Good Deed Hors d'oeuvres
October 19, 2006

Last week I was in a cooking marathon. Friends were in charge of a cocktail reception for Champlain Collegeís Single Parent Program and asked me to help select a menu and recipes. Once on board, I couldnít resist volunteering for the cooking part, too. Hors díoeuvres are generally a weak spot for me- I think they are a lot of work- but I thought that this event might serve as a canapé boot camp to jump-start me for the holidays. We cooked for days creating a thousand tasty bites that greatly pleased our guests. These are a couple of my favorite recipes: they are easy, gorgeous, and guaranteed to be welcomed at any party.

Niçoise Cakes
- Bun pan measuring 18x13"
- 2 large onions, chopped
- 15 eggs
- 4 anchovies (or more)
- 6 garlic cloves
- 3ñ 8 ounce cans of solid tuna in water, drained and flaked
- 3 cups black olives, pitted
- 3 cups grapes tomatoes, sliced
- 3 cups mozzarella cheese 1 cup fresh parsley or cilantro, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat a large pan and sauté onion in 2 tablespoons of olive oil until caramelized, about 15 minutes. In a food processor chop garlic and anchovies. Add eggs, salt and pepper to taste, and process for 2 minutes. Pour mixture into a bun pan sprayed with non-stick spray. Stir in the remaining ingredients, scattering evenly over the egg mixture. (Can be prepped and refrigerated up to two days at this point.) Bake for 35 minutes or until eggs look moist but firm. When cool, cut into small squares; serve warm or at room temperature. Makes 80-100 delicious bite sized pieces. Recipe may be cut in half.

Fontina and Arugula Flatbread
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Prep a large cookie sheet by sprinkling corn meal lightly over the surface. Roll out 1 package of supermarket pizza dough into a long narrow rectangle that fits on the cookie sheet. Rub good quality olive oil lightly over the surface. Sprinkle 2 cups of shredded fontina cheese over the dough and bake for 11 minutes, or until bubbling and lightly browned. Toss 3 handfuls of fresh arugula with 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice and gently press on to the flatbread. Cut into serving sized squares; then, reassemble the flatbread on a platter for presentation. Grind fresh pepper lightly over the flatbread. 20 servings.

Kim Dannies is a graduate of La Varenne Cooking School in France. She lives in Williston, VT with her husband, Jeff, and three college–aged daughters who come and go. ©2008