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29 January 2010

Hummus Flower

There was a time in my life when I couldn’t eat anything that had wheat in it-no crackers, no bread, no pita, no gravy, no biscuits, no cookies, no croissants... you get the idea. I got pretty creative with some things. Like Hummus. I reallyreally like hummus, but if you don’t have pita to put it on, what can you do?


Corn chips. Yes. They work very well. Sometimes, though, if you have company you want something a little fancier. Something a little unexpected. Maybe even something a little healthier. And sometimes you’re having company and you forgot to buy the corn chips and you don’t realize it till the last minute so you look in the fridge and the pantry for something to use to eat the hummus with besides a spoon.


That’s how I first came to make this. We were having dinner guests and I totally forgot to make something to munch on before dinner. Here it’s called an amuse-bouche, literally something to amuse your mouth. I like that idea...


So the next time your mouth is bored, or you forgot the chips or you just want to have something a little different, you can make this hummus flower. You’ll thank me. You will.



Hummus Flower


1 cup of hummus

2 large Belgian endives

paprika for color


  • Cut the bottom off the endives (to free the first couple of rounds of leaves).
  • Put the hummus in the center of a large, pretty plate and place the largest endive leaves around it like petals on a daisy.
  • Cut the bottom off the endives again to free the next couple of rounds of leaves, and place these IN the hummus.
  • Continue to put the leaves in the hummus (each new set of leaves will be smaller then the ones before), finishing with the smallest ones in the center. Now it should look more like a chrysanthemum than a daisy.
  • Sprinkle some paprika around to add a little color.


Hummus


1 can chickpeas

1/4 cup tahini

juice of one lemon

1 clove garlic

salt


  • Put the chickpeas in a food processor and blend. (Reserve the liquid from the can).
  • Add the tahini, lemon juice and garlic and blend some more. I like it really smooth, but you can leave it a little lumpy if you like. Add the reserved liquid from the can if necessary to get the consistency you want.
  • Taste and add salt if necessary. I don’t usually need it if I used canned beans.



NOTES:

  • I use canned chickpeas for this. I think they taste fine here, and the difference between the canned ones and the dried ones is not worth the effort in this dish, in my opinion.
  • If you have a plate that’s prettier than mine you may not need the paprika. If I’d had a red plate that was large enough I would have used that...
'nother note: I'm working on another post about moving, but I wanted you to be sure that your mouth wasn't bored while you waited. I know you're thanking me. I can feel it.




41 comments:

pam said...

Well now, that is just a fabulous idea!

Sam Hoffer / My Carolina Kitchen said...

This flower is gorgeous - I mean drop dead gorgeous. I hope you can hear my thank you all the way over there across the pond to Belgium. This is a winner and I will definitely put this recipe in my folder of things to do for an amuse-bouche. It would be perfect also for those who are on a low carb diet. Bravo.
Sam

La Table De Nana said...

De toute beauté~ L'idée est notée.Thanks!

Deana Sidney said...

That looks like some magical waterlily .... Great idea and beautiful photo!!!

Barbara said...

Right up my alley, Kate. I eat endive in my salad every day for lunch. I love its slightly bitter taste.
And as for serving snacks in it: it's like a perfect little spoon! Great idea to put hummus in it- your preserntation is beautiful!

Kathy @ Sweet Up-North Mornings... said...

Kate...I always come away gleening something..."the next time your Mouth is bored"...I loved that!
xoxo~Kathy @ Sweet Up-North Mornings...

Hungry Dog said...

Great idea. You are so creative! Endive makes the perfect little scoops, doesn't it?

Bob said...

Very creative, looks lovely!

Pam said...

Absolutely lovely! I clicked on your blog for the scallop verrine recipe....having a dinner party tomorrow night and thought I would serve it, and what do I find but this beautiful Humus Lily. Gorgeous photo, by the way, you are really becoming an amazing photographer. Now I have to make the Hummus Flower too!
Thanks, you've simplified my menu and made me smile.
Pam

SavoringTime in the Kitchen said...

What a great idea and beautiful! It really does look like a flower. I love hummus and just made some last weekend. I'm going to try it with endive!

~~louise~~ said...

I'm thanking you already, Kate I am, I am. Like you say, canned chick peas work just fine in this dish and believe me, I'm quite particular about my hummus. (no added ingredients please:) And, let me tell you, I've "dunked" just about everything in my hummus; (I've even added spats of hummus to soups and meat loaf when I just can't muster down one more bit:) Your gorgeous hummus water lily is brimming with grandeur. Perfect "amusement" for guests. Thank you so much for sharing...

~~louise~~ said...

Hi again Kate. For the longest time, I just can't seem to figure out how to use the "create a link" at the bottom of the comment section. So, I just linked your pretty flower to a floral post I did today. It's National Carnation Day here in the states. I hope you don't mind. Thanks again, Louise

2 Stews said...

Oh, what a beautiful January flower. I love it, absolutely love it! So creative and wonderful pics...oh yeah...the hummus is great, too :-)

This is on my list!

