Christmas Appetizers: Plum and Mascarpone Crostini

A few days ago I brought you a wonderful muffin for your Christmas Breakfast.  Today's goody is going to be a simple yet elegant appetizer to make.

Appetizers are wonderful little tidbits to serve to family and guests at a holiday party, Christmas dinner, or even New Years eve.  They are perfect for keeping hunger at bay while the dinner is being cooked.  Wouldn't it be fun to host a holiday party of all appetizers?  Just an array of small bites?  I often do that for New Years Eve.

MGG is a BIG snacker.  So keeping him from munching on all the food that I'm cooking is a task.  By preparing a few appetizers ahead of time and having them on hand when the snack monster attacks seems to do the trick!  Does anyone else have a snack monster in their house, or am I facing this monster alone??

These Plum and Mascarpone Crostini are super delishhh!  They go together pretty quickly once you re-constitute the plums, and they can be made ahead of time and assembled at the last minute.

What's better than toasted bites of bread, a blend of mascarpone and ricotta cheese, a little arugula, and some dried plums reconstituted in Sherry?  Not much!  This dish is very easy to change depending upon your tastes too.  Use figs, or cherries instead.  The Sherry can be substituted out if your don't want the alcohol, but I must say it's mighty tasty with it!

That's all there is to it!  Simple and elegant, that's what I like during the holiday festivities.  Enjoy!

Plum and Mascarpone Crostini 

8-10 dried plums, chopped
1/3 c Sherry
1 french baguette, sliced into thin rounds
1/4 c mascarpone cheese
1/4 c ricotta cheese
1/2 c arugula leaves
balsamic vinegar for drizzling

In a small saucepan place the chopped plums and the sherry.  Bring to a simmer over medium heat.  Turn heat down to low and allow to simmer for about 10-15 minutes until plums have plumped up and the sherry is thick and syrupy.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Take the baguette rounds and place them flat on a baking sheet, not touching.  Bake in the oven until toasted, about 5 minutes.  Remove from the oven.

Meanwhile combine the mascarpone cheese and the ricotta cheese together in a small bowl and blend to mix.  

To assemble take one bread round and spread some of the cheese mixture on the toasted side.  Top with a leaf of arugula and a small spoon full of the reconstituted plums.  Drizzle with a little balsamic vinegar.  Serve immediately.

Chicken and Pumpkin Stew

Some things are worth a second look don't you think?

Well this stew certainly is!  In October of last year I posted a dish of Pork and Pumpkin Stew.  It's an easy crock pot dish using Williams-Sonoma's product.  Stewsday Pumpkin Stew Starter.

Well I couldn't resist posting is again.  This time I made it with Chicken.    Pumpkin Stew Starter is an all-natural blend of roasted pumpkin, tomatoes and carrots, gently seasoned with garlic and aromatic autumn spices.  Pretty much all natural ingredients.  I love that about their items.  While it is a little costly $16.95 each or 2 for $30.00 this stew makes a great meal, and calls for 3lbs of pork, so it will feed quite a few people.  Great to make a big batch and freeze part of it for future meals.

This is so easy to do, and with the holidays staring me in the face I need something hearty but quick.   You just need 3 pounds of chicken cut up into chunks.  Season it with salt and pepper and toss it in your slow cooker.  Pour the jar of stew starter over the chicken and place the lid on it.  Cook it on high for 3 hours or low for 5-6.  Woohoo, instant stew!

When it is done the chicken will be pull apart tender.  Just take a fork and shred up some of the chicken and mixing it with the sauce.  I always serve it over a nice bed of rice.  Yum!

You can also make this from scratch.  For the recipe click here.

Enjoy and easy meal during the holidays!

Holiday Breakfast: Blackberry Muffins with a Pecan Streusel

Have any leftover Blackberries or did you freeze any from this summer's bounty?

I froze a lot of blackberries during the summer and I can even find some fresh ones still on the grocery store that look nice and plump.  What to do with your blackberries?  Make muffins, and that's what I did!

I chose this recipe to share with you as an idea for your Holiday Breakfast, excellent on Christmas morning.  They are easy to make but the best part about them is the special flavor combination.  

I haven't made muffins in awhile, so I thought, "today is the day!"  I love a good hot muffin for breakfast and when you have these along with some eggs and bacon or sausage they will just take your breakfast over the top.

Blackberries are tart, and delicious when baked.  They come out all juicy and warm.  These muffins are a great way to showcase this fruit.  Warm piping hot sweet muffins bursting with blackberries.  And then there's the topping...oh the topping.  A warm buttery, sugary pecan mixture on top.  Heaven...Heaven...Heaven!  Make sure not to skip the topping as it makes the muffins special occasion worthy!

Fresh or frozen fruit may be used in this dish.  This recipe is very forgiving and you could use raspberries or blueberries instead, but try the blackberries first!  I tend to make a recipe that produces 6 muffins cause I don't want so many tempting me and MGG.  However, if you are inclined to make 12 muffins (muffins freeze well) you can easily double this recipe and they will work just fine.  

Trust me, you want to make these muffins, they will make your Holiday Breakfast special.

Kitchen tip:  Be very careful when folding the blackberries in the batter to not break any, otherwise you will end up with a purple mess.

Blackberry Muffins with a Pecan Streusel

adapted from Williams-Sonoma

Serves 6

For the topping:

1⁄6 c sugar

1 ½ T flour

Grated zest of 1⁄4 lemon

1 T unsalted butter, melted

1⁄6 c pecans, chopped

For the muffins:

1 c flour

1/4 cup + 2 T sugar

1 t baking powder

1⁄4 t baking soda

1⁄4 t cinnamon

Grated zest of 1⁄4 lemon

1⁄8 t salt

1 egg, beaten

2 ½ T unsalted butter, melted

½  c buttermilk

1 c fresh blackberries

Preheat an oven to 375°F.  Grease 6 muffin cups nonstick cooking spray.

Make the topping:  in a small bowl, stir together the sugar, flour and lemon zest.  Stir in the melted butter until the mixture is crumbly.  Add the pecans and stir to combine.  Set aside.

Make the muffins:  in a medium bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, lemon zest and salt. Make a well in the center and add the egg, melted butter and buttermilk.   Stir just until evenly moistened.   The batter will be slightly lumpy.  Add blackberries and gently fold in.  Try not to break up the fruit.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each to a bit above the rim of the cup. Top each muffin with the topping, dividing it evenly (the sugar will melt and produce a glaze effect).

Bake until the muffins are golden, dry and springy to the touch, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes.