And appetizers, and other buttery, delicious, flaky things! But I mean, let’s be REAL. Do these bites not look, um, delicious!?!? Do you see all the brie?! And the honey caramelized pears? And the crispy prosciutto!! I am just slightly excited over here. This may just be one of my best holiday appetizers yet. The combo of phyllo dough, crispy prosciutto, baked brie, caramelized pears and walnut oat crumble is kind of out of this world! But wait. You are probably wondering how I fit all that into these cute little hand bites. Ahhhh, simple answer?? I STUFFED it all in real tight and then doubled up on the brie, cause I mean, why not?? Tis the season, right? Totally.
It really is “Tis the Season” though. I cannot believe it is the 18th of NOVEMBER. I am not going to go into the same old “how did that happen speech” because I feel like I have said it a million times, but WHOA. FYI, I may or may not already have my TWO Christmas trees all pick out and ready to be chopped down. Ehhhh! 🙂 Okay, I feel like I need to explain that just a bit. Where I live (in the middle of the freezing cold mountains where it feels like Whoville nine months out of the year) you can go to the nearby ranger station and buy Christmas Tree cutting permits for $10. It’s beyond cheap and beyond awesome, because for as long as I can remember my family has always gone and cut down a fresh Christmas tree. I don’t think I could ever have an artificial one. I actually like the prickly pine needles and I LOVE the smell…nothing beats the smell of a fresh pine tree at Christmas time. Nothing. Normally there are only certain areas within the county where you can cut trees. A lot of years its slim pickins. But hey, it’s cool, a Charlie Brown tree totally fits in with a Gerard Family Christmas. Which, ahh, I hear could be very large this year. Yay for Caitlin coming! Yes, Malachi’s girlfriend is coming…I guess she’s decided to brave a Christmas with our crazy clan. Possibly a very dramatic Christmas too…ahhh….oh boy. Prepare for lots of holiday stories. It’s gonna be a crazy one this year. But back to my tree, this year the county is letting you cut ANYWHERE… YESSSSS! This means I call up good old dad, send him up the hiking trail in the back yard and have him chop down my two favorite little Charlie Brown trees. I am beyond PUMPED! Clearly.
Time to get serious though. These Crispy Prosciutto Baked Brie Bites are EVERYTHING. Not gonna lie, they were dinner (on multiple nights)… not gonna lie, it was awesome! The cups are made of phyllo dough and prosciutto that then get crisped in the oven to perfection. Once the cups are crisped, you stuff them with a wedge of brie, some pears that get caramelized in honey (you do this while the cups are baking in the oven) and then top it all off with a buttery walnut-oat crumble…Tis the Season! If that does not sound like perfection then man, I don’t know if we’re going to be able to chat on a daily basis like this anymore. Just kidding, but really, I will think you are slightly odd if you are not into these. Of course if you are a vegetarian, you can omit the prosciutto, then you’ll have ZERO excuses not to make these. Bottom line: you must make these this holiday season. Maybe even tonight for dinner…because it’s always good to test out your recipes BEFORE the big day… perfect excuse to eat cheese and pastry for dinner. DONE and DONE.
ALSO, I’m declaring appetizers to be the best. I need more in my life. Especially these bites. Just sayin.
