This is an old favorite Fall appetizer from Bon Appetit...circa 2002. I've made these for Thanksgiving many times. A nice thing is this is totally make-ahead. The shortbread leaves freeze beautifully, and the roulade can be made 2-3 days ahead. The instructions look much more involved than this really is, especially if you read my *Note at the end of the recipe.

Blue Cheese Shortbread Leaves With Cream Cheese Roulade

Serves 10-12

Shortbread Ingredients:
3 1/2 oz. crumbled blue cheese (about 1/2 cup)
3 T. butter, room temp.
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
1/3 cup walnuts, finely chopped

Roulade Ingredients:
1 8-oz. pkg. chilled cream cheese
2/3 cup purchased spiced cranberry-apple chutney (or other favorite chutney)
1/2 cup very thinly sliced green onions

For Shortbread:
Blend blue cheese and butter in processor until creamy. Add flour, cornstarch, salt, and pepper. Using on/off turns, process until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add walnuts and process just until moist clumps form. Gather dough into ball. Flatten into disk. Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 325°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll out dough between sheets of plastic wrap to 1/8- to 1/4-inch thickness. Remove top sheet. Using 2 1/2x1-inch leaf-shaped cookie cutter, cut out leaves. Transfer leaves to prepared baking sheets. Gather dough scraps and reroll; cut out additional leaves. Transfer to prepared baking sheets. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Transfer leaves to rack and cool. (Can be prepared 3 days ahead. Store in airtight container at room temperature.)

For Roulade (See *Note below):
Using rolling pin, flatten cream cheese between sheets of plastic wrap; roll into 10x8-inch rectangle. Remove top sheet of plastic wrap. Spread 1/3 cup chutney atop cream cheese rectangle, leaving 1-inch plain border. Sprinkle chutney with 2 tablespoons green onions. Using plastic as aid and starting at 1 long side, roll up cream cheese, jelly-roll style, into log. Gently press remaining green onions onto roulade. Wrap roulade tightly with plastic. Refrigerate until set, at least 2 hours and up to 2 days.

Place roulade on platter. Surround with shortbread leaves. Top roulade with remaining 1/3 cup chutney and serve.

*Note: You can also just mix the 1/3 cup chutney with the cream cheese, chill well, then form into a log with your hands. Top the log with the remaining chutney and green onion. Another option is I've used an oversized maple leaf cookie cutter such as (6" x 6") as a mold for the cream cheese. Mix the cream cheese with 1/3 cup chutney and press it into the cookie cutter (on the serving plate you'll be using), chill well, lift the cookie cutter straight up from the cold cream cheese, then smooth over with a small knife/spatula, if necessary. Spoon the remaining chutney and green onion over the cream cheese leaf.