The sizzle of summer has arrived in a flash. All the activities that accompany summer fun have arrived too. It seems each year once school is out the summer takes off in jet propelled fashion and before you know it we are attending Back to School night.
We entertain more as it is so easy to fire up the grill and enjoy good friends. Recently we got together for a bittersweet dinner party. While the evening was great fun and filled with laughs, it was marking the occasion of some dear friends and neighbors who will be moving away to another state. We shared carpool trips to and from elementary school, spent many fun days at the swimming pool and shared more “play dates” than I can count. Our entire family is going to miss these great friends!
I wanted our time together to be fun and a time to catch up one last time before they pack up and move. The kitchen tasks and food needed to be simple.
To kick off the evening, we served a baked cheese appetizer. This fantastic appetizer was served at last month’s culinary book club. Kathy Smith shared her secret to this dish and we enjoyed it–really devoured it– along with a glass of wine. You can keep the ingredients on hand and it goes together in no time. Our daughter even loves this one so it will be served quite a lot this summer. Well let me restate that, it was going to be served quite a lot until we learned she is allergic to milk and all milk products. More on that I am sure in future blogs.
Anyway, keep it simple and try this appetizer. It would even count as dinner at our house on certain crazed summer evenings.
Baked Cheese Appetizer
Marinated mozzarella, cut into 1/2-inch cubes*
Fontina, rind removed and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 or 3 minced garlic cloves
1/4 to 1/2 tsp dried red pepper flakes
1 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
Toasted baguette slices or whole wheat crackers
Preheat the broiler and position the rack 5 to 6-inches from the heat.
Place the cheese cubes in a small cast iron skillet or broiler-proof container. Toss with the garlic and red pepper flakes. Drizzle with olive oil.
Place the skillet under the broiler for 5 to 7 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbling and beginning to brown.
Serve immediately with plenty of toasted baguette slices.
*Kathy Smith introduced me to this product from Trader Joe’s. I love it and have found so many great uses for this marinated cheese in many of my recipes.
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