Brie Toasts with Basil Pine Nuts and Golden Raisins
Happy Christmas Eve! I’m sure you are busy making merry today, so I’ll leave you with just a few words, and a quick and easy recipe you can serve tonight.
With all the hustle and bustle around the holidays, I often lose track of why we celebrate Christmas.
It’s only too easy to get so blinded by commercials, killer sale and twinkle lights, that we buy into the idea that Christmas is about wishlists, parties, jolly jingles, snowmen, cocktails, and decadent desserts.
Those are all wonderful things, but I would like to take a moment to recall (if only for myself) what Christmas is really all about…
Christmas is:
Celebrating life.
Daring to believe that miracles can and will happen.
Laying aside our own desires and plans for the sake of others.
Giving of ourselves beyond the point of our natural comfort level.
Offering unconditional love to people we don’t know or understand.
Forgiving others and accepting forgiveness.
Finding joy in unexpected places.
And above all, it’s about a sacrificial gift so vast in significance, we could never repay it or fully understand its enormity.
This simple, yet elegant, little appetizer would make a wonderful addition to your Christmas Eve festivities–creamy, crunchy, bright and herby with a little touch of sweetness from the golden raisins.
It’s a marvelous way to offer a little extra goodwill to your holiday guests!
Festive Christmas Dishes from Villeroy & Boch.
I wish you a very Merry Christmas filled with laughter, tears of joy, and memories that are worth a thousand presents.
Yield: 30 slices
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Brie Toasts with Basil, Pine Nuts and Golden Raisins
Ingredients:
- 1 baguette, sliced thin on a bias
- 8 oz. brie, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup golden raisins
- 2 oz (about 1/2 cup) toasted pine nuts
- 1/2 cup basil, cut into thin ribbons (chiffonade)
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Salt and pepper
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Slice the baguette into 1/4 inch slices and lay out on a baking sheet. Top each baguette slice with a thin slice a brie.
- Toast the baguette slices for 3-5 minutes until the edges are golden and the brie melts.
- Meanwhile, mix the golden raisins, pine nuts, basil, and lemon zest in a small bowl. Once the brie toasts come out of the oven, top each toast with a sprinkle of the basil mixture.
- Salt and pepper to taste and serve warm.