Party platters
Alexa Wilson is in the business of making guests feel welcome.
As executive chef at the downtown Spokane bistro Wild Sage, Wilson basically throws a huge dinner party every night.
But one of the most popular things on her menu is the Breaking Bread Platter, a changing sampler plate of dips, spreads, cheeses, crackers and rolls meant to be shared by the table.
“This is how we really eat when we’re entertaining with friends,” Wilson recently told an Institute for Extended Learning class at North Central High School.
And the best part is, you can throw together a similar platter at home – often with ingredients you already have in the pantry or crisper drawer. And many of the items can be made in advance, ready to pop on a tray or nice plate whenever guests drop in. (Yes, it’s only October but the holidays aren’t that far away.)
It’s not much more difficult than opening a jar of salsa and a bag of chips, but it’s so much tastier and the “wow” factor is huge.
A typical platter at Wild Sage might include hummus, olive tapenade, roasted red pepper spread, some goat cheese, a few roasted garlic cloves, homemade crackers and bread.
If that’s too daunting or if time is of the essence, consider making just one dip from scratch. Then you can round out the plate with store-bought crackers, some good cheese, and some canned, marinated artichokes or olives.
“You can put a plate together when the guests show up and still entertain,” Wilson says.
Just about everything Wilson whips up for the platter can be made in the food processor, “our workhorse,” she says, so there’s no toiling over a hot stove.
Rick Rodgers, a New Jersey-based cookbook author, freelance writer and cooking instructor, keeps a few basic ingredients in stock at all times to whip up dips. Rodgers is such a fan of dips, he wrote “Dip It! Great Party Food to Spread, Spoon and Scoop” a few years ago, and included some 95 dip recipes.
“Sour cream, mayonnaise and cream cheese, preferably whipped cream cheese,” Rodgers says. “It’s amazing what you can do with peanut butter, a can of tuna or a can of white beans. Hopefully not all together.”
Rodgers likes to make a peanut dipping sauce with the peanut butter, sautéed onions and garlic, some soy sauce and ginger. With the beans, you can add chopped garlic and rosemary and drizzle in olive oil with the motor running on the food processor. Or, you could follow a similar procedure but use tuna, lemon juice, red onions and capers.
“Creativity does come into play,” he says.
Debbi Collins, co-owner of Spokane’s CaPear catering company, is also a fan of using peanut butter in Asian-inspired dips. She likes to mix about a cup of peanut butter (crunchy is best) with ¼ cup sesame oil, ¼ cup sweet chili sauce, a tablespoon of soy sauce, some chopped green onions.
If she has some leftover chicken or beef, she’ll chop it up and add it to the peanut sauce. Toss some lettuce leaves on a plate and you have an almost-instant lettuce-wrap appetizer, Collins says.
“It took me five minutes to make that,” she says.
The dip can also be spread on crackers or used on a crudités platter.
For another quick treat to round out a plate, Collins likes to toss mixed nuts with honey, cayenne and cinnamon. Roast them in a 400-degree oven for just a couple of minutes. Be careful, though.
“They burn quickly,” she warns.
Here are some recipes to help get your party platter started:
Kalamata Olive Tapenade
From Wild Sage restaurant
8 ounces whole, pitted Kalamata olives
8 ounces Spanish green olives, stuffed with pimiento
4 tablespoons capers
1 lemon, zested
1 tablespoon fresh thyme (or another fresh herb such as parsley, oregano or tarragon)
1/2 tablespoon dried herbes de Provence
1/4 tablespoon ground peppercorn blend (use one without allspice)
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Drain olives and capers. Rinse lemon and zest with microplane grater. Pulse all ingredients – except olive oil – in food processor, scraping sides frequently. With machine running, drizzle in olive oil (may have some left over) until tapenade reaches desired consistency.
Cover and refrigerate for up to two weeks.
Yield: Yields about 1 1/2 pounds
Approximate nutrition per 2-ounce serving: 173 calories, 18 grams fat (2 grams saturated, 90 percent fat calories), less than 1 gram protein, 4 grams carbohydrate, no cholesterol, less than 1 gram dietary fiber, 819 milligrams sodium.
Hummus
From Wild Sage restaurant
4 cups rinsed and drained canned (or soaked and cooked) garbanzo beans
¾ cup tahini paste
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon celery salt
2 tablespoons cumin, ground
10 cloves roasted garlic
2 teaspoons Spanish paprika or smoked paprika
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)
1 teaspoon ground peppercorn blend (without allspice)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
4 ounces extra-virgin olive oil
6 to 8 ounces water
Drain garbanzo beans. In food processor add all ingredients, except water. Scrape sides of processor frequently for even mixing. With motor running, slowly add about half of the water through the top feed tube. Keep processing and adding water until hummus is desired consistency. Cover and refrigerate; lasts up to two weeks.
Yield: About 2 quarts
Approximate nutrition per 2-ounce serving: 154 calories, 11 grams fat (1.5 grams saturated, 62 percent fat calories), 5 grams protein, 11 grams carbohydrate, no cholesterol, 3 grams dietary fiber, 186 milligrams sodium.
Real Onion Dip
From “Dip It!,” by Rick Rodgers. This dip can be made up to two days ahead.
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 medium onions, chopped (3 cups)
3/4 cup mayonnaise
3/4 cup sour cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Finely chopped fresh chives for garnish
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onions, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 20 minutes. Uncover and continue cooking, stirring often, until deep golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool completely
Mix the mayonnaise and sour cream in a medium bowl. Stir in the onions. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours, up to 2 days. (If necessary, thin with milk before serving.)
Transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle with chives. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
Yield: About 2 cups
Approximate nutrition per 2-ounce serving: 132 calories, 13 grams fat (3 grams saturated, 87 percent fat calories, 1 gram protein, 4 grams carbohydrate, 16 milligrams cholesterol, 1 gram dietary fiber, 117 milligrams sodium.
Red Pesto
From “Salsas, Dips and Relishes” by Elsa Petersen-Schepelern. You don’t need basil for this easy dip recipe.
3 ounces sun-dried tomatoes
½ cup pine nuts
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
½ cup olive oil
Put sun-dried tomatoes into a bowl, cover with 1 cup boiling water and let soak overnight. Drain, reserving liquid for another use. Chop the tomatoes.
Put the pine nuts into a dry skillet and heat gently until golden. Remove from pan and let cool.
Put toasted pine nuts into a blender and blend to a meal. Add the drained tomatoes and parmesan and blend again. Drizzle in the olive oil to form a thick paste.
Yield: About 1 ½ cups
Approximate nutrition per 1-ounce serving: 167 calories, 15 grams fat (2.5 grams saturated, 78 percent fat calories), 4 grams protein, 6 grams carbohydrate, 2 milligrams cholesterol, 1 gram dietary fiber, 224 milligrams sodium.
Baguette Crisps
From “Celebrations 101” by Rick Rodgers. Serve these with dips and cheese.
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, crushed
One long, thin baguette, sliced into ¼-inch thick slices
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat the oil and garlic in a small saucepan until small bubbles appear around the edges. Remove from heat and let stand 10 minutes. Strain the oil, discarding the garlic. Put the bread slices in a large bowl and drizzle well with oil, tossing them as you go. Spread the slices on a baking sheet. Bake until crisp and golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool.
For plain crisps, omit the garlic.
To store, place crisps in a brown paper bag (plastic can make them soggy). Close bag and store at room temperature up to eight hours.
Yield: Varies
Nutrition per serving: Unable to calculate.