I love having people over. The only hobby I enjoy more than cooking is inviting people into my home so that they can tell me what a good cook I am! A major perk to being in the mid-to-late twenties age range is that most of my friends don’t really expect a lot when it comes to party food. Generally just having food available leads to much appreciation and praise. I can’t tell you how many times I have impressed friends with my ability to make massive amounts of stove-top popcorn smothered in butter and served at an opportune moment when everyone is simultaneously starving and unwilling to actually leave the apartment in search of food.

Even though my regular party guests are easy to impress, that doesn’t stop me from occasionally attempting elaborate, expensive, and exorbitantly messy feats in the name of entertaining. This was a habit pointed out to me recently when I was contemplating the menu for our Super Bowl party. My taste tester, who has witnessed various disasters in the past said this: “Make whatever you want, but try to focus on having fun and not making a mess.” This is my new rule in entertaining. Parties will be so much more fun for you-and your guests-when you can be relaxed, fully present, and not preoccupied with trying to prepare and clean-up a culinary masterpiece. I still try to be adventurous when it comes to entertaining, but now I seek out simple recipes that can be made easily in advance.

This appetizer/snack fits the bill perfectly. Adventurous (have I ever had a fig before?), cheap, and oh so easy to make and clean-up. Making your own crostini (aka fancy toast) is simple, but if that seems like too many steps, just serve on your favorite crackers. The tapenade could easily be made several days in advance and the bread toasted hours before the arrival of guests, giving you enough time to have the oven off and kitchen cleaned before your first guest arrives.

Entertaining Tip: Due to the texture of the elements in this dish (small olive pieces+crumbly cheese+crunchy toast), it is best served on plates. I would not recommend serving on cocktail napkins unless you enjoy vacuuming.

Fig & Olive Tapenade

Adapted ever so slightly from this recipe from Food52. This makes about 3.5 cups, which would make a large serving for 3-5 people or a small serving for 6-8. If you need to serve more, just add more cheese and don’t forget to make more crostini.

Ingredients

• 7 oz. dried figs
• 3/4 cup pitted kalamata olives*
• 1/2 cup (heaping) green olives
• 3 Tbsp. good quality olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 4-5 sprigs fresh thyme

Instructions

• Place figs in food processor. Pulse a few times until coarsely chopped.
• Add olives, pulse to combine.
• Add olive oil, vinegar, and thyme. Pulse to desired texture, adding more olive oil if needed.
• Remove from food processor. Serve with honey goat cheese and sourdough crostini.
• If making this in advance, refrigerate until about 30 minutes before serving. Remove from refrigerator and serve slightly chilled or at room temperature.

*I used more kalamata olives than green olives because I knew my taste tester preferred this type of olives. If you/your guests prefer a different type, feel free to play with the ratio a bit.

Honey Goat Cheese

I was able to find honey goat cheese at my local supermarket. If you cannot find honey flavored goat cheese or you want your presentation to look extra fancy, simply drizzle honey on plain goat cheese before serving.

Sourdough Crostini

Ingredients

• 1 loaf sourdough bread
• 1/2 c. olive oil

Instructions

• Pre-heat oven to 400°.
• Slice bread as thinly as possible. Cut into small squares for a uniform look, or simply shave off thin pieces and watch the bread fall apart.
• Brush BOTH sides of the bread with olive oil.
• Insert into oven. DO NOT LEAVE YOUR KITCHEN. The bread with toast very, very quickly (~5 min.) It will vary greatly depending on how thin your slices are and how hot your oven actually is. This bread will go from perfectly golden brown to burnt in a matter of seconds and I do not want to be held responsible when you have tons of tapenade and no crackers! I recommend turning on your oven light and keeping a very close eye on the bread.
• Remove when bread is toasted and golden brown on edges.
• Serve with fig & olive tapenade and goat cheese. Receive many compliments from your friends on this fancy and sophisticated dish. Never make the mistake of referring to the bread as “toast.” It is crostini because you are fancy now!

 

 

 

Happy Cooking!