olive bites

So..........I watch and read A LOT of food porn. Many (myself included) are thankful that I do because I come across some REALLY tasty recipes. This time was no exception. I usually post about sweet things, but today I'm gonna highlight something savory. After all, these are wrapped in some sort of "dough".


These warm bites of savory goodness are courtesy of Claire Robinson's 5 Ingredient Fix show on The Food Network. After reading some of the reviews, I tweaked the recipe slightly and used my own chef techniques. Even though the original recipe calls for only 5 ingredients, it doesn't hurt by adding in a couple more. 
***See my notes within the recipe***


Olive Bites
makes 15 - 20 bites


1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
***I added a heavy pinch of freshly cracked black pepper and Hungarian smoked paprika, but add whatever spices that will float your boat***
5 tablespoons unsalted butter ***cold and cut into 1/2 inch cubes***
1/3 cup grated Cheddar ***I didn't have Cheddar, but I did have Emmentaler which tasted absolutely delicious!***
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
20 olives stuffed with pimientos - drained and dried on paper towels
***if needed, 1 - 2 teaspoons heavy cream or water***


In a mixing bowl, combine the flour (and spices if using) and butter until the mixture resemble bread crumbs. ***I rubbed the flour with the butter using my fingertips, but you can use a fork or pastry blender*** Mix in the Cheddar and Parmesan or whatever combo of cheeses you're using. ***If the mixture seems dry, sprinkle in 1 -2 teaspoons of heavy cream or water*** Form it into a small disk and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. 


Unwrap the dough, take a small piece and cover an olive, making sure the pastry surrounds the olive and there are no gaps. ***I did my own thing here and rolled out the dough between a sheet of parchment paper and my recently-used plastic wrap. I rolled it pretty thin, but thick enough so that I completely covered my olive. My olives were also on the larger side and I was only able to get 15 bites*** Flour your hands and roll the olive-encased pastry into a ball; put it on an ungreased baking sheet.  ***I lined my sheet with parchment paper for faster and easy clean-up*** Repeat the process with the remaining pastry and olives. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. (Can be made a day ahead and held in refrigerator.)


Preheat the oven to 425˚ F. Put the baking sheet on the middle rack of the oven and bake until the pastries are light golden, about 10 minutes. ***I baked mine for 13 minutes*** Remove the bites from the oven and serve warm.