I never thought I'd be able to say 'So, I had some Brie in the fridge...' with a straight face - I'm lucky if I have milk (well, fresh milk anyway). When Siobhan was in New York over the summer she was kind enough to stock my kitchen with all sorts of tasty things, things I'd never think to buy myself. Things like Brie.
Problem is, brie doesn't keep too well - I had chucked it in the freezer until the next time I had an opportunity to throw a cocktail party (hah!) and forgotten about it. On a recent fridge-cleaning expedition I found it and decided to experiment.
This recipe can be made in numerous ways depending on what you feel like at the moment and how much prep work you want to do. Ingredients listed on the same line can be substituted for each other.
I rarely deal with specific quantities so I might be a bit off in my measurements - fool around with it, you'll find a combination that works.I also have to admit that the concept of tomatoes and asparagus with this pesto is extremely appetizing, though that level of experimentation will have to wait for another day.
Ingredients:
- 8 oz. Rotini pasta
- 3/4 cup brie, cubed
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1-2 tablespoons lime juice / red wine vinegar
- 3/4 cup chopped fresh basil / 1/4 cup dried basil
- 1 clove minced garlic
- 2 chopped tomatoes (optional)
- Grated Parmesan cheese
- Salt and black pepper to taste
The easy way:
Throw the Brie, oil, juice/vinegar, basil, garlic, tomatoes, salt and pepper in a bowl. Mix well and cover. Let sit for an hour or so to allow the flavors to mingle. Cook pasta until done and toss with the above pesto. Top with parmesian and serve. Easy-peasy.
The (slightly) longer way:
If you'd like more intense flavors, take the pesto and heat it in a saucepan over extremely low heat until the oil begins to boil and the brie hardens. Keep an eye on it to make sure the brie doesn't begin to burn. Remove from heat once the brie begins to stick to the bottom of the pan. Serve the same way as above. You might want to cut back on the added salt with this version as well - the cooking process sucks a good deal of the salt from the cheese.
You can use any kind of pasta with this - (fettuccini is excellent with the cold version) but I highly recommend a pasta with texture to it for the warmed pesto - it gives the wee little brie nuggets something to stick to.
This preparation method easily feeds two; the recipe can be doubled with ease though it doesn't keep as well as I'd like.
This is adapted from a recipe Here: http://pasta.allrecipes.com/az/FettucciniBasilBrie.asp