Cranberry Pepper Jelly + Goat Cheese Baked Brie Bites

Cranberry Pepper Jelly + Goat Cheese Baked Brie Bites

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, y'all. I can't even contain my excitement, literally. I also have Friendsgiving this weekend, which is a great way to test some of my recipes out before the big show. And speaking of this fabulous holiday, every year I realize that one course is often neglected... the appetizers to nosh on while all the important stuff is still cooking. We normally have some charcuterie out, as well as a plate of different cheeses and crackers, but I think it could really do some sprucing up ya'know? Well, my friend, these are the perfect little bites that people can pick up and go multitask. It combines my recently posted homemade cranberry pepper jelly and it's not only perfect with turkey or on leftover sandwiches, but the condiment is great in this too! If you don't feel like making the cranberry pepper jelly (which is completely understandable), then you can sub in almost any jam... cherry, apricot, peach, etc. But I love the profile of the spicy cranberry component and it perfectly fits the season/holiday. As for the brie... I found a great goat cheese brie that, quite frankly, we have been addicted to lately; however, regular brie works just as well!! We personally don't like the rind (on any cheese for that matter), so we chose to remove it. If you don't mind or prefer it, then leave it on, no worries here. Now all you gotta do is buy some frozen puff pastry at the grocery store and cut it into squares and let the layering begin. You have to make sure that you don't over-stuff the squares, so that it seals properly and all of the fillings don't ooze out every where while baking. We purchased a poptart cutter and used that to seal it, but you can use any shape cutter and that will work just as well, just make sure to use a fork to close up the edges. After that, I brush mine with some egg wash, to help the browning, and sprinkle it with some fleur de sel or raw sugar (depending on if I want something more savory or sweet). Once you bake them, they will puff up gorgeously and turn the most perfect golden brown. I let mine cool just a tad, so that the cheese won't be a melty mess, but they are best served warm. Don't you worry though, they are great at room temperature too. I think these will be a great addition to your upcoming Thanksgiving parties. I mean think about it, it's practically a grown-up poptart, yay!! Enjoy :)

layers of puff pastry, goat cheese brie, + cranberry pepper jelly

using our adorable poptart cutter to make hand-held baked brie bites

place them on a baking sheet and brush with some egg wash 

bake them until they are golden brown and devour all of them immediately

For the Baked Brie Bites:

2 Sheets of Store-Bought Puff Pastry, Thawed & Still Cold

4oz Goat Cheese or Classic Brie, Cold

Homemade Cranberry Pepper Jelly

1 Large Egg, Beaten

Splash of Heavy Cream

Fleur de Sel or Raw Sugar, For Sprinkling

Directions:

1. Prepping the Puff Pastry: All-butter, store bought puff pastry usually comes frozen and folded into thirds. We’re going to use these folded thirds to our advantage.  Cut the puff pastry into thirds along the creases. Cut each panel into four pieces.  They’ll be 2 1/4-inch tall and 3-inches wide. One sheet of puff pastry will yield 12 rectangles. Cut each rectangle in half. You’ll have 24 little rectangles that will create 12 little rectangle pockets.

2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with a silpat. Set this aside.

3. Making the Jelly-Brie Bites: Combine beaten egg and splash of heavy cream. Brush 12 of the small rectangles with egg wash. Place a small sliver of Brie (we like the rind removed, but it can be left on and it’ll still taste great) on top of the egg wash (and stick).  Top with a small spoonful of the homemade cranberry pepper jelly. Take another square of puff pastry and press between your fingers to make the rectangle slightly bigger. Place puff pastry on top of the cheese and jam.  Use a fork to press the edges together or you can use a pop tart cutter like I had.  The egg wash will act as glue. Make sure to seal the edges well by crimping with the fork.  Prick the tops of the pastry lightly with a fork in order to let the steam escape the inside of the pastry. Place the stuffed puff pastry squares onto the prepared baking sheet and brush the tops with some of the egg wash. If you want you can sprinkle with a little fleur de sel (or even some raw sugar for a sweeter pastry).

4. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the pastry has puffed and turned to a beautiful golden brown. Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool slightly before serving. These baked Brie bites taste best warm, but are also fine at room temperature!

source: bite sized baked brie bites.

