Time to Cook!

Inspiration for wholesome weeknight & weekend cooking.

Posts from the ‘appetizers’ category

This is my “go to” hors d’oeuvre to serve with cocktails.  It’s light and fresh tasting and I think it’s nice to serve people something warm out of the oven.  When thawing my puff pastry, I do set a kitchen timer for the thawing time (40 minutes) on the counter (if you let it sit much longer than that, it can get sticky and really hard to handle and mess up your whole recipe).  I’ve heard you can also thaw it in the fridge, but I haven’t tried that yet.

Caramelized Onion Tart

Recipe from blog Annie’s Eats.

Caramelized Onion Ricotta Tart
Serves: 8-12

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. butter

1 medium-large yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
1 tsp. sugar
¼ tsp. salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tbsp. white wine (optional)
½ cup ricotta cheese
1 egg yolk
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Minced fresh parsley, for garnish

Directions:

  • Preheat the oven to 350° F.  In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, melt the butter.  Add the sliced onion, thyme, sugar, salt, pepper and white wine to the pan.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions have fully caramelized and are golden brown in color, about 20-25 minutes.  Remove from the heat and set aside.  In a small bowl whisk together the ricotta and egg yolk until smooth.
  • To assemble the tart, lay the puff pastry sheet on a baking sheet and fold in each edge about 1 inch.  Spread the ricotta mixture over the puff pastry (you may not use it all).  Sprinkle about half of the Parmesan cheese over the ricotta mixture.  Layer the caramelized onions evenly over the ricotta mixture.  Top with the remaining Parmesan.  Bake 25-30 minutes, until the puff pastry is golden and baked through.  Garnish with fresh parsley, if desired.  Slice into squares or rectangles and serve warm.
Leave a comment

Although you can’t tell from the picture, these kale chips are light as air!  They are delicate and crispy and dissolve in your mouth when you eat them.  They are really a healthy replacement to potato chips and fun to have out as a snack or appetizer before dinner.  My friend Ashley made them for us and the kids and adults all loved them.  It’s great to have yet another way to serve this superfood.

Kale Chips

Kale Chips

Ingredients:

1 bunch fresh kale

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions:

Wash kale and dry thoroughly with paper towels.  Drying the kale well is key or your kale chips will turn moist and chewy just hours after you bake them.  Remove the large ribs and roughly tear the leaves into 2 inch pieces.  Spread them out onto 2 rimmed baking sheets (so they are not too crowded or they will steam) and toss with olive oil and salt.  Bake at 375 degrees for 13 minutes.  Season to taste with additional salt  if needed.  Serve warm or at room temperature within an hour or two of baking (or they may turn chewy).

Leave a comment