Food was sinfully delicious on my house today. Not everyone might think so, but I was swimming in a sea of culinary decadence.

 

First up was guacamole spread down the middle of a flour tortilla (which was heated on the stove element, giving it a touch of crispness); I couldn’t help myself and had two. Later, I threw together a recipe created by my cousin Sheila called “Coppa Canapés.” The little appetizer is simply to die for. Since the recipe is no longer displayed at Shenanchie’s Kitchen, I’ve pasted it below:

Sheila's Coppa Canapés

From: Sheila O'Toole Domon

 

Loaf of Baguette bread

Philadelphia© Cream Cheese

Fresh basil leaves

Capicollo (Italian cured ham), sliced paper-thin

 

Cut the bread on a diagonal into slices about an inch thick. Spread generously with the cream cheese. Wash and dry the basil leaves. Embed the whole basil leaves into the cream cheese on each slice of bread, completely covering the piece of bread. Top with slices of Capicollo. Serve as is.

It’s hard to describe how wonderful the treat is; I believe fresh basil is the key. The Capicollo is a tad expensive ($6.95 per pound at a little Italian market near my house), but the other two ingredients are basic. Sheila has a large herb garden at her ranch, and one day a few years ago she devised her canapés using the basil. The dried variety will not do; nothing can replace the taste of the fresh basil and the exquisite flavor combinations it brings to the Capicollo, cream cheese and baguette bread. I’m sure they are not technically canapés, but that’s the name Sheila gave them.