Walnut, Honey and Chèvre Crostini | Friday Night Bites

Have you ever made something that instantly you say to yourself – this is absolutely one of the best things I have had in a long time?  If you are like me, you like to cook a variety of dishes which are great.  But then you have those certain dishes that you make that just stand out and make your taste buds do the happy dance.  This Crostini was dancing like the stars for me.

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Hubby and I had an impromptu cocktail party last weekend.  I had about 5 hours notice to create the menu, go to the store and prepare.  Luckily for me, I had my team lunch the day prior and had extra TruffleButter Popcorn along with an assortment of cheeses to create another beautiful cheese platter for our friends.  I never want my guests to go hungry, so quite often I make more than enough food.  That night was no exception.  I made my infamous Crab Cakes with a spicy garlic aioli. 

I needed one more item to round out the appetizer menu and came up with this stunning Crostini.  I have to say, it was one of the BEST Crostini I have made in a long time and incredibly simple. The ingredients are straightforward yet the combination of the crunchy bread, the earthy rosemary and walnuts set on top of the creamy Chevre and then that touch of honey to perfectly complete this Crostini is simply magical. Oh I almost forgot to mention the secret weapon – lemon zest – it just gives it that extra punch of flavor. This Crostini has now become a staple in my house and will be served at future parties.  In fact, it will make an appearance for Friday Night Bites this week.  I would suggest serving it with a Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir or glass of your favorite bubbly. 

Walnut, Honey and Chèvre Crostini

Makes 24

1 Baguette

Olive Oil

Chevre (Goat Cheese)

1 Tablespoon Rosemary, finely minced

1 Cup Walnuts, toasted and chopped

Zest of One Lemon

Honey

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cut 24 slices from the baguette about ¼ inch thick.  Brush each side with olive oil.  Place onto a cookie sheet and bake about 10 minutes or until each side is golden brown.  Flip over halfway during the cooking process to have equally golden brown sides.

Let the chevre (goat cheese) come to room temperature before applying to the Crostini.  Spread about a heaping teaspoon of chevre to each Crostini.

Meanwhile add the toasted and chopped walnuts to a bowl and add the minced rosemary and lemon zest and stir well.  Top each Crostini with about a teaspoon of the walnut mixture.  Right before serving, arrange on a platter and drizzle the honey over each one and serve.

Pepperoni Caprese Bites with Basil Vinaigrette | Friday Night Bites

What an incredibly busy week.  So hectic that this weeks Friday Night Bites is actually appearing on Friday.  With work kicking into high gear along with hosting my direct reports for the annual team appreciation lunch at my house plus some other events, this week whirled by.

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I am excited to share this incredibly easy appetizer that is a true winner for any party or simply nibbling on a Friday night.  I typically adorn with salami but thought pepperoni would be a nice touch along with a bit of Basil Vinaigrette.  The combination was delicious.  They can be made ahead of time and kept in an air tight container then simply arrange on a platter or plate and enjoy.  You can drizzle the basil vinaigrette or serve on the side – you choose.

The recipe is a bit loose and I am sharing for 24 skewers plus the vinaigrette.  Just curious to learn about the various ways that you have made these little nibbles.  Always love hearing about others creative ideas.  Happy Friday Night Bites!!!

Pepperoni Caprese Bites with Basil Vinaigrette

Makes 24

24 Mini Mozzarella Balls

24 Basil Leaves

24 Slices of Pepperoni

24 Small Cherry Tomatoes

24 Toothpicks

Thread the mozzarella ball first then fold the pepperoni in half and half again and thread onto the toothpick.  Next add the basil leaf then the tomato.

Basil Vinaigrette

1/3 Cup Olive Oil

1 Tablespoon White Balsamic Vinegar

¼ teaspoon Garlic Powder

1 Scallion, finely minced

6 Basil leaves, chopped fine

Pinch of salt

6 Grinds of Black Pepper

In a medium glass jar, add all of the above ingredients and shake well.  Let sit at least 30 minutes to let the flavors develop.

Mini Meyer Lemon and Strawberry Bundt Cakes | Secret Recipe Club

I am elated that it is Meyer Lemon season.  This lemon is a hybrid between a lemon and a mandarin orange and is native to China.  I couldn’t be happier that they made their way to the United Statesback in the early 1900’s.  Several were ready to be picked from my tree on the patio and just needed to find that perfect recipe to highlight these little yellow gems.