Homemade Roasted Vegetable + Brown Sugar Chicken Pot Pie wit Cognac Cream Sauce

Homemade Roasted Vegetable + Brown Sugar Chicken Pot Pie wit Cognac Cream Sauce

I have to say this, and I've probably said it before, but I'm not a fan of casseroles of any dish resembling the sort. That really just makes me a food snob, but that's okay. The first step it's admitting you have a problem. And I just do not like casseroles. HOWEVER, I do love Chicken Pot Pie. Homemade Chicken Pot Pie. With my recipe, it is far more in depth that any 'ole classic dish. I start off by rubbing some bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts with a brown sugar compound butter. I love the concept of mixing savory + sweet. It gives the chicken the perfect sweetness and caramelized skin. Also, the meat is perfumed by the brown sugar and adds just the slightly bit of molasses-y goodness to your cream sauce. 

brown sugar roasted chicken breasts.

Then, the filling is stock FULL of lots of roasted veggies like buttered leeks, carrots, celery, shallots, garlic, cubed sweet potatoes, sweet green peas, gourmet mushrooms, and fresh herbs. The creamy gravy or sauce is pretty standard to begin with... using milk, butter, flour, and chicken stock. But all of the ingredients come together and meld beautifully after some cognac and softened cream cheese are melted in. The cognac cooks out, but leaves a wonderful depth of flavor, while the softened cream cheese smoothes and rounds the sauce out, so it feeling like you tasting culinary velvet (if that's even a term). Once your filling is perfectly creamy, add in all of your brown sugar chicken pieces & roasted veggies. Now all you gotta do is pour it all into a prepared casserole dish and lay over some puff pastry (brushed with an egg wash), and just bake it until it is puffy, golden brown, + buttery. Y'all are really going to enjoy this, especially on a cold, rainy day like we have in Atlanta today!! Enjoy :)

puff pastry crust gorgeousness 

For the Brown Sugar Roasted Chicken:

4 Bone-In & Skin-On Chicken Breasts

4T Softened Butter + 2T EVOO

¼C Light Brown Sugar

Salt, Pepper, & Chicken Seasoning (to taste)

For the Chicken Pot Pie:

1 Stick of Unsalted Butter

2 Leeks, Cut in Half & Sliced

3 Large Carrots, Diced

3 Hearts of Celery, Diced

2 Large Shallots, Diced

4 Cloves of Garlic, Minced

1 ½lbs Sweet Potatoes, Peeled & Cut into 1inch Cubes

½C Cognac

2C Chicken Stock + 1C Milk

5C Brown Sugar Roasted Chicken or Leftover Turkey

1C Fresh Sweet Green Peas

1T Fresh Parsley + Fresh Thyme

1t Fresh Sage

8oz Mixed Gourmet Mushrooms, Roasted

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

1 Sheet of Puff Pastry, Thawed

1 Egg Yolk + 1t Water (for the egg wash)

Directions:

1. For the Brown Sugar Roasted Chicken Breasts: In a bowl, mash together the softened butter, olive oil, and brown sugar until a compound butter is formed. Wash and dry the chicken breasts and then toss them rub and coat them with the compound butter until completely covered. Heavily sprinkle the tops of the breasts wit salt, pepper, and chicken seasoning. Roast the chicken breasts in a pan in the oven at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Once they have cooled, remove the skin and pull the chicken into shreds, and then set aside.

2. Reheat the oven to 425 degrees.

3. For the Chicken Pot Pie: In a stockpot, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add in the sliced leeks and cook until softened and translucent. Next, toss in the carrots, celery, shallots, garlic, and diced sweet potatoes. Season with some salt & pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender for about 10-15 minutes. Stir in the cognac, and then add in the flour and cook about 1-2 minutes until it has thickened and a slight roux has formed. Pour in the chicken stock and milk. Stir to combine and bring to a simmer for about 3-5 minutes, mixing until the filling thickens. Add in the pulled chicken, roasted mushrooms, sweet peas, fresh herbs, and seasoning (to taste). Transfer the chicken Pot Pie filling into your preferred serving vessel.

4. When ready to bake, whisk together the egg yolk and 1 teaspoon of water. Cut thawed puff pasty one inch larger in diameter than the chosen serving dish/vessel, and cut out a ½-1″ hole in center for venting. Center cut puff pastry over dish and crimp down around edge of dish to seal. Brush top of pastry with egg wash.

5. Bake in 425°F oven on baking sheet for 10 minutes, then cover lightly with aluminum foil and continue baking for another 30-35 minutes until the filling is bubbling and the pastry is brown and puffy.

