Boursin!

Are you familiar with Boursin cheese?  It's a spreadable, butter based "cheese" that is delightful on crackers and crudites.  It's also pricey.



Being the coupon addict that I am, I sometimes use that addiction to bring items home that I normally won't buy.  I've become a cheap skate you see.  Boursin is one of those items. A few days ago, I had a coupon that combined the purchase of bagel chips and Boursin.  Overall, it wasn't a stellar coupon, but given the fact that I was buying about $150 worth of groceries for only $65, I thought I could afford the "fluff."  So, I bought Boursin "light" garlic and herb. I considered it a special treat.  

Tonight, my little one asked for one little after dinner snack.  I played my usual "I don't know if you'll like this.  See right here?  It says gourmet on the package.  I bet not many other 2nd graders would like this fancy stuff."  Hook.Line.Sinker.  Opened up the bagel chips and Boursin and the kid went crazy.  She even went so far as to explain to me that the Boursin was a buttery flavor with an "herby undertone."  I promise, that's what she said! There you have it.  Kids can and will eat pretty much what you give them. You just have to present it in a way that jives with their personalities.

A few years ago a good friend gave me the coolest Christmas circe. It was a little ceramic crock of homemade "Boursin" with a little spreader and the recipe attached.  If you know anything about my recipe/microwave/notebook deal, let me assure you that same little recipe card is in the book...preserved forever.  And, I'm going to share it with you. Especially since the holidays are upon us, you may find this useful for holiday parties, hostess gifts, appetizers at the big family feasts, etc.  You get my drift. Enjoy and toast a glass of champagne to my friend Mary Ann.

Boursin Cheese

• 1   8 oz tub whipped sweet cream butter
• 2   8 oz packages cream cheese
• 1   crushed garlic clove
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/4 tsp dill
• 1/4 tsp marjoram
• 1/4 tsp basil
• 1/4 tsp thyme
• 1/4 tsp pepper

Let the butter and cream cheese soften so that you can cream together. Mix all spices together and sprinkle on cheese mixture.  Mix so spices are distributed evenly. chill for at least an hour before serving. (May be frozen)

Just in the (St.) Nick of time!

This past Saturday was my Sunday school class party.  As usual, I pondered for a couple weeks what would be my dish of choice.  I tend to be a last minute kinda girl.  I always know that I'll have a great idea, whip it up that day and take it along.  Only this Saturday, I miscalculated.  Big time.

I was working a special event at K.D.'s Treehouse.  Santa was there.  There was a jump castle, face painting, book signings, arts and crafts and of course, shopping in the store.  All of a sudden, it dawned on me that I had failed to make a decision and hit the grocery store that morning, as I had planned.  So, my mind went into overtime/panic/oh crap! mode.  Then it hit me.  An easy as pie little hors d'oeuvres that my parents taught me many years ago.

So, I grabbed the red phone and made an emergency call to Neil.  I gave him the list.  Told him "Go, go, go!  Meet me at home.  And hurry, man!"  

I beat him home, so I got a giant pot of water on the stove.  Just finished changing clothes when he arrived.  Placed two bags of tiny red potatoes in the boiling water.  Cooled with cold water.  Waited a little bit; had a glass of wine.  Then, the assembly line started.  I was actually pretty proud of how efficient the two of us were in cranking out our little hors d'oeuvres. 

**So what am I talking about?** 

What the heck are those things?

New potatoes with a shallow hollow made in the middle, sour cream and topped with black caviar.  Inexpensive, easy to make and (thank goodness) can be made REALLY quick.  We managed to get all this done and still get to the party on time.  So, next challenge is this:  what if everyone hates them?  Well, one friend told me that she'd never had caviar before but tried it and liked it.  Interestingly, her major obstacle was the sour cream, but she determined that she actually liked it combined with the salty roe.  At the end of the evening, she told me she'd eaten 8 of them.  I had a few other people tell me that they hadn't had caviar before either.  They were amazed to know that you can buy it at Publix and it's not expensive. At the end of the night all we brought home was an empty platter.

BTW:  this is a fantastic accompaniment to a whole smoked salmon (or whatever smoked fish you prefer.)  Try it!  You'll like it!  

Crab Puffs Cont'd: Got the Recipe!

If you read my post about crab puffs, you will recall that I promised you the recipe once I got it from my sister.  See below.  And, may the Puff be with you!

• 6 oz crab meat, picked, cleaned & flaked 
• 1/2 c. shredded sharp cheddar
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 1 tsp. dry mustard
• 1 tsp. Worchestershire sauce
• 1 c. water
• 1/2 c. butter
• 1 c. all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 4 eggs

Combine the first 5 ingredients, stirring well.  Set aside.

Combine water, butter and salt in a medium saucepan.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low, add flour and stir vigorously until mixture leaves the side of the pan and forms a smooth ball.  Remove saucepan from heat and allow mixture to cool slightly.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating with a wooden spoon after each addition, until batter is smooth.  Add crab and stir well.  Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets.  

Bake at 400 for 15 minutes, reduce heat to 350 and bake an additional 10 minutes.  Serve warm.  Makes about 4 1/2 dozen.

