So after writing a great blog post the other night entitled “2 Apps Down,” I was horrified to find out that after clicking the Publish button to post the entry, I couldn’t find it – anywhere.  It had somehow disappeared into the WordPress oblivion to never been read by anyone else.  Needless to say, I abandoned my attempt to restore it that night.  I will now try to re-create my previous blog and make sure to save it about 10,000 times before posting.

Since embarking out on the Great Appetizer Project, I have successfully made two and even added another to the list.  Since I find it smarter (and easier) to spread out making the appetizers versus trying to make them all in one day, I made Giada de Laurentis’ mini frittatas (or quiches) and a cross between a Bobby Flay crostini and class Giada bruchetta.

The mini quiches could not have been simpler.  Eggs, cheese, a little bit of milk and finely chopped deli ham spooned into mini muffin tins and baked in the oven until fluffy and golden brown.  Pillows of egg-y perfection.  That is, until you popped the little thing into your mouth.  While the taste was definitely there (they were quite yummy), the texture was slightly off.  Because of the moisture that the deli ham gave off when warmed, the mini quiches were a little on the wet side as soon as it exploded in your mouth.

To rectify this, my dad suggested substituting pancetta for the ham, pan searing the Italian bacon and letting it cool before adding it to the egg mixture.  This should take away some of that extra moisture.  I love the idea and will be making a round two batch of the quiches soon.  I’ll update then but for now, the quiches are definitely on the potential list.

But the real rock star so far has been my Giada-Bobby love child of crostini and bruchetta.  I took a Bobby Flay recipe for a mascarpone crostini and married it a Giada bruchetta topping of tomato, basil and garlic.  After puree-ing the tomato mixture in my food processor, I toasted slices of French baguette, topped them with creamy mascarpone cheese, let it melt and set them on a platter.  My parents and I then indulged in dolloping the sauce on top of the bread.  It sky-rocketed to number one on the list of appetizers to be served.  If it’s up to me – it’ll stay in the top four.

Overall, although I’ve only attempted two of the now nine appetizers (I’ve also added mini spanakopita to the list), I am loving this little project.  I love the thrill of experimenting with new techniques and flavors and creating my own recipes from the combinations of others.  With time, I think this will really enhance my own original recipes.

Until the next appetizer…