Holiday Entertaining Refresher Course

I don’t know about you but I’m a tad rusty on entertaining these days. I know I keep repeating myself about this point but it’s true. I went from hosting parties every month to hosting 4 times in past 3 years! To say that my skills are dull is an understatement. As you may have read from the last two posts, we recently hosted two small gatherings for friends and family, and I was actually nervous. For the larger one (just 8 people including us) I had serving platters spread out across the dining table, staring at them in a frozen state, unable to make a decision on what to use. Seriously, how pathetic. But as with any skill, practice is the key to keeping it sharp, and for regaining it.

So as we approach the thick of the holiday season, I felt like I needed a refresher course, and thought it might be helpful for you, too.

There are some key notes to keep in mind, so you don’t lose yours.

  1. Keep it manageable. Don’t try to take on too much. (I should take my own advice.) Make simple but appetizing platters.

A platter of dry cured meat with some cucumber slices makes a festive appetizer.

2. Prep as much as you can ahead of time. Whether it be cutting, chopping and placing in containers until needed, or cooking ahead time. Look at your whole menu and devise a strategy that spreads the work out.

Pre-cook whatever you can then just reheat.

Arrange your food items on the trays or pots and have them at the ready.

Chop, slice and place in containers or bags, then labeled for easy assembly.

3. Know when you need help, AND then ask for it. (Whether from your family/friends or if you need to hire an extra set of hands.)

Have everyone chip in helping to get the meal to the table.

4. Avoid trying new and untested recipes. It only adds to the stress. (Again, advice I rarely take myself)

Simple potato mash. Nothing complicated but still delicious.

5. When making the guest list think about the mingle factor. We may not have seen some of our friends and family for awhile but that doesn’t mean we need to jam them all in for one occasion. Maybe think about spreading your hosting events out. For instance, one year when we hosted Thanksgiving and were at capacity, we hosted a Friday after Thanksgiving dinner with a separate group. Smaller more manageable groups are easier.

Big dinner

Smaller group

6. Set the table days in advance. I have found this removes so much of the last minute stress. You could be finishing up in the kitchen when guests arrive but you don’t have to worry that the table isn’t set when they walk through the door. (Side Bonus: I love walking past a beautifully set today several days beforehand. It inspires me and plain ole brings a smile to my face.)

Set a pretty table. By doing this way ahead of time you can include all the details without being under time pressure.

7. Set up a Drink Station so your guests can easily help themselves. One less thing.

Keep it simple. You don’t need to provide a full bar.

Have enough glasses out so everyone can help themselves without having to ask where are the glasses!

8. Decor. This is a tough one for me because I love florals and making a space look beautiful and inviting. Naturally there are much less fussy ways to decorate your table or home. I always try to do this portion way ahead of time. Do what is within your comfort zone.

Fall Theme Centerpiece - a tray of visual interest.

I love creating big floral arrangements. I just can’t help myself.

9. Menu planning/Budget Planning/List making: All important elements to keep you sane.

And in case that short list wasn’t enough, below are links to some previous posts that you might find helpful.

Thanksgiving Reminders, Appetizers & More

Thanksgiving Table Settings - Casual to Elegant

Napkin Folding - A Few Festive Ideas

Napkin Folding - Five Basic Folds - Countless Options

5 Appetizers That Impress & Relieve Stress

I hope these tidbits help refresh your entertaining memory. I wish you all a thoughtful, grateful Thanksgiving filled with love and laughter, health and happiness.

If you are wondering about our plans, since we have been busy with a new business venture this year we aren’t hosting, but instead hoping for invites. If you need to fill in two chairs, we are available and taking requests. I promise I’ll bring something yummy.

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Bibb, Arugula & Butternut Squash Salad

Bibb, Arugula & Butternut Squash Salad

I’m usually known as the queen of entertaining. (Mind you, that is not a self dubbed title but one others have bestowed upon me.) That said, I’ve been out of practice. The pandemic, and other life situations (all good ones) have thrown a monkey wrench into our usual hosting schedule. And so, coming up with new recipes has been put on the back burner. However, a couple weekends ago we took the leap and hosted our friends/family for a small backyard lunch.

