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.

Creamy Brie Mac n' Seven Cheese with Toasted Breadcrumb Topping

Creamy Brie Mac n' Seven Cheese with Toasted Breadcrumb Topping

There are a few dishes, in life, that we are constantly searching for "the best" of. I've done it many times, mainly with my chocolate chip cookies, tinkering with it just ever-so-slightly until perfection has been attained. I also do it with southern pimento cheese, fudgy brownies, and mac n' cheese. People rave about Martha Stewart's recipe, but although it was great, it was still missing something. But the other week, I came across this idea to use BRIE in the mac n' cheese. OMG I love Brie. I love it plain, I love it on sandwiches, I probably would eat it off the ground (if no one was watching). So, to toss something so utterly creamy & smooth into mac n' cheese, I just thought it was stunningly brilliant. A simple Béchamel sauce is made, but then is amped up with sharp white cheddar, fontina, havarti, gruyere, + parmesan cheese. That's a full cast of characters, y'all!! Ain't nothing wrong with that. I love this mixture of cheeses because they all are different in taste and texture (or melt factor, as I like to call it). Every single one plays a crucial role in this pasta dish, so don't leave one out... ya'hear. On top, I put some homemade breadcrumbs with butter and garlic. This gives the dish a great contrast of texture as well. All who tried this mac, raved about it. Especially my two year old niece, who can sometimes be picky. So all you mommies out there, this is kid friendly, yay. Anyway, make this now, while it's still super chilly outside and enjoy a big bowl of it by the fire. It'll be the perfect night!! Enjoy :)

creamy brie cheese + toasted breadcrumbs, yum :)

For the Topping:

3T Unsalted Butter

2 Cloves of Garlic, Finely Minced

1 ½C Toasted Bread, Pulsed into Bread Crumbs

For the Béchamel:

4T Unsalted Butter

¼C AP Flour

1C Heavy Cream + 2C Warm Milk

¼t Mustard Powder, Cayenne, Salt, & White Pepper

For the Mac n’ Cheese:

1lb Small Pasta (elbow, corkscrews, shells, etc)

1C Sharp White Cheddar Cheese, Shredded

1C Fontina Cheese, Shredded

1C Havarti Cheese, Shredded

1C Gruyere Cheese, Shredded

6oz Brie Cheese, Rind Removed + Cut into Small Cubes

½C Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a baking dish with nonstick spray.

2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Boil the pasta until al-dente. You want it to have a bit of bite. It will finish cooking in the oven. Drain well.

3. For the Béchamel: While the pasta boils add 3 tablespoons butter to a medium skillet and melt. Add the garlic and sauté 30 seconds then throw in the homemade breadcrumbs and toss to coat.

4. Toast the crumbs for 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently to avoid burning. Once the crumbs are lightly toasted remove form the heat and set aside.

5. In the same pot you boiled the pasta, melt the remaining 4 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let cook/bubble for 1 minute, stirring once or twice to avoid burning. Gradually whisk in the milk and raise the heat up to medium-high. Bring the mixture to a boil, whisking frequently until the sauce has thickened, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in all of the cheese, mustard powder, cayenne, salt and pepper. Stir until the cheese is fully melted. Stir in the pasta and transfer to the prepared baking dish.

6. Evenly sprinkle on the toasted crumbs and place the baking dish on a baking sheet.

7. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until the crumbs are golden brown and the sauce is bubbling. Remove from the heat and let it sit for 5-10 minutes.

Thanksgiving Panini with Roasted Turkey, Sage Aioli, Cranberry Pepper Jelly, + Goat Brie Cheese on Homemade Crusty Pumpkin Bread, Fried in Herbed Compound Butter

Thanksgiving Panini with Roasted Turkey, Sage Aioli, Cranberry Pepper Jelly, + Goat Brie
Cheese on Homemade Crusty Pumpkin Bread, Fried in Herbed Compound Butter

