Fancy Snack Trio

Sheep's milk cheese-stuffed dates with Calabrian chili honey, warm marinated olives, and za'tar roasted cashews are an easy, chic little snack for your next party.

I believe every good host must have a few good recipes for snacky things up their sleeve. Whether I’m having a couple friends over for drinks or hosting a holiday party, I just like this old school sense of hospitality — it feels thoughtful and luxurious. Saying, “Oh, I just threw a little something together for us,” somehow conveys both a sense of earnestness and mystique, but only when done correctly. For me, a pack of store bought cookies and a bag of chips just doesn’t cut it.

Thankfully, you can actually throw together something that feels truly special in just 10 minutes, and in fact, that’s exactly the cooking time for each of these snacks. I like to get everything prepped and then cook them all at once so I can set a single timer. Gather them all in fancy little dishes, and you’ve got the kind of snack a bar with a specialty negroni section of the menu would charge $18 for.

Ingredients

for the dates:

• 3 tbsp honey

• 1 tsp Calabrian chili

• 8 Medjool dates

• 2oz firm & mild sheep’s milk cheese, such as Tronchón or a young Manchego

• Flaky salt, to taste

for the cashews:

• 1 tbsp butter, melted

• 1 tsp za’atar

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 1 cup raw cashews

for the olives:

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• 1/2 tsp coriander seed

• 3/4 tsp fennel seed

• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

• 3” orange peel

• 1 cup Castelvetrano olives, with or without pits

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2. Slice the dates in half lengthwise, only cutting through the top layer. Remove the pit and replace it with a brick of sheep’s milk cheese. Repeat with the remaining dates.

   

3. Add the honey and Calabrian chili to a small sauce pan and warm on low for 10 minutes.

4. Combine the melted butter, za’atar and 1/4 tsp salt, then add the cashews and stir to coat. Spread the cashews out on a baking sheet in an even layer. Bake for 10 minutes, tossing the nuts at the halfway point for even browning.

5. Add all the ingredients for the olives into a small pot and warm on low heat for 10 minutes. Drain the olives with a slotted spoon, and serve with a drizzle of the spiced oil, but not all.

6. Arrange the dates, cashews and olives in bowls. Drizzle the Calabrian chili honey over the dates and finish with a pinch of flaky salt. Let everything cool for 5-10 minutes, serve with picks & enjoy!