Read Modern Hospitality: Simple Recipes With Southern Charm Hardcover – July 5, 2011 Online
Authors: Whitney Miller
Modern Hospitality: Simple Recipes With Southern Charm Hardcover – July 5, 2011 (4 page)
PARTY
STARTERS
SOMETIMES, I HAVE LAUGHINGLY BEEN DESCRIBED as running on “Miller time.” Everything always seems to take longer to put together than I expect. I definitely feel this was true in the last seconds of plating in the semifinals of
MasterChef
. In the nick of time, I creatively used the mixing bowl to pour on my hollandaise sauce. When I’m entertaining at home, my saving grace is to quickly assemble and serve appetizers. They keep my guests happy and give me time to put last-minute finishing touches on dinner.
Quick and Easy Cornbread Crostini
Cream Cheese Ring with Cranberry Chipotle Sauce
Bacon-Wrapped Stuffed Brussels Sprouts
Butter Bean Hummus
Butter beans are a staple ingredient in Southern cooking. When my mom was a little girl, she used to spend long, relaxing afternoons sitting on the porch shelling butter beans for her mother’s recipes. This fast and easy appetizer uses canned butter beans so you don’t have to shell for hours on end!
3 bacon strips
2 cans (15 ounces each) large butter beans, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (optional)
1 tablespoon tahini (optional)
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 small garlic clove, minced
Salt and ground black pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon thinly sliced scallion
¼ teaspoon paprika
Cook the bacon in a large skillet over low heat until crisp. Drain the bacon on paper towels (leave the bacon fat in the skillet). Break the bacon into small pieces and set aside.
Add the butter beans to the skillet and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Scrape the butter beans into a food processor and puree for 1 minute. Add 2 tablespoons water, the lemon juice (if using), tahini (if using), and thyme and process until smooth. Scrape the mixture into a bowl and stir in the garlic. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
To serve, transfer the bean mixture to a small serving bowl and smooth with the back of a spoon. Drizzle the olive oil over the hummus. Sprinkle with the bacon, scallion, and paprika. Serve with pita chips or fresh crudités.
Serves 4 to 6
Collard Green Dip
In the South, collard greens are an abundant, but not well-respected green. This recipe takes lowly collards and elevates them in a delicious and creamy dip that can be served with Quick and Easy Cornbread Crostini, pita chips, or corn chips.
1 bunch (14 leaves) collard greens, washed and ribs removed
4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter
3 tablespoons diced yellow onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
¼ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 cups half-and-half
½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese (2 ounces)
½ tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons sour cream
1 jar (6 ounces) marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
¼ cup shredded whole-milk mozzarella cheese or 1 ounce mozzarella, cut into 4 slices
Quick and Easy Cornbread Crostini (page
22
) or pita chips
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the collard greens and cook for 2 minutes to blanch. Drain the leaves and pat dry with paper towels. Stack the leaves and roll into a cigar. Cut the cigar in half lengthwise and thinly slice crosswise into long strips.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle with the flour and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in the broth and half-and-half, increase the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low. Add the Parmesan, lemon juice, salt, and cayenne. Stir until the cheese has melted.
Pour the cheese mixture into a food processor and add the slivered greens. Blend or pulse until the greens are in small pieces. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook for 5 minutes to heat through. Remove from the heat and stir in the sour cream and artichokes.
Pour the mixture into an 8 X 8-inch glass baking dish. Top with the mozzarella. Bake until the cheese is melted, about 10 minutes. Serve hot with cornbread crostini or pita chips.
Serves 8
Quick and Easy Cornbread Crostini
Because I’m always entertaining for friends and family, I like to be able to whip up an appetizer quickly and easily when guests show up. I can make these cornbread crostini with ingredients I already have on hand in my pantry. They’re so versatile-you can top them with anything from cheese (try spicy Pimiento Cheese, page
163
) to salsa, and they’re the perfect accompaniment to recipes like Collard Green Dip (page
21
).
1 cup self-rising cornmeal
½ cup fat-free milk
1 large egg
2 tablespoons canola oil
¼ cup corn kernels
Preheat the oven to 450°F.
Mix together the cornmeal, milk, egg, oil, and corn in a medium bowl.
Heat a 24-cup mini muffin tin in the oven for 2 minutes. Once hot, lightly coat the cups with cooking spray.
Spoon ½ teaspoon of cornmeal mixture into each muffin cup. Bake for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven. Flip the crostini over using a spoon. Return to the oven and bake for 2 minutes to give an even crunch.
Makes about 48 crostini
Cream Cheese Ring with Cranberry Chipotle Sauce
Cheese molds were a popular party appetizer back in the ’50s, though they’ve all but disappeared now that cheese plates have become fashionable. This recipe brings an old-fashioned tradition into the 21st century with the addition of a sophisticated sauce and toasted walnuts. The presentation is simple and elegant and its vibrant red color makes it especially pretty to serve around the holidays.
CRANBERRY CHIPOTLE SAUCE
1 bag (12 ounces) fresh cranberries
1½ cups granulated sugar
½ cup packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
¼ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cornstarch
CREAM CHEESE RING
1½ cups chopped walnuts
5 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, at room temperature
Crackers, for serving
To make the cranberry chipotle sauce: Combine the cranberries, both sugars, and 2 cups water in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 20 minutes.
Strain half of the mixture into blender, reserving the pulp in the sieve. Add all of the remaining mixture to the blender without straining. (Transfer the reserved pulp back to the saucepan.) Add the vinegar, chipotle pepper, and salt to the blender and blend until smooth. Pour into the pan with the reserved pulp and stir to combine.
Stir 1 tablespoon water into the cornstarch in a small bowl. Stir the cornstarch mixture into the cranberry mixture until combined. Return the pan to medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture thickens, about 5 minutes.
Pour the sauce into a bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight before serving.
To prepare the cream cheese ring: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread the walnuts evenly on a baking sheet and bake, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and lightly toasted, 8 to 10 minutes.
Line a 7- or 8-inch springform pan with plastic wrap, leaving some hanging over the edges of the pan. Place 3 blocks of cream cheese in the bottom of the pan. Using your hand or the back of a spoon, spread the cream cheese evenly into the pan, making sure to get into the edges of the pan. Place a 6- or 8-ounce ramekin on top of the cream cheese, centered in the middle of the pan. Spread 2 blocks of cream cheese around the outside of the ramekin. Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 2 hours or until the cream cheese is firm. This can be made ahead of time and refrigerated overnight.
Release the sides of the springform and move the cream cheese ring off the bottom of the pan. Discard the plastic wrap and place the ring on a serving plate. Press the walnuts into the sides of the ring. Spoon some of the Cranberry Chipotle Sauce into the ramekin (and replenish as needed).
Serve with crackers.
Serves 12
Create a theme for your next entertaining event. For Southern charm, use a mixture of mason
jars,
tin or pewter serving pieces, and
white dishes.
Be sure to set the mood
with
flowers.
White
or
yellow daisies work
well and can be combined
with curly
willow
sticks to
lend
height to
the arrangement.
