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. 

these days, i'm hitting some sort of food store at least seven times in a week. some days, i'm in four or five stores. and at a certain point, it all starts to blur together. so a trip to the farmer's market is always a welcome treat. 

i'm always on the hunt for new food to play with. when i was in barcelona years ago, i remember their large outdoor market being filled to the brim with these dragon fruit. it was really early on in my foodie journey and i had no clue what to do with them. 

fast forward five years to the irvine farmer's market and this little guy. 

but of course, i've never actually used dragon fruit so it took a week of staring at it on my counter before i came up with something good. i needed something to really display the beauty of the fruit. enter deliciously simple cheesecake. together they make the perfect pair. 

dragon fruit cheesecake
serves: 10-12
prep time: 10 minutes
bake time : 45 minutes
total time: 55 minutes
ingredients: 1 dragon fruit. 1 cup all purpose flour. 1 cup finely chopped pecans. .5 cup butter, melted (1 stick). .25 cup packed brown sugar. 1 lb cream cheese (2 8oz packages). 1 cup sugar. 3 eggs. 1 tsp vanilla. parchment paper. spring form baking pan.

start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees. line the bottom of your spring form pan with a round piece of parchment paper. 

in a medium bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, pecans and butter. mix it together until it forms a loose ball. 

place the crust into the spring form pan and spread it along the bottom and about an inch up the side.

poke the crust with a fork and bake it off until lightly golden. about 15 minutes. 

while the crust is baking, combine the cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. mix on a medium speed until creamed together. 

with the mixer on a low speed, add in one egg at a time and then the vanilla. when everything is combined, turn off the mixer.
press all the ingredients down the sides of the bowl, and then mix again until well combined and smooth.

reserve about .25 cups of your cheesecake filling.

half your passion fruit and scoop out the flesh. place it in a blender and puree.

combine the dragon fruit and cream cheese filling in a small bowl. 

too small... 

our your filling into the baked crust. use your dragon fruit cream cheese filling to create your desired pattern. i used a spoon to place 1 inch sized drops around the cake and then used a toothpick to create hearts by swiping the pick through the middle of the circle. when you have your desired design. bake the cake till set, about 30-35 minutes. you will know it is done when the center no longer jiggles. 

allow the cake to cool to room temperature and store in the fridge until you are ready to serve. 

xo, a

dragon fruit cheesecake
serves: 10-12
prep time: 10 minutes
bake time : 45 minutes
total time: 55 minutes
ingredients: 1 dragon fruit. 1 cup all purpose flour. 1 cup finely chopped pecans. .5 cup butter, melted (1 stick). .25 cup packed brown sugar. 1 lb cream cheese (2 8oz packages). 1 cup sugar. 3 eggs. 1 tsp vanilla. parchment paper. spring form baking pan.
start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees. line the bottom of your spring form pan with a round piece of parchment paper.
in a medium bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, pecans and butter. mix it together until it forms a loose ball.
place the crust into the spring form pan and spread it along the bottom and about an inch up the side.
poke the crust with a fork and bake it off until lightly golden. about 15 minutes.
while the crust is baking, combine the cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. mix on a medium speed until creamed together.
with the mixer on a low speed, add in one egg at a time and then the vanilla. when everything is combined, turn off the mixer.
press all the ingredients down the sides of the bowl, and then mix again until well combined and smooth.
reserve about .25 cups of your cheesecake filling. half your passion fruit and scoop out the flesh. place it in a blender and puree. combine the dragon fruit and cream cheese filling in a small bowl.
pour your filling into the baked crust. use your dragon fruit cream cheese filling to create your desired pattern. i used a spoon to place 1 inch sized drops around the cake and then used a toothpick to create hearts by swiping the pick through the middle of the circle. when you have your desired design. bake the cake till set, about 30-35 minutes. you will know it is done when the center no longer jiggles.
allow the cake to cool to room temperature and store in the fridge until you are ready to serve.