Upside Down Tomato Basil And Chicken Tartlets

Tomatoes, basil, cheese and olive oil partner with chicken and turn crescents upside down into deliciousness.

Ingredients:

1/3

cup Crisco® 100% Extra Virgin Olive Oil

4 1/2

teaspoons crushed red pepper and garlic seasoning blend

1/2

cup finely chopped deli rotisserie chicken breast

3

sticks (1 ounce each) mozzarella string cheese or tomato basil string cheese, finely chopped

8

thin plum (Roma) tomato slices (1 medium)

1

can Pillsbury™ Place 'n Bake® refrigerated crescent rounds 

1

tablespoon finely chopped fresh basil leaves

Directions:

• Heat oven to 375°F. In small bowl, mix olive oil and 2 teaspoons of the seasoning blend. Let stand 5 minutes to blend flavors. In another small bowl, mix chicken, cheese and 2 teaspoons of the seasoning blend. Generously grease 8 nonstick regular-size muffin cups with 2 teaspoons of the olive oil mixture.
• Blot excess liquid from tomato slices with paper towels. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon of the seasoning blend. Place one tomato slice, seasoned side down, in bottom of each muffin cup.
• Remove dough from can but do not separate. With serrated knife, cut dough evenly into 16 rounds. Press each into 3-inch round. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 teaspoon seasoning blend over 8 of the rounds.
• Press seasoned rounds, seasoned side down, over tomato slices and partially up sides of muffin cups. Evenly divide chicken mixture into each cup. Top each with remaining crescent rounds. Press rounds so tops are even and tartlets will sit flat when removed from muffin cups.
• Bake 13 to 16 minutes or until deep golden brown. Let stand 5 minutes. Run knife around edges to loosen. Invert muffin pan onto heatproof platter to remove tartlets. Sprinkle with chopped basil. Drizzle with remaining olive oil mixture or use for dipping.

Source:  pillsbury.com / Julie Beckwith

Creamy Citrus Tartlets

These party-perfect bite-size treats are easy to put together with frozen pastry shells and a four-ingredient cream filling. Mix and match flavors using lemon, orange, and strawberry curds. Garnish with fresh mint leaves.

Ingredients:

• 2 (2.1-ounce) packages frozen mini phyllo pastry shells
• 1 cup whipping cream, divided
• 1/3 cup orange curd*
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract, divided
• 1/3 cup lemon curd*
• Garnish: fresh mint leaves

Directions:

1. Bake pastry shells according to package directions; cool completely.
2. Beat 1/2 cup whipping cream, orange curd, and 1/4 teaspoon almond extract at medium speed with an electric mixer until thickened and soft peaks form. Spoon the mixture evenly into half of pastry shells.
3. Beat lemon curd, remaining cream, and remaining extract at medium speed with an electric mixer until thickened and soft peaks form. Spoon into remaining shells. Chill tartlets 1 hour. Garnish, if desired.
4. *Strawberry curd may be substituted.
5. Note: For testing purposes only, we used Dickinson's Orange Curd and Lemon Curd.

Southern Living
JUNE 2002