It's officially November, y'all... which means the month of Thanksgiving and giving thanks is upon us!! We all gotta start planning our menu for the big day, but what's better than the day after meal... y'all know what I'm talking about, the leftover sandwiches. Two years ago, I made this Friends-inspired treat and the next year, I went in a crazy direction and whipped up these chicken + waffles with leftover dishes. Oh and don't forget that kick-ass tartine, either!! Now, we've come back full circle and I'm featuring another sandwich, well, a panini to be exact. I didn't want it to be too fussy and loaded like the Moist Maker, but I still wanted a gourmet touch to it, that's for sure. So, I started by making homemade crusty pumpkin bread using pumpkin powder. We absolutely adored this pumpkin bread, it is great for sandwiches, toast, or could be used in sweet recipes as well (I'm thinking some french toast is in order). To make the bread even better, it is fried in herbed compound butter till golden & crispy. Y'all probably already knew that though because that's the only way we like a sandwich around this joint... fried in large amounts of butter. The filling is kept pretty classic with the use of roasted turkey, but then it's even more delicious because of the CHEESE (a.k.a. a tangy, creamy goat brie cheese) and CONDIMENTS (a.k.a homemade sage aioli + cranberry pepper jelly). That fruity sauce is the bomb as far as we're concerned and I loved the Southern twist to it... we love our pepper jelly down here. And that's it, that's all y'all need for a perfectly simple-perfectly haute couture panini, inspired by Thanksgiving. Honestly, we made this sandwich until we ran out of bread, so y'all know we loved it. I know we can't wait to make it the rest of the month... and don't worry, there will be plenty of dishes posted that are perfect for the big day, and day after, all throughout the season!! Enjoy :)

yumm-ooooo

For the Crusty Pumpkin Bread:

5C Bread Flour

1C Pumpkin Powder

1T Salt

3C Water

For the Sage Aioli:

1 Egg Yolk

1t White Vinegar

1 ½t Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice

¼t Dijon Mustard & Sugar

2 Garlic Clove, Minced into a Paste (with a little bit of sea salt)

½t Salt

¾C Canola Oil

1t Fresh Rosemary, Minced

1-2T Fresh Sage (depending on how strong you like it)

For the Cranberry Pepper Jelly:

3 Red Bell Peppers, Finely Chopped

2 Red Habanero Peppers, Seeded & Finely Chopped

1C Sugar

2t Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

½t Salt

¼C Liquid Pectin

1T Fresh Lemon Juice

3C Cranberries

 

For the Thanksgiving Panini:

Prepared Crusty Pumpkin Bread, Cut into Slices + Fried in Herbed Compound Butter

Prepared Sage Aioli

Prepared Cranberry Pepper Jelly

Thinly Shaved Roasted Turkey

Slices of Creamy Goat Brie Cheese

Directions:

1. For the Crusty Pumpkin Bread: In a large bowl, whisk together the bread flour, pumpkin powder, salt, and yeast. Add in the water and stir until you have shaggy dough ball. Cover with plastic wrap and let it sit for 12-18 hours. Once the dough has rested, heat the oven to 450 degrees. After the oven has heated, put a covered pot in and heat for 30 minutes. Remove the pot from the oven and carefully pick up the ball of dough and drop it into the hot pot. Put the lid on the pot and return it to the oven to bake for an hour. After the hour cooking time, take off the lid and bake for another 20-30 minutes until the bread is golden brown. Carefully remove the bread from the pot and let it cool completely before slicing.

2. For the Sage Aioli: Combine the egg yolk, lemon juice, vinegar, mustard, minced garlic, fresh rosemary, fresh sage, and ½t salt in medium bowl. Whisk until blended and bright yellow, about 30 seconds. Using ¼t measuring spoon and whisking constantly, add ¼C of the oil to yolk mixture, a few drops at a time, about 4-5 minutes. Gradually add remaining ½C canola oil in very slow thin stream, whisking constantly, until mayonnaise is thick, about 8-10 minutes (mayonnaise will be lighter in color). Season the mayo with salt, pepper, and sugar to taste. Cover and refrigerate until you are ready to use.

3. For the Cranberry Pepper Jelly: Combine peppers, chiles, sugar, red pepper flakes and salt in a heavy wide pot over medium heat and bring to a simmer, stirring to dissolve sugar. Stir in pectin and lemon juice. Reduce heat and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Stir in cranberries and simmer gently until they burst and juices thicken, about 10 minutes longer. Transfer jelly to a jar, let cool, and cover. It will keep for up to 3 weeks in the refrigerator.

4. Prepping the Grilled Cheese:Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Spread one side of each of the two slices of pumpkin bread with some homemade sage aioli and begin layering with slices of goat Brie cheese, roasted turkey, and a heavy serving of cranberry pepper jelly on top of the bread. Press the sandwich together in order to compress it some.

5. Cooking the Grilled Cheese: Spread one side of the cut bread with some softened, herbed compound butter and place it buttered side down and fry the bread lightly for 3-5 minutes, making sure that all of the cheese has melted and the filling is hot. Flip the sandwich and continue to cook for another few minutes until both sides are well browned, perfectly crispy, & melted. Carefully press the sandwich together to ensure everything has adhered to each other. If you are still concerned about the filling not being hot enough, you can always pop it in the oven to ensure that everything hot and gooey.

6. Sprinkle the sandwich with some minced fresh herbs, cut in half, and enjoy immediately!!

Brie + Dark Chocolate "Biscuit Beignets" with Spicy Cinnamon-Sugar + Homemade Strawberry Preserves

Brie + Dark Chocolate "Biscuit Beignets" with Spicy Cinnamon-Sugar + Homemade Strawberry Preserves

Brie + Doughnuts? Yes, it's true. And they are life-changing. Whowouldathunkit amirite? Well, apparently Brie cheese pairs beautifully with dessert/sweet flavors. I ended up throwin' it together with some dark chocolate, spicy cinnamon, and strawberry preserves. THESE CANNOT BE MISSED. Even better, they have a short cut! What? Who? Where? Wait... What? Yep, I actually can come up with easy recipes, despite every other thing I have ever posted. Instead of making a beignet dough recipe (which I heard can be quite finicky + lengthy), I used a good 'ole can of big store-bought biscuits. They fry up perfectly golden brown, crispy on the outside, and light & fluffy on the inside. It's amazing that something I normally would scoff at, could impress me so much, ya know? However, when something anything stuffed with cheese + chocolate can't taste bad. The Brie cheese starts to burst through the second you bite into it, and then it just slowly drip down your fingers, while the chocolate is quite sneaky and ended up on my t-shirt 1 or 2 times (and by 1 or 2, I mean 9 or 10). Possibly the best part of these beignets, besides the easiness of it, is the spicy cinnamon-sugar. I am a sweet-heat girl and will be till the end of time. So, when I was whipping up some of the spiced sugar mix, I thought that it would be amazing with the addition of cayenne, paprika, + chili powder. Oh it was sooooooo good, it was almost similar to Mexican Chocolate that includes similar spices. It all flowed togetha y'all, dontchouworry. We dipped these puppies into homemade strawberry preserves and it was perfection. But, don't feel tied down to strawberry or any homemade jam for that fact, grab whatever is in your pantry/fridge!! Enjoy :)

For the Spicy Cinnamon Sugar:

¼C Granulated Sugar

1T Cinnamon

¼t Paprika

Pinch of Cayenne & Chili Powder (to taste) 

Big Pinch of Salt (this is optional, but I love the balance)

For the Brie + Chocolate “Biscuit Beignets”:

Peanut Oil, For Frying

1 Can of Store-Bought Extra Large Biscuits (cut each biscuit round in half)

Pieces of Creamy Brie Cheese, Cut into Chunks (about the size of a teaspoon or more)

Bittersweet or Semisweet Chocolate, Roughly Chopped into Small-Medium Pieces

Prepared Spicy Cinnamon Sugar, For Tossing

Homemade Strawberry Preserves, For Dipping (any kind of jam or preserve can be used)

Directions:

1. Preheat the peanut oil in a deep fryer or deep skillet to 350 degrees.

2. For the Spicy Cinnamon Sugar: Mix together all of the ingredients and pour it into a paper bag, for tossing, or leave in the bowl and use a spoon to toss the finished beignets.

3. For the “Biscuit Beignets”: Open up the can of biscuits and cut each biscuit round in half. Using a rolling pin, gently thin and flatten the halves, just so they are slightly larger. Place a rolled half in the palm of your hand, followed by a piece of brie and some chocolate pieces, making sure that you do not over-fill the dough or they will open up when you fry them. Fold the excess dough over the Brie & chocolate, so that they are completely covered & sealed. Roll them slightly to make a nice, small round ball. Place the rolled balls onto a plate and place it in the refrigerator. Repeat the process with the remaining ingredients and continue placing them onto the plate in the refrigerator to keep them cold until everything has been finished.

4. Frying the Beignets: Fry the stuffed beignet balls, in batches, in your preheated oil until they are golden brown, slightly crisp on the outside, but also melty & gooey on the inside, about 1-3 minutes, depending on the heat of your oil or fryer. Once they have browned, quickly remove from the oil, let them drain of excess oil, and drop them into the spicy cinnamon-sugar filled paper bag. Shake the bag or toss them in the sugar mixture until they are evenly, and heavily, coated.

5. For Serving: Place the coated beignets on a serving plate with a bowl of preserves for dipping.

Grilled Brie with Truffle Honey, Roasted Figs, Prosciutto, & Olive Oil Fried Bread

I swear that sometimes I am not a part of my family. It's kind of a running joke that the only groceries that my parents buy are cheese, crackers, and wine. So whenever I go home, I never have anything to eat. First off, I'm lactose intolerant, which means I don't like to eat cheese because I don't feel well. And I'm not too much of a wine drinker, I like the hard, dark stuff that guys drink. I know that probably sounds gross to a bunch of y'all, but I like what I like, okay? Good. Well, that pretty much leaves me with crackers, which does not a meal make. But, my Mountain Man, he could eat cheese and crackers all day. And he wanted a fancy cheese plate with a bunch of other stuff that he could nosh on. And this cheese plate has a bunch of stuff I could actually enjoy. I grilled a wheel of brie cheese, doused in homemade truffle honey, and topped with sweet roasted figs. On the side, I served our plate with thinly sliced prosciutto and bread that had been fried in olive oil. I love that buttery-richness that happens to bread when it's fried. You can eat the cheese by itself or do I what I did, and build a masterpiece and stack every ingredient on top of the bread. It was like a open-faced panini. I love the creamy brie, the chewy figs, salty prosciutto, & sweet truffle-honey in combination together. This would be great for a party or just an easy date night at home with your boy!! Enjoy :)

The Perfect Cheese Plate

Grilled Brie, Truffle Honey, Roasted Figs, Prosciutto, & Fried Bread 

Here's my chalkboard serving platter that would be perfect for parties...

Don't forget your glass of wine :)

For the Roasted Figs:

Fresh Black Mission Figs, Sliced in Half

Olive Oil, For Drizzling

Salt & Pepper, For Sprinkling (optional)

For the Truffle Honey:

16oz High Quality Honey

5-10 Drops of White Truffle Oil (to your preference)

For the Grilled Brie:

1 Small Wheel of Brie Cheese

Prepared Truffle Honey

Roasted Figs

Thinly Sliced Prosciutto

Slices of Fried Olive Oil Bread

Directions:

1. For the Roasted Figs: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and trim the stems off the figs and cut in half. Place them into a dish cut side up. Drizzle with olive oil, salt, & pepper. Place into the oven and roast for 15-20 minutes until they are soft and starting to caramelize. Set them aside while you grill the Brie.
2. For the Truffle Honey: Whisk together the honey and white truffle oil to taste and pour into an airtight container, and then let it sit for 24-48 hours for better flavor. If you want to find store-bought truffle honey that is fine as well.
3. For the Grilled Brie: Preheat a grill until very hot. Carefully place the cheese on the grill and sear until marks appear and the inside starts to melt, about 1-2 minutes on each side. Using a spatula, transfer to a serving platter. Place the Roasted Figs on top and drizzle with the Homemade Truffle Honey. Serve with Prosciutto and Fried Olive Oil Bread.

source: grilled brie.