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Friday, March 18, 2011

Greek Cheese Torta

Hello, I'm the easiest, most impressive appetizer you can make to feed several people.

This is seriously one of my favorite appetizers, and the recipe is ridiculously simple. Can we say big win? The only win that can be any bigger is the Reversible Bamboo Cheese Board combined with the Beaded Spreader.




Greek Cheese Torta
chefjennylyn.com




10 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and pressed dry
2 pkg. (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
2 tbsp. Greek Rub
8 oz. crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, in oil, drained and patted dry
3 tbsp. nuts
1 loaf French baquette
Olive oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cut baquette into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Arrange bread slices in a single layer on pan. Spray with olive oil, and bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

Microwave cream cheese 30 seconds or heat over low heat on stove. Stir in spinach and rub; mix well. Add feta cheese, and stir until well blended.

Finely dice tomatoes (optional), and set aside. Line Small Batter Bowl with plastic wrap. Spoon 1/3 cheese mixture into the bottom of the bowl, and spread smooth. Top with tomatoes, forming an even layer. Spread remaining cheese mixture over tomatoes.

To serve, invert torta onto serving platter, and remove plastic wrap. Smooth marks from plastic, and press nuts onto top of torta. Serve with toasted baguette slices.

Like that baseball-sized wad of spinach? Thought so. My feta cheese is in an Easy Read Measuring Cup, and I've got roasted red peppers in a Prep Bowl. I know the recipe says sun-dried tomatoes, but after two grocery stores being out of them, I gave up and used peppers. Still good, but sun-dried tomatoes are better. Sorry to be such a loser! Moving on... Greek Rub, my favorite in the entire Pampered Pantry, is measured into the Mini Scoop & Measure, and everything is on the Cutting Board.

You know how I said I like the Greek Rub? I meant it, and that's why I'm giving it a close-up. The Mini Scoop & Measure is new, and I'm pretty excited about it. All of those small measurements of chopped goods (ex: 3 tbsp. of chopped nuts) will be easily scoooped in here... and then measured.

My cream cheese, spinach, and rub are looking good, but they'll look even better with some feta married in there. I heated the cream cheese in the 4-Qt. Stockpot, and the Mix 'n Scraper, as always, made stirring the easiest thing ever. Plus, notice how I can scrape the sides to get all my cheese into the mix.

This method is fabulous! Line the Small Batter Bowl with plastic wrap, layer the cheese mixture with tomatoes (or red peppers if you're lame), and boom - Greek Cheese Torta! You should have seen the pot after I scraped everything out - talk about wiped clean. By the way, this is the old 4-Qt., but it's been upgraded to the Executive Cookware Collection.

Thank you, Pampered Chef, for including lids with all of the bowls! This is ready to serve, but I went ahead and popped the lid on the Small Batter Bowl to refrigerate until I was ready. This recipe was on its way to a party, and I wanted maximum freshness.


Pop it out, remove the plastic, and smooth the sides with the Skinny Scraper. I served my torta on the Reversible Bamboo Cheese Board, and I thought the presentation turned out perfectly. The entire Bamboo Collection is amazing, and every piece makes food look good.

I could deal with this being my plate. Seriously. Doesn't the Beaded Spreader add the finishing touch? I love all of the Beaded Pieces, and it never hurts when something involves crimson and white... at least not in Alabama.  This will be a go-to recipe for me to use with large crowds. It's simple, staight-forward, and makes people say, "Oh, can I have that recipe?"

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