Chile Pepper - Cooking Zesty
December 2001
By Renee Prindle-Jones

Your heart was in the right place when you decided a holiday shindig was a good idea. But you've been busy shopping, and finishing up that third-quarter report, and fishing leaves out of the gutters. Now the thought of what to put in your guests' stomachs leaves you with a pit in yours.

Take a deep breath and put that panic attack on hold. Caterers and veteran hosts have spent entire careers creating show-stopping recipes that don't take a month's worth of rehearsal.

They've proven that appetizers don't have to be complicated, that simple doesn't have to be boring and bland.

______________Wendy Krispin_______________
Wendy Krispin, caterer for Krispin and Krispin to Go, Dallas, Texas, keeps her advise simple: " Go with melon." She makes melon balls and wraps them with prosciutto and habanero. "I have a friend whose grandfather insisted that she pepper her melon," Krispin says. "I just took the idea and ran with it." For guests who prefer less heat, she chooses a milder pepper.

Melon with Prosciutto and Habanero
Yield: 30 pieces * Zest Factor: Way Hot
1 cantaloupe, casaba, or honeydew melon
1/2 pound prosciutto, thinly sliced
2-4 habanero peppers, sliced thinly or thickly to taste
1. Make melon balls. 2. Wrap slice of prosciutto around each ball and a slice of habanero. Hold in place with toothpick.