Gleaned~

I love reading my watched blogs..they teach me so much..

Yesterday I had some time in the afternoon and prepared 2 little Christmas Hors d'Oeuvres..



Marie.. at The English Kitchen.. had posted about her little cheese puffs the day before..and then the Stiltons..I had everything on hand so I made both and they are both thumbs up..



They're delicious..I had some of my Habanero Gold in the fridge so used that as the filling..Mine had to stay in a bit longer..my oven is a tad off I think..

The Stilton ones..I only made one up to taste..DELICIOUS..and so pretty because the walnut sits perfectly atop the little cookie..No photo of that one but Marie's showcase them beautifully!



Thank you Marie~

The Stilton Recipe Courtesy of Marie..

Stilton and Walnut Shortbreads with an Indian Twist
*Stilton and Walnut Shortbreads with an Indian Twist*
Makes 36

These tasty and savoury shortbreads are truly delicious even on their own, but when you marry them with the soothing creaminess of soft cheese and the tangy spicness of a good mango chutney, well, it truly is a marriage made in heaven! These are always the first to dissappear off the Hors D'oeuvres trays.

4 ounces of Stilton cheese at room temperature
3 TBS unsalted butter, at room temperature
70g plain flour
30g corn flour
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp sea salt
50g chopped walnuts
3 TBS cream cheese
3 TBS good quality mango chutney
36 small walnut halves, toasted (for garnishing)

Put the blue cheese and butter into the bowl of a food processor. Process together until creamy. Whisk the flour, corn flour, pepper and salt together in a small bowl. Add to the creamed mixture in the food processor and pulse to combine. Add the chopped walnuts and pulse just until incorporated. You still want there to be little discernable chunks of walnuts. Do NOT overprocess.

Remove the mixture from the food processor and shape into a flattened disc. Wrap well in cling film and chill in the refrigerator for at least one hour, or until firm.

Pre-heat the oven to 160*C/325*F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Place the chilled dough on a piece of cling film. Cover with another piece of cling film. Roll the dough out to about 1/4 of an inch thick. Remove the top piece of cling film and cut into 1 inch fluted circles with a sharp cutter. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Gather the dough scraps together and press back into a disk, roll out and repeat until all the dough is used up , placing each on the baking sheet, leaving about 1/2 inch of space between each one.

Bake until lighty brown, about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and place on wire racks to cool. You can do this much several days ahead if you wish.

When you are ready to serve them. Top each biscuit with a tsp of the creamed cheese and then an equal amount of the chutney. Finally place a toasted walnut on top of each. Serve. (Don't top with the toppings until you are ready to serve them)


And the Cheese Puffs recipe courtesy of Marie~
Sweet Chili Cheese Puffs
*Sweet Chili Cheese Puffs*
Makes about 3 dozen

Short and savoury with a bit of a bite. These will be really popular on your nibble tray!

8 ounces extra strong cheddar cheese, grated
3 to 4 TBS of softened unsalted butter
145g plain flour
sweet hot chili sauce, or hot pepper jelly


Place the cheese, butter and flour in the bowl of your food processor. Pulse several times until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Once this happens, allow the motor to run for 25 to 30 seconds until the dough forms a ball around the blade. Try not to overwork the dough. Remove from the bowl and chill for about 30 minutes, wrapped in cling film.

Pre-heat the oven to 200*C/400*F.

Pinch off walnut sized balls of the chilled dough and shape into balls, about 1 inch in diameter. Place on a large parchment lined baking sheet. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 5 minutes, until the bottoms are lightly coloured, but NOT browned. Remove from the oven and immediately shape a small depression in the centre of each using the end of the handle of a large wooden spoon. Fill each depression with some chili sauce or hot pepper jelly, if using. Return to the oven and bake for an additional 5 to 7 mionutes, until golden browned on the bottoms. Cool slightly before serving.

Hot jelly and sauce can really burn, so be careful.

Stand back and await the applause.


This week I also gleaned these cute things..at Hélène and Guylaine's~

Merçi..



.....a one horse open sleigh~:)

I definitely need a big gingerbread man cutter:)