Baked Brie & Best Buddies

I have come to terms with the fact that I am just an average girl. I'm not really superb at anything. I'm pretty mediocre. At best I'm "proficient." I'm good at being stubborn and mildly competitive. However I think I'm pretty good at rockin at being average. What I am is lucky. Lucky that what I do have is above average friends who despite my quirks, my neurotic need to analyze and scrutinize, love me anyways.

I guess I say this, because if you really are interested in your well being, losing weight, getting healthy, whatever it may be. You have to have a strong and line of support. It begins with yourself. It begins with realizing God is ever present and will be in every fiber of your being. It extends to your friends, family, coworkers, even down to how you treat the barista at your local coffee hangout. Why? Because most people are more fragile then they'd like to admit. I don't buy into the "I'm emotionally constipated because I'm a guy" nonsense. People express themselves and require affection in different ways, nonetheless they need it somehow. So before you do anything, ask yourself, who is there for you?

This tangent was based on a request for the baked brie recipe. This recipe isn't spotted but rather poached from one of my best friends Allyson . She taught me this simple recipe and ever since I've claimed it as my own and it had been a hit at parties, late night snacks to sober up. Or even as a romantic appetizer for two at dinner. The key, is really good bread and really good rum. To not screw this up as I've done only once, make sure the oven is actually heating up properly =) Oh and I haven't had time to make this recently and therefore do not have an original photo, I apologize. Oh and the look of Al's brie kicks ass over any photo of the brie I could google. When I do make it I will have to amend this post.

Recipe for: Al's Baked Brie
Tastes: Like a warm hug from the unexpected breeze of the Santa Ana winds on an otherwise cold winter afternoon.

Ingredients:

• 1 full wheel of brie (Presidente brand is most common to find, but the better the quality the better the dish)
• 1 generous handful of pecans (coarsely chopped) -add any other nuts you'd like
• generous handful of cranberries
  
• brown sugar about 2 tbs to 1/4 cup (depends on your sweet tooth)
  
• 1/4 cup rum, whiskey or sangria (or juice for sobriety sake)
• 1/4 vanilla bean (optional)
• 1 loaf of french or Italian bread sliced into 1/2-1/4 inch thick
  

Directions:

1. Place whole wheel of brie onto nonstick baking pan and throw into the oven at 350F for about 10 mins
   
2. In the mean time in a bowl, toss in the chopped nuts with the cranberries, enough brown sugar to coat then pour in enough rum to coat mixture.
   
3. With a sauce pan turn on heat to medium Spoon the mixture in and slowly caramelize. If there's excess rum, leave it. too much liquid will hinder the caramel process. If you don't know how to caramelize, I will not teach you, figure it out. Or click the highlight.
   
4. Turn heat off once it begins to simmer, you don't want it to fully caramelize just yet.
   
5. open oven and pour mixture over your brie. close oven. approx 1o mins
   
6. On a cookie sheet place your bread slices on it and toss it in the oven to toast along with the brie.
   
7. allow the brie to heat up and melt inside and the nuts will begin to brown, make sure you keep an eye on it as to not burn.
   
8. Whole process takes about 20 mins.
9. When you feel everything is sufficiently heated and bread is toasted to your liking, take it out and serve immediately.

When you take the brie and bread out, cut into the brie wheel, it should ooze out completely melted. It's the molten hot mess that's sweet from the topping, salty from the brie, and crispy from the bread. If the brie isn't melted enough just throw it back in the oven.

This recipe is incredibly simple, but just a few things that I'll be anal about since it makes or breaks this dish. One, the brie is completely melted, and the topping caramelizes, and two the bread is good bread.

This recipe is fatty, but you can make it more healthy by slicing up fresh granny smith apples to replace bread. The tart adds its own dimension.

Santé, cheers to life and happiness. Enjoy.