Makes a pretty holiday presentation. Of course, you have most of the ing. Check your cupboards.
MIXED ITALIAN BRUSCHETTA
ING long thin French baton bread •400 g tin butter beans, drained,•2 tb black olive tapenade
•Small handful shredded fresh mint, •Zested/juiced 1/2 lemon •2tb evo, •Seeds from ½ pomegranate
•150 g (5oz) cherry tomatoes, quartered •200 g (7oz) mozzarella bocconcini, halved •tbsp fresh basil pesto
•2 tb chp fresh basil, •Small handful arugala •15 g (½oz) shaved Parm • 3oz sliced roasted red pepper, sliced
PREP Cut bread in 24 diagonal slices; toast in batches. TOPPING Mash mint, zested/juiced lemon, olive oil.
Season/stir in pomegranate seeds. Set aside. Stir cherry tomatoes, mozzarella bocconcini, pesto and basil.
ASSEMBLY spoon Topping on six toasts; garnish w/ pomegranate seeds.
Top six w/ mozzarella mixture; top six with rocket, bresaola and Parm. Drizzle w/ evo.
Six bruschetta get slices of roasted pepper, bit tapenade, basil leaf.
Marzipan vegetables are time-consuming---but are a lot of fun for the holidays.
Made easier by using ready-made Bob's Red Mill blanched almond flour/meal.
HOMEMADE MARZIPAN
METHOD Proc/pulse/combine almond flour and powdered sugar. Add/pulse/combine almond extract and rose water.
Add the egg white and process to thick dough. If the mass is still too wet and sticky, add more conf and ground almonds.
Will become firmer after it's been refrigerated. Turn out onto work surface and knead a few times.
Form a log, saran and fridge. Will keep fridged at least a month or freezered up to 6 months. Bring to room temp before using.
INGREDIENTS 1 1/2 cups Bob's Red Mill blanched almond flour/meal (or blanch/grind/dry your own almonds),
1 1/2 cups conf, 2 tsp best pure almond extract, tsp quality food-grade rose water, egg white
(vegan tip: use egg substitute or 2 tb corn syrup)