brie

Baked Brie

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Simple Sensations: Baked Brie!  I typically serve this as an appetizer, with French preserves and almonds on top, but it also makes a wonderful dessert with a light fruity wine. 

BAKED BRIE

Ingredients:

14 ounce wheel of Brie*

1/4 cup apricot preserves 

2 tablespoons almonds, sliced

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional

* Camembert is a milder substitute. 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325°. Remove Brie wheel from package and slice off the top surface of the rind. Place the wheel in a small oven-proof dish. Lightly score the cheese. Spread the apricot preserves over the exposed cheese surface. Sprinkle with almonds. Pour the butter over all. Garnish with red pepper flakes on top. Bake the Brie uncovered for 15-20 minutes until the cheese is soft and heated through. Serve in the same dish to keep it warm. 

Sliced fruit, deli crackers, and crusty baguettes make a nice compliment to the rich, creamy flavor. 

Hot Honey Cheese Snack

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Fabulous Fixings: Hot Honey Cheese Snack! I think by now you can see I have an addiction to spicy foods. Close your eyes and imagine me jumping for joy when I discovered my favorite source of natural honey infused with scotch bonnet and habanero peppers. Talk about fiery and sweet! The cheese actually acts as a coolant so no one goes running from the room with their mouth on fire. Trust me. Would I lead you down the orchard path to simply get stung?!?

HOT HONEY CHEESE SNACK

Ingredients:

8 ounces Brie cheese

2 ounces hot honey

Red pepper flakes, for garnish

Dried oregano, for garnish

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°. Unwrap Brie and place in a small ovenproof crock or baking dish. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until cheese is melted and gooey. Drizzle with hot honey, red pepper flakes, and dried oregano. Serve immediately with baguette slices and nut mixture. 

Raspberry Pistachio Brie

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Bright Ideas: Raspberry Pistachio Brie! If you need a reason to make an appetizer, read on. It works beautifully as Brie for brunch, a romantic “date night” for two, or a festive dessert while sipping on espresso. Think about it. The cheese itself is so creamy, with a slight robust flavor. The skin can be chewy. Either you like it or you don’t. The raspberry jam has a remarkable sweetness that pairs well with the nuttiness of pistachios. Everyone wins.

RASPBERRY PISTACHIO BRIE

Ingredients:

8-ounce wheel of Brie cheese

1 tablespoon sea salt butter, softened

1/4 cup raspberry jam

1/4 cup pistachios, roughly chopped

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°. Unwrap the Brie wheel. Lightly score the top so the skin can absorb the ingredients. Transfer the wheel to an ovenproof dish. Spread the sea salt butter over the top of the cheese. Layer with dollops of raspberry jam. Sprinkle with chopped pistachios. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and gooey. Remove baked Brie from the oven. Serve warm with slices of lightly buttered baguette toast.

Tapas Temptations

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Time To Eat: Tapas Temptations! Try something new and different the next time you feel like grazing on small plates. You can call it “Happy Hour” or “Appetizers” with a popular twist. You won’t get full because these bite-size snacks tend to keep the conversation going, especially with chilled wines. I’ve discovered baking a frozen baguette actually improves the finished product. The outer crust turns crispy, leaving the center to be soft and chewy. Now we’re talking bakery fresh results. For the perfect balance in a tapas party, think warm cheese, cold meat, savory veggies, and crusty bread.

TAPAS TEMPTATIONS

Ingredients:

7-ounce wheel of Brie cheese

1 tablespoon Tupelo honey

1 tablespoon blueberry jam

1/4 cup fresh blackberries

6-ounce demi baguette, frozen

2 tablespoons sea salt butter

1 teaspoon dried oregano

2 Roma tomatoes, chopped

1/4 cup mozzarella cheese, finely shredded

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/8 teaspoon basil

1/8 teaspoon marjoram

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

2.5 ounces mild Genoa salami, sliced

Fresh sprigs of thyme, for garnish

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°. Cut the rind off the top of the wheel of Brie. Place cheese wheel in a baking dish. Drizzle Tupelo honey over the top. Add the blueberry jam. Place fresh blackberries over jam. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the cheese has completely melted. Remove from oven. Place on a serving tray. Increase oven temperature to 400°. Place the frozen demi baguette on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Bake 10 minutes. Remove from oven and slice into servings. Spread sea salt butter over the slices; top with dried oregano. Arrange on a plate. For the tomato relish, combine chopped tomatoes and mozzarella cheese. Drizzle with olive oil; sprinkle with basil, marjoram, and garlic powder. Gently mix to combine ingredients. Transfer to a serving dish. Arrange Genoa salami on another plate. Garnish tapas platter with fresh thyme. Serve.

Raspberry Pistachio Brie

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Bright Ideas: Raspberry Pistachio Brie! If you need a reason to make an appetizer, read on. It works beautifully as Brie for brunch, a romantic “date night” for two, or a festive dessert while sipping on espresso. Think about it. The cheese itself is so creamy, with a slight robust flavor. The skin can be chewy. Either you like it or you don’t. The raspberry jam has a remarkable sweetness that pairs well with the nuttiness of pistachios. Everyone wins.

RASPBERRY PISTACHIO BRIE

Ingredients:

8-ounce wheel of Brie cheese

1 tablespoon sea salt butter, softened

1/4 cup raspberry jam

1/4 cup pistachios, roughly chopped

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°. Unwrap the Brie wheel. Lightly score the top so the skin can absorb the ingredients. Transfer the wheel to an ovenproof dish. Spread the sea salt butter over the top of the cheese. Layer with dollops of raspberry jam. Sprinkle with chopped pistachios. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and gooey. Remove baked Brie from the oven. Serve warm with slices of lightly buttered baguette toast.

