Oscar night is always fun and we’re looking forward to watching this year since the crop of movies has been so good. Of the nominees, so far we’ve been to see Argo, Lincoln, Django Unchained, Les Miserables and Zero Dark Thirty—five out of nine is pretty good for our family—although we had hoped to make it to Life of Pi and Silver Linings Playbook before the awards show. Alas, busy-ness and conflicting schedules intervened. But we know enough to enjoy the show and will be tuned in and watching from the red carpet on. In keeping with our tradition, dinner will be something simple to make and eat so as not to require too much of the cooking and cleaning staff who will be watching.
To curb the appetite and add a festive tone to the night, I will fuss a bit and make this appetizer for us to enjoy before dinner. I love hearts of palm in salads and have wondered if they would make for a good dip in the way of canned artichokes. So I made this dip for the first time during the holidays and it got great reviews. You could easily substitute canned artichokes if you’d rather, but this way is very, very good. This bubbly mixture is filling and satisfying and is the perfect thing when you don’t have a big meal planned for dinner. (Truth be told, it might end up being dinner….)
Hot Heart of Palm Dip
Makes about 2 cups
2 cans Hearts of Palm, drained and finely chopped
1 8-ounce package cream cheese
1 cup mayonnaise
Juice of ½ lemon
½ cup grated Parmesan Reggianno cheese
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
5 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Cayenne pepper to top
Preparation:
In the bowl of a food processor, combine the hearts of palm, cream cheese, mayonnaise and lemon juice and pulse until combined (it should not be a puree, but have small chunks that are easy enough to spread). Transfer to a mixing bowl.
In a small saucepan, heat the olive oil and then sauté the shallots and garlic until they are soft and lightly browned. Add the mixture to the heart of palm mixture, add the Parmesan cheese and stir to combine. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Transfer the mixture to an ovenproof serving dish. Sprinkle the top lightly with cayenne pepper.
Bake at 350 degrees until bubbly and serve with toasted French bread rounds or crackers.