After an extended holiday break from The Secret Recipe Club, we are back up and running.  I missed the monthly reveal and exploring another bloggers site.  If you are not familiar with The Secret Recipe Club or want to join, simply click here to learn more.  Essentially each month you are paired with another food blogger and you can choose any recipe they have posted.  You make it and post it.  Yup – it is that simple.  The fun part is finding out who had your blog and what they chose.

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For the kick off to 2014 I was assigned to Taryn’s blog – “SweetSerendipity”.  She lives in a small kitchen in Boston yet manages to bake up a storm.  She is a talented girl who provided so many tasty choices that it made it difficult to choose.  However, I had those Meyer Lemons waiting in my kitchen and that narrowed down my choices.  

I finally decided on her Strawberry Lemon Yogurt Cake. I saw the loaf version but then right below was the mini bundt cakes and I was sold.  I altered the recipe a bit by just using white sugar, adding more vanilla and lemon zest and kicking up the glaze.  The end result was one heck of a tasty cake. Thank you Taryn for a simple and wonderful recipe!

Mini Meyer Lemon and Strawberry Bundt Cakes

Makes 12 Mini Bundt Cakes

3 Cup Flour

1 Teaspoon Baking Soda

½ Teaspoon Salt

Zest of 2 Lemons

2 Sticks Butter, Room Temperature

2 Cup Sugar

3 Eggs

1 Tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice

2 Teaspoon Vanilla

1 Cup Plain Greek Yogurt

2 Cup Strawberries, diced

Lemon Glaze

1 ¼ Cup Powdered Sugar

2 Tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice

Zest of one Lemon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Use a stand mixer and cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Next add the eggs and mix well.  Add the zest of the two lemons and lemon juice along with the Greek yogurt and mix. 

Add the baking soda and salt and mix.  Slowly incorporate the flour until all combined.  Remove the paddle and scrap down the sides.  Using a spoon gently fold the diced strawberries into the mixture until just incorporated.

Prepare the pan by greasing and dusting with flour to prevent sticking.  Spoon the batter into each mini bundt pan about 2/3 full.  Reserve the batter for the second baking and repeat preparing each pan.  Cook for about 30 minutes or until knife comes out clean.  Let cool about an hour.  Drizzle the glaze over each little cake and letting it drip down the sides.

   

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Wild Mushroom Crostini | Friday Night Bites

I am a Crostini enthusiast! I am consistently creating new combinations in my head – often when I am driving or falling asleep. This holiday season was a time for entertaining at my house and that naturally means appetizers will be part of the event.  If you know me or have followed me for a while, “the Crostini” will make an appearance on the blog.  It is that time again.  This Wild Mushroom Crostini was a complete hit at one of my parties, especially since one of my dear friends is a vegetarian.  I actually had her in mind, when creating it.

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I headed to Whole Foods to see if they had any Chanterelle mushrooms on hand but unfortunately there not one in sight.  Shiitake are one of my favorites so I swooped up some of those along with Crimini and knew that I had some dried porcini mushrooms at home.  A bit of greenery on top would just make this Crostini pop and I next went in search of micro greens.  It was such a nice surprise to find micro baby kale next to the micro greens that I instantly dropped a package of those in my basket.  Hopefully you are able to find a variety of micro greens where you live.  If not, a bit of flat leaf parsley or even Arugula would be wonderful to adorn these little delights.

With tomorrow being Friday, I thought these would be perfect for hubby and I to nibble one.  I have a wonderful Pinot Noir that will pair perfectly with the mushrooms.  The earthiness of the mushroom along with the wines earth undertones makes a perfect pairing.  Living in the Bay Area I have to give a BIG shout out to our San Francisco 49ers and wish them all the best on the big game on Sunday and their quest for the Superbowl. Good Luck!

Wild Mushroom Crostini

1 Cup Shiitake Mushroom (stem removed and diced)

2 Cup Crimini Mushroom (stem removed and diced)

1 Cup Porcini or Morel Mushroom (stem removed and diced)

1 Large Shallot, peeled and finely minced

2 Garlic Cloves, minced

1 Tablespoon Fresh Thyme

¼ Cup Flat Leaf Parsley Leaves, chopped

2 Tablespoon Butter

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

Salt

Pepper

2 teaspoons Truffle Oil

Micro-greens for garnish

Baguette for Crostini

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In a large Skillet, add the butter and olive oil and cook over medium heat until melted and combined.  Add the diced mushrooms.  Feel free to substitute any of the mushrooms for other varieties if not available.  Cook on medium high heat until lightly browned and become fragrant.  Add the shallot, garlic, thyme and salt and pepper to taste.  Cook for another 3 or 4 minutes.  Toss in the chopped parsley and truffle oil, toss and set aside off the heat.

