Mini Goat Cheese Tarts With Camalized Shallots

My sister threw me a baby shower the day after Christmas. For most people, working full time and getting ready for Christmas is enough. Throwing a shower for thirty-plus people was a real feat of organization. She managed to pull everything together by planning ahead and being super organized.
The shower was a late afternoon cocktail party. She served three kinds of cocktails: a blue martini garnished with a jelly orange peel, belinis, and a non-alcoholic ginger and blood-orange cooler garnished with a slice of candied ginger.

The food consisted of a bunch of bite-sized appetizers. My favorite was the mini goat cheese tarts, which she made using mini-muffin pans.
Mini Goat Cheese Tarts
8 shallots
2 tablespoons olive oil
12 ounces goat cheese
2 eggs
1 cup cream
Salt and pepper
Pastry dough

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cut shallots in half and slice with the grain. Preheat a medium-sized frying pan over a medium heat. Add olive oil and shallots. Reduce heat to low and allow shallots to caramelize, about 30 minutes. When finished, set aside until the tarts come out of the oven.

Mix goat cheese, eggs, and cream together. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside until tart shells are prepared.

Roll out pastry dough to one-quarter inch thick. Cut dough into one and a half inch circles. Place circles into mini-muffin tins. Par-bake dough for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and add two tablespoons of filling. Return to the oven and bake for an additional five to seven minutes, until filling sets and the crust is golden brown.

Top each mini tart with caramelized shallots.

Serve warm or room temperature.

Makes 24 mini tarts.

Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms

I love shopping at the farmers market. The problem is I always over-spend my budget. This is not because the farmer's market prices being higher then expected though. Because everything looks so good, I have a hard time passing things up.

This week's unexpected market splurge was zucchini blossoms. With their bright yellow flowers that turn almost orange at the tips, I couldn't resist.

For an appetizer on Sunday night, I stuffed them with ricotta and sautéed greens before lightly coating them in egg and corn meal and frying.

There is one caveat to this recipe. I recommend making them when you have an extra set of hands around. I need to call Kevin into action to hold the flowers open while I spooned in the filling.

2 large leaves of Swiss chard
1 small onion
2 cloves garlic
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon Balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
Salt and pepper
10 zucchini blossoms
1 egg
1/2 cup corn meal
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Remove the center rib of the Swiss chard and cut leaves in half. Stack the leaves on top of each other and roll width-wise. Thinly slice the roll of chard, to form thin ribbons. Finely dice onion and mince garlic.

In a preheated frying pan add olive oil, onion, and garlic. Sauté until onion become translucent. Add chard and season with salt and pepper. Cook chard until it is wilted and about half of its original volume. Allow it to cool slightly, and then place in a small bowl. Mix in ricotta and Parmesan cheese.

Open the top of each zucchini blossom and spoon in 1 tablespoon of filling. Twist the end of each blossom closed.

Light beat the egg in a small bowl. Add corn meal to a second bowl. Dip each stuffed blossom into the egg, then into the coat with corn meal.

In a cast iron frying pan, heat vegetable oil. Add zucchini blossoms, working in batches to avoid over crowding the pan. Cook on one side until golden brown, about two minutes, then flip and cook on the other side or one or two more minutes.

Drain on a plate lined with a paper towel, and sever piping hot.

Herbed Dip With Quark or Yogurt Cheese

Tina and Albert, my German friends who introduced me to Quark, gave me this simple recipe, which is kind of like Germany's answer to spinach dip.

1 cup Quark or Yorgurt cheese
1 package frozen herb mix
Salt and pepper

Mix defrozed herbs into quart or yogurt cheese. Season with salt and pepper.