appetizers

Mushroom & Mascarpone Crostini

December 19, 2012 by Erica

I’m slightly obsessed with crostini. Is that normal?

I think so. Anyway, I assume that everyone you celebrate the holidays with will be obsessed with crostini, too, so you might as well serve them these.

Little toasts hot out of the oven, smeared with mascarpone, and topped with a savory mushroom mix. They might not be as festive-looking as those other Christmas crostini, but they can hold their own in the flavor department. The mascarpone gets a little melty and mixes with the juice dripping off the mushrooms… oh man, they are so good.

If you make these for friends or family, prepare to have zero leftovers. You may want to make a few extra. For Santa, maybe? He might be sick of cookies by the time he gets to your house, and prefer some hot melty mascarpone and mushrooms. I know I would. (But then I’ll have the cookies too, please.)

Mushroom & Mascarpone Crostini

Adapted from Small Bites by Jennifer Joyce

Makes about 24 crostini

Ingredients:

1 baguette, sliced (about 24 slices)

1/3 cup olive oil

1/3 cup mascarpone cheese

1 lb baby bella mushrooms, diced (stems included)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp sherry vinegar

small handful parsley, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spread baguette slices out on a baking sheet and lightly brush one side with olive oil. Toast at 400 for 6 minutes. (You may be tempted to toast them longer, but resist, or they will become too crunchy!)

Over medium heat, saute the garlic with a drizzle of olive oil until fragrant, about a minute. Add the diced mushrooms and sherry vinegar, and saute until mushrooms are soft. Stir in the chopped parsley and add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat.

Spread a thin layer of mascarpone on each toast and top with a spoonful of the mushroom mixture. Serve hot!

Time:

20 minutes

Christmas Chili Crostini

December 11, 2012 by Erica

Bah humbug.

Just kidding. Red and green appetizers – they’re pretty much the most festive thing EVER.

The truth is, I often feel Scrooge-like at this time of year. It starts the day after Thanksgiving, when stores have put up Christmas decorations and started playing Christmas music inappropriately early (if you ask me). Friends who are really into Christmas start getting excited, everyone makes a big deal of Black Friday, and I’m like LET’S RELISH THANKSGIVING. I love Christmas, but I’m not really into the commercial holiday thing as much as some people are, so it takes me a few weeks after Thanksgiving to warm up to the idea of it.

But I’m happy to say that time has arrived! I made these appetizers this weekend while ordering Christmas gifts and listening to my “All I Want For Christmas Is You” Pandora station with gingerbread in the oven. It was a lot of Christmas multi-tasking (’tis the season) and I’m now officially in the holiday spirit.

(Please excuse the avocado under my fingernails. Note to self: cooking + hand modeling = not a match made in heaven.)

So I ended up making these 4 times this weekend… suffice it to say we liked them! But what’s not to like about some spice, avocado, and a schmear of cream cheese? (Not vegan.)

These are definitely my new go-to holiday appetizer. They would be perfect to bring to a friend’s house for a holiday cocktail party, or to serve at your own party.

So crank up the Mariah Carey and get cookin’!

Christmas Chili Crostini

Adapted from Small Bites by Jennifer Joyce

Makes about 24

Time: about 15 minutes

Ingredients:

1 baguette, sliced (about 24 slices) –> I like to buy them pre-sliced from the grocery store to save time!
olive oil
1/4 cup cream cheese
2 large (or 3 small) avocados, halved and carefully sliced crosswise
1/4 cup sweet Thai chili sauce
2 red jalapeños, seeded and thinly sliced (sometimes called red Fresno peppers, or use green jalapeños if you can’t find these)
6 green onions (green parts only), thinly sliced

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice baguette (if not using pre-sliced!) and spread on a baking sheet. Brush the top of each slice with olive oil. Bake at 400 for 6 minutes. (You may be tempted to leave them in longer, but don’t! They get crunchy quickly, and you don’t want to serve little bricks to your guests.) Remove baguette slices from oven and set aside until cool enough to handle.

Spread a thin layer of cream cheese on each baguette slice. Lay a slice or 2 of avocado on top, followed by a quarter-sized dollop of Thai chili sauce (exact measurements here!). Garnish with a slice or two of jalapeño and a sprinkle of green onions.

Voila! Ready to serve!

Simple Guacamole

November 13, 2012 by Erica

Guacamole makes everything better, don’t you think?

Chips. Tacos. Spoons. Tuesdays. All made tastier by mashed-up avocado goodness.

As for this post, I’m not so sure it’s a “recipe.” It’s really just… the way I make guacamole.

Everyone has the guac ingredients and method they swear by. Salsa vs. tomatoes, chunky vs. smooth, food processor vs. fork, avocado pit in the bowl or not… these could all become heated debates. I think I learned to make it this way from my mom. And you just don’t mess with Mom’s recipes! They are time-tested and Dad-approved.

(Although Mom now informs me that she adds cumin and cayenne to hers. Sorry Mom – I messed with it!)

There are only a few ingredients in my guac, which makes it ideal for whipping up quickly before a party. Or do what we did last Sunday night and scoop some on top of these chipotle sweet potato tacos from Naturally Ella!

5.0 from 2 reviews

Simple Guacamole

Hands-on time

10 mins

Total time

10 mins

Author: Erica

Yields: 6

Ingredients

4 ripe avocados
1 vine-ripened tomato, diced
¼ to ½ red onion, finely diced
juice of 1 to 2 limes
½ tsp salt plus more to taste

Instructions

Halve the avocados and scoop the flesh out into a large bowl. Mash quickly with a fork or potato masher, leaving some chunks.
Dice the tomato and onion and add to the bowl with the avocados. Depending on the size of the onion, I usually start with a quarter and see how that looks, then add a bit more if necessary.
Juice 1 lime over the bowl, sprinkle ½ tsp salt over, and stir to combine. Taste test, then add up to 1 more lime and another ½ tsp of salt to suit your tastes.
Serve with tortilla chips or however your prefer!

How do you like your guacamole?

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