Tag Archives: appetizers

Raspberry Chipotle Beef Meatballs

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Filed under appetizers, beef, deep flexipan, meat, Recipe with Demarle Cookware, What's Up in Cecile's Kitchen


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This past Sunday, I hosted a Super Bowl Appetizer cooking class for some of my friends and acquaintances to show off some easy recipes that were delicious, but that could be prepared in advance. Because it is fun to host a Super bowl party or to go to one. What is less fun is to try to get ready, while getting the food ready on time and warm for the guests. I hope that you will try this recipe. It is easy to fix, delicious and actually quite healthy because I am only using lean ground beef. It can also be prepared in advance, even frozen and warmed up right before your guests arrive or right before you are ready to go.

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Ingredients for 6-8 people:

  • 1 pack of lean ground beef ( 1 1/2 lbs),
  • 3/4 cup of bread crumbs,
  • 1/2 tbs of garlic salt,
  • 1/4 tsp of pepper,
  • 1 egg,

Sauce:

  • 2 times 1/4 Maple Chipotle SauceIMG_4579
  • 2 times 1/4 seedless raspberry jam
  1. Place all ingredients in a bowl, or mixer and mix all until you have a well blended mixture.IMG_4475
  2. With a small ice-cream or cookie cutter, scoop small balls and place them into the deep flexipan that you would have already placed on a perforated  sheet. Of course, if you do not have, you can just use a regular cookie sheet that you will line with parchment paper.IMG_4476
  3. Cook them for about 15 minutes.IMG_4482
  4. While they are cooking, mix the raspberry and the maple chipotle sauce.IMG_4481
  5. When the meatballs are done, pour half of the sauce over them and mix well to coat the meatballs.IMG_4483IMG_4484 Put them back into the oven for another 5-10 minutes.IMG_4491
  6. When they come out, pour the other sauce and coat them again before eating them. Enjoy!!!IMG_4492 2

Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!

Raspberry Chipotle Beef Meatballs

  • Servings: 6-8
  • Difficulty: Super Easy
  • Print

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Ingredients for 6-8 people:

  • 1 pack of lean ground beef (  1 1/2 lbs),
  • 3/4 cup of bread crumbs,
  • 1/2 tbs of garlic salt,
  • 1/4 tsp of pepper,
  • 1 egg,

Sauce:

  • 2 times 1/4 Maple Chipotle Sauce
  • 2 times 1/4 seedless raspberry jam
  1. Place all ingredients in a bowl, or mixer and mix all until you have a well blended mixture.
  2. With a small ice-cream or cookie cutter, scoop small balls and place them into the deep flexipan that you would have already placed on a cookie sheet.
  3. Cook them for about 15 minutes. While they are cooking, mix the raspberry and the maple chipotle sauce.
  4. When the meatballs are done, pour half of the sauce over them and mix well to coat the meatballs.
  5. Put them back into the oven for another 5-10 minutes.
  6. When they come out, pour the other sauce and coat them again before eating them. Enjoy!!!

Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!

Barbecue Bacon Wrapped Chicken Bites

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Filed under appetizers, deep flexipan, meat, poultry, Recipe with Demarle Cookware, What's Up in Cecile's Kitchen

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I love, love my cell phone. I love to be able to check on my children, call whenever I can, text, take pictures. I love it all. What I love less, is the ability to browse the internet. A friend told me that she does not like to go on Facebook because she feels that it swallows her, and that can waste hours in what feels only seconds of her time. I think what i like the least is the ability to get on the internet. Once I get there, I get lost either in the clothes, or in the food… and I spend hours, ….. Do you have that problem???

This recipe is just one of them I saw on Pinterest. I just added mon “petit grain” as we say in French because I did not want to use some of the ingredients and was unable to locate the raspberry Chipotle Sauce as suggested.  I added bits here and there and I am also using my Demarle cookware to cook it ( easy to clean, and non-stick). Of course any pan would do. I hope that you will try them. They cook so fast and are deliiiiiciiouss!!!! Yes, not very healthy but delicious!!!!