JuanCarlos had his mind set on making a paella ‘a la parilla’, which means on the grill, thus forcing us to be outside. We lucked out in the middle of NY October with glorious, sunny, warm weather. JuanCarlos has been making paellas for years but continues to research and study master paella makers in order to perfect his. Each one gets better and better. He loves making outdoor fires, and then hanging out with good friends to enjoy a glass of wine or two while he cooks.

With paella in the driver’s seat, the appetizers were riding shotgun and followed along in Spanish Tapas style. I made Stuffed Piquillo Peppers, Boquerones Skewers, Charcuterie/Cheese Board, Radishes with Salted Butter

But when it came to the salad, I veered off the Iberian road, and glad I did. It’s Fall and I felt like leaning into that season using roasted butternut squash. I make roasted spiced butternut squash slabs as side dish for my customers and decided to use similar spices but cut the squash into cubes and added a touch of maple syrup. In composing the salad in my head, I thought about all the other Fall inspired accompaniments that would not only pair well with the squash but would also provide a visual wow. So, a pop of dark red from dried cranberries, a toasty brown from pecans, a lovely green from pepitas, and slivers of red onion would all do the trick nicely. These don’t just deliver on the visual impact, each one also provides a different textual element that is key to making a salad, or any dish, interesting on the palate. Arugula was still fresh at the farmer’s market so I grabbed that for a hint of peppery punch that would counter balance the sweetness. For the dressing I borrowed the idea of using dates from another recipe, but of course changed it up a bit.

Can I just say how much I love this salad. It’s crisp. It’s earthy. It’s sweet. It’s peppery. It’s damn good, and I’m damn glad I made a ton so I could have leftovers for the next day.

I’m posting this now because I think it would make a wonderful salad for Thanksgiving. It hits all the marks and is the perfect counterpoint to the heaviness of a traditional Thanksgiving meal. Please give it try either as a green salad or swap out the lettuce with quinoa as the base. It could also work with pearl couscous as well.

Ingredients

2 Bibb/Boston lettuce
1 Arugula, bunch
1 medium Butternut Squash, approx 4 c cubed
1 c Dried Cranberries
1 c Pecans, toasted
1 c Pepitas, toasted
1/2 c Red Onion, thinly sliced
1/8 t Cayenne
1/8 t Cumin
1/8 t Cinnamon
2 T Maple Syrup
2 T oil

Dressing
4-5 Dates
3 T Red Wine Vinegar
1/2 c Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 t Honey (optional)
1 Garlic clove, crushed
lemon zest
1 T lemon juice
3 T water
salt, pepper to taste

 

Date Dressing Setup: Dates, lemon, garlic, red wine vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper

Instructions

  1. Peel and cube the butternut squash. Place on a roasting pan and season with oil, salt, pepper, cayenne, cumin and cinnamon.

2. Roast at 425 degrees until golden on one side. Then flip them and add the maple syrup and roast until golden on the other side. Remove from oven and let cool.

Roast until squash is tender and edges are browned.

3. Meanwhile, wash the Bibb lettuce and Arugula and dry them well.

4. Roast the pecans and pepitas slightly to enhance their nutty flavors. This can be done in 300 degree oven or on the stove. Just make sure to keep an eye on them as they can burn quickly.

5. Make the dressing by first rough chopping the dates, crushing the garlic and adding to a mini food processor along with lemon zest, salt and pepper. Blend until the dates are a small crumb.

6. Then add vinegar, oil, and lemon juice and blend until emulsified. Then drizzle in a bit of honey and blend again. Add water to thin out.

Place chopped dates, crushed garlic, lemon zest, salt and pepper into a mini food processor.

Blend until dates are small crumbs.

Once you add the oil and vinegar the dates will break down even more to create a creamy consistency.

7. Assemble the salad by placing the lettuces on a big platter and then sprinkle the sliced red onions, butternut squash, pecans, dried cranberries and pepitas all over the top of the lettuces.