Xmas Pear Pupus

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Enjoyable Eats: Xmas Pear Pupus! A popular Polynesian appetizer, served hot or cold, comes from the Hawaiian word “pūpū”. It can be anything from a buffet table of skewered meat, tempura veggies, raw fish, and other finger foods to simple cold trays of tropical fruits, deviled eggs, edamame, and smoked salmon. Remember to make everything bite-size when planning an informal gathering. Because pear trees live such a long time, their fruit is very symbolic during the holiday season. The pear often represents immortality, wisdom, and health; a treat fit for royalty. By creating a pear pupu platter, you’re giving your guests a gift of intangibles they may treasure for years to come. Get the conversation started. Serve freshly sliced ripe pears and cinnamon dusted pear chips with a wheel of warm Brie. How festive!

XMAS PEAR PUPUS

Ingredients:

2 pears, thinly sliced for baking

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 wheel Brie cheese, warmed

2 tablespoons cranberry relish

2 tablespoons sugared pecans

2 pears, cut into wedges for eating

Instructions:

Cinnamon Dusted Pear Chips must be made in advance. Preheat oven to 225°. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine sugar and cinnamon. Pat dry sliced pears. Place them on the parchment paper in a single layer. Dust with cinnamon-sugar mixture. Bake 3 hours until dried and crisp. Allow to cool on a wire rack.

For Pear Pupus, warm a wheel of Brie cheese in a 350°oven for 5-10 minutes to soften. Spread cranberry relish over top. Sprinkle with sugared pecans and chopped pears. Serve with pear wedges and cinnamon dusted pear chips.

Thyme for Brie

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Sunshine Eats: Thyme for Brie! Serving baked cheese is always a good idea, in my book. It’s like granting permission to have an appetizer as a meal, plus you get to eat with your fingers. By adding fresh herbs and natural honey, suddenly cheese becomes an elegant appetizer that even has men succumbing to its allure and gooey texture. Grab a bottle of wine or sparkling beverage, ease onto the back porch, and watch the sun sink into the shadowy horizon.

THYME FOR BRIE

Ingredients:

1 wheel of Brie

2 tablespoons Savannah Bee raw acacia honey*, or natural honey

4-5 sprigs of fresh thyme

Sea salt crackers

Crispy Parmesan cheese rounds

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a nonstick ovenproof dish with nonstick oil. Slice the rind off the top of the wheel of Brie. Place the wheel in the dish with skin side down. Drizzle acacia honey over the top of the Brie. Place fresh thyme over honey. Bake for 10-12 minutes until cheese is gooey and completely melted. Serve immediately with any assortment of crackers.

*I receive no recompense for recommending Savannah Bee raw acacia honey.

Xmas Pear Pupus

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Enjoyable Eats: Xmas Pear Pupus! A popular Polynesian appetizer, served hot or cold, comes from the Hawaiian word “pūpū”. It can be anything from a buffet table of skewered meat, tempura veggies, raw fish, and other finger foods to simple cold trays of tropical fruits, deviled eggs, edamame, and smoked salmon. Remember to make everything bite-size when planning an informal gathering. Because pear trees live such a long time, their fruit is very symbolic during the holiday season. The pear often represents immortality, wisdom, and health; a treat fit for royalty. By creating a pear pupu platter, you’re giving your guests a gift of intangibles they may treasure for years to come. Get the conversation started. Serve freshly sliced ripe pears and cinnamon dusted pear chips with a wheel of warm Brie. How festive!

XMAS PEAR PUPUS

Ingredients:

2 pears, thinly sliced for baking

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 wheel Brie cheese, warmed

2 tablespoons cranberry relish

2 tablespoons sugared pecans

2 pears, cut into wedges for eating

Instructions:

Cinnamon Dusted Pear Chips must be made in advance. Preheat oven to 225°. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine sugar and cinnamon. Pat dry sliced pears. Place them on the parchment paper in a single layer. Dust with cinnamon-sugar mixture. Bake 3 hours until dried and crisp. Allow to cool on a wire rack.

For Pear Pupus, warm a wheel of Brie cheese in a 350°oven for 5-10 minutes to soften. Spread cranberry relish over top. Sprinkle with sugared pecans and chopped pears. Serve with pear wedges and cinnamon dusted pear chips.

“XINGZI” Apricot and Fruit Tarts

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Appetizers to Desserts: “Xingzi” Apricot and Fruit Tarts! Three bites. That’s all. Three bites. Someone once told me portion control is all about savoring the taste. I agree. Discover a guilt-free way to float through the holiday parties. When you are asked to bring a dish to share, mini tarts can be prepared in a few minutes leaving you plenty of time for a rejuvenating bubble bath. These adorable sweet and savory tarts are exactly three bites. Put them to the test.

“XINGZI” APRICOT CAMEMBERT TARTS

Ingredients:

15-count package Mini Fillo Shells, thawed

1/4 cup apricot jam; or assorted flavors

Wheel of Brie or Camembert cheese

1 teaspoon almonds, finely chopped

1 teaspoon pecans, finely chopped

1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Blueberries for garnish

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°. Place the Fillo shells into a mini muffin tin. Remove skin from cheese. Discard. Cut the Brie or Camembert cheese into a small cube to place into the bottom of each Fillo shell. Gently drop a dollop of jam on top of each cube of cheese. Sprinkle with finely chopped nuts, red pepper flakes, or a blueberry. Bake for 10-15 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and the jam begins to caramelize. Remove from oven and serve at room temperature.