Rebecca's Little Nibbles

Before we get into the meat of the post, I just have to say, "well done Top Chef editors."

Anywhooo, last Saturday was the Purple Prince Party and DC Rebecca's for her Sweetie's Birthday. They have a fairly amazing ability to throw elegant keggers. This one was complete with purple walls, and purple ballons that stuck the the ceiling through static eletricity. I will say, I haven't been that drunk in for-effing-ever. All the alcohol I consumed couldn't kill my taste buds. DC Rebecca made these incredible olives-in-a-blanket-things that were sublime. The mellow savoriness of the dough worked well with the saltiness of the olive. I begged her for the recipe and she was kind enough to send it to me. Thanks DC Rebecca and I am waiting for the 80s prom.

From DC Rebecca:

The recipe below is from epicurious, and what I made was a combination of it, some comments, and other recipes I've seen. It's way easy in the food processor. I used a half a block of sharp cheddar, shreddeded it using that blade, and then gave it all a good chop with the regular blade. Then I threw in the butter (3 tbs - 2 was awfully dry) and pulsed. Finally I added the other ingredients and pulsed until it got all pebbly (a bit like pie dough). When constructing the hors, I just grabbed a glob of dough, smashed it in my hand, and molded it around the olives.

Olive-wise, I used both garlic stuffed green olives from a jar (Safeway brand, no less) and roasted red pepper stuffed green olives from Eastern Market. I'd say go for the cheap ones - I doubt anyone could tell the difference. I did use a trick I saw on Good Eats recently where AB rinsed olives by letting them sit in clean water for a couple of hours. Did it make a difference? I haven't a clue. It did seem like a good idea, though.

Finally, I'd love for these to be a bit crisper on the outside. I took a stab at broiling them for a minute or two at the end, but it didn't help much (and food experiments during parties are generally a crap idea). Wrapping them in a thinner layer of dough might. Maybe a roll in Panko? A little parm grated on top at the end before a broiler blast? I don't know.

Cheddar Olives
1 cup grated sharp Cheddar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
a 3-ounce jar small pimiento-stuffed green olives (about 24), drained and patted dry


In a bowl combine the Cheddar and the butter, add the flour and the cayenne, and blend the dough until it is combined well. Drop the dough by tablespoons onto wax paper and wrap or mold each tablespoon around each of the olives, covering each olive completely. Bake the wrapped olives on a baking sheet in the middle of a preheated 400°F. oven for 15 minutes, or until the pastry is golden, and serve them warm.

Makes about 24 Cheddar olives.