Good and easy!
A tapa, pintxos, meze (platter), pupu, zakuska, Hors D’oeuvres, canapés, antipasto, amuse bouche, finger food, charcuterie, and even crudites are all words for appetizers from all over the world. Who doesn’t love munching on something while having a great vintage cocktail before dinner?
I love appetizers and cocktail parties. I feel like I have master my cocktail making and I’ve been making appetizers all my married life and that’s 53 years now. I love a good “surprise” amuse bouche from the chef and I’ve never met a tapa or pintxos (I have a few of those on this blog I tried after returning from a Spain trip) I didn’t love. I remember one of my first amuse bouches was from Gramercy Tavern and the waiter brought out a tiny little dish filled with salt and it had a tater tot resting in the middle of the dish. Well, that tater tot was filled with a black tapenade and later after returning home the chef actually scaled down and sent the recipe to me. I still have not made that dish but I will one day soon.
One of my first appetizers I made after getting married was a cheese pastry covered baked olives (Yum, I still make those) and also a little appetizer with melba toast, American cheese, caraway seeds, butter and bacon boiled until hot and gooey; and those little bites of deliciousness were so easy and I want to make them again really soon; I just have to find some melba rounds.
If you love a good cocktail party, check out my appetizers under “hot or cold appetizers”; you’ll find something to your liking I’m sure. When I catered all those years (years ago) a cocktail party was my favorite party to cater.
What’s your favorite appetizer you remember from early days of learning to cook? (Leave in comment section below, please.)
BLAST FROM THE PAST: This little Shrimp Mango Pintxos was an app I posted back in 2016. Looks like over 5,000 people have taken a look at the recipe. I loved making it.
How simple can you get? Fruit, meat and cheese!
Either use a mandoline to cut apples or cut by hand into 1/8-1/4″ slices. Wrap in proscuitto. I found that Boars Head proscuitto wasn’t long enough to wrap around. I would invest in the proscuitto de parma next time and maybe cut it in length wise. It will give you two strips from each piece.
Either spray your skillet or add a little olive oil and brown the apples on both sides.
I added a slice of Cambozola (if you use a blue, buy a soft one). I used my culinary torch to melt it a little or you could pop under the broiler for a few seconds. Drizzle with a good balsamic glaze.
Cambozola Prosciutto Apple Slices
Ingredients
- 2-3 apples
- 4-6 oz. cambozola or other soft blue cheese room temp
- 5-6 slices of prosciutto di parma * cut in half lengthwise
- Olive oil with a little butter
- balsamic glaze or fig glaze
- garnish with chives and/or black pepper
Instructions
- Slice the apples in thin slices 1/8-1/4" pieces through the middle. Remove the seeds but don't core apple. Wrap each piece of apple with the prosciutto.
- Add about 1 tablespoon of olive oil and butter to a cast iron skillet. Brown the apple slices on both sides. Remove from skillet. Top with slices of the cambozola or blue cheese. I used a culinary torch to melt the cheese a little more or you could pop under the broiler for just a second or two. Drizzle with the balsamic glaze or fig glaze and garnish with some chives and/or cracked black pepper.
- Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
*Note: I first bough the Boars Head prosciutto because it was about $5 cheaper than the prosciutto di parma, but found that the slices really were not long enough to wrap around the apple slice. I will but the prosciutto di parma the next time since it is about 3 " longer than the Boars Head and slice it lengthwise into two long pieces, using only one piece per apple slice. So, however many apple slices you have, buy about half that amount of the PDP or if you go for boars head, but a few more slices. Saw this recipe on Food My Muse blog
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