3 Easy Hors D’Oeuvres
February 18, 2011
I have recently met the owner of a fabulous line of balsamics, oils and marinades called Tavern on the Green (TavernDirect.com). Lou Bivona’s products are made from pure ingredients in Napa Valley. Until now I have been making all of my own salad dressings and marinades. You can see that on many of my videos. But no more. These flavors just blow me away. And when you order any of their fairly priced products a donation is made to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Lou and I had the pleasure of catering a press event for Jensen Martin at their pop-up store at the Roger Smith Hotel. Here’s what we made: 
The pork loin was marinated in the Central Park Dipping Oil, sea salt and pepper, and then seared in a grill pan. The freshly baked baquette was spread with the Toscana Garlic Parmesan Marinade. Simple and delicious.
I make hummous all the time. Follow the directions on the hummous video but instead of olive oil the Chili Pepper Garlic Oil adds just the right amount of heat and flavor to the hummous. We roasted red peppers in the oven by cutting them in half, rubbing them with olive oil and roasting in the oven for about 45 minutes or until tender. When they cool, remove the skin. Then cut in strips and marinate in the Chili Pepper Garlic Oil. Fill half of a small pita with the hummous and top with a strip of red pepper.
The Asian Wonton was the biggest hit of the evening. We marinated chicken breasts in Wasabi Wonder, sea salt and pepper. The chicken was pan sauteed in a little olive oil. When cool cut into very small pieces along with a couple of celery stalks. Add equal parts mayonnaise and Wasabi Wonder and chill. The Asian Slaw was made with napa cabbage sliced thinly, carrots, cilantro, and toasted sesame seeds. The Asian Lemon was the perfect flavor for this slaw. We just added the juice of half a fresh lemon, salt and pepper. The chicken and slaw were placed side by side on a fried wonton skin. A perfect combination.
Because all of our dishes were savory, we garnished the platters with strawberries for anyone that needed a little sweet.
