What I Made Today...Holiday Appetizer Recipes!

A Trio of Dips: Onion Marmalade, White Bean Puree, and Roasted Garlic Red Pepper Sauce
(served with Black Pepper Seared Beef and Goat Cheese-Stuffed Dates)

Trio of Dips

Ingredients:

Onion Marmalade:

1 yellow onion
Olive oil

White Bean Puree:

1 can white beans
4 cloves garlic
1 sprig of thyme
2 tbsp olive oil
¼ cup cream
salt and pepper

Roasted Garlic Red Pepper Sauce:

2 red peppers
5 cloves garlic
1 tsp cayenne
¼ French bread loaf, white part only


Directions:

Onion Marmalade:

1. Slice onions thinly, and slowly cook them in a sauté pan on low heat. You can put a little water in the pan to make sure it doesn’t burn the onion. If the onion burns, you have to start over.
2. In a blender, blend well using a little olive oil, thenand add salt and pepper to taste.

White Bean Puree:

1. In a sauté pan, add olive oil and whole garlic cloves. Slowly brown them.
2. Rinse the beans and add them to the garlic.
3. Add thyme leaves, then add salt and pepper.
4. Add the cream and simmer for 10 minutes.
5. Add to the blender and puree.
6. Reserve for later.

Roasted Garlic Red Pepper Sauce:

1. Roast garlic and peppers in the oven. Put the oven on 350 degrees F, and cook for about 10-15 minutes (roast garlic in a pan with olive oil and salt).
2. Take the peppers out and put them into a plastic bag. Let rest for a few minutes.
3. Under cold water take off skin.
4. Add peppers, olive oil, white bread, and garlic with oil to the blender.
5. If mixture is too thick you can add water.

**Serve all three dips with French bread slices.

Black Pepper Seared Beef

1 sirloin
1/4-cup black pepper
1/2-cup mayonnaise (good mayonnaise, Best Foods, etc.)
1/2-cup sour cream
2 tbsp horseradish
1 French baguette

Cut sirloin into strips; dip all four sides in black pepper. Add salt to all four sides and in sauté pan, sear-in a little canola oil to create a crust. Take off the heat and allow it to cool. In a bowl mix sour cream, mayonnaise, horseradish, and a little salt. Slice baguette into nice pieces. Slice sirloin into thin pieces.

Goat Cheese-Stuffed Dates Wrapped in Bacon

16 dates pitted
1 package of goat cheese
16 bacon strips

Stuff dates with goat cheese, and then wrap with bacon. (You may need to put a toothpick through them to make the bacon stay attached). Bake at 325 for 6-8 minutes.

Enjoy! Mary

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