After starting off my 'Summer of Halloween' blogs with a way cool candy recipe, now we're really off and running with Halloween spirit with this gruesome appetizer. This is an idea from my friend, Zach. Last Halloween, he made this way-cool appetizer shaped like a hand. The hand was made of goat cheese wrapped in prosciutto and he served it on a cutting board with a knife through it. It was pure genius! I loved it! In fact, I loved it so much, I've been waiting all year to make it! And that time has come... I've adapted Zach's recipe just slightly however, instead of using all goat cheese to shape the arm, I added a mozzarella roll to make the arm portion. I like the idea of the mozzarella roll because it gives the impression of the bone sticking out. Plus it adds another tasty cheese to the platter. Serve it on a cutting board along side some eyeballs (olives) and you'll have instant creepiness... you'll get a ton of 'oohs' and 'icks' but after they taste it...you'll get nothing but 'Mmms'!
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Thanks for the great idea Zach!
Amputated Appetizer: Three Cheeses wrapped in Prosciutto Serves a crowd
2- 4oz packages goat cheese (I used one herbed and one plain) 2-8 oz packages cream cheese 1 package prosciutto 1 mozzarella, basil and prosciutto roll
Bring cream cheese and goat cheese to room temperature and mix well. Return to refrigerator to cool down and firm up about 45 minutes. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or wax paper. Use small and large cookie scoops to scoop out the cheese mixture onto the parchment. Use the large scoop for the palm of the hand and the small scoop for the fingers. Don't worry about it looking like a hand at this stage, it will look like a very lumpy, stumpy blob. See?
Now this is where a little patience will need to kick in. Using a small spatula, begin molding your hand and fingers. This will take a while but don't worry if it doesn't look proportional, once you put the prosciutto on, then you'll be able to mold it a lot easier, since it will be covered with it's skin, so to speak.
Begin layering prosciutto, wrapping the slices around the fingers. You may need to refrigerate it to firm it up if it becomes too soft.
Some of the prosciutto will extend where the wrist will be. This is okay. You will use the overlapping prosciutto to attach the mozzarella roll.
Sorry this is a blurry picture but I wanted to get this shot to show how to attach the arm to the hand. :)
Apply a little pressure as you stick the mozzarella roll into the goat cheese portion of the hand.
Roll the prosciutto back over the mozzarella roll. Add a few more slices of prosciutto until you get the desired effect. I chose to leave some of the mozzarella roll uncovered so it would look like bone sticking out. Pretty creepy huh?
Now you are ready to mold the hand and fingers and fine tune your appendage. I squeezed the wrist area a bit and thinned out the fingers. Later, I ended up moving the thumb down a bit more as well but it's not captured in this picture.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until it's firm enough to move to a platter or cutting board. Happy 'early' Halloween! Enjoy!
I would suggest using all cream cheese instead of half goat cheese. Maybe even a garlic and chive cream cheese or another flavor that you like. I'd love to hear how it turns out. :)
I did something similar to this a few years ago using a plastic skull mask. I covered it with plastic wrap figuring it wasn't food safe. Then I placed Mozzerella balls with a slice of black olive for the eyes, and began layering on the prosciutto all over the face. On the serving platter, I added more eyeballs and some small tongs to peel the "skin" from the face and served with deli bread, condiments, and crackers. It was awesomely creepy!
That sounds AMAZING! Did you take any pictures of it. I'd love to see it. I like the fact that you had to peel off the proscuitto... very interactive. Love it!
I do have pics of the face but it doesn't appear that I can attach them here. I also made 2 of the hands you shared here. I served them with thinly sliced Baguette, dipped one side in avocado oil, then lightly sprinkled with Lawry's garlic salt with parsley. They were a huge hit! We had all kinds of wonderfully fun and creepy foods at this year's party. One of our crowd favorites is my pina colada jello shot eyeballs. There are always a few who can't get past how real they appear, but the rest just love them! Let me know how to share pics and I will send them! And thank you for the recipe and instructions for the hands. They will be a regular menu item for future Halloween parties.
