I have two events which seem unrelated, yet have come together in perfect serendipity.
- Event 1: the ripening of the grapes. We have veils of black monukkas on our vines.
- Event 2: a vintner’s dinner ride we’re doing this weekend.
And so I needed to try some different recipes.
I think my favorite thing about this recipe is that I could walk out my door and pick everything I needed, except the tartlet pastry. Oh god, what I’d give for a pastry tree. Heck I’d have a whole orchard.
Anyway, so I did a test run of these tartlets and I have to say I was skeptical. A savory recipe with something as sweet as black monukkas? And onions? and rosemary?
These are a total home run. I can’t describe how crisp and fresh they tasted. The flavor combination was bowl-licking worthy. I ain’t ashamed.
Anyway, enough of all that. Behold, I give you: Brie Tartlets wtih Grape Relish
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
- 1/2 (15 oz) package refrigerated piecrusts (I found that the Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry cups worked perfectly)
- 1/2 (8-oz) Brie round, rind removed.
- 3/4 cup seedless red grapes, chopped
- 1 green onion, minced (I used some Egyptian Walking Onions from the yard -- so delish)
- 11/2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- Place walnuts in a single layer on a baking sheet. bake at 350 for 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly toasted and fragrant. Increase oven temperature to 425.
- Unroll piecrust on a flat surface. Cut into 24 rouns using a 2-inch round cutter. Press rounds into bottoms of ungreased miniature muffin cups. Prick bottom of dough with a fork. (Or just do like me and bust out your Pepperidge Farm puff pastry cups, pour a glass of wine, and bake those puppies like the box says.)
- Bake at 425 for 6 to 7 minutes or until golden. remove from pans, and cool on a wire rack 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300.
- Meanwhile, cut Brie into 24 pieces. Stir together grapes and next 4 ingredients.
- Arrange pastry shells on a baking sheet. Place 1 Brie piece in each pastry cup; sprinkle Brie pieces evenly with toasted walnuts.
- Bake at 300 for 4 to 6 minutes or just until cheese begins to melt. Top tarts evenly with grape mixture. Serve immediately.
- These are totally do-able in a Dutch Oven. I would use one of the rectangular 9 x 13 ones, inverted, which is how I plan to do them on wagon rides.
- For the pastry, I'd do the cups in advance and then do the rest of the baking and whatnot (steps 5 and 6) on site.