Notes from Stella's Kitchen

(Originally published in February 2003)

In my cookbook, Blueberry Peaches, Red Robin Pie, I have a section on salads and appetizers and under appetizers I give several recipes for spreads. Some of these are very nice, like the recipe for pate (which is so nice that I will devote an entire column to it in the coming months). But for some reason I neglected to include in these recipes any that is exclusively a dip. I’m not sure why this happened. Maybe it’s because nowadays we think of dips as something for parties and large gatherings. Something you can buy at Wal Mart when you have a large crowd and you need munchies to dig into with corn chips or reinforced potato chips.

To be frank, a dip is a dip; spreads are much more versatile.

Spreads are like dips and yet they are different. Their ingredients are similar and a spread can usually be used as a dip, but a spread is also nice to have when there is only one or two persons and can present either an elegant or casual display. Their secret is that they are just as their name describes, spreadable, just like butter or jam. What is nice is that, when spread over some three- or four-day-old slices of French bread and served with a glass of wine, sherry, or beer, they make the perfect snack for when someone drops in or for those idle times of the day when you want a light nibble.

They do look elegant on some soft white bread with their crusts cut off or some lightly toasted French bread (for when you’ve eaten all the four-day-old bread). While spreads look nice when so served as an hors d’oeuvres, they have the advantage of being something you can have in the refrigerator and whipped out at a moments notice for some really tasty, yet elegant, snack. They can be a nice adjunct to a buffet breakfast or served as the main part (with coffee) of a continental breakfast.

But as the ads say, they are best when used as “casual wear.” Paul likes a dish of such spread-topped bread to “prop up an afternoon of reading a book on the porch or watching the birds fly by.” I don’t know whether it’s the beer or the book, but I usually see him after a bit sound asleep, the book on the porch, beer half gone and the slices of spread-topped bread all gone

There are any number of ingredients that can be used. For my recipe this month, I am going to present one we tried last week made of smoked salmon, dill, capers, and cream cheese. Oh, yes, and a little hot sauce. But use this as an example. Almost the same (but quite different in taste!) recipe can be made by substituting shrimp, crawfish, clam, mussels…

You can go further by adding a cheese, say a sharp or mild cheddar, as the predominant ingredient rather than the salmon. You can add a sherry or a port wine to the mix. The list is endless and what is very nice is that you will find some secret mix of materials that will be wonderful in taste and will be your special secret.

Bon Appetit!