Sunday, April 19, 2009

Brie!

Wow, I've been meaning to write this post for so long! But I just got to try out the recipe I had in mind, so it's finally time :) First I need to give a huge THANK YOU to Alex at Ile de France for giving me the opportunity to try their cheese!! I almost went with goat cheese, since I love it so, but decided to go for something i don't get very often--brie. I'm not well-versed in how to discern a high-class brie, but I do know that this was mighty tasty. It had a nice, uniform white rind and a creamy, mild taste. It sure did melt beautifully!! Here's what I have done with it so far...



First up were some amazing grilled cheeses (April is National Grilled Cheese month after all). The first used a nice ciabatta roll with some sliced grilled chicken breast and avocado slices. The brie almost disappeared into the bread, so luscious! I meant to add some dijon or grainy mustard, but forgot when it came time for assembly.



Next was a Black Forest Grilled Cheese (although normally "black forest" conjures images of chocolate and cherries, this name stuck in my head when I came up with it!). For this sandwich I topped a nice russian rye with oats with some brie, deli ham, and spiced sour cherry spread. Holy moly this knocked my socks off!!! The spiced cherry spread was not homemade, but needs to be recreated as soon as it's sour cherry season! The ingredient list included: cherries (both fresh and dried), burgandy wine reduction, ginger, lemon juice and "spices". SO good.



The last recipe I have to share is for a Nutty Quinoa w/Brie, Asparagus & Sundried Tomato Pesto. I wanted something a little different to submit to the Ile de France recipe contest (click for details, you have until the end of the month to submit a recipe!).



Nutty Quinoa w/Brie, Asparagus & Sundried Tomato Pesto
Recipe by Shannon
Serves 1 as a main dish, 2 as a side



Feel free to use more or less asparagus or brie, another spring veggie, or different whole grain in this dish, depending on what you're feeling at the moment (or have in your kitchen)!

1/2 bunch asparagus, trimmed and rinsed
1-2T lemon-flavored olive oil
s/p
1/2c quinoa
1c water
1oz brie, diced
2T Sundried Tomato Pesto, see recipe below

Preheat oven to 450deg. Toss asparagus with oil, salt and pepper, then transfer to baking sheet. Roast asparagus for ~20min, or until desired doneness. Cut asparagus into ~1" pieces (I left some pieces for garnish)

Toast quinoa in a dry pot over low or med-low heat until it begins to pop. Keep an eye on it to prevent burning. Once toasted, add water and continue to cook over med-low heat for ~20min or so. The quinoa is done when you start to see 'tails' separate from mostly clear grains. Fluff quinoa with a fork, then mix in brie, asparagus and pesto. Transfer to serving dish and top with whole asparagus spears, if desired.

Sundried Tomato Pesto
Recipe by Shannon

This can be adjusted to suit your tastes-- I almost included some basil or other seasonings, mushrooms, and parmesan cheese.

10 sundried tomato halves
2T chopped walnuts
2-3T extra virgin olive oil

Pulse tomatoes and walnuts in food processor until crumbly and combined, then drizzle in enough olive oil for the mixture to come together.

39 comments:

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

Quinoa with pesto??? DIVINE!!

Anonymous said...

Mmmm cheese!

Balance, Joy and Delicias! said...

I'm craving cheese badly after reading this post!!!!! :D

Anonymous said...

Brie sounds awesome - I haven't had it in a while! I love the black forest grilled cheese sandwich and the quinoa with brie is a very creative and delicious preparation!

Unknown said...

You know I have yet to try Brie, but your experiences with it have me really keen on it! I sure would love to direct Foodista readers to your blog. Just add your choice of widget and you're all set!

Lauren said...

Yum, yum, & yum! All of the brie applications looks super tasty, Shannon. This is one of my all-time favorite cheeses.

Your sundried tomato pesto sounds awesome!

Ricki said...

Everything sounds so good! And brie is the HH's favorite cheese (I never liked it much anyway. . . but your dishes DO all sound really good!)

Heather said...

mmmm. i love brie! this looks amazing!

Steph (I am Bee) said...

brie! i love it. my stomach hates it. but i eat it anyway. when i skinnier and ate whatever i wanted (ahem, up until this year) my ex and i would just share a wheel for dinner. we would bake it with an assortment of nuts and dried fruits on top and a drizzle of agave nectar. then we'd have assorted crackers and eat away.. so indulgent but so good!

Erica said...

Great usage! Love it best in the grilled cheese though, ALWAYS a classic!

Dewi said...

I'll add more brie. I love it very much you see...
Cheers,
elra

Sharon said...

Mmmmm, everything looks sooo good!!

Reeni said...

Your sandwiches look divine! I love the flavor combos!

Meg said...

What a fabulous quinoa recipe! DELICIOUS!

Esi said...

I love brie! lucky you with free cheese!

Anna said...

April is grilled cheese month?! How did I not know about this!!

Fit Mommy said...

You are so original. Love all kinds of cheese. Will add brie to my next shopping trip. Looks amazing.

The Purple Carrot said...

Yum!! Sounds delicious!

Emily said...

I love cheese so much but rarely get the chance to eat really good cheese.

I didn't know it was Nat'l Grilled Cheese month..guess I should celebrate!

Cate O'Malley said...

Love, love, love brie. Saw a burger on Food Network that was brie, pancetta and roasted pears - yum!

Pam said...

Mmmm. The sandwich looks fantastic - I love brie. The quinoa with pesto sounds hearty and delicious too.

HangryPants said...

National Grilled Cheese Month - that's awesome!!! I have to admit I am not a brie lover, but I love grilled cheese.

Amy said...

mmmm better than plain ol' grilled cheese, that's for sure

Elina said...

Looks awesome. I kind of ODed on brie a few years back, but now I'm totally craving some. Good luck on the contest!

Jersey Girl Cooks said...

Mmnm! I love brie.

Jess said...

I love brie. Your contest recipe looks fantastic, as do the grilled cheese sandwiches. I did not know that this is National Grilled Cheese Month. A great excuse.

Oh She Glows said...

Hey where did you see Bobbi?? At the BM?!

BOBBI McCORMICK said...

Can you meet tomorrow at Sonsie on Newbery street at 12:30 tomorrow??? Email me marie.bobbi@gmail.com

Maria said...

Brie is soooo good! I rarely get to eat it though!

Fitnessista said...

MMM i love brie! thanks for posting the recipes-- everything looks amazing, as usual ;)
have a great night!

Kerstin said...

I love melted brie - now I'm craving a grilled cheese, both of yours look fabulous! Love the quinoa dish too, very creative!

MizFit said...

havent had brie in AGES as well.

Im more a brie-eat-out'er person but perhaps the time has come to TRY fixing it in my domicile?

Unknown said...

This looks so yummy! Have to try...

Finance Foodie said...

Nice meeting you at the Foodbuzz dinner!

Sagan said...

YUM YUM YUM

Looooove cheese :D

Anonymous said...

I love all things cheese!

I'll check out the recipe contest - I didn't have time to give you another shout out on the quinoa - I made a lasagna with it - and it cooked perfectly in my rice cooker!

Thanks again Shannon!!

healthy ashley said...

I love that brand of brie! I use it with caramelized onions for a delicious quesadilla. Mmmm :)

Joanne said...

You are killing me with all of this brie (in a good way)! That grilled cheese looks like it could be on the Food Network! And I love the quinoa dish...you can't go wrong with a whole grain/brie combo.

test it comm said...

Brie would melt so well in a grilled cheese sandwich. It looks great!

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