Things I Like - Food

If it's the holidays, it must be time for a party! Following are three of my all-time favorite, go-to Hors d'Oeuvre recipes. They all take less than 3o minutes to make and can either be made in advance or, in the case of the first two, put together early and popped into the oven just before guests arrive.

I don't do step-by-step photos so you'll have to imagine what that looks like...

Caramelized Onion Tart

1/2 of a refrigerated pie crust
3 large Vidalia or other sweet onion - thinly sliced
2 TBS unsalted butter
1 1/2 TBS Sherry vinegar
4 ounces crumbled blue cheese
Salt & freshly ground pepper

1. Preheat oven to 375
2. Roll out the pie crust to fit a 9 x 13 cookie sheet. Press into sheet and prick bottom with fork to allow steam to escape during baking. Pop into oven before starting step 2 to pre-bake the crust. Remove when crust starts to puff up.
3. Cook the onions with the butter and sherry vinegar in a large saute pan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 15 - 20 minutes or until the onions are golden brown and caramelized.
4. Season with salt & pepper and mix in 3 ounces of the blue cheese crumbles.
5. Turn onion mixture onto baked crust and dot with remaining blue cheese. (If making in advance, cover with plastic wrap and store in refrigerator up to 24 hours)
6. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until cheese has melted
7. Allow to cool 5 minutes and slice into squares to serve.

Goat Cheese in Tomato Sauce

2 TBS olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1/2 TBS sherry vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 cup fresh basil
pinch dried thyme
10 oz goat cheese, cut in thirds
Salt & freshly ground pepper

1. Saute garlic in oil over medium heat until fragrant (do not allow garlic to turn brown). Add tomatoes, salt, pepper, thyme, sugar and sherry vinegar. Simmer over low heat for 5 minutes.
2. Remove from heat. Chiffonade the basil and stir into sauce. (If preparing in advance, store the sauce in a non-reactive covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. 45 minutes prior to serving, remove sauce, assemble per step 3 and allow to rest for 30 minutes or until the chill is off. Continue with step 4 as directed)
3. Place a spoon of sauce in the center of a small baking dish, place the 3 cheese pieces flat end up in a row on top of the sauce. Spoon the remaining sauce around the cheese towers - you should have enough to reach the top of the cheese but not to cover it.
4. Bake at 375 until bubbly, about 10 minutes.
5. Serve with crusty bread

Olive Tapenade

1/2 cup kalamata olives - pitted
3 anchovy filets
1 teaspoon drained capers
1 large garlic clove
2 TBS olive oil

1. Place all ingredients except the olive oil in a mini-food processor or the prep bowl of a standard processor

2. Pulse until combined. Drizzle in olive oil while processing on low until everything is finely chopped and resembles a chunky paste.

3. Serve with breadsticks or small baguette slices plain or spread with goat cheese.