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Amazing Artichoke Appetizer Tartlets
If you enjoy shrimp tartlets, mushroom tartlets or even sweet ones like pecan tartlets or lemon blueberry tartlets, why not try something a little different? The following recipe for artichoke tartlets combines ham, cheese, artichokes and more to make an unusual little snack. These artichoke tartlets are a great appetizer for a dinner party and they also make nice canapés.
Artichokes are one of those ingredients that people avoid buying because they appear difficult to prepare. Actually this is not true. There are different ways to prepare them and you can grill artichokes, fry them, or bake them. In the following artichoke tartlets recipe, the artichoke is fried to soften it and that is all the preparation you need.
Fontina is the best cheese to use in the following easy tartlets recipe but you can use any other sweet milk cheese you want. The butter, milk, and egg yolks work with the Fontina to give a rich, smooth, and creamy sauce for the tartlets, which is great with the artichokes. You can use readymade tartlet cases or vol-au-vent cases for these little treats. Choose whichever size and shape you happen to like best. You could even make your own pastry but, to be honest, store-bought pastry cases work just as well so you might as well use those and save yourself some time, especially if you have other canapés or appetizers to make as well as these creamy artichoke tartlets.
Easy Tartlets with Artichokes and Cheese
Ingredients -
12 vol-au-vent cases
8 artichokes
3 egg yolks
2 cups milk
7 oz cooked ham
1 ˝ oz butter
10 oz Fontina cheese or other sweet milk cheese
Preparation:
Discard the hard, outer leaves from the artichokes. Slice them and fry them in butter for a few minutes. Cut the cheese into small pieces and put them in a small pan. Cover them with boiling water. Wait 1 minute, then drain the water and replace it with the milk. Let this cook over a low heat until the cheese melts. Turn off the heat and add the egg yolks, one at a time.
Turn the heat back on and let this fondue mixture thicken. Fill each vol-au-vent case with layers of fondue, cooked ham and artichokes, the top layer being fondue. Bake at 400 degrees F until golden brown and serve them hot.
(Serves 4)
Wine Suggestion:
What Wine Goes with Appetizer Tartlets
A medium-bodied white wine, such as a Pinot Gris, would be a great choice for this dish. The rich and fruity flavor of Californian Pinot Gris means the wine will enhance both the artichoke taste and the creamy texture of these artichoke tartlets, giving you a wonderful flavor pairing and balancing out the flavor of the warm tartlets to perfection.
Photo Description:
As you can see from the picture, these little artichoke tartlets are really appetizing. You can serve them on a bed of salad leaves or just by themselves on a plate. Feel free to use fresh parsley to garnish them, if you want to add more color like in the photo. These artichoke tartlets make a change from chestnut mushroom tartlets with brandy, onion tartlets, and shrimp tartlets and the artichoke gives them a unique flavor. Maybe you enjoy making sweet varieties too, like mini tartlets with chocolate or lemon blueberry tartlets but you will find these to be the perfect appetizer for your next buffet or dinner party.
How to Cook an Artichoke
Cut the thorny tips off the leaves if there are any. Slice about three quarters of an inch off the top of the artichoke and pull off any little leaves on the stem or near the bottom. Cut the excess stem off, leaving half an inch or one inch on the artichoke. The stem can taste bitter so you might prefer to remove the whole thing and also some of the outer layers, for the same reason.
Rinse the prepared artichoke under running cold water. Add a couple of inches of water to a big pan, along with a slice of lemon, a bay leaf, and a garlic clove. Put a steaming basket in the pan and add the artichoke. Cover the pan and turn the heat down so the water simmers below the artichoke.
Steam the artichoke for about half an hour or until the outer leaves can be pulled off easily. You can also cook it in a pressure cooker for about fifteen minutes. The cooking time depends on the artichoke size and you can also cook several at once.
How to Eat an Artichoke
You can eat this vegetable hot or cold, with a melted butter or mayonnaise dip. Pull off the outer petals and dip the white fleshy part in the dip. Put the petal in your mouth, dip side down, and pull it through the teeth to remove the soft pulp. Discard the end of the petal. You can also prepare the artichokes, cook, and chop them to make appetizer tartlets or artichoke appetizers or if you cannot find them, use canned artichokes instead.
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