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. 

when i tell people that i am a cook, they naturally assume that i'm eating like a king. and when people come over to our house for dinner and we make them a decadent meal, i often receive comments of disbelief that we eat that way every night. 

well guess what? i surely do not eat like a king every day and daily dinner's at my house look a lot more like a combo of left over food made for others and reheated trader joe's meals. 

even the cook has a busy life and has a hard time getting in tasty, satisfying meals. 

so i try to do the little extra things when i have some down time that will make my meal prepping easier when i'm really in a pinch. 

one of my go to items to have in the house is caramelized onions. they can be added to pasta, burgers, sandwiches, eggs and you get the point. caramelized onions are versatile. they are easy to make ahead and will keep through out the week in the fridge for quick and easy use. 

many people will give you different trips and tricks on how to best caramelize onions, but here is what i think is the easiest way to get the most flavor and bang for your buck. the major key in my mind is the type of onion you select. yellow or brown onions are often lower in price then their white or red friends and they have a higher sugar content so you don't need to add sugar to them to get them to caramelize. 

caramelized onion
serves: about .5 cup caramelized onion
prep time: 1 minute
cook time: 30 minutes
total time: 31 minutes
ingredients: 1 yellow (some stores will call them brown) or spanish onion. 2 tbs olive oil. .5 tsp salt. .25 tsp fresh pepper. 

start by slicing your onion in half, and then cutting it into .25 inch strips. 

add all your ingredients together in a large pan. toss well till the onions are lightly coated with olive oil, salt and pepper. 

now here is the key... patience. 

cook your onions, stirring every few minutes till they are caramelized. this will take 20-30 minutes. 

first they will become translucent. 

then they will start to brown. 

and before you know it, they will be nice and caramelized.

enjoy however you like, but i highly recommend this grilled cheese as a good place to start. 

xo, a

caramelized onion
serves: about .5 cup caramelized onion
prep time: 1 minute
cook time: 30 minutes
total time: 31 minutes
ingredients: 1 yellow (some stores will call them brown) or spanish onion. 2 tbs olive oil. .5 tsp salt. .25 tsp fresh pepper.
start by slicing your onion in half, and then cutting it into .25 inch strips.
add all your ingredients together in a large pan. toss well till the onions are lightly coated with olive oil, salt and pepper.
now here is the key... patience.
cook your onions, stirring every few minutes till they are caramelized. this will take 20-30 minutes.
first they will become translucent.
then they will start to brown.
and before you know it, they will be nice and caramelized.
enjoy however you like, but i highly recommend this grilled cheese as a good place to start.