Melty Parm Cheese, Walnut & Clementine Appetizer

Simple 3 Ingredient Delightful Bite: Parm Cheese (heated until pliable), walnuts and juicy clementines.

View from the condo porch. It is 75 degrees, which is why I need to be outside more than I want to be in the kitchen this week.

Though I generally love to cook, even when on vacation, I do not love to make complicated recipes that take time away from the pool and a book, and general self-imposed laziness. This week we are tucked into a timeshare in Orlando, Florida for seven days on business/vacation. (Greg is mostly taking care of the left side of the “business/vacation” slash, since he actually has to work. I’m taking care of the right side of the slash, since I –joy of joys! –mostly get to do whatever I please this week.)

A funny aside: Last night we were in bed and I heard what I thought was either the romantic roll of thunder or possibly the fireworks from Disney in the distance. I asked Greg if he heard the same sounds. He kindly responded, “Sweetie, that’s the toilet flushing in the condo above us.”

Needless to say, I’m totally in my Vacation Mind. So far today I’ve “cooked” a couple of bowls of cereal, a PBJ sandwich and peeled some string cheese and clementines. Not fancy fare worthy of food posting, really. But then, at Happy Hour time, I got inspired. I saw some Parmesan cheese and walnuts (I’d packed them in my carry-on from home), and a bowl of fresh Florida clementines (bought in haste from the local grocery last night.)  Let me tell you, these Floridians really get premium citrus. These clementines are so juicy they nearly burst in your hands as you peel them. Naturally sweet and tangy. Oh my. When fruit is this good, you don’t want to do much to it.  Just let Nature shine. So, on the fly I invented these Parm Cheese-Walnut and Clementine Appetizers.  Salty, nutty, warm meets fresh, tangy, sweet and cold.  So yummy.

 Our cocktails in hand (see my recipe for Clementine Mojitos), I sliced a few “Parm shards,” sprinkled a few walnuts on top. Microwaved for 15 seconds. The Parmesan became just “melty” enough to be pliable. I rolled a piece of the warm Parm around a walnut and a slice or two of fresh clementine. It was Happy Hour in our mouths in less than a minute.

That’s it. That’s the whole 3 ingredient, 15 second recipe. The pictures below  will show exactly how to throw this instant party food together.

Variations: Try with other cheeses, nuts and fresh fruits in season.  For a larger crowd, use a baking sheet and put in a 250 degree oven for about 5 minutes or until cheese is just warm and pliable.

Parm "Shards," simply slice random thin pieces of Parmasan cheese and lay on a microwavable plate

Parm shards with broken pieces of walnuts, after being nuked for 15 seconds in the microwave

As parm cools, you can lift up little pieces and wrap around fresh clementine pieces, pop in your mouth and be very happy. Sometimes the best things in life really are the simplest! 

This was printed from: We Laugh, We Cry, We Cook
The site URL: http://welaughwecrywecook.com
The Title: Melty Parm Cheese, Walnuts & Clementines Appetizer
The URL: https://welaughwecrywecook.com/2012/04/24/melty-parm-cheese-walnuts-clementines