Spicy Pumpkin Pinwheels with Crème Fraîche Sauce

Spicy Pumpkin Pinwheels with Crème Fraîche Sauce

An easy fall appetizer made with spicy sausage, fresh sage, and pumpkin. These pinwheels are perfect for snacking or dipping in our creamy Crème Fraîche sauce.

Crème Fraîche Sauce
INGREDIENTS
1 (8-ounce) container creme fraîche
Zest of one lemon and juice
2 teaspoons ground toasted cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
Salt and fresh ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS
Stir all the ingredients together until well blended. Season with salt and a few grinds of pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate.

Spicy Pumpkin Pinwheels
INGREDIENTS
8 ounces bulk spicy Italian sausage
One box Pepperidge Farm frozen puff pastry 2 sheets, thawed
6 tablespoons canned pumpkin purée, divided
1-1/2 cups shredded Pepper Jack cheese, divided
4 tablespoons chopped green onion, divided
2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage, divided

For Serving: Crème Fraîche sauce, below

INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 375°F. Line two  baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside. In a sauté pan, cook the sausage over medium heat, stirring until browned and crumbly; drain on paper towels.

On a lightly floured surface, unroll pastry sheets. Spread each sheet with 3 tablespoons pumpkin. Sprinkle each sheet with half of each: sausage, cheese, green onion, and sage; gently press down into the pastry. Roll each sheet into a log, pinching seams to seal. Cut each log into 12 slices. Place 2 inches apart on prepared pans.

Bake until lightly browned on bottom, approximately 10 minutes. Turn pinwheels over and bake 7 minutes more. Let cool on the sheet trays before serving.

Apple Tart with Caramel Sauce

Apple Tart with Caramel Sauce

This easy fall Apple Tart uses only five ingredients and is as pretty as it is delicious. Thinly sliced apple halves arranged over tasty caramel are then topped with cinnamon sugar in crunch puff pastry tart shell.

INGREDIENTS
One Sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
¼ cup homemade caramel sauce, or high-quality store purchased
4 large apples Granny Smith, peeled, cored, halved, and sliced very thinly sliced
½ cup sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon

For serving:
Freshly whipped cream or vanilla ice cream

INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat to 400°F. Roll the puff party to 12”x12” inch square. Transfer to a 10” square tart pan and gently ease into the pan and up the sides to make a pastry shell. Trim off any extra pastry. Place in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.

Remove from the refrigerator and pour the caramel into the pastry shell. Spread evenly across the bottom of the pan. Peel the apples, slice in half and remove the seeds with a melon baller. Thinly slice the apple keeping together in haves. Arrange apple slices in the caramel in halves, separating the slices slightly when set. Combine the sugar and cinnamon, sprinkle evenly over the slices.

Place in the oven and bake the tart until the crust and edges of the apples are golden brown, about 35 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool. Cut into pieces and serve topped with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Salt Crusted Shrimp With Gochujang Dipping Sauce

Salt Crusted Shrimp With Gochujang Dipping Sauce

A perfect end-of-summer grilled appetizer for dinner or a football watch party, our salt and pepper peel-and-eat shrimp with spicy gochujang is guaranteed to disappear fast.

Gochujang Dipping Sauce
INGREDIENTS
2 Tablespoons Gochujang2 Tablespoons White vinegar
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 Tablespoons Honey
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
1/4 teaspoon minced garlic

INSTRUCTIONS
Whisk together and set aside.

Salt Grilled Shrimp
INGREDIENTS
16 Jumbo shrimp in shell
3 tablespoons olive oil
¼  cup of Kosher salt
Skewers

INSTRUCTIONS
Heat a BBQ grill to hot. Devein the shrimp by making a ¼-inch deep slit down the backs of the shrimp and remove the vein but not the shells.

Add  the shrimp in a large bowl and toss with the olive oil to coat lightly all over. Sprinkle the salt evenly over the shrimp and toss to even distribute the salt over the shrimp so they are coated in a crust of salt.

Skewer the shrimp and place the shrimp in the center of the grill grate. Cooke for 3 to 4 minutes per side or until the shrimp is pink and the flesh is opaque (white).

Serve immediately with dipping sauce on the side to peel and eat.

Eggplant Rounds with Spicy Ginger Tomato Jam, Mozzarella, and Fresh Basil

Eggplant Rounds with Spicy Ginger Tomato Jam, Mozzarella, and Fresh Basil

These later summer veggie appetizers will keep you coming back for more. Pan-fried eggplant slices topped with a delicious, spicy tomato jam then mozzarella, baked, and topped with a fresh basil leaf.

Ginger Tomato Jam
INGREDIENTS
1 pound fresh or canned Roma tomatoes peeled, cored, seeded, and coarsely chopped
¾ cup sugar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1 Anaheim pepper, stemmed, seeded and minced

INSTRUCTIONS
Combine all ingredients in a heavy medium saucepan, Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring often. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until mixture has the consistency of thick jam, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Can be made a week ahead. Keep refrigerate, bring to room temperature when ready to use.

Eggplant Rounds
INGREDIENTS
2 long thin Japanese eggplant cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
Kosher salt
⅓ cup cornstarch
1 large egg
½ teaspoon coarse salt plus additional for sprinkling the eggplant
1 cup Panko bread crumbs
Grapeseed or Canola oil for deep-frying

INSTRUCTIONS
Place a cooling rack inside a sheet tray.

Lightly sprinkle salt over the eggplant slices and place salt side down on paper towels to remove excess water. Sprinkle salt over the top and cover with paper towels pressing lightly to remove excess water.

Add into three separate shallow dishes: the cornstarch mixed with ⅛ teaspoon salt, the egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, and the panko bread crumbs mixed with ½ teaspoon of salt. Dredge each eggplant slice in the cornstarch, coating it thoroughly and shaking off the excess. Next, coat it with the egg mixture and then dredge it in the breadcrumbs, pressing on the crumbs to make them adhere. Transfer the eggplant on to the cooling rack that is over the sheet tray and let it dry slightly. In a deep heavy skillet, heat ½ inch of oil until shimmering and 375°F.

Sauté the eggplant slices in batches in the oil for 2 minutes on each side, or until they are golden brown. Transfer to paper towels to drain any excess oil.  Line a sheet tray with parchment paper and move the eggplant over to the parchment paper. Make about 18-24 slices.

To assemble
INGREDIENTS
½ pound of fresh mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced and cut to fit the top of the eggplant slices
18-24 fresh basil leaves

INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the broiler on high. Place the eggplant rounds on a parchment-lined sheet tray. Top with 1-1/2 to 2 teaspoons of tomato jam, and a thin slice of mozzarella cheese. Place under the broiler to just melt the cheese. Remove and top immediately with a basil leaf and serve.