Easy Appetizers

Easy Appetizers

We have won the neighbor lottery! We have known this for some time but it truly gets confirmed each time we spend time with the Howdens.  Last night was another one of those evenings.  Sharing an evening with friend who enjoy good food, wine and company is delightful. Lately, these evenings have been progressive parties – starting at their house and ending at ours, everyone getting to share the gifts from the kitchen. 

We decided that last night was to be a tapas (aka appetizers) evening.  I remember back in the day when the most common party appetizer was a toothpick with cut up Vienna Sausages, a pickle and piece of cheese! Not that these is anything wrong with these treats, I have been known to tuck into them given the opportunity but I do like to find other equally easy and delicious appetizers. These are things that you can have the basic ingredients in house so that you can whip them up at a moment’s notice totally impressing your guests.

Baked Brie with Honey and Pistachios

Baked Brie ready to be served with some crackers

You can get brie bakers in most stores now but you don’t need them necessarily.  I found a 6 inch cast iron frying pan in a second hand store years ago that I have taken as using as a brie baker but a small baking dish or frying pan that will go in the oven will work. I like this one as brie will last for a long time in the fridge and even if I don’t have pistachios I can always use pecans or walnuts.

1	Brie, smaller 4” round. (I prefer brie made from cow milk rather than goat milk for this dish)
6 tbsp	Honey
4 tbsp	Pistachios

Pre-heat oven to 350F. Cut brie into quarters and place in the brie baker (or whatever you are using). Drizzle brie with honey and cover with pistachios. Bake for 3-6 minutes, until warm but not completely melted through.

Chorizo with Red Wine



Chorizo with Red Wine



This is another super easy appetizer that takes only a few minutes to do but is delightful.  One thing that I love about my current kitchen is that I can be at the stove and still visit with friends.  This calls for Chorizo but you can experiment with other types of sausage such as pepperoni, etc.

1 lb	Chorizo Sausage, cut into 1 inch rounds
2 tbsp	Oil
½ cup	Red wine



Serve with Chorizo with some bread to soak up the red wine reductioin.



Heat oil in frying pan on a med-high heat. Add Chorizo to the pan and fry until both sides are golden brown. Carefully add red wine to the frying pan as it may spatter. Scrape all the yummy brown bits off the bottom of the pan and let the red wine reduce until about half the original amount.

Bacon wrapped Apricots with Cheese and Almonds

Bacon wrapped scallops is a staple at many parties and they are wonderful.  This is a twist on that classic that is equally awesome. I did not have any Havarti last night, so I used some maple smoked camembert that I pick up at Upper Canada Cheese Company a few weeks ago.

24	Dried apricots
24	Blanched almonds
24 pieces	Plain Havarti or other type of cheese, in ½ inch pieces
12 pieces	Lean bacon, cut in half

Soak 24 toothpicks in water.

Anything wrapped in bacon is a good idea!

 Make a small hole in the side of each apricot, place inside each apricot an almond and piece of cheese.  Wrap each apricot in a piece of bacon and secure with a toothpick. Heat BBQ grill to medium high, and grill the tasty treats until golden brown.

Delightful!

One more note...

I am sorry that I have not posted lately but I have a very poor excuse – I have been busy!  As well, some of the things which have been coming from my kitchen are destined to be placed in gift baskets for friends and I want them to be a surprise!  I will post them soon!

ENJOY!