Girls Night Appetizer

I work in a testosterone infused industry.  Over the past several years, I've bonded with an amazing group of women I work with.  We're all relatively senior managers and most of us have spent most of our carers as one of the few, if not the only, women in the room.  We sometimes jokingly (or maybe not) refer to ourselves as the "Power Women".

Tonight we're gathering at the home of one of our friends who lives walking distance from the office.  Our assignment was to bring an appetizer and a bottle of wine.  Last night was my husband's golf night, so I had an opportunity to make a mess in the kitchen and try something new.  The Power Women will be the guinea pigs for my newest creation.

The CSA delivery is tonight and I still had basil left from last week.  I found a recipe for Williams Sonoma Rosemary and Parmesan Madeleines that looked really good and called for ingredients that I happened to have on hand.  I just substituted basil for the rosemary.  I wanted to serve them with something tomato-y and looked and looked for a recipe that would hold up overnight--I was thinking bruscetta in a dip.  I finally found a recipe on, of all places, the Sams Club website that provided inspiration.  Here's my adaptation:

Creamy Tomato Basil Dip

8 ounces neufchatel cheese, brought to room temperature

3 Tablespoons crushed tomatoes (this is what I had on hand, tomato sauce or a reduced amount of tomato paste would probably work just as well)

2 Tablespoons reduced fat sour cream

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

2 Tablespoons fresh basil, finely chopped

1 Tablespoon red onion, finely chopped

1 medium yellow tomato, seeded and cut into small dice

1 T. capers, finely chopped

8 Kalamata olives, finely chopped

Place cream cheese, crushed tomatoes and sour cream into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Blend on medium speed until well mixed, about 3 minutes.  Add remaining ingredients and mix thouroughly.  Scrape into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and chill overnight.