I'm so happy to hear that you made this for your party and that your guests liked it so much. Your Pina Colada jello shot eyeballs sound deliciously creepy. Thank you Tammy for sharing your experience with my recipe. Your party sounded like a ton of fun with lots of cool food and drinks! Lori ps. sorry you weren't able to post a pic. I'll have to check to see if its possible. :)
Thank you for your comment Carol, I found the Mozzarella Prosciutto Roll in the deli section of my grocery store. I bought this one at Von's here is Southern California. Hope this helps.
I was able to find it in the specialty deli section of my grocery store. Like where you would most likely find the special cheese, probably in a kiosk instead of the regular lunch meat & cheese section.
Thanks so much for this recipe! I will definitely use it next year for my daughter’s sweet 16. Every year she has an early Halloween costume party for her Birthday! Either the first or second weekend of October! Her Birthday is October 2. She loves Halloween!! The scarier and gory the better for her!
2- 4oz packages goat cheese (I used one herbed and one plain)
I LOVE this idea, but is there something I could substitute the goat cheese with? My boyfriend has allergies to it. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteOops, I forgot to hit reply to your comment. Please see my comment below Felicia. :)
DeleteI would suggest using all cream cheese instead of half goat cheese. Maybe even a garlic and chive cream cheese or another flavor that you like. I'd love to hear how it turns out. :)
ReplyDeletei used boursin - delish
DeleteBoursin would be an amazing addition. Thank you for suggesting it. Happy Halloween!
DeleteI did something similar to this a few years ago using a plastic skull mask. I covered it with plastic wrap figuring it wasn't food safe. Then I placed Mozzerella balls with a slice of black olive for the eyes, and began layering on the prosciutto all over the face. On the serving platter, I added more eyeballs and some small tongs to peel the "skin" from the face and served with deli bread, condiments, and crackers. It was awesomely creepy!
ReplyDeleteThat sounds AMAZING! Did you take any pictures of it. I'd love to see it. I like the fact that you had to peel off the proscuitto... very interactive. Love it!
DeleteI do have pics of the face but it doesn't appear that I can attach them here. I also made 2 of the hands you shared here. I served them with thinly sliced Baguette, dipped one side in avocado oil, then lightly sprinkled with Lawry's garlic salt with parsley. They were a huge hit! We had all kinds of wonderfully fun and creepy foods at this year's party. One of our crowd favorites is my pina colada jello shot eyeballs. There are always a few who can't get past how real they appear, but the rest just love them! Let me know how to share pics and I will send them! And thank you for the recipe and instructions for the hands. They will be a regular menu item for future Halloween parties.
ReplyDeleteI'm so happy to hear that you made this for your party and that your guests liked it so much. Your Pina Colada jello shot eyeballs sound deliciously creepy. Thank you Tammy for sharing your experience with my recipe. Your party sounded like a ton of fun with lots of cool food and drinks!
DeleteLori
ps. sorry you weren't able to post a pic. I'll have to check to see if its possible. :)
Where did you find the mozzarella prosciutto roll? I have not seen this in the stores here in Tucson.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment Carol, I found the Mozzarella Prosciutto Roll in the deli section of my grocery store. I bought this one at Von's here is Southern California. Hope this helps.
DeleteRaley's and Nob Hill have it also.
DeleteHi can always find them in the specialty deli meats/cheese section at Fry's.
DeleteI was able to find it in the specialty deli section of my grocery store. Like where you would most likely find the special cheese, probably in a kiosk instead of the regular lunch meat & cheese section.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your quick response. :) Happy Halloween!
DeleteThanks so much for this recipe! I will definitely use it next year for my daughter’s sweet 16. Every year she has an early Halloween costume party for her Birthday! Either the first or second weekend of October! Her Birthday is October 2. She loves Halloween!! The scarier and gory the better for her!
ReplyDeleteThank you for commenting, I hope it's a hit at your daughter's birthday party next year! Happy Halloween!
DeleteI made this last year for a Halloween party. This year I'm gonna try it as a foot!
ReplyDeleteI'm happy to hear you tried this recipe last year. It's one of my favorites. I love your idea of making it as a foot! Great idea! Happy Halloween!
DeleteI uncovered the cheese mixture with Saran Wrap which made me form the hand a lot easier.
ReplyDelete