I sometimes hold off on dressing an entire platter of salad in case there are leftovers I don’t want the remaining salad to get soggy. So, I let the guests add the amount of dressing they want to their plate. Do what feels right or works for you. But always serve it up with love.

 

Bibb, arugula salad with roasted butternut squash, dried cranberries, pecans, pepitas & date dressing

Serving it up with dressing on the side, and with plenty of love

I loved it so much that I expanded the idea to use it with quinoa for a customer side dish. Which by the way was such a hit, they texted me to say it was another winner. I just love getting those texts messages.

Quinoa with all the same ingredients as the salad… minus the lettuce.

Fish & Bean Stew

Way, way back BP (Before Pandemic), when entertaining and having friends over was a common occurrence, we hosted a dinner party for our friends on Monday night. I know what you are thinking… entertaining on a school night? Indeed we did. Since it was literally the only date we all could find available we threw caution to the wind and made it happen. It was late May and we had been experiencing cooler summer weather than normal so the menu included my Fish & Bean Soup. But as typical with Mother Nature, she rules. When she flipped the weather switch from unusually cool to suddenly warm, it was she who now dictated the menu. Soup did not seem like such a great idea anymore.

Problem was, I had already purchased all the seafood, (shrimp, calamari and monkfish), and I didn’t want them to go to waste. A tiny switch-aroo was in order. Take it from a soup to a stew. Sure, you’re saying ‘How is that different? It’s still warm.’ First, let me remind you that I did say ‘tiny’ switch-aroo. I, and our guests, can attest that that slight alteration made all the difference in a dish that was originally going to be too hot, to just right.

3fishes.jpg

Monkfish, shrimp and calamari from the original stew dish.

Well, it’s now November and the reverse weather pattern has occurred. It’s unseasonably warm but it’s still Fall. We were again hosting with another set of friends at our upstate country house and this stew idea seemed perfect. Plus I’ve had this blog post in a holding pattern waiting to make its debut since 2019. It was high time that it graced our bowls again. I couldn’t find calamari or monkfish for some odd reason. But that is the beauty of this dish, you can use different combos of fish; shrimp, calamari, monkfish, scallops, cod, mussels, clams. They all work.

This recipe is similar to the soup with some revisions, mainly how you cook it.

Ingredients

Makes 4 generous servings as a first course or 8 appetizer bowls
*Note: you can adjust the amount fish you use, adding more if you want this to be a main dish

2 scallions, sliced (Use 1 for beans, 1 for fish marinade)
1 med onion, chopped (1 heaping cup)
1 large carrot, diced (1 cup)
2 stalks celery, diced (1 heaping cup)
2 garlic cloves, thin slice (beans)
2 garlic cloves, crushed (fish)
2 32 oz cans Cannellini beans
12 shrimp, cleaned & deveined (12-14 oz)
10-12 oz cod, cut into chunks
10-12 oz. Sea scallops
Red pepper flakes to your taste
Magic 3 (Olive Oil, Salt, Pepper)
1-2 T Butter
1/4c White wine
Parsley to finish

Instructions

1. Peel and devein shrimp. Wash and thoroughly dry all the fish. I cut the cod into bite size pieces but left the shrimp whole. You can chose to cut the shrimp as well.

It’s important to always wash and thoroughly dry the fish, or any protein for that matter.

2. Marinate the shrimp, cod, scallops with scallion slices, crushed garlic, 1/4 t red pepper flakes, 3/4 t salt, 1/2 t black pepper and 2-3 T oil. Refrigerator while you cook the bean portion.

Marinated Fish with scallions, crushed garlic, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and olive oil.

3. Chop and dice all your vegetables.

Mise en place: everything ready and in its place Celery, carrots, onions, scallions and garlic

4. Sauté the onions, scallions, carrots, celery for 10 -12 minutes then add the garlic slices, season with 1/2 t salt, 1/2 t pepper, 1/4 t red pepper flakes and cook another 2-3 minutes until soft and tender.

