Cheesy Christmas Trees

Cheesy Christmas Trees

Use Laughing Cow cheese wedges for this super-quick appetizer. (You can also use a brie wheel sliced into wedges-and peeled-it can get messy.

Ingredients:

Laughing Cow Cheese -unwrapped 

Chopped herbs of your choice:

1 Tablespoon each

Fresh dill, parsley, rosemary 

1/4 cup finely chopped pistachios 

1/4 cup finely chopped dried cranberries 

Combine the chopped herbs, nuts and cranberries together on a plate.

Tap each cheese wedge into the chopped herb/nut/cranberry mixture to coat each side.

Add a small pretzel stick for a tree “trunk”. Assemble on a pretty plate and serve.

Holiday Hummus Wreath

Hummus Wreath

Karri Perry of Blue Ribbon Favorites 

Ingredients:

Plain Hummus, two 8-ounce containers 

1/2 cup drained black olives 

1/2 cup chopped and drained Kalamata olives

1 cup diced and English cucumber 

1/2 cup thinly sliced radishes 

10-15 cherry tomatoes halved

2 Tablespoons fresh parsley-chopped 

1 Tablespoon balsamic glaze to drizzle-optional

1/2 cup crumbled feta to sprinkle 

Pita chips, or soft pita bites

On a 12” (or larger) round platter or plate, place a small 4” glass or bowl in the center-this helps keep your wreath neat and circular.  

Spread the hummus around the outer edge of the platter up to the small bowl.

Atop the hummus base, add the chopped vegetables and parsley-sprinkling evenly around the “wreath”

Drizzle with balsamic glaze and a sprinkle of feta just before serving.

Add ribbons of cucumber to create a bow if desired.

Serve with pita.

To make the cucumber ribbon:

With a wide peeler, thinly slice the length of the cucumber, three pieces. One will be the bow “ears” and two pieces for the tails or streamers.

Snowflake Templates

 

Yodeling Goat Cheese Appetizer

Yodeling Goat Cheese Appetizer: Karri Perry of Blue Ribbon Favorites 

A little goat cheese appetizer with a spicy kick from the apricot jam! Just enough heat to make a goat yodel.

Serve one of two ways… hot or chilled. 

Add more or less spicy-heat by adjusting red pepper flakes. Yes, you can substitute the cheese for a creamy Boursin or cream cheese.

Ingredients:

1 4-ounce goat cheese log

1 cup apricot jam or preserves

1 tsp Dijon mustard 

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1/4-1/2 cup pistachios-rough chopped 

1/4 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

Make the Apricot Sauce: stir together

1 cup of apricot jam or preserves.

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1/2 tsp fresh thyme leaves

For a hot appetizer:

Pour apricot mixture into a small casserole or baking dish.

Slice 4-ounces of goat cheese, placing each slice on top of the apricot mixture.

Sprinkle with 1/4 cup chopped pistachios

Bake 20 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

Serve warm with crackers.

For the chilled appetizer:

Roll the goat cheese log in the chopped pistachios to coat.

Using a piece of parchment is helpful to roll the cheese in the chopped nuts. Use the parchment to help adhere the nuts.

On a plate, spread the apricot jam mixture, reserving two Tablespoons.

Place the pistachio covered cheese on top of the jam, top the cheese with reserved jam and sprinkle with extra pistachios. Serve with crackers, or toasted bread crisps.

Holiday Meringues

Holiday Meringues

Santa Hats and Stars

Dots and Little Pines

Karri Perry of Blue Ribbon Favorites

Ingredients:

4 large egg whites

1 cup granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/8 teaspoon fine salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

***

Food color gel-red, pink, green

¼ cup 

Wilton white candy melts

1 teaspoon white-small nonpareils 

Toothpicks

Directions:

Preheat oven to 200°. Whisk egg whites, sugar, cream of tartar, and salt in a large heatproof bowl set over a medium saucepan of simmering water (bowl should not touch water) until egg whites are very liquid (mixture will be warm to the touch) and sugar is dissolved (rub between your fingers to check-should not be grainy), about 5 minutes. Remove bowl from heat and beat with an electric mixer on medium then high until stiff, glossy peaks form (bowl will feel cool), about 5 minutes.

Line 2-3 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.  

For Santa Hats: reserve 1.5 cups of white meringue, color remaining meringue with red food gel

If making small meringue dots and stars, divide meringue into 3 or 4 equal parts, coloring with desired food color gel. (Pink, Green, Red and White)

Fill a large piping bag with star tips.  I used M1, E1, 852, 52,-any open or closed star tips are great choices. 

Fill bag(s) with meringue-each a separate color.

Space 1-2 inches apart. 

For Santa Hats: pipe a 1-inch circle in white meringue, then pipe a red cone shape to create the body of the hat (cone shape should be somewhat pointy at the top). Add a small dot of white meringue to the top  (point) of each hat. 

Optional: To embellish hats-after they are cooked and cooled-add a small amount of melted white chocolate to the trim and pom and add white nonpareils or sprinkles.  

For Dots and Stars: pipe 1-inch stars and dots in each color-keeping spacing to 1 inch. Add a light sprinkling of white nonpareils before baking if desired. 

Bake meringues for 1.5 - 2 hours or until dry to the touch –but not browned (meringue will be soft when it first comes out of the oven but will dry and crisp as it cools). If time allows. Turn off the oven at the end of baking and allow the meringues to cool inside the oven, with the heat off.

To Make Ahead:  Store meringues in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Refrigeration and humidity will ruin the meringues-keep them air-tight and at room temperature.  If adding to a chilled dessert as a topper, add just before serving. Can be added to room temperature cakes and cupcakes the day of serving.