"Why do I come in and put up a recipe for a decadent make-ahead hors d'oeuvre the first week of January," you ask? Because, I was busy getting engaged and then the holidays and whatnot, and I just couldn't be arsed before today. Still, it's really good so keep this in mind.
The recipe actually came from Jette via her aunt. I put the call out online last fall -- I had decided I wanted to bring this particular torta to Thanksgiving, having had a similar appetizer at Castle Hill Cafe here in town. Several people offered me recipes, but Jette's sounded closest to what I was envisioning. I made a few modifications as I went along, and away we go! This got rave reviews at T-day dinner, and a couple of people even argued over who got to take the remainder home.
Ingredients:
- 24 oz. cream cheese
- 8 oz. (two sticks) butter (real, don't cheat)
- 3/4 cup pesto (I bought mine from the deli cold case, shhh. But at least it was locally made!)
- 3/4 cup sundried tomatoes in oil
- fresh basil leaves (garnish)
- pine nuts (garnish)
- loaf mold, cheesecloth, rubber spreader/spatula
Prep time: 1 hour, chill time: 3 hours. Serves a bunch.
- Beat the cream cheese and butter together until very smooth. It helps if you allow them both to warm to almost room temperature. The original recipe called for equal parts butter and cream cheese, the mixture of which is often called boursin. But, I decided I wanted more cream cheese than butter so I made a 75-25 mixture. You could go either way, just be sure to use 32 total ounces.
- Line the mold pan with damp cheesecloth. Cheesecloth is a thin net-like fabric that can usually be found in the housewares/cookware section of a grocery store. Rinse it and wring it out, and lay it into the mold pan. Make sure that cheesecloth hangs over the edge on all four sides.
- Drain the tomatoes and purée them in a food processor or blender. Add oil (with a spoon) a little at a time for a good spreading consistency. Set aside.
NB: I actually used far more than 3/4 cup, of both the pesto and the tomatoes. I just bought the size container I thought I needed, and eyeballed how much I used. It worked just fine.
- Begin to layer the torta, using your rubber spatula or the back of a big spoon. Start by spreading the cheese mixture into the mold, a layer about 3/4" thick. (It helps to put the mold in the fridge for a few minutes between layers and let each one chill and set up a bit.) Then the pesto (green), cheese (white), tomato puree (red), cheese (white), pesto (green), etc. Be sure to end with cheese, as this will be the bottom of your mold.
- Fold ends of cloth over top of completed mold and press down lightly to compact. Refrigerate until firm. The mold can stay in the refrigerator overnight. As the weight of the cheese compacts the pesto and tomatoes, oil will come out around the sides; I would blot it away with paper towels, occasionally. (You can also blot or spoon off more excess oil if you choose to let the mold rest in the fridge between layers.)
- When ready to serve: layer fresh basil around the edge of a platter. Loosen cheesecloth and invert the mold onto the plate (here is where a disposable aluminum loaf pan is handy -- it's very easy to pull away from the sides of the cheese). Gently peel the cheesecloth off the mold. Press pine nuts into the top.
Don't worry about the cheesecloth pattern left on the sides of the torta -- it looks cool and texture-y. Don't worry that it's not perfectly symmetrical -- when the first person cuts into it and sees the lovely layers inside, the oohs and aahs will come. It's a big fat log of cool, cream-cheesy, garlicky pesto-y tomatoey goodness. This is a thick dip and works best with sturdy crackers. You'll need cheese spreaders / a knife as well. Yom yom yom!
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