I make mini quiches, mini grilled reubens, mini cocktail wieners, mini meatballs and mini sausage stuffed wontons. The miniature pecan tart and mini reuben recipes follow below. Both are delicious and you should add them to your party recipes.
This recipe makes 24 tarts, so I always double it since my husband and son can eat 24 tarts in about 2 minutes.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Spray your mini muffin tins with cooking spray. One by one, take each dough ball and flatten it in your hand and place in the muffin tin.
Now you are ready to make the filling. Combine 1 egg, 3/4 c. brown sugar, 1 tbs. soft butter, 1 tsp. vanilla and a dash of salt. Mix all together until smooth.
*Becky Knows Everything (or in this case Bonnie Knows Everything): Getting these out of the pan is a monumental task. Every Christmas, Bonnie and I call each other to brag about how many we got out without breaking. She always wins. Use a dinner knife around the edges to loosen and gently lift the tarts from the pan. Also, Bonnie lived in Breckenridge, CO for a few years (ski country) and she says these simply will not turn out properly in the high altitude.
Mini Grilled Reubens
If you love regular sized reubens, you will love these too. They are a hearty appetizer so I would not make them before a dinner party, just for a cocktail party. Here's what you need:
One can drained sauerkraut (do not rinse)
Thousand Island dressing (I use Kraft)
Swiss cheese, cut into small squares to fit bread
½ lb. thinly sliced deli corned beef or two packages Carl Buddig corned beef (but the real corned beef is better)
Butter
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
This is one of my most popular hors d’oeuvres and it fills a large cookie sheet.
*Becky Knows Everything: You can make these early in the day - just run a paper towel under water and squeeze dry. Place towel over assembled sandwiches and cover with foil. Remove covering when ready to eat.