Gorgonzola Apple Tartlets

These absolutely delicious appetizer bites are my adaptation of our French Fridays with Dorie recipe of the week, Gorgonzola Apple Quiche. I loved the fruit and cheese combo but am not a fan of quiche and knew no one else in the family would be up for trying it, so I made little mini tarts instead.


I pretty much just left off the cream and egg off of the recipe and made minis instead of one big tart.


If you can't find imported gorgonzola, Bel Gioioso Cheese makes a delicious version made in Wisconsin. Meijer usually carries this cheese and I buy it often, it's so good!


Above is the measured out two ounces of cheese...

and here is the cheese mixed up with the cubed apples.

I prebaked Dorie's tart dough for 10 minutes, then baked another 10 after adding the apples and cheese.

These were absolutely delicious, and Dorie's tart dough was so nice and flaky. I drizzled a few with honey and that just took them over the top with the savory sweet flavor combination. These would be just perfect for an appetizer party or as wine tasting nibbles, and I would not hesitate to make these again. I'm sure that if you like quiche/eggs the recipe as written was just as palate pleasing to you as these tartlets were to me :) My mom was visiting and loved these as well, the kids were not fans, but it is more of a grown-up flavor.

Gorgonzola and Honey Bruschetta

Time for a new season of I Heart Cooking Clubs, we are done cooking with Mark Bittman and are now cooking recipes by Giada De Laurentiis! The theme for our first week is Party Foods and I decided to make Giada's Bruschetta with Gorgonzola Cheese and Honey. Don't those sound like fun little party appetizers?

I decided to make my own bread for these bruschetta. I used this recipe for French Baguettes. It was pretty simple and gave me an excuse to use my new Baguette Pan...


The baguettes turned out to be delicious, albeit a little thinner than I was expecting, now I will know to add more dough per baguette.

Bruschetta with Gorgonzola Cheese and Honey
Giada De Laurentiis

36 slices (1/2-inch thick) baguette bread, about 1 loaf -- I cut mine about 3/4 inch thick
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
8 ounces Gorgonzola, sliced
3 tablespoons honey


Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Arrange the sliced baguette on a baking sheet. Brush with olive oil. Bake until the bread is pale golden and crisp, about 10 minutes. -- Mine were just about right at 5 minutes, I still like them a little chewy and not 100% crispy.


Arrange the cheese on the toasts and bake until the cheese is melted, about 3 minutes.


Drizzle the toasts with honey. Place on a serving platter and serve immediately.


These were a delicious and super easy appetizer! I'm accustomed to bruschetta being topped with tomatoes and basil and maybe some mozzarella cubes, so this was a nice new take on a classic appetizer. I would make these again for sure, the gorgonzola and honey are a very nice combo, and on top of fresh bread you can't lose. I'm really looking forward to cooking with IHCC this season and using some of my Giada cookbooks and her recipes on Food Network, she always has something new to try :)

Mini Bagel Bruschetta with Peppers and Gorgonzola -- Barefoot Bloggers Budget Challenge

Our Barefoot on a Budget Challenge for May is Ina's Bruschetta with Sautéed Sweet Pepper and Creamy Gorgonzola. The Barefoot on a Budget Challenge is a new feature for Barefoot Bloggers members where we are challenged to make a Barefoot Contessa recipe and made any substitutions needed to shave a little off the grocery bill that week.

Here is the original recipe with my changes noted...

Bruschetta with Sauteed Sweet Peppers and Creamy Gorgonzola

Good olive oil
1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced into thin strips
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and sliced into thin strips
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon capers, drained -- didn't measure, just tossed some into the pan
2 tablespoons julienned fresh basil leaves -- used dried basil from the pantry $$
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper -- left this out, not a pepper fan
Baguette -- used mini bagels instead $$
3 ounces creamy Gorgonzola or other blue cheese, at room temperature -- I used a non-imported (cheaper) Gorgonzola than I usually buy $$

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium-high heat -- I just used Pam cooking spray. Add the peppers and cook until soft, about 12 to 15 minutes. Sprinkle with the sugar and continue cooking for 2 more minutes.

Stir in the capers and basil, and season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Slice the baguette crosswise into 18 thin round slices. Brush the bread rounds lightly with olive oil on 1 side.

Arrange them in rows, oil side up, on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and toast in the oven until lightly browned, about 7 to 10 minutes.

Top each toast round with a teaspoonful of the pepper mixture. Place 2 small pieces of Gorgonzola on top. Return the toast to the oven for 1 to 2 minutes and warm through. Serve immediately.

Before and after baking...

Changes & Results: At first I was going to bake my own baguette as part of the budget challenge but then I remembered the mini bagels we buy for the kids who love to make mini pizzas with them, okay, I admit it, I like to make mini bagel pizzas too. I thought that some Little Lender's Mini Bagels would be the perfect substitution for a baugette and they were. The mini bagels got nice and crispy crunchy on the outside and stayed a touch soft and chewy under all of that cheesy pepper goodness.

I really enjoyed this recipe! The flavors were amazing together, I loved the hint of sugar and what it added to the peppers while sauteeing. I did not sautee them quite as long as Ina suggests, I like my peppers to have a little crunch left in them, I'd say I sauteed about 5-7 minutes. Other changes were not to measure out the capers, basil, or gorgonzola, I just added what I thought would work out. I'm pretty sure I used quite a bit extra gorgonzola, I just sprinkled on a little mountain of cheese and hoped for the best. The cheaper brand of non-imported gorgonzola was wonderful, I really couldn't tell a difference compared to the non-crumbled imported wedge I usually buy, but I didn't have them side by side or anything for a taste test.

Another favorite Barefoot Contessa recipe for me, these were amazing and a great adult alternative to mini bagel pizzas -- and made a nice light lunch with a salad while the kids had their own 'top your own' mini bagel pizza night :)