Check out this bouquet of grape tomato cottage cheese tulips appetizer. They are made with just a few ingredients, like grape tomatoes, whipped cottage cheese, some seasoning and chives. Simple but a real eye-catcher.
Grape-shaped tomatoes hence their name. They look like grapes, with the difference of being bright red. They are a bit smaller and a bit firmer than cherry tomatoes. If you don’t find grape tomatoes at the grocery, take the cherry tomatoes instead. They both make a great snack. Also, be free to use any colour of tomato you like most.
Making them is easier than it looks. With a sharp carving knife and a piping bag in your hand, you’ll get wonderful results. I tried filling them with a spoon. It is a mess and it takes ages! However, make sure you plan some time when making this tomato cottage cheese tulips appetizer.
Of course, to minimize the stress, you can make them a day ahead and keep them stored in the fridge. Serve them on Easter Holidays with this egg-stuffed meatloaf or this baked lentil loaf.
I promise you, the effort is totally worth it. This appetizer is so pretty. Fresh, sweet, and creamy, they make a gorgeous spring snack. I was looking for a creamy filling. So I decided to use whipped cottage cheese. But this can also be swapped with cream cheese or whipped feta cheese.
For more appetizer recipes please check these out: crispy pickles, a light watermelon carpaccio, a golden zucchini salad, this fresh avocado salmon ceviche or these pepper hummus stuffed eggplant rolls.
But because tulips come with a stem, the work is not over yet. I found chives the most appropriate, as the green onions seem too thick. Also, to hold everything together I used toothpicks. One side goes into the chive stems and the other into the tomato. It is simple and cute.
Ingredients for a small bouquet of tomato cottage cheese tulips appetizer:
- 11 grape tomatoes
- about 2 Tbsp of cream cheese or whipped cottage cheese
- salt and pepper
- 1/2 small lemon (juice)
- 13 chives stems
- a couple of fresh coriander stems
- 11 toothpicks
To begin, wash the grape tomatoes. Then, using a sharp knife, cut a cross into the top side of each tomato and slice down through around 3/4 of the tomato. Gently spread the tomato and scrape out the seeds, using a teaspoon or a carving knife.
Mix whipped cottage cheese, a pinch of salt, pepper to taste, and lemon juice in a smaller bowl. Afterwards, transfer it into a piping bag and pipe it into the middle of each grape tomato, till full.
To create the “tulip” stems, insert 3/4 of a toothpick into a chive stem and stick the other 1/4 into the tomato (bottom part).
Finally, stack the tomatoes to create a cute tulip bouquet, decorate with a couple of coriander stems as leaves and tie them all together with a chive stem. Serve this tomato cottage cheese tulips appetizer at breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner.
Enjoy.
