Brie Bites with Jam (and Sangria!)

When Sarah and I discussed what we would make for the next installment of Two Girls and a Measuring Cup, we immediately started thinking of fall recipes. I actually believe that we exchanged e-mails for the better part of a half-hour about soup. Just soup. And then we started talking about bread and soup, and stew, and dahl, and so forth.

But let's get real here, guys. We live in Florida and, despite the fact that it's September and most people in the United States are pulling out sweaters and excitedly looking forward to apple orchards and pumpkin-carving and hay rides, we are still experiencing temperatures in the 90s and close to 60% humidity. The thought of stewing anything, let alone the thought of sitting down to a big bowl of piping-hot lentils when it's 90 degrees outside, is pretty unbearable.

So we decided to make this our last summer recipe, our sort of "Good-bye Summer, hello Autumn" recipe. It's dead easy, requires very little time in an oven, and is not hard to make after a glass or two of sangria. And don't worry... we provided our sangria recipe, too.

These brie bites are pretty awesome. On top of being easy to make, they're delicious, relatively inexpensive, and fancy-looking enough to impress people at the upcoming holiday parties you know are going to happen this year.

Our sangria recipe is a little less cut-and-dry. Sarah and I decided we wanted to make something with a lot of fruit to set off the jam... and that's where our plan pretty much ended. After sampling three bottles of wine (a.k.a. swigging the wine directly out of the bottle and looking thoughtful for a moment), Sarah emptied most of a bottle of -- and I am not making this name up -- "Layer Cake Primitivo a.k.a. Zinfandel" into a pitcher. Much to our disappointment, the wine only filled the pitcher up about halfway. But not to worry! Sarah also emptied half a bottle of Keel and Curley Strawberry Riesling (it tasted like strawberry soda -- no lie) and about a third of a bottle of sparkling white grape juice into the same pitcher (Sarah - "I sound like an friggin' alcoholic"). After she added a few handfulls of frozen blackberries, raspberries, and peaches to the mix our sangria was complete. I'll attempt to simplify this recipe below but I'm not making any promises.

So here you go, friend. Mix up a pitcher of sangria, make a mess in the kitchen, and have yourselves a farewell-to-summer party.

Brie Bites with Jam


Ingredients
- 14 sheets phyllo dough (thawed)*
- 4-5 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- 7 oz brie
- Jam (we used seedless raspberry jam)

Process
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Carefully separate two sheets of phyllo dough from the rest. Use a very slightly damp paper towel to cover the sheets you're not working with -- this will keep them from drying out and cracking. Lay the two sheets of phyllo dough on a work surface and use a pastry brush to brush the top with butter. Layer two more sheets of the phyllo dough on top and repeat the process until you've used 6 sheets of dough. We used one extra layer of phyllo dough on top that we didn't brush with butter, but you don't have to.

Cut the stack of buttered phyllo dough into squares that are approximately 3.5"x3.5." Press the squares into the cups of a tartlet pan like this one. Put in the oven for 3-5 minutes, or until the edges have just started to brown.

While the cups are pre-baking, cut the brie into cubes. When the edges of the phyllo cups have started to brown, press the cheese into the cups and return to the oven. Bake an additional 5-8 minutes until the phyllo dough is golden-brown and the cheese is melted.

When the brie cups are done, remove them from the oven and let them cool for a few minutes. Carefully lift the cups out of the pan and onto a serving plate. Spoon a dollop of jam into each cup before serving.

*If you're really  pressed for time, many grocery stores carry pre-made phyllo cups that are ready to fill. They're easy, but they're not as pretty!

Peach and Berry Sangria, Sarah and Abby Style (Sort Of)


NOTE: Please understand that these measurements are approximate. We know lots of people don't have random mostly-full bottles of wine in their refrigerators and have tried to adjust accordingly.

Ingredients
- 1 bottle sweet red wine (we used Layer Cake Primitivo, which is a red Zinfandel)
- 1/2 bottle sweet white wine (we used Keel and Curley Strawberry Riesling)
- 1/3 bottle sparkling white grape juice
- Frozen raspberries, blackberries, and peaches

Process
Pour as much frozen fruit as you see fit into a large pitcher. Add wines and juice and adjust to taste. Let sit for a while as you cook or drink it while you cook, which is less constructive but considerably more fun.