Sauté until soft then add the garlic so it doesn’t burn

5. Add the beans with some of their aguafaba juice and let simmer for 10 minutes until flavors meld. Taste for seasonings and add accordingly.

Just a luscious pot of yum

6. While the beans are cooking, sauté the fish individually (shrimp, then cod, then scallops last) in a cast iron pan or skillet. Once each batch is cooked place them on a plate until you are ready to plate.

High heat develops a nice crust on the shrimp. You only need to cook them 1-2 minutes per side

Seared cod pieces

Seared scallops

7. In the same hot pan, sauté any remaining scallions and garlic from the marinade adding a bit more oil, a pat or two of butter. Once softened then add a few splashes of white wine to deglaze the pan. Reserve this au jus to drizzle over the finished plate.

Hearty Fish & Bean Stew

You can either plate it family style using one big platter with beans on the bottom and fish stacked on top. Or individually plate it as I did, spooning the beans then placing the fish on top of each bowl, sprinkle with chopped parsley and drizzle that delicious, concentrated jus over top.

We enjoyed a few appetizers first. Then had the Fish & Stew as a starter. Followed by Grilled Pluma (Iberico Pork), Paella Rice with roasted garlic oil, Oven Roasted Tomatoes, Salad and Sautéed Broccoli Rabe.

A scaled down cheese platter along with French Breakfast Radishes and Fennel with Coarse Sea Salt, Pepper, Olive Oil & Basil

We had such a lovely, leisurely afternoon lunch with our dear friends, Tecla and Scott. We feel blessed to have them in our lives, and willing to make the drive to see our Airbnb home.
(If you are interested in renting our home in upstate NY, check it out on Airbnb
The Cozy, Country Cape House

This is such a hearty and flavorful starter. If you don’t have any plans to host a small dinner party, use this dish as a main course and maybe add some roasted potatoes or rice as a side along with a salad and vegetable As I said, this might be a warm plate, and naturally perfect for winter weather but it’s not too hot for a cool summer’s night meal or warm November afternoon al fresco.

 

Summer Lunch - All Day Eating with Friends

JuanCarlos and I are super fortunate in many ways. And when it comes to the friend category, we absolutely score. We have the most amazing friends, all over the country. One such lovely group lives in Princeton, NJ and are always willing to make the long drive to visit us. Given the time they invest in traveling, JuanCarlos and I make sure that we prepare an all day affair filled with delectable bites. The food ranges from easy and simple mixed with some other items that require a tad more prep. But the fun part is that we keep it casual and flowing, bringing out items as they are ready. It allows us to mingle, chat, and relax without any formal schedule yet with plenty of food from which to choose. It’s like a grazing event.

Louisa & Rocco sampling the appetizers.

I actually love this type of entertaining because it affords me the opportunity to prepare a variety of different plates. Sometimes I get overly enthused, and just want to offer up the world… on a platter. It feeds my need to experiment plus have a group of food lovers to test out my ideas. I will admit that often times I have to reign myself in for parties. I get so excited, wanting to make more dishes than are humanely possible to consume, unless an army shows up. That said, I do a good job of keeping to amounts that makes sense.

I know I’m always giving advice about making a plan, having a budget, being organized, etc. All of which are necessary. Having a list, knowing what to buy, prep and what to make when, plus staying within your financial limits all are essential. I keep to the first rules diligently. List making, organizing, prepping; that’s my jam. Which is why I included a printable complete shop/prep/menu list at the end of the blog if you choose to replicate this menu. However, one thing I will admit openly; we rarely, if ever, follow a budget. JuanCarlos and I are both of the same mindset. If we are hosting, we will make whatever we deem is appropriate for the occasion and not be concerned about the cost. I don’t recommend this approach for everyone. Having a budget in mind helps to keep you on track and from over buying.

Ok, enough chit chat. This post is going to be chock full of food, so the least said the better. Although, I believe I’ve past that point already. Onward!

Table Setting

I’ve said it a thousand times, as my many posts dedicated to table settings will prove, and I will continue to say it. DO NOT skimp on your outdoor table. Plain and simple: Make it inviting.

