The post Pistachio Crusted Baked Brie with Honey appeared first on The Peony Life.
]]>
Pistachio Crusted Baked Brie with Honey is the epitome of comfort food.
Pistachio Crusted Baked Brie with Honey is better than you could ever imagine it would be. Have you ever taken a bite of something incredible and you involuntarily do something ridiculous to express how delicious it is? Dramatic hand gestures? A favorite catch phrase? Random inaudible sounds of pure joy? Well get ready, because this is one of those times. You’re welcome.
This recipe is so simple and oh so delicious. 15 minutes start to finish and virtually zero cooking. Pistachio Crusted Baked Brie with Honey is such a versatile dish. I picture serving this up for my girl friends over wine, a tapas style dinner at home or as an afternoon snack on a chilly day.
I’ve been busy studying for my annual re-qualification exam and drills. As flight attendants, we have to do this once a year and it’s always super stressful! Why? Because if you don’t pass, you no longer get to fly the friendly skies. That’s right; your job is on the line. This will be my 5th annual and you would think it gets easier, but it doesn’t.
Quickly pulse shelled pistachios in the food processor. Don’t pulse too much. You want pistachio pieces, not pistachio dust!
I woke up a couple of nights ago shouting my evacuation commands. In my dream, I was evacuating an aircraft with a fire in the cabin and my exit was blocked due to water. Just lovely! My fiancé was terrified but quickly realized what was going on. If you’re close with any flight attendant I’m sure you’re aware; we can go a little crazy when our annual training creeps up.
Anyhoo, the next day I was exhausted from lack of sleep and didn’t have the energy to cook. I wanted something low maintenance, quick and warm for dinner. I opened the cheese drawer (because cheese is always the answer) and found a piece of wild mushroom brie. Boom! That’s where this idea spiraled from.
Make sure to coat all sides of the brie with honey. This will make it easier for the the pistachios to stick to the brie.
It’s better to have an entire wheel of brie because it helps keep the ooey-gooey-goodness inside, but I wanted to use what I already had in the fridge. Remember, lazy and tired? No grocery store tripping for this lady. Just keep in mind, an entire wheel looks prettier and more put together. If you’re entertaining; I would suggest going that route.
Remember not to go overboard with pulsing the pistachios. A quick pulse is all you need. You still want the texture of the pistachios. Pistachio dust is not what you’re going for with this recipe.
I served this with fresh bread, prosciutto, apple slices and green grapes. It was such a great, casual dinner! You can’t go wrong with a 15 minute, easy peasy dinner that tastes like a million bucks!
I hope you love this comforting recipe as much as I do xx
Enjoy this slathered on fresh warm bread or with apple slices for a healthier approach.
- 1 wheel of brie, size can vary but I generally use a small one
- ½ cup good quality honey
- ⅓ cup shelled pistachios
- crusty bread or sliced apples for serving
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Pulse pistachios in the food processor for a couple of seconds. You want to break down the pistachios but you still want texture. You do not want pistachio dust!
- Heat the honey in the microwave for 30 seconds. Pour over the brie cheese, making sure you cover all sides.
- Start sprinkling the honey covered cheese with pistachios. It's not a big deal if they don't all stick; just try the best you can.
- Top with pistachios and bake in the oven for 10 minutes
- Let it cool for a few minutes and then serve with bread or apple slices
The post Pistachio Crusted Baked Brie with Honey appeared first on The Peony Life.
]]>The post Mushroom & Arugula Fusili with Pistachio Mint Pesto appeared first on The Peony Life.
]]>
Mushroom & Arugula Fusili with Pistachio Mint Pesto
This addicting recipe transpired when I had a craving for pesto pasta but didn’t have any basil at home. My basil obsession prevailed and we ate our entire supply. I’m still impatiently waiting on a new batch to flourish. In the mean time, what could I make that would satisfy my craving?
My ‘newish’ mission is to try my best to use what I already have, in efforts to decrease my household waste. I feel enormous guilt when I throw away food and well, essentially money. Anyhoo, I remembered I had a whole whack of mint from the farmers market, and I thought that combined with pistachios and a few key ingredients; it would make deliciously smooth and fresh pesto.
