Thanksgiving Appetizers - or "Delayers"

Appetizers, hors d'oeuvres, starters, antipasto, gustus, tapas, maza, mezze, zakuski, dim sum, smorgasbord...small foods served before meals to whet the appetite play integral roles in many cultures and cuisine. The traditions that developed these customs vary – it may have been to stretch the social time, aid digestion, or offer a tease of the meal to come.

In our family, appetizers are often offered to keep extra fingers (and mouths) out of the food prep until it is time to eat. Last week we celebrated our family’s Thanksgiving in Texas with Daughter & Son-in-Law, and Son from Iowa. We had decided that an early evening dinner would give us more time to cook and we’d start the day with a hardy brunch. With our early morning family, brunch had to happen before 8:00! That left a long stretch of time for the munchies to happen. So we served appetizers to hold the hungry guys over.

Here’s Daughter S’s favorite:

Prosciutto Wrapped Pear

1 – 2 ripe (but not soft) green pears (like Bartlett)

1 small package of plain goat cheese (or flavored cream cheese)

6–8 slices prosciutto (an Italian ham) or deli ham,very thinly sliced

Honey

Fresh cracked pepper

         Wash, slice and cut pears into thin wedges. Scoop cheese into the core indentation. Wrap cheese/pear tightly with thin piece of prosciutto/ham. Arrange the wrapped pear wedges on a serving plate. Drizzle with honey and dust the top with freshly cracked black pepper.  It’s a wonderful combination of sweet, tangy and salty tastes.

Another appetizer that is tasty is from Bonnie Aeschliman’s collection “Farm to France” (see the last blog of Nov. 18). She demonstrated and shared samples of this at the class I attended in October.

Zucchini and Sun-Dried Tomato Tart

1 sheet frozen puff pastry (half of 17.3-oz package), thawed but keep cool

1 ¾ cups shredded mozzarella cheese

⅔ cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided

½ cup drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, thinly sliced

⅓ cup basic chiffonade (that’s chopped into thin slivers)

2 green onions, thinly sliced

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 small zucchini, unpeeled, cut into thin rounds

2 large eggs

1 cup half-and-half

¼ teaspoon salt

⅛ teaspoon ground red pepper

         Roll puff pastry on a lightly floured surface to a 13-inch square. With a pizza wheel trim pastry edges to form a 13-inch circle. Place the pastry in an 11-inch tart pan with removable bottom. Tuck in overhang to form double-thick sides. Pierce with fork to allow steam to escape. Cover; chill at least 1 hour.

         Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Shape foil inside the pastry and fill with beans or rice or pie weights. Bake on a baking sheet until sides are set, about 20 minutes. Carefully remove foil and beans. Return crust to oven and bake until bottom is golden brown, puncturing crust with fork if bubbles form, about 8 minutes. Remove from oven and cool 5 minutes.

         Reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees. Sprinkle mozzarella over bottom of crust. Top with one-third cup of Parmesan. Layer sun-dried tomatoes, basil, green onions, and oregano on top of cheese layer. Arrange zucchini rounds in overlapping circles to cover top of tart.

         Whisk eggs, half-and-half, salt, and ground red pepper in medium bowl. Pour mixture into tart. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese.

         Bake tart until custard is set and crust is golden brown, about 35 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. Makes 8 servings.