The Cooking Chronicles: Strawberry-Brie Bites

The original plan that Mack and I had for Jane's party was to bring two dishes inspired by the letter "B". But by the time I re-read Giada's recipe for Classic Italian Lasagne on Sunday afternoon, I realized there wasn't enough time to thaw two packages of frozen spinach I didn't yet have, so we reverted to my tried and true Stuffed Shells with Arrabbiata Sauce instead. As for our second hypothetical contribution, I forgot entirely about needing to thaw the package of puff pastry we purchased two days before, and so my experimentation with Cranberry-Brie Bites was temporarily set aside.

Of course, the triangle of brie was still sitting in my fridge, waiting to be used before its expiration date this week, so remembering this time to leave the Tenderflake package in the fridge the night prior, I set out to put together this quick hors d'oeuvre (I will never learn how that word is spelled).

In all honesty, it took me about ten minutes total to grase the pans, roll out the dough, cut the squares, place small pieces of brie into the cups and a dollop of strawberry jam (Mack and I had scoured the shelves at both Sobeys and Superstore for cranberry sauce to no avail) on top. I did cut the rind off of the brie first, as I don't care for the taste, and I think it contributed to the overall creaminess of the filling. I also reduced the jam content down to just over a teaspoon, and I thought the balance between the crispy, savoury pastry dough and the hint of sweetness from the jam was just perfect.

This is a versatile last-minute party appetizer - the bites can be pre-assembled and chilled, then baked just before guests arrive to be served warm.

Strawberry-Brie Bites