Holiday Appetizers

Tis the season for appetizers!  I thought I would share  a few of my recent favorites with you!

I had a very large board crafted for my daughter’s small engagement party and for the recent ATOP wine event with Chateau Pommard and I just love the way it works for tasty tidbits.

I like to line up 3 or 4 selections in rows on the board for a unifying look.  You can see  that I included 2 types of sandwiches, Chicken Tart-lets and miniature Bistro Salads with Blood Orange Vinaigrette.

Making salads in cups with small wooden forks is a simple do ahead idea that allows you to offer tasty vegetables without the traditional veggie tray.

Beef and Blue Cheese Crostini is always a favorite so for the party I modified it into a sandwich.

The layers were built on French bread; lettuce and tomatoes were added for a pop of color.

The sandwiches were sliced into smaller, 3-4 bite sizes.

To make the small sandwiches an easy grab and go appetizer, just add a strip of brown butcher paper and tie them with string.

I love making Spicy Chicken Tart-lets because they are so cute.  They are also super easy to eat at a party and everybody loves them.

Bistro Salads with Blood Orange Vinaigrette 

1 head romaine lettuce chopped

1 tomato chopped

1 avocado chopped

¼ cup dried cherries

¼ cup toasted pecans

Dressing

½ cup fresh squeezed blood orange juice and its zest

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 shallot minced

1 teaspoon sugar

1 heaping teaspoon Dijon mustard

Salt and pepper

Toss salad ingredients in a bowl.  To prepare dressing, add all ingredients to a glass jar and shake vigorously.  Dress salad and serve.

Beef and Blue Cheese Crostini

Beef Marinade

2 cloves garlic

¼ cup Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoon olive oil

¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 pound deli roast beef thinly sliced.

Crostini

1 French baguette cut into thin slices

3 tablespoon olive oil

Sauce

½ cup sour cream

1 tablespoon prepared horseradish

¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1/3 cup blue cheese crumbles

2 tablespoons chives

Prepare beef by placing all marinade ingredients and beef in a zip top bag.  Refrigerate several hours.  Prepare sauce my mixing sour cream, horseradish and pepper in a small bowl.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Brush both sides of French bread slices with olive oil and arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet.  Bake until bread it beginning to brown and turn over to brown the other side.  Remove from oven and allow bread to cool.  Assemble the crostini by adding beef, a small amount of sauce and then sprinkle with both blue cheese and chives.  Serve at once.

Spicy Chicken Tart-lets

1 baked chicken breast, shredded

1 package puff pastry, thawed

½ cup frozen corn

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

¾ cup salsa

¼ cup red onion, finely diced

2 tablespoons pickled jalapenos, diced

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder

½ teaspoon garlic powder

1 slightly beaten egg

Preheat oven to 375. Place chicken in a medium bowl, add spices and mix well.  Add remaining ingredients reserving puff pastry and mix.  Unfold and roll pastry sheets out on a flour surface to about 10 x 12 inches.  Using a 3-inch biscuit cutter cut rounds of pastry, 12 per sheet. Place a spoonful of the chicken mixture in the center of each circle.  Top with a second circle and using a fork press the two circles together.  I like to pinch a crinkled pattern on the crust edge, like a pie crust edge.  Brush the tart-lets with egg wash and prick tops with fork to let steam escape.  Bake on a greased baking sheet for 10-12 minutes until golden brown.