Tortillas and Oranges » appetizer

Caramelized Onion Tart

admin — Sun, 01 Mar 2020 20:14:17 +0000

The morning I gave birth to may daughter Grace, I missed a brunch. My good friend Jo brought brunch to me. This tart was included. I was famished. It was perfect.

4 large Bermuda onions, sliced
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon butter
2 teaspoons fresh thyme, picked
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
4 whole eggs
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1(9-inch) parbaked pate brisee tart shell
Saute onions in oil and butter until caramelized and golden brown, then add thyme and a pinch of salt. Remove from pan and allow to cool. In a bowl, add heavy cream, eggs, nutmeg, and onions, season with salt and pepper. Pour mixture into tart shell and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until center does not jiggle.

Thursday Flashback: Caramel Apple Cider

admin — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 11:58:34 +0000

Happy Halloween and let the cider drinking begin! Seriously, I may hand this out next week instead of candy. As my daughter Annabelle says, I am totally not kidding.

Originally published October 22, 2009

It’s a shame how long I’ve gone without posting anything. Life has taken over. Last summer, as we drifted about enjoying our free time, I looked at my growing girls and suspected that Fall would be crazy nutty. And although I usually don’t write much about my family online, I must say that this Fall has been spectacular. E and G are turning into amazing people. They enjoy their music and it’s starting to pay off. A is thinking about starting to read. P has discovered the joy of multi tools. I accomplished the one thing I knew I had to do after I finished bearing children–I ran a marathon. It was exhilarating, difficult, dissapointing, and emboldening all at the same time. I’ll do another some day. Having written all of that, here is a recipe you must have for the Fall. Fix this for the Trick or Treaters and you will be the talk of the town.

Appetizer: Peach Salsa

admin — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 11:56:42 +0000

You don’t need much for this bowl of goodness. Just grab:

fresh peaches (peeled and diced)
fresh lime (squeezed)
fresh tomatoes diced)
fresh cilantro (chopped)
fresh red onion (minced)
a bit of salt

You decide on the amounts. I did 3 large peaches, 2 small homegrown tomatoes, 1/4 cup cilantro, 1/4 cup minced red onion, juice of one lime, and salt to taste. Man oh man. Here’s hoping your Labor Day BBQ is as fancy as ours.

Appetizer: Italian Hummus

admin — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 11:10:29 +0000

I know that is a weird name. But let me tell you where this recipe came from. One night, long ago, Danny and I snuck out for a quick dinner for two. We lived in Berkeley at the time and decided to stroll down College Avenue. We ran into this quaint little Italian place and let ourselves in. We were whisked to a small table and treated to a lovely appetizer. The dip was so good I had to find out how they made it. When I asked the waiter, he scratched the ingredients on the back of our receipt and handed it to me. I hold it in my precious hand and now turn those ingredients to you.

Parsley Italian Hummus/Dip

1 can garbanzo beans (drained)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup olive oil (preferably extra virgin)
salt to taste

Puree garbanzo beans in food processor or vita mix, along with parsley, garlic, and salt (to taste). While mixing, add olive oil in a drizzle. Puree until ingredients become consistency of a dip. Serve with warmed pita bread.

Appetizer: Vidalia Onion Dip

admin — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 11:57:43 +0000

This dip is so naughty. But I don’t even care. I make it on Super Bowl Sunday and I make no apologies.

Vidalia Onion Dip

3 cups chopped Vidalia onions
3 cups shredded swiss cheese
2 1/2 cups mayonaisses
garlic salt, to taste

Mix all ingredients and pour into greased 1 1/2 quart baking dish. Bake in preheated 350 oven for 35-40 minutes until lightly brown. Serve with corn chips.

Appetizer: Fruit Salsa and Cinnamon Chips

admin — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 11:49:59 +0000

The big game is coming up (we’ll miss you Tebow). I have the perfect Super Bowl appetizer for you. Why not show up at your party with a healthy party food and negate those horrible rumors about Super Bowl Fare.

Fruit Salsa and Cinnamon Chips

Fruit Salsa:
2 apples (1 red, 1 green), diced
1 cup strawberries, diced
1 cup kiwi, diced,
2 cups frozen raspberries mashed or 2 Tblsp. raspberry jam
2 Tablesp. orange juice
2 Tablesp. brown sugar

Mix all ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Add more brown sugar according to taste (or less).

