5 Star Makeover: Tailgate Party

For this month's 5 Star Makeover "Tailgate Party" everyone definitely brought some amazing gourmet bites. Thanks to my co-host Lazaro for a terrific theme idea and all the participants for their hard work. Please check the full roundup of all the entries on Lazaro's blog @ Lazaro Cooks!. Enjoy!

5 Star Makeover: Cardone Dip

This month, to celebrate 2011 football season, our 5 Star Makeover group is gathering for a virtual tailgate party. We are taking some of the favorite game-time foods and re-making them with different gourmet approaches.

My dish is a take on an artichoke-spinach dip, re-made in a gourmet Italian style. My main ingredient is not actually artichoke but its cousin, an Italian vegetable called cardone, or cardoon. I was lucky to get a sample of cardone from Ocean Mist Farms which grows high quality Italian-style vegetables.

Cardone looks like celery but when cooked has a delicious taste reminiscent to that of an artichoke. It is traditionally deep-fried but also can be sauteed, boiled, or steamed to use in various dishes.

I combine boiled cardones with arugula, prosciutto-fried onions and garlic, mascarpone to make a dip with melted fontina cheese as a topping. I served my cardone dip with garlic bread crisps. It was quite a success, and the next day I used the leftover dip to mix with pasta and top with fontina cheese for a terrific pasta bake.



Ingredients:

1 cardone, cleaned, sliced into 1/2 inch chunks
3 tablespoons prosciutto, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
5 ounces arugula
8 ounces mascarpone
fontina cheese, grated
salt to taste

Directions:

Place cardone chunks in a large pot and cover with water, bring to boil, add salt to taste, and then simmer for about 30 minutes or until cardone is tender. Add arugula to the pot and cook for just a few minutes until it is wilted. Drain.

Meanwhile fry prosciutto in a skillet until golden. Remove the prosciutto, add the onions and fry them in the leftover fat until starting to turn golden then add garlic and fry for 30 seconds more.

Add cardone-arugula mixture, onions and garlic to the food processor and mix. Add mascarpone and blend well. Season with salt to taste.

Place the mixture into a lightly greased baking dish, top with fontina cheese. Broil until the cheese is melted, golden and bubbly.

Serve with homemade garlic bread crisps and optionally sprinkle the fried prosciutto on top.

Ile De France Brie Giveaway Winners

Thank you all who participated in the Ile De France Brie Giveaway! The five winners chosen using random.org are: Grace, Daisy, Erica, Leslie and Jessica (Oh Cake). Congratulations, and I will be contacting you via email to get your mailing addresses so you can receive your prizes.

Ile De France Brie Giveaway and Brie Apple Brioche Cake

Recently, I received a sample of an original Brie cheese from Ile De France. This brie is mild, milky and creamy, with hints of nuttiness and wild mushrooms. It's great with a fresh baguette and is also wonderful to use in cooking.



Using the Ile De France brie, I made a delicious brioche cake with caramelized apples and melting brie. This dessert is very easy to put together. For one mini-cake, cut 4 slices of brioche, cut off the crusts. Butter generously on both sides. Place two slices, overlapping, at the bottom of a mini spring form pan. Place thick slices of brie on top, as many as fits in the pan in one layer. Meanwhile, peel, core and slice one medium apple. Caramelize in a saucepan with two tablespoons of agave, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 2 tablespoons of butter. Place on top of brie layer in a spring form pan. Top with the remaining brioche, pushing the cake down. Refrigerate for 15 minutes, then bake for about 15-20 minutes on 400 degrees. Let it cool for about 5 minutes before serving.



The combination of caramelized apples, brioche, and brie is terrific.

If you would like to try Ile De France brie, comment on this post and let me know what you would make with this cheese. There will be five winners, selected at random, who will receive cheese baskets from Ile De France as their prizes.

The prizes can only be shipped within the USA but everyone can participate to win a gift sample for a relative or a foodie friend with a United States residence. The deadline to enter the giveaway is Monday, October 10, and I will announce the winner the following day. Good luck to everyone!