Baked Brie & Pear Feuilletés

I have to apologize... my photos in my next couple of posts are going to leave something to be desired. They are from my Easter dinner and I did not get time to snap many photos... just what I could sneak in with my iPhone while serving my family. So, take it from me - even if my photos aren't beautiful, the recipes are delightful. So read on my friends!

If you're ever in need of a quick, but impressive appetizer, make this yummy Baked Brie & Pear Feuilletes (feuilletes is a french term for any appetizer served on puff pastry in case you're wondering). It tastes amazing and comes together really quickly. Assemble and bake when your guests arrive and they will definitely be impressed. 

Are you ready? Here's how easy this is:

Baked Brie & Pear Feuilletes

Recipe adapted from ziplist.com

Ingredients:

• two sheets puff pastry, thawed
• 1 ripe pear, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup pecan halves
• 4 oz brie (with rind on)
• freshly ground black pepper

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Line a large baking tray with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. Roll out the first sheet of puff pastry then place on the baking tray. Repeat with the second piece (should be about 1/4 inch thick). Sprinkle with half the brie, then arrange the pear slices artfully on top. Sprinkle with the pecans and then the remainder of the brie. Top with a bit of fresh ground pepper.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until the puff pastry is golden brown and the cheese is melted, about 15-20 minutes.

Yep, thats it. While your guests are enjoying their first glass of wine, your house will be smelling heavenly while this divine appy bakes up.

Give it a try. Your guests will thank you. :)

This post has been linked up with the Recipe Party over at the Sweet Spot. Head on over to see what other bloggers baked up this week. :)
Happy Baking my Friends!

Beef Wellington

Yum! Yum! Yum! What could be better than delicious beef and veggies wrapped in golden puff pastry? This dish is the ultimate comfort food! Serve with some yummy roasted root veggies and a green salad and you've got yourself a delicious meal. Jamie Oliver really brings it with this recipe!!


As a bonus this recipe is easier than it looks - you use frozen puff pastry to save yourself A LOT of time and you don't even have to precook the beef. I was a bit skeptical about not cooking the beef before wrapping it in the pastry, but it really does cook to perfection. This recipe makes a huge amount though, so if you are not feeding an army, you may want to consider halving the recipe!

Ground Beef Wellington

Recipe from Jamie's Food Revolution

Ingredients:

• 1 medium onion


• 1 carrot


• 1 celery stalk


• 1 potato


• 2 cloves of garlic


• 2 portobello mushrooms (I jused a couple handfuls of button mushrooms because I like them better)


• olive oil


• 4 sprigs of fresh rosemary


• a big handful of frozen peas


• 1 large egg


• 1 lb good quality ground beef


• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper


• all purpose flour, for dusting


• 2 sheets puff pastry, defrosted if frozen

So, this looks like a lot of ingredients, but you will note they are all very basic and budget friendly ingredients, and lots of healthy veggies go into this one. Don't be intimidated by the long list - just dive right in and you'll be able to find most of the ingredients in the fresh produce section of your supermarket.

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Peel and chop the onion, carrot, celery, and potato into 1/4 inch sized dice. Finely grate the garlic. Clean and roughly chop the mushrooms so they're about the same size as your other veggies. Place all veggies into a large frying pan on a medium low heat with 2 lugs of olive oil. Pick the rosemary leaves off the woody stalks, finely chop them and add to the pan. Fry and stir for around 8 minutes or until the vegetables soften and color lightly. Add the frozen peas and cook for another minute.


2. Put the vegetable mixture into a large bowl to cool completely. Crack the egg into a cup and beat it up. Add the ground beef to the bowl with a good pinch of salt and pepper and half the beaten egg. With clean hands, scrunch and mix up well.


3. Lightly dust your clean work surface and rolling pin with flour and lay the puff pastry sheets one on top of the other. Roll out the puff pastry so it is roughly rectangle 12x 16 inches. Dust with flour as you go. Turn your pastry so you have a long edge in front of you and place the ground beef mixture along this edge. Mold it into an even, long sausage shape. Brush he edges of the pastry with a little of the beaten egg. Roll the ground beef up in the pastry until its covered completely. Squeeze the ends together. Dust a large cookie pan with flour and place your Wellington on top. Brush all over with the rest of the beaten egg. Bake in preheated oven for an hour until nice and golden (mine took about an hour and 10 minutes to and hour and 15 minutes).


4. Slice the wellington up into portions at the table. Also tastes good with gravy.

Bon apetit!

Happy Cooking my Friends!