Cut the baguette into 24 slices about ¼ inch thick.  Brush each side with olive oil and place onto a baking sheet.  Bake at 350 for about 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly golden brown.  Best to flip midway through to provide even cooking.  Remove and let cool.

To assemble, add a heaping tablespoon of the mushroom mixture to the top of each Crostini and top with a bit of the micro-green garnish.  Can be enjoyed at room temperature.

Note:  I topped mine with micro baby kale that I found at Whole Foods.  I typically find micro greens at Trader Joes on a consistent basis.

Roasted Shallot Dip | Friday Night Bites

Getting friends together and making them smile by cooking some of my favorite things along with trying out new recipes, brings me much joy.  Over the holidays, I was a frequent entertainer – which suited me just fine. My hubby is always amazed that I will make a new recipe for friends who are coming over. I guess it never really fazes me.  It gives me the opportunity to test out a new recipe and make tweaks to enhance the overall taste. I must admit that looking back, I have vastly improved my cooking prowess and I can evaluate a recipe quickly and make adjustments.

While browsing the web, I came across a recipe for Roasted Shallot Dip on  Southern Living .  My mouth began to salivate immediately.  Besides the ultra creamy texture, the process of roasting the shallots in their skins was a unique technique that sparked my interest.  Okay, the pile of bacon bits on top certainly had an allure that was unmistaken. A typical onion dip has sour cream and perhaps some cream cheese or mayonnaise added in for good measure.  This particular recipe has mascarpone cheese.  You heard me right – mascarpone cheese.  This was the secret weapon in this masterful dip.  I topped with crumbled crispy bacon and finely chopped scallions – it was perfect.  I made a few changes to the recipe but found it to be a keeper.  Next time I would add some dry roasted pecans to the top and can just imagine how over the top delicious that would be.  Note to self – buy pecans.  Smile.

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During our recent holiday vacation, we had what we call a “Veg” day.  We simply brush our teeth and stay in our jammies all day while watching our favorite shows and movies.  A bit of junk food is called for on such an event. We indulged in the leftover dip from the party along with some Ruffle potato chips …………..heaven in a bowl.  As hubby says – “Delicious – Not Nutritious”.  I guess we all have to splurge every once in a while. Happy Friday Night Bites!

Roasted Shallot Dip

8 Large Shallots

6 Garlic cloves, unpeeled

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1 (8 oz) Container Mascarpone Cheese

1 (8 oz) Container Sour Cream

½ Cup Thinly Sliced Scallions (white and green)

1 Tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice

2 teaspoon DijonMustard

¾ teaspoon Salt

1 teaspoon Pepper

2 to 3 Dashes of Hot Sauce

Garnish:  Crispy Crumbled Bacon and Chopped Scallions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Toss shallots together with olive oil and garlic cloves and lay on to a jelly roll pan.  Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until shallots are light brown and skins are charred. Cool for 30 minutes.  Remove skins from shallots and garlic and coarsely chop shallot and garlic.

In a bowl, stir together the sour cream and the next 7 ingredients.  Fold the shallot mixture into the dip.  Taste and then add additional salt and pepper if needed.  Cover and chill for 4 to 48 hours.  Stir before serving.  Add garnish before serving.  Great with potato chips or veggies.

Salted Butterscotch Haystack Cookies

Happy New Year! I want to give a huge shout out to all of you, my loyal readers.  I appreciate each of you.  Each time I receive a comment on my blog, a like on facebook, a tweet on twitter, a pin on Pinterest, a like on Instagram or a nice personal email, I am reminded that writing this blog is more than posting recipes.  It is a platform for building a community around something I have a passion for – Food, Wine and Entertaining.  Thank you and look forward to making 2014 a great year!!!

Back to work on Monday.  After sixteen days away from the office, I must admit it rather shocked my body to abound to a 5:30am alarm clock.  One can certainly get use to sleeping in until 8:30 each morning then enjoying a piping hot cup of coffee while watching Good Morning America with hubby.  Oh, hubby was on vacation too – yeah!  We filled the time with working out every other day, doing a ton of organizing, entertaining, drinking wine, spending time with family and friends, eating in and dining out, baking, shopping, watching movies, catching up on our favorite television shows and general relaxation.  Overall, it was one great vacation in my opinion – just wish it did not go so fast.

