It's hard to believe that Ronna and Heav's wedding is almost here! Only 2 more weeks before we all head to Tahoe to celebrate (this will be Dave and my 8th wedding this year, so we'll also be celebrating the end to Wedding Madness 2009!). While the guys were in Newport for Heavy's bachelor party, the gals were a little classier. The FBT crew, Trish (though she's part of the FBT crew now, if you ask me!), Janine, Stephanie, Heavy's mom Nancy and Ronna's mom Lynn all came to Anna's house for a lovely little bridal shower.
I thought this would be a fun time to try my hand at some appetizers and I might have gone overboard a little (we had WAY too much food, between my apps and the amazing stuff that everyone else brought!), but it was fun to put together a few different things! After much thought, and a slight time-crunch (I was in San Jose at a conference until late Friday night), I decided to make Marinated Feta-stuffed Cherry Tomatoes, Black Bean and Corn Salad (1 can of Black Beans, 1 can of corn, 1 red onion chopped, salt and pepper to taste, 1 jar chunky salsa), Avocado, Bacon and Bleu Cheese bites (these didn't taste that good, though, so no recipe will follow on that one), Gorgonzola Bites, Chipotle Cream Cheese-stuffed Endive, and Mini Provolone Popovers. These were all fun and pretty easy to make, though be sure to buy the biggest cherry tomatoes you can find if you decide to make the Feta-Stuffed Tomatoes. My cherry tomatoes were more like grape tomatoes so scooping out the pulp of each one took FOREVER!
MARINATED FETA-STUFFED CHERRY TOMATOES
Cherry Tomatoes stuffed with marinated feta (double)
INGREDIENTS
1 7- to 8-ounce package feta cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus additional for drizzling
1 tablespoon minced shallot
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
1 pound large cherry tomatoes
12 pitted Kalamata olives, halved lengthwise
Directions: Toss cubed feta, oil, shallot, and oregano in small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Cut 12 tomatoes crosswise in half. Scoop out tomato pulp with melon baller or small spoon. Place tomatoes, cut side up, on serving plate. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Stuff hollowed cherry tomatoes with marinated feta. Slide in olive half alongside cheese. Drizzle with additional olive oil.
GORGONZOLA BITES
Ingredients
1 sheet frozen puff pastry
4 oz. gorgonzola, crumbled
Fresh ground pepper
Directions: Preheat oven to 350. Let puff pastry stand at room temp (about 30 mins). Scatter cheese over pastry, grind pepper. Drape plastic wrap over pastry and gently roll over wrap with rolling pin to press cheese into pastry. Peel off wrap and cut into 1-inch squares (40 portions). Transfer to ungreased baking sheets, bake about 25 minutes, let cool before serving.
CHIPOTLE CREAM CHEESE-STUFFED ENDIVE
Ingredients
4 oz fat-free cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup(s) roasted red peppers, water-packed, blotted dry, finely diced
3 Tbsp scallion(s), thinly sliced
3 Tbsp cilantro, fresh, chopped (plus extra leaves for garnish)
2 tsp canned chipotle sauce
1/4 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp ground cumin
3 small head(s) endive, Belgian (about 24 leaves)
Directions: In a small bowl, stir together cream cheese, roasted peppers, scallions, cilantro, chipotle sauce, salt and cumin until blended. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve (up to 1 day). When ready to serve, spoon about 1 teaspoon of chipotle cheese mixture into bottom of each endive leaf; garnish with remaining fresh cilantro leaves. Arrange on a serving platter and serve. Yields 3 leaves per serving.
MINI PROVOLONE POPOVERS
Ingredients
1 cup whole milk
2 large eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/3 cup finely chopped provolone + 1 Tbsp
2 tablespoons grated parmesan
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped chives
Directions: Whisk together milk, eggs, flour, 1 tablespoon butter, salt, and pepper until smooth, then stir in cheeses and chives. Chill 1 hour to allow batter to rest. Preheat oven to 425°F with rack in upper third. Butter muffin pan with remaining tablespoon butter, then heat in oven until butter sizzles, about 2 minutes. Gently stir batter, then divide among muffin cups (they will be about two-thirds full). Bake until puffed and golden-brown, 18 to 20 minutes. Serve immediately.
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