Easy Holiday Entertaining: Baked Brie

This past Friday night, my friend Maggie had a belated birthday bash.  Since it was a Friday night (and she had just finished her last law school final for the semester), the party was going to be really low-key with holiday cookie and gingerbread house decorating.  Of course, there would also be plenty of food and drinks!  I asked Maggie if I could make anything for the party and she asked if I would bring an appetizer.

Normally, I would have made something on Thursday night and planned ahead but my life has been quite a roller coaster lately.  After cooking dinner on Thursday night, I just didn't have the energy to do anything more.  I did, however, do a quick search online for quick and easy appetizers and baked brie came up on a few of my searches.  Since I had a few sheets of puff pastry in the freezer, I thought this was the best way to go and took one sheet out of the freezer to thaw overnight.

On my way home from work on Friday night, I stopped by Whole Foods to pick up a few additional items, including a jar of Stonewall Kitchen's Red Raspberry Jam and a wheel of brie.

I took the now thawed piece of puff pastry dough and rolled it out on a floured board.  I unwrapped the brie and put it in the center of the puff pastry dough with the rind on.

I topped the brie with the raspberry jam so that it covered the entire top of the cheese at about an inch thick.

I folded the dough up like I was wrapping a gift and made sure that both the brie and jam were covered entirely.

Since I was transporting the baked brie to a party, I wrapped it up in a piece of aluminum foil that I sprayed with cooking spray.  When I got to the party, I "borrowed" an egg, which I whisked up to make a quick egg wash on the puff pastry.  The puff pastry-wrapped brie was put in the oven for about twenty minutes at 425 degrees.  When it was done, the puff pastry had baked wonderfully and the baked brie had a nice golden brown crust.  I served the baked brie with Back to Nature crackers, as I've become a huge fan of Back to Nature since I went to their event at Government Center this past fall.

I've never made baked brie before but it was super easy and looks way more difficult to make in its presentation than it actually is.  The brie turned into a melted gooey slightly-salty spread and the red raspberry jam added both tartness and sweetness to each bite.  As you can tell, people dug into it straight out of the oven and I wasn't quick enough to get a picture before people broke into it.  But you know what? I think that's a pretty nice compliment when people can't wait to try a dish out!

Do you have any easy appetizers that you like to make in a pinch?  Also, voting closes in just a few days for Boston's Best Local Blogger.  It is not too late to vote here!

Celebrating the Holidays with Whole Foods

On Wednesday evening Whole Foods Market on River Street in Cambridge hosted an Affordable Holiday Entertaining Party. Bloggers gathered in the cozy community room where we were treated to spreads of tasty appetizers, wine and beer samples and desserts galore. The tabletops of food were artfully presented, arranged among them festive touches of evergreen boughs and pine cones with pops of red flowers and berries. (Apologies in advance for the mix of lackluster quality iPhone photos. My camera was on her last leg of battery.) Whole Foods employee Sean kicked off the evening with a lively and engaging presentation at the cheese table. Yes, there was an entire table devoted to cheese.The star of the cheese table for me was the goat cheese! It was presented in multiple forms including wheels, logs and dips; demonstrating how you can take advantage of its versatility to create a number of simple appetizers. The wheels offered bites of the creamy and tangy cheese accented with luscious olive oil, encrusted in a light panko bread crumb fry and seasoned with sage. Some of the logs were preserved in their original form, rolled all fancy in chopped nuts, herbs and honey. My favorite of the goat cheese preparations was the dips, paired with fresh baked light and crispy tortilla chips. The roasted tomato and basil was tasty and familiar, yet the Peppadew (pictured) stood out for its unique silky sweetness that finished with just a dash of heat. The plot thickens over at the hors d’oeuvres table where I learned Whole Foods offers prepared trays for purchase by the dozen! ($10 for 1 dozen, $18 for 2 dozen.) Since living in the North End I have become a huge Arancini fan. I enjoyed a sample of the chicken and spinach but was more intrigued by the pea and proscuitto. Traditional arancini is meat(ground beef) and pea coated generously in marinara sauce. Proscuitto offered a twist that pairs nicely in a ball of fried rice and peas. The chicken satay was flavorful complimented with a sweet and sour dipping sauce. The Swedish meat balls and the goat cheese and bacon stuffed mushrooms were a welcome addition to the appetizer spread. I worked my way through the beverage table tasting first the seasonal beer from local Cisco Brewers of Nantucket. Santa’s Beered is a deep reddish brown hoppy ale with scents of pine, and flavors of pepper, nutmeg and cloves. I wished I could have sipped an entire bottle! Various wines were featured, such as $3 bottles(!) of a Chardonnay, a Merlot and a Cabernet Sauvignon from Three Wishes. My favorite though was a sneak peak of a Spanish wine that will soon be sold exclusively at Whole Foods River Street. I enjoyed the always palate pleasing Mionetto Prosecco. All these wines, beer and bubbly are affordable buys at under $10. Can't forget dessert! Vanilla on vanilla and chocolate on chocolate cupcakes with fun snowflake and candied sprinkles.
And a plate full of cheesecakes, of which I tried the vibrant and refreshing Key Lime Pie.The Whole Foods expert staff members were as welcoming and friendly as they were knowledgeable about the products and prices. Thanks to David Remilard the Marketing and Communications manager and his team for an informative evening showcasing delicious samples of holiday food and wines. Oh and for the SWAG bags!Tis the season for holiday entertaining!
.....and shopping. {Above and below photos compliments of Megan.}
Bridget, Megan and I were browsing the vast wine selection after the event when a super sweet Whole Foods staff member offered to take our photo. Don't judge!