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First day back to work was actually great. Wonderful to see everyone, catch up and officially kick off a great 2014. In my Facebook feed on Monday morning was this article and found it quite interesting that this Monday was deemed the most depressing day of the year.  The good news, they included 24 things to lift your spirits.  Made me chuckle.

Baking has to be one of the most relaxing and rewarding things for me to do.  Each year during the holidays and close to Christmas, I hang out in the kitchen for the majority of the day and bake multiple batches of various cookies, so I can hand them out to friends and neighbors.  It simply brings me joy to share my baking prowess with others and see their smiles grow and eyes light up. See photo below.  One of the most simple yet incredibly addictive cookies to make is the classic haystack cookie.  I made a simple version with a tad of Fleur de Sel to adorn the top and the response was incredible. Not sure why I typically make these during the holiday season – note to self – make these year round.  What version do you make of these simple cookies?

Salted Butterscotch Haystack Cookies

Makes 30 to 32 Cookies

4 Cups Chow Mein Noodles

1 Package Butterscotch Chips

2 Tablespoon Olive Oil

Fleur de Sel

Place butterscotch chips and olive oil in a large bowl and melt in a double boiler until melted.  Remove from the heat and add chow mein noodles.  Stir until well coated.  Use a cookie scooper and drop a tablespoon onto parchment paper and sprinkle with a bit of Fleur de Sel.  Let cool.

Bacon and Orange Marmalade Canapés | Friday Night Bites

A couple weeks ago I had the ultimate Friday Night Bites with great friends.  My long time friend Denise came up from San Diego for the Holidays.  We reserved a date for the get together back in September and it seemed like it would be forever until I saw her, but then the holidays appeared.  I had about a dozen folks over to enjoy an evening of wine, appetizers and many laughs. 

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Each person brought a favorite bottle of wine along with a small gift for our annual exchange, which gets quite competitive – but that makes it really fun in my book.  It brings me great joy to make the appetizers and test out new recipes.  I just admit it is a lot of work but work every minute of it – the reaction on my friend’s faces was priceless and brings much joy to my life. I simply love brings people together and sharing my culinary talents with each of them.

(Left to right:  Me, Pam, Anna, Denise, Helen and Betsy)

With months to plan this party, I had been jotting down appetizer ideas and a few days prior to the party, the menu was set.  The key to entertaining is the planning and then working backwards to have your game plan set.  I always have a master list to work off that has my grocery list, timeline, preparation list and party set up details.  I wanted to share a few of the tips that have served me well over the years for stress free entertaining:

1. Use your master list each step of the way
2. Get ready at least 2 hours prior to the party, so you are not rushed
3. Clean the house the day prior to the party
4. Make as many items ahead of time
5. A beautiful cheese platter can be set up an hour prior to the party and ready for your guests to enjoy while preparing the other appetizers
6. Have an empty dishwasher so you can have easy clean up
7. When serving wine, have glass identifiers for your guests to attach to their glass
8. Create a great play list to have in the background for perfect ambiance
9. Light candles 15 minutes prior to your guests arriving
10. Utilize your ambient lighting and dimmer switches to create that perfect cocktail vibe
11. I like to send home a small gift of homemade jam with my guests to remember the party

The Bacon and Orange Marmalade Canapés were the perfect bite.  They had the earthiness of the pumpernickel bread along with the sweet & tartness of the marmalade and the smokiness of the bacon and the scallion garnish just rounded out the divine bite.  It is a simple appetizer and the recipe is a bit lose yet incredibly easy to make.  Happy Friday Night Bites!

Bacon and Orange Marmalade Canapés

Makes 36

Pumpernickel Bread

3 Tablespoons Butter, melted

Orange Marmalade Jam

6 to 8 slices bacon, crispy (broken into inch pieces)

¼ Cup Scallions, finely minced

Cut out 36 rounds from the pumpernickel bread (Use 1 ½ to 2 inch cookie cutters) then brush each side with butter.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 10 to 13 minutes or until crisp.  Best to flip half way through the cooking process.  Let cool.

Cook the bacon until crispy and drain well.  Break into inch pieces.

To assemble, add a teaspoon of orange marmalade jam then top with a piece of bacon and garnish with the minced scallions.