Melty cheese and chutney fondue pot

November 6, 2014February 9, 2016 Belinda

This is seriously divine as a starter served with crusty bread for dunking. I happen to make a really good chutney called “Rhubarb, ginger and kumquat” which is terrific as the base for this bake, but you can use your favorite dark chutney.

Serves 4 to 6

8 oz brie, rind removed and roughly chopped
4 oz cream cheese (don’t use a light version)
4 oz Gruyere, rind removed and grated
3 tbsp grated Parmigiano Reggiano
2 tbsp milk
2 tsp cornflour
a few fresh thyme sprigs, picked and roughly chopped
4 oz a good dark chutney
crusty bread for serving

Put the Brie, cream cheese, Gruyere, half the parmesan cheese, the milk and cornflour into a food processor and blitz until smooth.
Stir through the thyme and a little freshly ground black pepper.
Spoon the chutney into an ovenproof baking dish about 8 to 9″ round and spread it over the base.
Top with the cheese mixture, spread to cover the chutney, then scatter over the remaining parmesan cheese.
** This can now be covered with cling film and chilled for up to 3 days if you want to make it ahead.
Heat the oven to 350 F and cook for around 30 mins until bubbling.
Turn the broiler onto a medium-high setting and broil for 2 to 3 minutes so the top gets browned. Leave to cool for about 5 mins then serve with crusty bread for dunking.

Appetizer Vegetarian · Appetizers · Fruit · Gluten Free · Salad

Strawberries with mozzarella and mint pesto drizzle

May 20, 2014February 8, 2016 Belinda

I had this in Atlanta a couple of weeks ago and managed to figure out what was in it and work out a recipe.
It’s such a lovely idea to use sweet strawberries rather than tomatoes with the mint pesto and mozzarella, especially as strawberries go so well with balsamic vinegar dressing as well.

1 lb sweet strawberries, sliced
1/8 cup sugar
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp fresh mint leaves
1/4 cup almonds, sliced
1/8 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 clove garlic
1 lb fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2-inch slices
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar (1/2 tsp for each serving)

In a bowl, combine strawberries and sugar. Cover and set aside.
For the mint pesto drizzle, in a food processor combine the olive oil, mint leaves sliced almonds, Parmesan cheese and garlic.
Divide the mozzarella and place the slices (overlapping) on each serving plate. Spoon ½ cup sugared strawberries around and on cheese.
Spoon ½ teaspoon balsamic vinegar and 1 to 2 tablespoons of the mint pesto drizzle over cheese and strawberries on each plate. Garnish with mint leaves.

Appetizer Vegetarian · Appetizers · Do-ahead

Roasted peppers with basil, olives, scallions, feta & toasted almonds

April 1, 2014September 8, 2022 Belinda

Roasted peppers with basil, olives, scallions, feta and toasted almonds

This is one of the most popular appetizers I serve at home. The recipe started out as one from Nigella Lawson and each time I made it I added ingredients and this is the culmination. It is absolutely divine and is a real taste – tickler!

Serves 4 but is easily augmented.
4 good sized red peppers
a good handful fresh basil leaves
4 – 5 scallions or 1 bunch if you like a lot of scallions, sliced across in 1/4″ pieces
1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives, halved lengthways
One 7oz block Greek feta cheese
1/3 cup slivered almonds (the ones with the skins showing at the edges)
Good balsamic vinegar
Good extra virgin olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper

There are two short stages at the beginning which are easy, but important.
1/ About 4 – 5 hours before you want to serve this dish, (or the day before) put your four red peppers over each gas burner turned on full and leave on there until they get nice and black.
Turn them, using kitchen tongs and let the entire skin get good and charred, then either put them in a large glass bowl and immediately cover with cling film and set aside, or get three paper supermarket bags inside each other and put them in there, fold over the top and clip the top shut so it’s well sealed. Leave the peppers for a couple of hours to steam, then the skins will come off really easily, revealing sweet red flesh underneath.
With a tap running, (for your hands, NOT the peppers) remove the charred skin, which should just fall off. Remove the stem and the seeds inside and put the peppers into a colander to drain.
Slice the peppers into long strips, about 1/3 to 1/2″ wide and put them into a shallow serving dish.