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Ingredients for about 4-6 people (it is a wide range, but those are so good it is hard to stop at 4 or 5;-)))

  • 2 chicken breasts,
  • 6 bacon strips cut in fourth,
  • 1/3 cup of barbecue sauce,
  • 2-3 tbsp of brown sugar,
  • salt and pepper.
  1. Trim the chicken so that it is cleaned of fat and nerves.IMG_4501
  2. Slice the chicken breast half in its length, then cut each half into small bites of about 1 inch wide ( about 5-6 cut per half).IMG_4502
  3. Season the chicken with salt and pepper.IMG_4503
  4. Then roll each bite within the bacon strip.
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  5. Place the bacon wrapped chicken into the deep flexipan that you would have placed onto a medium perforated sheet.IMG_4506
  6. Pour the barbecue sauce over the top of the bacon and with a brush, brush evenly the barbecue sauce.IMG_4508
  7. Sprinkle the sugar all over the chickenIMG_4510
  8. and bake the chicken for 30 minutes at 400 or until the bacon is crisp and the fat has melted.IMG_4511 You may cook it longer if you need to, but I was happy with the texture after 30 minutes.IMG_4512 2

Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!

Barbecue Bacon Chicken Bites

  • Servings: 4-6
  • Difficulty: Super Easy
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Ingredients for about 4-6 people (it is a wide range, but those are so good it is hard to stop at 4 or 5;-)))

  • 2 chicken breasts,
  • 6 bacon strips cut in fourth,
  • 1/3 cup of barbecue sauce,
  • 2-3 tbsp of brown sugar,
  • salt and pepper.
  1. Trim the chicken so that it is cleaned of fat and nerves.
  2. Slice the chicken breast half in its length, then cut each half into small bites of about 1 inch wide ( about 5-6 cut per half).
  3. Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
  4. Then roll each bite within the bacon strip.
  5. Place the chicken into the deep flexipan.
  6. Pour the barbecue sauce over the top of the bacon and with a brush, brush evenly the barbecue sauce.
  7. Sprinkle the sugar all over the chicken and bake the chicken for 30 minutes at 400 or until the bacon is crisp and the grease has melted.

Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!

Brie Tartlets with Confit Tomatoes

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Filed under appetizers, Fleximolds, mini muffin, Recipe with Demarle Cookware, tartlets

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A friend of mine gave me some baby tomato plants last year, and despite me doing anything this year, they all came back and have given me many tomatoes. Ordinary I would eat the tomatoes off the wine because they are so good, but this particular tomato plant makes tomatoes that are not sweet and so I have to cook them, or accommodate them to eat them. As I was browsing easy vegetables appetizers, I came across a candied tomato recipe from the Power of Family Meal. I changed a few things and here it is:

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Ingredients for 20 medium sized tartlets:

  • 1 box of small baby tomatoes of about 1 pint ( the smaller the better- you really need 20 small tomatoes),
  • 250 gr. or about 10 oz of brie cheese,
  • 1 pie crust,
  • 1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar ( I used the Mediterranean Balsamic with Fig),
  • 2 tbsp of brown sugar.
  • 1/2 tbsp of olive oil.
  • salt and pepper to taste
  1. In a medium saucepan, warm up the oil and when it is sizzling,
  2. Add the tomatoes that you would have cut in half.IMG_2630
  3. Cook them for a minutes or two.IMG_2631
  4. Then add the vinegar and the sugar, a dash of salt and pepper and bring to boil.IMG_2635
  5. Cook for another 1 or 2 minutes. Set aside.
  6. With a cutter, cut the dough to fit the tartlet pan ( you will want to use the medium or the mini muffin pan because the cheese may over flow).
  7. With a shaper, push the dough down. Then with a fork, prick the dough so that the tartlet will stay flat and a pocket will not form at the bottom.
  8. Cut the cheese in 1/2 inch thick slices, then in rectangles of about 1 inch wide.
  9. Squeeze them and place them in each tartlet.
  10. Spoon two halves of tomatoes in each brie tartlets.IMG_2530
  11. Cook the tartlets in the oven at 400 for 15 minutes.
  12. Meanwhile place the saucepan back on the stove to reduce the liquid to about half. When the tartlets are cooked, and removed from the oven, drizzle some of that juice on top of the tartlets and eat ;-))IMG_2645

Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!

