Cranberry Baked Brie

Cranberry Baked Brie

Ingredients:

1 (16 oz) wheel of Brie Cheese

½ cup brown sugar

½ cup chopped pecans

½ cup craisins

3 Tablespoons brown sugar

3 Tablespoons maple syrup



Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Place chopped pecans on a clean baking sheet and bake until toasted and fragrant.  About 7-10 minutes.

Place cheese on an oven safe dish with sides.  Sprinkle and lightly pat ½ cup brown sugar over it and on the sides.

Bake 15-20 minutes until cheese is soft.

While cheese is baking, In a small sauce pan over medium heat, bring 3 Tbsp brown sugar and 3 Tbsp maple syrup to a boil.

Simmer until foamy, about 1-2 minutes.

After cheese has baked, sprinkle chopped pecans and craisins over the cheese. Drizzle sauce over.

Cauliflower Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons

Cauliflower Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons 

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling

1 head cauliflower, cut into florets

1/2 medium yellow onion, diced

4 cloves garlic. minced

1 teaspoon dried thyme

3 1/2 cups vegetable broth

1/4 cup heavy cream

salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste

2 tablespoons butter

4 slices crusty bread

4 ounces cheddar Cheese, sliced


Directions:

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook onions, garlic and thyme just until onions softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in cauliflower. Pour in 1 1/2 cups of the vegetable brother. Cover and cook cauliflower until fork tender, about 20 minutes.

Pour in remaining vegetable broth. Use an immersion blender to blend until smooth.

Whisk in 1 tablespoon of hot soup into the cream to temper it. Slowly whisk tempered cream into the soup. Reduce heat to low and allow to simmer while you prepare the grilled cheese croutons. The soup will thicken a little bit during this time.

Butter one side of each slice of bread. Place the cheese on the non-buttered side of two slices of bread. Topped with the other slices of bread. Cook in a skillet until bread is golden and cheese is melted. Remove, allow to cool 1 minute and slice into crouton shapes.

Ladle soup into bowls, place a few croutons in the bowl, drizzle with olive oil and more black pepper if desired.