Dan Smith and Steve McDonagh, the hosts of the popular Food Network show, Party Line with The Hearty Boys, offer up a fun entertaining recipe that combines some of the tastiest foods -- ham, cheese, and apples!

Makes 24 pieces

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Pinch cayenne

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled

Sour cream

1/2 pound good quality ham, thinly sliced and torn into 1-by-2-inch pieces

Apple Jam, recipe follows

Flat-leaf parsley, for garnish

Preparation:

1. Put the flour, Cheddar, salt, pepper, sugar, baking powder, and cayenne into the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse a few times to combine. Cut the butter into small bits and add to the flour all at once. Pulse just until the dough begins to come together.

2. Transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead until all the butter is combined. Divide the dough in half and roll each piece into a log roughly 1 1/2 to 2 inches in diameter. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.

3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

4. Slice each log into 1/4-inch rounds (see note). Place the rounds on a baking sheet and bake them in the top half of the oven for 15 - 20 minutes. Remove and let cool 10 minutes before transferring to a rack to cool completely.

5. To assemble the hors d’oeuvre, put a small dollop of sour cream onto each shortbread. Fold a piece of the ham and place it on top of the sour cream. Top with the apple jam and garnish with a parsley leaf.

Go to the next page for the recipe for the accompanying Apple Jam...