Brie Tartlets with Confit Tomatoes

  • Servings: 7-10 people
  • Difficulty: Super easy
  • Print

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Ingredients for 20 medium sized tartlets:

  • 1 box of small baby tomatoes of about 1 pint ( the smaller the better- you really need 20 small tomatoes),
  • 250 gr. or about 10 oz of brie cheese,
  • 1 pie crust,
  • 1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar ( I used the Mediterranean Balsamic with Fig),
  • 2 tbsp of brown sugar.
  • 1/2 tbsp of olive oil.
  • salt and pepper to taste
  1. In a medium saucepan, warm up the oil and when it is sizzling,
  2. Add the tomatoes that you would have cut in half.
  3. Cook them for a minutes or two.
  4. Then add the vinegar and the sugar, a dash of salt and pepper and bring to boil.
  5. Cook for another 1 or 2 minutes. Set aside.
  6. With a cutter, cut the dough to fit the tartlet pan ( you will want to use the medium or the mini muffin pan because the cheese may over flow),
  7. With a shaper, push the dough down. Then with a fork, prick the dough so that the tartlet will stay flat and a pocket will not form at the bottom.
  8. Cut the cheese in 1/2 inch thick slices, then in rectangles of about 1 inch wide. Squeeze them and place them in each tartlet.
  9. Spoon two halves of tomatoes in each brie tartlets.
  10. Cook the tartlets in the oven at 400 for 15 minutes.
  11. Meanwhile place the saucepan back on the stove to reduce the liquid to about half.
  12. When the tartlets are cooked, and removed from the oven, drizzle some of that juice on top of the tartlets and eat ;-))

Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!

Strawberry Bruchetta

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Filed under appetizers, Recipe with Demarle Cookware, silpain, silpat, What's Up in Cecile's Kitchen

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Ahh  Summer, so much vegetables and fruits to eat!! Everything looks delicious, it is really difficult not to purchase all that looks appetizing and that smells so delicious…

I am lucky to live in a location where we have tons of farmers and tons of local produces. Though it is a tad difficult to go to the produce market during the school year, I have enjoyed going these past few weeks. Everything smells so good in that store, that it is very tempting to buy everything that is at your fingertips;-)

Last time I went there, a couple of days ago, I bought a few peaches, a cantaloupe, a few red tomatoes and a gallon of strawberries. Yes, a gallon… That is a lot  I know, but I intended to use them in my morning shakes, eat them for a snack during the day, and give some away. I wanted to give some away to my mother-in-law, but when I went to here house, I saw that she, too, had purchased a gallon of strawberries … so I had to take mine back home and figure out what to do with them before they got spoiled.

Really, what can you do with strawberries?? especially a gallon of strawberries??? Of course you can make fruit salads, jams, tarts, cream, ice-creams and many, many more desserts!

I wanted to use them otherwise than as a dessert so I decided to make a Strawberry Bruchetta. It is actually quite easy to make, fast, inexpensive and it is beautiful to the eyes and your tastebuds;-) You would think that it is too sweet, but the tang of the goat cheese, and the fact that the strawberries are seasoned with vinegar, salt, and pepper, it makes them taste almost unsweetened. It was a delight for me;-) I dare you to try;-)

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Ingredients to make 30-40 individual pieces:

