On the 4th Day of Christmas, the Recipe Diva made for me...

Goat Cheese & Chorizo Rolls

Like yesterday, I decided to experiment with another frozen pastry dough; however, phyllo dough is not NEARLY as easy to work with as puff pastry.  It's very delicate and dries out rather quickly.  You need to keep it covered with a damp tea towel or paper towels while working. I thought I did at good job of this but still managed to waste quite a few sheets that were too dry to work with and breaking very easily.

I was inspired by a recipe a saw in a magazine and thought I would make a very 'Christmas-y' snack by using red, green and white for my filling - red: chorizo, green: chives, white: goat cheese.  Good in theory but like I said, this was filling... it tasted great but obviously no one noticed my brilliant use of Christmas colors.

You can play around with your own combinations and ingredients, but here's what I put together using packaged dried chorizo, goat cheese, fresh chives, thawed phyllo dough and some melted butter: 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  For my filling, I started by finely chopping dried chorizo (you can find it in the deli near the cheeses), that is until my common sense got the better of me and I threw it in the food processor - it sometimes makes an appearance on a rare occasion, my common sense that is... the food processor probably comes out more often.

Mix the finely chopped chorizo with goat cheese, chopped chives and freshly ground pepper - no need to add salt as the chorizo is quite salty.

Using thawed phyllo dough, lay out sheet of dough on your dry surfact and lightly brush with butter.  Lay second sheet on top and do the same.  Lay third sheet on top.  Cut in half lengthwise then into thirds to create 6 rectangles.  Place about a tablespoon of filling at top of each rectangle and roll, folding sides in as you go.  Place seam side down on a cookie sheet.

Brush rolls with butter and bake for about 20 minutes or until dough is golden and cripsy.  The tart goat cheese and smoky, spicy chorizo work perfectly together and the chives give that hint of freshness. 

I can see myself wanting to make these rolls again as they turned out delicious but next time I may try making one large log and slicing into rounds as rolling each of these ending up being quite time consuming. It will probably make for nicer presentation as well!

Not that it really gets any better than throwing them on a plastic tray shaped like a Christmas tree.

On the 3rd Day of Christmas, the Recipe Diva made for me...

Maple & Pecan Baked Brie

This appetizer is definitely a crowd pleaser and couldn't be easier!   Using store-bought puff pastry, I put this dish together in about 5 minutes.  I was introduced to this combination of ingredients by a good friend quite a while ago so I decided to turn it into a festive holiday appetizer.  Using the pastry not only allows you to prepare this dish ahead of time but also makes it a bit more portable if bringing to a party, not to mention the fun you can have adding a bit of flair with the leftover pastry!

Ingredients

1 small wheel of brie

3 tbsp brown sugar

1/2 cup pecans

2 tbsp maple syrup

1 package of store-bought puff pastry, thawed

1 egg

 Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  Cut brie in half and top bottom half with half of brown sugar, pecans, and maple syrup.  Place top back on brie.

2. Top brie with remaining brown sugar, pecans, and maple syrup and wrap brie with puff pastry seam side down.  Trim excess and use to create decorative pieces of pastry if desired. 

3. Mix egg yolk with 1 tsp water and brush over pastry.  Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden.

Serve with bread or crackers.  I also love using apricot preserves for a fruitier and less rich version but the possibilities are endless! 

On the 2nd Day of Christmas, the Recipe Diva made for me...

Mulled Wine

Can't express how much I love this holiday libation, so perfect for the season!

It's very easy to make and you certainly don't need to follow a 'recipe' -  it's really just a combination of wine, citrus, and spices - use what you like, heat but do not boil, and serve warm. 

For this recipe I poured a magnum of dry shiraz into a saucepan and placed over low heat.  For my citrus, I cut the zest of half an orange using a pairing knife - make sure you do not have any of the bitter white pith.  I went ahead and squeezed in the juice.  For my spice, I added cinnamon sticks, freshly grated nutmeg, and whole cloves stuck into the other orange half.  I added a bit of sugar for some sweetness.  After about 20 minutes or so, I strained the wine and served warm.

 

Like I said, use whatever appeals to you!  Orange, lemon, apple cider... any wintery spices, and if you want an extra kick, you could add brandy or Grand Marnier.

Presentation is a bit tricky - I didn't exacty do the best job (not picture worthy!)  If you have glass mugs, I'd fill up one up and garnish with a cinnamon stick.  Any other suggestions, I'm at a loss???

