I was in charge of appetizers for Turkey day and decided to follow this idea that I read about in Bon Appetit for the Southern PuPu platter Essentially it’s a variety of dips, spreads, crackers and pickled treats served out of mason jars my favorite glass receptacle (except for Pyrex) I had gobs of pickled treats from my canning craze this fall and they provided a couple of spreads with common southern ingredients that fit in with our gluten free feast. I think it went well because everything was gobbled up and this masterful chef received tons of compliments… Yay me! To quench our thirst I made a signature cocktail for the holiday that could easily be used for Christmas or New Years festivities, Cranberry Margarita! You could also make this a virgin cocktail by substituting club soda for tequila. I hate tequila so I didn’t sample any of these cocktails I whipped up but everyone slurped them down so they must have been palatable. We used cheap tequila and I ran out of cranberry simple syrup so I just boiled then same cranberries over again and it worked out great! I got this drink idea from Bon Appetit too.I love that magazine! Thanks Amelia and Greg for gifting me a subscription!!!!!!
Deviled Ham Spread
From Bon Appetit
Makes 8 servings
Pulse 8 oz. coarsely chopped ham or good deli ham in a food processor until finely chopped. Transfer to a large bowl and mix in 4 oz. room temperature cream cheese, ¼ c. mayonnaise, 1 Tbsp. hot sauce, 2 tsp. whole grain mustard and ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper. Fold in 1 chopped scallion. Season with salt and pepper.
Collard Greens and Pecan Pesto
From Bon Appetit
Makes 8 servings
Cook ½ small bunch collard greens (they don’t sell anything small in the south. I picked the smallest bunch in the store and it was still MASSIVE), center ribs removed and stems removed in a medium pot of boiling salted water. Cook until tender, about 2 minutes. Drain. Transfer to a bowl of ice (or just run cold water over them) let cool and then squeeze with paper towel to dry. Blend greens with ¼ c. EVOO, ¼ c. toasted pecans, 2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar, ½ tsp. honey, 1 clove garlic, ¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes in a food processor until a coarse puree forms. Season with salt and pepper.
Cranberry Margarita
From Bon Appetit & Martha Stewart Living
Makes a whole bunch depending on how strong you make your drinks
Yields 1 ½ c. Cranberry Simple Syrup
SIMPLE SYTRUP
In a medium saucepan, bring 1 c. sugar, 1 c. water and 1 bag of cranberries to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until cranberries are tender but haven’t burst, about 10 minutes. Let cool and strain through a fine mesh sieve.
Margarita
Fill a glass with desired amount of ice (I use a pint size mason jar)
Add - -1 shot of tequila
-1 shot of cranberry simple syrup
-1 shot of lime juice
Stir and top with a lime wedge.
RSS Feed
