It's Chow Season (part 3)

Needing a new recipe doesn’t always mean scouring the internet or thumbing through pages of cookbooks. Your favorite dishes may just need a little tweak. One of my favorite party appetizers that my clients enjoy are what I call, “puffies.” Little puff pastry pillows filled with pretty much anything.

Try “puffing” up (or down in this case) your favorite spinach artichoke dip.

Roll out thawed puff pastry to approximately 1/8″ thick. Using a 3” round biscuit cutter (thank you Pampered Chef) start cutting out your circles. Place a small dollop (1 – 1 1/2 tsp) of your cold or room temperature dip in the middle of the pastry rounds. Pinch close, twist the closing and pat down onto itself so it sits flat. Line on a cookie sheet and flash freeze for 10 minutes. Then transfer to a zip topped plastic bag and freeze until you are ready to wow your friends.

To serve, place these bundles on a baking sheet, brush the tops lightly with olive or canola oil and bake in the center rack of your preheated 400 degree oven. Bake for 15 -18 minutes, then low broil for approximately 2-3 more minutes until golden brown.

This recipe is great with ANY hot dip recipe, crab, reuben or even just a wedge of cheese. For a recent event I pan roasted finely diced potato and mixed with caramelized onions and diced gouda. They were wiped out by the festive crowd!

Looking for something a bit healthier but just as delicious for the holidays? Salad…yes, I said salad.

Ingredients (vinaigrette separately):

Baby arugula, finely chopped

Grape tomatoes, slice in half

Prosciutto

Romano, Parmesan or Asiago

Pita bread

Roasted Tomatoes. Toss the sliced grape tomatoes with extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. Place on a cookie sheet or a shallow sided roasting pan and cook in a 375 degree oven just until the tomatoes start to blister. Remove and set aside to cool.

Pita Rounds. With your 3” round biscuit cutter, cut out rounds from your favorite pita bread (Joseph’s flax, oat bran and whole wheat works well). Once cut, you will separate the tops from the bottoms. Lightly spray or brush each round with olive oil (or whatever your preference) and lightly toast in a non-stick pan, do not over toast. You want the pita to still be pliable because these apps are two biters, you’ll be eating these like a soft taco. Let cool to room temperature then store in a zip topped bag or air tight container.

Lemon Thyme Vinaigrette:

2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh thyme

Freshly squeezed lemon juice (1/2 lemon)

1 shallot, finely diced

1-2 Tbsp sugar (or 1 Tbsp honey)

Olive oil to emulsify

Mix all the ingredients except for the oil. This will allow the sugar/honey to dissolve a bit in the lemon juice. Then whisk in olive oil until well incorporated and lush.

Assembly:

Toss arugula and roasted tomatoes together with dressing. Place 1/2 slice of prosciutto on each round. Top with salad and finely grated cheese.

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