Cheese Appetizers Two Ways

Tis the season for parties.......whether it's for work, family, couples or girls night-in it's time to party.  I made two appetizers using two different cheeses and toppings.  These are perfect if you are bringing them to someone's party or at home since you can serve them at room temperature.  Crack open a couple bottles of wine - The brie pairs nicely with Pinot Grigio and the muenster pairs nicely with a Gewurztaminer.

If you are considering hosting a party think about an Appetizer Party and asking each guest to bring an appetizer.  So you don't end up with all chips and dip consider consider talking to your guests on what they are planning on bringing or maybe putting ideas on a slip of paper, placing them in a Christmas stocking and having them pull out a slip of paper.  You don't want to tell them what to bring put an idea, example: cheese plate, chips and dip, meat appetizer, cheese appetizer, flavored nuts, veggie dish, hot appetizer, cold appetizer.

As the host you can provide a couple of more elaborate appetizers and the drinks.

Cheese Appetizers Two Ways

3 baguette loaves
olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoon butter
salt
pepper
President Brie Log
Cranberry Relish (recipe below)
large onion
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme, rough chopped
muenster cheese
fresh sage, minced
fresh cilantro, minced

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut the baguette loaves 1/4 inch on the diagonal and place on cookie sheets, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake in over for 9 minutes.

Heat a medium skillet until hot on low, add 1 1/2 teaspoons of butter and olive oil.  Quarter the onion and then slice thin.  Add onion to skillet and sprinkle with salt and pepper, stir until all of the onion slices are covered in the butter and olive oil.  Stir occasionally allowing the onions to caramelize I like to cook them about 50 minutes or until they get a deep brown color. Last 10 minutes add the fresh thyme and stir.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Divide up the baguette slices into 3 piles.  First pile top with 1/4 sliced Brie and place on a cookie sheet, second pile top with 1/4 slices muenster cheese and place on a cookie sheet.  Place in oven just until cheese starts to melt.  Remove from oven.  Top brie with a teaspoon of cranberry relish and sprinkle with fresh cilantro.  Top muenster cheese with caramelized onions and sprinkle with fresh sage.  The third pile of baguette slices arrange on a plate and serve with the left over cranberry relish.  You can also do extra onions so guests can help themselves with the leftover bread and relish.

Cranberry Relish

2 bags of OceanSpray Fresh Whole Cranberries, picking out any squishy berries
1 1/2 fresh jalapeños, diced
2/3 cup cilantro
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, diced small
1/2 red onion, minced
zest from one large orange
juice from that orange
2/3 cup chopped toasted pecans
2/3 cup sugar or to taste

Using a food processor pulse cranberries doing a quarter of them at a time.  With the last batch of cranberries add the diced jalapeños, cilantro and ginger, pulse.  Add to the rest of the cranberries and stir.  Add orange zest, orange juice, stir.  Add sugar and red onion and mix together.  Allow the mixture to sit for 15 minutes stir again and taste to see if you want it sweeter.  (you want to make sure the sugar dissolves before tasting) add toasted pecans.   Put relish in a strainer over a bowl for 15 minutes that way the relish will not be real wet.

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