Mascarpone Pickle Bites Food

BACON-WRAPPED PICKLE BITES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375ºF.
• Drain pickles; pat dry with paper towel. Cut each pickle crosswise into 3 pieces; set aside.
• Cover rimmed baking sheet with foil. Spread 1 Tbsp. cream cheese spread onto each bacon slice. Cut crosswise in half.
• Wrap pickles with bacon, cream cheese sides down; place, seam sides down, on prepared baking sheet.
• Bake 30 min. or until bacon is crisp, turning after 15 min. Cool slightly.

MASCARPONE AND GRAPE PUFF PASTRY BITES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Unfold puff pastry and cut into 3 equal pieces along the fold. Roll each sheet out slightly. Using a 2 1/2-inch cutter, cut 4 rounds out of each strip, giving you 12 rounds total. Using a 1 1/2-inch cutter, press into each round, making a solid indentation without cutting completely through the pastry.
• Place rounds on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and top with a baking rack. This will keep the rounds uniform and even as they puff up during baking. Bake until rounds are golden, about 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool slightly, about 5 minutes.
• Using the tip of a spoon, carefully remove the inner circle of the puff pastry creating a nest. Fill each nest with 1 teaspoon of the bacon bits and top with 2 teaspoons of the mascarpone. Garnish with grape halves and a sprinkle of parsley. Serve on individual plates or a serving platter.

CREAM CHEESE DILL PICKLE BITES

Steps:

• Soften cream cheese with a small amount of mayonnaise.
• (There was no measurement given in the book. I used 1/4 c of mayo, but you may use more or less depending on your taste.) Add onion juice to cream cheese/mayonnaise.
• Mix well.
• Spread a layer of this mixture on each slice of bread.
• Put a dill pickle spear on each slice of bread.
• Roll up jelly roll fashion.
• Wrap each roll tightly in wax paper and refrigerate overnight.
• Slice each roll in 5 slices.

SMOKED SALMON AND CHIVE MASCARPONE MOUSSE WITH PINK PICKLED ONIONS

Steps:

• To prepare the salmon:
• In a small saucepan sprinkle gelatin over lemon juice and soften 10 minutes. In a bowl with an electric mixer beat together mascarpone and 1/2 cup sour cream until combined well. Quarter eggs and with back of a spoon force through a coarse sieve into mascarpone mixture. Add horseradish and stir well.
• Add remaining 1/4 cup sour cream to gelatin mixture and heat over moderately low heat, stirring, just until gelatin is dissolved. Add gelatin mixture to mascarpone mixture and stir well.
• Cut about one third salmon into strips and arrange 1 in every other ridge of a 3-cup brioche or other mold, letting ends hang over edge. Chop remaining salmon into 1/2-inch pieces and fold with chives into mascarpone mixture. Spoon mousse into mold and fold ends of salmon strips over top. Chill mousse, covered, at least 2 hours, or until firm, and up to 2 days. Run a thin knife along inside of each ridge of mold and dip mold into a bowl of hot water a few seconds. Invert a plate over mold and invert mousse onto it.
• With a slotted spoon arrange pickled onions decoratively on and around mousse touching each other, and keeping covered with plastic wrap.
• Brush mushroom rolls all over with melted butter and rearrange, seam sides down and barely touching, in pan. Chill mushroom rolls, covered, at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.
• Preheat oven to 425°F.
• Bake mushroom rolls in upper third of oven 15 minutes, or until golden. Halve rolls crosswise and tie a chive around each half.
• To make the pink pickled onions:
• In a saucepan barely cover onions with cold water. Bring water to a boil and simmer 1 minute. Drain onions in a colander and return to pan with vinegar, salt, and cold water to just cover. Bring liquid to a boil and simmer 3 minutes. Remove pan from heat and cool onions in liquid. Pickled onions may be made 1 week ahead and chilled in liquid, covered. Makes about 2 cups.