Thanksgiving Brie Bites
Thanksgiving experiences in my family have ranged from some good and some bad. In the week of Thanksgiving, I had a life-changing experience that came with a great deal of grief. It changed me and my future, and even though the grieving stage is still flowing through me, I decided to give thanks for the fateful experience.
My sisters, who are my best friends, have rallied around me in support to pull me out of the mire of my thoughts. In a concerted effort to make this Thanksgiving one of the good times, we planned dishes, cocktails, and movies to watch. As we muddled through ideas, my younger sister suggested I make a dish reminiscent of a sandwich recipe I had previously prepared. And my older sister asked for it to be in the form of brie bites, so I had an idea ready. Perhaps their urging was mingled with the worry for my dallying thoughts, but I was excited to do something that they requested. I love my sisters and my family and I love cooking for them. The act of providing a comforting meal to someone you love feels more than just an act of service, but a way of supporting their life force.
On Thanksgiving, I bustled around the kitchen with my mom and older sister milling behind me, feeling a sense of unity and solidarity in being one of the nurturing figures for the other five members of our family. I cut, ripped, and shredded my ingredients as Frank Sinatra bellowed his tunes from our speaker. Thanksgiving celebration was a beautiful thing; we made food all day, grazing on it throughout the whole day. My family all join together to talk, eat, and laugh in an effort to be united and kind to each other even though the problems of our years are always there.
My dish took about 10–15 minutes to prepare and cook. My mom was so excited that I was trying out a recipe; she loves how this English class pushes me to try new ideas with cooking. I made a dish with Crescent Rounds, prosciutto, brie cheese, and pear slices. I molded them into a cupcake pan to make them more compact appetizers. After cooking the rounds in the oven, I was nervous about how they would taste and if my family would like them. I grabbed the first one off the plate and tried it even though the brie cheese was still bubbling. The slight flaky crunch of the golden-brown Crescent Rounds wrapped around the mellow brie cheese that was hot and melted over the strips of flavorful sweet-and-salty prosciutto. But the warm pear crowning the dish was my favorite part. Reminiscent of apple pie, the pear slices were soft and sweet blending perfectly with the combinations of the gooey and mellow brie, the savory prosciutto, and the buttery and flaky Crescent Rounds. Every single family member tried the dish and each praised it highly, to my great relief. I was pleased that I could bring that unique contribution to our gathering for all my family to enjoy.
Ingredients:
A pack of prosciutto
2 casings of Pillsbury crescent rounds
2 green pears
A pack of brie bites or a large block of brie
Cupcake tin
Non-stick cooking spray or butter
Directions:
- Preheat oven to Bake at 400ºF
- Spray each circle in cupcake pans with cooking spray or melted butter
- Place 1 Crescent Round in each circle of the cupcake tin so that the dough partially overhangs out of the top
- Rip up pieces of the prosciutto so that it fills the hole in the bottom part of the dough
- Scoop about 1 tablespoons of brie into each circle
- Cut up pears and top the circles with 1–2 chunks of pear
- Wrap the overhanging dough over the combination
- Spray the top of the circle combinations with cooking spray
- Cook in oven for 8 minutes or until Crescent Rounds are golden-brown
10. Take out of oven and cool for about 5 minutes
11. Serve and enjoy!
