Hannibal Week: Prosciutto Roses & Tomato Brain Barquettes

Hannibal Week rolls on!

This is my attempt to redeem myself after the absolute shit show that was Heart with Sausage Stuffing.

In the seventh episode of season 1, “Sorbet,” Hannibal hosts a grand dinner. Unbeknownst to his guests, they are dining on some of the trophies the Chesapeake Ripper collected during his latest string of murders.

According to Janice Poon, the author Feeding Hannibal, thefollowing two treats may have been served at the soiree–if they were made from people, of course.

Both are easy to make and they don’t require any stuffing, trussing, or braising–just a little work with a paring knife.

Tomato Brain Barquettes:
Slice the stem end of plum tomatoes and gently tear away the tomato flesh to get to the clusters of seeds or “brains.” Place the seed clusters inside little barquettes made from frozen puff pastry. I put mustard in the bottom of my pastries, but Poon also suggests tapenade or chopped olives.

Proscuitto Roses on Watermelon:
Separate slices of prosciutto and freeze on a baking sheet to make it easy to handle–twirl slices into “roses” and place on top of cubed watermelon. Garnish with basil.

To make it a meal, I added a Caprese salad and fresh peaches with basil, goat cheese, and honey.

These were all delicious and 100% would make again.