Pimento Cheese Tartlets with Pepper Jelly and Crispy Bacon

Ok!  These cute little tartlets may be these easiest appetizers ever!

The secret is using store-bought ingredients to help you take the stress out of entertaining.

This simple appetizer was inspired by a amuse buche I had at one of my favorite restaurants … Felicia Suzanne’s in downtown Memphis, Tennessee.  Chef Felicia Willett not only makes her own signature pimento cheese using Tennessee sharp cheddar, but she also makes her own Five Pepper Jelly from peppers she procured at the local Farmers Market. Even her tartlet shells are made from scratch using locally sourced cornmeal.  It is a heavenly little bite of all things Southern.

Recently, I decided to have friends over for cocktails before dinner at the last minute.  I made an emergency run to the grocery store to see what munchies I could whip up … and I remembered the little bites of goodness I had enjoyed from Felicia. My local grocery had all the ingredients I needed to quickly pull this appetizer together.  The only cooking that would be needed was to fry up some bacon … the rest would be just assembly.

It took me minutes to assemble these little tartlets … and even less time for them to be devoured by my friends!  They were the easiest to prepare item on my menu … and probably the most popular.

Hope your friends enjoy them as much as mine did!

Enjoy!

Pimento Cheese Tartlets

1 cup pimento cheese (store-bought or homemade)
16 dozen mini tart shells (store-bought or homemade)
1/2 cup pepper jelly
1/2 cup crumbled cooked bacon

Spoon pimento cheese into the tart shell. Top with a dollop of pepper jelly and crumbled bacon.

Makes 16 bite-size tarts.

 

Blues-y Bacon Onion Burger

I love burgers!  There is just something about a good burger I can’t resist.

But as much as I love a good old fashioned burger topped with the classic garnishes of cheese, tomato, and lettuce, I love to experiment with the ingredients to come up with my own “specialty” burgers.

This Blues-y Bacon Onion Burger is one of my favorites.

In my hometown of Memphis, folks take their blues and barbecue seriously.  And I can guarantee this burger will be sure to appeal to discriminating blues and barbecue fans everywhere!

For the blues, I stuff and top the finished burger with crumbled blue cheese.  (You can’t get enough of blue cheese in my opinion!) I also stuff and top the burger with zesty FRENCH’S® French Fried Onions.  The French Fried Onions are my secret ingredient.  They add flavor and texture both inside and outside the burger. Oh … and I almost forgot to mention the bacon!  I add crispy, crumbled bacon to the patty to give it an extra kick.  The barbecue sauce makes its appearance as the condiment of choice for the finished burger.

Enjoy!

Blues-y Bacon Onion Burger

1 pound ground beef
1 cup FRENCH’S® French Fried Onions, divided
1 cup crumbled blue cheese, divided
1/2 cup crumbled cooked bacon
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup barbecue sauce
4 hamburger buns, split

Preheat a clean grill to medium-high.

In a large mixing bowl combine the ground beef, ½ cup FRENCH’S® French Fried Onions, ½ cup crumbled blue cheese, and the crumbled bacon. Generously season with salt and pepper to taste. Gently mix together, by hand or with a fork, until well combined. Divide and shape the mixture into 4 patties.

Grill patties 10 minutes or until no pink remains (160°F internal temperature), turning once.

To serve, toast the buns. Place each burger on a bun. Top with the barbecue sauce and the remaining blue cheese and FRENCH’S® French Fried Onions. Serve immediately.

Serves 4.

Cooking Tip:  

Don’t have a grill?  No problem.  These burgers can easily be made indoors.

In a large oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat, warm 1 tablespoon olive oil until a few droplets of water sizzle when carefully sprinkled in the pan. Cook the burgers until well-browned on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer the skillet to the oven until cooked through and no longer pink in the middle, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Creamy Broccoli Slaw

Coleslaw without the cabbage?

Yes! It can be done…and be quite tasty!

Almost any vegetable can be used to make a delicious slaw.

Shredded carrots and broccoli might be the most popular alternative to cabbage. But vegetables such as jicama, celery root, kohlrabi, and even kale also make perfect bases for delicious slaws.

I joke about this … but the person who decided to shred and bag broccoli stems as a slaw is a genius!  Almost too tough and fibrous to eat, broccoli stems transform into a crunchy treat when shredded.  What a great use of healthy leftovers!