Diane

Jill @ Jillicious Discoveries said...

I LOVE IT!! It sounds so nice and healthy and it looks so pretty--the perfect appetizer for guests or heck, for me. :)

Stella said...

This is so pretty! And I always feel like both pita and especially corn chips are overwhelming. This is like healthful crunch. Yes!

theUngourmet said...

Beautiful! I love this idea. Wonderful party food!

Zurin said...

totally delightful!!!!!! il do this . you are so creative KAte. :))))

Cate said...

That.is.BEAUTIFUL!!!
And I used to think dried chickpeas were a total pain, but now I just throw them in my slow cooker for a few hours and I don't even have to think about it (just as easy as canned, if you always keep some in the fridge!)

Night Owl Chef said...

Wow, Kate - I thought it actually WAS a flower for a few seconds (my brain was thinking, "wait, how can there be a hummus flower if hummus isn't a plant itself..."!) until I looked closer. SO beautiful and unique. I can always count on you for that.

I'm going to a dinner party tonight and I just might bring this as an appetizer (in addition to my other planned dish... which may make my blog if it's good). The girls will love this light dish! Thanks!!

Mardi Michels said...

What a wonderfully creative idea, Kate! Love it!

Sakorarox said...

wow! thats really creative! I will definitely try it sometime!

Pei-Lin said...

My American friends first introduced hummus to me! They served it to me with celery & taco chips, sort of like a dip! How interesting this cultural experience is! Yours looks just as yummy!

Ju (The Little Teochew) said...

It's breathtakingly beautiful, Kate. I saw it on FG (or was it TS?) and it stood out among so many gorgeous eats. So it was your creation. :)

LoveFeast Table said...

So beautiful and original...luv the photo...

Asha at beFOODled said...

Hi Kate, I was just on Dine 'n Dish and read about your contributions organizing Adopt-a-Blogger #4. This is my first time participating and I've been looking forward to it for a while! Just wanted to say thank-you for helping to make it happen :)

Cheers,
Asha

grace said...

no gravy. no biscuits. i just teared up a little bit imagining such a situation.
on a brighter note, at least you could still eat hummus, which i consider something akin to manna from heaven. the smooth, creamy, nutty spread can be used in so many ways, but i've often just used my finger. :)

B & D said...

hmm..i have never heard of them..i dont think we get it out here!! looks beautiful thou!! hmm dipping it in hummus sounds yummmmm!!!

Jill @ Jillicious Discoveries said...

Kate, Thank you so much for all your work in putting together the Adopt-a-Blogger matches. I'm so excited to get to know my mentor--love his site!! :) THANK YOU!!

YankeeSoaper said...

Hi Kate,
Came here by way of Louise's blog.. what a lovely presentation. We just love hummus, but usually serve it with toasted syrian squares.. but yours is absolutely gorgeous! TY for sharing.

Kim said...

This is gorgeous, stunning, fabulous, and I just plain old love it! So pretty and a great idea!!

Jan (Family Bites) said...

What a fabulous and unique idea. Great photo, too.

Cate O'Malley said...

Love the flower - what a fun idea!

Zurin said...

Hi Kate, tq for your comment on teh crepes. In answer to your question... there is only one crepe per roll. What I did was to fold over each side of the crepe a little but the edges not quite touching each other, thus getting a longish rectangular shape. Then I rolled it starting from one end. It will look quite compact n cute :))

Hope that helps. pls dont hesitate to ask if you hv any more questions 'Ill be very glad to help.:)

Stacey Snacks said...

I love endive for appetizers.
I have a corn/crab appetizer w/ endive spears on my site today.

I love using 2 colors, the red and yellow endive, makes a beautiful presentation!

Kitchen Butterfly said...

Ehmmm....this willbe on my blog in a few weeks!!!!! Looks stunning and I've made 3 batches of hummus in the last month.....

camille said...

The flower is way cool (I just said "way cool") and thanks SO MUCH for doing the Adopt-a-Blogger stuff!

Zurin said...

Hi Kate! ive never tried wth a squirt bottle but u cld try...if u put teh flame to low u dont have to be very very fast really...it takes some time to cook and firm up ..at least a minute of two so ...yes why not ...it cld very well work!....make circles and clrcles within a circle!!

hope ull try ...do let me know how it turns out.... :)))

Divina Pe said...

Wow, look at that.That is so gorgeous and very elegant.

Super Mommie said...

That is a beautiful plate and a great idea! I'm borrowing it! (The idea, not the plate - unless you want to share it!!).

Patricia @ ButterYum said...

What a great idea! I have a luncheon coming up this weekend - this would make such a lovely presentation!

:)
ButterYum

singapore florist said...

what a lovely idea.