What’s cooking – Chaussons aux olives

The trouble is, even if the dinner party starts at 8:00, no one even gets around to eating until 9:30 or 10:00. Inevitably, when I show up on time, I start to lose my self-restraint and scan the room for snacks, while trying to keep a low profile.

This is my fate during every dinner party to which I have ever been invited. Everyone trickles in over the course of the hour, and I nurse a beer or two, while making small talk and catching up on the week. The first hour of the meet-and-greet are the most testing for me, and I barely move away from my spot on the wall, where, after the party, I’m sure one could make out the outline of my faint frame. Because I do not want to seem overly needy, I choose to suffer in silence and hope that the refreshment fairy decides that she would take up my case that night. Word to the wise: it’s best to speak up if you’re indeed suffering. Since I rarely take my own advice, here is hoping that future party-organizers will read this and be inspired to keep some satisfying appetizers on hand for people like me.

In my mind, the perfect hors d’oeuvres are warm, small, and look like they would have required miniature tools and the skilled hands of a surgeon to prepare. My boyfriend’s family is expert at executing gourmet bites in no time, such as these chaussons aux olives (olive pockets). Although they are elegant enough to serve during important holidays, they require nothing more than a few ingredients that could easily be found at your local Albert Heijn. The first time I saw these at their house, I surreptitiously placed one on my cocktail napkin, took a dainty bite, then stole a few more away and devoured them with pleasure. Since then, I’ve always kept the ingredients for these chaussons in my refrigerator and freezer to save similar-minded party-goers from pre-dinner jitters. I’m not the only proof of their success; no matter how many of these I make, not a single one is left over for the next day.”

Now that you also can’t wait to taste some delicious homemade Chaussons aux olives, just go to http://delta.tudelft.nl for an online version of this article and an easy step-by-step recipe.

Ingredients

• 
  1 package of flaky pie crust (bladderdeeg in Dutch)
• 
  150g pitless black or green olives
• 
  Olive oil
• 
  Egg
• 
  Optional: sesame seeds, poppy seeds, rosemary

Preparation

Follow the directions for the prepared piecrust. Roll out the dough and cut into squares that are about as large as your hand. Spread olive oil onto each square, place some olives in the center and fold edges or corners together to form rectangles or triangles to form chaussons. Beat the egg and brush onto outside of the chausson. Optionally decorate with seeds or herbs. Place in oven according to piecrust package directions. Alternative “escargot (snail)” recipe: Cut dough into long strips, and roll up into spirals, to form snails. Continue as with the chausson recipe.