Holiday Open House Recipes

Someone jokingly suggested this last night, and I suppose it's yet another sign of this crazy world we live in that this seemed almost easier than emailing everyone all the recipes. I really did think that me getting a blog would be one of the signs of the apocalypse. (Hey... people now have RFID credit cards implanted in their arms, so perhaps the end is, in fact, near. But I digress.) I may even update it once in a while. Who knows. Watch this space...

By far the most requested recipe was the PISTACHIO DIP.

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/crudites-with-creamy-pistachio-dip

I 'only' used 1 cup of creme fraiche. I also noticed a lot of olive oil breaking out of the emulsion... possibly because I didn't whisk it enough or because of the reduced amount of creme fraiche, but if I were making it again, I might only use 1/4 cup of olive oil. I also added about a tablespoon of the Champagne vinegar instead of draining it all out of the shallots. I made it a day ahead and it kept fine in the fridge.


3-LAYER VEGAN TERRINE:
(adapted from multiple sources)

Make each layer and spread into loaf pan lined with plastic wrap (or something) to make it easier to unmold it. The sun dried tomato layer was the firmest of the layers... If I were making it again, I'd make it the bottom layer (instead of the top) which means you'd need to make it last, since when you unmold it you turn it upside down. Be sure to refrigerate the finished thing for at least 3-4 hours before serving so that it can get firm enough to cooperate when you unmold it. Also... If you make the white bean layer first and set it aside, you probably wouldn't need to wash the cuisinart between layers.

Pesto Layer
2 garlic cloves
1 1/2 cups fresh basil leaves
1 cup fresh Italian parsley leaves
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup silken tofu (recipe originally called for ricotta... that would be nice, too)
salt and pepper

Blend in cuisinart until smooth. I would add more basil and less parsley next time... I thought this could have been basil-ier. I also added 2-3 slices of toasted white bread to get it to a sturdier consistency.

White Bean Layer
2 15-ounce cans cannellini (white kidney beans), rinsed, drained
thoroughly
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried
2 garlic cloves, pressed
salt and pepper

Blend in cuisinart until smooth

Sun Dried Tomato Layer
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp sherry vinegar
4-5 slices toasted or stale white bread
1/2 cup walnuts (toasted... bake for about 5 mins at, say, 350)
1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes packed in olive oil (with the oil)
1 garlic clove
salt and pepper

Blend in cuisinart until smooth. You may need to add more bread or olive oil to get your desired consistency.

SMOKED SALMON CANAPE THINGS:

I used the filling from this recipe: http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/mini-smoked-salmon-croque-monsieur, with a shallot added. Obviously, I didn't dip them in egg and fry them (that, like tempering chocolate, was the "there" to which I wasn't going to go for this particular event). I spread a bit on the cocktail rye, and then added additional grated cheese on top. This amount of filling used up about 1 1/4 loaves of cocktail rye. I also used Parrano instead of Gruyere this time.


I'm happy to share other recipes, too... these were specifically requested.

There. Now I have a blog, too.