TIP OF THE DAY: Serve Food In A Martini Glass

July 21, 2015 at 8:18 am · Filed under Entertaining, Recipes, Tip Of The Day, Vegetables-Salads-Herbs

A Caprese salad, made with cherry tomatoes
and bocconcini.* Photo courtesy Inspire,
Design and Create. Here’s the recipe.

If you own Martini glasses but don’t use them often enough to justify the space, send them from the bar to the kitchen. When they come out, filled with food instead of drink, family and friends will be delighted. If you have oversize Martini glasses, so much the better.

12 WAYS TO USE MARTINI GLASSES—BEYOND DRINKS

Bread pudding, custard, mousse, other puddings

Caprese salad with cherry tomatoes and bocconcini substituting for sliced tomato and mozzarella (photo at left)

Chopped salad or green salad (see recipe below)

Gazpacho or other chilled soup

Fruit salad or compote (try watermelon salad, cubed or in balls, with feta and shredded basil)

Ice cream scoops or sundaes

Mashed potatoes (garnish with chives, bacon, grated cheese, whatever)

Nibbles with coffee (cookie bits, mini biscotti, chocolates, chocolate lentils, marshmallows, etc.)

Seafood salad (here’s a Vietnamese crab salad recipe)

Shrimp cocktail (try this shrimp cocktail with avocado recipe)

Sorbet with fruit or other toppings (you can marinate the fruit in brandy or fruit liqueur—recipe)

Yogurt parfaits

RECIPE: APPETIZER SALAD WITH FRESH MOZZARELLA

If you don’t like fennel, substitute ingredients you do like in the recipe below, from EatWisconsinCheese.com. Also take a look at this Dirty Martini Salad—simple greens with olives and an olive dressing (the dressing has chopped olives, vodka and olive oil).

Ingredients For 4 Servings

1 fennel bulb

1 celery heart

1 heart of romaine

9 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese (or cheese of choice)

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Juice of 1 lemon (1/4 cup)

1 tablespoon mascarpone cheese

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 pinch ground white pepper

A Martini glass can be repurposed to
serve different courses of food. Photo
courtesy EatWisconsinCheese.com.

Preparation

1. WASH and thoroughly dry the fennel, celery and romaine. Cut the fennel into thin slices, about 2 cups. Cut the celery into julienne strips, about 1/2 cup. Reserve four well-shaped romaine leaves for garnish; then cut the remaining romaine into julienne strips, about 3 cups. Cut the mozzarella into thin strips. Place all into a large mixing bowl.

2. PUT the olive oil, lemon juice, mascarpone, mustard, salt and pepper in a blender container. Blend until thick and smooth, about 5 seconds. Pour over the salad; toss to coat. Divide the salad, arranging on serving plates, using the reserved lettuce leaves for garnish.

*Bocconcini are bite-size fresh mozzarella balls. You can substitute ciliegine (cherry size) or perlini (pearl size) if you can’t find bocconcini. Here’s a recipe that adds bowtie pasta for a Caprese pasta salad.

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