  • 1 French baguette sliced thinly,
  • 1 log of goat cheese at room temperature ( about 6 oz.)
  • 1 pint of fresh strawberries ( use local ones if you can, they taste so much better),
  • 1 tbsp of basil olive oil, I used the Demarle Basil olive oil.
  • 1 tbsp of traditional balsamic vinegar,
  • 1 tbsp of fresh basil chopped.
  1. Slice the baguette thinly, and place it on top of the silpain atop a medium perforated sheet. If you do not have either, place the bread onto a cookie sheet. 
  2. Cook the slices for 5-7 minutes or until they are crisp on both sides.
  3. Meanwhile, prepare the strawberry topping. Chop the strawberries and place them into a medium-sized bowl.
  4. Add 1 tbsp of olive oil, and balsamic vinegar, a dash of salt and of pepper, the chopped basil and mix well.IMG_1828
  5. When the sliced baguette are crispy, remove them from the oven and let them cool down.
  6. Spread the cheese over the baguette.IMG_1827
  7. And spoon a bit of the strawberry mixture atop the cheese. Eat right away;-))) Miam.IMG_1832

Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!

Strawberry Bruchetta

  • Servings: 8-10 people
  • Difficulty: Super easy
  • Print

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Ingredients to make 30-40 individual pieces:

  • 1 French baguette sliced thinly,
  • 1 log of goat cheese at room temperature ( about 6 oz. )
  • 1 pint of fresh strawberries ( use local ones if you can, they taste so much better),
  • 1 tbsp of basil love oil, I used the Demarle Basil olive oil.
  • 1 tbsp of traditional balsamic vinegar,
  • 1 tbsp of fresh basil chopped.
  1. Slice the baguette thinly, and place it on top of the silpain atop a medium perforated sheet. If you do not have either, place the bread onto a cookie sheet.  
  2. Cook the slices for 5-7 minutes, or until they are crisp on both sides.
  3. Meanwhile, prepare the strawberry topping. Chop the strawberries and place them into a medium-sized bowl.
  4. Add 1 tbsp of olive oil, and balsamic vinegar, a dash of salt and of pepper, the chopped basil and mix well.
  5. When the sliced baguette are crispy, remove them from the oven and let them cool down.
  6. Spread the cheese over the baguette.
  7. And spoon a bit of the strawberry mixture atop the cheese.
  8. Eat right away;-))) Miam.

Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!

Spicy Shrimps

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Filed under appetizers, deep flexipan, entree, mini muffin, Recipe with Demarle Cookware, seafood, shrimps, What's Up in Cecile's Kitchen

photo 1This past Thursday, I hosted a Beer Dinner Cooking Class for several members of a beer dinner club. The event was not closed and therefore many other people were able to join in the fun. We had fun, and since many attendees told me that they wished to do that again, I will say that everyone had a good time as well. I hope  you will be able to join in the fun next time.

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I used the Culinary Hub Kitchen downtown to host the event, and divided the kitchen into 6 stations. The attendees were divided into the various stations. Everyone was responsible for one course of the meal to be shared at the end.

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Our “Chefs en Herbes” made the following dishes:

  • Bacon and Parmesan Stuffed Mushrooms
  • Apricot and Gorgonzola tartlets
  • Spicy Shrimps in Wontons Cups
  • Caesar Salad on Croutons Tartlets
  • Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin with a Beer and Balsamic Reduction
  • Maple Roasted Brussels Sprouts
  • Boursin Potato Cupcake
  • And for the finale, we had The Chocolate Marceau with Sliced Strawberries.

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Today i would like to share with you the recipe of “Spicy Shrimps”. The recipe was adapted from The Beeroness.com blog.

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Ingredients to make about 60 bite-size appetizers:

