Grilled Cheese fit for a Queen

Every now and then I stumble across some inspiration that gets my gears going... It could be a picture in a magazine, a post by a fellow blogger, or even just a few mismatched words strung together... I am pretty easily inspired.

Well the inspiration for what I am about to share with you was pretty obvious...

I mean, she basically spelled it out for me.

Basically.

But then I took the notion and RAN with it!

I mean I went WILD!

I have been craving Brie cheese lately anyway, so the fact that Food Coma's little sandwiches had Brie cheese in them made it a pretty obvious choice.

And the idea of combining it with strawberries and jam and serving it up grilled cheese style?

Genius.

So I took that inspiration, and combined it with a family recipe from my childhood. Brie en croute with some sort of spicy sweet berry chutney or compote.

Pretty tasty stuff.

So instead I stacked my Brie on top of a huge slice of thick fluffy French bread slathered with Berry Jalapeno compote, then topped the cheese with slices of fresh strawberries.

Then I smacked on another thick slice of bread, fried the whole thing in butter, and as an after thought I threw some mint in it/on it.

Perfection.

One bite and I melted along with the delicious creamy pools of Brie...

So take my word for it: it doesn't matter if you need a delicious brunch idea, a dainty summer lunch, or even an appetizer (or light main course) for dinner... You HAVE to try these!



Grilled Brie and Berries
(Makes 2)



4 thick slices of French bread (about 1 inch or so)
Butter
Brie cheese
Strawberries (I used 4 medium sized strawberries)
Berry Jalapeno compote (or substitute for a berry preserves or compote of your choice. I like the bite the jalapeno gives)
Mint

Turn the broiler on and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, and rip off a sheet of foil.



Slather one side of each bread slice with butter.



Lay two of the slices butter side down in a cold skillet. This is to make the stacking and transferring easier.



Slice your strawberries thinly and layer on top of the bread in the skillet.
**In the pictures I did the compote first, then the Brie, then the strawberries, but before I started grilling I flipped one of the sandwiches over, so the strawberries were on the bottom, and found that this makes it much easier in the long run... So do as I say: not as I did...**



Slice the Brie into thick slices, about 1/2 an inch. Layer on top of the strawberries.



Spread 1 tbsp of the Berry Jalapeno Compote on to the unbuttered side of the remaining slices of bread.




Lay on top of the sandwiches in the skillet (do I need to say buttered side up??). Press firmly down for good measure.



Plop a pat of butter into the pan for good measure and turn the burner on to medium heat.

As the butter melts and sizzles tilt the pan to make sure the butter slides evenly around the two sandwiches.

Cook only until the bottom of the bread is browned. You do NOT want to burn the bread: just get a nice golden delicious crust on it.



Very carefully flip the sandwich over. You may have to slightly reassemble after the flip.

Add another small pat of butter (for good measure, you know?) and cook like you did the other side. I slid mine up against the sides of the pan to stabilize them... The strawberries and the top piece of bread were trying to make a break for it. But I put a stop to that!




When both sides are beautifully golden, transfer to the parchment lined cookie sheet and tent with foil (this is to keep it from burning) and pop in the oven just long enough to melt the cheese, about 1-3 minutes.



Garnish with mint, or if you are feeling daring: lift up the top piece of bread and add a couple of fresh mint leaves right on top of the berries.



Pour yourself an ice cold glass of sweet tea with a couple of mint leaves, take a bite of your decadent grilled cheese fit for a queen (or even a king, perhaps), and smile.

Because it's just that good.



Happy eating!

Pumpkin Donut Holes

A while back I tried a new recipe I had seen floating around the internet from The Craving Chronicles. Pumpking Spice Donut Holes....

Let's just say these things are delicious, maybe even life changing...

Ok, definitely life changing.

I have since made these about 3 or 4 times and even made double to freeze (they froze beautifully, by the way), and every time they have turned out absolutely scrumptious...

You MUST try these.

Perfect for a sleep over, for a fancy brunch with the girls, for a good start to your morning any day of the week ( I mean seriously, pumpkin IS a vegetable after all!).

You will love me for this recipe.

I promise...


So you can hop on over to the original post here and follow her directions, or you can just read on and hear how I did it, as well as tips for freezing extras (if you manage to have any).


Pumpkin Donut Holes
(The recipe below is a double batch of the original with a few minor adjustments. I froze half to use later and boy was I glad I did!)

Preheat oven to 350 Degrees

Sift together the following in a medium sized bowl:
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

In a larger bowl, beat the following until blended:
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup brown sugar
2 egg
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup canned plain 100% pumpkin
1 cup milk

Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until mixed. Do not over mix.

Spray your mini muffin pan with cooking spray and fill each cup 2/3 of the way full. Bake for about 10 minutes.

While the donuts are baking, mix 1 cup white sugar with 3 tablespoons cinnamon. Melt a stick of butter in the microwave in 15 second increments until melted.

When the donuts are done baking, let them cool just enough to handle, then dip each one into the butter, then roll in the sugar.

This double batch yields about 50-60 donut holes. If you don't want this many, you can either freeze half like I do, or do the original recipe amounts, or divide mine in half.

Every time I have made these, the entire plate has been gone in less than an hour... Even when it was just my two year old and me!

If you are like me and you want to freeze half for later, you will bake them for just a few minutes less than your other batches. Then freeze them in the muffin tin for an hour or two. Then simply toss them into a freezer bag and when you are ready to eat them, put them back into a muffin tin and heat for 5 minutes at 350. Then coat them in butter and sugar like you did your fresh batch!

Enjoy!