Canapé Cups

Here is a trio of ideas for “a little something” when you’re having people over and aren’t quite ready for the big meal.  I like to buy these prepackaged shells (also called croustades) at our grocery store and keep them in my pantry.  As an alternative to these cups, I have also used tortilla or corn chip “scoopers”, or frozen phyllo cups, and sometimes even make croustades by taking sandwich bread, rolling it flat, cutting the slices into quarters, pressing them into mini muffin tins and baking them into toasts.   Whatever form of cup or shell I end up with, I can usually find things in the refrigerator or the pantry to fill them with.  Or, if I have time to plan and shop—these three fillings are on my favorites list.

Canapé Cups

Filling #1:  Goat Cheese, Lemon, Pepper, Thyme and Olive Oil

Ingredients:

15 packaged crispy shells (or scoops, cups or other croustades)
1 4-ounce log soft goat cheese
Salt and fresh, coarsely ground black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1 small garlic clove, pressed

Preparation:

Spoon about a teaspoon of goat cheese into each canapé cup.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper and thyme.  Mix the olive oil, lemon peel and garlic in a small bowl.  Drizzle a few drops of the oil mixture on each canapé, and serve.

Filling #2:  Cheddar Cheese, Black Olives and Cumin

Ingredients:

1 cup grated white cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon of mayonnaise
¼ cup chopped black olives (I used Kalamata olives)
1 green onion, thinly sliced
½ teaspoon ground cumin (or more to your taste)

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Combine the cheese, mayonnaise, olives, onion and cumin and stir to combine well.  Taste to correct the seasoning to your liking.  Place a teaspoon of the mixture into each canapé cup. (Don’t fill them too full or they will bubble over.)  Place the cups on a baking sheet, put in the oven and heat for 5 to 7 minutes, or just until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Filling #3:  Cream Cheese and Pepper Jelly

Ingredients:

1 4-ounce package of cream cheese
About ¼ cup of any pepper jelly (jalapeno, red pepper, etc.) that you like

Preparation:

Place about a teaspoon of cream cheese into each cup, and as ½ teaspoon of pepper jelly on top.