My husband and I are invited to a July 4 party in a Logan Square high-rise, affording a great view of the fireworks over the Art Museum. This weekend, we’re also celebrating a friend’s birthday at an outdoor evening barbecue in Queen Village. What should I bring?
Sometimes I take my culinary cues from dishes I have enjoyed in restaurants. Cookbooks are always fine guides, along with a quick trip to the market.
In the early 1980s, caterers used to fill large cherry tomatoes with any number of ingredients, from chevre to tabouli to guacamole. Tiny red bliss potatoes were quickly cooked, hollowed out on the top and stuffed with sour cream and caviar. These are easy and delicious appetizers to tote along to a party.
Or, you could bring the ingredients along and assemble them once you arrive at the party. I like this idea because I know I will be welcome in my friend’s kitchen during the barbecue. People can be funny about their kitchens. Some don’t mind if friends want to patshke in their cooking space, while others just keep everybody out.
Since I love to play around in the kitchen, I thought of some dishes I could easily assemble where I’m welcome. All I have to do is collect the ingredients, place them in plastic containers and have fun playing caterer.
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Tomato, Chevre, Roasted Pepper and Basil Napoleons
Ingredients:
3 large red ripe tomatoes, sliced
3 large yellow tomatoes, sliced
2 large logs of chevre, each 6-8 ounces, imported from France
1 (15-ounce) jar roasted red peppers, placed in the refrigerator the night before the party
Handful fresh basil leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling
Directions:
You can stack up this appetizer two ways: Either prepare two large platters or individual plates. Place a slice of the red tomato on the plate. Top with a bit of chevre, mushing and spreading it around. Lay a yellow tomato on top. Place a bit more chevre and top with a yellow tomato. Lay a few red pepper strips on top. Add two-four basil leaves on top, depending upon their size.
Sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper. Drizzle with a bit of extra-virgin olive oil. Repeat until all the ingredients are used.
Serves at least six.
Note from Phyllis: This recipe was inspired by an appetizer I enjoyed last week at Rx. It was created by executive chef Greg Ling. He used tomatoes but also used red and yellow beets. Since I want to prepare a dish with little fuss, I used red and yellow tomatoes and added the peppers and basil.
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Tabouli Stuffing for Cherry Tomatoes
Ingredients:
2 pints large cherry tomatoes
1 (10-ounce) box tabouli
1/2 English cucumber, peeled and diced
Handful fresh Italian parsley leaves, snipped with scissors
Extra-virgin olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
Directions:
Prepare the tabouli according to directions on the package. Add the remaining ingredients and blend well.
Core the tomatoes. Using a melon baller or small spoon, gently scoop out the seeds. Fill each cherry tomato with a bit of tabouli.
Makes about 32 appetizers, figuring there are at least 16 large cherry tomatoes in a pint. This is a free-form recipe, and buying an extra pint of tomatoes can’t hurt. You can substitute couscous for the tabouli or buy extra cherry tomatoes and prepare both fillings.
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Guacamole to Fill Cherry Tomatoes
Ingredients:
2 pints large cherry tomatoes
3 ripe avocados
3-4 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1-2 cloves garlic, finely minced
Fresh coriander leaves, snipped with scissors
Kosher salt, to taste
Directions:
Place the avocados, lime juice and garlic in the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth.
Place the mixture in a plastic container and add the coriander and salt. Blend well. Cover and place in the refrigerator overnight.
Stuff each cherry tomato, prepared as you would for the tabouli, with a bit of guacamole.
Makes about 32, figuring there are at least 16 tomatoes to the pint.
Note from Phyllis: I usually add a bit of diced tomato to my guacamole. But since we are stuffing cherry tomatoes with the mixture, I prefer it straight here. Take along a bag of tortilla chips to a party to serve with any leftover guacamole. This recipe yields about 2 cups.
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Patriotic Parfaits
Ingredients:
Top-quality vanilla ice cream
1 quart ripe strawberries, washed, hulled and sliced
1 pint fresh blueberries
Whipped cream
Directions:
Parfait glasses or big red-wine balloon glasses work well here. As with all free-form recipes, I can’t give you amounts. If you buy extra ice cream or fruit, you will be fortunate enough to have leftovers.
Place some strawberries in the bottom of each glass. Add some vanilla ice cream, using a gelato scooper for its perfect size. Add a few blueberries and more ice cream. Add more strawberries and blueberries and end with ice cream. Top with whipped cream and berries.
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Baked Camembert
Ingredients:
1 wheel ripe Camembert
1 jar fig jam, imported from Italy, no sugar added
Roasted salted almonds
Directions:
To get this ready to take to a party, all you have to do is spread fig jam over the surface of the Camembert. Make concentric circles on top of the cheese with the salted roasted almonds. Place in a flat container with a lid to tote to the party.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the Camembert on an oven-proof plate. Place the plate on a cookie sheet. Heat, uncovered in the oven, for about 20 minutes or so. The cheese should be nice and warm, not really hot, and a bit runny.
Serve with slices of French baguette, little square toasts imported from France and plain crackers.
Note from Phyllis: This is a real retro dish from the ’80s, when every hostess offered one at a party. Sometimes brie is used, but I don’t think the brie we buy in America is all that good. Legend has it that Napoleon named this rich cow’s-milk cheese Camembert after the village in Normandy when a farmer’s wife served it to him. Camembert is always top-quality.
