Prosciutto Baskets with Whipped Goat Cheese Filling

These elegant appetizers look a lot more complicated than they actually are. The trick is to use prosciutto that is sliced thin enough to manipulate, but not so thin that it will fall apart as you work with it.

Tip: If possible, have your prosciutto sliced by your grocery store’s meat department instead of buying the ready-sliced packages.

Special Equipment needed:

24-cup mini muffin pan 
Pastry bag and tips 



Tip: You can use a plastic sandwich bag with a small tip removed from one corner instead of the pastry bag to pipe the cheese mixture into the prosciutto baskets.

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Yield: 24 appetizers
 

Ingredients:

Non-stick cooking spray
12 slices thinly sliced prosciutto
4 oz. goat cheese, softened
4 oz. ricotta cheese
3 T. heavy cream
2 T. fresh thyme, leaves only
Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
1/3 c. pistachios, chopped

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 375°F and spray a 24-cup mini-muffin pan with non-cook cooking spray. Set aside.
   
   
2. Cut prosciutto slices in half lengthwise to create 24 long, thin strips.
   
   
3. Take one thin strip of prosciutto and place is across an empty muffin cup, with the middle of the strip over the mid-point of the cup. Press the center of the prosciutto strip into the bottom of the cup. Carefully fold and wrap one end of the prosciutto around one interior side of the cup until it overlaps the prosciutto on the opposite side. Repeat with the opposite side of the prosciutto so that the exposed areas of the muffin cup are covered to form a “basket.”
   
   
4. Repeat this process with the remaining 23 muffin cups.
   
   
5. Place muffin pan in pre-heated oven and bake for 9-10 minutes. Keep an eye on them while they bake so they don’t overcook. The edges of the prosciutto will start to brown when ready. 
   
   
6. While the prosciutto baskets are baking, combine the goat cheese, ricotta cheese, heavy cream, and thyme leaves in a medium bowl. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste, and stir to combine. Set aside.
   
   
7. Remove the muffin pan from the oven and cool for several minutes before transferring each prosciutto basket to a plate lined with paper towels. Flip each basket after a couple minutes and blot carefully to remove excess grease. When complete, transfer baskets to a large serving platter.  
   
   
8. Once prosciutto baskets are cool to the touch, transfer the cheese mixture to a pastry bag fitted with a tip. Carefully pipe the goat cheese mixture into each prosciutto basket.
   
   
9. Top each cheese-filled prosciutto basket with some chopped pistachios and serve immediately. Enjoy!