Recipe: Cheesy Sesame Phyllo Bites

Cheesy Sesame Phyllo Bites

Bon Appetit Magazine, Dec 2016/Jan 2017, p.60
4.9 stars

So... we had extra puff pastry left, and I pulled this recipe and didn't realize it uses phyllo pastry (not puff pastry), but it still worked and was delicious!

Ingredients: phyllo pastry, Gruyere, black and white sesame seeds, butter, egg white, smoked paprika, salt, pepper  

Tips/Notes:

• For our modified recipe, we didn't use egg white

Recipe: Spicy Bulgur in Lettuce Cups

Spicy Bulgur in Lettuce Cups

Bon Appetit Magazine, Apr 2021, p.43

4.5 stars

This grew on me! The dressing wasn't that exciting, but overall the flavors were good ESPECIALLY with the falafel added. The lettuce wasn't strong enough to hold everything together so it ended up being a salad.

Salad Ingredients: Little Gem lettuce or romaine, bulgur, walnuts, tomatoes, cucumber, scallions, parsley, mint, pomegranate seeds, Kosher salt, black pepper

Dressing Ingredients: pomegranate molasses, double-concentrated tomato paste, extra-virgin olive oil, lemon juice, Aleppo-style pepper, biber salcasi (Turkish hot pepper paste) or more Aleppo, Kosher salt, black pepper

Tips/Notes:

• Served falafel with it
• Didn't have biber salcasi so used more Aleppo pepper
• Substituted date syrup for the pomegranate molasses

Recipe: Zucchini Quesadilla with Spicy Salsa Roja

Zucchini Quesadilla with Spicy Salsa Roja
Food and Wine Magazine, Mar 2014, p. 99
Quesadilla: 0 stars
Spicy Salsa Roja: 4.7 stars

The zucchini quesadilla isn't good -- the Monterey Jack gets completely lost; the zucchini needs to be cooked a little and has no flavor. The salsa, however, is good and SPICY!

Spicy Salsa Roja Ingredients: tomatoes, small onion, garlic, dried arbol chiles, chipotle chile in adobo, apple cider vinegar, canola oil, sugar, salt

Recipe: Peach and Prosciutto Sandwich

Peach and Prosciutto Sandwich

Bon Appetit Magazine, June 2022, p. 56

4.8 stars

Super easy weeknight meal especially during the summer. We made them open-faced sandwiches vs. in a baguette, and we used white peaches (YUM!). This could also be a summer appetizer.

Ingredients: baguette, peaches, cheddar, prosciutto, basil, red wine vinegar, chili crisp, Kosher salt

Recipe: Spinach and Ricotta Puff Pastry Christmas Tree

Spinach and Ricotta Puff Pastry Christmas Tree

AllRecipes.com

5 stars

Not, it's not Christmas in June! But I did have puff pastry, spinach and ricotta on hand so thought we'd try this out. I'll make these any time as this is my kind of appetizer -- spinach and ricotta... kind of like spanakopita but better IMHO.

The only thing that makes this "Christmas" is the recipe recommends arranging the pinwheels in a Christmas tree layout after baking which we didn't do and decorating with cherry tomatoes to look like tree ornaments.

Ingredients: puff pastry, spinach, ricotta, Parmesan cheese, egg, red onions, nutmeg, salt, black pepper, oil, cherry tomatoes

Tips:

• Used a shallot instead of 2 red onions -- 2 red onions would have been TOO much!

Recipe: Steve's Layered Cornbread

Steve's Layered Cornbread

Martha Stewart Living Magazine, Nov 2020, p.70

5 stars

It's Thanksgiving week! Instead of "regular" rolls or cornbread, try this super EASY and incredibly delicious recipe.  It's beyond flavorful, and once you've made this, you won't go back to regular 'ol cornbread.

Ingredients: corn oil, fine yellow cornmeal, whole milk, cream-style corn, cheddar cheese, shredded cooked chicken, cilantro, pickled jalapenos, eggs, baking soda, Kosher salt

Tips

• Used vegetable oil instead of corn oil
• Used fine white cornmeal instead of fine yellow cornmeal
• Used Rotisserie shredded chicken
• Used sharp cheddar cheese
• The cilantro didn't impart much flavor in the cornbread but it's nice to include for color
• The pickled jalapenos added a spicy, flavor (a wow!) to the dish. Only used 1/4 c (or less!) and chopped them up
• Didn't think it needed salsa served on the side

Recipe: Barbecue Chicken Pizzas

 

Barbecue Chicken Pizzas

Us Weekly, 8/31/2020, p.34

5 stars

This is a Rachael Ray recipe that was in Us Weekly a month ago. Wow on flavor -- my mouth is watering as I think about this restaurant quality pizza. I couldn't find the recipe online to link to so if you need the recipe, contact me via the comment box. Can't wait to make this again.