  • 4 tsp of paprika
  • 10 garlic cloves either grated or minced
  • 2 tsp of chili powder
  • 2 tsp of red chili flake
  • 1/4 cup of tomato sauce
  • 1/2 cup of beer ( we used a blond, or light one)
  • 8 tsp of butter
  • 2 tbsp of honey
  • 1 tsp of pepper
  • pinch of salt
  • 2 lbs of raw shrimps, peeled, deveined
  • Olive oil. 
  • a pack of 60 wontons
  • Oil in a vaporizator
  1. Turn the oven to 400.
  2. Peel, and remove the tails of the shrimps. Place the shrimps into a colander and rinse them over running water.
  3. With a paper towel, pat the shrimps dry and place them into a bowl. Add 1 tbsp of olive oil, 1/2 tsp of salt, a dash of pepper and stir well to coat the shrimps.
  4. Place the shrimps onto a large flexipan that you would have placed onto a medium perforated sheet and cook them for 8 minutes at 400.
  5. Meanwhile, place 2 mini muffin pans onto two medium perforated sheets, and place a wonton in each muffin opening. Push the wontons in carefully so that the bottom will be flat, but be careful not to tear the wonton.
  6. Spray olive oil over the wontons. Cook the wontons for 6-8 minutes or until they have become a golden brown.
  7. When they are done, set them aside.
  8. Prepare the sauce for the shrimps.
  9. Melt the butter into a medium-sized saucepan.
  10. When the butter is starting to sizzle add the garlic. Stir and cook for a minute or 2.
  11. Add the other spices, then the tomato sauce and the beer. Mix well. Bring the mixture to boil, and when it has come to boil, turn it down and continue cooking until it reduces to half.
  12. While the sauce is cooking, chop the shrimps very small, and add them to the sauce.
  13. Spoon the spicy shrimps in the wontons cups and eat at once! Yum!!!photo 2

Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!

 

Spanakopita

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Filed under appetizers, Recipe with Demarle Cookware, silpat, vegetables, What's Up in Cecile's Kitchen

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I have always loved spanakopitas. They are so yummy. Yet I will tell you that I never tried to make them because they look so difficult to make. Well, over the holidays I bought a large bag of fresh spinach for my morning smoothies, not really thinking that the bag I purchased would be so much. And since we were going  away for a week I decided I would make some for appetizers for the holidays. I used the recipe from a Costco Cookbook that I adapted to use what i had on hand.

It was really good, and guess what??? It was really not that hard to make. Just needed to be patient.

Ohh and you can fix them in advance and freeze them for later use.

Ingredients for about 30:

  • 15 oz of frozen spinach thawed out, or fresh one that will weigh to 15 oz cooked.
  • 2 eggs
  • 3 cups of feta cheese or 2 cups of feta and 1 cup of ricotta ( will make the spanakopita more
  • 4 scallions chopped very thinly
  • 2 tbsp of the dill/ lemon demarle herb blend
  • 1 clove of garlic pressed
  • 1/2 tsp of ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 salt
  • 1/4 tsp of pepper
  • 1 pack of phillo pastry
  1.  Mix all the ingredients together and set them aside.
  2. Open the filo dough and cut the filo dough into 3 strips. Take one strip out, and roll the other ones back into the plastic so they will stay moist.
  3. Pull apart 2 layers from the stack, keep the other one under a moist paper towel. Either brush some melted butter, or olive oil, or if you have spray some Pam.
  4. Spoon 1 tbsp of the spinach mixture and place it in the corner of the large triangle. Fold the corner where you placed the spinach onto itself  so that it will form a triangle. Continue folding until the filo has been used and the end result looks like a triangle.
  5. repeat all those steps until you have used all the spinach mixture.
  6. Spray the spanakopitas with some butter and cook them into a warm oven for 8-12 minutes at 400. Eat warm.

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Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!

Canadian Bacon and Cheddar Cheese Tartlets

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Filed under appetizers, Fleximolds, Recipe with Demarle Cookware, What's Up in Cecile's Kitchen

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This past Friday, our faculty celebrated the Christmas Season with a progressive dinner. I had a cooking class scheduled at that time so I did not get to go, but I offer to bring some appetizers for them to enjoy. I was thinking to make small quiche lorraine because they are yummy, easy to make and quite quick to fix.

When I finally found the time to fix them, I came to realize that I was missing the main ingredients : BACON. and I could not get some because it was wayyyy to late to go to the store!!!

