Rosemary Apples On Horseback

Everyone loves to nibble.  Be it savory popcorn or sweet miniature chocolates, tidbits satisfy in their own special (little) way.  What better holiday is there than New Year's to nosh around a room, sipping something bubbly and eating food off of toothpicks?  I absolutely love counting down the hours with hors d'oeuvres, board games a few close friends.  And this year's appetizer is sure to knock their slippers off!

The hubs and I are faithful subscribers to Food & Wine, but they spend an unfortunate amount of time gathering dust under the coffee table before one of us finally flips through the pages.  A truly unfortunate occurrence, considering they always contain very good things to eat (and drink...how ironic).  So to compensate for the abysmal "use per issue" ratio from the past year, we have been F&W-ing it up lately.  Which is exactly where this fabulous recipe comes from, courtesy of Grace Parisi.

Apples on Horseback are delectable little bites for any party.  (But the name?  No clue.  If you know why, please tell me!!!!)  Thin slivers of sweet apples are wrapped with cheese inside salty pancetta, then grilled to perfection.  Crisp pancetta on the exterior, melty cheese and sweet apple on the interior - now that reason to celebrate!

Possibly my favorite part of this recipe is the skewers....or lack thereof.  Instead of the typical bright and festive toothpick, you have a lovely fragrant stick of fresh rosemary holding your bites together.  So cute, and so delicious!

Mild manchego, a wonderful sheep's milk cheese, is at its best in this recipe paired with strong flavors such as fresh rosemary and salty cold cuts.  I venture away from the original by using prosciutto rather than pancetta.  Where pancetta needs to be cooked before serving, prosciutto can be served as-is.  It also crisps up extremely quickly after a quick sear in a pan.  You can roll these babies in advance to cut down on on your at-party cooking time.

So whatever your New Year's celebrations may be, with bubbly or brewskis, may you have a wonderful celebration and finger-sized food.  Bonne année!


Rosemary Apples On Horseback (makes 16 wedges or 8 servings)
Barely adapted from Food & Wine

• 8 slices prosciutto
• 1 small Gala apples (or Fuji, Honey Crisp)
• 3-4 oz Manchego cheese, sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 3-4 sprigs rosemary

Lay the prosciutto on a cutting board and cut in half with a very sharp knife.  Quarter the apple and remove the core.  Cut each quarter into fourths so you end up with 16 small wedges.  Cut the manchego into sticks slightly smaller than your apple wedges.

Place one slice of apple and one cheese sick onto one of the pieces of prosciutto, wrapping the meat around the filling.  Skewer with a sprig of rosemary to hold the filling in place (if you have flimsy rosemary, use a toothpick to assist).  

When ready to serve, place a non-stick pan over medium heat.  Place the skewers into the ungreased pan and cook for 2-3 minutes, until the prosciutto is crisp.  Flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes until the cheese is soft.  Remove to a plate or cutting board and serve hot.