Small Plates

This fall, I have had the pleasure of attending three of my friend's weddings. I co-hosted a bridal shower in September for one of the brides and very much enjoyed putting together the menu for the event. We chose to go with small plates, appetizers if you will, for an informal setting to the party. I chose comfort foods with a bit of a healthy twist to pull together the menu. Everything seemed to be a big hit and I can't wait to throw together another party!

Menu

Homemade Pizzas

      -Goat cheese, caramelized onions, and pancetta pizza

      -Margherita pizza

      -Greek Pizza

      -Barbeque chicken pizza

Buffalo Chicken Dip with celery, carrots and crackers

Bruschetta

Pumpkin Dip with pears, apples and vanilla wafers

Baked Brie with caramelized pear compote

Homemade Pizza Dough
1 c warm water
1 envelope yeast
1 tsp honey
2 T extra virgin olive oil
3 cups flour (I like using cake flour)
2 tsp salt

Mix water, yeast and honey together. Let stand until yeast dissolves, about 5 minutes.

Brush large bowl lightly with olive oil. Mix flour and salt. Add yeast mixture and 2 tablespoons oil; process until dough forms a sticky ball. Transfer to lightly floured surface.

Knead dough until smooth, adding more flour by tablespoonfuls if dough is very sticky, about 1 minute. Transfer to prepared bowl; turn dough in bowl to coat with oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let dough rise in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 1 hour. Knead dough again. If you have enough time, allow dough to rise again for 30 more minutes.

Goat Cheese, Caramelized Onion and Pancetta Pizza

4-6 oz pancetta

1 large sweet onion, thinly sliced (about 1 1/2 cups)

6-8 oz goat cheese, crumbled

4 oz shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup marinara sauce 

Preheat the oven to 500F – with your baking stone on the oven rack, if you have one.
Cut pancetta into small cubes. Fry pancetta in a skillet coated with a little bit of olive oil or vegetable oil over medium-high heat until pancetta is crispy, about 5-10 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent scorching
Using a slotted spoon, scoop out the crispy pancetta and place on a paper-towel lined plate to drain.
Add onions to the skillet (and 1 tbsp butter, if desired) and cook, stirring frequently, until onions are golden brown and very tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat.
Transfer pizza dough to a pizza peel or a lightly floured baking sheet before topping (a pizza stone will get you the best results, but this can be baked directly on a baking sheet). Spread about 1/4 cup of marinara sauce very thinly over the crust. Top with half of the pancetta, half of the onions and half of the coarsely crumbled goat cheese. Sprinkle half of the shredded mozzarella over the pizza.
Slide pizza into preheated oven and bake for 8-12 minutes, until crust is golden and cheese has melted.
Serve pizza immediately.

Margherita Pizza

2 roma tomatoes, sliced

6 oz fresh mozzarella

5-6 large basil leaves, cut loosely

2 garlic cloves

salt and pepper to taste

Transfer pizza dough to a pizza peel or a lightly floured baking sheet before topping (a pizza stone will get you the best results, but this can be baked directly on a baking sheet). Par bake crust for 3-4 minutes. When crust comes out of the oven, rub crust with garlic clove. Top crust with tomatoes, mozzarella and basil.
Slide pizza into preheated oven and bake for 6-8 minutes, until crust is golden and cheese has melted.
Serve pizza immediately. 

Greek Pizza 

1 T Greek vinaigrette

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese 

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 

1/2 cup kalamata olives, sliced 

1/2 cup water-packed artichoke hearts, rinsed, drained and chopped 

1/2 red onion, sliced thin

2 roma tomatoes, sliced 

handful fresh oregano, chopped roughly

3/4 fresh basil leaves, chopped roughly 

Dash pepper  

1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Transfer pizza dough to a pizza peel or a lightly floured baking sheet before topping (a pizza stone will get you the best results, but this can be baked directly on a baking sheet). Par bake crust for 3-4 minutes. When crust comes out of the oven, brush crust with vinaigrette. Top crust with remaining ingredients.
Slide pizza into preheated oven and bake for 6-8 minutes, until crust is golden and cheese has melted.
Serve pizza immediately.  

Barbeque Chicken Pizza

2 cups rotisserie chicken

1 cup plus 1/4 cup honey barbeque sauce

1 cup red onion, sliced

1 cup pineapple, chopped

1/2 cup pepperoncini peppers, sliced (if desired)

2 cups Monterrey-jack cheese

1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Transfer pizza dough to a pizza peel or a lightly floured baking sheet before topping (a pizza stone will get you the best results, but this can be baked directly on a baking sheet).  Mix chicken with 1 cup on barbeque sauce. Spoon 1/4 cup sauce on crust.  Top crust with remaining ingredients. Slide pizza into preheated oven and bake for 8-12 minutes, until crust is golden and cheese has melted.
Serve pizza immediately.  

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Buffalo Chicken Dip

8 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup blue cheese or ranch dressing
1/2 cup Franks Red Hot original cayenne pepper sauce
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
2 cans chicken breast (I used about 1 1/2 cups of the rotisserie chicken from the pizza instead)

  

In a medium sized pan on medium-high heat, combine the chicken, cream cheese, hot wing sauce and blue cheese. Stir frequently until cheeses are all melted, all is warm and bubbly. To keep warm, may place in mini crockpot or fondue server. Otherwise, just zap it in the microwave for a a minute or two to keep it warm. Serve with celery and carrot sticks along with crackers of your choice.

Bruschetta 

7-8 Roma tomatoes

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

6-8 fresh basil leaves, chopped

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 french baguette

1/4 cup olive oil

Parboil the tomatoes for one minute in boiling water that has just been removed from the burner. Drain. Using a sharp small knife, remove the skins of the tomatoes. Cut them in half, remove the seeds and juices. Chop the tomatoes finely.
Put tomatoes, garlic, 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, vinegar in a bowl and mix. Add the chopped basil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate overnight to all the flavors to "merry". 
Preheat the over to 450. 
Slice the baguette on a diagonal about 1/2 inch thick slices. Coat one side of each slice with olive oil using a pastry brush. Place on a cooking sheet, olive oil side down. Toast for 5-6 minutes, until the bread just begins to turn golden brown.
Align the bread on a serving platter, olive oil side up. Top the bread with the bruschetta just before serving. If done to early, the bread may get soggy. 

Pumpkin Dip

 Pumpkin Dip

1- 15 oz can of pumpkin
1- 5 oz box of instant vanilla pudding {just the powder, don't make the pudding}

1-16 oz container of cool whip  {low fat}

1/2 T Pumpkin Pie Spice
1/2 T Cinnamon

1 small pumpkin

  

Mix pumpkin, pudding mix, cool whip, and pumpkin pie spice together {by hand} in a very large bowl.Chill for several hours before serving. Meanwhile, carve your pumpkin! Sprinkle with cinnamon, and serve with fresh apples slices, vanilla wafers or ginger snaps.

 

Baked Brie with Caramelized Pear Compote

1-8 oz round Brie cheese  

2 tsp butter 

1 pear, thinly sliced 

1/4 cup pear juice or apple juice 

1 tbsp brandy or pear juice

1 tsp packed brown sugar

 In nonstick skillet, melt butter over medium heat; add pear. Cook until tender and translucent. Add pear juice, brandy, and sugar; bring to boil. Boil, stirring occasionally, until no liquid remains and pear is softened, about 5 minutes. Place brie on foil-lined pie plate or in small cake pan; top with pear mixture. Bake in 350°F oven until cheese is softened, about 10 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes.