Crostata with Caramelized Onions, Mushrooms and Goat Cheese

Many months ago I remember seeing a recipe for a crostata that Giada De Laurentiis made and thinking that that would be a fun appetizer to try to make. There is only one problem; pie crusts are my greatest cooking disaster to date! For Christmas Eve this year I was in charge of bringing an appetizer and I wanted to make something new for my husband's family. I went back to the crostata recipe and decided to cut a corner by using store bought pie crust. To make up for the lack of orginality I really changed up the ingredients to include creamy goat cheese as well as Jarlsberg Swiss. Since our Italian families do not eat meat on Christmas Eve I also omitted the pancetta. My remake of this recipe came out great and can't wait to make it again.

Inspired by Crostata with Mushrooms and Pancetta by Giada De Laurentiis

Makes 2 crostatas

Package of 2 Pillsbury refridgerated pie crusts
1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
3 large sweet onions sliced
1 cup sliced baby bella mushrooms
1 large shallot minced
1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese
1/2 cup grated Jarlsberg Swiss cheese
1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large skillet saute onions until carmelized over medium heat. Add a sprinkle of sugar if needed. Remove onions from pan, set aside. Add sliced mushrooms, shallots and rosemary cook until mushrooms are tender. In a large bowl toss carmelized onions, mushroom mixture, goat cheese and black pepper until blended. Roll out each pie crust and sprinkle half of veggie mixture on the center of each crust leaving a 2 inch border. Sprinkle each veggie mixture with the grated Swiss. Fold the border up and over the veggies forming a crust. Transfer each to a baking stone and bake for about 30 minutes until crust is golden. Slice and serve warm.

Appetizer Sage and Bacon Meatballs

One of my husband's famous lines is " What's for snack?" He loves finger foods, especially mini versions of anything. When selecting my Thanksgiving appetizers it seemed only fair to let him pick one recipe out for me to make. Of course mini meatballs with bacon were his request.

Adapted from Better Home and Gardens Appetizers 2009 magazine

Makes 9 servings

12 slices bacon
1 egg, beaten
1 cup whipping cream
3/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1/4 cup ground toasted pecans
3 tbsp snipped fresh sage
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
1 pound ground pork
1 clove garlic, minced
Fresh sage leaves
9 four inch skewers

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet, cook four slices of bacon until crisp; drain on paper towels. Finely chop the crisp bacon; set aside. Cook remaining bacon for 4-5 minutes until just beginning to brown, turning once. Drain. Reserve 1 tablespoon drippings in skillet.

In a large bowl, combine egg, 2 tablespoons of the whipping cream, 1/2 cup of the red onion, the pecans, 2 tablespoons of the fresh sage, the salt, and the pepper. Add pork and 3/4 of the finely chopped bacon; mix well.

Shape into 18 meatballs. Place meatballs in a single layer on a large baking pan. Bake, uncovered, for 25 minutes or until done. Cool 15 minutes.

Thread 2 meatballs and once slice of the partially cooked bacon onto a skewer, weaving bacon around meatballs. Repeat with remaining meatballs and bacon slices. Place on the unheated rack of a broiler pan. Broil 3 to 4 inches from flame for 4 to 5 minutes or until bacon is crisp, turning once.

For dipping sauce: Cook the remaining 1/4 cup red onion and the garlic in the reserved bacon drippings until tender. Stir in the remaining whipping cream and the remaining snipped sage. Bring to a boil, reduce heat. Simmer for 5 minutes or until thickened. Stir in the remaining finely chopped bacon.

Arrange meatball kabobs on a platter, garnish with sage leaves and serve with sauce.

Goat Cheese, Fig & Prosciutto Bruschetta

Goat cheese has become my new favorite ingredient. I see a recipe with it and I have to try it. This recipe originally called for ricotta cheese but I new the goat cheese would be better, and I was right. I was lucky enough to have a jar of homemade fig jam from my Aunt Sandy. This appetizer did not last on Thanksgiving and I will be making it again for sure.

