Weekend Foodie Thread

Tis the season for company, so this week I’d like to focus on stupid easy, but delicious, appetizers.   Ideally, these should be recipes you… well… don’t need to look at a recipe to submit here and ingredients you usually have in the house.

I’m scheduled for my end of the year Costco run, and I always hit the frozen food section for an assortment of frozen quiches, eggrolls, scallops wrapped in bacon, etc. to “throw out” as supplements.  (BTW, Costco has the best prices on (non-exotic) cheese I’ve come across.)  Actually… Tis the season to plug in the extra refrigerator/freezer!  But there are few quick, easy, and downright impressive dishes that I always make.

Baked Brie with Pecan pieces and Honey

This is so easy… simply bake a wedge of brie (if you use a round, cut it in half) until soft, but not oozing cheese.  Remove from oven and place on plate – in the summer I grab a fig leaf from my tree and place the brie on top of it!  Sprinkle pecan pieces (enough so each slice will have pecans) and then drizzle honey over top (same rules as with pecans).  Serve with crackers and fruit.

Cheatin’ Beer Cheese

1 small container of Wispride cheddar cheese
1/4 cup beer
Garlic Powder to taste

Soften cheese, add beer and garlic powder.  Beat with a hand mixer until smooth.  Refrigerate and serve with crackers – I use Wheatsworth crackers with this recipe.

Easy enough?

Simple Crab Dip

1 pkg cream cheese
1 large container of good crab meat
cocktail sauce.

There are two ways of preparing this recipe.  1.) you can combine everything and then serve in a bowl with crackers, or 2.) you can place the wedge of cream cheese on a serving plate, top with crab and then pour cocktail sauce over crab and cream cheese – this way allows for larger lumps of crab meat.

Too easy?  Okay, let’s kick it up a notch.  This next recipe is from the Barefoot Contessa.  It has a few steps, but it’s extremely easy and versetile.  I’ll give you the basic recipe, but I’ve kicked it up by adding fresh steamed veggies, like asparagus, and really good olives.

Tomato and Goat Cheese Tarts

1 package (17.3 ounces/2 sheets) puff pastry, defrosted
Good olive oil
4 cups thinly sliced yellow onions (2 large onions)
3 large garlic cloves, cut into thin slivers
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons dry white wine
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves
4 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan, plus 2 ounces shaved with a vegetable peeler
4 ounces garlic-and-herb goat cheese (recommended: Montrachet)
1 large tomato, cut into 4 (1/4-inch-thick) slices
3 tablespoons julienned basil leaves

Directions
Unfold a sheet of puff pastry on a lightly floured surface and roll it lightly to an 11 by 11-inch square. Using a 6-inch wide saucer or other round object as a guide, cut 2 circles from the sheet of puff pastry, discarding the scraps. Repeat with the second pastry sheet to make 4 circles in all. Place the pastry circles on 2 sheet pans lined with parchment paper and refrigerate until ready to use.  Note:  I cut the pastry into squares – less waste, more tarts

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium to low heat and add the onions and garlic. Saute for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions are limp and there is almost no moisture remaining in the skillet. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, the wine, and thyme and continue to cook for another 10 minutes, until the onions are lightly browned. Remove from the heat.

Using a sharp paring knife, score a 1/4-inch-wide border around each pastry circle. Prick the pastry inside the score lines with the tines of a fork and sprinkle a tablespoon of grated Parmesan on each round, staying inside the scored border.

Place 1/4 of the onion mixture on each circle, again staying within the scored edge. Crumble 1 ounce of goat cheese on top of the onions. Place a slice of tomato in the center of each tart. Brush the tomato lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with basil, salt, and pepper. Finally, scatter 4 or 5 shards of Parmesan on each tart.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown. The bottom sheet pan may need an extra few minutes in the oven. Serve hot or warm.

People who measure make me look bad!  You can make these tarts any size.  I have even served them as a main course!

Okay, bring it on!  Impress me!