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.
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