Modern Pissaladiere

This is a modern take on Pissaladiere made with arugula and shaved pecorino cheese. It is wonderfully easy to prepare with its fresh ingredients and crust made from store-bought puff pastry. Feel free to try different toppings and shaved cheeses.

One 8 x 12 tart

Ingredients

9 oz puff pastry (such as Pepperidge Farm)
3 red onions
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
3 twigs of fresh thyme
15 – 20 pitted nicoise olives
6 - 8 anchovies, in brine or oil
2 or 3 handfuls of fresh arugula seasoned with balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil
Pecorino Romano Cheese (Brentine Pecorino Cheese is especially good; aged Gouda is also wonderful on this)

To make:
Preheat oven at 425 F.

Slice onions thinly. Heat 4 tablespoons olive oil in a pan and add the onions with sugar and the whole twigs of thyme. Season with salt and pepper and cook on low heat for 20 minutes, uncovered.

Add 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar and continue to cook for 15 minutes.

Thaw puff pastry according to package instructions. Place puff pastry onto lightly greased cookie sheet and prick the entire surface with a fork. Remove the twigs of thyme from the onions and place the onions on top of the tart, leaving a nice edge around the tart.

Cook for 20 to 25 minutes, until puffed and golden. Remove from oven.

Place the anchovies and/or pitted nicoise olives on top of the onion mixture. Top with arugula seasoned with balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil. Shave thin slices of Pecorino cheese over the top.

Cut in squares and serve. Delicious served warm, room temperature or cold.

Best-ever Ginger Snaps

My mom’s friend Jacqueline always wowed us with these cookies, but none of us could have guessed how easy they are to make. A simple ingredient list and five simple steps are all that are needed to make these most wonderful ginger snaps. Perfect for holiday entertaining or gift-giving.

¾ cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 egg
¼ cup molasses
2 cups sifted flour
¼ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground ginger

Cream shortening and sugar till light and fluffy.
Add egg, beat well. Add molasses.
Sift together dry ingredients.
Mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients.
Roll into 1 inch balls and dip in sugar.
Bake on ungreased cookie sheet at 375 degrees for 8 – 10 minutes.

Cheese-wrapped Olive Balls

1 pound sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1 cup flour
cayenne pepper to taste
1 splash Worchestershire sauce (to taste)
Salt to taste
1 large jar of large-sized green olives stuffed with pimentos

Grate the cheese and let it come to room temperature. Add the flour and other seasonings, working into a dough with your hands.

Wrap the mixture around the olives and form into small balls.

Bake on a greased baking sheet for 10 minutes at 400 degrees.

Serve hot. Experiment with different kinds of olives (garlic-stuffed, jalapeno-stuffed, etc.) and try with different dipping sauces such as marinara, salsa, ranch, etc.

Note: The dough can be crumbly if your hands are warm. Work quickly with the dough for best results. These also freeze beautifully so feel free to make them ahead of time and have them on hand to pop into the oven when guests arrive. No need to thaw them ahead of time, just place them into the oven from the freezer and allow a bit more baking time to cook through.