe

Columnist: Big Blend Magazines,

Blogs: Where and What in the World & Success with Writing

Tags: goat cheese, maralyn d hill, recipes, Stuffed Mushrooms, The Epicurean Explorer, Where and What in the World
Posted in Tastes - Appetizers, appetizers, recipes, vegetable recipes | 2 Comments »

Persimmon-Goat Cheese Wedges from “Food + Wine”

Tuesday, December 27th, 2011

I wish I could take credit for this, I can’t. It comes from Food & Wine. These are great for quick appetizers.

Recipe: Persimmon-Goat Cheese Wedges

Persimmon and Goat Cheese Appetizers Photo by Frances Janisch

Ingredients

1/2 cup salted roasted almonds, very finely chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
4 ounces fresh goat cheese, softened
4 Fuyu persimmons, sliced crosswise 1/4 inch thick
Aged balsamic vinegar, for serving

Method:

In a small bowl, mix 3 tablespoons of the almonds and the parsley with the goat cheese. Divide the mixture into 6 equal pieces and roll each into a ball. Using a 2-inch round biscuit cutter, stamp out 12 rounds from the persimmon slices.
Sandwich each goat cheese ball between 2 persimmon slices, pressing to flatten slightly. Roll the edges in the remaining almonds and refrigerate until firm, at least 10 minutes or overnight. Cut each round into quarters and transfer to a plate. Drizzle lightly with balsamic vinegar and serve.