So i had to adapt and used Canadian Bacon and Cheddar Cheese instead. The result was quite yummy;-)

Ingredients for 45 mini tartlets:

  • 1/2 cup of canadian bacon chopped very small
  • 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese
  • 1/2 cup of heavy cream
  • 1 egg
  • salt, pepper
  • 1 pack of pie crust
  1. Place the mini tartlet on top of a perforated sheet ( it will cook more evenly).
  2. Unroll your roul’pat on your counter and roll out the pie crust.
  3. With a pie crust cutter, cut the crust into small pie shells.photo
  4. Place the pie shells onto the mini tartlet pan and with a shaper, press the pie crust down so that it will take the form of the pan.
  5. With a fork, puncture the pie crust so that a ” bubble” will not form at the bottom when it is baking. Set aside.photo 1
  6. In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients mentioned above and mix well.
  7. Place about 1 tsp of that mixture in each tartlet.photo 2
  8. Cook in a warm oven of 400 for 15 minutes.photo 3
  9. Enjoy!!!photo 4

Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!

  • 1 pack of pie crust

Sheppard Pie Cupcakes or Cupcakes of Hachi Parmentier

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Filed under entree, Fleximolds, Large round mold, meat, octogonal silpat, potato, Recipe with Demarle Cookware, stainless steel cookware, What's Up in Cecile's Kitchen

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One of my children’s favorite food is Hachi Parmentier and I thought that it would be fun to make this dish into cupcakes so that we could easily just pop them into our mouth on any of our family movie night.

What is Hachi parmentier? Hachi parmentier is very similar to Sheppard Pie. It is a dish that layer minced ground beef in between layers of mashed potatoes.

According to Wikipedia, the word “hachis” means a dish in which the ingredients are chopped or minced, from the same root as the English word “hatchet”. The dish “Hachi Parmentier” was named after Antoine-Augustin Parmentier, a French pharmacist, nutritionist, and inventor who, in the late 18th century, was instrumental in the promotion of the potato as an edible crop.

I did not know that about this dish, what i knew is that this dish is one of those easy French comforting  recipe that is quickly made and that makes everyone happy. A bit like a good Mac and Cheese does here in the USA.

It used to be one of my top dish growing up, and I am happy to see that it is the same for my children;-)

There are many recipes of Hachi parmentier outthere, but this one is the traditional one. This recipe is just made from memory of watching my mom.
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Ingredients for 40 mini cupcakes:

  • 1 pack of wontons or 40 wontons wraps
  • 6 medium-sized potatoes,
  • 2 1/2 cup of heavy cream,
  • 1 lb. of lean ground beef,
  • 2 tbsp fresh parsley chopped,
  • 1 medium onion,
  • 1 cup of swiss cheese,
  • 1/8 tsp of garlic salt,
  • 1/16 tsp of pepper,
  • seasoning…

To make the Hachi Parmentier, you will need to make mashed potatoes, you may make them the traditional way cooked in water, or you can cook them in the round mold and save time!!!

  1. Peel the potatoes, dice them in small cubes, place them in the round mold.
  2. Add 1 tsp of water and a dash of salt.
  3. Cover the round mold with the octogonal silpat and microwave for 13-15 minutes.
  4. Empty the potatoes into a bowl and mash the potatoes with a potato press until it is very smooth. Add the warm heavy cream that you would have previously warmed up in the microwave for 2 minutes.
  5. Add the garlic salt, the pepper and stir. Add more salt if you deem it necessary.
  6. Pour the mashed potatoes back into the large round mold again, cover with the octogonal silpat and cook for another 2 minutes to make them fluffy.photo 2
  7. Set aside.Now you need to prepare the beef that will go in the mashed potatoes.
  8. Slice and dice your onion.
  9. Saute your onion in a frying pan in 1 tablespoon of olive oil until golden and translucent.
  10. Stir in the beef and cook it until it turns brown. Add 1/8 teaspoon of pepper, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of fresh parsley ( dry parsley is fine too). Taste and add more seasoning if you think it requires more salt.
  11. Place a wonton wrap into each cupcake hole of the mini muffin tray.photo 1
  12. Spoon about 1 tsp of potato into each wonton.photo
  13. Add 1 tsp of the meat mixture.photo 3
  14. Cover the meat with another teaspoon of mashed potatoes.photo 1
  15. Sprinkle some swiss cheese over each cupcake.
  16. Cook in the oven at 400 for 15 minutes to brown the cheese. Et voila!!!photo 2

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Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!