Note: If you want me to stop saying it, send me some photo examples of your tables and I will dispense with the repetitive table setting suggestion.

I chose a bold green and black tablecloth that is similar to the one I recently featured Green & Black: A Graphic Table Setting.

I laid a neutral table runner with a bold, black graphic design across the wooden table that was used as a buffet. . I felt that the dramatic outline paired well with that of the tablecloth. I then kept everything else extremely simple.

I bought this khaki colored table runner from IKEA. It was the stark, graphic print that attracted me.

Big white plates, white napkins with a simple rectangle fold placed on the plate lengthwise with the utensils atop. Flowers were from Trader Joe’s. Nothing expensive or extravagant put a fresh pop of color that complemented the tablecloth colors.

Simple but still feels special.

I love the contrast of magenta and lime green. In a pinch, you can’t beat Trader Joe’s for flowers.

Drinks
Have a variety of drinks, but don’t go overboard. I can tell you from experience, people aren’t expecting to have every drink option under the sun. We used to offer a full bar, but through the years have pared down considerably on our offerings.

First tip, know your crowd. If most of your guests enjoy beer over wine, buy accordingly. Our groups are typically wine drinkers. No surprise there. So we offer a variety of wines, sparkling and flat water plus I usually make home iced tea as a non alcoholic option.

Second tip, be gracious; pour and refill your guests glasses. Sure, you would hope they feel comfortable serving themselves, but not everyone will. And it certainly makes them feel special when you are an attentive host.

Keep ‘em refreshed!

Starter | Appetizers

Have a 2-3 different dishes.

You all know that I’m a huge fan of the ubiquitous cheese/charcuterie platter. Since this was a warm August day I wanted to keep the starters less fussy without tons of cheeses melting in the sun. Instead I skewed this a bit lighter with a more tamed grazing platter.

Grazing Platter

Mortadella, French Breakfast Radishes with herb salted butter, salchichon, marcona almonds and dates.

Instead of the big cheese/charcuterie platter, I opted for a more simplified version I dubbed The Grazing Platter.

Watermelon Salad

Watermelon Squares topped with feta, pickled red onions & mint drizzled with balsamic vinegar over a bed of arugula

Nothing more refreshing than watermelon. Up the ante and top it with tangy feta, sharp pickled onion and the fresh herbaceous hit of mint, a drizzle of balsamic adds sweetness. It’s a party in your mouth.

Stuffed Endive

Endive stuffed with whipped cream cheese & goat cheese two ways:
Strawberry | Grape tomato | Basil
Sautéed Peas | Shallots with Pea Shoots.
Click here for recipe

Endive are the perfect vehicle to deliver food into your mouth. I love stuffing them with tons of fillings. These offerings were perfect for a hot summer day.

Intermezzo

This is a small course that we like to serve in between the appetizers and the main meal. I know what you are saying… Food in between the food courses? Well, I did say it was an all day eating affair. For this occasion we served a surf and turf tasting of scallops and grilled meats.

Butter Seared Scallops with Peas/Shallots

These scallops were seared in a cast iron pan on the grill. I used some of the pea/shallot mixture leftover from the endive dish to accompany the scallop. It was a beautiful pairing, and a tasty bite.

Seared scallop with peas

If you can’t get fresh, use frozen peas.

Grilled Meat

No explanation necessary. Grill up some of your favorite meats and serve it family style on a wooden board.

My husband loves, loves, loves to grill. He also loves to have his friends around him while he grills. So offering up both the scallops and the meat right off the flames is right up his alley.

Pluma is the end of the pork loin from an Ibérico pig from Spain. It is moist and tender, and quite the special bite of grilled pork.

My happy grill master, JuanCarlos, chatting it up with Ivor.

Dinner

Salmon Burgers

with Buns & all the fixings (raw red onion slices, pickled red onions, heirloom tomato slices, basil & pea shoots. People can choose whatever floats their boat.

Click here for recipe.

Build a burger station.