Adapted from William-Sonoma Food Made Fast Small Plates

Makes 24 pieces

1 small baguette cut into 24 thin slices (I used an everything loaf)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup fig jam
8 oz goat cheese, divided into 24 pieces
6 thin slices prosciutto, each cut into 4 pieces
Fresh ground pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Arrange the baguette slices on a baking sheet and brush lightly with olive oil. Bake until golden, 10-15 minutes. Transfer to a platter.

To assemble the bruschetta; spread each slice with a generous teaspoon of the fig jam. Top with a piece of goat cheese and a piece of prosciutto. Season with pepper and serve.

Roasted Butternut Squash Dip

This Thanksgiving my husband and I spent at my parent's house. I was in charge of making appetizers. I had so many recipes I wanted to try and it was very hard to narrow it down to just three! When I saw this Butternut Squash recipe I thought it sounded very Thanksgiving-like and gave it a whirl. I am so glad I did. I made it up the night before and reheated it in the microwave at my parent's before serving with pita chips.

Adapted from Delicious Dips by Diane Morgan

Makes 2 cups

1 butternut squash cut in half lengthwise and seeded
1 very small yellow onion, cut in half lengthwise, stem and root end removed
2 large garlic cloves, skins left on
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp sour cream
1 1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper
Fresh ground black pepper
Pita chips for dipping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush the flesh of squash, onion and garlic generously with olive oil. Arrange squash and onion cut-side down on a rimmed cookie sheet. Tuck a garlic clove in each cavity of the squash. Roast until very tender when pierced with a fork, about 50 minutes. Set aside and cool enough to handle.

Use a large spoon to scrape out flesh of squash and place in food processor, discard skins. Squeeze the garlic pulp from the cloves and add with onion to food processor. Puree until smooth. Add the sour cream, salt, nutmeg, crushed pepper, and a few grinds of black pepper. Process to combine and then adjust seasonings to taste. Transfer to a bowl and serve at room temperature with pita chips.

Asian Dinner Appetizer: Vegetarian Spring Rolls

This past weekend we had my husband's cousin and his girlfriend out to visit and I made an Asian feast for us. For an appetizer I chose Vegetarian Spring Rolls, followed by a main course of Cashew Chicken and Veggie Fried Rice, and for dessert festive Pumpkin Won tons.

Adapted from Stir Frys cookbook by Lansdowne Publishing Pty Ltd.

Yields 18 Spring Rolls

2 oz rice vermicelli
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 Tbsp peeled and grated fresh ginger
2 cups shredded green cabbage
2 carrots, peeled and grated
4 fresh mushrooms, chopped
1 tsp coriander
1 cup fresh bean sprouts
2 tsp fish sauce
2 tsp cornstarch mixed with 2 Tbsp water
18 refrigerated egg roll wrappers
vegetable oil for deep-frying
Thai chili sauce for dipping

Soak noodles in boiling water for 10 minutes. Drain and roughly chop into short lengths. In a wok over medium-high heat, warm 2 tablespoons oil. Add onion, garlic and ginger and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Add cabbage and stir-fry until softened, 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in carrots, coriander, bean sprouts, mushrooms, noodles and fish sauce. Mix well and cool completely.

Place a egg roll wrapper on work surface and cover others with a damp kitchen towel to prevent them from drying out. Using your fingers, wet edges with cornstarch and water mixture. Place 1 heaping tablespoon of filling in the middle of wrapper. Roll up diagonally, tucking in edges. Seal edge with cornstarch and water mixture. Repeat with remaining wrappers.

Ina wok, heat oil to 375 degrees on a deep frying thermometer. Working in batches, add rolls and fry until golden, 1-2 minutes. Using a stainless steel strainer or slotted spoon, remove from wok and drain on paper towels. Serve warm with chili sauce.