A lot of men would get pretty creative inventing reasons to be out of the house if their wife were hosting a jewelry party. “Oh, gee honey, I’d love to be here during your party, but I told Bob I’d help him check the steering on his hovercraft so he can continue his quest to find the world’s only known monkey chow/wombat stew emporium…What do you mean he doesn’t have a hovercraft? That’s crazy talk!” Me, I figure it’s fun to be the only guy in a room full of women.
Renée recently embarked on a new part-time business as a rep for Silpada Designs. She hosted her first party last night and charged me with making some appetizers for her guests. There were going to be about a dozen women attending, so in addition to the usual cheese and crackers to go with the wine and beer, I made four appetizers that proved to be well received:
- Citrus Cream with Fruit Kabobs
- Prosciutto-Wrapped Figs
- Bacon-Stuffed Tomatoes
- Chocolate-Hazelnut Tartlets
Each of these was easy to make and didn’t require much prep time. (As I was making them, I thought, “I better snap some pics for the blog”. In the midst of getting everything done, I forgot until they had already been on the table for a while, but I did manage to get some that are decent.) Here are the details on each.
Citrus Cream with Fruit Kabobs
Fresh fruit is always a welcome taste, and the citrus cream adds a great kick. The dip looks like is contains dill, but it’s actually lime zest, and it adds an unexpected twist to the sour cream and sugar base. For the cream, mix 1 cup of sour cream, 2 tablespoons of sugar, 2 tablespoons of fresh lime juice and 1 teaspoon of grated lime zest. (I mixed this up a day ahead and let it the flavors meld in the fridge.) You can use this with many fruits, but I used 1 pineapple (I bought one already peeled and cored), 3 bananas, and 2 pints of strawberries. Slice and skewer the fruit, mix the cream and you’re done!
Prosciutto-Wrapped Figs
The contrast between the sweetness of the dark Mission figs, the saltiness of the prosciutto, and the garlic and cheese make an interesting taste combination in these little bites.
For this dish you’ll need 8 ounces of sliced prosciutto, about 3/4 of a pound of of dark figs, and some garlic cheese spread. Quarter each prosciutto slice and cut each fig in half. If you have some large figs, quarter them as well. Spoon a little garlic cheese spread on each fig and wrap in a piece of prosciutto. Secure with a toothpick and serve!
Bacon-Stuffed Tomatoes
These taste like a BLT without the bread, and were by far the biggest hit. The stuffing consists of about 12 slices of chopped bacon, 2 green onions, and 1/2 cup of mayonnaise. I found some nice vine-ripened cherry tomatoes that were the perfect size, about 1 inch in diameter. Grape tomatoes are a little too small for this one. Cut the top off of each tomato and use a grapefruit spoon to scoop out the seeds and pulp. To fill them, I used a melon baller. It was easier than a spoon. Also, if you refrigerate the filling for an hour or two it will stiffen up a little, which makes filling the tomatoes even easier.
Chocolate-Hazelnut Tartlets
I wanted to make something dessert-like and these seemed like the perfect compliment to the other apps we were serving. You’ll need two packages of mini phyllo dough tart shells (15 shells each), 1 jar of chocolate hazelnut spread (I used Nutella), 2 tablespoons of heavy cream, 2 ounces of semisweet chocolate and some whole hazelnuts (also called filberts) for garnish. Put the shells on a baking sheet and bake at 450 for 5 minutes then let them cool completely. Spoon the chocolate hazelnut spread into each shell. Finely chop the chocolate and place it in a microwave safe bowl with the cream. Microwave at 50% for 30 seconds, then stir. Continue heating for 10 seconds at a time until the chocolate is smooth and runs off a spoon evenly. Spoon the melted chocolate on top of the chocolate hazelnut spread and top with a whole hazelnut. Pop them in the fridge until the chocolate sets and serve!
Renée’s first Silpada party was a great success and everyone loved the food. I get the feeling that I’ll be doing this again very soon. Maybe I should look into getting a hovercraft…
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Ooh, I’ll be making those stuffed tomatoes for sure. Sounds like the party was a hit!
Everyone kept asking if I rent Paul out
He and his food were both a hit with the girls. Thanks, honey!