Ingredients
- Jalapeno Popper Style:
- 1 pkg Cream Cheese, softened*
- 1 small can of diced jalapenos
- 1 tube of crescent rolls
- 1 package of cocktail smokies
- you could also swap out the cream cheese and jalapeno for pimento cheese.
- Sausage and Biscuit Pigs in a Blanket:
- Twelve 4-inch links breakfast sausage
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- Kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, frozen in 1 piece
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped scallion greens
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
- Maple syrup, for serving
- Mexican Chorizo Pigs in a Blanket:
- 4 links fresh Mexican chorizo (about 1 pound)
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 ripe avocado
- 1/4 cup picked fresh cilantro leaves
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- Juice of 1 lime
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Four 6-inch flour tortillas
- 1/2 cup canned refried beans
- 3/4 cup shredded sharp Cheddar
- Prepared pico de gallo, strained, for serving
- Hogs in a Blanket:
- 7 ounces all-butter puff pastry, thawed and cut into four 5-inch squares
- 1 large egg yolk mixed with 1 tablespoon of water
- 4 andouille sausages (3 ounces each)
- 1/4 cup Major Grey’s chutney
- 2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
Preparation
Step 1
Mix cream cheese and jalapenos. Separate crescent roll dough into triangles, cutting each triangle into 3 smaller triangles. Spread a small amount of cream cheese mixture on each triangle, and wrap around each of the smokies. Bake at 375 for 12-15 minutes.
Sausage and Biscuit:
Position an oven rack in the center of the oven, set a baking sheet on it and preheat to 400 degrees F.
Toss the sausage links with the oil in a large bowl. Add the sausages to the hot baking sheet, and spread out in 1 layer. Roast, turning halfway through, until lightly browned in spots and cooked through, about 15 minutes. Let cool completely. Cut each sausage in half crosswise.
Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, baking soda and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Grate the frozen butter on the large holes of a box grater, and add to the bowl, along with the scallions. Add the buttermilk, and mix together gently with a fork. When a shaggy dough forms, turn it out onto a floured surface.
Working quickly, roll the dough out into a 14-by-8-inch rectangle about 1/8 inch thick. Trim each side by about an inch, to yield a 12-by-6-inch rectangle with clean edges. Cut twelve 1-inch-wide strips, then cut those strips in half crosswise. (You should have 24 strips, each about 1 inch by 3 inches.)
Wrap a biscuit strip around the belly of each sausage half, and place, seam-side down, at least 1 inch apart on a clean baking sheet. Sprinkle a small pinch of cracked black pepper on top of each one. (Refrigerate up to overnight if not baking right away.) Bake until golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes. Serve with maple syrup on the side.
Chorizo Pigs in a Blanket:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil.
Toss the chorizo with 1 tablespoon of the oil on the prepared baking sheet, and bake, turning the chorizo halfway through, until fully cooked, 25 to 30 minutes. When cool enough to handle, carefully peel off the casing without breaking up the sausage.
Meanwhile, cut open the avocado, scoop out the flesh and add it to a food processor. Add the cilantro, sour cream, lime juice, 3/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper, and puree until very smooth. Transfer the avocado crema to a small bowl, cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
Place a tortilla on a work surface, and spread with 2 tablespoons of the refried beans, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Sprinkle 1/4 of the Cheddar evenly on top, leaving the 1/2-inch border. Place a cooked chorizo link on the bottom edge of the tortilla, and roll up tightly. Skewer the outside edge with a toothpick to keep it closed. Repeat with the remaining tortillas, beans, Cheddar and chorizo.
Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Place the 4 tortilla rolls in the skillet. If they start browning too quickly, turn the heat down to medium-low. As one side becomes golden brown, turn the rolls a quarter turn. Repeat until the rolls are crisp and golden brown all over, about 5 minutes total.
Transfer the rolls to a cutting board, and let cool for 30 seconds. Cut each into 6 even pieces with a serrated knife. Arrange the pieces, cut-side down, on a platter. Top each with a dollop of avocado crema and some pico de gallo.
Hogs in a Blanket:
Preheat the oven to 375° and position a rack in the center. Arrange the puff pastry squares on a work surface and brush the top edges with the egg wash. Place the sausages on the bottom edges and roll up the pastry, pressing the edges to seal. Freeze the logs for 10 minutes, or until firm.
Cut the logs into 1/2-inch slices and place them cut side up in 3 mini muffin pans. Bake for 25 minutes, until golden and sizzling. Turn out onto a paper towel-lined rack to cool.
Meanwhile, in a mini food processor, pulse the chutney and mustard just until the chutney is chopped. Spoon a dollop of the chutney mustard on each slice and serve.