Turkey and Spinach Lasagna

I have a confession to make.  I've never made a lasagna before.  I've certainly helped my mother make lasagnas before but I've never made one on my own.  This is probably for several reasons.  While I love lasagna, it is not at the top of my list of pasta dishes that I crave.  Plus, I've lived on my own for so many years and even living with my boyfriend now, a lasagna is just way too much food.  But I'm learning to be better about freezing meals, especially since I've started using a slow cooker this past year.  So I decided to make a healthy turkey and spinach lasagna dish for dinner on Friday night.  Plus, my friend KK was coming over for dinner and I needed to make something soft for dinner since she had just gotten her wisdom teeth out earlier in the week and was still recovering.

After putting in a few unavoidable hours in the office, I headed over to Whole Foods to pick up some ingredients.  I had so many fresh and packaged ingredients that I had to split them into two photos!

To start, I did a little prep work with my fresh ingredients.  I chopped up one yellow onion, minced five cloves of garlic, a few handfuls of basil and a small handful of flat Italian parsley.

I heated up a sauce pan on the stovetop and added a few tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil on medium high heat.  When the pan was hot, I added the chopped onions and cooked them until they were translucent.  I then added the garlic and cooked them for a few minutes before I added about one pound of ground turkey.  I cooked the turkey for about eight minutes - not quite browning it but just cooking it through.

I then added a large can of peeled and crushed tomatoes and gave it a good mix.  When the ingredients were all wet with the tomato puree, I added a can of tomato paste to help thicken up the sauce.  I seasoned the sauce with salt, fresh cracked black pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, and dry oregano.  I lowered the heat and put a lid on the pan and let the sauce simmer.  When the sauce was nearly done, I stirred in the chopped basil and parsley to the sauce and again let it simmer some more.

While the sauce was simmering, I got to work on the other ingredients for my lasagna.  I bought a huge pound box of washed and trimmed spinach.  Although the spinach was pre-washed, I gave them a quick rinse to add some moisture to the leaves and let them air dry..  I put a wok on medium heat and added the spinach in batches of about a quarter pound each.  The water helped the spinach wilt beautifully and I was in love with the vibrant green color of the spinach. 

When the spinach was done cooking, I put them in strainer to help get out some of the excess water.

My final ingredient to the lasagna was probably the easiest.  I took a container of low-fat ricotta cheese and added some leftover grated Parmesan cheese (I'd guess it was a little under a half a cup), one white egg, and fresh cracked black pepper.  I mixed the ingredients together but didn't want to overwork the cheese.

Then came the fun part - putting together the lasagna.  While B was absent in the kitchen during the cooking, he wanted to participate in the actual construction of the lasagna.  First, B gave a 9 x 13 baking dish a nice coating of cooking spray.  On the bottom layer, I added about a third of my turkey red sauce and spread it out for a nice thin layer on the bottom of the dish.  Next, I added the lasagna noodles. Since this was my first attempt at lasagna, I decided to cheat and use the no-bake noodles.  After the noodles, B spread out a thin layer of the ricotta cheese mixture.  This was a bit difficult as the cheese was thick but I reminded him that it didn't need to be perfect!  I added a healthy layer of shredded mozzarella cheese along with a layer of the wilted spinach.  This was the first layer and we repeated this step two more times.  We topped the lasagna with a layer of lasagna noodles, sauce and then a healthy spread of mozzarella cheese along with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese (although this was of the leftover pre-packaged variety since I used all of our fresh grated cheese earlier with the ricotta mixture). 

.
Since KK wasn't coming over for dinner for a few hours, we put the lasagna in the fridge.  Meanwhile, I got to work on a simple salad to accompany our lasagna.  I planned on using half a package of Olivia's Organics 50/50 Blend, which is half baby spinach and half spring mix.  I washed a package of beautiful cherry tomatoes in a variety of colors - red, organge, yellow and even purple.  They were too gorgeous for me to pass up.

About an hour before dinner, I put it in the oven at 350 degrees for an hour. About forty-five minutes into cooking, I realized forgot to cover the lasagna with foil while it was baking. But this ended up being a great mistake because it resulted in a nice crispy top layer. For the last fifteen minutes, the lasagna baked with an aluminum foil that had a nice coat of cooking spray on the side facing the lasagna

When it was actually dinner time, I put the greens and the tomatoes together with half a package of Olivia's Croutons in the Parmesan Pepper seasoning.  B made a dressing for the salad on the side that consisted of white champagne balsamic vinegar, olive oil, garlic powder, oregano and rosemary. 

