Cheese!

Apologies for being a lazy, lazy bum. But between running and training to do the 1/2 marathon in March, studying for mid-terms and trying to maintain my sanity by planning a couple dine-out nights with some gal pals it appears I have abandoned many things... namely, my blog :(

But fear not! I will definitely be posting for this month's DB challenge, and I am still live and kicking in the kitchen! I just haven't have any time to post my adventures. And yes, the oven is still a miss... we have to wait until February because the gas guys have to come at the same time as the oven-delivery guys to hook up the gas to the oven (it would kinda be scary to have an un-attached open gas line hanging around the house :x) Anyways, on with this post... I must warn you... I'm very, very rusty...


My sister is a great fan of cheese! I too have a fondness for the curdled, solidified form of milk so my sister and I decided to have a cheese-plate party. Basically it was just her and me sitting around and snacking on various cheeses, we did offer our parents some but my mom was not so keen on the smell of some of the varieties.

Cranberry & Pinenut Honeyed Brie

Ingredients:

- 1 wedge of brie

- 3 tbsp honey

- 2 tbsp clear fruit juice (I used pinapple. You could probably use cranberry or apple, but I'd avoid using something too strong because you want the honey to dominate)

- 1/4 cup pinenuts

- 1/4 cup dried cranberries

Method:

1. Place brie wedge in the center of a square piece of aluminum foil.

2. In a small bowl, mix together the cranberries, pinenuts, honey and juice.

3. Spoon the cranberries and pinenuts onto the top of the brie, trying to ensure that the toppings all fit on the top of the cheese.

4. Gather up the sides of the foil around the brie, making a cup-like pocket for the cheese. Carefully Pour the honey-juice mix overtop of the cheese (make sure it doesn't leak!)

5. Fully wrap the cheese with the foil, bake the cheese at 350 degrees for 8mins.

6. Remove brie from foil, plate and serve with toasted pita wedges, crackers, chips or fruits.

My sister loved the goat cheese. At first, she wasn't very skeptical and actually the smell of the cheese lured her in. She didn't really enjoy the brie, because strangely enough, she said that it didn't taste cheesey enough. Truth-be-told, she was right. The brie had a way more mellow flavor, but a flavor that my mom (who hates pungent foods) actually enjoyed. So, I guess that in buying goat cheese and brie, I balanced the flavors and pleased all! I wonder what cheeses I should try next time?