Yum. Yum. Yum. So that table is loaded with some of the best food I have ever cooked. And, I had the help of 3 fabulous sous chefs, who did a bulk of the work themselves! The Oscars are a big deal in this apartment. I spent every year when I was little watching them with my mom and sisters, always eating some sort of baked goodie (be it brownies or cookies!). And my dear roomate was a film major in college, and works in the industry, so it was a big deal for us.
As soon as we had decided we were going to host a party, I started scouring the web for new and interesting ideas for little appetizers. Since the show was on a Sunday, it made it easy to pick things that would take a little time to assemble/cook, because I don't work on the weekends (seeing as this is a recent perk in my life, I'm still pretty excited about it)! In the end, I decided to make black olive bruschetta, pizza with bacon, onions and cream, buckeyes, and... DEEP FRIED MOZZARELLA. That's right kids. I deep fried. In the Itty Bitty Kitchen. But we'll get to that.
I made a lot of the different components, but Hilary, Elisabeth and Hannah each assembled their own aspect of this night, so I'm going to credit them where they deserve it!
1. Black Olive Bruschetta
(Recipe from The Curvy Carrot)
Hilary (my roomate) made the bulk of this, so I'm going to keep my description short and sweet.
For the topping:
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives
1 garlic clove, chopped nice and small
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small shallot, shallot
Juice from one lemon (I used a big Meyer, and it was a bit tangy, but I happen to LOVE lemon)
1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
Salt and pepper
For the bread:
1 loaf thick country bread, sliced into quarter-size pieces
1 medium garlic clove
Olive oil (to drizzle)
Method:
Broil each side of the bread for about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from oven, rub with garlic and drizzle with olive oil.
Process olives, garlic, shallot, and lemon juice. The original recipe recommended using a Cuisinart, but since I don't have one, I used my immersion blender. It was a bit messy, but it worked pretty well!
In a separate bowl, combine the ricotta, salt and pepper.
Spread the ricotta on the toast, cover with olive pesto....and eat!
2. Pizza with bacon, cream and onions
(Recipe sourced from Smitten Kitchen)
Credit here must go to Elisabeth. She rolled out allllll the pizza dough, and put on the fabulous toppings.
Ingredients:
1/2 pound of pizza dough (I used frozen that I bought at Fairway, and after it had defrosted, it was perfect)
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon flour
Salt and pepper
1/2 pound bacon, thickly sliced into 1/4 inch crosswise strips
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
Method:
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. In a medium skillet/saucepan, cook the bacon over medium heat until the fat is rendered, and the bacon gets all crispy and delicious. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon, but leave the heat on, and add the onions. Cook the onions until they are almost caramelized, about 7 to 10 minutes depending on the strength of the heat.
Whisk together the ricotta, flour, salt and pepper and sour cream.
Divide dough into 4 pieces, and roll out as much as possible into 8-inch rounds. Elisabeth found that the dough didn't get as thin as the original recipe required, but we thought it was absolutely perfect a little thin.
Cook the pizza in 2 batches. Put two of the rounds on a baking sheet, and spread each with the sour cream/ricotta mixture. Sprinkle with bacon and onion. Bake for about 12 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.
You could serve each one as a personal pizza for a 4-person dinner, but we cut them into little wedges and squares and served as appetizers! Delish.
And the piece de resistance:
3. Deep Fried Mozzarella Bocconini
( Recipe from The Curvy Carrot)
One note I'd add is that I didn't really use a great sauce recipe...I just did the quick and easy. One of these days, I'll teach you how to make a truly spectacular sauce, with fresh ingredients.
Ingredients:
For the cheese:
3-4 cups of peanut oil (depending on how deep the frying pan is)
2 pounds mozzarella bocconini (about 50 pieces)
4 eggs
1/2 cup of milk
4 cups bread crumbs
For the sauce:
28 ounces crushed tomatoes
2 garlic cloves
As many red pepper flakes as you'd like (I wanted spicy sauce, so I just kept adding until I thought it tasted right)
1/2 cup olive oil
Method:
Roast the garlic in the olive oil for about 30 seconds over medium high heat- don't brown it. Add the crushed tomatoes (juice preserved) and red pepper and simmer for about 10 minutes, until the sauce is thickened. Then set aside.
Roll the cheese in the egg/milk batter, and then the bread crumbs, shaking off the excess after each step. A word of warning, this was a pretty messy step. I used my fingers and the bread crumbs kept sticking to me. I'm totally fine with making a mess, and then cleaning it up, but I'm just letting you all know! Repeat the breading process for each piece of cheese.
Pour the peanut oil to a depth of 4 inches in a medium saucepan and heat. If you have a frying thermometer, you can heat it to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, but I don't, so I literally just let it heat for a minute or two (guessing will get you everywhere as long as you're careful!).
Drop the breaded mozzarella into the oil in batches.
Each batch should take about 45 seconds- any longer and you risk the cheese melting, or the breadcrumbs soaking up too much oil. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a plate covered with paper towels.
They are best served warm, because otherwise the cheese congeals a bit and is kind of disgusting...so if you're not going to eat them immediately after cooking, put them on a baking sheet and keep them warm in the oven.
Then, SERIOUSLY, dig in! The one thing I'm really kicking myself for is not taking any pictures of the buckeyes, so I'm going to have to make another batch (and soon, because they were delicious), and I'll give them a post of their own when I do!
