Hot Licks Kickin' Crustini with TapenHOT Olive Spread by Bryanne Salazar

Traditional tapenade calls for juicy Kalamata olives, a few oily anchovies, raw garlic, capers, lemon juice and olive oil. I wondered if it would be possible to take Hot Licks® Habanero Gourmet Stuffed Olives and make an olive-licious spread with a fiery kick, similar to the Mediterranean dish, but better. So - I did. And let me tell you, it didn't disappoint. Try this great appetizer recipe for your next get-together, your mouth with definitely thank you!

 To start, I drained an entire jar of Hot Licks Habanero Gourmet Stuffed Olives and placed them in a bowl. I gathered four large cloves of garlic and a quarter cup of extra virgin olive oil. That's it. Then I pureed it in my food processor on low until the garlic was finely minced and the olives were chopped.

I placed the mixture in a plastic container with a tight fitting lid overnight, to let the garlic really permeate into the olives and those fiery habaneros to work their magic on the spread.

The next day, I finely minced a tablespoon of fresh parsley and a teaspoon of capers, drained. I added the ingredients to my chilled olive spread and stirred well to combine.

Then I sliced, on the bias, several rounds of a really good ciabatta bread, and toasted it in the oven until just golden brown.

Once the bread was toasted, I added a rounded spoonful of the tapenHOT spread to each toasted bread and smoothed to cover the surface. Aren't they beautiful? This nontraditional tapenHOT spread captures the best flavors of Spanish olives, crisp, meaty, briny and fresh, with the fruity, mineral undertones of the habanero pepper. The added garlic, capers and parsley create a well-rounded balance for this sizzling, decadent party favorite.

You can find Habanero Stuffed Gourmet Olives and more at the Hot Licks® website here.