Baby Shower Menu

It's that time of year where it feels like everyone is having a baby! With all the babies being born there are tons of baby showers to be had. I helped my fiends sister plan a beautiful "nesting" themed baby shower. The decor was filled with birds nests, egg shell candles, forest animals and a huge tree made of butcher paper! We also made terrariums as party favors with adorable tags that said "grow" on them. It was a huge success and all the guests were amazed...especially the guest of honor.
Here is a menu that I put together for a "happy hour" type party. The recipes are below:

"BLT" Bacon Arugula and Brie with Fig Spread on Baguette
Chicken Curry Salad with Pita
Heirloom Tomato, Zucchini and Gruyere Tart
Celery Fennel Salad
Mini Artichoke, Goat Cheese Frittatas

"BLT":
Substitute the lettuce for arugula and tomato for fig spread!

1 baguette, sliced in half length-wise and toasted
1/4 cup fig jam
4 slices of brie
1 cup arugula
4 slices of cooked bacon

Spread fig jam on both sides of toasted baguette. Place a layer of brie, then bacon, then arugula. Put together the sandwich and slice approximately 2 inch pieces. Use a toothpick to keep the sandwich pieces together.

Chicken Curry Salad with Pita:
2 chicken breast, grilled
1 cup plain yogurt
2 Tbsp curry powder
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup grapes

Slice cooled chicken into 1 inch pieces and place in large bowl. Add yogurt, curry powder, celery and grapes. Mix with spoon until all ingredients are coated well. Place in fridge and let sit for 1 hour, or up to 24 hours.

Heirloom Tomato, Zucchini and Gruyere Tart:
1 Package store-bought puff pastry
1 cup shredded gruyere
1 Heirloom tomato, thinly sliced
1 Zucchini, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a floured surface, roll the puff pastry into a 16-by-10-inch rectangle.fold in edges to create 1" crust. Place pastry on a baking sheet. With a fork, score pastry dough inside rectangle. Bake until golden, approx. 15 minutes. Remove pastry shell from oven, and top with Gruyere. Top with Zucchini and then with tomatoes. Place back in oven and bake approx. 15 more minutes.

Celery Fennel Salad:
1 1/2 to 2 cups chopped celery
2 fennel bulbs
2 lemons
2-3 Tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Blueberries or raspberries for garnish

If you have a mandolin, great, if not, slice the fennel as thin as possible. Place in large bowl with celery. Juice lemons into separate, small bowl and stain pulp and seeds. Add olive oil, salt and fresh ground pepper to lemon juice; whisk. Add lemon vinaigrette to fennel and celery. Toss salad and garnish with berries.

Mini Artichoke, Goat Cheese Frittatas:
1 can Artichoke hearts
1/2 cup goat cheese
1 tsp thyme
6 eggs
2 Tbsp corn meal or bread crumbs
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray mini muffin pan with non-stick spray. Place all ingredients in food processor. Chop on medium speed until blended well. Fill muffin tin almost to the top with the egg mixture. Bake until the egg mixture puffs and is just set in the center, about 8 to 10 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, loosen the frittatas from the muffin cups and slide the frittatas onto a platter.Feel free to top frittatas with olive tapenade, creme fraiche or pimento for garnish. Serve immediately.