Party Food

This post appears in the Make it From Scratch carnival at 11th Heaven's Homemaking Haven.

Since we are sliding in to the holiday party season I thought I'd make my Sunday recipe post about appetizers this week. Here are two good ones. The first is ideal for small parties and the second works for larger gatherings.

Baked Prosciutto and Brie with Apple Butter

1 loaf crusty French bread
4 tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup apple butter
16 thin slices prosciutto, about 1/4 pound
2 pears or apples, thinly sliced
1 pound Brie, thinly sliced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Heat the oven to 450 degrees F. Cut 16 (1/2-inch thick) slices out of the loaf. Butter each side of the slices and put them onto a baking sheet. Spread 1 tablespoon of apple butter onto each slice. Top this with 1 slice of prosciutto and 3 or 4 slices of pear or apple. Cover this with the Brie slices, season with salt and pepper, and drizzle with olive oil. Bake until the cheese is melted, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Five-Spice Chicken Salad in Wonton Shells
SERVES: 4 DOZEN

48 wonton wrappers, thawed if frozen
Butter-flavored cooking spray
2 teaspoons five-spice powder*
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 large whole skinless, boneless chicken breast
1 medium navel orange
1 large shallot, minced
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
*Available at Asian markets

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Trim the wonton wrappers to form 2-inch squares. Coat a nonstick mini-muffin tin with cooking spray and press a wonton square into each cup. Lightly coat the squares with cooking spray and bake for about 7 minutes, or until lightly browned. Let cool in the pan. Repeat the process with the remaining wrappers and more cooking spray.

2. In a small bowl, combine the five-spice powder and salt and sprinkle on both sides of the chicken breast. Transfer the chicken to a lightly oiled baking sheet and bake for about 18 minutes, or until cooked through. Let the chicken cool and cut into 1/4 -inch dice.

3. Using a vegetable peeler, remove the zest from half the orange, leaving behind the bitter white pith. Cut the zest into very thin 1-inch-long strips. Measure 1 packed teaspoon of julienned zest and discard the rest. Using a sharp knife, peel the rest of the orange, removing all the white pith. Working over a bowl, cut in between the membranes to release the sections. Cut the sections into 1/4 -inch dice. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the accumulated orange juice.

4. In a medium bowl, combine the diced orange with the shallot, reserved orange juice, rice wine vinegar, honey and olive oil. Gently stir in the chicken, half of the orange zest and half of the cilantro.

5. Spoon 2 teaspoons of the chicken salad into each wonton shell. Garnish with the remaining orange zest and cilantro and serve.

MAKE AHEAD The wonton shells can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.The chicken salad can stand at room temperature for 2 hours.