Ham Amuse-Bouches

Having guests over doesn't always mean you have to spend your whole day in the kitchen, or even break the bank. This amuse-bouches recipe is the perfect example of a quick, easy, and inexpensive appetizer.
This recipe is as simple as it gets: really easy and it takes only few minutes to make (and half an hour to sit in the fridge before serving).

These bite-sized appetizers, made with rolled ham filled with garlic & herbs spread, are delicious and quite light too, so it will leave room to enjoy the coming meal ...

But, let me share few tips with you before starting:

• When buying your ham, make sure the slices are one to two millimiters thick, so it doesn't tear apart when you spread the cheese.
• Get your spread out of the fridge at least half an hour before starting, so it will be smooth and soft enough to spread.

To make this recipe, you will need:

• Some ham
• Some garlic & herbs spread*
• Some foil

To calculate your quantities, you can count on making eight bites per slice of ham. Based on this assumption, the last time I made this appetizer for five people, I bought six slices of ham and a  250-gram container of garlic & herbs spread.


Place your slice of ham on a plate or cutting board ...

... and spread the garlic & herbs spread with a butter knife on the ham.

Roll your slice of ham.

Cover it completely with foil and close it.

Place in the fridge for at least half an hour.

Just before serving, remove the foil ...

... and cut your slices of ham in eight bites (don't make too small bites, because it will become messy and won't make nice bite-sized cuts).

Serve (with toothpicks) and enjoy!

*Tip: You can find this spread already made at the supermarket, by Philadelphia®, Tartare® or Boursin®, or you can make it yourself by using a plain spread, adding chopped garlic and parsley (and any other herbs you are fond of) and mix them in a blender.

As with all the other recipes we put on this site, this is meant to be easy to follow. We are hobby chefs who love to cook, and we are always up for learning new techniques. If you know of anything in this recipe which can be done a different way, whether for increased ease of preparation or better taste, please add a comment below!

Whipped by Charline Leblond

Ham and Swiss Croissants

Ham and swiss croissants are easy to prepare for a delicious meal accompanied with a simple green salad, or even for appetizers.

Your quantities will vary depending on how many croissants you want. For the purpose of this recipe, I made 6 croissants for which you will need:

• 6 croissants or some puff pastry that you will shape like croissants
• 3 tablespoons of flour
• 4 tablespoons of milk
• Salt
• Pepper
• 6 to 8 slices of Ham
• Swiss cheese

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes

To start, pe-heat your oven at 175 C (345 F).

If you bought some croissants, this step is real easy: just cut the croissant in half.

If you bought some puff pastry, just unroll it and cut some triangle pieces.

In a saucepan, prepare your Bechamel sauce by mixing 3 tablespoons of flour with 4 tablespoons of milk.  Add some salt and pepper.  If you like your sauce a bit thicker, just add more flour, and if you like your sauce a bit thinner, add more milk.

Once you add the flour and the milk, don't stop whipping the sauce or you will get lumps, and we definitely don't want that.

Once you sauce is thick enough for your taste, place a slice or two of ham on the half of the croissant, pour some Bechamel sauce, and add some swiss cheese on top.

Place the other half on top.

In case you use the puff pastry, just place the ham on the crust, pour some Bechamel sauce on top, add some swiss cheese, and roll the dough/crust.

Place the croissants on a baking sheet or parchment paper in the oven for about 15 minutes.

(The tartlets you see on the left are from the "Assortment of Tartlets" recipe).

If you are using the puff pastry, just refer to the baking instructions.

Once you see the cheese grilling, you can pull the croissants out of the oven. 

Eat warm... maybe accompanied with a salad.

As with all the other recipes we put on this site, this is meant to be easy to follow. We are hobby chefs who love to cook, and we are always up for learning new techniques. If you know of anything in this recipe which can be done a different way, whether for increased ease of preparation or better taste, please add a comment below!

Whipped up by Charline Leblond

Quiche

Quiche is a simple meal to prepare and, accompanied with a salad, is a light enough dinner.

To make one 28 cm diameter quiche or six individual quiches (also shown below), you will need:

• 200 grams of lardons or bacon or ham
• 100 ml of milk
• 200 ml of crème fraîche semi-epaisse (heavy cream)
• 4 eggs
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1 puff pastry ready roll to make it easier and quicker to prepare (but if you have time or you feel more "adventurous" you can prepare the puff pastry yourself)
• 40 to 50 grams of Swiss cheese or cheddar cheese

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Baking time: 30-35 minutes

Start by pre-heating your oven at 220 C (425 F).

While your oven is heating up, cook your pieces of lardons in a pan for few minutes.

If you are using bacon, cut most of the fat off your bacon, cut it into small pieces, and cook the bacon pieces for few minutes.
if you are using ham for this recipe, use some lean ham, cut it into small pieces, and cook the ham pieces for few minutes. 

Once your lardon pieces are cooked, place them on a paper towel sheet to absorb the grease.

In a bowl, add the milk, crème fraîche, eggs, salt and pepper, and mix your them together.

Place the crust in the mold, and with a fork, poke few holes in the crust.

Place your pieces of lardons on the crust and pour the preparation on top of it.

Add some cheese on top.

Put your quiches in the oven for about 30-35 minutes until the top is golden brown... and here it is!

Eat the quiche warm ... some people like it cold too ... you could eat the leftovers for the next morning's breakfast.

Note: You will also need a pie pan or 6 individual ones ... my preference is the individual ones because I am mostly cooking for two, so it is much easier to keep the leftovers for the next day (as it won't dry as much as a whole pie).

As with all the other recipes we put on this site, this is meant to be easy to follow. We are hobby chefs who love to cook, and we are always up for learning new techniques. If you know of anything in this recipe which can be done a different way, whether for increased ease of preparation or better taste, please add a comment below!

Whipped up by Charline Leblond