Appetizers

Okay, so I haven't technically tried a new recipe so far this month (#73).  However, I have been playing around with some appetizer-type foods and calling them dinner.  When I was at Trader Joe's the other day (definitely one of my top five favorite stores of all time!  one of my friends accused me of being obsessed with them), I decided that I should try prosciutto.  I may have had it in something at some point, but I have never specifically eaten it on its own.  I also had an odd craving for bruschetta.  So, I picked up some ciabatta bread, goat cheese (I love, love, love their goat cheese!), two different types of prosciutto (because why not do a little taste test while I'm at it?), and a jar of bruschetta (because while I wanted to eat it, I did not want to have to make it).  Also, the other day at The Fresh Market, I had bought some triple milk cheese (a mixture of cow's, goat's, and sheep's milk) after overhearing the employees talking about it.  The woman working the cheese counter gave me a sample of one brand that was very mild and creamy -- the cow's milk was definitely the predominant flavor.  But I decided to bring home a different variety that she said was a little sharper tasting, leaning more toward the goat and sheep's milk flavors, because I was in the mood for something a little tangier.  Can you tell that I love cheese?

Last night I used a panini bread round as a base.  I cut into two pieces and spread goat cheese on one half and the triple milk cheese on the other.  The two prosciuttos turned out to be very different.  One was German and a little drier with a very heavy smoked flavor.  I put a slice of this on top of the goat cheese, since the Trader Joe's brand is quite mild as goat cheeses go.  The other prosciutto was Italian, moister, and much milder in flavor.  I put this over the triple milk cheese.  Both were nice, but something was missing.  I think next time I would get some field greens or arugula to add in to the mix.  I think it would add good texture and a little bitterness.  A little fig jam might be nice, too.  I would probably not get the German prosciutto again, because it was too smoky tasting for me.  Things that are heavily smoked tend to make me a little nauseous.  Don't ask me why... I have no idea.  The Italian prosciutto was very nice, though, and I have already looked at some other recipes to see what else I can do with it.  You often see it wrapped around melon (which I hate) or asparagus (which I don't love, but would be willing to try in this case), so I might look for other things that it could go with.

Tonight I cut and toasted slices of the ciabatta bread.  Two got spread with goat cheese, two got the bruschetta, and one got goat cheese and bruschetta!  I should have brushed a little olive oil over the bread slices when I toasted them, and some garlic rubbed over them would definitely have been nice with the bruschetta slices.  But beyond that... yum!  Well, I have already gone on about the goat cheese, so I won't drool over it any further.  The bruschetta was good, but obviously not as good as fresh.  It was room temperature, so my instince says it might be a little better chilled.  Will likely be testing that theory in a couple of days!  I think the bruschetta would be nice with some fresh mozzarella on a pizza.  Might have to check that out, too.

The best thing about both these "meals" is that neither took long to prepare and require no actual cooking!  It was fun playing around with some ingredients that I don't typically use, and it was different from anything I normally ever have for dinner.  A nice change.  And yummy, too!!