Main ingredients: chicken, combination of cheeses, green onions, basil, cilantro, jalapenos, pickles

BBQ Sauce Ingredients: onion, tomato sauce, garlic, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire, light brown sugar, hot sauce, mustard, olive oil or canola oil, salt, pepper

Tips:

• We made 2 pizzas using Tyler Florence's pizza dough recipe (that we've made many times)
• Sauteed chicken to put on top vs. using it as the base of the pizza
• Used smoked cheddar and mozzarella - YUM!
• Didn't put pickles on top

Recipe: Ricotta and Roasted Grape Crostini

 

Ricotta and Roasted Grape Crostini

Food and Wine Magazine, Dec 2014, p. 88

5 stars

This was so simple and definitely a restaurant-worthy, dinner party appetizer.  So flavorful. We've made crostini before, but this is the best so far. 

Ingredients: baguette slices, ricotta, grapes, balsamic vinegar, pine nuts, rosemary, extra-virgin olive oil, honey, lemon zest, flaky sea salt and pepper

Tip

• Used walnuts instead of pine nuts (don't think pine nuts are actually right for this dish!)

(Find recipe under: Salad - Celery, Fennel and Apple Salad with Pecornio and Walnuts)

Recipe: Heirloom Tomato BLT Tart

 

Heirloom Tomato BLT Tart

Today Show

5 Stars

I was watching The Today Show and saw the New York Times food editor (or maybe critic?) make this. It looked so easy, and I thought it was a great way for us to use up the puff pastry we've had in our freezer.

It was so good but messy (because of the super flaky puff pastry). It would be great for an appetizer at a dinner party. Next time, we may try this but using Tyler Florence's pizza dough recipe.

Ingredients: puff pastry, baby lettuces or arugula, heirloom tomatoes, bacon, mascarpone or creme fraiche, grated Parmesan, light brown sugar, extra-virgin olive oil, Kosher salt, black pepper, flaky sea salt

Recipe: Tomato & Prosciutto Tartines

Tomato & Prosciutto Tartines

Better Homes & Gardens, Sept 2020, p. 78   

5 Stars

So simple yet so incredibly delicious -- AND we were able to use up pesto (we've had lots of pesto in the house as our basil has gone gangbusters this year!).

This recipe would be great as a lunch item or appetizer, but hey, we had it as our entree for dinner and loved it.

Ingredients: French bread, pesto, tomatoes, prosciutto, fresh mozzarella, arugula, garlic

Tips/Notes:

• We toasted the bread instead of broiling it and didn't brush the bread with olive oil and garlic -- there's enough oomph and flavor from everything else that we didn't think it was necessary to take this extra step
• Didn't broil the assembled tartines -- may do that in the future but wanted a "cold" dish this time

Recipe: Fried-Bread Panzanella with Ricotta and Herbs

 

Fried-Bread Panzanella with Ricotta and Herbs

Bon Appetit Magazine, Sept 2018

4.5 stars

Super easy weeknight recipe. Went really well with fried chicken! 

Ingredients: sourdough bread, ricotta, heirloom tomatoes, basil, parsley, shallot, garlic, extra-virgin olive oil, red-wine vinegar, flaky sea salt, black pepper

Notes:

• Didn't fry the bread. Toasted and buttered it instead.

• Added fresh mozzarella.

Burrata and Prosciutto Toast ("Somebody Feed Phil" Inspired)

Burrata and Prosciutto Toast ("Somebody Feed Phil" Inspired from His Chicago Episode)
5 stars

My all-time favorite food show is "Somebody Feed Phil" on Netflix. It makes me so happy watching it -- seeing Phil travel to amazing places around the world, getting to know people and their cultures as well as eating amazing food, all while having fun (I laugh every time!).

We were watching his Chicago episode on Season 3 where he goes to Monteverde restaurant and tries one of the chef's favorite menu items -- an appetizer called Burrata E Ham. On their menu, here is the description:

BURRATA E HAM

rosemary tigelle, culatta prosciutto, arugula, grilled cherry tomato, toasted garlic  24

Tempesta finocchiona  add 5   prosciutto butter  add 4

We made the dish for much less than $24.

At some point, I'll figure out how to make rosemary tigelle, but here's how we made it (similar to how Phil ate it on the show) which is a little different from what is described above:

- Toasted bread
- Buttered the bread
- Added prosicutto
- Added shaved cantaloupe
- Added burrata

Mmmmmmm mmmmmm! (Can you hear Phil saying that? It's what I said it when we ate this!)

Recipe: Burst Cherry Tomatoes and Pancetta

Burst Cherry Tomatoes and Pancetta
Food and Wine Magazine, July 2018, p. 35
5 stars

Of all the dishes we've made that go with bread/toast, this one is my favorite. It has so much flavor because of the pancetta. This dish can be an appetizer, but we had it as our main meal and tossed in some pasta with it. And check it out -- just 7 ingredients including the bread itself!

Ingredients: toasted bread, cherry tomatoes, pancetta, ricotta, yellow onion, garlic, fine sea salt

Tips:

• Add red pepper flakes
• As mentioned above, we boiled pasta on the side and tossed some of the tomato mixture with it
• Add some fresh basil to the top when serving

Recipe: Three-Cheese Gougeres

Three-Cheese Gougeres
Saveur, Issue #172, p. 66
4 stars

These gougeres were very nice -- would be a great hors d'ouevers for a party!

