Category: Appetizer

Brie Marsala Pizza

It’s a funny thing about brie. I’m really not a stinky cheese kind of person. I won’t go near bleu cheese with a ten food pole. Not even if you paid me. But brie, now that sort of moldy cheese, I like!

Brie is a soft cow’s milk cheese named after the French region from which it originated. It is pale in color with a slight grayish tinge under a rind of edible white mold. The thing about the mold is – it doesn’t taste moldy. And it definitely doesn’t stink.

Inside that rind, you’ll find the creamiest pale yellow cheese that is spectacular with jam, amazing in puff pastry, and unbelievable with wine.

Since wine pairs so wonderfully with the rich and fruity notes in brie, I decided to create a pizza with a classic Marsala sauce and Natural & Kosher Cheese’s wheel of soft ripened brie. It would work equally well with their camembert.

With sweet fruity marsala, fragrant rosemary and rich brie, this pizza is a mushroom lover’s dream! Thyme or wild mushrooms make another great option!

Brie Marsala Pizza

1 lb. store-bought pizza dough (I use Trader Joe’s)
1/2 wheel brie
1 8 oz pkg button mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1 lg shallot, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper, to taste
1 cup marsala wine
1/2 cup vegetable stock
1 sprig rosemary plus more for garnish

Method:

Heat the butter and oil in a pan and saute the shallot and garlic until fragrant. Add mushrooms and saute until the liquid evaporates. Season with salt & pepper. Deglaze the pan with Marsala wine and simmer until reduced by half. Add the stock and rosemary and continue to simmer until reduced and thickened, about 5 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pizza dough to a 12″ diameter circle and top with mushrooms, and brie. Garnish with rosemary. Bake until cheese is bubbly and the pizza dough is crisp and golden, about 15-20 minutes.


This post was sponsored by Natural & Kosher Cheese. Follow them on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, YouTube, Google+, or via their Blog
Related Recipes:
dried fruit brie bites

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Chickpea Cakes with Za’atar Cauliflower Relish

If you follow my blog, you probably already know about my passion for Israeli fare. From cumin to za’atar and roasted eggplant to chickpeas – you’ll find loads of Middle Eastern-inspired recipes here on BIB. I’ve been growing my collection of Middle Eastern cookbooks as well, with Balaboosta just recently added to books like Plenty, Jerusalem, Cook in Israel, The Book of New Israeli Food, and more.

In this delicious appetizer, I’ve created a chickpea cake, in a preparation similar to polenta, using garbanzo flour. Such cakes are popularly served in Northern Italy (where it’s called panisse) as well as the South of France (where it’s called panelle). They are often cut into sticks and fried to resemble french fries.

For the topping, I went with a delicious combination of za’atar roasted cauliflower with caramelized onions, prunes and toasted pine nuts. The result is a delicious combination of Middle Eastern flavors – the perfect recipe to guest post on Yosef Silver’s blog, This American Bite. You may remember it from The Great Blog Swap Link-Up where I created a recipe for grilled corn with za’atar garlic butter, inspired by his recipe for garlic, za’atar & olive oil stovetop popcorn.

For the recipe, head on over to This American Bite.

1 year ago: teriyaki salmon
2 years ago: stuffed roasted butternut squash
3 years ago: quick & easy chocolate rugelach

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Persimmon Guacamole

It’s no secret that I’m kinda obsessed with persimmon. I gushed about it’s awesomeness here and here and even made some persimmon coconut ice cream here. But as long as persimmon are in season, I’m gonna keep eating them. And if I’m eating them, I’m blogging about them. So there.

When it comes to fuyu persimmon, you can eat them straight-up. No need to wait till their uber-ripe. That’s why they work so great in guacamole – it’s almost like using mango, except so much more delicious!

Guacamole is a great base for interesting add-ins. I love to make use of seasonal fruits and veggies and add them to creamy avocado dip. Pomegranates make an appearance in the fall, persimmon in the winter, and corn, of course, in the summer. The only classic ingredient not making it into my guacamole? cilantro. I’ve tried eating it, I really have. But it just tastes like soap over and over again.

No matter how you take your guacamole – make sure to add some persimmon, they’ll be gone before you know it!

Fuyu Persimmon Guacamole

2 ripe avocados
1 persimmon, peeled and diced
1/2 red onion, finely diced
1 jalapeño, seeds and veins removed, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
juice of 1/2 lemon
kosher salt, to taste
1-2 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped (optional)

Method:

Peel and dice 1 avocado. Add to a bowl and mash. Peel and dice the second avocado and add to the bowl without mashing. Add remaining ingredients and mix to combine. Serve with chips.

NOTE: I’m not a fan of cilantro so I leave it out, but it is a classic accompaniment to guacamole, so if you like it, go ahead and add it in!

1 year ago: smoked paprika popcorn cauliflower
2 years ago: my ultimate guilt-free breakfast
3 years ago: chicken pot pie from leftover chicken soup

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Pear Ginger & Oat Smoothie

I’m always so inspired when I see people posting pics of their green detox smoothies and drinks. It makes me want to go out and buy a juicer. Today, my sister in law took me to an amazing smoothie bar on the Hollywood Beach Boardwalk. They make a mixture called Thank God Juice which includes a combination of spinach, kale, collard greens, parsley, celery, fennel and romaine. You can add Thank G-d juice to any other juice flavors, or drink it straight-up. I’m the type that needs to hide the greens in my smoothies so I added apple, beet and carrot juice.

Since I don’t yet have a juicer, blended smoothies are all I can make – but they can be just as healthy and delicious! I love adding oats to my smoothies – they turn a fruity drink into an all out breakfast. Ginger adds great flavor and brightness, not to mention various health benefits.

What are some of your favorite juice or smoothie combinations? Share it with me in the comments below!

Pear Ginger & Oat Smoothie

1 ripe bartlett pear, cored
1 frozen banana
1/3 cup quick cooking oats
1 cup coconut milk
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp freshly grated ginger (or, to taste)

Method:

Add all the ingredients to a blender or food processor and puree until smooth.

Other Smoothie Drinks:

pumpkin pie smoothie
tropical fruit smoothie
persimmon yogurt smoothie
banana, dates, milk & honey smoothie

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Za’atar Roasted Chickpeas

Ahh, za’atar, a delicious spice blend of sumac, thyme, oregano, sesame seeds and salt – there’s nothing quite like it!

When my grilled corn with za’atar garlic butter was recently featured in a lineup of za’atar recipes on The Huffington Post, I knew I had to reach for the Middle Eastern spice once again.

People are always asking me for healthy snack recipes that they can make on a whim. And I always suggest my go-to diet snack – roasted chickpeas. I give lots of savory & sweet ideas in this old post, but it’s buried deep into my blog, and it doesn’t get much attention. So here we are again with this new za’atar variation – my favorite flavor of all!

Za’atar Roasted Chickpeas

2 cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 heaping tbsp za’atar
kosher salt, to taste

Method:

Pour the chickpeas onto a kitchen towel and pat dry. Place on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and season with za’atar and salt. Stir to coat evenly and bake at 400 degrees for approximately 45 minutes, until crispy. Eat immediately.

Other Za’atar Recipes:

honey roasted za’atar chicken with dried fruit
grilled corn with za’atar garlic butter
malawach cheese pastries with dipping sauce

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