On the 1st day of Christmas the Recipe Diva cooked for me...

Gingerbread Espresso Cake

Despite my lack of skills in the baking department, the cake turned out moist, flavorful, and DELICIOUS!!!  It was a big hit and the leftovers will make a great snack or a decadent breakfast treat along with some holiday flavored coffee!

I found this recipe the recipe in Fine Cooking magazine's 'Parties' edition.  I made some modifications, but didn't stray too far.  You can find my modified version below:

Ingredients

1/2 cup dark molasses

1/2 cup espresso
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour; more for the pan
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp table salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 tbsp instant espresso powder
2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg (I chose to use freshly grated but pre-ground will work just fine!)
1/8 tsp ground cloves
10 oz (1 ¼ cups) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature; more for the pan
1 ¼ cups packed light brown sugar
3 large eggs plus 2 large egg yolks, at room temperature

For the espresso glaze (indicated as optional in the original recipe, but NOT optional in my version!):
1 ½ cups confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon dark rum
1-1/2 tablespoons brewed espresso

Directions
1. Pre-heat the oven to 350ºF. Butter and flour a bundt pan tapping out excess flour.

2. In a liquid measuring cup, whisk the molasses with the espresso. Sift the flour with the baking powder, salt, baking soda, espresso powder, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves into separate bowl.

3. Cream the butter in a large bowl on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Add the brown sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs and yolks one at a time, stopping to scrape the bowl after each addition. 

4. With the mixer on low speed, alternate adding the flour and coffee mixtures, beginning and ending with the flour. Stop the mixer at least one last time to scrape the bowl and then beat at medium speed until the batter is smooth, about 20 seconds.

5. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan spreading it evenly. Bake about 40 minutes until a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool for 15 minutes. Invert the cake onto platter and let cool to room temperature.

6. For the glaze, whisk together the confectioners' sugar, rum, and espresso. Drizzle the glaze over the top.

The final step was key... the espresso glaze.  In hindsight, I would have let the cake cool a bit longer before adding the glaze more for the presentation than anything (I made this modification in the recipe).

I loved this recipe but I don't see why you couldn't spice up your favorite gingerbread recipe with an espresso kick!

Check back tomorrow for The Recipe Diva's 2nd Day of Christmas recipe!

The Recipe Diva's 12 Days of Christmas

Now I know the 12 days of Christmas really start on Christmas but I love all of the cooking leading up to Christmas!  So MY 12 days of Christmas will end on Christmas.  For the 12 days leading up to and including Christmas, I'll be trying 12 new 'Christmassy' recipes and posting the results! 

I'm trying to make sure that I come out of my comfort zone somewhat with each recipe: trying a new technique, a new ingredient, anything related to baking, etc.  I can't guarantee success but I'll post my results either way!

Stay tuned for my '1st Day of Christmas'...

Sweet Bacon Smokies

Most men I know (and quite a few women) would not argue the fact that you can't go wrong with wrapping almost anything in bacon!  My sister recently had her second annual Harn Family Christmas Open House and these succelent little treats made an appearance again.  I'm now hooked on these for a perfect party appetizer.

They are super easy as there are only 3 ingredients - little smokies, bacon, and brown sugar.  It may sound like an odd combination but the brown sugar perfectly balances the saltiness and smokiness of the bacon and sausage.  They can be prepped the night before making them a very convenient addition to your holiday party spread. 

Ingredients

1 16 oz. package little smoky sausages
1 16 oz. package of bacon
1 1/2 cups brown sugar, divided

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (if preparing sausages the night before, do this right before step 3).


2. Slice bacon strips into thirds and wrap each sausage with a 1/3 strip securing with a toothpick.  Place sausages into large plastic bag and coat with 1 cup brown sugar. 


3. As these will drip when cooking, try to use a broiler pan or rack as opposed to a baking sheet.  Either way, arrange the sausages over pan covered with foil.  Sprinkle with remaining brown sugar.  Bake for 20-30 minutes or until golden and cripsy.  You may want to up the oven temperate to 400 degrees F in the last 5-10 minutes of cooking if you want them extra crispy. 

I guarantee there won't be ANY left at the end of the party! 

If you don't believe me, ask any one of Jessie's guests!  You can't make too many!