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Ham & Gruyere in Puff Pastry

This recipe from the Barefoot Contessa is a simple hors d'oeuvre. It is also a great with soup or salad for lunch or dinner. Start with layer a sheet of puffy pastry with Dijon mustard, ham, and cheese. Then seal and egg wash the pastry and bake it until its beautiful and delicious.

Ham & Gruyere in Puff Pastry

1 (2 sheet) package frozen puff pastry, defrosted (recommend Pepperidge Farm)
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/4 lb black forest ham, sliced
1/2 lb swiss or gruyere cheese, sliced
1 egg, beaten with
1 tablespoon water, for egg wash

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Place a piece of parchment paper on a sheet pan.

Lay 1 sheet of puff pastry on a floured board and carefully roll it out to 10 by 12 inches. Place it on a sheet pan and brush the center with the mustard, leaving a 1-inch border around the edge. Place a layer first of ham and then cheese, also leaving a 1-inch border. Brush the border with the egg wash.

Place the second sheet of puff pastry on the floured board and roll it out to 10 by 12inches. Place the second sheet on top of the filled pastry, lining up the edges. Cut the edges straight with a small, sharp knife and press together lightly. Brush the top with egg wash and cut a few slits in the top to allow steam to escape.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until puffed and golden brown. Allow to cool for a few minutes and serve hot or warm.

Blue Cheese and Walnut Cookies

This year my holiday cookies are all about fruit, cheese, and nuts. Popmuse found this recipe for me to help clean out our fridge of some leftover blue cheese and they were one of my favorite new cookies of the year.

Blue Cheese Walnut Cookies

1/2 cup butter
4 ounces blue cheese
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts

Mix the butter, blue cheese, flour, and salt in a food processor, and process until smooth. Transfer to a bowl, and stir in the walnuts. Cover, and chill 5 minutes in the refrigerator. Divide dough in half. Form each half into a log shape. Wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate 1 hour, until firm. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slice the dough logs into 1/4 inch rounds, and arrange rounds on a baking sheet. Bake for 12 minutes or until lightly browned.

Sharp Cheddar Cookies

My grandmother used to make these with her holiday cookies in December, and I was always a huge fan. I think a salty cheesy cookie really helps to balance out all of the sugary holiday treats. It also makes a good appetizer or snack. Really it's just a cheese straw made in cookie form.

Sharp Cheddar Cookies

16 oz sharp cheddar
3/4 stick butter
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon red pepper
paprika

Let cheese and butter warm to room temperature. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix and kneed ingredients except paprika until well combined (a food processor works well). Roll dough into small balls, press down slightly with a fork, and place on a cookie sheet. Bake 12-15 minutes and sprinkle with paprika.

Open-Faced Baked Prosciutto, Brie, and Apple Butter Sandwiches

Fall is here and I'm really getting into the seasonal eats. Last night I made these sandwiches with some squash soup for some company. The mix of sweet, salty, creamy, and smokey was so right. Special thanks Tyler Florence for making this recipe possible. I highly recommend trying these as an appetizer or with a side of soup.

Open-Faced Baked Prosciutto, Brie, and Apple Butter Sandwiches 

1 loaf crusty French bread
4 tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup apple butter
16 thin slices prosciutto, about 1/4 pound
2 pears or apples, thinly sliced
1 pound Brie, thinly sliced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Heat the oven to 450 degrees F. Cut 16 (1/2-inch thick) slices out of the loaf. Butter each side of the slices and put them onto a baking sheet. Spread 1 tablespoon of apple butter onto each slice. Top this with 1 slice of prosciutto and 3 or 4 slices of pear or apple. Cover this with the Brie slices, season with salt and pepper, and drizzle with olive oil. Bake until the cheese is melted, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Baked Brie Bites

My concept for my 30th birthday (11/18/09) is to be surrounded by a room full of cheese hors d'oeuvres. That means I have a little over 2 years to nail down some cheese hors d'oeuvre recipes. My first thought was to make bite-sized baked brie. I experimented with a few different pasteries, fruits, and nuts. Here is a rundown of my favorites.

BH Baked Brie Bites #1

1 pkg. puff pastry
1 egg
Medium wedge of brie
Small container of honey
2 thinly sliced and halved apples or pears
Small pkg. toasted walnut or pecan pieces

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Thaw pastry, unfold, dust with flour, and roll flat. Slice pastry into equal-sized squares. Place a cube of brie in the center of the square with 2-3 small slices of fruit, 3-4 pieces of nuts, and a drizzle of honey. Fold corners of pastry into center and bunch edges together. In a small bowl beat egg with 1 Tbsp water. Brush egg mixture over pastry. Bake on a greased cookie sheet for 15 minutes or until golden.