Cinnamon Chips:
Of course you can just buy a bag nowadays but just in case:
4-6 flour tortillas
water, butter, or cooking spray
cinnamon sugar

Preheat oven to 475. Spray one or both sides of the flour tortillas with water or cooking spray or spread butter on both sized (depending on how low fat you want them. But I think low fat is lame.). Immediately sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Place tortillas on a cookie sheet and cut into triangles or strips (using pizza cutter). Bake for 5-7 minutes or until desired doneness, remembering that when the tortillas are removed from teh oven, they will harden as they cool. Serve with fruit salsa.

Appetizer: Mexican Baked Bean Dip

admin — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 11:56:12 +0000

Got a bunch of tomatoes hanging around this time of the year? I’ve got just the thing for you.

Sometimes I get stuck in a rut, and I make the same thing over and over again. This factors in most prominently on Sunday evenings. As we gear up for a new week, we all like to gather at the table and eat something comfortable, yummy, easy, and reliable. Enter my favorite bean dip in the world. Once you make this, you’ll see that’s it more of a bean dish that a dip. But we scoop it up with sturdy tortilla chips and gobble, gobble, gobble. Add this to your rotation and you’ll be thanking me.

Mexican Baked Bean Dip

1 can black beans
1 can cannelini beans (or navy or great northern)
1 can shoepeg corn
1-2 cups salsa verde (green salsa)
6 whole roma tomatoes, diced and salted
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
4 cups mexican blend cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 400. Dice and salt tomatoes and scatter in the bottom of 9×13 baking pan. Drain all beans and corn, add to top of tomatoes. Pour salsa over bean mixture. Sprinkle entire pan with cheese and cilantro. Bake in oven until cheese and salsa melt together and bubble, about 15-20 minutes. Serve with sturdy tortilla chips (Costco’s Kirkland Signature Brand Organic Tortilla Chips are by far our favorite). Enjoy.

Snack: Stealing Salsa

admin — Thu, 19 May 2011 12:00:37 +0000

My Vita Mix in a glory--making the thing I love to eat most.

You may recall a few months back as I openly adored my Vita Mix. What I didn’t dwell on too much is the one dish I make most often using my Vita Mix. That would be the Pioneer Woman’s salsa. Ree Drumond is a genius. And like all successful beautiful women I see, I am insanely jealous of her. So, I’m breaking a rule and sending you to someone else’s recipe instead of giving you my own. But I’d be lying if I did otherwise. I make this stuff every Sunday afternoon, and consume it everyday for lunch. Make this salsa. You won’t regret it. But you will thank me, as usual.

Appetizer: Pumpkin to beat all Pumpkins

admin — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 17:26:48 +0000

Are you in charge of the appetizer on Thursday? Have I got a gem for you. Ruth Reichl has a tale invovling this recipe. I don’t remember much but I do remember how her friends raved and raved. Years ago in Berkeley, my good friend SB came to a party bearing this gift. We about died. So of course I’ve been making it ever since. The Stuffed Pumpkin fills so many requirements for me. It is fairly easy, calls for reasonable ingredients, looks pretty on the table, really wows your friends, and it tastes better than almost anything else. Sometimes I feel awkward bringing the stuffed beauty to other parties because I’ll just stand by it and eat from it the whole time. People will give me funny looks. Do not lose this recipe. It is a keeper. Once you eat it you’ll see why Dorie Greenspan calls it The Pumpkin Filled with Everything Good. I couldn’t agree more.

Snack: The Best (Pinto) Bean Dip

admin — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 03:06:00 +0000

When I was younger, one of my favorite restaurants offered a warm pinto bean dip along with their tortilla chips. After I left home, I craved the dip day and night. Fifteen years later, I’ve created a bean dip to fill that ever present craving. This dip takes the edge off of any homesickness I may be feeling.

1 can refried beans (pinto, of course)
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup salsa
1/2 cup shredded cheese (I use the shredded mexican blend. If that is not available use mild cheddar.)

In a medium sauce pan, combine refried beans, sour cream, and salsa. While stirring, cook over medium heat until very hot (not quite bubbling). Add cheese and stir constantly while it melts. Now, at this point you may want to add more cheese, depending on how cheesy you want it to be. Pour into small serving bowl and top with additional cheese. (If you are really into this, I crumble queso blanco over the top of the hot dip. Queso blanco–now available in the cheese section of most Costco’s–is a salty creamy mexican cheese that melts well. If you use it everyone who eats it will realize you totally know Mexican food, and you will be the talk of the block.) Serve with tortillas chips.