Toasted Pecan Napoleons
These little pecan sandwiches make a perfect, easy appetizer for cocktail parties.
Ingredients
- 96 halves (about 5 ounces) pecans, they need to be PERFECT!
- 3 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 2 ounces Gorgonzola or blue cheese, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons port
- ½ teaspoon honey
- 1 pinch cracked black pepper
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives, for garnishing
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Place pecans on a baking sheet and bake until brown and aromatic, 7 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.
- Combine the cream cheese, Gorgonzola, port, honey, and pepper in a food processor, processing until smooth. Transfer to a sealable plastic bag and squeeze mixture into one corner. (Use a bag plus a decorative tip if you're going for a more decorative look).
- To assemble: Spread 48 pecan halves flat-side down on the sheet tray. Cut a small tip off the corner of the bag of cheese mixture. Pipe about ¼ teaspoon of the cheese mixture evenly onto each pecan half. Top with a second pecan, flat-side down, and pipe ¼ teaspoon of the cheese mixture onto the top of each napoleon. Sprinkle with chopped chives to garnish.
Notes
- Do ahead tips: The pecans can be toasted up to 3 days in advance and stored in an airtight container. The Stilton mixture can be prepared up to 3 days in advance and refrigerated; bring it to room temperature before assembly. Assemble up to 3 hours in advance and let sit at room temperature.
- If you reduce the recipe, do not use a food processor; make the cheese mixture by hand.
- Chop extra chives and sprinkle them onto a plate as a colorful backdrop for the napoleons.
Nutrition
Serving: 1appetizer, Calories: 50kcal, Carbohydrates: 1g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 5mg, Sodium: 38mg, Potassium: 31mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 122IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 20mg, Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
the possibilities are endless, I like more stilton, regardless, these were well received at a recent birthday party. thanks for the recipe!
These look really good! However, I don’t drink and am not going to buy a bottle of Port for just 2 tsp. Can this be omitted, or is there a good substitution? Thanks!
Sure, go ahead and leave out the Port- you just won’t get that flavor. They’ll still be good without it though.
These are just brilliant!!
I am vegan. These could be made so very easily by using vegan cream cheese flavored with curry powder, or freshly ground black pepper, or grated onion or horseradish. An endless variety of tastes. Smoked paprika, etc. One could also roll the edges in deep fried shallots. The chopped chives such a pretty garnish. Great for your next smart vegan cocktail party.
You are so clever. Thank you for posting this.
I’m not sure I understand what is happening here? I would think that the cheese mixture is placed on the flat side of two pecans not on the rounded? Please explain……thanks
Hi Judy- I added a little more instruction above. The first pecan is laid flat w/ the cheese piped on top of it. This will help it to lay flat on a cocktail tray. Then a second pecan is secured on top of the cheese (again, flat side down), with a little cheese piped on top. I will make these and photograph so it’s very clear!