Buttermilk Blue Bruschetta & Black Bean/Mango Empanadas

My husband and I are training for a 10 mile race this Spring, and with an active lifestyle comes the need to ensure that we are adequately fueling and hydrating our bodies. He does three and I do four maintenance runs during the week and then we have a long run that we do together on Saturday mornings. It can get pretty hectic during the week between work, grad school, taking care of our pets, cooking and making time for each other. Being busy combined with the fact that we eat very clean all week long makes for a serious desire to treat ourselves with an indulging meal (and of course, wine/cocktails) come Saturday evening. Who wants all work and no play, right?!

Saturday night menus often include meals that I would normally not have the time or available calories during the week to prepare and enjoy. Its when I make pasta, bread and other comfort dishes in the winter and homemade ice cream or sorbet in the summer. On special nights, I make a couple different appetizers and we eat tapas style!

This menu was partially inspired by one of my favorite restaurants in Philly called Tria. Tria is a wine, cheese and beer cafe that offers locally sourced ingredients. If you're in the Philly area, stop in for a glass of wine and try my favorite bruschetta: Birchrun Blue and Spiced Lancaster Pear Butter.

Here's what's cooking...

BUTTERMILK BLUE BRUSCHETTA 

WITH RAW CLOVER HONEY

This is a really simple and beautiful appetizer. The flavor/texture combination is divine as the creamy tang of the blue cheese is well balanced by the sweetness of the honey and crunch of the baguette toasts. This would be delicious with real maple syrup in place of the honey. I like to serve it with fresh pear slices. 

Ingredients:

1 day-old french baguette, sliced every 1/2 inch on the diagonal

good olive oil

kosher salt

freshly cracked black pepper

8 oz your favorite blue cheese (a wedge is better than crumbles)

2 tbsp. your favorite raw honey for drizzling

How to prepare:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place the baguette slices on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

While slightly warm, top toasts with 1/2 oz or so slices of the blue cheese. Drizzle honey over the blue cheese and pat yourself on the back if they made it to the serving platter before your tummy. 

BLACK BEAN AND MANGO EMPANADAS

It is rare that I make a recipe straight from the source without doctoring it to my liking. This one is an exception because it is so delicious as is. Directly from the pages of Intercourses: An Aphrodisiac Cookbook by Martha Hopkins, Randall Lockridge, and Ben Fink, Black Bean and Mango Empanadas are a wonderful use for ripe, juicy mangoes and an indulging treat after a long, hectic work week. 

Ingredients:

1 tbsp. olive oil
3/4 c. yellow onion, diced
15 oz. black beans
1 tbsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
splash of beer for moistening
1/4 c. cilantro, chopped
kosher salt to taste
freshly cracked black pepper to taste
17.3 oz. package puff pastry (2 sheets), thawed
1 ripe mango, peeled and diced
1 lg. egg, beaten

How to prepare:
Heat a skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil. Saute the onion until translucent. Stir in the beans, cumin and cayenne; cook until the mixture is hot, about 5 minutes.

Add a splash of beer if needed to keep mixture from drying out. Stir in the cilantro, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Using a potato masher or a fork, mash the bean filling to a coarse paste and let cool.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and grease a rimmed baking sheet. Roll out each puff pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface to a 14-inch square. Cut each sheet into 9 squares with a sharp knife. 

Place 1 heaping tablespoon of filling in the center of each square. Top with a few pieces of mango.

Brush the inside edges of the squares with the beaten egg. Fold on the diagonal over the filling to form a triangle. Using the tines of a fork, seal the crust edges well. Arrange on the baking sheet and brush the tops with the remaining egg. 

Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Serve hot. Mmmmm! These would be delicious topped with mango chutney.