This weekend, I had the pleasure of hosting a bridal shower for my friend Cait. Cait is getting married to Zak on July 9th, and I have the honor of being in her bridal party. While I may not be able to claim the actual initial introduction of them to each other, I will claim partial credit for their union. Nich and I were friends with both of them and we definitely did our best to nudge them towards each other last summer (although, lets be honest…they didn’t need much nudging!). And now, this summer…they are getting married!
I will say that Cait is one of the most darling & stylish people I know. If you have any doubts about her adorable-ness, take a look at her & Zak’s wedding blog. Yep. It is totally adorable.
In any case, knowing Cait’s knack for all things culinary (in addition to being adorable, she is quite handy in the kitchen) I knew I wanted to make a few extra special things for her bridal shower. So I asked myself: What Martha Stewart Would Do? And I decided that Martha Stewart would throw a picnic themed bridal shower, with a vast assortment of summertime goodies. The other bridesmaids ran with the picnic theme and brought of host of amazing edibles, but being the over-acheiver Martha Stewart wannabe that I am…I still made four different items for the shower. I pored over recipes all last week, and eventually decided to make the following items for the shower: smashed pea & mint bruschetta; potato salad with a yogurt, dill, arugula; deviled eggs with goat cheese, lemon, and dill; and miniature strawberry goat cheese turnovers.
I didn’t get a chance to take pictures of all of the food, but I will do my best to post all of the recipes this week – with or without pictures. I was really pleased with how everything turned out. It all tasted so good, and everything was remarkably quick and easy to make. I think Martha would be proud. So, here is the first of the bridal shower recipes.
Miniature Turnovers: With Strawberry, Goat Cheese & Honey
*Makes 12-15 mini turnovers
1 small container of ripe strawberries
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tbl brown sugar
Goat cheese (at room temperature)
Honey
Fresh thyme (optional. I was going to put in fresh thyme and then forgot! But I think it would be really really good!)
2 pie crusts, thawed (*I was too swamped to make pie crusts from scratch, so I bought the frozen ones from Trader Joes and they work wonderfully.).
Flour, for working rolling out the crusts
1 Tbl Milk
1 Tbl white sugar
1. Wash, trim, & dice strawberries and place into a small bowl. Season with nutmeg and brown sugar. Set aside for later.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
3. Remove the thawed pie crusts from the package. Take one crust, and place it on a floured surface. Roll the crust until desired thickness (**since these are such mini turnovers, you don’t want a terribly thick crust. I found that the pre-made pie crusts needed to be rolled out thinner.) Use a small bowl, cup, biscuit cutter to cut out rounds (I used a very small bowl, probably 2.5 to 3″ across). Place rounds on a cookie sheet for assembly. Form the pie crust scraps in a ball and roll to desired thickness. Repeat until you use all the dough from both crusts. Two crusts should make 12-15 rounds.
4. Smear a small amount of goat cheese on the center of each round (1/2 to 1 tsp). Place a small amount (1 tbl or so) of the strawberry mixture on top of the goat cheese. Drizzle with honey. Fold the round in half, and carefully press the edges together with your fingers to create a seal. Use a fork to create ridged edges (if you so desire). Make sure to score the top of the turnover (either poke with a fork or use a knife to create a slit), so that the turnover can breathe. Brush the top with a slight amount of milk (making sure not to brush the ridged edges, as they will burn). Sprinkle a small amount of white sugar on top of each turnover.
5. Bake in the center of a 350 degree oven until golden brown. 12-15 minutes.
**Note, I also made a savory version of these turnovers for the shower with bacon, blue cheese, and carmelized onions. Both were incredibly delicious, but I think I liked the strawberry turnovers just a tiny a bit more. There is just something so pretty about the red fruity strawberry goodness that oozes out of the turnover crust!
I will heartily vouch for the deliciousness of these little guys. PERFECT bridal shower food!
My shower was the best and you are the queen of all things darling!
Those turnovers were delish!
i am starting to get really excited for a baby shower. especially if there will be mini pies involved.
You definitely did some nudging. :) And it is a good thing!!
-Z
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