September 28, 2010

Baked Brie w/ Fresh Fruit


 Ingredients

  • 1 11x17" sheet of frozen puff pastry, defrosted
  • 1 13.2 ounce wheel of Brie cheese, about 5 inches
  • 1/4 cup fig, raspberry or apricot jam
  • 1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted*
  • 1 egg, beaten with a splash of water for glaze
  • 1 box water crackers
  • Blueberries
  • Red pears 
  • Apple
Preparation
  1.  Roll out pastry on lightly floured surface to 12-inch square.Remove the top rind from the Brie. This is easiest if you put the cheese in the freezer for 15 to 20 minutes first. 
  2. When the cheese has firmed up, shave off the rind with a sharp paring knife. Discard the rind. 
  3. Spread apricot, fig or raspberry jam on top of the brie.  
  4. Sprinkle with almonds if desired.  
  5. Place the cheese top side down onto the rolled out pastry dough.
  6. Fold pastry on 2 opposite sides over cheese. 
  7. Brush all sides of pastry with glaze. Fold over remaining sides; press seams to seal. Place on cookie sheet SEAM SIDE DOWN.  Brush pastry on all sides with glaze.
  8. Hint to keep the cheese from spilling out:  If the cheese came in a wooden box, simply return it to the box. Otherwise, shape a few layers of aluminum foil into a shallow makeshift pan around the cheese. Crimp the foil at the edges, leaving the top of the Brie exposed.
  9. Cut designs from the dough scraps and decorate the top of the dough, then brush with the egg wash. 
  10. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until golden brown. 

    *Toast nuts in a dry skillet over medium-high heat for 6-7 minutes, stirring or tossing often, just until lightly golden. Remove the toasted nuts from the skillet immediately, as the heat of the skillet will continue to toast the nuts. Cool completely. 
    Alternatively, you can spread the nuts on a baking sheet and toast them in a 350°F oven or toaster oven, stirring once or twice.

    September 27, 2010

    Rib-Eye and Anaheim Chili Quesadillas

    Ingredients

    • Anaheim Chile Vinaigrette
    • 3 large Anaheim chiles, grilled, peeled, seeded and roughly chopped
    • 2 poblanos, roasted and roughly chopped
    • 4 cloves roasted garlic, peeled
    • 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
    • 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
    • 3 tablespoons water
    • 1 tablespoon honey, or more if needed
    • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
    • 3/4 cup canola oil
    • 1/4 cup freshly chopped parsley leaves

    Quesadilla:

    • 12 (6-inch) flour tortillas
    • 1 1/2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese
    • 1 cup cabrales
    • Marinated rib-eye slices, leftover from Rib-Eye Marinated in Garlic, Anaheim Chiles and
    • Fresh Oregano recipe
    • 8 ounces soft goat cheese, crumbled
    • 1 red bell pepper, roasted and sliced
    • 1 Anaheim pepper, roasted and julienned
    • 3 green onions, thinly sliced
    • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
    • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
    • 1 teaspoon ancho chili powder
    • Canola oil
    • Cilantro leaves, for garnish

    Directions

    For the vinaigrette:

    Combine the Anaheim chiles, poblanos, garlic, vinegar, lime juice, a few tablespoons of water, honey and salt and pepper, to taste, in a blender and blend until smooth.

    With the motor running, slowly add the oil until emulsified. Add the parsley and blend 5 seconds longer. (There should be flecks of the parsley in the vinaigrette.)

    For the quesadilla:

    Preheat the grill to medium heat. Place 8 tortillas on a flat surface and evenly divide the Monterey Jack, cabrales, beef, goat cheese, bell pepper, Anaheim pepper and green onion among the tortillas (in that order). Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and sprinkle with Parmesan.

    Stack the tortillas to make 4 (2-layer) tortillas and top each with the remaining tortillas. Combine ancho chili powder and canola oil, and brush the tops of the tortillas. Carefully place on the grill, ancho side down and grill until lightly golden brown, about 2 minutes. Flip the quesadillas over, close the lid of the grill and grill until the bottom of the tortillas are lightly golden brown and the cheese has melted. Remove from the grill to a cutting board. Cut into quarters, top each quarter with some of the vinaigrette and garnish with cilantro leaves. Transfer to a serving platter and serve.

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