Dirty Martini with Bleu Cheese¹ - Almond Stuffed Olives
3 ounces vodka
Dash dry vermouth
Splash olive brine
2 bleu cheese stuffed olives (see: recipe below)
In a cocktail shaker, combine the vodka, vermouth, and olive brine. Fill the shaker with ice and shake for 1 minute. Strain into a chilled tall martini glass and garnish with the cheese stuffed olives. Serve immediately
Bleu Cheese Stuffed Olives:
24 almond slivers
1 (10-ounce) jar large pitted green olives (about 24 olives)
1/4 cup blue cheese
3 cloves garlic, smashed
10 whole black peppercorns
Essence (see: recipe below)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the almonds in a small baking sheet and lightly season with Essence. Roast until fragrant and light golden in color, about 6 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly.
Drain the olives, reserving the brine. Form 1/2 teaspoon of blue cheese around each almond sliver and stuff each into an olive. Return the olives to their jar, layering with the garlic and peppercorns. Pour the reserved brine over the olives to completely cover. Tightly cover and shake well. Let marinate refrigerated and sealed for at least 2 days.
Yield: 1 jar stuffed olives
Essence (Emeril's Creole Seasoning):
2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme
Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.
Yield: about 2/3 cup
Recipe from "New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch. Published by William and Morrow, 1993. ¹ Blue cheese, known in French as bleu cheese