My first item was sweet honeydew melon wrapped in salty prosciutto. So easy to make and delicious! I used a melon-baller to carve out serving of the melon the day before and then shortly before my friends arrived, I wrapped each ball in a slice of prosciutto. A quick drizzle of fruity olive oil and a sprinkle of finely ground fresh black pepper and they were ready to go!
Next I wanted to serve something a little more filling, so I put together a Caprese bruschetta--toasted slices of fresh baguette topped with oven roasted tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and fresh basil. I roasted the tomatoes the day before serving by slicing Roma tomatoes in half (pole to pole), removing the seeds then drizzling with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, a tiny bit of sugar and finely chopped garlic. They were roasted in a 200 degree oven for about 2-2.5 hours. Roasting the tomatoes concentrated their flavor and their richness paired deliciously with cool, fresh mozzarella.
Fresh veggies are always a popular dish so, I cut up red pepper, carrots, celery and blanched some fresh green beans to be served with a butter bean hummus. To make the hummus, I drained two cans of butter beans and then threw them in the food processor with olive oil, salt, pepper and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Puree until smooth. I cut all of the veggies the day before as well as made the butter bean dip. I didn't blanch the green beans until right before the party. Just trim the end of the beans, drop in a pot of salted, boiling water and cook for just a few quick minutes--you want the beans to be tender/crisp. Remove from the boiling water and immediately plunge into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Spread the beans out on a paper towel and let dry before plating to serve.
Being a big fan of cheese, I could have a spread of hors d'ouvres without a brie wheel. I cut the rind off of the top and sides of the brie then wrapped the whole wheel in a sheet of store bought puff pastry (be sure to seal the pasty together on the underside of the wheel so that your cheese doesn't escape when it melts). When you are ready to bake, heat your oven to 400 degrees and bake for about 20 minutes--until pastry is nice and golden brown. I served this with some sesame Melba crackers, green apple slices and thinly sliced hard, dry salami.
I had also recently marinated a mixture of green and kalamata olives in some olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, thinly sliced red chili pepper, smashed garlic cloves and orange slices. Delicious and almost no work at all!
For a little something sweet, I made a pear tart with goat cheese and honey. Just roll out a sheet of puff pastry to about 1/8-1/4 in. thick. In a bowl, stir together about 3 oz of goat cheese with about 2 tbsp of good honey. Spread this mixture evenly on the pastry sheet, leaving about 1/2 in border around the edge. Thinly slice 3 or 4 pears and fan out in a decorative fashion on top of the goat cheese mixture. Sprinkle the top lightly with a little brown sugar and then fold up the edge of the puff pastry to form a rim all around the edge of the tart. Bake at 400 for about 20-25 minutes until the pastry has puffed up and is golden brown.
The cocktail of the night was my favorite, Moscow Mules--fresh lime juice, vodka and ginger beer (or ginger ale--which is what I used). Garnish with fresh lime and a thin slice of fresh ginger--so fantastic and refreshing!
I had a wonderful evening of getting to know a few of the friends I've met since moving to this area a little better. You just can't beat an evening of good food and great company.
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