No-Fuss Cheesy Holiday Appetizers
If you’re like me this year, the lead-up to the holidays has been an absolute whirlwind. You need some impressive and festive-looking cheesy appetizers that, in reality, took no more than 20 minutes of freewheeling controlled chaos to put together.
During what would have otherwise been a quiet and very well planned-out lead up to Christmas weekend, I found myself harried, pressed for time, and definitely a little sleep deprived. I volunteered to work eight days in a row at my shop since we were going to be completely slammed, and by day five I was feeling it real bad. As someone who normally tries to have her head hit the pillow by 9pm, working every night until 9pm and then going to my day job first thing the next morning, then going straight to my shop and then crashing - and then repeating it all over again! - was definitely a trip.
I’m very grateful I had the foresight to go up to the Hudson Valley for a reprieve before the chaos began last weekend, and had the chance to test out a couple of no-fuss holiday appetizers that each not only came together in about 20-30 minutes, but that also required very little measuring and a lot of off-the-cuff cooking practices that any proper chef would balk at. But that’s okay, because they each turned out delicious and with very little stress throughout the process. So without further adieu, pour yourself a glass of wine, grab a couple fun holiday serving dishes, and enjoy some yummy apps!
Baked Brie
As the quintessential holiday appetizer, I just had to include baked brie. However, I went with a unique, decadent topping that was incredibly easy to throw together and could be done in the same amount of time that the brie was in the oven. And I actually didn’t use brie at all, but a wheel of a camembert-style cheese called Peggie from Churchtown Dairy just outside Hudson, NY. Here’s how this baked brie came together:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
Place your wheel in a pre-greased circular or ovular-shaped dish with extra room to allow for the most beautiful cheese stream once cut
Once the oven preheats, bake your cheese for 15-18 minutes
At the same time it’s baking, cut up an apple (I like Gala or Pink Lady) into half-inch sized pieces
Throw about 1.5 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan, and let it melt
Add your apple pieces and stir to coat them
Add in 2 tablespoons of maple syrup and 2 tablespoons of brown sugar (or whatever amount of each makes your heart sing) and a dash of cinnamon and nutmeg
Let it simmer for 10-15 mins, stirring frequently
Once your brie is done baking, pour your maple-cinnamon-apple topper directly onto the wheel, and serve immediately.
For some extra decadence, I dipped with Fine Toast for Cheese crackers, but any fruit and nut cracker or just a plain cracker would do perfectly.
Blue Cheese & Pear Bites
What’s better than dropping a few ingredients in a pre-made phyllo dough cup, popping them in the oven, and taking out bites of pure magic? Nothing. Please save yourself the agony of making dough for oven-bound bites, and pick up some frozen pre-made cups. Inside, add a couple ingredients and let the oven do the work.
Preheat your oven according the phyllo package instructions
Add blue cheese (I used Cambazola Grand Noir) and sliced pear to each cup
Cook for 7 minutes
While hot, top with fresh thyme, a honey drizzle, and cracked black pepper
So simple, yet so delicious and impressive looking!
Sweet Potato & Chèvre Crustini
This was an interesting bake, and the most involved yet still pretty simple! I used this recipe as a base to go off of (thank you, Pinterest) and made a couple substitutions. The star of the show was original chèvre by R & G Cheese Makers from Troy, NY. It gave the perfect amount of tang to the bite!
Wash your sweet potatoes and cut them in 1/2-inch rounds.
Brush each side with olive oil, and cook them at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. After 15 minutes, flip them and cook for another 15 minutes.
Add 8 oz. chèvre to a mixing bowl, and add in 1/2 cup of heavy cream. Fold in the milk. If you aren’t sure how to fold in an ingredient, feel free to review a helpful demonstration video here.
Once the sweet potato rounds are out and slightly cooled, add a generous dollop of the goat cheese mixture, sprinkle some fresh thyme, chopped pecans, and sweet dried cranberries.
Et voila!
