Need advice with using this recipe: Whipped Feta and Tomato

M

marilynfl

Moderator

My new summer favorite: Whipped Feta and Tomato Crostini

This is a riff on an Ina Garten recipe I've made before.. I liked the concept, but not her version of whipped feta (it was too tart/overpowering). This version is spot on. For the tomato mixture, I added chopped garlic (a la Ina.) Whipped Feta & Tomato Crostini Whipped Feta Spread: 6 ounces...
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I'm in a spice appreciation class at one of the libraries where we're given a sample of a spice and asked to make something to share with everyone. This month's spice is Dukkah. Here's AI's summary:

Dukkah (pronounced doo-ka) is an aromatic Egyptian condiment made from a coarse blend of toasted nuts, seeds, and spices. The name comes from the Arabic word for "to pound" and refers to the traditional method of preparing the mixture with a mortar and pestle.

I had it in Israel on warm flat bread while wandering around Jerusalem and the main taste to me was fennel. I have a jar of it from Trader Joe's and the key scent is fennel. The TBL sample the class leader gave us to make dishes has fennel. However, the learning material and sample recipes she gave has no fennel in the spice combination.

So I'm confused. But with the fennel taste in mind, I mixed up porketta meatballs to serve. I also wanted a cheese sample and thought about the linked one above. Do you think it would be sufficient to make only the whipped feta part and sprinkle it with the dukkah, skipping the tomato portion so the spice is more evident? I've never made that recipe, so I have no point of reference.

Also, do crostini need to be warm when eaten? I live 40 miles away and no matter how hard I try, I don't think I can get there with warm bread.

Thanks.
 
I don’t know anything about this spice, but I’m thinking it doesn’t need to be warm. However, I can attest to using a “hot box” keeping items far warmer than expected. I learned how to make one from a Gail’s post. Container of hot food, wrapped in a bath towel, inside a cardboard box. I had to learn to not take something out of the oven straight into a hot box or it would still be far too hot to eat several hours later at my destination. An apple pie, too hot to serve on Thanksgiving. Coffee cake, too hot for bunch. Both several hours later, so if you wanted warm bread, I’m sure it would last for your 40 mile trip.
 
I say no to the crostini needing to be warm.

Here's another idea for the dukkah, just to sub in this recipe. I often use fennugreek in it. When I look up dukkah, I keep seeing cumin and sometimes fennel as included in the mixture. I love all those flavours and cumin if it comes from the So Mediterranean rather than India.

Leek and Cheese Phyllo Tart By: Lucy Waverman

This is like a large phyllo pizza. Cut in slices to serve. Vary the vegetables with other ones you like. To clean leeks, remove dark green leaves and discard. Slice leeks down to root and wash under warm water to dislodge any dirt, then slice.
Serves 10 to 12
2 tbsp (25 mL) olive oil
6 cups (1.5 L) sliced leeks
1 zucchini, diced
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup (125 mL) goat cheese
1 1/2 cups (375 mL) ricotta cheese
3 tbsp (45 mL) chopped dill
2 tsp (10 mL) crushed fennel seed
3 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup (75 mL) melted butter
10 sheets phyllo

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Add leeks and zucchini and sauté for 5 minutes or until softened. Season well.
3. Combine goat and ricotta cheese in bowl, then whisk in dill, fennel and eggs until well incorporated. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in leek and zucchini mixture.
4. Brush a 15-inch (38-cm) pizza pan with butter. Brush 1 sheet of phyllo with butter and place across pan. The sheet will overhang a little. Butter a second sheet and overlap first sheet by about 3 inches (8-cm). Continue to make a circle using about 8 to 10 sheets, buttering each sheet as you go.
5. Spoon in the filling leaving a 1-inch (2.5-cm) border. Fold the overhang on to the filling and make a free-form "crimped" edge. Butter edge.
6. Place in bottom shelf of oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until pastry is golden and filling is set. Serve warm or at room temperature.
 
marilynfl said:

My new summer favorite: Whipped Feta and Tomato Crostini

This is a riff on an Ina Garten recipe I've made before.. I liked the concept, but not her version of whipped feta (it was too tart/overpowering). This version is spot on. For the tomato mixture, I added chopped garlic (a la Ina.) Whipped Feta & Tomato Crostini Whipped Feta Spread: 6 ounces...
recipeswap.org recipeswap.org

I'm in a spice appreciation class at one of the libraries where we're given a sample of a spice and asked to make something to share with everyone. This month's spice is Dukkah. Here's AI's summary:

Dukkah (pronounced doo-ka) is an aromatic Egyptian condiment made from a coarse blend of toasted nuts, seeds, and spices. The name comes from the Arabic word for "to pound" and refers to the traditional method of preparing the mixture with a mortar and pestle.

I had it in Israel on warm flat bread while wandering around Jerusalem and the main taste to me was fennel. I have a jar of it from Trader Joe's and the key scent is fennel. The TBL sample the class leader gave us to make dishes has fennel. However, the learning material and sample recipes she gave has no fennel in the spice combination.

So I'm confused. But with the fennel taste in mind, I mixed up porketta meatballs to serve. I also wanted a cheese sample and thought about the linked one above. Do you think it would be sufficient to make only the whipped feta part and sprinkle it with the dukkah, skipping the tomato portion so the spice is more evident? I've never made that recipe, so I have no point of reference.

Also, do crostini need to be warm when eaten? I live 40 miles away and no matter how hard I try, I don't think I can get there with warm bread.

Thanks.
Click to expand...
I don't think the crostini needs to be warm. Room temp should be ok. Porketta meatballs sound really good! Maybe grilled haloumi with dukkah would be an easier alternative to transport?
Here's Yotam's recipe for dukkah. I can understand the confusion, as his doesn't contain fennel. Accompanied this recipe for grilled carrots.
Grilled Carrots With Yogurt, Carrot-Top Oil and Dukkah Recipe. The dukkah gets a lot of compliments in the comments.

  • For the Dukkah​

    • ¼cup/35 grams blanched hazelnuts, toasted
    • ¼cup/35 grams pine nuts, toasted
    • 2tablespoons coriander seeds, toasted
    • 1tablespoon plus 1½ teaspoons black and white sesame seeds, toasted
    • 1teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted
    • 1teaspoon dried oregano
    • ½teaspoon sweet paprika
    • ¼teaspoon kosher salt
    • Add all the dukkah ingredients to a food processor and pulse a few times until the nuts are roughly chopped. (You should have 1 scant cup.)
 
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