BH Baked Brie Bites #2

1 pkg rolled premade pie crust
1 egg
Medium wedge of brie
Small pkg raspberries or blackberries
Small container of honey
Small pkg. toasted walnut or pecan bits

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Thaw crust, unroll, dust with flour, and roll flat. Cut 3.5" circles out of the dough with a biscuit cutter or the rim of a large drinking glass. Place a cube of brie in the center of each circle with 2-3 small slices of fruit, 3-4 pieces of nuts, and a drizzle of honey. Fold  in edges of the circles, bunch and pinch together.In a small bowl beat egg with 1 Tbsp water. Brush egg mixture over pastry. Bake on a greased cookie sheet for 10-15 minutes or until golden.

White Bean Bruscheta

My constant struggle between blog modeling superstar and overeater shut-in continues to haunt me. I lost 10 pounds in the past month, but am well on my way to gaining them back with a cheese and chocolate and cake binge. If you have self control and are looking to drop a few pounds for summer this is a tasty Weight Watchers snack that goes well with a light soup or salad.

White Bean Bruscheta

4 slice French bread
15 oz canned cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
2 medium garlic clove(s), minced
1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp water
1/8 tsp paprika, or to taste
1/8 tsp table salt, or to taste
1/8 tsp black pepper, or to taste
1 large tomato(es), coarsely chopped
2 Tbsp basil, for garnish

Preheat oven to 400°F. Toast bread in oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Purée beans with garlic, lemon juice and water until smooth. Adjust seasonings to taste. Spread purée on toast. Top each with a few pieces of tomato, and garnish with basil leaves.

White Bean & Sun-dried Tomato Dip with Homemade Chips

This is a tasty dip with some of the most amazing chips ever. Just blend some ingedients together and bake some premade whole wheat tortillas and you're done.

White Bean & Sun-dried Tomato Dip with Homemade Chips

6 medium whole wheat tortilla(s), cut into 8 wedges each
3 sprays cooking spray
1/8 tsp table salt, or to taste
30 oz canned white beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, without oil, or less to taste
1/4 cup fat-free sour cream
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp table salt, or to taste

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Arrange tortilla wedges on a large baking sheet; coat with cooking spray and then season with salt. Bake until golden brown and crisp, about 6 to 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine beans, tomatoes, sour cream, lemon juice, garlic powder, cumin and onion powder in a food processor; process until smooth and then season with salt. Serve dip with chips on the side. Yields 6 chips and about 1/4 cup of dip per serving. 8 servings / 3 points each.

Another Super Bowl of Dip

The Superbowl is here again and Carrie Fisher and I can't wait. I'm not much of a sports fan, but I am a big dip enthusiast. I had this dip at a friend's holiday party a couple months ago and ate an embarrassing amount of it throughout the night. The whole idea of the dip is genius to me. I think more foods should be transformed into dip form. It's very T.G.I. Friday's meets Rachael Ray (which is probably a good thing for Super Bowl eats).

Buffalo Chicken Dip

2 [10 ounce] cans chunk chicken, drained
2 [8 ounce] packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup Ranch dressing
3/4 cup red hot sauce
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
crackers, chips, and/or celery sticks

Heat chicken and hot sauce until heated through. Stir in cream cheese and Ranch dressing. Cook, stirring until well blended and warm. Mix in half the cheddar cheese and transfer mixture to a slow cooker. Sprinkle of the remaining cheese over top, cover, and cook on low setting until hot and bubbly.
                                                                

Pops Crackers

This is a no bake seasoned oyster cracker recipe that my grandfather used to make. It's incredibly flavorful and is a slightly more upscale replacement for Chex mix at your next social gathering.

Pop's Crackers

1/2 Cup Mazola Oil
1/4 teaspoon dill weed
1/4 teaspoon celery salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper
1 envelope Hidden Valley Ranch Mix(1.24oz)
1 box Oyster Crackers

Put dry ingredients in a brown paper bag. Add oil and shake 50 times.

Cheddar French Toast with Grilled Tomatoes

This french toast/cheesy bread recipe is a nice side to a lunch or dinner soup or some eggs for brunch. I served it with a white bean soup for dinner last night and it was the perfect meal to eat alongside last week's episode of Project Runway and Monique's Fat Chance.

Cheddar French Toast with Grilled Tomatoes

2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1 tsp salt
8 oz grated sharp cheddar
1 Tbsp dried thyme
8 thick slices of crusty country style bread
4 Tbsp butter
3 tomatoes thickly sliced
1 tsp black pepper
2 Tbsp olive oil

With a fork, combine egg, milk, and salt in a large bowl or baking dish. Add thyme and cheese and soak 2 slices of bread for 2 minutes per side. Meanwhile, melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Lift bread out of liquid letting any excess drip off. Place bread into skillet and using a fork, transfer some of the cheese from the batter to the bread. Cook bread until golden, 3-4 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and cover to keep warm. Repeat with remaining butter and bread. Season tomato slices with salt and pepper. Wipe out the skillet and return to medium heat. Heat olive oil in pan. Add tomatoes to pan and cook 2 minutes per side. Serve tomatoes alongside the french toast.