**To freeze before baking, cover baking sheets with foil before dropping batter.   Place batter on sheets then freeze until hard. Remove from sheets and store in an airtight container in freezer.  To serve, remove from freezer and bake unthawed at 375 for 35 minutes.

**To freeze after baking, place puffs in airtight container in freezer.  Let thaw completely and bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes.

The Famous Crab Puff

As a child, I remember hearing adults talk about crab puffs.  I heard it at wedding receptions, on TV shows, etc. but I'd never actually seen a crab puff.  It seemed to be the quintessential 70's hors d'oeuvre and I loved the idea of a crab puff.  Frankly, the concept of any type of 'puff' sounds appealing to me.  So, you can understand my bewilderment at how such a seemingly popular and oft-talked-about little morsel could be so elusive.  

As an adult, I have attended many (yeah, many!) cocktail parties, grand openings, weddings, receptions.  And, I've given my share of good parties too.  But, never have I come across a crab puff nor have I ever found a recipe for them.  Well, that's not completely true...I will admit that I have actually seen recipes that called themselves 'crab puffs' but what I read wasn't remotely like the crab puff in my mind.  It's supposed to be crabby, light, puffy and extremely sophisticated.  

So, along comes Christmas 2010.  My sister Katherine and her husband arrived from Asheville and K had brought some hors d'oeuvres.  Lo and behold!  The girl made crab puffs.  I was so excited that I think I frightened her a little with my reaction.  What?  Crab Puffs?  There is a God after all!  Ya-freaking-hoo!  You know, I was enthused.  


These were the crab puffs that my memory has carried around all these years.  I had flashbacks of the wedding reception at our house for a couple of hippies; my job was 'Canape Girl.'  My mom worked with me on pronunciation for a couple weeks, I practiced my tray handling skills and 'worked the room' with my wee voice, "Canapes, canapes." It could have only been made more perfect if my tray had included Katherine's crab puffs.  I mean, Mary Tyler Moore and James Bond would have been all over these babies!  


They were puffy and light.  They had plenty of that luscious blue crab meat that wasn't overpowered by any other ingredients.  The cheddar was there but not too overbearing.  Just perfect.  I can't wait to make them and keep a stash in my freezer.


Just one problem...I forgot to get the recipe from her.  So, as soon as I get it, I'll gladly share it. Now, here's your homework...if you have a crab puff that you like or that someone in your family makes, I'd love to hear about it.  I'm now devoted to serving crab puffs every chance I get.  And martinis.  Maybe rumaki.  Oh, beautiful 1970's!

Christmas Eve Plans

Every year, I start imagining all the Thanksgiving/Christmas get-togethers and what kind of menu we should have, what look, what time to eat, etc.  I sometimes have a theme, sometimes it's an elegant candlelit affair, occasionally I envision a Norman Rockwell painting.  The thing is, no matter what ideas or scenarios that I come up with, it usually plays out like our holidays have played out my whole life.  And, that's ok.

We have never been the night-time, dress up in velvet, candlelit formal holiday dinner types.  I see the articles in Food & Wine and Bon Appetit with all the shimmery decorations, formal china and crystal, fancy dresses and coats and ties and it looks great.  I love an elegant event as much as, maybe even more than most people.  But, holidays in the Webber-Wilson-Akre-Ballard clan have always been pretty casual, homey, pot-lucky and what I consider to be "normal."  We make a plan: who's making a turkey, who's  bringing ham,  how about Uncle John's smoked corned beef this time?  Aunt Jennie is always asked to make her dressing & sweet potatoes.  I've probably told y'all before that without her sweet potatoes for at least one of the holiday dinners, the Earth will fall off its axis.  My sister and I are usually the ones who will throw in a new experiment or some hors d'oeuvres.  We all pitch in, plan on eating a mid to late lunch, drink wine.  You know.


So, Christmas is upon us and I'm thinking about Christmas Eve in particular.  At Thanksgiving, I said to my Dad, "What about doing a beef tenderloin on Christmas Eve after church and having the traditional stuff for lunch on Christmas Day?"  We both agreed this would be a great plan.  I think I suggest the tenderloin every year; it usually happens about every 7 years.  What usually ends up happening is what will happen this year too.  We all gravitate back to "pick up food."  Not take-out, but hors d'oeuvres, snacks, casual dishes like gumbo, antipasto.  Sounds great to me: I could live off finger food.  Remember how Rachel served her kids their meals in Mermaids? 

 I want to throw in a cheese fondue this year.  Vivian hasn't experienced fondue and at 4 1/2 years old, I think she'll really think it's cool.  And, I want to do the real thing: the emmenthaler, kirsch, garlic, good bread...the whole nine yards.  We have tons of crab in the freezer, so I think crab cakes go without saying.  I'm looking at some other recipes like roast beef & horseradish crostini for example.  That's as far as I've gotten so far.  I'm sure Mom has some great ideas floating around in her head as well.

Ok, that does it...I want fondue NOW!

So, as is pretty typical for us, we'll have a yummy, casual Christmas Eve grazing.  Katherine is bringing a ham, we'll make Aunt Jennie's sweet potatoes, maybe a broccoli casserole, so Christmas Day will be pretty traditional. OUR Traditional anyway.  And that's ok!