This recipe calls for just 8 ingredients which includes 3 different cheeses:  whole milk, unsalted butter, flour, 5 eggs, kosher salt, Comte cheese, Emmentaler cheese, Gruyere cheese

For a dinner side dish, I would actually make the Popovers with Gruyere recipe instead which are full-size popovers/muffins, not mini ones like this recipe, and are actually even simpler to make.  The popovers recipe also doesn't require butter or the mix of cheeses and requires fewer eggs.

Recipe: Quinoa Balls with Cauliflower and Cheese

Quinoa Balls with Cauliflower and Cheese
Food and Wine Magazine, February 2015, p. 100
4.5 stars

Strange sounding, recipe, I know.  But really nice flavor and easy to make!  The photo above isn't the best -- I forgot to take a photo when I originally made them, so this is what they look like reheated.

I would make these as an hors d'oeuvres for people who aren't picky and enjoy trying new things ~ and people who like quinoa and hummus, for example.  It's not the typical appetizer.  One note is that your place will smell like scallion and garlic when these bake, but the smell of those ingredients is stronger than the taste of them.

Here is the ingredient list:  quinoa, cauliflower, halloumi cheese*, scallions, chickpea flour, garlic, egg, sea salt, pepper, nutmeg, baking soda, lemon juice.

*Halloumi cheese can be found at specialty grocery or cheese shops.

Recipe: Cherry and Plum Bruschetta

Cherry and Plum Bruschetta
Bon Appetit, Jun 2013, p. 42
5 stars

Why oh why did I not take a photo of this?  It was lovely in both appearance and taste and extremely easy to make!

Note:  We didn't use cherries, just plums for this appetizer, and it turned out great.

The recipe is basically this:

• Toast a baguette and slice it to 1/2" thick
• Drizzle the toast with oil
• Spread a ricotta and sugar mixture on top
• Top it with the fruit (which is macerated in oil, salt and vanilla for 10-15 min)
• Sprinkle with Maldon sea salt

Perfect for a summer gathering.

Recipe: Spiced-Ham-and-Cheese Toasts

We made these Spiced-Ham-and-Cheese Toasts from Food and Wine Magazine (Dec 2013, p. 140) along with the Cream of Leek and Potato Soup.  Nice soup and sandwich dinner on a cold winter day.

I tweaked this recipe a bit, and it still turned out delicious.  Here's what I did:

• Sauteed the onions in butter
• Mixed dried sage, cloves, cayenne, cream cheese, shredded cheddar cheese, sliced scallions, Dijon mustard and apple cider together in a bowl.  = the spread
• Took sliced bread and put the spread on it.  Topped it with the sauteed onions.  And then broiled it until the spread was just bubbling.
• Topped it with smoked ham and served.

Perhaps next time I should try making it per the recipe -- as a pate.  I can see this as being a nice hors d'oeuvres for a party.

Recipe: Popovers with Gruyere

I made popovers for the first time this past weekend for a party we attended. 

Who knew they were so easy to make? 

This Popovers with Gruyere recipe from Bon Appetit (Sept 2004) requires just 5 ingredients:  flour, salt, milk, eggs and gruyere.  Impress your guests!

2 tips:

• Baking time was only 35 min (not the 40 min noted in the recipe) so watch them so they don't overbrown or burn.
• Make a slit in them as people have noted in the reviews so that they don't deflate completely.
• Think about adding dry mustard and/or mustard seeds like the XXL Gougeres.

Recipe: Pork Larb Lettuce Wrap

We made this Pork Larb Lettuce Wrap recipe this evening.  The dish (I'd recommend this as an appetizer) has really nice flavors but a major flaw.  The recipe calls for toasting a tablespoon of long-grain rice until browned, grinding the rice in a spice grinder and then sprinkling the meat with the powder.  Definitely don't do this!!!  It gave the dish a weird grainy texture that was not appetizing.  Or, if you want to try this, do it with just a small portion of meat to see if you like it. 

Other than that, the flavors were good -- think garlic, fish sauce, lime, sugar, spice (we used a serrano pepper), red onion, cilantro, mint, basil -- very southeast Asian.

We used ground chicken because the store ran out of pork (and I didn't want to use ground beef); however, I think the pork's flavor and texture would be ideal to use the next time we make it.

Recipe: Hearts of Palm Dip

I love hearts of palm.  Give me a salad with hearts of palm in it, and I'm extra happy.  It's a special ingredient to me since I don't see it often.  I love the texture and flavor it adds -- crunchiness and a unique subtle flavor that I can only compare to artichokes.

What is it?  It's a vegetable harvested from the inner core and growing bud of certain palm trees.  You can find them in the canned vegetable aisle in the grocery store next to the artichokes.

I just made a dip that is simple, relatively healthy and is perfect as a snack with pita chips.  The recipe is from Food & Wine Magazine's March 2012 issue (p.80).  All that's in the dip are hearts of palm, extra-virgin olive oil, a garlic clove, and salt & pepper.

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/hearts-of-palm-dip