2/ Preheat the oven to 400F
Put the almonds on a shallow baking tray and toast until starting to brown, this could take about 10 minutes or more, but keep watching them in case they burn. Set aside until cool. (You can always do as many almonds as you like, and freeze what you don’t need, ready for the next time you make the dish)

Okay, so now the assembly part, and this is a doddle!

To the pepper strips in the shallow serving dish, add the chopped scallions, the olives and the finely sliced basil leaves. Season liberally with salt and pepper and sprinkle a good amount of balsamic vinegar over it. Add about 3 tbsp olive oil and toss the mixture until well coated. taste for seasoning, adding more balsamic or salt if needed.
Crumble up the feta cheese and sprinkle over the dish, then sprinkle a little more balsamic over the feta in decorative streams. Sprinkle a good amount of toasted almonds over the feta.
And you have a really lovely , complex flavored appetizer that people can eat with a small fork.
It is better to bring it to room temperature before serving if you are making the dish in advance, which , by the way, can be done up to 2 days before and will last a good 3 days in the fridge if there are any leftovers.

Screen shot 2014-03-31 at 6.01.15 PM

Appetizer Vegetarian · Appetizers · Do-ahead

Middle Eastern Hummus

March 28, 2014September 8, 2022 Belinda

Middle Eastern Hummus

Everyone needs a good recipe for hummus and as soon as you make it, you’ll wonder why you spent so much money buying it!

1 cup of good quality chickpeas (soaked overnight in twice the water volume and a pinch of baking soda)
or, if time doesn’t allow to soak, use a good quality tin of cooked chickpeas
1 tbsp tahini (sesame paste)
2 tsp roasted cumin seeds (roast in a frying pan until fragrant)
1 clove garlic, crushed to a paste with a little salt
4 tbsp lemon juice
salt and pepper
About 6 fl oz of good olive oil
** You can also add some fresh chopped chili for more flavor

Place the soaked chickpeas in a large pot and fill with fresh water, cook for about 45 to 60 mins until they are tender. Strain and reserve the cooking liquid.
Place the chickpeas, cumin seeds, garlic, tahini, lemon juice and 2 tbsp of reserved cooking liquid in a food processor. Add about 3 fl oz of the olive oil and process, for a minute. Then add extra olive oil and cooking liquid to this mixture to get a smooth consistency.
Salt and pepper to taste

Appetizer Vegetarian · Appetizers

Cheesy, crispy baked cauliflower tots

March 26, 2014February 9, 2016 Belinda1 Comment

Screen shot 2014-03-27 at 3.57.29 PM

These are an absolute winner as a starter or a snack and even children love them, not realizing they aren’t tater tots!
This recipe makes about 24 small tots and is modified from a recipe on “Kaylin’s Kitchen” a terrific food blog.

1/2 large head cauliflower, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup sharp cheddar cheese (preferably not the packaged pre grated stuff)
1/3 cup coarsely grated parmesan cheese (again, not pre grated, preferably)
2 tbsp almond or plain flour
1/3 tsp salt
1/2 tsp your favorite seasoning blend, like Spike or Montreal etc
Freshly ground black pepper
1 large egg, lightly beaten

Preheat the oven to 400 F
Spray a mini muffin tin with non stick spray
Cut away the leaves of the cauliflower, but use most of the inner core part for the recipe.
Coarsely chop the cauliflower, place in a microwave proof bowl, cover with cling film and microwave for 2 minutes on high so that the cauliflower is slightly soft.

Quickly take off the cling film and let the steam escape, and if you see any water in the bottom of the bowl, put the cauliflower into a colander to let the water drain off.
Put the steel blade in the food processor, add the cauliflower and pulse until the cauliflower is finely chopped but still slightly chunky. (Be careful you don’t end up with a puree!) Drain out any water from the bowl of the food processor.

Put the finely chopped cauliflower into a bowl and add the grated cheese, parmesan cheese, flour, salt, seasoning blend and ground pepper.
Stir until the ingredients are really well combined. Add the egg and stir until the ingredients are mostly coated with egg. Don’t be tempted to add any more egg!
Using a “one tablespoon scoop” or a steel one-tablespoon measuring spoon to scoop out rounded spoonfuls of the mixture and place in the min muffin tin.
Bake for 15 minutes then carefully turn each tot over in the muffin tin and bake for another 15 minutes or until the tots are nicely browned on both sides.
Serve these hot and straight from the oven while they’re still crispy

Appetizer Vegetarian · Appetizers · Do-ahead

Avocado and lime mousse

March 18, 2014September 8, 2022 Belinda

Wondering what to do with all those avocados?

