…I’m coming for you!
Last night, I had the pleasure of hosting Dinner Club and we had the best time!
Brief DC history lesson: back when Lindsay first invited me to Dinner Club (2008?) the tradition was that the hostess would send the recipes the next day to the members and somewhere along the line that fell by the wayside. Last night we decided to reinstate that practice, and I thought while I’m sending the recipes to my girls, I’d share some of them with you too!
Here are my top 3:
1. Rosemary Cheese Crackers
2. Mushroom/Artichoke Crustless Tarts
3. Curried Couscous
Rosemary Cheese Crackers (appetizer)
I LOVE a good ol’ southern cheese straw, but these are in it for extra credit with rosemary and a punch of spice. I love them on their own, but topped with green pepper jelly and a little dollop of goat cheese….heavenly.
They are relatively easy, too!
Ingredients:
2 cups (8oz) grated sharp cheddar cheese
8 tbsp. (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 tbsp dried rosemary
1 tsp. sea salt (coarse) and more for sprinkling on top
1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
¼ tsp. ground cayenne pepper
Cream the cheese and butter together in a large bowl with an electric mixer (I used my hand mixer and brute strength) until smooth and well combined. Stir together the flour, rosemary, salt, red pepper flakes and cayenne in a separate bowl. Add the flour mixture to the cheese mixture and stir to combine thoroughly.
Turn the dough onto a piece of wax or parchment paper. Roll into a log shape and wrap the dough in the paper and refrigerate for several hours (I think overnight is best) until the dough is firm and slice-able.
When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and cut the log into 1/4-inch thick slices and arrange them on a baking sheet. Prick the center of each cracker several times with a fork and sprinkle your coarse sea salt on them. Bake for 12 – 15 minutes until they are golden brown around the edges.
You can serve them room temp or slightly warm, but let them cool a good amount before serving them. Top ‘em off with your green pepper jelly and your goat cheese and voila!
Tips:
1. I know I said it before, but you HAVE to use COARSE SEA SALT. Otherwise they won’t come out the same.
2. You can store them for up to 3 days in an airtight container once they’re made or frozen and re-heated in the oven for a few minutes before serving
3. The dough can actually be made a day or TWO in advance!
Mushroom Artichoke Crustless Tarts
This recipe comes from my mom’s bestie (and excellent cook!) Caren –and they are delicious and SO SUPER EASY. They were a BIG time crowd pleaser and took absolutely NO time.
Ingredients:
1 c mushroom (chopped)
1 can artichoke hearts (chopped)
12 oz cottage cheese
2 egg whites
1 egg
2 c cheese (I mixed asiago, parmesan, romano, mozzarella, and sharp cheddar, but I think anything would work)
Mix everything together in a big ol’ bowl. Overspray mini-muffin tins with Pam, sprinkle parmesan on top and bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes. Serve warm or room temp.
Tips:
1. None. This was ridiculously easy.
Curried Couscous
This is a DK specialty that we ate every day at the beach so I wanted to make it for my girls!
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups couscous
1 tb butter
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 cup grated carrots
1/2 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup blanched sliced almonds
2 scallions, thinly sliced, green and white parts
1/2 cup small diced red onion
Place couscous in a medium bowl. Melt butter in the boiling water and pour over couscous. Cover tightly and allow the couscous to soak for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
Whisk together the yogurt, oil, vinegar, curry, turmeric, salt and pepper. Pour over the fluffed couscous and mix with a fork. Add the carrots, parsley, dried cranberries almonds scallions and red onions. Mix well and taste for seasonings (sometimes I like more pepper in mine).
Serve at room temp (or cold!)
Tips:
1. I made a double recipe (it makes a TON) but if you’re going to do that, be sure to make each batch separately.
2. This needs to sit about a day for the flavors to be fully “synergized” so make it a day ahead
And there you have it! I hope you enjoy!
xx, L