6. Scoop into bowls and serve immediately while it is still hot.

Candied Bacon Wrapped Sausages in a Puff Pastry Blanket with Apricot-Mustard & Pomegranate-Ketchup

I love my Candied Bacon Wrapped Sausages, or "pig candy" as we call them. So I knew that I would make those for our Super Bowl party, but at the last minute, I decided that I should shove those suckers into some puff pastry dough and bake them off, turning them into "gourmet pigs n' a blanket". I love that the candied sausages give them some sweetness, which means you can eat them plain without any dipping sauces. And people, don't use that boring ole' croissant dough... you gotta use the good stuff, puff pastry. It is so crisp, flakey, and fluffy. I just love the texture. It can't be beat. Now, you can't serve gourmet pigs n' a blanket with just ketchup and mustard. No no no, that will not work. So I whipped up two sauces, an Apricot-Mustard and a Pomegranate-Ketchup. I feel like you need both at your party because the world consists of two types of people: the mustard-eatin' people and the ketchup-eatin' people. I am of the ketchup-eatin' people. I'm slightly obsessed and will actually eat it plain. I know, don't hate. However, the Mountain Man is a mustard person, strictly mustard. I know, hate him. Anyway, having options for people to chose from is very important in a successful party my friends. So they can go plain or with one of the condiments. We gobbled these pigs down in about 5 minutes flat. We felt like pigs after eating them, no pun intended!! Enjoy :)

Candied Bacon Wrapped Sausages in a Puff Pastry Blanket  

Gourmet Pigs n' a Blanket

Apricot-Mustard and Pomegranate-Ketchup

For the Candied Bacon Wrapped Sausages:

2lb Bacon, Cut into Halves or Thirds

2 Packages of Conecuh Smoked Sausages, Cut into Bite-Size Pieces

2C Brown Sugar

2T Cajun Seasoning

2t Paprika, Dry Mustard, & Pepper

½t Garlic Salt, Cayenne, & Cinnamon

For the Sausages in a Puff Pastry Blanket:

Prepared Candied Bacon Wrapped Sausages, Cooked

1 Large Egg

1T Water

AP Flour (for the work surface)

1 Box of Frozen Puff Pastry, Thawed

Sesame or Poppy Seeds, For Topping

For the Apricot-Mustard:

1C Apricot Preserves

¼C Apple Cider Vinegar

3T Coarse Grainy Mustard

For the Pomegranate-Ketchup:

1C Ketchup

¼C Pomegranate Molasses

Directions:

1. To Make the Candied Bacon Wrapped Sausages: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and cover a baking sheet with tin foil and spray with pam. Cut the bacon into halves or thirds and wrap each strip around the sausage pieces. Place the wrapped sausages onto wooden skewers. In a mixing bowl, combine the brown sugar and seasonings. Roll the bacon wrapped sausages into the sugar-seasoning mix until well coated. Arrange them onto the prepared baking sheet and sprinkle with more sugar. Bake for 30 minutes until the bacon is crisp, the sausage is warm, and the brown sugar is caramelized, and then flip the sausage over, sprinkle with more brown sugar, and bake for another 15-20 minutes until the other side has caramelized as well. Let the sausages cool enough to handle and remove the toothpicks.
2. For the Sausages in a Puff Pastry Blanket: Heat the oven to 450 degrees. On a lightly floured work surface, working with one sheet of puff pastry at a time, roll into a 14x11inch rectangle. Cut lengthwise into seven 1 ½inch wide strips. Cut each strip crosswise into 4 rectangles, each about 3 ½inches long. In a small bowl, beat together the egg and water, and set it aside. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Place a cooled candied bacon wrapped sausage on the narrow end of one piece of pastry. Roll to enclose, brushing with some of the beaten egg to adhere. Transfer them to the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining sausages. Brush the tops of the puff pastry with egg wash and sprinkle with seeds.
3. Bake the sausages in a blanket until puffed & golden, about 20 minutes. Let them cool briefly before serving with the apricot-mustard and pomegranate-ketchup.
4. For the Apricot-Mustard: Combine the apricot preserves, vinegar, and mustard in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring often. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Let cool to room temperature before serving.
5. For the Pomegranate-Ketchup: In a small bowl, mix together the ketchup and pomegranate molasses until incorporated.