Here is a super, light and tangy recipe, great as a starter for a nice dinner.

Yields 4 servings

2 large ripe avocados

grated zest of 1 lime

2 tbsp fresh lime juice

3 1/2 oz low fat cream cheese, softened

salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tsp unflavored gelatine powder

1 egg white (optional)

You will need nice glass dishes as the picture above or 4 x 4oz ramekin dishes

Pit and peel the avocados and scoop the flesh into a blender or food processor.

Add the lime zest and juice and process until really smooth.

Add the cream cheese and blend until completely combined.

Season with salt and pepper and transfer to a bowl.
Sprinkle the powdered gelatine over 2 tbsp water in a small heatproof bowl. Let it stand until it starts to look spongy . Place the bowl in a skillet of barely boiling water so it comes about halfway up the sides and sir constantly until the gelatin dissolves.

Drizzle the dissolved gelatin over the avocado mixture and stir well.

If using, beat the egg white until it forms soft peaks. Fold the egg white into the avocado mixture.

Spoon into the dishes and cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours or so until chilled and set.

Serve chilled

Appetizer Vegetarian · Appetizers · Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Vegan

Rosemary and white bean spread

February 15, 2014September 8, 2022 Belinda

I really adore this spread. It’s so easy to make and goes down very well with everyone.

This recipe is better if it sits overnight as the rosemary flavor strengthens quite a lot.
Serve this with pitta wedges, cucumber slices or toasted baguette slices.

2 x 19 oz cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp fresh rosemary leaves
2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped

In a food processor, combine the beans, oil, vinegar, rosemary, salt and pepper and process until smooth.
At this point, cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours and up to 3 days to let the flavors develop. Bring to room temperature before serving.
When you are ready to serve, stir the dip, taste and season if necessary, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with the parsley.

Tip. What is also great is roasting whole garlic heads with the top 1/3 sliced off, olive oil poured over the garlic, fresh thyme, salt and pepper, then wrapped individually in foil then roasted at 300 F for at least 1 1/2 hours.
Squeeze some of this garlic into the food processor with the bean spread and puree.
It adds another dimension to the spread.

Appetizer Vegetarian

Beet carpaccio with blue cheese mousse.

February 3, 2014March 7, 2016 Belinda

So light and the mix of blue cheese and beets with a dash of walnut oil and white balsamic is superb!

Serves 4
2 oz good blue cheese, crumbled
1 oz cream cheese, softened
kosher salt and black pepper to taste
1 cup cooked and sliced asparagus, cut on a bias into 1/2 inch pieces
2 medium beets
2 tbsp chopped fresh chives
1/3 cup heavy cream
3 tbsp walnut oil
3 tbsp white balsamic vinegar

Preheat the oven to 400 F

Combine the blue cheese and cream cheese together in a small bowl and set aside.

Wash the beets under cold water to remove any dirt, then wrap them in a large piece of alumium foil.
Set the pouch on a baking sheet and bake until easily pierced with a fork, about 45 to 55 mins.

Place the heavy cream in a chilled metal mixing bowl. Using an electric mixer, whip the cream into soft peaks. Use a spatula to fold a small bit of the whipped cream into the blue cheese mixture to lighten it. Then add the remaining whipped cream and gently fold until no streaks remain. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

In a small bowl, combine the chives and white balsamic vinegar.
Slowly drizzle in the walnut oil, whisking continuously, to create a vinaigrette. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Peel the skin off the cooked beets once they are cool enough to handle.
Slice the beets very thinly on a mandoline or as thin as possible with a sharp knife.
They must be paper thin. Use gloves or your hands will be bright red!

Arrange 4 to 5 slices of beet in a circle or in a row on a plate.
Use 2 spoons to form a quenelle or football shaped dollop of the blue cheese mousse.
Set this in the center of the beets.
Sprinkle the asparagus pieces around the plate, then drizzle with the walnut vinaigrette.
Season with a final sprinkle of salt