Recipes to Rival: Appetizers

Wow...this is so late. I had everything done and photographed way ahead of time. Of course, I didn't schedule post or remember to bring the cable to upload pictures from my camera.

Our hosts for December were Temperance of High on the Hog and Jen of Delightful Delicacies. We were given the option of 3 different appetizers to make. Of the 3, we had to do at least 2. Our choices were Gruyère Cheese Gougères, Galatoire’s Oysters en Brochette, and Blue Cheese, Pear and Walnut Crostini. I decided to go with the Gougères and the Crostini.

I made the crostini for dinner one night. I did make one change though. I used crumbled goat cheese because the blue I had was expired. At first I wasn't very sure of the goat cheese and pear combo but it turned out to be quite delicious. The tang of the cheese paired well with the tart pear. The walnut added a nice crunch. I ate them as dinner but they would be a great appetizer at a party.

The Gougères were made at my parents' house before Christmas. My youngest sister and I had fun making them.

I attempted to pipe them out neatly (which didn't work) and my sister just took a spoon and went at it.

Sometimes she's a smart one. ;) It took me twice as long to get all of mine done and 3 times the mess! Hers ended up being quite a lot bigger than mine naturally. We decided they tasted like cheez-its. I love cheez-its so they were a hit with me. Everyone else seemed to like them as well. Or at least they told me they did! Another great party appetizer! My dad was quite taken with the gruyere cheese. He kept trying to steal bites of it while we were mixing up the dough.

This was a nice challenge. Nothing was too hard but we got to try some new tasty, appetizers than I will definitely make again.

To get all three recipes, check out the blog post here. You can find more appetizers (posted on time no doubt!)by checking the R2R blogroll.