Crostini with Prosciutto, Goat Cheese and Fig Jam

This may well be our favorite appetizer.  I think a close second are these parmesan crisps, but these crostini are just amazing. The combination of the prosciutto with the luscious fig jam is so good and then the creamy goat cheese - well, you just have to make these.  And (shhhh...) they are so easy!

All you need for these little wonders are a good fresh baguette, a jar of fig jam, some salty prosciutto, plain goat cheese and some fresh basil.  The fig jam is an item which is now found in any grocery store.  You just have to know where to look for it.  Some stores carry it with the jams and some carry it with the international foods.  I know Whole Foods has this brand of jam and they always have some tucked in with all the cheeses. This stuff is incredible - if you've never had it, you'll want to eat it with a spoon.  Or put it on toast.  Or make a sandwich with it.  Or put it on scrambled eggs.  Okay, you get it.  For the prosciutto, make sure you buy a good quality prosciutto - because there are so few ingredients, this appetizer is only good as the quality of your ingredients.

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Individual Lasagna Gratins

I really love the idea of these individual little lasagnas - I think they're fun to serve and you can easily individualize them - for example, leaving out meat in one of them for someone who is a vegetarian.  As I was assembling these, Brian snuck in some pepperoncini and sun-dried tomatoes in one for himself.  You can use any kind of filling - I've made these before with sausage and marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese, for a more traditional lasagna taste.  The filling in these, however, is a simple saute of pancetta, leeks and garlic.  And oh, does it smell heavenly as you're cooking it.

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Baked Stuffed Artichokes with Leeks (and Step-by-Step Instructions on How to Trim an Artichoke)

 

It's artichoke season and I know a lot of people don't know what to do with them. These thorny little devils contain succulent insides and it's just a matter of trimming away all the inedible parts.  Once you get the hang of it, trimming an artichoke goes very quickly.  Don't believe me?  Observe from a master in Campo di Fiori in Rome:

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