it is that time of year. winter has fully set in. even here in sunny southern california, rain has been in the forecast for days and i had to wear four layers to yoga this morning. 

we have come to that special time of year when the only real entertaining you do is indoors. we are headed into a few months of cabin weekends in, super bowl parties and cozy nights in by the fire. so we need cozy, warming snacks on the menu. 

i love to set out crostini platters for guests because it is interactive and people get exactly what they want. it creates a really natural place for all my guests to stand around and chat together. plus, it is easy to set and forget and can be customized to the things you and your guest like. 

for this baked brie, i use a mixed berry jam i had made for the holidays and caramelized onions i had on hand to stuff the brie, but you could use any salty/sweet combination. bacon, salted nuts, or some chopped up pieces of prosciutto to sub for the caramelized onions. instead of the berry jam you could sub any of your favorite preserves, some fresh sliced apples or pears or some tasty honey. get creative with the things YOU love. i always garnish the plate with some greens, fresh fruit and toasted or spiced nuts so people can really experiment with every bite. 

baked brie
serves: 8
prep time: 5 minutes
bake time: 35-40 minutes
rest time: 10 minutes
total time: 50-55 mintues
ingredients: small brie wheel (10-14oz). 1 puff pastry sheet, thawed. 3 tablespoons mixed berry jam. 1 caramelized onion. 1 egg. pastry brush. 2 cups arugula. .5 cup pomegranate seeds. sliced baguette. parchment lined baking sheet. 1 tbs flour for dusting. 

start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees f. 

slice your brie wheel in half. 

on one side of the cheese, spread your jam out in an even layer. top with and even layer of caramelized onions and save the rest for crostini add ons. 

place the other half of the wheel back on top and set it aside. 

lightly flour your work surface and lay down your pasty sheet. gently roll it out so it is flat and even. 

place the brie wheel into the center of the pastry sheet and then fold the edges of the sheet up around the wheel. use your fingers to pinch up any open areas, closing up any holes or rough edges.

whisk your egg till lightly beaten and use the pasty brush to lightly cover the puff pasty with egg wash. 

be sparing so the puff pastry doesn't get soggy. 

the puff pastry should still have a bit of a chill to it, if it has warmed to full room temperature, pop it in the fridge for 10 minutes to firm up. 

place the wheel onto a parchment lined baking sheet and bake till golden brown. 35-40 minutes. 

once the puff pastry is golden brown, remove from the oven and allow it to cool for 10 minutes so the cheese has time to harden up a bit. if you cut right into it, the cheese will be too molten and oozy.

serve on a platter with pomegranate, arugula, pistachios, remaining caramelized onions and sliced baguette. 

xo, a

baked brie
serves: 8
prep time: 5 minutes
bake time: 35-40 minutes
rest time: 10 minutes
total time: 50-55 mintues
ingredients: small brie wheel (10-14oz). 1 puff pastry sheet, thawed. 3 tablespoons mixed berry jam. 1 caramelized onion. 1 egg. pastry brush. 2 cups arugula. .5 cup pomegranate seeds. sliced baguette. parchment lined baking sheet. 1 tbs flour for dusting.
start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees f.
slice your brie wheel in half.
on one side of the cheese, spread your jam out in an even layer. top with and even layer of caramelized onions and save the rest for crostini add ons.
place the other half of the wheel back on top and set it aside.
lightly flour your work surface and lay down your pasty sheet. gently roll it out so it is flat and even.
place the brie wheel into the center of the pastry sheet and then fold the edges of the sheet up around the wheel. use your fingers to pinch up any open areas, closing up any holes or rough edges.
whisk your egg till lightly beaten and use the pasty brush to lightly cover the puff pasty with egg wash. be sparing so the puff pastry doesn't get soggy. the puff pastry should still have a bit of a chill to it, if it has warmed to full room temperature, pop it in the fridge for 10 minutes to firm up.
place the wheel onto a parchment lined baking sheet and bake till golden brown. 35-40 minutes.
once the puff pastry is golden brown, remove from the oven and allow it to cool for 10 minutes so the cheese has
ime to harden up a bit. if you cut right into it, the cheese will be too molten and oozy.
serve on a platter with pomegranate, arugula, pistachios, remaining caramelized onions and sliced baguette. 

saturday, wes and i catered our biggest event to date. and let me tell you, prepping and cooking for fifty people is no joke. i'm not sure my kitchen stove will ever be the same. 

we celebrated my uncle's seventieth birthday in fiesta style. complete with salsa bar, homemade mole sauce and of course a piñata. 

