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Small plates for holiday entertaining
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Figgy Blue Cheese Bacon Bites
Ingredients:

6 strips of hardwood-smoked thickly sliced maple bacon
12 fig cookies (like Fig Newtons)
2 ounces Litehouse Food’s Center Cut Blue Cheese
6 dried Turkish brown figs

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 F degrees.
Line rimmed baking sheet with foil.
Cut bacon in half crosswise so that the 6 strips become 12 shorter strips.
Cut blue cheese into 12 approximate ½ teaspoon chunks.
Slice dried figs in half lengthwise.
To assemble, top one fig cookie with blue cheese. Top blue cheese with fig, cut side down. Wrap with bacon, using tooth pick to secure.
Place on prepared baking sheet. If you have a rack or crisper sheet, set this on top of baking sheet for more even cooking. Place Figgy Blue Cheese Bacon Bites on sheet and bake for approximately 25 minutes or until bacon is crisped and cheese is bubbling.

Blue Cheese, Pomegranate and Quinoa Caviar
Ingredients:

2 ounces Simply Artisan Reserve Blue Cheese (Crumbles or Center Cut)
1/3 cup pre-cooked red quinoa
1/3 cup pomegranate arils (1 tablespoon reserved)
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1 tablespoon chopped walnuts
Serve with Whole Grain 34º Crisps.

Directions:

Add blue cheese crumbles, cooked quinoa, pomegranate arils and vinegar into small bowl, stir gently to combine.
Transfer to 6-ounce ramekin dish and use back of spoon to tightly pack down.
Place serving plate on top of ramekin and quickly invert. Carefully lift up ramekin, leaving mixture in mold form.
Sprinkle top with chopped fresh thyme and walnuts along with reserved pomegranate arils.
Serve with Whole Grain 34º Crisps.

Gorgonzola, Grape and Honey Crostini
Ingredients:

20 slices of baguette or your favorite bread
1 cup sliced grapes
½ cup Simply Artisan Reserve Gorgonzola
Cheese Crumbles or Center Cut
¼ cup honey

Directions:

Slice baguette into twenty ½ inch slices. Bake at 450 for about 3 minutes until golden brown.
Divide the Gorgonzola cheese crumbles between the baguettes and return to the oven for another three minutes until the cheese is slightly melted.
Divide the one-cup of sliced grapes evenly between the crostini. Drizzle with honey.

Pear Obatzda
Ingredients:

4 tablespoons coarsely chopped walnuts
1 pear
1 teaspoon brown sugar
5 oz. Simply Artisan Gorgonzola Center Cut
3 ½ ounces cream cheese
Salt and pepper
Pear chips or crackers and pretzels for serving

Directions:

Fry the walnuts in a frying pan without oil, stirring constantly until they are golden brown in color. Remove from the pan and let them cool.
Peel, quarter and core the pear. Cut it into small cubes. Place the pear into the frying pan, sprinkling the sugar over the top. Sauté for about 5 minutes, until the pear is light brown and the sugar is caramelized. Remove the pear from the pan and allow it to cool.
In a bowl, break up the Gorgonzola cheese with a fork into small pieces. Add in the cream cheese and mix together. Stir in the walnuts and the pears, season with salt and pepper to taste.
Sprinkle additional walnuts over the spread before serving with pear chips, crackers or pretzels.

— Recipes by Litehouse Foods