Heirloom tomatoes in big slices, raw and pickled onions, fresh basil. Just that is a great salad!

My gluten & egg free salmon burgers. On this occasion, I encrusted them in cornmeal to give them an extra crunch.

Pea shoots and micro greens are more delicate for the salmon burgers. Plus I had leftover from the endive appetizer, so use what you have.

Our friend, Louisa, has celiac intolerance, and I am wheat intolerant. The gluten & egg free salmon burgers were ideal for us and the rest of our guests. While they enjoyed the burgers with a bun, we each choose a different way to stack our burger using a tomato slab; making it our own.

All the other guests enjoyed the bun.

Tomato on top…

Tomato on the bottom…

Spicy Slaw

I love serving this salad because it complements so many dishes. It pairs great with grilled meats or fish. It’s a natural with burgers. So it made sense to sit alongside my salmon burgers.

Click here for recipe.

Spicy Slaw, a crisp, refreshing and hearty salad.


Smashed Baby Potatoes with herb garlic oil

Nothing hard about this one. And the best part is that the majority of this can be made ahead. I use new potatoes, but you really can use any potato you like. Boil them up fork tender but not overdone. Drain well and let them cool slightly on a baking tray. Then using the bottom of a glass or a measuring cup press down on each potato smashing them flat but still keeping them together. You don’t want to fully smash or they will completely fall apart. If making ahead, refrigerator until you are ready to fry them up. To finish them, you can either bake them at 400 degrees in the oven with a drizzle of oil, salt and pepper. You can fry them in a cast iron pan on the stove or on the grill, as we did.

I love serving these with either my marinated feta or a simple herb garlic oil, much like a chimichurri sauce. Simply mince cilantro, parsley, basil, chives, crushed garlic, lemon zest, squeeze of lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. If you want to kick up the heat, add red pepper flakes. You can add whatever herbs you like or have. Make it your own.

Nothing better that the crispy skin of a potato with the soft interior. Slather with herb oil and you are in heaven!

Grilled Asparagus

If you have grill fired up, might as well throw on some asparagus. It’s a great summertime green BBQ vegetable.

Dessert was a variety of my ice cream sandwiches. More wine and after dinner drinks. We ate. We drank. We talked. We laughed and ate and drank some more. We love spending time with our Princeton pals, and feel so incredibly fortunate that they make the drive to our little haven in Westchester.

My chocolate chip cookie with vanilla chocolate chip ice cream. All homemade, of course.

Chocolate crisp cookie with vanilla chocolate chip ice cream.

Lemon spice cookie with strawberry basil ice cream.

Now this may feel like a ton of food for 6 people. But remember we paced ourselves and were nibbling all day. You don’t have to make all of these. Try a few. But if you do want to tackle this entire menu check out the printable Prep list document for the entire shop, prep, to do rundown.
I hope you have friends that you would enjoy spending all day with. If you do, make it special. It’s worth every minute!

 

Endless Endive: Strawberry, Tomato, Basil and Peas, Shallots

Years back I posted Winter Fresh Endive Boats and promised that I would post about the variety of other ways to stuff endive.  And although it's been quite some time since that posting, I like to make good on my promises, even if it takes me years to come through. So here is my first round of fillings.  And I promise, there will be more, especially since the title is Endless Endive.

Endive seems to have been specifically made as the perfect carry vehicle for fillings.  I know most people cut them up and toss into salads, but I much prefer them as a big spoon! They are great for dipping and are literally the ideal shape to fill so guests can easily pick up and enjoy. Why in the world would anyone cut them up when their true purpose seems clear? Well, at least to me. That’s why I fill them, endlessly.

I entitled this Endless Endive because quite honestly the list of fillings is just that. The only limitation is one's lack of imagination.  But I know that together we can invent tons of fillings. I’ll do my part to start us off. For this post I’m keeping it to two different fillings that are perfect for Spring and Summer Time.

