A sweet and salty appetizer that could be considered a serving of fruit
Plum & Prosciutto Bites
Ingredients
- 2 ounces cream cheese softened
- 4 slices prosciutto
- 4 plums
- 2 teaspoons sugar
Instructions
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Heat nonstick frying pan over medium heat.
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Cut each prosciutto slice into 4 smaller rectangles.
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Place squares in heated frying pan, cooking each side for 30 seconds or until crispy.
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Transfer to a plate or cutting board.
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Preheat broiler.
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Cut plums in half along the crease; remove pit.
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Cut each half of the plum in half, so that you have 4 round disks.
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Sprinkle each slice with a pinch of sugar.
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Transfer plum slices to a broiler pan.
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Place broiler pan on rack in highest part of oven, and cook until sugar melts. (1-3 minutes)
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Remove plum slices from broiler pan.
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Top each plum with a scant amount of cream cheese and a prosciutto rectangle, folded as needed.
Today’s recipe doesn’t feature an appetizer made in a muffin pan like yesterday’s recipe, but it does have a shape similar to that. These bite-sized appetizers are so simple to make and offer a lovely contrast of sweet and salty. Plus, if you want to be generous, you could consider them a serving of fruit.
To learn more about this recipe, originally published in January 2019, keep reading.
I’m fairly certain that if you offer to bring a fruit-based appetizer to a gathering, many people will accept the offer but prepare themselves to be disappointed. Personally, I love finding a fruit tray at a buffet, but I know many people are more excited about all of the baked/fried/indulgent offerings. This fruit-based appetizer, my friends, falls into the land of excitement for all. (Minus the vegetarians, that is.)
See, this appetizer is based on plums, but it is so much more than that. It’s topped with a little bit of cream cheese and then a crisp piece of prosciutto. Together the three ingredients produce this sweet, tart, creamy, crunchy, salty, bite-sized snack. You could eat a dozen without even thinking about it.
Even better than their devourability (I’m coining that word) is their simplicity. The actual cooking steps that are required are minimal, yet imperative, to the final product. In fact, I thought about this recipe for far longer than I spent building it. Among the debates I held with myself were:
- Bake or broil the plum slices?
- Cut the plums into halves, slices, wedges?
- Top with cream cheese, plain yogurt, or mascarpone?
- Place the prosciutto directly on the plum? under the plum? on the creamy layer?
As I debated each element, I thought about how this dish would look and taste. By the time I was ready to test the recipe, I had decided on answers for three of the four questions. The remaining decision was the slicing of the plums and that would be determined as I worked.
Once I’d tested the recipe, I made my first shareable batch on a Sunday afternoon during football playoffs. Being the Sunday before a 39-day trip (more on that in the coming weeks), it was a quiet afternoon at home for the two of us. Now, I’ll grant you that it was a small test audience, but the results were pretty clear. My hubby adored them, so much that I hid a few in order to assure myself that I’d get to eat a couple.
Because of their simplicity and portable nature, these would be a great item to serve at a cocktail party. Or they could be good served at home by yourself. That way you’re sure to get to eat as many as you’d like.