Brie en Croute

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Filed under appetizers, Recipe with Demarle Cookware, silpat, What's Up in Cecile's Kitchen

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What are your plans for the New Year? Do you spend it with your children, or with friends? In the past few years, my husband and I have gone to several organized parties with friends. The food was good, the company great, but the party needed a bit more “va-va-voum”. The balloons fell down, the kisses were shared, and the dancing ended at 12:30, maybe 1am. Allwas fun, but a bit too much subdo for my taste. I will say that i miss the crazyness of some New Year party I went growing up. I did not go to bed before 4 or 5. Now that is ceclebrating the New Year;-)

What i like, is celebrating the New Year with lots of friends. Everybody is to bring an appetizers and we are together to have fun. Lots of fun!

In the event, that you are doing that, i will share with you an appetizer that is bound to please everyone. It looks great, is appreciated by most people, and is very very easy to make.

Ingredients for 1 brie en croute.

  • 1 brie of about 5 inch wide ( i buy mine from Costco)
  • 1 sheet of puff pastry dough thawed out.
  • raspberry jelly
  • 1/4 cup of toasted almond slices
  • 1 egg beaten with 1 tsp of water to make the egg wash.

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  1. Roll the puff pastry dough out on the roulpat. And roll it out to make it into a square. Place that square on the medium silpat that  you would have placed on a perforated sheet. Set aside.
  2. Place the brie on its side on a cutting board, and with a sharp knife, cut the brie in half in its width.
  3. Place half of the brie in the middle of puff pastry square.
  4. Spoon a few tbsp of the raspberry jelly on that half, and place the other half of the brie on top the first one.
  5. Spoon a few tablespoons of the raspberry jelly on top again.
  6. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of toasted almonds on top of the raspberry.
  7. Take all four corners and gather  them to the  top. Gather the sides of the pastry to the top also. With your fingers, gather the dough together, twist the dough clockwise for a quarter turn and you will have like a knot.
  8. Flatten the knot.
  9. With a pastry brush, brush the egg wash all over the brie en croute.
  10. Cook at 375 for 30 minutes or until the dough id fluffed up and a golden color. Et voila!
  11. Serve with assorted crackers, and sliced green apples.

Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!

Tasty Appetizer: Gorgonzola and Apple Pie

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Filed under appetizers, Fleximolds, Recipe with Demarle Cookware, What's Up in Cecile's Kitchen

My fridge is like Ali Baba’s treasure. They are various left-overs, and many bits and pieces of things : herbs, cheese, sauces, condiments. One of the item is a large piece of Gorgonzola cheese. I love that cheese, but being lactose intolerant, I am slow to eat it. In my previous post, I gave a recipe for a crustless quiche.

Since I had some pie crust left, diced apples and gorgonzola I thought it would make for a fun appetizer. And tasty it was!!! I love pear and gorgonzola, but apple and gorgonzola was great also.

For 30 small tartlets: 1 pack of pie crust ( 2 pie crusts), 2 cups of very very small diced apples, 1/2 cup of gorgonzola crumbled, 1/2 tsp of salt, and 1/4 tsp of freshly ground pepper, 1/4 tsp of cinnamon.

On the roulpat, roll out your dough and with the 2″ cutter, cut out small pie crusts. Place those pie crusts on each opening of the mini tartlet tray. Using the pie shaper, push the dough down. Then use a fork to perforate the dough so that bubbles will not occur. In a large bowl, add the apples and sprinkle the salt and pepper and the cinnamon. Mix well and spoon 1/2 tsp of the apple mixture in all the little pies. Sprinkle some gorgonzola on top of the apples and cook for 13 minutes in a warm oven at 375. C”est tout!!!

Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!