An easy appetizer or two

Crispy Prosciutto Cups w/ Pears

3 ounces prosciutto, thinly sliced
1 ripe Bartlett pear, finely diced
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 375. Cut prosciutto into 24 two-inch squares. Place one square (overlapping any tears) in each cup of a mini cupcake tin. Bake until fat turns golden, about 15 minutes. Using a fork, immediately transfer to a paper towel to drain; cool completely. In a small bowl, combine pear and juice. Place 1/2 teaspoon mixture in each cup just before serving.

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Vidalia Onion Tarts

1 stick (1/4 lb.) unsalted butter
2 large Vidalia or regular
onions, halved and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
2/3 cup milk

Melt 2 Tbsp. butter in a large, heavy skillet over low heat. Add onions, 1/2 tsp. salt and thyme; cook until tender and lightly browned, 30 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Place one rack in upper third of oven and another in lower third; preheat oven to 400°F. Coat 2 baking sheets with cooking spray.

Mix flour, baking powder, sugar and remaining 1/2 tsp. salt in a bowl. Cut remaining 6 Tbsp. butter into small chunks and add to flour mixture. Cut in butter using your fingers, 2 knives or a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in milk with a fork just until flour is evenly moistened.

Turn out dough onto a floured surface and pull together into one piece with floured hands. Divide dough into 48 mounds (about 1/2 Tbsp. each); roll each into a ball and place on baking sheets. With a teaspoon measuring spoon, press an indentation into center of each ball. Spoon onion mixture into indentations.

Bake, rotating pans halfway through, until golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Serve warm.

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I had a holiday party to attend in the middle of December & wanted to try a new recipe for our appetizers. I ended up finding two recipes off of http://www.marthastewart.com/ to try. I think they both turned out well. For the prosciutto cups, I asked my deli man to cut it sandwitch thick which was perfect for making the squares. As for the onion tartlets, I think I won't make those again. It took entirely too long to carmelize the onions on my stove along with the tarts not being as good as I've tasted before.