Apple Appetizers

Apple Whiskey Chicken Meatballs
Ingredients
1 pound ground chicken
1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1/2 cup shredded apples
1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon diced garlic
1 egg
1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
1/2 cup Open Pit Apple Whiskey barbecue sauce... or some other kind (Alice, what kind did you use?)
Instructions
1. Combine all ingredients in bowl and mix very well. Shape meat mixture into 24 good sized meatballs. Place on baking sheet that has been sprayed with non stick spray.
2. Bake the meatballs for 20 minutes at 400F. Remove from oven and place in a crock pot. Add the barbecue sauce and stir. Keep warm. Refrigerate leftovers.

 

 





Caramelized Onion & Apple Mini Tarts
(servings: about 18 mini tarts, or 6 large)
1. sheet of frozen puff pastry dough, thawed
2 tbs butter
half large onion
2 apples (Granny Smith or other tart variety)
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/3c fontina cheese, shredded
1 tsp minced fresh thyme
1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
1. Begin with prep work. Slice/chop onion very thinly. Peel and core apple, chop into pieces approx. same size as onion.
2. Heat butter in sauté pan over medium. Once it's melted add onions and 1/4 tsp salt. Saute onions until soft, about 5 minutes.
3. Add apples, reduce heat to low. Cook over low for about 30 minutes. Onions should be nice and caramelized and lightly browned. Stir in pepper and remaining salt. Remove from heat and let cool.
4. Preheat oven to 375F, and line baking sheet with parchment paper.
5. Unwrap and unfold puff pastry dough. Slice along the folds already present in dough, creating 3 even strips of dough. Cut each strip into 3 squares, then slice diagonally through each square to create 2 triangles. This should result in 18 triangles from the entire sheet of dough. Place each dough triangle on prepared baking sheet, without touching.
7. Spoon about 2 teaspoons of the onion-apple mixture onto each dough triangle. Sprinkle some of the grated fontina cheese on top. Sprinkle thyme on top of the cheese.
Make-ahead note: You can caramelize the onions-apple mixture and store it in the fridge up to two days beforehand. You can assemble the tarts one day before you serve the, and just store in the fridge, wrapped in cling wrap or foil on a baking sheet. Just pop them into the oven when you are ready.

(Not sure if fontina cheese was used... I looked it up and found this suggestion: Mild provolone, gruyere, and gouda cheeses may all be substituted for fontina, depending on your personal preference and the other ingredients in your dish. Why such a wide range of choices? Because fontina cheese is similarly available in a wide range of flavors and textures. The fontina most commonly found in US markets is Danish fontina, which tends to be mild flavored and somewhat softer than Italian fontina.)

Toffee Apple Dip
Ingredients
1 package cream cheese
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup English toffee bits
6-7 cored and sliced apples for dipping (tossed with a little lemon or pineapple juice to prevent browning)
Directions
1. In a small bowl, mix together the cream cheese and brown sugar until well combined. Stir in the toffee bits.
2. Serve with sliced apples. Store the dip covered in fridge until ready to serve.