I am always looking for new and innovative Hor D’oeuvres for my dinner parties. Constantly scouring my cook books and surfing the net to find a Hor D’oeuvre that looks as though they were really hard to execute but were in fact really quite easy to execute.

I have found some really great recipes in the past such as Prosciutto and Parmesan Stuffed Mushrooms, Cheddar Cheese Straws and Lemon Garlic Olives to name a few. Many of these are products of The Gourmet Cook Book and I must confess that this recipe originates from this source as well. What can I say? It’s probably the best cook book out there!

Maybe it’s just me but for some odd reason no matter how hard I try, whenever we are having guests over for a dinner party I always seems to be running way behind. This is why quick and easy Hor D’oeuvres are so important to me. Nothing will ease your mind more then knowing you have little to nothing to do to prepare a starter for your meal yet you know your guests won’t have a clue as to how easy they were to whip together.

Not only does this allow you to keep hungry guests at bay while you are finishing cooking the main course, it also buys you valuable time to put out any hypothetical fires you might be having in your kitchen!

Baked Cheddar Olives are just that. Quick and easy to prepare, yet look exquisite when presented with a dip and not to mention tasty too!

Begin your baked cheddar olives by grating one of the stars of this Hor D’oeuvre; the cheddar cheese.

Next add a half cup of flour.

Followed by ¼ teaspoon cayenne, the original recipe calls for 1/8 teaspoon however, I feel that these babies can take a little more heat!

Now stir these ingredients together softly as to avoid forming clumps as this will make the next step a little more difficult.

Soften 2 tablespoons unsalted butter in the microwave and blend it into the cheese mixture with your fingertips until a dough begins to form. Then take approximately a tablespoon of dough and wrap it around each olive to form a small ball and place them on a baking sheet with wax paper. The recipe says this dough should cover about 20 olives, however, I have found that it really makes about 12 if you use a tablespoon. I would suggest doubling the ingredient to get 20 Hor D’oeuvres and plan on having 3 for each guest attending as they will definitely go fast! Pop them in the oven for 15 minutes and bake until golden and serve warm.

If you really want to make these delicious I suggest adding something for them to be dipped in. I love to make a Onion Chive Sour Cream Dip to go with these as they add another layer of complexity to them and your guests will agree!

Baked Cheddar Olives
Recipe from The Gourmet Cookbook

Ingredients:

1 cup coarsely grated sharp cheddar
½ cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
20 small pimiento-stuffed green olives (from a 3 ounce jar), drained and patted dry

Directions:

Put a rack in middle of oven and preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Stir together cheese, flour and cayenne in a bowl.
Blend in butter with your fingertips until a dough forms.
Drop tablespoons of dough onto a sheet of wax paper and place 1 olive on each piece of dough.
Lightly flour your hands and wrap dough around olives, enclosing each one completely.
Transfer olives to a baking sheet with sides and bake until pastry is golden, about 15 minutes. Serve Warm.