Description
A sophisticated appetizer featuring roasted sweet potato rounds topped with creamy blue cheese mousse, crisp apple matchsticks, and crunchy spiced pecans.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Crust:
- 2 large sweet potatoes, sliced into 1/4-inch thick coins
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 4 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 large crisp apple (such as Honeycrisp), cut into thin matchsticks
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 cup pecans
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Fresh thyme leaves for garnish
Instructions
1. Prepare the Crust:
- Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Toss sweet potato coins with olive oil, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast for 20-25 minutes until tender and slightly caramelized.
- While potatoes roast, make the blue cheese mousse: In a food processor, blend blue cheese, cream cheese, and heavy cream until smooth and fluffy. Season with a pinch of black pepper. Chill until ready to use.
- In a small bowl, toss apple matchsticks with lemon juice to prevent browning. Set aside.
- Toast pecans in a dry skillet over medium heat for 3-4 minutes until fragrant. Add maple syrup and cayenne pepper, stirring until coated and sticky. Remove from heat and let cool, then roughly chop.
- Assemble by spreading a dollop of blue cheese mousse on each sweet potato coin. Top with a few apple matchsticks and a sprinkle of spiced pecans. Garnish with fresh thyme leaves before serving.
Notes
You can customize the seasonings to taste.