Fancy Finger Foods

Ingredients:

1 roll refrigerated crescent dough
7 oz. round Gouda cheese, wax removed
1 Tbs. Dijon mustard
1 Tbs. chopped pecans, toasted

Preparation:

Unroll the dough and pinch together the perforations. Trim off a 1/3-inch strip of dough to form a square and reserve for another use. Place the cheese in the center of the square. Spread the top of the cheese with the mustard and sprinkle with the pecans. Draw up the sides of the dough to form a sack and pinch the dough in place. Place in a 350-degree oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely and serve.

Ingredients:

1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
2 Tbs. mustard
4 oz. thinly-sliced honey ham
2 oz. basil or baby spinach leaves, stems removed
4 oz. thinly slice Swiss cheese

Preparation:

Spread the mustard over the entire sheet of thawed dough. Place the ham over the pastry and top with basil and cheese. Start rolling the long side of the dough up and continue until the roll reaches the middle of the dough. begin rolling the other side until both rolls meet in the middle. Cut the rolled dough into two to three inch slices using a bread knife and a sawing motion. Place the slices on a parchment lined cookie sheet in a 425-degree oven for about 15 minutes or until golden.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
3/4 cup mayonnaise
3/4 onion
2 Tbs. minced green onion
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
14-oz. can of artichoke hearts cut into quarters or slices
30 bread rounds cut from day old white bread and toasted on one side

Preparation:

Tiny Cheese Puffs

Ingredients:

1 stick butter, cut into pieces
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup flour
4 eggs
3/4 cup grated cheese
1 cup water

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium saucepan, combine butter, sugar and salt with one cup of water. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, adjusting heat as necessary so butter is fully melted when mixture boils. Reduce heat and add flour all at once. Beat vigorously with a wooden spoon until dough is well blended and forms a ball, leaving a film on the bottom and sides of the pan, about one to two minutes.

Remove from heat and let cool for five minutes. Place the dough in a bowl or processor and beat in eggs, one at a time. Add cheese and blend. Pipe or drop the dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for nine minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 degrees and bake nine minutes more. To fill, cut puffs in half and remove uncooked middle.