Friday, December 08, 2006

Cranberry-Brie Holiday Tassies

TODAY'S FOOD TIP

Tassies are usually little tarts or cookies made from butter, flour, and cream cheese and baked in tiny muffin tins, but these holiday treats are a bit different since they're made with puff pastry. I still call them 'tassies" though because they're bite-sized and made in tiny "tassie" tins. They're perfect as appetizers or even as part of a dessert buffet. The rich, gooey, buttery brie combined with the tart, yet sweet, cranberry sauce is a luscious combination. I like the little crunch the pecans add to the tassie, but they're just as good without any nuts.

DSC04345

CRANBERRY-BRIE HOLIDAY TASSIES


Puff pastry dough

Cranberry sauce (whole berry is the kind I use)

A circle of good Brie

Chopped pecans (if desired)


Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Unfold the puff pastry dough and let it thaw, then smooth it out just a bit with a rolling pin. Cut the dough into 2 inch squares and smooth one square into each hole of the mini-muffin tin (they'll look like mini-pie crusts once they're smoothed into the tin). Put a 1 inch piece of Brie into the center of each of the puff pastry "crusts," then add a little chopped pecan. Top with a teaspoon or so of the cranberry sauce and put the tassies in the oven for about 10-15 minutes (just until the pastry starts to brown at the corners, so watch them carefully).

Let cool for a few minutes before serving, but serve warm.

No comments: