Baked Brie & Pear Feuilletés

I have to apologize... my photos in my next couple of posts are going to leave something to be desired. They are from my Easter dinner and I did not get time to snap many photos... just what I could sneak in with my iPhone while serving my family. So, take it from me - even if my photos aren't beautiful, the recipes are delightful. So read on my friends!

If you're ever in need of a quick, but impressive appetizer, make this yummy Baked Brie & Pear Feuilletes (feuilletes is a french term for any appetizer served on puff pastry in case you're wondering). It tastes amazing and comes together really quickly. Assemble and bake when your guests arrive and they will definitely be impressed. 

Are you ready? Here's how easy this is:

Baked Brie & Pear Feuilletes

Recipe adapted from ziplist.com

Ingredients:

• two sheets puff pastry, thawed
• 1 ripe pear, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup pecan halves
• 4 oz brie (with rind on)
• freshly ground black pepper

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Line a large baking tray with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. Roll out the first sheet of puff pastry then place on the baking tray. Repeat with the second piece (should be about 1/4 inch thick). Sprinkle with half the brie, then arrange the pear slices artfully on top. Sprinkle with the pecans and then the remainder of the brie. Top with a bit of fresh ground pepper.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until the puff pastry is golden brown and the cheese is melted, about 15-20 minutes.

Yep, thats it. While your guests are enjoying their first glass of wine, your house will be smelling heavenly while this divine appy bakes up.

Give it a try. Your guests will thank you. :)

This post has been linked up with the Recipe Party over at the Sweet Spot. Head on over to see what other bloggers baked up this week. :)
Happy Baking my Friends!

On the 2nd Day of Christmas... Chutney Baked Brie

No holiday dinner is complete without a delicious appetizer; something hot, rich and delicious to nibble on while waiting for the turkey to come out of the oven and the gravy to be made. I found this fantastic recipe for baked brie that is quick and tastes amazing. Serve this baked brie with fresh baguette slices or some yummy crackers and you're set. Your guests will love how beautiful the brie looks when its plated and you will love how quickly it comes together.


For best results on this recipe, use a high quality curry powder that packs a bit of spice to it. I used some fabulous curry powder given to me by a wonderful woman who toasts and grinds her own amazing spice blends! It really does make all the difference to use good quality curry powder though - it actually smells and tastes different than the stuff you buy in the grocery store.

Chutney Baked Brie

Recipe from Allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

• 1 - 2.2lb wheel of double creme brie
• 2 tsp good quality curry powder
• 1 - 12oz jar mango chutney
• 1 cup chopped cashews
• 1 french baguette, sliced
• assorted crackers

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Sprinkle curry powder over top and sides of brie and massage into rind to thoroughly coat the cheese. Place brie wheel in a large pie plate or other oven-proof dish. Spread a generous layer of chutney on top of the cheese wheel. Evenly sprinkle with cashews.
3. Bake 15 minutes in preheated oven, or until cashews are golden brown and cheese is melty. Serve with baguette slices and crackers.

I hope this recipe inspires you to try something new for your Christmas menu this year! Your guests will enjoy it and you will love that this appetizer doesn't take hours in the kitchen or oodles of patience - it is not a finicky recipe (because who has time for that at Christmas-time right?!).

Stay tuned for the 3rd day of Christmas recipe - you can look forward to a second appetizer recipe for your family and friends to nibble on while you finish making dinner! You might be thinking: "I have enough to do already, why make an appetizer?". Well I'll tell you why you want to throw together a couple of easy appy's for your guests. When you have easy, low-stress appetizer recipes, you can toss them together and serve them to your guests about 1-2 hours before dinner is ready. This will keep them occupied and satisfied while you put the finishing touches on dinner - without your "starving" guests hovering around asking when dinner will be ready!! ;)

Happy Cooking my Friends!

Phyllo Wrapped Baked Brie

Tonight I watched Julie & Julia for the first time!! It was SO GOOD! I was laughing and teary-eyed multiple times while watching the movie and there were so many scenes I could identify with (other than being a famous blogger that is! haha). If you haven't seen it, I would highly recommend it. My point is, I'm feeling utterly and absolutely inspired and excited to write a post tonight.

Just over a month ago I was trying to plan out a Thanksgiving dinner menu when I saw a blog post by a wonderful blogger who I have mentioned before - Jen from Food & Whine - it was brilliant - a Thanksgiving recipe round up. What a fabulous idea. I found this recipe for Phyllo Wrapped Baked Brie on her blog and was bound and determined to try it out. Working with phyllo pastry can be tricky, but if you follow the instructions and cover the pastry with a damp tea towel while until you're ready to use it, it really isn't that bad!

Funny story though about making this baked brie! So my plan was alllll good when I wrote it out on paper a couple weeks before thanksgiving. So good that I neglected to rememer that I would already be using my oven to cook the turkey while I was supposed to use the oven to also bake my brie... uh oh!!! hello crisis! Hubby saved the day with the toaster oven (which I've never actually used!) and boy did it do the trick and it didn't take long at all! Moral of the story - never underestimate hubby's creativity and inventiveness when solving a problem and consider the appliances required for each recipe you have planned! Coordination is KEY!

Phyllo Wrapped Baked Brie

Recipe from Food & Whine

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup apricot preserves
• 1/2 lb wheel brie or camembert cheese
• 10-12 sheets phyllo pastry, thawed
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• fresh dill weed, optional for garnish
• pears, sliced, optional for garnish (and for dipping in the delicious melty cheese!)

Method:

1. Spread the preserves on top of the brie.
2. Wrap the brie in the phyllo pastry, one sheet at a time, brushing each sheet with the melted butter.
3. Turn cheese over after applying each sheet of phyllo for even distribution.
4. Brush phyllo wrapped baked brie with butter. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Right before serving, place phyllo-wrapped cheese in shallow baking dish. Bake in 425F oven 8-12 minutes or until golden. Watch it carefully - once phyllo starts to change colour, it can burn quickly! Let stand 10 minutes. Garnish with dill weed and sliced pears. Serve with yummy crackers and fruit.

Seems like we have an appetizer theme going this weekend! This recipe was fun to make and definitely well received by our thanksgiving guests. I trust you are enjoying your weekend as much as I am! Tomorrow is time to work on the November Daring Bakers Challenge! Its a surprise - check my post on November 27th to find out what delicious shenannigans are going down this month with the DBs!!

Happy Cooking my Friends!