TIME SAVER ALERT! Buy shelled pistachios to save time!
Pistachios are a tree nut that are high in protein and rich in dietary fiber. Pistachio trees are commonly found in Turkey, Greece, Italy, Iran, Syria, Lebanon and right here in California, to name a few. They are a ridiculously great source of vitamin E, which is key for healthy skin, eyes and a strong immune system.
I must confess I’m a Trader Joe’s-aholic and I buy most of my nuts there, among other things. They have super convenient shelled pistachios and they are very reasonably priced. I mainly love them because they save me SO MUCH time and I truly dislike the tedious task of removing the shells myself. If you live in Canada and don’t have access to TJ’s, I’ve found them in bulk at some Whole Foods & Safeway stores. I always go for the unsalted ones so I never end up with an over salted recipe. You can always add more but you can’t take it away!
Heads up I add a lot of garlic to this recipe! I use two large cloves or 3 small, so please adjust your recipe accordingly depending on preference. I also wait and fold in the green onions and pecorino into the pesto after removing it from the food processor. I just like the texture better that way but feel free to tweak whatever you like.
This recipe can easily be adapted to a vegetarian recipe by skipping the pancetta. I would probably make it vegetarian style more often if I was just cooking for myself, but my fiancé really loves this dish with pancetta.
Don’t forget to reserve 1 cup of pasta water. This is very important! Add it slowly one tablespoon at a time until you reach your desired consistency. Adding the pasta water slowly to the pesto pasta adds a rich & creamy component to this dish. Be careful not to add too much at a time.
SERVE THIS DISH FAMILY STYLE IN A BIG PASTA BOWL
Mushroom & Arugula Fusili with Pistachio Mint Pesto is one of my favorite go-to’s when hosting a casual dinner with friends & family. I love to serve this family style in a big pasta bowl and let everyone serve themselves. I put out little bowls of grated Pecorino Romano, shelled pistachios and mint on a tray and everyone can add the final touches to their pasta. People always go in for seconds of this recipe and I never have any leftovers! This recipe will definitely be made again & again at my house!
Enjoy!
- 1 cup dry roasted pistachios, shelled
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup parmigiano reggiano or pecorino romano, finely grated
- 2 cloves garlic, quartered
- 4 scallions, thinly sliced
- ½ cup mint, loosely chopped
- 3 tbsp parsley, loosely chopped
- 227g small crimini mushrooms, ends trimmed and halved or quartered, dependent on size
- 4 cups arugula, washed and dried
- 8 ounces pancetta, diced
- 454g whole wheat fusili pasta, cooked slightly before al dente
- salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add dried fusili pasta and cook until just before al dente. Use the instructions on the back of the package as a guide but check several times to avoid overcooking. You want to stop the cooking process a little bit before al dente and rinse with cold water. When we mix the pasta later it will cook a little bit more and we don't want overcooked pasta. Remember to reserve 1½ cups pasta water for later. This is very important!! I always take some out during the last stages of boiling process before draining the pasta so I don't forget.
- Combine pistachios, garlic and mint in the food processor and pulse until a loose paste forms.
- Add olive oil and a little bit of kosher salt and pulse until smooth.
- Fold in parmigiano regianno and scallions into pesto mixture.
- Return the large pot to the burner and add 1 tbsp olive oil or butter and heat over medium high heat.
- Add pancetta and sauté for 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and sauté for another 3 minutes.
- Add 2 tbsp pasta water and use a wooden spoon to scrap bottom of the pot .
- Turn to low heat and add pasta to the pot.
- Add pistachio pesto to the pasta and toss to coat, adding pasta water to thin out the sauce and enhance the creaminess of the dish.
- Serve on a lush bed of arugula and finish with a generous amount of freshly ground pepper.
- I love to serve this dish family style and leave the big bowl at the table because people always want seconds of this!
- Have freshly grated parmigiano reggiano, roasted pistachios and mint and let everyone top their own.
Have freshly grated parmigiano reggiano, roasted pistachios and mint and let everyone top their own.
The post Mushroom & Arugula Fusili with Pistachio Mint Pesto appeared first on The Peony Life.
]]>