As promised, here are the recipes I used to make my dinner guests swoon.
Classic Hummus
Ingredients
2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 large cloves garlic, smashed
1 tsp. ground cumin
3 Tbsp tahini
pinch of cayenne pepper
the juice of one medium lemon
2 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
Instructions
Combine all ingredients in a food processor for one minute (mixture will be thick). Slowly add water (or more olive oil, if you prefer) until hummus reaches desired consistency. Serve with cumin and cayenne sprinkled on top.
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Sun-Dried Tomato Hummus
Additional ingredients
1 small jar sun-dried tomato halves, in oil
Instructions
Follow the same instructions as Classic Hummus above, adding your desired amount of tomatoes and 1 Tbsp of their oil. I used 3/4 of the jar, about 1/3 cup, which resulted in a delightful color and a subtle essence of sun-dried tomatoes. Serve garnished with a few.
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White Bean Hummus with Cashews and Mint
Ingredients
2 cans white navy beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup cashews, whole
handful of fresh mint
1 clove garlic, smashed
2 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
Instructions
Combine all ingredients in a food processor for one minute. Gradually add water or olive oil until hummus reaches desired consistency. Serve garnished with mint and a cashew.
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Herb-Rubbed Pita Chips
Ingredients
3 bags whole-wheat pita rounds (about 18 rounds)
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper
herbs of choice (I used fresh mint, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, and basil.)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Take one pita round and brush it with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and your herbs of choice. I did some with mint by itself, some with red pepper flakes and basil, some with basil and garlic powder, etc. Cut into triangles and place on a large baking sheet. Repeat with remaining pita rounds. Bake for about 13 minutes, until crispy and slightly golden. Cool on a rack and serve, or store for about a week.
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Spicy Swordfish Marinade (good for 4 steaks)
-from The Frog Commissary Cookbook-
Ingredients
1/4 cup sesame oil
1/2 cup tamari or regular soy sauce
1/4 cup lime juice
1/8 cup mirin (I used sherry and it worked well)
1 Tbsp minced fresh garlic
1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger
1 Tbsp crushed red pepper flakes (Don't skimp! This is important!)
Instructions
Whisk all ingredients. Marinate steaks for 30 minutes max, or they will be too spicy. For my kebabs, I split the marinade between the three glass casserole dishes holding them. I basted the kebabs with the marinade once before placing back in the fridge.
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Fig and Almond Tart
-from Giada De Laurentiis-
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp plus 1 Tbsp sugar
1 lemon, zested (I used orange zest and it make the greatest difference. I highly recommend it.)
1/4 tsp. fine sea salt
10 Tbsp (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3 Tbsp ice water
3 1/2 ounces almond paste, at room temp, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/3 cup mascarpone cheese, at room temp (important)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 Tbsp honey
6 large or 12 small fresh figs, sliced and stems removed
1/4 cup apricot jam
Instructions
Combine the flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, lemon zest, and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until blended. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. With machine running, gradually add the water until moist clumps form. Turn the mixture out onto a work surface and form into a ball. Flatten the dough into a disk and wrap in plastic. Chill for 1 hour.
In a clean food processor bowl, combine remaining sugar, almond paste, mascarpone cheese, vanilla extract and honey. Blend until smooth.
Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees.
On a large sheet of parchment paper, roll out dough into an 11-inch circle. Transfer dough and parchment to a large, heavy baking sheet. Spread almond filling over the dough, leaving a 2-inch border. Arrange the figs on top of the filling. Spoon jam over the figs. Fold the dough border over the filling to form an 8-inch round, pleating the crust loosely and pinching to seal any cracks in the dough.
Bake the tart until crust is golden, about 40 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes, then slide a metal spatula under the crust to free from parchment. Transfer to a platter and serve.
Enjoy!! See the corresponding post HERE.