Olive Crisps served with Green Olive Tapenade and Riclettes de Sardines

Daria Souvorova

1 hour – 1 hour 30 minutes
serves: 15-20 people

I just turned 30! To celebrate, I decided to throw myself a big, five course, dinner party. Most people questioned my insanity…people are supposed to cook for you on your birthday, or at least take you out for dinner…but I have control issues…and the dinner I wanted would cost around $4000 for 16 guests and Petit Louis.

So yup, I made my own! And what a glorious meal it was! For our first course, the aperitif, I made a traditional Parisian cocktail, the 1789, created to celebrate the revolution! I wanted to create some nibbles while we sipped our cocktails, so I made these delicious Olive Crisps and served them with a Green Olive and Almond Tapenade with some Anchovy for extra flavor and some creamy, and delicious Riclettes de Sardines.

If you want to make your own 1789, simply combine 1 part Vermouth, 1 part Lillet, and 2.5 parts whiskey, stir and serve with an ice cube.

We followed our first course with an entree course of Duck and Apricot Terrine, Escargot, and Beef Wellington. For our main course, we served three souffles with some lovely fresh salads! I made a Cheese Soufflé, a Chanterelle Soufflé, and a Smoked Salmon and Caper Soufflé.

No French meal is complete without a Cheese Course, which we followed with a round of Cannelés Bordelais and a 3 Tier Vanilla Cake with Raspberry Filling and Cream Cheese Frosting.

The recipes for our first course of Olive Crisps with Olive Tapenade and Sardine Riclettes are below, and stay tuned for the rest of the recipes coming later this week!

Happy Birthday to me!

Olive Crisps

1 hour – 1 hour 30 minutes
serves: makes 80 crisps

Ingredients:

• 1 cup White Lily or all purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1 tablespoon rosemary, chopped
• 1 teaspoon finishing salt or Fleur de Sel
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups buttermilk or spoiled milk
• 2/3 cup almonds or walnuts, coarsely chopped
• about 8 ounces, or 1 cup kalamata and green olives, pitted, and coarsely chopped

1. Combine the first 8 ingredients.
   Add buttermilk, stir into batter. Add olives and walnuts.
2. Preheat oven to 350°F.
   Butter and oil 2 9 inch rectangular loaf pans.
   Divide the dough between the pans and even put the tops. Don’t worry if it looks low in the pan, it will rise a bit.
3. Bake for 30 minutes until set in the center, about 30 minutes.
   Cool slightly before removing from pans and placing on a wire rack. Cool.
4. Decrease temperature to 325°F.
   Slice each loaf into 40 thin slices and arrange in one row on a parchment lined baking sheets.
5. Bake for 20-35 minutes longer until browned. Cool on rack.
   Store at room temperature in airtight container for up to a week.

Green Olive Tapenade

10 minutes (25 if pitting olives)
serves: serves 15-20 along with Sardine Riclettes

Ingredients:

• 4 cups green olives (Mediterranean), pitted
• 1 pack of anchovies in oil
• 1 cup toasted almonds
• 3 small or 2 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon capers, drained
• zest of 1 lemon
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• salt and pepper to taste
• olive oil, as needed

1. Grind all of the ingredients together in food processor. Season to taste with salt and pepper and adjust seasoning. Add olive oil to reach desired consistency, I add about 1/4 cup.

Riclettes de Sardines

10 minutes
serves: serves 15-20

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup cream cheese, room temperature
• 6 tablespoons butter, room temperature
• 4 cans sardines, about 1 pound total
• 1 shallot, finely minced
• 2 tablespoons capers, drained and minced
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• pinch of cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper to taste

1. 1. Debone sardines, they should come out really easily if you open up each fillet and pull at one end. Set fillets aside.
   2. Combine cream cheese and butter with mixer or fork.
      Add sardines, mashing them up as you go.
   3. Add capers, shallot, and juice.
      Season with cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper.
      Store in a refrigerated airtight container for up to four days.