Sunday Small Bites – Brie

I know, I know, I’m a bad small bite contributor – no excuses. But I did make something for today’s ingredient, Brie. Of course there’s the ubiquitous baked brie, which is an easy choice, and because I’m somewhat lazy, I decided on a variation of that.

Brie Tartlets with Grape Relish

1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 (15-oz.) package refrigerated piecrusts
1/2 (8-oz.) Brie round, rind removed
3/4 cup seedless red grapes, chopped
1 green onion, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Garnish: fresh rosemary sprigs

1. Place walnuts in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly toasted and fragrant. Increase oven temperature to 425°.
2. Unroll piecrust on a flat surface. Cut into 24 rounds using a 2-inch round cutter. Press rounds into bottoms of ungreased miniature muffin cups (dough will come slightly up sides, forming a cup). Prick bottom of dough with a fork.
3. Bake at 425° for 6 to 7 minutes or until golden. Remove from pans, and cool on a wire rack 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300°.
4. Meanwhile, cut Brie round into 24 pieces. Stir together grapes and next 4 ingredients.
5. Arrange pastry shells on a baking sheet. Place 1 Brie piece in each pastry cup; sprinkle Brie pieces evenly with toasted walnuts.
6. Bake at 300° for 4 to 6 minutes or just until cheese begins to melt. Top tarts evenly with grape mixture. Garnish, if desired. Serve immediately.
Yield: Makes 8 appetizer servings

This recipe originally came from Southern Living (via www.myrecipes.com) and the only real change I made was that I didn’t have green onion, so I minced red and the nuts didn’t rest easily atop the brie, so I sprinkled them in the shells and placed the brie on top. They were easy to assemble, tasty and if only I could make them ahead of time, they’d be perfect.

Brie Tartlets with Grape Relish

Oh, and apologies again for the crappy quality of the photo. But remember, I’m lazy, too lazy to go upstairs and get my camera, so this shot was taken with my iPhone.