Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Prosciutto, Fig, and Port Spirals...For Kelly Confidential and Ovarian Cancer Awareness

Foodbuzz sent out an e-mail last week inviting their Featured Publishers to take part in a special Top 9 Tea Party Takeover blog posting event the week. The purpose of this event is to help raise awareness for ovarian cancer. We were asked to share a recipe that could be served at a tea party. In return, Foodbuzz is donating $50 to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund for each recipe that is submitted!! Their mission is to fund research to find a method of early detection and ultimately a cure for ovarian cancer. 

I hope that you'll take a moment to visit Kelly Ripa's Kelly: Confidential website. When you take part in selecting a virtual tea party outfit for Kelly's Tea Party for a Cause, Electrolux will donate $1 to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund. As an added bonus? When you visit the website and pick an outfit, you'll also be entered for a chance to win an Electrolux Perfect Steam TM washer and dryer!! 

I immediately knew that I wanted to take part in this fun and worthwhile cause, but I wasn't exactly sure what to make. I love dainty little tea sandwiches, but I wanted to do something a little bit different from the norm. Enter Queen Martha...as in Martha Stewart. She has an amazing book called Martha Stewart's Hors D'oeuvres Handbook that contains every type of appetizer and small bite that you can think of, including a few tea sandwiches. 

I took an idea in the book and tweaked it a bit for my featured tea party post. When I saw prosciutto, dried figs, and port combined into a tiny tea sandwich? I knew that I had my flavor combo. I came up with a recipe for Prosciutto, Fig, and Port Spirals. I used cream cheese instead of butter, added a touch of honey to the spread, and included baby spinach leaves to enhance the flavor and color of spinach sandwich wraps. Then I rolled all of the ingredients into logs and cut them into pretty spirals.

Prosciutto, Fig, and Port Spirals
adapted from Martha Stewart's Hors D'oeuvres Handbook

Step 1:  Make the creamy spread by combining the following ingredients in a small bowl: 4 ounces whipped cream cheese, 1 tbs. honey, 2 tbs. port wine, and 3-4 finely chopped dried figs. Whisk well to combine.


Step 2:  Place a large spinach sandwich wrap on your work surface. Spread with half of the cream cheese mixture, going almost to the edge. Place paper-thin slices of prosciutto on top of the cream cheese spread, then place a layer of baby spinach leaves on top of the prosciutto.



Step 3:  Starting at one end, roll the wrap tightly. You might have to tuck some of the ingredients in as you roll. Repeat the above process with a second wrap. Once you have the wraps rolled into logs, cut off the ends and place in the fridge for up to an hour. A bit of time in the fridge helps the rolls set up, which makes it much easier to cut them into spirals.


Step 4:  When you're ready to serve, cut the spirals into 1/2-inch pieces using a sharp serrated knife. Place the spirals on a serving platter decorated for spring.


For this simple presentation, I filled a clear rocks glass with tiny pastel candy Easter eggs. The grapes in the center of the serving tray coordinated nicely with the green spirals. As an added bonus, they also tasted great when eaten with the spirals. I hope you'll give these slightly sophisticated nibbles a try at your next springtime gathering! 



12 comments:

  1. Love these spirals and they are perfect for a tea party!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Not your usual tea party fare, it looks delicious, great addition to the party!
    LL

    ReplyDelete
  3. Those look so good! Great choice for a great cause!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Such a great combination of flavors in these wraps, Wendy! You certainly have a creative mind for what goes well together. Thanks for sharing a wonderful idea with some of my favorite ingredients, and contributing it to such a worthwhile cause. :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. i love your choice for the tea party. The wraps look so colorful and sound so good, perfect for a tea party.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks for all the sweet comments! These bites were a bit hit last night...we munched on them while dinner cooked. The creamy spread, salty/smoky prosciutto, and the sweet dried figs were a really nice combo...

    ReplyDelete
  7. those look great! I'll have to remember those the next time I am having a tea party

    ReplyDelete
  8. THese loo gorgeous and delicious! I would love to eat these at a tea party!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I love the combination of the filling in your wrap, and also the presentation.
    I would love these yummy spirals at any brunch, lunch, or tea party. Something unusual and reminds me of a "spring day."
    So nice of you Wendy, to participate for this important cause that has taken so many lives of women...including my mom:-((

    ReplyDelete
  10. These look incredibly delicious! What a great option for the tea :)

    ReplyDelete

I love hearing your feedback!!!