Endive Spears with Cheese, Pecans, Mango and EVOO Honey Ginger Balsamic Vinegar

29 03 2010

Serves 8 as an appetizer

4 heads of Belgian endive, separated into spears and washed

8 oz. whipped cream cheese

½ cup toasted pecans, coarsely chopped

1 mango, cut into ¼” cubes

1 tsp. grated fresh ginger (optional)

EVOO Honey Ginger Balsamic Vinegar, to taste

In a mixing bowl, blend together the cream cheese, pecans and mango pieces. If you want a stronger ginger taste, add in the optional grated fresh ginger. Spread some of the cheese mixture onto each endive spear. Lay them out decoratively on a platter. Then, drizzle a small amount of the Honey Ginger Balsamic Vinegar on each spear. Serve immediately.


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Tomato and Basil Bruschetta Topping with EVOO Dark Chocolate Balsamic Vinegar

29 03 2010

Making Tomato and Basil Bruschetta

Serves 6

6 ripe plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped

2 tbsp chopped basil

1 – 2 tbsp EVOO Dark Chocolate Balsamic Vinegar

1 – 2 tbsp of one of EVOO’s extra virgin olive oils

2 tsp EVOO Basil oil

Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Fresh goat cheese (optional)

Put the chopped tomato and basil in a mixing bowl. Add in the Chocolate Balsamic Vinegar and olive oils. Mix gently. You can adjust the proportions to suit your own taste. Add in sea salt and black pepper to taste. Serve atop toasted crusty bread. An option is to spread a layer of goat cheese on the toasts before placing the Tomato Bruschetta topping on top.


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Categories : Appetizer, Italian

Chili Shrimp with Basil

24 03 2010

When I used to cater, this was one of my most popular appetizer dishes. This is great for a buffet because it can be done ahead of time. This recipe comes from a series of cookbooks I love on fusion cooking by Teri Sandison and Hugh Carpenter. They are beautifully photographed books with delicious recipes. I have entertained for years using their inspirations. This recipe for chili shrimp comes from their Chopstix cookbook. Many of my friends have asked me for this recipe, so here it is finally. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Appetizer, Seafood, Thai

Tomato, Basil and Goat Cheese Bruschetta

28 02 2010
This appetizer dish was a spontaneous addition to our dinner party menu at the first cooking class. We wanted to make sure our guests had something to nibble on when they arrived so we through these together in about 10 minutes. We did use a very secret ingredient. I had some Spanish Roasted Black Olive Sea Salt, which I purchased at the Savory Spice Shop (see my links). If you don’t have it, just use some very good coarse sea salt to add to the tomatoes. Everybody loved them and the students were pleased to see how easy it is to put together a quick yet impressive first course. Read the rest of this entry »

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