The dinner was simple, hearty and tasty.  We all had second helpings of both the lasagna and the salad, although about half of the lasagna ended up in the freezer for a lazy day where we don't feel like cooking.  The entire meal was fantastic with a bottle (or two...or three) of red wine. 

We ended the night with a tasty dessert that KK made that consisted of spice cake, shredded carrots, crushed pineapples and nuts - topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.  The cake was so moist and I loved it because it wasn't too sweet.  The best part is that she made this in her slow cooker and I've already bugged her to send me the recipe!

This was my first attempt at cooking a lasagna and I think it was a success.  But with a freezer full of lasagna, I think it will be awhile before I attempt to make it again!  What's your favorite recipe to make lasagna?

Bring The Sexy Back to Salad

I can't take credit for that title. Presenting the Top Chef Season 4 Episode 10 Quickfire Challenge Winning Dish: Spike's Sensual Beef Salad. I didn't become a fan of Bravo's Top Chef until Season 5. In a word: obsessed. If you've been reading you know I now own the official cookbook, and you know Adam requested this dish for dinner last week. Sunday afternoon rolls around, and I have finally gathered all the ingredients required to make this sexy salad. The skirt steak and a few other items were purchased at Whole Foods. I always forget there is one within walking distance over in Beacon Hill.I did adapt this recipe a bit. Here is a list of my own special touches:

1) I did not use a whole pineapple. Can you imagine how long it would take me to peel, core and dice an entire pineapple? I bought a can.
2) I did not buy 1 1/2 lbs of skirt steak, I bought .81 lb a) I was not paying attention b) I didn't need that much anyways.
3) This recipe makes a lot of dressing. Even with the reduced 1/2 a cup, and then 3/4 of that poured into the salad, there was a nice little puddle at the bottom of my bowl. I would recommend to use less of each liquid, or just reduce the dressing longer.
4) Whole Foods and Sprite do not belong in the same sentence. Can we pause for a second: Who thinks to make salad dressing with Sprite? That's just crazy talk. I bought a Maine Root lemon lime soda to substitute. But Adam insisted on Sprite. He ended up running out to grab some. We drank this soda right away instead. To intriguing to just let it sit in the fridge. I thought it was really natural tasting, but didn't compromise on sweetness. I kinda want to try more flavors now.
5) Also pictured: Fish Sauce. Yeah, I had no idea what I looked like either. A nice staff member at Whole Foods helped me find it.
6) 4 Jalapenos?! ummm no. I did buy four. But I only used two. Feel free to use as many as you like but I thought two would satisfy the heat factor just fine.

Spike, How on earth did you create and prepare this salad in 30 minutes? I am thinking this as I'm chopping my bunch of radishes slow and steady so as to not loose a thumb. My oven alone takes 30 minutes to heat to broiling. I am really just in awe of the things these chefs are capable of in the kitchen. I guess that's why they are on TV!
Radishes sliced, fingers intact.
Sliced cucumbers, radishes & pineapple with chopped cilantro and mint leaves. How cool are those salad spoons? My Aunt Cheryl bought those for me a few years back.
The sprite, lime juice, fish sauce and jalapenos are combined in the sauce pan
The liquid gets darker as it boils and then reduces.
WARNING: It not only gets darker, it smells. It smells BAD. Lets just say I was crossing my fingers this concoction was going to taste better than it smelled. But it won the Quickfire Challenge! What is going on?! I knew the god awful odor was the fish sauce. It got into my lungs and then combined with the heat from the jalapenos and whatever the heck happens to sprite when you boil it....felt like I had been tear gassed! (I'm exaggerating, seriously though, it got into my eyes and lungs and made me cough.)
Almost done. I was impressed how close I actually came to 1/2 a cup.

Steaks done.
Am I slicing this correctly?
See, the dressing is definitley water-y. But it also looks like that in the book! In retrospect, I think a lot of that liquid is my excess pineapple juice. Obviously I drained the can. Pineapples are extremely juicy no matter what I think.
I often have issues getting my camera to foucus. It's old and slow. I love it don't get me wrong....
The steak doesn't look like exactally like Spike's, but what are you gonna do.
Full presentation with the mint and cilantro garnish. I am relieved to report, the dressing did not taste at all like it smelled, not a hint of fish sauce. I can totally picture Padma and the guest judge tasting this. It's got that pure originality and "wow" factor they are looking for. Holy Z-I-N-G. This brings the sexy back to salad and then some. It's tangy, it's tart, it blends just right with the sweet juicy pineapple, the crisp watery cucumbers and crunchy radishes. I think this would be best prepared on a hot summer day. Maybe at your next cookout. It's both refreshing and light, and the steak adds another level to make this a filling meal. Definitely pair it with a Sprite or even a lemon lime Maine Root Soda.