members recipes

Ingredients
24 fresh or frozen large shrimp in shells
15oz• can cannellini (white kidney) beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup finely chopped yellow bell pepper
3 tablespoons snipped fresh chives
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup mascarpone cheese or cream cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
dash white pepper

Method
[b]Makes 24 appetizer servings[/b]
recipe from Ultimate Italian magazine

[b]Crostini:[/b] Cut a baguette style loaf of French bread into 1/2 inch diagonal slices. Arrange bread slices on baking sheets. Lightly brush with olive oil on one side of bread. Bake 200c (400f) for about 8 minutes or until lightly browned.

Peel and devein shrimp, leaving tails intact (if desired). Rinse shrimp and pat dry with paper towels. In a large saucepan, cook shrimp in a large amount of boiling salted water for 1 to 3 minutes or until shrimp are opaque, drain. Rinse shrimp with cold water; drain again. Cover and chill until needed.

Meanwhile, in a food processor or blender, combine beans, sweet pepper, chives and the garlic. Cover and process for 1-2 minutes or until mixture reaches a creamy consistency. Add mascarpone, salt and white pepper. Cover and process until well blended. Spoon about 1 rounded teaspoon of the bean mixture onto each crostini and top with a shrimp. Garnish with chopped chives.

The Culinary Chase's Note: The mascarpone makes this spread nice and thick. Don't do what I did and use ricotta instead of mascarpone! I thought I had some in the fridge so I didn't buy any at the store. Although this was a mistake, my family didn't seem to mind that it wasn't as thick as it should be!:D[b][/b]