every party has been a wonderful learning experience. wes and i get more comfortable and confident as every custom menu is completed. and our self trained asses are learning a ton of tricks with every party in the books. 

one of the things that i learned over the weekend is that this salsa is a wonderful and versatile dish that is PERFECT for a party. because the only real instructions are chop, smash or grill, it is not super time consuming, but you can make a ton at one time. ideal for your next fiesta, or your upcoming labor day/end of summer parties. 

i also learned that wes and i are pretty darn good at this food thing and you should probably hire us for your next party. then i can just make this salsa for you. wink. wink. 

fire roasted tomato salsa
serves: 8 cups (this recipe yields a lot of salsa as it is meant for big parties. if you are making it at home, you could easily half or quarter the recipe with out issue)
prep time: 10 minutes
cook time: 30 minutes
total cook time: 40 minutes
ingredients: 2 lbs roma tomatoes, sliced thick. 2 yellow onions, sliced thick. 1 red onion, sliced thick. 5 garlic cloves, smashed. 1 large jalapeño. 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped. 1 tsp fresh oregano, roughly chopped. 1 tbs brown sugar. 1 tsp cumin. .25 c olive oil. 2 cups chicken stock. 1 tbs salt. .5 tsp pepper. your favorite chips for dipping.

start by heating your grill to a medium high heat. 

in a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, both types of onions and the jalapeño. drizzle everything with the olive oil and season with almost all the salt and pepper, the cumin and the brown sugar. toss everything well to coat. 

head out to your grill. working in batches so that you do not over crowd your grill, place the contents of your bowl onto the grill. place the onions and jalapeño on the hottest part of the grill with your tomatoes on the cooler areas. grill until everything has good grill marks and the onions are cooked. about 4 minutes a side for the tomatoes and about 8 minutes a side for onions and pepper.

when your fruits and veggies (tomatoes are fruits not vegetables) have been grilled, return them to the bowl and take them back to the kitchen. remove the stem and chop up your jalapeño and return it to the bowl. toss your grilled produce with the garlic, oregano and cilantro and add them to a large, heavy pot. 

place the pot on the stove and bring the burner to a medium high heat. start to sauté your ingredients until the contents of the pot begins to sizzle. stir in the remaining salt and pepper and chicken stock. 

bring the liquid to a boil, allow to simmer 5 minutes and remove the pot from the heat. allow the salsa to cool slightly.

when the salsa has cooled a bit, blend everything together with a hand emersion blender or in your blender.

serve at room temperature with your favorite chips or over a delicious enchilada or taco.

xo
a

fire roasted tomato salsa
serves: 8 cups (this recipe yields a lot of salsa as it is meant for big parties. if you are making it at home, you could easily half or quarter the recipe with out issue)
prep time: 10 minutes
cook time: 30 minutes
total cook time: 40 minutes
ingredients: 2 lbs roma tomatoes, sliced thick. 2 yellow onions, sliced thick. 1 red onion, sliced thick. 5 garlic cloves, smashed. 1 large jalapeño. 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped. 1 tsp fresh oregano, roughly chopped. 1 tbs brown sugar. 1 tsp cumin. .25 c olive oil. 2 cups chicken stock. 1 tbs salt. .5 tsp pepper. your favorite chips for dipping.
start by heating your grill to a medium high heat.
in a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, both types of onions and the jalapeño. drizzle everything with the olive oil and season with almost all the salt and pepper, the cumin and the brown sugar. toss everything well to coat.
head out to your grill. working in batches so that you do not over crowd your grill, place the contents of your bowl onto the grill. place the onions and jalapeño on the hottest part of the grill with your tomatoes on the cooler areas. grill until everything has good grill marks and the onions are cooked. about 4 minutes a side for the tomatoes and about 8 minutes a side for onions and pepper.
when your fruits and veggies (tomatoes are fruits not vegetables) have been grilled, return them to the bowl and take them back to the kitchen. remove the stem and chop up your jalapeño and return it to the bowl. toss your grilled produce with the garlic, oregano and cilantro and add them to a large, heavy pot.
place the pot on the stove and bring the burner to a medium high heat. start to sauté your ingredients until the contents of the pot begins to sizzle. stir in the remaining salt and pepper and chicken stock.
bring the liquid to a boil, allow to simmer 5 minutes and remove the pot from the heat. allow the salsa to cool slightly.
when the salsa has cooled a bit, blend everything together with a hand emersion blender or in your blender.
serve at room temperature with your favorite chips or over a delicious enchilada or taco.