Original Juan’s Summer Finger Food Ideas

Kit Maxfield, Product/New Business Development Manager with Original Juan shared some finger food ideas for summer parties.

Freedom Berries:
2 lbs cleaned whole fresh strawberries
1 jar of Traditional Cheesecake In a Jar
8 packets Tropical Punch Blue Poprocks or 1/2 cup of Blue Sugar

Remove the lid on the Traditional Cheesecake In a Jar and microwave for about 20 seconds. This will heat up the cheesecake just enough to make it easy to dip your straberries into. Dip your strawberries into the cheesecake leaving the top 1/3rd of the strawberry plain. Set the dipped strawberries on a sheet pan lined with wax paper and place them in the fridge to cool for at least 30 minutes. Pour the blue Poprocks into a small bowl. Take the chilled strawberries out of the fridge and dip only the bottom 1/3rd of the strawberry into the Poprocks. Keep them refridgerated and serve with in an hour of adding the Poprocks to ensure that there is plenty of bang left.

Porky Pies:
1 lb pulled pork
1 box Cornbread mix
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
cooking spray

Follow the directions on the box and mix together the cornbread mix, eggs and milk. Add only 1 tbsp of mix to a greased foil cupcake cup. This is important so there is room for the pork and toppings. Bake them at 400 degrees for about 16 minutes. Add shredded pulled pork to the tops of the cups and pipe on your favorite styles of toppings.

Pie Toppings:
Mashed Blue Potatoes:
12 Indigo Blue Potatoes quarterd
Salt to taste
2 cups sour cream

Boil potatoes until easily pierced with a fork. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process. Put drained cooled potatoes into a food processor with the sour cream and a touch of salt. Puree them until they have a consistency of icing. Put the mash into a gallon ziplock bag and pipe onto the Porky Pies.

Maple Bacon Cheesecake:
1 jar Traditional Cheesecake In a Jar
1/4 tsp Maple Flavor
1/3 cup chopped bacon

Set to the side 2 Tbsp of the bacon bits. In a food processor whip together the rest of the ingredients. Place in a zip lock bag and pipe onto the Porky Pies. Top the Porky Pies with the remaining 2 Tbsp of the bacon bits.

Chocolate Chili Bacon:
1 jar Chocolate Cheesecake In a Jar
1/4 tsp caynne powder
1/3 cup chopped bacon
American Stockyard Southern Blues BBQ Sauce

Set to the side 2 Tbsp of the bacon bits. In a food processor whip together the rest of the ingredients. Place in a zip lock bag and set in the fridge to cool. Top the pulled pork in your cups with about 1 Tbsp of American Stockyard Southern Blues BBQ Sauce. Pipe the cooled Chocolate Chili Bacon topping onto the Porky Pies and garnish with the remaining bacon bits.

Coleslaw:

6 cups of your favorite coleslaw
BBQ Sauce

Put about 1 Tbsp of the KC Pitmaster on the pulled pork in the cups. top with the cold coleslaw. Try folding some whipped cream into the coleslaw. It makes it light and fluffy!!!

Original Juan is located at 111 Southwest Boulevard Kansas City, Kan. Call them at (913) 432-5228.