appetizer | The Foodies' Kitchen

Bloomin’ Onion Bread

Got friends coming over? Try this bloomin’ onion bread. You’ll prepare it in a flash and your friends will love it. It’s better if you use sourdough bread to really get the “blooming” effect. We don’t have sourdough bread available at the bakery in Guatemala, so I used a country style round bread, and it worked just fine. I used a small serrated knife to help me cut the bread when I had to do the second part. I think I would have made a tragic mess out of that loaf if I had used the regular bread knife.

If you’re having more than 4 friends over, make at least 2! Trust me, they will be gone quicker than you think.

This recipe can be the base for you to use your creativity and add different ingredients such as, cheddar cheese and bacon instead of just mozzarella and onions. How about individual portions using small round breads? I’ll be experimenting with these ideas over the holidays, I have a ton of family get togethers coming up. (yikes)

Bloomin’ Onion Bread

Recipe adapted from The Girl Who Ate Everything

Ingredients:

1 unsliced loaf sourdough bread (or any round country style bread)

1 lb shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup finely diced green onion

2 teaspoons poppy seeds
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cut the bread lengthwise and widthwise without cutting through the bottom crust. This can be a little tricky going the second way but the bread is very forgiving. Tip! Use a serrated knife.
Place on a foil-lined baking sheet. Insert cheese between cuts. Combine butter, onion, and poppy seeds. Drizzle over bread. Wrap in foil; place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.
Unwrap the bread and bake 10 more minutes, or until cheese is melted.

08:53 AM
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- appetizer, Baked, blooming, Bread, Cheese
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Halloween Cheddar Cheese Ball

Looking for an appetizer to serve at your Halloween party? Having trouble finding something that doesn’t have eyes, or gory gross stuff on it? This cheddar cheese ball covered with poppy seeds is a perfect choice for an adult Halloween party. I’ve made it a couple of times already, and it never fails to please. Serve it with toasted pumpernickel bread for added drama (this bread is black), or with any type of toasted bread.

This is definitely an appetizer for grownups, the sharp cheddar cheese is blended with sherry and sour cream to make the base which is formed into a ball, it’s not exactly a kid friendly flavor. The beauty of this is you can make it ahead of time, so when your guests arrive you just need to pull it out of the fridge and start pouring the wine!

Halloween Cheddar Cheese Ball

Recipe from Martha Stewart
Serves 12-15

Ingredients:

1 1/4 pounds extra-sharp cheddar, shredded
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1/3 cup dry sherry
1 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1/3 cup poppy seeds

Procedure:

Process all ingredients except poppy seeds in a food processor until smooth.
Transfer to a large bowl lined with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
Unmold onto a plate. Press poppy seeds evenly over surface, rounding top.

08:30 AM
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- appetizer, cheddar, cheese ball, halloween, poppy seeds
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Homemade Ricotta Cheese

This is one of the best recipe finds I’ve stumbled upon in the last few months. Homemade ricotta cheese? I imagined the process would be more complicated, so I was surprised to see how easy this recipe is. You just need milk, lemon, slat and cheesecloth Homemade mascarpone is next, so I can indulge Mariano with some Tiramisu for his upcoming birthday.

This is an incredibly creamy ricotta, which I have only slightly adapted from the original recipe. It said to add 1/2 teaspoon of coarse salt, which I found to be too bland. 1 1/2 teaspoons is right for my taste, but you can try making it as the original suggests. You can always add the salt later, as I did. Once the cheese is done, you can mix in the salt using a wooden spoon.

I enjoyed mine with olive oil and salt, with rhubarb jam I recently made, or with sundried tomatoes and a little dry basil would also be amazing. Go ahead, try it!

(Also, the recipe says the cheese will keep for 3-4 days, but mine lasted for a little longer than a week and it was fine)

Homemade Ricotta Cheese
Adapted slightly from Smitten Kitchen
Makes about 1 generous cup of ricotta

Ingredients:
3 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Procedure:

Pour the milk, cream and salt into a 3-quart nonreactive saucepan. Attach a candy or deep-fry thermometer. Heat the milk to 190°F, stirring it occasionally to keep it from scorching on the bottom.
Remove from heat and add the lemon juice, then stir it once or twice, gently and slowly. Let the pot sit undisturbed for 5 minutes.
Line a colander with a few layers of cheesecloth and place it over a large bowl (to catch the whey). Pour the curds and whey into the colander and let the curds strain for at least an hour. At an hour, you’ll have a tender, spreadable ricotta. At two hours, it will be spreadable but a bit firmer, almost like cream cheese. (It will firm as it cools, so do not judge its final texture by what you have in your cheesecloth.)
Discard the whey, or, if you’re one of those crafty people who use it for other things, of course, save it. Eat the ricotta right away or transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to use. This cheese will keep for 3-4 days.