My Creamy Broccoli Slaw is a play on the sweet broccoli and raisin salad served at delis.  The original version is made with broccoli florets that need to be blanched before tossing with the other ingredients.  I skip that step by simply reaching for a pre-shredded bag of broccoli slaw mix.  It’s healthy, delicious, and someone else has done the prep work for me!

Enjoy!

Creamy Broccoli Slaw
From my cookbook Simply Salads

For the dressing:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons champagne vinegar

For the slaw:
1 bag (16 ounces) Broccoli Cole Slaw blend
1/2 pound bacon (about 10 slices), cooked, drained on paper towels, cooled, and crumbled
1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup raisins
2/3 cup toasted sunflower seeds
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

For the dressing:             

In a small bowl whisk together the mayonnaise, sugar, and champagne vinegar until sugar has dissolved. 

For the salad:

Place the slaw, bacon, onion, raisins, and sunflower seeds in a large salad bowl. Toss the slaw mix with the dressing, to taste, until well coated.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Makes 6 side salads.

Cooking Tip: Champagne vinegar has a light and mild flavor perfect for dressing a delicately flavored salad.  White wine vinegar is a good, but not quite as mild, substitute.

Variation: Omit the bacon for a vegetarian version.

Boeuf Bourguignon

If you’ve seen the movie Julie & Julia, you know that Julia Child’s rendition of this classic French dish is what got her first book deal.  When her soon-to-be-editor, tested this recipe from Julia’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking manuscript, she new she had found something special. The rest is history.

Boeuf Bourguignon (which translates into Beef Burgundy – as in the wine) is basically just a beef stew in a red wine sauce.  Slow cooking a normally tough cut transforms the beef into a delicious fork-tender delight. Serve on it’s on , over rice, or with potatoes.

This version is from the kitchen of another talented chef, my sister Susan.

Enjoy!

Boeuf Bourguignon

4 pounds boneless beef chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 2-inch cubes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
5 slices bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 cup finely diced yellow onion (1 large onion)
1 1/2 cups finely diced carrots (about 5 small carrots)
6 sprigs fresh thyme
3 bay leaves
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (14.5-ounce) whole tomatoes with juice
1 bottle (750 ml) good red wine (preferably Pinot Noir or Burgundy)
2 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups fresh button mushrooms, trimmed and quartered
1 1/2 cups frozen small whole white pearl onions

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.

Pat the beef dry with paper towels and generously season with salt and pepper. In a large Dutch oven or stockpot over medium-high heat, warm the oil until a few droplets of water sizzle when carefully sprinkled in the pot. In 2 batches as to not over-crowd the pot, cook the meat until nicely browned on all sides, about 8 minutes per batch. Transfer the meat to a plate.

Drain all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the pot. Add the bacon and cook over medium heat until crispy and the fat has rendered, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the onion, carrots, thyme, bay leaves, and garlic. Cook, stirring, until the onions are soft, about 5 minutes. 

Add the tomatoes, red wine, and chicken stock and stir to combine. Return the beef to the pot. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil, cover and place in the oven. Cook until the beef is fork tender, about 2 hours. Remove from the oven and place on the stove. Discard the bay leaves.

In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Add the mushrooms and sauté until softened and golden, about 4 minutes. Add the cooked mushrooms and frozen onions to the stew. Bring the stew back to a boil and adjust seasonings as needed. Serve hot.

Serves 6.

Time Saving Tip: You can use fresh pearl onions in this recipe, but they need to be peeled and cooked first. Frozen onions are equally delicious and save you 15 to 20 minutes of preparation time.

Do Ahead: This stew can be made a day or two in advance. In fact, I think it may be even better the second day. Just reheat the stew on your stove top over medium-low heat.

Freezes Well.

Bacon-Wrapped Dates

Serves 8 to 10

1 pound (about 12 to 13 slices) bacon, preferably thick-cut
25 Medjool dates (about 3/4 pound)

Preheat oven to 450° F.

Cut the bacon in half lengthwise. Set aside. Remove the pits from the dates by cutting the tips off each end of the dates and insert the flat end of a skewer until it pushes the pit out of the date. Repeat with remaining dates.

Wrap the dates with a slice of bacon and secure with a toothpick. Arrange all the prepared dates on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes or until bacon is browned and crispy. Remove from the baking sheet. Serve immediately.