appetizer

Thursday, February 2, 2017

An Easy, Breezy Cheese Board

I'm here to talk about my passion for cheese. Cheese boards, more specifically.


Give me a party that's got a cheese board, and I'm there faster than you can say "gouda". Extravagant cheese boards usually pop up like magic unicorns at holiday gatherings and parties. Consider this: Should unicorns and large plates of cheese be reserved for special occasions, or should they be promoted to "any-ole-random-day" status? Marie Antoinette said let them eat cake, and I say let us eat cheese!


So here's the thing about cheese boards — they can be over the top, in terms of options and price. Or they can be really simple, and in the right setting, that can be just as good. If you're hosting friends on a random weeknight, you don't have to go all out. In fact, you can probably whip one up with common items you could already have in your pantry or fridge.


You'll obviously need cheese because that's what makes this a cheese board and not simply a snack board. Usually it's best to have one soft, spreadable cheese and a hard cheese. Personally, I snack on parmesan in the evenings and use goat cheese in a handful of my go-to recipes, so I had these on hand. (Maybe I'm a little bit of a cheese hoarder, but hey, don't judge). After you have cheese, get creative with what else you have on hand.


I think jelly is the best-kept secret to "fancify" your cheese board, especially if you've got goat cheese on the plate. Trust me on this.


This was the plate I made with some common snack/lunch items, but you could add nearly anything munchy you enjoy nibbling on. Hard salami, pears, kalamata olives, etc. would be good additions. Then, add a friend or two, and you've got a great weeknight!

Oh, and make sure to tell lots of cheesy jokes. (I'm sorry. I had to.)


Wednesday, August 17, 2016

Prosciutto, Basil and Honey Crostini

Oh, honey these are good!



I'm not sure how or why, but one day I woke up thinking about this recipe I wanted to try. If you could even call it a recipe — basically it's just a bunch of things I like on top of some carbs. Anyway, no idea where this idea came from; it must have been God or inception or a dream, but the important thing is that it met and exceeded all my expectations.



So we'll start at the basics. Crostini originated in Italian culture as an appetizer composed of toasted bread with toppings (read: the best appetizer there ever could be). So they're good, and they're easy. Italians often will make crostini with bruschetta on top, but here's my sweet and savory version.



Ingredients
- Bread, Sliced Thin
- Cream Cheese
- Prosciutto
- Basil
- Honey

Recipe
Preheat oven to 450 and brush small pieces of bread with olive oil. Bake bread for about 5 minutes until golden. Apply a light layer of cream cheese on warm bread (get the whipped kind!), place thinly sliced prosciutto on bread, top with basil leaf and honey.



Now. Don't be fooled, the honey is an important ingredient here. It's what adds the sweet to this savory dish. That's why I'm pouring A TON on that front crostini; you know it tasted the best.



Make these for a late summer party, or cook 'em for yourself some Wednesday night just because you deserve party food too.



Let me know if you try these and/or share my love for sweet + savory!