But first some tidbits about Belgian endive. It’s like a small head of lettuce but instead of being round like Boston lettuce it has a cylinder shape usually around 6 inches long. The most typical has pale yellow leaves that are tightly packed together with one end more sturdy (the filling end) and the top end feathering out to a more delicate whisper. There is also a purple toned version, Red Belgian, which when combined with the greenish yellow version makes quite a stunning plate. Being part of the chicory family, it has a mild bitter taste, but not nearly as much as radicchio. I find endive to be mild and neutral. You can actually cook endive and it mellow out the flavor to a more nutty tone.

Ok, onto the fillings.

As I mentioned, there are two different toppings but both versions use the same cheese filling. You can use any combination of cheese fillings or a single cheese. The most important part is that it is whipped so that it is light and fluffy.

Ingredients

3-5 Endive*
12 oz Cream Cheese**
10 oz Goat Cheese**

Strawberry/Tomato Filling

1 qt Grape Tomatoes, chopped
1 qt Strawberries, chopped
1/4 c Basil, chiffonade

Peas/Shallot Filling

2-3 T Mint, chopped
1- 1.5 c Peas, frozen
1 small shallot, fine dice
Pea Shoots, for topping
Magic 3 (olive oil, salt, pepper)

* Depending on the size will determine how many leaves each one will yield. I always buy an extra one to be safe, especially since as you get closer to the center the leaves get smaller and smaller.

** You can use both cream and goat cheese combined. The cream cheese balances the tang of the goat. You can also use ricotta cheese with is lighter.

 

Instructions

  1. Whip cream cheese and goat cheese together until fluffy. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Place in a pastry bag or large Ziplock bag and refrigerate until ready to fill.

You can certainly stir it together but I find using a hand mixer creates a smooth, creamy consistency.

Fill a pastry bag or plastic bag for easy filling.

2. Carefully separate the leaves from the core. I like having a clean edge, so I cut the bottom until leaves naturally release. Then continue to cut across the core releasing more leaves. This method helps to have even clean edges as well as ensuring not to tear the leaf. Let them dry on a paper towel.

Look as those lovely natural boats.

3. Wash, core and chop the strawberries. Wash and chop the grape tomatoes, and chiffonade the basil. Set aside. Combine everything in a bowl, season with salt, pepper and a drizzle of olive oil and set in the fridge to marinate. Note: I recommend a small dice so you can get several pieces of each when you fill the endive

When you use fresh ingredients, you only need a few. Just let them shine and show their natural glory.

So appetizing.

4. Blanch the peas for 1-2 minutes and shock them in cold water to stop any further cooking.

Quickly blanch the peas. They don’t need much time.

Placing them in an ice bath stops the cooking and helps retain their vibrant green color.

5. In the same saucepan, sauté the shallots until softened. Season with salt and pepper

Shallots are milder then red onion and don’t overpower the sweet, tender pea. They also do not take long to sauté and soften.

6. Remove the peas with a spider, draining all the water and add them to the shallots. Taste for seasoning, and adjust if needed.

A tasty mixture.

7. Arrange the endive leaves on a platter and using the piping bag squeeze a hefty tablespoon amount of cheese into each leaf.

I like to arrange some greens on the bottom of the serving platter to finish the presentation.

Fill to your hearts content. If you like more cheese filling, then put more. I feel like a heaping tablespoon amount is just right.

8. Then fill with the leaves with each of the two toppings, separately.. Finish the pea version with pea shoots. I liked alternating the versions next to one another. But you can also arrange it so one side of the platter has the Pea/Shallot version, and the other side has the only the Strawberry/Tomato version.

So vibrant and fresh.

These can be made up to 1/2 hour prior to serving. However, you could prep all the components ahead of time (day before) and store airtight in the fridge. You can even fill the endive with the cheese filling hours ahead. Cover with plastic and then fill before serving.

A festive, refreshing Spring or Summertime appetizer.

I absolutely love the freshness of this appetizer. So crisp, so clean. So refreshing. The best part is it requires no dishes, no utensils. These are ‘pick up and devour’ apps. I hope you give these a try. With Spring sprung, we need a few fresh, cooling appetizers up our sleeves.