Summer Fare

Yes, 'fare' not 'fair' - I had to share our dinners the last couple nights. I love summer!

Last night's menu included a few left over scallops along with some montster shrimp, sauteed in butter and Old Bay seasoning. Candy onions, sauteed in butter and chicken base. Brie with orange-juice-soaked craisins and dried cherries, heated in the microwave (it was just too hot to turn on the oven). Sweet corn was the denouement - but I'm afraid I really didn't have room after everything else.

I think I've shared all of the above recipes in previous posts. Let me tell you, it was yummy, though as I told Russ, dinner was a little rich but boy was it good!

Tonight, we had Cashel Irish Bleu Cheese Stuffed hamburgers, with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and pancetta to dress the burgers (I had mine with a little Thousand Island dressing). We also had salad and corn on the cob (yes, we eat sweet corn just about every night while it's in season). Another gourmet meal - better than anything you can get at a restaurant, I'd wager!

Who can afford a dinner including pancetta and Cashel Irish Bleu Cheese, or an appetizer of brie with drunken fruit? Well, think about it this way. We're all cutting back, eating in to save money - but it doesn't mean you have to give up the good stuff. Once a week, instead of ordering out pizza, for the same amount of money you can splurge and spend an evening cooking a wonderful gourmet meal with your family. Become a frugal gourmet!

Baked Brie with Drunken Fruit

Ingredients:
Sheet of Puff Pastry (I know, I usually don't recommend buying prepared foods, but for this I'll make an exception - if you have a recipe for puff pastry from scratch you'd be willing to share - please do!)

Round of Brie (CCGM carries Joan of Arc, which is excellent in this recipe)

1/4-1/2 cup Dried fruit (we really like craisins and/or dried tart cherries as a counter to the creamy cheese, but you can use any dried fruit you like)

1/4 cup Almonds (slivered or chopped)

Drambuie

2-3 T Brown Sugar

Instructions:
Soak the dried fruit in the Drambuie (enough to cover the fruit - you can substitute part of all of the Drambuie with orange juice if you want) - if you don't have time to wait for the fruit to plump, throw it in the microwave (30 seconds, tops), as this helps the plumping process along.

Put the Brie in the center of the puff pastry sheet. Sprinkle fruit, brown sugar, and almonds over the cheese and drizzle on some of the Drambuie for good measure (you don't want it too juicy). Wrap it up like a little present, and bake in the oven according to the puff pastry directions (usually 20-30 minutes at 350F).

Allow to cool for a few minutes - if you can stand it. Cut into servings (Russ and I can eat half of one of these each, but we're kind of piggish;). ENJOY!