Hi readers! I want to say thank you for being such great friends since I started out and I want to give you something for the holidays:

It’s been a while since I posted a recipe. Here’s one that I did at my Pampered Chef debut and it was incredible. It’s super easy and amazingly comforting if you love brie, which I happen to do with great panache and élan as brie is wont to make me display.

The I used a small casserole they sell called a Coquet. It’s 5″ in diameter. Any small-sized casserole would do. For those of you with Pampered Chef tools, I’ll mark them in grayed italics.

The sauces are also proprietary, so what I would recommend if you don’t have them is to use raspberry/apricot/pineapple preserves with jalapeño jelly or add one super-finely chopped (or “zested”) jalapeños (but just the skin if you zest it) and blend them together in a small bowl with 2-3 tbsp water, mix them together and then pour on the brie halves. You also don’t have to make it spicy… it’s wonderful as-is without the peppers.

OK… here we go:

Tangy Pepper-Pecan Brie
Ingredients:
1/2  cup pecan halves
1  jalapeño pepper, stemmed and seeded and zested if necessary
1/4 c. Spicy Pineapple Rum or Raspberry Habanero sauce
1  4-inch round (8 ounces) Brie cheese with rind, room temp.
1  loaf (16 ounces) French baguette
Vegetable oil

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 425°F. Coarsely chop pecans using Chef’s Knife. Chop, mince or zest jalapeño using Food Chopper. In small bowl Small Batter Bowl, combine jalapeño and Spicy Pineapple Rum sauce; mix well using Skinny Scraper.

2.  Warm your knife (it should be about 4″-6″ long) in hot water before doing this: Cut room-temperature Brie in half horizontally (making two discs / rounds) using Utility Knife. Place one half of Brie, cut side up, into Coquet casserole. Spread half of the sauce mixture evenly over bottom half of Brie using Small Spreader. Top with half of the pecans and remaining half of Brie, cut side up. Spread remaining sauce mixture over Brie; sprinkle with remaining pecans. Cover.

3.  Using Bread Knife, cut baguette on a bias into twenty-four 1/4-inch-thick slices; lightly glaze with vegetable oil using Kitchen Spritzer. Place in oven on cookie sheet. Bake both together in the oven for 8-10 minutes or until baguette slices are golden brown and Brie begins to soften. Remove from oven; let stand 5 minutes before serving. Serve using Bamboo Spreader.

(I personally found that I had to cook the Brie 16 minutes.)

Yield: 12 servings

Fair warning: This recipe is not easy on the waistline. But that’s what January 1 is for.

Nutrients per serving: Calories 230, Total Fat 6 g, Saturated Fat 1 g, Cholesterol 0 mg, Carbohydrate 38 g, Protein 6 g, Sodium 400 mg, Fiber 2 g
Cook’s Tip: Wear plastic gloves when working with jalapeño peppers. The juice from the peppers can create a burning sensation on the skin.

-For a simple garnish, slice a jalapeño pepper in half lengthwise using Petite Paring Knife. Brush cut surface with apricot jam and bake alongside the Brie.
-This recipe can also be prepared on the Large Bar Pan, if desired.
-Camembert cheese can be substituted for the Brie, if desired.

Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Brie: Substitute 2/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained, patted dry and chopped for the Spicy Pineapple Rum sauce. Substitute 1 tablespoon prepared basil pesto for the jalapeño pepper and 1/4 cup pine nuts for the pecans. Proceed as recipe directs.

Brown Sugar Dijon Brie: Substitute 1/2 cup brown sugar for the Spicy Pineapple Rum sauce, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard for the jalapeño pepper and 1/2 cup sliced almonds for the pecans. Reserve 1/4 cup of the almonds. Chop remaining almonds; combine brown sugar, chopped almonds and mustard. Assemble as directed in Step 2; top with reserved almonds. Proceed as recipe directs.

Just want you to know: I loved this recipe and I’ll never use this platform to sell you Pampered Chef stuff. I might talk about it sometimes, as a personal story and I’ll likely disguise it going forward. If you are interested in learning more about that, please contact me at grassoil@mollyfield.com or let me know in the comments.

This is going to likely be my last post before Christmas, so no Tuesday Morning Press next week or on New Year’s Day. Maybe I’ll share an old post between the days. If you’re like me, you won’t be online much more for the rest of the year. I am determined to take some time away, as you are, to be with my family and friends.

Thank you!